Shin-Nihon Report! THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA!

What up Shooters, your assassin is here. The Smark Shooter is back reviewing the Next event in New Japan:The New Beginning in Osaka.

Quick Note: My Royal Rumble review has been delayed for awhile due to unforseen circumstances but I’ll do my best to get it out during V-Day weekend. Helps not being tied down to finally get my stuff done.

Anyhow: I don’t watch New Japan TV other than whatever is on New Japan World,so as a quick recap of the current situation that New Japan is in after Wrestle Kingdom 10:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion:Kazuchika Okada

IWGP Intercontinental Champion:VACANT

IWGP Tag Team Champions: Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Homna

NEVER Openweight Champion:Katsuyori Shibata

NEVER Openweight 6 Man-Champions:CHAOS (Toru Yano, Mark and Jay Briscoe)
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion: KUSHIDA

IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions:The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)

Also, since WK10, AJ Styles has been booted out of the Bullet Club and now wrestles for WWE (I’m still giddy). Shinsuke Nakamura had a wonderful send-off as he also heads to WWE, but also relinquished the IWGP IC title. Also rumored currently, Guns N Gallows (Machine Gun Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows) are headed to WWE as well after February. So, there is a lot of revamp going on in NJPW.

The Card at a glance:
Undercard
David Finlay vs. Jay White

Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, and Ryusuke Taguichi vs. CHAOS (Kazushi Sakuraba, YOSHI-HASHI, and Gedo)

TenCozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) vs. Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi

MAIN Card

Michael Elgin, Juice Robinson, and KUSHIDA vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI)

NEVER Open Weight 6-Man Tag Team Championship

CHAOS (Toru Yano, Mark and Jay Briscoe)(c) vs. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi,and Tama Tonga)

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Bullet Club (The Young Bucks {Matt and Nick Jackson])(c) vs. ReDRagon(Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Ricochet and Matt Sydal (The High Flyers?)

NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Hiroshi Tanahashi and Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Homna) vs. Bullet Club (Kenny Omega and Gallows N Gun{Machine Gun Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows})

IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hirooki Goto

Opening match: David Finlay vs. Jay White

With New Japan, their opening cards are always interesting to watch, since normally these wrestlers are the young boys (trainees) from the dojo. While the clothes look generic and the matches normally basic, you get a nice glimpse of the future names. In this situation, we have two of the top gaijin young boys squaring off, with New Zealand’s Jay White squaring off against Ireland’s David Finlay (Son of Fit Finlay)

White, nearly splitting Finlay’s fingers in the early going.
Sweet kip up happened after a brainbuster by White, then quickly followed by a front missile dropkick.
Finlay’s got a sweet European Uppercut. Following that was a tribute to his dad with the Finlay Roll and a DEEP Boston Crab. White escapes. 

Finlay went for a Cannonball but White countered it into a Half Crab, transitioning into the full Boston Crab and the knee in the back for good measure. 

Winner:Jay White via Submission (Torture Crab)

I could see White immediately challenging for the IWGP Jr. Title once he gets a gimmick. Finlay’s got alot of his dad in him, but some damn good athleticism. Plus, in past matches I’ve watched (and according to Matt Striker), the dude has a killer instinct that is vital for anyone wrestling in general, and especially one that could potentially be a top heel for any company. White has been in the dojo a little longer than Finlay, but I think Finlay has the higher ceiling. Good solid match, but nothing really more expected when you have a Dojo trainee match.

4-10 Bullseyes

For the record, the Entrance that New Japan has for this event is reminiscent of both the 1998 WWF ppvs and the early Smackdown entrance. I really dig it. 

Match 2: Chaos vs New Japan’s Juniors.

So in this match, it’s essentially a place for some of CHAOS’s underlings and background players to have a match before potentially going after titles, especially their stablemates’ 6 Man Titles, as well as a showcase for the old guard of New Japan’s Junior division( and Ryusuke Taguichi). I guess by default, Lyger (always preferred this spelling) and his team are the good guys, but CHAOS isn’t exactly that bad either. 

Taguichi did a tribute (or was it a parody?) of Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance taunt.  

Gedo leading the heel charge as Saku puts the goods on Lyger. I really like using Sakuraba in Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 (Yes, he’s that old and Yes, the greatest Wrestling Video Game ever. N64.)

YOSHI-HASHI needs a legit storyline. The dude is too good to be nothing more than Okada’s lookalike and lackey. 

Something about Tiger Mask IV just doesn’t seem correct. It’s not wrong....but it’s not correct. I think after so many incarnations, if you’re stuck typecast as the man under the mask, the character really becomes watered down. I fear for New Japan if they even try the same thing with Lyger. 

I enjoy Gedo. I’ve seen very little, but I do find him funny when he calls the crowd Bastards when he talks for Okada.
Taguichi taunting CHAOS with their old leader’s taunts isn’t smart, but the funky weapon attacks are funny.(He hits you with his butt. Ren and Stimpy stuff right there) He also countered the Gedo clutch into my favorite primary leg submission, the Ankle Lock.

Winners: Lyger, Tiger, and the Funky Weapon via Submission (Ankle Lock on Gedo by Taguichi)

3.5 out of 10 bull’s eyes

Match 3: TenCozy vs. Nagata/Nakanishi

While some of the more respected members of the New Japan roster, this is the equivalent of a Big Show vs. Kane Match. Slower guys.....and just a way to showcase aging stars (though still good). For the record, I think the world of Nagata....Nakanishi not as much. I enjoy TenCozy. Between these four, at this point in their careers, the ideal singles matchup is Kojima vs. Nagata. Tenzan and Nakanishi have definitely lost a step or two, while those two still seem like they can keep up with the younger generation of wrestlers. 

Considering the recent retirement of Daniel Bryan and just the general stiffness of Strong Style Wrestling....I’m surprised that these guys are still going pretty strong. Well....except Nagata. He’s just a badass. 

NAGATA Lock hooked on (Crippler Crossface), quickly broken up by Tenzan. 

Kojima tends to go Kobashi crazy with the chops sometimes, and Nagata channels the Undertaker when he gets into certain submissions. 

Kojima ends it with one HELL of a Lariat.

Winners: TenCozy via Lariat. 

3 out of 10 bull’s eyes. 

Handshakes after the match, always classy amonst the New Japan veterans. 

Match 4:Elgin/Robinson/KUSHIDA vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

I find it nice that EVIL enters on his own. Why does BUSHI not get the same treatment? Also, heel Naito is such a douche that in a way it’s loveable. 

“LOS! JUSTICE! LOS! JUSTICE!”

Announcer reveals a Yuji Nagata shirt.....to which Naito rips. What a dick. 

KUSHIDA has such an AWESOME theme!

Naito did an arm wrench to Robinson....except he wrenched Robinson’s dreads.

KUSHIDA’s cartwheel dropkick is so swift.

Elgin’s power is ridiculous. One arm Gorilla press to BUSHI. 

Robinson with a Nice Jackhammer.

Naito leapfrogged KUSHIDA straight into BUSHI’s mist, followed by a BUSHI Suicide Dive

STO to end the night for Robinson.

Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon via STO on Robinson by EVIL

Elgin with the big save after the match. 

4.75 out of 10 bull’s eyes

Match 5: NEVER OPENWEIGHT 6 MAN TAG Championships.

CHAOS (Yano and the Briscoes) vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro, Tonga, and Fale)

I dig Yujiro’s Bullet Chick, Shiori (thank you announcers for acknowledging her)

I wonder how used to Yano has become getting attacked after throwing a bottle of water at Fale....

Japanese people looking at the Briscoes: “Well....they’re as crazy and weird as Yano. That works”

Yano’s bumbling idiot routine is fantastic....now If I only knew what he was saying during his matches.....nah, it would ruin the magic. 

Tonga looks like he would be better fit teaming with the Briscoes. The look suits him. 

Mark’s redneck Kung Fu could be considered racist.....Hooray Comedy!

Jay never got tagged in legally.

Tonga with a weird DDT to win it.

WINNERS AND NEW CHAMPIONS: BULLET CLUB (Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, and Tama Tonga) via DDT on Yano by Tonga.

4.5 out of 10 bull’s eyes

Note: One area I think New Japan does need to get with times is the oversexualization of the females. Get a women’s division going there. Have Manami Toyota spearhead it, or one of Kanna’s old rivals. 

Intermission here, so I guess the main card starts here. A clip of the press conference between Goto and Okada shows up.

Match 6: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: The Bullet Club (The Young Bucks, Nick and Matt Jackson) vs. Ricochet and Matt Sydal(I’m just gonna refer to them as Dragon Gate Gaijin) vs. ReDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly)

Matt Jackson with the Bryan Danielson Shoutout!

Cody Hall at ringside to help the bucks. Also...Ricochet is inhuman.

O’Reilly is smooth as butter in the ring. 

It’s interesting that there is no Japanese Jr. Tag Team currently. Tanaka and Koematsu could come in handy there. 

You have six of the smoothest and most efficient wrestlers on the indy scene in one match....That’s ridiculous. 

O’Reilly Back body drop on Ricochet turns into Corkscrew Crossbody to the Bullet Club

Matt with a Slingshot Dropkick, then skinning the cat, this after a nice dive by Fish. 

Hall paying dividends...but SUPERKICK on JACKSON BY JACKSON

ReDRagon with just a demo-SUPERKICK ON FISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God Ricochet is so good.......He hit like 12 moves on four guys in a matter of like 10-15 seconds.

BeaUtiful Standing Moonsault/SSP combo by Dragon Gate. 

Roaring Elbow into Saito Suplex by ReDRagon

Double Splashes missed by Fish/O’Reilly

Tandem 450s by the Bucks blocked by ReDRagons’ knees

Tandem Shooting Star Presses by Dragon Gate missed altogether

Tower of Doom Superplex on Nick Jackson, followed by a Springboard 450 by Ricochet...two count

SUPERKICK ON RICOCHET

All of the Swantons by Nick Jackson (man having Cody out there isn’t fair)

The Hell? Cody hall carried O’Reilly out of the match

Double Rana on the Bucks...but SUPERKICKS ON SYDAL and the Indy Taker!

Cody comes back and starts beating the apron with the Terminator theme

Attempt at More Bang for your Buck blocked by a dropkick by Ricochet

Benadryller on the Bucks, AND TANDEM SHOOTING STARS ON THE BUCKS!

WINNER AND NEW CHAMPIONS: DRAGON GATE GAIJINS (RICOCHET AND MATT SYDAL) via Tandem Shooting Star Presses on the Young Bucks)
P.S. (Where’d O’Reilly go?)

6.5 out of 10 Bull’s Eyes

Match 7: NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohirio Ishii

Best theme in New Japan: Shibata’s. 

Slugfest in New Japan are fun. I feel like Shibata was holding back....then he hit one kick. And I was wrong. Ishii is REALLY motivated so far. 

Shibata’s arrogance is wonderful. NO Sell the freaking Suplex

Everyone is tough....until you take a chop to the throat. 

Shibata’s a beast. Ishii is a pit bull. I’m especially enjoying this match. 

Ishii is really impressing me in this match. Triangle choke by Shibata almost ended the match

BUISAKU KNEE LIFT by Shibata but WHAT A MISAWA ELBOW BY ISHII!

TWO LARIATS AND A GERMAN BY ISHII AND SHIBATA KICKS OUT AT 1!

SLIDING D! AND STILL NOT ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!

ARMBAR BY SHIBATA! TRANSITION INTO A TRIANGLE CHOKE!!!!!!

CROSS ARMBREAKER!!!!! ROPE BREAK!

WHAT A SPINNING BACK FIST BY SHIBATA! THIS CROWD IS GOING NUTS! ISHII IS OUT!!!!!!!

ISHII CATCHES THE PK, but SHIBATA WITH A DROPKICK!

HOLY CRAP THE SLAPS AT THE END....AND SHIBATA WITH THE PK TO END IT!

WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: KATSUYORI SHIBATA via PENALTY KICK!

SHIBATA is Beyond Over ever since winning the NEVER Openweight Championship. The dude is freaking amazing!

Can’t discount Ishii, the man brought everything except the Kitchen Sink and his final brainbuster. This rematch made an Ishii fan out of me. Shibata’s still my favorite New Japan guy but that was absolutely breathtaking!

8 out of 10 Bull’s eyes. 

Semi-Main Event: Bullet Club (Machine Gun Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows and The Cleaner Kenny Omega) vs. New Japan. (Hiroshi X Tanahashi and the IWGP Tag team Champions, Great Bash Heel: Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe)

I need Kenny Omega’s Bullet Club Cleaner Theme. The Theatrics behind the sound are fantastic. 

Tanahashi>Cena and Reigns combined. Because they’re the same character portrayed, but Tana gets the correct crowd reaction. 

During the match, there was a countout situation that should have counted out Omega. 

I’m hoping that Gallows is used correctly the second time around. 

Very sloppy Sling blade on Omega....not sure who messed up more, but Tana misses the High Fly Flow Frog Splash

For a storyline 6-man....I think this one is going a bit long. 

Honma sounds like Jon Gruden while he was still coaching: Hoarse. 

GUN STUN! MAGIC KILLER! ONE WINGED ANGEL (after Poison-Ranaing Tanahashi)

Winners: BULLET CLUB (Anderson, Gallows, Omega) via One-Winged Angel by Omega on Honma. 

7 out of 10 Bull’s eyes

Post match beatdown on Tanahashi and GBH. Makabe and Honma look dead.

Multiple chair shots on Tanahashi’s right arm, culminating in Double Superkicks by the Bucks and a High Fly Flow from Omega onto his arm draped over a trashcan. 

Also, The Young Bucks with Yes Chant gestures! DANIEL BRYAN FOR THE WIN!

Main Event:IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada vs. Hirooki Goto

Going into this match, Goto is 0-7 in IWGP Heavyweight Championship matches. However, in the lone non-title match at Wrestle Kingdom 10, he defeated Tetsuya Naito in a no. 1 contenders match, all while dealing with weapons and interference from EVIL and BUSHI. I’m not entirely sure on what was said, but Goto attacked Okada during a press conference leading up to this. This lead to being heavily booed during Shinsuke Nakamura’s farewell match. A match where....technically he is the good guy. Goto feels that he is overlooked, since Okada’s the champ, his tag team partner won the NEVER Openweight Championship, and Nakamura receiving all the fanfare in his departure. 

Before the match begins, there’s a quick slideshow of all the winners of the championship by their intial run, with the exception of the current champion. 

Goto coming out with a combination tribute to Hakushi/Jinsei Shinzaki, and I guess Samurai attire. All white, complete with the writing all over the body. Pretty sick look to go with a sweet theme. 

The crowd solidly behind Okada. 

More aggressive Goto from the outset...I don’t remember if Shinzaki was that aggressive with attacking. 

Unlike most of the other matches, I wasn’t entirely enthralled. But, I enjoy both performers normally. 

A little past halfway into the match, Goto has the elementary version of Zack Sabre Jr’s finisher, but it was countered into a pin attempt. 

Rainmaker countered into an Ushi Kuroshi, then transitioned into a combination Sabre Special/Becky Lynch’s Dis-Arm-her/Abdominal Stretch. 

Goto is wrestling stiffer than usual. Fitting for a title match and especially for a De-Facto heel. 

SUPER USHI KUROSHI (Fireman’s Carry flipped into a neckbreaker on the knee.)

SHOUTEN KAI!!!!!! (Matt Morgan’s Helluvator) But Okada was near the ropes.

RAINMAKER!!!!!!!!!

Okada’s Dropkick is pure art.

Rainmaker countered by two Headbutts. 

RAINMAKER! AND A SECOND ONE! AND A THIRD ONE PUTS GOTO INSIDE OUT!

GAME SET MATCH!

Winner and Still Champion: Kazuchika OKADA

7.5 out of 10 Bull’s Eyes

Overall: the event was a good 6.75 out of 10 Bull's Eyes. 

Some good matches, and a couple of duds here, I'd put this up against any WWE PPV not apart of the Big 4 and it would be neck and neck. The Shibata/Ishii rematch was definitely match of the night, with the World title match not entirely far behind. 

Thanks for reading and The New Beginning in Niigata is up next!

WHEEEEEEEEENNNNNNN in DOUBT, Watch Wrestling!