Night 1
CHAOS (RPG VICE(Berretta and Rocky Romero), WIll Ospreay, and the Briscoe Brothers (Mark and Jay)) def. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi, and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) when Romero pinned Matt Jackson
-interesting result considering this was on the heels of The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, and Cody all getting Hot Topic Deals via Pro Wrestling Tees.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA, and Hiromu Takahashi) def. Jushin Thunder Liger and Team CMLL (Dragon Lee, Titan, and Volador Jr. ) when Takahashi hit the Time Bomb on Titan
-This showed how good LIJ is as a unit
Jay Lethal eliminated Hangman Page via Lethal Injection
-This was an interesting matchup in terms of the pacing. Surprised that Page didn't win considering the injuries Lethal was coming in with.
Zack Sabre Jr. eliminated Juice Robinson via Biker Stretch
-I loved this match (mostly because I'm a huge Zack Sabre jr. mark.) Enjoyed this one from beginning to end.
Jay White and Taguchi Japan (David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and KUSHIDA) def. Hunter Club (Billy Gunn and Yoshi Tatsu) and The Tempura Boyz (Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu), when Jay White hit a Sister Abigail on Yoshi Tatsu
-Good matchup to set up the following night's main event.
War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) def. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) to become the new IWGP Tag Team Champions
-THIS was a good match. Wasn't expecting the title change, and the American crowd made this better
Tomohiro Ishii eliminated Tetsuya Naito via Vertical Drop Brainbuster
-This was a great introduction to Ishii. Naito (I guess true to character) didn't exactly show everything, but was super over. Great match.
Kenny Omega eliminated Michael Elgin via One-Winged Angel
-Match of the Night. Everything was hard hitting from beginning to end. They had a previous rivalry for the Intercontinental Championship that ended in a Ladder Match that Elgin won. Omega clinching the victory after some of the roughest power spots I've ever seen.
Kazuchika Okada def. Cody Rhodes to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
-While not match of the night, Rhodes proved he belonged in the main event.....but Okada showed that he can appeal to an American audience and not just a Japanese Audience. Fantastic main event complete with wonderful in-match story telling between Rhodes and Omega.
NIGHT 2
Jushin Thunder Liger and Taguchi Japan (David Finlay and KUSHIDA) def. The Tempura Boyz (Tanaka and Komatsu) and Yoshi Tatsu when Finlay pinned Tatsu
-Good opener for night 2, mostly because the Ref got more cheers than The Tempura Boyz and Yoshi Tatsu
Kenny Omega eliminated Jay Lethal via One-Winged Angel
-Solid Semi-final match. Lethal's injury definitely affected the performance and the match quality.
Tomohiro Ishii eliminated Zack Sabre Jr. via Vertical Drop Brainbuster
Team CMLL (Lee, Volador, and Titan), Jay White, and Juice Robinson def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, EVIL, and BUSHI)
-Surprised to see this victory....borderline disappointed. But at the same time, I do enjoy Juice and Jay.
Bullet CLub (Hangman Page, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Roa) def. Michael Elgin and War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe)
-Hangman Page proved in this match why he belongs in New Japan. This was a fantastic showcase for the non-Elite members of The Bullet Club. I also enjoy Elgin and War Machine as crazy hosses.
The Young Bucks def. RPG Vice (Berretta and Rocky Romero to retain the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions, Ricochet attacked them afterwards and announced that himself and Ryusuke Taguchi challenge for the titles.
-This match was very good, but I was more excited for Ricochet showing up after all the drama with Lucha Underground. Can't wait to see Taguchi Japan compete against the Bucks.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Cody, Marty Scurll, and Yujiro Takahashi def. The Briscoe Brothers (Mark and Jay), Will Ospreay, and Kazuchika Okada via Cross Rhodes on Ospreay
-Cody had so much heat and Okada was so beloved on this night. It was great to see Cody grab the victory, especially over Will Ospreay who's a great talent in his own right. Can't wait to see what's next for Cody, Marty Will, and Okada in the upcoming months.
Hiroshi Tanahashi retained the IWGP Intercontinental Championship over Billy Gunn
-The most prodding match of the weekend, it did a good job of showing off how good Gunn still is after all this time and how good Tanahashi is working with just about everyone. There's a reason he's called the Ace of the Universe and this is one of a plethora of great examples why.
Kenny Omega def. Tomohiro Ishii via One-Winged Angel to become the FIRST IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion
-This was a great way to end the special, with the crowd's hero winning the United States Championship. His post match interview is even better. I would go to say that the best match of the weekend was probably his first round match with Elgin, but the final was definitely a Top 3 match of the weekend. Ishii, always the sturdy doormat (not in a bad way), came through with yet another fantastic performance. Great weekend of shows!
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