Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 20.7.2003
Attendance: ca. 8'500
1. WJ Strongest Tournament Quarter-Final Match: Shiro Koshinaka vs. Steve Williams - 6
2. WJ Strongest Tournament Quarter-Final Match: Kensuke Sasaki vs. Riki Choshu -5
3. WJ Strongest Tournament Quarter-Final Match: Dan Bobish vs. Kenzo Suzuki - 4
4. WJ Strongest Tournament Quarter-Final Match: Genichiro Tenryu vs. Takao Omori - 5
5. Masamitsu Kochi vs. Takashi Uwano - 4
6. Ichiro Yaguchi vs. Tomohiro Ishii - 4
7. WJ Strongest Tournament Semi-Final Match: Kensuke Sasaki vs. Steve Williams - 5
8. WJ Strongest Tournament Semi-Final Match: Kenzo Suzuki vs. Takao Omori - 4
9. Big Vader vs. Don Frye - 3
10. WMG Heavyweight Title WJ Strongest Tournament Final Match: Kensuke Sasaki vs. Kenzo Suzuki - 7
Move over King of the Ring as there's a new tournament in town! Opener was a lot of fun and much better than I'd anticipated. Shiro runs down and just takes it to Williams. I didn't remember Dr. Death being so good at selling but he's quite giving and generous in that department making Koshinaka look great. Williams busting out a tope suicida is worth buying this disc alone. Shiro has this great way of selling (even major things) by just blinking his eyes that reminds you of an old man on a bench squinting from the sun. The next match on paper gave me chills like the reveal in Catfish. It was pretty good with moments of fleeting greatness. Kensuke bullies Riki in the beginning until eventually Chosu tires of it and unceremoniously dumps him out on the floor like a discarded condom from the window of a passing limo. This had more stiff clotheslines than you can count. Chosu went down with dignity, fighting to stay afloat, he eventually succumbed to two consecutive brainbusters allowing Kensuke move on to the next round.
Bobish, for a guy in a red, white, and blue singlet, threw some of the nastiest, most meaty European uppercuts I've ever seen. Bobish, for the uninitiated, is like an even more preposterously jacked Scott Steiner, and while his selling was rudimentary, at least he was trying. Kenzo shows here why WWE signed him as he entered with a fur boa and a trashy girl on each arm like a total slimeball. He was real good throughout and I was glad to see him move on although he's got probably only the 9th best "Spear" I've seen. It's always a pleasure to see Tenryu, he's old and slow here, but still showed up to work and fight and that's what we got. Occasionally he'd just stiff Omori in the face and Takao's eyes would get wide like, "Holy shit! I'm in here with Tenyru!" This had some highlight reel stuff like a "back to belly" piledriver (we always called it a "Doomsday Piledriver" but it's basically the one Kazarian does) on the floor.
Next match started off a bit too dull and exhibitiony for my tastes. Two guys in short black trunks and short black hair. But, as it picked up, I got pulled more in, Kochi was the bigger of the two, one strike exchange saw him drill Uwano with a combo that Takashi sold with some truly inspired wobbly legs. Uwano did some real terrific vocal selling while in a crab. Uwano fought from behind but once he started rallying this actually felt more like it belonged and not just a tryout bout. Yaguchi looked like a mall goth Eric Embry. What Ichiro lacked in finesse he made up for in sheer brutality. Ishii spent the bulk of the match eating big moves like powerbombs. Ishii wasn't as physically big or inept as he seems nowadays doing a decent job eating stuff. This felt like the culmination of a feud or something and not just a random bout.
Sasaki and Williams on paper sounds cool as you've got one of the biggest heavyweight AJPW and NJPW stars of the '90's squaring off. Match moved at a pretty deliberate pace like the geisha Steve picked up later that night nursed her beer. Kensuke isn't the most dynamic seller, he's good here or there, clutching at his mouth after eating some shots, etc. but you've got to look hard and justify a lot in your head to buy him always eating such punishment. Williams seemed game but ended up tapping in the end and retiring to whiskey for the duration of the evening. Suzuki and Omori was plugging along nicely and looking like it might be the sleeper success of the tournament until a real abrupt quick finish halted it dead in its tracks. Only criticism was Kenzo botching a spot where he held Omori in a powerbomb but was supposed to throw him over his head where Takao would land on the turnbuckles but missed his mark by a couple foot.
Next bout sucked like The Last Airbender. It was a worked shoot more or less, but felt inauthentic, we've seen both Vader (in wrestling) and Frye (in MMA) hit people a lot harder. This seemed cooperative and insulting. Vader hit one nice big belly-to-belly throw, outside of that, no real highlights and the finish was putrid. I really liked the main event. It felt appropriately big and started with one of the longest collar and elbow tie-ups known to man. I couldn't believe it but Kenzo actually beat Kensuke in a chop battle. Sasaki's chest was battered and looked like roadkill. Suzuki also had an unbelievably awesome flying knee. I've got to say, Kenzo is probably the MVP of the show, I saw his entire WWE run, and plenty of his stuff in Mexico, but sadly I hadn't really seen any of his Japan stuff and now I plan on seeking it out diligently. Besides going toe-to-toe on ferocious offense with Kensuke, Suzuki also had tons of great facials and character moments. The match-ending lariat was a satisfying end to an overall pretty fun tournament.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
BJW 1/2/01 CZW Invades~!
So this event began with John Lennon's hit "Happy Christmas War is Over." How's that for juxtaposition?
"NEW YEAR GREAT SERIES 2001" 1/3/01 Yokkaichi Australia Memorial Hall 1,170 Fans
1. Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Abdullah Kobayashi Jr. - 4
2. Kamikaze vs MEN's Teioh - 5
3. Fantastik vs. The Winger - 5
4. Shunme Matsuzaki vs. Naoki Numazawa - 1
5. Daikokubo Benkei vs Ryuji Ito -2
6. Ryuji Yamakawa, Shadow WX & Kintaro Kanemura (FMW) vs. Zandig (CZW), Jun Kasai & Rebel (CZW) -5
It had been three years prior that Sekimoto was a dojo boy. I shudder to think of the things he experienced. Kobayashi hit a monkey flip on Sekimoto that was mediocre at best, but started to step it up later in the match by sinching in a nice looking hold around the dome of Sekimoto. Sek hit a nice German on Kobayashi, turning Kob into a pile of blubber. Whenever Sekimoto hit a German, he'd land directly on his own head. Dude has got to have some serious neck strength. Sekimoto decapitated Kobayashi with a nice lariat to finish the match off, which Kobayashi sold by squinting. Interesting.
A very solid outing by two guys I loved to watch back when I was in high school. I remember my sophmore year having a mini MEN's marathon in my bedroom. It was a good day. There was some really great mat work to start, with neither man really getting a true advantage. The match would keep building in this fashion until the lid came off, featuring both guys laying in some offense and even more aggressive mat work. Teioh was able to get the better of Kamikaze, but they both looked great.
This was another really solid match. Both guys brought a really sweet junior heavyweight style. Fantastik hit this great dive to the floor that looked amazing. This Prince Devitt's somersault suicide senton to the floor except on an opponent lying on the ground. Both guys just looked so great in the ring. This match was just juicy and clean as hell. So clean you could eat sushi off it.
The next two matches I'm going to lump together as they were clipped. The first feature utter nonsense I won't even speak of because it doesn't deserve it. Simply two pasty Japanese guys working horribly. The second was a touch better because it featured the now famous deathmatch wrestler Ryuji Ito back when he was lanky and greener than a spring lawn. His leg drop looked awful, but he brought an element of stiffness with his strikes and was selling well. His opponent looked like Super Porky.
The final match was originally a handicap match featuring the teams of Zandig, Rebel, & Kasai vs. Yamakawa and WX. The odds would prove to be too much for the BJW team and they took the fall, when out of nowhere comes the FMW star Kintaro Kanemura! Kanemura, having none of that CZW shit, would challenge the sleazy bastards to come back in the ring and have a fair fight, and what a fight it was. Zandig actually looked half-way decent and not too slovenly in the match. He took some bumps and sold for the BJW vets. The staple gun spot left something to be desired, but all the Japanese guys got juiced like stuck pigs and were bleeding all over the place. There were some cool ladder spots, but the best thing about this match is that it was done in that classic hardcore BJW style where guys just go balls to the wall. I thought it was a good showing for the American counterpart, and was a solid bout.
"NEW YEAR GREAT SERIES 2001" 1/3/01 Yokkaichi Australia Memorial Hall 1,170 Fans
1. Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Abdullah Kobayashi Jr. - 4
2. Kamikaze vs MEN's Teioh - 5
3. Fantastik vs. The Winger - 5
4. Shunme Matsuzaki vs. Naoki Numazawa - 1
5. Daikokubo Benkei vs Ryuji Ito -2
6. Ryuji Yamakawa, Shadow WX & Kintaro Kanemura (FMW) vs. Zandig (CZW), Jun Kasai & Rebel (CZW) -5
It had been three years prior that Sekimoto was a dojo boy. I shudder to think of the things he experienced. Kobayashi hit a monkey flip on Sekimoto that was mediocre at best, but started to step it up later in the match by sinching in a nice looking hold around the dome of Sekimoto. Sek hit a nice German on Kobayashi, turning Kob into a pile of blubber. Whenever Sekimoto hit a German, he'd land directly on his own head. Dude has got to have some serious neck strength. Sekimoto decapitated Kobayashi with a nice lariat to finish the match off, which Kobayashi sold by squinting. Interesting.
A very solid outing by two guys I loved to watch back when I was in high school. I remember my sophmore year having a mini MEN's marathon in my bedroom. It was a good day. There was some really great mat work to start, with neither man really getting a true advantage. The match would keep building in this fashion until the lid came off, featuring both guys laying in some offense and even more aggressive mat work. Teioh was able to get the better of Kamikaze, but they both looked great.
This was another really solid match. Both guys brought a really sweet junior heavyweight style. Fantastik hit this great dive to the floor that looked amazing. This Prince Devitt's somersault suicide senton to the floor except on an opponent lying on the ground. Both guys just looked so great in the ring. This match was just juicy and clean as hell. So clean you could eat sushi off it.
The next two matches I'm going to lump together as they were clipped. The first feature utter nonsense I won't even speak of because it doesn't deserve it. Simply two pasty Japanese guys working horribly. The second was a touch better because it featured the now famous deathmatch wrestler Ryuji Ito back when he was lanky and greener than a spring lawn. His leg drop looked awful, but he brought an element of stiffness with his strikes and was selling well. His opponent looked like Super Porky.
The final match was originally a handicap match featuring the teams of Zandig, Rebel, & Kasai vs. Yamakawa and WX. The odds would prove to be too much for the BJW team and they took the fall, when out of nowhere comes the FMW star Kintaro Kanemura! Kanemura, having none of that CZW shit, would challenge the sleazy bastards to come back in the ring and have a fair fight, and what a fight it was. Zandig actually looked half-way decent and not too slovenly in the match. He took some bumps and sold for the BJW vets. The staple gun spot left something to be desired, but all the Japanese guys got juiced like stuck pigs and were bleeding all over the place. There were some cool ladder spots, but the best thing about this match is that it was done in that classic hardcore BJW style where guys just go balls to the wall. I thought it was a good showing for the American counterpart, and was a solid bout.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Viva La Lucha: Continental Conflict
1) Horus, Angel Metalico, & Xtorm vs. Civico, Tony Casanova, & Zarco – 2
2) NY Knockout Nikki & Miss Jackie vs. Christina Von Eerie & Jennifer Blake – 1
3) Natural Selection (Brian Cage & John Ricker) vs. Los Luchas (Zokyre & Phoenix Star) vs. RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma) – 5
4) Mascara Sagrada & KAFU vs. Misterioso & Vaquero Fantasma – 1
5) Extreme Tiger & Jack Evans vs. X Fly & Bestia 666 – 3
6) Charlie Haas, Super Crazy, & Tommy Wilson vs. Konnan, Damien 666, & Halloween – 1
7) Blue Demon Jr., Booker T, & El Mesias vs. Shelton Benjamin, Big V, & Hernandez – 4
The first bout was a three falls match, which is the norm of lucha trios matches. Some really basic stuff from Xtrom and Zarco to start out with. The heels controlled the pace by stalling for 95 percent of the first fall. Zarco looked like a complete fool by just coming in, looking out to the floor, and then having Metalico dive over him. Second fall got a little better with Horus doing a bunch of highspots and Metalico executing a flying headscissor to the outside. Second fall had a unique finish where Civico gave Zarco a Styles Clash off the second buckle onto Metalico. Third fall was a mess with the referee taking a siesta to grab a few burritos while there were tons of legal man issues happening all around. The triple jump spots from the Horus, Metalico, and Xtorm were cool, but not enough to save the fact that the match ended in a double count out that gave the match and ending flatter that the 2007 film The Mist.
Ladies match was worse than what you would see on a weekly diva’s bout. Yes, the Miss Jackie featured was Jackie Gayda of WWE fame and yes, she had a scary resemblance to Karen Angle. Lots of legality issues during Jackie’s face in peril segment. Nikki’s clotheslines were quite awful and when Jackie tried to do Kofi Kingston’s spinning-flippy-pin move and almost blew it, I chuckled.
Three way tag was a lot of fun. It was from an NWA promotion called Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. Right out of the gate was a brawl featuring Johnny Goodtime doing a wild moonsault off the wall. I enjoyed the energy and intensity of the RockNES Monsters and I’d like to see a lot more of their tag work. Ricker busted out a sick side slam. The tower of doom spot was really nutty. Los Luchas just kind of stood on the apron, not contributing much. Cage at one point almost botched up a doomsday device. Lots of fun stuff here if you like non-stop action with minimal selling.
Tag bout with Mascara Sagrada from PWR was really bad. Sagrada and Misterioso started off the match, didn’t make any physical contact what-so-ever, and then tagged out. Seriously? It took five minutes for physical contact to occur! Fantasma took a hip toss on the ramp from Sagrada in probably the best bump of a match that was pretty much bump free. Wait, why is Misterioso using a chair on Sagrada? Chairs were blatantly used in front of the referee and much like the the first match, the referee just sat back and let it happen. The announcers compared KAFU to Bruiser Brody, I’m guessing because he dressed a bit like him. He sure doesn’t work like Brody. KAFU’s offense and selling really need some work. Sagrada looked really old and really slow. Why did Misterioso take off his mask and give it to some perplexed dude in the crowd? Goofy restart didn’t help this either. Puke.
So X Fly was apparently Mosco de la Merced in a previous life. If so, then he’s put on some weight. I’m not sure if Evans messed up on a moonsault of not but he did catch the rudos with a pair of nice elbows. I remember Xtreme Tiger from the shitty Mexican Deathmatch Wrestling DVD where he was wrestling outdoors and jumping off rooftops. I’ll give him his props though, he did a wild plancha to the outside, took a big back drop onto a ladder, and executed a 450 splash off the top to the outside. Second fall featured Fly kicking Evans in the stomach while he was break dancing, which automatically makes him the smartest man in wrestling. Evans has some cool moves but it still seems to me that he belongs on a gymnastics team. What’s with the random music going on during this? Another confusing point was that the announcers at the end of the second fall said that the rudos have to pin both technicos but yet at the end of the first fall, only one technico pinned a rudo. I’m confused. A pretty sick muscle buster from Bestia mercifully ended this.
Konnan and his group interfered at the end of the previous bout with a bunch of useless stuff. Konnan looked really terrible in his Lakers jersey and jeans. What, did you just do some blow and roll up in your Caddy before the match started, esse? He’s my candidate for worst wrestler on the last decade. In the ring he’s so unethused and disinterested. Crazy turned on his team and the end of the first fall ending this one and thus negating the supposed other two falls. Haas was the best looking person in the match but with the people involved, is it any surprise?
Main event was more choreographed than a performance of Fiddler on the Roof. Viscera (aka Big V) looks like he lost some weight. Damn, he busted out a nice Boss Man slam. Match was a complete mess and had a bunch of legal man issues. I liked the exchanges between Blue Demon and Hernandez. The chop exchange between Hernandez and Mesias was nice as well. Booker got his typical stuff in without exerting much effort. Quite honestly, no one in the match seemed to care, as was pretty much the case with the whole event. Lots of potential but not much sustenance.
2) NY Knockout Nikki & Miss Jackie vs. Christina Von Eerie & Jennifer Blake – 1
3) Natural Selection (Brian Cage & John Ricker) vs. Los Luchas (Zokyre & Phoenix Star) vs. RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma) – 5
4) Mascara Sagrada & KAFU vs. Misterioso & Vaquero Fantasma – 1
5) Extreme Tiger & Jack Evans vs. X Fly & Bestia 666 – 3
6) Charlie Haas, Super Crazy, & Tommy Wilson vs. Konnan, Damien 666, & Halloween – 1
7) Blue Demon Jr., Booker T, & El Mesias vs. Shelton Benjamin, Big V, & Hernandez – 4
The first bout was a three falls match, which is the norm of lucha trios matches. Some really basic stuff from Xtrom and Zarco to start out with. The heels controlled the pace by stalling for 95 percent of the first fall. Zarco looked like a complete fool by just coming in, looking out to the floor, and then having Metalico dive over him. Second fall got a little better with Horus doing a bunch of highspots and Metalico executing a flying headscissor to the outside. Second fall had a unique finish where Civico gave Zarco a Styles Clash off the second buckle onto Metalico. Third fall was a mess with the referee taking a siesta to grab a few burritos while there were tons of legal man issues happening all around. The triple jump spots from the Horus, Metalico, and Xtorm were cool, but not enough to save the fact that the match ended in a double count out that gave the match and ending flatter that the 2007 film The Mist.
Ladies match was worse than what you would see on a weekly diva’s bout. Yes, the Miss Jackie featured was Jackie Gayda of WWE fame and yes, she had a scary resemblance to Karen Angle. Lots of legality issues during Jackie’s face in peril segment. Nikki’s clotheslines were quite awful and when Jackie tried to do Kofi Kingston’s spinning-flippy-pin move and almost blew it, I chuckled.
Three way tag was a lot of fun. It was from an NWA promotion called Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. Right out of the gate was a brawl featuring Johnny Goodtime doing a wild moonsault off the wall. I enjoyed the energy and intensity of the RockNES Monsters and I’d like to see a lot more of their tag work. Ricker busted out a sick side slam. The tower of doom spot was really nutty. Los Luchas just kind of stood on the apron, not contributing much. Cage at one point almost botched up a doomsday device. Lots of fun stuff here if you like non-stop action with minimal selling.
Tag bout with Mascara Sagrada from PWR was really bad. Sagrada and Misterioso started off the match, didn’t make any physical contact what-so-ever, and then tagged out. Seriously? It took five minutes for physical contact to occur! Fantasma took a hip toss on the ramp from Sagrada in probably the best bump of a match that was pretty much bump free. Wait, why is Misterioso using a chair on Sagrada? Chairs were blatantly used in front of the referee and much like the the first match, the referee just sat back and let it happen. The announcers compared KAFU to Bruiser Brody, I’m guessing because he dressed a bit like him. He sure doesn’t work like Brody. KAFU’s offense and selling really need some work. Sagrada looked really old and really slow. Why did Misterioso take off his mask and give it to some perplexed dude in the crowd? Goofy restart didn’t help this either. Puke.
So X Fly was apparently Mosco de la Merced in a previous life. If so, then he’s put on some weight. I’m not sure if Evans messed up on a moonsault of not but he did catch the rudos with a pair of nice elbows. I remember Xtreme Tiger from the shitty Mexican Deathmatch Wrestling DVD where he was wrestling outdoors and jumping off rooftops. I’ll give him his props though, he did a wild plancha to the outside, took a big back drop onto a ladder, and executed a 450 splash off the top to the outside. Second fall featured Fly kicking Evans in the stomach while he was break dancing, which automatically makes him the smartest man in wrestling. Evans has some cool moves but it still seems to me that he belongs on a gymnastics team. What’s with the random music going on during this? Another confusing point was that the announcers at the end of the second fall said that the rudos have to pin both technicos but yet at the end of the first fall, only one technico pinned a rudo. I’m confused. A pretty sick muscle buster from Bestia mercifully ended this.
Konnan and his group interfered at the end of the previous bout with a bunch of useless stuff. Konnan looked really terrible in his Lakers jersey and jeans. What, did you just do some blow and roll up in your Caddy before the match started, esse? He’s my candidate for worst wrestler on the last decade. In the ring he’s so unethused and disinterested. Crazy turned on his team and the end of the first fall ending this one and thus negating the supposed other two falls. Haas was the best looking person in the match but with the people involved, is it any surprise?
Main event was more choreographed than a performance of Fiddler on the Roof. Viscera (aka Big V) looks like he lost some weight. Damn, he busted out a nice Boss Man slam. Match was a complete mess and had a bunch of legal man issues. I liked the exchanges between Blue Demon and Hernandez. The chop exchange between Hernandez and Mesias was nice as well. Booker got his typical stuff in without exerting much effort. Quite honestly, no one in the match seemed to care, as was pretty much the case with the whole event. Lots of potential but not much sustenance.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
AAA TripleMania XVIII
1) Octagoncito v. Mini Abismo Negro v. Mini Charly Manson v. Mascarita Divina v. Mini Psicosis v. Mini Histeria v. Mascartia Sagrada v. La Parkita v. Mini Chessman- Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match- 5
So Chris Nowinski has def. not gotten around to making the call to Konan about that little chair shot conern- that being said, these guys didn't hold back. Match was somewhat short but they packed a lot into it. It was kind of fun watching them bump around on the same ladder i use at home to climb to my roof to pull some blown sticks off instead off the strangely constructed WWE ones. Sick final bump by Octagoncito too.
2) La Legion Extranjera (Sexy Star, Rain & Jennifer Blade) v. Cinthia Moreno, Mari & Fabi Apache- 5
I was pleasantly surprised here; these women came to fight. Sexy Star is into all things combat and mask related- her selling was superb and when it was her turn to bring it, she didn't need it printed on a t-shirt, she just brought it. Faces were ruling it early, felt like an AJW sprint, with Moreno being everywhere with the hurt and the strange fitting leather cat suit. Rain ate a double nasty ax kick that I've not seen anywhere, including the unremorseful women cage fighting leagues deep in the Amazon where I spent 4 months, 5 days, and 13 hours, an experience filled with sweat, blood and semen I will never speak of again.
3) Los Maniacos (Silver Cain/ Ultimo Gladiator) v. Beer Money v. Atsushi Aoki/ Go Shiozaki v. Nicho/ Joe Lider (Elimination Match)- 3
So much talent, so little done with it. Only highlights early on were Go just striking at will like an uncaged gorilla, big swipes and painful chops were dished out everywhere. But then they went out first. From there not much interesting happened. I was watching Nicho & Lider really closely; 10 years ago Nicho v. Silver King was seen by millions of people, nowadays, they're just happy their families like to watch their professionan- that's a harsh statement but neither one of them seemed particularly motivated so you can see where my venom comes from. Beer Money were by far the most useless; i fee like if you import a team of their stature from the states, make use of them. They got in their shit, but for the most part they just stood as a brawling counterpart to the other teams and you could have plugged almost any other team in the world in their place and would have had much the same results.
4) Alex Koslov/ Chessman/ Hernandez v. Heavy Metal/ Octagon/ Pimpnela Escaralata (Steel Cage)- 3
Again here, 1 guy really made this interesting and once he left the cage, it got terribly bland and that's Pimpnela. He was so expressive, i know, the homosexual gimmick has been done to death, but it wasn't that he was flamboyant, because he was, but is selling was, everytime he got an advantage, he was in it. He and Koslov matched up well, Pimp's chops and chucks into the cage must have looked akin to any of his recent visits to an all she-male brothel when he leared Donna Boy was not available that evening. Hernandez and Chessman both did huge dives off the cage that were completely unnecessary and Metal seemed content to lay on the mat selling weak kicks; although one scene caught me off guard, Metal getting his head rammed into the cage over and over again; reminded me of a friend's little brother beating his face into the worn couch he was sleeping on at the time.
5) Cibernetico & Abyss v. Zorro & Vampiro (Extreme Rules)= 3
Dear god Vampiro, he looked like what the Phantom of the Opera's corpse must have turned int after being left in those catacombs for years and years. Abyss was good sport and Vamp even did some fun stuff with his power for their part. Zorro was there to make everyone look good doing their finisher and he and Cibernetico had a lackluster brawl that the crowd loved but made me snooze.
6) Jack Evans v. Extreme Tiger v. Christopher Daniels v. Nosawa (Elimination Match)- 6
Nosawa looked as lost the night he stole that taxi cab and drove around aimless and drunk. Sloppy brawling was the majority of this contribution along with some damn good selling, after a big move he would almost be crying in pain. Extreme was a treat to watch, he was all over the place, reminding me of a young Psicosis, dives aplenty including a 450 splash outside! He tried to protect himself so it looked weird. Daniels was really dynamic, he and Evans did their best work together here, not in ROH or PWG. Evans was super over and the 630 splash Daniels blocked with his knees would have put a normal man in traction- it was a crazy spot. Great ending move too; a sidenote, really played out with the heel refs, it's like '99 McMahon heel ref marathon all over again.
7) Dr. Wagner jr v. Electro Shock- 4
This was the equivalent of HHH-Orton from Mania 25, a big title match that's flatter than people from the 1400's thought the world was. There wasn't much pop or sizzle on any particular move, the pace they worked was culminating in a big build up, but there was never a payoff. I know these two wrestled many times in the last 2 years and it shows, as if they were bored or something. Ending was just a finishing move but right before it was a puzzling spot where they were interlocked by each other's legs and doing rolls like the Oompa-Loompas were in Wonka's factory before they murdered a bunch of children.
8) L.A. Park v. La Parka- 7
Great idea for a match, and it def. exceeded my expectation. L.A was so good at knowing how to do all the nasty fighting stuff this match needed; ripping the mask, pulling the hair out, ramming his face into the steel post & chairs. Parka was the huge fan favorite, and kept capializing on LA's mistakes, with a sick table spot and a post ram that Shawn couldn't have done any better. Besides the skeleton costumes, this match could have taken place in any back alley barrio on a Sat. night.
So Chris Nowinski has def. not gotten around to making the call to Konan about that little chair shot conern- that being said, these guys didn't hold back. Match was somewhat short but they packed a lot into it. It was kind of fun watching them bump around on the same ladder i use at home to climb to my roof to pull some blown sticks off instead off the strangely constructed WWE ones. Sick final bump by Octagoncito too.
2) La Legion Extranjera (Sexy Star, Rain & Jennifer Blade) v. Cinthia Moreno, Mari & Fabi Apache- 5
I was pleasantly surprised here; these women came to fight. Sexy Star is into all things combat and mask related- her selling was superb and when it was her turn to bring it, she didn't need it printed on a t-shirt, she just brought it. Faces were ruling it early, felt like an AJW sprint, with Moreno being everywhere with the hurt and the strange fitting leather cat suit. Rain ate a double nasty ax kick that I've not seen anywhere, including the unremorseful women cage fighting leagues deep in the Amazon where I spent 4 months, 5 days, and 13 hours, an experience filled with sweat, blood and semen I will never speak of again.
3) Los Maniacos (Silver Cain/ Ultimo Gladiator) v. Beer Money v. Atsushi Aoki/ Go Shiozaki v. Nicho/ Joe Lider (Elimination Match)- 3
So much talent, so little done with it. Only highlights early on were Go just striking at will like an uncaged gorilla, big swipes and painful chops were dished out everywhere. But then they went out first. From there not much interesting happened. I was watching Nicho & Lider really closely; 10 years ago Nicho v. Silver King was seen by millions of people, nowadays, they're just happy their families like to watch their professionan- that's a harsh statement but neither one of them seemed particularly motivated so you can see where my venom comes from. Beer Money were by far the most useless; i fee like if you import a team of their stature from the states, make use of them. They got in their shit, but for the most part they just stood as a brawling counterpart to the other teams and you could have plugged almost any other team in the world in their place and would have had much the same results.
4) Alex Koslov/ Chessman/ Hernandez v. Heavy Metal/ Octagon/ Pimpnela Escaralata (Steel Cage)- 3
Again here, 1 guy really made this interesting and once he left the cage, it got terribly bland and that's Pimpnela. He was so expressive, i know, the homosexual gimmick has been done to death, but it wasn't that he was flamboyant, because he was, but is selling was, everytime he got an advantage, he was in it. He and Koslov matched up well, Pimp's chops and chucks into the cage must have looked akin to any of his recent visits to an all she-male brothel when he leared Donna Boy was not available that evening. Hernandez and Chessman both did huge dives off the cage that were completely unnecessary and Metal seemed content to lay on the mat selling weak kicks; although one scene caught me off guard, Metal getting his head rammed into the cage over and over again; reminded me of a friend's little brother beating his face into the worn couch he was sleeping on at the time.
5) Cibernetico & Abyss v. Zorro & Vampiro (Extreme Rules)= 3
Dear god Vampiro, he looked like what the Phantom of the Opera's corpse must have turned int after being left in those catacombs for years and years. Abyss was good sport and Vamp even did some fun stuff with his power for their part. Zorro was there to make everyone look good doing their finisher and he and Cibernetico had a lackluster brawl that the crowd loved but made me snooze.
6) Jack Evans v. Extreme Tiger v. Christopher Daniels v. Nosawa (Elimination Match)- 6
Nosawa looked as lost the night he stole that taxi cab and drove around aimless and drunk. Sloppy brawling was the majority of this contribution along with some damn good selling, after a big move he would almost be crying in pain. Extreme was a treat to watch, he was all over the place, reminding me of a young Psicosis, dives aplenty including a 450 splash outside! He tried to protect himself so it looked weird. Daniels was really dynamic, he and Evans did their best work together here, not in ROH or PWG. Evans was super over and the 630 splash Daniels blocked with his knees would have put a normal man in traction- it was a crazy spot. Great ending move too; a sidenote, really played out with the heel refs, it's like '99 McMahon heel ref marathon all over again.
7) Dr. Wagner jr v. Electro Shock- 4
This was the equivalent of HHH-Orton from Mania 25, a big title match that's flatter than people from the 1400's thought the world was. There wasn't much pop or sizzle on any particular move, the pace they worked was culminating in a big build up, but there was never a payoff. I know these two wrestled many times in the last 2 years and it shows, as if they were bored or something. Ending was just a finishing move but right before it was a puzzling spot where they were interlocked by each other's legs and doing rolls like the Oompa-Loompas were in Wonka's factory before they murdered a bunch of children.
8) L.A. Park v. La Parka- 7
Great idea for a match, and it def. exceeded my expectation. L.A was so good at knowing how to do all the nasty fighting stuff this match needed; ripping the mask, pulling the hair out, ramming his face into the steel post & chairs. Parka was the huge fan favorite, and kept capializing on LA's mistakes, with a sick table spot and a post ram that Shawn couldn't have done any better. Besides the skeleton costumes, this match could have taken place in any back alley barrio on a Sat. night.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors 8/27/10
1. Mentallo vs. Azteko - 4
2. RJ Brewer vs. Mascara Purpura - 5
3. Puerto Rican Powers (Pr Flyer & San Juan Kid) & Carlitos vs. Tinieblas Jr, Oriental & Neutronic - 5
Most of my friends gave up on this show partly through the first episode but I stuck it out until the end. This is the final episode and I kept it for posterity. I've saved it all this time for a moment like this.
Funny, watching SMASH 10 (which I'm reviewing later this month) earlier this afternoon I encountered Mentallo for the first time and now here he is again twice in the same day. The referee was trying to unfasten Azteko who was hanging upside down in the corner and Mentallo did a sliding dropkick through the ref's legs. Mentallo continued to innovate, after a Northern Lights suplex he bridged into a headstand while going for the pin. The match-ending double-foot stomp from the top was sold with the appropriate gusto by Azteko like he was a teen on spring break in the water in Piranha. Decent but poor execution and it feeling rushed were detrimental.
I wish Brewer would go back to ROH as they could really use him in '11. He does a selling showcase (my favorite kind) eating a variety of tilt-a-whirl backbreakers with all sorts of variety and zest then eats a big boot like a falling redwood. Pupura's not bad himself, falling into the ropes draped over them like a fallen boxer searching for the fortitude to go one more round. Mascara's running somersault to the floor had that traditional lucha dive feel and him getting mostly concrete was shockingly okay with me. Brewer cheats to win with his plasticky blonde valet giving a hand. This was one of the better LLUSA matches I can recall offhand.
Carlitos is the same of apple-spitting fame. He went from making out with Torrie Wilson to... this? I actually own a Tinieblas mask but won't hand over any favoritism. Carlito's springboard back elbow looked abysmal. The rudos have some real tasty triple-team moves. Neutronic has some heft and made for a good base for the small flyers. Longtime veteran Oriental seemed unimpressed by the former WWE superstar and drilled him throughout. Tinieblas Jr seemed pretty protected not really taking any offense until the finish stretch. This was fun and kept me entertained but would likely seem lousy aside some "real" lucha. For what it's worth I do miss LLUSA but I can always download AAA or catch IWRG on YouTube.
2. RJ Brewer vs. Mascara Purpura - 5
3. Puerto Rican Powers (Pr Flyer & San Juan Kid) & Carlitos vs. Tinieblas Jr, Oriental & Neutronic - 5
Most of my friends gave up on this show partly through the first episode but I stuck it out until the end. This is the final episode and I kept it for posterity. I've saved it all this time for a moment like this.
Funny, watching SMASH 10 (which I'm reviewing later this month) earlier this afternoon I encountered Mentallo for the first time and now here he is again twice in the same day. The referee was trying to unfasten Azteko who was hanging upside down in the corner and Mentallo did a sliding dropkick through the ref's legs. Mentallo continued to innovate, after a Northern Lights suplex he bridged into a headstand while going for the pin. The match-ending double-foot stomp from the top was sold with the appropriate gusto by Azteko like he was a teen on spring break in the water in Piranha. Decent but poor execution and it feeling rushed were detrimental.
I wish Brewer would go back to ROH as they could really use him in '11. He does a selling showcase (my favorite kind) eating a variety of tilt-a-whirl backbreakers with all sorts of variety and zest then eats a big boot like a falling redwood. Pupura's not bad himself, falling into the ropes draped over them like a fallen boxer searching for the fortitude to go one more round. Mascara's running somersault to the floor had that traditional lucha dive feel and him getting mostly concrete was shockingly okay with me. Brewer cheats to win with his plasticky blonde valet giving a hand. This was one of the better LLUSA matches I can recall offhand.
Carlitos is the same of apple-spitting fame. He went from making out with Torrie Wilson to... this? I actually own a Tinieblas mask but won't hand over any favoritism. Carlito's springboard back elbow looked abysmal. The rudos have some real tasty triple-team moves. Neutronic has some heft and made for a good base for the small flyers. Longtime veteran Oriental seemed unimpressed by the former WWE superstar and drilled him throughout. Tinieblas Jr seemed pretty protected not really taking any offense until the finish stretch. This was fun and kept me entertained but would likely seem lousy aside some "real" lucha. For what it's worth I do miss LLUSA but I can always download AAA or catch IWRG on YouTube.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
WWA International Lucha Libre
Hey guys and dolls, this month we're going international, no, nothing to do with spy or espionage, just venturing past the good old fashioned USA for our wrestling and your entertainment and traveling down south to watch some Lucha Libre and across the sea to the great land of Asia and to find and study the best in Puro action. Today i begin my lucha quest with a show from a mixed bag DVD Brian bestowed upon me years ago, i visit it every now and then and thought it the perfect source to cull upon for this month's festivities.
1) Misterioso/ Panderilla 1 & 2 v. Raul Guerrero jr/ Venum Black/ Tinieblas jr- 3
2) Depredador/ Rey Mysterio sr/ Nicho v. La Parka/ Super Parka/ Super Porky- 2
3) Raging Dog v. Nicho El Millionaro- 3
4) Enfermo jr/ Panderilla 1 & 2 v. Arandu/ Catedratico/ Venum Black- 4
5) Lola Gonzalez/ Kayra v. Lola "La Lucha" & Ayako Hamada-4
6) Rey Mysterio sr/ Super Porky v. Raging Dog/ Steve Master - 3
7) Dr. Wagner jr/ Cien Caras/ El Hijo del Diablo/ Juventud Guerrera v. El Hijo del Santo/ Rey Mysterio jr/ Perro Aguyao/ Mil Mascaras- 4
Opener was pretty standard for Lucha action, faces go over big in the first fall, outsmarting the heels like Inspector Clousteau (yeah, that's dated). 2nd fall was a huge mess, with the Panderillas being the sloppiest brawlers this side of TNA's security guys, rocking really old Pantera shirts. Tinieblas is talented but he was having too much fun being the big star of the match and doing little as possible to extend his muscles. 3rd fall picked up, some good momentum switches, but a low blow as a finish is as creative as doing ANOTHER Montreal finish.
2nd bout was all comedy but fell as flat as Community's Christmas ep. Not sure which Park was which, but La Parka and Nicho worked some cool armdrags on the concrete and some shelved stuff from old 97 Nitro 8 mans. Porky was sweating profusely walking down the aisle and Nicho's partners both would have looked better ringing me out at Autozone, as there was nothing athletic about them or their performance.
I really wasn't into this singles match, for some belt they were pushing. It had tons of interference, so remiscent of most Russo booked shit, incl some fat manager and bald Mr. Clean looking guy wearing the same zubaz that Power Team USA steroid heads on the Church channel used to wear. Dog as really bland, as much as water flavored sex scents. He used about 5 bodyslams, the most complicated thing he tried. Nicho was exceptionally sloppy too, pulling off several ddt's that got worse the more he tried. He bladed like Hansen, Flair, any old schooler who used to rip flesh on a nightly basis, but this one was really unnecessary, as it didn't add any heat to the match.
This match was a step in the right direction; Enfermero jr had a huge lion's mane, body of a gas station attendant, but he was old school, these awesome looping Eaton uppercuts, knew his way around the ring, he was keeping this together. Panderilla's weren't as bad here either, being in the right spot for most of the faces stuff. Venum used to be really exciting but here he was just a long haired dude who could jump off high stuff, like an actor waiting for his cameo Venum just toyed around the rest of the bout. That being said, the whole ending spot was cool with all the planchas including Venum's into the front row of the stadium seated crowd.
Lola is like the grandmother of Lucha women's wrestling, seen her several times before and I would not mess with her; guarantee she's wrapped Konan up a few times and made him suck her toes. She works almost exclusivley with Hamada for the first 2 falls, which is best case scenario, really dug some of the intricate holds they were trading on the ground, like recipes after the match. Kyra was actually a young Melina, who wasn't there to show off any of her offense or splits, but to take a Hamada ass whipping like a true woman. Pretty sure this would ready her for Batista's rough play later on in Connecticut. Lola was in a prison outfit and basically got thrown around by her hair from the other Lola like a 6 year old girl whips around her Cabbage Patch doll.
Funny bout here as they weren't having any of Porky's comedy and he was struggling to get through, tons of rest holds for him. Rey Mysterio Version 1 isn't bad at all; he has some real good facial selling and does not take a back seat to anyone, as a fan at ringside helped untie him from the guard rail where he bashed the heel manager with a cerveza and then worked over his leg with a steel chair. Master was slightly better than Raging Dog, who was more like lame mutt again. Ending was another schmaze, better than a low blow.
Tons of big names filled the ranks here but after the 1st fall (which was a Santo display with a Mascaras ego trip) it was one long fight. No structure to this at all, guys just coming and going like a battle royal almost. Caras was really vicious attacking Aguayo, who's a nasty visual on my nice laptop screen. Diablo and Santo were running a nice angle, with both men going after the other's mask. Juvi and Rey Rey worked almost exclusively with each other, and for the best, as no one else could keep up with them. Faces go over in the end, much to the dlight of all the kiddies in the audience.
1) Misterioso/ Panderilla 1 & 2 v. Raul Guerrero jr/ Venum Black/ Tinieblas jr- 3
2) Depredador/ Rey Mysterio sr/ Nicho v. La Parka/ Super Parka/ Super Porky- 2
3) Raging Dog v. Nicho El Millionaro- 3
4) Enfermo jr/ Panderilla 1 & 2 v. Arandu/ Catedratico/ Venum Black- 4
5) Lola Gonzalez/ Kayra v. Lola "La Lucha" & Ayako Hamada-4
6) Rey Mysterio sr/ Super Porky v. Raging Dog/ Steve Master - 3
7) Dr. Wagner jr/ Cien Caras/ El Hijo del Diablo/ Juventud Guerrera v. El Hijo del Santo/ Rey Mysterio jr/ Perro Aguyao/ Mil Mascaras- 4
Opener was pretty standard for Lucha action, faces go over big in the first fall, outsmarting the heels like Inspector Clousteau (yeah, that's dated). 2nd fall was a huge mess, with the Panderillas being the sloppiest brawlers this side of TNA's security guys, rocking really old Pantera shirts. Tinieblas is talented but he was having too much fun being the big star of the match and doing little as possible to extend his muscles. 3rd fall picked up, some good momentum switches, but a low blow as a finish is as creative as doing ANOTHER Montreal finish.
2nd bout was all comedy but fell as flat as Community's Christmas ep. Not sure which Park was which, but La Parka and Nicho worked some cool armdrags on the concrete and some shelved stuff from old 97 Nitro 8 mans. Porky was sweating profusely walking down the aisle and Nicho's partners both would have looked better ringing me out at Autozone, as there was nothing athletic about them or their performance.
I really wasn't into this singles match, for some belt they were pushing. It had tons of interference, so remiscent of most Russo booked shit, incl some fat manager and bald Mr. Clean looking guy wearing the same zubaz that Power Team USA steroid heads on the Church channel used to wear. Dog as really bland, as much as water flavored sex scents. He used about 5 bodyslams, the most complicated thing he tried. Nicho was exceptionally sloppy too, pulling off several ddt's that got worse the more he tried. He bladed like Hansen, Flair, any old schooler who used to rip flesh on a nightly basis, but this one was really unnecessary, as it didn't add any heat to the match.
This match was a step in the right direction; Enfermero jr had a huge lion's mane, body of a gas station attendant, but he was old school, these awesome looping Eaton uppercuts, knew his way around the ring, he was keeping this together. Panderilla's weren't as bad here either, being in the right spot for most of the faces stuff. Venum used to be really exciting but here he was just a long haired dude who could jump off high stuff, like an actor waiting for his cameo Venum just toyed around the rest of the bout. That being said, the whole ending spot was cool with all the planchas including Venum's into the front row of the stadium seated crowd.
Lola is like the grandmother of Lucha women's wrestling, seen her several times before and I would not mess with her; guarantee she's wrapped Konan up a few times and made him suck her toes. She works almost exclusivley with Hamada for the first 2 falls, which is best case scenario, really dug some of the intricate holds they were trading on the ground, like recipes after the match. Kyra was actually a young Melina, who wasn't there to show off any of her offense or splits, but to take a Hamada ass whipping like a true woman. Pretty sure this would ready her for Batista's rough play later on in Connecticut. Lola was in a prison outfit and basically got thrown around by her hair from the other Lola like a 6 year old girl whips around her Cabbage Patch doll.
Funny bout here as they weren't having any of Porky's comedy and he was struggling to get through, tons of rest holds for him. Rey Mysterio Version 1 isn't bad at all; he has some real good facial selling and does not take a back seat to anyone, as a fan at ringside helped untie him from the guard rail where he bashed the heel manager with a cerveza and then worked over his leg with a steel chair. Master was slightly better than Raging Dog, who was more like lame mutt again. Ending was another schmaze, better than a low blow.
Tons of big names filled the ranks here but after the 1st fall (which was a Santo display with a Mascaras ego trip) it was one long fight. No structure to this at all, guys just coming and going like a battle royal almost. Caras was really vicious attacking Aguayo, who's a nasty visual on my nice laptop screen. Diablo and Santo were running a nice angle, with both men going after the other's mask. Juvi and Rey Rey worked almost exclusively with each other, and for the best, as no one else could keep up with them. Faces go over in the end, much to the dlight of all the kiddies in the audience.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Zero-1 "Pro Wrestling Beginning" 1/1/11
1. Shito Ueda & Yuzuru Saito vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Takumi Tsukamoto – 3
2. Yusaku Obata & Mio Shirai vs. Shinsuke Jet Wakataka & Io Shirai – 3
3. FUNAKI & Kenta Kakinuma vs. KAMIKAZE & Rikiya Fudo – 3
4. Takuya Sugawara & Kaijin Habu Otoko vs. Hikaru Sato & Munenori Sawa – 5
5. Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Ikuto Hidaka – 7
6. Masato Tanaka, Kohei Sato & Ryouji Sai vs. Shinjiro Otani, Yoshihiro Takayama & Akebono – 5
I haven’t watched any Japanese wrestling on a regular basis in over a year now so I may be a bit fuzzy on some of the smaller names and some of the moves so just bear with me. First bout was ZERO1 vs. Big Japan. I saw Okabayashi on last year’s King of Trios tournament and enjoyed his work. His forearms in the first exchange of the bout with Ueda were very hard and made Ueda’s look weak in comparison. However, the person who's work I enjoyed most in the match was Saito. He had some really hard kicks, including one to Tsukamoto that sounded like a shotgun blast. He hit a nice belly-to-belly suplex and a backbreaking sit-out powerbomb on Tsukamoto. I didn’t find much I liked in Tsukamoto’s offense but I did enjoy like the fact that he was very vocal in the ring.
Next bout was advertised as a mixed tag match but ended up being an intergender match where guys and girls and fight each other. Jet Wakataka seemed like a waste of space in the match to me. He kept the same goofy, cheesy smile on his face for the majority of the bout and just simply refused to fight Mio Shirai when he was in the ring with her. Just as well, and she routinely kicked the shit out of him and anyone else she was in the ring with. Crowd was laughing early on with a few comedy bits between the two but I wasn’t. Obata’s best move of the bout was a dropkick to the back of Io Shirai’s head that damn near gave her whiplash.
Glad to see Funaki getting work after being let go from Smackdown. I was digging his bumping but other than that he seemed stuck in a rut. His partner, Kenta Kakinuma, had a nice diving senton to the outside as the highlight of his day but other than that, he didn’t really impress me. I really liked Fudo. He worked really stiff and seemed to be the only one in the match who was not on cruise control. He delivered one clothesline that almost decapitated poor Funaki. With a name like Kamikaze, you’d expect some crazy shit out of him but that didn’t happen and he didn’t provide anything in the way of memorable offense.
Fourth bout was for the NWA International Jr. Tag Team Titles and I’ll be honest here, I had a hell of a time trying to figure out who was who. Otoko in a character that looks like he came from the lucha world. He’s got a mask reminiscent of TNA relic Rellik with a long tail on the back of it that seemed like more harm than help at times. The beginning where Otoko and Sato slapped each other so damn hard was fun to watch. Sawa tried the cartwheel elbow move on the outside but ended up catching the ringpost. Only memorable things Sugawara brought to the table were when he posted his elbow in Sawa’s ribs on and abdominal stretch and when he started whacking the opposition with some sort of plastic storage container. Otoko caught Sato coming off the top rope and turned it into a half card. Later, he got some good air on a suicide dive. The match itself had some pretty good nearfalls but nothing to really wet your shorts about.
I remember Hidaka from the long forgotten MLW back in 02-03. He had a war here with regining ZERO-1 champ Daisuke Sekimoto (who by the way is sporting the old AWA World Title belt). The match started off slow with some mat work, the highlight of which was them exchaning necktie chokes. Sekimoto’s facials in the first half left a lot to be desired and his face was just sort of blank in comparison to Hidaka’s facials which were fantastic throughout. Judging by the crowd reaction, I’m guessing that Sekimoto is working heel here. The middle part of the bout was Hidaka working over Sekimoto’s knee, which he convieniently forgot to sell on offense until Hidaka locked him in a figure four, which he sold with deep, guttural screams like a bear caught in a trap in the woods. The match really kicked into high gear beginning with an awesome sequence that saw them trade standing switches to begin with and culminated in Sekimoto getting the upper hand and laying out Hidaka with a spine-breaking sit out powerbomb for a nearfall that had the crowd on the edge of their seat. This was followed up by a frog splash from Sekimoto and a high kick from Hidaka. Hidaka got really close to a submission with the ankle lock (which he added to by trying to knot up his oppoent’s hamstrings) and Sekimoto got two really close nearfalls with a lariat and a German suplex. The finish was wild. Sekimoto had Hidaka up on his shoulders, tossed him in the air, and the caught him and executed an ill German suplex. Best thing on the show by far.
Time for the main event and Tanaka has slimmed down a hell of a lot from the last time I saw him. Action spilled out of the ring with a crowd brawl, something not seen a lot in Japanese main events. I really liked watching Akebono’s in ring work. He really used his size well and completely no sold everything. Everything he does is really high impact, especially late in the bout when he came out of nowhere and just killed Sato with a pounce. Everyone else in the match though seemed like they were taking the night off. Takayama didn’t sell a lot during his ring time. Otani showed some vigor and ate some hard kicks from Sato and Sai which he returned later on by face washing Sato. The nearfalls here didn’t have anywhere the heat that you would expect. Maybe it was because the crowd was a bit burnt on all the nearfalls in the previous bout. A German suplex from Takayama closed the book on this bout and the show as a whole.
2. Yusaku Obata & Mio Shirai vs. Shinsuke Jet Wakataka & Io Shirai – 3
3. FUNAKI & Kenta Kakinuma vs. KAMIKAZE & Rikiya Fudo – 3
4. Takuya Sugawara & Kaijin Habu Otoko vs. Hikaru Sato & Munenori Sawa – 5
5. Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Ikuto Hidaka – 7
6. Masato Tanaka, Kohei Sato & Ryouji Sai vs. Shinjiro Otani, Yoshihiro Takayama & Akebono – 5
I haven’t watched any Japanese wrestling on a regular basis in over a year now so I may be a bit fuzzy on some of the smaller names and some of the moves so just bear with me. First bout was ZERO1 vs. Big Japan. I saw Okabayashi on last year’s King of Trios tournament and enjoyed his work. His forearms in the first exchange of the bout with Ueda were very hard and made Ueda’s look weak in comparison. However, the person who's work I enjoyed most in the match was Saito. He had some really hard kicks, including one to Tsukamoto that sounded like a shotgun blast. He hit a nice belly-to-belly suplex and a backbreaking sit-out powerbomb on Tsukamoto. I didn’t find much I liked in Tsukamoto’s offense but I did enjoy like the fact that he was very vocal in the ring.
Next bout was advertised as a mixed tag match but ended up being an intergender match where guys and girls and fight each other. Jet Wakataka seemed like a waste of space in the match to me. He kept the same goofy, cheesy smile on his face for the majority of the bout and just simply refused to fight Mio Shirai when he was in the ring with her. Just as well, and she routinely kicked the shit out of him and anyone else she was in the ring with. Crowd was laughing early on with a few comedy bits between the two but I wasn’t. Obata’s best move of the bout was a dropkick to the back of Io Shirai’s head that damn near gave her whiplash.
Glad to see Funaki getting work after being let go from Smackdown. I was digging his bumping but other than that he seemed stuck in a rut. His partner, Kenta Kakinuma, had a nice diving senton to the outside as the highlight of his day but other than that, he didn’t really impress me. I really liked Fudo. He worked really stiff and seemed to be the only one in the match who was not on cruise control. He delivered one clothesline that almost decapitated poor Funaki. With a name like Kamikaze, you’d expect some crazy shit out of him but that didn’t happen and he didn’t provide anything in the way of memorable offense.
Fourth bout was for the NWA International Jr. Tag Team Titles and I’ll be honest here, I had a hell of a time trying to figure out who was who. Otoko in a character that looks like he came from the lucha world. He’s got a mask reminiscent of TNA relic Rellik with a long tail on the back of it that seemed like more harm than help at times. The beginning where Otoko and Sato slapped each other so damn hard was fun to watch. Sawa tried the cartwheel elbow move on the outside but ended up catching the ringpost. Only memorable things Sugawara brought to the table were when he posted his elbow in Sawa’s ribs on and abdominal stretch and when he started whacking the opposition with some sort of plastic storage container. Otoko caught Sato coming off the top rope and turned it into a half card. Later, he got some good air on a suicide dive. The match itself had some pretty good nearfalls but nothing to really wet your shorts about.
I remember Hidaka from the long forgotten MLW back in 02-03. He had a war here with regining ZERO-1 champ Daisuke Sekimoto (who by the way is sporting the old AWA World Title belt). The match started off slow with some mat work, the highlight of which was them exchaning necktie chokes. Sekimoto’s facials in the first half left a lot to be desired and his face was just sort of blank in comparison to Hidaka’s facials which were fantastic throughout. Judging by the crowd reaction, I’m guessing that Sekimoto is working heel here. The middle part of the bout was Hidaka working over Sekimoto’s knee, which he convieniently forgot to sell on offense until Hidaka locked him in a figure four, which he sold with deep, guttural screams like a bear caught in a trap in the woods. The match really kicked into high gear beginning with an awesome sequence that saw them trade standing switches to begin with and culminated in Sekimoto getting the upper hand and laying out Hidaka with a spine-breaking sit out powerbomb for a nearfall that had the crowd on the edge of their seat. This was followed up by a frog splash from Sekimoto and a high kick from Hidaka. Hidaka got really close to a submission with the ankle lock (which he added to by trying to knot up his oppoent’s hamstrings) and Sekimoto got two really close nearfalls with a lariat and a German suplex. The finish was wild. Sekimoto had Hidaka up on his shoulders, tossed him in the air, and the caught him and executed an ill German suplex. Best thing on the show by far.
Time for the main event and Tanaka has slimmed down a hell of a lot from the last time I saw him. Action spilled out of the ring with a crowd brawl, something not seen a lot in Japanese main events. I really liked watching Akebono’s in ring work. He really used his size well and completely no sold everything. Everything he does is really high impact, especially late in the bout when he came out of nowhere and just killed Sato with a pounce. Everyone else in the match though seemed like they were taking the night off. Takayama didn’t sell a lot during his ring time. Otani showed some vigor and ate some hard kicks from Sato and Sai which he returned later on by face washing Sato. The nearfalls here didn’t have anywhere the heat that you would expect. Maybe it was because the crowd was a bit burnt on all the nearfalls in the previous bout. A German suplex from Takayama closed the book on this bout and the show as a whole.
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