Best of the Month – April 2016 Part Two

Best of April – Part Two

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship- KUSHIDA © vs. Will Ospreay from Invasion Attack
Feeling out process to start and Ospreay uses his amazing athleticism to go toe to toe with KUSHIDA and we reach a stalemate. Inverted atomic drop by KUSHIDA and he hits a dropkick to the leg. Ospreay answers back with a dropkick for 2. KUSHIDA kicks the arm of Ospreay as he attempted a handspring and he bails. Summersault plancha off the top to the floor by KUSHIDA!!! Back in, KUSHIDA works the arm and he grabs a short arm scissors but Ospreay goes to the ropes to break. Jawbreaker by Ospreay and he goes for the handspring but he collapses due to the damage to his arm. Enzuigiri by Ospreay and KUSHIDA yanks the arm to cut off his momentum. NO HANDS HANDPSRING ENZUIGIRI BY OSPREAY!!!!!! Enzuigiri from the apron by Ospreay and he hits a springboard missile dropkick knocking KUSHIDA to the floor. Corkscrew plancha to the floor by Ospreay!!!! Back in, Ospreay hits a gut buster and he follows up with a standing corkscrew senton for 2. KUSHIDA tries to catch him in the Hoverboard Lock but Ospreay quickly goes to the ropes to block. KUSHIDA drives Ospreay’s arm off his shoulder but Ospreay answers back with a knee strike. Standing SSP by Ospreay followed by the springboard 450 splash gets 2. Ospreay goes up but KUSHIDA catches him with a Capo Kick and follows up. KUSHIDA takes him off the top into the cross arm breaker but Ospreay makes the ropes to break. Dropkick to the arm by KUSHIDA and he hits a rolling elbow. High kick by Ospreay and they exchange hard blows. Rapid kicks to the head by KUSHIDA but this fires Ospreay up!!! They exchange blows and KUSHIDA DRILLS him with the straight right. Essex Destroyer by Ospreay gets 2!!! Ospreay goes up but KUSHIDA stops him and follows up. Spreay ties KUSHIDA up and hits a super kick. Ospreay goes up for the Red Arrow but it eats knees. Small package by KUSHIDA gets 2!!! Ospreay blocks the tilt-a-whirl and hits the springing basement enzuigiri. He goes for the springboard Ace Crusher but KUSHIDA catches him in the Triangle Choke!!! Ospreay powers out but KUSHIDA rolls him into the Hoverboard Lock!!! Ospreay taps!!!!
Winner and Still IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion- KUSHIDA ****1/4 ( Once again, on the biggest stage Will Ospreay blows people away. He had as great a debut as you will ever see here, just wowing the crowd with his incredible athleticism and did a fantastic job of working off of the arm work KUSHIDA did to him during the match. A great introduction and once the New Japan crowds become more familiar with Ospreay over the new few months, their rematch will probably reach an even higher level than this. )

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship- Kazuchika Okada w/Gedo © vs. Tetsuya Naito w/BUSHI and EVIL from Invasion Attack
Naito fires away and he knocks Okada off the apron. Naito bails for awhile and back in, Naito fires away again. Back elbow by Okada and he hits the basement dropkick. Japanese Strangle Hold by Okada but Naito makes the ropes to break. Back elbow followed by the back senton by Okada gets 2. Slam by Okada and he misses the Hilo. BUSHI trips Okada, allowing Naito to hit a basement dropkick. Naito sends Okada into the railings and he does the same to Gedo!!!Naito and BUSHI attack Gedo as EVIL drives a chair into the neck of Okada!!! Back in, Naito puts Okada in the tree of woe and BUSHI stretches Okada as the ref is distracted. Basement dropkick in the corner by Naito and he grabs a rear head scissors. Okada makes the ropes to break and Naito fires away in the corner. Reverse DDT back breaker by Naito and he hits a basement dropkick to the back for 2. Cravat by Naito but Okada fights out. Swinging neck breaker by Okada and he cleans house. Big boot by Okada turns Naito inside out. Okada blocks the Tornado DDT and he dropkicks Naito to the floor. Okada hits a Yakuza kick knocking Naito into the front row. EVIL charges but misses and he crashes into the front row as well. Okada dumps BUSHI onto them and he hits a running cross body into the front row!!!!! Back in, Okada slams Naito and he goes up. He leaps but Naito moves. Inverted atomic drop into a swinging neck breaker by Naito. Naito spits at Okada before catching him with a Tornado DDT. Flapjack by Okada and they trade blows. DDT by Okada and he hits a basement uppercut. Corner back elbow misses and Okada catches Naito in the STF. Okada releases to knock EVIL off the apron and Gedo takes out BUSHI. Naito goes low and hits the Flatliner into the inverted Koji Clutch. Okada looks like he’s going to pass out but he holds on and makes the ropes!!! Slingshot basement dropkick in the corner by Naito and he puts Okada on top. Frankensteiner off the top by Naito gets 2. Hammer lock side slam by Naito gets 2. Spine buster by Naito and Okada counters Destino with the Air Raid back breaker. Shotgun dropkick by Okada and he hits a basement dropkick. A second one by Okada gets 2. Okada goes up and hits the missile dropkick for 2. Okada slams Naito and goes up. Flying elbow drop by Okada and Naito escapes the Rainmaker. He goes for a forearm but Naito pulls Red Shoes in the way!!! EVIL and BUSHI attack but Okada fights them off. Okada catches Naito with a dropkick and a new masked man enters the ring. Tombstone by Okada and the masked man hits the TKO. IT’S SEIYA SENADA!!!!!!!! Senada goes up and hits a moonsault onto Okada!!!!! Enzuigiri by Naito and he goes for Destino but Okada blocks. German suplex by Okada and he goes for the Rainmaker but Naito counters into Destino for 3!!!!
Winner and NEW IWGP World Heavyweight Champion- Tetsuya Naito **** ( The work in the match was very good but what made this special was the shenanigans around it. Okada showed his resilience and strength as a champion by withstanding the interference early on in the match and taking Naito’s best stuff before dishing it back even harder. It took a new member of Los Ingobernables for Naito to finally steal the title and he took no shame in getting all that help to win. This cemented Los Ingobernables as the group to be feared in New Japan, it finally got Tetsuya Naito over as a main eventer in the promotion, and it gives you an easy set-up for a rematch, as everyone knows Okada was the better man and would likely win in a fair bout. )

Sendai Girls World Championship- Meiko Satomura © vs. Aja Kong from Sendai Girls 4-8
Satomura targets the arm and throws some uppercuts to start. Spinning Buzzsaw Kick by Satomura and she grabs a chin lock. Kong escapes and she throws some kicks to the chest. Saito suplexes by Kong and Satomura attempts the sleeper but Kong drives down onto Satomura to block. Kong goes up but Satomura takes her off with a high kick. Satomura goes up for a Frog Splash but KONG GETS THE LEGS UP WHICH TURNS SATOMURA INSIDE OUT UPON IMPACT!!!!!!! They head to the floor and Kong drills Satomura with a chair. Another chair shot from Kong and she goes for a lariat but misses and nails the post. Back in, they trade blows and Satomura throws a high kill. Kong DRILLS Satomura with a slap and Satomura comes back with a spinning heel kick. Kicks to the chest by Satomura but Kong cuts her off with a back fist. Brainbuster by Kong and they head back to the floor. Kong drills Satomura in the head with a piece of railing and they begin to brawl in the crowd. Running clothesline by Kong and she hits a Brainbuster onto the railing!!! Back in, Kong goes up and goes for the diving elbow but Satomura catches her in the cross arm breaker!!!! Kong rolls to the ropes to break and Satomura hits a cartwheel knee drop. Pele by Satomura but Kong answers back with a back fist. Another pele by Satomura and both women are down. DVD by Satomura but Kong answers right back with a Brainbuster!!!! Back fist by Kong gets 1 and Satomura hits another DVD for 1!!! Scorpio Rising by Satomura gets 2. DVD by Kong and she throws a back fist for 2!!! Kong puts Satomura on top and follows up. Satomura catches Kong with an Axe Kick and she hits Scorpion Rising for 3!!!
Winner and Still Sendai Girls World Champion- Meiko Satomura ****1/4 ( Damn, Aja Kong is still a beast after all these years. Brutally stiff match, both ladies were not shy about beating the ever loving crap out of each other and going the extra mile such as with the bump off the blocked frog splash which will go down as one of the best spots of the year. A great war of attrition and a real hidden gem of a match in the wake of all the happens of WrestleMania weekend. )

IWGP Intercontinental Championship- Kenny Omega © vs. Michael Elgin from NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4-27
Omega hammers away to start and he pokes the eye of Elgin. Power slam by Elgin and he hits a delayed suplex. Elgin works over Omega on the floor and Omega tries to use a ladder but Elgin blocks by ramming Omega against the railings using the same ladder. Omega dropkicks the ladder against Elgin and he hits a pile driver onto a trash can on the floor!!! Back in, Omega hits a fireman’s carry roll into a Lionsault. Omega grabs a chin lock and when Elgin attempts to fight out, Omega rakes his face across the ropes. Omega dropkicks the leg of Elgin and he hits the wheelbarrow bulldog. Summsault plancha to the floor by Omega!!! Omega sets up a table on the floor and he goes for a back suplex but Elgin blocks. Elgin catches Omega with a slingshot shoulder block and he hits some lariats in the corner. Press into a power slam by Elgin gets 2. Omega rakes the eyes and Elgin catches him with an enzuigiri, knocking Omega to the floor. Elgin goes for the dead lift super plex but Omega blocks and he sweeps the legs of Elgin, sending him crashing to the mat. Omega catches Elgin with a high kick from the apron and he goes up. Elgin catches a cross body attempt and he hits an inverted Bossman Slam for 2. Super kick by Omega and Elgin comes back with an enzuigiri. Elgin throws some lariats and he catches Omega with a bicycle kick. Bicycle knee by Omega and he hits a snap Dragon suplex. Gut wrench sit-out power bomb by Omega gets 2. Rolling elbow by Elgin and they trade counters until Elgin drills Omega with a lariat!!! Deadlift Falcon Arrow by Elgin gets 2!!! Elgin blocks a hurricanrana and he POWERBOMBS OMEGA THROGUH THE TABLE ON THE FLOOR!!!! Back in, Elgin covers for 2. Elgin goes up but Omega follows up. Elgin fights him off and he misses a corkscrew senton off the top. Buckle Bomb by Elgin and he goes for the Elgin Bomb but Omega counters with a reverse hurricanrana. Rolling elbow by Elgin but Omega comes back with another reverse hurricanrana. Lariat by Elgin and he hits a powerbomb for 2!!! Buckle Bomb by Elgin but Omega comes back with two knee strikes for 2!!! Another running knee strike by Omega and he hits One Winged Angel for 3!!!
Winner and Still IWGP Intercontinental Champion- Kenny Omega **** ( The use of the weapons early really didn’t fit with the body of the mat and made me think we just going to get a wacky brawl. However, the remainder of the match was an excellent back and forth contest and the way they used the table that was set up during the earlier brawl made up for the questionable start to the match. The final stretch got the crowd buying into a potential Elgin upset and both men did a great job in their first big stage in New Japan. )

Best of the Best Finals- Jonathan Gresham vs. David Starr from CZW Best of the Best 15
Gresham stalls to start and eventually, he decides to come in and he grapples with Starr. Gresham attempts to work the arm but Starr catches him in a head scissors to end that. Gresham escapes and gets a crucifix for 2. Starr targets the arm and Gresham catches him with a dropkick. They trade slaps and Starr trips up Gresham. Starr works a side head lock and Gresham backs him to the ropes to force a break. Starr goes to tie his boots so Gresham catches him with a basement dropkick. Gresham kicks the elbow of Starr and he goes back to work on that arm. Chop to the GROIN by Gresham and he catches Starr with a dropkick. Starr fires back and he hiptosses Gresham before throwing a pelvic thrust in retaliation from before. Gresham begins to work the leg of Starr but Starr quickly goes to the ropes to block. Gresham throws some chops but Starr answers back with one of his own. They go up and Starr hits a superplex and he goes to roll Gresham into a suplex to the floor but Gresham holds on, sending Starr crashing down with him!!! Gresham tosses Starr into the railings and he hits the Olay kick against the railings. Starr fires back with a hard forearm but Gresham returns with a Yakuza kick. Back suplex onto the railings by Starr and he dumps Gresham into the front row. SUICIDE DIVE INTO THE FRONT ROW BY STARR!!!!! Rapid head butts to the chest by Starr but Gresham comes back with a drop toe hold into the railings. Gresham hits a pile driver onto the floor and he throws the ref back in to begin the count-out process. Starr is able to make it back in!!! Gresham hammers Starr on the mat and he grabs a sleeper. Starr runs into the corner to break and he catches Gresham with a shot gun dropkick. Starr puts him on top and throws rapid chops before following up. Super gut buster by Starr and he hits a rolling elbow to the back of the head. Gresham hits some double stomps to the leg and he grabs the Figure-4!!! Starr makes the ropes to break. Gresham goes up for the 450 splash but it eats knees. Gresham backdrops Starr to the floor and he hits a moonsault press off the apron. Back in, Gresham hits the 450 splash for 2!!! Sleeper by Gresham but Starr breaks with a Saito suplex. Release German suplex by Gresham but Starr answers back with a lariat!!! Brainbuster by Gresham gets 1!!! Brainbuster on the knee by Starr and he hits a basement super kick for 2!!! Starr goes up but Gresham shoves the ref into the ropes, bringing Starr down. Starr catches Gresham with a small package for 2 and Gresham goes back to the Figure-4. Starr taps!!!!
Winner of Best of the Best 15- Jonathan Gresham **** ( This was one hell of a match from a promotion not known for its’ in-ring quality. I was super impressed with Gresham, who has developed a cool hybrid of old school heel tendencies with flashy new age offense, and he drew legit heat throughout the match. I loved how the match progressively got more physical and intense, culminating in a hot final stretch with Starr showing great resiliency but Gresham would not be denied. )

10.0

The final score: review Virtually Perfect

The 411

One of the greatest months of wrestling that you will ever see. Without a doubt, this was the strongest WrestleMania weekend in history, as all the promotions that were in Dallas put on their A games. EVOLVE had maybe the best weekend in the company's history, ROH put on some strong shows, NXT was fantastic, it was just an all around great weekend in spite of WrestleMania itself not living up to expectations. The hype and buzz coming off the weekend seemed to have motivated other promotions too, as in the following weeks New Japan, CZW, Sendai Girls, and Dragon Gate were putting their best foot forward and put on some great shows and matches. It was another loaded month where there is still a ton that I need to catch up on. Wrestling felt hot again coming off of this month and you hope the early summer months carry that moment as we now move toward tournament season for New Japan and the WWE.