1. NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Title: Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa & Bad Luck Fale [c] vs. Togi Makabe, Toa Henare & Ryusuke Taguchi (1/27/18)
JIP. A NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Title match. The only thing that stood out to me here were a couple individual performances. Got to see the first real look at Toa Henare, a competent work in progress. Makabe is SO over and it is awesome. And Tama Tonga moves around well and probably has a good gig in New Japan, but there’s no forward momentum with him, nothing extra. This was a wrestling match. **
Clips are shown on this show of the Okada/SANADA feud, including Okada being a total dick, calling poor introverted SANADA out for rarely speaking. “So what’s how it’s going to be, punk? … Now shut up for the rest of your life.” You know, a full-blown Okada/Naito double turn would be something.
2. Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Will Ospreay & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI (1/28/18)
I actively enjoy all of these guys; I just want to see them in something with a little more juice. This had a lot of solid, impressive exchanges of wrestling moves. Ospreay vs. Hiromu especially stood out as some absolutely transcendent shit. And Okada picking on SANADA was some Koji Kanemoto shit. YOSHI taking it to Naito was neat too. SANADA taps Gedo and finally talks shit after the match. ***
1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: The Young Bucks [c] vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) (1/28/18)
I respect everything that is The Young Bucks right now but for me their matches are usually pretty fun but a little empty. This thing was something else, though – there was depth here, man. It went long, was consistently compelling, had the crowd buying body part work, a great storytelling finish. I loved this thing.
So many great pieces to it – the early stuff with the Bucks in control, where everything about the Bucks walk to the ring screamed superstar and their shit talk and double teaming here had them coming off like an absolutely elite tag team, more Midnight Express than Rock & Roll.
The BACKSTORY with Matt’s back being wrecked but also YOH’s back being targeted. This was the best part – you had the Bucks being total jerks, but Matt’s selling of his lower back like he’s in dire need of 6 months off had the crowd giving sympathy to him and reacting big every time the back came into play. His kip-up over the top rope only to crash and burn right on his back on the apron was beautiful stuff.
YOH meanwhile sold his ass off and his face as the Bucks set up a Swanton to it while he was trapped in a Sharpshooter was classic professional wrestling. The build to his hot tag was great and then SHO got in and did what he is best at, which is blowing everybody’s minds.
Plus, THE SPOTS! Nick’s insane spin kick! The German on the apron! The build to and delivery of the Swanton to the outside through SHO! The torture rack/sit-out fast buster THING!! Everybody holding each other up for the Matt Jackson dive off the ramp was not great, but the dive was so we’re even.
The Bucks still controlling R3K while Matt is selling like he is giving up five years of his career by soldiering through this was an awesome dynamic for a finish. Things got super urgent as they headed towards the finish, which was something special: Matt applies a Sharpshooter on YOH but BOTH guys are fighting through the pain as the crowd is going nuts. Nick sets up a Swanton on a terrified YOH and it delivers, but YOH keeps on fighting to get out of the hold until MATT just relinquishes it. Fighting spirit, man! Then he tries to apply it again, but YOH inside cradles him for 3. The Art of Wrestling, baby. This was awesome. ****1/4
