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Date: June 8th, 2014
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,500 (Super No Vacancy)
As everyone knows that follows puroresu knows, there are not enough promotions in Japan. Kenta Kobashi found a solution for that, as he decided to have his own wrestling event! Yes, I am being sarcastic about there not being enough promotions. Basically this event is Kobashi’s friends getting together to have a wrestling show. While he may have more events, as of late June no new dates have been announced so hard to tell if there will be more shows or when the shows will be. We have a fist full of wrestlers from K-DOJO here, as well as wrestlers from ZERO1, All Japan, Big Japan, Union Pro, and WNC (right before their wrestler exodus just a few weeks later). Kobashi also had a ‘talk battle’ against Riki Choshu, but since I don’t understand Japanese I am just going to skip that part. Here is the full card:
– Hayato Mashita vs. Tamon Honda
– Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Meiko Satomura
– Kengo Mashimo and Tank Nagai vs. Shuji Ishikawa and Koji Doi
– AKIRA, Ultimo Dragon, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Isami Kodaka, Yuko Miyamoto, and Kazuki Hashimoto
– Akitoshi Saito and Kotaro Suzuki vs. Masato Tanaka and Fujita “Jr.” Hayato
– Daisuke Sekimoto and Kento Miyahara vs. Kohei Sato and Yuji Hino
Hayato Mashita vs. Tamon Honda
They shake hands to start, Honda pushes Mashita into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Mashita gives him a shove and then an elbow, and Honda elbows him back. They trade elbows, and Honda headbutts Mashita. Kick to the arm by Mashita and he knocks Honda off his feet. Cover, but it gets a two count. Side headlock by Honda and he grinds in the hold, Honda applies the Rolling Hell but Mashita pushes Honda into the corner to get a break. Kicks to the leg by Mashita and he applies a kneelock, but Honda gets to the ropes to force a break. Mashita waits for Honda to get up and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Honda grabs the ropes to break it. Honda rolls up Mashita but it gets a two count. Honda grabs Mashita again and this time he applies the Rolling Olympic Hell 0, getting Mashita to submit. Your winner: Tamon Honda
Match Thoughts: Somewhere in Japan these is an empty grave that Kobashi dug Honda out of to get him on this card. Course Honda is Kobashi’s old friend and tag team partner so it made sense he was on the card, and this was a pretty harmless way to get him on the show. Mashita is new enough that losing to Honda won’t do him any harm. A short match mostly just done to give Honda some respect, nothing offensive but obviously not much to it. Score: 4.0
Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Meiko Satomura
They shake hands to start, tie-up, Matsumoto pushes Satomura into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Tie-up again, Satomura gets Matsumoto into the ropes this time and they trade elbows. Side headlock by Satomura, Matsumoto Irish whips out of it and she kicks Satomura in the stomach. Matsumoto goes off the ropes but she can’t knock Satomura over, but she does on the second attempt. Wristlock by Satomura and she applies a hammerlock. Matsumoto reverses it, side headlock takedown by Matsumoto but Satomura gets out of it and both wrestlers return to their feet. Tie-up and they lock knuckles, and Satomura pushes Matsumoto down to the mat. Satomura grabs Matsumoto and goes for a suplex but Matsumoto blocks it, and Matsumoto hits a scoop slam. Matsumoto picks up Satomura and throws her down by her hair. Irish whip by Matsumoto and she delivers a dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Snapmare by Matsumoto and she hits a double knee drop. A second double knee drop by Matsumoto, she picks up Satomura, Irish whip, reversed, and Satomura hits an uppercut. Satomura grabs Matsumoto and elbows her into the corner, Irish whip, and Satomura hits a jumping elbow strike. Irish whip by Satomura, reversed, but Satomura hits a rebound elbow strike out of the corner. Kicks to the chest by Satomura, cover, but it gets a two count. Kick to the leg by Satomura and she applies a leg submission. Back up, elbows by Satomura but Matsumoto elbows her back. Side headlock by Satomura but Matsumoto gets out of it and they trade elbows again. Irish whip by Matsumoto but Satomura hits a jumping heel kick. Satomura goes up to the top turnbuckle but Matsumoto gets her knees up when Satomura goes for a body press. Matsumoto charges Satomura but Satomura kicks her back, kicks to the ribs by Matsumoto and she hits a running knee to the ribs.
Matsumoto goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick to Satomura, cover, but it gets a two count. Matsumoto picks up Satomura and goes for a backbreaker, she gets Satomura up on her shoulders and drops her stomach-first onto her knee. Matsumoto goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a reverse splash double knee drop, cover, but Satomura kicks out. Matsumoto picks up Satomura and goes for a powerbomb, but Satomura hits a back bodydrop to get out of it. Satomura goes off the ropes but Matsumoto catches her with an elbow, slap by Satomura but Matsumoto slaps her back. They trade slaps, uppercut by Satomura and she hits a roundhouse kick. Satomura goes off the ropes and hits a cartwheel knee to the back of Matsumoto’s head. Satomura goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving body press, cover, but it gets a two count. Satomura applies a sleeper but Matsumoto gets back up, Satomura slides down Matsumoto’s back but Satomura kicks Matsumoto in the head. Sleeper hold by Satomura but Matsumoto kicks her off, kick to the back by Satomura and she re-applies the sleeper hold. Cover, but it gets a two count. Satomura picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto snaps off a backdrop suplex. Matsumoto waits for Satomura to get up but Satomura blocks the roaring elbow, Matsumoto goes off the ropes but Satomura catches her with a high kick. Satomura goes off the ropes but Matsumoto hits a back elbow, cover, but it gets a two count. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, she picks up Satomura and nails the Spinning Liger Bomb. Cover, and Matsumoto picks up the three count. Your winner: Hiroyo Matsumoto
Match Thoughts: I honestly was not expecting any great matches on this card, but I really enjoyed this one. There was not a real storyline-reason for me to care, I have no idea if these two are feuding or have feuded, but they had a really entertaining match here. They really didn’t waste any time and went straight to the offense, and both stayed focused without any silly spots that didn’t fit. A fun match all the way around and worth watching, besides that I wish it was longer there really isn’t anything bad I can say about the match. Score: 8.0
Kengo Mashimo and Tank Nagai vs. Shuji Ishikawa and Koji Doi
Nagai and Doi start things off. Tie-up, but they break cleanly. Side headlock by Doi, Nagai Irish whips out of it and they collide in the middle of the ring. Nagai goes off the ropes but he can’t knock Doi over. They trade elbows, but Nagai hits a roaring elbow. Mashimo comes in the ring, double Irish whip to Doi but Doi fights them both off. Doi picks up Nagai and he elbows him in the back of the head. Doi tags in Ishikawa, Ishikawa pushes Doi into the ropes and hits an elbow. Kicks by Ishikawa and he punches Nagai, but Nagai elbows him back. Knee by Ishikawa and he tags in Doi. Doi stomps Nagai and throws him into the corner, Irish whip by Doi and he hits a back elbow. Scoop slam by Doi, he goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving leg drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Doi picks up Nagai and tags in Ishikawa. Snapmare by Ishikawa and he applies a side headlock on the mat. Nagai gets to the ropes to force a break. Back up, elbows by Nagai but Ishikawa knees him in the stomach and hits a running double stomp. Cover by Ishikawa but it gets a two count. Ishikawa picks up Nagai and throws him into the corner, chops by Ishikawa, Irish whip, but Nagai moves when he charges in. Scoop slam by Nagai and he tags in Mashimo. Running knee to the stomach by Mashimo, Irish whip to Ishikawa, reversed, and Ishikawa chops Mashimo back. Mashimo elbows Ishikawa and the two trade shots, Ishikawa goes off the ropes but Mashimo catches him with a knee. Mashimo grabs Ishikawa’s leg and hits a dragon screw leg whip before kicking Ishikawa in the chest.
Mashimo tags in Nagai, Nagai charges Ishikawa in the corner and hits a running shoulder tackle. Irish whip by Nagai, reversed, and Nagai hits a jumping crossbody for a two count cover. Nagai picks up Ishikawa but Ishikawa hits a few trapped headbutts and then a suplex. Ishikawa tags in Doi, Doi picks up Nagai, Irish whip, and Doi hits a spinebuster for a two count. Stomps by Doi, he picks up Nagai and they trade slaps. Doi goes off the ropes but Nagai catches him with a suplex. Nagai tags in Mashimo, Mashimo knocks Ishikawa off the apron and then kicks Doi in the chest. Mashimo picks up Doi and he goes for a brainbuster but Doi knees his way out of it. Doi tags in Ishikawa, double Irish whip to the corner and both wrestlers hit a lariat. Double vertical suplex to Mashimo, Doi goes off the ropes and he hits a lariat. Cover, but Nagai breaks it up. Ishikawa gets rid of Nagai, Doi waits for Mashimo to get up but Mashimo elbows him off. Mashimo goes off the ropes, Doi hits an elbow but Mashimo catches him with an armbreaker. Kick to the arm by Mashimo and he applies a cross armbreaker, but Ishikawa breaks it up. Nagai throws Ishikawa out of the ring, while in the ring Mashimo picks up Doi but Doi headbutts him. Elbows by Doi, he goes off the ropes but Mashimo catches him with a jumping kick. Kick to the side of the head by Mashimo, cover, but it gets a two count. Mashimo applies the Mudo, and Doi has no choice but to submit. Your winners: Kengo Mashimo and Tank Nagai
Match Thoughts: Another good match, maybe I sold this event short. On one hand there was nothing here to blow you away, but it was really well structured. They all varied their offense so it never just felt like a ‘you elbow me, I elbow you’ battle like you see sometimes in “strong style” matches, and it allowed all the wrestlers to stay looking strong since everyone had a chance to show off a bit. The Mudo is a good finisher, I hadn’t seen it before but I like submission holds that just completely trap their opponent and that move definitely qualifies. This match is about all you can ask for from a mid-card strong-style match. Score: 7.0
AKIRA, Ultimo Dragon, and Kanemaru vs. Isami Kodaka, Yuko Miyamoto, and Hashimoto
Ultimo Dragon and Miyamoto start things off. Tie-up, Miyamoto pushes Ultimo Dragon into the corner, Ultimo Dragon switches positions with him but he gives a clean break. Tie-up, wristlock by Miyamoto and he elbows Ultimo Dragon in the arm. Ultimo Dragon flips out of the hold and reverses it before hitting an armdrag. Miyamoto falls out of the ring to re-evaluate but returns after a moment. Single leg takedown by Miyamoto and he applies a kneelock, but Ultimo Dragon hits a handstand headscissors to get out of it. Ultimo Dragon hits the move again but Miyamoto gets a foot on the ropes to force a break. Miyamoto tags in Kodaka as AKIRA is also tagged in, Kodaka and AKIRA trade elbows and Kodaka punches AKIRA in the stomach as everyone runs into the ring to start brawling. They take the brawling to the outside as everyone fights around the ring and into the stands. Kanemaru throws Miyamoto into the guard rail while Kodaka is up at the top of the stands beating on AKIRA. Elsewhere, Ultimo Dragon rams Hashimoto into a wall as Kodaka does the same to AKIRA. Kodaka and Miyamoto get back into the ring with AKIRA, double Irish whip to the corner and Kodaka hits a lariat. Miyamoto then hits a double knee strike, and they both dropkick AKIRA in the corner. Kodaka covers AKIRA, but it gets a two count. Kodaka grabs AKIRA but AKIRA hits an enzigieri. AKIRA tags in Ultimo Dragon while Kanemaru assaults Kodaka outside of the ring, hitting a leg drop over the guard rail. Kanemaru slides Kodaka back in as AKIRA returns to the ring as well, and AKIRA tags in Kanemaru.
Kanemaru kicks Kodaka in the arm, Irish whip, and Kanemaru hits a back elbow. Cover, but Kodaka kicks out at two. Kanemaru picks up Kodaka and hits a scoop slam, and Kanemaru hits a slingshot senton from the apron. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kanemaru tags in Ultimo Dragon, and Ultimo Dragon stomps Kodaka in the back. Irish whip by Ultimo Dragon and Ultimo Dragon slams Kodaka to the mat. Ultimo Dragon twists up Kodaka into a submission hold and he tags in AKIRA. AKIRA hits a scoop slam on Kodaka and AKIRA jumps down onto Kodaka’s leg. AKIRA stomps on Kodaka’s leg and he applies a figure four leglock with Kanemaru and Ultimo Dragon protecting him, but Kodaka reverses it. Kanemaru nudges them to reverse it back, but Kodaka gets a hand on the ropes. Ultimo Dragon kicks it off but Kodaka reaches the ropes again, and AKIRA tags in Kanemaru. Kanemaru yanks on Kodaka’s leg, and Kanemaru dropkicks Kodaka in the knee. Kanemaru applies a crab hold to Kodaka but Kodaka gets a hand on the ropes to force a break. Kanemaru stomps on Kodaka but Kodaka elbows him back and they trade elbows. AKIRA is tagged in, he picks up Kodaka and kicks him in the stomach, but Kodaka elbows him. AKIRA and Kodaka trade elbows, kick by AKIRA and he goes for a suplex, but Kodaka reverses it into his own vertical suplex. Kodaka makes the hold tag to Miyamoto, Miyamoto goes up to the top turnbuckle but AKIRA blocks the diving chop. Irish whip by AKIRA, reversed, and Miyamoto hits an overhead suplex for a two count. Miyamoto waits for AKIRA to get up and applies a waistlock, AKIRA elbows out of it but Miyamoto applies a stretch hold. AKIRA hiptosses out of the hold and hits a jumping lariat before tagging in Ultimo Dragon. Ultimo Dragon delivers a kick combination to Miyamoto, Irish whip, and he hits a dropkick. More kicks by Ultimo Dragon and he hits a back bodydrop.
Back kick by Ultimo Dragon and he hits a dragon screw leg whip. Ultimo Dragon twists up Miyamoto’s legs and applies a leg submission hold until Hashimoto breaks it up. Ultimo Dragon applies the hold again, Irish whip by Ultimo Dragon, reversed, drop toehold by Miyamoto and he hits La Magistral for a two count. Miyamoto tags in Hashimoto, Hashimoto kicks Ultimo Dragon in the arm but Ultimo Dragon kicks him back. Back kick by Ultimo Dragon, Irish whip, reversed, but Ultimo Dragon kicks Hashimoto back and tags in Kanemaru. Kanemaru picks up Hashimoto, Irish whip to the corner and he hits a lariat. Kanemaru goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits the Deep Impact, cover, but it gets broken up. Kodaka picks up Kanemaru, Irish whip, and Kodaka delivers a dropkick. Kodaka goes off the ropes but he dives out of the ring onto AKIRA. Miyamoto comes in and hits a handspring kick onto Kanemaru, Hashimoto picks up Kanemaru and he hits a Falcon Arrow. Hashimoto hits the PK to Kanemaru, cover, but it gets a two count. Hashimoto picks up Kanemaru but Kanemaru ducks the kick and rolls him up for a two count. Back kick by Hashimoto and he goes for a suplex, but Kanemaru reverses it into his own suplex for a two count cover. Ultimo Dragon comes in the ring and drops Hashimoto with a tombstone piledriver while AKIRA goes up to the top turnbuckle and he hits a diving body press. Kanemaru then grabs Hashimoto and nails the Touch Out, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: AKIRA, Ultimo Dragon, and Kanemaru
Match Thoughts: This match was a lot longer than what the match time was I found listed online, that always confuses me when I watch a match as I expect it to end and it doesn’t. Anyway this was a fun match, a bit muddled since it had too many wrestlers in it but the in-ring action was good. There wasn’t any team work besides from Miyamoto/Kodaka so it was more like a series of singles matches, but the teams were a bit thrown together. Ultimo Dragon is still awesome, he really hasn’t lost much of a step, although obviously he does less high flying than he used to. But I enjoyed it, Hashimoto went down a bit too easy since he wasn’t in 95% of the match but he was hit with a series of big moves which made it easier to accept. An enjoyable fast-paced six man tag. Score: 6.5
Akitoshi Saito and Kotaro Suzuki vs. Masato Tanaka and Fujita “Jr.” Hayato
Suzuki and Tanaka start things off. Tie-up, waistlock by Tanaka, reversed into a wristlock by Suzuki but Tanaka reverses it back. Tanaka gets Suzuki to the mat but Suzuki wiggles away and they return to their feet. They trade arm holds, Tanaka gets Suzuki to the mat but Suzuki gets back up. Elbows by Tanaka and Suzuki elbows him back as they trade shots. Roaring elbow by Tanaka and Tanaka tags in Hayato. Hayato and Suzuki circle each other, they trade wristlocks, Irish whip by Suzuki and he hits Hayato with a dropkick. Hayato falls out of the ring, Suzuki goes to do a dive but flips himself back into the ring instead. Hayato returns after a moment and they trade elbow smashes. Back kick by Suzuki and he tags in Saito. Saito punches Hayato down to the mat but Hayato elbows him back. Kicks to the chest by Hayato but Saito shrugs him off. Hayato lets Saito kick him in return but just one kick sends Hayato to the mat. Hayato gets back up and kicks Saito in the chest, but Saito kicks him back hard and Saito throws Hayato out of the ring. Suzuki throws Hayato into the guard rail outside the ring and delivers a jumping back kick. Suzuki picks up Hayato and slides him back into the ring. Saito tags in Suzuki, Suzuki picks up Hayato, Irish whip, and Suzuki knees Hayato in the stomach. Cover, but it gets a one count. Suzuki picks up Hayato and throws him out of the ring, Saito removes the mat at ringside and he hits a piledriver on the exposed floor. Saito picks up Hayato and punches him against the ring post. Saito then gets a running start and lariats Hayato while he is against the post. Suzuki slides Hayato back into the ring, Irish whip by Saito and he knees Hayato in the stomach. Saito picks up Hayato and he hits a delayed vertical suplex. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Saito picks up Hayato and goes for a backdrop suplex but Hayato lands on his feet and dropkicks Saito in the knee and then in the face. Hayato tags in Tanaka, Tanaka charges Saito in the corner and hits a lariat. Irish whip by Tanaka, reversed, but Tanaka hits another lariat and then hits a Stunner/DDT combination onto Saito and Suzuki. Tanaka lariats Suzuki out of the ring, Tanaka picks up Saito and takes him to the corner so he can hit a tornado DDT. Cover by Tanaka but it gets a two count.
Elbows by Tanaka, he goes off the ropes but Saito catches him with a side slam and tags in Suzuki. Suzuki picks up Tanaka, Irish whip, reversed, and Suzuki hits the handspring elbow strike. Suzuki charges Tanaka in the corner and hits a jumping knee. Diving knee of the second turnbuckle by Suzuki, cover, but it gets a two count. Waistlock by Suzuki, reversed by Tanaka, Suzuki drops Tanaka onto the second rope and he hits the Tiger Feint Kick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Suzuki picks up Tanaka but Tanaka slides down his back, hitting a DDT. Tanaka tags in Hayato, Hayato kicks Suzuki in the chest, Hayato goes off the ropes and hits a running knee followed by a reverse STO and running kick to the head. Cover, but Suzuki kicks out at two. Hayato picks up Suzuki, Irish whip to the corner and Hayato hits a big boot. Hayato gets a running start and knees Suzuki in the corner, cover, but Suzuki kicks out. Hayato picks up Suzuki and applies the KID, but Suzuki gets out of it. Big boot by Hayato and he kicks Suzuki in the chest. They trade kicks and elbows, high kick by Hayato, Suzuki goes off the ropes but Hayato hits a boot. High kick by Hayato, and both men fall hurt to the mat. Hayato tags in Tanaka while Suzuki tags in Saito, and Saito hits a lariat. Knee to the stomach by Saito and he delivers a scissors kick. Tanaka gets back up but Saito drops him with a side slam. Suzuki comes in the ring, double Irish whip to the corner and Saito hits an elbow on Tanaka. Back kick by Suzuki and he hits a powerbomb onto Tanaka. Cover, but Hayato breaks it up. Saito hits the Iron Claw Chokeslam on Tanaka, cover, but Tanaka gets a shoulder up. Saito picks up Tanaka but Tanaka blocks the lariat and elbows Saito. Saito returns the favor but Hayato runs in the ring and kicks Saito into the corner. Jumping elbow by Tanaka to Saito and he puts Saito onto the top turnbuckle. Tanaka climbs up top with Saito and he hits a superplex. Tanaka goes up to the top turnbuckle and he hits a diving body press. Cover, but it only gets two. Tanaka sits up Saito and goes for the Sliding D, but Saito ducks. Tanaka goes off the ropes but Saito catches him with the Sickle Death. Saito picks up Tanaka and hits the Death Landing, cover, but Hayato breaks it up. Saito picks up Tanaka but Tanaka elbows him off and they trade elbows. They block each other’s big strikes but Hayato runs in the ring and kicks Saito. Tanaka sits up Saito and nails the Sliding D, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Masato Tanaka and Fujita “Jr.” Hayato
Match Thoughts: A step down from the previous matches but still a solid match. This was a good use for Saito as he is a bit aged but is fine at coming in and hitting some power moves. The match started a bit slow but business picked up a bit halfway through, but I thought at times they shrugged off big moves a bit too easily to get to the next phase of the match. But all the wrestlers looked to be giving it them all, no one is mailing it in for Kobashi’s debut event, that is for sure. A good match. Score: 6.0
Daisuke Sekimoto and Kento Miyahara vs. Kohei Sato and Yuji Hino
Sekimoto and Sato start things off. Tie-up, but they break cleanly. Tie-up again, side headlock by Sekimoto, Sato Irish whips out of it but they collide with neither man going down. Sekimoto goes off the ropes with the same result, then Sato goes off the ropes and can’t knock down Sekimoto. Sekimoto runs off the ropes and levels Sato with a lariat, cover, but it gets a one count. Sekimoto applies a single leg crab hold to Sato, he picks him up but Sato kicks Sekimoto repeatedly in the leg. Another kick to the leg by Sato and he tags in Hino. Hino slaps Sekimoto in the hamstring and does it a second time before applying a kneelock. Sekimoto makes it to the bottom rope to force a break, Sekimoto limps back to his feet and he tags in Miyahara. Miyahara and Hino circle each other, armbar by Hino but Miyahara reverses it. Hammerlock by Hino, reversed by Miyahara but Hino applies a side headlock. Takedown by Hino but Miyahara hits a headscissors. Hino gets out of that pretty easily as they get back up, wristlock by Miyahara but Hino gets into the ropes. Hino tags in Sato, and Sato kicks Miyahara in the leg. Elbow by Sato but Miyahara elbows him back and they trade shots. Snapmare by Sato and he kicks Miyahara in the back. Sato tags in Hino, snapmare by Hino and he hits Miyahara in the back. Cover but it gets a one count. Reverse chinlock by Hino and he flips off Sekimoto while he keeps the hold applied. Slap to the chest by Hino, he picks up Miyahara but Miyahara drives him back in the corner so Sekimoto can tag in. Sekimoto kicks Hino in the corner and clubs him in the chest, but Hino blocks the slam attempt and clubs Sekimoto in the back. Sekimoto and Hino lock knuckles and go into a Test of Strength, which Hino gets the better of as he tosses Sekimoto to the mat. Hino picks up Sekimoto and chops Sekimoto in the chest. Sekimoto chops him back and they trade chops back and forth. They show Kobashi smiling on commentary as he is clearly enjoying things. Standing dropkick by Sekimoto and he tags in Miyahara as Hino tags in Sato. Miyahara and Sato circle each other, single leg takedown by Sato and he applies a kneelock. Miyahara quickly gets out of it and applies a side headlock, Sato slowly gets to his feet, Sato Irish whips out of it and he hits a hard elbow. Miyahara falls out of the ring, but Sato goes out after him and they trade elbows on the floor.
Sekimoto and Hino trade chops on the floor as well while Sato battles Miyahara up into the stands. Hino and Sekimoto go up to the commentary area where Kobashi is and trade chops to the chest in front of the man himself. Hino finally gets the better of it as Sekimoto falls to the ground, while Sato rolls Miyahara back into the ring. Sato applies a reverse chinlock to Miyahara and he tags in Hino. Hino slaps Miyahara in the chest, cover, but it gets a two count. Hino picks up Miyahara and throws him in the air over his shoulders. Kick to the chest by Hino and he tags in Sato. Miyahara gets up and he elbows Sato but Sato elbows him back. Headbutt by Sato and he tags in Hino. Hino applies a single leg crab hold to Miyahara but Sekimoto chops him to break up the hold. Hino tags in Sato, and Sato kicks Miyahara in the chest. Elbows by Miyahara but Sato elbows Miyahara in the stomach. Sato goes for a vertical suplex but Miyahara blocks it and hits a vertical suplex of his own. Miyahara tags in Sekimoto, Sekimoto knocks Hino off the apron and then puts Sato in the corner. Irish whip by Sekimoto and he hits a lariat in the corner. Sekimoto hits Sato with a second lariat followed by a vertical suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Sekimoto applies a Scorpion Deathlock but Hino slaps Sekimoto in the back. Sekimoto runs over and knocks Hino off the apron, he picks up Sato and Sekimoto hits a scoop slam. Sekimoto goes up to the top turnbuckle but Sato gets his knees up when Sekimoto goes for a diving body press. Sato tags in Hino, Hino picks up Sekimoto, Irish whip to the corner and Hino lariats Sekimoto. Exploder by Hino, cover, but it gets a two count. Hino picks up Sekimoto, he goes off the ropes but Sekimoto chops Hino in the chest. Hino chops him back and they trade chops again, but Sekimoto hits a lariat to knock Hino to the mat. Sekimoto tags in Miyahara, Miyahara goes off the ropes and he hits a big boot. He goes off the ropes again and hits a second boot, Irish whip and Miyahara dropkicks Hino in the knee. Dropkick to the head by Miyahara, Irish whip by Miyahara to the corner and he hits an elbow smash followed by a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count.
Sekimoto comes in the ring, Miyahara picks up Hino, Irish whip to the corner and Sekimoto hits a lariat. Miyahara then hits a superkick, cover, but it gets a two count. Miyahara picks up Hino and he applies a triangle choke, while Sekimoto puts Sato into an Argentine Backbreaker. Hino gets into the ropes to force a break, Miyahara charges Hino and hits him with a jumping knee. Miyahara goes for a powerbomb but Hino back bodydrops out of it. Hino goes off the ropes, but Miyahara kicks him back. Superkick by Miyahara but Hino comes back with a lariat. Hino goes up to the top turnbuckle, Sekimoto grabs him from the apron but Sato kicks Sekimoto down to the floor. Hino jumps off and hits a diving body press onto Miyahara, cover, but Sekimoto grabs him around the waist and hits a German suplex. Sato knocks down Sekimoto but Miyahara boots Sato out of the ring. Irish whip by Miyahara to Hino, reversed, and Hino hits Miyahara with a lariat. Miyahara and Hino slowly get up and they trade elbows while they are still on their knees. They get back up as they keep trading shots, Hino grabs Miyahara and goes for a powerbomb but Miyahara blocks it and hits a back bodydrop. Miyahara tags in Sekimoto, Sekimoto goes off the ropes and hits a lariat onto Hino. Cover by Sekimoto but it barely gets a two count. Sekimoto picks up Hino and goes for a suplex but Hino reverses it into a suplex of his own and tags in Sato. Sato waits for Sekimoto to get to one knee and kicks him repeatedly in the chest. Sato picks up Sekimoto and goes for a vertical suplex but Sekimoto blocks it and hits his own suplex. Cover by Sekimoto but it gets a two count. Sekimoto waits for Sato to get up and hits a lariat, but Sato doesn’t go down. Elbow by Sato and he hits a scoop brainbuster. Cover, but Miyahara breaks it up. Hino throws Miyahara out of the ring, Sato grabs Sekimoto and hits a deadlight German suplex hold for a two count. Sato picks up Sekimoto but the bell rings, as the 30 Minutes has expired. The match is a draw.
Or is it? Kobashi decides they need five more minutes, and since it is his show, he gets what he wants. They brawl, with Hino and Miyahara becoming the legal men. Hino picks up Miyahara and goes for the powerbomb, but Miyahara gets out of it and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Sato runs in the ring and hits a German suplex on Miyahara, but Sekimoto then comes in and hits a German suplex onto Sato. Hino is up and he lariats Sekimoto before hitting a release German suplex of his own and all four men are out. Miyahara tags in Sekimoto while Sato is also tagged in, Sekimoto and Sato trade elbows, Sekimoto goes off the ropes but Sato knees him in the stomach. Sato picks up Sekimoto and hits a Falcon Arrow, cover, but it gets a two count. Sato picks up Sekimoto and he hits a piledriver, cover, but Miyahara breaks it up. Hino comes in the ring and jockeys with Miyahara, but Miyahara boots him in the corner and throws Hino out of the ring. Sato applies a waistlock on Sekimoto but Sekimoto gets out of it and slaps Sato. Lariat by Sekimoto, cover, but Sato barely gets a shoulder up. Sekimoto picks up Sato and hits a deadlift German suplex, cover, but Hino breaks it up. Miyahara comes in the ring but Hino lariats him back out of it. Sekimoto grabs Sato and chops him, Sato elbows him back but Sato kicks Sekimoto in the leg. Sato kicks Sekimoto in the side of the head, cover, but Sekimoto kicks out. Sato picks up Sekimoto and goes off the ropes, but Sekimoto levels him with a lariat. Cover by Sekimoto, but Sato barely gets a shoulder up. Sekimoto grabs Sato around the waist and hits a German suplex hold, but the bell rings before the referee can make a count. The match is declared a Draw.
Match Thoughts: In a way this was a fitting main event for a Kobashi show, but it wasn’t nearly as entertaining as I was hoping. The chop battles were a good nod to Kobashi but they happened too often or at unusual times, and it really slowed down the match. In general there were too many strike exchanges late in the match, I don’t mind it in the beginning as they are still feeling each other out but it just kills the pace later and doesn’t really help a team win the match. Really in the first 30 minute segment there were no convincing near falls, it felt more like a strong-style exhibition. Business picked up in the five minute extra time and that section of the match did help it quite a bit since they seemed to be actually trying to win, but it didn’t completely save how slow the first part of the match was. Overall it definitely had some good stuff in it, Sekimoto and Hino are both man-sized, but it was just too slow and directionless for my personal taste. Score: 5.0
Final Thoughts:
Best Match: Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Meiko Satomura. I think I have to give the girls the nod here. Firstly, I do enjoy singles matches more than tag matches, and this was the only real singles match on the card. More importantly, it was just a really entertaining match. Matsumoto and Satomura work really well together and their offense was very on-point through the entire match. It was fast paced but focused, and both came out of it looking really strong.
MVP: Daisuke Sekimoto. It is nice to see Sekimoto back after he missed several months due to injury. Sekimoto is just built like a house, and he was able to deadlift both of his opponents without any issue even though both of them were also huge. Sekimoto looked dead by the end of the match beyond just normal selling, as he didn’t hold back at all and was in the ring a lot more than his teammate in the 35 minute match. I’ll never understand why Sekimoto never ‘made it’ in a larger promotion, but this was a good showing by him on this event.
Overall: I went in expecting just an average ‘produced’ event but I got anything but that. I don’t know if wrestlers are just inspired by Kobashi or he paid better, but the wrestlers were really putting in maximum effort. None of the matches were bad on the entire card, and several were levels above average. Even Sato seemed to care, and that is really saying something. Don’t sleep on this card like I did, it will likely be the best wrestler produced event of the year, and even though it lacks superstars the matches were really entertaining. I wish the main event had delivered up to the potential I know it could have, but otherwise nothing on this card disappointed and most the matches exceeded expectations.
Grade: B+
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