1. IWGP Tag Team Title: EVIL & SANADA [c] vs. The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks have really found themselves over the last couple years – confidence and success will help that. I was interested to see if they’d mess with what has kind of been their formula against the heavyweight tag champs, and I came away thinking: Well, they did, but that’s because they’ve kind of re-done their formula over the last year and they’re WAY better for it. SANADA going all junior heavyweight with the Bucks early was fun, and once it settled into the tag heat portion it really got somewhere. Nick’s boot to the post made my own foot hurt and gave the match a real hook outside of the Lifeless Superkick Party shtick that made me not love the Bucks a couple years ago. EVIL’s cut-offs were great too – really good timing, I was getting Arn Anderson vibes from him. I loved him blocking the superkick and just clotheslining Nick’s head off.
AWESOME near falls at the end too with some well-timed saves, including off of LIJ’s own Meltzer Driver and the Magic Killer. Loved Nick not being able to deliver on the Meltzer Driver too. Not sure if them not hitting the Meltzer Driver at all was some kind of deep story – after All In and this heavyweight push, do these Young Bucks even NEED Dave Meltzer anymore? Finish came together really well with a lot of beautiful chaos and bodies flying all over, and the win for the Bucks was great – happy for those dudes. They are putting a CAREER together, man. SANADA’s hops and speed + EVIL’s cut-offs and big boy-ness + Prime Young Bucks = AWESOME. ****
Naito shitting on Jericho filming a promo in portrait vs. landscape in the hype video is life.
2. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Chris Jericho
I will tell you what – this show absolutely needed a GOD DAMN BRAWL. God bless these two. Jericho as CRAZY GAIJIN is amazing – guy is FAT, painted up, a total hot mess who is just recklessly tossing camera rigs at Naito and powerbombing him through awkwardly set up tables. Then Naito just took DDT on a table ON HIS HEAD. RING THE FUCKIN BELL JERICHO was just tearing into Naito here early on and completely dialed in as a wrestling character – he didn’t do a ton but kept it moving, always keeping everyone’s eyes on him. This is higher praise than it might deserve but it felt kind of like Suzuki vs. Goto from Wrestle Kingdom for the first 10 minutes, with one guy fighting against completely insurmountable odds.
Oddly enough, the Naito comeback wasn’t so hot – crowd was BOOING the guy and not sure how great he as a brawling ass-kicker. Naito’s completely fucked up eye and piledriver to Jericho on the table were NASTY though and brought it back. The Frankensteiner catch into the Walls of Jericho was tremendous. They kind of lost some steam towards the end, and at some points I was like, “Yeah just end this match” and at other points I was like, “These exhausted motherfuckers are just hitting each other and having an awesome dirty fight.” Jericho’s ref push and low blow to set up the finish was SO smooth, and the Jericho win was a legit shocker.
This was good and another Jericho New Japan match that way exceeded expectations. Jericho might be doing his legacy favors by making it so the only Jericho you do see in 2018 is Big Match Jericho. ****
