The show starts with clips of Suzuki vs. Yano in a BULLROPE DEATH MATCH and Roppongi 3K vs. Taguchi & ACH, which both seemed OK-ish. Was weirdly interested in Yano vs. Suzuki on paper, it probably wasn’t good but it’s two guys I love watching.
Young Bucks challenge Roppongi 3K post-match and go all meta on the New Japan title challenge trope. “Hey Nick, how adorable – it’s their first time doing the point thing.”
1. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Kota Ibushi
This was another special one from these two, following the classic G1 match. They have great chemistry, and both are such a pleasure to watch – Tanahashi with his credible and interesting technical work combined with his newfound surliness, Ibushi with his speed, fire, and other-worldly agility. The first 5 minutes is deliberate, legit-feeling trading of holds, with Tanahashi kind of working bully, before Ibushi tries a triangle moonsault and Tanahashi avoids it then takes out his legs on the apron, all confident and veteran-like and shit.
Not many guys can work the leg and make it feel like it’s not just killing time and Tanahashi is one of those guys. Ibushi is all YOU’RE A DICK, DAD and Tanahashi is all FUCK, YOU SON. They throw in a lot of cool little spots like Tanahashi running through Ibushi on a shoulderblock and strumming his guitar only for Ibushi to kip up beind his back, or Tanahashi cockily posing and trying a senton > Ibushi moves and tries a kick > Tanahashi ducks but Ibushi sets up a moonsault > Tanahashi avoids it and Ibushi hurts his leg.
Ibushi keeps coming back with ranas and moonsaults but Tanahashi keeps keeping him down until Tana sets up a High Fly Flow and Ibushi just unloads with wild stuff – a bicycle kick to the top, a wild springboard frankensteiner where his head collides with the top rope, a lawn dart on Tanahashi into the corner, and a freakin’ German suplex from the apron into the ring. Both guys then slap the shit out of each other and it’s all dramatic and shit. A sit-out Last Ride gets 2.9, a Dragon suplex gets 2.9. They lose it on a powerbomb but who cares, they are SPENT. Ibushi sets up the move he beat Tana with in the G1, but Tana avoids it and hits a Sling Blade that Ibushi bumps on his head for, before Tana drops TWO High Fly Flow’s for the THREE.
A bit drawn out to fully connect but a pretty incredible, brilliantly laid out 30-minute wrestling match. ****1/4
JAY WHITE IS SWITCHBLADE. He kind of looks like a goof but LET’S DO IT.
