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Home Blog Page 160

Fighting Spirit Review: New Japan “New Japan Cup 2015” 3/5/15

Kevin Wilson

March 27, 2015

Kevin Wilson of Puroresu Central

Date: March 5th, 2015
Location: Ota Ward Gymnasium
Announced Attendance: 4,500 fans

It is that time of the year again for the New Japan Cup! This year as slightly different, as the winner of the tournament will choose to challenge for either the IWGP Heavyweight, IWGP Intercontinental, or the NEVER Openweight Championship. Since different wrestlers are in feuds with different champions, that really opens up the possibilities of who will win the tournament. Here is the full card:

– Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA, Komatsu, and Jay White vs. Tiger Mask, Taguchi, Máscara Dorada, and Sho Tanaka
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Togi Makabe vs. Tomoaki Honma
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Satoshi Kojima
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata
– Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Nakanishi, and Captain New Japan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Sakuraba, and Tomohiro Ishii
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Doc Gallows vs. Kota Ibushi
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano
– New Japan Cup – Round 1: Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada

Lots of matches, let’s get to it.

Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA, Komatsu, and White vs. Tiger Mask, Taguchi, Dorada, and Sho Tanaka
Tiger Mask and Liger start off and Tiger Mask works the headlock. Backbreaker by Liger and he applies a surfboard. Liger tags in Komatsu and Komatsu hits an elbow on Tiger Mask. Tiger Mask drills Komatsu with a back kick and tags in Tanaka. Tanaka and Komatsu trade elbows and Komatsu tags in KUSHIDA. Cartwheel dropkick by KUSHIDA to Tanaka and Liger is tagged back in. Liger assaults Tanaka and tags in KUSHIDA. Scoop slam by KUSHIDA and he tags in Komatsu. This continues for a bit until Tanaka makes the hot tag to Taguchi. KUSHIDA is also tagged in and KUSHIDA hits a swandive chop followed by a standing moonsault. Taguchi clears the ring with hip attacks and tags in Dorada. Crossbody by Dorada to KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA tags in White. Elbow by White to Dorada, and Dorada is attacked by everyone in the corner. White picks up Dorada but Dorada kicks White and hits a missile dropkick out of the corner. Dorada slams White in front of the corner, he goes up top and hits a Tornillo for the three count. This was non-offensive but also void of anything particularly interesting. A decent opening match but nothing beyond that. Score: 5.5

YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They begin with a tie-up but the action picks up as Takahashi beats YOSHI-HASHI onto the mat. YOSHI-HASHI comes back with a hurricanrana but Takahashi leaves the ring. YOSHI-HASHI goes out after him but Takahashi drops YOSHI-HASHI on the guardrail. Takahashi snaps YOSHI-HASHI’s neck into the ropes and chops him into the corner. Big boot by Takahashi but YOSHI-HASHI hits a neckbreaker. Lariat by YOSHI-HASHI and he dropkicks Takahashi in the back for a two count. Neckbreaker by YOSHI-HASHI, he goes up top but Takahashi throws him off. Takahashi picks up YOSHI-HASHI and he hits a Fisherman Buster. Jawbreaker by YOSHI-HASHI and he hits a lariat. Chakram by YOSHI-HASHI, he picks up Takahashi but Takahashi grabs the referee to get away. Takahashi drops YOSHI-HASHI with the Tokyo Pimps, and he picks up the three count. Takahashi isn’t overly entertaining but it wasn’t awful, it was just too short to be offensive. Score: 4.0

Togi Makabe vs. Tomoaki Honma
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. Shoulderblock by Makabe, Honma bodyslams him but he misses the Kokeshi. Makabe throws Honma out of the ring and goes out after him, throwing Honma into the railing. Back in the ring, Makabe twists on Honma’s leg but he gets to the ropes. Back up, Honma elbows Makabe to the mat but again misses the Kokeshi. Vertical suplex by Honma and he hits a face crusher, but again Makabe avoids the Kokeshi. I’m really tired of that spot, maybe I’m the only one. Lariat by Honma and he finally hits the Kokeshi. Makabe bodyslams Honma and he lariats him in the corner. Mounted punches by Makabe in the corner and he hits a Northern Lights Suplex. Back up they trade elbows, a battle that Makabe wins. Makabe Irish whips Honma but Honma collapses to the mat. Jumping headbutt by Honma and he hits a second one. Scoop slam by Honma, he goes up top but Makabe avoids the diving Kokeshi. Makabe hits Honma with a backfist and hits a lariat, but Honma stays up. The second lariat does the trick and Makabe hits a Polish Hammer. Makabe puts Honma up top and joins him, and they trade elbows up top. Honma gets Makabe in the tree of woe, he goes for the Kokeshi but Makabe pulls himself back up. Makabe drops a knee on the back of Honma’s head, Makabe goes up top and he nails the King Kong Kneedrop for the three count. People love Honma’s act, but to me he is starting to get stale. I like his fire, but his entire offense is based around hitting a falling/jumping headbutt. When he isn’t against someone awesome like Ishii, it just shines through that every one of his matches is formulaic and it seems to be getting worse. The crowd enjoys it, but Honma will always be a loser in the ring unless he takes himself more seriously. Score: 4.5

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Satoshi Kojima
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They immediately start trading elbows and Kojima shoulderblocks Shibata to the mat. Shibata falls out of the ring and Kojima throws him into the railing before they start trading elbows again. They barely make it back in the ring in time and Shibata boots Kojima in the head. Shibata starts working on Kojima’s leg but Kojima gets out of it and elbows Shibata into the corner. Rapid fire chops by Kojima but Shibata switches positions with him and elbows Kojima down in the corner. Dropkick by Shibata and he hits a single arm suplex for a two count. Kojima chops Shibata into the corner again, he hits the elbow smash followed by the diving elbow drop. Roaring elbow by Kojima and he hits a snap DDT. Shibata gets on the apron and he applies a sleeper over the top rope, but Kojima gets out of it and lariats Shibata, sending him to the floor. The referee starts the count, but Kojima goes out and gets Shibata before he can be counted out. Such a good guy move. Koji Cutter by Kojima and he hits a backdrop suplex, but Shibata springs up and hits his own backdrop suplex. Kojima elbows Shibata and both wrestlers fall to the mat. Brainbuster by Kojima and he levels Shibata with a lariat. Sleeper by Shibata, he picks up Kojima and he hits the Go 2 Sleep followed by the PK. Cover, and Shibata picks up the three count. This was generally a good heavyweight sprint-style match but along the way they just really threw selling out the window. Also the leg work portion didn’t match the rest of the narrative at all and could have been safely skipped. I enjoyed it for what it was, but the structure was all over the place. Score: 6.0

Hirooki Goto vs. Yuji Nagata
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They trade wristlocks to start, seated armbar by Goto but Nagata gets to the ropes. Shoulderblocks by Goto and he goes back to Nagata’s arm. Nagata kicks Goto and he slaps on a cross armbreaker before Goto gets in the ropes. Armbreaker by Nagata and they trade elbows back up. Nagata kicks Goto into the corner and hits a big boot. Lariat by Goto and he kicks Nagata into the corner and he hits a heel kick in the corner. Backdrop suplex by Goto and they trade elbows again. Knee to the stomach by Nagata and they go back to an elbow exchange. Lots of elbows. Slap by Nagata and he applies a seated armbar. Big boot by Nagata and he hits a brainbuster. Knee by Nagata in the corner, he puts Goto on the top turnbuckle and he hits an exploder. Nagata elbows Goto and he hits an enzigieri. Goto drops Nagata onto his knee and he hits a roaring lariat. Shouten Kai by Goto, and he picks up the three count. This was a really fun match but it felt like it ended too suddenly. Nagata went out pretty quick for someone that dominated the match and he is no jobber. Felt like it could have used a few more minutes but what they did worked very well. Score: 7.0

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Nakanishi, and Captain New Japan vs. Nakamura, Sakuraba, and Tomohiro Ishii
What in the world is New Japan doing with Sakuraba, what a waste of a legend. Use him for something special or don’t use him at all. Big question – who will pin Captain New Japan? Captain New Japan and Sakuraba start off but they don’t do a whole lot before Tenzan and Nakamura tag in. They get into the ropes and Tenzan stomps Nakamura down in the corner. Nakamura knees Tenzan and hits a running knee to the ribs in the corner. Nakamura tags in Ishii, and Ishii trades chops with Tenzan which Ishii gets the better of. Vertical suplex by Ishii and he tags in Sakuraba so they can double team Tenzan. Sakuraba kicks Tenzan but Tenzan hits Mongolian Chops. Sakuraba applies a sleeper and gives Tenzan some chops of his own. Nakamura is tagged in and he chokes Tenzan in the corner with his boot. Tenzan headbutts Nakamura in the stomach however and hits a series of Mongolian Chops. Heel kick by Tenzan but Ishii runs in. Tenzan lariats Ishii and makes the hot tag to Nakanishi. Nakanishi chops Nakamura into the corner and then hits a lariat. Another lariat by Nakanishi and he lariats Nakamura to the mat. Another lariat by Nakanishi but the cover gets two.

Nakanishi puts Nakamura in the Argentine Backbreaker, Sakuraba tries to break it up but Nakanishi throws Nakamura at him. Nakamura fights back with a heel kick and both Captain New Japan and Ishii are tagged in. Shoulderblock by Captain New Japan, he goes up top but Captain New Japan misses the diving headbutt. Jumping knee in the corner by Nakamura to Captain New Japan and Ishii knocks him down with a lariat. Nakanishi and Tenzan come in to help, and Tenzan hits a diving headbutt onto Ishii. Captain New Japan goes up top and hits one as well, but Nakamura breaks up the cover. Ishii elbows Captain New Japan back but Captain New Japan hits the Hirai End for a two count. Elbows by Ishii, Sakuraba applies a sleeper to Captain New Japan and then Nakamura hits a sliding knee. Sliding lariat by Ishii, cover, but Tenzan breaks it up. Ishii picks up Captain New Japan and he nails a brainbuster for the three count. Just mid-card filler, even though it did have some of the bigger wrestlers in the promotion. If they cut out Captain New Japan and Sakuraba this may have worked, but aside from the finishing stretch there just wasn’t much here. Not bad, just nothing significant in any way. Score: 5.5

Doc Gallows vs. Kota Ibushi
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. Gallows pushes Ibushi around to start things off as Ibushi bumps like a mad man. Gallows dumps Ibushi out of the ring and punches him around the floor. Gallows hits Ibushi with a steel chair but finally they return to the ring. Headbutt by Gallows and he stretches Ibushi in the ropes. Gallows punches Ibushi in the corner and he hits a vertical suplex. Ibushi finally kicks Gallows, he goes off the ropes but Gallows boots him to the mat. Gallows elbows Ibushi in the chest and applies a reverse chinlock. Gallows goes for a body press, but Ibushi rolls out of the way. Ibushi dropkicks Gallows out of the ring, he charges the corner and hits a moonsault out of the ring. Ibushi goes up top as Gallows gets in the ring, and he hits a missile dropkick. Ibushi goes for a suplex but Gallows blocks it. Elbows by Gallows but Ibushi hits the German suplex hold for a two count. High kick by Gallows and he hits the front full nelson slam for a two count. Gallows picks up Ibushi but Ibushi reverses the chokebomb into a hurricanrana and he picks up the three count! This was smartly worked, Gallows is the monster gaijin and Ibushi treated him as such, only occasionally getting in any offense and winning with a flash pin. It didn’t go too long and it was logically done, even if they didn’t break any new ground and Ibushi is capable of having better matches with others. But it was entertaining, so a good match overall. Score: 6.5

Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. Anderson attacks Naito outside the ring and powerbombs him onto the apron. Anderson rams Naito’s head into the ring post, Naito gets on the apron and Anderson boots him in the head. Anderson boots Naito again, and he falls back to the floor. Naito still hasn’t made it in the ring yet. Finally Naito manages to get in and Anderson hits a series of mounted punches. Scoop slam by Anderson but Naito avoids the elbow drop. Kick combination by Naito and he hits a somersault senton. Naito hits hurricanrana and does his kick thing in the corner that I don’t like. Naito goes off the ropes but Anderson catches him with a spinebuster. Big boot by Anderson in the corner and he delivers a jumping kick to the face. Fireman’s carry into a cutter by Anderson, but Naito kicks out of the pin attempt. Jumping elbow by Naito, he puts Anderson up on the top turnbuckle and he goes for a Frankensteiner, but Anderson catches him with a powerbomb for a two count. Anderson and Naito trade elbows, Anderson goes for an uppercut but Naito sneaks in a backslide for two. Tornado DDT by Naito and he kicks Anderson in the head. German suplex hold by Naito, but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Naito and he nails the Stardust Press for the three count. I liked this one quite a bit, I don’t think that Anderson gets enough credit. He has been in New Japan for a long time now and has good chemistry with just about everyone. His offense was very on point and Naito kept up just fine. This is what I want to see in the tournament, matches that get right to the point and entertain. Score: 7.5

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They trade waistlocks to start and then go to the mat, but they return to their feet after a moment. Yano quickly removes a turnbuckle pad and then throws Tanahashi into the other one, but Tanahashi hits a rebound crossbody which Yano rolls through for a two count. Yano hits Tanahashi low and he covers him for a quick two count. Tanahashi catches Yano’s kick but Yano again rolls him up for two. Yano yanks Tanahashi’s leg out from under him and covers him, but Tanahashi kicks out. Jumping elbow smash by Tanahashi, he goes off the ropes and applies a waistlock before spinning Yano around. Tanahashi goes to run off the ropes but Yano pulls him down by his hair and covers him for the three count! Well I guess that counts as the upset of the tournament, and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy it. I have no issue with it, these things need to happen in tournaments so that every match is important. Plus Yano is Yano, what can ya do. Short obviously but it served its purpose. Score: 6.0

Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada
This match is part of the New Japan Cup. They go back and forth to start, Fale tries to sit on Okada but Okada moves and hits a sliding kick. Fale rolls out of the ring, Okada goes off the ropes but Fale grabs Okada and dumps him out of the ring. Okada is stomped on by various people at ringside, then Fale throws him into the guardrail. Fale slides Okada back in and stands on his back while using the ropes. Fale punches Okada into the corner and hits clubbing blows before hitting an elbow drop. Back up, punches by Fale and he hits a scoop slam. Fale goes for a body press but Okada rolls out of the way, but of course he goes for a body slam which doesn’t work. Fale runs into the corner and now Okada is able to hit the body slam, even though he hurts himself in the process. Elbows by Okada and he hits a DDT. Big boot by Okada and he lariats Fale out of the ring. Okada follows him out and kicks Fale over the guardrail, he then gets a running start and dives at Fale, but Fale catches him and slams him back to ringside. Fale returns to the ring with Okada slowly following, and Fale drives Okada into the corner. Body avalanche by Fale and he hits a body press for two. Fale throws Okada into the corner, he picks him up but Okada hits a back bodydrop. Running uppercut by Okada and he hits a few elbows, but Fale hits him back. Dropkick by Okada, he goes up top and hits a diving elbow drop. Okada goes for the Rainmaker but Fale ducks it and hits a Samoan Drop. Spear by Fale, and he gets a two count. Fale picks up Okada but Okada hits the reverse neckbreaker. Okada goes for a tombstone but Fale blocks it, he picks up Okada but Okada wiggles out of the Bad Luck Fall. Dropkick by Okada to the back and then one to the front, he goes for the Rainmaker but Fale blocks it. Lariat by Fale, he picks up Okada and he hits the Grenade. Cover, but it gets a two count. Fale goes up top and he hits a diving body press for a two count. Fale picks up Okada, he nails the Bad Luck Fall and he picks up the three count. Fale doesn’t do a lot for me, his offense doesn’t look hurt-y for someone his size and Okada was limited here due to Fale being a bit of a lug at times. It wasn’t bad, I was just hoping for a bit more from the main event of the show. Score: 6.0

Final Thoughts:

As is not uncommon in the first round of a tournament, the matches ranged from average to really good, but none really blew me away. The match-ups didn’t do them a lot of favors as wrestlers such as Honma, Tanahashi, and Okada can have fantastic matches but none were put in a situation to really do so on this show. Some of the big dude vs. little dude matches worked (particularly the two American matches), but some of the others fell flat. It was still an above average event overall, it just didn’t quite reach the level of the previous couple New Japan events.

Grade: B

Colling’s Corner: A Look Back At The 1995 PWI 500 Rankings

Bob Colling

March 27, 2015

The fifth installment of looking back at the PWI 500 starting the beginning in 1991 continues with the 1995 edition. This year, the grading period was from August 1st, 1994 to August 1st, 1995.

To view the complete list of where the wrestlers were ranked click HERE.

Here are the notable rankings for the year 1995.

The Top Ten:

1.) Diesel
2.) Shawn Michaels
3.) Sting
4.) Bret Hart
5.) Sabu
6.) Hulk Hogan
7.) Big Van Vader
8.) Randy Savage
9.) Razor Ramon
10.) Mitsuharu Misawa

Early on in the grading period, Diesel was one-half of the WWF World Tag Team Champions with Shawn Michaels, who is ranked number two. Diesel would win the WWF World Championship in eight-seconds by pinning Bob Backlund on November 26th in Madison Square Garden. Diesel would continually defeat Backlund on the house shows. Diesel wrestled a near thirty minute classic with Bret Hart at the Royal Rumble that ended in a draw. Diesel successfully defended the championship against former friend Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XI in what was the lone bright spot on the show. Diesel’s reign continued with a feud against Psycho Sid that lasted most of the summer. Diesel pinned Psycho Sid at the July In Your House that was competed under a lumberjack stipulation. Diesel was a dominating champion for the grading period.

Michaels run started in 1995 when he won the 1995 Royal Rumble after being the first entrant in the match and last eliminated the second entrant, Davey Boy Smith. Michaels came up short in his WrestleMania title match against Diesel, but still stole the show despite the loss. Michaels would feud with Psycho Sid after Sid turned on him after Mania. Michaels would defeat Sid in a cage match at a June MSG house show. The end of the grading period saw Michaels win his third WWF Intercontinental Championship when he pinned Jeff Jarrett at In Your House #2.

Despite not being in the main event scene during the grading period, Sting was still ranked as the best WCW wrestler in the publication. Early in the grading period Sting focused on a feud with Avalanche and Big Bubba teaming Randy Savage often times. Struggled in a feud against Big Bubba losing at UnCensored but got a victory at Slamboree. At the Great American Bash, Sting won the WCW United States Championship when he defeated Meng in the finals of a tournament. Meng was an undefeated heel monster since debuting for WCW. Sting won a rematch against Meng at the Bash at the Beach pay per view in July. It was evident that Sting was playing the third tier baby face behind Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.

The Hitman was the WWF World Champion at the start of the grading period and successfully defended the championship against Owen Hart at SummerSlam inside a steel cage. Bret would lose the belt to Bob Backlund at Survivor Series. Hart was unable to regain the championship at Royal Rumble. Bret continued his feud with Bob Backlund winning an I Quit match at WrestleMania XI. Hart was also able to end his long-running feud with Jerry Lawler at the King of the Ring when he won a Kiss My Foot match. Hart would win memorable matches against Hakushi throughout the spring, as well. Hitman remains in the top five after consecutive back to back number one rankings in 1993 and 1994.

Sabu getting into the top five is a huge accomplishment for ECW as the company was still a company based mainly out of Philadelphia but gaining traction. Early in the grading period, Sabu got big victories over 2 Cold Scorpio and Cactus Jack in the fall. He won the ECW Tag Team Championships with Taz by defeating Public Enemy in February ’95. Sabu would leave ECW and head to Japan where h ewon the IWGP junior heavyweight championship from Koji Kanemoto on May 3rd. Sabu was a battered man who often would wrestle despite broken bones and was loved by fans for doing so. He would soon return to ECW as it will be addressed in the next edition of the series.

Hulkamania slips a few spots but remains in the top ten of the PWI 500. Hogan started the grading period beating Ric Flair in a steel cage match to force Flair into retirement. Hogan won the main event at Starrcade against the Butcher, his former best friend. Hulk started a long feud with Vader in 1995 wrestling on pay per view many times. Hogan would win at Superbrawl by disqualification, defeated Ric Flair (who was still retired) despite wrestling Vader in a strap match at UnCensored. Hogan brought his friend Randy Savage into the feud to defeat Vader and Flair at Slamboree. Hogan ended his feud with Vader by winning a cage match at the July Bash at the Beach pay per view.

Vader was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the WCW World Championship from Hulk Hogan throughout 1995, but he never suffered a pin fall loss to the Hulkster. Vader ended 1994 by winning the WCW United States Championship from Jim Duggan at Starrcade, but vacated the belt to go after Hogan’s gold. After the failed attempts, Vader turned into a good guy by siding with Hogan against the Dungeon of Doom though Vader would leave WCW soon afterward and would never return to WCW.

Last year, the Macho Man was ranked number forty-four in the PWI 500. Savage returned to in-ring competition on a full-time basis and ranked up to the eighth spot. Randy teamed with Sting to win a feud against Big Bubba Rogers and Avalanche. Had a brief singles feud with Avalanche winning a match at Uncensored. Savage would go back to feuding against Ric Flair losing to Flair at Great American Bash but winning a rematch at Bash at the Beach in July with a lumberjack stipulation.

The Bad Guy regained the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Diesel at SummerSlam with Walter Payton in his corner. Ramon held the title until the Royal Rumble when he lost the belt to Jeff Jarrett. Ramon regained the belt briefly by winning the title at a house show, but lost it two days later back to Jarrett. Ramon was also a USWA heavyweight champion during the grading period for a brief time. Razor was likely a contender to win the 1995 King of the Ring but was out of the tournament due to injury.

Misawa is the first Japanese wrestler to reach the top ten in the PWI to this point. Misawa won the Triple Crown championship from Stan Hansen on May 26th. Was voted as the best scientific wrestler in Japan.

11.) Jeff Jarrett
12.) Owen Hart
17.) Eddy Guerrero
18.) Rey Mysterio Jr.
20.) Ric Flair

Double J kicked off the grading period pinning Mabel at SummerSlam and continued to be lost in the shuffle in the mid card until early 1995 when he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Razor Ramon. Jarrett and Ramon traded the belt in May with Jarrett coming out as the champion. Jarrett lost the championship to Michaels at In Your House #2 before departing from the WWF.

Owen nearly won the WWF World Championship at SummerSlam inside a steel cage but settled for costing Bret the championship at Survivor Series and helping Bob Backlund win the gold. Owen would team with Yokozuna at WrestleMania XI to win the WWF World Tag Team Championships from the Smoking Gunns.

Eddy Guerrero went from 141 all the way to the seventeen spot this year. Guerrero was really starting make a name for himself competing in NJPW and ECW. While wrestling in ECW, Eddy was having memorable clashes with Dean Malenko over the ECW Television Championship that many still regard as the best matches the company had ever put on.

Rey Mysterio Jr. also moves up the ranks as he won the Triple A light heavyweight championship from Juventud Guerrera during the grading period.

The Nature Boy was retired thanks to losing a cage match to Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc. His retirement lasted until May when he and Vader lost a tag match to Hogan and Savage. Flair did pick up a huge victory the following month by pinning Randy Savage while Randy’s father was at ringside. PWI was quoted as saying, “Career finally appears to be winding down.” That couldn’t have been further from the truth.

23.) Lex Luger
24.) Arn Anderson
26.) Tracy Smothers
28.) Shane Douglas
30.) Bam-Bam Bigelow

Luger was once seen as the likely WWF World Champion and second coming of Hulk Hogan, but failed to connect with fans and was thrown to the mid card ranks. Had an infamous feud with Tatanka that saw his former friend turn on him after a singles match at SummerSlam. The feud would continue on for many months with Luger winning a cage match prior to WrestleMania XI. Luger formed a tag team with Davey Boy Smith but failed to win the WWF World Tag Team Championships.

Despite losing a feud against Dustin Rhodes at the end of 1994, Anderson was able to win the WCW Television Championship from Johnny B. Badd in early 1995. Arn defeated Badd in a lumberjack match at the pre-show telecast prior to Superbrawl V. Anderson suffered a loss to Johnny at Uncensored in a boxer vs. wrestler match. Arn handed Alex Wright his first loss at Slamboree to retain the WCW Television Championship but would lose the belt the following month to The Renegade at the Great American Bash.

Smothers had a lengthy feud with Bryant Anderson which saw Smothers win numerous I Quit matches at the end of 1994. Formed a successful tag team with former rival the Dirty White Boy to win feuds against the Gangstas and the Headbangers.

“The Franchise” Shane Douglas threw down history when he won the NWA World Championship after winning a tournament on August 27th and renamed it the ECW World Championship. Douglas retained the title against the likes of the Tazmaniac, Ron Simmons and Mikey Whipwreck throughout the second half of 1994. Douglas would feud with Tully Blanchard during the first few months of 1995 retaining the championship. Douglas would lose the belt to the Sandman at the Hostile City Showdown on April 15th. Shane would leave ECW for the WWF, which wouldn’t end up as being a good career decision.

Bigelow had a memorable confrontation with Lawrence Taylor at the Royal Rumble, which would lead to a main event match at WrestleMania XI. Bigelow would lose and soon his heel stable members would turn on him. Bigelow became a good guy and aligned himself with Diesel to defeat Psycho Sid and Tatanka at the King of the Ring in June.

31.) Cactus Jack
32.) Yokozuna
34.) Sid Vicious
36.) Lord Steven Regal
43.) Steve Austin

Cactus Jack didn’t have a great start to the grading period when he lost to Kevin Sullivan at WCW Fall Brawl 1994 causing him to leave WCW forever. However, the change of scenery ended up being a blessing in disguise as Cactus headed to ECW. While in ECW, Cactus won the ECW World Tag Team Championships with Mikey Whipwreck which they held from August to November ’94. Cactus had a lengthy feud with the Sandman which would eventually be over the ECW World Championship. Early in the feud, Cactus would get many wins, but when Sandman became champion, Jack was unable to defeat him. Cactus pinned Terry Funk twice in April of ’95, as well.

Yokozuna’s stock in the WWF was quickly plummeting as his run as a main event player was coming to an end as 1994 came to a close. Yokozuna lost a casket match against the Undertaker at Survivor Series and wouldn’t be seen again until WrestleMania XI. At the event, Yokozuna was revealed as the surprise partner for Owen Hart and the duo won the WWF World Tag Team Championships from the Smoking Gunns. They would retain the titles over the likes of the Allied Powers, Savio Vega & Razor Ramon, and Men on a Mission. They were still the champions as of press time.

While on competing in WCW or the WWF at the start of the grading period, Sid was the USWA Heavyweight Champion which he won in July of 1994 and held until February of 1995 when he lost it to Jerry Lawler. After the loss, Sid would return to the WWF where he quickly turned on Shawn Michaels and unsuccessfully challenged for the WWF World Championship on two occasions on pay per view.

Regal lost the WCW Television Championship at Fall Brawl in September of ’94 and would continue a trend of losing singles matches against the likes of the Guardian Angel, Jim Duggan and Sting. By early 1995, Regal would form a tag team with Bobby Eaton known as the Blue Bloods. They got a decent push but failed to win the WCW World Tag Team Championships from the Nasty Boys at the Great American Bash.

Austin was once seen as a top rising star in WCW, but by the end of 1994 he was losing to Jim Duggan in under three minutes and was out of a job by the spring of 1995. I have no idea how Austin could have possibly been ranked so high considering he was also injured for many months.

48.) Hakushi
49.) Mabel
54.) Alex Wright
60.) The Sandman
62.) Dustin Rhodes

Hakushi’s run in the WWF started off very well as he had an undefeated streak for half the grading period with victories over the 1-2-3 Kid, Bob Holly, and enhancement talents. He would suffer his first loss to Bret Hart at the first In Your House in May. Hakushi would continually lose to the Hitman for the remaining three months of the grading period, though they were some of the best matches the WWF aired during the year.

With his partner Mo out due to injury, Mabel tried his hand at a singles push that saw him lose to Jeff Jarrett at SummerSlam. Mabel would trade wins with the likes of King Kong Bundy and IRS to close of 1994. 1995 saw an attitude change by Men on a Mission and Mabel was the unlikely winner of the King of the Ring meaning he would be the number one contender to the WWF World Championship. He defeated the Undertaker and Savio Vega on his way to winning the crown.

Das Wunderkind was another wrestler who had a lengthy undefeated streak as he spent several months in 1994 establishing himself over enhancement talents. Wright finished 1994 with an impressive victory over Jean Paul Levesque at Starrcade. Alex continued his success by winning feuds against Bobby Eaton and Paul Roma in early 1995. Wright suffered his first loss to Arn Anderson at WCW Slamboree in a WCW Television Championship match. Wright had a great match with Brian Pillman at the Great American Bash, which he won. During the grading period, Wright also worked a few matches with Ric Flair but was not successful in defeating the Nature Boy.

At the end of 1994, Sandman was on the losing end of a feud with Tommy Dreamer. As noted before, Sandman struggled in a feud with Cactus Jack that lasted over six months in 1995. Despite his struggles, Sandman was able to win the ECW World Championship from Shane Douglas in April. Sandman would successfully defend the championship against Cactus Jack in a barbed wire match over the summer.

‘The Natural” won his feud with Arn Anderson at the tail end of 1994 that included teaming with his father Dusty Rhodes and the Nasty Boys to win War Games in September. Dustin would lose a singles match against Vader in November before returning to his feud with the Stud Stable, mostly the Blacktop Bully. Dustin lost both matches he had on pay per view losing to the Blacktop Bully at Superbrawl V and in a King of the Road match at Uncensored. Following the latter pay per view, Dustin was fired for bleeding in the match. He’d go under an extreme makeover in the next installment of this series.

65.) Kama
76.) Bob Holly
79.) Jean Pierre Lafitte
82.) Big Bubba Rogers
84.) Hunter Hearst Helmsley

Previously known as Papa Shango, Kama made his debut in January 1995. His first six months saw Kama not lose on television and was involved in a lengthy feud with the Undertaker over the urn. Despite not losing on television, Kama would often lose to the Undertaker on the house show market.

Spark Plug was not getting much momentum at the end of 1994 as he was regularly losing to various mid card heels. However, Holly teamed with the 1-2-3 Kid to win the WWF World Tag Team Championships at the Royal Rumble. Their reign lasted all of twenty four hours when they lost the titles to the Smoking Gunns. In April, Holly won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Jeff Jarrett, but the title was held up and Jarrett regained the belt. Holly pinned Chris Benoit in what was Benoit’s tryout match.

Previously known as Quebecer Pierre, Jean Pierre Lafitte made his debut as an evil pirate would get victories over the likes of Virgil, Duke Droese and Doink the Clown during the grading period. His only memorable feud was with Bret Hart due to stealing Hart’s ring jacket and his sunglasses, though no match between the two had happened as of press time.

He was known as the Guardian Angel who wasn’t quite able to get into the WCW World Championship scene. Angel ended up turning on Sting by the winter and would team with Avalanche in a feud against Sting and Randy Savage. Bubba found some success in his feud against Sting, winning a singles match at Uncensored, but wasn’t able to continue the momentum into anything that was noteworthy.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley made his debut in April and was primarily working with undercard wrestlers such as Doink and Bob Holly. Hunter hadn’t suffered a loss as of press time. He had worked as Jean Paul Levesque in WCW for a portion of the grading period, but wasn’t heavily push aside from a loss to Alex Wright at Starrcade.

87.) Psicosis
92.) Meng
100.) Brian Lee
101.) Unabomb
113.) Jim Duggan

A breakout year for Psicosis as he won the Mexican welterweight championship from El Hijo del Santo. The victory is seen as the moment that made Psicosis a superstar in Mexico.

Meng hadn’t made his in-ring debut until March of 1995 where he defeated Jim Duggan at Uncensored. Meng received a good push and made it to the finals of the WCW United States Championship tournament, which he lost to Sting at the Great American Bash and a rematch at Bash at the Beach. The brief run showed that Meng still had something to offer in the ring after leaving the WWF a few years prior.

Lee lost the tag titles with Chris Candido to the Rock N’ Roll Express just a few days into the grading period. Lee played the fake Undertaker role at SummerSlam, where he lost to the real Undertaker but returned to SMW. After being fired by Tammy Fytch, Lee would feud with Chris Candido and they would trade victories although there was not a conclusive end to their issues.

Unabomb teamed with Al Snow to win the SMW Tag Team Championships from the Rock N’ Roll Express in April of 1995. They’d hold the belts until July when they lost the titles to Tracy Smothers and Dirty White Boy. Would debut in the WWF by the summer as Dr. Isaac Yankeem to help Jerry Lawler in his feud with Bret Hart.

Hacksaw didn’t waste any time in winning a championship in WCW when he pinned Steve Austin at Fall Brawl to win the WCW United States Championship. Duggan remained champion until he was destroyed by Big Van Vader at Starrcade. Duggan feuded with the Stud Stable mainly Bunkhouse Buck and Meng. Lost to Kamala at the Bash at the Beach pay per view in July.

114.) Raven
120.) La Parka
122.) Crash the Terminator
126.) New Jack
237.) Kevin Sullivan

Raven made his debut in January and targeted Tommy Dreamer as his first rival. Throughout the eight months of the grading period, Raven dominated his feud with Dreamer, though Dreamer did get a pin fall victory over Raven on April 14th, which is seemingly forgotten about. Along with Stevie Richards, won the ECW World Tag Team Championships on June 30th by defeating the Public Enemy.

Parka was previously a heel but was turned into a baby face during his feud with Jerry Estrada, whom he lost the Mexican lightweight championship to.

Crash the Terminator was the PCW Heavyweight Champion and was feuding with Johnny Gunn. Apparently, Crash had a WWF tryout but did not sign with them.

New Jack first arrived in Smoky Mountain Wrestling where he and Mustafa made Jim Cornette and the Rock N’ Roll Express lives a living nightmare. By the fall of ’94, the Gangstas were the SMW Tag Team Champions. He was champion for about two months before losing them back to the Express in December. By the summer of ’95 Jack made his debut in ECW and was involved in a violent feud with Public Enemy.

Sullivan’s main focus was to eliminate Hulk Hogan but failed to do so throughout the year. Kevin was successful in defeating his brother Dave Sullivan in one of the least interesting feuds that WCW had to offer. Sullivan became the leader of the Dungeon of Doom, the infamous group that had many people from Hogan’s past to eliminate him from wrestling forever.

245.) The Renegade
295.) Moadib
306.) Luna Vachon
423.) The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior ripoff, the Renegade, made his debut in March of 1995 aligning himself with Hogan and Savage. Won the WCW Television Championship at the Great American Bash by defeating Arn Anderson in June and was still champion as of press time. Successfully defended the championship against Paul Orndorff at Bash at the Beach in July.

Moadib, who would be better known as Ahmed Johnson by the end of 1995, was making a name for himself in the Texas independents as a rulebreaker.

Luna Vachon was busy working in ECW mainly teaming with Tommy Dreamer to take on male tag teams and was doing pretty well in defending herself in the land of Extreme.

Apparently, the real Ultimate Warrior only had one match as he returned to in-ring action to defeat rival the Honkytonk Man.

What are your thoughts on the PWI 500 for 1995? Would you have ranked anyone higher or lower?

Leave your thoughts below!

Thanks for reading.

Bob Colling of Wrestling Recaps

Fighting Spirit Review: NOAH “Great Voyage 2015 in Tokyo” 3/15/15

Kevin Wilson

March 27, 2015

Date: March 15th, 2015
Location: Tokyo Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 6,300

I try to review most events for each promotion in order, but sometimes there is a big event that requires me to skip ahead a bit. This is one of those events. We have a full blown Suzuki-gun invasion here, as every Championship match is being defended or challenged by the invading faction. Tenzan and Nakanishi have matches as well, basically making this a NOAH vs. New Japan event even though it really wasn’t advertised as such since unofficially Suzuki-gun are their own posse and not all are affiliated with New Japan. Here is the full card:

– Hitoshi Kumano vs. Mitsuhiro Kitamiya
– Mohammed Yone, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Taiji Ishimori, and Captain NOAH vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, Zack Sabre Jr., Super Crazy, and Jonah Rock
– Akitoshi Saito and Quiet Storm vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi
– Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Manabu Nakanishi vs. Takeshi Morishima and Maybach Taniguchi
– Shelton Benjamin and Takashi Iizuka vs. Takashi Sugiura and Masato Tanaka
– GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Kenou and Hajime Ohara vs. Daisuke Harada and Genba Hirayanagi vs. TAKA Michinoku and El Desperado
– GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Atsushi Kotoge vs. Taichi
– GHC Tag Team Championship: Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls
– GHC Heavyweight Championship: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Minoru Suzuki

This will be a long one so lets hop to it.

Hitoshi Kumano vs. Mitsuhiro Kitamiya
They trade waistlocks and wristlocks to start the match before trading elbows. Kitamiya goes off the ropes but Kumano hits a dropkick. Shoulderblock by Kitamiya and he hits an elbow. Scoop slam by Kitamiya and he hits a senton for a two count. Kumano knocks Kitamiya back and he hits a dropkick off the second turnbuckle. Irish whip by Kumano and he hits an elbow smash followed by a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Eye rake by Kitamiya but Kumano hits a cutter. Irish whip by Kumano to the corner, reversed, and Kitamiya hits a face crusher. Kitamiya throws Kumano into the corner and he hits a back elbow. Powerslam by Kitamiya, cover, and he gets a two count. Kumano blocks the powerbomb attempt and he rolls up Kitamiya for a two count. Backslide attempt by Kumano but Kitamiya blocks it and applies a backbreaker. Kitamiya hulks up, he waits for Kumano to get up and he hits the spear for the three count. Kitamiya has changed his look and is acting more like a tough guy, which is good, all young lions must evolve at some point. A pretty simple match but it did help establish Kitamiya as hopefully moving up a step and getting out of the opening match. Score: 4.5

Mohammed Yone, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Taiji Ishimori, and Captain NOAH vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, Zack Sabre Jr., Super Crazy, and Jonah Rock
Yone and Sabre start the match, they trade waistlocks and Yone hits a scoop slam followed by a running leg drop. Things break down already as everyone jumps Yone but Yone lariats them all. Yone tags in Captain NOAH while Super Crazy is also tagged in. Captain NOAH fights off Sabre and Super Crazy, uppercut by Sabre to Captain NOAH but Captain NOAH hits a scoop slam. Captain NOAH goes to the second turnbuckle but Sabre gets his feet up when he jumps off. Captain NOAH collapses and Sabre tags in Rock. Rock knocks Captain NOAH into the corner, Captain NOAH is knocked out of the ring and attacked by Super Crazy. Cover by Rock back in the ring but it gets a two. Rock tags in Ogawa and Ogawa punches Captain NOAH to the mat. Ogawa tags in Super Crazy and Super Crazy snaps Captain NOAH’s neck on the top rope. Captain NOAH finally gets away after a bit as he hits a DDT on Super Crazy.

Captain NOAH tags in Nakajima and Nakajima kicks Rock in the chest. Sabre comes in but Nakajima kicks him as well before booting Rock in the corner. Nakajima goes up top and he hits a missile dropkick on Rock for a two count. High kick by Nakajima but Rock hits a belly to belly suplex. Rock tags in Sabre while Nakajima tags in Ishimori, and they trade pin attempts. Ishimori kicks Sabre back and he hits a Code Breaker for a two count. Ogawa and company run into the ring and take turns attacking Ishimori, Sabre applies an ankle hold but Yone breaks it up. Ishimori kicks Sabre back and Sabre tags in Super Crazy. Pop-up face crusher by Super Crazy and he hits an elbow drop on Ishimori for a two count. Scoop slam by Super Crazy, he goes up top but Ishimori rolls out of the way of the moonsault. Irish whip by Super Crazy but Ishimori hits a handspring kick to the head. Scoop slam by Ishimori, he goes up top and he nails the 450 Splash for the three count. This wasn’t long enough to really get into a groove, and Captain NOAH is about as interesting as Captain New Japan is. Probably not the best gimmick to steal from another promotion. Just a filler undercard match, nothing special about it. Score: 4.0

Akitoshi Saito and Quiet Storm vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi
Storm and Sekimoto begin things and they take turns trying to knock each other, which Sekimoto gets the better of. Okabayashi comes in the ring but Storm hits a lariat on both of them. A second one knocks them over and Storm tags in Saito. Saito and Sekimoto trade chops and Sekimoto tags in Okabayashi. Chops by Okabayashi and they also trade shoulderblock attempts, with Okabayashi eventually knocking Saito off his feet. Saito tags in Storm and they trade chops, Okabayashi tags in Sekimoto and Sekimoto slams Storm to the mat. Lariat by Sekimoto and he hits a second one in the corner. Sekimoto tags in Okabayashi and Okabayashi chops Storm before applying a reverse chinlock. Storm gets to his corner and tags in Saito, chops by Okabayashi but Saito knees him in the stomach and hits a delayed vertical suplex. Okabayashi picks up Saito and hits a powerslam for a two count. Okabayashi applies a crab hold but Saito gets a hand on the ropes to force a break. Okabayashi goes off the ropes but Storm elbows him and hits a scissors kick. Okabayashi chops him back but Saito moves when he charges and hits a lariat in the corner. Vertical suplex by Saito, he goes off the ropes but Okabayashi kicks him in the arm.

Side slam by Saito but Okabayashi hits a powerslam before they both lariat each other and fall to the mat. Sekimoto and Storm are tagged in and they lariat each other until Sekimoto levels Storm with one. Sekimoto goes off the ropes but Storm returns the favor, he picks up Sekimoto as Saito comes in and they both attack Sekimoto in the corner. Powerbomb by Storm, but Okabayashi breaks up the cover. Okabayashi lariats Saito, Storm attacks both Okabayashi and Sekimoto with chops but Strong BJ regain the advantage. Storm goes for another double lariat but this time it doesn’t work and he eats a double vertical suplex. Sekimoto applies a STF to Storm but Saito breaks it up. Sekimoto picks up Storm, Sekimoto applies a waistlock but Storm rolls him up for two. Headbutt and chops by Sekimoto, and he hits an enzigieri. Big lariat by Sekimoto, he picks up Storm and plants him with the German suplex hold for the three count! This was a really fun match. Sometimes Saito and Storm get on my nerves but the didn’t here, they went toe to toe with Sekimoto and Okabayashi and it never seemed forced or out of place. I love these matches as every spot seems big, just knocking your opponent off their feet is a major accomplishment. Just a fun clubbin’ strong style match, it really delivered. Score: 7.5

Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Manabu Nakanishi vs. Takeshi Morishima and Maybach Taniguchi
Morishima and Taniguchi attack their opponents before the match starts and they brawl in the crowd. After a minute they bring the action into the ring, and Team New Japan regains the advantage. Morishima is double teamed as Nakanishi goes for a pescado on Taniguchi, but Taniguchi moves. Tenzan gets on top for the calf branding, but Taniguchi hits him from the floor with his pole. Morishima dumps Tenzan out of the ring and Taniguchi takes him into the crowd again, throwing him into chairs at ringside. Back in the ring Tenzan is choked by Morishima and Taniguchi’s pole before Taniguchi is tagged in. Taniguchi and Tenzan trade elbows and Taniguchi rakes his eyes. Taniguchi tags in Morishima and Morishima hits a pair of running butt smashes. Tenzan kicks back Morishima and hits the Mongolian Chops. Headbutt by Tenzan and he tags in Nakanishi, elbows by Nakanishi and he absorbs a lariat by Morishima. They trade lariat attempts but Nakanishi hits a spear. Nakanishi goes for the Argentine Backbreaker but Morishima blocks it and hits a DDT. Morishima tags in Taniguchi and Taniguchi hits a lariat in the corner. Spinebuster by Taniguchi but Nakanishi kicks out. Taniguchi picks up Nakanishi but Nakanishi hits a lariat, he goes off the ropes but Taniguchi catches him with a powerslam. Nakanishi tags in Tenzan while Morishima is also tagged in, chops by Tenzan and he lariats Morishima in the corner.

Calf branding by Tenzan but Morishima kicks out of the cover. Morishima hits a suplex on Tenzan, he goes off the ropes but Tenzan hits a heel kick to his midsection and tags in Nakanishi. Chops by Nakanishi and he hits a lariat in the corner. Nakanishi catches Morishima and hits an overhead slam, he powers up for the big lariat and levels Morishima. Cover, but Morishima gets a shoulder up. Nakanishi gets Morishima up in the Argentine Backbreaker (even I am impressed), Taniguchi comes in the ring and Nakanishi throws Morishima at him. Tenzan hits a diving headbutt on Morishima, cover by Nakanishi but it only gets two. Nakanishi picks up Morishima, he goes off the ropes but Taniguchi hits him from ringside. Taniguchi comes in with his pole and he whacks Nakanishi with it, body press by Morishima but Tenzan breaks up the pin. Morishima drops Nakanishi with a lariat, he picks him up and nails the Backdrop Suplex for the three count. I must say that these guys get an “A” for effort. Nakanishi is limited these days (hell, he was always limited) and while some of the offense looked awkward they were going so hard at it that I can’t even hold it against them. Morishima and Taniguchi played the match perfectly, cheating whenever possible but not using outside interference, and there was no wasted time with nerve holds like you see sometimes in these types of matches. I enjoyed it in spite of myself, I didn’t think I would, but the effort level just impressed me too much. Score: 6.0

Shelton Benjamin and Takashi Iizuka vs. Takashi Sugiura and Masato Tanaka
Benjamin and Iizuka attack their opponents before the match starts but Tanaka gets the advantage on Iizuka and punches him in the corner. Tanaka tags in Sugiura and Sugiura applies a reverse chinlock. Sugiura tags Tanaka back in as they slowly wear down Iizuka but Benjamin finally hits Sugiura from the apron to stop the slow motion assault. The action spills to the outside before Benjamin and Sugiura get back into the ring. Sugiura and Benjamin trade elbows and Benjamin hits a backdrop suplex. Iizuka gets a chair and he hits Sugiura with it at ringside. Iizuka chokes Sugiura with some rope but Sugiura boots Iizuka and tags in Tanaka. Iizuka handcuffs Sugiura in the corner and throws Tanaka out of the ring. Benjamin kicks and punches Sugiura while he is cuffed, then Iizuka does the same. I am not sure how they made a match with Sugiura and Tanaka boring but they have pulled it off so far. Who knew punching a handcuffed guy for five minutes wasn’t fun to watch. Tanaka gets stomped on too as Sugiura is finally freed from the handcuffs.

Sugiura knees Iizuka in the stomach and both wrestlers tag in their partners. Tornado DDT by Tanaka, cover, but Benjamin kicks out. Jumping elbow by Tanaka but Benjamin hits a swinging kick. Tanaka hits a DDT on Benjamin and tags in Sugiura. Sugiura boots Benjamin in the corner and hits a running knee. Ankle hold by Benjamin but Sugiura reverses it. German suplex by Sugiura but Benjamin hits one as well. Superkick by Benjamin and he tags in Iizuka. Iizuka stomps on Sugiura and he hits an atomic drop. Sugiura is double teamed in the corner and Benjamin drops Sugiura with a powerbomb. Iizuka gets his Iron Claw but Sugiura ducks it and hits a spear. Tanaka comes in and they both strike Iizuka at the same time for a two count. Tanaka and Sugiura both elbow Iizuka, cover by Sugiura but it gets a two count. Olympic Slam by Sugiura, and he picks up the three count. This was utterly not exciting, instead of doing a heated brawl they did a slow motion beatdown match instead. Iizuka isn’t a good wrestler at this point but he can do brawls, this was just structured in the least exciting way possible. Clearly they didn’t watch the last match to see the right way to do it. Probably the most disappointing match with Sugiura and Tanaka ever. Score: 3.5

(c) Kenou and Hajime Ohara vs. Daisuke Harada and Genba Hirayanagi vs. TAKA Michinoku and El Desperado
This match is for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Kenou and Harada start the match and they trade shoulderblocks before trading elbows. They both knock Michinoku and Desperado off the apron and tags in their partners. Ohara and Hirayanagi circle each other and Ohara hits a shoulderblock. Lariat by Hirayanagi in the corner, he goes up top but Ohara smacks him and throws him to the mat. Pop-up testicular claw by Hirayanagi but Desperado tags himself in. Michinoku comes in the ring too and Ohara is double teamed. Desperado picks up Ohara but Ohara gets away and chops Desperado in the chest. Harada tags himself in as Hirayanagi comes in also and they hit a double shoulderblock on Ohara. Michinoku comes in with a kendo stick but Kenou takes it from him and hits Harada with it. Kenou hits everyone with the kendo stick but he also accidentally hits Ohara, roaring elbow by Harada to Kenou and Ohara dropkicks Hirayanagi. Ohara goes off the ropes but Harada knees him in the head. Jumping kick by Kenou to Harada, Michinoku and Desperado get in the ring and Desperado covers Hirayanagi for two. Desperado runs around covering everyone with no result (no legal men in this match?) Ohara and Harada take care of Desperado and Michinoku before trading elbows, and Ohara slams Harada to the mat for a two count.

Chops by Ohara but Harada picks him up and spins him over before kneeing Ohara in the face. Harada picks up Ohara, suplex hold by Harada but Kenou breaks it up. Kenou picks up Harada and he hits a high kick followed by a dragon suplex hold for two. Hirayanagi comes in, Kenou throws Hirayanagi into the corner but Hirayanagi kicks him back and hits a lariat. Hirayanagi picks up Kenou, schoolboy by Hirayanagi but it gets two. Kicks by Kenou but Hirayanagi nails the Shoryu Genba. Ohara runs in to help and he hits a Backstabber. Muy Bien by Ohara to Hirayanagi but it is broken up. Kenou kicks Hirayanagi in the head, he picks him up and he hits a PK. Michinoku drops Harada with a superkick, Desperado comes off the top with a diving body press to Hirayanagi and he picks up the three count. New champions! The structure of this one was just all over the place which made it hard to get invested into. The action itself was solid, everything was hit well, it was just incredibly random. It also ended really suddenly, with all the long-ish matches on this card it seemed off to have this one be shorter and end with Desperado literally stealing a victory after doing nothing all match. Good action, questionable layout. Score: 5.5

(c) Atsushi Kotoge vs. Taichi
This match is for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Taichi stalls to begin the match for literally several minutes as we are off to an exciting start. Kotoge finally manages to boot Taichi when he gets on the apron and stomps him around the ring. Taichi exits the ring, Kotoge goes out after him and Taichi attacks Kotoge with the bell hammer. Back in the ring Taichi stomps on Kotoge and he lariats Kotoge in the corner. Kotoge finally gets away and he dropkicks Taichi. Taichi slides out of the ring but Kotoge slides out after him and hits a superkick. Taichi gets back in the ring, Kotoge goes for a swandive move but Desperado pulls him down to the floor so he can stomp on him. Desperado slides Kotoge back in but Kotoge dropkicks Taichi out of the ring. Kotoge goes off the ropes but Desperado and Michinoku pull Taichi away. Kotoge dives out of the ring with a tope con hilo anyway, taking out everyone. Kotoge throws Taichi back in the ring and he dives off the top turnbuckle with an elbow smash. Kotoge goes out to the apron but Taichi rakes his eyes, Taichi goes off the ropes but Kotoge rolls in the ring and hits a cutter. Big boot by Kotoge, he puts Taichi on the top turnbuckle and he hits a Frankensteiner. Cover, but it gets two. Kotoge grabs Taichi but Taichi also grabs the referee and uses him as a shield.

Superkick by Taichi to Kotoge and they trade kick attempts. Headbutts by Kotoge, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and he hits a diving body press. Swinging kick by Kotoge, cover, but Taichi gets a shoulder up. Kotoge goes for the Killswitch but Michinoku gets up on the apron to distract him. Taichi kicks Kotoge low and he applies the Gedo Clutch for a two count. Kick to the head by Taichi, he picks up Kotoge and he hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two count. Taichi gets the championship belt but Kotoge ducks when he tries to hit him with it and hits a headbutt. Kotoge picks up Taichi and he hits a pair of swinging leg kicks. Killswitch by Kotoge, cover, but Desperado pulls the referee out of the ring. They run in to double team Kotoge but Kotoge finally gets some help. Taichi avoids Kotoge’s jumping elbow, superkick by Kotoge but Taichi hits Kotoge with the title belt. Taichi picks up Kotoge and he nails the Black Mephisto for the three count. New champion! There was a lot not to love about this match. I know that they are setting up a long-term angle here but unfortunately this match got sacrificed in the process. Taichi isn’t good, we know that, but with all the stalling and constant interference that the referee did nothing about (even as he himself was attacked) just made this match borderline unwatchable. It is like nothing happened, it was a 19 minute match with maybe 5 minutes of actual wrestling with the rest being stalling and silly interference. I get what they were going for but it just wasn’t fun to watch, even though I think Kotoge is fantastically entertaining in most situations. Score: 3.0

(c) Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls
This match is for the GHC Tag Team Championship. Haste and Nicholls attack before the match starts, Smith is isolated in the ring and he takes a double elbow. Haste stays in with Smith but Smith knees him and tags in Archer. Haste uppercuts Archer but Archer clears the ring and the action spills out to the floor. Smith and Archer control the action as Archer returns to the ring. Haste’s knee is worked over in the railing by Smith before Haste is slid back in the ring. Archer slams Haste’s knee into the mat and attacks the knee in the corner. Archer tags in Smith and Smith kicks Haste in the chest. Knee lock by Smith, but Haste gets into the ropes to force a break. Smith goes back to the knee, he tags in Archer and Archer continues along the same path. Haste finally hits a few uppercuts and moves when Archer charges in, sending Archer into a chair set up in the corner. Haste can’t make the tag before being cut off, as Archer suplexes Haste and tags in Smith. Knees and kicks by Smith but Haste comes back with uppercuts. Hurricanrana by Haste and he knees out of a vertical suplex. DDT by Haste and he tags in Nicholls. Smith tags in Archer and Nicholls lariats Archer in the corner. Death Valley Bomb by Nicholls and he hits a vertical suplex. Lariat by Nicholls, cover, but it gets two. Haste comes in the ring and they hit an assisted neckbreaker on Archer for another two.

They pick up Archer and go off the ropes, but Haste is pulled out of the ring and Archer hits a swinging side slam on Nicholls. Smith comes in the ring and he trades elbows with Nicholls until Smith hits a jumping knee. Tiger suplex hold by Smith, but it gets a two count. Scorpion Deathlock by Smith, Archer comes in the ring and Nicholls is hit with an assisted lariat. Archer and Smith slam Nicholls to the mat, cover, but Haste breaks it up. Haste dropkicks Smith, and Smith is dropped with an assisted DDT for a two count. Smith is picked up but Archer runs back in the ring and hits a monster chokeslam on Haste. Smith grabs Nicholls and hits a running powerslam for a two count. Archer throws Nicholls into the corner but Nicholls fights them off. That doesn’t last though as Smith kicks Nicholls in the chest and they nail the Killer Bomb for the three count. Archer and Smith are still your champions. I am not sure I’ve ever seen a match that went over 15 minutes where one team only had one tag out the entire match. This was a good match, the leg work on Haste went a bit long but it was sold the rest of the match so I can’t complain too much. The ending almost felt sudden, it was built up to well but I guess for a title match it felt like something was missing. Still a lot of fun. Score: 7.0

(c) Naomichi Marufuji vs. Minoru Suzuki
This match is for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. They trade submissions to start off and Marufuji dropkicks Suzuki into the corner. Back to the middle of the ring, Suzuki pushes Marufuji in the ropes and he gives a clean break. Suzuki gets Marufuji to the mat and hits a series of elbows. Back up they trade chops as Marufuji knocks Suzuki to the mat. Suzuki rolls out to the apron and Marufuji hits a springboard dropkick that sends Suzuki down to the floor. Marufuji pulls Suzuki back in the ring and hits a slingshot elbow drop. Marufuji rakes Suzuki in the eyes with his boot before applying a reverse chinlock. Marufuji pushes Suzuki into the corner and chops him in the chest. Marufuji hits a double stomp to Suzuki’s head, he goes off the ropes but Desperado trips him from the floor. Marufuji is pulled out of the ring and stomped on before the NOAH posse comes over to run them off. Marufuji is rolled back in the ring and Suzuki kicks Marufuji in the back. Suzuki applies a cross armbreaker but Marufuji quickly gets a foot on the ropes. Suzuki stomps on Marufuji’s arm and applies an armbar before twisting Marufuji’s arm in the bottom rope. Suzuki chokes Marufuji, Irish whip and Suzuki avoids the dropkick before hitting a PK. Suzuki picks up Marufuji and elbows him in the arm, Marufuji kicks Suzuki back and delivers a lariat. Marufuji chops Suzuki into the corner and hits a jumping elbow. Marufuji puts Suzuki on the top turnbuckle and joins him, but Suzuki applies an Octopus Hold on the top turnbuckle. Back to the mat, Suzuki knocks Marufuji into the corner and hits a big boot. Knee by Suzuki and he slaps Marufuji. PK by Suzuki, cover, but it gets a two.

Irish whip by Suzuki but Marufuji kicks him in the stomach. Suzuki quickly applies a short armbar but Marufuji gets a foot on the ropes. Marufuji rolls to the apron and Suzuki applies an armbreaker over the top rope. Marufuji falls out of the ring and Suzuki kicks him in the chest from the apron. Marufuji throws Suzuki into the railing and he snaps his neck over the guard rail. Back in the ring, Marufuji puts Suzuki on the top turnbuckle but Suzuki headbutts him. Jumping kick by Marufuji and this time he is able to hit the superplex. Marufuji goes for the Shirai but Suzuki pushes him off and applies a sleeper. Marufuji armdrags out of it, they go off the ropes and they trade boots. Thrust kick by Marufuji but Suzuki punches him in the face. Marufuji kicks Suzuki to the mat as both wrestlers are hurt, Marufuji goes for the Shirai but Suzuki blocks it and applies a sleeper. Marufuji spins out of it and tries to hit a Shiranui off the referee but it doesn’t really works since the referee weighs 100 pounds. Shirai out of the corner by Marufuji, cover, but it gets a two count. Marufuji picks up Suzuki but Suzuki gets out of the Pole Shift. Superkick by Marufuji, he goes off the ropes but Suzuki nails him with a dropkick. Suzuki picks up Marufuji and he applies the sleeper hold, Iizuka hits Marufuji with the Iron Claw and Suzuki slaps Marufuji. Suzuki picks up Marufuji, he nails the Gotch-Style Piledriver and he picks up the three count. Suzuki is your new champion! This match didn’t feel epic like I was expecting. The atmosphere was there but the action in the ring mostly felt pedestrian. I didn’t help one of the ‘cool spots’ they had planned didn’t work, and these two have very different styles, but something didn’t mesh. That isn’t to say it was a bad match or anything, the match flowed very well and the interference was kept to a minimum to allow Suzuki and Marufuji to shine, it just never broke through to that next level for me. Score: 6.5

Final Thoughts:

This event had tons of potential, and while in some ways it lived up to it, in others it was lacking. They were successful in their overall goal, with Suzuki-gun winning all the titles now NOAH is united together against them which should hopefully lead to some fun brawls going forward. Unfortunately some matches here were sacrificed to get to that end goal, especially Taichi/Kotoge. It is unfortunate the match I enjoyed the most wasn’t even related to the bigger storyline, but the main event was definitely good, it just wasn’t the must-see match I was hoping for. Overall the event was entertaining, it just failed in some key areas so I can’t give it my highest recommendation.

Grade: B–