Shin-Nihon Report: Wrestle Kingdom 10 Review

Wrestle Kingdom 10 Review
English Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Matt Stryker, Yoshi Tatsu/Yamamoto

I didn’t have time to watch the whole thing in Japanese, but I know Masahiro Chono and Jushin Liger ended up commentating on a few matches near the end of the night.

“Dark Match” New Japan Rumble:

Jado defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Shiro Koshinaka, YOSHI-HASHI, Cheeseburger, Kazushi Sakuraba, The Great Kabuki, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, King Haku, Mascara Dorada, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Liger, Hiro Saito, Tiger Mask IV, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and Captain New Japan.

The over-the-top rumble serves as a way to get talent on the card if they don’t have a pre-determined match in the event. Seeing Cheeseburger from Ring of Honor was a nice surprise, along with how abused he ended up being.  I don’t know all of the back stories of the legends, but I guess Fujiwara was the dude who patented the reverse armbar as his namesake hold. Jado winning was….eh. I had picked Taguchi to win just to see if he would get a title opportunity again. Oh well, at least Jado came out with a cute Japanese singer.  (Does anyone know who Momoka Ariyatsu is?)

Rating: 4 out of 10 bull’s-eyes.

In between the Rumble and main card…some actors came out to promote the next Doraemon Movie.  36

Match 1 on the main card: Four Team IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match.

NEW CHAMPIONS:The Young Bucks[Matt and Nick Jackson] (Bullet Club) w/Cody Hall defeated Roppongi Vice [Rocky Romero and Trent Baretta](CHAOS), ReDRagon[Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly], and The High Flyers[Matt Sydal and Ricochet]

            Similar to the last couple of years, the first match of the night highlighted the Gaijin (foreign) talents that New Japan houses in their Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Division. A sneak attack by the Bullet Club set the tone for a fast paced opener.

The Bucks are truly a class of their own when it comes to tag team wrestling. Everything from the flow they have as a team to all of the heelish antics really kept the match together, even as high spot oriented as they come off.

Roppongi Vice really was the biggest loser of this match. Out of all the teams, they came off as just the least impactful. It’s nothing against Romero or Baretta but the other teams outshined them. (I loved the “FOREVER” clotheslines though from Romero and if I had to choose a wrestling finisher, it’d be Baretta’s sliding knee attack, similar to a move from Shinsuke Nakamura). 

ReDRagon did a good job as the defending champs, especially since their style clashes from the other three. O’Reilly is going to be HUGE as a singles competitor very soon. Smooth workers that do MMA stuff and crazy spots is the rage currently in the indy world. Fish is very underappreciated as a worker, but sometimes doesn’t click personally for me.

The High Flyers were the team that stood out. For a team that wasn’t as established, the chemistry was more than there. Sydal has been so good for so long, it’s a wonder he couldn’t put it together as Evan Bourne in WWE. As for Ricochet, I believe in the same sentiment for him like I do O’Reilly. Ricochet is the perfect face due to his moveset alone and a great heel for the way he carries himself being able to have a moveset like his. The tandom Shooting Stars are a thing of beauty.

I don’t agree with the Bucks leaving as champions this time, but if it means the chase narrows for Sydal and Ricochet, I can buy it. Cody Hall interfereing was annoying but effective and impressive. Best sequence of the match was the no hands rana, into the Northern/brainbuster combo ending with Ricochet wiping out Hall with the SSP, and immediately hitting a 450 off of a springboard following a Here it is driver from Sydal.  There wasn’t much more to expect from these 8 guys, but it served the purpose and got the crowd going.

Match rating: 6.5 out of 10 bull’s-eyes

Match 2:New blood Evolution Valiantly Eternal Radical (NEVER) Openweight 6-man Tag Team Championships
NEW CHAMPIONS: CHAOS (Toru Yano and the Briscoe Brothers [Mark and Jay Briscoe] defeat Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, and Tama Tonga)

It’s always tough to follow Jr. Heavyweights on any card, especially with the athletic abilites of the Bucks, the Flyers, Dragon, and Vice, but someone had to do it.

What I really liked about this match was the prize: NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Championships. It’s not very often that you will get 6 man titles, unless you wrestle in Lucha Libre. A great 6 man tag is hard to find normally, with the exceptions being WWE’s various matches involving the Shield.

You had the implied Bullet Club B-Squad going up against CHAOS’s Comedy fodder and his hand-picked Gaijin partners, who happened to be Ring of Honor Tag Team Legends.

Concerning the Bullet Club, Bad Luck Fale’s pretty cool I guess. He’s held the IWGP Intercontinental Championship a time or two. Tonga’s cool due to his dad, Haku, and the facepaint. Dude’s improving swiftly. I’m not a fan of Takahashi. Didn’t spark a lot of interest for me when he was with TNA, not a fan of him now as the Japanese Turncoat.

            For CHAOS, I was really looking forward to seeing the Briscoes compete in the Tokyo Dome. They’ve expressed desire to compete there and to see dreams come true (cliché, I’m sorry) is just wonderful to see. Jay is a legit bad dude and Mark is hilarious. Mark’s also crazy and Jay’s a bit psycho. Perfect allies for a dude like Toru Yano. Think WCW’s La Parka with Santino Marella Stupidity. It’s comedy gold…even though I wish I could speak Japanese to understand what he was doing.

Bullet Club sneak attack.

For what it’s worth, I did enjoy the match but I was sad about the quiet crowd.  Mark Briscoe’s tribute to Cactus Jack was wonderful, but the red neck kung fu…..just wrong place to do it. Jay unfortunately stood out the least from the CHAOS squad, but he did fit the New Japan style (At least he was still watchable….compared to Takahashi) Fale and Tonga were equally unspectacular but impactful nonetheless. Unlike last year’s match between Yano/NoAH and Suzuki-Gun, Yano really stood out in this match. For a good guy, he acts like such a cowardly heel. He comes off as a really weirdly shaped Eddie Guerrero, complete with an RVD taunt that was well used to dodge stuff.

Yano used a chair on the hands of Tonga, then Doomsday Device by the Briscoes.

Match Rating: 5.5 out of 10 Bull’s Eyes

Match 3:Ring of Honor World Championship

STILL CHAMPION: ROH World Champion Jay Lethal defeated Michael Elgin

-Elgin has become one of my huge favorites ever since he got his shot to finally wrestle for New Japan. He had become stale for a couple of years in ROH and PWG, but since starting with NJPW, he’s become extensively over in Japan. In his own way, he’s the second coming of the big man Gaijin, similar to Stan Hansen, Vader, and Scott Flash Norton.

-Lethal is someone I’ve enjoyed since his stint in TNA.  For years, should have had his main event due, and finally gotten it in ROH. Twice as graceful because I got to watch my first ROH event because of him. When he became double champion last year, I was so happy for him.  Plus, he’s SO good in the ring.

Normally, this is a main event in ROH, but considering the deep card, it’s no insult to either one of these wrestlers to be this early in the event.

            Throughout the match, Elgin had devastating strike after devastating strike. He had the Japanese crowd in the palm of his hand with every moment of strength shown.  Lethal impressed in his New Japan debut. Also didn’t hurt with Truth Martini just being Truth Martini. I don’t know what’s the future for Lethal, but Elgin really needs to stay in New Japan as the resident non-Bullet Club Gaijin. Being the Scott Norton/Stan Hansen figure there would be perfect for him as both a heel and a face.

Oh…and ELGIN DID THE DEAL! HE DID THE DEAL! DEADLIFT FALCON ARROW (dammit…why don’t people stay down like they’re supposed to)

Lethal ended the match with the handspring cutter after hitting Elgin with Truth’s book.

6 out of 10 Bull’s eyes

Match 4:IWGP Jr. Heavyweiht Championship

NEW CHAMPION KUSHIDA defeated The Cleaner Kenny Omega

There was a fun movie theme going on in this match. You had the good guys with the Back to the Future Getup and the bad guys emulating the Terminator.

What was fun for me in this match is just not being able to root for one side specifically until midway through the match. I enjoy Omega as a good guy in PWG and I was Kushida for Halloween (no, not just an Asian Marty McFly.)

So you had Doc (Ryusuke Taguchi) Brown and Marty (Kushida) McFly squaring up with The Terminator (Omega) and his percussive chorus (The Young Bucks)

The match was non stop action from the beginning. Out of all the Bullet Club members, you could say that Omega’s the most volatile member, spitting in Kushida’s face, moonsaults with trashcans, cold spray in the face, etc. The dude knows exactly how to get under your skin no matter how good he really is. The Young Bucks were drumming the Terminator theme to the same trashcans used to attack Kushida behind the referee’s back. Oh, and Omega’s strength is just ridiculous. One-armed running powerbombs shouldn’t be a thing unless you’re jacked up or you’re really really thick.
            That being said, Kushida really fed from the crowd (they were pretty vocal from this match on). He was on point for every move he hit. Effective, impactful, and smooth. A far cry from the Strong Style representative of NJPW but great nonetheless. One major thing to note: if you watch a moonsault from anyone that isn’t Japanese, it’s lifted higher into a soft, plancha like landing. A Japanese moonsault shoots right at the target and comes off as a more direct attack rather than just an athletic thing of beauty.  

            Normally, the Bullet Club would have been able to interfere at heart’s content, but Doc Taguchi was the X-Factor in this match, holding the Bucks at bay by attacking them with Trashcans.

One-Winged Angel, COUNTERED into a Victory Roll….And that’s Game. A hell of a match with a great ending!

8.5 out of 10 Bull’s eyes.

Match 5:IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. 

NEW CHAMPIONS Great Bash Heel (Tomoaki Honma/Togi Makabe) defeated Bullet Club/Gallows ‘N Gun (Machine Gun Karl Anderson/Doc Gallows) w/the Bullet Babe (Amber O’Neill/Gallows)

I find Honma comedic in the video game sense because he’s like the kid who uses one move again and again, not to spam it since it hits, but the kid who’s trying to perfect one move and insists on hitting it over to get it perfect. Makabe….sometimes I like him, other times I think he’s overrated.  Dude loses almost all the time but is extremely over.

Doc Gallows was entertaining as both Festus and Luke Gallows. Hilarious on podcasts. I really enjoyed the one these two did together with Cabana. Anderson, I’ve started to grow to like him. Sometimes he’s still overrated in my head but I enjoy him nonetheless.

Honma had domestic abuse accusations going into this so I wasn’t sure how that was going to work.

By the way, sweet Demon tights on Anderson. Nice hint for things to come eh?

            In terms of the match, Makabe got a bigger pop than I expected. Gallows and Anderson were out for blood in what ended up being their final match because good God….Makabe’s mouth was swollen. Honma’s bleeding too.
Makabe loves flipping people off but Gallows with a SUPERKICK and the Gallows Pole

Gallows tried flipping off Makabe but a HUGE clothesline

4 FOR 5!!!!!!!!!!!

DOOMSDAY KOKESHI!!!!!!!!!!!

KOKESHI HEADBUTT! KING KONG KNEE DROP!!!!!!!!!!!

^as you can see above this, this was honestly my least favorite match. Until after the event, I found it much shorter than expected, hence the shorter review. On the bright side, Honma was 6 for 7 on Headbutt attempts, which has to be his best percentage in any match he’s been in.

5 out of 10 Bull’s eyes

Match 6:(Unofficial) No. 1 Contendership for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Hirooki Goto defeated Tetsuya Naito w/EVIL (Watanabe) and BUSHI

A battle of two of the upper mid-carders trying to break through. Also both wrestled for TNA at  one point. Naito with World Elite, Goto for Team japan in the 2006 World X Cup.

Naito has gone through a HUGE character change between WK9 and WK 10. He went from the Stardust Genius to the leader of Los Ingovernables (the Ungovernables). It’s like going from John Cena to Raven in terms of caring for the fans. And it’s awesome.

             Goto has been considered a huge choker since going from a Jr. heavyweight to Heavyweight. Even with a few Intercontinental Championship reigns, he’s had a tendency to lose in BIG match singles situations. That being said, he’s got some cool moves and a sweet Samurai look.

Naito with the contrasting suit to his underlings.(White suit as the leader, whereas EVIL and BUSHI were wearing all black). Goto’s theme is a main eventer’s theme. Point blank.

I think this is a fair comparison: This is Reigns vs. Wyatt. DDP or Benoit vs. Raven.

You have the honorable good guy going against the leader mentally bent and scarred. Naito is a combination of Raven and Seth Rollins. No one but the devil cares, but a moveset like a lucha fan favorite.

Ha! Captain New Japan getting his butt kicked by Bushi.

GOOD GOD! EVIL with a  HUGE chair shot to a Chair wrapped around Goto’s head.

So many things going on and the ref still obivious. I get trying to avoid disqualifications, but this is ridiculous.

Naito is such a douche, lounging in the ring, spitting in Goto’s face.  

I find it interesting that the moveset for Naito really hasn’t changed.

Side note:I really like Yoshi Tatsu’s commentary and insight in this match.

Goto with an AVALANCHE YOSHI TONIC. Good god that looked devastating.

Naito went for a low blow, but Goto hit an Impactful Discus lariat

BUSHI hit EVIL with the mist.

Low blow by Naito and a cool roll up, but only for 2

Naito went for that inverted Shouten but was countered with a headbutt.

SHOTEN KAI BY GOTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!(Matt Morgan’s Helluvator)

I enjoyed this match, as much as my laziness comes off of this review since all I did was just leave my reactions. It’s mostly because I felt it would stay a little more organic for this match to just leave watching reactions. Plus, I admittedly disagreed with the person who should have won. Having Goto win made it easier to figure out the main event, whereas if Naito won, we could have seen a little more intrigue. It was a great second half of the match, which made it better than some of the previous matches.

7 out of 10 Bull’s eyes.

Match 7: New blood Evolution Valiantly Eternal Radical (NEVER)OPENWEIGHT Championship.

NEW CHAMPION KATSUYORI SHIBATA defeated Tomohiro Ishii

I love Nakamura and Okada. I like Tanahashi and Goto. But KATSUYORI SHIBATA is HANDS DOWN my favorite New Japan Wrestler. He has the coolest entrance music and is just an overall legitimate badass.

Ishii’s matches are so good. I was surprised to see that he’s had multiple 5-star matches, one of them against Shibata.

New Japan and its former rival company All Japan made Japanese Wrestling famous for its hard hiting “Strong Style” per se. THIS is the style of match Japan is most famous for.

From the moment the bell rang, Shibata and Ishii tried to MURDER each other. If someone had to drink a shot for every stiff forearm thrown, their ghosts’ ghosts would have been hungover. A pure one-upsman’s match, each guy would just brush off the stiffest of strikes and, in a non-verbal way, would indicate: “thank you sir, may I have another.” I mean GOOD lord, Shibata was kipping up from strikes with ease and Ishii was just inhuman in this match. Words can only say so much to describe this match, I don’t care if you use NJPW world or any other venue, WATCH this match. I mean, Ishii was countering forearm strikes with HEADBUTTs and Shibata…..I can’t even begin to gush further.

It’s going to be awesome seeing Ishii in Ring of Honor very soon, and Shibata needs to have a match with either Zack Sabre Jr. from the UK or Kyle O’Reilly from Ring of Honor. Those matches would be INCREDIBLE.

I cringed with every strike and every grimace, but I enjoyed it so much. The sequences alone were worth the rating I’m going to give this match: stuff like:Thrust Kick-Clothesline-German-German-Thrust-clothesline- and Then both fall down.
The icing on the cake was seeing the result and the culmination of a long journey back to NJPW. 

PK BY SHIBATA

9 out of 10 Bull’s eyes.

Semi-Main Event: IWGP Intercontinental Championship

STILL CHAMPION:Shinsuke Nakamura defeated The Phenominal AJ Styles

There was  very good fluff piece, acknowledging their 2008 bout, before their transformations. Even more fulfilling considering that both of these two are now headed towards WWE.

Styles has the second longest tenure with the IWGP Title, only behind Vader on reigns and overall time holding the title.

Nakamura is such a HUGE star. Overall entrance…..His is the best. Not to mention….9-4 record at Wrestle Kingdom

Tatsu really trashing the IC title in comparison to the Heavyweight title, but the two American commentators defending the legitimacy and prestige of the younger title.

During the match:

Nakamura ate and digested a figureative bullet shot by Styles as a Taunt. Swagsuke is just not having any of it.

The two of these guys brought EVERYTHING and then some into this match. I don’t think anyone uses the knees as a lethal weapon better than Nakamura and Styles is so pure as a high flyer, everything is done with such easy, even this late in his career.

AJ went for Styles clash, series of count-BOMA YE! (reaction as I watched. )

Pele by Styles…but BOMA YE! AND STYLES KICKED OUT at 2

Nakamura went for the landslide, Styles uses a crucifix, leading to a knee and a 450 from Styles. Two count.

Clothesline attempt from styles but the smoothest of transitions into the cross armbreaker by Nakamura

One armed Styles Clash! TWO COUNT

BLOODY SUNDAY! “HE’S A DEAD MAN!”

Styles is going for an Avalanche Styles Clash…but Nakamura countered with a roundhouse…

AVALANCHE LANDSLIDE! TWO!

BOMA YE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To the back of the head!

BOMA YE!!!!!!!!!! AND THAT’S IT!!!!!!!!!!!

The sign of respect via that pound it after the match ended, it’s so much more significant now that the new horizons are understood. YEAOH!

9 out of 10 Bull’s eyes.

Main Event: IWGP Heavyweight Championship
STILL CHAMPION: Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada defeated G1 Climax Winner Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi

Going into this match, Tanahashi had won I think….4 or 5 main events in a row at Wrestle Kingdom, 2 against Okada. Okada 0-2 was WK10 in main events against Tanahashi. Their rivalry resulted in a 3-3-1 record all time between the two in singles competition.

Fluff piece equally as impactful, showing the history between the two going back to 2012 when Okada returned.

Definitely a lot of emphasis on the ending of WK9 with Okada crying and Tanahashi exclaiming that this is still his ring.

            Tanahashi is the John Cena of New Japan with one Huge difference. He gets the overall reaction that the New Japan brass wants. While sometimes there are people cheered more than him, he doesn’t incite boos and that’s what you want from your top guy and ace.

            Okada truly is ready to be the centerpiece of New Japan. What was interesting is that there was a pause in Okada’s entrance where I think the music played a little too early. Also I realize that Okada’s buddy, NJPW booker Gedo, is pretty much the closest thing that Okada has to a Paul Heyman-like figure. He doesn’t interfere in matches, but he hypes the living crap out of Okada.

Out of all of their matches, this one was by far my favorite one between these two. There’s something special about two opponents that has such good chemistry that each different match feels different even with the same repertoire of moves.

Okada with a HUGE Crossbody, flying over the guardrail onto Tanahashi.

The rest of this match is my reactions to what happened as I watched:

DDT followed by a Kip up and a running European uppercut

Okada happy as he dodges the low dropkick but missed the senton.

Tanahashi gains some momentum and hits the dropkick.

Counters Okada’s big boot into a Dragon Screw

Okada stops Tanahashi temporarily but Hashi with a Dragon Screw in between the ropes

Third Dragon Screw in between the ropes

Slingblade on the apron then, HIGH FLY FLOW Crossbody to the outside

Okada almost counted out, but High Fly Flow on the legs by Tanahashi followed by a high angle Texas Cloverleaf attempt.

Tanahashi continually uses dropkicks and dragon screw to hurt the legs.

Okada with that White noise like neckbreaker but on his bad right knee.

SO many running basement dropkicks.

HUGE Front Missile Dropkick followed by a long flying elbow drop and RAINMAKER POSE

Victory Roll counter

Reverse Dragon Screw

High Angle Texas Cloverleaf

Corkscrew neckbreaker, Slingblade, tried for High Fly Flow but miss.

OKADA WITH THE TOMBSTONE

RAINMAKER!!!!!! TWO COUNT!!!!!!!!

HIGH FLY FLOW FROM OKADA! BEAUTIFUL!

RAINMAKER FROM TANAHASHI! MY GOD!!!!!!!

Rainmaker countered into the Slingblade, and DRAGON SUPLEX! TWO!

HIGH FLY FLOW!!!!!!!! TWICE!!!!!! TWO COUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THE CROWD GOES NUTS!!!!!!!!!!

OKADA’S DROPKICK COUNTERED THE HIGH FLY FLOW!!!!!!

What a slap by Tanahashi…But DROPKICK BY OKADA!!!!!!!

WHAT A GERMAN SuPLEX

RAINMAKER COUNTERED BY SLAP BUT THE WRIST IS STILL HELD!

TWO LARIATS!

RAINMAKER LARIAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THAT’S GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: RAINMAKER KAZUCHIKA OKADA!!!!!!!!

9 out of 10 Bull’s Eyes

Overall final thoughts:
This is one of the greatest PPVs I’ve ever watched. I honestly believe that this is right on par with Wrestle Kingdom 9. I’ll be surprised if any PPV keeps up with this one. (Ok, Wrestlemania 32 is the one I think could be equally as good. Not better.) With the exception of Naito/Goto, I think the right side won in each match. The last 3 matches especially were just top notch. It was amazing to witness the three times I watched it to finish this review. There are very few changes that could have been made. Just high quality in general and honestly, EVERY wrestling fan should take a look at a few of these matches.

Match of the Night: Nakamura/Styles

Highest point of the night: The Final Rainmaker on Tanahashi by Okada

Holy Crap: The Shibata/Ishii match. Not one moment, the freaking match.

Biggest mistake:Goto beating Naito

Funniest moment: The young bucks playing the Terminator theme on trash cans.

Thanks for reading everyone, next post is the Royal Rumble preview!

Feel free to leave a comment or two on this.

Just remember, When in doubt Watch Wrestling.