From The Shelf- NJPW Resolution 2009

NJPW Resolution 2009
4-5-2009
Tokyo, Japan

Kazuchika Okada vs. Koji Kanemoto
Wow, young Okada in the opening match as a skinny job boy compared to where he is now is a crazy sight. They trade forearms to start and Kanemoto hits a kick to the chest. He hammers Okada on the mat with forearms and Okada comes back with a dropkick forcing Kanemoto to bail. Back in, Okada catches him in a rear naked choke but Kanemoto escapes. He goes for the leg of Okada but kada goes to the ropes to prevent a submission hold. They trade slaps and Kanemoto charges in the corner but eats boots. Okada misses a dropkick and Kanemoto kicks him in the back. Kanemoto toys with him in the corner and gives him some face washes. Olay kicks in the corner by Kanemoto but Okada stomps away in the corner to fight back. He gives Kanemoto some face washes but Kanemoto comes back with a spin kick to the gut and a kick to the head. They go to the floor and Kanemoto gives Okada a Yakuza kick in the railings. Back in, Kanemoto slams Okada and he misses a springboard corkscrew senton. Chops by Okada and he dropkicks Kanemoto. Clothesline by Okada gets 2. He goes up but Kanemoto stops him and follows up. Kanemoto goes for a super Tiger Suplex but Okada blocks. Flying clothesline opff the top by Okada gets 2. Forearms by Okada and he goes up. Missile dropkick by Okada gets 2. STO by Okada gets 2. A second STO by Okada gets 2. Okada slaps away but Kanemoto returns the favor and he hits a kick to the head. He hits a straight right on Okada and he is KO’ed!!! The ref stops the match.
Winner- Koji Kanemoto *** ( This was excellent for an opener. Kanemoto was an awesome bully, just brutalizing young Okada and acting like a complete dick while doing it. Okada showed great potential in this match, potential that was soon reach and exceeded just a few years later. )

Great Bash Heel (Tomohiro Ishii, Jado, and Tomoaki Honma) vs. Wataru Inoue, Milano Collection AT, and Taichi Ishikari
Honma and Inoue start. Honma wants no part of him so he tags Ishii. They trade chops afollowed by an exchange of forearms. Inoue overpowers Ishii and tags Ishikari who hits a slam. Tag by Honma and he works over Ishikari. Honma stomps away in the corner and tags Jado. Tag to AT and he chops away on Jado. Jado blocks a wheelbarrow roll-up for 2 and AT locks Jado in the Octopus. Jado makes the ropes to break and AT ties Jado up in the ropes. He goes for a basement dropkick but Honma pulls him to the floor and brawls with him in the crowd. Honma drives a chair into AT and back in, Jado stomps away on Ishikari. Jado chops away on AT in the corner and tags Ishii. Snap mare and Ishii rakes the face of AT. Tag to Honma and he bites the head of AT in the corner. Punches in the corner by Honma and he tags Ishii. They overpower AT and Ishii goes for a Brainbuster but AT escapes. Enzuigiri by AT and he tags Inoue who cleans house. Ishii attacks from behind to break that up but Inoue catches him with a Spear. Double underhook faceplant by Inoue gets 2. He trades forearms with Ishii and Ishii hits an enzuigiri. Spear by Inoue again and he tags Ishikara who hits a hurricanrana. Dropkick to the back of Honma in the corner and the babyfaces all charge at Honma in the corner. Basement superkick by Ishikar gets 2 as Ishii and Jado save. Hurricanrana by Ishikara gets 2. Clothesline by Honma and he hits a slam. Honma goes up and hits a diving head butt for 3.
Winners- Great Bash Heel **3/4 ( Fun six man tag. They didn’t do anything extraordinary but the action was solid and the crowd was into it so it was perfect for its placement on the card. )

Legend (Masahiro Chono, Jushin Liger, and AKIRA) vs. Riki Choshu, Super Strong Machine, and El Samurai
Chono and Choshu start. Chono stomps away on Choshu in the corner and Choshu bails. Lariat by Choshu and Chono bails. Back in, Strong Machine tags in and he snap mares Chono. Strong Machine goes for the STF but AKIRA saves. Chono and AKIRA overpower Strong Machine but Strong Machine takes AKIRA down and works over his left leg. Tag to Samurai and he stomps away. AKIRA comes back with a dropkick and he tags Liger. Samurai knocks Liger to the floor and he hits a suicide dive to the floor. Back in, Samurai stomps away and he tags Choshu. Back elbow by Choshu and he hits a
Brainbuster. Tag to Chono and his team all work over Choshu in the corner. Tag to Samurai and AKIRA. Rights by Samurai and Strong Machine Tags in. Corner clothesline by Strong Machine and he hits a DDT for 2. Dropkick to the leg by AKIRA and he hits some forearms. Strong Machine comes back with a clothesline to him and Liger and Samurai comes off the top with a missile dropkick. Lariat by Choshu and Strong Machine hits a back senton for 2 as Chono saves. Tag to Samurai and he gets an inside cradle for 2. Small package gets 2 and AKIRA comes back with a flying forearm for 2 as Strong Machine saves. Enzuigiri to Strong Machine but he misses one on Strong Machine. Reverse DDT by Samurai and he goes up. Diving Headbutt to AKIRA and he grabs the Kimura but Liger saves. AKIRA escapes a suuplex and hits an enzuigiri. Shining Wizard by Chono and AKIRA goes up. Flying splash off the top by AKIRA gets 3.
Winners- Legend **1/4 ( Not bad for a legends showcase. All six guys went out there and did there thing and didn’t embarrass themselves so this was good for what it was supposed to be. Samurai and AKIRA had some good exchanges and could probably still work a good singles match if given the chance. )

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship- Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) © vs. Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi)
Sabin and Devitt start. Both men battle for control early and they reach a stand still. Tag to Shelley and Taguchi. Arm drag and a dropkick by Taguchi forces Shelley to bail. Springboard crossbody to the floor by Taguchi and in the ring, Sabin misses an enzuigiri on Devitt. Sabin and Devitt dive onto Shelley and Taguchi on the floor!!! Back in, Taguchi rolls through a sunset flip and hits a basement dropkick into a Devitt double stomp for 2 on Shelley. Chinlock by Taguchi and he hits a sit-out hiptoss for 2. Tag to Devitt and Sabin gets the blind tag, allowing him to dropkick Devitt into a DDT from Shelley. Sabin covers for 2 and he throws some jabs at Devitt. Tag to Shelley and the Guns double team Devitt leading to a basement dropkick from Sabin for 2. Back suplex by Shelley and he grabs the bow and arrow on Devitt. Tag to Sabin and he charges in the corner but eats boot. Leg lariat by Sabin gets 2. Tag to Shelley and he hits a slingshot elbow drop. Hilo by Sabin and Shelley covers for 2 as Taguchi saves. The Guns collide in the corner and Devitt gets the O’Connor roll on Sabin for 2. Enzuigiri to the back of Shelley and he hits a springboard dropkick to Sabin. Tag to Taguchi and he cleans house. He puts Sabin on top and follows up. Superplex by Taguchi and he rolls through into a suplex followed by a Brainbuster for 2. Springboard dropkick by Taguchi and he goes for a Tiger suplex but Sabin blocks. Knee to the gut by Sabin and the Guns hit the aided swinging neckbreaker for 2 as Devitt saves. Sabin leaps off of Shelley’s back and knocks Devitt off the apron with a dropkick. The Guns dive on Taguchi in the corner and they hit Thunder Express for 2!!! Sabin goes up but Devitt knocks Sabin off with a dropkick. Victory roll by Taguchi to Shelley gets 2. Straight Jacket German suplex by Taguchi gets 2. Slam by Taguchi and Devitt goes up. Double stomp off the top by Devitt and Apollo 55 hit Black Hole Vacation for 2 as Sabin saves!!! Apollo 55 dive on Shelley in the corner and Sabin catches Devitt with a springboard clothesline. Air Raid Crash by Shelley to Tagucihi and Sabin hits a slingshot pescado to Taguchi on the floor. Devitt blocks Sliced Bread #2 and hits the Pele to Shelley. Gut buster by Devitt gets 2 as Sabin saves!!! Acr Crusher by Sabin to Devitt and the Guns hit the enzuigiri/superkick combo for 2!!! The Guns put Devitt on top and hit Made in Detroit for 3!!!
Winners and Still IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions- Motor City Machine Guns **** ( This was just a great tag team match. Awesome team sequences combined with hot actions and some incredible high flying and this lived up to expectations. I miss the Motor City Machine Guns so much. )

Mask vs. Mask Match for IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship- Tiger Mask IV © vs. Black Tiger
Both men look for control early and Black Tiger grabs a chinlock. Mask breaks and they go to the test of strength. Mask goes for a spin kick but Tiger blocks and the kick accidently hits the ref. This allows Tiger to go low on Mask and he hits a basement dropkick. Tiger puts Mask on top and follows up. He goes for the mask of Tiger Mask and he almost has it off but Mask is able to hold on to it. Snapmare and Tiger hits a basement dropkick. Tiger goes for the mask again but Mask is still able to hold on. Mask crotches Tiger in the ropes to regain control and he hits a second rope dropkick knocking Tiger to the floor. Suicide dive by Mask and he throws some kicks at Tiger. Tiger crotches Mask in the railings to come back and Tiger grabs a Figure-4 on the floor. Both men fail to enter the ring at the count of twenty and Tiger begins to parade with the title, thinking he has won. The ref takes the belt away and after a discussion with New Japan officials, the match is restarted!!! Mask fires away at the start of the bell and Tiger comes back with some corner clotheslines. He goes up and hits a leaping DDT off the second rope for 2. Mask goes up but Tiger follows and hits a Frankenstiner off the top for 2. Tiger suplex by Tiger gets 2. Michinoku Driver by Tiger gets 2. Wheelbarrow roll-up by Mask gets 2 and he gets a backslide for 2. Kicks to the chest by Tiger and he hits a spin kick after misses the enzuigiri. Tiger goes up but Mask stops him and follows up. They trade slaps on top and Mask hits a double underhook suplex off the top for 2. Cradle Tombstone by Mask gets 2. Crossface Chickenwing by Mask and he converts it into a release suplex. Destroy Suplex by Mask gets 3!!!
Winner and Still IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion- Tiger Mask IV **1/2 ( They tried something different with the restart gimmick as it’s rarely used in Japan but it fell flat here. The crowd didn’t care much for Tiger Mask and despite Black Tiger’s attempts to get heat the crowd was not buying their stuff. )

After the match, Black Tiger takes the mask off and it’s Rocky Romero. A new Black Tiger comes out and he lays out Tiger Mask. He takes the mask off of Tiger Mask and holds it up as his trophy.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan comes out and cuts a promo for the live crowd. I have no idea what he said.

Great Bash Heel (Karl Anderson and Giant Bernard) vs. Manabu Nakanishi and Takao Omori
Anderson and Omori start. Both men look for control early and they reach a stand still. Hip toss by Omori and Bernard tags in. Uppercuts by Omori but Bernard overpowers him to come back. Tag to Nakanishi and he and Bernard trade forearms. They try to overpower one another and Bernard wins the battle. Bernard goes for a suplex but Nakanishi blocks and reverses to his own after a struggle with Bernard. Tag to Omori and he hits some punches in the corner. Anderson saves Bernard but eats some forearms from Omori. Dropkick by Omori but he walks into a lariat from Bernard. Slam by Bernard and he tags Anderson. He stomps away and rakes the face of Omori. Tag to Bernard and he sends Omori into the exposed corner that he and Anderson set up. Omori fights back with uppercuts but Bernard sends Omori hard into the corner to regain momentum. Elbow drop by Bernard gets 2. Tag to Anderson and they ram Omori into the exposed corner again. Anderson hammers away in the corner and Bernard tags in. Swinging neckbreaker by Anderson and Bernard hits a big splash. Back senton by Anderson and Bernard hits a DDT for 2. Abdominal stretch by Bernard and Anderson tags in. Snap mare and Anderson goes to the chinlock. Omari fights out and exchanges strikes with Anderson. Back suplex by Omori and he tags Nakanishi. Chops in the corner by Nakanishi and he hits a corner clothesline. Back drop by Nakanishi and he goes up. Missile dropkick by Nakanishi gets 2. He goes for the Torture Rack but Bernard blocks. Nakanishi finally gets him up but Anderson breaks it up. Forearms by Anderson but Nakanishi returns the favor. Leg lariat by Anderson gets 2. Anderson charges in the corner but misses and Nakanishi hits a head chop. Tag to Omori and he hits a spinning heel kick. Anderson charges in the corner but eats boot and Omori hits a full nelson slam. Omori goes up and hits a knee drop off the top for 2 as Bernard saves. Release German suplex by Nakanishi to Bernard!!! High-Low by Nakanishi and Omori to Bernard. Anderson goes for a power bomb but Omori counters into the Jig-A-Tonic for 2!!! Clothesline by Bernard knocks Omori into the corner and Anderson goes for the Gun Stun but Omori blocks. Bernard goes for a power bomb but Omori backdrops out. Gun Stun by Anderson gets 3!!!
Winners- Great Bash Heel ***1/2 ( Wow, I’m surprised by how much I liked this. This was a really fun big man style match with hard hitting action and the veterans allowing Bernard and Anderson to look great in a strong win was nice to see. )

Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto
Both men battle for control early and they trade forearms. Yano rakes the eyes but Goto overpowers him to come back. Goto snaps Yano’s shoulder off the top rope and he works over the left arm of Yano. Snap mare and Goto hits a kick to the back for 2. Fujiwara arm bar by Goto but Yano gets his foot on the ropes to break. Yano rakes the eyes and goes for a suplex but Goto reverses to his own. Yano bails and Goto goes for a slingshot pescado but Yano moves out of the way. Goto sends Yano face first into the post and Yano nails Goto in the leg with a chair to come back. They brawl in the crowd and back in, Yano works over the bad leg of Goto. Yano grabs a rear toe hold but Goto makes the ropes to break. Yano slams Goto’s leg off the post a few times and Yano stomps on the bad leg. Yano grabs the half crab but Goto makes the ropes to break. Enzuigiri by Goto and he hits some forearms. Spinning heel kick misses and Yano grabs the ring bell hammer. The ref takes it away and the distraction allows Goto to hit a spinning heel kick into the corner. Corner clothesline by Goto and he goes up. Flying elbow drop by Goto gets 2. Fisherman Buster attempt is blocked by Yano and he takes Goto down by the hair. Goto catches Yano and tries to roll him into the cross arm breaker but Yano blocks with a roll-up for 2. Goto hits a German suplex for 2. Small package by Yano gets 2. Goriki by Yano gets 2. Yano goes for the powerbomb but Goto escapes and he hits a lariat. Goto charges but Yano catches him with the powerbomb for 2!!! He goes for another powerbomb but Goto rolls him into Shoryu Kekkai. Yano gives!!!
Winner- Hirooki Goto ***1/2 ( Goto’s selling off the leg was fantastic and he told a great underdog scory, overcoming Yano’s dirty tactics and catches Yano at just the right time to pull off the win. More serious Yano rather than the goofy Yano we see today is actually pretty fun to watch. )

Video package for Nagata/Iizuka airs.

Chain Death Match- Takashi Iizuka w/Great Bash Heel vs. Yuji Nagata
Last man standing rules apply here. Iizuka attacks Nagata at the bell and they go to the floor where Iizuka sends Nagata into the post. Iizuka chokes Nagata with the chain and the ref finally gets the chain strapped to Iizuka. Nagata is busted open already and Iizuka heads back out to hit Nagata with the chain a few times. Iizuka sends Nagata into the post and back in, Iizuka charges in the corner but eats boot. Nagata wraps the chain around the neck of Iizuka and Nagata grabs a hanging head scissors using the chain!!! Kicks to the back by Nagata he hits some forearms. Iizuka fights back with head butts but Nagata replies with some of his own. Crossface by Nagata and he releases to throw more kicks at Iizuka. Iizuka fights back with rights and they trade slaps. Nagata wins that battle and Iizuka catches Nagata with a clothesline using the chain to finally stop the momentum. They go to the floor and Iizuka drives a chair into the head of Nagata. Iizuka bites the head of Nagata and back in; Iizuka rams Nagata’s head into the exposed corner a few times. Iizuka hammers the cut of Nagata and he droves the chain into the open wound. Exploder suplex by Iizuka and he covers but there is no pin fall in the match. Iizuka bites the head of Nagata in the corner and he strangles Nagata with the chain. Sleeper by Iizuka but Nagata powers out and drives Iizuka’s arm into his shoulder. Corner knee strikes by Nagata and he hammers away on Iizuka in the corner. Iizuka is now busted open as Nagata throws some kicks at him. Iizuka bails to the floor so Nagata pulls the chain sending Iizuka into the ring post. Fujiwara arm bar on the apron by Nagata but Iizuka fights out of it. Nagata uses the chain to pull Iizuka back into the ring and Nagata throws some more kicks at Iizuka. Nagata slams Iizuka’s arm off his shoulder again and Nagata goes for the cross arm breaker. Iizuka bites the leg of Nagata to break and he hammers Nagata on the mat. Iizuka goes to choke Nagata with the chain but Nagata blocks with a Saito suplex. Brainbuster by Nagata and he hits a high kick on Iizuka. The ref begins the count and Iizuka is up at 8. Nagata throws some kicks and he grabs the Fujiwara arm bar. Tomohiro Ishii enters the ring and Nagata fights him off. The distraction allows Iizuka to pull out his spiked glove and he nails Nagata with it!!! Iizuka dumps Nagata to the apron and he wraps the chain around Nagata. Iizuka hangs Nagata with it but Nagata starts to power himself up. Ishii chops blocks Nagata, allowing Iizuka to continue hanging Nagata!!! Nagata passes out and the ref is forced to stop the match!!!
Winner- Takashi Iizuka **** ( This was an excellent brawl. Both men incorporated and used the chain throughout the course of the match as a weapon which I love to see and they beat the crap out each other so the intense feeling of hatred came through their strikes. This was an excellent use of a rare stipulation in New Japan. )

Video package for Nakamura/Makabe airs.

Togi Makabe w/Great Bash Heel vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Nakamura with short tights is a weird sight compared to today. Makabe attacks Nakamura during his entrance and hits a clothesline on the ramp. They trade forearms and Nakamura hits a dropkick. They finally enter the ring and Makabe hits a clothesline. High kick by Nakamura and he hits a knee lift. Nakamura throws some kicks to the chest of Makabe in the corner and he snap mares Makabe into a knee drop for 2. Forearms by Makabe and Nakamura hits a knee to the midsection. Nakamura stomps away and he throws some kicks at the leg of Makabe. Chinlock by Nakamura and Makabe gets his foot on the ropes to break. Guillotine Choke by Nakamura and he converts it into a cover for 2. Kicks to the chest by Nakamura and he throws some forearms at Makabe. Makabe fights back with rights but another kick by Nakamura ends that. Corner knee strike by Nakamura and he throws another knee at Makabe for 2. Kick to the chest by Nakamura and he slams Makabe for 2. Saito suplex by Nakamura gets 2. Lariat by Makabe and both men are down. Rights by Makabe and Nakamura charges in the corner but eats boot. Clotheslines by Makabe and he hits a powerslam for 2. DVD by Makabe gets 2. Spinning heel kick by Nakamura and they both go for lariats with neither getting the upperhand. Release back suplex by Nakamura and he hits the Tiger Suplex for 2. Nakamura puts Makabe on top and follows up. Makabe goes for a sunset flip powerbomb but Nakamura blocks. Makabe hits the hanging German suplex off the top. King Kong Knee Drop misses and Nakamura charges in the corner but accidently collides with the ref. Kicks to the chest by Nakamura and Honma nails Nakamura in the back with a chair, allowing Makabe to hit a lariat. Makabe goes to use the chair but Yano takes the chair away and HE NAILS MAKABE WITH IT!!!! Nakamura hits the Landslide for 3!!! After the match, Nakamura and Yano lay out Honma and Makabe and they formed an alliance. This would lead to the formation of the group CHAOS which still exists today.
Winner- Shinsuke Nakamura ***1/4 ( These guys had a solid match but they were left to die after the chain match. The crowd heat wasn’t there and the match was a bit too one sided for Nakamura for the majority for my tastes. The Yano turn was a cool moment though. )

Video package for Tanahashi/Angle airs.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship- Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Kurt Angle
Angle looks for control on the mat early and Tanahashi grabs the ropes to stop him. Tanahashi grabs a headlock and prevents every attempt by Angle to break the hold. Angle finally escapes and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Suplex by Angle gets 2. Shoulders to the gut in the corner by Angle and he hits a backbreaker for 2. Chinlock by Angle and he places his knee into the back of Tanahashi. Tanahashi fights out so Angle hits a knee to the gut for 2. Uppercuts by Angle and they collide mid-ring, taking both men down. They exchange uppercuts and Tanahashi ends that with a back elbow. Flying forearm by Tanahashi and he hits an elbow drop. Summersault senton by Tanahashi gets 2. Slam by Tanahashi and he goes to the second rope. Summersault senton off the second rope by Tanahashi gets 2. Angle rakes the eyes and he goes to dump Tanahashi but he skins the cat. Slingblade by Tanahashi and he goes for another flying forearm but misses. Angle Slam is countered into an arm drag and Tanahashi hits an enzuigiri. Slam by Tanahashi and he goes up. Angle runs up and hits a Super Angle Slam for 2!!!! Rolling German suplexes by Angle but Tanahashi counters into the release Dragon suplex. Tanahashi goes up and he misses High Fly Low. Angle Slam by Angle gets 2!!! Ankle Lock by Angle and he holds on despite Tanahashi’s attempts to break!!! Tanahashi counters into the dragon screw leg sweep and he grabs the Texas Cloverleaf. Angle counters back into the Ankle Lock but Tanahashi counters into a wheelbarrow roll-up for 2!!! Tanahashi escapes an Angle Slam attempt and he catches Angle with the Slingblade for 2. Tanahashi goes up but Angle runs up. Tanahashi knocks him off the top and hits the crossbody off the top. Tanahashi goes back up and hits the High Fly Low!!! He goes up again and hits a second High Fly Low for 3!!! During the post-match victory ceremony, Goto and Tanahashi have a stare down.
Winner and Still IWGP Heavyweight Champion- Hiroshi Tanahashi ***1/2 ( They were pressed for time here but even in fifth teen minutes they had as good a match as you could imagine these two having. Give this match more time to build up to the final stretch and you probably have a classic on your hands. )

The 411: While not even close to the level of shows that NJPW has put out between 2012-2014, this was a damn fun show. The Jr. Tag Title match and Chain match are awesome and everything after the intermission ranged from really good to great. This show is a breeze to sit through and it's worth your time to watch it, especially if your intrigued by the only match between Tanahashi and Angle. You'll get what you bargained for and more.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]