Tiger Mask vs. Flip Gordon – Best of the Super Juniors (Block A)
A perfectly fine wrestling match pitting Tiger Mask’s mad submission skillz against Flip’s leg-slap-centric indie high spots. I still don’t really see Flip’s appeal but these house show crowds are really into him, so he must be doing something right. Tiger Mask slapping on a chickenwing armlock to counter one of Flip’s pinfalls was very cool, Flip botching superkicks when that’s basically his whole shtick was less cool. **3/4
ACH vs. YOH – Best of the Super Juniors (Block A)
Guy with the hardest chops in the tournament vs. Guy with the most fragile chest in the tournament = fun times! I talk a lot of shit about YOH’s weak-ass offense but I do like that slingshot double foot stomp to the back. YOH dodging ACH’s climb-up kick to the face was another cool spot for those that have been following the tournament. Not much else to say: a competent match where both guys nailed spots and sold well. **3/4
Taiji Ishimori vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Best of the Super Juniors (Block A)
Just noticed that Taiji does the exact same spin-through-the-ropes-then-slide-through –your-opponent’s-legs as YOH except with 75% more speed and precision. You’ll get there YOH, my dude. Anyway, this was a rock-solid match between two guys that developed tight chemistry by working each other a lot in NOAH. Kanemaru is still criminally underrated as a grumpy heel that will just wear down babyface high-flyers. Him countering a backspring elbow by just dropkicking Ishimori in the god damn arm was great. Then you had that brutal DDT on the floor that had the entire crowd gasping and led to a nice little neck work section. Ishimori upped the ante by bringing out all sorts of cool spots: an Ibushi-worthy Triangle Moonsault, the sliding German suplex and that wild Tombstone/Codebreaker combo. Smart finish with Kanemaru sticking to his character and desperately trying to CHEAT 2 WIN. Lotta fun. ***1/4
Will Ospreay vs. BUSHI – Best of the Super Juniors (Block A)
Wasn’t expecting much here because BUSHI, but this was quite alright. Both guys played their role well and by the end of the match the crowd was biting on all of their false finishes. BUSHI worked heel, attacking at the bell and quickly going for Will’s eternally-injured neck. Meanwhile, young William sold it like he was fronting a screamocore band from 2004 and popped the crowd with his AERIAL ASSASINATION~! That jumping DDT on the apron BUSHI pulled off to kickstart the neck assault was seriously brutal and a nice change of pace from his usual weaksauce junior offense. Also quite enjoyed BUSHI unleashing the BLACK MIST SPRAY completely out of nowhere, although the sight of Will Ospreay in black-face could land these guys on the Deadspin frontpage tomorrow morning. Stay tuned. Even though Ospreay’s on a roll right now, I was actually buying BUSHI outsmarting him left and right during the finish. That Codebreaker counter to the Oscutter was especially awesome. Yes, this was a wrestling match that I enjoyed. ***1/4
