New Japan Pro Wrestling has returned from a 4-month hibernation brought on by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, first with this standalone “welcome back” show and next with a streamlined New Japan Cup.
In classic New Japan fashion, they had a six match show filled with unassuming tags. The only angles were little scuffles to promote New Japan cup matches, and I’m talking like Ishii and Desperado going at it.
Regardless, absence makes the heart grow fonder and I thought this was just great. It was a two-and-a-half hour reunion with everybody working just hard enough to make me think that either ring rust isn’t a thing for these guys or they’ve all been secretly training in a bunker for the last four months.
Respect to the boys and girls at Bushiroad for keeping the boys and girls at New Japan and STARDOM fed as all this got professionally sorted, and good luck in the future.
1. Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd
Listening Milano Collection A.T.’s casual voice on commentary makes it all the more glaring how annoying the WWE machine is shouting about storytelling as wrestlers run through spots in front of nobody. They didn’t do much here, but these types of matches work in front of a crowd or not – low key, solid, credible. It ended with a crab hold, as the first New Japan match in over four months should. **
2. Tomohiro Ishii & Yuya Uemura vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado
The young lions are FILLING OUT. Serious pecs and shoulders on these guys. This was the Match of the Show, one where they managed a couple impressive empty arena near falls off not just a spear from Desperado but a vertical suplex from Uemura. After Despy wrenched Uemura’s leg into submission, Ishii did squats on the floor as if to tell Despy that he won’t be submitting HIM any time soon. **1/2
3. Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, Jado & Gedo
A few things stood out: Yano reacting to the lack of crowd, Ishimori looking bored, and the fact that Jado has firmly entered his Rusher Kimura stage. Nothing happened here until Honma missed a headbutt and got beat with a DDT from Yujiro, who smiled. *1/2
4. Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI
Kojima vs. EVIL is always fun, and Taguchi vs. SANADA is officially a match I want to see. Those pairings lasted maybe 15-20 seconds though. The match was fine, just the expected offer. Nice to catch up with everyone. **
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata & Togi Makabe vs. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & DOUKI
Tanahashi and Ibushi entered like absolute kings but this was another match only carried by its personalities, a mixed bag of things so someone could hit their KPI on promoting the New Japan Cup matches. Respect for DOUKI already being back at work. *3/4
6. Kazuchika Okada, SHO & YOH vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi
YOH continues to be on top of every LED-based trend, entering wearing a facemask that is actually an LED-board. Now that I think about it, it probably isn’t very functional but it does look super cool. Meanwhile, SHO has shaved half of his head! Let’s GO, Roppongi 3K! ONCE AGAIN, this was pretty standard stuff but it’s a great line-up. SHO vs. Shingo or Hiromu was a treat, and when Okada did his hot tag he yelled through all of his offense making me think that he has thought deeply but not too deeply about how to adapt to this new world. **
Happy Thoughts: Nothing worth seeing, but it was fun to see everybody back at work. A New Japan show lasting a little over two hours is a wonderful miracle too. The drawbacks of an empty arena weren’t as glaring here as they’ve been in WWE or NOAH, and it’ll be interesting to see if that lasts when the expectations aren’t as high. 5/10
