NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi [c] vs. SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI (2/11/17)
My oh my, it’s Tanahashi and Nakanishi and Taguchi doing their best Kimura and Eigen and Momota. “Taguchi Japan” as a stable is a LAUGH. This was a perfectly fun undercard match… nothing special but the action kept moving and a smile was put on my face and sometimes that’s all you can ask for from this big beautiful world. Tanahashi and Nakanishi doing ass spots, inverted atomic drops, an ankle lock / cloverleaf / torture rack spot… stuff like that. Fun finish with everyone getting a move in and the crowd going nuts for Taguchi hitting the Rear View on EVIL and BUSHI. Nakanishi hits an old man crossbody, and is submitted by a mist to the face and weak-ass Dragon sleeper. **1/4
3-Way Match – IWGP Tag Team Title: Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano [c] vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Takashi Iizuka & Davey Boy Smith Jr. w/ TAKA Michinoku (2/11/17)
What have they done to Iizuka? Is he Sabu now!? Whatta gimmick change, I love it. Otherwise… huh. A fine sprint, a decent performance. Everybody did what they do. This was just nothing that ever moved me. Yano escaping with another win was neat, I guess. **
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Dragon Lee (2/11/17)
OK Hiromu Takahashi is a STAR. This was batshit crazy. Everything was full speed, just all-out insanity, high-flying moves hit so perfectly that for a few fleeting moments they all made sense. These two are crazy people who have a special chemistry. This “review” can really only serve as a recap of a lot of things these two did because what in the HELL. Both went at each other right away with strikes which as good a way as any to start a match. Lee cartwheeled out of a few Takahashi ranas, then nailed a HUUUUGE tope that was really a full-speed diving clothesline. Takahashi just GOES FOR IT with a full-speed sunset flip bomb, then Lee hurricanrana’s him off the apron to the floor. Lee hits an awe-inspiring tope con hilo, then does rolling northern light suplexes. Takahashi and Lee both go to the top and Takahashi hangs off, only to sit-up and pull Lee down with a belly-to-belly to the FLOOR. Then Takahashi just dives into a god damned powerbomb and both guys just writhe in pain. Both guys do this crazy wheelbarrow suplex setup that has to be seen to be believed. Lee tries another rana off the apron but Takahashi powerbombs him on the floor. A weak ref bump follows with Lee barely hitting him with a dropkick. Takahashi tries a front powerbomb off the top rope only for Lee to catch him, only for Takahashi to PULL HIS MASK OFF and hit the move. When Lee gets his mask back on both guys just throw nasty shots including a couple wild knees at each other. Takahashi hits two other-worldly Canadian Destroyers, a DVD into the corner, and finally the TIMEBOMB for 3. Oh and the crowd was going absolutely mad for most of this. Maybe the in-between of the crazy wasn’t elite, but the crazy was crazy. ****
NJPW on AXS (6/9/17): The New Beginning in Osaka Part 2
IWGP Intercontinental Title: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Michael Elgin (2/11/17)
This is a great match – two impressive wrestlers having themselves a battle with hard shots and crazy spots that escalated into some crazy-ass drama towards the end. Liked the intros with Elgin staring a hole through Naito and Naito refusing to look. This had a hot start with Naito trying a kick in the corner and landing on the apron, and Elgin knocking him off the apron with a clothesline and hitting a cannonball. So many impressive Elgin strength spots… the catch of Naito’s tope into a stalling suplex was INCREDIBLE. As was Elgin catching a Naito frankensteiner, only to try a powerbomb and getting the frankensteiner anyway. Thread of the match was Naito going after the leg and Elgin selling said leg, trying to suplex his way into some offense. Elgin did a fine job selling and his tease of tapping on the heel hold was tremendous. Elgin kept trying comebacks, Naito kept going to the leg. Then things got crazy. Elgin hit an avalanche falcon arrow for a big near fall, then he spit at Naito which was a receipt from Naito spitting on him earlier. Elgin hit a buckle bomb, then tried his finishing powerbomb but Naito raked the eyes and did a tornado DDT off the ropes. Elgin dropped an apron powerbomb and guardrail powerbomb from the outside, then went for the kill, only for Naito to kick out of the Elgin Bomb and eventually manage the Destino for 3. Almost 40 minutes and really really great, lost me in a few places but Elgin is a beast and Naito is special. ****
