NEW JAPAN FOCUS: NJPW Stars Shine at All In in Chicago including Omega, Okada, Hangman Page, Cody, Scurll, and more

September 1st has come and gone, and the largest “self-funded” independent wrestling show is in the books. The Sears Centre near Chicago was packed to the rafters with an attendance of 11,263 fans (as reported by Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks), and not one single match disappointed. But, one could argue that the most impressive matches on the card included stars under contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Whether it was the “Chicago Street Fight” between “Hangman” Page and Joey Janela or the main event between The Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi and Rey Mysterio & Bandido & Rey Fenix, every single match delivered and then some. So let’s shine a spotlight on some of the stars of NJPW and break down some of their performances.

The match that everyone was waiting for, placed in the middle of the card, was “The American Nightmare” Cody vs. Nick Aldis for the NWA Heavyweight Championship, and boy did that one deliver. The raw emotion that went into that match could make any fan of professional wrestling shed legitimate tears. Cody, one of the creators of All In and son of the legendary NWA Heavyweight Champion “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, documented his preparation for this legendary match on his YouTube series “All Incoming.”

This series highlighted Cody receiving support from family friends Diamond Dallas Page and Tommy Dreamer, among many others. From the video package before the match to the entrances between the two stars, this match had everything you would want in a “big fight feel” championship match. The legendary Earl Hebner was the official for this contest and absolutely had his hands full with Cody and Aldis. With run-ins from Ariya Davari and Diamond Dallas Page, and even Cody getting some “color” from a well-placed elbow from Nick Aldis, this match had the crowd on their feet from start to finish and it concluded with Cody getting the 1-2-3 after pinning Aldis’s shoulders to the mat. A well-deserved emotional championship victory for the son of a son of a plumber. 

Another match on the card included a New Japan star with one of the brightest futures in this business, Hangman Page, who wrestled “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela. Cody has said: “I’m sure my wife or The Bucks are actually getting sick of me saying how good Hangman Page actually is,” and I’m sure after this performance, there are few questioning the validity of that statement.

The way Hangman can control a ring, pace a match, induce emotion from a crowd, and stick to storylines are all attributes that attest to how good of a performer Hangman Page is. This match had some very painful looking spots including Page getting thrown into an actual Cracker Barrel, Page powerbombing Janella off of the stage onto a table, and Page hitting Janela with the “Rite of Passage” off of a ladder on to a table! Along with a stellar performance in the G1 Climax tournament, Hangman Page is showing the world why he is a hot commodity in the world of professional wrestling. 

Now let’s talk about the no. 1 wrestler in the world today, Kenny Omega. Omega was met with the task of taking on one of the very best masked wrestlers in the world today, Pentagon Jr. Pentagon, a major star for promotions such as AAA, Impact, and Lucha Underground, gave Omega all he could ask for and more. This match was hard-hitting from start to finish and really highlighted the fact that Omega could have a stellar match with any style of performer on this planet.

The “Best Bout Machine” took Pentagon Jr. to his limits with multiple V-Triggers and unmatched athleticism. At one point we all started to wonder if Omega was going to emerge victorious in this contest with Don Callis stating “I think for the first time, Kenny Omega is being out-strategized in a match.” But not to fear, Omega hit Pentagon with the One-Winged Angel and earned the pinfall victory. With Pentagon flat on his back and Omega raising his arms in victory, the lights cut out. When the lights turned back on we realized that Chris Jericho had replaced Pentagon Jr. on the mat and was attacking Kenny Omega. Jericho grabbed a microphone and uttered the words “Kenny Omega, I’ll see you on the Jericho cruise.”

My personal favorite match on the card between two of the biggest stars in NJPW today, “The Villain” Marty Scurll, and “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, the longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion of all time. This match told the story of whether a junior heavyweight could defeat one of the greatest heavyweights in NJPW history. Both superstars, welcomed by a sea of cheers from the audience, put on another fantastic match. This match had Scurll sell the fact that he could not use his strength to overpower Okada, so he needed to find other ways to get the upper hand. With spots including an impressive brainbuster to Okada and Scurll even stealing Okada’s finisher and using it against him, these two men had the crowd in the palm of their hands. This match concluded with Okada hitting Scurll with a Rainmaker and earning the pinfall victory. I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but every single match on this card more than delivered. 

Finally, let’s get to the main event of All In. The main event consisted of a six-man tag team match featuring The Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi vs Rey Mysterio & Bandido & Rey Fenix. Now, as all of us realized at the end of the show, this matched seemed a little rushed. The ending was abrupt and the sign off after the match was over was cut short, but who cares!?

These men packed as much athleticism as humanly possible into a 12 minute time slot. With multiple dives to the outside and the fans still on their feet in support of the spectacle that The Young Bucks have just produced, this match was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Although this show was four hours long, I don’t think a single person watching via PPV or standing in attendance wanted this show to end. This match highlighted stars from the past (Rey Mysterio), the present (Young Bucks and Ibushi), and the future (Bandido and Rey Fenix). 

All In was a groundbreaking show and has kicked the doors wide open for small independent promotions to chase their dreams and realize what is possible in the business today. New Japan stars were responsible for a large portion of the shows success and will continue to grow and expand as a company themselves, and I can’t wait to be along for the ride.

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: NEW JAPAN FOCUS: G1 Spotlight – The Era of Ibushi, one of the most athletically gifted wrestlers in the world today, headed for New Japan zenith