WRESTLE-1 “After OUTBREAK” on 3/22/14
Date: March 22nd, 2014
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall
Announced Attendance: 1,200
It has been a bit now since we last visited WRESTLE-1. This is their first televised event since the big Sumo Hall event earlier in March. The event is highlighted by a TNA X-Division Championship match, with the rest of the matches being the usual W-1 offering. Here is the full card:
– NOSAWA Rongai and MAZADA vs. Ryota Hama and Andy Wu
– KAZMA SAKAMOTO vs. Koji Kanemoto
– Hiroshi Yamato and Daiki Inaba vs. Yoshihiro Takayama and Rob Terry
– Danshoku Dino vs. Minoru Tanaka
– Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Yuji Hino
– Gabaiji-chan vs. Masakatsu Funaki
– Kazushi Miyamoto vs. Masakatsu Funaki
– KAI, Masayuki Kono, and René Duprée vs. Manabu Soya, Kaz Hayashi, and Shuji Kondo
– TNA X-Division Championship: Seiya Sanada vs. Seiki Yoshioka
Well this will be…. interesting. Onto the matches!
NOSAWA Rongai and MAZADA vs. Ryota Hama and Andy Wu
MAZADA and Wu start things off. Wu ducks a MAZADA lariat to start the match, takedown by Wu and he goes off the ropes, armdrag by Wu and he hits a dropkick. Wu picks up MAZADA, MAZADA goes off the ropes and Wu hits a bodyscissors into a face crusher for a two count. Wu tags in Hama and Hama throws MAZADA to the mat. MAZADA tags in NOSAWA, NOSAWA circles Hama and applies a waistlock, but he can’t move Hama. NOSAWA tries to pick up Hama but it doesn’t work, and Hama hits a scoop slam onto NOSAWA. Hama waits for NOSAWA to get up and he goes into a sumo stance, so NOSAWA does as well. NOSAWA changes his mind but they go back into the sumo stance again, and Hama throws NOSAWA to the mat. MAZADA comes into the ring with a hula hoop and gives it to Hama, Hama tries to hula hoop but he can’t do it. Kick by MAZADA, he picks up the hoop and he chokes Hama with it. Double Irish whip to Hama, MAZADA and NOSAWA pancake but Hama squashes both of them. Hama tags in Wu, Wu picks up NOSAWA, Wu goes off the ropes but he is tripped from the floor. NOSAWA tries to knock Hama off the apron but he bounces back. Double team on Wu, cover by NOSAWA but it gets a two count. NOSAWA picks up Wu, double Irish whip to Wu but he hits a double dropkick on both of them. Wu tags in Hama but he is dropped by a double drop toehold. NOSAWA tries to Irish whip Hama out of the corner, but it is reversed and Hama hits a body avalanche on NOSAWA in the corner. Wu hits a pescado onto MAZADA while in the ring Hama hits a running butt smash. Hama picks up NOSAWA but MAZADA rakes his eyes from behind. Double superkick to Hama, NOSAWA goes off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip, MAZADA tries to shoulderblock Hama over but he doesn’t budge. Hama Ass by Hama, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Ryota Hama and Andy Wu
Match Thoughts: A pretty lackluster comedy match. I think it was a comedy match, I mean Hama wins every match by sitting on his opponents and yet they keep going for sunset flips anyway. It had its humorous moments but overall there wasn’t much to it. Score: 4.0
KAZMA SAKAMOTO vs. Koji Kanemoto
They circle each other to start, tie-up, KAZMA pushes Kanemoto into the ropes and kicks him in the stomach. KAZMA leaves the ring for a moment but returns on his own, tie-up, Kanemoto gets KAZMA into the ropes but again KAZMA kicks him and gets out of the ring. Kanemoto goes out after him this time but KAZMA rolls back into the ring. KAZMA kicks Kanemoto as he returns, he goes off the ropes but Kanemoto delivers a kick combination. KAZMA bites Kanemoto’s hand, armdrag, and KAZMA applies a stretch hold. Kanemoto rolls out of it and hits a monkey flip. Back kick by Kanemoto and he hits a jumping knee. Face wash by Kanemoto to KAZMA and he hits two running boots. He goes for a third but KAZMA gets up, and KAZMA punches Kanemoto in the face. Irish whip by KAZMA to the corner but Kanemoto avoids KAZMA’s attack. KAZMA knocks Kanemoto to the mat and chokes him. KAZMA goes for a suplex near the ropes, Kanemoto blocks it but KAZMA manages to suplex Kanemoto from inside the ring down to the floor. KAZMA leaves the ring, elbows by KAZMA and he clubs Kanemoto in the back. KAZMA slides Kanemoto back into the ring, he picks him up but Kanemoto punches KAZMA in the stomach before hitting him in the face. Cover, but it gets a two count. Stomps by KAZMA and he hits a falling headbutt. Another headbutt, cover, but it gets a two count. Bodyscissors by KAZMA but Kanemoto elbows out of it. Mongolian Chops by KAZMA, he goes up to the second turnbuckle but Kanemoto kicks him as KAZMA jumps off. Enzigieri by Kanemoto, kicks to the leg by Kanemoto but KAZMA kicks him back. KAZMA goes off the ropes but Kanemoto kicks him and applies an ankle hold. KAZMA kicks Kanemoto off but KAZMA hits an inside cradle for a two count. KAZMA goes for a schoolboy but Kanemoto rolls through it. Kick to the head by KAZMA, cover, but it gets a two count. KAZMA picks up Kanemoto and goes for a scoop slam, Kanemoto gets out of it and applies a waistlock, reversed, but KAZMA hits Kanemoto low. Inside cradle by KAZMA but it gets a two count. KAZMA goes for a double knee but Kanemoto ducks, scoop slam by Kanemoto, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving headbutt. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kanemoto picks up KAZMA and hits a scoop slam, KAZMA gets back up but Kanemoto hits a kick combination. Kanemoto goes off the ropes but KAZMA catches him with a lariat, cover, but it gets a two count. KAZMA picks up Kanemoto and hits a scoop slam, but Kanemoto grabs his leg and applies the ankle hold. KAZMA can’t make it to the ropes and he is forced to tap out. Your winner: Koji Kanemoto
Match Thoughts: Not bad but not great either. I know Kanemoto likes the ankle hold, which is great, but I really wish he would do some leg work leading up to it. It doesn’t have to be ten minutes of stuff, just… something. KAZMA didn’t show much here, I am not sure if he just doesn’t have anything to show or is just trying to be a ‘heel’ so he doesn’t do any real offense. Just an average match. Score: 5.0
Hiroshi Yamato and Daiki Inaba vs. Yoshihiro Takayama and Rob Terry
These teams seem horribly mismatched on paper. Yamato and Terry start things off. Tie-up, and Terry throws Yamato to the mat. Yamato gets back up, tie-up, and Terry throws Yamato to the mat again. Kick by Yamato, he goes off the ropes but Yamato can’t knock Terry down. Yamato goes off the ropes again with the same result, he tries a third time but Terry shoulderblocks him down. Back bodydrop by Terry and Yamato tags in Inaba. Inaba clubs at Terry but Terry easily knocks him to the mat. Irish whip by Terry, Inaba dives at Terry but Terry doesn’t go down. Inaba jumps on Terry’s back, Yamato runs in the ring but Terry lariats him while Inaba is still on his back. Terry tags in Takayama and drives Inaba back into the turnbuckles. Takayama gets into the ring and he clubs Inaba in the back. Takayama picks up Inaba and hits a headbutt. Irish whip by Takayama and he hits a back bodydrop. Takayama picks up Inaba again and he clubs him in the corner. Yamato runs in but Takayama headbutts him and throws Inaba near the ropes so he can choke him with his boot. Scoop slam by Takayama and he tags Terry back in. Inaba clubs at Terry but Terry picks him up and hits a scoop slam. Elbow drop by Terry and he tags in Takayama. Takayama picks up Inaba and rakes him in the eyes. Chops by Inaba which have no impact, and Takayama hits Inaba to the mat. Inaba goes off the ropes but Takayama hits him with a big boot. Takayama throws Inaba into the corner and tags Terry back in. Terry picks up Inaba and hits a shoulderblock before applying an arm lock. Takayama picks up Inaba and twists on his arm. Club to the back of the head by Terry, he picks up Inaba and throws him in the corner before tagging in Takayama. Takayama pushes his boot into Inaba’s face until Yamato breaks it up. Takayama pushes Yamato back and throws Inaba out of the ring.
Terry throws Inaba back in, Inaba chops at Takayama but Takayama headbutts him to the mat. Stomps by Takayama, he picks up Inaba and chops him back down. Headbutt by Takayama but Inaba chops him back. Takayama throws Inaba in front of the corner and tags in Terry. Terry picks up Inaba and punches him back into the corner. Clubs by Terry, Irish whip, but Inaba kicks Terry back when he charges in. Elbows by Inaba to Terry and hits a dropkick. Terry doesn’t go down, Inaba kicks Terry and dropkicks him again. Inaba tags in Yamato and Yamato hits a leg lariat onto Terry. He hits a second one, and a third but Terry stays up. Yamato and Inaba both go off the ropes and hit a double dropkick, finally sending Terry to the mat. Double Irish whip attempt to Terry, he blocks it, waistlock by Inaba as Yamato goes up to the top turnbuckle but Terry knocks Inaba off. Missile dropkick by Yamato, which sends Terry back into the corner so he can tag in Takayama. Yamato delivers a jumping kick to Takayama, Takayama throws him into the corner but Yamato moves out of the way and hits a shoulderblock. Scoop slam by Yamato, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a senton. Cover, but it gets a two count. Yamato picks up Takayama and applies a waistlock but Takayama doesn’t go over. Yamato goes off the ropes but Takayama knees him in the stomach. Takayama picks up Yamato and hits a backdrop suplex. Cover, but Inaba breaks it up. Clubs to the back by Takayama to Inaba, he picks up Yamato and slams him in front of the corner. Leg drop by Takayama, cover, but Terry had tagged himself back in. Terry picks up Yamato and hits a running powerslam. Cover by Terry and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Yoshihiro Takayama and Rob Terry
Match Thoughts: I was right, this was a mismatch. This was just done to set up Takayama vs. Terry, who never got along during the match and got into a fight after the match. This was done at the expense of poor Yamato who apparently is going to stay a bottom feeder in W-1. Inaba is a rookie so such treatment is to be expected, but Yamato has been wrestling for seven years and had multiple title reigns in All Japan so it is a bit surprising. As for the match it was mostly a squash, but the comeback spots by the smaller team were done well and once the slow plodding part was over the end was entertaining. Score: 5.5
Danshoku Dino vs. Minoru Tanaka
Dino goes to the mat to start the match while Tanaka complains to the referee. Waistlock by Tanaka, Dino reverses it into a wristlock but Tanaka rolls out of it. Dino reverses it but Tanaka escapes, and both men face off again. Kick to the stomach by Tanaka and he applies a side headlock but Dino reverses the hold. Tanaka Irish whips out of it and the two collide with neither wrestler going down. They do it again, Dino goes off the ropes, pancake by Tanaka but Dino jump down on top of him and Tanaka scurries out of the ring. Tanaka returns after a moment, kick by Dino, snapmare by Dino and he I guess tickles Tanaka. Dino goes off the ropes and hits a headbutt to the groin. Testicular Claw by Dino and Tanaka escapes from the ring again. Dino chases Tanaka around the ring and catches him, but Tanaka slides Dino into the ring. Tanaka gets back in, kick to the chest by Tanaka but Dino hits a Dragon Screw Testicle Whip. Vertical suplex by Dino and he hits a knee drop. Dino drops his pants and tries to sit on Tanaka’s face and he finally does, but it only gets a two count. Dino goes up to the top turnbuckle but Tanaka punches him while he is up top and goes up as well. Superplex by Tanaka, cover, but it gets a two count. Tanaka goes up to the top turnbuckle while Dino encourages him, so Tanaka climbs back down. Dino charges Tanaka, Tanaka moves and Dino kisses the referee instead. Jumping kick by Tanaka and he hits a brainbuster. Cover, but the referee is still recovering. Tanaka goes over to the referee but Dino hits Tanaka from behind. Dino hits the Lip Lock Tanaka which somehow knocks him out, Dino starts untying Tanaka’s pants but the referee stops him. Tanaka climbs into the ropes as Dino claws at his tights, then Dino grabs the referee. The referee has seen enough and calls for the DQ. Your winner: Minoru Tanaka
Match Thoughts: Not really my thing. I guess the appeal here is to see Tanaka in a situation that he isn’t usually in, being in the ring with a wrestler of Dino’s…. style. But even for a Dino match it was a bit goofy and the non-finish wasn’t overly satisfying since Dino doesn’t usually go that route (getting DQed intentionally). So not a big fan of the match even if it was unique. Score: 3.5
Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Yuji Hino
Tie-up to start, Hino pushes Nakanoue against the ropes and he gives a clean break. Tie-up again, Hino pushes Nakanoue into the corner but again he gives him a clean break. Side headlock by Nakanoue, reversed by Hino into a hammerlock, and Hino smacks Nakanoue in the butt. Irish whip by Hino but they collide with no result. Nakanoue goes off the ropes again with the same result. Nakanoue tries again but Hino knocks him down with a hard shoulderblock and hits a fist drop. Nakanoue goes off the ropes but Hino throws him out of the ring. Hino goes out of the ring after him and Hino chops Nakanoue in the chest. Hino takes Nakanoue back towards ringside and throws him onto the floor. Nakanoue fights back but Hino chops him in the chest. Club to the back by Hino, he picks up Nakanoue and slides him back into the ring. Hino goes back into the ring as well and throws Nakanoue into the corner. Chop by Hino but Nakanoue comes out of the corner and fights back. Hino chops Nakanoue down but Nakanoue gets back up. They do this again, elbows by Nakanoue and kicks and he applies a double underhook, but Hino back bodydrops out of it. Hino picks up Nakanoue and chops him back into the corner. Irish whip by Hino to the corner but Nakanoue moves when he charges in. Irish whip by Hino but Nakanoue hits a jumping lariat. Butterfly suplex by Nakanoue, he goes off the ropes and hits the Bombs Away. Cover, but Hino kicks out at two. Nakanoue goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow drop. Nakanoue waits for Hino to get up and goes off the ropes, Hino knocks him back and chops Nakanoue in the chest, and they trade strikes. Hino wins the battle but Nakanoue gets back up and Hino chops Nakanoue into the ropes. Elbows by Nakanoue, he goes off the ropes but Hino catches him and hits a Samoan Drop. Cover, but Nakanoue gets a shoulder up. Hino picks up Nakanoue and hits a lariat, cover, but it gets two as well. Irish whip by Hino and he hits a hard lariat, cover, but Nakanoue kicks out at two. Hino grabs Nakanoue and drops him with the Fucking BOMB, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Yuji Hino
Match Thoughts: Not as good as I was hoping it would be, being a new Hino fan, but not bad. Part of the issue is I never felt that Nakanoue had a real chance of winning; he was just too man-handled during the first half of the match. Hino messed around most of the match but the way things went in the last 30 seconds implied that he could have destroyed Nakanoue at any time. Nakanoue plays a fine underdog but something was just lacking here. Still a solid match, but nothing more than that. Score: 6.0
Gabaiji-chan vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Gabaiji-chan walks around with his cane to start the match and weakly kicks at Funaki but Funaki catches one and trips Gabaiji-chan. Cross kneelock by Funaki but Gabaiji-chan gets his cane onto the ropes. Gabaiji-chan pokes Funaki with his cane but Funaki takes it from him and throws it out of the ring. Gabaiji-chan tries to leave the ring but Funaki grabs him, Gabaiji-chan goes off the ropes and he dropkicks Funaki. Swandive body press by Gabaiji-chan, cover, but it gets a two count. Gabaiji-chan goes for a chokeslam but Funaki kicks him back, snapmare by Funaki and he delivers a PK. Funaki picks up Gabaiji-chan and hits a few knees followed by a high kick. The referee declares that Gabaiji-chan is out cold. Your winner: Masakatsu Funaki
Funaki tells Miyamoto to get into the ring, and he does.
Kazushi Miyamoto vs. Masakatsu Funaki
They circle each other to start and Funaki kicks Miyamoto in the legs. Kick to the chest by Funaki and Miyamoto rolls out of the ring. Miyamoto gets back into the ring after a moment, and Funaki kicks Miyamoto into the corner. Kicks to the chest by Funaki, he drags Miyamoto out of the corner and he hits a series of mounted punches. Miyamoto hits a low blow from behind, atomic drop by Miyamoto and he hits the Million Dollar Driver. Mounted punches by Miyamoto and a vertical suplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Miyamoto goes off the ropes but Funaki hits a snapmare and kicks Miyamoto in the chest. Miyamoto goes for another low blow but Funaki avoids it and hits the Hybrid Buster. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Masakatsu Funaki
Match Thoughts: This was mostly for storyline reasons as Miyamoto kept paying off people to fight Funaki, but finally he had to fight him himself. It didn’t go very well. Since Miyamoto had been kept pretty strong I am surprised that he was put away so easily after all of that, but I guess losing to Funaki isn’t really going to hurt him. Not much of a match however, I think that Miyamoto and Funaki could have a good match if they were given more time. Score: 5.5
KAI, Masayuki Kono, and René Duprée vs. Manabu Soya, Kaz Hayashi, and Shuji Kondo
KAI and Soya start things off, trading elbows back and forth. Irish whip by Soya but they collide with neither man going down. KAI goes off the ropes but they collide again with no result. They do this a few more times until finally Soya shoulderblocks KAI to the mat. Soya goes off the ropes but KAI nails him with a trio of dropkicks. Soya drives KAI back and KAI tags in Kono. Irish whip by Kono but Soya hits a jumping lariat. Soya picks up Kono and makes the tag to Kondo. Irish whip by Kondo but Kono hits a big boot. Kono tags in Duprée, Duprée picks up Kondo and chops him in the chest but Kondo chops him back and the two trade blows. Kick by Kondo, Irish whip by Duprée but Kondo shoulderblocks him down. Kondo tags in Hayashi, knee by Duprée but Hayashi hits a spinebuster. Quebrada by Hayashi, cover, but it gets a two count. Hayashi goes for the Final Cut but Duprée gets out of it and Kono attacks Hayashi from behind. Hayashi is thrown shoulder-first into the corner, Kono goes out after Hayashi and snaps his arm. Hayashi is attacked at ringside before Kono finally slides him back in, and Duprée drops a knee onto Hayashi’s arm. Cover, but it gets two. Duprée knees Hayashi some more in the knee and tags in Kono. Kono kicks Hayashi in the stomach and hits an armbreaker. Kono tags in KAI, KAI gets in the ring and kicks Hayashi in the stomach. Irish whip by KAI and he hits a running boot in the corner. Snap suplex by KAI, cover, but it gets a two count. KAI kicks Hayashi, he goes off the ropes but Duprée tags himself in from the apron. Duprée picks up Hayashi, Irish whip to the corner but Hayashi avoids Duprée’s charge. Duprée returns the favor, kick by Hayashi and he hits a reverse STO into the turnbuckles. Hayashi tags in Kondo, and Kondo lariats Duprée in the corner. Bulldog/Lariat combination by Kondo to Duprée and Kono, he goes off the ropes but Kondo is kneed from the apron. Dropkick by Duprée, cover, but it gets a two count. Duprée tags in Kono, Kono picks up Kondo and hits a scoop slam. Elbow drop by Kono, cover, but it gets a two count.
Duprée is tagged back in, he picks up Kondo and throws him out of the ring. Kono and KAZMA attack Kondo at ringside but KAI throws Kondo back in the ring and tags himself in. Stomps by KAI to Kondo, he goes off the ropes but Kondo hits the Lanzarse. Kondo tags in Soya, and Soya hits a lariat in the corner followed by a running bulldog. Soya chops both Duprée and Kono but Kono gets the upper hand. Hayashi comes in the ring and fights off Kono and Duprée, but Duprée floors Hayashi with a lariat. KAI punches Soya and goes off the ropes, but Kondo grabs him from the apron. Soya charges in but KAI moves and Soya lariats Kondo on accident. Irish whip by KAI to the corner, reversed, and Soya hits a running back elbow. KAI kicks him back and delivers a dropkick, he picks up Soya and hits a brainbuster. Cover by KAI, but it gets a two count. KAI goes up to the top turnbuckle but Soya elbows him before he can jump off and joins KAI. They trade elbows while on the top turnbuckle until KAI is able to knock Soya off, but Soya hits a lariat. Soya re-joins KAI and he hits a delayed superplex. Cover by Soya, but it gets a two count. Soya waits for KAI to get up and goes for the Wild Bomber but KAI blocks it. Kono comes in the ring and kicks Soya, Hayashi takes care of Kono but Duprée drops Hayashi. Kondo pulls Duprée out of the ring, Kono goes for the knee on Soya but Soya ducks it. Kono then goes for the jumping knee on Soya, but Soya moves and Kono knees KAI on accident. Kondo comes in the ring and hits a spear on Kono, Soya and KAI slowly get up and they trade elbows. Headbutt by Soya, he goes off the ropes but KAI boots him in the head. Jumping kick by KAI and he hits a springboard kick. LAT by KAI, cover, but it only gets a two count. KAI picks up Soya and hits a powerbomb, cover, but Soya barely gets a shoulder up. KAI goes up to the top turnbuckle and goes for the Splash Plancha but Soya gets his knees up. Soya hits a spear, he picks up KAI and hits a backbreaker. Cover, but Duprée and Kono both break it up. Soya picks up KAI again and gets him on his shoulders, and he hits a Perfect DVD. Cover, but KAI kicks out. Soya goes for the Wild Bomber, KAI blocks it the first time but Soya hits a short ranged version. Soya goes off the ropes but he is hit from the floor with a chair, allowing KAI to hit the LAT. Cover, and KAI picks up the three count. Your winners: KAI, Masayuki Kono, and René Duprée
Match Thoughts: A pretty decent six man tag. I am not a big fan of the thing where one of the team members doesn’t really like his other team members and acts like he doesn’t want to team with them. It makes for an odd dynamic, they fixed it in the post-match but it did hurt the flow of the match a bit and I find it a bit grating. The action itself was solid if not sometimes a bit run-of-the-mill, but nothing was really bad. More of a storyline match since in the end KAI seemed to ‘officially’ join Kono’s group, but it was fine for what it was. Score: 6.0
(c) Seiya Sanada vs. Seiki Yoshioka
This match is for the TNA X-Division Championship. Sanada offers his hand to start the match but Yoshioka slaps him, knee by Yoshioka and he hits a spinning heel kick. Cover, but it gets a two count and Sanada bails out of the ring. Sanada rolls back in, stomps by Yoshioka and he kicks Sanada in the head, cover, but it gets two. Irish whip by Yoshioka, reversed, and Yoshioka dropkicks Sanada in the knee. Dropkick by Sanada, Yoshioka falls out of the ring, Sanada goes for a pescado but Yoshioka moves. Sanada lands on his feet, Yoshioka goes for an Asai Moonsault but Sanada pulls him off the ropes and down to the floor. Side headlock by Sanada and he punches Yoshioka in the head. Uppercut by Sanada but Yoshioka kicks him back, Sanada eventually catches one of Yoshioka’s kicks and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Sanada slides back into the ring and Yoshioka slowly follows, elbows by Yoshioka, he goes off the ropes but Sanada connects with a back elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Reverse chinlock by Sanada but Yoshioka gets a foot on the bottom rope. Sanada throws Yoshioka into the corner and he hits a series of mounted punches. Snapmare by Sanada, he goes off the ropes and delivers a dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Sanada picks up Yoshioka and hits a backdrop suplex, cover, but again it gets two. Sanada picks up Yoshioka but Yoshioka kicks him repeatedly in the chest. Enzigieri by Yoshioka, he goes off the ropes but Sanada gets him on his shoulders. Yoshioka slides off and he hits a jumping kick to Sanada’s face. Yoshioka charges Sanada in the corner and hits a jumping knee followed by a second one, he goes off the ropes and hits La Mistica. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Yoshioka goes up to the top turnbuckle but Sanada runs into the ropes to knock him down. Sanada then climbs up top with Yoshioka, Yoshioka fights back however and pushes Sanada to the mat. Yoshioka goes for a senton but Sanada moves out of the way and hits a hurricanrana. Yoshioka falls out of the ring, Sanada goes off the ropes and out to the apron, hitting a cannonball down to the floor. Sanada picks up Yoshioka and slides him back into the ring, but Yoshioka kicks Sanada as he gets back into the ring and then hits an Asai Moonsault down to the floor.
Back in the ring, Yoshioka goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Yoshioka picks up Sanada and hits a scoop slam in front of the corner, Yoshioka goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Sanada has recovered and pulls Yoshioka off. Sanada goes for a tombstone piledriver, Yoshioka reverses it but Sanada reverses it back and delivers the move. Sanada picks up Yoshioka and hits a cutter, cover, but it gets a two count. Sanada picks up Yoshioka, snapmare, but Yoshioka gets away and hits a cutter of his own. Elbows by Yoshioka, he goes off the ropes but Sanada chops Yoshioka in the chest. Cover, but it gets two. Sanada goes up to the top turnbuckle and goes for a moonsault, Yoshioka gets out of the way but Sanada lands on his feet. Kicks by Yoshioka and he hits an enzigieri. Yoshioka goes off the ropes and kicks Sanada again, cover, but Sanada gets a shoulder up. Yoshioka picks up Sanada and delivers a swinging kick to the head, cover, but again it gets two. Back up, Yoshioka slams Sanada in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a senton bomb. Cover, but Sanada again kicks out. Yoshioka goes up top again but this time Sanada rolls out of the way of the senton bomb. Back up, elbows by Yoshioka but Sanada elbows him back. Roaring elbow by Sanada but Yoshioka high kicks him back. Rolling German suplexes by Sanada and he goes for a tiger suplex, but Yoshioka rolls him up for a two count. Inside cradle by Yoshioka but that gets a two as well. Sanada gets Yoshioka onto his shoulders and hits a fireman’s carry into a cutter, cover, but it only gets a two count. Sanada picks up Yoshioka and hits a tiger suplex hold, but that gets a two count as well. Yoshioka picks up Sanada, scoop slam in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the moonsault. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner and still champion: Seiya Sanada
Match Thoughts: This match definitely had its entertaining parts, it was just a bit too ‘back and forth’ for me. Meaning that the bigger moves of the match generally meant nothing… a wrestler would hit a few big moves, their opponent would recover and hit a few big moves, etc. They really didn’t do transitions or anything like that, they just took turns. Also Yoshioka’s offense is really limited, which he showed by going for the senton bomb twice. Even with that though the match wasn’t bad, they kept up a really good pace for the entire match, it was exciting and the crowd enjoyed it. They action was very crisp, no noticeable miscommunications or anything like that and the time went very quickly. So a mixed bag but more good than bad, even if I wish it was structured a bit better. Score: 6.5
Final Thoughts:
Best Match: Seiya Sanada vs. Seiki Yoshioka. While I wouldn’t consider this a great match, it was certainly a good one. The too-even-tit-for-tat issue is one I have seen crop up more recently and its not a trend I am a big fan of, but it isn’t the worst thing in the world. Yoshioka is very on target with his kicks and Sanada does a good job of mixing in his high flying moves and strength moves such as the suplexes, and they kept a fast pace through the match which helped it stay exciting from start to finish. Not a MOYTC of course but a solid main event.
Overall: In many ways this is the epitome of an ‘average’ event. Almost all of the matches were at least average (in my opinion), but none were great and there were a few matches that served no real purpose. The main event was above average but would have fit in just as easily in the mid-card, it didn’t really feel like a main event level match. The action throughout was fine, but felt uninspired and there was nothing special on the card. There are definitely worse events out there, but there was nothing here that a typical fan needs to go out of their way to see.
