NJPW: Kings Of Strong Style II

Mootinie · September 7, 2015

Naito teamed with Taguchi, do you hate Naito and by extension, me?

... yes.

God, imagine the X-Pac heat that team would get. GO HOME-UUU!

Mootinie · September 11, 2015

March 29th, 2015 - Invasion Attack <div style="text-align:center;">http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/invasionattack2015.jpg "As the largest star is hidden by the moon, an always bright light fades to darkness." Invasion Attack March 29th, 2015 Live On Pay-Per-View Sunday, Week 4, March 2015 Held at the Jingu Stadium in front of 35,135 fans! Show Rating: B+ PPV Buy-Rate: 0.68 This show increased our popularity in 21 regions. Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo and Mick Foley http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/ranallo.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/foley.jpg http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div style="text-align:center;"><div>IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship The Young Bucks © vs. Time Splitters http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewTitles/iwgpjrtagteam.jpg http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/mattjackson.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/nickjackson.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/kushidatag.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/shelley.jpg It's only befitting that we kick off such a big PPV with such a hot opener. Although all four participants are perhaps the smallest on the card, this is really the money match in this division. The Young Bucks focus their attack on Alex Shelley's often-injured shoulder but they can't stop him from slipping their grasp to make a tag. KUSHIDA comes in like a house on fire and brings the crowd to their feet before crashing face first right into a Superkick Party. Shelley tried to interject with a Sliced Bread #2, but Matt Jackson smartly catches him in the Tombstone position as the Bucks hit an Indytaker for the victory. Match Time: 12:13 Rating: B</div></div><div></div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">NWA Tag Team Championship</div> Killer Elite Squad © vs. TMDK http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewTitles/nwatagteam.jpg http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/dbsmithjr.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/lancearcher.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/haste.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/nicholls.jpg From the get-go, it's obvious that the two Australians have their work cut out for them tonight. KES dominate a good chunk of this contest, suffocating TMDK for space as they cut off the ring and keep the duo from working together. It was shaping up to be a miserable night until Haste and Nicholls finally managed to start utilizing their speed and super agility. They even showed some surprising strength as they pressed Davey Boy Smith Jr. above their heads, only for Lance Archer to make the save. It took just one move for KES to win this one though, a sick Powerbomb on the outside from Davey Boy Smith Jr. left Shane Haste virtually unconscious before the Killer Bomb to Mikey Nicholls sealed a well-earned victory for the Champions. Match Time: 12:41 Rating: B-</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Special Singles Match</div> Togi Makabe vs. Toru Yano http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/makabe.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/yano.jpg YTR shills his DVD as he makes his entrance, kindly offering it to Mick Foley at the announce desk. Mrs. Foley's baby boy politely declines and gets a mouthful of water to the face for his disrespect. Yano mocks Makabe's stoic seriousness and runs away as the 'Unchained King Kong' is let loose by the sounding of the ring bell. He dances around ringside before getting in a tangle with referee Marty Asami, leaving Makabe open for a kick to the grapefruits! A roll-up brings an incredibly close near-fall - yikes, Makabe nearly lost to Yano again... Ranallo correctly observes that if this one goes over four minutes, it probably doesn't favour Yano. That proves to be true here, Yano's body isn't exactly built to last and with every move Makabe hits, he moves ever nearer to victory. The King Kong Knee Drop naturally finished this one off and Makabe dusted his hands as he celebrated, perhaps insinuating that it was time to move on to something bigger and better. Match Time: 8:12 Rating: C+</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Suzuki-gun make their entrance first, flanked by the masked El Desperado. </div> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/shelton.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/taka.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/taichi.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/eldesperado.jpg They take their sweet time, roaming around ringside harassing the young lions, the front row fans, the commentators, the timekeeper - basically, most of the people that can't really defend themselves. Ibushi enters next only to be jumped on the ramp by all four members of Suzuki's army. Like a gang of hyenas they put the boots in, but it's not long before Ibushi's mystery partners come to the rescue... http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/romero.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/ricochet.jpg Rocky Romero and Ricochet dart through the curtain and push Suzuki-gun back into the ring! Referee Marty Asami calls for the bell... Six Man Tag Team Match Suzuki-gun (Shelton X Benjamin, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi) vs. Kota Ibushi, Rocky Romero & Ricochet http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/shelton.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/taka.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/taichi.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/kotaibushi.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/romero.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/ricochet.jpg The bell might signal that the match has started, but actually, it's quite the opposite. This one very quickly spills to the outside, into the crowd and back up the ramp where it all started. Shelton and Ibushi take turns showing off their athleticism, that is until Ibushi goes up two steps and lands a Moonsault to take Benjamin out. Taichi takes a chair to Romero and tries to choke him out and TAKA gets an assist from Despy in keeping the 'Future of Flight' grounded on the ramp. Eventually we get back into the ring, and boy, do these six put on an incredible match. They're all fighting for the spotlight but it's Kota Ibushi that stands out most in this fast-paced affair; taking out TAKA, Taichi and El Desperado with a Golden Triangle Moonsault before gaining some revenge on Shelton X Benjamin with a Phoenix Splash. Romero & Ricochet shake hands and celebrate together, almost like they're a tag team... Match Time: 12:33 Rating: B+</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship</div> Kenny Omega © vs. Mascara Dorada http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewTitles/iwgpjrheavyweight.jpg http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/champomega.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/dorada.jpg 'The Cleaner' has the Bullet Club's enforcer big Bad Luck Fale for company at ringside. His lumbering presence is a cause for concern for the Challenger, he keeps glancing as the match gets started and this distraction enables Omega to seize control. 'The Underboss' just continues to watch, totally unfazed as Omega starts to struggle with Dorada's lightning quick pace. The luchadore glides around the ring effortlessly, but can't seem to put Omega away, even after a Dorada Screwdriver. In the end, he takes one risk too many, getting caught on Omega's shoulders when attempting a Springboard Crossbody as the defending Champion slams him to the canvas with the One Winged Angel to retain his title. Match Time: 11:31 Rating: C+</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Six Man Tag Team Match</div> Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Gedo & Jado) http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/tenzan.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/liger.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/tigermask.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/icshinsuke.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/gedo.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/jado.jpg This was supposed to be little more than your token Nakamura appearance, but maybe they'd watched the last six man tag team match. These boys didn't want to be upstaged and went tooth and nail to try and put on the best match of the night. Gedo & Jado clashed with Liger and Tiger as nostalgia took center stage before Tenzan put his aging body to the test against Nakamura - a clash that would have headlined any New Japan event some thirteen years ago. It was the 'King Of Strong Style' that shone the brightest here though, his ability to turn any situation to his advantage gave his side the opening they needed when he countered an Anaconda Buster into a Cross Armbreaker to put the NWA World Heavyweight Champion out of commission before a BOMA YE!~ to the legendary Tiger Mask sealed the win. Post-match, the CHAOS festivities were in full flow. Ranallo translated that Gedo was taunting the 'old men' he had just bettered (like he could talk) and promised victory for 'The Rainmaker' later tonight. Similarly, Nakamura promised victory for Ishii - but sadly, the CHAOS clean sweep had already been taken away from them. Nakamura got very serious as he uttered the words "Togi Makabe" and just like that, 'Immigrant Song' bought the man himself out. After batting some words back and forth, Nakamura finally decided to throw it out to the crowd. He asked them if they would get pleasure from watching him fight Makabe. A resounding cheer filled the stadium and Nakamura confirmed the challenge with one big "YEAOH!" Match Time: 15:17 Rating: B+ (match), B+ (challenge)</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Special Interpromotional Singles Match</div> Naomichi Marufuji vs. Minoru Suzuki http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/marufuji.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/misu.jpg Marufuji comes right out of the block and looks for a Bicycle High Knee, but Suzuki dodges it and takes him down and looks for an Armbar! NOAH's recently departed ace is fortunate enough to find the ropes, but this early exchange sets the tone for the rest of the match. Marufuji struggles all match to get his strike game working, just as Suzuki struggles to lock on a match-winning deadly submission. It takes almost ten minutes before Marufuji finally manages to put chinks in Suzuki's armor, but his Shiranui is countered into a Rear Naked Choke before Suzuki puts this one to bed with his signature Gotch-Style Piledriver. Match Time: 12:33 Rating: B-</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">IWGP Tag Team Championship</div> Meiyu Tag © vs. Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewTitles/iwgptagteam.jpg http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/shibata.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/goto.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/okada.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/yoshihashi.jpg The CHAOS duo might have entered to Okada's awesome music but he humbly stands aside so that the 'Loose Explosion' can start out against Shibata. The crowd certainly appreciate that gesture, filling the Jingu Stadium with chants of "YOSHI-HASHI!". Goto sees the humour but Shibata is nonplussed, he goes to town on the green boy and forces him to tag out so Okada can mix it up with Goto. The CHAOS representatives take control thanks to the class of 'The Rainmaker', but it's swings and roundabouts in this match as they soon let it slip and the 'weak link' YOSHI finds himself isolated by the defending Champions. Okada comes in off a hot tag and seems determined to win the match on his own, that is until Goto choreographs the Too Awesome Dropkick and leaves the two-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in limbo to crash to the canvas. YOSHI-HASHI fights alone with real resiliency and draws a huge cheer as he absolutely plasters Shibata with a Lariat knocking him to the outside! Essentially a singles match now, Goto quickly and rather sadly gets the better of the six-year pro and picks up the pinfall with his signature Shouten Kai finishing maneuver. Although the Champions stand tall and celebrate, the attention is focused squarely on Okada raising the hand of YOSHI-HASHI as the two depart, even though their heads are bowed, there was no shame in their proud effort tonight. Match Time: 15:22 Rating: B</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">NEVER Openweight Championship</div> Tomohiro Ishii © vs. Tomoaki Honma http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewTitles/neveropenweight.jpg http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/ishii.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/honma.jpg Rather than starting with a traditional collar and elbow lock-up or something, these two start the match by simply wailing on each other with hard forearm smashes. The story of this match is rather simple, Ishii tries to bully his opponent but like the true underdog that he is, Honma feeds off the crowd to keep making comebacks. Mick Foley wonders where Honma gets it from as he manages to hit a Deadlift Vertical Suplex to his 220lbs opponent. He follows it up with a Kokeshi... but misses! Ishii tries a Sliding D but Honma rolls out the way and both guys stand as we're back to square one. Ishii seizes control again but Honma reverses an Irish Whip sending Ishii to the corner as he charges in and delivers the Crazy Elbow followed by a Bulldog and then he attempts a Kokeshi... AND THIS TIME HE CONNECTS! Honma tries to assert himself, but we go back to the starting gate as these two warriors exchange hard forearm smashes in the middle of the ring. They go on, and on, and on. And on! Finally, Honma can take no more as he slumps to one knee... Ishii backs to the ropes and charges in but Honma catches him with a Standing Kokeshi! Down goes the 'Stone Pitbull' as Honma covers, but the defending Champion kicks out at 1! Honma can't believe it, he delivers a Scoop Slam and climbs up top... He tilts his head and drops off... but misses his Diving Kokeshi! The challenger tries to shake the cobwebs as he stands, but Ishii decimates him with a sick Lariat and follows up with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to break the hearts of all the Honmamaniacs. Match Time: 19:39 Rating: B</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">IWGP World Heavyweight Championship</div> Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Tetsuya Naito http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewTitles/iwgpheavyweight.jpg http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/champtanahashi.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/iavs.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/naito2.jpg The Jingu Stadium firmly establishes its allegiance right from the moment these two are in the ring together. "NAITO!" chants can be heard, but they are quickly drowned out by the feverous Tanahashi supporters (mostly female, as one would expect). The early proceedings go the way of the Champion, using his superior wrestling skills and big match experience to keep control of the Challenger. After finding a rope break off a front facelock, the 'Stardust Genius' takes a breather on the outside. He re-enters just to break referee Red Shoes Unno's count before continuing to swagger around ringside. Tanahashi comes outside and this is where Naito re-seizes the initiative, jumping his opponent on the apron before sending him back first into the guardrail with an irish whip. Ranallo reminds us on commentary that Tanahashi has a history of back issues and that's why it takes him until the count of 18 to muster enough strength to return to crawl back into the ring. From here, Naito pinpoints his assault on the small of the Champion's back, a nastily stiff Backbreaker has Tanahashi doubling over in pain. The challenger locks on an STF, digging his knee into Tana's back as he pulls backwards. It's the kind of submission that would submit many but Mick Foley correctly observes that you need something special to win a match like this. Just as Naito looks to be gaining some serious momentum, Tanahashi weathers the storm, dodging a Flying Forearm Smash before somehow managing to hit a Straitjacket German Suplex. Despite the pain shooting through his spine, Tanahashi even manages to hit a Dragon Suplex but only finds a near fall. The match becomes increasingly back and forth, Naito may have lost several times on tour but he had certainly been more than a match for the Champion tonight. These two are so familiar with each other, it's really no surprise that they know super smart counters to each other's signature moves. That said, once Tanahashi charges at full speed, Naito has no counter for the Sling Blade and finds his skull being introduced to canvas. As the Champion ascends to the top rope, he sets himself... http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/taichi.jpg But in scenes oddly reminiscent to the New Japan Cup final, a Suzuki-gun member clings to the foot of Naito's opponent. As Tanahashi fights him off... http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/misu.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/dbsmithjr.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/lancearcher.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/shelton.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/taka.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/eldesperado.jpg The rest of the unit flock down to ringside and not for the first time tonight, they smother the champion as he falls to the mat and covers up as best as possible. The stomps reign in from every direction as Naito looks on, sporting his best poker face. As Suzuki's army step away, MiSu himself signals that Tanahashi is all his. The 'Stardust Genius' stands up and walks rather slowly across the ring... only to rain down on Tanahashi himself with nasty vicious stomps!!! Ranallo screams for help on commentary and it may have arrived... http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/captain.jpg As Captain New Japan comes to the rescue! ... almost. He does at least take Taichi down with a Shoulder Tackle, but soon enough the numbers game has him cocooning as Suzuki-gun continue to their beatdown. Referee Red Shoes Unno can only watch, the rule book doesn't allow him to throw the match out. The Killer Elite Squad roll Tanahashi into the middle of the ring and hold down both his legs and his arms as Naito climbs to the top rope. He taunts the audience with a grin and then crashes down on Tanahashi with the Stardust Press. With Suzuki-gun around him, Red Shoes Unno rather begrudgingly counts, albeit slowly. One. Two. Three and we have a new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Match Time: 25:53 Rating: B+</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="39898" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/champnaito.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/misu.jpg<div style="text-align:center;"></div> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/dbsmithjr.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/lancearcher.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/shelton.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/taka.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/taichi.jpghttp://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/NewRoster/eldesperado.jpg As the post-match ceremony begins, Tanahashi and the Captain are quickly ejected from the ring. Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka help the now-former Champion to the back, holding an ice pack on his neck as they help him walk. Tanahashi is clearly in excruciating pain; not just physically but emotionally too. It's apparent he's having problems holding back tears, his eyebrows are furrowed and he's breathing heavy as he bows his head in shame. Back in the ring, Tetsuya Naito is officially crowned the 62nd IWGP World Heavyweight Champion but Minoru Suzuki cuts the ceremony short. No flowers, no paying respects (not that they have one to pay anyway), just a microphone so that he and Naito can agitate the Jingu Stadium just a little more. As Suzuki begins talking, Mauro Ranallo resists translating for us, insisting that he's so disappointed he doesn't even want to repeat the words that are being said. Suzuki hands the microphone over to Tetsuya Naito and he begins addressing the crowd, drawing an even bigger negative reaction. Ranallo finally loses his patience, he was trying to be professional and impartial but he can't hold his silence for much longer. "It pains me to say all of this because I am a fan of Tetsuya Naito. He's a fantastically gifted and very fierce competitor, one that has proven a lot of doubters wrong over the years. He's had to work damned hard to earn his place, he was a Junior that moved up, he got past the perception of his smaller stature being a limitation. As much as he divided opinion, I never thought he would go to the dark side like this, I always thought he would have rather retired than turn his back on New Japan Pro-Wrestling. But the fact of the matter is, Tetsuya Naito is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career. He has finally managed to capture the most treasured piece of gold in our sport, but he did so in the worst possible way." Suzuki-gun continue celebrating as they pose for photographs. Naito stands in the middle with Suzuki to his left and Shelton to his right. K.E.S flank the three Heavyweights as the Juniors kneel down. TAKA Michinoku is central, he drapes the Suzuki-gun flag across as the group revel in their biggest victory since Satoshi Kojima formed the first incarnation of this group in 2011. The camera zooms onto Tetsuya Naito, draping the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship across his shoulder as we fade to black and sign off for the night. Rating: B</div></blockquote> http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/RynWlsn/NJPW%202015/50pxnjpw.png</div>

Hashasheen · September 11, 2015

You monster. You absolute, utter monster.

Just kidding, I sort of assumed Naito would be your top heel going forward at some point, if not so soon. Suzukigun instead of Los Ingobernales makes perfect sense and rebuilds that unit nicely. Surprised that Suzuki would step aside for Naito, though.

Uncrewed · September 11, 2015

Naito as champ, YES! With Suzukigun? YES!

Can't wait for the eventual power struggle match between Naito & Suzuki.

Should of seen Rocky and Ricochet coming.

Overall great show!

Big Roguey · September 12, 2015

So the Naito plan from the last NJPW diary is in place here. I'm ALL for it. Dickish heel Naito is my favourite Naito.

Rocky & Ricochet as a team should be fun as well.

Mootinie · September 12, 2015

Invasion Attack 2015 Prediction Results

Thanks for the positive feedback peeps. As MHero said, the Naito heel turn was a plan in my previous diary. I tried my best to foreshadow it here, so I'm glad it was at least semi-expected.

On a side note, I'm glad Romero & Ricochet has got over well too. I could see the logic in all your mystery guesses, especially the pro-DDT preference. That was something that had never registered to me, so good on you guys for that.

And here are the Prediction Results:

thecoolestjedi12: 9

Kijar: 8

Wolfman84: 8

The_CoC: 7

Packerman120: 7

Uncrewed: 7

Crackerjack: 7

MHero: 6

Hashasheen: 6

Beejus: 6

The Final Countdown: 5

Mootinie · September 21, 2015

I've been taking a break to accurately simulate my promotion being off-tour in April, but here's a little digest to let you know what's going on elsewhere in the world. I'll be back with the Wrestling Dontaku tour very soon.

The Signing Of Marufuji & What It Could Mean For NOAH...

As you may know by now, Naomichi Marufuji has left NOAH. I was told that his contract expired and the company simply opted not to renew it. One would imagine that a star of Marufuji's calibre would have demanded a pretty high wage, either that or he refused to take a pay cut, but I imagine the issue was finance related. Marufuji signed on for a tour with New Japan Pro-Wrestling just to work Suzuki at Invasion Attack but it now appears that he will going full-time with the company going forward. I was told that this entire situation has left relations between NJPW and NOAH rather tenuous. Although NOAH have been recieving financial aid, President Akira Taue recently rejected an offer for this company to serve as New Japan's feeder league. Essentially, NJPW would prop the promotion up so long as it was helping them develop talent. But with NOAH having rejected that offer and with Marufuji having jumped ship, that and most NJPW workers have been pulled from NOAH shows, I would imagine the partnership is over now.

Roman Reigns Is #1?

Having defended his title against Dean Ambrose in the main event of WrestleMania 31, Roman Reigns picked up another successful defence against Seth Rollins at Extreme Rules. It would seem that WWE are finally set on pushing Reigns as the face of the company. After beating Lesnar on the first RAW of 2015, Reigns has defended against The Big Show, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose and John Cena in a triple threat, Ambrose in a singles match and now Seth Rollins. It's not like his matches are bad - they're actually very decent and sometimes pretty great - but attendances for live events have dipped steadily throughout the year. They also drew just 6,500 to SmackDown this week to see John Cena & Daniel Bryan defeat Seth Rollins & The Big Show. Although, this match wasn't advertised on RAW, Stardust vs. Sheamus was the only pre-announced match in fact.

Reigns didn't work this SmackDown, but I was told that some officials within WWE are starting to get cold feet. Of course, it really doesn't help Reigns that Daniel Bryan's recent return has seen his merchandise sales skyrocket and they are still placing Orton and John Cena in prominent positions on TV.

Supercard Of Honor V Report

With 6,400 in attendance, ROH held another good PPV. Although early buy figures are vague, it's looking okay at around 6,000 buys and that's not including iPPV numbers. Of note, Christopher Daniels defeated Jay Briscoe to win the ROH World Heavyweight Championship. It was a superb match, a very high work-rate but smartly booked clash between two very talented wrestlers. The story throughout was Daniels keeping the pace manageable only to come out on top in a hot finishing sequence, pinning Jay with a B.M.E. at around the 25 minute mark. Just before that, reDRagon and The Young Bucks had another superb match. It would very easy to get jaded on these two teams considering how often they've fought each other over the last year or so but when the matches are this good, I never have a problem with it.

Elsewhere, the Bullet Club team of AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga and Kenny Omega were defeated by the ROH team of Michael Elgin, Moose, ACH and Hanson & Jay Lethal retained his ROH TV title defeating Matt Sydal in a good match.

Bobby Roode & TNA

IMPACT Wrestling has become a very basic show this year, not that that's a bad thing, it's actually been an easy show to watch as of late. Anchored around heel champion Bobby Roode, the company has employed the tried and tested formula of a villainous champion somehow managing to walk away with his title despite everything being against him. Sacrifice saw Roode defend successfully against Lashley - dodging a Spear in the corner before a schoolboy roll-up. After defending against Jeff Hardy last month in a very good match, Roode is quietly putting together a serious case for Most Outstanding Wrestler Of The Year. He's frequently the highlight of TNA TV - recent matches with Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy are among the best matches the company has had this year.

It's also very interesting that as WWE move towards the future with Roman Reigns, TNA have gone back to Bobby Roode. This could be a case of them re-investing in the actual wrestlers as they move away from their WWE-lite Sports Entertainment product... or they could shoot themselves in the foot and go back to somebody like Jeff Hardy. Knowing TNA, it'll probably be the latter. But one can dream.

thecoolestjedi12 · September 22, 2015

Top of the table! Lets go Shibata!

Mootinie · October 4, 2015

May 8th, 2015 - World Pro Wrestling

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World Pro Wrestling

May 8th, 2015

Tour Highlights

Airing on tv asahi and AXS TV

Friday, Week 1, May 2015!

Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo and Mick Foley

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Kazuchika Okada & Gedo defeated Doc Gallows & Tama Tonga in 13:19 by pinfall. (B)

Little more than a warm-up for 'The Rainmaker', he and his mentor made short work of these two lesser 'Biz Cliz' members. Gallows' power advantage was nullified by the counter wrestling of the two-time IWGP Champion and Gedo's years of experience were more than enough to negate the dogged nature of the seemingly-possessed Samoan seven-year pro. Tonga tried to compete with Okada (not for the first time mind you), but fell to the Rainmaker Lariat as he usually does in these kind of matches.

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Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata & Captain New Japan in 15:17 by pinfall. (B)

With a month off tour, many potential contenders have had time to weigh up and prepare their strategy against the IWGP Tag Team Champions. Nagata and Nakanishi arrived with the bit between their teeth here and took to the task with plenty of heart and fighting spirit. With a victory in this match and a pinfall victory over Goto in the New Japan Cup, one does have to wonder if Nagata has found the achilles heel of the Champions. For the finish, Nagata pinned the Captain after a Backdrop.

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Suzuki-gun (Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku, Taichi & El Desperado) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) in 13:06 by pinfall. (C+)

Mauro Ranallo announces that at Wrestling Dontaku, the three Juniors of Suzuki-gun will compete for the two titles that the three Juniors of Bullet Club currently hold. This might seem outrageous but truth be told, the group have been in good form recently: three victories over Gedo & Jado, two victories over Sakuraba and a team of Young Lions. They continued that form here with another victory, albeit by nefarious means. TAKA clobbered Nick Jackson with one of the IWGP Junior Tag Team belts behind the referee's back and Marty Asami turned around just in time to count Taichi's proceeding pinfall.

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Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Watanabe defeated CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) in 22:15 by pinfall. (B)

With the final match of Wrestling Dontaku now set in stone, Makabe and Nakamura know they will see each other six times in matches like these before their eventual battle in Fukuoka. Unsurprisingly, Nakamura never pulled out of first gear here in Hiroshima. He left Ishii to do the bulk of the fighting - truly, the 'Stone Pitbull' knows no better. Watanabe took full advantage of this opportunity to main event a show, keeping YOSHI-HASHI on the back foot with a classy performance before laying him out with a Saito Suplex that left Makabe to do the honours and the King Kong Knee Drop sealed the win.

Post-match, the Champion and the #1 Contender faced off - but both had had enough physicality for the night and the 'King Of Strong Style' took his defeat like a man, backed down, and allowed Makabe to celebrate.

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Mootinie · October 6, 2015

Wrestling Dontaku 2015 Preview

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Wrestling Dontaku

May 17th, 2015

After spending the whole of April off-tour, New Japan Pro-Wrestling finally returns to PPV. The Fukuoka Dome will see headliners Shinsuke Nakamura and Togi Makabe do battle for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, a match we've all been anticipating since Makabe laid down his challenge in February.

Elsewhere, Hiroshi Tanahashi teams with Kota Ibushi and the now full-timer Naomichi Marufuji to take on three of Suzuki-gun's more senior members, including the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito. And speaking of Suzuki-gun, they could leave Fukuoka holding all the Junior gold as Taichi & El Desperado challenge The Young Bucks and TAKA Michinoku challenges 'The Cleaner'!

Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi look to cut Meiyu Tag's reign short and make a welcome return to holding Championship gold & Michael Elgin makes his puroresu debut against the legendary Hiroyoshi Tenzan.

Join us at the Fukuoka Dome for Wrestling Dontaku on traditional PPV, iPPV or NJPW WORLD!

Wrestling Dontaku 2015 Predictions

Tag Team Match
Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka
Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match
KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada
Comments:

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship
The Young Bucks © vs. Taichi & El Desperado
Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
'The Cleaner' Kenny Omega © vs. TAKA Michinoku
Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match
Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)
Comments:

NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Hiroyoshi Tenzan © vs. 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin
Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match
Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)
Comments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship
Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata) © vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)
Comments:

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
'King Of Strong Style' Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. 'Unchained King Kong' Togi Makabe
Comments:

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Kijar · October 6, 2015

Wrestling Dontaku 2015 Predictions

Tag Team Match

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

Comments:

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship

The Young Bucks © vs. Taichi & El Desperado

Comments: Plz

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

'The Cleaner' Kenny Omega © vs. TAKA Michinoku

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

Comments: Don't tell me Curt Hawkins' former tag team partner will get a win over AJ Styles.

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Hiroyoshi Tenzan © vs. 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin

Comments: I like Tenzan a lot, but Elgin wouldn't be a bad choice for new champ.

Eight Man Tag Team Match

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Comments: Hmm.

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata) © vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

Comments: Helluva match.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

'King Of Strong Style' Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. 'Unchained King Kong' Togi Makabe

Comments:

crackerjack · October 6, 2015

Tag Team Match

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

Comments:

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship

The Young Bucks © vs. Taichi & El Desperado

Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

'The Cleaner' Kenny Omega © vs. TAKA Michinoku

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

Comments:

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Hiroyoshi Tenzan © vs. 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin

Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Comments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata) © vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

Comments:

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

'King Of Strong Style' Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. 'Unchained King Kong' Togi Makabe

Comments:

Wolfman84 · October 6, 2015

Wrestling Dontaku 2015

Tag Team Match

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

Comments:

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship

The Young Bucks © vs. Taichi & El Desperado

Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

'The Cleaner' Kenny Omega © vs. TAKA Michinoku

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

Comments:

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Hiroyoshi Tenzan © vs. 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin

Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Comments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata) © vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

Comments:

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

'King Of Strong Style' Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. 'Unchained King Kong' Togi Makabe

Comments:

Uncrewed · October 6, 2015

Tag Team Match

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

Comments:

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship

The Young Bucks © vs. Taichi & El Desperado

Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

'The Cleaner' Kenny Omega © vs. TAKA Michinoku

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

Comments:

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Hiroyoshi Tenzan © vs. 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin

Comments: #BigMike!

Eight Man Tag Team Match

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Comments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata) © vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

Comments:

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

'King Of Strong Style' Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. 'Unchained King Kong' Togi Makabe

Comments:

Beejus · October 6, 2015

Sakuraba & Tanaka

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV, and BUSHI

The Young Bucks

TAKA Michinoku - I believe in you, TAKA!

Suzuki-gun - As much as I love Styles, I just really like the Suzuki lineup in general. A win for them here could mean a huge changing of the guard.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan

CHAOS

Meiyu Tag

Tanahashi, Ibushi, & Marufuji - Since I put Suzuki to pick up the other win, they drop this one.

Shinsuke Nakamura

thecoolestjedi12 · October 9, 2015

Tag Team Match

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

Comments: Tguchi 2 Funky

Eight Man Tag Team Match

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

Comments: Jushin & reDRagon=AWESOME

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship

The Young Bucks © vs. Taichi & El Desperado

Comments: Superkicks all day

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

'The Cleaner' Kenny Omega © vs. TAKA Michinoku

Comments: Omega is awesome

Six Man Tag Team Match

Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

Comments: Bullet Club needs it more

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Hiroyoshi Tenzan © vs. 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin

Comments: Hmmmmmm.....

Eight Man Tag Team Match

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Comments: Chaos is obvious favorite

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata) © vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

Comments: Shibata 4 LYFE

Six Man Tag Team Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

Comments: Naito is Momentum

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

'King Of Strong Style' Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. 'Unchained King Kong' Togi Makabe

Comments: Swag Style is Win Style

Mootinie · October 9, 2015

May 15th, 2015 - World Pro Wrestling

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World Pro Wrestling

May 15th, 2015

Tour Highlights

Airing on tv asahi and AXS TV

Friday, Week 2, May 2015!

Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo and Mick Foley

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CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Jado) defeated Captain New Japan & Yohei Komatsu in 11:48 by pinfall. ©

This match took place on Monday, opening the show in front of 6,000 at the Naruto Boat Race Place. Between Komatsu's inexperience and Captain's lack of sound wrestling skills, it was a difficult night for the troubled pairing. They put up a fight though, showing lots of heart before pure talent won out in the end, Ishii pinning Komatsu after his signature Vertical Drop Brainbuster.

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Satoshi Kojima, Alex Shelley & Watanabe defeated CHAOS (Toru Yano, Gedo & YOSHI-HASHI) in 11:47 by pinfall. (C+)

This match took place on Night Three in Sapporo. With KUSHIDA having picked up a bit of a knock on Night One of the tour, Alex Shelley was given the opportunity to tag up with a few different partners. For the most part, this match was about Watanabe and YOSHI-HASHI, two young boys looking to get ahead of the other. The CHAOS green boy has had some minor success lately as he recently fought for the IWGP Tag Team Championships, but he found himself wiped out after a Cozy Cutter from Kojima. YOSHI-HASHI was a mere spectator as Watanabe elevated Gedo up for a Suplex, just to fall forward into a Sit-Out Front Suplex for the first major victory of his career!

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Katsuyori Shibata, Hirooki Goto & Kazushi Sakuraba defeated Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Sho Tanaka in 15:25 by pinfall. (B)

Despite the IWGP Tag Team Champions and the #1 Contenders being present, Saku started out against his protege. Sho grounded his mentor, but Sakuraba managed to transition into an armlock and found a bodyscissors that had Sho scrambling for the ropes. As both men were ushered back to a vertical base, Tanaka went on the offensive with some palm strikes only for Sakuraba to use his momentum against him as he bought him down with an armbar. This was some sweet science... but then Shibata and Nakanishi came in and the wrestling became about subtle as an F-bomb. This was the fifth match between Meiyu Tag and their challengers, it had become something of a war of attrition and the defending Champions took home the W courtesy of Shibata's brutal Penalty Kick to Manabu. Fittingly, Ranallo wondered if they could do the same when the Gold was up for grabs.

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Mauro Ranallo interrupted the broadcast at this point to make an announcement. On May 14th, it was announced that Kenny Omega had picked up an injury on the previous night's tour show. Medical officials confirmed that he had suffered a Lateral Collateral Ligament Sprain and would be ruled out for both Wrestling Dontaku and the proceeding Best Of The Super Juniors tournament. The winner of that tournament will still face Kenny Omega for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Dominion with TAKA Michinoku recieving his rightful title shot against the winner on the day of the G1 Climax Finals in August.

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Hiroshi Tanahashi, Naomichi Marufuji & Satoshi Kojima defeated Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Lance Archer & Shelton X Benjamin) in 21:32 by pinfall. (B+)

Tanahashi took Night One in Hiroshima off and returned to a rousing ovation here in Sendai as he came out for the final match of the show. We see highlights of this clash as both Tananashi and Marufuji were looking for revenge after defeats to Suzuki-gun at Invasion Attack. Truthfully, the Suzuki-gun trio weren't much of a match for them. Despite Archer's credentials as a dominant big man, he couldn't match the fighting spirit of Kojima. Benjamin is a world class athlete and a fantastic amateur wrestler but he couldn't handle Marufuji's firey strike game. Add that to Tanahashi's rather quite scary level of determination after a setback and it's no surprise that the New Japan Army stomped to victory courtesy of Tanahashi's High Fly Flow to 'Invader X'.

Post-match, as Naito and Suzuki's Army backed away, Tanahashi cut a heartfelt promo. He apologized profusely for defeat, he and the rest of the locker room were caught off-guard by Suzuki-gun's move but Tanahashi promised he would back stronger than ever and would recapture his gold in two month's time at Dominion. In the meantime, he asked them to support Makabe, another guy that bleeds New Japan Pro-Wrestling and wants to win Championship gold for all of them.

This unscripted Tanahashi promo scored a 99.

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CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) defeated Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma in 21:37 by pinfall. (A)

Pretty much the pick of the matches from this tour, this one took place in Nagoya on the final night. Makabe had picked up three victories in tag matches and Nakamura had picked up two on tour before this one. Determined not to let his Wrestling Dontaku opponent take home any kind of advantage before they arrived at the Fukuoka Dome, Nakamura was game to even the tally. What ensued was an absolutely fantastic match between six of the most talented professional wrestlers in Japan. Back and forth we went throughout this one, neither man wanting to give an inch. As Nakamura scrapped with Makabe on the outside, Honma tried to get the better of Okada in the ring. After a Scoop Slam, the underdog scaled the top rope and attempted a Diving Kokeshi, only to land on Okada's knees! The two-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion then wiped Honma out with his signature Rainmaker Lariat and picked up the victory before Makabe or Kojima could break up the count.

Post-match, Nakamura took a microphone and began the oh-so-familiar CHAOS victory celebration. The 'King Of Strong Style' cut an absolutely scillintating promo about his upcoming title defence. Two years ago, he defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Shelton X Benjamin and here he is two years later, still King Of The World! And the year before that, he got the best of the 'Machine Gun' Karl Anderson. But, two years before that... Yeah... Wrestling Dontaku 2010. Nakamura remembers it like it was yesterday. He was the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and on that fateful day, he was beaten by Togi Makabe. As Nakamura mentions that he hasn't held that title since, Okada cracks a wry smile in the background (he's held it twice in three years). Nakamura wants Makabe to know that he's already lost one Championship to him and come Wrestling Dontaku in Fukuoka - is he losing again? Or is he walking out still the IWGP Intercontinental Champion?

"YEAOH!!!"

That Nakamura promo was rated A*, the full 100.

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Mootinie · October 11, 2015

24 hour warning for Dontaku - still waiting on a few of the regulars.

Hashasheen · October 11, 2015

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

The Young Bucks © vs. Taichi & El Desperado

'The Cleaner' Kenny Omega © vs. TAKA Michinoku

Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

Hiroyoshi Tenzan © vs. 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata) © vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

'King Of Strong Style' Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. 'Unchained King Kong' Togi Makabe

General Thoughts:

1. Wish you'd give Watanabe his first name back.

2. El Desperado needs to be in singles contention for the title. In fact, I'd have him as KUSHIDA's rival if he unseats Omega.

3. Tenzan could make someone if he holds onto the NWA World Heavyweight title long enough.

4. The tag team of Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji could be gangbusters.

5. Bucks need to go away.

6. YOSHI-HASHI to unseat Tenzan?

7. Nakamura holding onto the Intercontinental title forever always annoyed me. Styles, Tanahashi or Okada holding it for a while wouldn't be too bad.

8. Do you ever think of using alternative namings for title? International instead of World, United National instead of National, etc... It makes a company pop more for me, but I know people like tradition. Wanted to get your thoughts on that.

The Final Countdown · October 11, 2015

Tag Team Match

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

Comments: Please, Saku, break the Funky Weapon's arm!

Eight Man Tag Team Match

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

Comments:

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship

Comments: Taichi's fake singing and Desperado's fake guitar playing aren't going to be enough.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Comments: I love TAKA, but he's got no business holding this title at this stage of his career.

Six Man Tag Team Match

Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

Comments: Suzuki-Gun could probably use this win as the hot faction after Naito's defection.

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Comments: I'm assuming Elgin is only here on loan from ROH, so he isn't likely winning any gold.

Eight Man Tag Team Match

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Comments: No one on the main army team is anywhere near Okada in my eyes. Kojima might have been close...five years ago.

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Comments: The over the hill gang aren't dethroning Meiyu Tag, who I hope you give a nice run to unlike what they got in reality.

Six Man Tag Team Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

Comments: I see Tanahashi getting the win to build momentum for his rematch.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Comments: I'd like to see Nakamura eventually make another run at the big title, but not until a suitable guy comes along for him to pass the IC torch to. Makabe is not that guy.

Mootinie · October 11, 2015

1. Wish you'd give Watanabe his first name back.

Haha! Duly noted. Is Takaaki a good name? I sacked it off cause I'm not a fan.

8. Do you ever think of using alternative namings for title? International instead of World, United National instead of National, etc... It makes a company pop more for me, but I know people like tradition. Wanted to get your thoughts on that.

I haven't thought about renaming titles just out of respect to tradition but I have thought about introducing one that would replace the NWA World and NEVER Openweight. I don't think I need both.

I do really like the idea of talent from different promotions coming in, which is something I've done with the NWA title here and in my old diary, but I need time to figure out how it would all work and what the title would be called. Good shout though!

packerman120 · October 11, 2015

Tag Team Match

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

Comments:

Eight Man Tag Team Match

KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

Comments: Liger on the team means they shall lose.

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship

Comments:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Comments: Since there is no way in hell the Bucks drop to those jabronis, TAKA can take the strap of Omega.

Six Man Tag Team Match

Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

Comments:

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Comments: #IRONMIKE

Eight Man Tag Team Match

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Comments:

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Comments:

Six Man Tag Team Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

Comments:

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Comments:

Hashasheen · October 11, 2015

Haha! Duly noted. Is Takaaki a good name? I sacked it off cause I'm not a fan.

It's his name. I don't like one-word names unless it's something like Sting, Vader, etc... which isn't a normal name obviously or if you capitalize like YOSHI-HASHI or KUSHIDA. Speaking of which, CNJ going to lose his mask any time soon? He's overdue at some point, I think. Make it another legacy for New Japan, like Tiger Mask or Black Tiger. RE Takaaki, depending on kanji it either means healthy or autumn.

I haven't thought about renaming titles just out of respect to tradition but I have thought about introducing one that would replace the NWA World and NEVER Openweight. I don't think I need both.

I do really like the idea of talent from different promotions coming in, which is something I've done with the NWA title here and in my old diary, but I need time to figure out how it would all work and what the title would be called. Good shout though!

This is my Japanese system (influenced by Thunderverse and IRL) translated from an American focus:

Global/World - Imperial/International

Intercontinental/North American - All-Asia/Pan-Pacific Premium

American/United States - United National

It obviously doesn't take into account weight classes (which I usually have as Cruiserweight/Heavyweight/Openweight), but outside of singles competition I rarely follow that because you never know how chemistry works. Not to mention it strengthens the tag division and makes it more interesting to see say the Young Bucks wrestle Meiyu Tag.

Mootinie · October 12, 2015

This is my Japanese system (influenced by Thunderverse and IRL) translated from an American focus:

Global/World - Imperial/International
Intercontinental/North American - All-Asia/Pan-Pacific Premium
American/United States - United National

It obviously doesn't take into account weight classes (which I usually have as Cruiserweight/Heavyweight/Openweight), but outside of singles competition I rarely follow that because you never know how chemistry works. Not to mention it strengthens the tag division and makes it more interesting to see say the Young Bucks wrestle Meiyu Tag.

The only All-Asia titles I know are the AJPW ones and those are mainly minor titles compared to the World tag team titles. If I was forming a promotion in Japan, I would probably give them the more interesting names you've suggested but considering I've tried to make my diary as authentic as possible, I don't think I'll be changing the names of any of them.

I do like International though. IWGP International Openweight? I could run with that.

Mootinie · October 12, 2015

May 17th, 2015 - Wrestling Dontaku

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"The King Meets King Kong."

Wrestling Dontaku

May 17th, 2015

Live On Pay-Per-View

Sunday, Week 2, May 2015

Held at the Fukuoka Dome in front of 34,102 fans!

Show Rating: A

PPV Buy-Rate: 2.14

This show increased our popularity in 29 regions.

Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo and Mick Foley

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Tag Team Match
Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Sho Tanaka

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Hardly the kind of opener that would excite the fans but there was a story at work here. Komatsu and Taguchi were surpisingly fluent as a tag team and their quick tags enabled them to take control early on. As Sakuraba and Komatsu kept each other occupied, Taguchi found himself alone with Sho Tanaka. The 'Funky Weapon' attempts his Dodon finishing move but Sho counters it with a Victory Roll and transitions through to lock on a Kimura! Taguchi desperately tries to fight it but taps out! Just like Watanabe a few days ago, Tanaka has picked up the first major victory of his career.

Match Time: 12:20
Rating: C+

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Eight Man Tag Team Match
KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV & BUSHI vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Jushin Thunder Liger & Mascara Dorada

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BUSHI is the only man in this match that won't be a part of the Best Of The Super Juniors tournament starting next week due to prior commitments with CMLL. This match is something of a preview of that tournament with lots of high-risk moves and big spots with very little in the way of storytelling. That said, this match served its purpose and was exciting from start to finish. Each competitor had a chance to shine but it was O'Reilly and Fish that stood out the most when they left BUSHI Chasing The Dragon to pick up the W for their team.

Match Time: 12:43
Rating: B-

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IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship
The Young Bucks © vs. Taichi & El Desperado

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With his match called off, TAKA Michinoku joined his Suzuki-gun brothers at ringside for this one. Taichi & Despy just bend the rules all match long - not even trying to be a successful tag team, they don't bother with quick tags or cut the ring off until TAKA gets involved on the outside, distracting referee Tiger Hattori so his Suzuki-gun brothers can choke Nick Jackson in the ropes. Truth be told, it's only a matter of time before The Young Bucks get some momentum going, and once they do, they find the match very easy. They string together some impressive moves, including a Double Superkick to wipe TAKA Michinoku off the apron. They hit the Indytaker on Taichi but Desperado breaks up the pin. He's punished shortly thereafter with the More Bang For Your Buck and the Jackson's ease to another successful title defence.

Match Time: 12:31
Rating: B-

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Six Man Tag Team Match
Bullet Club (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka)

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This is Iizuka's first televised appearance since February's New Beginning In Nagoya. It's almost as if they forgot he existed and suddenly started tearing a warpath... Just like the match that proceeded it, the 'Biz Cliz' wind up being the fan favourites. Karl Anderson is the man that ends up isolated, but his tag brings in 'The Phenomenal One' like a house on fire. Styles wows the crowd as he hits Lance Archer with a Pele Kick before ducking a clothesline to hit Smith Jr. with the Phenonemon DDT. He's clearly miles better than everybody else in he ring; that is, until TAKA Michinoku distracts the referee (for a second time in two matches) so Iizuka can clobber Styles with his signature steel gauntlet. It all breaks down as Archer sends Anderson back-first into the guardrail and Yujiro is left alone to take on Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the ring. Takahashi attempts the Tokyo Pimps but Smith Jr. rolls out from the Argentine Backbreaker position, kicks him in the gut and delivers a vicious Bulldog Bomb (Running Sit-Out Powerbomb)! Styles and Anderson desperately try to break up the pinfall, but Archer and Iizuka hold them back just long enough so Suzuki-gun can pick up a very important victory.

Match Time: 12:59
Rating: B-

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NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Hiroyoshi Tenzan © vs. Michael Elgin

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In the first singles match of the night, 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin makes his debut in the land of the rising sun. This was an absolute hoss-fight, lots of stiff strikes, power moves and exciting close near-falls. Elgin is the clear aggressor, but this is all very much in Tenzan's comfort zone. Elgin might be in far better physical condition, but Tenzan is wise to the Buckle Bomb and slips out the back door. He brings the #1 Contender down to the canvas with an Anaconda Buster, but Elgin fights the Anaconda Vice, even rising to a vertical base! But Tenzan brings him back down with a second Anaconda Buster and although Elgin continues to try and fight out, he is left with no choice but to tap out.

In a show of great sportsmanship, Elgin shakes hands with Tenzan post-match and leaves the legend to continue celebrating his victory.

Match Time: 12:40
Rating: B-

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Eight Man Tag Team Match
Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & Watanabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

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Ranallo explains just how determined Kojima must be to beat Okada considering how their rivalry has continued on since the New Beginning. This match is full of little battles just like that one, the most interesting of which pits Ishii against the young lion Watanabe. Yano gets to have some fun at the Captain's expense and YOSHI-HASHI duels with Honma, rather unsuccessfully until 'Mr. Kokeshi' attempts one of his patented headbutts and only finds the canvas. In the end, the Captain finds himself on the recieving end of a Rainmaker Lariat as CHAOS pick up a rather entertaining yet unimportant victory.

Match Time: 15:56
Rating: B

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IWGP Tag Team Championship
Meiyu Tag © vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

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After some early back and forth, Meiyu Tag reveal their strategy as they focus their offence on the aging Manabu Nakanishi. They look to keep Nagata out the match entirely, he spends most of the match frustrated on the apron as Meiyu Tag keep the boulder-like Nakanishi down on the canvas. This strategy is successful until, naturally, Nakanishi is back on his feet and hits a Double Suplex before scrambling making the tag. The match becomes pretty old school here as Nagata and Shibata keep going back and forth, only for Nakanishi or Goto to keep breaking up the pinfalls or submissions. Teamwork prevails though as Goto & Shibata wipe Nagata out with a Double Fireman's Carry Neckbreaker and refocus their assault on Nakanishi. Very much the weakest man in the match thanks to his advancing years, Nakanishi is hit with a Double Penalty Kick and the Champions take home a third successful title defence.

Match Time: 14:44
Rating: B+

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Six Man Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suzuki-gun (Tetsuya Naito, Minoru Suzuki & Shelton X Benjamin)

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Probably the first multi-layered match of the night, there's so many different narratives making up this clash. Ibushi may have gotten some revenge over Shelton at Invasion Attack, but now he wants to get his hands on Suzuki. Marufuji is looking to gain a measure of redemption himself for losing to Suzuki at Invasion Attack and finally, Tanahashi will get his rematch against Naito at Dominion in early July. Speaking of Naito, he takes his sweet time making his entrance and walks as slowly as humanly possible. As if Suzuki's entrance wasn't long enough thanks to Kaze Ni Nare, adding Naito's to the mix makes this an altogether long, drawn-out painful affair for the fans.

But what insues is a superb match between these six extremely gifted athletes. It might have been more competitive and even better if not for Suzuki and Naito having a bit of an off-day. With no assistance at ringside (where's TAKA when you need him?), Suzuki-gun fall to Team Tanahashi when 'Invader X' is the victim of the High Fly Flow once again.

Post-match, Suzuki-gun depart. Although Shelton is obviously in pain, Suzuki and Naito don't seem to care one bit about losing and heckle the ringside fans on their way out. Back in the ring, Tanahashi celebrates his victory with Marufuji and Ibushi before taking a microphone. Enjoying the spotlight for a moment, Tanahashi thanks the fans for continuing to support him despite his defeat at Invasion Attack. He promises them that at Dominion, with them and the New Japan army by his side, he will regain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and put an end to this Suzuki-gun re-emergence before it's even really began.

Match Time: 17:34
Rating: B+ (match), B+ (promo)

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Before our next match starts, a video package plays on the big screen. A hype vehicle for the final match of the evening, the video mainly charts the events that have lead to tonight's match. Through segmented spliced sit-down interviews, we establish that Makabe fully intends to unleash some fury on Nakamura tonight. He claims that Nakamura mocking him was embarrassing but there will be no "friendly Gorilla in Fukuoka". The 'King Of Strong Style', on the other hand, is casual throughout the video. He slouches in a chair during his interview and generally evokes an aura of calm dismissiveness towards Makabe. If one didn't know any better, you'd think that Nakamura had won the match already.

Rating: B+

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IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Togi Makabe

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With all the hype that had surrounded it and the time it had taken for us to finally arrive at this point, boy would it have been a disappointment had this match not delivered. But, on this night, there was magic. Nakamura was overly confident at the get-go and paid dearly as he tried to match Makabe strike-for-strike. Fukuoka (traditionally a region known for tepid crowds) was rocking after Makabe clotheslined the defending Champion over the top rope to the outside. He stood tall in the ring and celebrated this minor victory, but only if he knew just how little joy he would have for the rest of the contest. Nakamura regathered his bearings on the outside and took about cutting the 'Unchained King Kong' down to size. He smartly avoided brawling and kept to sharply placed strikes on the counter. Nakamura's patented knees were very successful - every time Makabe was beginning to build momentum, Nakamura would cut him off with a knee strike to the solar plexus. Despite continually absorbing punishment, Makabe kept fighting on and earned some valuable respite when he ducked a Spin Kick and delivered a hard King Kong Lariat.

It was now Makabe's turn to go on the offensive. He slammed Nakamura down with a hard Power Slam and picked up a close two count, with his first pin of the match no less. All testement to the raw power that this man possesses, he followed that up with a Power Bomb, but only got two again. The match becomes increasingly back and forth as Nakamura slips out of a German Suplex attempt and hits a Back Stabber before climbing to the top rope. Makabe catches him hesitating though and drove him to the canvas with a hard Superplex, once again for a very close near fall. Coming to the rightful conclusion that he needed the King Kong Knee Drop, Makabe slammed Nakamura down again and scaled to the top rope. He stood up, steadied himself and leaped off...

...but Nakamura rolled out the way!

In scenes reminiscent of Wrestle Kingdom 9, Makabe crashed hard onto the canvas. Even with knee pads, such an impact is a real difference maker. Makabe lifted himself up using his hands, only for Nakamura to hit him with a SLIDING BOMA YE~!!! But that wasn't enough to put Makabe away. He tried to stand again and managed to get to one knee... but Nakamura hit him with another BOMA YE~!!! But this still wasn't enough! In a move that could be considered brave or stupid, the 'Unchained King Kong' tried to stand for a third time. He limped across the ring and managed just two steps before Nakamura delivered a third, and final, BOMA YE~!!! and this time, Makabe was down for the count.

Match Time: 24:28
Rating: A

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As a slightly tearful Nakamura is handed his baby, the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, he embraces it and falls back to the canvas. Honma, along with young lions Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu attend to Makabe with ice packs, water bottles and towels as they try to bring him back to planet Earth. Meanwhile, Nakamura is celebrating with his CHAOS bretheren Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI, the latter more than the former. Makabe leaves the ring, shoving the young lions to one side as he courageously manages to leave of his own accord. At this point, Nakamura takes a microphone from ring announcer Kimihiko Ozani. He speaks with passion and exuberance as Ranallo roughly translates that Nakamura is really happy right now. He was glad to finally put Makabe to one side, but praised him for the fight he put up. Nakamura knew he would be hurt after tonight, he knew he would have to survive but he was happy. Finally, Nakamura thanked the audience for being by his side tonight and promised that he would still be the IWGP Intercontinental Champion when they returned to Fukuoka for Wrestling Dontaku 2016. Maybe he will win the G1 Climax and come back with both Championships? Does he believe he can do that? Does he believe he is the best in the world?

"YEAOH!!!"

As Nakamura finished his celebration, Ranallo observed the differences in the Shinsuke Nakamura that we saw before, during and after the match. He pondered if anybody could possibly figure him out, and in turn, figure out how to beat him.

Match Time: 24:28
Rating: A* (100, again)

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