Atsushi Kotoge, Kai Fujimura & Yasutaka Yano vs. Haoh, Nioh & Tadasuke
Red Bull enthusiast Atsushi Kotoge is YOUR new GHC junior champ following an unexpected win over Yoshioka in Fukuoka. What seemed like an innocuous opener actually turned out to be a stealth-setup for his next challenger: the legendary Hi69 himself. On paper, this isn’t exactly a match that fills me with excitement but who knows, we might be surprised. Most of the actual action here was focused on the young boys: Fujimura getting his ass kicked and Yano providing smooth-beyond-his-years babyface hot tag offense. **1/2
Kaito Kiyomiya is alive and well after rugby headbutting himself straight to Concussionville. Bless his dumb heart.
Hajime Ohara vs. Yuya Susumu
Susumu is a guy who has completely eluded me since his debut as Kotaro Suzuki’s treacherous luchadore partner. Nothing stands out about him. At all. While this match didn’t do much to change my opinion, it was probably his best NOAH showcase yet and one hell of a carry-job from Ohara.
We got the full technical buffet from Full Throttle’s llave expert and it was a lot of fun. Actually-compelling chain wrestling and wacked-out lucha submissions took up most of the match – the kind that are impossible to resist when done so smoothly. Susumu tagged along for the ride and supplied a cool finish, but this was mostly a testament to how good Ohara is. ***1/4
Seiki Yoshioka & YO-HEY vs. Ikuto Hidaka & NOSAWA Rongai
Well. Having Yoshioka get pinned by NOSAWA is probably not the best way to re-heat him after his junior title loss. Puzzling result aside, the match delivered fast-paced midcard junior thrills and didn’t overstay its welcome. Hidaka showed snappy chemistry with both Full Throttle bros and I’d be down for some singles match action somewhere down the line. **1/4
Mohammed Yone & Shuhei Taniguchi vs. Akitoshi Saito & Masao Inoue
The Funky Express/Dark Agents blood feud RAGES ON. On one side, two men who simply want to have a good time. On the other side, two men who are simply too old for this shit. A generational battle for the ages. Honestly, compared to the Yone/Saito singles match from Fukuoka, this wasn’t bad at all. Everyone chipped in with some effort and Korakuen actually erupted in big stomping reactions for the late-match near-falls. Never underestimate the mainstream appeal of Masao World. **1/2
Naomichi Marufuji & Yuko Miyamoto vs. Takashi Sugiura & Kendo Kashin
Without Miyamoto’s showstealing performance, this would’ve been a complete disaster. Kashin fumbling through his own dumb tropes, Marufuji whiffing kicks left and right – literally nothing about this was working until Miyamoto started popping the crowd with his dope offense. #StopTheKashin **
Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya & Manabu Soya vs. Osamu Nishimura, Yoshiki Inamura & Kinya Okada
A lot of solid content in this 6-man. Fruitful pairings all around: Katsu/Okada bringing the hateful kick-based hierarchy pro-wrestling, Inamura/Masa rekindling The Tough’s beef-based romance by charging into each other like complete maniacs and Nishimura/Soya giving a proper platform for the Nish’s sweet bridging spots and hurty Dory Funk Jr. uppercuts. Considering The Agression’s recent comments about the lack of young teams in the tag division, this would’ve been the perfect occasion to build up Okada and Inamura as future challengers, but it looks like we won’t be going there. Sadness. ***
Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA © vs. Daisuke Harada & Junta Miyawaki – GHC Jr. Tag Team Titles
In classic Stinger fashion, this took a while to get where it needed to go, but once it did, I had a blast. They built the entire match around Junta and the gamble paid off big time. The champs cut the ring in half like an old school Southern heel team and just went to town on Miyawaki’s back. Body slams on the floor, body slams on the apron. Pure body slam-based punishment.
The babyface in peril role was perfect casting for Junta who immediately turned into a sympathetic figure thanks to his fire and emotive selling. Harada nailed the the big brother role: saving the day from time to time but mostly leaving the spotlight for his partner. And the kid made great use of that spotlight with that final rush of offense on HAYATA: holy shit at the Volk Han-esque leg takedown and tricked-out double armbar THING! Get some proper kneepads on the lad and he’ll be a star in no time. ***1/2
Kenoh © vs. Kazuyuki Fujita – GHC National Title
Pretty wild conclusion to Kenoh’s anti-shooter National title run. The guy managed to put away his fair share of old MMA bastards, but this is where he met his match. While I do think NOAH is overcrowded with geriatric part-timers at the moment, this is a title change I can get behind. King Kazzer is a kontroversial figure, but when he’s motivated, he still feels like one of the most dangerous wrestlers around.
Like the matches with Go and Taniguchi, this was one of those high-level Fujita performances. He lived up to his REAL BEAST moniker: smoking Kenoh on the mat and slapping the ever-loving shit out of him. I legit felt scared for poor Kenoh when Big Kaz started screaming at him to kick harder. The drama and heightened fear level turned the Kongo prince into a compelling underdog. Him standing up to the flurry of death slaps was one of the most badass moments of his run.
Also, THE STAREDOWN VOL. 2. I am torn on this. I kind of wish it stayed exclusive to Go/Kazzer 2020 in order to make that match even more legendary. But I also find it hilarious that this now seems to be an integral part of the Big Match Kazzer shtick. Either way, I am on board with this Fujita reign if he keeps performing at such a level and accepts to elevate a youngster or two down the road. ***3/4
