1. Milano Collection A.T. and Taichi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Prince Devitt - 3
A perfectly fine opener. Taguchi sold his leg tremendously, plus, I believe he had the phrase "Funky Wonton" on the back of his tights. Devitt's aerial stuff looked good as always, and, this time he didn't kill himself in the process like the last real big NJPW show.
2. Wataru Inoue, AKIRA and Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Black Tiger and Jado - 2
This one was about as satisfying as a Shane McMahon Raw main event. Jado has been around way too long to be so expressionless, he should know better. Ishii's size and intensity stuck out, but little else did, in a throwaway bout that ended in a double-countout.
3. Riki Choshu and Masahiro Chono vs. Manabu Nakanishi and Takao Omori - 4
I liked this match, it's clear Riki and Chono are both old as dirt, Chosu especially works slower than molasses, but they can still tell good stories. Chono surprised me a few times, especially with a flying shoulderblock off of the apron. Nakanishi is a tank, and it was also apparent that he and Omori had to work differently to accommodate the grandpas which led to some believability issues. Still, the subtle control changes, etc. worked in this vacuum, plus Chosu will still lean into a fucking chop like a man.
4. Shinsuke Nakamura and Toru Yano vs. Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma - 5
Starts off as a wild brawl, then the bulk of it was made up of an extended heat segment on Honma, where Shinsuke and Toru just pummeled him. Nakamura was doing these really nasty stomps onto a fallen Tomoaki, right on his face. Honma starts bleeding, as Yano uses chairs, ring bell hammer, rope, etc. and it brings me back to his BJPW days. Makabe is a house of fire, nice clotheslines, and a killer powerslam on Nakamura. I guess Nakamura's position in the co. has dwindled a bit since I last watched regulary. Honma does a balls-out flying headbutt, but finally succumbs to a Michinoku Driver #2 by Nakamura.
5. Jushin Thunder Liger and CIMA vs. Tiger Mask and Koji Kanemoto - 2
This felt like the second match of a WWE Superstars telecast. An interesting pairing on paper, didn't translate well here, as this only went a little over ten minutes and never quite got out of first gear. I like Koji's attitude, and some of Tiger's flying looked nice and smooth, but CIMA seemed out of place and Liger was likely more concerned about that night's shrimp tempura, bento box, and geisha throat.
to be continued..
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