A TWO-HOUR EPISODE OF AXS! AXS moving to two hours permanently would actually be interesting. Even more wrestling on TV might be a bit much, but the shows would feel more complete and you still leave out some of the undercard junk.
1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Shingo Takagi & BUSHI [c] vs. Roppongi 3K
An odd trend in New Japan these days is heavies working junior style (flying, extended limb work) and juniors working heavy style – like, this was a match where I watched Shingo and SHO trade lariats to the throat. Of course, we’ve also got a double tope con hilo and stuff for good measure, so when these guys move up (I assume) they’re prepared.
This was great stuff, everyone was running around crushing it and popping the crowd and they topped it off with a wild finish. They’re doing a gimmick where SHO is the spectacular power guy but YOH is the guy that keeps things together and I’m into it. A guy like YOH can easily get lost in the shuffle, put some shine on the boy. He does a diving save late in the match off an assisted Codebreaker (the REBELLION) where he just glides through the air, it’s incredible. The matches between these guys and Kanemaru/Desperado have been done ad nauseam at this point, but this is the best grouping of the three and they rocked it. ****
2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Taiji Ishimori [c] vs. Jushin Thunder Liger
Now that Liger has announced his retirement for January 4th of next year, it is important to savor every moment of first run Liger available. Especially Big Match Liger. And if this does happen to be one of his last big matches, it’s a heck of a one to go out on. As is true to the legend, he comes across as timeless – in no way anything like a guy retiring within the year. We got it all – the classic matwork and armbars and surfboard early, a somersault plancha off the apron and brainbuster on the floor. His sell after Ishimori’s running double knees is BRILLIANT, as he collapses face-down with his arms to the side and his palms facing upward and the entire mood in the room changes.
Ishimori deserves credit too – guy brought the high-flying that has never really been Liger’s thing, though Liger also usually did have high-flying guys to play off of. His bump off the Liger Bomb is incredible and if it ends up being the last Liger Bomb in an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match, that is a hell of a Liger Bomb to go out on. The koppou kick counter to the crossface was wild too. He eventually got on another crossface and after a tremendous struggle, Liger tapped. So much fun to see Liger doing his thing in a big match, and they legit brought the drama towards the end. Awesome. ****
Dragon Lee, according to commentary representing ROH but in promo representing CMLL, challenges Taiji for MSG. “Yes… I speak Spanish. Okay,” responds Taiji.
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & SANADA
Okada vs. T-shirt Naito rocks, SANADA vs. Goto rocks, Okada vs. EVIL rocks, Tanahashi is hobbling around being Tanahashi. Other stuff happens. Goto does a cool rolling STF cradle to win. I dig these guys, but I’m also not connected to a lot going on in this company right now, so it just feels like a bunch of disconnected wrestling sequences vs. anything I can actually sink my teeth into. Of course, I only see the big shows, so maybe there’s some deep poetry being written here. I don’t know. Everyone’s got their formula. Not sure I’m a big fan of this one. **3/4
4. Jay White vs. Will Ospreay
It has been a trip to see the ascent of Will Ospreay in the professional wrestling world. Will is good, Will does spectacular things, he just seems dumb. The choices he makes make him seem dumb. The overdone facial expressions. The coughing. The attempts at being SUPER INTENSE. I just can’t shake it. He is near Low Kiesque in how overly serious he seems to treat the matches, yet his actual performance screams guy you want to just laugh at. And also flip out for. But also laugh at. Was the thing where he pulled White by his hair down into a tree of woe and slapped him all intense and stuff cool? Silly? Fun? Compelling? I don’t know!!!
Theoretically, this is bad. It’s the IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. the IWGP Never Openweight Champion, and I’m not sure I like these two with those titles at the same time at this moment in time. But the match is good. Really good, even. White was impressive here, from something as simple as his graceful bump over the top rope to the skill it took to catch that insane tope counter where he slammed Will into the guardrail. I liked his cut-offs too… the simple bitchslap after a Will kip-up, or just tripping him as he went for a springboard, causing Will to crash into the ropes.
They also went 30 minutes. And again, theoretically – bad. But I dunno, man. I don’t normally say this about matches featuring these two, but paired up against each other that 30 felt earned. Jay’s offense, though frequent, was never stretched out enough to get boring, and Will brought the overt selling and nutty flying in between. They went completely batshit insane on each other at the end too, reaching some kind of sound barrier breaking level of a New Japan finish. There’s some wild, cool stuff here. Some of it is also kind of stupid. But a fine match. ***3/4
Cool angle afterwards with Gedo and White attacking Ospreay, Ibushi making the save, Bullet Club attacking Ibushi, and finally Tanahashi, Okada and Goto making the save, a unification of Top Guys that we haven’t seen in a long time.
Excellent show.
