Hikaru Sato vs. Atsuki Aoyagi
I had this pairing earmarked as a potential Budokan junior title match. Unfortunately, this was before Hikaru dropped the belt to the FELINE FORCES OF EVIL (Tiger Mask 4). KBS Hall is not the Budokan, but it served as a gorgeous backdrop for this 10-minute draw of pure rock solidness.
Great chemistry on display – the kind that could’ve been milked for a big Passing of the Torch Moment. It was an air-headed high-flying vs. serious arm work type match, with fun character moments and Internet-approved workrate. Did Atsuki sell the arm? No. Do YOU deserve arm selling? That is the real question… ***1/4
Yoshitatsu & Eisa8 vs. Takao Omori & Ryo Inoue
Happy to report that Inoue has officially replaced the ill-advised cartwheel elbow with a much safer flying back elbow. Thank you, my child. The action was what you’d expect from the second match on an All Japan card featuring local Kyoto LEGEND Eisa8. I have no complaints. **1/4
Shotaro Ashino & Ryuki Honda vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Ren Ayabe
The main hook here was Ashino/Ayabe and it was the hookiest of all hooks. JTO Gentle Giant Ren Ayabe tried to lil guy Ashino, which led to a well-dosed mix of comedy and leg torture. Ishikawa knows what he’s doing with these Ayabe tags. This youngster needs the guidance of a fellow giant.
There’s only so much TAKA Michinoku can do for him. Although I must admit he taught him one hell of a dropkick. The rest of the match was rounded out by Honda and Big Shooj beating the brakes off each other. Terrific undercard wrestling and another big step forward for Ayabe. ***1/4
Hokuto Omori & Yusuke Kodama © vs. Izanagi & Black Menso-re – All-Asia Tag Team Titles
A big ol’ bowl of tag team wrestling. I gulped it all like a freakin’ tag team glutton. They went with a time-tested Southern structure that even James E. Cornette would be proud of – Izanagi taking a nutty apron death bump to setup the Total Eclipse heel beatdown and eventual Menso-re hot tag of white-hot revenge.
Just a bunch of well thought-out wrasslin’ with loads of tag team ingenuity from both sides (Izanagi/Menso-re double missile dropkick = WILD). Hokuto once again got the spotlight for the finish and I swear, this kid is becoming a true Ending Stretch Expert. An important piece of any wrestling CV. ***1/2
Kento Miyahara & Rising HAYATO vs. Yuji Nagata & Dan Tamura
Hell of a good time. As the kids say, Kento was very much On One, busting out all of his best comedy tricks (aka. aggressively singling out the one person in the crowd who won’t clap for him) and mixing it up with ol’ Blue Justice. As appealing as that Miyahara/Nagata dream match sounds, it was the youngins’ who stole the show here.
Dan and HAYATO revealed that they somehow had completely batshit chemistry and went balls to the wall. Clearly aware of KBS Hall’s status as Home of Dragon Gate, HAYATO blew some minds by working at Masato Yoshino-levels of speed. For real. Meanwhile, Dan externalized all the recent Voodoo Murders beatings and went full SUWAMACITO with nasty lariats and Powerbombs. Loved all of this. ***1/2
Jake Lee & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Suwama & Shuji Kondo
This is how you spark interest in a title match. Off-the-charts hatred between Jake and the Wamster – an already reliable pairing that seems ready to hit a new level thanks to Wama’s Voodoo makeover. Suwama’s always been great at bringing the fight out of Lee and now he gets to do it in a brand new bizzarro world setting.
I was extremely into VM’s heel work here. They got the point across without relying on tired interference tropes. A real breath of fresh air. Of course, it helps to have Yuma Aoyagi as your babyface in peril in this type of match. Typically-on-point selling and crowd-popping comebacks from Mama Aoyagi’s Baby Boy.
The savagery of the heel beatdown and Suwama’s straight-up refusal to sell gave Jake a real heroic edge. You felt for the guy when he started losing his shit on the ring apron. This whole Nextream 1.0 reunion/Heel Suwama mega-arc would be the perfect platform for a slow-burn Jake babyface turn. (Movie trailer voice) This summer, Jake Lee gets his groove back. ***3/4
