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–
