New Japan Cup – Semi Final: EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale (highlights; 3/19/17)
AXS only showed clips, not much to see. Like EVIL, Fale has a role, but can’t believe this was a semi final.
New Japan Cup – Semi Final: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (3/19/17)
This was incredible. Folks talk a lot about Strong Style, sometimes it’s forced sometimes it’s dumb sometimes it works. Here it worked. I mean it really really worked. If you are going to work this style, you go HARD. Chops and elbows, baby. So, so many chops and elbows… so many spots here where a guy is just pummeling the other and he is just TAKING IT… the punishment, the absolute viciousness, it gets so uncomfortable and so cool that it transcends the professional wrestling, yeah it might be a work but this is REAL. Tons of spots with them forehead to forehead, these are MEN and they take the professional wrestling seriously. Ishii throws one of the most amazing shoulder blocks ever here at one point too, just astounding. Absolutely batshit elbow exchange here towards the end… it goes a legitimate few minutes and is just nuts. Ishii’s bloodied nose just adds to the madness. Chops to the throat, a SIT DOWN SLAP-OFF, Shibata just choking Ishii’s ass OUT to put him down… this is as good as it gets. ****1/2
New Japan Cup – Final: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Bad Luke Fale (3/20/17)
I have quickly learned that Bad Luke Fale is not very good. But, as a foil (BAD LUCK FOIL!!!), he worked for this Katsuyori Shibata match. The match is real basic – Shibata gets beat up by the big fella, then makes the ol’ comeback. Fale unfortunately is too immobile to really make anything of it, but Shibata eventually manages a pretty sweet comeback that the crowd is all fired up for. Then they got an awesome near fall off a clothesline (the Grenade!) from Fale. Fale set up a massive Bad Luke Fale but Shibata crawled his way into a sleeper and choked his ass out for the Cup. The actual New Japan Cup trophy is a sight to see. Shibata challenges Okada and doesn’t receive a response. “Maybe he went home? The train station is nearby.” Nothing amazing, but a fine final match that did what it had to do. ***1/4
