NJPW ON AXS (9/30/16) – Wrestle Kingdom 10 Part 1 (1/4/16)
1. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura [c] vs. AJ Styles
Oh my GOD – it is the guy who is the best wrestler in the world against a guy who complements his style absolutely perfectly. WHO AM I DESCRIBING!? This is just non-stop great wrestling, absolutely zero downtime from the fun – insane strikes, massive near falls, absolutely unreal counters. Nakamura brings the intensity and the strikes and the SWAG but this is an AJ Styles Special. Every move connects with the perfect mesh of prettiness and viciousness. His ducking of Nakamura’s kicks is the finest ducking of Nakamura’s kicks there is. The urgency and intensity he puts on everything makes it so that, when JR and Josh Barnett say there is no room for error, it is a rare good call.
Just imagine this incredible counter sequence – AJ blasts Nakamura with that strike combo he does, runs into a boot, ducks a dangerous-looking spin kick at just the right second, Nak throws a knee, AJ avoids an axe kick, AJ hits a pele, Nak hits a running knee. Then AJ blasts Nak with a knee that has Nak looking like he saw a ghost. I mean the WRESTLING.
Crowd was all in on this too. Loved the shrieks in the crowd when Nak did a rolling cross armbreaker out of nowhere. The Styles Clash counter out of the Triangle choke = incredible, as was Nakamura selling his shoulder like death, like this truly is the most awesome but most dangerous wrestling match you have ever seen.
Despite all the greatness, the best part of the match might have been AJ setting up the Styles Clash but first just stomping the brains out of Nakamura’s head. Nakamura gets a receipt soon after by throwing an INSANE Kinshasa to the back of AJ’s head, and then just throttles him with another (AJ’s bump, my GOD) and wins. On one hand it feels sudden, on the other hand you’re like that’s the only way that match could have ended. Just bell-to-bell wonder, two special talents pulling out ALLLL their tricks. That it was the New Japan swan song for both guys makes it all the more special. *****
2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Kenny Omega [c] vs. KUSHIDA
This was pretty fascinating. Great junior heavyweight wrestling, and great chemistry between KUSHIDA who’s your classic white meat babyface and Omega who works like he’s the Danny Almonte of the juniors. It also had a lot of goofball stuff. And it was all kind of fun, except for Omega’s cold spray to his own dick spot which is one of the all-time trash things in wrestling.
Omega’s a wildman here though – him doing the guardrail moonsault + trash can grab spot was genuinely impressive, as was his HUUUUUUUGE Tokyo Dome-sized tope con hilo to the ramp. The one-armed powerbomb is just the absolute best. And the catch of KUSHIDA’s handspring > electric chair > dropping KUSHIDA down into a deadlift straitjacket suplex = mind-altering.
Taguchi dressed as a Doc Brown and acting like a guy who has only seen Doc Brown in pictures was kind of amazing. Enjoyed him eventually saving the day and killing the Young Bucks in an awesome bit of sports entertaining. KUSHIDA eventually counters the One-Winged Angel into an inside cradle. Lost me a bit early but a hell of a lot of goodness packed into 12 minutes. ****
NJPW ON AXS (10/7/16) – Wrestle Kingdom 10 Part 2 (1/4/16)
1. NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Title: Toru Yano & The Briscoe Brothers vs. Tama Tonga, Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale
I dunno. Yano is Yano. The Bullet Club is all wearing matching camo pants, which is cool. They moved well enough, but god, who cares? **
2. Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito
This is Naito and Goto doing some stuff. A solid enough midcard version of a New Japan match. Naito’s rollup into cradle was awesome and should be his finish. Los Ingobernables chaos and nice intensity towards the end. Incredible Shouten Kai finish. ***
3. IWGP Tag Team Title: Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows [c] vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma
All of this worked – Anderson & Gallows killing it one last time in the Dome, Honma the incredibly over underdog – a modern day Tsuyoshi Kikuchi. Tag team wrestling can be the most simple match and it will be awesome, cause a bunch of stuff is going on and everyone has got a role. Honma’s fight for survival and eventual triumph is so great. You done good, Deathmatch Boy. ***1/4
NJPW ON AXS (10/14/16) – Wrestle Kingdom Part 3 (1/4/16)
1. 4-Way Match – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero & Beretta)
I mean this is a blast. Non-stop action building to crotch chop spots. The Bucks kept it together being dicks and goofballs and bumping all over, everybody else showcased what they do well. Ricochet’s Razor Edge dive to the floor was wild. The ReDragon rolling butterflies into wheelbarrow codebreaker into wheelbarrow suplex was wild. There is something that just tickles me pink about seeing these athletic fucks go out and do a bunch of crazy stuff. ***1/2
2. NEVER Openweight Title: Tomohiro Ishii [c] vs. Katsuyori Shibata
I don’t even know what to say. These guys are insane. This is an insane match. Ishii and Shibata are both prideful, stoic Japanese men who hit really hard. And the match is neither guy ceding to those hard hits, each guy wanting to best the other, and unfortunately in order to best each other in this case you’ve probably got to get CTE or something.
This is a war movie in a wrestling ring. The bell rings, the fire fight begins – they just SPRINT at each other and start slapping the shit out of each other’s faces. The elbows. The knees. Shibata stomps, Ishii jolts up and looks into his eye. Ishii kicks Shibata in the spine, Shibata absorbs it and stands up, Ishii sits down and ASKS for a kick to the spine, and these sick fucks do that a few more times as the kicks get progressively worse. Ishii wrecks Shibata with chops, but Shibata KIPS UP and fires off an elbow that causes Ishii to crumble down.
There’s a thing they do here where Shibata sets up his running dropkick in the corner but Ishii stands up and walks towards him (but of course) so Shibata adapts and just boots Ishii in the face. That just encapsulates the whole match for me – everything is urgent, present, and fun as hell. Incredible stuff right after that as Shibata throws STIFFFFFF elbows, and Ishii just keeps stepping forward into them. Ishii then starts throwing his own elbows and Shibata does the same. Shibata just POUNDS Ishii with elbows and hits a running dropkick in the corner that JR reacts to like he’s calling a Bill Watts match. They throw shots and shots and nobody goes down and they do a big string of Fighting Spirit spots and both guys collapse. They stand and trade strikes and Ishii throws two chops to the THROAT. After more kicking and headbutting, a PK from Shibata FINALLY puts Ishii down.
There is no “control segment” here. There is no limb work. No complex moves or counters. There’s not even that many near falls. And bell-to-bell, you are compelled. You buy in. You believe. How could you not? ****3/4
NJPW ON AXS (10/21/16) – Wrestle Kingdom Part 4 (1/4/16)
1. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Kazuchika Okada
This is a great match and I didn’t like it that much. It is lengthy, it is quality. It is between two career rivals. And I love Big Match Wrestling, but this didn’t do much for me. I’ll admit only having a basic understanding of their history. The crowd was buzzing throughout. I can always be wrong. It was good! But both guys have done a lot better.
Okada is all cocky. Tanahashi is all ace-y. Chain wrestling, Tanahashi legwork, MASSIVE High-Fly Flow. Leg work leads to a nice scorpion deathlock near fall, but who really bought that? Either way, Tanahashi is GREAT at upping the intensity when he’s headed home, so the last 15 of this sucker are pretty incredible. Okada remains one of my favorites to watch, I just feel like I have seen him in so many more interesting situations. Huge huge finish … Okada basically deadlifts Tanahashi into a tombstone and hits Rainmaker for a near fall, Tanahashi hits his own Rainmaker, Okada tries to respond with his own but Tanahashi counters with a Sling Blade and Dragon Suplex hold for a near fall. Tanahashi jumps with a big crossbody and Okada counters into a dropkick. And an absolutely buck wild Rainmaker finishes it off. ***3/4
