Date: January 3rd, 2015
Location: Tokyo Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,700
This is not a real card, as you probably noticed. Before their Tokyo Dome event, New Japan had a big festival that had announcements, contract signings, etc. As part of that, towards the end they had a couple of matches as well, featuring wrestlers that didn’t have matches the next night at the Dome. Here is the full card:
– Jushin Liger, Sho Tanaka, and Yohei Komatsu vs. Taka Michinoku, Taichi, and El Desperado
– Manabu Nakanishi and Captain New Japan vs. Yuji Nagata and Tiger Mask
Shortest review ever!
Jushin Liger, Sho Tanaka, and Yohei Komatsu vs. Taka Michinoku, Taichi, and El Desperado
Desperado attacks Liger outside of the ring before they even get started, and everyone battles outside the ring. Desperado and Liger eventually get in the ring and Desperado goes for Liger’s mask. Desperado throws the referee out of the ring and gets some scissors, but Liger gets them away and hits Desperado with them. No one told these two this is just a friendly promotional match. Tanaka and Komatsu come in to help and Tanaka puts Desperado in a crab hold. Desperado dumps Tanaka out of the ring, where Taichi attacks him with the bell hammer. Liger comes over and Taichi smacks him as well with it. Back in the ring Desperado tags in Taichi, Irish whip by Taichi and he hits a back bodydrop. Taichi puts Tanaka in a single leg crab hold but Komatsu breaks it up. Desperado swings Komatsu and Tanaka around the ring (literally), Tanaka is thrown in the corner and Taichi and Michinoku both hit strikes. Liger comes in but Desperado ducks his charge and Liger tumbles out of the ring. Desperado then sails out onto him with a tope con hilo, while in the ring Michinoku kicks at Tanaka. Leg lariat by Michinoku but Tanaka kicks out. Tanaka dropkicks Michinoku and makes the hot tag to Komatsu. Desperado is also tagged in and Komatsu knocks Desperado to the mat. Elbow smash by Komatsu but he gets a two count. Komatsu and Tanaka dropkick Desperado, Tanaka applies a cross armbreaker, but Taichi and Michinoku come in to help. Spear by Desperado to Komatsu, Desperado picks up Komatsu and plants him with the Guitarra de Angel for the three count. Michinoku, Taichi, and Desperado are the winners. This was so much more of a hateful match than I was expecting. Desperado was flying around the ring, I mean they used scissors. Not what I was expecting, but in a good way, just wish it was longer. Score: 7.0
Manabu Nakanishi and Captain New Japan vs. Yuji Nagata and Tiger Mask
Nakanishi and Nagata start things off. They trade old man submission holds and then go into the Test of Strength. Elbows and chops are exchanged before Nagata dropkicks Nakanishi in the leg and dropkicks him. Nakanishi trips Nagata and they both tag out. Captain New Japan and Tiger Mask go back and forth until Nagata kicks Captain New Japan from behind. Captain New Japan hits a double shoulderblock and tags in Nakanishi, and they hit a double shoulderblock on Tiger Mask. Nakanishi clubs Tiger Mask, Nagata comes in but Nakanishi throws Nagata back out. Captain New Japan elbows Tiger Mask and gets a two count cover. Captain New Japan tags in Nakanishi and Nakanishi chops Tiger Mask in the head. Tiger Mask knocks down Nakanishi but Captain New Japan runs in to stop the hot tag. Unfortunately Nakanishi accidentally lariats Captain New Japan and Tiger Mask tags in Nagata. Nagata boots Nakanishi and repeatedly kicks him, but Nakanishi hits a lariat. Another lariat by Nakanishi and he puts Nagata an Argentine Backbreaker but Nagata gets out of it. Nakanishi tags in Captain New Japan and Nagata is attacked in the corner. Captain New Japan goes up top but Nagata avoids the diving headbutt. Tiger Mask comes in and kicks Captain New Japan into the corner, high kick by Tiger Mask and Nagata hits a big boot. Diving headbutt by Tiger Mask, cover by Nagata but Captain New Japan kicks out. Nagata Lock by Nagata but Nakanishi breaks it up. Hirai End by Captain New Japan, but Nagata kicks out. Tiger Mask comes back and kicks Captain New Japan but Captain New Japan fights them both off. Nagata knees Captain New Japan in the corner and hits a brainbuster, backdrop hold by Nagata and he gets three. Your winners are Yuji Nagata and Tiger Mask. This one wasn’t quite as good as the last, but I liked Captain New Japan getting a fair amount of offense and no one was coasting like I thought may happen. So nothing great but no complaints. Score: 5.5
Final Thoughts:
I went in expecting to see veterans just coasting along to put on a bit of a show for the live crowd. While there may have been some of that, for the most part I thought they did put some effort into making the matches entertaining. While obviously not a full event, and I wouldn’t go out of my way to find these matches, it wasn’t a bad showing.
Grade: N/A
Kevin Wilson of Puroresu Central
