SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Yuto Nakashima Vs The Great-O-Kahn – Minor Hit
A standard young lion squash showcase for O-Kahn. I’m still undecided as to whether O-Kahn is a future star or a bit of a goof. His entrance is starting to grow on me and he has a presence in the ring, but some of his offense looks unconvincing. He looked good here though, mostly.
Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita Vs Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi – Hit
I enjoyed this match way more than I thought I would. The extra element added with Hiromu’s wager to remove his mask gave the young lions a victory in defeat, and the action was really entertaining. Hiromu continues to think of new ways to add that extra level of interest in his matches and he got himself some babyface goodwill in the bargain too.
Yujiro Takahashi and Gedo Vs Tiger Mask and Tomoaki Honma – Miss
This match didn’t really warrant time on the card. Honma moves quite stiffly these days and all Gedo seems to do is take a beating and shout English swear words as a sell. This kind of match shows the lack of depth in the NJPW card right now, and makes you question why they continue with these marathon shows. At leas they waited until the end of the match for the obligatory heel shenanigans.
Yuji Nagata, Turi Yano, Satoshi Kohima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan Vs Minoru Suzuki, Douki, Taka Michinoku and Taichi – Miss
The second I saw the dog cage I knew what we were in for here. More handcuffs and hilarity from Yano. Not for me. As a minor positive, I do enjoy the chemistry between Suzuki and Yano, but is anyone actually rooting for Yano to win the feud? Doubtful.
Tomohiro Ishii and Yoh Vs Evil and Sho – Miss
An absolutely brutal chair shot over the head of Yoh by Sho was the most memorable moment in this match. Totally unnecessary in this day and age when we know about the effects of head trauma. It was also meaningless to the match, as two minutes later Yoh was disqualified for a furious attack with the (massive) wrench on Sho. A frustrating end to a match with some good action. The problem with the House of Torture is that there is no heat, because they do the same thing every single match. It would probably help them if they went on a run of acting heelish without the weapons and cheating. Evil and Sho (especially Sho) are very talented wrestlers and I think people forget this due to the gimmick.
Shingo Takagi, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito Vs Togi Makabe, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada – Hit
Finally, the stars of the promotion… and Makebe. Good action here. Considering the nature and size of the show, they all worked hard and the crowd enjoyed it. Makebe fulfilled his inevitable role as cannon fodder for Shingo on his road to being rebuilt while Okada and Naito continued to build their feud. Good all round booking. Kevin Kelly really sold the idea of SANADA finally winning a singles championship to close the match.
The Main Event: Master Wato and Ryuske Taguchi Vs El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Miss
The idea of this being the main event baffles me no end. Imagine having Shingo Takagi, Okada AND Naito in the semi-main and going with Master Wato and Taguchi to close? Feels like madness to me. I realize they are building towards the Junior Heavyweight title fight, but still, this show needed some star power at the top of the card. The match itself was pretty good. Everyone seemed motivated and put on a good display. It was also the right call to give the win to Team 69 to give Master Wato some much needed momentum going into his match at the weekend. I don’t think it will be enough to plant seeds of doubt in any fans’ minds but that remains to be seen.
Overall Show – Miss
Nothing to go out of your way for on this show. The two young lion matches and the semi-main were the clear highlights.
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