WK9 comments:
After a series of shorter matches that didn’t let an impressive line-up show their stuff, the build to the last three matches was not wasted, with them all paying out. I also really liked the “slobberknocker” between Ishii and Makabe.
Four-way match for the Junior Heavyweight Tag Title: ReDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) © vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) vs. Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & Kushida) vs. The Young Bucks
Can’t argue with the talent on display, but this is an awful lot of people to follow and the pace is unsurprisingly relentless and storyline largely absent. ROH tag champions Red Dragon retain the IWGP titles, with the super-kicking Bucks the most obvious threat.
I have to say I preferred the recent series of TNA matches between the American Wolves, the Hardys, and the Dudleys.
Six-man tag match: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Jeff Jarrett & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojimo & Tomoaki Honma
Plus a considerable cast of extras, including Karen Jarrett and Scott D’Amore. First guitar attempt backfires, with Takahashi taking it. It’s a very short and fairly inconsequential match, unless you’re Honma, who takes the pin after a top rope flying headbutt.
Eight man tag match: Suzukigun (Shelton X Benjamin, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr, & Takashi Iizuka) vs. Mikey Nicholls, Naomichi Marufuji, Shane Haste & Toru Yano
Match based around Iizuka turning on former tag team member Yano, with all three of Yano’s team then brought in from NOAH. This match is notably more paced and character driven than the previous spotfest and chaos match. Damn, Archer does an amazingly high powerbomb. Iizuka cops a knee to the jaw and is pinned in another short match. I still love Shelton, even if he only got the time to do about one freaky thing in this.
Match must end in KO or submission: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Minoru Suzuki
Yay, the first singles match in a huge card… Early tussle and break, to that characteristic Japanese applause. These two veterans have never fought each other before.
This is a quasi-MMA match though normal wrestling rules apply, including rope breaks (though they’re both averse to this early) and no closed fists. A keylock on Suzuki and the consequent arm injury frames this match. Sakarabu takes advantage to throw kicks mercilessly to the body, but eventually falls victim to a standing rear naked choke.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii © vs. Togi Makabe
Starts with a battle of elbow strikes and strength challenges. Chops versus overhand strikes. Jim Ross goes nuts saying ‘slobberknocker’. Extremely unconvincing ten-punch from the top rope in the corner. Slap fest.
‘Please sir, can I have some more?’ they’re both saying. Powerbombs swapped. Supplexes, fireman’s carry drop from atop the ropes. Pins aren’t working for either of them. Clubbing contest. Overhead chops versus headbutts to the chest.
Back we go to forearm challenges. Headbutt swaps. Double-armed sledge swaps.
Makage fells Ishii with a clubbing clothesline before doing a knee drop from the top rope to win the match and the title.
That was great fun. Surprised it was only 12 minutes. Crowd was into it. If you liked this and haven’t watched all those five star “King’s Road” matches from 1990s Japan your life is extremely incomplete.
Junior Heavyweight Championship: Ryusuke Taguchi © vs. Kenny Omega
The Funky Weapon (Taguchi’s butt) is damaging early. The Bucks are at ringside to support fellow Bullet Clubber Omega, and Taguchi cops some spray to the eyes early on. These competitors are both slightly weird… Taguchi gets to suicide dive on all three Clubbers, temporarily evening things up. A running powerbomb by Omega is reversed sweetly to see him smash into the corner. The pace is increasing. Omega gut-wrench all the way up to a powerbomb is impressive (not that Taguchi is a huge guy, admittedly). Apron interference backfires, but only a two count for Taguchi. Omega counters with three brutal moves to take the title.
Tag Team Championship: Bullet Club (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) © vs. Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata)
No surprise to see Bullet Club with a couple extras in their corner (Tama Tonga and “Bullet Babe” Amber O’Neal). But they do nothing and ten minutes later we have new champs. Was fast-paced power hits.
We now have one hour and forty-five minutes left for the last three matches. It’s time for some Phenomonalism!
Match without a stipulation or title (but the suggestion of a #1 heavyweight contendership): AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito
No one extra at ringside for a change. AJ working on the left knee early. Back and forth, and then the most brutal top rope springboard elbow smash I’ve ever seen AJ do. These are not big guys, and can fly as much as anyone, but this is a heavy-hitting match. Anita gets to the rope to escape a calf cutter. Styles gets thrown brutally out of the ring, manages to get back in at the count of 18. Anita tries a hurricanrana, but AJ holds on and converts it to the Styles Clash from the second rope. That’s it, she said, waving her wooden leg, before 15 minutes were up.
Eventually a match will go long, we’re running out of them…
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Kota Ibusha
First video promo of the night (no translation), and plenty of theatre for Nakamura’s entrance.
The two start cagily, before a little disrespect from Ibusha sees a rapid pace change. A pause, Nakamura offers a handshake; a trap. More mind games from both. Crowd going ape and nothing’s happened yet.
This match is a different mix from these taller types, a bit of strong style but also highspots. And then some closed fists from Ibushi, which is pretty damn weird, and the ref goes off at him. Nakamura gets a couple back though, and it’s back to kicks and supplexes and a vicious Shining Wizard from Ibushi. Match is building building building.
Belly to back supplex (deadweight drag over the ropes) from Ibushi can’t force the pin.
A crowd shot (!) while they recover.
A series of headbutts and nasty strikes from Nakamura, including a top rope fly into the back of the neck… but Ibushi hulks up. Twisting sit-out powerbomb and a big boot, and Nakamura retains after 20 minutes. Post match handshake and promo.
And your main event for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Kazuchika Okada
Video promo.
Match of the Century (well, people have been a bit over-the-top in the lead-up) starts with a long series of rest holds. Finally Okada starts a series of elbow strikes between the two.
The match goes outside and Okada wants the Tombstone Piledriver on the ramp. Has to settle for an FU. But he has to take him back to the ring, can’t win the title that way. Finally misses a backdrop, letting Tanahashi back into it. 270 backsplash from the second rope clearly isn’t enough at this point, and Okada is shortly back in control but not taking his pins seriously. Okada begs the champion to hit him with his best. Elbow strikes galore. A few uppercuts in this match, bit naughty as with the previous match. Tanahashi gets a rare chance, but his frogsplash hits nothing. Okada hits the elbow drop from the top rope, and indicates for his Rainmaker clothesline finish. Nope, and a dragon screw leg whip and repeated kicks to the knees have Okada in trouble. And a backdrop onto the thinly-covered concrete outside doesn’t help. Tanahashi goes to the top rope and frogsplashes out of the ring and over the fence onto Okada.
Back in the ring, and the champ reverses a Tombstone attempt, and hits it brutally. Frogsplash onto Okada’s back. Frogsplash onto Okada’s chest. Kickout!
Tanahashi goes the mocking Rainmaker clothesline but misses. Reversal, Rainmaker from Okada. Kickout!
After a count of 8, both return to their feet. Elbow strikes for superiority. Okada threatens a Tombstone, but Tanahashi escapes.
Supplexes, nearfalls. Repeat.
Damn, they weren’t kidding when they called Okada’s dropkick the greatest in the world. ■■■■■■ impressive 29 minutes into the match!
But Tanahashi hits more leg screws. Frogsplash while one leg was still trapped in the ropes. Another leg screw. Another frogsplash. Another frogsplash.
ONE TWO THREE, and Tanahashi retains.
Okada leaves in tears.
Takahashi promo, then air guitar solo, LOL. And there’s a thing about throwing a towel to the champ so he can wipe it on himself and chuck it back…
P.S. I don’t claim to understand the background leading to the main event, but if that’s 5 stars then there were a stack of 10-starrers in the Nineties.
