Thursday, December 28, 2017
NJPW Dominion (Not RapidFire)
Opening Match:
David Finlay, Shota Umino, and Tomoyuki Oka def. Hirai Kawato, Katsuya Kitamura, and Tetsuhiro Yagi
-I think I've had a good amount of time to start noticing the standouts of the current crop of NJPW Young Boys. Kawato reminds me of a Japanese version of Paul Robinson: smaller but scrappy and wiry. He's going to be fun in the Junior division once he goes on his excursion. The other person that stands out is definitely Kitamura....DEAR LORD he's jacked. The remaining young boys I will admit that without the US commentary, I wouldn't have been able to truly tell apart. (yes, Oka's the other big guy)
I also remember watching Finlay's dad as a kid, and seeing the transformation from his young days to his current gimmick (I can't exactly name his gimmick), there's alot of improvement and potential still unlocked.
Match 2
Tiger Mask, Tiger Mask W, Togi Makabe, and Yuji Nagata def. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger, Manabu Nakanishi, and Satoshi Kojima
I Love Kojima. Out of that Generation of stars, Kojima is the one who can go with the ones half his age. Everything he does gets me excited. Tiger Mask W had some heel-ish moments and Nagata will always be such a badass. However, Togi Makabe stood out, and not just because he beat my least favorite guy in the match (Sorry Nakanishi). Makabe seems more motivated, especially after how he's been performing in the G1 Climaxes as of late.
Match 3 Gauntlet for the Never Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Championships
Chaos (Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, and Yoshi Hashi) def. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, and Hangman Page)
Suzuki Gun (Zack Sabre Jr, Taichi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) def. Chaos (Yano, Ishii, Hashi)
Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi, Ricochet, and Juice Robinson) def. Suzuki Gun (Sabre Jr., Taichi, Kanemaru)
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL) def. Taguchi Japan (Taguchi, Ricochet, Robinson) to retain the 6 Man Championships
Chaos: I love how ridiculous Yano is and how serious Ishii is. Hashi has really impressed me over the last year or so.
Suzuki Gun has one of my favorite wrestlers in Zack Sabre Jr. and my least favorite wrestler Taichi. Kanemaru needs to stand out more man....he's really good otherwise.
Taguchi Japan has grown on me.....Taguchi is usually annoying to me but I now want those jackets and its nice to see a Stable that is purely face.
LIJ: They are the best trio of the bunch and therefore deserve to keep the titles. Like everyone else, keep an eye on Sanada. The former X Division and Wrestle-1 Champion is truly going to be a force regardless if he stays in New Japan or gets signed somewhere else.
Match 4: The Young Bucks def. Roppongi Vice to become the 6 time IWGP Jr Tag Team Champions
For those who think the Young Bucks are spot monkeys, this was a fantastic masterclass in how to divide and conquer in a Tag Team match. The way they were able to take Rocky Romero out of the match early and torture Beretta was simply wonderful to watch. If the world was perfect, I could see a Revival vs. Young Bucks match. (#FUCKTHEREVIVAL....I love the Revival but also love the catchphrase)
Match 5: The Guerrillas of Destiny def. War Machine
This was a great match in its own right. I didn't understand the appeal of the GOD until this match admittedly. Tama Tonga truly is someone to watch out for. It seems like he's in the silent Karl Anderson position right now as a tag team specialist. I now want more Tonga. Tanga Loa has found his niche since being released from WWE years ago.
War Machine (Warbeard Hanson and Raymond Rowe) will be back. They're one of my favorite Tag Teams from Ring of Honor and have shown that they can connect with the New Japan crowd, arguably better than The Briscoes.
Match 6: Cody def. Michael Elgin
This was a great showcase for the two stars. Elgin is fresh off of a 5 star match with Tetsuya Naito while Cody is currently in the midst of truly showing what he can do. This match, while will come off underrated when looking at the full card, deserved to be on this show just as much as the title matches. Cody is going to get a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship when NJPW comes to the States, so that should be an interesting dynamic for his particular match.
Match 7: KUSHIDA def. Hiromu Takahashi to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
-KUSHIDA finally gets the win back and goes a bit heelish in the process. It shows the desperation he had trying to not only regain the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship but more so how much the previous defeat took on his mental psyche. Takahashi will regain this championship in the near future, I can feel it. He's too good not to. This rivalry has to continue in the coming years.
Match 8: Minoru Suzuki (c) def. Hirooki Goto (Lumberjack Deathmatch for the NEVER Openweight Championship)
This match was Brutal. I've personally liked Suzuki for awhile now and Goto as a subordinate to me has lost his luster. Glad Suzuki kept the Championship
Match 9: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
-This was a HELL of a match. Great fire from Tana even though he was injured. Naito was great as well. Fantastic finish that gives not only a major belt back to Tanahashi, but opens up Naito for potentially winning the G1 Climax.
Main Event: -Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kenny Omega (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)
-This was in my opinion Equally as good (not necessarily 6 and a 1/4 stars) but dear lord what a story. These two proved why they are the best in the world (man that's become such a cliche phrase). I can't wait to see the trilogy. I'd say more, but that would be an injustice to them. Go watch this match. It's that good.
Labels:
Bullet Club,
CHAOS,
Cody Rhodes,
GOD,
Jushin Liger,
Kenny Omega,
KUSHIDA,
Los Ingobernables de Japon,
Naito,
New Japan,
OKADA,
Suzuki Gun,
TANAHASHI,
The Young Bucks,
Zack Sabre Jr
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment