{"id":10528,"date":"2014-06-14T12:44:14","date_gmt":"2014-06-14T16:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/?p=10528"},"modified":"2014-06-14T12:48:25","modified_gmt":"2014-06-14T16:48:25","slug":"fighting-spirit-review-new-japan-back-to-yokohama-arena-52514","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/reviews\/fighting-spirit-review-new-japan-back-to-yokohama-arena-52514\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Spirit Review: New Japan “Back to Yokohama Arena” 5\/25\/14"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before we get going, an editor’s note as we encourage you to check out ALL of Kevin Wilson’s great Puroresu review work over at http:\/\/www.puroresucentral.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Date:\u00a0 May 25th, 2014
\nLocation:\u00a0 Yokohama Arena, Japan
\nAnnounced Attendance:\u00a0 7,800<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jumping out of order again with my reviewing, but I like to hit the big shows as close to when they happened as possible.\u00a0 Makes my reviews seem more current and topical, I promise I will get to the smaller New Japan shows from back in February that I skipped over.\u00a0 This was another major event for New Japan, as four titles were on the line and all the major players are here.\u00a0 Plus we have a special match of Sakuraba vs. Gracie to hopefully end that feud once and for all.\u00a0 Here is the full card:<\/p>\n

– Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Mascara Dorada, and El Desperado vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA, and BUSHI
\n– Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Yujiro Takahashi, and Tama Tonga vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Tomoaki Honma, and Captain New Japan
\n– NWA World Tag Team Championship<\/em>: \u00a0Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima vs. Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Rob Conway and Wes Brisco
\n– Minoru Suzuki and Shelton Benjamin vs. Toru Yano and Takashi Iizuka
\n– Bad Luck Fale vs. Tetsuya Naito
\n– Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Rolles Gracie
\n– NEVER Openweight Championship:<\/em> Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kota Ibushi
\n– Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Togi Makabe
\n– IWGP Intercontinental Championship<\/em>:\u00a0 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Gracie
\n– IWGP Heavyweight Championship<\/em>: \u00a0AJ Styles vs. Kazuchika Okada<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Mascara Dorada, and El Desperado vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA, and BUSHI<\/strong><\/span>
\nDorada and KUSHIDA start things off.\u00a0 Tie-up, KUSHIDA pushes Dorada into the to the ropes and he gives a clean break.\u00a0 Tie-up, waistlock by KUSHIDA, reversed by Dorada and he throws KUSHIDA to the mat but KUSHIDA hits an armdrag.\u00a0 They jockey for position on the mat but neither man can get an advantage.\u00a0 Back up, side headlock by Dorada, KUSHIDA Irish whips out of it, KUSHIDA goes for an armdrag but Dorada reverses it into an armdrag of his own.\u00a0 KUSHIDA falls out of the ring, but he slides back in and dropkicks Dorada out of the ring.\u00a0 KUSHIDA goes off the ropes but Dorada moves so KUSHIDA flips himself back into the ring.\u00a0 Dorada returns after a moment, and KUSHIDA tags in Taguchi while Tiger Mask is also tagged in.\u00a0 Taguchi and Tiger Mask circle each other, side headlock by Tiger Mask, Taguchi Irish whips out of it but Tiger Mask shoulderblocks him down.\u00a0 Tiger Mask goes off the ropes but Taguchi hits an armdrag.\u00a0 Rolling vertical suplexes by Taguchi but Tiger Mask kicks him in the stomach.\u00a0 Tiger Driver by Tiger Mask, cover, but it gets two.\u00a0 Tiger Mask tags in Liger and Liger hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker onto Taguchi.\u00a0 Liger twists up Taguchi and applies the Rocking Horse, he then drops him and puts Taguchi into a Mexican Surfboard.\u00a0 Romero Special by Liger but KUSHIDA runs in and breaks it up.\u00a0 Liger picks up Taguchi and he tags in El Desperado.\u00a0 El Desperado chops Taguchi against the ropes, he picks him up and goes for an Irish whip, reversed by Taguchi but El Desperado drops Taguchi in the corner and dropkicks him in the head.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 El Desperado picks up Taguchi and throws him into the corner, El Desperado charges but Taguchi moves out of the way and Taguchi hits a monkey flip.\u00a0 Dropkick by Taguchi and he tags in Shelley, Shelley goes up top and hits a jumping kick to El Desperado.<\/p>\n

Dorada runs in the ring but Shelley hits a spinning headscissors on him, Liger runs in but he eats an enzigieri.\u00a0 Shelley goes out to the apron and snaps El Desperado\u2019s neck over the top rope but El Desperado gets his knees up when Shelley goes for a springboard splash.\u00a0 Irish whip by El Desperado but KUSHIDA runs in the ring and they hit a double team combination onto El Desperado.\u00a0 Cover by KUSHIDA, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Shelley picks up El Desperado and goes for a Shiranui, El Desperado blocks it but KUSHIDA tags in BUSHI while in the middle of the move.\u00a0 BUSHI goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick onto El Desperado.\u00a0 Liger and Tiger Mask run in the ring and throw BUSHI into the corner, Liger hits a Shotei and then hits a powerbomb.\u00a0 Diving headbutt by Tiger Mask and Dorada hits an avalanche senton.\u00a0 Diving leg drop by Dorada, cover by El Desperado, but the pin attempt is broken up.\u00a0 Tiger Mask and Liger Irish whip KUSHIDA, but KUSHIDA hits a handspring elbow strike on both of them.\u00a0 KUSHIDA then goes out to the apron and holds the ropes open so that Shelley can hit a tope suicida onto Tiger Mask.\u00a0 KUSHIDA then jumps down onto Liger, while in the ring El Desperado picks up BUSHI.\u00a0 Taguchi flies in with a missile dropkick onto El Desperado, then Dorada hits a swandive missile dropkick onto Taguchi.\u00a0 Dorada goes off the ropes and hits a corkscrew tope con giro onto Taguchi.\u00a0 In the ring, El Desperado charges BUSHI but BUSHI kicks him back.\u00a0 BUSHI goes up to the top turnbuckle and jumps off, El Desperado moves but BUSHI lands on his feet.\u00a0 BUSHI goes for a kick, El Desperado catches it but BUSHI kicks out of it.\u00a0 Double knee jawbreaker by BUSHI, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the MX.\u00a0 Cover, and BUSHI picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Ryusuke Taguchi, Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA, and BUSHI<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 First of all, I just want to complain about El Desperado getting pinned in the opening match, just a few months after he was brought in as a \u2018big deal\u2019.\u00a0 So basically he is just another Jr. Heavyweight now, a wasted opportunity to make him more of a star.\u00a0 Anyway this was a perfectly fine opener, lots of Jr. Heavyweights flying around, quite entertaining.\u00a0 Just a fun way to start the show with no real substance, but entertaining nonetheless.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 6.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Yujiro Takahashi, and Tama Tonga vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Tomoaki Honma, and Captain New Japan<\/strong><\/span>
\nThey all brawl to start the match, with Bullet Club getting the upper hand.\u00a0 In the ring Nakanishi and Gallows run into each other but neither man goes down.\u00a0 Nakanishi goes off the ropes and finally knocks Gallows to the mat, he goes off the ropes again but Anderson kicks him from the apron.\u00a0 Anderson comes in the ring but Nakanishi lariats him to the mat.\u00a0 Tonga comes in but Nakanishi picks him up and throws Tonga at Gallows.\u00a0 Nakanishi tags in Honma but Gallows punches Honma in the face and kicks him down in the corner.\u00a0 Gallows tags in Tonga, and Tonga punches Honma in the corner before elbowing him in the back of the head.\u00a0 Tonga goes off the ropes but Honma hits a back elbow followed by a lariat.\u00a0 Irish whip by Honma to the corner and he hits a jumping elbow followed by a face crusher.\u00a0 Honma goes for a headbutt but Tonga moves out of the way and all the Bullet Club wrestlers come into the ring.\u00a0 They all stomp on Honma, Tonga picks up Honma and throws him into the corner.\u00a0 Stomps by Tonga, cover, but he gets a two count.\u00a0 Tonga picks up Honma but Honma chops him in the chest, Tonga picks up Honma and hits a Samoan Drop.\u00a0 Tonga then hits an elbow drop, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Tonga tags in Yujiro, and Yujiro kicks Honma in the corner.\u00a0 Yujiro kicks Honma in the stomach and they trade elbows before Yujiro elbows Honma to the mat.\u00a0 Yujiro tags in Anderson, and Anderson hits a series of mounted punches to Honma.\u00a0 Side headlock by Anderson, Honma elbows out of it and goes off the ropes, but Anderson hits a jumping leg lariat for a two count.<\/p>\n

Anderson picks up Honma and mocks Nagata before going for a vertical suplex, but Honma blocks it and hits a vertical suplex of his own.\u00a0 Honma tags in Nagata, Nagata boots Gallows and Yujiro off the apron before kicking Anderson in the chest.\u00a0 Nagata kicks Anderson into the corner, Irish whip, and Nagata hits a running boot.\u00a0 Nagata goes for an exploder but Anderson gets out of it, Irish whip by Anderson but Nagata dropkicks Anderson in the knee.\u00a0 Nagata goes off the ropes but he is kicked from the apron.\u00a0 Tonga Irish whips Nagata but Nagata reverses it and hits an over the head suplex.\u00a0\u00a0 Nagata goes off the ropes but Anderson catches him with a spinebuster.\u00a0 Back up, elbows by Anderson and he goes for a cutter but Nagata hits a heel kick.\u00a0 Nagata tags in Captain New Japan while Yujiro is also tagged in, Irish whip by Yujiro but Captain New Japan hits a jumping shoulderblock.\u00a0 Nagata, Nakanishi, and Honma come into the ring and they all hit running strikes on Yujiro in the corner.\u00a0 Exploder by Nagata to Yujiro and Honma delivers a headbutt.\u00a0 Captain New Japan goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving headbutt.\u00a0 Cover by Captain New Japan but the pin is broken up.\u00a0 Captain New Japan waits for Yujiro to get up and applies the Caribbean Death Grip but it is broken up as well.\u00a0 Gallows and Anderson hit the Magic Killer onto Honma and Anderson hits a Gun Stun onto Captain New Japan.\u00a0 Yujiro picks up Captain New Japan, he gets him up his shoulders and hits the Miami Shine.\u00a0 Cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Yujiro Takahashi, and Tama Tonga<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Too many wrestlers for one match but it wasn\u2019t bad or anything.\u00a0 Some of the wrestlers did virtually nothing in the match, it would have been better if the match either got more time or had less wrestlers.\u00a0 The point I suppose was to put over the Bullet Club although pinning Captain New Japan isn\u2019t the strongest way to do it.\u00a0 Just a typical run of the mill undercard eight man tag match.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 5.0<\/span><\/p>\n

(c) Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima vs. Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Rob Conway and Wes Brisco<\/strong><\/span>
\nThis match is for the NWA World Tag Team Championship.\u00a0 All three teams brawl to start the match with the gaijins ending up being in the ring together.\u00a0 Smith Irish whips Conway but Conway hits a leg lariat.\u00a0 Smith responds with a backdrop suplex, Archer comes over and they both hit a\u00a0 delayed suplex on their respective opponents.\u00a0 Conway is singled out, and Archer hits a running body press while Smith connects with a leg drop.\u00a0 Tenzan and Kojima come into the ring and attack Smith and Archer, isolating Smith in the ring.\u00a0 Double Irish whip to Smith and they both throw Smith to the mat.\u00a0 Archer comes back in, Tenzan and Kojima trade strikes on Archer until he falls to the mat, and then hit an elbow drop\/headbutt combination.\u00a0 Tenzan chops Smith back into the corner, Irish whip, and Tenzan hits a lariat.\u00a0 Tenzan goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the calf branding.\u00a0 Cover by Tenzan but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Tenzan clubs Smith in the back and hits a headbutt followed by a chop.\u00a0 Tenzan goes off the ropes but he is tripped from ringside, Brisco then gets in the ring and punches Tenzan in the face.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Brisco and Conway Irish whip Tenzan, boot by Conway and Brisco hits a swinging neckbreaker.\u00a0 Conway goes off the ropes and hits an elbow drop, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Conway elbows Tenzan in the corner and he hits a body avalanche.\u00a0 Conway hits one as well, Conway picks up Tenzan and clubs him in the chest.\u00a0 Conway goes off the ropes and hits a sliding kick.\u00a0 Figure four by Brisco to Tenzan but it is broken up.\u00a0 Archer punches Conway while Brisco kicks Smith, and Archer hits a bit boot onto Conway.\u00a0 Archer then grabs Brisco and they trade strikes, but Archer and Smith slam Brisco to the mat.\u00a0 Cover, but Kojima breaks it up.\u00a0 Archer grabs Kojima and they go for the same move, but Kojima kicks out of it and DDTs Brisco.<\/p>\n

Smith comes in the ring but Kojima hits a DDT on him as well.\u00a0 Conway clubs Kojima in the back, Irish whip by Conway to the corner but Kojima avoids his jumping elbow strike and hits his rapid fire chops in the corner.\u00a0 Irish whip by Kojima and he hits an elbow in the corner followed by a diving elbow drop.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Kojima picks up Conway but Conway elbows him back and the two traded blows.\u00a0 Elbows by Kojima and he hits a roaring elbow and then hits a brainbuster.\u00a0 Cover, but he gets a two count.\u00a0 Irish whip by Kojima but Conway hits a spear.\u00a0 Archer comes in the ring and hits a chokeslam onto Conway, Brisco runs in the ring and slams Archer backwards into the mat.\u00a0 Smith comes in and knees Brisco, then hits a powerbomb.\u00a0 Cover, but Tenzan breaks it up.\u00a0 Heel kick by Tenzan to Smith, Conway comes in the ring and he hits Tenzan with Mongolian Chops.\u00a0 Tenzan comes back with his own chops, headbutt by Tenzan, Irish whip, and with Kojima they hit the 3D.\u00a0 Cover, but Brisco breaks it up.\u00a0 Tenzan knocks Brisco to the mat and applies the Anaconda Vice but breaks it when Bruce Tharpe tries to get in the ring.\u00a0 Dropkick by Brisco and a roll-up, but he gets a two count.\u00a0 Brisco waits for Tenzan to get up and dropkicks him in the knee.\u00a0 Figure four leglock by Brisco but Kojima breaks it up.\u00a0 Archer comes in the ring but Kojima lariats him back out of it, then he hits the Koji Cutter onto Conway.\u00a0 Brisco picks up Kojima and hits an Argentine Backbreaker into a cutter, Tenzan has recovered, Irish whip to Brisco and he hits the Mountain Bomb.\u00a0 Kojima comes back and he hits Brisco with a lariat.\u00a0 Tenzan goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the moonsault, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners and still champions:\u00a0 Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 These matches are a little too illogical for my taste.\u00a0 When you have a match with three tag teams, but with no tag rules, wrestlers just have to \u2018disappear\u2019 for long periods of the match for no reason.\u00a0 For example both Smith and Anderson at various times were just gone.\u00a0 I saw a match with similar rules once live and I could see them just standing near the apron, waiting for the spot that told them to run back in the ring to do something.\u00a0 I know wrestling isn\u2019t always logical but it\u2019s a title fight so it was a bit frustrating.\u00a0 Other than that the action was fine, no real flow or structure at all, just power guys taking turns hitting power moves.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 3.5<\/span><\/p>\n

Minoru Suzuki and Shelton Benjamin vs. Toru Yano and Takashi Iizuka<\/strong><\/span>
\nAs soon as the match begins, Suzuki and Benjamin attack Yano.\u00a0 Iizuka gets in the ring but instead of helping Yano, he got out his metal claw and hit Yano with it.\u00a0 Suzuki then dropped Yano with a Gotch-style piledriver, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Minoru Suzuki and Shelton Benjamin<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 This match was eight seconds, not eight minutes like reports have listed.\u00a0 Just a storyline match as Iizuka turns against CHAOS and joins Suzuki Army.\u00a0 Not the biggest turn as far as I am concerned, Iizuka is old and is a bit player, plus he switched to one heel stable to another heel stable so I dunno why I am supposed to feel sorry for Yano. But I guess they got their point across. Score:\u00a0 N\/A<\/span><\/p>\n

Bad Luck Fale vs. Tetsuya Naito<\/strong><\/span>
\nFale clubs Naito to start the match, Irish whip by Fale, Naito goes for a crossbody but Fale catches him.\u00a0 Naito gets out of his grasp and he dropkicks Fale out of the ring.\u00a0\u00a0 Naito then goes out to the apron and he hits a dropkick off the apron down to the floor.\u00a0 Naito picks up Fale and punches him against the guard rail.\u00a0 Fale punches Naito back and scratches his back (in a mean way, not in a girlfriend kinda way).\u00a0 Fale gets back in the ring and Naito eventually follows, and Fale stands on Naito\u2019s chest.\u00a0 Fale stomps on Naito but Naito elbows him back.\u00a0 Fale knocks Naito to the mat and stands on his back against the ropes.\u00a0 Cover by Fale but it barely gets a two count.\u00a0 Stomp by Fale and he elbows Naito into the corner.\u00a0 Shoulder strikes to the back by Fale in the corner and he hits a scoop slam.\u00a0 Cover by Fale but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Fale picks up Naito and throws Naito into the corner.\u00a0 Punches to the stomach by Fale and he clubs on Naito in the corner.\u00a0 Fale picks up Naito, Irish whip to the corner and he charges in, but Naito moves out of the way.\u00a0 Kick to the stomach by Fale and he hits a scoop slam.\u00a0 He goes for a body press but Naito moves and Naito dropkicks Fale in the head.\u00a0 Enzigieri by Naito, snapmare, he goes off the ropes and Naito hits a rolling senton.\u00a0 Naito charges Fale to the corner and hits a dropkick, then hits a kick from the apron.<\/p>\n

Fale pushes him off, Naito goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick.\u00a0 Fale charges Naito in the corner, Naito moves, and Naito dropkicks Fale again from the apron.\u00a0 Cover by Naito, but it barely gets a two count.\u00a0 Elbows by Naito but Fale elbows him back, Fale goes off the ropes but Naito ducks the kick and hits a reverse DDT.\u00a0 Dropkick by Naito, cover, but it gets two.\u00a0 Naito grabs Fale and applies a waistlock, but Fale elbows out of it.\u00a0 Irish whip by Fale, he gets Naito onto his shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop.\u00a0 Fale goes for a chokeslam but Naito gets out of it, Naito goes off the ropes but Fale catches him by the throat.\u00a0 Side headlock takedown by Naito and he applies a Triangle Choke.\u00a0 Fale gets a foot into the ropes to force a break, Naito goes up to the top turnbuckle and dropkicks Fale in the back.\u00a0 Enzigieri by Naito, Irish whip, reversed, and Naito hits a jumping elbow smash.\u00a0 Naito picks up Fale and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Naito positions Fale, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Fale rolls out of the way of the Stardust Press.\u00a0 Fale charges Naito in the corner and hits a body avalanche, he picks up Naito but Naito rolls him up for a two count.\u00a0 Elbows by Naito, he goes off the ropes but Fale levels him with a lariat.\u00a0 Fale picks up Naito and nails the Grenade, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Fale picks up Naito and hits the Bad Luck Fall, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winner:\u00a0 Bad Luck Fale<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Naito sure has fallen down the ladder, hasn\u2019t he?\u00a0 Typical New Japan booking of pushing and then de-pushing, or did Naito deserve it?\u00a0 Maybe a bit of both.\u00a0 I try to like Fale because I enjoy big power wrestlers, but I find him generally uninspired.\u00a0 At times he looks awkward in a not-good way and Naito was primary concerned with seeing how many different types of dropkicks he could throw.\u00a0 Pretty lackluster affair even though it did have some bright moments, I guess Fale is moving up the card, hope that he continues to develop in the process.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 4.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Rolles Gracie<\/strong><\/span>
\nSakuraba and Gracie circle each other to start, and Sakuraba kicks Gracie in the legs.\u00a0 Judo takedown by Gracie and he chokes Sakuraba, but Sakuraba gets a foot on the ropes to force a break.\u00a0 Gracie lets Sakuraba up and they trade kicks, Gracie gets Sakuraba onto his shoulders and slams him to the mat.\u00a0 Gracie gets in the mount position and punches Sakuraba before choking him again, until Sakuraba gets into the ropes.\u00a0 Gracie slowly releases the hold, he drags Sakuraba towards the middle of the ring and stomps him on before slamming Sakuraba to the mat.\u00a0 Gracie picks up Sakuraba and slams him a second time, he gets Sakuraba\u2019s back and applies a choke but Sakuraba gets into the ropes.\u00a0 Sakuraba rolls out of the ring to re-group but returns after a moment, Gracie picks up Sakuraba and slams him into the corner.\u00a0 Knee by Gracie but Sakuraba pulls Gracie\u2019s Gi over his head and kicks him.\u00a0 Release German suplex by Sakuraba, he grabs Gracie but Gracie goes for a cross armbreaker.\u00a0 Sakuraba gets out of it, Gracie goes for a side choke but Sakuraba reverses it and applies the Sakuraba Lock.\u00a0 They are in the middle of the ring and the referee stops the match.\u00a0 Your winner:\u00a0 Kazushi Sakuraba<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 This honestly wasn\u2019t as bad as I was expecting.\u00a0 They kept it short, which was a fantastic idea, and kept the match moving.\u00a0 Gracie didn\u2019t look out of place like he has in the past and it flowed quite well as it was more wrestling than MMA in a lot of ways.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if this will end their feud (Gracie was arguing with the referee after the match) but overall it was surprisingly decent.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 6.0<\/span><\/p>\n

(c) Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kota Ibushi<\/strong><\/span>
\nThis match is for the NEVER Openweight Championship.\u00a0 Tie-up, Ishii pushes Ibushi into the ropes but Ibushi ducks Ishii\u2019s attack.\u00a0 Tie-up, side headlock by Ishii, Ibushi Irish whips out of it but Ishii shoulderblocks him down.\u00a0 Kick to the chest by Ibushi but Ishii chops him in the chest.\u00a0 More chops by Ishii but Ibushi kicks him back.\u00a0 Ishii and Ibushi trade elbows but Ibushi knocks Ishii to the mat.\u00a0 Ibushi elbows Ishii and stomps on him but Ishii absorbs the blows.\u00a0 Kick to the chest by Ibushi, cover, but Ishii quickly kicks out.\u00a0 Backdrop suplex by Ishii and Ishii kicks Ibushi in the head.\u00a0 Headbutt by Ishii and Ishii chops Ibushi into the corner.\u00a0 Ibushi elbows Ishii back but Ishii chops Ibushi into the chest.\u00a0 Ishii picks up Ibushi and chops Ibushi in the chest, headbutt by Ishii and he chops Ibushi some more.\u00a0 Ishii headbutts Ibushi into the corner, Irish whip, but Ibushi kicks Ishii back when he charges in.\u00a0 Elbows by Ibushi but Ishii elbows him back, Ishii goes off the ropes but Ibushi catches him with a dropkick.\u00a0 Ishii rolls out of the ring, Ibushi runs to the corner but Ishii quickly gets back into the ring.\u00a0 Ibushi ends up on the top turnbuckle, Ishii joins him up there and Ishii hits a delayed superplex.\u00a0 Cover by Ishii but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Ishii charges Ibushi in the corner and hits a lariat, followed by a powerbomb hold for a two count.\u00a0 Ishii waits for Ibushi to get up, he goes off the ropes but Ibushi ducks the lariat and hits an overhead kick followed by a hurricanrana.\u00a0 Ishii rolls out of the ring, Ibushi goes off the ropes and hits a moonsault out of the corner down onto Ishii.\u00a0 Ibushi rolls Ishii back into the ring, he gets on the apron and hits a swandive dropkick.\u00a0 Cover, but he gets a two count.\u00a0 Back kick by Ibushi and he hits a standing shooting star press followed by a quebrada for a two count.\u00a0 Ibushi sits up Ishii but Ishii ducks the kick and gets his knees up when Ibushi goes for a moonsault.<\/p>\n

Ishii goes off the ropes, big boot by Ibushi but ii ducks the next kick and gets Ibushi onto his shoulders before throwing Ibushi into the corner.\u00a0 Release German suplex by Ishii, Ishii picks up Ibushi and hits a second powerbomb, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Ishii picks up Ibushi, he puts Ibushi onto the top turnbuckle and joins him but Ibushi slides out and he hits an overhead kick while Ishii is still on the top turnbuckle.\u00a0 Ibushi then climbs back up and goes for a hurricanrana but Ishii blocks it and drops Ibushi on his head.\u00a0 Ibushi is up first and he elbows Ishii, and he hits a German suplex hold for a two count.\u00a0 Elbow by Ibushi but Ishii headbutts him.\u00a0 Ishii elbows Ibushi into the corner but Ibushi headbutts him back.\u00a0 Lariat by Ibushi, he picks up Ishii and he hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two count.\u00a0 Ibushi goes up to the top turnbuckle, Ishii rolls out of the way of the Phoenix Splash but Ibushi rolls up Ishii for a two. \u00a0Ishii goes off the ropes and hits a lariat but Ibushi doesn\u2019t go down.\u00a0 They trade slaps and palm strikes, high kick by Ibushi and he hits a second one.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Ibushi goes off the ropes but Ishii levels him with a lariat.\u00a0 Cover, but Ibushi kicks out at one.\u00a0 Another lariat by Ishii, both wrestlers slowly get up and they trade elbows.\u00a0 Hard headbutt by Ishii, he picks up Ibushi but Ishii goes down his back.\u00a0 Kick by Ishii, he goes for a dragon suplex but Ibushi lands on his feet and hits a dragon suplex hold for a two count.\u00a0 Ibushi picks up Ishii, he puts Ishii up on the top turnbuckle and then joins him but Ishii elbows him off to the apron.\u00a0 Ibushi springs up from the apron but Ishii hits a lariat that sends both of them to the mat.\u00a0 Ishii goes off the ropes and hits a second lariat, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Ishii picks up Ibushi and drops him with a brainbuster, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winner and still champion:\u00a0 Tomohiro Ishii<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 A really entertaining match, as Ishii matches tend to be.\u00a0 There were a few sloppy moments but it didn\u2019t really take away from the match as it came across as both wrestlers just trying anything to get the advantage.\u00a0 Ishii got busted open hardway at some point as they were knocking the stuffing out of each other, and there really was no downtime in the match at all.\u00a0 They were just throwing bombs through the entire match.\u00a0 Good stuff from both men here.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 8.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Togi Makabe<\/strong><\/span>
\nGoto and Makabe start things off.\u00a0 They immediately start trading elbows, Makabe goes off the ropes and he elbows Goto to the mat but Goto springs back up and returns the favor .\u00a0 Irish whip by Makabe and Goto runs into him but Makabe won\u2019t go down.\u00a0 Goto knocks Makabe to the mat, he picks him back up and tags in Shibata.\u00a0 Makabe backs up and he makes the tag to Tanahashi.\u00a0 Tanahashi pushes Shibata into the ropes, slapping him before backing off.\u00a0 They jockey for position on the mat, Shibata gets Tanahashi\u2019s back and goes for a cross armbreaker but Tanahashi gets out of it.\u00a0 Shibata pushes Tanahashi into the ropes.\u00a0 Shibata stomps on Tanahashi as he gets up, snapmare by Shibata and he hits a second one but Tanahashi gets back up.\u00a0 A third snapmare and a kick to the back by Shibata, followed by a kick to the chest.\u00a0 Shibata drives Tanahashi into his knee and he tags in Goto.\u00a0 Goto clubs on Tanahashi and chops him against the ropes, shoulderblock by Goto and Shibata comes in the ring to stomp on Tanahashi.\u00a0 Kicks by Shibata to the face of Tanahashi and he stomps on his side.\u00a0 Goto comes back and kicks Tanahashi in the chest before tagging in Shibata.\u00a0 Uppercuts by Shibata but Tanahashi elbows him back and they trade blows.\u00a0 Snapmare by Shibata and he kicks Tanahashi in the chest before applying a figure four leglock.\u00a0 Makabe breaks it up but Goto throws Makabe out and then is tagged in.\u00a0 Tanahashi tries to fight back against Goto and Shibata.\u00a0 More elbows by Shibata, Goto picks him up and hits a headbutt, Irish whip by Goto but Tanahashi hits a jumping elbow strike.<\/p>\n

Tanahashi manages to tag in Makabe, Makabe knocks Shibata off the apron and Makabe hits a lariat to Goto in the corner.\u00a0 A second lariat by Makabe and he hits a series of mounted punches.\u00a0 Northern Lights Suplex by Makabe, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Makabe picks up Goto, Goto goes off the ropes but Makabe catches him with a lariat.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets two.\u00a0 Makabe picks up Goto and he hits a powerbomb, cover but Goto barely gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Makabe gets Goto on his shoulders but Goto gets off his shoulders and hits a release German suplex.\u00a0 Makabe and Goto trade elbow each other on their knees, they get up and keep elbowing, Makabe goes off the ropes but Goto does as well and hits a lariat.\u00a0 Makabe goes off the ropes, Goto gets Makabe on his shoulders and hits a fireman\u2019s carry onto his knee.\u00a0 Makabe and Goto both tag out, and Tanahashi trades elbows with Shibata.\u00a0 Uppercut by Tanahashi, he goes off the ropes but Shibata slaps him in the face.\u00a0 Strike combination by Shibata and he delivers a running kick to the face.\u00a0 Shibata elbows Tanahashi in the corner, he gets a running start but Makabe runs in the ring and lariats Shibata.\u00a0 Goto comes back in and Goto elbows Makabe down to the mat.\u00a0 Shibata hits a catapult dropkick onto Tanahashi in the corner, Shibata picks up Tanahashi and hits a release German suplex.\u00a0 Makabe runs in the ring and hits a German suplex onto Goto but Goto gets back up and hits a backdrop suplex onto Makabe.\u00a0 Shibata elbows Tanahashi, he picks him up but Tanahashi slaps him.\u00a0 Trapped German suplex by Tanahashi, but it gets a two count.<\/p>\n

Tanahashi picks up Shibata and slams him to the mat, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Shibata gets his knees up when he hits the High Fly Flow.\u00a0 Choke by Shibata to Tanahashi and he applies a Dragon Sleeper, but Tanahashi reverses the hold.\u00a0 Shibata knees out of it but Tanahashi catches his kick and hits a dragon screw leg whip.\u00a0 Tanahashi tags in Makabe, Makabe goes off the ropes but Shibata kicks him in the stomach and tags in Goto.\u00a0 Goto goes off the ropes and trades lariats with Makabe, with Goto winning the battle.\u00a0 Goto kicks Makabe into the corner, Irish whip, and Goto hits a heel kick in the corner.\u00a0 Backdrop suplex by Goto, cover, but it picks up two.\u00a0 Goto picks up Makabe and gets him on his shoulders, but Tanahashi kicks him to free Makabe.\u00a0 Shibata runs in and kicks Tanahashi, double Irish whip to Makabe, and Shibata and Goto both kick Makabe in the chest.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Goto picks up Makabe and hits a fireman\u2019s carry onto his knee.\u00a0 PK by Shibata, cover, but Tanahashi breaks it up.\u00a0 Shibata grabs Tanahashi and applies a choke hold, and Goto kicks Tanahashi in the chest.\u00a0 Goto picks up Makabe, he picks him up and hits the Ura Shouten.\u00a0 Cover, but Makabe gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Goto picks up Makabe and goes for the Shouten but Makabe gets out of it.\u00a0 Shibata runs in the ring but he boots Goto on accident and Makabe drops Shibata with a German suplex.\u00a0 Tanahashi comes into the ring and hits the Sling Blade onto Shibata, and Shibata falls out of the ring.\u00a0 Makabe picks up Goto and hits\u00a0 Samoan Drop, then Tanahashi goes up top and hits the High Fly Flow.\u00a0 King Kong Kneedrop by Makabe, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Hiroshi Tanahashi and Togi Makabe<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0This was a really solid heavyweight sprint, and better than I was expecting.\u00a0 Makabe was actively not bad here, maybe tag matches are his calling, and all four of these wrestlers work extremely well together.\u00a0 The strikes were solid throughout and the only slow-ish time was the first Tanahashi\/Shibata pairing.\u00a0 I am a little annoyed that Makabe pinned Goto since Goto > Makabe, but he didn\u2019t go down easily so I\u2019ll get over it.\u00a0 Really fun match though.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 7.5<\/span><\/p>\n

(c) Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Gracie<\/strong><\/span>
\nThis match is for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.\u00a0 Nakamura and Gracie circle each other, Gracie pushes Nakamura into the ropes but he gives a clean break.\u00a0 Nakamura tackles Gracie, Gracie applies an armbar but Nakamura gets out of it.\u00a0 Gracie goes for Nakamura\u2019s arm but Nakamura gets a foot on the ropes.\u00a0 Back up, Gracie gets Nakamura to the mat and gets into the mount position and hits a few elbows until Nakamura gets a foot onto the ropes again.\u00a0 Gracie quickly takes Nakamura to the mat again, he traps Nakamura\u2019s arms and hits more elbows.\u00a0 Slaps by Gracie but Nakamura slips out of it.\u00a0 Kicks by Nakamura and he knees Gracie in the chest in the corner.\u00a0 Nakamura drags Gracie to the middle of the ring and hits a series of knees followed by a kneedrop.\u00a0 Nakamura charges Gracie but Gracie catches him with a throw.\u00a0 Back up they trade slaps, Nakamura goes for a kick but Gracie catches it.\u00a0 Elbows by Gracie, he picks up Nakamura and applies a front headlock.\u00a0 Nakamura slams his way out of it, knee by Nakamura and he puts Gracie up on in the ropes and goes for a knee, but Gracie moves out of the way and chokes Nakamura while in the ropes.\u00a0 Running knee by Gracie and he applies a sleeper, but Nakamura gets out of it and hits a knee.\u00a0 Cover, but Gracie re-applies the sleeper.\u00a0 Nakamura gets in the ropes, he gets Gracie on his shoulders and hits the Landslide.\u00a0 Boma Ye by Nakamura, cover, and he gets the three count.\u00a0 Your winner and still champion: Shinsuke Nakamura<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Certainly not a good match, they should have taken a page out of the Sakuraba\/Gracie match and kept it shorter.\u00a0 The mat work didn\u2019t look very convincing at all and while Gracie didn\u2019t look bad, he had too many \u2018advantages\u2019 over Nakamura to not take advantage and win the match.\u00a0 That is the issue with MMA-style pro wrestling matches, when Gracie has a choke locked in away from the ropes, that should be game over.\u00a0 At least when Nakamura took over he won very quickly, and this result does allow me to continue to hope that this Gracie phase of New Japan is over.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 4.0<\/span><\/p>\n

(c) AJ Styles vs. Kazuchika Okada<\/strong><\/span>
\nThis match is for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.\u00a0 They circle each other to start, tie-up, wristlock by Okada but Styles rolls out of it and applies a hammerlock.\u00a0 Okada reverses the hammerlock, Styles gets free, armdrag takedown by Okada but Styles gets into the ropes.\u00a0 Styles rolls out of the ring to talk things over with the Bullet Club before returning after a moment, tie-up, side headlock by Styles, Okada reverses it, roll-up by Styles but it gets a one count.\u00a0 Back up, side headlock by Styles, Okada Irish whips out of it and hits an armdrag, and again Styles bails out of the ring.\u00a0 Styles slowly gets back in the ring, side headlock by Styles, Okada Irish whips out of it but Styles quickly re-applies the hold.\u00a0 Elbows by Okada, Irish whip, but again Styles re-applies the side headlock.\u00a0 Okada goes for a backdrop suplex but Styles lands on his feet and hits an armdrag, Okada returns the favor as they trade attempts to hit their finishers with no luck.\u00a0 Styles goes for a kick but Okada catches it and elbows Styles into the corner.\u00a0 More elbows by Okada, Irish whip, and Okada hits a back bodydrop.\u00a0 Reverse chinlock by Okada, Styles elbows out of it and hits a chop, he goes for a suplex but Okada blocks it.\u00a0 Club to the back by Okada and he hits a scoop slam followed by a senton.\u00a0 Cover, but it barely gets a two count.\u00a0 Okada picks up Styles but Styles punches Okada back.\u00a0 Big boot by Okada and he hits a sliding kick which sends Styles crashing out of the ring.\u00a0 Okada goes to the ropes to do a pescado, Styles rolls back in the ring but Okada snaps his neck over the top rope and hits a slingshot senton.\u00a0 Okada picks up Styles and hits a neckbreaker.\u00a0 Okada goes off the ropes but Anderson grabs him from the floor,\u00a0 allowing Styles to hit a spinebuster.\u00a0 The referee has already had enough and sends the Bullet Club (Anderson, Gallows, and Tonga) to the back.<\/p>\n

Okada elbows Styles into the corner, Irish whip, reversed, Okada puts Styles onto the top turnbuckle, Styles goes for a sunset flip, Okada rolls through it but Styles hits a kip-up hurricanrana.\u00a0 Styles picks up Okada and slams him to the mat before hitting a kneedrop.\u00a0 Cover by Styles, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Reverse chinlock by Styles but Okada gets back to his feet.\u00a0 Punches by Styles and he hits a backbreaker.\u00a0 Cover, but Okada gets a hand on the ropes.\u00a0 Styles picks up Okada, elbows by Okada and he goes off the ropes, and Styles nails Okada with a dropkick.\u00a0 Okada rolls out to the apron, Styles reaches over and picks him up and tries to suplex him back into the ring but Okada blocks it.\u00a0 Okada tries to suplex Styles but Styles ends up on the apron with Okada, and Styles suplexes Okada onto the apron.\u00a0 Styles gets back into the ring and Okada slowly gets back in the ring as well.\u00a0 Styles picks up Okada, snapmare, and Styles applies a reverse chinlock.\u00a0 Okada gets back to his feet and elbows out of it, punches by Styles and he puts Okada up on the top turnbuckle.\u00a0 Styles joins him but Okada blocks the superplex and throws Styles off the top.\u00a0 Okada dropkicks Styles hard into the corner, they both get up and Okada elbows Styles in the face.\u00a0 Irish whip by Okada and Okada hits a flapjack.\u00a0 Styles charges Okada into the corner, Styles kicks him back and sits on the top turnbuckle but Okada dropkicks Styles off the top turnbuckle down to the floor.\u00a0 Okada goes out after him, he Irish whips Styles into the railing but Styles jumps over the railing and then hits a springboard superman punch off the guard rail.\u00a0 Styles slides Okada back into the ring, he picks up Okada and throws him into the corner, but Okada moves when Styles goes for an elbow.\u00a0 Snap DDT by Okada, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Okada picks up Styles and hits a scoop slam, Okada goes up to the top turnbuckle but Styles recovers and pushes him off.\u00a0 Styles then picks up Okada and suplexes him into the turnbuckles.\u00a0 Cover, but it only gets a two count.\u00a0 Styles picks up Okada and goes for a suplex but Okada lands on his feet and applies the Red Ink.<\/p>\n

Bullet Club runs back down and gets on the apron, and Okada elbows them off.\u00a0 Yujiro sneaks into the ring, elbows by Okada to Yujiro but Yujiro back bodydrops Okada from the ring out to the floor.\u00a0 Yujiro goes for the Tokyo PIMP but Ishii runs into the ring and hits a lariat onto Yujiro.\u00a0 Ishii takes Yujiro away from the ring, while the rest of Bullet Club is escorted to the back.\u00a0 In the ring, Okada charges Styles in the corner but Styles catches his kick and rolls up Okada for a two count.\u00a0 Styles goes out to the apron and goes for a swandive move, but Okada grabs him and hits a Schwein onto his knee. Suplex by Okada, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Okada picks up Styles and hit a scoop slam.\u00a0 Okada goes up to the top turnbuckle and he hits a diving elbow drop.\u00a0 Okada picks up Styles but Styles elbows him off and they trade elbows.\u00a0 Okada gets the better of the exchange but Styles goes to the ropes and hits the Stylin\u2019 DDT.\u00a0 Irish whip by Styles and he avoids Okada\u2019s dropkick.\u00a0 Okada goes for a tombstone piledriver but Styles hits a Pele Kick.\u00a0 Styles goes off the ropes but Okada delivers a dropkick.\u00a0 Okada picks up Styles and he hits the tombstone piledriver.\u00a0 Okada goes for the Rainmaker but Styles ducks it, Styles throws the referee at Okada and then hits the Pele Kick again.\u00a0 Bloody Sunday by Styles, he picks up Okada and goes for the Styles Clash, Okada gets out of it but\u00a0 Styles rolls out of the reversal and he is able to nail the Styles Clash.\u00a0 Your winner and still champion:\u00a0 AJ Styles<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 I thought this was better than their last match but still was lacking in some ways.\u00a0 The interference was kept to a minimal which was good and it felt like Styles did earn the win.\u00a0 My big issue with the match is that a lot of the big moves just didn\u2019t feel like they meant anything.\u00a0 It was almost too tit-for-tat, meaning when one wrestler did a big move to his opponent within ten seconds the opponent was back in control.\u00a0 It just made the bigger moves less meaningful since there weren\u2019t any long parts that one wrestler was controlling the match.\u00a0 The action was more crisp however as they are likely getting more familiar with each other and overall it was an entertaining match.\u00a0 Score:\u00a0 7.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Best Match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kota Ibushi<\/strong>.\u00a0 There were a number of really good matches on this card but this one was probably the best.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t have any obvious flaws and both wrestlers played their roles well.\u00a0 Ibushi is a bit too flippy at times but he also has excellent strikes as well, and they just laid into each other here.\u00a0 Ishii can almost do no wrong at this point, and it was a really entertaining match.<\/p>\n

MVP: \u00a0\u00a0AJ Styles.<\/strong>\u00a0 The crowd wasn\u2019t really sure what to think of Styles a month ago when he won the belt, but here the crowd was buying what he was selling.\u00a0 Styles is such a veteran, even though he didn\u2019t have\u00a0 much experience in Japan before he won the belt, he is still a convincing champion and he won here with very little interference from the outside which helped put him over as well.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know where they are going with the Styles title reign, but so far so good.<\/p>\n

Overall:<\/strong> \u00a0This was a really good card from top to bottom.\u00a0 Three of the matches I\u2019d recommend trying to watch, and others were very solid as well.\u00a0 There were a few stinkers but at least the NWA stuff was all confined to one match here and only one of the Gracie matches was a waste of time.\u00a0 For New Japan fans this show is a must, but any fan of Puroresu should find something here that they enjoy.<\/p>\n

Grade: A-<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AJ Styles defends the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Okada, plus Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kota Ibushi, and a whole lot more on this amazing event<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":10529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[399,40],"tags":[234,233],"class_list":["post-10528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fsreview","category-reviews","tag-new-japan","tag-puroresu"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10528"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10533,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10528\/revisions\/10533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}