milamber Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Nigel McGuinness - Reddit AMA and Interview about LA Fights http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2q319u/hi_im_nigel_mcguinness_retired_pro_wrestler_now/ http://www.cagesideseats.com/indies-independent-wrestling-indy-promotions/2014/12/23/7440071/nigel-mcguinness-talks-cageside-seats-about-la-fights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Okay, I just wanted to make sure I'm understanding the scheduling properly. Wrestle Kingdom will be airing at 2am tonight/tomorrow morning correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Okay, I just wanted to make sure I'm understanding the scheduling properly. Wrestle Kingdom will be airing at 2am tonight/tomorrow morning correct? I've worked out to be 7 am for me in the U.K, I assume you're referring to 2 am Eastern Time in America. Don't think I can get myself out of bed to watch it live at 7, yet alone at 2 in the morning. I'll watch it as soon as I can though tomorrow, after the live broadcast has been done on NJPW World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teh_Showtime Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I've worked out to be 7 am for me in the U.K, I assume you're referring to 2 am Eastern Time in America. Don't think I can get myself out of bed to watch it live at 7, yet alone at 2 in the morning. I'll watch it as soon as I can though tomorrow, after the live broadcast has been done on NJPW World. The key is never going to sleep in the first place I'm probably going to watch UFC 182 beforehand and just stay up. Haven't watched a NJPW show live since the G1 show that opened with Bad Luck Fale vs Ishii Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mootinie Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Time to preview Wrestle Kingdom I guess, considering it's tonight and all. 15-man New Japan Rumble Last year the pre-show match was an 8-man tag that saw Tenzan pick up the pin over impressing youngster Yohei Komatsu. I remember that match well because Liger was in it and did essentially nothing all match along. This year we have a battle royal, which should be quite fun. The winner probably doesn't gain anything, but I'm going to with Nagata winning, I'll explain why a little later on. IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) © vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero) vs. Time Splitters (Alex Shelley and Kushida) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) This is literally an exact rematch from last year, only instead of TAKA & Taichi, we have reDRagon. I don't care for this match, these teams have worked with each other all year long, even in other promotions than this one. The Hooligans will threaten to split up mid-match only to hug, The Bucks will do some super kicks, KUSHIDA will outshine everybody and reDRagon will probably dominate the match. It should be fun for the 12 or so minutes it runs, but, I've seen this match before... Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Jeff Jarrett and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma The original plan was Jarrett vs. YOSHITATSU, but obviously they had to cancel that considering Tatsu is in the hospital and all... Bad Luck Fale was IC Champion beating Nakamura clean 6 months ago. Yujiro was given a NEVER title reign, he sucked, so now he's back where he belongs. Tenzan and Kojima are teasing a split and Honma deserves better than this. This will be an average at best match with Jarrett probably picking up the pin, I just hope that neither Tenzan nor Kojima joins the Bullet Club. Hopefully Yujiro turns on his team, he does not belong in the unit. Mikey Nicholls, Naomichi Marufuji, Shane Haste and Toru Yano vs. Suzukigun (Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Lance Archer, Shelton X Benjamin and Takashi Iizuka) NJPW have a working relationship with NOAH that is apparently more than just a talent sharing thing, so who knows if this will lead to bigger things. Yano's team wins and the NOAH guys stick around to have some title shots, I hope. Minoru Suzuki vs. Kazushi Sakuraba Boy has this had some build, I think since Kizuna Road in July? It's been great too, the slap exchanges and "fights" between the two have been tremendous fun. I expect this to be a war, lots of slaps, strikes and nasty submissions. I have no clue who's winning it though... NEVER Openweight Championship Tomohiro Ishii © vs. Togi Makabe Ishii is, for my money, the best wrestler of 2014. In terms of match quality, I don't thimk anybody has topped him. He's had insane matches with the likes of Naito (my match of the year), Yujiro, Ibushi, Honma, Nagata, Nakamura and most recently, Goto. Makabe is a slight step down given his age, he's certainly past his prime but he's still no slouch. This will be brutal, just an all-out war, these two will beat the crap out of each other. Ishii should retain, Makabe has no business holding this belt. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Ryusuke Taguchi © vs. Kenny Omega Omega wins and this entire division continues to be a bit of a joke. IWGP Tag Team Championship Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) © vs. Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata) Goto & Shibata win. Gallows & Anderson go down as two of the most underwhelming champions in this title's history. This is another title that needs some serious work in 2015 if its to get back to former glory. A.J. Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito Two questions, i) will Styles break another neck? and ii) will Naito get booed? All things considered this should be a fantastic match, you have two guys that are technically two of the greatest talents New Japan has right now. I hope this one doesn't start with a lock-up and some slow chain wrestling though, let's kick this one off with some pace and never let it drop. Styles probably wins. Naito had a very bad 2014 and spent most of it de-pushed so he could regain some fan support following his 2013 G1 win. Hopefully 2015 is the very good year he deserves. IWGP Intercontinental Championship Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Kota Ibushi Their 2013 G1 Climax match was one of the best of the year, it was given ****3/4 by Dave Meltzer and ranked in many people's best matches of the year lists. There's very little story here, and frankly I'm having a hard time getting too excited about this. Once the action picks up this will be insanely good though, probably match of the night. I realistically can't pick a winner because I have no clue what either man will do this year. Who will they defend against next? I have no idea. IWGP Heavyweight Championship Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Kazuchika Okada Since Okada returned to New Japan as the Rainmaker, these two have had six matches against each other. Okada has won 3, including back-to-back wins in their most recent matches, Tanahashi has won 2 and they fought to a 30-minute time limit draw at the 2013 G1 Climax. There's not too much short-term story here, Okada lost his belt and started displaying a mean streak in pursuit of gaining it back. Tanahashi won that belt and now Okada is here to destroy Tanahashi on route to winning back his belt and getting that all-important Dome win over New Japan's ace. There's only one winner here IMO, you have 38 year old Tana passing the torch to 27 year old Okada in what should be an absolutely fantastic match and one of the best Wrestle Kingdom matches for a long time. Now, I picked Nagata to win the dark match Rumble, because I think he'll be Okada's first challenger. He's spent most of the year in New Japan either picking up the pin in undercard tags, or losing when his partner gets pinned. Okada and Nagata have only been in the same ring with each other twice. Nagata's recent NOAH run and G1 Climax performance certainly proved he can still go at a high level. Nagata provided commentary on the final pre-Wrestle Kingdom house show last year during Okada's match, leading many to think that Nagata would be challenging, and maybe winning the IWGP title from Okada. Obviously, Styles won it. I think it would be great if this show closed with Nagata interrupting Okada's cocky post-match speech. All in all, this should be a great show. You have two closing matches that could each be a match of the year candidate. Along with all the GFW hype, JR & Striker on commentary and some certain title changes, this show should shake up New Japan nicely for the new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Nice job taking up the preview mantle, my comments on your comments 15-man New Japan Rumble Last year the pre-show match was an 8-man tag that saw Tenzan pick up the pin over impressing youngster Yohei Komatsu. I remember that match well because Liger was in it and did essentially nothing all match along. This year we have a battle royal, which should be quite fun. The winner probably doesn't gain anything, but I'm going to with Nagata winning, I'll explain why a little later on. Nagata's the most logical and obvious winner here, out of everyone left but I'm secretly hoping for Super Strong Machine to come in as the surprise final entrant and win the whole thing IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) © vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero) vs. Time Splitters (Alex Shelley and Kushida) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) This is literally an exact rematch from last year, only instead of TAKA & Taichi, we have reDRagon. I don't care for this match, these teams have worked with each other all year long, even in other promotions than this one. The Hooligans will threaten to split up mid-match only to hug, The Bucks will do some super kicks, KUSHIDA will outshine everybody and reDRagon will probably dominate the match. It should be fun for the 12 or so minutes it runs, but, I've seen this match before... You have this one pretty much spot on. Some people are hyping this match as a potential show stealer, but they are forgetting that it's the opener on a card that this year won't be allowed to go over the 4 hour limit, due to be broadcast on PPV in America. It will be a fun sprint, that will be lucky to get as long as 12 minutes. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Jeff Jarrett and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma The original plan was Jarrett vs. YOSHITATSU, but obviously they had to cancel that considering Tatsu is in the hospital and all... Bad Luck Fale was IC Champion beating Nakamura clean 6 months ago. Yujiro was given a NEVER title reign, he sucked, so now he's back where he belongs. Tenzan and Kojima are teasing a split and Honma deserves better than this. This will be an average at best match with Jarrett probably picking up the pin, I just hope that neither Tenzan nor Kojima joins the Bullet Club. Hopefully Yujiro turns on his team, he does not belong in the unit. The nearest thing to pointless filler on the card, the only thing that will lift this match is Honma gets his Wrestle Kingdom moment by finally nailing the Kokeshi (Falling Headbutt) on someone and pick up the win, ideally on Slapnuts. Mikey Nicholls, Naomichi Marufuji, Shane Haste and Toru Yano vs. Suzukigun (Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Lance Archer, Shelton X Benjamin and Takashi Iizuka) NJPW have a working relationship with NOAH that is apparently more than just a talent sharing thing, so who knows if this will lead to bigger things. Yano's team wins and the NOAH guys stick around to have some title shots, I hope. From what I understand NJPW is part funding NOAH- It's a bit like if WWE decided to prop up TNA- Oh bad analogy because TNA will never in a million years get to the level NOAH did at the high point in it's history. I guess a better comparison would be if WWE decided to prop up WCW in 2001, instead of buying them out completely. Anyway hopefully TMDK can come in and feud with a few NJPW teams, because the stale Tag Division needs an injection of new talent. Minoru Suzuki vs. Kazushi Sakuraba Boy has this had some build, I think since Kizuna Road in July? It's been great too, the slap exchanges and "fights" between the two have been tremendous fun. I expect this to be a war, lots of slaps, strikes and nasty submissions. I have no clue who's winning it though... This will either be relatively short but really intense and awesome or the drizzling shits- depending on which Sakuraba turns up, but I have faith that Suzuki will be the first opponent to get a really good wrestling match out of Sakuraba since Nakamura performed miracles at Wrestle Kingdom 7. NEVER Openweight Championship Tomohiro Ishii © vs. Togi Makabe Ishii is, for my money, the best wrestler of 2014. In terms of match quality, I don't thimk anybody has topped him. He's had insane matches with the likes of Naito (my match of the year), Yujiro, Ibushi, Honma, Nagata, Nakamura and most recently, Goto. Makabe is a slight step down given his age, he's certainly past his prime but he's still no slouch. This will be brutal, just an all-out war, these two will beat the crap out of each other. Ishii should retain, Makabe has no business holding this belt. How great this match will be, will be depend on the amount of time it gets (I'm not expecting it to go 20, but anything over 10 would be nice) and not due to the talent and motivations of the performers in the match. Ishii will as always be super motivated and will want to prove that leaving him off last years Wrestle Kingdom was a big mistake, and Makabe though past his prime can really step up when not placed in a throwaway match. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Ryusuke Taguchi © vs. Kenny Omega Omega wins and this entire division continues to be a bit of a joke. Though I'm not the biggest Taguchi fan, he is still a solid wrestler that can have good matches given a quality opponent. Omega could be that opponent but I fear that any potential this match could have for being surprisingly good will be obliterated by Bullet Club interference. The Junior Division does need major rebuilding. Though I really like Time Splitters as a team perhaps the first step in building up the singles junior ranks again would be to split them up for now and let both KUSHIDA and Shelley pursue singles glory. IWGP Tag Team Championship Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) © vs. Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata) Goto & Shibata win. Gallows & Anderson go down as two of the most underwhelming champions in this title's history. This is another title that needs some serious work in 2015 if its to get back to former glory. Guns & Gallows forgettable year long reign with these belts, has unfortunately devalued these titles. If Goto and Shibata don't win the belts here, then NJPW may as well have Bullet Club put the titles into a burning trash can, because that's how much their shitty over long title run (with about 1 defence in about forever) has devalued the belts. A.J. Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito Two questions, i) will Styles break another neck? and ii) will Naito get booed? All things considered this should be a fantastic match, you have two guys that are technically two of the greatest talents New Japan has right now. I hope this one doesn't start with a lock-up and some slow chain wrestling though, let's kick this one off with some pace and never let it drop. Styles probably wins. Naito had a very bad 2014 and spent most of it de-pushed so he could regain some fan support following his 2013 G1 win. Hopefully 2015 is the very good year he deserves. I think Styles wins here and will be the first challenger for the World Title at one of the New Beginning shows- where he will lose. If he goes up against Tanahashi it makes sense for him to get his rematch, whilst he if goes up against Okada, you get some closure on the Okada vs Styles feud. Naito suffers another big loss here, but I have a feeling that NJPW will put in a strong effort to rebuild him to the point where he's either challenging for the Heavyweight or IC belt by the end of the year. IWGP Intercontinental Championship Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Kota Ibushi Their 2013 G1 Climax match was one of the best of the year, it was given ****3/4 by Dave Meltzer and ranked in many people's best matches of the year lists. There's very little story here, and frankly I'm having a hard time getting too excited about this. Once the action picks up this will be insanely good though, probably match of the night. I realistically can't pick a winner because I have no clue what either man will do this year. Who will they defend against next? I have no idea. Nakamura doesn't really need enough lengthy run with this belt, but the question is do NJPW pull the trigger on Ibushi's push towards main event status here or do they hold back and make him chase a little longer. Whatever the outcome they could do with building up another star name that can compete with the big 3 on a regular basis, and Ibushi could well be that man. IWGP Heavyweight Championship Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Kazuchika Okada Since Okada returned to New Japan as the Rainmaker, these two have had six matches against each other. Okada has won 3, including back-to-back wins in their most recent matches, Tanahashi has won 2 and they fought to a 30-minute time limit draw at the 2013 G1 Climax. There's not too much short-term story here, Okada lost his belt and started displaying a mean streak in pursuit of gaining it back. Tanahashi won that belt and now Okada is here to destroy Tanahashi on route to winning back his belt and getting that all-important Dome win over New Japan's ace. There's only one winner here IMO, you have 38 year old Tana passing the torch to 27 year old Okada in what should be an absolutely fantastic match and one of the best Wrestle Kingdom matches for a long time. Whatever the outcome this should be a great match- these two have never disappointed in any major singles match they have had against one another. I don't expect that trend to stop here, especially not on New Japan's grandest stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashasheen Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Moving away from tomorrow's NJPW, I wanted to ask some of the more knowledgable guys here on a couple of things: 1. AJPW got a surprise takeover back in July and now Jun Akiyama is running the company, with shows pretty shitty attendance wise since the Wrestle-1 defection. Was there a chance that Muta could have come back in and reunite the companies then? 2. NJPW and NOAH are working together. I'm guessing we'll see a few NJPW mid-carders in NOAH, and a couple of NOAH stars in NJPW, but is this actually beneficial enough for NJPW? I'm at the point where I look at their roster age average and I think they need a few more natives to begin building up. Granted, their roster doesn't show much wear and tear for the most part, but Okada is the youngest guy near the main event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I accidentally passed out last night way early. So I'm hoping to check the replay out tonight. I read one spoiler free review and they said the IC title match was amazing. So I'm looking forward to that even more than I was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Roguey Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I accidentally passed out last night way early. So I'm hoping to check the replay out tonight. I read one spoiler free review and they said the IC title match was amazing. So I'm looking forward to that even more than I was. Keeping it spoiler free but yeah, that IC title match was on another level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashasheen Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Thought it outshone the main event, personally. I was yelling holy shit a couple of times at how stiff the moves were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Who was that woman who came out with Takahashi? Wiki just says Mao. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Who was that woman who came out with Takahashi? Wiki just says Mao. Some broad Yujiro picked up whilst cruising soaplands in Kabukicho? That's all I've ever seen her to referred to as elsewhere. Anyway as for the show itself (won't give my full thoughts on each match just yet)- Though it was amazing, as good a 4 hour wrestling as you are ever likely to see. Minor disappointment on the entrances being a bit rushed and not feeling as grand as last year due to having to fit to a tight schedule, but in-ring wise this outstripped last years Wrestle Kingdom. The two main event's were tremendous, and were able to live up to the hype, whilst everything on the undercard met or came slightly above expectations- nothing under delivered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I only got up to the Omega/Taguchi match last night before I had to head to bed, but I'll be finishing the show later. The only other Ishii match I had seen before this was against Bad Luck Fale and I didn't really care for him, but his match at Wrestle Kingdom was really fun to watch. It's nuts to me how much good commentating can add to a match though. Some of the more mediocre matches were elevated substantially just by having someone like Jim Ross and Matt Striker calling it. They were both passionate and left the corny jokes at home. You could tell they were excited to be there and enjoyed themselves without being over the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Wolf Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 So I am watching this show right now and I have to say Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Jeff Jarrett and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma was the worst match on this card (I'm up to Naito Styles but I can't imagine the next two matches will suck) and that said that match was still better than anything I've seen from American Wrestling in a long time (and I don't just watch WWE). This show has been incredible from top to bottom and you should find a way to watch it. As a trained pro wrestler I'm gonna rewatch this like 1000 times and implement some of this style into my own. Especially since Takaaki Watanabe's excursion to the US has included wrestling on my schools shows for the past few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mootinie Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Yeah, that undercard match, and the TMDK one, were both glorified squashes. Some broad Yujiro picked up whilst cruising soaplands in Kabukicho? That's all I've ever seen her to referred to as elsewhere. This is her: - I think she's like Yujiro's girlfriend. With regards the show, I thought it was great. I didn't care for most of the undercard stuff but it was kept short enough to be inoffensive. Semi-main was fantastic, wish it could have gone a bit longer tbh, and the main event had it's issues, but was still a great match. Okada and Tanahashi have had better against each other, IMO. 1. AJPW got a surprise takeover back in July and now Jun Akiyama is running the company, with shows pretty shitty attendance wise since the Wrestle-1 defection. Was there a chance that Muta could have come back in and reunite the companies then? Well, it wasn't a surprise if I'm being completely honest, it was in the pipeline for a month or so. But in answer to your question: I very much doubt it. I think the current company that manage AJPW were the ones that decided they didn't want Muta when they were going to reshuffle the top of the ladder, and they still manage and sponsor the company even though Akiyama is the official president now. I don't think there's any animosity between the two feds though, a few W-1 guys worked the most recent AJPW tour: Taiyo Kea, for example. 2. NJPW and NOAH are working together. I'm guessing we'll see a few NJPW mid-carders in NOAH, and a couple of NOAH stars in NJPW, but is this actually beneficial enough for NJPW? I'm at the point where I look at their roster age average and I think they need a few more natives to begin building up. Granted, their roster doesn't show much wear and tear for the most part, but Okada is the youngest guy near the main event. Well, if it means they can bring in the odd junior, or the odd tag team to help their fledging divisions, I don't see why the partnership wouldn't be beneficial to NJPW. They have similar agreements with the other companies, only they tend to operate on a tour-by-tour, tournament-by-tournament basis (Ricochet and Kenny Omega working the BOSJ, Mascara Dorada touring with them, etc). Wrestling on the whole has struggled in Japan for years, I'm sure all these companies feel they are on the same sinking boat and will do everything within their power to stay afloat. Although granted, I feel NOAH is ridden with mediocrity, and a partnership with NJPW will do little to fix that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teh_Showtime Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 NOAH is actually benefitting greatly. There are a few guys who in NJPW have been phased out of the main event scene, but guys like Nagata and Kojima are still good wrestlers and obviously popular with the fans. It's a huge boost for the struggling company to be able to use them in a meaningful role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitarzu Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 And for the statistics, Kojima could be the only man to have won the Triple Crown (AJPW), the IWGP WHC (NJPW), the NWA WHC and the GHC WHC (NOAH). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakerNGN74 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I watched the GFW offering of Wrestle Kingdom 9 on Sunday night and I really enjoyed the show the Ibushi vs. Nakamura match was amazing I already have a match of the year candidate for 2015. Okada vs. Tanahashi was great as well although I question the decision of who won the match because if it was me I would have gone another way with it but I can't complain too much it was still a great match regardless of who won. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashasheen Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 @Taker: Can't help but feel that match is the beginning of them turning Okada into The Guy. I'm thinking a year of tribulations for him, potentially capped off next year by meeting Nakamura, Tanahashi or AJ at Wrestle-Kingdom for redemption. He's already lost to Fale the day after Kingdom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 * Spoilers Ahead* So if you don't want anything spoiled regarding NJPW- skip past my post Won't go full review this time, as there are loads of reviews out there for WK9 but I'll just give my thoughts and observations on each match. In General: I saw the NJPW World version, because as far as I'm aware the GFW version wasn't broadcast in the UK- so I can't really comment on how good or bad J.R and Matt Striker were on commentary. Anyhow I've never had a problem enjoying NJPW listening to Shinpei Nogami, the plump one with the glasses and the other commentators. This years event did miss the pomp and ceremony of previous years Wrestle Kingdom's, due to the time constraints but in all honesty I'd rather have this than an event that is all flash and no substance (i.e great entrances, but matches that last five minutes) Rambo: This was fun for what it was. The strongest guy in the field won, the surprise appearances from some of the old timers was a nice touch (though it has to be said Fujiwara looked about 150 ) and the Young Lion pair of Tanaka and Komatsu had a great moment when they combined to pin Taichi. I really hope that's a sign that NJPW are ready to start moving these two up beyond constantly facing each other or getting beaten up by Suzukigun. Junior Tag Title 4-Way: This delivered exactly what I expected it to be a 1000 mile an hour spotfest. If you don't like this style of wrestling at all then this match wasn't go to convert you, but if you can appreciate what was on offer here, then every team here brought their A-Game. Shame the crowd at the Tokyo Dome weren't more into this, but it should be noted that much of the crowd pulled in for Wrestle Kingdom would be 'casuals', rather than the hardcore fans that would attend Korakuen Hall. Team NJPW vs Bullet Club B Team: This wasn't a great match but it had a great moment, that for those who follow NJPW will have really appreciated. Hopefully the crowds reaction to Honma picking up the win, would have got over just how big of a moment this was for one of NJPW's perpetual losers. Yano and NOAH friends vs Suzukigun: The most throwaway match on the card, as it simply didn't get enough time to leave much of an impression, however it did it's job of putting over the NOAH guys, who I expect will have more involvement going forward. Suzuki vs Sakuraba: 'God Mode' Suzuki all in white, was an awesome sight and though I'm not the biggest fan of the 'worked shoot' style, when done right and in small doses it can bring something different to the card. This was Sakuraba's best NJPW match since he challenged Nakamura for the I.C belt at WK9. Really liked the post match angle with Suzuki showing respect to Sakuraba- came off as really important, given Suzuki's character and brought a fitting closure to their feud. NEVER- Ishii vs Makabe: This was the hard hitting slobberknocker people expected it to be. Much like the spotfest of the Junior Tag match, you either really like this style of wrestling or you don't, and the great thing about NJPW's shows is if this wasn't your cup of tea, you should have been able to find something more to your liking elsewhere. I personally enjoyed this match, but this was the only match where I really had to question the booking because for me a former IWGP Heavyweight champ in Makabe should have no business challenging for the NEVER belt yet alone holding it. Junior- 'Funky Weapon' vs 'The Cleaner' : I've seen mixed opinion on this match, though for me those who hated this match, are just basing their opinions on their now irrational hatred of Ryusuke Taguchi. I'm not Taguchi's biggest fan but he's not the steaming pile of turd some people are making him out to be. This wasn't MOTYC or anything near to that, but it was pretty good (somewhere between 3 and 4 snowflakes). The Young Bucks got involved, but they provided more of a distraction, rather than consistently interfering in the match, and that level of 'interference' I'm fine with. I'm also actually really enjoying Omega as a heel, as I think him getting breaking out silly stuff like the imaginary chainsaw, is more suitable to an irritating douchebag heel than if he came in as a babyface. I know a lot of people were high on fun babyface Omega that was in DDT, but for me that version just wouldn't have worked in NJPW. Tag Titles- Guns & Gallows vs Meiyu Tag: It took them until the end of their tedious year long title reign, but Guns & Gallows have finally started to get pretty good as a team, and I think that Gallows is starting to belong in an NJPW ring now. But I'm pleased their reign has finally been brought to an end. This was really good stuff for the 10 minutes it ran for, and Goto and Shibata winning the titles provided another great feelgood moment, to go alongside Honma's Wrestle Kingdom moment earlier in the show. Styles vs Naito: Some might not agree with the tactic of emphasizing the legitimate peril of the Styles Clash, but it has to be said they did a great job of building around the psychology of that feared move. Really good match, with Styles being a step ahead of his opponent throughout. IC Title- Nakamura vs Ibushi: My favourite match of the entire show, this match just blew me away and was one of those rare moments where someone gets elevated with a clean loss. Early in his career Ibushi was what many people would label a spot monkey, someone who could do flashy moves but had little in the way of psychology in stringing their flashy arsenal together. The Ibushi of 2015, still has plenty of flash but he puts together his incredible move set in a way that makes sense and feels genuinely off the cuff rather than rehearsed. Each time Ibushi steps into the ring, he has that ability to surprise you with something you've never seen before- and that Springboard German Suplex spot he came up with is testament to that. IWGP Heavyweight Title- Okada vs Tanahashi: I personally feel that there have been better matches between these two, but this was still an incredible match and another MOTYC in what has turned into one of the greatest wrestling rivalries of all time. Like many others I was shocked that Okada didn't end up winning the title back, but the post match angle with Okada crying a river of tears after failing to overcome his great rival and Tanahashi smugly gloating on the turnbuckle, was fantastic and I have faith that Gedo and Jado know exactly what they are doing here. ____________________________________________________________ Observations from New Years Dash El Desperado failed in his challenge for Jushin Thunder Ligers NWA Junior Heavyweight title, in a match that was OK but probably went too long-given that the finish a top rope Brainbuster from Liger was sloppily executed. That match mostly revolved around Liger fighting from underneath, with El Desperado working over Liger's arm (very much in the vein of Suzukigun leader Minoru Suzuki)- I thought that was pretty well done, and I feel that fighting in this style is a direction that Desperado should continue with, to help separate himself from all the other Juniors. I love Liger, as most wrestling fans do, but in matches that go longer than 10 minutes, he's really starting to show his age now. A.J Styles pinned Tanahashi in the main event then challenged for Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight belt- which is exactly what I expected to happen. It should be noted that A.J is now very much over with the hardcore NJPW fans that attend Korakuen Hall. The Bullet Club have added yet another new member- well sort of: Cody Hall (son of Scott Hall) was introduced as the Bullet Club's 'Young Boy'- which means he has to earn his way into the group by carrying their bags, and wiping the other members backsides etc Yuji Nagata challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the IC Title, which the King of Strong Style accepted with his customary 'YEOAH!! ' Okada got pinned by Bad Luck Fale- which is sure to have a good few smarks crying. The booking here made perfect sense, as Okada has come off a gruelling loss to Tanahashi, whilst Fale (who like it or not has been built up as a strong monster heel threat) was relatively fresh. I'm actually really interested to see Okada work a program against someone like a Bad Luck Fale, who needs to be in their with a great worker to have a good match. Some more subtle interaction that others may have missed...... Minoru Suzuki and Satoshi Kojima had some relatively heated exchanges in a Babyfaces vs Suzkigun multi man tag, so I wouldn't be surprised if they start a feud against one another soon. The great news is that Yano and Suzuki didn't face off against each other, so it looks like that feud is finally done! Katsuyori Shibata was non too pleased when Tetsyua Naito tagged himself in during the main event 8 Man Tag, so they could well be sowing the seeds for a feud between those two later down the line. Announced thus far for the two New Beginning shows in Osaka and Sendai. Lots of rematches..... Osaka IWGP Heavyweight: Tanahashi vs Styles IWGP Junior: Omega vs Taguchi IWGP Tag: Goto & Shibata vs Anderson & Gallows IWGP Junior Tag: ReDragon vs Young Bucks vs Time Splitters * It looks like Forever Hooligans have been eliminated from the Junior Tag title picture, after Koslov took the loss at WK9 and then did the same in a non title match against ReDragon at New Years Dash Sendai IWGP IC: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Yuji Nagata NEVER: Togi Makabe vs Tomohiro Ishii NWA Heavyweight: Rob Conway vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan NWA Junior: Jushin Thunder Liger vs Chase Owens * Post match after his victory over El Desperado, Liger declared that Tiger Mask IV should be his next challenger- and I expected that to be the match here but it appears as though Owens will be handed a chance to win back the belt he lost to Liger before that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakerNGN74 Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 @Taker: Can't help but feel that match is the beginning of them turning Okada into The Guy. I'm thinking a year of tribulations for him, potentially capped off next year by meeting Nakamura, Tanahashi or AJ at Wrestle-Kingdom for redemption. He's already lost to Fale the day after Kingdom. I really hope you are right, I'm not saying it's a mistake to not have him win but I'm just shocked he didn't. I was also surprised that Ibushi didn't defeat Nakamura because I figured either Nak or Tanahashi would lose their title which did not happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Is New Year's Dash on NJ World? I can't seem to find it, but that probably has more to do with some of the buttons being graphics and not translated with Chrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Is New Year's Dash on NJ World? I can't seem to find it, but that probably has more to do with some of the buttons being graphics and not translated with Chrome. Scroll down to the grey bar- that has a button that says NJPW World, next to that is a button that says Live with a Lightning Rod and next to that is a button with what looks like a wrestling ring. Click on the button that looks like a wrestling ring..... That takes you into a page that has events in chronological order (newest to oldest). As the newest event New Year's Dash will be at the top of the page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mootinie Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I suppose it's my turn Tiger... Junior Tag 4-Way reDRagon don't shine in these kind of matches, they looked totally lost. The Young Bucks were having the time of their lives, their tandem moves are so fluent and they mixed things up, even busting out the Meltzer Driver! KUSHIDA had his moments, but was playing to the crowd too much for my liking. The result was a slight surprise, but I felt the match overall was a tad underwhelming. Last year's 4-way was better. *** Jarrett/Fale/Takahashi vs. Honma/Kojima/Tenzan You could tell from the start that Takahashi was eating the pin. He was getting dominated in the ring and I thought maybe the NJPW team were going to win in a couple of minutes, but alas, that wasn't the case. Easy night for Fale, who as far as I am aware, did absolutely nothing all match long. This was just a prolonged squash. Honma got the pin. Nice little moment. Nothing more, nothing less. ** Yano/Marufuji/TMDK vs. Iizuka/Shelton/K.E.S. I can't believe they flew Shelton all the way out just to work this match. Again, pretty much a prolonged squash. The idea was obviously to get the NOAH guys over, but they don't really have the time, nor opportunity to showcase their skills set in a match like this. The action was solid, but the match felt like a total waste of time if I'm being honest. Hopefully Yano moves on to far more productive endevours this year. *3/4 Suzuki vs. Sakuraba This felt a little too short IMO, it ended just as it got started. The pacing was odd, Suzuki got battered and worked over for most of the match, did one move, and instantly won. I'm not sure what I can say. It wasn't that entertaining to me. **1/2 NEVER Openweight - Ishii vs. Makabe The show really started to pick up here. This was just classic Ishii, held together by tape and bandages, he willed his way through the Makabe onslaught and the crowd ate up every moment of it. This was an enjoyable scrap, even though the standard was a step lower than what I've come to expect from Ishii. Makabe winning is no great disservice. He probably deserves a little something after working quite hard throughout the year. **** IWGP Jr. Heavy - Taguchi vs. Omega Taguchi has a terrible look. Bad hair, unsuiting facial hair, no physique to show off, he looked like a total jobber here. It's a good job he can work. Omega looked great, but he needs to tone down the goofy offence if he's to get over as a badass heel Junior. The result was never in question. Omega vs. KUSHIDA please New Japan, although Omega vs. Romero wouldn't be bad either. **3/4 IWGP Tag - Guns & Gallows vs. Meiyu Tag It's so odd seeing how Shibata works now, it's a far-cry from his wrestling style last year. Sitting in the ring smiling with the tag belts seemed sooooo out of character for him, but I guess I liked it. The match was okay, Anderson & Goto have insane chemistry, but Gallows is just no Giant Bernard. *** Styles vs. Naito Of all the matches on the card, I think this one suffered from lack of time the most. No real back-and-forth exchanges or mindblowing counter sequences, just good technical wrestling with a nice little story in the background - Styles proving just how much better he is than Naito. Naito wasn't over at all, he didn't even have heel heat, just nothing. Quite sad. 2015 will be interesting for him. The right guy won, and the Styles Clash is now a little more over as a finisher. ***3/4 IWGP IC - Nakamura vs. Ibushi Great. Just a flipping great match. I would have loved a few more minutes, this was another match that just felt like it was too short, even though it ran 20. New viewers will have Nak down as their favourite wrestler, older viewers like myself will see this for what it was - a star making performance for Ibushi. I want to see these two wrestle again, not now, not tomorrow, but on a big stage, in a main event, for 30 minutes. Please Gedo & Jado. Nakamura is the greatest wrestler walking the face of this earth. His ability to get his opponents over is so flipping underrated, he works rings around them but yet you can never tell. I have no qualms with giving this the full monty. ***** IWGP WHC - Tanahashi vs. Okada I was a little disappointed by this, it just wasn't the epic battle that I expected. This needed an extra dimension, I get that, but Okada came across as something of a chump to me. He went for the Rainmaker over and over and just couldn't hit it. I don't buy that he's somehow now cocky, or overly aggressive and that's why he lost here, his entire character centers around the total lack of cares he has to give. He lost because he stopped putting his knees up on the High Fly Flow, something he did before that obviously worked greatly in previous matches. I hope they keep him clear of the main event scene for a while, I have no interest in Okada vs. Styles, or Okada vs. Tanahashi any time soon. Their Invasion Attack 2013 match was better, their Kings Of Pro Wrestling 2013 match was better. This was a story match. Sometimes they're great. The story here was great. There's the added intrigue of seeing where they take it now, but I've seen better, more fluent, more dramatic, more ferocious, more enjoyable matches between these two. ****1/2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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