Date: May 4th, 2015
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall
Announced Attendance:  1,740

I realize I have not reviewed a NOAH event in awhile, and none of the events leading up to Global Tag League Final, but I know I will never get to all those shows and I did not want to skip the big finale.  The blocks were not set yet going into the event, as there are still three matches from each block on this card leading to the finals in the main event.  Here is the full card:

– Block A: Maybach Taniguchi and Maybach #2 [0] vs. Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls [6]
– Block A: Daisuke Sekimoto and Kazuki Hashimoto [2] vs. Takashi Sugiura and Masato Tanaka [6]
– Block A: Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka [4] vs. Naomichi Marufuji and Katsuhiko Nakajima [6]
– Block B: Shelton Benjamin and Brian Breaker [4] vs. Super Crazy and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya [0]
– Block B: Akitoshi Saito and Quiet Storm [2] vs. Chris Hero and Colt Cabana [6]
– Block B: Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. [6] vs. Mohammed Yone and Daisuke Ikeda [6]
– Kenou, Hajime Ohara, Captain NOAH, and Jack Gamble vs. Taiji Ishimori, Daisuke Harada, Genba Hirayanagi, and Hitoshi Kumano
– TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, and El Desperado vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, Zack Sabre Jr., and Atsushi Kotoge
– Global Tag League Final: Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Takashi Sugiura and Masato Tanaka

Let’s get to it.

Maybach Taniguchi and Maybach #2 [0] vs. Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls [6]
This match is part of Block A in the Global Tag League. The Maybachs attack before the match starts and they brawl around the ring.  Nicholls walks up onto the entrance way and dives down onto both Taniguchi and Maybach #2 as TMDK regain the advantage.  Nicholls slides Taniguchi back into the ring and he covers him for two.  Nicholls stomps Taniguchi down in the corner while Maybach #2 brings in the trident, Nicholls knocks Maybach #2 back but Taniguchi drives him into the corner with the trident.  Nicholls dives off the top turnbuckle onto Maybach #2 and he hits a death valley bomb on Taniguchi.  Lariat by Nicholls and he tags in Haste.  Haste dropkicks Taniguchi and he hits a running uppercut in the corner, but Maybach #2 comes in and hits him with a lariat.  Haste is thrown into the corner and hit with a lariat followed by a spinebuster.  Taniguchi and Maybach #2 hit a double vertical suplex, cover, but Nicholls breaks it up.  Taniguchi and Maybach #2 both go for powerbombs but both are reversed with back bodydrops.  Assisted DDT to Taniguchi, cover by Haste but it gets two.  Taniguchi and Maybach #2 hit suplexes, Haste slides away from Taniguchi and he hits a lariat.  Haste picks up Taniguchi but Taniguchi hits a low blow.  Chokeslam by Taniguchi, Maybach #2 goes up top and he hits a moonsault.  Maybach Press by Taniguchi, and he picks up the three count!  Maybach #2 is Masato Inaba I am told, the build matches so I’ll assume that is true.  A fun brawl to start off the show, obviously this wasn’t the ‘ideal’ result for TMDK as it effectively eliminated them from the finals.  I actually like Taniguchi quite a bit in brawls and it kept a good pace. Solid opener, just not quite long enough to get excited about.

Daisuke Sekimoto and Kazuki Hashimoto [2] vs. Takashi Sugiura and Masato Tanaka [6]
This match is part of Block A in the Global Tag League. Sekimoto and Sugiura start off and trade elbows, Sugiura wins the battle and he tags in Tanaka.  Tanaka and Sekimoto trade chops, Tanaka goes for an elbow but Sekimoto catches him with a suplex.  Sekimoto tags in Hashimoto and Hashimoto covers Tanaka for two.  Hashimoto kicks Tanaka in the back but Tanaka slaps him and they trade elbows. Hashimoto stomps on Tanaka and he tags in Sekimoto.  Sekimoto clubs Tanaka in the corner, scoop slam by Sekimoto and he hits an elbow drop.  Sekimoto applies a chinlock to Tanaka but Tanaka gets a foot on the ropes.  Sekimoto tags in Hashimoto, and Hashimoto trades elbows with Tanaka.  Kicks by Hashimoto and he elbows Tanaka in the back of the head.  Sekimoto comes in and hits a suplex to Tanaka, and Sekimoto applies a sleeper.  Sugiura breaks it up, Sekimoto picks up Sugiura and throws him at Tanaka.  Sekimoto throws Tanaka into the corner and hits a lariat but Tanaka sneaks in a DDT.  Tanaka tags in Sugiura and Sugiura boots Sekimoto in the corner.  Lariat by Sekimoto, he goes off the ropes but Sugiura knees him in the stomach.  Sugiura grabs Sekimoto around the waist and hits a Karelin Lift.

Sugiura charges Sekimoto but Sekimoto catches his knee.  Sekimoto and Sugiura trade elbows, elbows by Sugiura but Sekimoto fires off a big lariat.  Sekimoto tags in Hashimoto, Hashimoto picks up Sugiura and hits an elbow in the corner.  Running facewash by Hashimoto and he hits a knee for a two count.  Sugiura and Hashimoto trade elbows and Hashimoto hits a dragon screw leg whip.  Hashimoto kicks Sugiura in the chest but Sugiura hits a spear.  Sugiura tags in Tanaka and Tanaka lariats Hashimoto in the corner.  Sekimoto runs in but he gets a lariat as well.  Tanaka picks up Hashimoto but Hashimoto hits a fisherman buster.  Sekimoto recovers and Tanaka is double teamed, ending with a Sekimoto German suplex and a PK from Hashimoto.  Cover, but Tanaka kicks out.  Sekimoto lariats Hashimoto by accident and Sugiura hits a German suplex on Sekimoto.  Hashimoto is double teamed in the corner, and Sugiura hits a Frankensteiner.  Diving body press by Tanaka, but it gets two.  Tanaka goes off the ropes but Hashimoto ducks the sliding D.  Sliding elbow by Sugiura and Tanaka hits a brainbuster.  Sugiura and Tanaka both elbow Hashimoto, Sliding D by Tanaka and he picks up the three count!  This was entertaining as you would expect but felt like it was missing something.  I like Hashimoto but this obviously would have been better with Okabayashi, I am sure there is a reason he wasn’t in the tournament.   It never reached the next level but still is worth a watch, lots of hard hits here. Mildly Recommended

Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka [4] vs. Naomichi Marufuji and Katsuhiko Nakajima [6]
This match is part of Block A in the Global Tag League.  Suzuki and Iizuka brawl to start off with Iizuka and Nakajima staying in the ring.  Nakajima hits a vertical suplex followed by a PK, Nakajima hits a German suplex hold but it gets two.  Suzuki comes in but he eats a double dropkick.  Nakajima goes off the ropes but Suzuki hits him from the apron and applies an armbreaker over the top rope.  Iizuka throws Nakajima out of the ring and all four fight at ringside.  Suzuki-gun controls the action on the floor, Nakajima slides back in and is stomped by Suzuki and Iizuka.  Iizuka tags in Suzuki and Suzuki kicks Nakajima in the corner.  Suzuki and Nakajima trade strikes, and Suzuki knocks Nakajima loopy with a slap.  Suzuki tags in Iizuka and Iizuka chokes Nakajima.  Iizuka rakes Nakajima in the eyes but Nakajima hits a dragon screw leg whip.  Nakajima makes the hot tag to Marufuji and Marufuji elbows Iizuka in the corner.  Kick combination by Marufuji but Iizuka chokes him.  Atomic drop by Iizuka and he tags in Suzuki.  Big boot by Suzuki in the corner and he hits a PK for a two count cover.  Marufuji and Suzuki trade chops, they both go off the ropes and they trade boots.  Sleeper by Suzuki but Marufuji gets away, superkick by Marufuji and he hits a lariat.  Marufuji tags in Nakajima and he boots Suzuki in the corner.  Ankle hold by Suzuki but Nakajima gets out of it and kicks both Suzuki and Iizuka.  Marufuji comes in and he gets nailed with a pair of double superkicks for two.  Nakajima grabs Suzuki and he hits a brainbuster for another two count.  The referee is distracted, giving Iizuka a chance to run in and hit Nakajima with the Iron Finger From Hell.  Gotch-Style Piledriver by Suzuki and he picks up the three count!  Another solid match, we have had a good run here, but the wrestler quality has been top notch as well the last couple matches.  The brawling outside the ring lasted a bit too long but once they got back into the ring everything flowed well, pacing was good and everyone hit their stuff crisply.  Enjoyable match. Mildly Recommended

Shelton Benjamin and Brian Breaker [4] vs. Super Crazy and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya [0]
This match is part of Block B in the Global Tag League.  I have no idea who Breaker is.  Benjamin and Breaker attack before the match starts, with Benjamin staying in the ring with Super Crazy.  Super Crazy is thrown into the corner and Breaker hits a lariat.  Breaker elbows Super Crazy and he hits a slam for a two count.  Breaker tags in Benjamin but cc avoids Benjamin’s splash and hits a dropkick.  Elbow drop by Super Crazy, he goes up top but Breaker runs in and knocks him off.  Benjamin punches Super Crazy, knees by Benjamin but Super Crazy hits a heel kick.  Super Crazy tags in Kitamiya, Kitamiya elbows Benjamin and hits a few shoulderblocks, but Benjamin catches him with an ankle hold.  Breaker runs in to help and the action spills out to the floor.  Benjamin punches Kitamiya up into the crowd as Breaker does the same with Super Crazy, Super Crazy gets up on the entry way and hits a moonsault down onto the aisle.  Super Crazy and Benjamin return to the ring and Super Crazy hits a heel kick.  Kitamiya spears Benjamin, Breaker runs in but Kitamiya hits a Samoan Drop on him.  Kitamiya picks up Benjamin but Benjamin hits a superkick.  Paydirt by Benjamin, and he picks up the three count!  This match had no bearing on the finals so they didn’t waste a lot of time with the match.  Watchable but nothing special, it ended really quick and never really got going.

Akitoshi Saito and Quiet Storm [2] vs. Chris Hero and Colt Cabana [6]
This match is part of Block B in the Global Tag League.  Hero and Storm start off and they trade elbows, Hero knocks Storm against the ropes and he tags in Cabana.  Hero kicks Storm in the head, cover by Cabana but it gets two.  Cabana picks up Storm and they bounce off the ropes while Storm seethes.  Storm tags in Saito but Cabana gets him to the mat before applying a submission hold.  Back up, punches by Cabana but Saito catches him with a side slam.  Hero comes in but Saito promptly throws him out of the ring, elbows by Saito to Cabana but Cabana elbows him back.  Delayed vertical suplex by Saito and he covers Cabana for two.  Saito tags in Storm, Storm clubs Cabana in the back and he hits a neckbreaker.  Storm tags in Saito, Saito and Cabana elbow each other and Saito hits a lariat for a two count.  Saito tags in Storm, punches by Storm but Cabana hits him back.  Cabana elbows Storm, he goes for a moonsault but Storm avoids it.  Hip attack by Cabana and he tags in Hero.  Hero lariats Storm in the corner and he hits a jumping lariat.  Irish whip by Hero, Hero flips out to the apron and he knocks Storm back.  Boot and a roaring elbow by Hero, cover, but it gets two.  Storm hits a lariat followed by a DDT but his cover also gets a two.  Storm tags in Saito but Hero chops both of them.  Saito and Storm attack Hero in the corner and they hit an iron claw slam/backdrop suplex combination for a two count.  Roaring elbow by Hero to Saito and Cabana covers him for a two count.  Hero gets distracted by Smith and Archer at ringside, allowing Saito and Storm to hit suplexes.  Saito goes off the ropes and delivers a running Sickle of Death to Cabana, picking up the three count.  Smith and Archer came down as they were tied in points with Hero/Cabana, so they had a reason to want them to lose.  A pretty basic match but since it was short they kept the pace up.  An interesting combination and a perfectly fine match, but not memorable.

Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. [6] vs. Mohammed Yone and Daisuke Ikeda [6]
This match is part of Block B in the Global Tag League.  Archer and Smith start off the match attacking Yone and Ikeda and the action goes out to the floor.  Ikeda and Yone gain control on the floor and Ikeda rolls Smith back in the ring.  Smith punches Ikeda but Ikeda catches him with a kick.  Yone comes in and Smith is attacked by both in the corner.  They put Smith on the top turnbuckle but Archer runs in and hits a full nelson slam on Yone.  Smith and Archer grab Ikeda, and they hit the Killer Bomb for the three count!  This means Archer and Smith win Block B.  Well that is one way to preserve energy for the final, pretty rare for a wrestler to basically be put away by one move, even if it is a finisher.  It was a two minute match, what can I say, it served its purpose.

Kenou, Hajime Ohara, Captain NOAH, and Jack Gamble vs. Taiji Ishimori, Daisuke Harada, Genba Hirayanagi, and Hitoshi Kumano
Ishimori and Ohara start off and trade holds before Ishimori hits a hurricanrana.  Kumano is tagged in and he clubs on Ohara.  Ohara ties up Kumano in the ropes and rakes his face before tagging in Captain NOAH.  Captain NOAH applies a stretch hold to Kumano and he stands on him near the ropes.  Kenou is tagged in next as they continue working over Kumano.  This goes on for a bit until Kumano finally gets away and he tags in Ishimori.  Ishimori hits a diving crossbody on Kenou as Ishimori clears the ring and he hits a double knee on Kenou in the corner.  Cover by Ishimori but it gets two.  Kenou trips Ishimori and hits a double stomp to the back followed by a running knee.  Kenou stomps Ishimori and he goes for a suplex but Ishimori lands on his feet.  The referee is accidentally knocked out and Kenou gets his kendo stick.  Captain NOAH comes in and takes the stick but he hits Ohara by accident.  He then hits Kenou by accident and Ishimori dropkicks Captain NOAH.  Kenou tags in Gamble while Harada is also tagged in, and Gamble hits a backdrop suplex.  Swinging cutter by Gamble but it gets a two count.  Harada throws Gamble into the corner and he hits a jumping elbow.  Gamble boots Harada, elbow by Harada as Harada’s team mates come in the ring so everyone can attack Gamble in the corner.  Ishimori picks up Gamble and hits a double knee to the face, then Harada hits a diving elbow drop but the pin is broken up.  Harada picks up Gamble and they trade elbows.  Henkei Knee Upper by Harada, and he drops Gamble with a Katayama German Suplex Hold for the three count!  This was mostly just a time killer before we get to the main event but there were some quality wrestlers in this match so it wasn’t bad.  No complaints but it didn’t do anything to set itself apart from any other multi-man tag match.

TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, and El Desperado vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, Zack Sabre Jr., and Atsushi Kotoge
Ogawa and company get a jump on Suzuki-gun before the match starts, Kotoge and Taichi get in the ring and Kotoge kicks Taichi in the face.  Michinoku and Sabre are tagged in, and Sabre works over Michinoku’s arm.  Sabre and Ogawa take turns on Michinoku but Taichi comes in to help. They end up brawling into the crowd while in the ring Michinoku works over Ogawa.  Desperado is tagged in and he picks up where Michinoku left off, Ogawa tries to fight out of the corner but he is overwhelmed.  Ogawa finally hits an enzigieri on Michinoku and he makes the tag to Kotoge.  Kotoge goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Taichi and Desperado.  Kotoge hits a cutter on Michinoku and he slides out of the ring before superkicking Taichi.  Kotoge and Taichi get back into the ring, headbutts by Kotoge but Taichi pushes him off.  Kick by Taichi as they trade kicks, leaving both on the mat.  Sabre and Michinoku are tagged in, uppercuts by Sabre and he hits a running elbow.  Leg clutch hold by Sabre, but Michinoku kicks out at two.  Michinoku applies the Just Facelock but it is broken up.  Desperado comes in with a chair but he misses, and Ogawa drops him with a backdrop suplex.  Killswitch by Kotoge to Taichi and Sabre hits a cross armbreaker takedown on Michinoku, forcing Michinoku to tap out!  This was just fan service, letting Suzuki-gun finally get what was coming to them, even though in the long run it won’t really mean anything.  But it was still fun to watch, not a long match but above average, nothing really bad on this entire show so far.

Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Takashi Sugiura and Masato Tanaka
This is the Global Tag League Final. Smith and Sugiura start off and they trade wristlocks before Smith hits a shoulderblock.  Tanaka and Archer are tagged in, Archer gets Tanaka into the corner but Tanaka avoids his strike.  Tanaka jumps at Archer but Archer catches him, jumping elbow by Tanaka but Smith comes in and they plant Tanaka with an assisted powerbomb.  Archer hits a lariat on Tanaka and he tags in Smith.  Smith chops Tanaka in the chest and he works a side headlocks, kick by Smith but Tanaka knocks him back.  Tanaka goes for a spear but Smith blocks it, leading to Tanaka hitting a DDT.  Tanaka tags in Sugiura, and Sugiura knees Smith in the stomach.  Elbow by Sugiura but Archer hits him from the apron.  Tiger suplex hold by Smith on Sugiura and he covers him for two.  Smith tags in Archer and they both slam Sugiura to the mat.  Archer throws Sugiura into the corner and he tags in Smith.  Vertical suplex by Smith and he applies a kimura.  Smith tags in Archer, double Irish whip to Sugiura and they hit a double shoulderblock.  Running shoulderblock by Archer, he goes for a diving leg drop but Sugiura moves out of the way.  Archer charges Sugiura but Sugiura pulls the rope down and Archer falls out of the ring.  Smith runs in but Sugiura kicks him away, he goes to tag in Tanaka but Archer pulls him off the apron. Archer gets back in and he hits a scoop slam on Sugiura.  Cobra clutch by Archer but Sugiura gets a foot on the ropes.  Archer tags in Smith, Smith elbows Sugiura but Sugiura avoids his big boot attempt.  Vertical suplex by Sugiura and he tags in Tanaka.

Tanaka lariats Smith in the corner and he hits another lariat.  A final lariat by Tanaka, Archer comes in but Tanaka DDTs him while hitting a stunner on Smith.  Tanaka hits a tornado DDT on Smith and he gets a two count.  Jumping elbow by Tanaka but Smith hits a backdrop suplex.  Archer and Sugiura are tagged in and Archer hits a full nelson slam for two.  Archer picks up Sugiura, Sugiura gets away but Archer hits a swinging side slam for two.  Archer charges Sugiura but Sugiura hits a spear.  Tanaka and Sugiura elbow Archer in the corner, running knee by Sugiura and they both strike Archer.  Cover, but Smith breaks it up.  Smith grabs Sugiura but Sugiura hits a hurricanrana.  Archer grabs Smith and Tanaka but both elbow him until he falls to the mat.  Tanaka goes off the ropes but Archer gets up, Smith comes in as Archer plants Tanaka with a chokeslam.  Archer and Smith hit an assisted lariat on Sugiura, cover, but it gets a two count.  Tanaka knocks Smith out of the ring and Sugiura hits a German suplex hold on Archer for another two.  Sugiura goes up top as does Tanaka but Archer gets his knees up when Tanaka dives off.  Smith brings Sugiura down to the mat and with Archer they hit a chop block/kick combination for a two count.  Archer goes up top but Sugiura rolls out of the way of the moonsault.  Sliding D by Tanaka to Archer, Sugiura picks up Archer and he hits the Olympic Slam.  Cover by Sugiura, and he gets the three count!  Tanaka and Sugiura win the Global Tag League!  Something was missing and I can’t put my finger on it.  The sections that Archer and Smith dominated just lasted a bit too long, it made them feel like the far superior team even though Sugiura and Tanaka are no slouches.  A few of the spots weren’t hit really crisp, and for a big match there weren’t really any big memorable spots.  That being said it was certainly not a bad match, the end stretch in particular was well done and entertaining, it just didn’t feel as epic as a tournament final that has been the focus of the last few weeks should feel.

Final Thoughts:

From top to bottom this was definitely a good show.  There were not really any bad matches on the event, a few average or forgettable ones that none that I would recommend as must-skip.  The only thing this event was missing was that big memorable match as I felt the finale was a bit disappointing and none of the other tag matches really went over that line for me.  A solid event but sadly not spectacular.

Grade: B-

Kevin Wilson – Puroresu Central