1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi
I watched this match at 1:45AM after getting about two hours sleep after the birth of my first child and it kind of blew my mind. I’m not sure if there was ever a moment ever where I truly locked in, but oh man was this some crazy stuff. Also my first child was just born so maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about.
These guys are both crazy though. Just absolutely crazy. It was Ospreay’s precision and speed vs. Hiromu’s car crash feel insanity. Totally mind blowing rapid-fire rope-running and countering and big-ass moves that just seemed inhuman. The handspring backflip over the top rope into a German suplex on the floor. The belly-to-belly into the guardrail. The Ospreay Shooting Star to the floor, roll-through onto the apron, and kick to the face. They strung so much together so impressively. The front powerbomb on the turnbuckle attempt countered with a deadlift German suplex. The Timebomb countered with a Canadian Destroyer. I mean WHAT. Not positive Ospreay’s win felt like the death knell it should’ve after all the crazy stuff they did, but this was a completely mind-altering match and these guys have insane trust and chemistry to pull off all they did. A total trip. ****
2. NEVER Openweight Title: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. EVIL
So here’s a match that just never got going. The crowd clearly felt that way too. They finally got a little heat off a few counters towards the end, and then it was over. Would’ve been better if they just kept things simple, but they went for a 20-minute epic match and it never hit second gear. Just a buncha stuff. Weak. *3/4
