wrestling / Video Reviews

Views from the Hawke’s Nest: NJPW 2015 Blog #1

February 16, 2015 | Posted by TJ Hawke

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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: NJPW 2015 Blog #1

I think I’m going to cover NJPW in 2015 similar to the (very popular~!) manner in which I covered it in 2014. I’m going to do full show reviews of 1/4, Invasion Attack, The G1 Climax Finals, and King of Pro Wrestling. I’m going to cover the rest of the televised shows in a series of “blogs” (for wont of a better word). The G1 Climax shows will have their own separate series of blogs. Why? #Branding. #Marketing. What can I say? Brad Ward has influenced my decision-making process in ways I could have never imagined. If there are matches that I fail to cover that you think were really good, just shoot me a recommendation in the comments.

NJPW Presents CMLL Fantasticamania Tour

January 18, 2015

KUSHIDA & Triton vs. El Barbaro Cavernario & OKUMURA

Against my better instincts, I’ve started to dabble in lucha for the past few months. It’s not a style that caters to my tastes, but I’m all about trying new things. One of the more celebrated luchadors at the moment is Cavernario. So, I’m going to watch both of his Fantasticmania matches.

There were some very fun interactions early on. Triton then did a fantastic dive. The fun interactions continued in the ring. Fun. Triton busted out a springboard hurricanrana. Cavernario raised the stakes by doing his insane Superfly Splash to the floor on KUSHIDA. OKUMURA then finished Triton in the ring with a single-leg crab variation.

This really took me by surprise. I know it’s lazy to say it, but the only word to describe this match is “fun.” There was great action, and there was a surprising amount of chemistry considering these guys don’t exactly work together all the time.

Match Rating: ***1/2

January 19, 2015

Tokyo, Japan

El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Rey Cometa

These two had a much-beloved match on the 2014 CMLL Anniversary show. I never got into it too much, but they clearly have a great dynamic. I’m curious to see how (or if) it gets over in front of a NJPW audience.

Cometa kicked off the match with a wild tope suicida. The best part of lucha is that their suicide dives look suicidal. They started going at it in the ring after that. Some of the highlights included a running Canadian Destroyer from Cometa and then Cometa catching Cavernario with the C4. Cavernario came back with his own crazy tope. They did some nearfalls. Cometa hit the Lo Mein Pain and then a double-jump, corkscrew dive that he very nearly killed himself on. He owes Cavernario a drink after making that catch. Cavernario came back and hit his Superfly Splash to the floor. WHY!?!?!?! That is the most delightfully stupid move in wrestling at the moment. Back in the ring, Cavernario caught Cometa with La Cavernaria to pick up the win.

Just a wild, wild match. They just threw bombs at each other the entire time, and it was very entertaining. If you’re like me and don’t care for lucha on the whole, this might be something that you really enjoy.

Match Rating: ***3/4

The New Beginning Tour

February 1, 2015

Tokyo, Japan

reDRagon vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu

The young lions found some success early on, but RD eventually cut off Tanaka and then worked him over. Komatsu ended up making a very good hot tag. The teams started going back and forth. The action was quite fun. RD eventually finished Tanaka with the Chasing the Dragon.

I found this to be so much more enjoyable than either of the title defenses RD has had on NJPW PPV so far. They kept the match simple, but it worked in the match’s favor. I would love to see these two teams go all out on a PPV for NJPW (or ROH for that matter).

Match Rating: ***

February 11, 2015

Osaka, Japan

Kota Ibushi vs. Tomoaki Honma

They struggled for control early on. Honma seemingly got it and even managed to hit the running headbutt! He planted Ibushi with a brainbuster for a nearfall. Ibushi fought back after a Pele. They traded forearms. Honma hit a series of movez in a row, but he could not put Ibushi away. Ibushi finally killed his momentum with a lariat: 1….NO! High kick! Liger Bomb: 1…2…NO! Phoenix Splash: 1…2…3

Honma did not follow the Code of Honor and slapped Kota instead. Honma being sick of losing is good for his character.

This was a perfectly-fun midcard match. They held back a bit to keep this match from being anything special, but I was entertained all the way through. Hopefully, these two keep getting singles matches on PPVs this year; they are two of my favorites. In fact, I would love to see more random singles pairings on the NJPW PPVs going forward.

Match Rating: ***1/2

reDRagon(c) (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) [IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships]

Much like the match at 1/4, this took a while to get going with nothing a significance really happening for a while. The champs worked over KUSHIDA for the obligatory heat segment. The Bucks then worked over KUSHIDA. Shelley eventually made a hot tag. The match broke down. There were some dives. They all started going back and forth in the ring. KUSHIDA ate The Indytaker, but he was saved from defeat. The Bucks then finished KUSHIDA with More Bang For Your Buck.

I’m having trouble articulating why I don’t get into these multi-team juniors tag matches. I shall do my best to try though. The first third of the match feels meandering and obligatory. The heat segment is never particularly interesting. By the time the exciting action starts, I find myself no longer invested in the match.

On top of that, this division is in a perpetual state of feeling stale. They only add one new team a year, and that’s just not enough considering how often the teams do battle. On top of all that, the crowds consistently do not respond to these matches with much interest. Few of the title matches seem important. I’m probably going to start skipping the matches for this title going forward unless I hear something good about them.

Match Rating: **1/2

Meiyu Tag(c) (Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto) vs. BULLET CLUB (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) [IWGP Heavyweight Championships]

Unfortunately, the result of this match was spoiled for me. I’m completely baffled by the result, and it may affect my mood while I watch it. I’m trying to give a chance though.

The challengers cut off Goto fairly early and then worked him over. Shibata made a mildly effective hot tag. The Club seemingly got control again. The champs fought back. They did their stereo corner attack spot. Goto and Anderson did the first sequence of the match that I thoroughly enjoyed. Gallows then followed that up with a great Liger Bomb on Shibata. That was the best thing I’ve seen Gallows do in NJPW. Anderson then saved Gallows from the sleeper. Gun Stun for Goto. Shibata did a fantastic counter to avoid the Tornado-plex. He fired back on both of them before eating a superkick/Gun Stun combo. Tornado-plex: 1…2…3

The final few minutes really took me by surprised and reminded me of the tone of their match at 1/4. If they would have cut out a lot of fat in this one, it would have been much better. It still turned into a solid-enough match.

Now, onto the booking. Get the fuck out of here with this one. Gallows and Anderson were given a year to carry the division, and they failed to be interesting 99% of the time. While Shibata and Goto are not a great team yet by any stretch of the imagination, they have such a higher ceiling as a team. We do not yet know what they’re fully capable of as a team. We know what Gallows and Anderson bring to the table right now: nothing. Awful decision.

Match Rating: ***

Hiroshi Tanahashi(c) vs. AJ Styles [IWGP Heavyweight Championship]

I really want neither man to be the champ. I would prefer for it to be Tanahashi though if I had to pick. As for the match, I’m not optimistic. I find both of their 2014 matches to be distinctly average when they were put in positions to be anything but. Let’s hope the third time is the charm.

They really paid a great amount of respect to the feeling-out process. They worship the feeling-out process. FINALLY, things picked up when AJ avoided a rolling senton off the apron. The Bullet Club attacked Tanahashi, and AJ then went after his injured back in the ring. Tanahashi started to fight back. He gave the entire Bullet Club a High Fly Flow to the floor. Tanahashi got a nasty cut above an eye. A replay showed he bumped heads with Matt Jackson on the High Fly Flow. They started going back and forth in the ring after that. AJ distracted the ref to hit a low blow. Tanahashi gave him a low blow as revenge. They traded strikes. AJ blocked the first High Fly Flow attempt (in the ring that is). Tanahashi then blocked the springboard 450. Tanahashi tried to reverse a Frankensteiner into an avalanche Styles Clash, which got the crowd really excited. AJ avoided it and hit a Pele. Tanahashi avoided two Styles Clashes before suffering the Hollow Point. BLOODY SUNDAY! Styles Clash: 1…2…3?

I’ll talk about the actual match first, because it’s not nearly as relevant as the result. Beyond a few sequences, I was bored all the way through. The opening feeling-out process went on far too long and accomplished nothing but make the match longer. The heat was all about AJ working over Tanahashi’s back. This went nowhere as AJ didn’t go after the back down the stretch, and Tanahashi stopped selling it during the comeback/finishing stretch. By this point in the match, my interest was gone. The finishing stretch had a great moment where Tanahashi teased an avalanche Styles Clash, and Tanahashi desperately avoiding the Styles Clash before eating the Hollow Point was also very well-done. A few great moments in the final minutes are just not enough for me though when the first eighty percent of a match is as boring/unsatisfying as it was here. I do not understand the appeal of this match at all.

As for the booking…c’mon, NJPW. You tried this last year. It sucked. AJ’s world title matches in 2014 (the few times they happened) completely paled in comparison to the standard set in 2013 by Tanahashi and Okada. The Bullet Club dominance last year was one of several missteps by the company, and I was comforted at the end of the year to see them take a step back away from the spotlight. To see them go right back to that is very discouraging.

Match Rating: *1/4

February 14, 2015

Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Jushin Liger(c) vs. Chase Owens (w/ Bruce Tharpe) [NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship]

All back and forth action for a while. Tharpe saved Owens from a plancha. That gave Owens an opportunity to cut off Liger. Owens was in control for a while. Owens tried to get the package piledriver, but Liger kept avoiding it. Liger eventually caught him with a pinning combination to successfully retain the title.

Liger set up a title match with Tiger Mask after the match.

This was a fun little match. The NWA relationship is finally starting to consistently contribute to NJPW. They provide great variety on the undercards. Plus, Bruce Tharpe is amazing.

Match Rating: **3/4

Rob Conway(c) (w/ Bruce Tharpe) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [NWA World Heavyweight Championship]

Bruce Tharpe changed his jacket between matches, because he is the GOAT. Conway’s Randy Savage cosplaying is stupid.

Conway and Tharpe used multiple nefarious tactics against Tenzan early on. A poke to the eye seemed to definitively get Conway the advantage. Tenzan eventually made a comeback. He was running through all of his trademarked movez. A timely Bruce Tharpe interference spot allowed Conway to hit Tenzan with the belt: 1…2…NO! Tenzan came back with Total Anarchy: 1…2…NO! Tenzan called for the moonsault. Tharpe tried to interfere, but Tenzan gave him multiple headbutts! MOONSAULT: 1…2…3!

I thought this match might have a little more magic to it, but the crowd took a real long time to care about it. Damn you people who said this match overdelivered!

Match Rating: **3/4

Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii [NEVER Openweight Championship]

Makabe missed the show and was forced to vacate the belt. Honma qualifies for a shot at the NEVER Championship for NEVER winning any singles matches.

Ishii got control after a few minutes. They did a lengthy chop exchange that Honma managed to actually win. Ishii got control right after that though. Honma hit a blockbuster for a nearfall. Ishii got control again. Honma caught him with a DDT that somehow injured Ishii’s shoulder. Honma made a big comeback. Oh gawd…he’s going for the headbutt to the floor. HE HIT IT! Goddamn, that looks like it sucks. Honma had all the momentum until Ishii caught him with a Saito suplex. Ishii started throwing bombs at Honma. LEAPING HEADBUTT FROM HONMA! Massive brainbuster from Honma: 1…2…NO! Honma went for the headbutt, but Ishii avoided it. They kept battling until they both collapsed. NASTY HEADBUTT FROM HONMA TO THE HEAD OF ISHII WHAT THE FUCK. Ishii fought right back though and hit the Ishii Driller: 1…2…3

I dug this match quite a bit. Ishii was consistently in control, but Honma repeated comebacks kept me on my toes as I didn’t know when the match was going to go to the finishing stretch. These two have tremendous chemistry, and Honma’s underdog status allows Ishii to control a match rather than working from behind. This is how I like my Ishii matches.

Match Rating: ***3/4

Shinsuke Nakamura(c) vs. Yuji Nagata [IWGP Intercontinental Championship]

This is Nagata’s biggest singles match in a while. Still bummed he didn’t get a shot at Okada in 2013.

This match feels like a big deal. Both guys were hesitant at the start. Nagata started going after the left arm and got the advantage doing so. They ended up on the floor, and Nakamura quickly cut Nagata off. Nagata fought back, and they then did a forearm exchange. I’m convinced that it will one day come out that the yakuza fine anyone in NJPW if they don’t do a forearm exchange in their match. Nagata then won a much more interesting slap exchange. Nagata had a couple of nearfalls by this point that did not mean much. Nakamura hit a Boma Ye to the back of the head to end Nagata’s momentum. Nakamura fought back and hit a sliding Boma Ye for a nearfall. Nagata came back and got the armbar! Nakamura got to the ropes. They went back and forth for a bit until Nakamura caught him with a leaping Boma Ye: 1…2…3

This match was enjoyable but really nothing special at all. It was reminiscent of the Nakamura/Shibata match from Power Struggle last year where you felt like Nakamura just wasn’t putting in a main event effort in. Nakamura will have these performances (like at 1/4 this year) where you think he’s the best wrestler in the world. Then he’ll go months without working that way at all. Nagata seemed game, but Nakamura did not match his intensity or effort.

Match Rating: ***

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

The post-1/4 stretch for NJPW is feeling similar to the post-Wrestlemania slump that WWE usually goes through. While there were a couple of nice matches here and there, it's hard not to be underwhelmed by the current direction. The Bullet Club was original an nWo parody that became a very real Main Event Mafia that seemed cynically designed to just sell as many t-shirts as possible (to the point where US indie wrestlers blatantly copy their design for their own shirts). The idea of this group becoming the Main Event Mafia again is hysterically awful to me, and I'm having trouble understanding why NJPW thinks it's a good idea. It's one thing to experiment with this idea once, but to do it again when it was so boring the first time? That's just arrogant. Anyway, recommend matches that I skipped so far in the comments. I don't want to miss any gems.

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