Keigo Nakamura vs. Hideki Okatani
Okatani did good last week when all he had to do was get the shit kicked out of him by Eruption, but his lack of experience was more obvious here in a singles match setting. Beside some clumsiness and a weird lack of selling from Okatani, Nakamura carried the bulk of the match nicely and popped the crowd with his springboard high spots. Greenhorn Okatani picking up the win over his senior baffled the grumpy traditionalist in me but I guess this is part of DDT going against the grain and sidestepping the more classic Japanese wrestling booking tropes. Dug the Hideki Suzuki style double-arm suplex for the finish. **
Battle Royal – Ironman Heavy Metal Title
This was Danshoku Dino putting up his Ironman belt in a battle royal setting and as you might have guessed, some shenanigans ensued. The gag here was Antonio Honda being able to win the match by cutting a promo through the whole thing while everyone else was fighting amongst themselves, only for Dino to roll him back up to regain the belt at the end of his post-match celebration. Other highlights were Katsumata’s cool new haircut and MAO bringing the flips.
Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Yuki Iino vs. Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata
Another HIGH CONCEPT KAZUKI HIRATA classic for the true comedy aficionados out there. The hook for this one: Disaster Box ignoring him for the entire match and Hirata getting his revenge by Paradise locking everyone in the ring to finally be able to do the Magnum TOKYO dance uninterrupted. The man needs to do his Magnum TOKYO dance and he will do it by any means necessary. *3/4
Yuki Ueno vs. Mad Paulie
These guys had the right layout and the right dynamic for a quality midcard professional wrestling match, but the heatless beatdown from Paulie and wacky run-in finish threw a wrench in the whole thing. Paulie using his size advantage to boss Ueno around should’ve been a winning formula, yet the crowd didn’t seem to care and Ueno’s comebacks didn’t make much of a difference. Also: that weird spot where Ueno clapped his hands in front of Paulie’s face as a form of offense…? Was the monster taken aback by THE SOUNDWAVES? So many questions and so little time. **
Jun Akiyama vs. Makoto Oishi
I will always be there for the Jun Akiyama extended squash special. Akiyama could have this type of match with a broom at this point and it would still work. Oishi doesn’t do much for me, but he played the part and got his ass kicked for the greater good. His comebacks were kinda weak, yet the leg work subplot was handled well enough to generate some heat down the line. There is such a no-bullshit physicality to Akiyama’s wrestling that his presence on a DDT card not only feels alien, but also exposes some of the flaws of the company’s more indie house style. It’s a fun storyline though, even if makes me question whether I should just watch All Japan instead. The post-match angle hinted at a tasty conclusion for the story, ALL OUT confronting Akiyama and his new army of whipping boys. ***
HARASHIMA & Chris Brookes vs. Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao
Pretty fun tag to build up the upcoming Brookes/Sasaki rematch for the Universal title. HARASHIMA and Brookes showed good team work but ultimately could not overcome Damnation’s evil heel antics. You’d think Brookes would be a weird babyface in peril considering he’s 7 feet tall, but he somehow made it work for this match. Also, Sasaki cut a promo on Brooke’s LONG PENIS after the match, claiming Japanese penis was better. This is now a blood feud, people. Shit just got real. **1/2
Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman © vs. Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai – KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles
Lots of quality workers on deck for this one, but the heart of the match was clearly Saki. They smartly built the early portions of the action around her, making her the ultimate babyface and drawing you into her struggle against HASHTAG DAMNHEARTS. Her selling and facials are top notch, so you do really feel like shit when she gets chopped down by T-Hawk or bullied by Lindaman. And the payoff was great: Saki finally being able to drop Lindaman with her big finisher to help turn it all around for her team, leading to the big win for Eruption and tearful post-match speech. That’s quality pro-wrestling. Everyone else was on point and brought the workrate: Sakaguchi providing the wild leaping kicks, Higuchi handling the beef servings and Endo being a cool high-flying dude that enjoys headbutting people in the mouth. Not only a good match, but a prime example of intergender wrestling done well. ***1/2
