Hokuto Omori & Harutoki vs. Yuto Kikuchi & Tatsuya Matsubo
All Japan’s support for the Osaka indie scene truly warms my cold dead heart. The Dotonbori Pro kids aggressively going after Hokuto here was a fun hook and led to some amusing reactions from the Enfants Terribles heart rob. This kid was born to be a cocky little asshole. Eager to impress whoever was watching this, Kikuchi made the most of this showcase and popped the crowd with his competent high flying. Wouldn’t mind seeing these lads come back for more Osaka gigs. **1/4
Koji Iwamoto & TAJIRI vs. Atsuki Aoyagi & Francesco Akira
The road to the Iwamoto/Aoyagi junior title match is a pleasant one. You get your side of technicality with TAJIRI and Akira working clever lucha segments before delving into the main course with Koji/Aoyagi bringing the angry forearm trading and Firebird splashing. They made little Atsuki look like a million bucks here, TAJIRI having to come to the rescue multiple times to save the champion from getting pinned. Loved seeing the youngster’s smiley babyface vibes shine throughout. The more personality he shows the better. **3/4
Yoshitatsu ©, Yusuke Okada & Chikara vs. Takao Omori, Black Menso-re & Katsumi Oribe – Elimination Match – GAORA TV Title
Can you feel the excitement of the GAORA TV TITLE SCENE? This had Captain’s Fall-ish rules, as Yoshitatsu would lose his precious belt to Menso-re if Team SHA won the thing. Alas, the Bullet Club Hunter’s iron grip on the GAORA title was much too strong for the Lil Jon-loving snakeman. I’m pretty sure the impact of Menso-re’s ‘’SHA!’’ clashing with Chikara’s ‘’PA!’’ caused an interdimensional rift to open in Osaka. Our plane of reality simply cannot handle such power. **1/4
Jake Lee vs. Ryuki Honda
A fun little 3 minute scrap that showed Honda’s fire and Jake’s commitment to breaking someone’s arm. Honda got just enough offense to make an impression, but Armwork Jake Lee 2.0 quickly established he was not to be trifled with. **
Shuji Ishikawa, Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura vs. Shotaro Ashino, Kuma Arashi & Yusuke Kodama
The similar kind of solid content that spawned the Enfants Terribles tag title challenge on the last Korakuen. Dan and Kuma, who respectively look like the first and third evolution of the same Pokemon, continued their mohawk-based tug-of-war and it was GOOD. Meanwhile, Ashino and Big Shuj handeld the ‘’preview’’ portion of the match, making good use of the top notch chemistry they showed during the Champ Carnival. Other notable highlights: Kuma’s jawdropping Samoan drop on Ishikawa and Ashino’s sweet Giant swing/Stretch Muffler combo. ***
Kento Miyahara, Yuma Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO vs. Shigehiro Irie, Izanagi & The Bodyguard
BODYGA HAS RETURNED. And he left his wrestling gear at home? Huh. This was a wrestling match that peaked when Bodyguard and HAYATO had a full-on muscle pose contest. Bodyga’s satisfied ‘’My work here is done’’ expression after the segment was the stuff of legends. Otherwise, this was a solid return match for Osaka’s favorite son. Kento’s petty thirst for constant crowd adoration was a good foil for Bodyguard’s no-nonsense ass kicking. 1/2
Suwama © vs. Zeus – Triple Crown
If you’re able to look past Zeus losing, this was pretty great. They took the two storylines that drove each of their Champ Carnival runs (Suwama’s arm injury + Zeus’ Facelock destruction) and built an epic Triple Crown main event around them. I know that 30 minute matches aren’t an easy proposition during the COVID era, but the structure and payoffs of this one were strong enough to keep me hooked from bell to bell.
Love a match with a progression that just makes sense. The champ overwhelming Zeus early on, forcing the Z-Man to go after the injured arm to gain control and eventually using the injury to manoeuvre Big Wama in position for the facelock of death. Can’t really argue with any of these plot points. Zeus isn’t the greatest technical wrestler on Earth, but the commentary team highlighting his Showa Puroresu VHS binge and the recent comments from the man himself on his desire to bring wrestling back to the essentials gave an undeniable charm to his short-arm scissors and Cobra twist spots.
The way they handled the fallout from Zeus’ unsuccessful facelock attempts was brilliant. Suwama sold like death (barely able to stand after surviving such a strong dose of MISAWA-ISM) and had to painstakingly Backdrop his way back into the driver’s seat. The ending stretch felt like a proper heavyweight fight: bombs flying everywhere, Suwama having to blast Zeus with TWO Jumbo Tsuruta beef dropkicks, Zeus attempting a murder with a head-ripping enzui lariat. All the physicality, plot twists, attention to detail and ZEUS 1 COUNT KICKOUTS that I need from my Triple Crown matches. ****1/2
