klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Wrestle Kingdom V
Date: January 4, 2011
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo Japan
Attendance: 42,000
Yes, its a Japanese show. I agreed to do this because Im always told I dont do puro, only to find out this is five and a half hours long. Anyway, this is the biggest show of the year in Japan and we have guys from NJPW, NOAH, CMLL and TNA among other companies out there for this. The main event is for the IWGP Title with guys I dont know. Lets get to it.
Please bear in mind theres a very good chance that I wont know half of these guys or anything about them, so if I leave out something or get something wrong, I apologize in advance.
Tama Tonga/Tiger Mask IV/Tomoaki Honma/Wataru Inoue vs. Gedo/Jado/Tomohiro Ishii/Yujiro Takahashi
I know a few of these guys. Yujiro was part of No Limit in TNA. Gedo and Jado Ive seen before as theyre a regular tag team. Tiger Mask is the guy in, you know, a mask. This is joined in progress so I dont get intros to figure out who is who here. All of the guys on Tiger Masks team come in and THEY BE CLUBBERIN TONY!!! THEY BE CLUBBERIN!!! The guy in yellow (I think hes Honma but dont hold me to that) is sent to the floor.
Whoever he is, he gets hit by an Orton DDT by I want to say Jado. This is very confusing and rather annoying as I have no clue who Im watching or who Im supposed to be for. Ok, Im fairly sure thats Yujiro in there now. This is a dark match if I didnt mention that. Yujiro gets a brainbuster for two on yellow dude. Oh great the one guy I thought was Jado has no hair much like the picture of Jado I have doesnt.
Well heres some good news: I know who Tama Tonga is. I know Im harping on who is who, but Ive watched maybe 90 seconds of wrestling as Im trying to figure out who everyone is. Gedo and Jado are a team so Id assume they look/dress alike and two guys are bald. I know who Yujiro is so well say the other guy is Ishii. Hes in now and is a bit beefier than the rest of his team.
Yellow dude chops away but cant get anywhere with it. Running clothesline in the corner gets two for Ishii (again remember I may be very wrong about that but its the most logical conclusion I can come to). They fight over a suplex and yellow dude gets it and its off to Tiger Mask. Some nice dropkicks give him control but Yujiro runs in to block a suplex. Heel (I think) miscommunication lets Tiger Mask get two but Ishii gets a clothesline for two of his own.
Tag in to Inoue and also lets say Gedo. Inoue gets a running forearm in the corner to take over and a suplex gets two. Everything breaks down and yellow dude gets a top rope headbutt to Gedo. A spear from Inoue gets the pin on Gedo. Ok so apparently I was right on Inoue since the results I find say he pinned Gedo. That means I think I figured out who everyone was. RIGHT ON MAN!!! Yellow dude was Honma.
Rating: C-. Granted I only saw a little of this as remember it was clipped but this was ok. This lack of knowing who is who is kind of distracting though. I dont know anything about these people, why theyre fighting, who Im supposed to cheer for or anything like that. Thats meant as an observation, not a criticism. Either way, the match was ok but the yellow dude was in there too long for a beatdown segment.
Tiger Mask and Ishii get into it post match.
The announcers welcome us to the show. This is more or less Wrestlemania to them so this is probably important.
Koji Kanemoto/Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega/Taichi
Ive heard of Kanemoto and seen a bit of Omegas stuff. Omega has a belt of some sort. Apparently its the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. Apparently Omega is a tag champion, not a singles champion. I think hes starting with Taguchi. They trade Japanese armdrags and both try dropkicks to give us a standoff. Off to Kanemoto and Taichi with Kanemoto getting a nice reaction.
Off to Omega now who gets a slam for two. Nice running elbow in the corner gets two but a springboard .something gets caught by a kick to let Kanemoto take over. Taguchi, whose ass says Funky Weapon, comes in and cleans house. We hit the floor with Omega taking everyone down with a running tope con hilo. Facewash in the corner by Kanemoto which is apparently a signature move.
Omega takes out the knee and gets a Fameasser for no cover. Dragon suplex is reversed and Omega and Koji slug it out. Theres the Dragon Suplex and again no cover. Omega sets for some kind of Electric Chair move but its reversed into an ankle lock by Kanemoto, apparently his finisher. Back to Taguchi who runs into a boot. NICE standing shooting star press by Omega for two. Omega is very fast.
Taichi is in now and pulls off his tights to reveal some very small ones. He gets an enziguri for his stripping and Taguchi takes over again. Everything breaks down and Omega misses a moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, Taguchi rolls through what looked like a Codebreaker for the pin on Taichi.
Rating: C+. This was better. I liked it a lot more than I did the first match, namely due to not having to figure out everyones identity. Omega was fast and cocky out there which was kind of fun to watch. Kanemoto was just ok and the rest was just there. Still though, fun little match and not bad at all.
Omega and Taichi argue a bit post match.
This is where the official show starts I guess. Everything kind of stops. I hear music in the background but this is just a long pause in the show as were kind of waiting around. Were at about 90 seconds of it now. Oh hey there are the big screens! Now I know this is called Wrestle Kingdom V! There are fans here. Is there any reason this couldnt have been like, left off?
After literally 6 minutes of crowd shots and music, we get a countdown clock. The clock jumps ahead 2 minutes so this is edited. THEN WHY DIDNT THEY EDIT THE SIX MINUTES OF STANDING AROUND??? The announcers introduce themselves again, this time with 8 people, one of which is named Sunaho. The last one is Jeremy Borash and hearing English is actually a relief in a weird way.
We get the opening theme song and video.
Video package gives a history of the event which is a tradition in Japan. Apparently Beer Money is in a three way tag match, Jushin Liger is here, theres a choke out match, RVD is here (listed as Mr. Monday Night. THANK GOODNESS I now have everyones face with their names under a graphic. The word relief has a new definition now). Jeff Hardy is defending the TNA Title, there are some other matches that Id assume are grudge matches, and the IWGP World Title (their top title) is on the line. One of the grudge matches is NOAH vs. NJPW in an interpromotional match.
IWGP Tag Titles: Beer Money vs. Bad Intentions vs. Muscle Orchestra
You know Beer Money. Muscle Orchestra is a pair of very big guys with big muscles, and Bad Intentions are the champions and are comprised of Karl Anderson, a member of the Anderson family allegedly, and Giant Bernard, more commonly known as Albert/A-Train. JB does the intros here. The Muscle Orchestra is Strong Man (why give him a fancy name I guess?) and Manabu Nakanishi. Strong Man is American so this one is easy.
Bad Intentions have guns with them. Well thats certainly different. Both are Americans also. Beer Money jumps them as they get into the ring and the brawl is on early. Champions vs. Muscle Orchestra now as there are a lot of F Bombs being audibly dropped. Beer Money back in as the champions are down. Storm gets a Codebreaker to Strong Man and then an assisted plancha to the same guy.
Anderson gets a big tope con hilo to take out Storm and the other muscle guy. Bernard (called A-Train to help my memory) teases a dive but Nakanishi gets a press slam out of the corner on him. That was damn impressive. I have no idea what the tagging rules are here. Both of Beer Money is in there at the same time and it seems to be ok. Storm chokes Anderson with the wrist tape to take over and be heel here.
Total dominance by the TNA guys here. Double suplex gets no cover and its time for BEER MONEY! In an awesome moment, A-Train gets up, shouts (and remember his big voice) MOTHERFUCKERS and kills them with a double clothesline. A big boot to Roode would work much better if it clearly didnt miss by almost a foot. A splash to Storm gets two.
Train is killing it in there. Hes beating up Beer Money on his own. Double teaming takes him down though and Anderson has to make the save. Out of nowhere Nakanishi takes down Roode with a top rope dropkick. Strongmen vs. Beer Money now. The muscleheads seem to be the fan favorites here. The Muscle Orchestra (awesome name) gets matching Torture Racks on the champions.
German by the Japanese guys gets two as Storm saves. DWI on said Japanese guys gets two as Anderson saves. Another MOTHERFUCKERS line results in Train getting a double splash in the corner. Double team DDT by Beer Money takes down Anderson for two. Its beer bottle time but Anderson ducks. Anderson gets a move that we completely dont see but apparently he uses a Diamond Cutter at times so well say it was that, to pin Roode to retain.
Rating: C. Another fun match, but we need to get to some meat here. The lack of tagging hurt it here as this was completely insane the entire time. Its a fun match, but at times you want something more than two guys double teaming and then a save for 9 minutes. Still though, decent stuff but too much of an insane match for my taste.
Train shouts something at TNA post match that I could only partially understand.
Mascara Dorada/La Sombra vs. Jushin Thunder Liger/Hector Garza
Dorada is in red. Got it. Liger Im sure you know and Garza you might know from the very early days of TNA or in WCW. This is a Road to Fantastica Mania match which Im assuming is a major show thats coming up or something. Ok apparently it is but its a CMLL show. Liger is a Mexican champion and whoever gets a pin here gets a shot at him. Apparently only Liger here is Japanese with the rest being Mexican.
Pretty sure Liger and Garza are the faces here. Liger vs. Dorada starts us off. Nice technical stuff to start us off with no one being able to get an advantage. Liger gets a combination Chickenwing/Indian Deathlock. That looked rather awesome. Ok maybe the Mexican dudes are faces. Off to Sombra and Garza who both get some nice flips to get in. Garza rips off his jumpsuit. What is with the stripping tonight?
Sombra cranks it up a few notches and hits a tope con hilo and lands on his face. That was awesome! I like this guy I think as hes incredibly crisp with his moves. Liger is like fuck that and takes him out with a dive. Mascara gets a nice half springboard plancha. Garza of course hits his signature corkscrew plancha to take out everyone at the end of the ramp. Four nice spots there indeed. Sombra is apparently nearly 2 years younger than I am. That never stops being creepy.
Garza takes Sombras head off with a running kick and its time for some double teaming. Liger holds Sombra up while Garza adds an Asai Moonsault for two. Theres the Surfboard which is always awesome. A charge in the corner misses and its off to Sombra and Liger. Out to the apron, Sombra sets for what looks like a top rope springboard moonsault but instead flips backwards, as in his head goes forward to the ground and his feet go up. That was rather awesome.
Mascara hits a huge dive to take everyone out again. Liger vs. Sombra in the ring now. Liger Bomb is reversed and here comes Sombra. He takes Liger down and goes up top where he stands on the ropes and drops down into Starship Pain. A corkscrew attack off the top rope ends Liger, giving Sombra the title shot at the major show which he lost.
Rating: B. I liked it, but this was a far cry from a great match. The dives were great and I like this Sombra guy. He has some size to him so its not like he has to be unrealistic like Rey. This was a spot fest match, but for the most part thats ok. This was fun and did its job perfectly, but I need something besides tags now. Four in a row is way too many, even if two were dark matches.
Liger has to be helped out.
We recap Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka. I remember Tenzan from the WCW vs. NJPW angle in 95. Savage beat him at Starrcade 95. From what I can gather, they were big rivals and then Tenzan was hurt in a match in the 2009 G-1 Climax Tournament. After Tenzan came back, Iizuka attacked him and their feud picked up again. This is a long video and you get the idea of whats going on despite not understanding the language. We see Iizuka jumping him and choking him out at every possible chance. This sets up the flowing match, where you must win by choking out the other guy.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka
Iizuka is part of a stable called Chaos apparently and carries a sling around his neck. Iizuka is nuts apparently and goes after a commentator, who is in big trouble. The brawl starts during Tenzans entrance and they fight on the ramp. Remember only choke out to win. Tenzan takes a DDT on the ramp as Iizuka takes over early. And were already into the crowd.
Now we stop watching the match so a commentator can shill t-shirts. And you thought WWE was bad. Iizuka with a lot of chair shots to the back of Tenzan. Back in the ring Iizuka gets a rope or some tape from somewhere and chokes away with it. The referee tries to stop him for no apparent reason. Here comes Tenzan. The punches in this match look really weak.
In a match built around choking people out, why is the referee counting like a DQ is coming on chokes? Tenzan fights back and hammers away before going up top. He grabs Iizuka by the back of the head and drives him into the mat with a knee. Anaconda Vice, Tenzans invented finisher, goes on and Iizuka is in trouble but gets a rope before he passes out. Flying headbutt misses though and its Iizuka in control.
Sleeper goes on and its Tenzan in trouble. Jawbreaker breaks that up so its a Pedigree for Iizuka to maintain his control. Sleeper goes on again but Tenzan fights out of it. Iizuka shoves him into the referee and grabs that sling (I think its a sling at least. Its hard to tell). Inside is an iron glove but some guy makes the save. Spinwheel kick by Tenzan puts Iizuka down and a modified powerslam sets up another Anaconda Vice which finally ends it.
Rating: C-. Not bad but the choking thing was kind of weird. I can forgive that though as it fit the storyline. Still though, this was kind of an awkward match for the most part, although definitely watchable. Tenzan looked kind of like a one move guy out there which Ive never been a fan of. Not bad though.
Video on RVD who is awesome apparently. Toru Yano is his opponent and a hardcore master. Naturally its a hardcore match.
Toru Yano vs. Rob Van Dam
Yano comes out with what looks like booze and a chair. If its a hardcore match, why is the referee checking them for weapons? Yano offers him a drink but when declined, Yano spits it in his eyes. Van Dam takes over early and puts Yano on the floor. Out on the floor with Yano taking over for just awhile. Other than the railing we havent had any weapons used yet.
Spin kick to the back of Yano as hes hung over the railing. Ah theres a weapon in the form of a chair. Make that three chairs. As Rob is getting in the ring though, Yano PELTS it at him and down goes the American. Rob gets caught in a spinning Rock Bottom onto the chairs as Yano controls. Time for a ladder, which is much smaller than the ones were used to in WWE.
Ton of weapons out there now but nothing out of the ordinary. Scratch that as we have a mop. Street sign to the back of Van Dam. Theres an umbrella as its all Yano here. That looks like an umbrella. Yano does the RVD taunt and gets two. Rob comes back with a top rope kick and both guys are down. Surfboard dropkick with the chair in the corner for two.
The Japanese guy cant hit the American with a German as Van Dam blocks it. Rolling Thunder gets only ladder though and Yano pelts another chair. That only gets two though as we hit ten minutes. Van Dam is catapulted into the ladder in the corner and a powerbomb gets two. Yano grabs a chair but gets caught by a Van Daminator followed by the Five Star to end it.
Rating: C. This is a hard one to grade. Its more or less a showcase for RVD which is fine but its like they were trying to decide if it was that or a battle of the titans. Van Dam winning is perfectly fine but I never really felt like he was in danger. Yano got in a loto f offense, but this felt like Van Dam was just humoring him for 10 minutes then beat him.
Yuji Nagata is walking on a beach. Apparently he and a guy named Minoru Suzuki dont like the cuts of each others jibs. This is a grudge match apparently and is called No Justice No Life for no apparent reason.
Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata
Nagata was a waste in WCW so maybe hes better over here. Suzuki reminds me of Joe for some reason. Must be the towel or his cocky look. Nagata looks like hes about 30 years older than he did in WCW in 97. They go right at it immediately and I cant help but think it looks like theyre in a bad porn movie. Theyre grabbing at each others faces and ramming into the other one.
They slap it out and its a big slugout. Nagata chokes away but gets caught in a leg lock over the top rope. Suzuki works on the knee on the floor and its total heel dominance here. Back in the ring and the leg work continues. Suzuki starts kicking him in the chest which gets him nowhere at all as Nagata more or less shrugs it off. Please dont let that be the case for the rest of this show.
Now they kind of stop for air I guess. Looked a bit odd indeed. Nagata gets a running kick in the corner and a t-bone suplex for two. They slug it out in the middle of the ring as the forearms begin. These guys like running big boots. A shot to Suzukis arm gives Nagata control again. He wanted what I think was the Nagata Lock but its reversed into nearly a sleeper.
They slap it out some more so Nagata kicks him in the arm. More slaps by Suzuki and he grabs a choke which has Nagata in trouble and the crowd actually making noise. Suzuki lets go of the hold and tries a pin which gets him two. Modified Shining Wizard gets two. Front facelock goes on but Nagata fights out and gets a belly to belly to break the momentum.
Nagata unleashes the kicks again and gets an armbar which is a big move for him it seems. His eyes are rolling back in his head while he cranks on this. I guess hes been watching his Chris Jericho highlight videos. Where else would he learn an ARMBAR? After nearly two minutes in the hold, Nagata just lets it go and they stare each other down.
And here it is. Suzuki slaps his arm twice and is apparently fine. They slap it out more and Nagata goes down to one knee. That choke goes on again but Nagata is in the ropes. A pair of Saito Suplexes gets two on Suzuki. A pair of kicks and another Saito suplex finally ends this.
Rating: C-. I wasnt feeling this one. The slapping got old quick and the arm thing was kind of stupid. Definitely not a bad match and they stopped before they got stupid with the no selling which is definitely a good thing. This was the longest match of the night so far and was pretty decent for the most part.
We recap Kota Ibushi vs. Price Devitt. Devitt is Irish and Ibushi is Kenny Omegas partner and works for a company called DDT. This is apparently being built as a dream match.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Kota Ibushi vs. Prince Devitt
This is the Cruiserweight Title for all intents and purposes. For some reason Borash does the intro here. Devitts music is Youre The Best from Karate Kid. Thats kind of awesome. This is a big rivalry apparently. Ibushi grabs a wristlock which gets him nowhere. Devitt with a chinlock as this is pretty back and forth so far. The announcers are talking about Eddie and Benoit it seems.
Ibushi to the floor and all their teams go out to check on him. Devitt wants a dive but Kota gets a missile dropkick to break the momentum. Off to a near rear naked choke by Ibushi gets him nowhere. Neither guy can get an extended advantage here. The roster is watching at ringside. Devitt gets a dropkick to send Ibushi to the floor where he hits a huge tope con hilo (dive over the ropes with a flip) to half kill the challenger.
Top rope dropkick by Devitt gets two. Superplex/brainbuster off the top gets two again. I love the golf claps on the kickouts in this country. All Devitt at this point. And of course as I say that Kota gets a rana to reverse the momentum. Devitt tries to hide on the floor but Kota gets a HUGE moonsault off the top to crush Devitt and take over again. Springboard dropkick gets two. Lots of big spots in this match.
In an INSANE sequence, they slug it out and then Kota goes off with a huge streak of strikes. He tries a big kick but Devitt ducks. Kota does a standing Starship Pain and then sprints up to the top for a moonsault. Devitt rolls out of the way but Ibushi lands on his feet and without missing a beat hits a standing moonsault for two. All that took maybe ten seconds making it incredibly impressive. Big pop on the kickout.
Full nelson by Ibushi is broken up but he reverses the reversal into a German for two. Ibushi gets a handspring backflip to kick Devitt to prevent him from coming off the top. Top rope rana gets two for the challenger. He sets for the 450, his finisher which of course gets two.
Devitt pops up and they exchange missed kicks until Devitt gets something close to a Pele for no cover. Kota gets a belly to back with a bridge for two. Kota goes up again but misses the Phoenix Splash (moonsault into a 450) so Devitt can get a dropkick to the side of the head (think a Fameasser but a dropkick to the head instead of a legdrop) from the top. Double stomp off the top gets two.
Trouble in Paradise sets up something that is blocked. Devitt spins Kota over into a position for a reverse DDT but scoops him up and drives him down like an inverted DDT/Piledriver for of course, two. Devitt tries the same single underhook thing that was blocked but this time on top. Its again blocked but when Kota goes up again Devitt can hit it. It turns out to be more or less a single underhook suplex from the top which is enough to finish this.
Rating: B+. This was fun and fast paced, but at the same time theres the omnipresent issue with the lack of selling. These guys hit these huge moves and are up mere seconds later and just shake it off. Ive never been a fan of that as it makes the moves, which do indeed look awesome, seem weak. Either way this was a very entertaining match which results in the most important thing: MORE KARATE KID MUSIC!!!
They shake hands post match which is always cool to see. Omega and Devitts partner are in there also which would eventually be a tag match at that Mexican supershow.
NJPW is coming to America in of course the northeast. I think this is the first time theyve been in this country.
An announcer says something about the IWGP Champion and we get what looks like a commercial for hair gel which turns into a video game commercial. This is like a Japanese stereotype but Im actually watching it. That looks like Antonio Inoki. Oh it is Inoki. He has a 50th anniversary DVD coming out. There are TWENTY DISCS IN THIS???
T-shirt ad.
This must be intermission or something as the announcers talk for awhile.
We go to a guy in a suit in a studio who talks about the New Japan Line. Im assuming this is like a hotline? He talks about NJPW presenting a CMLL (Mexican company) supershow. I think this is an ad for the CMLL show but I really dont know for sure. Apparently this show was in Japan. Ok then.
Back in the arena the announcers talks about a PPV that apparently is going to be in 3D.
The announcers debate stuff for a few minutes. I think theyre debating the odds of each match. I certainly hope this is intermission. If not then they really need to work on focusing their camera time better. Theyve been talking over five minutes now.
Finally its time for a match.
Package on the upcoming tag match with four guys with names Im not typing more than once.
Kazuchika Okada/Hirooki Goto vs. Takashi Sugiura/Yoshihiro Takayama
Its the same Okada from TNA at the moment who Ive seen before and like. I think some of these guys are from NOAH. Ah ok the second team listed is from NOAH and the first is from NJPW. Takayama has longer hair and is much taller. Got it. Sugiura has been NOAHs Champion for over a year at this point.
Okada comes in first and the fight is on early. Takayama vs. Okada to start us off. Make that Takayama vs. Goto to start. Damn it quit changing places so fast! Its Sugiura vs. Takayama in the first pairing to last longer than 8 seconds. They slug it out with forearms and neither will go down. Now they slap it out. Takayama is finally like fuck this and headbutts him.
Double dropkick by the smaller NJPW guys. Sugiura is tiny at maybe 58. Everyone else towers over him and its kind of funny to look at. Takayama fires some knees at Okada on the floor then throws him back in for a chinlock from the champion. Takayama vs. Okada now. Naturally just after I say that its off to Sugiura.
Id assume the NOAH guys are the heels here. Okada gets beaten down pretty well here and Goto has to make some saves. The champion gets two running big boots to the face and Okada screams at him. Damn it THAT DOES NOT WORK!!! Goto vs. Sugiura now with Goto hitting a top rope elbow for no cover.
They fight over a suplex and the champion wins but gets a release Gordbuster instead. Release German is no sold and a clothesline puts down Sugiura. Back off to Takayama and Okada with Okada in control. Top rope dropkick gets two. Everything breaks down as its clear were near the end here. Okada chops both guys which gets him nowhere. A double team GTS gets two on Okada so we bust out the high angle suplexes. A big German from Takayama to Okada ends it.
Rating: C+. Pretty formula based tag match here with a decent ending. I like Okada and he was in there for the most time so I like this match. The no selling was annoying as hell but they only did it for a little bit. NOAH guys slap hands as they leave which is kind of odd also. Still though, pretty decent little tag match.
We get a package on the TNA World Title and a quick message from Jeff who seems normal other than the facepaint. Naito is kind of awesome apparently and is the challenger tonight. Hes the Stardust Genius. Im assuming thats lost in translation.
TNA World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Tetsuya Naito
Hardy is Immortal here but theres no mention of that that I can hear of. Naito was Yujiros partner in Team No Limit in World Elite back in TNA. Jeff is in a mask and is billed as the Antichrist of Professional Wrestling. Naito has this weird thing that he does where he holds his eye open wider with two fingers. No clue what the point of that is. The guy on his shirt is doing it also.
Naito is wrestling in his t-shirt which is an odd thing to see. Feeling out process to start with both guys trying some arm work. Naito with a headlock on the mat but neither can get the advantage. Jeff is put down by a dropkick and looks like hes dead. Biggest selling for a dropkick Ive ever seen.
Naito goes up but gets crotched as Jeff starts taking over a bit. Superplex (which is called a brainbuster in Japan so its a bit confusing) gets two for Jeff. We hit the chinlock with Jeff in control now. Naito gets a sunset flip for two. Jeff gets his split legged cover for two. This is just two guys doing moves to each other. No flow, no story, no psychology.
Out to the floor with Hardy taking down Naito with a clothesline off the apron. Jeff gets two in the ring and in a sight that you dont often see, all of the photographers turn to the ring to get shots. There are probably 20 of them out there so its kind of a cool visual. Naito speeds things up a bit and gets a neckbreaker to take over. Up top and a dropkick gets two for the challenger.
Naito likes the neckbreakers so he gets another one in the corner. Top rope rana gets two and a decent pop. Naito makes the title around the waist symbol but misses a twisting moonsault. Twist of Hate is blocked into a backslide for two. Naito screams a lot but gets caught by the Whisper in the Wind for two. Seconds later the Twist of Hate and Swanton end this.
Rating: D+. This got better near the end but it was still just a match. Granted theres no background for this match and its more or less an exhibition to an extent. That being said, it wasnt completely horrible. Naito is a guy Ive only seem a bit of and Jeff is the same lazy guy hes been since he turned heel: he does like four moves and wont do anything else. Not a terrible match but just there for the most part.
We recap Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Go Shiozaki which is the third match in a series. The first was a time limit draw in the G-1 Climax Tournament and the second was won by Shiozaki. This is Nakamuras rematch.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Go Shiozaki
Nakamura is from NJPW and Shiozaki is from NOAH. Nakamura has a goatee. Got it. Ah and hes in tights instead of shorts. This shouldnt be that hard. Feeling out process to start with neither guy being able to get control. We go to the mat with some quick amateur stuff. Nakamura rubs his boot across Shiozakis face to go heel in this I guess.
They slug it out with neither guy being able to get a long advantage. Shiozaki goes to the knee to take over and we hit the floor. Ive never seen a chop to the knee before. Knee is rammed into the post/camera at ringside and its all Shiozaki here. With Nakamura hanging over the apron, Shiozaki hits a nice running knee to the head.
Back in the ring now and its all Shiozaki. We get more shots to the knee which has been all weve seen for about three minutes now. Half crab goes on with Nakamura in big trouble. Ah theres a rope for the break. Nakamura tries to fight back but a shot to the knee ends that offensive streak. He just cant get anything going at all here. He finally gets a break and the knee seems just fine all of a sudden. Well how about that?
A bunch of knees (with the bad one) to the ribs get two. Release German puts Shiozaki down but a running knee in the corner misses. Shiozaki gets a rollup for two. Nakamura grabs a cross armbreaker ala Del Rio but cant get it on for long. We go back and forth for awhile until Shiozaki gets a shot to the knee to break that up. Modified inbred cousin of the Texas Cloverleaf goes on.
Suplex is blocked by Nakamura and gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A bunch of strikes gets two. Top rope moonsault misses and Nakamura takes over. Ok scratch that as he gets turned inside out by a clothesline. Suplex gets two. Nakamura gets mad and hits some knees .and then a running knee gets him the pin. This was about 14 minutes long and he might have been on offense for two of them. That was rather stupid.
Rating: D. I didnt like this in the slightest. Nakamura didnt sell the knee when it wasnt being worked on at all (at least limp dude), the match was dominated by Shiozaki and was a step above a squash, and then we get that ending? Not a fan of this at all and it just didnt work. Definitely the worst match of the night so far.
We recap Togi Makabe vs. Masato Tanaka. Tanaka hurt Makabes neck in the G-1 Climax Tag Tournament and when Makabe came back Tanaka tried to hurt him again. Its a blood feud for the most part minus the blood. Pretty intense feud it seems.
Togi Makabe vs. Masato Tanaka
Makabe looks a little insane and is apparently a crazy hardcore guy. Tanaka is from ZERO-1 and Makabe is from NJPW. Tanaka is ripped. Makabe has a huge chain with him. Tanaka has a kendo stick and swings as Makabe is turning around but gets blocked. The beating is on with Tanaka in trouble early. And never mind as he kills Makabe with a clothesline.
Tanaka works on the neck and tries for a superplex but gets blocked. Running elbow smash sends Makabe to the floor and I have a feeling this is going to get violent. Theres the chain but Makabe hits post instead. Being a good heel, Tanaka chokes him out with it and ties him to the post. BIG kendo stick shot to the head and Makabe is in trouble. Or hes dead. Its one or the other.
Back in the ring as Tanaka is in control. Brainbuster (what we call one) gets two. Tanaka slaps him which just makes Makabe mad and here comes the bigger guy. Some clothesline put Tanaka down but they clothesline each other and were at a standstill. Ten punches in the corner by Makabe but he gets powerbombed out for no cover. They need to work on their covers in this country.
Powerslam by Makabe out of nowhere breaks up the momentum of the evildoer and then a clothesline puts Tanaka on the floor. Makabe BREAKS A CHAIR over Tanakas head. I mean the seat part of it went flying. Theres a table, which is what started allt his. Tanaka counters the powerbomb attempt through it though and instead its a brainbuster through the table to kill Makabe all over again.
Another table is set up at ringside by Tanaka. The tables here are a lot thinner. Makabe tries to fight him off but gets caught in a spinning neckbreaker and a brainbuster for two. Tanaka might want the Roaring Elbow but is countered. Ok never mind as he gets it on the second try but to the back of the head. Another is caught by a choke and the striking begins.
Tanaka hits about 20 forearms and the Roaring Elbow for a long two. The crowd is getting into this now. We head to the floor again by the table. Tanaka puts him on it but takes too long. Instead Makabe gets a Jackknife off the apron onto the table to more or less kill him. A regular powerbomb gets two in the ring. Instead a firemans carry slam and top rope knee drop end Tanaka.
Rating: B. Much better brawl here than the hardcore match was earlier. The whole neck thing worked here with Makabe wanting revenge and Tanaka wanting to be all evil. The big spots here worked as well, making this an all around good match and probably the second best of the night. Good stuff and more fun from Tanaka.
We recap the IWGP Title match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and the champion, Satoshi Kojima. Kojima had been the champion and beat Tanahashi in the finals of the G-1 Climax Tournament. Kojima turned heel and beat down Tanahashi to extend their feud. That led to Tanahashi going on a hot streak, leading to this rematch.
IWGP World Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima
The entrances are rather epic. The crowd pops big for the opening bell as Im assuming this is a huge match. They fight over a headlock on the mat to start with Tanahashi having a small advantage. He really likes that headlock. This is a long and slow build to start as the announcers are far too excited. Now he shifts off to the arm as the challenger has controlled for the most part.
Five minutes in and Tanahashi gets a spinning cross body out of the corner for no cover. Tanahashi tries another big move but gets knocked down off the ropes, injuring his leg. Here comes Kojima who works over the knee on the floor and tries a leg lock for a countout. Instead its back to the ring for a Sharpshooter. Actually thats a Scorpion and yes theres a difference you uncultured swine.
Kojima hammers away in the corner with chops and a running forearm. The fans are into this in a big way. Top rope elbow gets two for the champion. They slug it out in the middle of the ring with Tanahashi taking over. Why do faces always win slugouts? Ten minutes in now and its Tanahashi in control. Slam sets up a front flip splash for two from the middle rope.
Kojima reverses into a DDT though and there goes momentum one more time. Modified neckbreaker by the champion sets up a suplex which is revered. Tanahashi takes over again as this has been very back and forth. Back to the (right) arm by Tanahashi but a third shot to it is reversed into a Diamond Cutter by the champion and both guys are down.
Full nelson by the challenger but he cant get a Dragon Suplex. He settles for an arm trap German for two. The announcers are into this as well. A frog splash to the back of Kojima is followed by one to the front that winds up eating knees at the fifteen minute mark. A lariat cant put Tanahashi down so he gets a spinning one to put Kojima down.
Tanahashi speeds things up again and gets a modified Michinoku Driver to set up the Frog Splash for two. The challenger is sent to the apron and a clothesline takes him down to the floor. Kojima breaks up the count though which I dont get. I guess its being a competitor or some trash like that. Brainbuster (what is the obsession with that move???) back into the ring gets two.
Top rope rana half kills Tanahashi but Kojima is down too. We have to be getting close to the end here. Kojima is up first but Tanahashi goes after the arm again which all of a sudden is a horrible injury. Kojima takes him down with another clothesline for two as both guys are down one more time.
A third lariat gets two as well as the referee spins over to his back from nearly hitting the mat a third time. Tanahashi gets up and finally gets the Dragon Suplex. Naturally since this match wants to piss me off, Kojima pops up and charges at him, but gets avoided and another Dragon Suplex gets two. A top rope cross body sets up the Frog Splash to give Tanahashi the title.
Rating: B. Another fun match here to finish off the night with a pair of them in a row. Nothing great here but it felt like a big clash which is exactly the point of this. Tanahashi is a little smaller and his style makes him fun to watch. Its no classic but this was played off like a huge clash which is how you should end the biggest show of the year. Good stuff here and a good way to close us out.
Theres a trophy presentation.
The announcers talk.
Theres a press conference.
The announcers talk.
Theres another press conference.
The announcers talk.
A music video closes us out. Those things I listed off after the rating took 25 minutes.
Overall Rating: B. For the most part I liked this. Considering I had to piece together the stories and figure out things as I went, I got the main idea pretty well. There are a few weak matches and nothing incredible, but there was more good than bad and it felt like a huge show. I wouldnt watch it on a regular basis, but it was good for the kind of show it was supposed to be: big and epic. The title change was a nice way to end it too. Five and a half hours is a bit long for my taste though. Good stuff overall though..
Date: January 4, 2011
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo Japan
Attendance: 42,000
Yes, its a Japanese show. I agreed to do this because Im always told I dont do puro, only to find out this is five and a half hours long. Anyway, this is the biggest show of the year in Japan and we have guys from NJPW, NOAH, CMLL and TNA among other companies out there for this. The main event is for the IWGP Title with guys I dont know. Lets get to it.
Please bear in mind theres a very good chance that I wont know half of these guys or anything about them, so if I leave out something or get something wrong, I apologize in advance.
Tama Tonga/Tiger Mask IV/Tomoaki Honma/Wataru Inoue vs. Gedo/Jado/Tomohiro Ishii/Yujiro Takahashi
I know a few of these guys. Yujiro was part of No Limit in TNA. Gedo and Jado Ive seen before as theyre a regular tag team. Tiger Mask is the guy in, you know, a mask. This is joined in progress so I dont get intros to figure out who is who here. All of the guys on Tiger Masks team come in and THEY BE CLUBBERIN TONY!!! THEY BE CLUBBERIN!!! The guy in yellow (I think hes Honma but dont hold me to that) is sent to the floor.
Whoever he is, he gets hit by an Orton DDT by I want to say Jado. This is very confusing and rather annoying as I have no clue who Im watching or who Im supposed to be for. Ok, Im fairly sure thats Yujiro in there now. This is a dark match if I didnt mention that. Yujiro gets a brainbuster for two on yellow dude. Oh great the one guy I thought was Jado has no hair much like the picture of Jado I have doesnt.
Well heres some good news: I know who Tama Tonga is. I know Im harping on who is who, but Ive watched maybe 90 seconds of wrestling as Im trying to figure out who everyone is. Gedo and Jado are a team so Id assume they look/dress alike and two guys are bald. I know who Yujiro is so well say the other guy is Ishii. Hes in now and is a bit beefier than the rest of his team.
Yellow dude chops away but cant get anywhere with it. Running clothesline in the corner gets two for Ishii (again remember I may be very wrong about that but its the most logical conclusion I can come to). They fight over a suplex and yellow dude gets it and its off to Tiger Mask. Some nice dropkicks give him control but Yujiro runs in to block a suplex. Heel (I think) miscommunication lets Tiger Mask get two but Ishii gets a clothesline for two of his own.
Tag in to Inoue and also lets say Gedo. Inoue gets a running forearm in the corner to take over and a suplex gets two. Everything breaks down and yellow dude gets a top rope headbutt to Gedo. A spear from Inoue gets the pin on Gedo. Ok so apparently I was right on Inoue since the results I find say he pinned Gedo. That means I think I figured out who everyone was. RIGHT ON MAN!!! Yellow dude was Honma.
Rating: C-. Granted I only saw a little of this as remember it was clipped but this was ok. This lack of knowing who is who is kind of distracting though. I dont know anything about these people, why theyre fighting, who Im supposed to cheer for or anything like that. Thats meant as an observation, not a criticism. Either way, the match was ok but the yellow dude was in there too long for a beatdown segment.
Tiger Mask and Ishii get into it post match.
The announcers welcome us to the show. This is more or less Wrestlemania to them so this is probably important.
Koji Kanemoto/Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega/Taichi
Ive heard of Kanemoto and seen a bit of Omegas stuff. Omega has a belt of some sort. Apparently its the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. Apparently Omega is a tag champion, not a singles champion. I think hes starting with Taguchi. They trade Japanese armdrags and both try dropkicks to give us a standoff. Off to Kanemoto and Taichi with Kanemoto getting a nice reaction.
Off to Omega now who gets a slam for two. Nice running elbow in the corner gets two but a springboard .something gets caught by a kick to let Kanemoto take over. Taguchi, whose ass says Funky Weapon, comes in and cleans house. We hit the floor with Omega taking everyone down with a running tope con hilo. Facewash in the corner by Kanemoto which is apparently a signature move.
Omega takes out the knee and gets a Fameasser for no cover. Dragon suplex is reversed and Omega and Koji slug it out. Theres the Dragon Suplex and again no cover. Omega sets for some kind of Electric Chair move but its reversed into an ankle lock by Kanemoto, apparently his finisher. Back to Taguchi who runs into a boot. NICE standing shooting star press by Omega for two. Omega is very fast.
Taichi is in now and pulls off his tights to reveal some very small ones. He gets an enziguri for his stripping and Taguchi takes over again. Everything breaks down and Omega misses a moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, Taguchi rolls through what looked like a Codebreaker for the pin on Taichi.
Rating: C+. This was better. I liked it a lot more than I did the first match, namely due to not having to figure out everyones identity. Omega was fast and cocky out there which was kind of fun to watch. Kanemoto was just ok and the rest was just there. Still though, fun little match and not bad at all.
Omega and Taichi argue a bit post match.
This is where the official show starts I guess. Everything kind of stops. I hear music in the background but this is just a long pause in the show as were kind of waiting around. Were at about 90 seconds of it now. Oh hey there are the big screens! Now I know this is called Wrestle Kingdom V! There are fans here. Is there any reason this couldnt have been like, left off?
After literally 6 minutes of crowd shots and music, we get a countdown clock. The clock jumps ahead 2 minutes so this is edited. THEN WHY DIDNT THEY EDIT THE SIX MINUTES OF STANDING AROUND??? The announcers introduce themselves again, this time with 8 people, one of which is named Sunaho. The last one is Jeremy Borash and hearing English is actually a relief in a weird way.
We get the opening theme song and video.
Video package gives a history of the event which is a tradition in Japan. Apparently Beer Money is in a three way tag match, Jushin Liger is here, theres a choke out match, RVD is here (listed as Mr. Monday Night. THANK GOODNESS I now have everyones face with their names under a graphic. The word relief has a new definition now). Jeff Hardy is defending the TNA Title, there are some other matches that Id assume are grudge matches, and the IWGP World Title (their top title) is on the line. One of the grudge matches is NOAH vs. NJPW in an interpromotional match.
IWGP Tag Titles: Beer Money vs. Bad Intentions vs. Muscle Orchestra
You know Beer Money. Muscle Orchestra is a pair of very big guys with big muscles, and Bad Intentions are the champions and are comprised of Karl Anderson, a member of the Anderson family allegedly, and Giant Bernard, more commonly known as Albert/A-Train. JB does the intros here. The Muscle Orchestra is Strong Man (why give him a fancy name I guess?) and Manabu Nakanishi. Strong Man is American so this one is easy.
Bad Intentions have guns with them. Well thats certainly different. Both are Americans also. Beer Money jumps them as they get into the ring and the brawl is on early. Champions vs. Muscle Orchestra now as there are a lot of F Bombs being audibly dropped. Beer Money back in as the champions are down. Storm gets a Codebreaker to Strong Man and then an assisted plancha to the same guy.
Anderson gets a big tope con hilo to take out Storm and the other muscle guy. Bernard (called A-Train to help my memory) teases a dive but Nakanishi gets a press slam out of the corner on him. That was damn impressive. I have no idea what the tagging rules are here. Both of Beer Money is in there at the same time and it seems to be ok. Storm chokes Anderson with the wrist tape to take over and be heel here.
Total dominance by the TNA guys here. Double suplex gets no cover and its time for BEER MONEY! In an awesome moment, A-Train gets up, shouts (and remember his big voice) MOTHERFUCKERS and kills them with a double clothesline. A big boot to Roode would work much better if it clearly didnt miss by almost a foot. A splash to Storm gets two.
Train is killing it in there. Hes beating up Beer Money on his own. Double teaming takes him down though and Anderson has to make the save. Out of nowhere Nakanishi takes down Roode with a top rope dropkick. Strongmen vs. Beer Money now. The muscleheads seem to be the fan favorites here. The Muscle Orchestra (awesome name) gets matching Torture Racks on the champions.
German by the Japanese guys gets two as Storm saves. DWI on said Japanese guys gets two as Anderson saves. Another MOTHERFUCKERS line results in Train getting a double splash in the corner. Double team DDT by Beer Money takes down Anderson for two. Its beer bottle time but Anderson ducks. Anderson gets a move that we completely dont see but apparently he uses a Diamond Cutter at times so well say it was that, to pin Roode to retain.
Rating: C. Another fun match, but we need to get to some meat here. The lack of tagging hurt it here as this was completely insane the entire time. Its a fun match, but at times you want something more than two guys double teaming and then a save for 9 minutes. Still though, decent stuff but too much of an insane match for my taste.
Train shouts something at TNA post match that I could only partially understand.
Mascara Dorada/La Sombra vs. Jushin Thunder Liger/Hector Garza
Dorada is in red. Got it. Liger Im sure you know and Garza you might know from the very early days of TNA or in WCW. This is a Road to Fantastica Mania match which Im assuming is a major show thats coming up or something. Ok apparently it is but its a CMLL show. Liger is a Mexican champion and whoever gets a pin here gets a shot at him. Apparently only Liger here is Japanese with the rest being Mexican.
Pretty sure Liger and Garza are the faces here. Liger vs. Dorada starts us off. Nice technical stuff to start us off with no one being able to get an advantage. Liger gets a combination Chickenwing/Indian Deathlock. That looked rather awesome. Ok maybe the Mexican dudes are faces. Off to Sombra and Garza who both get some nice flips to get in. Garza rips off his jumpsuit. What is with the stripping tonight?
Sombra cranks it up a few notches and hits a tope con hilo and lands on his face. That was awesome! I like this guy I think as hes incredibly crisp with his moves. Liger is like fuck that and takes him out with a dive. Mascara gets a nice half springboard plancha. Garza of course hits his signature corkscrew plancha to take out everyone at the end of the ramp. Four nice spots there indeed. Sombra is apparently nearly 2 years younger than I am. That never stops being creepy.
Garza takes Sombras head off with a running kick and its time for some double teaming. Liger holds Sombra up while Garza adds an Asai Moonsault for two. Theres the Surfboard which is always awesome. A charge in the corner misses and its off to Sombra and Liger. Out to the apron, Sombra sets for what looks like a top rope springboard moonsault but instead flips backwards, as in his head goes forward to the ground and his feet go up. That was rather awesome.
Mascara hits a huge dive to take everyone out again. Liger vs. Sombra in the ring now. Liger Bomb is reversed and here comes Sombra. He takes Liger down and goes up top where he stands on the ropes and drops down into Starship Pain. A corkscrew attack off the top rope ends Liger, giving Sombra the title shot at the major show which he lost.
Rating: B. I liked it, but this was a far cry from a great match. The dives were great and I like this Sombra guy. He has some size to him so its not like he has to be unrealistic like Rey. This was a spot fest match, but for the most part thats ok. This was fun and did its job perfectly, but I need something besides tags now. Four in a row is way too many, even if two were dark matches.
Liger has to be helped out.
We recap Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka. I remember Tenzan from the WCW vs. NJPW angle in 95. Savage beat him at Starrcade 95. From what I can gather, they were big rivals and then Tenzan was hurt in a match in the 2009 G-1 Climax Tournament. After Tenzan came back, Iizuka attacked him and their feud picked up again. This is a long video and you get the idea of whats going on despite not understanding the language. We see Iizuka jumping him and choking him out at every possible chance. This sets up the flowing match, where you must win by choking out the other guy.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka
Iizuka is part of a stable called Chaos apparently and carries a sling around his neck. Iizuka is nuts apparently and goes after a commentator, who is in big trouble. The brawl starts during Tenzans entrance and they fight on the ramp. Remember only choke out to win. Tenzan takes a DDT on the ramp as Iizuka takes over early. And were already into the crowd.
Now we stop watching the match so a commentator can shill t-shirts. And you thought WWE was bad. Iizuka with a lot of chair shots to the back of Tenzan. Back in the ring Iizuka gets a rope or some tape from somewhere and chokes away with it. The referee tries to stop him for no apparent reason. Here comes Tenzan. The punches in this match look really weak.
In a match built around choking people out, why is the referee counting like a DQ is coming on chokes? Tenzan fights back and hammers away before going up top. He grabs Iizuka by the back of the head and drives him into the mat with a knee. Anaconda Vice, Tenzans invented finisher, goes on and Iizuka is in trouble but gets a rope before he passes out. Flying headbutt misses though and its Iizuka in control.
Sleeper goes on and its Tenzan in trouble. Jawbreaker breaks that up so its a Pedigree for Iizuka to maintain his control. Sleeper goes on again but Tenzan fights out of it. Iizuka shoves him into the referee and grabs that sling (I think its a sling at least. Its hard to tell). Inside is an iron glove but some guy makes the save. Spinwheel kick by Tenzan puts Iizuka down and a modified powerslam sets up another Anaconda Vice which finally ends it.
Rating: C-. Not bad but the choking thing was kind of weird. I can forgive that though as it fit the storyline. Still though, this was kind of an awkward match for the most part, although definitely watchable. Tenzan looked kind of like a one move guy out there which Ive never been a fan of. Not bad though.
Video on RVD who is awesome apparently. Toru Yano is his opponent and a hardcore master. Naturally its a hardcore match.
Toru Yano vs. Rob Van Dam
Yano comes out with what looks like booze and a chair. If its a hardcore match, why is the referee checking them for weapons? Yano offers him a drink but when declined, Yano spits it in his eyes. Van Dam takes over early and puts Yano on the floor. Out on the floor with Yano taking over for just awhile. Other than the railing we havent had any weapons used yet.
Spin kick to the back of Yano as hes hung over the railing. Ah theres a weapon in the form of a chair. Make that three chairs. As Rob is getting in the ring though, Yano PELTS it at him and down goes the American. Rob gets caught in a spinning Rock Bottom onto the chairs as Yano controls. Time for a ladder, which is much smaller than the ones were used to in WWE.
Ton of weapons out there now but nothing out of the ordinary. Scratch that as we have a mop. Street sign to the back of Van Dam. Theres an umbrella as its all Yano here. That looks like an umbrella. Yano does the RVD taunt and gets two. Rob comes back with a top rope kick and both guys are down. Surfboard dropkick with the chair in the corner for two.
The Japanese guy cant hit the American with a German as Van Dam blocks it. Rolling Thunder gets only ladder though and Yano pelts another chair. That only gets two though as we hit ten minutes. Van Dam is catapulted into the ladder in the corner and a powerbomb gets two. Yano grabs a chair but gets caught by a Van Daminator followed by the Five Star to end it.
Rating: C. This is a hard one to grade. Its more or less a showcase for RVD which is fine but its like they were trying to decide if it was that or a battle of the titans. Van Dam winning is perfectly fine but I never really felt like he was in danger. Yano got in a loto f offense, but this felt like Van Dam was just humoring him for 10 minutes then beat him.
Yuji Nagata is walking on a beach. Apparently he and a guy named Minoru Suzuki dont like the cuts of each others jibs. This is a grudge match apparently and is called No Justice No Life for no apparent reason.
Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata
Nagata was a waste in WCW so maybe hes better over here. Suzuki reminds me of Joe for some reason. Must be the towel or his cocky look. Nagata looks like hes about 30 years older than he did in WCW in 97. They go right at it immediately and I cant help but think it looks like theyre in a bad porn movie. Theyre grabbing at each others faces and ramming into the other one.
They slap it out and its a big slugout. Nagata chokes away but gets caught in a leg lock over the top rope. Suzuki works on the knee on the floor and its total heel dominance here. Back in the ring and the leg work continues. Suzuki starts kicking him in the chest which gets him nowhere at all as Nagata more or less shrugs it off. Please dont let that be the case for the rest of this show.
Now they kind of stop for air I guess. Looked a bit odd indeed. Nagata gets a running kick in the corner and a t-bone suplex for two. They slug it out in the middle of the ring as the forearms begin. These guys like running big boots. A shot to Suzukis arm gives Nagata control again. He wanted what I think was the Nagata Lock but its reversed into nearly a sleeper.
They slap it out some more so Nagata kicks him in the arm. More slaps by Suzuki and he grabs a choke which has Nagata in trouble and the crowd actually making noise. Suzuki lets go of the hold and tries a pin which gets him two. Modified Shining Wizard gets two. Front facelock goes on but Nagata fights out and gets a belly to belly to break the momentum.
Nagata unleashes the kicks again and gets an armbar which is a big move for him it seems. His eyes are rolling back in his head while he cranks on this. I guess hes been watching his Chris Jericho highlight videos. Where else would he learn an ARMBAR? After nearly two minutes in the hold, Nagata just lets it go and they stare each other down.
And here it is. Suzuki slaps his arm twice and is apparently fine. They slap it out more and Nagata goes down to one knee. That choke goes on again but Nagata is in the ropes. A pair of Saito Suplexes gets two on Suzuki. A pair of kicks and another Saito suplex finally ends this.
Rating: C-. I wasnt feeling this one. The slapping got old quick and the arm thing was kind of stupid. Definitely not a bad match and they stopped before they got stupid with the no selling which is definitely a good thing. This was the longest match of the night so far and was pretty decent for the most part.
We recap Kota Ibushi vs. Price Devitt. Devitt is Irish and Ibushi is Kenny Omegas partner and works for a company called DDT. This is apparently being built as a dream match.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Kota Ibushi vs. Prince Devitt
This is the Cruiserweight Title for all intents and purposes. For some reason Borash does the intro here. Devitts music is Youre The Best from Karate Kid. Thats kind of awesome. This is a big rivalry apparently. Ibushi grabs a wristlock which gets him nowhere. Devitt with a chinlock as this is pretty back and forth so far. The announcers are talking about Eddie and Benoit it seems.
Ibushi to the floor and all their teams go out to check on him. Devitt wants a dive but Kota gets a missile dropkick to break the momentum. Off to a near rear naked choke by Ibushi gets him nowhere. Neither guy can get an extended advantage here. The roster is watching at ringside. Devitt gets a dropkick to send Ibushi to the floor where he hits a huge tope con hilo (dive over the ropes with a flip) to half kill the challenger.
Top rope dropkick by Devitt gets two. Superplex/brainbuster off the top gets two again. I love the golf claps on the kickouts in this country. All Devitt at this point. And of course as I say that Kota gets a rana to reverse the momentum. Devitt tries to hide on the floor but Kota gets a HUGE moonsault off the top to crush Devitt and take over again. Springboard dropkick gets two. Lots of big spots in this match.
In an INSANE sequence, they slug it out and then Kota goes off with a huge streak of strikes. He tries a big kick but Devitt ducks. Kota does a standing Starship Pain and then sprints up to the top for a moonsault. Devitt rolls out of the way but Ibushi lands on his feet and without missing a beat hits a standing moonsault for two. All that took maybe ten seconds making it incredibly impressive. Big pop on the kickout.
Full nelson by Ibushi is broken up but he reverses the reversal into a German for two. Ibushi gets a handspring backflip to kick Devitt to prevent him from coming off the top. Top rope rana gets two for the challenger. He sets for the 450, his finisher which of course gets two.
Devitt pops up and they exchange missed kicks until Devitt gets something close to a Pele for no cover. Kota gets a belly to back with a bridge for two. Kota goes up again but misses the Phoenix Splash (moonsault into a 450) so Devitt can get a dropkick to the side of the head (think a Fameasser but a dropkick to the head instead of a legdrop) from the top. Double stomp off the top gets two.
Trouble in Paradise sets up something that is blocked. Devitt spins Kota over into a position for a reverse DDT but scoops him up and drives him down like an inverted DDT/Piledriver for of course, two. Devitt tries the same single underhook thing that was blocked but this time on top. Its again blocked but when Kota goes up again Devitt can hit it. It turns out to be more or less a single underhook suplex from the top which is enough to finish this.
Rating: B+. This was fun and fast paced, but at the same time theres the omnipresent issue with the lack of selling. These guys hit these huge moves and are up mere seconds later and just shake it off. Ive never been a fan of that as it makes the moves, which do indeed look awesome, seem weak. Either way this was a very entertaining match which results in the most important thing: MORE KARATE KID MUSIC!!!
They shake hands post match which is always cool to see. Omega and Devitts partner are in there also which would eventually be a tag match at that Mexican supershow.
NJPW is coming to America in of course the northeast. I think this is the first time theyve been in this country.
An announcer says something about the IWGP Champion and we get what looks like a commercial for hair gel which turns into a video game commercial. This is like a Japanese stereotype but Im actually watching it. That looks like Antonio Inoki. Oh it is Inoki. He has a 50th anniversary DVD coming out. There are TWENTY DISCS IN THIS???
T-shirt ad.
This must be intermission or something as the announcers talk for awhile.
We go to a guy in a suit in a studio who talks about the New Japan Line. Im assuming this is like a hotline? He talks about NJPW presenting a CMLL (Mexican company) supershow. I think this is an ad for the CMLL show but I really dont know for sure. Apparently this show was in Japan. Ok then.
Back in the arena the announcers talks about a PPV that apparently is going to be in 3D.
The announcers debate stuff for a few minutes. I think theyre debating the odds of each match. I certainly hope this is intermission. If not then they really need to work on focusing their camera time better. Theyve been talking over five minutes now.
Finally its time for a match.
Package on the upcoming tag match with four guys with names Im not typing more than once.
Kazuchika Okada/Hirooki Goto vs. Takashi Sugiura/Yoshihiro Takayama
Its the same Okada from TNA at the moment who Ive seen before and like. I think some of these guys are from NOAH. Ah ok the second team listed is from NOAH and the first is from NJPW. Takayama has longer hair and is much taller. Got it. Sugiura has been NOAHs Champion for over a year at this point.
Okada comes in first and the fight is on early. Takayama vs. Okada to start us off. Make that Takayama vs. Goto to start. Damn it quit changing places so fast! Its Sugiura vs. Takayama in the first pairing to last longer than 8 seconds. They slug it out with forearms and neither will go down. Now they slap it out. Takayama is finally like fuck this and headbutts him.
Double dropkick by the smaller NJPW guys. Sugiura is tiny at maybe 58. Everyone else towers over him and its kind of funny to look at. Takayama fires some knees at Okada on the floor then throws him back in for a chinlock from the champion. Takayama vs. Okada now. Naturally just after I say that its off to Sugiura.
Id assume the NOAH guys are the heels here. Okada gets beaten down pretty well here and Goto has to make some saves. The champion gets two running big boots to the face and Okada screams at him. Damn it THAT DOES NOT WORK!!! Goto vs. Sugiura now with Goto hitting a top rope elbow for no cover.
They fight over a suplex and the champion wins but gets a release Gordbuster instead. Release German is no sold and a clothesline puts down Sugiura. Back off to Takayama and Okada with Okada in control. Top rope dropkick gets two. Everything breaks down as its clear were near the end here. Okada chops both guys which gets him nowhere. A double team GTS gets two on Okada so we bust out the high angle suplexes. A big German from Takayama to Okada ends it.
Rating: C+. Pretty formula based tag match here with a decent ending. I like Okada and he was in there for the most time so I like this match. The no selling was annoying as hell but they only did it for a little bit. NOAH guys slap hands as they leave which is kind of odd also. Still though, pretty decent little tag match.
We get a package on the TNA World Title and a quick message from Jeff who seems normal other than the facepaint. Naito is kind of awesome apparently and is the challenger tonight. Hes the Stardust Genius. Im assuming thats lost in translation.
TNA World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Tetsuya Naito
Hardy is Immortal here but theres no mention of that that I can hear of. Naito was Yujiros partner in Team No Limit in World Elite back in TNA. Jeff is in a mask and is billed as the Antichrist of Professional Wrestling. Naito has this weird thing that he does where he holds his eye open wider with two fingers. No clue what the point of that is. The guy on his shirt is doing it also.
Naito is wrestling in his t-shirt which is an odd thing to see. Feeling out process to start with both guys trying some arm work. Naito with a headlock on the mat but neither can get the advantage. Jeff is put down by a dropkick and looks like hes dead. Biggest selling for a dropkick Ive ever seen.
Naito goes up but gets crotched as Jeff starts taking over a bit. Superplex (which is called a brainbuster in Japan so its a bit confusing) gets two for Jeff. We hit the chinlock with Jeff in control now. Naito gets a sunset flip for two. Jeff gets his split legged cover for two. This is just two guys doing moves to each other. No flow, no story, no psychology.
Out to the floor with Hardy taking down Naito with a clothesline off the apron. Jeff gets two in the ring and in a sight that you dont often see, all of the photographers turn to the ring to get shots. There are probably 20 of them out there so its kind of a cool visual. Naito speeds things up a bit and gets a neckbreaker to take over. Up top and a dropkick gets two for the challenger.
Naito likes the neckbreakers so he gets another one in the corner. Top rope rana gets two and a decent pop. Naito makes the title around the waist symbol but misses a twisting moonsault. Twist of Hate is blocked into a backslide for two. Naito screams a lot but gets caught by the Whisper in the Wind for two. Seconds later the Twist of Hate and Swanton end this.
Rating: D+. This got better near the end but it was still just a match. Granted theres no background for this match and its more or less an exhibition to an extent. That being said, it wasnt completely horrible. Naito is a guy Ive only seem a bit of and Jeff is the same lazy guy hes been since he turned heel: he does like four moves and wont do anything else. Not a terrible match but just there for the most part.
We recap Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Go Shiozaki which is the third match in a series. The first was a time limit draw in the G-1 Climax Tournament and the second was won by Shiozaki. This is Nakamuras rematch.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Go Shiozaki
Nakamura is from NJPW and Shiozaki is from NOAH. Nakamura has a goatee. Got it. Ah and hes in tights instead of shorts. This shouldnt be that hard. Feeling out process to start with neither guy being able to get control. We go to the mat with some quick amateur stuff. Nakamura rubs his boot across Shiozakis face to go heel in this I guess.
They slug it out with neither guy being able to get a long advantage. Shiozaki goes to the knee to take over and we hit the floor. Ive never seen a chop to the knee before. Knee is rammed into the post/camera at ringside and its all Shiozaki here. With Nakamura hanging over the apron, Shiozaki hits a nice running knee to the head.
Back in the ring now and its all Shiozaki. We get more shots to the knee which has been all weve seen for about three minutes now. Half crab goes on with Nakamura in big trouble. Ah theres a rope for the break. Nakamura tries to fight back but a shot to the knee ends that offensive streak. He just cant get anything going at all here. He finally gets a break and the knee seems just fine all of a sudden. Well how about that?
A bunch of knees (with the bad one) to the ribs get two. Release German puts Shiozaki down but a running knee in the corner misses. Shiozaki gets a rollup for two. Nakamura grabs a cross armbreaker ala Del Rio but cant get it on for long. We go back and forth for awhile until Shiozaki gets a shot to the knee to break that up. Modified inbred cousin of the Texas Cloverleaf goes on.
Suplex is blocked by Nakamura and gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A bunch of strikes gets two. Top rope moonsault misses and Nakamura takes over. Ok scratch that as he gets turned inside out by a clothesline. Suplex gets two. Nakamura gets mad and hits some knees .and then a running knee gets him the pin. This was about 14 minutes long and he might have been on offense for two of them. That was rather stupid.
Rating: D. I didnt like this in the slightest. Nakamura didnt sell the knee when it wasnt being worked on at all (at least limp dude), the match was dominated by Shiozaki and was a step above a squash, and then we get that ending? Not a fan of this at all and it just didnt work. Definitely the worst match of the night so far.
We recap Togi Makabe vs. Masato Tanaka. Tanaka hurt Makabes neck in the G-1 Climax Tag Tournament and when Makabe came back Tanaka tried to hurt him again. Its a blood feud for the most part minus the blood. Pretty intense feud it seems.
Togi Makabe vs. Masato Tanaka
Makabe looks a little insane and is apparently a crazy hardcore guy. Tanaka is from ZERO-1 and Makabe is from NJPW. Tanaka is ripped. Makabe has a huge chain with him. Tanaka has a kendo stick and swings as Makabe is turning around but gets blocked. The beating is on with Tanaka in trouble early. And never mind as he kills Makabe with a clothesline.
Tanaka works on the neck and tries for a superplex but gets blocked. Running elbow smash sends Makabe to the floor and I have a feeling this is going to get violent. Theres the chain but Makabe hits post instead. Being a good heel, Tanaka chokes him out with it and ties him to the post. BIG kendo stick shot to the head and Makabe is in trouble. Or hes dead. Its one or the other.
Back in the ring as Tanaka is in control. Brainbuster (what we call one) gets two. Tanaka slaps him which just makes Makabe mad and here comes the bigger guy. Some clothesline put Tanaka down but they clothesline each other and were at a standstill. Ten punches in the corner by Makabe but he gets powerbombed out for no cover. They need to work on their covers in this country.
Powerslam by Makabe out of nowhere breaks up the momentum of the evildoer and then a clothesline puts Tanaka on the floor. Makabe BREAKS A CHAIR over Tanakas head. I mean the seat part of it went flying. Theres a table, which is what started allt his. Tanaka counters the powerbomb attempt through it though and instead its a brainbuster through the table to kill Makabe all over again.
Another table is set up at ringside by Tanaka. The tables here are a lot thinner. Makabe tries to fight him off but gets caught in a spinning neckbreaker and a brainbuster for two. Tanaka might want the Roaring Elbow but is countered. Ok never mind as he gets it on the second try but to the back of the head. Another is caught by a choke and the striking begins.
Tanaka hits about 20 forearms and the Roaring Elbow for a long two. The crowd is getting into this now. We head to the floor again by the table. Tanaka puts him on it but takes too long. Instead Makabe gets a Jackknife off the apron onto the table to more or less kill him. A regular powerbomb gets two in the ring. Instead a firemans carry slam and top rope knee drop end Tanaka.
Rating: B. Much better brawl here than the hardcore match was earlier. The whole neck thing worked here with Makabe wanting revenge and Tanaka wanting to be all evil. The big spots here worked as well, making this an all around good match and probably the second best of the night. Good stuff and more fun from Tanaka.
We recap the IWGP Title match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and the champion, Satoshi Kojima. Kojima had been the champion and beat Tanahashi in the finals of the G-1 Climax Tournament. Kojima turned heel and beat down Tanahashi to extend their feud. That led to Tanahashi going on a hot streak, leading to this rematch.
IWGP World Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima
The entrances are rather epic. The crowd pops big for the opening bell as Im assuming this is a huge match. They fight over a headlock on the mat to start with Tanahashi having a small advantage. He really likes that headlock. This is a long and slow build to start as the announcers are far too excited. Now he shifts off to the arm as the challenger has controlled for the most part.
Five minutes in and Tanahashi gets a spinning cross body out of the corner for no cover. Tanahashi tries another big move but gets knocked down off the ropes, injuring his leg. Here comes Kojima who works over the knee on the floor and tries a leg lock for a countout. Instead its back to the ring for a Sharpshooter. Actually thats a Scorpion and yes theres a difference you uncultured swine.
Kojima hammers away in the corner with chops and a running forearm. The fans are into this in a big way. Top rope elbow gets two for the champion. They slug it out in the middle of the ring with Tanahashi taking over. Why do faces always win slugouts? Ten minutes in now and its Tanahashi in control. Slam sets up a front flip splash for two from the middle rope.
Kojima reverses into a DDT though and there goes momentum one more time. Modified neckbreaker by the champion sets up a suplex which is revered. Tanahashi takes over again as this has been very back and forth. Back to the (right) arm by Tanahashi but a third shot to it is reversed into a Diamond Cutter by the champion and both guys are down.
Full nelson by the challenger but he cant get a Dragon Suplex. He settles for an arm trap German for two. The announcers are into this as well. A frog splash to the back of Kojima is followed by one to the front that winds up eating knees at the fifteen minute mark. A lariat cant put Tanahashi down so he gets a spinning one to put Kojima down.
Tanahashi speeds things up again and gets a modified Michinoku Driver to set up the Frog Splash for two. The challenger is sent to the apron and a clothesline takes him down to the floor. Kojima breaks up the count though which I dont get. I guess its being a competitor or some trash like that. Brainbuster (what is the obsession with that move???) back into the ring gets two.
Top rope rana half kills Tanahashi but Kojima is down too. We have to be getting close to the end here. Kojima is up first but Tanahashi goes after the arm again which all of a sudden is a horrible injury. Kojima takes him down with another clothesline for two as both guys are down one more time.
A third lariat gets two as well as the referee spins over to his back from nearly hitting the mat a third time. Tanahashi gets up and finally gets the Dragon Suplex. Naturally since this match wants to piss me off, Kojima pops up and charges at him, but gets avoided and another Dragon Suplex gets two. A top rope cross body sets up the Frog Splash to give Tanahashi the title.
Rating: B. Another fun match here to finish off the night with a pair of them in a row. Nothing great here but it felt like a big clash which is exactly the point of this. Tanahashi is a little smaller and his style makes him fun to watch. Its no classic but this was played off like a huge clash which is how you should end the biggest show of the year. Good stuff here and a good way to close us out.
Theres a trophy presentation.
The announcers talk.
Theres a press conference.
The announcers talk.
Theres another press conference.
The announcers talk.
A music video closes us out. Those things I listed off after the rating took 25 minutes.
Overall Rating: B. For the most part I liked this. Considering I had to piece together the stories and figure out things as I went, I got the main idea pretty well. There are a few weak matches and nothing incredible, but there was more good than bad and it felt like a huge show. I wouldnt watch it on a regular basis, but it was good for the kind of show it was supposed to be: big and epic. The title change was a nice way to end it too. Five and a half hours is a bit long for my taste though. Good stuff overall though..