Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino vs. Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima
Quality opener between a pair of promising rookies and two big-boned men. I might trash-talk his chops on a daily basis, but little Kojima gets his role and actually excels at portraying utter weakness. His selling is on point and I popped big time for him putting over Owashi’s clean break as a form of offense. Both youngsters brought the feisty comebacks before inevitably falling to their chunky opposition. **1/2
Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai vs. Akito, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
More solid midcard wrasslin’ content. I keep going back and forth with my Naya takes, but he definitely held his own here against the two Eruption bruisers. Meanwhile, Nakamura played babyface in peril and got torn to shreds in succinct fashion. Always appreciate the balance between comedy and straight-forward wrestling with this kid. **1/2
Gorgeous Matsuno, Danshoku Dino & Kazuki Hirata vs. Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO
A comedy extravaganza worthy of Georgeous Matsuno’s 60th anniversary celebrations. Like with most Georgeous workrate bangers, this was all about the pre-match and ending gags. The wrestling in the middle is completely skippable, but the botched intro stunt brought the laughs. *1/2
Tetsuya Endo vs. Yusuke Okada
Sadly, these two didn’t click on the level I was hoping for. I was expecting a lot from the stylistic clash and polar opposite wrestling philosophies, but the chemistry just wasn’t there for most of this. Unlike Ueno, Endo doesn’t have strong enough basics to properly bounce off Okada’s fiery personality.
Similarly, some of Endo’s flashy high spots might’ve been a bit much for Okada and there were a few execution hiccups. Issues aside, these boys remain pros and had themselves a completely fine match with enough bright spots to keep the action afloat. ***
Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie vs. Chris Brookes, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda
A very normal wrestling match where broken friendships and betrayals were mended by a Niigata Italian pasta specialty. Never underestimate the power of good food. *1/4
HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi © vs. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi – KO-D Tag Team Titles
I wasn’t blown away by Smile Pissari’s tag win against Eruption. This first defense worked a lot better for me. Four world class dudes having a single-camera tag banger in the middle of a desolate warehouse. That, my friends, is peak indie wrestling content.
Every piece of the layout flew logically into the next: from the babyface in peril Oishi section to Junretsu neutralizing Okabayashi’s leg, to the action-packed ending stretch with a one-legged Golem making a monstrous comeback.
While the Harasheemster and Uncle Jun were kind enough to give us a glimpse of their upcoming Cyber Fight Festival showdown, the bulk of the match was worked between Okabayashi/Oishi and it all ruled. Incredible David/Goliath-style dynamic between these two – Oishi getting tossed around like a ragdoll and desperately clinging on to his leg submissions to survive. Smart and impactful wrestling with all four guys playing their role perfectly. ***3/4
