In 2017 AXS switches over to voiceover for the start of the show, which is pretty cool and sets matches up for us American folk but I will also miss the bumpin’ music and crowd reactions that just straight-up show you what you’re about to watch. The Wrestle Kingdom presentation is good stuff – started airing just a week after the show, and is done in 4 parts so you see all the notable matches. No interviews/reflections here either outside of post-match promos or press conferences – it’s right to the ACTION!
NJPW ON AXS (1/13/17): Wrestle Kingdom 11 Part 1
IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Kenny Omega (1/4/17)
This match is a few minutes of a good start to a long match, 10-20 minutes of bullshit, 5 minutes of cool-ass spots, and 10 minutes of one of the best finishing sequences I’ve ever seen. I really really liked this and it’s a hell of a spectacle but I can’t ignore that I was bored out of my mind for 20 minutes of it. When I think about what makes a truly classic pro wrestling match, and by proxy classic art, I think about something like Mad Men. Stay with me here. Mad Men Season 2 was a god damn slog, but it at least built characters and had payoffs. The first half of this match had none of that shit. But god DAMN, that finish.
New Japan should also be commended for how they pushed Omega in 2016. They did tremendous job cementing him as legit contender all year – Nakamura challenge, beat Tanahashi, beat Elgin, Ladder Match, led Bullet Club, G1 Climax win. I saw this match prior to catching up on 2016 and liked it, then watched it after catching up and liked it a bit more.
Really did enjoy the first few minutes… I’m a big mark for extended headlocks and deep armdrags. The crossbody over the guardrail was neat but it was around that time that despite my best efforts I started to tune out. They just kind of did stuff and peppered in a nice spot here and there and it wasn’t super compelling. It’s like… they’re doing some cool shit, and I’d probably flip out if I saw it live and in-person, but I’m not FEELING anything, yanno? Undoubtedly they went HARD though, especially Omega who seemed amped to have the match of his life. The springboard moonsault into the crowd and double foot stomp onto the table were indeed crazy. Liked the struggle towards the end, loved Okada’s selling of the drama – holding the ropes to get up, pure disbelief over the Rainmaker kickout. The god damn back body drop to the table on the outside. And those KNEES. THOSE MOTHERFUCKING KNEES. THOSE WERE SOME STIFF-ASS GOD FORSAKEN KNEES. Last 10 minutes truly were batshit and dramatic and awesome and high-end professional wrestling in the truest sense of the word… first 30 or so didn’t completely have me though. It was really really really great. But chill the fuck out. ****1/2
NJPW ON AXS (1/20/17): Wrestle Kingdom 11 Part 2
IWGP Tag Team Title: Guerillas of Destiny [c] vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (1/4/17)
I am not sure if Makabe or Yano have changed at all since the last time I saw them and that’s just fine with me. Ishii was Choshu’s boy at the time but now he’s got credibility and shit. Honma was still trying to get the deathmatch stench off of him, so seeing him as like the third most over guy in the company is something else. To be completely honest, at 2 and a half hours in Toru Yano was the most interesting guy on the show to me. Camacho seeming just over the moon excited to swear was pretty hilarious too, though highlight for him was “DAMN YOOOOU.” This was kind of messy but pretty good and just bizarrely fun – not everything came off perfect but they just kept going with weird shit and it worked. The finish was a damn hoot and a half too. YANOOOOO!!!!
**3/4
IWGP Intercontinental Title: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
When I last left Tanahashi and Naito, Tanahashi was a superstar headed to the top and Naito was still a young feller trying to find himself. Now Tana is the top-star-in-decline of New Japan and Naito is full-on Japanese Stone Cold Steve Austin/DILLIGAF Shannon Moore. Looove Naito’s thing, man. Though the Destino kinda sucks as a finisher. This was a great wrestling match – two professionals, no frills just one guy a classic good guy and one guy an asshole and they go at it with beautiful athletic maneuvers, eventually building to a crescendo. I really liked the escalation of this match – was digging it for a while though not in love of it, and then they had the “both guys down” spot after the High Fly Flow/Destino and god damn it all made sense. Enjoyed Naito being a cock (HE SPIT IN HIS FACE!) and the dueling leg work – both guys just kicking at each other’s leg towards the end was a blast. The apron Sling Blade and Tanahashi’s MASSIVE High Fly Flow to the outside were positively batty. Highly enjoyed Naito’s willingness to take neck bumps on the Sling Blade too. First 20 minutes were good, last 5 minutes were epic. Post-match press conference is great – Naito is such a DICK. ****
NJPW ON AXS (1/27/17): Wrestle Kingdom 11 Part 3
Gauntlet Match – NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Title: Jado, YOSHI-HASHI & Will Ospreay vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale & Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale & Hangman Page vs. EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Satoshi Kojima, Ricochet & David Finlay [c] vs. EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI
Oh my god, Yujiro is biw a pimp. This was a long messy match where not much stood out – WWE can be real garbage sometimes but they would never let something like this on their show. Can’t believe Jado’s still at it. Love Kojima but he is old. In short bursts Adam Page, Will Ospreay and Ricochet all looked very good, though Ospreay needs to settle the fuck down. I like the cut of pasty-ass Dave Finlay’s jib too. LIJ’s got a vibe to em man, but for fuckssakes their Dome entrance is longer than the Undertaker’s. I dunno, BUSHI has a nice tope? *1/4
NEVER Openweight Title: Katsuyori Shibata [c] vs. Hirooki Goto
The last time I saw Hirooki Goto he was a promising Young Lion. The last time I saw Katsuyori Shibata he was in his “freshman who smokes cigarettes” phase and hanging out with the cool kids like Kazunari Murakami. Shibata and Goto had themselves an awesome little sprint of a match here that encompassed all that I miss about the Japanese professional wrestling. Liked Shibata just outclassing Goto early with the headlock escape, sleeper on the apron, kick to the outside, and just beating the piss out of him in the corner with the best ever mudhole stomps leading to the big-ass corner dropkick. The “hold a guy on the ropes for a clean break and then slap him” is still the #1 best spot too. Then they just worked holds and hit each other and it was tremendous fun – real fucking wrestling, man. Those HEADBUTTS. It felt like both guys wanted to WIN this thing at all costs which is more than I can say for most of the undercard. I miss Shibata – fucking love this guy. And Goto is a weird one for me … I am not 100% sure heavyweight Goto did anything that would make me want to see him again as a wrestler, but at the same time I just want the fella to succeed. The god damn headbutt-off at the finish was 100% psychotic and then Goto overcame the odds, which was so cool. ****
NJPW ON AXS (2/3/17): Wrestle Kingdom 11 Part 4
Cody vs. Juice Robinson
This was very very very… OK. It felt like Cody was working a match for the wrong company, trying to start shit with Steve Corino and working more for the camera than the Dome. He’s really a blank slate of an Athletic Heel Wrestler… not good, maaaan. Juice took some nice bumps and the leg work/selling was okay, but this was not much. **
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title: The Young Bucks [c] vs. Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero & Beretta)
I always knew we’d get to a place where some guy’s Bandcamp page is plugged on a New Japan show – Trump is right, globalization is shit. This was a real good time. Bucks’ gimmick with all the titles is solid and “What’s up, Dustin?” by Trent got a laugh out of this jaded mark. First few minutes of this kind of felt like a NOAH comedy 6-man opener with superkicks and dives, but then the Bucks started working over Trent and it got good. For guys known for the flipping and the superkicking the Bucks are really good at being dicks, setting stuff up and eating shit. That young boy took a wild bump on that superkick, man – he just WENT FOR IT. Beating on Trent was strong and Rocky looked great on the hot tag – really wish cameraman got that bump off the Meltzer Driver counter though. Countout tease from the superkicks on the ramp, Ode to the Bulldogs, sunset flip counter thing where one of the Bucks got to it before Rocky did, and Baretta’s willingness to tope into nothing were all great. Nice near falls at the end with Rocky going at it alone. Sweet finish. Fun!!! ***1/4
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi
So this was fucking crazy. I saw both Hiromu Takahashi and Kushida live at Global Wars for the first time and found them to be fun but nothing stand out. This… this stood out. I can’t remember a juniors match at the Dome this heated. I liked Takahashi slowly transitioning from cocky asshole to desperate guy trying to win a title. Takahashi just took Kushida OUT with that early sunset powerbomb to the outside. Then Kushida tried to flip around and Takahashi said naw brah. The rana spot not going over the top was a bummer so Takahashi decides to salvage it by just wrecking his back on the outside with a senton. The Hoverboard Lock struggle was GREAT, as was Kushida just straight punching Takahashi in the face. Then the front bomb off the top… man. A really great, just balls to the wall kind of match. ****
