#new japan pro wrestling review

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 18 in Tokyo Dome Review (Jan 4th, 2024)

New Japan Rambo **

IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship - Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney vs. TJP & Francesco Akira ***1/4

NJPW World TV Championship - Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi ****

Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura ***1/2

Shota Umino & Kaito Kiyomiya vs. EVIL & Ren Narita ***1/4

NEVER Openweight Championship - Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Tama Tonga ****1/2

IWGP Tag Team & STRONG Openweight Tag Championship Double Title Match - Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo ***3/4+

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship - Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. El Desperado ****1/4

Inaugural IWGP Global Championship Match - Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley vs. David Finlay ****1/2

Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson *****

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship - SANADA (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito ****1/4

Photos.

This show ruled. Full disclosure, I've fallen behind with NJPW in the last couple of years, and only really get to fully see the major shows, so going in this looked like a solid little card on paper, so my expectations weren't exactly sky high. However, the New Japan crew knocked it out of the park with an excellent, Show of the Year contender. Things started as they always do: The annual "cram everyone humanly possible onto the card" Rambo. We all know what to expect here, and this was better than a lot of previous offerings, but the surprise appearance of Fujita "Jr" Hayato in this years really raised it up for me, as I'm always super pleased to see him back in the ring after all he's been through. Takashi Iizuka turning up was also a nice surprise (absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that), and it was a kick to be transported back to 2013 with him mercilessly going after poor Shimpei Nogami on commentary. The ending though was very deja vu, as I could have sworn some incredibly similar variant of this was the outcome last year. The final four of Great-O-Khan, Taiji Ishimori, YOH and Toru Yano advanced to face off for the KOPW Title tomorrow.

The main show started in style with the prerequisite Jr Tag Title Match, which featured TJP debuting his new demon gimmick, The Aswang, because he was locked in a casket when last we saw him, you see. My English feed froze at the opening bell on the Aswang mask for ages, and by the time I'd gotten back onto the Japanese feed, I'd missed like three minutes of this, there were brawls all over ringside, The Aswang was wearing a dog collar, and Moloney was bleeding. The final 5 or so minutes I did see were pretty damn good though, so that's what my rating is based on. TJP got this win for him and Akira after he blew the dreaded Dokukiri into Drilla's face, then Catch 22 hit the double knees to regain the titles at 9:38. Next up, President Tanahashi put an end to the 365 day TV Title reign of ZSJ in an excellent 8:53 sprint. These guys always have excellent matches together, and this was no exception. They worked a fast-paced thriller, which boiled down to them hitting a sequence of cradle reversals, before Tana counter a Zack Victory Roll into one of his own, and won the belt to a big pop. President Ace thanked everyone for coming in the post match, and wished us all a Happy New Year. Godly.

Career rivals Tsuji and Uemura had their first non-Young Lion outing on a major show next. This was a very good little match, I've always been high on both guys since they were rookies, and I firmly believe they have incredibly bright futures in New Japan, and are destined to be focal points in the years to come. Even though I do wish they'd do more with Yota. The guy came in super hot, with a ton of hype, and now he's kinda just floundering in the mid-card. And more mid-carders is most certainly not something this company needs! They always have really good matches, so add this one to that list, which ended at just under 11 minutes, when Uemura got the much needed win with his beautiful Deadbolt suplex. Fellow future superstar Shota Umino drove into Tokyo Dome on a motorbike to start his and partner, NOAH "Ace" Kiyomiya's tag match against HoT goons EVIL and Ren Narita next. This was going along really nicely, the three young guys all looked great, and the crowd were very much into, until the standard shenanigans started, which lead to a fairly abrupt finish, which saw Narita deck Umino with a steel plated push-up bar, then score the pin with his Double Cross finish at the 7 minute mark.

The fifth bout saw company MVP Shingo defend the NEVER Title against Tama Tonga in a hard-hitting war, which was by far the best match on the show up to this point. The near 30K in attendance were going crazy for this as they hit all their big spots, massive Lariats and Gun Stun counters. After Takagi scored a great near fall with Made in Japan, Tama went to the Bullet Club well, hitting a Gun Stun, Bloody Sunday AND a Styles Clash, before putting Shingo away with the DSD at 13:46 to claim his 4th NEVER Championship. Excellent stuff here, though seemingly Tama announced afterwards that he's finishing up with the company at the end of the month, so him winning is an... interesting decision. The double Tag Title match followed, which was a rematch of the Tag League Final between Bishamon and GoD. This was another great match, a fun sprint which saw the STRONG Champions win both sets of belts after ELP hit Goto with CRIII, and Hikuleo came off the top with a massive, but very unattractive, Big Splash to win the belts in 9:47. Just before this match, Nic Nemeth (the former Dolph Ziggler) and his brother Ryan turned up to sit at ringside. I think we all know there's some kind of angle coming here.

Speaking of career rivals, Hiromu and Despy faced off for the Jr. Heavy Title in the next bout. We've seen many versions of this match in recent history, and they're pretty much always excellent, so this fit that mould no doubt. Things started hot as Despy hit Hiromu with a Tope con Giro as he made his entrance, and they worked 100 mph from there. The challenger worked over the champions leg to set up the Numero Dos, but it wasn't to be. The finish saw Desperado escape the Hiromu Roll, then hit a Jay Driller, kept a hold and nailed Takahashi with a second Pinche Loco to win the strap at the 14:21 mark to end another great outing. We crowned an inaugural IWGP Global champion next, as Ospreay, Moxley and Finlay had a wild Triple Threat Match. This started with Mox and Ospreay agreeing to work together for the first 5 minutes in order to take out Finlay, then turn their attention on each other, before BC War Dogs Alex Coughlin and Gabe Kidd ran in. The babyfaces rallied a comeback though, which saw Ospreay put the invaders through tables with a Swanton Bomb to the outside, and Moxley took a post bump and gigged himself. Which I'm sure will shock many. The finishing stretch was insanely hot as Mox kicked at one from a Hidden Blade, but was put down with Stormbreaker, only for Finlay to hit Ospreay with his new Overkill finish, which is essentially a Brainbuster into a Go 2 Sleep, to become the inaugural Global champion in 22:17. In the post match, Finlay got into a shoving match and pull-apart with Nic Nemeth at ringside, which culminated in Nemeth chasing him to the back. So that looks to be Finlay's first title programme. Finlay going over was 100% the right call, with Ospreay leaving as a full-timer, they need to start making some top guys, and he's a good place to start.

Semi final time, and a true dream match next as Okada faced Danielson in a match I'd spent a good decade fantasy booking. After their slightly disappointing first encounter at Forbidden Door in June, due in no small part by Dragon legit breaking his arm during it, they came out with a lot to prove. And they certainly didn't disappoint this time as they had a superb wrestling encounter based around aggression and emotion. As anyone who's been watching Danielson since the ROH days can attest, when Bryan has a grudge with someone (Morishima, Nigel), he goes all out with the intensity, and it usually produces classics. The pacing, the limb-work, the storytelling, the drama... everything about this was essentially perfect. After Okada broke Danielson's arm in their previous match, Dragon obsessively set out to do the same here. And it lead to his downfall. The American Dragon was coming into this one with a fractured orbital bone, so Okada worked over that for a while too. Okada kicked out of a Busaiku Knee, Danielson locked on the same arm submission he tapped Okada out with at Forbidden Door, but The Rainmaker made the ropes. Dragon then stomped his f'n head in and locked in the LeBell Lock, only for Okada to hit a Rainmaker, but he was in too much pain from his devastated right arm, and couldn't make the cover. Danielson hit a big head kick and another Busaiku Knee, but rather than go for the cover, he elected to do the "Yes!" gimmick in the corner, and try another knee, but Okada hit an Emerald Flowsion, a Landslide, then another Rainmaker to fall on top of Dragon, and score the surprise win at the 23:24 (which it felt half of, by the way). This was a masterpiece, and I was legitimately shocked when the three count came. I could have watched this for an hour, it left me very much wanting a rubber match, and this is easily the best match of 2024 so far. They bowed to each other and shook hands in the post match.

The Keiji Muto fan club imploded in the main event as former LIJ stablemates Naito and SANADA (who was even dressed like Muto circa 1995), battled for the World Title. This was an excellent match, one that I didn't have a massive amount of interested in going into this show, but they had a really great clash. It's worth mentioning that something happened to SANADA here, I don't know if it was the biceps injury he's been dealing with since G1, or if he seperated his shoulder or something, but he was in noticeable discomfort through this, and it let to some wonky botches near the finish. They tried multiple times to do a Destino counter, but they couldn't pull it off. SANADA hit Dead Fall for the double down, then an Asai DDT, but Naito escaped a second Dead Fall attempt, and went for Valentia, but SANADA countered into an O'Connor Roll for a super close near fall. A Shining Wizard followed, but Naito turned another Dead Fall attempt into one of his own, finally hit Valentia, then finished the champion off with Destino to win his first World title at 25:42. It's worth pointing out that they clashed heads on the way down on the Destino, and Naito got busted open pretty bad over his eye. With Naito having finally won again in the main event of Tokyo Dome, he was about to Finish His Story, when EVIL and Dick Togo, of all people, ran-in in an attempt to ruin things like KENTA did in 2020. However, they hadn't bargained on SANADA, who nailed his former tag partner with a Shining Wizard, and Naito sent Dick packing with a low dropkick. SANADA then let Naito finish the story a decade in the making, and do his "De-Ja-Pon!!!" roll call to end the show and send everyone home happy. Whilst I applaud NJPW for giving SANADA a go, or just giving ANYONE NEW a shot at the top of the card (it's been very Groundhog Day for a long time up there, and this is something I've been encouraging since NAito at WK8!), I don't think it payed off liked they'd hoped. SANADA is a very good worker, and amazing athlete, but he's just missing something that would make him that major star. Which is obviously something Naito has in abundance, so I'm very pleased he got his big win here, as it was pretty much last chance saloon.

This was a tremendous card, not quite as good as last year's, I don't think, but still great, great stuff and well worth checking out. Especially the Okada/Danielson match!

NDT

[djvillain]

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 34 FINALS REVIEW

[jimsmovieworld]

MY DAD IS A HEEL WRESTLER- 2018 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Ace of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi stars in this charming family friendly film about a young boy (Shota Umino) discovering his dad is secretly a villainous heel wrestler....

Very enjoyable, a real love letter to pro wrestling. Tanahashi was great, Go Ace! Many stars of New Japan appear including Kazuchika Okada in a starring role. Popped huge for Naito's cameo. Tranquilo! The dirtsheet writer was very entertaining. Hilarious soundtrack. Good film.

[thebunsquad]

Hello everybunny and welcome to Fil's first video on the channel. It's storytime with the Bun Squad! Also, Fil tells lies. I am not tall. Am smol bun.

[christhebrit2]

G1 Climax 33 Preview

History

The G1 Climax tournament is the most gruelling tournament in New Japan Pro Wrestling and the most prestigious. The winner of the tournament gets a IWGP Heavyweight Title match at Wrestle Kingdom. Wrestle Kingdom is the biggest show of the year for New Japan held at the Tokyo Dome. The tournament winners are a who's who of legendary Japanese wrestlers including the founder of the company Antonio Inoki, Keiji Mutoh (better known in the west as The Great Muta) the Ace of New Japan Hiroshi Tanahashi and the current face of the company and arguably the best wrestler in the world Kazuchika Okada. Only three wrestlers from the west have ever won the G1. The two biggest stars from the 1980s Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan both won the tournament in the early years when it was held under different rules. Kenny Omega is the only Western wrestler to win the tournament under its gruelling modern format.

Rules

The tournament this year is split into 4 blocks of 8 wrestlers with the top two from each block qualifying for the quarter finals. Each block match has a 20 minute time limit. Two points for a victory, One point for a time limit draw and zero points for a loss. The quarter final matches onwards are single elimination with the winner advancing to the next round.

A Block

A Block this year features the current IWGP Heavyweight champion SANADA who faces a unique challenge in that A Block is the youngest block in the tournament. It feels very much like SANADA vs the next generation of Japanese wrestling. Kaito Kiyomiya is an outsider in the tournament representing Pro Wrestling Noah and as a two time GHC Heavyweight champion will be expecting a strong showing. Hikuleo the 6’8 adopted son of legendary tough guy Haku is a prime candidate for a breakout performance in this years G1 and feels like a star just waiting to happen. UK fans have some familiar faces in this years tournament Gabe Kidd is one of 3 UK wrestlers in the tournament and Shota Umino and Yota Tsuji will be familiar to fans of Revolution Pro Wrestling.

Predictions

First place - SANADA

Second place - Hikuleo

B Block

B Block features two of the biggest stars in New Japan Pro Wrestling with Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay. Okada is the face of the company and must be considered the tournament favourite. Will Ospreay is the biggest International talent in the company and is on an incredible run of matches. Ospreay is arguably the greatest pro wrestler to ever come out of the UK and will push Okada all the way for first place. KENTA and Taichi are main stays in the company and will be looking for a strong showing in the tournament. The highflying El Phantasmo will be one to watch and should put in some spectacular performances with his match against Ospreay sure to be a highlight.

Predictions

First place - Kazuchika Okada

Second place - Will Ospreay

C Block

C Block this year is the definition of “Strong Style” and will feature the most hard-hitting contests of this years G1. Tomohiro Ishii The Stone Pitbull, The Dragon Shingo Takagi, EVIL and Eddie Kingston are sure to provide some classic “Strong Style” matches that will showcase there talents nicely. David Finlay the newly cemented leader of the Bullet Club and son of legendary Northern Irish tough guy Fit Finlay will be a force to be reckoned with and alongside his manager Gedo must be considered a favourite. Eddie Kingston is an outsider representing All Elite Wrestling and will be a big fan favourite. Kingston recently won the New Japan Strong championship and grew up a big fan of Japanese wrestling. Kingston carries momentum into the tournament but faces an uphill battle to qualify for the quarter finals against Shingo Takagi who has to be considered a favourite in this block.

Predictions

First place - Shingo Takagi

Second place - David Finlay

D Block

D Block is one of the most competitive blocks in this years G1 tournament and thus hard to predict. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the ace of New Japan and can never be over looked in these tournaments however he isn’t getting any younger and is dealing with injures and may struggle. Tetsuya Naito is one of the most dynamic performers in the tournament but isn’t on a role going into the tournament. Zach Sabre Jr is the greatest technical wrestler in the world and is neck and neck with Will Ospreay for the greatest British wrestler of all time. Hirooki Goto is a hard hitting fan favourite who tends to either excel or disappoint in these tournaments and could be a left field pick for the quarter finals.

Predictions

First place - Tetsuya Naito

Second place - Zach Sabre Jr

[spdk1]

REVIEW: Pro Wrestling Crate April 2023 Spoilers

[skjam]

Pulptober 2024 Day 4: Tiger Mask/Champion of Justice

Doing something a bit different for the "athlete who is also a hero" theme, as I don't have any El Santo posts. Japan also has a tradition of masked wrestlers, and the "one" I'm going to talk about is Tiger Mask.

In an alternate world where professional wrestling is absolutely real, Naoto Date, the Tiger Mask, started his career as a heel (villain wrestler.) He'd been trained in the art of evil wrestling by a shadowy organization called "Tiger's Den" and enjoyed dominance in exchange for giving them half his winnings.

But having returned to Japan, he happened to meet an orphan from the same orphanage he'd grown up in. When he heard the child express admiration for his evil and a desire to grow up to become a heel himself, Naoto was shamed. He broke ties with the Tiger's Den and became a "face" (good guy) wrestler who donated his winnings to the orphanage.

Being evil, the Den couldn't let it lie there and sent assassins to destroy Tiger Mask in the ring or otherwise. He fought them and other criminals, as well as real-life wrestlers as a change of pace.

The original manga ran from 1968-1971, ending with Naoto's death in an unrelated to wrestling act of heroism. There was also an anime.

There have been a series of licensed "Tiger Mask" wrestlers who perform in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion. I don't know their kayfabe.

And in 2016-2017, there was an anime, Tiger Mask W, a sequel in which two other wrestlers take up the Tiger Mask mantle, one for justice, the other for vengeance. And that one I've reviewed!

And let's have some opening credits!

[tltw-wrestling]

The Love That Whirls, An Introduction

One of my biggest loves is women's pro wrestling. Ever since the early 2000s when I started watching wrestling, I was amazed by the women who found their way to the top. I loved Lita and Trish Stratus and was floored by how incredible the Gail Kim and Awesome Kong feud was. However, with the lack of exploratory knowledge of the Internet and lack of critical research I missed out on the best of the best from that time that had happened outside of major promotions and what little from Japan I knew about. I ended up falling away from really diving deep into it. I had seen the rise of 4 horsewomen of NXT and learned more and more about STARDOM as it grew in popularity. Social media helped give me glimpses of Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (TJPW) and other smaller joshi promotions. AEW also helped with giving me exposure to the international scene, as well as the ill-fated NXT UK. Though, I never REALLY stayed focused on women's wrestling.

In 2023 however, I started watching TJPW more seriously. I wanted to really dive deeper after being inspired watching old joshi matches and video essays about the modern scene. I was also seeing American independent wrestlers I was familiar with participating in TJPW shows. So, I borrowed my friend's Wrestle Universe account and watched TJPW Grand Princess '23. I was amazed by how much fun I had watching, and wanted more. Not just more of TJPW, but I wanted to pay more attention to STARDOM, Marvelous, Sendai Girls, Pure-J, anything women's wrestling I could find. I initially included that with paying attention to more wrestling overall, and was rating matches across the board I enjoyed. Then it dawned on me that while I know that men's wrestling could be great, I was just losing immense amounts of interest. Especially in American wrestling and New Japan. Meanwhile, I was drawn back again and again to the women.

I started with deep diving into TJPW, STARDOM and as much of the American scene that was available to me (AEW, WWE, ROH, Impact and various others). I've put money into WRESTLE UNIVERSE, Marvelous and PURE-J. I got into Actwres Girl'Z, OZ Academy, WAVE and Sendai Girls. I know far more about the current picture than I did in March when I started. This has led me to wanting to not just rate matches or throw a few quick opinions out on Elon's hellhole or anywhere else. I decided that I should really consider covering the women's wrestling scene.

That's where this blog comes in.

While I am not ready to get started yet, I am looking to get fully invested in taking in as much women's wrestling as I can next year. I want a fresh start in January, and cover everything. These women bust their butts, and I want to just appreciate it and tell everyone all about it. From Tokyo Dome week to WrestleMania weekend, from the theaters and clubhouses in America to Arena Mexico. Wherever there is women's wrestling, I want to see it and tell you about it. On top of that, I want to deliver my thoughts on classics from time to time.

The Love That Whirls will be a new venture for me, but I want to try and bring the Internet the best writing I can produce about what I am passionate about. I can't just scream from the rooftops or post loudly from social media to watch things. I have to get as much of what I watch out there for the world to see, and learn about scenes I am less familiar with new and old. The importance of women's wrestling can only be shown if given the love and attention it deserves, and that's what I promise to deliver.

See y'all soon. I might post a classic review or two before the year gets started and offer a look back at 2023 if time allows.

[solarsonicsoda]

Rebbie's Wrestling Show Reviews - RevPro: Live in Southampton 28 (11/2/2024)

For the first time since I started this whole blog, I went to a live wrestling show! So I thought, why not give a brief review. This was one of RevPro’s weekly shows, and the go-home before High Stakes in Crystal Palace (which I am also attending!!!), so for those unfamiliar with these bigger indies, it's essentially their version of a tv taping. These shows and their big shows are all available on RevPro OnDemand. The company is known for a strong relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, being where they send trainees on excursion and in the past frequently seeing major NJPW stars hold the British Heavyweight Title.

Pre-Show

These shows are a breeze for me to reach down at The 1865 in Southampton, and always feature a pretty lairy crowd. It's a music venue, with the stage featuring some chairs with a few more on most sides of the ring. Wrestlers enter through a small walkway in the far corner of the building with a projected screen on the stage. It's an intimate and ever so slightly awkward venue, but I absolutely love it, and it's so easy to attend. Without further ado, let's get into the show, as the ever wonderful Francesca introduced the action.

Robbie X def. Joshua James by pinfall in 11:54

This was a really hot match to start things off. Robbie X is really popular with this RevPro crowd, and he earns it by always putting on a show. He’s facing Mustafa Ali in Crystal Palace, which is sure to be a highlight. On this night though, he was up against Joshua James, one of the Contenders. These are essentially the RevPro own guys. Something I love about RevPro crowds is how much they get behind the Contenders. They’re one of our own! Both men got a great reaction, and this was an awesome big vs small match. Josh James had a great power game on display, and Robbie is an awesome seller, so this went really well. It was never slow, just all action, and maybe my favourite match of the night in the end. Robbie is able to get the win when he hits the Handspring Cutter out of a James pounce, which was a counter of a previous handspring cutter attempt. That was pretty fun! The night is off to a great start!

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

I feel it pertinent to mention it here as James sported the memorial armband and t-shirt, but this is the first show I’ve seen since Mad Kurt sadly passed away late last year. Mad Kurt was on the first few shows I saw in The 1865, and made an immediate impression. I’d known him from Twitter and had no idea what to expect from his wrestling, and I was charmed by his mixture of silly comedy and serious wrestling acumen. I was heartbroken by the news, and I’m so sorry to all those who knew him for their loss. There were multiple tributes to him throughout, and he is extremely missed. Mad Kurt Forever. If you want to support his family monetarily for the various costs in this trying time, you can do so via the GoFundMe here.

“Flash” Morgan Webster def. Will Kaven via pinfall in 10:12

The Modfather, one half of the British Tag Team Champions with Mark Andrews/Dani Luna, takes on Will Kaven of… PORTSMOUTH?! For those unaware, Portsmouth is the next city over from Southampton, so Kaven always gets a strong reaction from us Southampton fans… Portsmouth is actually more local to me originally than Southampton but shhh don't tell anyone!! This is another good match, a pair of guys who can mix high flying with a more grounded game, and we see all sides of that in this one. Webster is highly popular, and Kaven is highly unpopular, and it makes for a fun match. I think the crowd may have been a smidge tired here, but they still had plenty of energy! Webster gets the win with the Shadows Over Malice swanton bomb.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Anthony Ogogo def. David Francisco by TKO in 14:52

Speaking of loving the Contenders, here’s David Francisco! We love David in RevPro, and the big man from Portugal was just as popular on this night. There was even a great chant I don't think I’d heard before of “Francisco” replacing “You are gold” in Spandau Ballet’s Gold. That’s inspired! His opponent was AEW’s Anthony Ogogo, the former Olympic bronze medallist boxer. For some reason, he still has The Factory’s logo on his jacket despite the group disbanding almost a year ago. This one was all about Ogogo, and he worked well as a heel, jibing back and forth with the crowd who had lots of banter for the “Pound Shop David Haye” as they chanted. He had a pretty good match with Francisco, who was predictably over like rover, and had a few nearfalls that could have been an upset. In the end though, despite showing resilient including a subtle rope break that fooled Ogogo, Francisco was knocked out, with the Union Jack being draped on him by the olympian. Fun if unremarkable match.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Post-match, Ogogo got on the mic, bragging about his big American house, fighting with the crowd (including a passing fan and his middle finger), and most importantly, deriding Ricky Knight Jr. for being “cocky”. However, RKJ was actually here, and he met Ogogo in the ring! They had a war of words, with RKJ again challenging Ogogo for High Stakes. He promises to take all the vision in Ogogo’s damaged eye. Both men invoke the names of each other's families, and it’s when Ogogo says RKJ’s newborn daughter takes after him in being “butters, mate” as he put it that we get a big brawl. The backstage area clears out to seperate them, with great difficulty, but they are eventually split, with Ogogo seemingly going out the wrong door. I say this because during the next match, he quietly trots from there to the entrance way and heads to the back. 

Luke Jacobs def. Yuto Nakashima by pinfall in 12:17

Beef! This is a clash of two big men, and the crowd were excited. We have here the first wrestler on the card that I’ve never seen in any capacity, that being Yuto Nakashima! One half of Young Blood passed me a few times pre-show and he is a big guy! Off the bat, love his vibe! A lot of personality and aura from him, as he enters with a big chain and wild hair. Jacobs also heads to the ring and looks in great shape! These two started a little slow in my opinion, but they ramped up and this one got pretty good by the end! Big strikes, and the highlights were some gnarly headbutts as these two had a colossal tussle. This also saw one of my favourite spots they do at these RevPro shows, as they cleared the chairs in front of me for Yuto to throw Jacobs clattering through them. Jacobs is able to secure the win in the end though, hitting Yuto with a great lariat. I was even further sold on Yuto with his post match sell, as he stumbled wildly all the way to the back, falling into the crowd and ring multiple times. He was also prone to a dance any chance he got the whole show long, and I love him for that.

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Intermission

This brought an end to the first half of the show, bringing a short intermission. Ogogo made conversation near the bar and took a few photos with fans, and Sha Samuels & Morgan Webster joined the merch table, taking photos and selling their wares. I was able to meet them both, and bought a shirt and print from Webster, despite some hassle with my card! I forgot to get a photo though, so I’ll have to see them again at another show! Both were lovely and shortly after that, our second half began.

Oskar Leube vs. JJ Gale ended in a no contest in 9:57

We came back with the other half of Young Blood taking on the other half of the High Stakes match between Luke Jacobs and JJ Gale. This match was really fun! This was my first time seeing Leube, and I was extremely impressed with his work. The man walked past me a couple times during the show and he is TALL. He uses that size well in the ring but is really smooth with everything he does. JJ Gale was a great opponent for him too, using his quickness to build a pretty cool match. Sadly, this one ended pretty quickly with a no contest, as Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey attacked both men, even wielding chairs. Yuto returns to help his partner, but he’s overwhelmed by the tag team. In the end, it’s Luke Jacobs who clears the way, wanting Gale at his best for the big show the following week. They end up brawling anyway though, as Young Blood stand off with Trew & Lacey.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey def. Harry Milligan & Michael Oku (w/ Amira) by pinfall in 13:42

Trew & Lacey are already in the ring as the following match gets announced, with their opponents meeting them for their match. There’s a big “Mad Kurt” chant to start this one, which was touching. This was a decently fun match, with the champion and his younger ally contesting with the nefarious Trew & Lacey. Trew losing his beanie also elicits a big reaction from this crowd. This one is moving along decently enough, until Trew & Lacey bring Amira into the path of Oku’s shooting star press over the top rope to the outside. Amira’s down, and a distraught Oku carries her to the back for attention… Bit of an odd move to choose for that spot if you ask me, but who am I to judge? But Trew & Lacey capitalised off this numbers advantage to get the win over Milligan. Post-match, Young Blood take their chance to strike as Trew & Lacey continue to beat up Milligan. This brings out Oku, who’s keeping an eye on Young Blood. Leube gets on the mic and demands a tag team match at High Stakes! Exciting stuff.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Cameron Khai def. Richard Holliday by pinfall in 12:59

We were breathing rarefied air next, when Richard Holliday from Connecticut, America came to the ring. He grabbed the mic from Francesca and began to introduce himself. He says he’s familiar with our game as a UK crowd, and said if we want to get ourselves over, we have to make a chant for him. He isn’t pleased with the crowd’s chants of “Dick”, saying he thought we were more original than that, as he finds one fan willing to sing his praises in song form. Sadly, I can’t for the life of me recall what the song is called, so you’ll just have to imagine the tune. It’s here that Holliday’s foe comes out: Cameron Khai! Khai is a really talented young wrestler who I’ve seen a couple times now, and he has had some absolutely great matches. One to watch for the future as he develops further! This is a decent match, but I think it’s pretty heavily overrun by fan chants. They were certainly entertaining though! Chants of “Dick Vacation” anger Holliday, as well as “You’ve got one fan, and he’s shit!” chants. There’s a fun moment as Holliday does some corner strikes, each punctuated by a call of “You’re not shit” directed at his loyal fan. What a heel! Not all of the chants were great though, you can imagine some of the humour derived from Richard’s first name. The chants really did distract from the in-ring action though, which I can’t imagine was desired. The finish comes when Khai is able to roll up Holliday with a small package pin for the win. Holliday sulks in the ring post-match, refusing to leave, which is a thread we’ll come back to shortly. 

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Seeing Holliday for the first time, I was pretty impressed with his charisma. You can definitely see the comparisons to his former tag partner MJF in his promo skills. He was solid in the ring too, definitely doing his part for the match. Sadly, his promo riling up got out of hand. Excited to see what more he can do though!

Spike Trivet def. Sha Samuels by pinfall in 14:17

Richard Holliday is still in the ring as Francesca announces our main event, which comes with a small video package and everything! How fancy! It’s Sha Samuels intervention that ousts Holliday, with the East End Butcher clearing him from the ring with his entrance. Holliday lingers outside, seeming unhappy with this from Samuels. Trivet is out next, being understandably booed for being Spike Trivet. This grudge match, built from Trivet’s general attitude and attacking Samuels at Uprising, is a decent match! A fun spot is Samuels going to use his scarf, which the referee takes away, but Samuels using this chance to use his braces on Trivet. He gets as good as he gives! There’s some back and forth decent stuff, until Holliday returns to the ring side area. Samuels takes exception to this, as does the referee, which allows Trivet the chance to grab a weapon from the earlier discovered toolbox, and get the win over Samuels. 

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Post match, Holliday and Trivet argue over beating up Samuels, before they decide to both do it. This brings out Cameron Khai and Flash Morgan Webster to even the odds, with all 5 men brawling all over the place! Right in front of me, Webster and Trivet went flying into the merch section! I couldn’t follow it all! It was a pretty fun ending after a few matches with a little less pizazz. Samuels ends the show on the mic cursing out his enemies.

Post-Show

With our show over, I went over to the merch table once again, this time getting a signed print from JJ Gale, where I had to get his PayPal for payment as I had no cash, as well as meeting Young Blood. The pair of them were lovely, and I actually remembered to get a selfie with them! I also bought a signed print of Yuto, as they only took cash and I only had £5. They better come back to Southampton so I can get a signed print with Oskar!

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a pretty fun show. I’ve certainly seen bigger barnburners on these Southampton live shows, but this was good fun ahead of High Stakes. There wasn’t too much build to the big show, but look, I had fun. What more do you want from me? I think this show gets a high 3 STARS OUT OF 5 from me!

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW THE NEW BEGINNING in Osaka Review (Feb 11th, Osaka EDION Arena)

Toru Yano & YOH vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Boltin Oleg **

Bishamon vs. Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman ***1/4

Shota Umino, El Desperado, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask vs. EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi **1/4

Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. SANADA, Yuya Uemura, Taichi, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku ***

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi ****1/2

IWGP Tag Team Championship - El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (c) vs. KENTA & Chase Owens **

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. *****

10 Man Dog Pound Cage Death Match - United Empire vs. Bullet Club War Dogs *****

Photos.

Wow, what a show this turned out to be. It started pretty ordinary, but ultimately had three exceptional bouts, one of which is the best match of 2024 so far. The show opened with CHAOS teammates Yano and YOH taking on Taguchi and Young Lion Shooter, Oleg. This was perfectly fine, but only went 3:45, so there really wasn't much to mention. YOH scored the win over Taguchi with a roll up. Next, UE Young Boy Callum Newman got a chance to shine in his tag match with O-Khan against Bishamon. This was a good little sprint, with the spirited Newman looking especially good. It wasn't to be his night, however, as he was put away by the veterans at 7:37 with Shoto.

The NJPW Babyfaces took on House of Torture next. This was your typical HoT match, beginning with a brawl, before the babyfaces got their shine, only to succumb to heelish shenanigans. After Dick Togo distracted the ref, Narita hit Tiger Mask with the Metal Plated Push Up Bar Of Doom, before SHO pinned him with a Shock Arrow in 8:43. Post match saw SHO steal Despe's IWGP Jr. Belt and proclaim himself the new champion, so we've got yet another HoT stolen belt deal, and Desperado seems destined to feud with these dorks for his entire reign. This was followed by pretty much the same LIJ vs. J5G match we've seen all tour now. It was a good outing, but I can't say that I'm interested in any of this, aside from Tsuji and Uemura's Hair Match in Sapporo at the end of the match. The two youngsters carried the action in this one, which culminated in SANADA tapping out BUSHI at 11:05 with Skull End to go strong into his Title Match with Naito on the 24th.

Perhaps the final ever Okada vs. Tanahashi match followed, twelve years to the day that the Rainmaker Shock happened in this very same building that made Okada a Superstar. This was excellent, emotional stuff that was by no means the best match these two have ever had, but it was a great send-off for what is perhaps the greatest, most consistent feud ever. I've potentially gone a tad high with the rating, but I don't care, I'm sticking with it, as this one had me invested from the minute the entrances happened. The Osaka faithful were super into this, loudly chanting for Okada at the start, going crazy throughout. Tana, who's definitely in "office shape" at the moment, even turned back the clocks and hit the High Fly Body Attack to the floor, which was awesome. After getting the knees up on a HFF attempt, Okada nailed the Tombstone, but Tana turned the Rainmaker into a small package for a great near fall. After some back and forth which the crowd were totally into, Okada hit a beautiful dropkick, a Landslide, and a Rainmaker to put the President away at 16:50 with one final Rainmaker. The pair embraced in the post match, and a teary bowed to the Lion Mark and Okada bid farewell to Osaka. He only has two matches left in his NJPW career in Sapporo, which should be similarly emotional occasions, and hey, who knows, maybe he could even put someone over on his way out (nudge nudge, wink wink).

The IWGP Tag Title bout that followed was something of a dampener, to say the least. This was the opposite of the last match, the crowd were dead for the most part, and it moved at the speed of smell. It was hovering around one star territory, but things picked up once Hikuleo got the hot tag and ran wild, but it was short lived as the ref got bumped, Taiji Ishimori ran in, hit his old pal ELP with a belt, then Hikuleo, which allowed KENTA to steal the win and the titles. Look, I know New Japan likes and rewards loyalty, and Chase Owens was there for them when they needed people badly, but the notion of him holding a major title in NJPW in 2024 is all kinds of bemusing. And to say the new GoD's Tag Title reign was a bit of a disappointment would be an understatement. These guys deserve better, and I honestly don't have the strength to watch another match between these teams after the two we've already seen so far this year.

Thankfully, things turned around in fantastic fashion with an absolutely perfect display of pro-wrestling between ZSJ and Bryan Danielson. This was a rematch of their 5 star classic in AEW last October, and it managed to surpass that match and is the best bout of 2024 so far. Outstanding grappling and counter sequences throughout this, Dragon used an arm wringer to send Sabre's legs into the ropes, which he then proceeded to work over the whole match with intense kicks and leglocks. Zack fought back, working over Danielson's neck. Lots of Romero Specials, Manjigatame's and Cobra Twists, before it broke down into a stiff strike exchange. Danielson hit a big Back Suplex off the top for a near fall, then tried Cattle Mutilation, which Sabre escaped and hit a Zack Driver for a near fall of his own. Dragon hit the stomps, then locked in the crazy arm submission he submitted Okada with, but Zack fought to the ropes. Another strike battle culminated in Danielson hitting the Busaiku Knee out of a backslide, but Sabre turned a second into a European Clutch, they exchanged great cradles, before ZSJ got the pin with a crucifix at 32:46 of fabulous action. The two shook hands afterwards, and now being 1-1, Danielson challenged Zack to a 2 out of 3 falls tiebreaker backstage, which I'm 100% down for. In the ring, ZSJ signalled he wanted a belt, then called out the winner of Naito/SANADA (despite what Chris Charlton might have claimed he said). I'm all for Zack winning the belt to be fair. I've lots to say about Naito being the champion again, which I'll refrain from, but all I will say is that the guy who holds the top belt in this company sure has felt like an after thought since winning.

Then the Dog Pound Cage main event that was also Will Ospreay's New Japan swan song. Look, theres way too much to even attempt to recap, and I went back and forth about going the full 5 stars on this one, as it did feature some stuff I really wasn't keen on. BUT, at the end of the day, these 10 guys put on an absolute spectacle of bloody drama and craziness, and it's definitely not a match I'll forgot any time soon, and a tremendous post match. They had an impossible task in following the previous match, but they had an equally blow-away outing, that was the complete wrestling polar opposite. This was set up like that classic ROH vs. CZW Cage of Death from 2006, in that the cage encircled ringside as opposed to the ring itself, and was fought under War Games rules, with guys coming out every two minutes.

Ospreay and Finaly started, with Ospreay convincing Finlay to let them fight for 5 minutes. Lots and lots of crazy stuff followed, which included the heels bringing out a ton of plunder, Akira hitting an incredible dive off the cage onto the War Dogs before Connors gave him a big spear through an upright table in the corner, Gabe Kidd potatoing HENARE with table shot, that split him open bad on the top of his head, which the doctors at ringside spent a lot of time trying to patch up. HENARE got a receipt of sorts later when he hit Kidd with a super stiff slap that looked like it knocked Gabe silly. Connors hit a big spear on Ospreay through the ropes, off the apron and through a table at ringside, Jeff Cobb ran wild on everyone with his incredible power moves, TJP emerged from under the ring as the Aswang, running wild and misting all the heels, Maloney broke up a pin attempt by Drilla Killa'ing Ospreay into the pile of bodies, Coughlin took a serious wilful beating with kendo sticks, who then took a big senton through a table off HENARE from the top of the cage. Connors introduced thumbtacks, but ended up bumping into the pins. Gedo came out with a barbed wire wrapped table, but O-Khan put an end to his interference, and it was Finlay who went through the barbed wire table, thanks to an Ospreay powerbomb. Gabe Kidd responded by hitting Ospreay with a piledriver off the apron, through a ladder bridge to the floor. Moloney forked Akira in the head, who juiced heavily, but then overcame his fear of the fork, no-sold it, and stabbed Drilla in the head with the cutlery, drawing his blood of his own, then hanged Connors over the top with a dog collar.

The heels then handcuffed Cobb to the cage, removed the ring canvas and padding, exposing the boards, and what followed was absolutely terrifying, as those boards were flying around and guys were falling through the ring left and right, to the point I thought someone might get seriously hurt. HENARE hit a massive vertical suplex on Kidd to the boards, before he too was handcuffed. Akira then took a horrendous Tombstone on the boards, which left Ospreay alone with the War Dogs. Sacrificing himself to save Akira, he tried a Hidden Blade, but collapsed from exhaustion, resulting in him taking a spear into the boards by Connors, then Finlay wrapped his knee in barbed wire and hit Ospreay with his new Overkill finish to end this insanity and win for his team in 64:05 of crazy, mind-blowing action.

The Overkill finish was quite ironic given the amounts of sheer overkill in this thing, there were times when I thought/was begging it would be over, but they just kept going and doing crazier stuff. Anyone who knows me knows I love a good crazy, unhinged blood and gimmicks match, and this was one of the best there's ever been, overkill or not. In the post match, Ospreay bid farewell to New Japan, and he got the big emotional send off with the confetti and all the UE guys surrounding him. Ospreay asked that the fans not forget him, and backstage he promised he'd be back, but when was still a mystery. Losing Ospreay is a major blow to NJPW (not to mention they're also losing Okada!), but I've no doubt he'll do great things in AEW.

NDT

[californiaelitewells]

Forbidden Door 2023 Review

Hello, welcome to my pro wrestling Review Blog.

As this is my first post i would like to make my intoduction short and sweet.

If you do not already know me, I have been a fan of wrestling for the past 3 years and I don't watch WWE

I have chosen Forbidden Door to be the introduction to my reviews as I feel that is not only the best PayPerView we've had all year but demonstrates a decebt chunk of my favorite wrestling talent. That being said, I would have loved to see some nore Lucha on the card.

I wont be going in depth on the buy-in so I'll just say this:

I love to see more Trios in AEW, i think thats a great way of showing off lesser developed talent.

Athena is great and should be on TV more.

I like how they used the Stu Grayson vs El Phantasmo match to sort of update casual audiences that these 2 competitors are no longer in the faction you might remember them last being in (Dark Order and Bullet Club respectively)

And with the Buy in out of the way lets dive into this event!

AEW World Championship, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs MJF

So usually I would have an issue with starting a ppv with the World Champion match, but I think Forbidden Door is lends itself more slack since it's a crossover event, meant to celebrate the talent and succsess of both companies. It's for this same reasoning that I will allow the more casual builds to these matches.

To me it seems MJF vs Tanahashi is made to show how well both athletes compete in a more American, slow paced, sportsman showboaty style of wrestling.

MJF as the heel works well at doing very obvious cowardly tactics. Tanahashi does an equal job acting as the milktoast babyface, starting chants with the audience and working to outsmart his opponent.

Somewhere halfway through the match we see another staple of American wrestling psychology, the worked injury. With MJF emphasisizing pain in his left knee. We saw this same concept utilized by MJF's previous opponent and, soon to be, tag team partner Adam Cole. Could this be a sign that MJF and Cole have more in common than either of them realize?

MJF ends the match using the ultimate heel weapon of the modern era, his Dynamite Diamond Ring.

Overall this was a very textbook American Televesion style wrestling match and I enjpyed it in its slower pace and simplicity.

(I won't be doing grades, because im just a guy on tumblr, just read what I wrote before this)

Hideo Kojima vs CM Punk

So during the build to this match it was rumored that KENTA would be punks opponent, but as we learned last week, that was not the case. I for one, am a big KENTA and New Japan Strong fan, and as he is currently their champion, I am preferable to KENTA not losing anytime soon. Especially to CM Punk who I am expecting to go all the way in this Owen Hart Tournament

Speaking of Punk, he did not have the warm reception he is used to. A lot of people will say he was booed out the building but in my opinion it was %60-%40 Booing Punk.

This match was fine. It wasn't bad by any means but the only spots I would find as stand out are when Punk was referencing his role models, Hulk Hogan and Himself.

Overall I like the offence Kojima brought when he got fired up and I applaud Phil's adaptation to working this match as a heel.

4-Way Match for the AEW Intecontinental Title, Zack Sabre Jr, Katsuyori Shibata, Daniel Garcia, and Orange Cassidy

Before the event began I would have pointed to this match as sleeper hit of the night. After everything it's still tied second for me.

I have to say that this year has been the year Zack Sabre Jr became one of my new favorite wrestlers, his technical wrestling skills and ring psychology are absolutley out of this world, and you have him in the ring with a legend like Shibata, an upcoming technical student Garcia, and the deceptively slippery grapple workings of Orange Cassidy, and you're sure to get wrestling Gold.

Quick note, if I had a serious complaint about this match it would be that Zack Sabre Jr didn't come out to his usual TMDK theme Young Punks. I really like that song.

This match started with Orange using his standard pathetic kicks as a way of getting into the head of all 3 of his opponents but once he started to get some hest we saw Daniel Garcia establish that if anyone is going to try a non grappling move it will be shut down shortly.

Daniel Garcia being the only Sports Entertainer of this match adds an interestling wrinkle as the rest of athletes treat him as almost an after thought.

We've seen Daniel Garcia struggle with his identity as a Sports entertainer vs his skills as a pro wrestler, and with this match it seems that Shibata might be the key factor that Bryan Danielson couldn't be when it comes to bringing Daniel Garcia to the side of Pro wrestling.

Conversly we see the dynamic between ZSJ and OC start to develope, as it seems the style of dominating tekking that Zack has in his arsenal is the perfect counter to oranges momentum based offense, that mixed with the fact we've seen Orange Cassidy growing increasingly tired I think we could see Zack become the Intercontinental champion sometime soon.

Not today though as it was Oranges opurtunity seizing rollup that earned him another day as champ.

Overall this match was a personal fav and on any other night aould be candidate for match of the night.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championshio, Jungleboy Jack Perry vs Sanada

If the MJF vs Tanahashi was to showcase american wrestling to an international audience, this match was that for Japanese style competetive wrestling.

So a lot of people aren't hot for this match but I personally really like this matchup. Jack Perry is a Los Angeles native so I will always have that homestate suppprt for him, but I also really like how his character is very casual and soft. It makes him the perfect babyface contender for any world championship, that with his solid in ring work makes him a great choice for the New Japan championship.

In the build to this Sanada said he was not familiar Jack Perry, and to me that is classic japanese style of promo. From what I've seen its common for japanese wrestlers to try and belittle the status of their opponent rather than the american style of straight up shit talking. And as Jack is not an ex WWE talent, a lot of people already right him off as an unknown.

This match was very good if a little underwhelming. The psychology works well with Sanada constantly underestimating his opponent and Jack using his unique offense to catch Sanada off guard but with matches later in the night, there really was no way this match could live up to the sort of intensity New Japan matches usually bring.

Ultimatly it was Sanadas imposing size, strength, and experience that won him the match.

Overall I feep this match was very good in a vacuum but ok this card unfortunatly it will be overshadowed.

Another factor in this match being overshadowed could be the angle post match. Where we saw Jungleboy turn on his so called Best Friend Hook, in an attempt to threaten him for his FTW championship. I personally would have rather seen this team drag on for another week or 2, it seems like the real heat was that he turned on Hook and not that he turned on a friend. I would have like to see a moment where we think Hook is starting to appreciate and need Jungleboy the same way Jungleboy needed Christian Cage.

The Elite (Hangman Adam Page and the Young Bucks), Eddie Kingston, and Tomohiro Ishii vs The Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, and Claudio Castagnoli), Konosuke Takeshita, and Shota Umino

I didn't realize what kind of task I put onto myself until I got to this match.

So this match is full of Elite style "Whos friends with who," drama that makes chismosos like me go wild.

I love to see Eddie Kingston on payperview anytime. His raw aggression is something that nobody else in wrestling could replicate at this time.

Mox being the defacto captain of this team of roughneck badasses is a very entertaining sight.

Hangman and the bucks are great whitemeat babyfaces in this match filled with mean muggers.

Seeing Ishii and Kingston team together has me thinking about the chances of Kingston joining Chaos, but then we would have to get used to the idea of Eddie teaming up with Best Friends and Orange Cassidy. Which... Im not entirely against.

If theres one thing AEW has been able to do consistantly well its the multiman matches.

Its truly impressive how much chaos and drama they are able to fit while maintiaining a throughline through the action so that nobody is stepping on anyone elses time.

Honestly I wouldn't be able to track the action in a way that does it justice, but if this is your first time watching these athletes I would like to ask you to focus on the emotion portrayed by Eddie Kingston, from the opening bell with his drive to kill Claudio, to his moments alone in the ring with his closest friend and toughest opponent Jon Moxley, to the moments he takes to emphasize his teamwork with his enemies turned teammates.

Overall I liked this match. For a certain type of audience this wasnt their favoeite. But for me this is the type of storytelling that could only be found in professional wrestling.

Small side note: I am slightly dissapointed we didn't acknowledge the Bullet Club connection in this payperview but maybe its still in phase 1 to lead to its climax next yesr at forbidden door 3

AEW Womens Championship

So going into this most people could already predict the outcome, but I had a personal bias towards wanting Willow to win. I was at New Japan Resurgence where I saw her win that New Japan Strong Womens championship, and I would have loved to see Willow carry those belts and represent womens wrestling here in the states for multiple companies.

However, Toni is still very early in her second run as womens champ and it makes sense that they would like to establish her as a dominant champion, beating another champ without the need of her heel faction by her side.

Toni working heel has definantly won me over more so than her face work. She brings a sort of aggression that portrays her as the smaller yet more vicious competitor in this match.

While i said i would have loved to see a Willow double champ, I still love what this match does to her character. Basically teaching her that while she has the strength to be strong champion she needs to find that deeper drive to be the world champion.

Hopefully we see this story continue in the womens Owen Hart tournament.

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

There was no way this wasn't going to be my favorite match of the night. Their first match was my match of the year so far, this is my favorite belt in all of Pro Wrestling.

Starting with the intros, this time it was Osprey who got the extra intro cinematic, going back to his Elevated Theme. Mirroring when Kenny had his opening cinematic with the sephiroth theme.

Kenny being the champion for new japan, he returned to his iconic Devils Sky opening, a song that in my opinion absolutley conveys his status as pro wrestlings true final boss.

Before the bell rings we already understand that Kenny is the face in this match, as this is his home country of canada, that coupled with his ongoing story with the betrayal by Don Callis.

This match opens with a trading of wrist control by both competitors. Holds going back and forth with both Kenny and Will getting equal oppurtunity offense.

This doesn't last long as Kenny goes for his finisher early into the match, renting space in Will's head as if to say he could go for the kill at anytime in this match, but Osprey counters and continues to counter to the point where he nearly kicks Omega in the face. To the crowd Will is the heel but to himself, he's more prepared than he's ever been.

Kenny soon gets the upper hand and shows yet again he wants to get the effective offense in by going for his terminator dive, but Don Callis knows Kennys offense better than anyone and he knows that if Kenny lands that move this early it would be a major uphill climb for Osprey, so he risks his own presence in order to interfier with Kenny.

This gives Will the oppurtunity to inflict some much needed violence, and this is where we begin to see just how much of a grudge Will has been holding since Wrestle Kingdom.

Once again the offense goes back and forth but both Kenny and Will are using more creative and damaging moves.

This is when Will once again gets the advantage, and begins right where he left off, attempting to ram Kenny's head through the comentary table, rhyming the moment when Kenny did the same to Will in their last bout.

This is when we see something Will has yet to really show off on AEW tv, and thats his crowdwork. Licking Kennys blood off his bicep to a chorus of "You sick fuck," chants.

In case this wasnt clear how personal this is to Osprey he uses Kennys move, the V Trigger, against him. And this wont be the last time we see this type of tactic from Will.

Once again we see Osprey getting a reaction fron the crowd grabbing a canadian flag and doing everything disrespectful he could think of. However it seems it was his enjoyment in pissing off the crowd that distracted him from his opponent, as Kenny fires up with Canadian rage and uses his countrys flag to lay on some much needed offense.

Now that Kenny has the upper hand he wants to show that this match is still far from over, returning the violence he recieved by driving Ospreys face into the steel steps, both these men are now covered in blood.

Osprey has let it be known that last time he fought Kenny he was deeply affected by the blood loss, not just mentally but physically.

Its safe to assume thats why Kenny decided to bring his opponent to the center of the ring and use his submission wrestling knowledge, to try and get Will to quit the mtach early. But Osprey shows yet again he is not the same competitor he was on Jan 4th.

The ground based wrestling continues to go back and forth just as this match has gone plenty of times before.

Both competitors have gained enough energy to try and over power eachother wirh their more offensive moves, howevee it seems as soon as one wrestler is close to finishing the match the other narrowly escapes.

Its around this time we see the return of Don Callis. This fires up Kenny as his hatred for Don Callis causes him to hit Osprey with a flurry of V triggers.

This is when we see the return of the screwdriver, handed off to Will Osprey, who in a moment of desperation is put into position to get hit with the One Winged Angel but he counters using the screwdriver on Kenny just like Callis did when he turned on Kenny.

Osprey uses his moment to Hit Kenny with the hidden blade elbow, then the stormbreaker. This is when everyone thought Kenny was put away for good, but Kenny just barely escapes with a milimeter rope break.

Don whispers something to Osprey, some sort of desperation play and we see it played out in full effect.

First a v trigger.

Then a one winged angel

No one kicks out of the one winged angel

Except for Kenny at one!

The crowd erupts!

And for the final time this match returns to zero, both competitors trade offense yet again.

This is when we see probably the most devastating move of the night the Tiger Driver 91,

With Kenny dumped soley on his head he is pinned for 2.

Osprey does the one thing neither competitor has been able to do until now and continue his offense, hit his finisher, and pin Kenny for 3.

Will Osprey is the new IWGP US Heavy weight Champion.

Sorry not sorry for the play by play for this one and not the others. This match was unbelievable. Of both of the Championship matches showcased the differences between american and Japanese wrestling this match showcased how a great blend of both could lead to a whole new style of wrestling. One perfectly encompassed by the IWGP US Heavyweight title.

There are 2 layers to this match really. The competative fighting spirit of both competitors, and the interpersonal drama between Kenny, Will, and Don.

The moment Don returned we saw what could have been Will becoming what is essentially the new Kenny Omega, complete with Don at his side, and the one winged angel, but as we saw there is only one Kenny Omega. However, it was Will being himself and using what got him to this position to overcome his biggest challenge yet.

Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Minoru Suzuki vs Sting, Darby Allin, and Tetsuya Naito

Always good to see Minoru Suzuki in the ring.

Also the significance of Chris Jericho snd Sting in the ring for the first time is hard to deny.

From what I understand Sting was put in a couple of scary situations so I hope everything with him is healthy.

All in all this match is a perfect match to convey to audiences that AEW not only has respect for the past, but has a future that can stand side by side with them.

Overall, I am surprised by how much I enjoyed Suzuki with Jericho. I also hope this alliance with Sting and Darby and LIJ doesnt end here but it most likely will.

Main Event: Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada

I was definantly excited to hear Danielson come out to Final Countdown. But Okadas theme will always be the hypest. If Kenny's theme is final boss, then Okadas is shonen protag.

Fron the second the bell rings you can tell there is a reason these 2 are in a ring together. They both excude the energy that tells you theyre the top of their game and when they're in the ring its a wrestling match not a pro wrestling segment.

The pace of this match is notable as both competitors do not take too much time to get to know eachother before the big offense begins.

This match is definantly made to represent the clashing of styles. Tanahashi could do American style, Jungleboy can do Japanese style. Kenny and Osprey can blend both. But nobody does American Style better than Danielson and nobody does Japanese Style better than okada.

We see this on display when Danielson uses his matbased submission style to focus okadas right arm. Likewise when Okada uses his aggressive strong style to inflict high damage on Bryan Danielson.

Throughout this match both competitors do a greay job in making you believ this could go either way.

So there is a spot that i can only call devious. It's when Bryan Danielson is imitating a seizure. It was all too believable at the time but i will admit that I felt all the synonyms for shocked when I saw Bryan snap into attack mode, hit the ropes and go for the busaiko knee.

Of course it was after that when we really started to notice that Bryan hurt his arm real bad

As for the finish I am going to be honest and say I am completely surprised that Danielson won. I'm doubly surprised it was due to a tap.

This match was a great one overall and for a first time viewing its full of twist and turns and gives yoh plenty of reason to understand that both of these men deserve their titles as Best in the World.

Thanks for checkung out my review. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. Soery for any and all grammatical errors english is my first and only language.

[dreadwhoop]

Reviewing the All Elite Wrestling personnel 2023 Edition (Part 0) -

New to this? Please refer to https://dreadwhoop.tumblr.com/post/697331836428353536/reviewing-the-all-elite-wrestling-personnel-2022 to recap 2022 or understand what this is all about.

Yeah. Where to start?

A brief rundown. Usually these go out around the anniversary of the weekly TV show AEW Dynamite. Here I'll ruminate the overview between last year and this year. After we'll address the roster's ratings and then who to PUSH or GET RID OF and then, if I can, some other factors to complete the annual review. This will likely be a lighter affair than the previous years since I echo the sentiments said before and, as a principled individual, don't like changing my mind once committed to an ideal - if it's good it's good if it's bad it's bad I'll continue regardless. Having said this, every time I publish a PUSH or GET RID OF list I never change the decision or repeat it so you'll always see new entrants. Anyways let's move on!

Since last year we've seen the end of AEW Dark and AEW Dark Elevation and in return the inclusion of AEW Collision as weekly offerings alongside Dynamite and Rampage. The videogame AEW Fight Forever also released this year after significant delays which makes certain roster inclusions oddities as a result. By far though the most important day for AEW was All In at Wembley Stadium - their biggest event to date by far.

AEW continues to find a measure of success in places, put on some notable matches, and effectively make 2023 the defining year where MJF is the major draw which is why it'll be a bad blow to the company upon his inevitable departure following the firing of CM Punk and loss of Jade Cargill, two names they built up strong, whilst keeping under contract even more names than ever before. Here's something to look over with the documentation done over these 4 years. If you regard official active wrestlers, we've gone from 79 in 2019-2020 to 108 in 2020-2021 to 132 in 2021-2022 to now 156 in 2022-2023. Rumours of Tony Khan buying New Japan Pro Wrestling, Shimmer, and other shows as he did with Ring of Honor only dillutes the waters further. Let's make one thing clear - you only have a roster this bloated if you expect them to get injured so you can substitute someone else in, talent be damned. Dante Martin took a bump which effectively renders his past career over whilst Jon Moxley took a nasty stinger and now both AEW's cornerstone and capstone are sidelined leaving Tony Khan to DANCE WITH GARCIA BABY LET'S FORGET THE BAD TIMES LET'S DANCE BABY!

Moving on…

This whole story with MJF and Adam Cole bromance better end with MJF and Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. being together and, for both their sakes, in WWE with her as his valet who wrestles too. MJF goes on about being a generational talent well it's only proven by having an incredible 2nd-generation talent with someone also talented especially after the botching of her 'abuse victim' T-Shirt. Anything less is fraud on the payoff and no don't feel sorry for Adam Cole because what they should of done with him was not what happened and instead has dragged MJF down to a level which insults the intelligence of its audience and his ability.

I want people to direct their attention to Netflix's documentary on OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) and how, despite the distance in audience and finance, the same problems in OVW crop up in AEW: lack of new fans. Retaining an audience is one thing but genuine interest is floundering. It's also worth noting the only difference between the success and failure of a promotion is how much revenue it has - OVW could be given a billion dollars and achieve just as much success as AEW so keep it in mind - context matters. Mahabali Shera is great would love to see him in AEW doing well. I'd also recommend Hollyhood Haley J, if only to get her to catering to get a decent meal because she's painfully thin and understand why, but you'd have to steer her to get the best from what could be a huge draw - making her lean into saying Tammy Sytch is her hero, got 'a-head' using Al Snow to work her way up, and generally make her an outrageous antithesis to Toni Storm who wants to be regarded as a star whilst Haley wants to burn everyone like a star or Julia Hart who plays at the darkness whilst she breathes it. Neither will reach the platform of WWE without a proving ground like AEW to see how well they thrive with established talents. Like Brian Pillman Jr. and Dark Side of the Ring, they can't afford to miss on such opportunities given the buzz. Hire some talent from OVW Tony.

Finally want to mention the series Markyd123 was doing on AEW was refreshing, as we need new takes, but of course the fanbase ran his interest off. Great job guys - let's continue to sabotage diverse voices whilst pretending we want diversity. As paraphrased by a relevant person to this conversation, you're either growing or you're dying. We'll see which AEW is come next annual review.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (510): Wed 9th Aug 2023

I felt really regretful for not attempting to talk to the beautiful girl who did the wrestling show last night. She's a gorgeous Canadian blonde who's into New Japan Pro Wrestling. Prior to last night I thought that the correct term for this kind of person was "imaginary" but it turns out she does exist and I just left the show after a muffled "That was great". Over the next year I need to get better at talking to people…specifically women…specifically beautiful women. After sleeping in until 11 I decided that rather than go to see another theatre show I would treat myself to some live acoustic blues at The Jazz Bar which was just up the road from my hostel. The place was packed and next to me were sat a blind guy and his helper which I thought was great that this guy hadn't let his disability get in the way of his desire for entertainment and leisure. It also meant that throughout the show I could fiddle with my balls as much as I wanted without drawing looks of disgust. On my way back to the hostel I saw comedian Stuart Goldsmith walking towards me and a seagulls turd landed about a foot away from him narrowly avoiding hitting him in the face. We shared a glance as if to say "that was close" and briefly I thought about pointing to the turd and saying to him "Best review your show's had so far" but thankfully common sense kicked in and prevented me from embarrassing myself by being a cunt for no reason. Later on as I was enjoying a walk in the sunshine I walked past Clive Anderson who looked to be taking advantage of the warm weather too. I wanted to shake his hand not just because I'm a fan of his but because back in the day he interviewed so many famous comedians like Bill Hicks, Eddie Murphy, Peter Cook, Robin Williams and Spike Milligan. Shaking his hand would mean I'd be able to say I'd shaken hands with someone who'd shaken hands with all these legendary comics but as usual I was too shy so I just wandered on and didn't say anything. If there had been a food stall on the street where we were which had a sign on it saying "Sorry, we no longer sell pancakes" then I would have nodded to it and said to Anderson "They'll always be tossers to me" but tragically the universe doesn't tend to work that way where it provides people niche opportunities to talk to celebrities through the use of puns based on something the celebrity said to the Bee Gees in the 90's. Before dinner I went on an open topped bus tour of Edinburgh and fuck me is there anyone from this city who wasn’t sentenced to death by hanging? Because it seems like everywhere we visited that's how all of the guide's stories ended: "she was tried and eventually sentenced to death by hanging". I wonder how they used to recruit people to be the hangman back in the day. I imagine most people wouldn't want that on their conscience so it would be difficult to find someone to do the gig. Probably the sensible thing to do would be to get someone who was in jail for strangling and get them to be the hangman (or "hangwoman" or "hangthem" before the PC mob come after me). After the tour it was almost time to go home so I got some noodles with deep fried vegetables and korma sauce and DAMN they were delicious. If I could somehow trick my brain into desiring noodles instead of pizza then I could get much healthier but knowing me I'd just ended up using the noodles as a topping for the pizza. As I was preparing to leave I thought about how I've always wanted to attempt stand up but never had the balls or the confidence to do so and I just don't think my joke writing skills are up to scratch. Then as I was going down the escalator of the train station I heard someone behind me say to his friend “I’ve still got a knife, fork and spoon in my pocket” and as if by magic the following response appeared in my brain out of nowhere: "If you had them in your underpants you could call them your cutlery drawers". It was at this moment I knew I had underestimated myself and not only are my joke writing skills up to scratch but I might just be the greatest gag writer who EVER lived!

[theimpact99]

Strong Style 4.11 "Remember His Name" http://tobtr.com/12210134 Jeremy "The Impact" York returns for Season 3 of Strong Style where he continues to bring his unique takes about two of his favorite sports: MMA and Pro Wrestling! Join him each week as he breaks down all the big action, interviews, craziness and more from WWE, AEW, Impact Wrestling, NJPW, PFL, UFC, Bellator, Triller, and so much more!!! On the tenth episode of Season 4, tonight's topics include: -Review: PFL Challenger Series Week 8, UFC 286: Edwards V Usman -Preview: UFC Fight Night: Vera V Sandhagen, Impact Wrestling: Sacrifice -Latest from WWE, Impact Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and more! -PLUS, betting lines for all the biggest fights! (Make sure to visit our friends at BetOnline dot net) It's Strong Style, Impact Media's weekly venture into the world of Pro Wrestling and MMA! (at Impact Media Studio West) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqHtFRsMk6J/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[spdk1]

REVIEW: Pro Wrestling Crate March 2023 Spoilers

[hazyheel]

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1 Review

The biggest event on the New Japan calendar certainly did not disappoint. Huge matches up and down the card, and even though the last few matches felt like they were lasting an eternity, it was perfectly fine with me. Great matches, and by the time the main event ended and they mentioned that this was only the first day of the event, I was super hyped up for day two. I was worried that Day 1 would feel almost like an afterthought, but it was just as awesome as any other year’s wrestle kingdom. Such a great show that I can’t rave about it enough. Here is my review of Day 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 14. 

Naoki Sano, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shinjiro Ootani, Tatsuhiko Takaiwa vs. The Great Sasuke, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, Tiger Mask IV: El Samurai was in Team Liger’s Corner, while Kuniaki Kobayashi. Liger and Sano started things off, and after a few submission exchanges, Sano drilled Liger with a suicide dive. Ootani tagged in, and gave Liger a face wash, before liger stood up and drilled him with a series of shoteis. Tiger Mask and Takaiwa came in next, trading stiff chops and kicks, with Takaiwa coming out on top. Takaiwa’s team then beat down Tiger Mask for a little while, showing off their signature offense. Tiger Mask was able to escape after hitting Takaiwa with a Tiger Driver, and then tagged in Fujinami. Fujinami then drilled everyone with a dragonscrew leg whip, and even started to choke out Takaiwa. Sasuke then went for an elbow drop, but Takaiwa dodged and tagged in Sano. Sano then went for a double stomp, but missed, and the two brawled up to the top rope and nailed a superplex. They both tagged out to Liger and Taguchi, who immediately was hit with a rana off the top. The two then continued to fight in the middle of the ring as the rest of the legends brawled on the outside. Taguchi then nailed Liger with an ensiguri, followed by a Bumoye, but Liger kicked out! However, Taguchi then hit the Dodon for the win. 

After the match, everyone shook hands and bowed to Liger. They all held their hands up high in the air.

Grade: C-. I feel bad giving this such a low grade, but this match wasn’t really about the wrestling. It was about the sight of seeing all these legends in the ring, which was cool. It was a fitting retirement match. I’m shocked that Liger lost this one, I thought for sure that he was gonna win it. 

BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA & Shingo Takagi vs. El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr: Evil and Suzuki started things off in the ring as everyone else brawled on the outside. Suzuki quickly took control after an armbar over the top rope, and started to beat him down with a chair on the outside. They fought back into the ring where Suzuki-gun worked over Evil’s neck and arm. However, Evil fought back with a Fisherman suplex to Taichi, and Takagi got the hot tag, destroying Taichi, Suzuki and Desperado. The two continued to fight utnil tagging in Sanada and Sabre. The two traded pinning cominations with Sabre targeting the arm and Sanada targeting the knee. LIJ continued to beat down Sabre, with Bushi trying to recreate his recent upset. However, Sabre was able to twist him into a submission for the win. 

After the match, Sabre kept the hold on Bushi until Sanada pulled him off with a Dragon Sleeper. 

Grade: C+. Pretty good match, nothing too exciting. It’s always fun to see Suzuki-Gun heeling it up in a multi-man tag, but there wasn’t too much to this match. It felt very rushed without the sense of urgency. Takagi had an awesome hot tag though, so that was fun. Fine stuff, but nothing more than that. 

Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, KENTA, & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI: Yano and Fale started things off, much to Yano’s dismay. Yano tried to take him down with some shoulder tackles, but Fale quickly flattened him. Yano then avoided the rest of Fale’s offense and tagged out to Hashi. Fale tagged in Owens, and then two tradded chops back and forth. Hashi had the advantage until Takahashi tripped up Hashi and allowed Owens to nail a wrecking ball dropkick. Bullet Club beat down Hashi for a while, until Ishii ran in and made the save. He tried to give Fale a suplex, but Fale powered out and gave Ishii a slam. Yano then slapped Fale on the head, angering the big man who then beat the crap out of him. Goto and Kenta then tagged in, and exchanged huge lariats back and forth. Kenta was able to get the advantage with a DDT, and Bullet Club then beat down Goto. As everyone started to take each other out with their big moves, Ishii gave Fale a huge headbutt and then a brainbuster to a roar from the crowd. Goto then fought off Kenta and Takahashi, before giving Takahashi the GTR for the win. 

Grade: B-. This match was similar to the last, but it had a lot of really exciting action much to my surprise. Yano was funny as ever whenever he entered the ring. Ishii got a big moment in a year where it was very possible that he wouldn’t. Good stuff for Ishii. Also, Kenta and Goto really wailed into each other, so I’m now super excited for the title match.

FinJuice vs. Guerrillas of Destiny for the IWGP Tag Team Championships: as GOD made their entrance, FinJuice ran up the ramp to meet the champions, but immediately got beaten down. Juice Robinson ate a back body drop on the ramp, and David Finlay was thrown off the stage. GoD then beat down Juice in the ring for a bit, but Finlay was able to recover and get the hot tag. He beat down Tonga Loa a bit, until Tama Tonga took him down with a cheap shot. Finlay fought back a bit and climbed to the top rope, but Loa pushed him off and he landed on the injured shoulder. GoD then took their time beating down Finlay, until Finlay threw caution to the wind and drilled Loa with a spear. Juice got the hot tag and beat down both members of GoD with power slams, lariats and cannonballs. Juice went for the Left Hand to God, but Loa blocked it and nailed a knee to the face, an ensiguri, and a german suplex. GoD tried to capitalize, but Juice nailed leg lariats on both of them. FinJuice finally took control and beat down Tama with a dropkick/Russian leg sweep combo, for a quick kickout. FinJuice then went for a superplex combo, but Loa pushed Robinson off the top. They then grabbed Finlay and nailed him with a powerbomb/ frog splash combo for a near fall. GoD then hit Finlay with a Magic Killer, but Juice broke it up. They then drilled Juice with a Magic Killer, before pulling Finlay up to the top rope for the double powerbomb, but Finlay countered with a rana. Tama then went for a gun stun, but Finlay fought out of it with stunner. Finlay then tried for a rollup, but Tama pushed him into the ropes and Jado nailed a kendo stick shot, but Tama couldn’t get the pin. Robinson then took Jado out with a Left Hand to God, gave a pair of left hand to gods to Loa, before allowing Finlay to hit sliced bread for the win. 

Grade: B. I wasn’t a huge fan of this match until the finishing sequence, but what a finishing sequence it was. Lots of big moves, and awesome kickouts. They did a great job of making FinJuice out to be real underdogs. They were scrambling by the end of the match, and everything looked very frantic. I was into it, and I was happy to see the boys pick up the big win. 

Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer in a Texas Death Match for the IWGP United States Championship: The match started out quickly with Moxley throwing Archer out of the ring and nailing a suicide dive. Moxley then grabbed a kendo stick, but Archer threw a chair into his face. Archer then beat down Moxley with a Kendo stick, a chair and a trash can lid. Archer was going to go for the tightrope walk, but Moxley pulled him off and destroyed him with kendo stick shots to the face. He let Archer back in the ring, and quickly countered a chokeslam with an elbow, before catching Archer off the ropes with a trash can lid shot to the head, followed by a vertical suplex onto some chairs and a regal knee. Archer then rolled to the outside, gave Moxley a chokeslam onto the apron, followed by chokeslamming a young lion into Moxley, and then diving into a crowd of young lions and Moxley. Archer then set up four chairs in the ring and gave Moxley Blackout onto them. Moxley barely made it up to his feet, so Archer locked on the EBD claw and smashed Moxley’s head into a chair. Moxley countered into an armbar, but Archer quickly caught his neck and gave him an overhead suplex into the corner. Moxley then popped right back out of it with a lariat and a double underhook ddt. Archer got up, and was able to take control back with a derailer and a chokeslam onto a chair. Moxley got up at 9 and flipped off Archer, earning him a boot to the face. Archer then produced a plastic bag and locked on the EBD Claw with it. Moxley nearly passed out, but passed the arm drop test, so Archer introduced a pair of tables. He then used his spiked helmet to stab Moxley in the head, and tried for the blackout out of the ring onto the tables, but Moxley countered and went for a spear. Archer caught him out of spear and went for a chokeslam through the tables, but only managed to get Moxley onto the apron. Moxley then kicked him in the gut and gave him the Death Rider through the tables for the bloody bloody win. 

After the match, Moxley got on the mic and said that he wants to leave with nothing or everything. He said that on Night 2, they settle things once and for all. 

Grade: B+. This was a violent as hell match that was tough to watch at times, but it was an awesome sight to see. They beat the crap out of each other with a bunch of weapons and there were some totally rough spots. Archer does some vicious chokeslams. Nothing beats that finish though, that looked insane. I really hope Archer is okay, because his arm was really really cut up. Still, a match deserving of the death match name. Good stuff. 

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: The two started out with some fast paced wrestling on the mat, before Ospreay nailed him in the head with a slap. The two then stood back up in the middle of the ring and exchanged shots back and forth. They then engaged in a series of counters ending in a stiff chop from Ospreay. Takahashi then put Ospreay on the apron and went for a sunset flip powerbomb, only for Ospreay to counter. Takahashi then pulled them both onto the floor and gave him a powerbomb on the apron, followed by a missile dropkick off the apron. The two then exchanged chops in the middle of the ring, until Takahashi went to the apron. Ospreay then caught him with a double stomp to the back of the head and a hanging DDT to take control. Ospreay then started to work over the neck, with Takahashi only getting tiny glimpses of offense. Back in the ring, Ospreay locked in a Koji Clutch to continue to attack on the neck, but Takahashi barely made it to the ropes. The two then exchanged chops back and forth until Ospreay nailed a kick to the midsection. Takahashi then caught him off the ropes with a rolling flatliner, followed by a basement dropkick a nd a falcon’s arrow for a near fall. Ospreay then went for his Sasuke special, but Takahashi backed up and tried for a German suplex, only for Ospreay to flip out of it. He then charged Takahashi down the apron, and Takahashi tried to give him a belly to belly into the apron, but Ospreay slid into the ring and nailed a Sasuke special anyway. It was an awesome sequence. The two then fought out onto the apron, where Ospreay gave him a springboard double stomp to the back of the head in a brutal shot. Ospreay then wanted the hidden blade, but Takahashi collapsed before he could hit it. The ref checked up on Takahashi, but Ospreay pushed him away and started to lay into him with kicks to the face and midsection. Ospreay then put him in the corner and nailed a cheeky nandos kick. He kept him up and went for a move off the top, but Takahashi countered out of it with some chops. Hiromu went for a wheelbarrow bomb, but Ospreay counted, only for Hiromu to hit it anyway for a near fall. The two started to pick up the pace with Ospreay nailing an ensiguri and a robinson special, but Takahashi countered the Os Cutter. The two jockeyed for position, with Ospreay nailing Made in Japan for a near fall. He then nailed Takahashi with a shooting star press to the back for a near fall. And finally he hit the Os Cutter, but Takahashi still managed to kick out! Ospreay was pissed, and nailed a hook kick. He tried for the hidden blade, but Takahashi dodged and nailed a desperation pop up powerbomb. The two then exchanged stiff shots back and forth, with the last drops of their energy. Ospreay tried for the handspring ensiguri, but Takahashi caught him and nailed a german suplex for a near fall. Takahashi then tried for a lariat, but Ospreay caught him and set him up for Stormbreaker, only for Takahashi to nail an awesome Canadian destroyer for a near fall. Takahashi then planted Ospreay in the corner and nailed a pair of Superkicks when Ospreay followed him out. he tried for the time bomb, but Ospreay counter for the Stormbreaker again, but he couldn’t make it. Takahashi then ran the ropes, but Ospreay caught him with a Spanish fly for another near fall. Ospreay then nailed the Hidden Blade, but Takahashi still countered out of the Stormbreaker with a code read. Takahashi then nailed the Time Bomb, but Ospreay kicked out! So Takahashi picked him right back up and nailed a sort of package piledriver for the win. 

Grade: A+. A killer match. These moves were absolutely and phenomenally brutal. They pulled out all the stops and hit some of the stiffest and toughest moves that they’ve ever hit in pro wrestling. Ospreay played up the heel role to a T, coming across as a total asshole but also as a great final boss. All that work on the neck was totally brutal and it told an dangerous and great story. Now it’s time for Ospreay to move up to the heavyweights, because he really killed it. Takahashi was the same wild wrestler that he was a year and a half ago. And he debuted a brutal new finisher that looked awesome. These guys totally killed it, and I’m so happy that Takahashi is back. 

Jay White vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship: White immediately rolled out of the ring as the match started. He did this a couple of times, before Naito grabbed Gedo by the beard to lure White into the ring. They fought in the ring a bit, with Naito coming out on top. White retreated again, but Naito held the ropes open for him. White entered the ring and tried to kick Naito, but Naito saw it coming and gave him a leg sweep and a hangman’s neckbreaker out of the ring. The two then brawled back into the ring, with White only really gaining the advantage when Gedo held Naito’s leg. At one point, White crotched Naito on the ringpost, followed by Gedo nailing his knee with a chair. White continued to work over the knee and back of Naito on the outside. He continued the assault with an Indian Death Lock, with Naito barely making the ropes. The two continued to go hold for hold, with Naito locking in a full nelson with his legs, and slapped his head as he struggled. White quickly regained control with a stiff DDT, and continued to work on the midsection and knee. Naito started to return the favor and attack the knee back, but White continued to keep up the pressure with stiff knee strikes to midsection. Natio then started to focus on the neck with a neckbreaker on the knee. He then brought White to the top rope, but White escaped and swept his legs, sending his neck directly into the turnbuckle. White then trapped Naito’s bad knee in the ropes and kicked it over and over again, before nailing a dragonscrew leg whip. Naito started to collapse as he ran back and forth across the ring. Naito tried for the tornado DDT off the ropes, but he couldn’t hit it because of his knee, so White took advantage with a huge uranagi. White then dumped Naito onto the apron with a saito suplex, brought him back in the ring for a twisting suplex, and then hit the kiwi crusher, but Naito kicked out! Every time Naito started to fight back even a bit, White would unleash a devastating attack on the knees. White then locked in the TTO for a tense submission sequence where Naito just barely made it to the bottom rope. White pulled him back into the middle for the TTO again, but Naito spit in his face and gave him a boot, followed by a somersault kick. White tried to run the ropes, but Naito popped him up into a spinebuster. As Naito started to gain the advantage back, Gedo got up on the apron for a distraction. But Naito saw it coming and nailed White with an ensiguri and a tornado DDT off the middle rope. He took the battle to the top rope with a snap rana and then Gloria for a near fall. Naito went for the Destino, but White just sat down, so he nailed him in the face with a basement dropkick. Naito tried again, but the struggle sent Naito into Red Shoes and took the ref down. Gedo then tried for a chair shot, but ate a low blow instead, only for White to Low Blow Natio and then throw a chair right in his face. He followed it up with a pair of sleeper suplexes, only for Naito to nail a running Destino, but he couldn’t make the cover. They both made it to their feet and struggled for positioning on their finisher, with Naito nailing a poison rana, followed by a Destino, but White still kicked out! Naito picked White back up, and White nearly hit Blade Runner, but Naito just dropped him on his head and hit one last Destino for the win. 

Grade: A. This was some great storytelling matched with some really awesome looking moves and some awesome limb work. White was a great heel, working as a total dick to Naito and playing up the cheating at just the white times. Naito didn’t come off as an underdog so much as he cameo off as a victim of a brutal attack that he overcame in a spectacular way. The bumps were terrifying, but not to the point that they overshadowed some really good action and some amazing storytelling. Awesome stuff here, and I’m excited to see the conclusion of the Double Gold Dash. 

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Okada came out in very short pants, but it still got a pop. The two started with some slower paced mat wrestling, showing some interesting counters and holds at a meticulous pace, until they hit a stalemate. Okada tried to break things up with a shoulder tackle, but Ibushi went right back up to his feet. The two then traded strikes, and Ibushi dodged a Rainmaker and nailed a series of strikes and a moonsault for a near fall. Ibushi kept up the pressure with some stiff kicks around the chest and stomach, but Okada brought it back with a flying elbow followed by a DDT. The two then fought to the outside as Okada gave Ibushi a draping DDT onto the floor. Back in the ring, Okada tried to provoke Ibushi into frustration but Ibushi didn’t fall for it, fighting a patient fight before drilling Okada with a dropkick. Okada took control back with a dropkick to the outside, before kicking Ibushi over the barricade and giving him a diving splash. Back in the ring, Okada worked over the neck with a brutal looking crossface until Ibushi made the ropes. Okada then nailed an elbow drop off the top, and hit the rainmaker pose. He spun Ibushi out, and Ibushi went for a backflip kick, but he under rotated and nearly landed on his head if Okada hadn’t kinda caught him. Okada then set him up for a tombstone, but Ibushi reversed into a wicked package piledriver. The two stood in opposite corners, and Okada went for a shotgun dropkick, but Ibushi caught it with a double stomp. Okada rolled to the outside, so Ibushi nailed him with the moonsault off the top to the floor. Okada then tried for a neckbreaker, but Ibushi countered out of it into a huge Last Ride. Ibushi then tried for the Bomboye, but Okada caught him with a huge dropkick and then a tombstone. He tried for the Rainmaker, but Ibushi collapsed into the ropes. Okdaa the showered him with strikes, which seemed to piss Ibushi off to no end. Ibushi just absorbed the shots and then starched Okada with a huge punch in the face. Okada then gave him a huge shotgun dropkick, but Ibushi got right back up and peppered Okada with huge punches and kicks. He didn’t even stop went Okada was down and defenseless in the corner. Ibushi then went for the deadlift German on the ropes, but Okada countered it and planted him on his head with a tombstone piledriver on the apron. Ibushi was nearly counted out, but he made it back in the ring at 19. Okada sprung the second that Ibushi hit the ring with a series of pins and neckbreakers, but Ibushi kicked out of all of them. So Okada slowly picked Ibushi up and nailed a high angle German suplex, and held the wrist for a rainmaker. As he went for the spinning rainmaker, Ibushi countered with a huge lariat of his own. He then put Okada on the apron and delivered the deadlift German off the second rope, but Okada still kicked out. Ibushi then tried for a lawn dart into the corner, but Okada countered with a spinning tombstone, and tried for the rainmaker, but Ibushi totally flattened him with a rainmaker of his own at the last second. Ibushi then showered the grounded Okada with kicks and a bomboye, but Okada kicked out at 1! So Ibushi nailed another bomboye to the back of the head, and Okada still kicked out. Ibushi followed up with a huge high kick and a Kamagoye, but Okada still managed to kick out! Ibushi went for the Kamagoye once again, but Okada was able to get to his feet and deliver a huge dropkick to counter it. The two then exchanged labored forearms on the ground, but they slowly rose to their feet, with the strikes getting harder and faster as they went, with Ibushi bringing Okada to his knees with a combination of slaps and kicks, followed by a triad of kicks to the head of the grounded Okada, and then collapsed himself. Ibushi then brought Okada to the top for an avalanche Tiger driver, but Okada nailed him with forearms until he fell off the top. Okada then went for a missile dropkick, but Ibushi caught him out of the air with powerbomb for a near fall. Ibushi then went for the Phoenix Splash, but he missed, allowing Okada to hit a pair of Rainmakers, but Ibushi kicked out right at the last second! Okada slowly dragged Ibushi up another two times for rainmakers, but on the third, Ibushi dodged it and nailed a high kick, followed by a V-trigger. Ibushi then tried for a piledriver, but Okada hit a sit out tombstone and then one last rainmaker to finish it off. 

Grade: A+. Phenomenal match. These guys didn’t go for the raw speed of the Junior Heavyweight match, but they delivered with a story about two equals who could barely keep up with each other. They destroyed each other with incredibly hard hits and stiff drops on the head. They destroyed each other’s necks over and over again, and Ibushi unleashed everything with his punches and kicks. It was an incredible match, and I cannot wait for the day when Ibushi eventually becomes the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, because it really will be glorious. Amazing match, match of the night. 

Overall Grade: B+

Predictions: 8/11

Pros: IWGP Tag Match; Texas death; Junior Heavyweight; Intercontinental; main event

Cons: opening tag, although it was cool nostalgia.