Date: March 2nd, 2014
Location: Sumo Hall
Announced Attendance: 5,800
The second super sized show of the year for any promotion, WRESTLE-1 invaded Sumo Hall for the first time on March 2nd. They knew they needed help, so they worked out a deal with Total Nonstop Action to have a joint show. Of the 11 matches, eight have at least one TNA wrestler in it so it was not a half-hearted effort… most of TNA’s biggest stars (for better or worse) are here. All the TNA Championships are on the line here as well, with Magnus and KAI in the main event. Here is the full card:
– Kikutaro vs. Ryota Hama
– Manabu Soya and Seiki Yoshioka vs. Ryouji Sai and KAZMA SAKAMOTO
– Satoshi Kojima vs. Yasufumi Nakanoue
– WRESTLE-1 vs. TNA: Tanaka and Koji Kanemoto vs. Bad Influence
– Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne
– WRESTLE-1 vs. TNA: Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Abyss
– WRESTLE-1 vs. TNA: Masakatsu Funaki vs. Bobby Roode
– WRESTLE-1 vs TNA Special Six Man Tag Match: Keiji Mutoh, Taiyo Kea, and Rob Terry vs. Samoa Joe, Masayuki Kono, and René Duprée
– TNA World Tag Team Championship: Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards vs. Robbie E and Jessie Godderz vs. Kaz Hayashi and Shuji Kondo
– TNA X-Division Championship: Austin Aries vs. Seiya Sanada
– TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Magnus vs. KAI
Kikutaro vs. Ryota Hama
Hama charges Kikutaro to start the match, Kikutaro moves but Hama knocks Kikutaro off his feet. Kikutaro goes off the ropes and runs into Hama, but neither man goes down. They both get into a sumo stance, and Hama throws Kikutaro to the mat. He does it a second time, Hama goes off the ropes but Kikutaro hits a drop toehold and gives him the Oil Check. Kikutaro knees Hama in the leg and hits the Flashing Elbow. Kikutaro picks up Hama and goes for a vertical suplex, but Hama reverses it into a suplex of his own. Kikutaro crawls into the corner, and Hama runs in with a butt smash. Body press by Hama, cover, but Kikutaro gets a shoulder up. Hama picks up Kikutaro but Kikutaro grabs him by the balls and hits the dragon screw groin whip. Kikutaro goes for a sunset flip but Hama sits down on him with the Hama Ass for the three count. Your winner: Ryota Hama
Match Thoughts: I swear that I have seen this exact same match before. So I read my play by play of their match on 1/12/14, and it pretty much is the exact same match. The last minute or so in fact is move for move pretty much identical. So obviously I am not going to say much good about this, they knew that match was taped, why not do something different? Repeating finishes on house shows is fine, but not in front of an audience on TV. I guess the match had its funny moments but it just struck too hard of déjà vu for me. Score: 3.0
Manabu Soya and Seiki Yoshioka vs. Ryouji Sai and KAZMA SAKAMOTO
Soya and Yoshioka are attacked before the match starts, with KAZMA and Yoshioka remaining in the ring. Kicks by Yoshioka and he delivers a sliding kick to KAZMA. Irish whip to the corner, reversed, but Yoshioka moves when KAZMA charges in and hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Yoshioka punches KAZMA, he goes off the ropes but Sai kicks him from the apron. KAZMA tags in Sai, Sai picks up Yoshioka and hits a scoop slam. Cover by Sai but it gets two. Sai applies a crab hold to Yoshioka but Yoshioka makes it to the ropes to force a break. Sai picks up Yoshioka, he puts him on his shoulders and delivers a military press slam. Sai tags in KAZMA, KAZMA picks up Yoshioka, snapmare, and KAZMA runs crotch-first into Yoshioka. Yoshioka quickly rolls up KAZMA, but it gets a two count and KAZMA kicks Yoshioka back to the mat. KAZMA tags in Sai; Sai chops Yoshioka against the ropes and delivers a few kicks to the chest. Knee by Sai, he goes off the ropes but Yoshioka catches him with a jumping heel kick. Yoshioka crawls towards Soya but KAZMA comes in and grabs Yoshioka by the leg. Yoshioka hits an enzigieri onto KAZMA and makes the hot tag to Soya. Soya chops KAZMA out of the ring and then hits a chop onto Sai as well. Irish whip by Soya to the corner and he hits a lariat. Bulldog by Soya, he picks up Sai and hits a neckbreaker. Cover, but Sai kicks out.
Soya picks up Sai and goes for a suplex, but Sai blocks it. Vertical suplex by Sai and he tags in KAZMA. KAZMA goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving chop to the head onto Soya. KAZMA taunts Soya, he goes off the ropes but Soya catches him with a spear. Yoshioka knocks Sai off the apron, double Irish whip to the corner but KAZMA fights them off. Enzigieri by Yoshioka to KAZMA, Soya picks him up and hits a vertical suplex. Cover by Soya, but Sai barely breaks it up in time. Yoshioka throws Sai out of the ring and hits an Asai Moonsault on him from the apron, while in the ring Soya picks up KAZMA and drops him a Death Valley Bomb. Cover, but KAZMA picks up. Soya waits for KAZMA to get up and nails him with the Wild Bomber, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Manabu Soya and Seiki Yoshioka
Match Thoughts: I am glad to see Soya back in action, generally speaking I find him pretty entertaining. This was a solid match, nothing exciting but nothing bad either. They kept it to the normal tag formula, but it worked since Yoshioka is a little guy and Soya is the muscle. In a way this was a showcase for Soya (or a reintroduction) since he hit all his big moves and came away with the convincing win. It was a short match, but early on the card that isn’t really an issue. Overall a good match that put over Soya well. Score: 6.0
Satoshi Kojima vs. Yasufumi Nakanoue
Tie-up to start, wristlock by Nakanoue, reversed by Kojima and he hits a side headlock takedown but Nakanoue gets out of it and they return to their feet. Tie-up again, Kojima pushes Nakanoue into the ropes, Nakanoue reverses positions with him and chops Kojima in the chest. Shoulderblock by Kojima and he hits an elbow drop followed by rapid fire punches to the head. Stomp by Kojima, he picks up Nakanoue and throws him out of the ring. Kojima goes out after him and stomps on Nakanoue, and Kojima clubs Nakanoue in the back. Kojima Irish whips Nakanoue into the guard rail but Nakanoue fires back with an elbow. Nakanoue drives Kojima back-first into the guard rail and gets on the apron, but Kojima knocks his legs out from under him. Kojima picks up Nakanoue on the apron and hits a DDT. Kojima rolls back into the ring and waits for Nakanoue, and Kojima stomps Nakanoue as he slides back in. DDT by Kojima, cover, but it gets a two count. Kojima picks up Nakanoue but Nakanoue slaps him in the chest. More slaps by Nakanoue but Kojima elbows him hard in the face, sending Nakanoue back to the mat. Kojima picks up Nakanoue and hits a neckbreaker. Cover by Kojima, but Nakanoue kicks out. Kojima picks up Nakanoue and applies a front chinlock before elbowing him in the back of the head. Chops by Kojima in the corner and he hits his rapid fire chops, Irish whip to the other corner, he throws Nakanoue to the mat and hits the Bakayaro Elbow. Cover, but it only gets a two count.
Kojima picks up Nakanoue but Nakanoue chops him in the chest. Kojima returns fire and the two trade blows, which Kojima initially gets the better of. Nakanoue quickly gets back to his feet and they trade elbows again, but Kojima floors Nakanoue with a roaring elbow. Kojima picks up Nakanoue and goes for a brainbuster, but Nakanoue blocks it. Nakanoue hits a vertical suplex onto Kojima, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving elbow drop. Cover, but Kojima kicks out at two. Nakanoue picks up Kojima and hits a backdrop suplex, cover, but that gets a two count as well. Nakanoue waits for Kojima to get up and goes off the ropes, but Kojima ducks the lariat attempt and hits the Koji Cutter. Kojima picks up Nakanoue and drops him with a brainbuster. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kojima goes off the ropes but Nakanoue elbows him in the arm when he goes for the lariat. Nakanoue goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, cover, but it only gets a two count. Nakanoue goes off the ropes again and this time hits the Bombs Away, cover, but Kojima barely gets a shoulder up. Nakanoue waits for Kojima to get up and goes for another lariat, but Kojima catches him with a lariat of his own. Cover by Kojima and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Satoshi Kojima
Match Thoughts: Somehow I never noticed before that Nakanoue is a clone of Kojima. There was nothing overtly wrong with this match but it definitely was missing something. Maybe because there was no meaningful backstory but it felt random and without a real purpose. Nakanoue got in his offense so it wasn’t a squash or anything, but when a match has an inevitable conclusion it takes something special to get it to the next level and this match didn’t have that. Plus I hate the end spot where a wrestler goes off the ropes and charges chest-first into their opponent’s lariat. Did he have a move in mind? Because he sure didn’t go for one. The great example of an average match, and one that is easily forgotten the moment the match is done. Score: 5.0
Minoru Tanaka and Koji Kanemoto vs. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian
Tanaka and Daniels start things off. Tie-up, Tanaka pushes Daniels into the corner and he gives a mostly clean break. Tie-up, this time Daniels pushes Tanaka into the corner and he gives a quick clean break. Tie-up, waistlock by Tanaka into a side headlock, but Daniels reverses it. Side headlock takedown by Daniels, but Tanaka gets out of it and dropkicks Daniels in the knee. Tanaka tags in Kanemoto, knees by Kanemoto but Daniels knees him back and tags in Kazarian. Kanemoto quickly elbows Kazarian but Kazarian returns fire, back kick by Kanemoto and he hits a side kick to Kazarian’s head. Kanemoto picks up Kazarian and hits a strike combination in the corner. Facewash by Kanemoto but Daniels hits him from the apron when he goes for a second one. Daniels comes in the ring and tries to hit a facewash onto Kanemoto but Kanemoto moves and Daniels ends up eating the move. Kanemoto picks up Kazarian but Kazarian drives him back into the corner. Kazarian puts Kanemoto up on the top turnbuckle but Kanemoto kicks him back and then jumps off the turnbuckle with a dropkick to Daniels, knocking him off the apron.
Kazarian trips Kanemoto from behind and delivers a dropkick, and he hits a series of mounted punches. Kazarian throws Kanemoto into the corner and tags in Daniels. Double Irish whip to Kanemoto, lariat by Daniels and Kazarian hits a hiptoss. Cover by Kazarian, but it gets a two count. Kazarian picks up Kanemoto, Daniels comes in the ring and kicks Kanemoto in the chest. Daniels picks up Kanemoto and punches him in the head, snapmare, Daniels goes out to the apron and hits a slingshot elbow strike. Kazarian follows with a slingshot leg drop, cover by Kazarian but Tanaka breaks it up. Kazarian applies a front facelock to Kanemoto and then punches Tanaka off the apron. Tanaka gets in the ring but the referee pushes him back, while Kanemoto is double teamed in the corner. Snapmare by Daniels to Kanemoto and he hits a knee drop. Cover, but it only gets two. Daniels tags in Kazarian, double Irish whip from the corner but Kanemoto dropkicks both of them when they charge in. Kanemoto grabs Kazarian and drops him with a brainbuster, he picks up Daniels again and slams him in front of the corner. Kanemoto goes up to the top turnbuckle but Kazarian rolls out of the way of the moonsault. Kanemoto lands on his feet however, Kazarian goes off the ropes and Kanemoto hits a big boot to Kazarian.
Kazarian and Kanemoto trade shots and both men end up on the mat. Kazarian tags in Daniels while Kanemoto tags in Tanaka, Daniels goes off the ropes but Tanaka catches him with a dropkick. Daniels lands in the corner, kicks by Tanaka, Irish whip, reversed, but Tanaka kicks Daniels when he charges in. Missile dropkick by Tanaka, but Kazarian runs in and dropkicks Tanaka. This brings in Kanemoto, who delivers a high kick to Kazarian. Daniels hits an STO onto Kanemoto, Kanemoto rolls out of the ring and from the apron Daniels hits a split-legged springboard. Daniels and Kazarian both club on Kanemoto on the outside, while Tanaka goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault down onto both of them. Tanaka slides Daniels back into the ring before getting in the ring himself along with Kanemoto, they pick up Daniels but Daniels chops them both back. Daniels goes off the ropes but is caught by a kick combination, Kazarian tries to get back in the ring but Kanemoto kicks him back to the floor. Kanemoto goes for a pescado onto Kazarian, but Kazarian moves out of the way. In the ring, Tanaka puts Daniels up on the top turnbuckle and hits an avalanche single armed suplex. Cover, but Daniels kicks out. Tanaka positions Daniels in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the FIREBALL Splash. Cover, but Kazarian pulls the referee out of the ring.
Kazarian gets in the ring and punches Tanaka, they pick up Tanaka, double Irish whip and they hit a powerbomb/cutter combination onto Tanaka. Cover, but it gets a two count. Daniels picks up Tanaka and slams him in front of the corner, he goes to the corner and goes for the BME, but Tanaka gets his feet up. Kanemoto comes in the ring and puts Kazarian in an ankle hold, while Tanaka delivers a high kick onto Daniels. Minoru Special by Tanaka to Daniels, but while in the ankle hold, Kazarian is still able to reach over and rake Tanaka in the eyes. Daniels and Kanemoto trade kicks, elbow by Daniels and he hits a reverse STO. Daniels kicks Tanaka and with Kazarian they deliver the Bad Elimination. Cover by Daniels onto Tanaka and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Christopher Daniels and Kazarian
Match Thoughts: An entertaining match from the quatro of veterans. While the action wasn’t overly ‘snug’ so to speak, they still were hitting moves that belie the fact that all of them are over 40 years old except for Kazarian who is 36. Kazarian and Daniels have been tagging long enough now that their timing and delivery is great and it was a very smooth match. While some of the strikes could have been hit better as the seemed to be taking it easy on each other, overall it was a fun affair. Score: 6.5
Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne
Tie-up to start, Kim pushes Rayne into the corner and goes for an elbow, but Rayne moves. Victory Roll by Rayne, but it gets a two count. She keeps her legs around Kim’s head and rams it repeatedly into the mat. Northern Lights Suplex by Rayne but it gets a two count as well. Irish whip by Rayne, reversed, she goes for a kick but Kim catches her leg and snaps it across her shoulder. Kim goes off the ropes and hits a jumping lariat, cover, but it gets two. Kim picks up Rayne but Rayne elbows her back. Rayne goes off the ropes but Kim knees her in the midsection. Club to the back by Kim, she picks up Rayne and hits a backbreaker. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Kim elbows Rayne into the corner, she gets a running start and hits a crossbody before slamming Rayne to the mat. Kim picks up Rayne but Rayne rolls up Kim for a two count. Elbows by Rayne and she hits a snap suplex. Kim goads Rayne in and slams her into the turnbuckles, she then pulls Rayne’s legs outside the ring and applies the figure four leglock around the ring post. Kim gets back into the ring and charges Rayne in the corner, but Rayne moves and hits a spear. Both wrestlers slowly get up and they trade elbows, Irish whip by Rayne and she hits a lariat. Another lariat by Rayne and she goes for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, but Kim pushes her off. Enzigieri by Rayne and she kicks Kim towards the corner. Rayne charges Kim but Kim moves and rolls her up for a two count. DDT by Rayne, cover, but Kim kicks out at two. Rayne goes for the Rayne Drop but Kim gets out of it and hits a Death Valley Bomb. Cover, but Rayne gets a shoulder up. Kim goes to pick up Rayne but Rayne kicks her back, Rayne charges Kim but Kim hits a Stun Gun. Eat Defeat by Kim, cover, and she picks up the three count. Your winner: Gail Kim
Match Thoughts: This match actually fits W-1’s theme of having a women’s match from a different promotion on their cards, so it isn’t as odd as it may sound on paper. Anyway I know they had time constraints but they did so much stuff in this match that none of it meant anything. Even the ‘big spots’ like the figure four around the goal most, elevated DDT, etc. didn’t mean much as generally in 15 seconds or less the momentum had swung again. It was a classic ‘you do a few moves, then I will do a few moves, then switch’ type of match. Also they had a few moments of miscommunication/bad execution that is more memorable in a short match. Just way too much going on here, sometimes less really is more. Score: 3.0
Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Abyss
Abyss attacks Takayama before the bell rings and chokes him into the corner. Punches by Abyss and he chokes Takayama again, he gets a running start and delivers a running splash. Takayama rolls out of the ring but Abyss goes out after him. Club to the back by Abyss and he slams Takayama into the apron. Abyss goes for a punch but Takayama blocks it and delivers punches of his own. Takayama tries to Irish whip Abyss into the guard rail, but Abyss reverses it and Takayama goes into the railing instead. Abyss slides Takayama back into the ring and follows him in, and Abyss clubs Takayama in the back. Punches by Abyss, Takayama fights back but Abyss punches him back down to the mat. Abyss picks up Takayama and they trade punches, Abyss gets the better of it but Takayama ducks his lariat and delivers a big knee. A second jumping knee by Takayama and he hits a belly to belly suplex. Takayama goes off the ropes and hits a leg drop, cover, but Abyss kicks out at two.
Takayama picks up Abyss and goes for a suplex, but Abyss blocks it. Elbows by Abyss and he punches Takayama out of the ring. Abyss goes out after him and he throws Takayama on the stairs to the ramp leading to the ring. Abyss looks under the ring and gets a black bag full of thumb tacks. Abyss goes up the ramp to where Takayama is and punches him, but Takayama punches him back and they trade blows. Abyss throws Takayama towards the top of the ramp and gets the back of thumb tacks again, dumping them all on the ground. Abyss grabs Takayama for a chokeslam but Takayama elbows out of it. Takayama goes for a German suplex onto the tacks, but Abyss elbows out of it and scoop slams Takayama onto the thumb tacks. Abyss gets a running start and goes for a body press, but Takayama moves out of the way and Abyss goes into the tacks. They trade punches on their knees, the referee tries to stop them but they both push the referee away. The referee has seen enough and calls for the bell, ending the match in a Double DQ.
Match Thoughts: Well this match was something. Both of these wrestlers have lost a step (or two) since their primes and it wasn’t really enjoyable to see them so immobile. They could have done just a classic clubbin’ match and did for the bulk of it (what else can they do?), but the ending was just kinda sad. Not the thumb tacks part, that fit into Abyss’ character and I enjoy seeing wrestlers out of their element, but the “splash” by Abyss just looked really bad as Takayama can’t really roll out of the way quickly since he is Takayama. So Abyss had to wait until Takayama was completely out of the way to do the move, which made it just look really silly. I guess they did the double DQ to protect the wrestlers but I don’t really think a loss hurts either of them at this point. Some of the back and forth early in the match wasn’t bad, but it just went downhill from there and really I could do without seeing Takayama ever wrestle again. I like him a lot but he is just a shell of his former self at this point. Score: 3.5
Masakatsu Funaki vs. Bobby Roode
They circle each other to start, Funaki goes for a kick but Roode ducks it. Roode gets mad that Funaki is kicking but the referee tells him to fight. Waistlock by Roode, reversed by Funaki but Roode applies a wristlock. Side headlock takedown by Roode and he keeps the hold applied on the mat, Funaki struggles back to his feet and Irish whips out of it, but Roode shoulderblocks him down. Funaki gets back up, wristlock by Roode but Funaki rolls out of it and reverses the hold. Side headlock takedown by Funaki, Roode gets back to his feet, Irish whip by Roode but this time Funaki shoulderblocks him down. They face off, Roode pushes Funaki but Funaki pushes him back. Elbow by Roode but Funaki kicks Roode in the chest and Roode rolls out of the ring to re-group. Funaki goes out after him after a bit but Roode throws Funaki into the guard rail. Roode picks up Funaki and rams him shoulder-first into the ring post. Roode then puts Funaki into the ring so that he can slam Funaki’s arm into the ring post as well. Roode gets back in the ring and stomps on Funaki’s arm, he wraps Funaki’s arm around the second rope and yanks on it until the referee gets him to break.
Roode picks up Funaki and hits a vertical suplex, knee drop by Roode and a cover, but it gets a two count. Roode goes for a cross armbreaker but Funaki blocks it until he can get a foot on the bottom ropes. Roode grabs Funaki’s arm and yanks on it, he goes off the ropes but Funaki kicks him in the stomach. Funaki kicks Roode into the corner and hits repeated kicks to the chest, snapmare by Funaki and he delivers a running kick to the chest. Cover by Funaki, but it only gets two. Funaki goes for the Hybrid Blaster but Roode blocks it and they trade strikes. Armbreaker by Roode and he applies a crossface. Crucifix pin by Roode but it gets a two count. Single leg takedown by Funaki and he applies the Ankle Hold. Roode rolls out of it and goes back to the crossface, Funaki gets back up but Roode delivers an enzigieri. Funaki charges Roode but Roode plants him with a spinebuster, cover, but Funaki kicks out. Roode is up first, he grabs Funaki and puts him on his shoulders, but Funaki slides off and re-applies the Ankle Hold. Roode is inches from the bottom rope, but Funaki pulls him back to the middle of the ring and Roode is forced to tap! Your winner: Masakatsu Funaki
Match Thoughts: A pretty standard match. By that I mean it had the heel being dastardly, some limb work that didn’t mean a lot (no idea why Roode targeted the arm), but fundamentally sound. Probably due to lack of familiarity with each other they just kept things basic. Funaki really didn’t do much to weaken up Roode, as the only work on the leg at all was the two Ankle Holds, it would have been nice if he had done something to weaken his leg up previously. Not a bad match, it just didn’t do anything to make it memorable or stand out. Score: 5.5
Keiji Mutoh, Kea, and Rob Terry vs. Samoa Joe, Kono, and René Duprée
Kea and Joe start things off. Tie-up, wristlock by Joe but Kea reverses it. Hammerlock by Joe and he applies a side headlock, Kea wrestles Joe to the mat but both men return to their feet. Kick to the stomach by Kea and he gets Joe into the corner. Elbow by Kea but Joe switches positions with him and hits a series of punches. Kea pushes Joe and they trade elbows, Kea goes off the ropes and hits a big boot to the face. Joe comes back with an elbow and both men are on their feet again. Kea tags in Terry as Joe tags in Duprée. Dropkick by Duprée and he tags in Kono, they grab Terry and go for a vertical suplex but Terry reverses it and suplexes both of them. Terry tags in Mutoh, Mutoh kicks Kono in the stomach and hits the Flashing Elbow. Mutoh applies an STF to Kono but Kono makes it to the ropes. Mutoh tags in Kea, kick to the arm by Kea and he chops Kono against the ropes. Irish whip by Kea and he delivers a dropkick, cover, but it gets a two count. Kea picks up Kono and tags in Terry. Club to the back by Terry and he applies a wristlock onto Kono. Shoulderblock by Terry, he picks up Kono and throws him into the corner. Punches by Terry and he tags in Mutoh. Irish whip by Mutoh to Kono and Mutoh applies a sleeper. Kono Irish whips out of it and Duprée hits Mutoh from the apron.
Kono stomps Mutoh and tags in Duprée. Double stomp by Duprée, he picks up Mutoh, snapmare, and Duprée hits a falling fist drop. Duprée rolls Mutoh out of the ring, but Joe doesn’t like all these shenanigans and he throws Mutoh back in. Cover by Duprée, but it gets a two count. Duprée tags in Joe, Joe picks up Mutoh and delivers a headbutt. Chop by Joe and he hits a senton. Cover, but Mutoh kicks out. Joe sits up Mutoh and applies the Coquina Clutch, but Kea comes in and breaks it up. This brings in Kono and Duprée and a brawl erupts, Joe picks up Mutoh and slams him near the corner. Knee drop by Joe, cover, but Mutoh gets a shoulder up. Joe picks up Mutoh and hits a series of elbows, Irish whip by Joe but Mutoh rolls under the lariat and hits a dropkick. Mutoh makes it to his corner and tags in Kea, Kea elbows Joe into the corner, Irish whip, and Kea hits a jumping elbow. Lariat by Kea and he applies an elbow drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Side Russian leg sweep by Kea, another cover, but again it gets two. Headbutt by kea, he goes off the ropes but Joe catches him with a powerslam. Joe tags in Kono, Kono throws Kea into the corner and hits a high knee followed by a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Kono, but Kea ducks the lariat and hits a jumping DDT. Kea makes the tag to Terry, lariats by Terry to Kono and he hits a running splash in the corner. Vertical suplex by Terry to Kono and he hits an elbow drop. Terry waits for Kono to get up and hits a fallaway slam.
Terry waits for Kono to get up and charges him in the corner, but Kono moves and tags in Duprée. Duprée chops Terry into the corner, he attempt an Irish whip but Terry reverses it and hits a back bodydrop. Terry tags in Mutoh, Mutoh dropkicks Duprée in the knee twice and then gives dragon screw leg whips to Duprée, Joe, and to Kono. Mutoh applies the figure four leglock to Duprée, but Kono breaks it up. Mutoh throws Duprée into the corner and he hits a Shining Wizard. Dragon screw leg whip by Mutoh, he measures up Duprée and hits another Shining Wizard. Cover, but the referee is pulled out of the ring. Kono comes in the ring and knocks Kea and Terry off the apron, Ohara and KAZMA get in the ring and everyone takes turns hitting Mutoh in the corner. When it is Joe’s turn he won’t do it, and walks out of the ring. Duprée gets a chair but Joe grabs it out of his hands and headbutts Duprée. Superkick by Kea to Kono, but Kea is thrown out of the ring. Terry comes in and hits a lariat onto Ohara and KAZMA, then Kea hits the TKO onto Duprée. Mutoh waits for Duprée to get up to one knee and he nails the Shining Wizard, cover, and Mutoh picks up the three count. Your winners: Keiji Mutoh, Taiyo Kea, and Rob Terry
Match Thoughts: This was a fun match all the way around. Kea was the big surprise entry into the match, and for once the surprise was a good one as this was Kea’s first match in W-1 and no one knew that he was no longer wrestling in All Japan. All the wrestlers played their roles well here, you had the old favorites, the muscle wrestlers, and Joe being the “but I’m not a bad guy why am I on the wrong side” guy. And of course the favorites overcome the odds and get the win to make everyone happy. Obviously not a classic match by any means but the crowd stayed into it and it was a solid effort by all those involved. Score: 7.0
(c) American Wolves vs. The BroMans vs. Kaz Hayashi and Shuji Kondo
This match is for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Robbie, Hayashi and Richards start off in the ring first. Richards elbows Hayashi and they trade elbows, then they look over at Robbie, and Hayashi chops Robbie in the chest. Robbie rolls out of the ring, Richards rolls up Hayashi but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Richards to Hayashi and they collide with no result. Hayashi goes off the ropes and again they run into each other. This time Richards goes off the ropes, Hayashi catches him and goes for the Final Cut but Richards blocks it. Richards goes for the brainbuster but Hayashi gets out of it, Richards goes off the ropes but Hayashi kicks him in the stomach and hits a spinning heel kick. Robbie comes back into the ring but runs out of it when Hayashi turns around. Robbie attacks Hayashi from behind, Irish whip by Hayashi and he hits an atomic drop. Kondo comes in and hits a DDT onto Robbie and they hit Richards with a Samoan drop/neckbreaker combination.
Robbie rolls out of the ring to re-group, leaving Hayashi and Kondo alone in the ring. Hayashi goes off the ropes but Robbie grabs him from the floor and pulls him outside. Kondo is pulled to the outside too and both men are dropped onto the railing. Robbie gets back into the ring along with Jesse and Richards. They go for a double suplex but Edwards comes in the ring to prevent the move. Jesse and Robbie charge the American Wolves but they duck and the BroMans fall out of the ring. They get back on the apron but are booted back out to the floor. Robbie and Edwards then get running starts and sail out of the ring on the other side, out onto Kondo and Hayashi. Robbie goes for a pescado down onto them, but everyone moves and he eats the floor. The American Wolves then get back in the ring and hit stereo tope suicidas down onto everyone. They return to the ring with Jesse and hit a drop toehold/dropkick combination. Hayashi comes in the ring and he is knocked into the corner. Double Irish whip by the American Wolves on Hayashi and they hit a splash/kick combination. Edwards slams Hayashi to the mat and Richards comes off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick, cover, but it gets a two count.
Richards and Edwards get up on different turnbuckles but the BroMans knock them off. They then get in the ring and beat on Hayashi, double Irish whip and they hit a double flapjack. Kondo runs in the ring but he gets the same thing, and Kondo is kicked out of the ring. Robbie kicks Hayashi in the ankle and leg, cover, but it gets a two count. Robbie tags in Jesse, double Irish whip to Hayashi into the corner and Jesse hits a lariat. Spear by Robbie and the both kick Hayashi while his head is hanging over the turnbuckle. Jesse kicks Hayashi, he picks him up and delivers a military press slam. Robbie is tagged in, Richards runs in the ring and he hits a press slam as well from Jesse. Robbie comes off the top turnbuckle with a diving forearm shot to Richards, Robbie picks up Hayashi and with Jesse they go for a double lariat, but Hayashi ducks it. Hayashi pushes Jesse into Robbie and hits a jawbreaker. Richards runs in the ring and boots Kondo off the apron, he Irish whips Hayashi into the corner but Hayashi kicks him as he charges in. Reverse STO into the turnbuckles by Hayashi and he makes the tag to Kondo. Richards tags in Edwards, Kondo throws Edwards into the corner and hits a lariat followed by a bulldog. Kondo waits for Edwards to get up and hits the Lanzarse, cover, but Jesse breaks it up. Jesse and Robbie come in the ring but Kondo hits the Original II onto Robbie, throwing him onto Jesse.
Kondo waits for Jesse to get up but Jesse dropkicks him as he charges in. Richards comes in the ring and attacks Jesse, Irish whip by Richards, reversed, but Richards hits the springboard rebound kick. Hayashi is back in, he goes off the ropes and does the same move to Richards. Robbie is up and he kicks Hayashi, hitting an elevated DDT. Edwards superkicks Robbie but Kondo runs in and gives Edwards an over the shoulder powerslam. All six wrestlers are down hurt but Kondo makes the tag to Hayashi. The give Edwards a lariat/kick combination, cover, but he gets a shoulder up. Hayashi waits for Edwards to get up, Hayashi goes off the ropes, Edwards avoids their first few attacks but Hayashi hits a superkick. Cover, but Richards breaks it up. Richards fights off both Kondo and Hayashi, and then Richards trades elbows with Hayashi. Hayashi goes off the ropes but Richards catches him with a high kick, enzigieri by Edwards to Hayashi and Richards hits a German suplex onto Hayashi. Edwards floats over with a jackknife hold to Hayashi, but it only gets a two count. Edwards picks up Hayashi and they hit a powerbomb/backstabber combination, cover, but multiple people break it up. Robbie throws Richards out of the ring, so it is just the BroMans and Hayashi in the ring. Jesse picks up Hayashi for Robbie, but when Robbie goes off the ropes he is caught by a Kondo lariat. Hayashi quickly rolls up Jesse, but it gets a two count. Kondo grabs Jesse and punches him, he goes off the ropes, but The American Wolves are back in the ring and Edwards kicks Kondo in the head. Jesse lariats down both of them, and Jesse hits a lariat onto Hayashi. Cover, but Hayashi barely gets a shoulder up. Jesse picks up Hayashi and they deliver the Bro Down, cover, and Jesse picks up the three count. Your winners and new champions: The BroMans
Match Thoughts: Well a lot happened in this match, that is for sure. It helps having established tag teams in matches like these and not two wrestlers just thrown together as generally speaking the action was really smooth and there were some neat spots throughout the match. Logically a match like this would never end as there should always be someone available to break up a pinfall, but I thought the match ended at the right time as if it went much longer with the chaos it likely would have lost my interest. I enjoyed it for what it was; the structure was similar to that of a Dragon Gate match which is fun to watch in small doses. Score: 6.5
(c) Austin Aries vs. Seiya Sanada
This match is for the TNA X Division Championship. Armbar by Aries to start the match but Sanada reverses it. Armdrag by Aries and both men return to their feet. Front facelock by Sanada but Aries reverses it into an armbar. Sanada armdrags Aries to the mat and both wrestlers are back up again. Tie-up, side headlock by Aries, reversed by Sanada, Aries Irish whips out of it and he goes for a hiptoss but Sanada blocks it and does an Oklahoma Roll for a two count. Tie-up, waistlock by Aries and he takes Sanada to the mat. Cover by Aries but it gets a one count, crucifix cover and a backslide by Aries but they get a two count as well. Aries grabs Sanada but Sanada wiggles to the ropes to force a break. Tie-up, wristlock by Aries but Sanada rolls out of it and reverses the hold. Aries returns the favor, side headlock takedown by Aries, Sanada gets out of it with a headscissors but Aries dropkicks Sanada. Side headlock by Aries, Sanada Irish whips out of it and Sanada delivers a dropkick of his own. Aries rolls out of the ring, Sanada gets a running start but Aries slides back in and then knocks Sanada off the apron. Aries gets a running start in the ring but Sanada hits him just as he is going through the ropes.
Sanada returns to the ring and he punches Aries into the corner. Mounted punches by Sanada and he throws Aries on the mat. Cover, but it gets a two count. Reverse chinlock by Sanada, Aries gets back to his feet and elbows out of it, he goes off the ropes but Sanada catches him with an elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Sanada picks up Aries and punches him into the corner, knocking him down to a seated position. Sanada picks up Aries, Irish whip, reversed, Sanada flips himself out to the apron but as he goes for a springboard move he is knocked out of the ring by Aries. Aries then goes up to the top turnbuckle and jumps down onto Sanada with a chop to the head. With Sanada lying on the floor, Aries gets up on the ramp and hits a diving elbow drop. Aries throws Sanada back in the ring and hits a slingshot senton, he then goes off the ropes and hits another elbow drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Aries picks up Sanada and elbows him in the back of the head, snapmare by Aries and he hits a diving elbow drop to Sanada’s back from the second turnbuckle. Cover, but it gets two. Aries applies a leg lock to Sanada and then applies a single leg crab hold. He releases the hold after a moment, cover, but Sanada kicks out. Aries picks up Sanada but Sanada chops him off. Aries returns with elbows and the two trade blows. STO by Aries and he hits an elbow drop. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Aries picks up Sanada but Sanada fights back and they trade chops.
Sanada goes off the ropes and hits an elbow smash. He waits for Aries to get up and puts Aries on his shoulders, but Aries pushes him off and elbows Sanada in the face. Sanada falls out of the ring and Aries sails out onto him with a tope suicida between the bottom and middle ropes. Aries throws Sanada back into the ring, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Sanada falls back into the corner, Aries charges him but Sanada gets the boot up. Sanada goes off the ropes, he gets Aries onto his shoulders and hits a cutter. Cover, but Aries kicks out. Sanada picks up Aries and goes for a double underhook, but Aries drives him back into the corner. Elbow by Aries, Sanada goes for the underhooks again but Aries gets out of it and hits a kneebreaker into a suplex. Aries charges Sanada in the corner and hits the dropkick. He goes for a brainbuster but Sanada blocks it. Aries elbows Sanada in the corner, he gets a running start again and delivers another dropkick. Aries goes for the brainbuster again but Sanada knees out of it. Aries knocks Sanada into the corner, he charges him and hits a third dropkick. He goes for another one and hits a fourth dropkick, he grabs Sanada and goes for a brainbuster but Sanada reverses it into a vertical suplex. Both wrestlers slowly get up, elbows by Sanada but Aries fires back with an elbow of his own.
Aries gets up Sanada and nails the brainbuster, cover, but Sanada barely gets a shoulder up. Aries applies the Last Chancery, but Sanada gets to the ropes to break the hold. Aries goes up to the top turnbuckle but Sanada rolls out of the way of the 450 Splash. Aries charges Sanada but Sanada armdrags him into the turnbuckles. Backdrop suplex by Sanada and he follows that with a dragon suplex and a tiger suplex hold for a two count. Sanada positions Aries, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault. Cover, but Aries kicks out. Sanada quickly goes up to the top turnbuckle again and hits a second moonsault, cover, and this time he picks up the three count. Your winner and new champion: Seiya Sanada
Match Thoughts: When the full card was announced this was the match I was looking forward to the most, and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I really don’t know what they were thinking here, both of these wrestlers are capable of having entertaining matches but this was certainly not one. I could overlook the meaningless early mat work, or Aries randomly going for the leg if the second half of the match made up for it, but it was some odd structure where they were repeating moves, not really selling some of the big moves (Sanada came back way too easily after the tope suicida/missile dropkick combination), and then the quick ending after Aires had generally been controlling the match. The match definitely had its cool spots here and there, but all that did was tease me as it was a reminder how entertaining they can be. A real disappointment overall even if it did have a few good moments. Score: 4.0
(c) Magnus vs. KAI
This match is for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Tie-up to start, Magnus pushes KAI into the corner and he gives a clean break. Tie-up again, waistlock by KAI, Magnus reverses it into a wristlock but KAI reverses it back. Hammerlock by KAI and he gets Magnus to the mat, but Magnus gets out of it. Side headlock by Magnus and he hits a side headlock takedown. KAI struggles back to his feet, KAI tries to Irish whip out of it but Magnus keeps the hold clamped on. KAI gets back up again, Irish whip by KAI but Magnus shoulderblocks him down. Magnus goes off the ropes but KAI delivers a trio of dropkicks. Magnus rolls out of the ring to re-group, KAI goes off the far ropes but Magnus catches him with an uppercut as he dives through the ropes. Magnus takes KAI up onto the stage area and goes for a suplex, but KAI blocks it. Magnus manages to hit the suplex anyway, Magnus takes KAI back into the ring and covers him but it gets a two count. Magnus picks up KAI and hits a vertical suplex, elbow drop by Magnus and he goes for the cover but KAI kicks out. Magnus applies a reverse chinlock but KAI gets up, he goes off the ropes but Magnus catches him with a drop toehold and applies a camel clutch. Magnus jumps down onto KAI’s back and hits an elbow drop. Cover but KAI quickly kicks out.
Back up, elbows by KAI but Magnus hits him back and delivers a gutwrench suplex. Magnus picks up KAI, snapmare, and he knees KAI in the back before applying the reverse chinlock. KAI gets out of it with a jawbreaker, elbow by KAI but Magnus elbows him back and they trade blows. Magnus throws KAI into the corner and charges him, but KAI delivers a kick to the head followed by a dropkick. Magnus slides out of the ring and KAI sails out onto him with a tope suicida. KAI slides Magnus back into the ring and hits a swandive missile dropkick. KAI picks up Magnus and goes for a powerbomb, Magnus goes to back bodydrop out of it but KAI falls to the mat. Big boot by KAI and he hits a second one, but Magnus comes back with a boot of his own. Magnus picks up KAI and goes for a slam, but KAI goes around his back. Magnus goes off the ropes, KAI does as well and goes for the springboard rebound kick but Magnus ducks it and hits a side slam. Cover by Magnus, but KAI kicks out at two.
Magnus goes up to the top turnbuckle but KAI rolls out of the way of the diving elbow drop. Big boot by KAI, cover, but it gets a two count. KAI picks up Magnus and hits the LAT, cover, but Magnus barely kicks out. KAI goes up to the top turnbuckle but Magnus has recovered and uppercuts KAI. KAI climbs up to the top turnbuckle with KAI and hits a superplex. Both wrestlers slowly get up and they trade elbows, uppercut by Magnus and he goes off the ropes but KAI catches him with a kick. Springboard heel kick by KAI and he hits a superkick. Cover, but it only gets a two count. KAI picks up Magnus and nails a powerbomb, cover, but again Magnus gets a shoulder up. KAI goes up to the top turnbuckle but Magnus gets his knees up when he goes for the Splash Plancha. Both wrestlers slowly get up, KAI ducks a Magnus lariat and hits a release German suplex. KAI charges Magnus but Magnus catches him with the Magnus Driver. Cover, but it gets two. Magnus goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving elbow drop, cover, but KAI barely gets a shoulder up. Magnus drags KAI to his feet, KAI gets away from him and he rolls up Magnus for a two count. KAI goes off the ropes but so does Magnus and Magnus floors him with a lariat. Cover, but KAI kicks out. Magnus picks up KAI and hits another Magnus Driver, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the diving elbow drop. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner and still champion: Magnus
Match Thoughts: I wasn’t expecting a lot in this match and it lined up with my expectations. They kept it really basic, as there were more rest holds then you’d normally see in a match that wasn’t too long and they repeated the same moves a lot. Magnus even did the finishing combination twice in the match and KAI did more dropkicks then I care to count. There were a few miscommunications here and there and I wouldn’t consider the match as being very smooth. KAI continues to show a lot of fire which is a plus, but it just wasn’t a good pairing between these two and a flat way to end the event. Score: 4.0
Final Thoughts:
Best Match: Keiji Mutoh, Taiyo Kea, and Rob Terry vs. Samoa Joe, Masayuki Kono and René Duprée. I know this is an odd pick, but this match really embodied more of what an event like this is supposed to do. They didn’t try to put on a wrestling clinic, but they managed to mix in various stories throughout the match and kept things entertaining. All the wrestlers played their roles well and the action was smooth throughout. Not a classic, but an inter-promotional match that had the ‘fun’ factor that a lot of other matches were missing.
MVP: Manabu Soya. Another odd pick I realize, but Soya was the only wrestler on the card that really stood out. The title matches weren’t good matches, so I couldn’t justify having a MVP from there and the tag team match was too chaotic to just pick one. Soya though dominated his match both in and out of the ring and it left me wanting to see more of him.
Overall: When a card is billed as one promotion against another promotion, obviously some things are going to get lost along the way. Wrestlers in a promotion are familiar with each other because they talk backstage, watch each other wrestle, wrestle each other, or even travel together. On this event you had wrestlers that probably met the day before for the first time so obviously there is very little chemistry there and since TNA vs. W-1 is a new feud there wasn’t really a ‘revenge’ factor that can spruce up the action. A few of the matches had the right idea – don’t try to do anything special, just put on a fun match that the crowd enjoys. Others though were just bland as they had to tone down their move set but they didn’t replace it with anything entertaining so it was just ‘there’. For seeing matchups you may never see again I would recommend the event, but as far as in-ring the action overall was average at best.
