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The Prime Time Wrestling Video Review 3/7/88

By
K.F. Brodzensky
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Prime Time Wrestling 3/7/88

Prime Time seems like it has stabilized back to Monday night. I like this continuity thing.

– Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan back again. Heenan acknowledges that he’s wearing the same clothes as last week. Not because they’re taping two shows at once. On no. It’s because Vanna White fell in love with him in these duds. Heenan with some fun comments about his six-man match at WrestleMania.

Match #1: Hercules (w/ Bobby Heenan) v. Jerry Allen. From the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kansas, “Wrestling Challenge” TV Taping 2/17/88. Gorilla and Alfred Hayes on inserted commentary. Allen was well put together, he got minor pushes in some of the smaller territories under the name Jerry Oske. Allen even defeated the Macho Man Randy Savage for the Southern Title in Memphis. Allen stuck around a while here in the WWF, but never amounted to anything more than a Jimmy Powers or someone like that. Hercules muscles Allen around the ring, but Jerry floats over a slam and hits a dropkick. Allen comes off the ropes with a cross body, but Hercules catches him and dumps him over the top rope and out of the ring. Allen gets rammed into the steel post, then Herc with a backbreaker when Allen gets back inside. Bearhug by Herc, Allen fights his way free but runs into an elbow from Hercules. Some Irish whip reversals lead to Herc clotheslining Allen out of his boots. Herc then locks on the Torture Rack for the submission win after 6:48. Hercules tried to give Allen several hope spots and small comebacks but Jerry kept blowing the spots. Just looked like Allen was unprepared for going on the offense here. Just a long squash 1/2*, could have been better if Allen had handles his cues to go on the offense better.

Match #2: “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan v. “Outlaw” Ron Bass. From Madison Square Garden 2/22/88. Match is joined in progress with Monsoon and Lord Alfred on commentary. Duggan escapes an abdominal stretch but misses a knee drop. Duggan with a small package gets him 2. It’s back and forth with plodding punching and such. Duggan runs over Bass with a tackle, but then grabs a chinlock. Bass stumbles forward and causes Duggan to fall through the ropes to the floor. A short brawl on the floor and they’re right back in the ring. Duggan on the offense, referee gets in between and Duggan shoves the ref. The Outlaw goes outside for his bullwhip “Miss Betsy” and he begins choking Duggan with it, but the referee just stands there and lets it happen! Duggan breaks free and grabs the 2X4, but Bass begins choking him again with Miss Betsy. Bass shoves the ref. Bass continues to choke Duggan with the whip until Hacksaw reaches the board and begins plastering Bass with the board. THE REFEREE HAS YET TO DISQUALIFY ANYONE. Instead Duggan chases Bass backstage and the two men are counted out. Are you frickin serious? Not only do they both knock around the referee, but they blatantly beat the crap out of each other with weapons of choice, and it ends in a double count out? Talk about leniency. Only 6:00 of this 15:00 match is shown, and for that I am thankful. Bad match, but I can go 1/4* for the fact that 9:00 were cut and they got to beat on each other with plunder, if you will.

– UPDATE with Craig DeGeorge: Funny how last week they didn’t show the tournament brackets, and now this week the brackets have changed to the more familiar lineup that would actually take place at WrestleMania IV. The Dibiase/Duggan and Snake/Rude matches get flipped. Andre the Giant comments wrestling Hulk Hogan in the quarter finals. Andre says he will kill Hulkamania. The Hulkster responds, he’s not the champion, but nothing has changed because he still has all his Hulkamaniacs. Hogan says the third time is a charm and he will beat definitively. Hogan claims he himself has never been pinned. The ego is in full effect.

– Vanna White promo for WrestleMania IV

– Special Interview: Craig DeGeorge brings out “Macho Man” Randy Savage to talk about the WrestleMania IV tournament. Savage will have to win 4 times to become the WWF Champion. Macho has respect for Butch Reed, but Savage has a special inspiration named Elizabeth. Out comes Liz to stand by her man. Ooooooh Yeah! Dig that!

Match #3: Bad News Brown v. John Stewart. From the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kansas, “Wrestling Challenge” TV Taping 2/17/88. Gorilla and Bobby on inserted audio. This would be the “Illustrious” Johnnie Stewart of AWA fame, but here he’s just John Stewart, resident jobber, like most of Verne’s roster. Brown jumps Stewart. Gorilla refers to Stewart as “Jimmy Stewart”, not Johnnie. Stewart reverses a whip into the corner but Bad News sidesteps a charge and Stewart goes flying out to the floor. Bad News nails Stewart with a steel chair on the floor. The referees are real lenient on this episode. Stewart gets thrown into the steps, takes a clothesline, and Bad News finishes it off with the Ghetto Blaster after 3:11. Squash, DUD.

– A new poster has been delivered to Gorilla. It’s a poster of Hulk Hogan with the word “ALIVE” written on his chest. This goes against what Heenan has been saying all episode that Hulkamania is dead. Gorilla hits Heenan over the head with the rolled up poster and Bobby sells it like he was hit by a rock.

– Mean Gene promo with Bob Uecker.
Uecker: I Wonder how much Vanna would charge for a vowel?
Mean Gene: Depends on if it’s a “U” or an “I”

– Back in the studio, Heenan is wearing sunglasses, he says Monsoon hit him in the eye with the poster and now he might not be able to wrestle at WrestleMania. The two talk about Heenan’s attorney “Lance”. Bobby says Lance won’t be out of prison for two years.

Match #4: Scott Casey v. Barry Horowitz. From the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kansas, “Wrestling Challenge” TV Taping 2/17/88. Gorilla and Bobby on inserted commentary. Right away Monsoon refers to Barry Horowitz as being from the Terry Garvin school of self defense. On three consecutive lockups, Horowitz gets the best of Casey first with a hiptoss, then an armdrag, finally a bodyslam. On their fourth lockup, Casey responds by hitting all three of those moves in a row. That’s a classic spot from way back, so simple, yet effective. Barry powders and threatens to leave, but decides to come back. Scott on offense short term, Horowitz takes over and hits a nice gut wrench suplex. Horowitz uses an abdominal stretch and a chinlock to wear down Casey, but Scott frees himself and fires back. Casey plants Horowitz with a piledriver, how is that move not a finisher in the WWF? Horowitz tries a clothesline, but Casey with a crucifix finishes the match off. Casey wins in 9:57. This is your basic show opener from beginning to end. The did just enough to get the crowd into things, without doing too much. I don’t know that I’d want to watch it again, but it was fine for what it was. *1/4

Match #5: Jake “The Snake” Roberts v. Dino Bravo (w/ Frenchy Martin). From Madison Square Garden 2/22/88. Joined in progress with Bravo on top of Jake with a chinlock. Jake escapes with a jawbreaker and lands a series of jabs and the short clothesline. Jake calls for the DDT, he hooks it, but Frenchy grabs him from outside. Roberts releases the hold but stays on the offense. Dino tries a backdrop, but Jake counters with a sunset flip for a near fall. The bell sounds and we have a time limit draw. Only 3:30 of a 19:30 match is shows so I can’t really rate this anything more than 1/4*. I think if I saw this entire 20:00 match I would have rated it lower. There’s no way any 20:00 Dino Bravo match can be a positive star rating. Even in this 3:30 of action, half of it was a Bravo chinlock. Jake’s comeback was fun so 1/4* it is, just for the come back.

– Back in the studio, Bobby starts to go on about animals in sports. He says in another sports you don’t see Dogs, Birds, Snakes…….Kodiak Bears. Bobby’s delivery on the silliest things make me LOL. Bobby of course has his issues with Matilda and Frankie.

– Craig DeGeorge interviews Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and the Islanders about the upcoming six-man at WrestleMania. Bobby hasn’t been in the ring in over a year. He doesn’t need to be training for people like the Bulldogs and Koko. Heenan says he has his own dogs, attack dogs, meaning the Islanders.

Match #6: Brady Boone vs. “Iron” Mike Sharpe. From the Spectrum in Philadelphia, 2/6/88. Alfred Hayes and Dick Graham on commentary. The usual Mike Sharpe stalling to start the match. Mike threatens to leave, but he delivers on an even worse threat by returning. Boone with some fast stuff but he misses a charge into the corner and Sharpe takes over. Lots of crappy stuff follows. Boone leapfrogs a backdrop and delivers a rolling reverse cradle with a bridge for 2. Boone tries something that appeared to resemble a dragon screw leg whip, but Sharpe just takes a back bump and it looks stupid. The match goes to the floor and Sharpe tosses Boone into the announce table and then the time keeper table. Boone comes battling back with a kneelift and takes Iron Mike to the corner. The referee forces Boone back, and Sharpe loads his forearm brace. Sharpe tries to use the forearm brace twice but Boone counters. Brady does a back flip off the top rope for NO REASON WHAT SO EVER and barely lands on his feet. A few seconds later and Sharpe blasts Boone with the loaded forearm clothesline to pick up the win in 9:05. That was pretty bad, but exactly what I expected. We had the usual stalling and crappy Mike Sharpe offense up against the king of blown spots Brady Boone. It delivered on every level. DUD at best, though I liked the stiff clothesline Sharpe gave Boone for the finish. Unfortunately, that one move didn’t let me forget the 9 minutes that took place prior.

– Special Interview: Craig DeGeorge interviews Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant from a TV Taping. Andre says since he couldn’t sell the title to DiBiase, then he should still be the WWF Champion. Makes sense to me. Andre says he will pin Hogan for the fourth time. I’m not sure where the third time happened, since we’re only counting Titan years here. DiBiase says he had a taste of being champion, and Jack Tunney ripped him off. Million Dollar Man rips his first round opponent Jim Duggan. DiBiase says he always gets what he wants.

– WrestleMania IV Report with Craig DeGeorge. Donald Trump invites everyone to the event. DeGeorge announces the latest match added to the PPV, the 20-Man Battle Royal! We hear from some of the participants including the Rougeau Brothers, Ron Bass, Bad News Brown, Harley Race, The Hart Foundation, Danny Davis, and The Young Stallions . A funky version of the future Powers of Pain music plays for these interviews. They really recycled the beat for that theme. Robin Leech is also announced as the presenter of the WWF Title at the PPV, a brief promo from Leech follows.

Match #7: Demolition (w/ Mr. Fuji) v. The Young Stallions (Jimmy Powers and Paul Roma). From the Kansas Coliseum in Wichita, Kansas, “Superstars” TV Taping 2/16/88. Vince McMahon, Bruno Sammartino & Jesse Ventura on commentary. Smash starts off pounding on Roma, but Paul uses some quick maneuvers to dodge smash and take over with an armbar. Young Stallions with some double arm wringer fun, Wild Eyed Southern Boys style. Some quick tags by the Stallions to work the arm of Smash, but Roma gets stuck in Demolition’s corner and Ax tags in. To the surprise of Demolition, the Stallions continue the offense, working on the arm of Ax. Powers ends up in the wrong corner and Demolition take over for a moment. But the Stallions go right back on top of Smash, that is until Ax catches Roma in the back with a kick as Paul was bouncing off the ropes. A commercial break follows and now it’s all Demolition all over Paul Roma. Paul is given some hope spots but he’s shut down every time. Ax slams Roma on the floor, and rolls him back in for Smash. But Smash misses a charge at Roma in the corner and Jim Powers gets the hot tag. Jimmy with a body press on Smash for 2, Powers all over both Demos. Fuji up on the apron but he’s decked by Paul Roma. Jimmy Powers takes Ax to the corner to work him over while referee Dave Hebner gets Roma out of the ring. With Hebner tied up with Roma, Smash sneaks up behind Powers and blasts him with Fuji’s cane. Ax covers for the win in 9:25. Sucked to see Demolition have such a tough time with the Stallions and have to cheat to this degree while being built up for the title run. I guess it wasn’t that big of a deal though. Match was okay, the Stallions did little more than armbars so I can’t give this match a huge rating. *1/4

– Studio chat with Gorilla and Bobby. Heenan knocks something off the desk and says it’s time for him to make some predictions. Again, the delivery of this was just awesome. It was hilarious and came out of nowhere. Heenan says that if Rick Rude is somehow eliminated from the tournament at WrestleMania, then Andre the Giant will win. Heenan holds up the new Andre the Giant t-shirt. A handprint on the front, footprint on the back. Bobby asks Monsoon to put his foot up to compare to Andre’s foot size. Funny stuff.

– After the final break, Gorilla tries talking WrestleMania IV, but Bobby interrupts with a phone call to order some shinpads to block Matilda from biting him. Bobby says Frankie will end up in a bag of Shake-n-Bake. The Brain also claims he has a surprise for next week! Stay tuned!
 

Final Thoughts: We’re well on the way to WrestleMania IV. The card is finalized, the special guests are finalized, and we’re 3 weeks out from the big event. Lots of Mania 4 hype in between the action, plenty of Gorilla and Bobby banter goodness. Heenan just spouts things out of nowhere, and every line is a gem. The matches this week ranged from watchable to complete crap. A mixed bag for sure. Bless the producer who decided to give us Ron Bass vs. Duggan and Dino Bravo vs. Jake in short form, that could have been disastrous. Dino Bravo in a 20 minute match? Wow, remind me NEVER to review that MSG!

Match of the Night: Casey vs. Horowitz or Demos vs. Stallions, take your pick. Both were solid and basic matches that would be used early on a card. Nothing good enough to sit through again, nothing too exciting, but neither match made me cringe.

Ken Shamrock Talks WWE “Collapsing,” Owen Hart’s Passing, And More

By
Brian Grey
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0

Having A Huge Ego, WWE Not Using UFC To Promote Brock Lesnar, More
Ken Shamrock Talks Ultimate Warrior Passing Out Backstage, Inspiring Warrior Interview, More
Ken Shamrock Talks Heat With HHH, How “Spoiled Brat” CM Punk Would Fare In MMA, Vince Vs. Dana

Ken Shamrock was a guest on Submission Radio and spoke about a WWE return, Owen Hart, Triple H, Vince vs Dana White. You can check out the full interview above, below are some highlights:

Who rewards their talent better and pays better between Vince McMahon and Dana White:

“I don’t know what other people say, but for me it’s definitely Vince (McMahon). I felt like he did me right, even though he may, I don’t know what the issues are with me and him now cause no one will talk to me or say anything, but for me personally I thought he treated me very fairly, he paid me well and I thought he gave me a great opportunity to be able to keep competing in the WWF. Of course I had to do my job, I had to do what they needed me to do, otherwise he wouldn’t give me the time of day. I understand that, I understood that. But when I did do what I was supposed to do he payed me what I deserved.”

Thoughts on the WWE and a possible return:

“It would be nice to be able to come back there and get a run at the title, one that I don’t think I really got an opportunity to really get an honest run at it. So yeah, I’ve always made that statement It’d be nice to back and give it one more shot, but again like I said, that’s not in my corner and I don’t make those calls so it’s up to somebody else to do that. So all I can do is just voice my opinion and say ‘yeah it’d be great to do it’ but somebody else has to make that decision.”

The possibility of being inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in the future:

“I have heard anything, that’s the whole thing. It’s like I tried to reach out and try to contact some different people, but basically there’s not a sign or feedback so you know, I have no idea absolutely none whatsoever what the issues and the problems are. I didn’t know there was any until nobody would talk to me”

Thoughts on people like Drew Cary and Donald Trump being in the WWE HOF and him not yet being inducted yet:

“There’s probably a hundred more submission holds in the WWE because of me training to bring in those submissions so people could look at them a legitimize them for pro wrestling. You look at it before I was there and after I was there, it’s different matches.”

The future of the WWE and Triple H:

“I think we’ve seen it now and I’m not saying anything mean or hurtful or anything, if people want me opinion I’m gonna give it to them and I’m not gonna sugar coat it, I’m just gonna tell ’em the truth, but If it keeps going the way it’s going, I don’t see the WWE being a powerhouse anymore. I see it falling, I see it crumbling down and the only thing people are going to be interested in is the history footage because I see it now. It’s struggling now. Even though you’re starting to see little things here and there, but it’s just, to be able to consistently do what Vince McMahon did I’m just not sure we’re ever gonna see that again.”

Owen Hart passing away in the ring:

“We were standing backstage and I was in the gorilla station and I watched it happen. And for the longest time we stood there and just stared at the monitor waiting for some gimmick to pop up, or the match to start, or for him to pop up and then when he was wheeled back in the gurney, still we were waiting for him to get up. I mean, we just didn’t believe that it was real you know, because you know all the gimmicks and stuff that go on there and you’re never told what’s happening and they’ll play all the way out till the next week. And so for the longest time, I think the fans were the same way, was that no one truly believed or understood what was happening at that moment and how real it was and for us, I mean even thought there was a meeting about whether we would go on and do the show, (whether) we were going to keep doing it, out of his honour we were going to do it, at the back of everybody’s mind we were all thinking we were getting worked, like this was a work, someone was working us. And so no one really grasped that until probably after a few weeks afterwards where it set in, in the funeral and in the news and it really set in that it was real. But can could you imagine that, not really knowing something like that?”

WWE Now More Likely To Increase WWE Network Price

By
Jim Somers
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Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Netflix increasing some of their prices by $1 is worth watching in regards to the WWE Network. If WWE went with a $1 increase, it would bring in $7 million or more per year.

While Netflix and Amazon have both raised prices recently, WWE and UFC kept their prices at $9.99 just because Netflix had already set the value of streaming services with their low price point.

WWE Settles Lawsuit Over WCW Theme Songs, Batista ‘Kickboxer’ News

By
Jim Somers
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0

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– As noted, Batista will be co-starring in the remake of Kickboxer with UFC veteran Georges St-Pierre and martial artist Alain Moussi. The hope is that this will be the first of a continuing franchise and word is that it will be a big budget movie. No word yet on when filming begins but obviously Batista would need time off from WWE.

– WWE continues to change back a lot of old WCW theme songs on the WWE Network because they recently settled a lawsuit from producer Jimmy Papa, who did music for WCW and WCCW. Papa sued WWE, Michael Hayes and Jim Johnston in 2012 for them using WCW theme songs that he did, including the Freebirds’ Badstreet USA. Terms of the recent settlement were sealed but WWE is now allowed to use Papa’s music.

Subscribe to The Wrestling Observer by clicking here. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus history pieces. New subscribers can also receive free classic issues.

Bellator PPV Results: Rampage Jackson Vs. King Mo

By
MMA Dan
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A pair of former UFC light heavyweight champions had their hands raised inside the Bellator cage Saturday night at Bellator 120, as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tito Ortiz earned victories. The card was the first pay-per-view offered by the promotion.

Jackson earned a decision victory over Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the main event, earning the Season 10 light heavyweight tournament title. He will face champion Emanuel Newton for the belt next, but asked for a rematch with Lawal after the fight.

“I’m not happy with my victory,” said Jackson, who improved to 3-0 with Bellator. “I want a rematch. Let’s come back and do it at the FedEx Forum (in Memphis).”

Lawal was stunned by the loss, saying, “You know I won that fight.” He made several comments to Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney inside the cage after.

In the co-main event, Will Brooks pulled an upset, winning the interim lightweight title with a split decision victory over Michael Chandler. Brooks, a former tournament winner, agreed to meet Chandler after Eddie Alvarez was knocked out of the planned main event with a head injury.

Ortiz, making his Bellator debut, overwhelmed an under-sized Alexander Shlemenko, securing a takedown and locking up a submission just moments into their fight. Shlemenko is the current middleweight champion, but agreed to the fight at 205 pounds.

“Guess who’s back,” shouted Ortiz after the win, before going into an impersonation of a Hulk Hogan victory speech.”

In earlier main card action, Alexander Volkov earned a future heavyweight title fight after submitting Blagoy Ivanov, while Michael Page earned a first round knockout when he finished Ricky Rainey.

Complete results can be found below, while a video of the post-fight press conference can be viewed in the player above:

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson def. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Interim Bellator Lightweight Championship
Will Brooks def. Michael Chandler via split decision (47-48, 48-46, 48-47) to become interim Bellator lightweight champion

Tito Ortiz def. Alexander Shlemenko via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:27 of Round 1

Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final
Alexander Volkov def. Blagoy Ivanov via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:08 of Round 2

Michael Page def. Ricky Rainey via KO (right-hand) at 4:29 of Round 1

Cheick Kongo def. Eric Smith via TKO (strikes) at 4:35 of Round 2

Marcin Held def. Nate Jolly via submission (armbar) at 4:20 of Round 1

Fabricio Guerreiro def. Shahbulat Shamhalaev via submission (kimura) at 3:29 of Round 1

Goiti Yamauchi def. Mike Richman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Austin Lyons def. Zach Underwood via technical decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Mike Wessel def. Justin Frazier via TKO (strikes) at 4:28 of Round 1

Ben Brewer def. Andy Uhrich via TKO (strikes) at 2:40 of Round 2

Codie Shuffield def. Anthony Lemon via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:15 of Round 2

Brian Hall def. Cortez Phelia via TKO (strikes) at :24 of Round 3

Read more at http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2014/0517/576156/bellator-ppv-results/#7oUiJuHmLlilaRsR.99

ROH / New Japan ‘War of the Worlds’ 5/17/14 Detailed Results

By
Brian Grey
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0

 

Ring Of Honor / New Japan Pro Wrestling ‘War Of The Worlds’ Results 5/17/14

Credit to Jesse Collings

We open up and we are live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. The place is jammed full and may very well be the biggest ROH card ever.

The Bullet Club comes down to the ring to a big pop. Anderson gets the microphone but is drowned out by AJ Styles chants. Anderson finally speaks and he says that the Bullet Club has arrived. He calls AJ Styles the greatest wrestler on earth and introduces him as the IWGP Champion. AJ takes the mic and loud “F TNA” chants take over the arena. AJ says that they are the Bullet Club, and while some may think he is the leader of the Club, the reality is nobody follows, we all lead.

Kazuchika Okada and Gedo come down to the ring. They get right in AJ’s face and AJ uses Anderson to translate for them. Anderson says that Gedo just said that The Rainmaker can beat him. AJ says a month ago he proved that he could not beat him. He says that he has his hands full with Elgin tonight, so he can’t deal with Okada tonight. Elgin then comes down to the ring alone. Elgin says a few weeks ago, he thought he was wrestling Okada tonight, but now he is wrestling AJ. He says he has a better idea. He calls Nigel McGuinness out and demands that the match become a triple threat match. The crowd goes wild at this thought.

McGuinness comes out and talks to the chairman of NJPW, Nigel grabs the mic and says that the only way to make this work is to make it a three way match. Nihel asks if it is okay with Okada and Elgin, and they agree immediatly. AJ is asked the same question, but he needs to huddle up with the Bullet Club to discuss it. He emerges from the huddle and says the Bullet Club is game. Nigel announces that tonight it will be Okada vs Elgin vs AJ for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

We go to Corino and Kelly and they talk about how bold Elgin is in making this match a triple threat match. Takaaki Wantanabe and Forever Hooligans come down for their six man tag match. ACH comes done by himself first, and then Matt Taven comes down. Tomaso Ciampa is the last one out of the curtain.

Tomaso Ciampa, Matt Taven and ACH vs Takaaki Wantanabe and Forever Hooligans

Ciampa and Kozlov start things of. Kozlov goes for a handshake but Ciampa doesn’t bite. Kozlov with a side headlock followed by a shoulder tackle. Ciampa gets up and answers with one of his own. Matt Taven comes in and Kozlov tags in Rocky Romero. They lock up and Romero hits a dropkick. He hits a kick in the chest and runs into a big boot by Taven, who follows it up with a missile dropkick. Romero gives him a hard right and eats an enzughiri for a two count.

Taven tags in ACH who comes off the top with a double axe handle. Romero tags in Wantanabe who scores with a shoulder tackle but eats a dropkick. The Hooligans run in and ACH has a dropkick for both of them. Wantanabe drags him down from the outside and starts stomping away on ACH as the Hooligans brawl with Ciampa and Taven. Thins settle back down and Romero comes in. A scoop slam and a splash by a tagged in Kozlov get him a two count. Kozlov hits a suplex and gets his Russian hat on. He does his dance/kick combo and stomps ACH in the head for a two count. Wantanabe comes in and hits a huge scoop slam on ACH for another two count.

ACH goes back into the enemy corner and Romero comes in and pounds away on ACH. Romero taunts the crowd and hits a running clothsline. He tries it again, but ACH cuts him off with a uranage slam. Ciampa gets the tag and him and a tagged in Kozlove go at it. Ciampa hits a german suplex and knocks Romero off the top rope. Ciamia hits two running knees on Romero and a Samoan Drop on Kozlov for a two count. Taven comes in and misses a spin kick and eats an enzughiri. Wantanabe and Romero come in and take out Ciampa and ACH. Wantanabe and the Hooligans triple team Taven. ACH and Romero then go at it, and Romero hits a kick to the face on Romoero. Ciampa comes in and hits a knee strike on Romero and a lariat on Kozlov. Wantanabe hits a rolling forearm on Ciampa, but ACH hits a double stomp to the back of the head. ACH then hits a huge running step up no-hands front senton onto the Hooligans. Taven comes in and hits the Climax on Wantanabe and gets the three count.

Winners: ACH, Tomaso Ciampa and Matt Taven

We get a video recap of The Decade taking out Cedric Alexander from last week.

The Decade come down, escorted by their “young boy” Adam Page. Whitmer and Strong will be wrestling this match for The Decade. Jado and Gedo are out next.

BJ Whitmer and Roderick Strong vs Gedo and Jado

Strong and Whitmer jump them to start and tee off on Jado and Gedo. They fight out of it and hit a double team move on Whitmer. Strong comes in and they double team him as well. Things settle back down and Gedo and Strong square off. Strong gets the better of him and tags in Whitmer. Whitmer slaps Gedo in the face. Strong comes back in and hits a backbreaker and flexes to the crowd. Strong locks in an abdominal stretch. Gedo fights out of it, but Strong cuts him off from tagging in Jado and tags in Whitmer. Whitmer continues the assault on Gedo and hits a snap suplex for a two count. Strong comes back in and locks in a rear chin lock. The crowd gets behind Gedo and he tries to fight out again, but Strong cuts him off a second time and keeps beating him down.

Whitmer comes in and hits a high elbow for another two count. Whitmer locks in a rear chinlock and again Gedo fights out of it. Whitmer lifts him up and hits a scoop slam. Whitmer climbs the top rope and misses an elbow drop. Gedo hits a snap suplex on Whitmer and both men are down. Jado and Strong come in and Jado cleans house with a back drop suplex. Whitmer comes in and they try to double team him but Gedo fights them both off. Gedo locks in a crossface on Strong, but Whitmer breaks it up. Whitmer breaks it up and Jado desposes of him outside the ring. Gedo comes in and hits a superkick on Strong for a two count. They go for a double team move, but The Decade cut them off and single out Gedo. Gedo eats a back suplex and Whitmer goes for a splash mountain bomb, but Gedo fights out of it. Jado nails Strong with a chair behind the refs back, Gedo goes for the cover but Strong kicks out. Whitmer comes in and takes out Gedo. Strong hits a double gut buster, Whitmer hits a lariat and strong nails the sick kick and gets the three count.

Winners: BJ Whitmer and Roderick Strong

After the match, a taped up Cedric Alexander comes out and takes out Strong and Whitmer. Jacobs gets involved and Alexander fights them off. Security comes in and separates the guys.

KUSHIDA comes out for his TV Title Match. Jay Lethal with Truth Martini come out next.

Match for ROH Television Championship: Jay Lethal vs KUSHIDA

They start off and KUSHIDA locks in a headlock and then hits a shoulder block and then Lethal hits dropkick. They both do some crazy fast moves the don’t result in anything but look really cool. Lethal ducks out of the ring and talks to Martini while KUSHIDA pumps it up in the ring. Lethal comes back in and they lock up and they tussle into the ropes. Lethal neglects to do a clean break and stomps KUSHIDA into the mat. KUSHIDA comes back and hits a high dropkick and sends Lethal to the outside. KUSHIDA chases him around the ring and KUSHIDA starts to go after MArtini, but Lethal comes in and hits a baseball slide on KUSHIDA. Lethal taunts the crowd and bounces KUSHIDA’s head off the apron. Lethal dumps KUSHIDA back into the ring and they both get up. KUSHIDA cuts him off and goes for a top rope move, but KUSHIDA is caught on the rope in the tree of woe.

Lethal nails him several times and unhooks him. Lethal hits a snapmare and locks in a rear chin lock. KUSHIDA fiths out of it and kicks Lethal in the face and then hits him several more times before hitting a springboard clothesline and then a high elbow, a lariat and then a standing moonsault for a two count. KUSHIDA hits a body slam and goes to the top. Lethal gets his knees up and blocks the moonsault by KUSHIDA and gets a two count. Lethal goes for the Lethal Combination, but KUSHIDA knocks him to the outside. Kushida climbs the turnbuckle and hits a monster tope con forearm off the top rope onto Lethal. Lethal tries to get back in the ring, but KUSHIDA hits him with a dropkick to the face and then a revolution DDT. KUSHIDA goes for the cover but Truth pulls the ref out of the ring. The ref sends Truth to the back and KUSHIDA hits a german suplex and and then a double axe handle. They brawl some more and Lethal chain wresltes in the LEthal Combination for a two count.

Lethal climbs to the top rope, but KUSHIDA catches him and meets him at the top. KUSHIDA and Lethal go way up and KUSHIDA hits a sky-high frankensteiner from the top rope for a near fall. KUSHIDA and Lethal both trade blows and KUSHIDA gets the better of it. Lethal cuts him off and nails an enzughiri. Lethal chops him into the ropes and hits a superkick. He hits the Lethal Injection and gets the three count.

Winner and STILL Champion: Jay Lethal

It should be noted that during this match, Steve Corino made about every offensive joke about Japanese people imaginable. Very uncomfortable moment.

The Briscoes come out for their IWGP World Tag Team Title match against The Bullet Club. Anderson and Gallows come out next.

Match for IWGP World Tag Team Championsip: The Briscoes vs Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows

The crowd impressively is split between the two teams. They both start brawling and Doc hits a huge body drop on Mark, but Jay comes in and makes the save. They clear the ring and Jay hits a big senton on the outside to Anderson and Gallows. Mark hits an elbow drop from the apron onto Anderson. They keep brawling on the outside. Anderson hits a european uppercut on Mark and they trade blows while Jay and Gallows work on the other side of the ring. They keep brawling on the outside of the ring and Gallows gets thrown into the timekeepers table. Gallows goes back in the ring and catches MArk Briscoe with a big boot and then an elbow drop. He pounds Mark in the corner and tags in Anderson.

Anderson hits a snapmare and then repeated knees to the face of Mark for a two count. Mark fights out of it and hits a vertical suplex. Gallows takes out Jay on the tag and pounds down Mark in the corner. Anderson comes back in and Mark and him trade blows. Anderson goes for the ten fists in the corner and bites Briscoe in the forehead. He sits him on the top rope and goes for a suplex. Mark fights out of it and knocks Anderson off the top with a headbut. Mark dives across from the top and tags in Jay. Jay comes in and lights Anderson up with right hands. He knocks Gallows down and Mark hits a running reverse neckbreaker on Gallows on the outside off the apron. Jay hits a neckbreaker on Anderson in the ring and gets a two count.

Jay gets him up in a firemans carry, but Anderson hits him with several european uppercuts and Gallows back drops Mark Briscoe onto the floor. Back in the ring, Jay goes for the J-Driller, but Gallows cuts him off and they double team Jay. Gallows hits a running splash, and then they connect on a double team, facebuster/running boot combo. Mark comes back in and cleans house. He cuts Gallows down with a series of chops and gets the tag from Jay. He boots Anderson into the corner and him and Jay double team Anderson. Mark climbs to the top and hits the froggy-bow for a two count.

They signal for the Doomsday Device, but Gallows nails Jay, and Anderson hits an ace crusher on Mark. They hit a double team facebuster/neckbreaker combo and get the three count.

Winners and STILL Champions: Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson

After the match both teams shake hands. Jay and Doc get into it a little bit, but Mark breaks them up and they leave the ring.

Shinsuke Nakamura comes out first for the next match and gets a big ovation from the crowd. Steen is out next.

Kevin Steen vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Crowd chants “this is awesome” before the match starts. They shake hands and Steen hits big right hand and they go nose to nose. They trade blows and Nakamura knocks him back into the corner and does the electric face wash in the corner. Steen gets up and says some things to Nakamura. Nakamura goes for a kick, but STeen catches his leg and hits a huge chop and then a shoulder tackle onto Nakamura. Steen works him into the corner and hits a back suplex for a two count. Steen hits an impressive dropkick and gets another two count. Steen brings him up and chops him again and takes him to the outside. Steen teases going outside, but Nakamura gets out of the way. Steen tries to come over anyways and Nakamura gets out of the way.

Nakamura throws him into the barricade and then hits a running knee to the back of his head. Nakamura tries for a knee drop on the apron, but Steen dodges it and then hits a powerbomb onto the apron. Both men struggle into the ring to beat the count. They trade blows in the ring and they go nose to nose again. Steen lights him up with a series of forearms, but Nakamura gets an enzughiri to go. They brawl into the corner, and Steen hits a rope-assisted DDT and then a senton for a two count. Steen signals for cannonball run, but misses and Nakamura does the electric facewash and then misses a running knee into the corner. Steen does the electric facewash himself and hits the cannonball for a two count.

Nakarmua connects with a kick to the face and then several knee strikes into the corner and sets Steen up on the top. Nakamura knees Steen in the gut and pushes him off the top and goes for the pin for a two count. Nakamura hits two more knee strikes and locks in a sleeper hold. Steen fights out of it, but Nakamura is able to re-apply it and brings Steen down to one knee. Steen gets out of it again and hits a brainbuster. The ref counts both men and Steen is up first and goes for the package piledriver. Nakamura powers out of it and hits a double lungblower and then a reverse exploding suplex. He goes for the shining wizard, but Steen connects with a pop-up powerbomb for a two count.

Nakamura backs him into the corner and sits Steen on the top. He goes for a superplex, but Steen powers it into a super falcon arrow for a two count. Steen calls for the package piledriver, but Nakamura slips out and hits a flying knee strike and then a shining wizard. He goes for the cover, but Steen pops out at one and gets right back up, Nakamura hits the ropes and delivers a second knee strike and gets the pinfall.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Steen awaits in the ring and grabs the mic. Steen says he has to make this quick because he thinks his jaw is dislocated. He says he has been in ROH for a long time, and one of the things he thinks people like about him is he is really genuinely. He says because of that it would be a lie to say he was happy here all the time, because he wasn’t. He says through the highs and the lows, he has always genuinely loved this place. Someone says “F You” and Steen calls the guy out. The crowd chants asshole and the guy leaves the arena.

Steen says that he has just lost two big matches, and those two losses and what he has felt for the last year and coupled with the fact that he has a family at home he needs to take care of. The bottomline is it is time for him to step away for a little bit. The crowd chants “No!” and Steen says its a good catchphrase but it isn’t going to change his mind. He is about to say he loves the NYC crowd, but Silas Young comes out.

Young gets in the ring and says that he wants to apologize for interrupting him. He says that he agrees with the fans, no, no, no. He says that they have a world champion that looks like a lady-boy, tag champions that look like they came off a Disney show, and a TV champion who runs around with a fruit. Silas says Steen is the only other real man in the locker room. Young calls him a p—y for quitting and thanking these fans. He says that he can quit, and maybe his son will grow up to be a quitter like him. Steen turns around and nails Young and they brawl in the ring as security drags them apart. They take Young out of the ring and Steen hits a senton off the ropes onto all of the security, but Young walks away unscathed to the back.

We then go to intermission. During intermission, we see the end of a match between Jushin Thunder Liger and Bryan Danielson. Adam Cole cuts a promo on Jushin Liger and we see the end of a match between Elgin and Styles from Baltimore. Michael Bennett is shown and he talks about retiring Jerry Lynn and Lance Storm. He has beaten the best, and tonight, he is going to beat Tanahashi tonight.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Michael Bennett

Bennett talks smack to Tanahashi and ducks out of the ring and makes out with Maria at ringside. Bennett mocks Tanahashi and gets back into the ring. They lock up and Tanahashi backs him into the ropes. Maria grabs his leg and Bennett takes advantage and levels Tanahashi. Tanahashi quckly reversed it and hits a arm drag and a dropkick. He follows it up with a scoop slam and climbs the second rope, but Bennett hits a side kick to the chest and knocks him to the chest. Bennett boots him in the face and tosses him into the guardrails. He does it again and tries it again, but Tanahashi reverses it and hits a cross body, knocking him into the guradrail. Bennett tries to crawl away and hides behind Maria and pushes her forward. Tanahashi catches her, but Bennett comes through and hits a clothesline.

Bennett takes Tanahashi back into the ring and covers him for a two count. Bennett kicks him in the face and tosses Tanahashi by the hair to the side. He chokes Bennett in the ropes and covers him again for a two count. Bennett catches him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and gets a two count. Bennett charges in and Tanahashi hits him with a dropkick to Bennett’s knee. Tanahashi hits a flying forearm, a high elbow and then a cross body block. Tanahashi slams him down and hits a senton atomico from the second rope for a two count. Tanahashi goes for a cloverleaf and Maria gets on the ropes and distracts Tanahashi. Tanahashi lets go and Bennett bumps Maria off the apron. Tanahashi goes for it again, but Maria comes back in.

Tanahashi lets go of the hold and puts Maria in the cloverleaf. Bennett hits a superkick and then a spinebuster on Tanahashi for a two count. He sits Tanahashi on the top ropes an goes for a superplex. Tanahashi fights out of it and knocks Bennett down. Tanahashi goes for hi-fly-flo but Bennett gets the knees up. Bennett hits a spear and only gets two on the pinfall attempt. Bennett locks in the anaconda vice on Tanahashi. Tanahashi rolls up Bennett, but the ref is distracted by Maria, who starts making out with the referee. Bennett hits a piledriver on Tanahashi and the Maria lets the ref to count the fall, but Tanahashi kicks out at two.

Bennett brings him to the apron and goes for the piledriver on the apron. Tanahashi gets out of it and hits a huge german supplex on the apron. Tanahashi climbs to the top and hits a crossbody to Bennett on the outside. Tanahashi tosses him back into the ring and hits the hi-fli-flo onto Bennett for the three count.

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tanahashi celebrates in the ring as the crowd chants “Please come back.”

reDragon come out for their tag team title match. Escorting them to the ring is UFC competitor Tom Lawlor. The Young Bucks come out and they get a big pop from the crowd.

Match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks vs reDragon

Before the match starts The Young Bucks nail Lawlor with a low blow and take out Fish. They double team O’Rielly and hit the double back rake on both of them. They hit dives to the outside and Matt Jackson climbs to the top rope, but Lawlor shakes the rope and Matt is hung on the top. Fish hits Matt Jackson with a knee to the back and they double team him. THey hit a bakcbreaker/knee drop combo for a two count. Jackson fights out of it and O’Rielly locks in an armbar, but Matt is able to get into the ropes. He hits a shoulderbreaker and tags in Fish and Fish’s awesome facial hair. Fish hits a helio on Matt for a two count. An arm wringer and a tag into O’Rielly who continues the beat down. Matt catches him charging in with the boot and frees himself and tries for the tag, but Lawlor had pulled Nick from the apron.

O’Reilly hits a Reagalplex for a two count and tags in Fish. Fish goes for a hanstand on the turnbuckle but Fish eats a ace crusher and Nick comes in. Nick clears house but Fish cuts him off. Nick hits a kick to Fish and then a tornado DDT off the apron to the outside to O’Rielly. He hits a the springboard facebuster for a two count. He hits a moonsault on the outside, but Fish catches him and rushes him into the guardrail. Matt hits a spear on Fish, and O’Rielly comes across the apron and tries a running knee, but Nick catches him with a superkick.

The bucks doubleteam Fish in the ring with a series of high impact moves. O’Rielly comes in and he eats a superkick. They hit their unique tombstone/superkick combo and get a two count. Both of them size up Fish, but O’Rielly catches them off and hits a double dragon screw. Matt goes to the outside and O’Rielly nails a running knee off the apron. Back in the ring, Fish hits a super falcon arrow onto Matt for a two count. Nick comes back and nails Fish and Matt nails O’Rielly. O’Rielly locks in a guillotine choke on Matt, but Nick breaks it up with a crazy 450 splash. Nick then dives to the outside onto Fish. They go for More Bang for Your Buck on O’Reilly, but O’Reilly catches Matt Jackson going for the 450 splash with a crazy triangle choke. Nick breaks it up, but they dispose of him quickly. They connect on Enter the Dragon, but Matt kicks out at two. O’Rielly goes into an armbar, and Matt has no choice but tap out.

Winner and NEW ROH World Tag Team Champions: reDragon

The last match was so fast paced that you really can’t get a good idea of what it was like unless you watched it. Very, very, very very good match.

ROH produces a special introduction for Liger. It is mainly a compilation of highlights and he comes to the ring for a huge pop. Adam Cole is out next to a chorus of boos.

Match for ROH World Championship: Adam Cole vs Jushin Thunder Liger

They shake hands to start. They lock up and Liger locks in a head scissors and then a hammerlock. He keeps Cole on the ground and locks in a headlock. Cole fights out of it and Liger completely outclasses Cole and Cole ducks out of the ring. Liger takes him out with a baseball slide, and then hits a cross body off the apron. Liger rolls Cole back in and locks in a surfboard. He changes it into a dragon sleeper and Cole fight out of it. Liger goes back into an abdominal stretch. Liger switches it into a rocking horse, and Cole wiggles to the ropes and breaks it by biting the rope. Liger applies an indian deathlock and Cole hits an elbow to the head to break the hold.

Liger hits some chops on Cole, but Cole ducks outside again. Liger misses with a baseball slide, and Cole unloads with a superkick. He throws Liger back into the ring and hammers away on Liger with right hands. He hooks the leg for a two count. Cole hits a snapmare and applies a rear chinlock. The crowd chants for Liger and he fights up to his feet and elbows his way out it, but Cole takes his hair and drags him back down. Cole hits a hard irishwhip into the corner and hits another one. Cole hammers Liger in the corner, but Liger explodes out of the corner with a rolling savate kick. Liger hits a running palm strike and sets Cole up and hits a supercanrana for a two count.

Liger goes for a brainbuster, but Cole blocks it and hits an enzughiri and a shining wizard for a two count. Cole pulls down his knee pad, but Liger gets up and nails a lariat. Liger climbs the top rope and hits a splash from the top for a two count. Liger connects with a brainbuster for a two count. Liger sits Cole on the top rope again, but Cole knocks him off the top. Cole comes off the top with a sunset flip for a two count. Cole hits a kick to the knee and then the figure fou r is applied.

Liger struggles in the hold and eventually gets to the ropes. Cole signals for the Florida Key, but Liger reverses it and goes for the Liger Bomb, but Cole slips out and hits a superkick for a near fall. Cole goes right back into the figure four, and Liger submits.

Winner and STILL Champion: Adam Cole

After the match, both men look at each other and the crowd thanks Liger. Liger hobbles over and extends his hand to Cole. Cole just raises his title belt and leaves the ring.

Michael Elgin comes out first for the main event. Okada comes out next in full Rainmaker get up and the crowd goes wild. AJ comes out last, and he is alone for his title defense.

Match for IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles vs Michael Elgin vs Kazuchika Okada

The match starts and Okada opens up on AJ. Elgin hits a big boot on AJ and Okada dropkicks him out of the ring. Okada and Elgin sqaure up and they trade holds. Okada locks in a top wrist lock and Elgin escapes and backs him into the ropes for a clean break. Okada hits a big kick to the face and they collide in the ring with neither man going down. Elgin catches Okada with a high elbow and Elgin goes for a stall suplex. AJ kicks Elgin down, but Elgin powers through and still holds Okada up. AJ chop blocks Elgin down and he collapses with Okada on top of him.

AJ hits a moonsault onto Okada and then a backbreaker onto Elgin. AJ works on Elgin’s leg. Elgin punches his way out of it, but AJ keeps working on his calf. AJ kicks him in the inside of the calf. Elgin tries to give himself some space and he does. AJ is on the apron and Elgin deadlift lifts him onto the top rope. Okada comes up behind Elgin and dropkicks both of them off the top rope and to the outside. Okada springboards to the outside and takes out Elgin. He hits a DDT on Elgin on the floor and goes and meets AJ in the ring. Okada slams him down and hits a helio for a one count.

Okada pounds away on AJ and hits a huge backdrop and then locks in a modified figure four. AJ scoots over to the ropes and breaks the hold. Okada knocks Elgin off the apron and goes over to AJ who tries a small package for a two count. They both get up and Okada hits a flapjack for a two count. OKada locks in a rear chinlock and lets go to meet Elgin on the top rope. Elgin shoves Okada off, but AJ cuts him off and goes to the top floor. Elgin dumps him off as well and hits a double shoulder tackle off the top onto both men. He tries to powerbomb Okada but AJ kicks him in the head. Elgin nails AJ and lifts up Okada in a firemans carry. He also picks up AJ and hits a fall-away slam/samoan drop combo. He nails both men with elbows and tosses AJ into Okada with a spear. He hits a deadlift german suplex for a two count on AJ.

ELgin hits a big boot to Okada nad tries a running knee, but Okada catches him with his modified neckbreaker. Okada goes into the corner, but Elgin hits him with an STO and then hits a double stabber on AJ from the top rope. He calls for the Elgin bomb, but Okada hits a big firemans suplex for a two count. Okada goes for a tombstone, but Elgin reverses it and hits a tombstone piledriver of his own. He goes for the cover, but he grabs his knee. AJ comes in and rolls into a calf killer on Elgin. Okada breaks up the hold and hits a nasty DDT on AJ for a two count. Okada goes to the top rope and hits a huge elbow drop. Elgin tries a backslide for a two count and hits a bunch of forearms on Okada. Elgin hits a huge lariat on Okada, who rolls out of the ring. Elgin goes over to the turnbuckle and tries the deadlift superplex on Okada. He gets him up nails it. AJ comes in and nails a 450 splash out of nowhere onto Elgin and he escapes with a two count.

AJ and Okada trade blows and AJ hits the Pele kick on Okada. He goes for Styles Clash but Okada fights out and catches him with the tombstone. Okada calls for the Rainmaker, but Elgin cuts him off with a discus forearm for a two count. Elgin hits the buckle bomb and then hits several knee strikes, but runs into the Rainmaker. AJ comes in and hits nails Okada withe the springboard forearm, knocking him out of the ring. AJ gets Elgin up and hits the Styles Clash to get the three count.

Winner and STILL World Champion: AJ Styles

After the match, Adam Cole runs in and smashes AJ, Okada and Elgin with the ROH World Title. He says he is the best in the world as the show goes off the air.

After the PPV went off the air, we see a vingentte of Christopher Daniels drinking an Appletini. He says he is coming back, and a mystery person is shown slapping hands with him. Daniels says he isn’t coming alone.

CM Punk Reveals When He’s Marrying AJ Lee

By
Brian Grey
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0

CM Punk was in the Chicago Cubs broadcast booth today to sing the 7th inning stretch. During the interview portion, Punk said that he’s been playing a lot of NHL ’94 on Sega Genesis during his off time and has won the Stanley Cup 18 times.
Punk also revealed that he “is getting married next month.” The camera then showed AJ Lee standing off to the side of the broadcast booth. You can check out video from his appearance below.

Read more at http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2014/0517/576149/cm-punk-reveals-when-he-marrying-aj-lee/#jxQWzVvB2xjity4J.99

Fighting Spirit Review: NOAH “THE FIRST NAVIGATION” on 1/12/14

By
Kevin Wilson
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0

Date: January 12th, 2014
Location: Yokohama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 400 (Super No Vacancy)

I had to backtrack a bit, as this show was released after others I had already reviewed. Events shown on Samurai! TV don’t have too much of a delay, but anything on G+ can be a few months behind. This is primarily for smaller shows and can be clipped or have matches missing, but I am being as much of a completist as possible so the smaller shows will still get reviewed. Here are the matches on the show I will be reviewing:

– Nakajima and Taiji Ishimori vs. Hajime Ohara and Takayama
– Daisuke Harada vs. KENTA
– Daisuke Sekimoto and Okabayashi vs. Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste
– Atsushi Kotoge, Mohammed Yone, and Marufuji vs. Kenou, Maybach Taniguchi, and Morishima

That wasn’t all the matches of course at the event, just the ones that made tape. This is obviously a ‘house show’ but that doesn’t mean the matches will be bad, so let’s see how NOAH does on their smaller shows.

Katsuhiko Nakajima and Taiji Ishimori vs. Ohara and Yoshihiro Takayama

Ishimori and Ohara start things off. Ohara pushes Ishimori into the ropes but he gives a clean break. Drop toehold by Ohara and he applies a side headlock, Ishimori gets out of it with a headscissors and both men return to their feet. Wristlock by Ohara, Ishimori reverses it, Irish whip by Ishimori, reversed, and Ohara hits an armdrag. Hurricanrana by Ishimori and he delivers a dropkick, sending Ohara out of the ring. Ishimori goes off the ropes but he does a fake dive when Ohara recovers. Ohara returns to the ring and tags in Takayama, and Ishimori tags in Nakajima. Nakajima and Takayama tie-up, Takayama pushes Nakajima into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Kick by Nakajima and he applies a side headlock, Irish whip by Takayama but Nakajima boots Takayama in the face. Kick to the back by Nakajima, but Takayama returns to his feet. They trade elbows, Nakajima goes off the ropes but Takayama catches him with a big boot. Nakajima rolls out of the ring to re-group but returns after a moment, waistlock by Nakajima but Takayama applies a wristlock. Nakajima rolls out of it and applies a wristlock, and Nakajima kicks Takayama in the arm. Another kick to the arm by Nakajima and he hits an armbreaker. Nakajima tags in Ishimori, Ishimori goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits an ax handle onto Takayama’s arm. Wristlock by Ishimori and he hits an armbreaker. Ishimori tags in Nakajima back in, and Nakajima kicks Takayama in the arm. Armbreaker by Nakajima but Takayama applies a sleeper. Takayama tags in Ohara, and Ohara kicks Nakajima in the stomach. Ohara rolls Nakajima into the corner and asks Ishimori to be tagged back in. Ishimori is, hammerlock by Ishimori but Ohara reverses it. Headscissors by Ohara but Ishimori gets into the ropes to force a break. Ohara hits Ishimori in the back and puts him on the apron, he then twists Ishimori in the ropes. Ohara goes off the far ropes and dropkicks Ishimori in the back. Cover, but it gets a two count. Ohara tags in Takayama, and Takayama clubs Ishimori in the back. Ishimori elbows Ohara and Takayama, Takayama picks up Ishimori, Irish whip, and Takayama hits a back bodydrop. Cover by Takayama, but it gets a two count. Takayama tags in Ohara, Ohara picks up Ishimori and hits a scoop slam. Ohara tags in Takayama, Takayama clubs Ishimori in the back and puts him in a backbreaker. Takayama releases the hold after a moment and he tags in Ohara.

Ohara picks up Ishimori, and he hits a backbreaker. Ohara picks up Ishimori and hits a vertical suplex. Single leg crab hold by Ohara but Nakajima breaks it up. Ohara picks up Ishimori and hits a suplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Ohara goes off the ropes but Ishimori ducks his attack, but Ohara applies the Muy Bien. Nakajima quickly breaks it up. Takayama picks up Ishimori and slams him in front of the corner. Ohara goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow drop to Ishimori’s back, cover, but it gets a two count. Ohara picks up Ishimori and throws him into the corner, Ohara gets a running start but Ishimori kicks Ohara back. Ishimori hits a reverse STO into the turnbuckles and makes the tag to Nakajima. Nakajima waits for Ohara to get up and hits a big boot in the corner followed by a one armed suplex. Nakajima goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Nakajima picks up Ohara and applies a sleeper, Irish whip by Nakajima, reversed, but Ohara hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Ohara tags in Takayama, Takayama picks up Nakajima and hits a scoop slam. Takayama picks up Nakajima and he hits a backdrop suplex. Cover, but Nakajima gets a shoulder up. Takayama stomps Nakajima in the back and hits a few elbows followed by a series of knees all to the back. Takayama grabs Nakajima and applies a waistlock, but Nakajima elbows out of it. Kicks by Nakajima but Takayama hits a hard knee to the midsection. Takayama tags in Ohara while Nakajima tags in Ishimori. Kick to the face by Ishimori, he charges Ohara in the corner and hits a double knee strike. Slam in front of the corner by Ishimori and he hits a doublestomp, cover, but it gets a two count. Ishimori goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving double knee strike, cover, but it only gets a two count. Ishimori picks up Ohara but Ohara elbows him off. Kick by Ohara and he hits a swinging side slam onto his knee. Cover, but Ishimori kicks out. Ohara picks up Ishimori, Irish whip, but Ishimori hits a handspring into a cutter. Nakajima comes in the ring, and they throw Ohara into the corner. Strikes by Ishimori and Nakajima, and Nakajima hits a backdrop suplex. Ishimori picks up Ohara and hits a double knee to Ohara’s chest, cover, but Takayama breaks it up. Ishimori picks up Ohara and slams him in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Ohara rolls out of the way of the 450 Splash. Ohara hits a tilt-a-whirl sitout side powerslam, cover, but it gets a two count. Ohara picks up Ishimori and gets him on his shoulders and hits a backbreaker, but Nakajima breaks it up. Ohara picks up Ishimori and goes for Muy Bien but Ishimori rolls him up with a Front Cradle for the three count. Your winners: Katsuhiko Nakajima and Taiji Ishimori

Match Thoughts: Not a bad match. It wasn’t overly exciting but Ohara and Ishimori did a good job at showing some emotion (they were the ones that seemed to not like each other) to make it more than just a nothing match. The back work on Nakajima was solid as was the work on Ishimori, and even though it was a mid-card match on an ‘off’ show the match had a good structure and ended right as it started to feel like it needed to end. Solid all the way around. Score: 6.0

Daisuke Harada vs. KENTA

KENTA and Harada circle each other to start, KENTA pushes Harada into the ropes but he gives a clean break. They trade elbow shots, side headlock by KENTA, Harada Irish whips out of it but KENTA hits a shoulderblock. They start trading elbows again, Harada goes off the ropes but KENTA hits a big boot. Harada fires back with a lariat and KENTA rolls out of the ring to re-group. KENTA slowly gets back into the ring, knee by Harada and he elbows KENTA in the back. Snapmare by Harada and he applies a reverse chinlock. KENTA gets out of it and applies a hammerlock, and KENTA knees Harada in the arm. Harada gets a foot on the ropes to force the break, and KENTA kicks Harada in the chest. Stomps by KENTA, Harada returns to his feet and they trade elbows and slaps. Hard slap by KENTA and he hits an elbow drop, cover, but it gets a two count. KENTA applies a reverse chinlock and then applies a camel clutch. Harada gets a foot on the ropes to force a break, KENTA stomps Harada in the back, KENTA picks him up and hits a scoop slam. Kick to the back by KENTA, Harada returns to his feet and KENTA slaps him. Kick to the chest by KENTA, Irish whip, and KENTA knees Harada in the stomach. Cover by KENTA but it gets a one count. KENTA pushes Harada in the corner and hits a hard elbow, more elbows by KENTA, he picks up Harada and hits a snapmare. Kick to the back by KENTA and KENTA applies a crab hold. Harada gets to the ropes to get the break, KENTA picks up Harada and they trade elbows. Uppercut by KENTA, Irish whip, reversed, and Harada hits an overhead suplex. Harada charges KENTA in the corner and hits a jumping elbow smash, scoop slam by Harada and he goes up to the second turnbuckle to hit a diving doublestomp. Dropkick by Harada, and KENTA falls out of the ring. Harada goes to the ropes and goes for a pescado but KENTA moves, so Harada crashes into the mat. KENTA throws Harada into the ringside table and then into the ring post.

KENTA picks up Harada, picks him up and slams him on the exposed floor, purposely missing the mat. KENTA picks up Harada and does it a second time. KENTA gets back in the ring and Harada slowly crawls back in as well, and KENTA kicks Harada in the head. Harada gets back to his feet and they start trading elbows. Boot by KENTA, he goes off the ropes and Harada hit a hard elbow. Harada goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow smash, cover, but it gets a two count. Harada picks up KENTA, he gets KENTA onto his shoulder and hits a death valley driver. Harada goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Harada picks up KENTA but KENTA elbows him off, Harada goes off the ropes but KENTA knees him in the stomach. KENTA picks up Harada, Irish whip, and he elbows Harada in the stomach again. Cover, but it gets a two count. KENTA goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving doublestomp, cover, but it gets a two count. KENTA goes up to the apron and hits a swandive missile dropkick. Big boot by KENTA in the corner and he follows up with a dropkick. KENTA picks up Harada, he puts Harada on his shoulders but Harada slides off. Elbow by KENTA and they trade elbows, KENTA goes off the ropes but Harada knees him in the face and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Harada picks up KENTA but KENTA gets into the ropes. Harada goes off the ropes and elbows KENTA in the back of the head, but KENTA hits a powerslam. KENTA picks up Harada but Harada elbows out of the Go 2 Sleep. Elbows by Harada, he goes off the ropes but KENTA catches him with a lariat. Cover, but it gets a two count. Harada gets up and hits KENTA as they trade slaps, which KENTA gets the better of. Harada gets back up and they trade slaps again, with again KENTA winning the battle. Back up they trade slaps again, KENTA slaps Harada to the mat and covers him, but it gets a two count. Lariat by KENTA, cover, but again it gets a two. KENTA picks up Harada and puts him on his shoulders, and KENTA nails the Go 2 Sleep. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: KENTA

Match Thoughts: While the winner was never in doubt, Harada shows a lot of fire and KENTA showed him some respect by not taking him likely. I loved KENTA intentionally slamming Harada on the exposed floor about one foot away from the mats, not just once but twice. It is logical, the exposed floor is right there, but wrestlers don’t usually do that. Harada was stubborn with the strike battles which did him in, he should have rolled away to re-group, not continuing to stand toe to toe with a better striker than he was. But he is new to NOAH, he will learn. Overall I thought this was a good match, I would have liked for Harada to have another hope spot at the end but it was still a lot of fun to watch. Score: 7.0

Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste

Okabayashi and Nicholls start things off. They immediately get into a shoving match and then start trading chops, Irish whip by Okabayashi but they collide with no result. Okabayashi goes off the ropes and shoulderblocks Nicholls to the mat. Nicholls rolls out of the ring to re-group but he returns after a moment. Tie-up, Okabayashi pushes Nicholls into the ropes and chops Nicholls in the chest. Wristlock by Okabayashi and he tags in Sekimoto, but Sekimoto gets away and tags in Haste. Sekimoto and Haste tie-up, Haste pushes Sekimoto into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Haste and Sekimoto tie-up, side headlock by Haste, Sekimoto Irish whips out of it but Haste shoulderblocks him down. Kick by Sekimoto, he trips Haste and he tags in Okabayashi. Okabayashi stomps on Haste, he takes him to the middle of the ring and kicks him in the leg. Okabayashi chops Haste in the chest and clubs him in the back. Okabayashi tags in Sekimoto, Sekimoto grabs Haste and throws him into the corner. Sekimoto stomps down Haste, he picks him back up and chops Haste in the chest. Irish whip by Sekimoto to the corner but Haste avoids Sekimoto when he charges in and dropkicks him in the back. Nicholls grabs Sekimoto from the floor and rams his leg into the ring post. Haste tags in Nicholls, and Nicholls knocks Okabayashi off the apron. Nicholls drops an elbow onto Sekimoto’s leg and applies a leglock before tagging in Haste. Haste slams Sekimoto’s leg into the apron and takes him outside of the ring. Haste drops Sekimoto knee-first onto the apron before returning into the ring. Haste uppercuts Sekimoto and he dropkicks Sekimoto in the knee. Haste tags in Nicholls, double Irish whip to Sekimoto and Nicholls hits a shoulderblock. Splash by Haste, cover by Nicholls but it gets a two count. Nicholls slams Sekimoto’s leg into the mat twice and applies a single leg crab hold, but Sekimoto makes it to the bottom rope. Nicholls picks up Sekimoto, throws him into the corner and tags in Haste. Nicholls throws Sekimoto out of the ring and Haste throws him into the crowd. Nicholls goes and gets Sekimoto, sliding him back into the ring. Nicholls is tagged back in and he stomps Sekimoto on the leg. Sekimoto chops Nicholls but Sekimoto chops him back. Nicholls knocks Sekimoto into the corner, Irish whip, but Sekimoto kicks Nicholls when he charges in and hits a spear.

Sekimoto makes the tag to Okabayashi, Okabayashi knocks Haste off the apron and chops Nicholls against the ropes. Irish whip by Okabayashi, reversed, but Okabayashi chops Nicholls to the mat. Okabayashi picks up Nicholls and hits a delayed vertical suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Okabayashi grabs Nicholls and puts him in a crab hold, but Haste breaks it up. Okabayashi chops Haste out of the ring and then applies the crab hold again to Nicholls, but Nicholls gets a hand on the ropes. Okabayashi grabs Nicholls and puts him on his shoulders, but Nicholls gets off and hits a spinebuster. Nicholls tags in Haste, and Haste dropkicks Okabayashi. Leg lariat by Haste in the corner and he hits a cannonball. Haste picks up Okabayashi and hits a Falcon Arrow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Nicholls comes in the ring, double Irish whip to the corner and they both hit strikes on Okabayashi in the corner. Double slam by Haste and Nicholls, cover, but Sekimoto breaks it up. Nicholls elbows Sekimoto out of the ring, while in the ring Haste uppercuts Okabayashi. Irish whip by Haste but Okabayashi shoulderblocks Haste to the mat and tags in Sekimoto. Sekimoto throws Haste into the corner, and Haste collapses onto the mat. Sekimoto puts Haste up on his shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker, and Okabayashi puts Nicholls into one as well. Nicholls gets away from Okabayashi and breaks up Sekimoto’s move, but Okabayashi throws Nicholls out of the ring. Double lariat by Sekimoto and Okabayashi onto Haste, and they hit a double backdrop suplex. Cover but Sekimoto but Haste kicks out. Sekimoto applies a Scorpion Deathlock to Haste, but Nicholls breaks it up. Okabayashi throws Nicholls out of the ring again, they pick up Haste but Haste elbows them both off. Sekimoto kicks Haste, Irish whip to the corner and Okabayashi hits a lariat. Sekimoto follows with a lariat of his own, Okabayashi slams Haste to the mat and Sekimoto hits a diving body press off the top turnbuckle. Cover, but it gets a two count. Sekimoto goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, but Haste comes back with an uppercut. Haste grabs Sekimoto and hits a Bomb Valley Death, cover, but it gets a two count. Haste goes up to the top turnbuckle but Sekimoto rolls out of the way of the Phoenix Splash. Sekimoto goes off the ropes and levels Haste with a lariat, cover, but Haste barely gets a shoulder up. Sekimoto grabs Haste and hits the German suplex hold, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi

Match Thoughts: I am surprised that the Big Japan team won, but it was a solid match. Nicholls and Haste are starting to grow on me, a lot of their matches are a bit similar but they always go at a great pace and have some high impact moves. The leg work on Sekimoto went nowhere at all but that is easier to overlook in a tag match since at least he had some time to recover on the apron. A good showing by the Big Japan team, Sekimoto/Okabayashi matches are almost always entertaining and this one was no different. A really solid heavyweight tag match. Score: 6.5

Atsushi Kotoge, Yone, and Marufuji vs. Kenou, Taniguchi, and Morishima

Morishima and company attack their opponents to start the match, with Morishima isolating Marufuji in the ring. Morishima picks up Marufuji, kick by Marufuji and he goes off the ropes, kicking Morishima again. Morishima hits a shoulderblock and he throws Marufuji out of the ring. Morishima goes out after Marufuji and with Kenou they kick on Marufuji. Morishima hits Marufuji around the ring while Kenou stacks chairs onto Kotoge before hitting the pile of chairs with another chair. Morishima and Marufuji get back in the ring, and Morishima tags in Taniguchi. Taniguchi stomps Marufuji, Irish whip, and Taniguchi hits a back elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Taniguchi clubs Marufuji in the back but Marufuji fights back and tags in Yone. Yone and Taniguchi tie-up, Taniguchi pushes Yone into the ropes but Yone switches positions with him. Irish whip but they collide with neither man going down. Taniguchi goes off the ropes but Yone hits a lariat. Yone picks up Taniguchi but Taniguchi chokes him down to the mat. Yone manages to tag in Kotoge while Taniguchi tagged in Kenou. Kotoge and Kenou face off and they trade elbows. Eye rake by Kenou and he kicks Kotoge in the chest. Dropkick by Kotoge and he throws Kenou out of the ring. Kotoge goes out after him and he throws Kenou into the ring post. Yone kicks Kenou outside of the ring, Kotoge grabs Kenou and slides him back into the ring. Kotoge applies a reverse chinlock to Kenou and tags in Marufuji. Marufuji dropkicks Kenou in the face from the apron before getting back into the ring and elbowing Kenou around the ring. They trade elbows and then kicks, but Marufuji throws Kenou in the corner and tags in Yone. Scoop slam by Yone and he hits a leg drop to Kenou. Kick to the back by Yone, he picks up Kenou and throws him into the corner. Yone tags in Kotoge, and Kotoge headbutts Kenou. Kotoge picks up Kenou, snapmare, and Kotoge dropkicks Kenou in the head. Kotoge goes up to the second turnbuckle but Taniguchi runs over and holds him, giving Kenou time to recover. Kenou slaps Kotoge from the top turnbuckle out to the floor, where Taniguchi greets him and throws Kotoge into the crowd. Morishima hits Kotoge with a kendo stick, Yone tries to help but he gets beat down as well. Taniguchi beats on Yone with a chair, while in the ring Kenou stomps Kotoge. Kenou picks up Kotoge and throws him into his corner before tagging in Taniguchi.

Taniguchi and Kenou stomp on Kotoge in the corner, Taniguchi picks up Kotoge and hits a scoop slam. Cover by Taniguchi, but it gets a two count. Taniguchi picks up Kotoge again but Kotoge elbows him back. Taniguchi tags in Morishima, and Morishima punches Kotoge in the corner. Irish whip by Morishima and he hits a lariat onto Kotoge. Morishima picks up Kotoge and hits a scoop slam. Kick to the arm by Morishima and he tags in Kenou. Double Irish whip to Kotoge and they hit a double elbow strike. Marufuji runs in the ring but Kenou fights him off. Taniguchi and Kenou stomp on Kotoge, Kenou picks up Kotoge and puts his leg into the ropes before kicking it. Taniguchi then hits Kotoge from the floor with a steel chair. Kenou picks up Kotoge but Kotoge elbows him off. Back kick by Kenou and he throws Kotoge in the corner before hitting a big boot. Kenou tags in Morishima and Morishima hits a running butt smash in the corner. Morishima then hits a second one, he picks up Kotoge and hits an exploder. Cover, but it gets a two count. Morishima tags in Taniguchi, Taniguchi picks up Kotoge and Taniguchi clubs him in the back. Back elbow by Kotoge but Taniguchi hits a shoulderblock. Stomps to the back by Taniguchi, he goes off the ropes but Kotoge drops him onto the second rope and kicks Taniguchi in the back of the head. Kotoge crawls to his corner and tags in Yone, and Yone lariats Taniguchi in the corner. Irish whip by Yone, reversed, and Taniguchi hits a lariat. Yone fires back with an elbow and they trade shots, kick by Taniguchi and he goes off the ropes but Yone catches him with a jumping kick. Guillotine leg drop by Yone, cover, but Taniguchi gets a shoulder up. Yone goes for a kick but Taniguchi catches it and rakes Yone in the eyes. German suplex by Taniguchi, Yone falls into the corner and Taniguchi hits a lariat followed by a powerslam. Cover by Taniguchi, but Yone kicks out. Taniguchi picks up Yone and goes for a chokeslam but Yone armdrags out of it. High kick by Yone and he tags in Marufuji. Kick to the head by Marufuji to Taniguchi and they trade elbows. Taniguchi goes off the ropes but Marufuji hits a lariat. Marufuji picks up Taniguchi and chops Taniguchi into the corner. Irish whip by Marufuji and he hits a jumping elbow strike. Snapmare by Marufuji and he hits a jumping doublestomp to Taniguchi’s head. Cover, but it gets two. Marufuji picks up Taniguchi and goes for the Shiranui but Taniguchi pushes him off. Kick combination by Marufuji, cover, but it only gets a two count. Marufuji picks up Taniguchi and goes for it again but Taniguchi pushes Marufuji into the referee. Taniguchi goes for a chokeslam, Marufuji gets out of it but Taniguchi catches him with a powerbomb. Taniguchi gets his big stick and hits Marufuji in the corner with it while everyone else brawls at ringside. Taniguchi picks up Marufuji and he hits a chokeslam. Cover, but Kotoge breaks it up.

Taniguchi picks up Marufuji and goes for a powerbomb but Marufuji gets out of it and hits a Shiranui. Marufuji tags in Kotoge while Kenou is tagged in as well, Kenou goes for a kendo stick shot but Kotoge kicks him in the face. Kotoge picks up Kenou and throws him into the corner, Kotoge goes to the second rope and chokes Kenou over the top rope. Kotoge goes up on the apron but Kenou kicks him, he goes off the ropes but Kotoge rolls in the ring and hits a cutter. Cover, but it gets a two count. Snapmare by Kenou but he misses the big kick. Low blow by Kenou to Kotoge and he hits a double knee in the corner followed by a dropkick to the face. Cover, but it gets a two count. Ankle hold by Kenou to Kotoge but Kotoge hits an enzigieri to get out of it. Marufuji and Yone run into the ring and they triple team Kenou. Swandive body press by Kotoge, cover, but it gets two. Kotoge goes off the ropes and hits a swinging leg kick, cover, but it also gets two. Kotoge picks up Kenou and goes for the Killswitch, but Kenou gets out of it and kicks Kotoge in the chest. Headbutt by Kotoge, he goes off the ropes but Taniguchi hits him from the apron. Kenou tags in Morishima, and Morishima hits Kotoge in the chest with a kendo stick. Cover by Morishima, but Kotoge kicks out. Morishima goes for a lariat but Kotoge catches him with a backslide for a two count. Kicks by Kotoge to the head, cover, but again it gets two. Kotoge picks up Morishima and goes for the Killswitch but Morishima elbows out of it. Headbutts by Kotoge, he goes off the ropes but Morishima catches him with a lariat. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Kenou and Taniguchi come in the ring, and Taniguchi hits a chokeslam onto Kotoge. Morishima follows with a lariat, cover, but the pin is broken up. Yone and Marufuji Irish whip Morishima, but he knocks them both down with a double lariat. Morishima picks up Kotoge and plants him with the backdrop suplex, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Kenou, Maybach Taniguchi, and Takeshi Morishima

Match Thoughts: Probably the worst match on the card, not to say it was terrible but it definitely dragged in parts. The Morishima Army is fine when they are able to mix up the action, but a few sections in the middle lost me a bit as not a whole lot was going on. Kotoge did a great job playing the face in peril and all the wrestlers got involved to at least some degree, but not everyone seemed needed (Yone in particular was a non-factor in the match). It did set up well that the Morishima Army was the leading faction in NOAH and to their credit no one was half-assing it, it just lost its momentum at times as the offense got a bit lackluster. Not a bad match or anything but a step down from some of the other Morishima Army matches I have seen. Score: 5.5

Final Thoughts:

Best Match: Daisuke Harada vs. KENTA. Harada ranks quite a bit lower than KENTA so there is no way that he was going to win this match, but he showed a lot of fire while making some ‘rookie’ mistakes that helped led to his downfall. Harada didn’t have any real convincing near falls but he always seemed to be right on the cusp of pulling off the upset, which a lot of times in these types of matches is all you can hope for. KENTA seemed really motivated, I’d imagine working with newer young wrestlers is more fun than wrestling against the same person for the 100th time. Overall a very entertaining match.

MVP: Atsushi Kotoge. I think I have made him the MVP on other NOAH cards, but any time he is in a big match he delivers. Some of his offense is a bit contrived but he sells really well and his ‘comeback’ spots always deliver. I am not sure long-term what his ceiling is as he is a smaller wrestler, but he is very good at what he does.

Overall:  A very solid house show, really just being held back due to small number of matches and average main event. I will give the wrestlers credit – sometimes on New Japan house shows the wrestlers seem to just be going through the motions but I couldn’t tell any difference here when comparing to the bigger NOAH events. The wrestlers were still giving it their all, which obviously as a fan I appreciate. There wasn’t a real blow-away match but KENTA/Harada was quite good and none of the matches were stinkers. Probably just for major NOAH fans since there were only four matches taped, but not a bad card.

Grade: C-

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