Date: October 12th, 2014
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall
Announced Attendance: 1,500
I’m not positive who thought this was a good idea in 2014. In TNA’s heyday a co-promotional PPV would have been awesome. Imagine Sting, Styles, Angle, Flair, Hogan, Foley, and Hardy mixing it up with Japanese wrestlers, it would have been awesome. Unfortunately all of those wrestlers/characters are gone so instead we get Tommy Dreamer and Manik. That doesn’t necessarily mean the matches will be bad, it just means that for once TNA has what to me would be a good idea, but has it two years too late. This event was also shown in the good ‘ol USA since it is TNA’s (last?) big PPV, but since it was co-promoted I still get to review it anyway. Here is the full card:
– Manik vs. Minoru Tanaka
– Ethan Carter III vs. Ryota Hama
– KAZMA SAKAMOTO vs. MVP
– TNA X-Division Championship: Samoa Joe vs. Kaz Hayashi vs. Low Ki
– Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera vs. Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama
– Abyss and Tommy Dreamer vs. Team 3D
– TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: Havok vs. Velvet Sky
– James Storm and Great Sanada vs. TAJIRI and Great Muta
And away we go.
Manik vs. Minoru Tanaka
Waistlock by Tanaka to start the match, reversed by Manik and Manik applies a front facelock, but Tanaka reverses it into a wristlock. Manik flips out of the hold and reverses it, Tanaka rolls around and delivers a dropkick. Tanaka picks up Manik and hits a jumping back kick. Irish whip by Tanaka but Manik avoids Tanaka’s charge and Tanaka falls out of the ring. Manik goes for a pescado but Tanaka avoids it by sliding back into the ring. Manik goes under the ring and appears on the other side, he slides in and hit a neckbreaker from behind. Stomp by Manik and he hits a series of mounted punches. Manik picks up Tanaka and throws him into the corner, uppercut by Manik and he hits a snapmare. Kick to the back of the head by Manik, cover, but it gets a two count. Manik applies a modified chinlock and then rakes Tanaka in the face. Manik picks up Tanaka and hits a rolling vertical suplex followed by a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Manik picks up Tanaka, Irish whip from the corner but Tanaka kicks Manik when he charges in. Manik avoids Tanaka’s missile dropkick and then delivers a dropkick of his own. Manik picks up Tanaka and hits a strike combination, he goes off the ropes and avoids Tanaka’s dropkick attempt. Manik goes off the ropes again but this time Tanaka is able to hit the dropkick. Tanaka headbutts Manik into the corner, Irish whip, reversed, Tanaka kicks Manik back and hits a missile dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Tanaka picks up Manik and hits a snap suplex. Knee drop by Tanaka, cover, but it gets two. Back up, Tanaka goes off the ropes but Manik hits a dropkick. Tanaka falls out of the ring, Manik goes off the ropes but Tanaka kicks him in the head as he goes to do a dive. Manik falls out of the ring, Tanaka goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a moonsault down to the floor. Tanaka picks up Manik and slides him into the ring, he returns as well and chops Manik in the chest. Tanaka goes off the ropes but Manik goes to the apron and hits a swandive missile dropkick. Detonation Kick by Manik, cover, but Tanaka gets a shoulder up. Manik picks up Tanaka, scoop slam, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Tanaka gets his knees up when he goes for the frog splash. Tanaka dropkicks Manik into the corner, Tanaka picks up Manik and puts him onto the top turnbuckle. Tanaka joins him and hits a suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Tanaka waits for Manik to get up and hits a back kick, Tanaka goes for a victory roll but Manik blocks it for a two count. Tanaka goes for a backslide but Manik gets out of it and hits a brainbuster. Cover, but it gets a two. Manik picks up Tanaka and nails a double chickenwing into a double knee gutbuster, cover, but Tanaka kicks out. Manik picks up Tanaka, elbows by Manik and he goes off the ropes, but Tanaka deliver a high kick. Minoru Special by Tanaka, and Manik has to tap out. Your winner: Minoru Tanaka
Match Thoughts: A pretty decent opener, they worked together well. Neither wrestler was phoning it in here as both were hitting whatever big moves they have, and they kept the action going from start to finish. This is really what an opener should be, a fast paced and entertaining match to get the crowd into the event, having a veteran like Tanaka in the match no doubt helped but Manik more than held his own. Unfortunately it didn’t really have any emotion or feeling of major importance since these two aren’t feuding, but as far as just the action goes it was very solid. Score: 6.5
Ethan Carter III vs. Ryota Hama
Tie-up to start, Hama pushes Carter into the corner and he gives a clean break. Shove by Hama, and Carter rolls out of the ring to the floor. He returns after a moment, tie-up, side headlock by Carter, Hama Irish whips out of it and hits a shoulderblock, but Carter doesn’t go down. Carter tries to knock down Hama but fails, he tries again but still has no success. Shoulderblock by Hama, and Carter goes to the mat before rolling out of the ring again. Carter gets back in and gets into a sumo stance, he charges Hama but Hama picks him up and tosses Carter to the mat. Hama stands on Carter’s chest against the ropes, Carter rolls to the apron but Hama suplexes him back into the ring. Hama goes off the ropes and hits a rolling senton, cover, but it gets a two count. Hama goes for a body press but Carter rolls out of the way, clubs to the back by Carter, he picks up Hama and slams him into the mat. Lariat by Hama and he hits an elbow drop, cover, but it gets two. Irish whip by Hama from the corner and he hits a body avalanche. Running butt smash by Hama, cover, but it gets a two count. Carter rakes Hama in the eyes and goes for a sunset flip, Hama tries to sit on him but Carter moves out of the way. Carter goes for a body slam but Hama falls on Carter for a two count. Stinkface by Hama in the corner but Carter kicks Hama low before hitting the One Percenter. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Ethan Carter III
Match Thoughts: You can’t have a W-1 event without a Hama match. This one didn’t serve much of a purpose, Hama got in his usual comedy spots before quickly losing, although I will give Carter credit for playing along with it. I guess you could say it’s a unique match that is very unlikely to ever be duplicated, but ‘unique’ doesn’t always equal ‘good’. Score: 3.5
KAZMA SAKAMOTO vs. MVP
Side headlock takedown by MVP to start, SAKAMOTO gets back up and Irish whips out of it but MVP shoulderblocks him down. Tie-up, MVP pushes SAKAMOTO into the ropes, SAKAMOTO switches positions with him and he gives a clean break as he scampers away from MVP. MVP chases after him but the referee pushes him back, side headlock by SAKAMOTO, MVP Irish whips out of it as SAKAMOTO goes for a shoulderblock but MVP doesn’t go down. He tries again with the same result, MVP grabs SAKAMOTO by the hair and punches him to the mat. More punches by MVP and he hits a scoop slam near the ropes. MVP goes off the ropes but SAKAMOTO rolls out of the ring, MVP then goes over to the ropes and hits a pescado down onto SAKAMOTO. MVP throws SAKAMOTO into the guard rail and delivers a big boot, sending SAKAMOTO over the railing. MVP picks up SAKAMOTO and slides him back into the ring, cover but it gets a two count. MVP picks up SAKAMOTO but SAKAMOTO punches him back, hitting MVP into the corner. SAKAMOTO picks up MVP and kicks him in the back of the leg. Another kick by SAKAMOTO, cover, but it gets a two. SAKAMOTO applies a reverse chinlock, MVP returns to his feet and punches out of the hold, he throws SAKAMOTO into the corner but SAKAMOTO avoids the big boot attempt. Face crusher by SAKAMOTO, he goes off the ropes and goes for an elbow drop, but MVP gets his knees up. SAKAMOTO charges MVP in the corner but MVP moves and hits a back bodydrop. Punches by MVP, he picks up SAKAMOTO and throws him into the corner. Lariat by MVP and he hits a few more in the corner before hitting a vertical suplex. MVP drives SAKAMOTO into his knee, he goes off the ropes and hits the Ballin’ Elbow. MVP picks up SAKAMOTO and hits a Fisherman Suplex Hold for a two count. Irish whip by MVP to the corner but SAKAMOTO avoids the boot and knees MVP in the head. Kick by SAKAMOTO, cover, but it gets two. SAKAMOTO goes off the ropes and goes for a knee but MVP ducks it and rolls up SAKAMOTO for a two count. MVP dropkicks SAKAMOTO in the knee, he waits for SAKAMOTO to get up and he nails the Drive By. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: MVP
Match Thoughts: I fear a lack of storyline-reasons for these matches is going to hurt the card. As far as action goes this was perfectly fine. There weren’t any real miscues even though some of the transitions were lacking, and they seemed to work reasonably well together, but it lacked emotion and purpose. It was just two trained wrestlers going through the normal motions to put on a ten minute match. Nothing memorable or special at all, and nothing pre or post match to make it matter. Not bad but skippable. Score: 5.0
(c) Samoa Joe vs. Kaz Hayashi vs. Low Ki
This match is for the TNA X-Division Championship. Samoa Joe kicks at Low Ki to start the match, Low Ki kicks Hayashi and Samoa Joe chops Low Ki. Low Ki and Samoa Joe trade chops, Irish whip by Samoa Joe to the corner but Low Ki kicks Samoa Joe back. Hayashi runs in and hits a heel kick on Low Ki, then Samoa Joe kicks both Hayashi and Low Ki. Samoa Joe picks up Low Ki and headbutts him. Punches by Samoa Joe to Hayashi, snapmare, and Samoa Joe chops Hayashi in the back. Knee drop by Samoa Joe, cover, but Hayashi kicks out. Side headlock by Hayashi to Samoa Joe and he elbows him. Elbows by Hayashi, he goes off the ropes but Samoa Joe hits a back elbow. Hayashi dumps Samoa Joe out of the ring, Low Ki approaches Hayashi from behind and chops him. Uppercut by Low Ki and he headbutts Hayashi. Irish whip by Low Ki, reversed, and Low Ki dropkicks Samoa Joe who was still out on the floor. Hayashi connects with a heel kick to Low Ki. Samoa Joe gets on the apron, Hayashi grabs him from the ring and tries to suplex him, but Samoa Joe brings Hayashi back out on the apron. Kicks by Hayashi but Samoa Joe chops him down to the mat. Samoa Joe gets back in the ring with Low Ki, he goes off the ropes and Low Ki hits a springboard kick. Cover by Low Ki to Samoa Joe but it gets a two count. Low Ki picks up Samoa Joe and dumps him out of the ring and goes out after him, and Low Ki trades chops with Hayashi. Samoa Joe runs over and lariats both of them, and Samoa Joe slides Hayashi back into the ring. Samoa Joe picks up Hayashi and hits an atomic drop followed by a big boot. Senton by Samoa Joe, cover, but Low Ki breaks it up. Low Ki uppercuts Samoa Joe into the corner, Irish whip by Low Ki and he lariats Samoa Joe in the corner. Low Ki mounts Samoa Joe in the corner and hits a series of punches, but Samoa Joe powerbombs him for a two count. Camel Clutch by Samoa Joe and he applies an STF. Hayashi gets back in the ring and applies a crossface to Samoa Joe but Samoa Joe elbows him off. Samoa Joe and Hayashi trade slaps, kick by Hayashi to the head and he goes off the ropes, kicking Samoa Joe. Reverse Final Cut by Hayashi, cover, but Samoa Joe gets a shoulder up. Hayashi picks up Samoa Joe and tries to put him on his shoulders, but Low Ki runs over and kicks Samoa Joe. Kick by Hayashi to Low Ki, he puts Low Ki on his shoulders but Low Ki slides back off. Monkey flip by Hayashi to the corner but Low Ki lands on the second turnbuckle and jumps back with a double stomp. Cover by Low Ki but it gets a two count. Samoa Joe pulls Low Ki out of the ring, Hayashi gets a running start in the ring but Samoa Joe slides back in as Hayashi drives out. Samoa Joe then dives out of the ring onto Low Ki with an elbow suicida on both his opponents. Chops by Samoa Joe and he slides Hayashi into the ring. Samoa Joe throws Hayashi into the corner, reversed, but Samoa Joe hits an uranage. Samoa Joe puts Hayashi onto the top turnbuckle but Low Ki runs in and hits the Tidal Crush on Hayashi. Samoa Joe and Low Ki trade elbows and chops, Low Ki slaps Samoa Joe into the corner and puts Samoa Joe up on the top turnbuckle. Low Ki gets Samoa Joe onto his shoulders but Samoa Joe slides off and applies the Coquina Clutch. Hayashi is not around to save him, and Low Ki is forced to submit. Your winner and still champion: Samoa Joe
Match Thoughts: This was fun but it was more of a series of spots than anything else. It was almost like a toned down spotfest, none of these guys are young anymore so they weren’t being suicidal, but rather pacing out their spots. Normally this is a good thing and they made it work fine, but for the length of the match it wouldn’t have hurt to have one young guy in here that would do something more spectacular. But they kept it moving and entertaining, the match was just missing that special something to put it to the next level. Score: 7.0
Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera vs. Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama
Kuroshio and Wu start things off. Wu and Kuroshio circle each other, kick attempt by Wu but Kuroshio catches it, Irish whip by Kuroshio but Wu shoulderblocks him down. Wu goes off the ropes and he hits a shoulderblock. Wu goes off the ropes again, back kick by Kuroshio but Wu hits an armdrag. Sweep kick by Wu and both wrestlers tag out. Kodama and Pantera circle each other, tie-up, Irish whip by Pantera and they flip around each other before Pantera hits a headscissors. Kick by Kodama to the stomach, Irish whip by Kodama but Pantera flips out onto the ramp. Swandive armdrag by Pantera, and Kodama falls out of the ring. Pantera gets a running start but the referee stops Pantera from doing a dive. The referee goes to count Kodama, and Pantera jumps over the referee down onto Kodama. Pantera slides Kodama back into the ring, cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Pantera but Kodama moves out of the way and hits a flapjack. Cover by Kodama, but it gets a two count. Kodama tags in Kuroshio, Kuroshio picks up Pantera and he hits a scoop slam. Cover by Kuroshio, but it gets a two count. Kuroshio covers Pantera again but Wu breaks it up. Dropkick to the back of the head by Kuroshio, he picks up Pantera and elbows him in the back of the head. Snapmare by Kuroshio and he hits a corkscrew moonsault. Cover, but Pantera kicks out. Kuroshio tags in Kodama, scoop slam by Kuroshio and Kodama hits a slingshot senton. Cover by Kodama but it gets a two count. Reverse chinlock by Kodama, Pantera gets out of it but Kodama hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Cover, but it gets another two. Kodama picks up Pantera, Irish whip to the corner and he hits a jumping elbow. Another Irish whip but this time Pantera moves and kicks Kodama to the mat. Pantera tags in Wu, and Wu hits a diving body press. Armdrag by Wu and he hits another armdrag. Dropkick by Wu, cover, but it gets a two count. Wu kicks Kodama into the corner, back kick by Kodama, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and Wu hits a headscissors. Wu tags in Pantera, and Pantera knocks Kuroshio off the apron. Wu picks up Kodama, Irish whip, Wu drops Kodama into the ropes and Pantera hits a tiger feint kick. Dropkick by Wu and Pantera hits a senton, cover, but Kuroshio barely breaks it up in time. Wu dropkicks Kuroshio out of the ring and then hits a body press off the ropes down onto the floor. In the ring, Pantera slams Kodama and he goes up to the top turnbuckle, he goes for a 450 Splash but Kodama moves out of the way. Pantera rolls back up but Kodama kicks Pantera. Another kick, cover, but Wu breaks it up. Kuroshio comes back in and throws Wu out of the ring, he then goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving senton down onto Wu. In the ring, Kodama goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a corkscrew moonsault onto Pantera. Cover, and Kodama gets the three count. Your winners: Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama
Match Thoughts: The only match on the card with no TNA wrestlers, so while the match was fluid it still wasn’t anything special. They worked together really well and had nice spots, and both teams worked well as a unit instead of it just being four individuals. None of these guys at this stage of their careers are barn burners but they fly around which for a mid-card match is perfectly acceptable. A fun match, I just wish it had more substance. Score: 6.5
Abyss and Tommy Dreamer vs. Team 3D
Devon and Dreamer start things off. Tie-up, waistlock by Dreamer, reversed by Devon and he takes Dreamer to the mat. They trade failed elbow drop attempts and return to their feet to face off again. Dreamer tags in Abyss, and Devon tags in Bully Ray. Abyss and Bully Ray trade punches, Abyss goes off the ropes but Bully Ray catches him with a side slam. Abyss gets back up and hits a chokeslam, but Bully Ray returns to his feet. They both go off the ropes and both wrestlers hit lariats. They get back up, tie-up, scoop slam by Abyss, he goes off the ropes but Bully Ray avoids the body press. Bully Ray tags in Devon, double Irish whip to Abyss but Abyss throws Bully Ray and Devon into each other. Abyss goes off the ropes but he is hit by a double shoulderblock. Devon dumps Abyss out of the ring, Dreamer comes in the ring and they hit a double neckbreaker. Abyss gets back in the ring, punches by Devon as Bully Ray hits a scoop slam on Dreamer. Abyss is thrown out of the ring while Devon goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving headbutt onto Dreamer’s groin. Bully Ray tells Devon to get a table, and Devon obliges as he slides one into the ring. Bully Ray sets it up near the ropes but Abyss hits a lariat onto both Bully Ray and Devon. Outside the ring Dreamer spits water at Devon, while Abyss hits Bully Ray with the ring bell. Dreamer and Devon fight up into the crowd while Bully Ray regains the advantage on Abyss. Devon comes over and punches Abyss while Bully Ray throws some more weapons into the ring. Everyone gets back into the ring, with Devon and Abyss getting a steel chair while Dreamer and Bully Ray grab kendo sticks. Bully Ray and Devon get the better of their respective duels but Abyss hits a chokeslam on Devon while Dreamer hits a DDT onto Bully Ray. Double cover, but they both get a two count. Dreamer gets a trash can and sets it up in the corner, Irish whip by Dreamer to Bully Ray but Bully Ray reverses it and Dreamer goes into the trash can. Abyss catches Bully Ray with the Black Hole Slam, cover, but Bully Ray barely gets a shoulder up. Devon gets a chair but Abyss punches the chair into his face. Abyss puts the chair onto Devon, Abyss goes off the ropes and sits down on Devon, but Devon sets the chair upwards so that it crotches Abyss. Spinebuster by Devon, cover, but it gets a two count. Devon puts the table near the cover, Devon puts Abyss on the table and gets up on the top turnbuckle, but Dreamer runs in the ring and punches Devon. Dreamer pulls Abyss off the corner, he the goes up to the top turnbuckle but Bully Ray comes in the ring and grabs Dreamer from behind. Bully Ray powerbombs Dreamer through the table, but Abyss is up and elbows Bully Ray. Abyss gets a bag of thumb tacks and dumps them in the middle of the ring. Abyss grabs Devon and Abyss and tries to give them a double chokeslam, but they block it and drop Abyss chest-first into the thumbtacks. Abyss spazzes out a bit as Dreamer comes in the ring with a kendo stick, hitting both Bully Ray and Devon. Dreamer charges Devon but Devon catches him and with Bully Ray they hit the 3D. Cover, and Devon picks up the three count. Your winners: Team 3D
Match Thoughts: I hadn’t seen Dreamer in years, dude got huge. I don’t know why I had to watch this, it felt like an Extreme Rising nostalgic match. They were smart to use blunder as these guys aren’t going to put on a wrestling clinic, and aside from a few horrendous transitions the match worked ok as a hardcore brawl from yesteryear. It’s a bit depressing that four wrestlers over the age of 40 and well past their primes are putting on half-hearted hardcore matches halfway across the globe, but this is wrestling in a nutshell. These types of matches lost their luster to me many years ago but it wasn’t unwatchable. Score: 4.0
(c) Havok vs. Velvet Sky
This match is for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship. Havok charges Sky as the match starts, but Sky moves out of the way. She does it again with the same result, elbows by Sky and she goes off the ropes, hitting a lariat. Havok doesn’t go down, kicks by Sky and she hits another lariat. Havok is still up, elbows by Sky and she kicks Havok. Double axe handle by Sky and she hits a second one, but Havok still doesn’t go down. A third one still doesn’t do the trick, nor the fourth. Sky goes off the ropes and goes for a crossbody, but Havok catches her and hits a backbreaker. Havok picks up Sky and clubs her in the back. Kick to the back by Havok, he picks up Sky and Havok slams Sky into the corner. Shoulderblocks by Havok, she picks up Sky and hits a backbreaker. Another backbreaker by Havok and she hits an elbow. Bearhug by Havok but Sky gets out of it, Havok grabs Sky by the hair and hits a scoop slam. Havok picks up Sky, stomps by Havok and she goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Sky avoids the leg drop. Elbow by Sky and she hits a second one, lariat by Sky and she goes off the ropes, hitting another one. Elbows by Sky, she goes off the ropes but Havok elbows her back. Irish whip by Havok but Sky hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Diving crossbody by Sky, cover, but it gets a two count. Sky jumps off the top turnbuckle but Havok catches her and puts her in a bearhug. Havok squeezes Sky for a bit and she is forced to submit. Your winner and still champion: Havok
Match Thoughts: Is a bearhug a finisher again? Who taps out to a bearhug? This wasn’t really good, so much of the match was Havok on offense and Sky failing desperately on trying to knock down Havok. Honestly the match was going fine until the really sudden ending, it could have used a few more minutes and at least one more hope spot for Sky before getting defeated. Just a short not special match. Score: 3.5
James Storm and Great Sanada vs. TAJIRI and Great Muta
Muta and Sanada start things off. Muta goes for a waistlock but Sanada applies an armbar. Leglock by Muta on the mat but Sanada gets into the ropes. Waistlock by Muta and he applies a wristlock, Sanada rolls out of it and applies a side headlock as he takes Muta to the mat, but Muta quickly gets out of it. Muta tags in TAJIRI while Sanada tags in Storm. Storm and TAJIRI circle each other, and Storm throws TAJIRI to the mat. Irish whip by Storm but TAJIRI dropkicks Storm in the knee. Irish whip by Storm but TAJIRI grabs him by the beard, Storm pushes him off and then hits a lariat. Storm picks up TAJIRI and tags in Sanada. Axe handle by Sanada off the top and he bites TAJIRI in the head. Sanada goes off the ropes but TAJIRI holds the ropes down and Sanada falls out of the ring. Sanada gets on the apron but TAJIRI knocks him back to the floor with a handstand kick. TAJIRI goes out of the ring after Sanada, Sanada crawls under the ring and TAJIRI goes after him. They emerge with Sanada choking TAJIRI, and TAJIRI is covered in mist. Storm applies a reverse chinlock to TAJIRI and he wraps TAJIRI’s leg around the bottom rope. Sanada chokes TAJIRI against the second rope, he picks up TAJIRI and hits a snap vertical suplex. Sanada tags in Storm, Storm and Sanada pick up TAJIRI and they hit a double lariat. Knee drop by Storm and Sanada goes for a standing moonsault, TAJIRI moves but Sanada hits a dropkick instead. Cover, but it gets a two count. Sanada applies a nerve hold to TAJIRI, TAJIRI elbows out of it but Storm attacks TAJIRI from behind. Sanada hits TAJIRI in the head with a rod of some sort, cover, but it gets two. Punches by Sanada, Irish whip, but TAJIRI hits a handstand elbow strike. TAJIRI tags in Muta, dropkick to the knee by Muta and a second one. Dragon screw leg whip by Muta and he throws Sanada out of the ring. Muta attacks Sanada with the rod and throws Sanada into the guardrail. Muta gets a chair and hits Sanada with it before choking Sanada with the mic cord. Muta slides Sanada back into the ring, he picks up Sanada and hits a snapmare. Flashing Elbow by Muta, cover, but it gets a two count. Storm comes in and hits a jawbreaker on Muta, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow drop. Moonsault by Sanada, cover, but TAJIRI breaks it up. TAJIRI throws Sanada out of the ring, Storm grabs TAJIRI but TAJIRI gets away and back bodydrops him onto the ramp. Sanada comes back in the TAJIRI drops him with a back kick. TAJIRI goes for the Buzzsaw Kick but Sanada ducks it, Irish whip by TAJIRI to the corner, Sanada goes out to the apron and goes for a swandive move, but both TAJIRI and Muta spray mist in his face. Buzzsaw Kick by TAJIRI to Sanada, and Muta follows with a Shining Wizard. Cover by Muta, but it gets a three count. Your winners: TAJIRI and Great Muta
Match Thoughts: This was actually not a bad match. Muta took it up a notch in this match which surprised me, when he got on offense there was no downtime whatsoever, he really took it to Sanada as if he hated the kid. Storm didn’t do a lot here as he was definitely the least important storyline-wise, but he wasn’t bad. The ending was obvious, with Muta and TAJIRI working together to win, but the crowd went home happy. It wasn’t a work-rate fest and the match started pretty slow, but it turned out to be pretty solid overall. Score: 6.0
Final Thoughts:
Best Match: Samoa Joe vs. Kaz Hayashi vs. Low Ki. While I wouldn’t consider any of the matches on the card “great” or “must see”, this was still a really fun match. All these of these guys can work but they are veterans, so there wasn’t really any wasted motion or big spots just for the sake of having big spots. All the spots led to something or had a purpose, which is a nice change of pace for an X Division match. All three got a chance to shine a bit and no one came out of the match looking weak. It was too short to be a classic but was still entertaining to watch.
MVP: Yusuke Kodama. It was hard on this event for anyone to really stand out, all the matches were short and the title matches didn’t have a wrestler that seemed better than the rest. Kodama had a really good showing in his match, and generally it is the young wrestlers that tend to stick in my mind. Kodama has shown a lot of potential and managed to leave an impression on this event.
Overall: As an overall event, this one was pretty disappointing. To be fair, on paper it didn’t look very good either. W-1 and TNA currently don’t have the rosters to put on great full events, and pairing random mid-card wrestlers against each other wasn’t going to do anything to change that. Some of the matches were good and others were better than expected, but the bulk of them were just average or below average matches. Two years ago this could have been an interesting card, but in late 2014 it is just pointless. Only diehard fans of either promotion need to watch this show.
