Tetsuya Endo vs. Naomi Yoshimura – D-Oh Grand Prix (Block A)
The house show camera for this third day of the D-Oh tournament is pitched somewhere between Kevin Dunn zoom abuse and experimental college film. You are right there in the middle of the action, but you are also slowly developing a brain tumor. Wild stuff. In spite of the cerebral hemorrhage, I was able to decode that Endo and Yoshimura were trying to have a leg work match of some sorts. It was allright, I think? Endo treated Yoshimura as an equal, which is a good sign for the Reggaeton Don. They put some thought in the layout, but not much of it really stuck with you. **3/4
MAO vs. Yuji Okabayashi – D-Oh Grand Prix (Block B)
Fun bit of wrestling between two guys who are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Probably enraged by his OK BOOMER shirt, Okabayashi went out of his way to cut off all of MAO’s classic spots and it made for a pleasant dynamic. Very Strong BJ vs. Man who wears a rubber duck floater to the ring-type esthetic. It’s not like they went for a super dramatic David/Goliath approach, but the layout made enough sense to carry MAO’s comebacks and eventual downfall. Laughed my ass off when MAO took a bump off Big Yooj just screaming in his face. ***
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Chris Brookes – D-Oh Grand Prix (Block B)
These two had an epic Ode to Friendship Korakuen main event not too long ago. The stakes felt a lot lower here, but the wrestling wasn’t any less compelling. They took the on-again-off-again arm work subplot of that last match and built an entire arc around it. Conniving Chris Brookes lasering in on the bad arm to close the power level gap between him and Take, the KO-D champ selling like a true Arm Selling Expert to get the story across – all great shit.
The Take/Brookes chemistry goes beyond pleasing the limb selling dorks on Twitter though. Everything they do hits the sweet spot between smooth and hard-hitting, while always reminding you of each guy’s strength and HIERARCHICAL STATUS. I am ready to be canceled for this next line, so here it is: Takeshita is approaching Jumbo Tsuruta levels of Ace Portrayal Comprehension. The kid is something special. ***3/4
