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Zen Arcade Reviews: A Bunch of NJPW Matches I Decided To Watch

February 19, 2017 | Posted by Jake St-Pierre
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Zen Arcade Reviews: A Bunch of NJPW Matches I Decided To Watch  

Follow my Twitter @JakeStPierre411. It contains nothing of value, nothing you’ll want, but I’m still okay at reviewing wrestling and my ongoing attempt to put it into 140 characters is going real great.

I have no idea why I’m doing this review, quite frankly. As I write this, Wrestle Kingdom is very much on the horizon and has a very interesting main event of Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada, and I’ve not been very good about watching New Japan this year. I know the general storylines and who’s who, and why they’re there, but I haven’t seen much. So logic would dictate I’d just watch a bunch 2016 matches and put it out there, right? Nope. I’m just watching a bunch of random matches that have no storyline thread between them. I just picked matches I wanted to either A) watch again or B) watch for the first time because I suck at being a wrestling fan. I didn’t really discriminate between participants or dates. So if I miss your favorite New Japan match, I’ll probably do another edition of this somewhere down the line when I have extra time (i.e. no child because my parents love having a grandchild). So without further ado…

IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Kota Ibushi
Wrestle Kingdom 9. This is one of those matches I’ve never heard a single bad thing about, and despite my many attempts to watch it, it’s never really done much for me. I don’t know why, and I can’t really nail down any justification for it, so maybe it’s like that pesky critically acclaimed album that never quite clicked with me. But I tend to think more about wrestling matches when I’m reviewing them, so maybe it’ll all finally come together.

They start a bit tentatively, and Shinsuke starts by checking a few Ibushi leg kicks. Nakamura engages with a clinch, but Ibushi backs to the ropes which forces Shinsuke to break… only for Ibushi to cheap-shot him. That draws Nakamura’s ire, and the action speeds up a bit before they stand off. Shinsuke feigns a handshake and attempts Bomaye, but Ibushi dodges and puts the IC Champ in the corner for a shimmying boot! Nakamura ain’t happy about that, so he puts Ibushi in the corner himself and shows him how it’s done before setting him on the top rope for the running knee to the gut. Nakamura slithers outside, draping Ibushi over the apron for a running knee and a knee drop that plants the challenger on the floor. Ibushi makes it back to the ring, but in a worse way than he left it, meeting Nakamura just in time for some stretching. Ibushi is still defiant in fighting back, but Shinsuke brushes off a few stiff forearms from him before knocking him on his ass. Shinsuke toys with him some more, which pisses Ibushi off…only for Nakamura to hit a Backstabber. He looks for the inverted Exploder, but Ibushi flips out and sends the champ out of the ring for a HUGE LEAPING MOONSAULT FROM THE TOP ROPE! Ibushi rolls Shinsuke back in the ring for a springboard missile dropkick, followed by a barrage of kicks and a standing Shooting Star that flusters Swagsuke. Ibushi tries a springboard move once more, but Nakamura dropkicks him out of midair. Shinsuke builds some momentum, hitting a gordbuster and combination of knees to a grounded Ibushi, who fights back as Nakamura ascends the top rope. Nakamura fights back and sends Ibushi to the apron, only for Ibushi to SPRINGBOARD IN WITH A SUPER FRANKENSTEINER! Ibushi follows with a snap Dragon Suplex and a standing corkscrew moonsault for 2. Nakamura pops up out of a sunset flip ready to pounce, but Ibushi stops him dead in his tracks with a high kick! GOLD STAR POWERBOMB! Nakamura kicks out. Ibushi goes up top, but Nakamura dodges the Phoenix Splash AND HITS BOMAYE TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! He’s too knackered to follow up immediately though. Nakamura ties Ibushi in the ropes and throws some stomps to the back of the head, much to Red Shoes’ chagrin. That does nothing but piss Ibushi off, and he BRINGS THE PAIN with palm strikes! Nakamura pushes Red Shoes away AND BRINGS THE PAIN WITH ELBOWS! NAKAMURA COUNTERS A PALM STRIKE INTO A CROSS ARMBREAKER! IBUSHI STOMPS HIS WAY OUT OF IT! INVERTED EXPLODER FROM IBUSHI! YEAOH FROM IBUSHI! BOMAYE FROM IBUSHI! NAKAMURA KICKS OUT AT ONE~! Ibushi throws some strikes and kicks at the head of Nakamura out of rage but Nakamura battles back and push kicks him into the corner before throwing some soccer kicks and stomps of his own! THEY TRADE SLAPS! SUPERMAN ELBOW FROM NAKAMURA! REBOUND DOUBLE STOMP FROM IBUSHI! Ibushi is the first man up, and he hops to the top rope TO DRAG NAKAMURA UP FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX FROM THE APRON~! NAKAMURA KICKS OUT~! He looks for a PhoenixPlex, but Nakamura headbutts out and starts throwing elbows to the back of the head! BOMAYE FROM THE TOP ROPE! BUT IBUSHI NO-SELLS! THEY BOTH GO FOR BOMAYE! LANDSLIDE FROM NAKAMURA! BOMAYEEEEEEE! Nakamura picks up the win in 20 minutes. ****3/4 So it turns out my fatal mistake watching this match was watching it with the English commentary, because with the much more animated and emotional Japanese commentary, this was a completely different match in almost every respect. To the point where I actually don’t think JR and Matt Striker came even remotely close to doing this match justice, and it’s not like their performances in calling this match were actively bad. This is just one of those matches where you don’t need English commentary to understand where it’s going, because the story Shinsuke Nakamura and Kota Ibushi told is about as simple as it gets. Kota Ibushi is the brash younger guy challenging the perennial Intercontinental Champion, and being as much of a prick and a nuisance as possible in his attempts to win the title. He attempted to get into Shinsuke’s head by incessantly mocking him, and it only seemed to backfire on him when he dared to go for Bomaye, only pissing the champion off more than actively contributing to the champion’s loss. I especially loved the way this match devolved into almost-sloppy trading of stomps and kicks and slaps because it had gotten so personal. Not because Ibushi tried to fuck Nakamura’s wife or anything, but because he took the lower route in trying to win the match by mocking Nakamura, who – while usually laid back and flamboyant – was infuriated at the mere thought of that happening, so he decided to stoop to Ibushi’s level and just throw leather at him. And even when Nakamura pretty clearly came out of the match the better man, this match still made Kota Ibushi look like a million bucks. He was game the entire way through, willing to fight Nakamura’s battles of high-impact striking, or go his own route and use his high flying to get the upperhand. There’s a lot of fantastic wrestling in the world today, but there aren’t many wrestlers in the world today who can tell this narrative in such a nuanced, gripping way. And I feel a little silly for this match not clicking earlier, but I suppose it’s better late than never. I still can’t find it in my heart to give this match five stars, just because there’s a bit of mental warfare about it, and if I can’t call a match five stars without having to convince myself, it just isn’t. So before you ask, that’s my reasoning. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is about as perfect as wrestling can realisitically get, and not many matches you’ll ever see can touch this one for sheer quality.

IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. AJ Styles
Wrestle Kingdom 10. This was the last real high profile match these two had in NJPW before fleeing to WWE, and it still might be the best match either man had in 2016. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with that on Shinsuke’s end as his match with Sami Zayn is still comfortably my Match of the Year, but I doubt it’s fair to say that without giving this match another go considering this one comes closer than most of 2016’s other candidates do. AJ has had a banner year in WWE and his second match with Roman Reigns might be my personal favorite main roster WWE match of the year, so this match has some stiff competition to live up to on both ends.

It’s a tentative start with Shinsuke non-challantly starching AJ with an inside leg kick before they engage on the mat, where Shinsuke gets the early advantage. AJ is able to escape an arm wringer, prompting a look of utter disdain from the IC champ. They nearly hit early finishers on each other, but it’s early enough in the match that they’re able to evade. Nakamura does a little more taunting before AJ stops him in his tracks with a BEAUTIFUL dropkick. Nakamura battles back with a push kick and a jumping knee to the grounded AJ, whose back injury is exposed when Nakamura drags him off the second rope for a nasty landing. Or so we thought, as AJ plays possum so he can jump an unsuspecting Nakamura from behind and regain control. AJ jaws with the crowd a bit before putting on a Muta Lock, but Shinsuke is able to find the ropes without much of a struggle. AJ is still in the driver’s seat though, but Nakamura is able to fight back with a flash backbreaker that sends AJ to the floor in pain. Nakamura follows right up with him though, spearing him into the guardrail. Nakamura sends him back into the ring for more punishment, folding the Bullet Club leader with an enzuigiri. AJ dodges Bomaye, but Nakamura wisely lays him on the top rope – stomach facing up – for the running knee to the injured back of AJ. PSYCHOLOGY~! Shinsuke tries the regular knee, but AJ bats him away and hits the Phenomenal Forearm! AJ tries to follow up but his back acts up too much at first, but after some initial resistance from the champ, Styles is able to snap suplex him into the corner. He tries the Calf Killer, but Nakamura scrambles to the ropes immediately. Nakamura creates some separation with a spinning back kick that folds AJ, followed by a Backstabber and a reverse Exploder. Shinsuke looks for Bomaye, but Styles dodges and rolls into the Calf Killer again! This time Nakamura is in real trouble… but HE COUNTERS INTO A CROSS ARMBREAKER! AJ just punches his way out of it and unfortunately misses his moonsault DDT, but recovers immediately and hits an Argentine Rack Powerbomb for 2. He measures for the Styles Clash, but Nakamura rolls out and nearly nails Bomaye, but Styles evades once again… until NAKAMURA HITS BOMAYE FROM THE SECOND ROPE! They trade shots in the center of the ring, where AJ throws a few NASTY forearms. That only fuels Nakamura, and they throw leather until AJ counters a Superman Forearm into an Atomic Facebuster! AJ dodges the Axe Stomp from Nakamura, but turns around into BOMAYE! AJ KICKS OUT! Styles counters a Landslide into a Crucifix, and CATCHES A RUNNING SHINSUKE WITH A BOMAYE OF HIS OWN! 450 SPLASH! SHINSUKE KICKS OUT! Man, that knee is always such an awesome spot. Nothing’s gonna beat when Sakuraba did it to him, but Nakamura’s timing with that spot is impeccable. Nakamura is in deep trouble until he COUNTERS A SPINNING BACKFIST INTO A CROSS ARMBREAKER~! INTO A TRIANGLE! STYLES COUNTERS INTO A FUCKING STYLES CLASH~! NAKAMURA KICKS OUT!~! BLOODY SUNDAY FROM STYLES~! Styles doesn’t follow up immediately with a Styles Clash, instead looking to do one from the top rope! Nakamura escapes and hits an Enuzigiri, AND HITS AN AVALANCHE LANDSLIDE~! STYLES KICKS OUT! BOMAYE TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! ANOTHER BOMAYE! ONE, TWO, THREE! Shinsuke Nakamura retains his title in a maddening 24 minutes. ****3/4 This match was out of this world, and the last 8 minutes or so are some of the best demonstrations of mad urgency I’ve ever seen in pro wrestling. It felt like Shinsuke was trying his hardest to put AJ away, be it by exploiting his well-publicized back injury or just by throwing everything he had in his arsenal at him. AJ did a wonderful job in portraying that too, but when he tried to do a top-rope Styles Clash instead of just finishing the job, Nakamura’s perseverance ended up being his trump card, as almost immediately afterwards AJ found Nakamura’s knee imprinted in both sides of his head. I do wish they’d have interplayed the back injury in this match a little more than they did, as they had a wonderful narrative going before all hell broke loose, but that’s a small gripe in the big picture. Had they weaved that thread into the insane sequences down the stretch, this would be the easiest five star rating a boy could give. Beyond that though, this is AJ Styles’ finest match of 2016 regardless. He and Nakamura’s adeptness at just exploding into insanity at the drop of a hat really gave this match the dynamic it needed to really go over the top, bringing out a chemistry I’m surprised hadn’t been explored much up to this point. One can only hope WWE’s incompetence can subside just long enough to let us see this match one time state-side, because this is one of those pairings you can’t just see once. It’s so magnificently clear that these two have another all-time classic in them, and this match is a very obvious example of that. I still have a lot of G1 matches I need to revisit so I can’t call this New Japan’s Match of the Year yet, but this was utterly incredible.

AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki
G-1 Climax 24 Day 7. I could be sorely mistaken, but in hindsight, this seems like one of the first matches that really began to solidify AJ Styles’ spot in New Japan. Of course he’d had his great matches with Okada and definitely didn’t look out of place, but this G1 match with Suzuki garnered universal acclaim to the point where it was voted Wrestling Observer Match of the Year for 2014. Given that I somehow haven’t seen it in almost two years, I figured with this review was as good a time as ever.

Suzuki starts out hot, slapping the taste out of AJ’s mouth before Styles sends him to the floor with a dropkick. Things spill to the floor immediately as a result, with AJ hitting a Phenomenal Forearm off of a guardrail! AJ maintains control back in the ring, but Suzuki brushes off a few kicks before AJ drops a knee on him. Styles heaves him up for a beautiful stalling suplex that gets a one count. Suzuki stops AJ mid-springboard and locks on a nasty cross armbreaker! Suzuki is forced to break, so instead he opts for a NASTY soccer kick from the apron that sends AJ reeling. Suzuki feigns using the bell-hammer on Styles, but instead takes the champion into the crowd to work his arm over with a chair. Suzuki chucks AJ back into the ring for a keylock, transitioned into a Fujiwara, transitioning that into something that I don’t know the name of, but Minoru Suzuki is putting it on so it’s FUCKING PAINFUL. Suzuki goes after the arm some more, but AJ is able to somersault out of danger and snap suplex Suzuki into the corner. AJ looks for a Stinger Splash, but Suzuki throws the referee in the way, and here comes TAKA Michinoku to beat on Styles! Eventually all Hell breaks loose as the Bullet Club comes to the rescue, only for the Killer Elite Squad to even the odds and brawl to the back. Suzuki and Styles are left in the middle of the ring exchanging strikes, which ends with STEREO SLAPS that send both men crumbling to the mat. AJ puts the finger guns to the head of Minoru Suzuki, which is as bad of an idea as it sounds, as Suzuki grabs his fingers and twists them around at will. AJ recovers and looks for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Suzuki CATCHES HIM IN A FUJIWARA ARMBAR! AJ escapes but Suzuki catches him with a Sleeper! Suzuki drops him down for a Gotch Piledriver, but AJ fights like hell. Suzuki tries kicking his way into the piledriver, but AJ CATCHES HIM IN A STYLES CLASH… ONLY FOR SUZUKI TO COUNTER INTO AN ANKLE LOCK~! AJ ROLLS THROUGH INTO ONE OF HIS OWN! SUZUKI COUNTERS BACK! AJ rolls out… BUT SUZUKI PUTS IN A CROSS ARMBREAKER! SUZUKI HAS THE FINGERS! TRIANGLE! AJ ROLLS INTO A STYLES CLASH~! They’re both up, throwing leather in the middle of the ring. RIGHT HOOK FROM SUZUKI! PELE FROM STYLES! STYLES CLASH! AJ picks up the win in 18 minutes. ****1/4 Not sure this rating is going to get universal praise from my three readers, but this was not the five star clinic I remembered. It was GREAT and obviously a tremendous match, but the Match of the Year for 2014? I wouldn’t quite make that claim. Now with that out of the way, this was a tremendous drag-out fight, something Minoru Suzuki is obviously adept at. The ending sequences felt a lot like the home stretch of a Benoit/Angle match where they fought over counters and submissions rather than throwing bombs at each other, even battling over an Ankle Lock and using the counters directly into finishers. Neither the intensity or the narrative were quite deep enough for this match to make it over the hump, but when it comes to making a match seem like a brawl, Minoru Suzuki is probably the perfect guy for it.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. AJ Styles
G-1 Climax 25 Day 17. If I recall correctly, this G1 semifinal match is what both Tanahashi and Styles claim as the best match of their respective careers. Considering the gargantuan list of classics Styles and especially Tanahashi have under their belts, that’s a very heavy claim. And as it goes, this is a match I’ve yet to see for whatever reason – even though I just watched the Nakamura vs. Okada semifinal the other night on AXS – so I’m coming into it with fresh eyes.

It’s a feeling-out process early, with Styles giving Tanahashi a smugly clean break in their first tie-up of the match. They fight over a headlock later on until Tanahashi is able to swat Styles away long enough for an intense standoff. Tanahashi gives him the smug pats to the face AJ gave to him, and uses Styles’ fury at that to gain a little bit of control. Tanahashi takes AJ underneath the turnbuckle and posts him, throwing his knee into the post a couple times for good measure. Tanahashi takes him back into the ring to work on his knee, naturally. AJ tries shitcanning him, but Tanahashi catches himself and manages to skin the cat, but AJ catches him and chucks him outside for real. AJ uses that to take control of Tanahashi himself, dropping him chest-first on the guardrail before sliding him back into the ring for more punishment. AJ ends up playing Tanahashi at his own game, going after the leg of the Ace. AJ misses his big splash in the corner however, and Tanahashi comes roaring back with a flying forearm. Tanahashi looks for the second rope senton, but AJ scoots out to the apron to dodge it so he can hit a Phenomenal Forearm, but Tanahashi pops up and sends him to the floor mid-springboard! HIGH FLY FLOW TO THE FLOOR! Styles makes it back to the ring at 19, but Tanahashi awaits… only for AJ to hit his Moonsault DDT! AJ again struggles up for the Phenomenal Forearm, only for Tanahashi to spoil it again by catching him in a Fireman’s Carry, followed by a Strait-Jacket German Suplex for two. Tanahashi follows with a Dragon Screw, but ends up bumping Red Shoes as he’s checking on Styles. AJ hits a low blow that crumbles Tanahashi, and limps over to him for a Styles Clash, but TANAHASHI HITS A LOW BLOW OF HIS OWN! They throw shots in the center of the ring until AJ throws a pair of leg kicks that ground Tanahashi, who fires back with a couple right hands that send AJ to the mat with him. They fight back up and an uppercut wobbles AJ, who fights back with his strike barrage before stumbling into the corner as Tanahashi reels… and he puts in the CALF KILLER! Tanahashi grabs onto Red Shoes, and eventually he’s able to drag himself to the ropes after one hell of a struggle. AJ shoves Red Shoes down, and turns around to find Tanahashi giving him a spinning neckbreaker after a Bloody Sunday attempt! AJ counters a Sling Blade into the Atomic Facebuster, but Tanahashi is able to power out at 2. Third time’s the charm as the Phenomenal Forearm scores, but only for a nearfall. AJ measures for the Styles Clash, but Tanahashi rolls out and HITS THE SLING BLADE! STYLES CLASH FROM TANAHASHI… COUNTERED INTO AN ANKLE LOCK FROM AJ! Tanahashi pulls AJ into the corner with his legs and FINALLY HITS THE STYLES CLASH HIMSELF! AJ KICKS OUT! HIGH FLY FLOW GETS KNEES! HIGH FLOW FLOW FROM STYLES!~! TANAHASHI KICKS OUT! BLOODY SUNDAY~! STYLES CLASH…COUNTERED INTO A LEG WRENCH! PELE FROM STYLES… COUNTERED INTO A ANKLE LOCK… AND A DRAGON SCREW! HIGH FLY FLOW CROSSBODY! HIGH FLOW FLOOOOOWWWWWWWW~! Hiroshi Tanahashi advances to the Finals in 28 minutes! ****1/2 I can’t say I agree with the assertion that this is the best match in either man’s career, but given I’m an unpaid reviewer on a wrestling site, I’d be willing to bet their opinion means more than mine. But it IS my review, so with that being said, this was still an incredible professional wrestling match with all sorts of awesome twists and turns and the storytelling that makes Hiroshi Tanahashi one of the best to ever do it. This guy is really the perfect definition of a top babyface star. He’s a combination of old and new school in the way he acts and wrestles respectively, and even in this wacky world of 21st century wrestling, he’s the cream of the crop in every way possible. His defiance at AJ Styles’ attempts to wind him up in this match was a perfect babyface story, and the trading of finishers was so well-timed and nuanced that it didn’t feel like a trope you’d see in an Attitude Era match, rather both men attempting to stick it to the other in an attempt to win the match with the ultimate exclamation point. I mean, it also helps the psychology of it that Tanahashi used to use the Styles Clash himself before AJ Styles came in, so that’s an even bigger notch in their caps. Even stuff like the ref bump mid-way through the match was a fun addition, as it allowed for Tanahashi to beat AJ Styles at his own game with the low blow exchange. It didn’t lead directly into the finish, it was just a cute little story thread that popped the crowd. AJ was obviously fantastic in this match too as the dickhead heel who wanted to stick it to the defiant Tanahashi, doing stuff like going after Tana’s leg just because the Ace went after his leg, or the aforementioned finisher stealing after Tanahashi did his Styles Clash. It’s tremendous old-school psychology, and when you weave that so seamlessly into the new school speed of the style both men work, the result is one of the best matches of 2015.

Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito
G-1 Climax 26 Day 18. This is a battle between the leader of the two biggest heel stables in Japan, Kenny Omega and the Bullet Club and Tetsuya Naito with Los Ingobernables De Japon. The New Japan crowd ADORES Naito as the anti-authority badass who does whatever he wants, and given Kenny Omega’s wacky – sometimes to a fault quite honestly – personality, it’s hard to think that this match would disappoint on a personality level. And it’s not like both men are slouches in the ring either…

Naito starts on his own schedule, and despite Omega getting an upper hand early, Naito pulls out the TRANQUILO pose early, causing Omega to spit in his face! Naito spits back, and goes after Omega when he dares to respond. Omega tries to speed his way to an advantage, but is stopped right in his tracks with a basement dropkick, using that to springboard his way into some work on Kenny’s knee. Naito dodges a pescado from Omega, who lands on the bad knee and turns around into another Naito basement dropkick to make matters worse. Naito takes a bit too much time as Kenny sells on the ground, and Kenny catches him with his guard down, running him into the guardrail before giving him a nasty bodyslam on the ring apron. Naito staggers his way back into the ring, only to walk right into a Fisherman’s Last Shot from Omega for 2, and it’s all Omega for a bit after that. Omega throws a pair of DISGUSTING chops that put Naito on his back, followed by a Finlay Roll, but Naito takes his knee out as he attempts to hop from the second rope. Naito starts making a comeback, hitting a spinning neckbreaker as the crowd wills him up for a slingshot corner dropkick that gets him a nearfall. Omega starches Naito with another chop, but Naito goes back after the knee and puts on a wacky Figure Four that Omega lays in before he’s able to find the ropes. Omega is able to create some separation before hitting a leapfrog bulldog that sends Naito to the apron for a HUGE DROPKICK that sends Naito all the way into the guardrail. OMEGA POWERBOMBS NAITO THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE OVER THE GUARDRAIL! OMEGA WITH AN INSANE SPRINGBOARD PLANCHA ALL THE WAY INTO THE SECOND ROW!~! Holy SHIT he landed hard. Naito makes it back to the ring, so OMEGA DRAGON SUPLEXES HIM ON THE APRON! DRAGON SUPLEX IN THE RING! NAITO KICKS OUT! Omega looks for a Doctor Bomb, but NAITO COUNTERS INTO A DDT! This match escalated very quickly. They trade forearms in the center of the ring and rock each other until Naito goes back after the knee… only to run into a SWITCH KNEE from Omega! Omega throws a lariat, but Naito ducks and counters right into a step-up Tornado DDT! Naito puts Omega up top for a Frankensteiner, but Omega rolls through for a CLOSE nearfall! CAPO KICK FROM NAITO! PUMPHANDLE DRIVER! Omega kicks out! Omega breaks Destino and throws a few chops, but Naito goes back after the knee! Omega backflips out of a German, but his knee gives out and he can’t follow up… ONLY FOR NAITO TO RUN INTO A LARIAT! SHINING WIZARD! ONE WINGED ANGEL… COUNTERED INTO A KNEEBAR! OMEGA GETS THE ROPES! That was an AWESOME struggle. Naito hits a Shinbreaker, but Omega knees out of a second one and HITS A GERMAN! DOCTOR BOMB! Naito kicks out! RUNNING SWITCH KNEE! ONE WINGED ANGEL COUNTERED INTO DESTINOOOOOO~! Naito sets Omega up top for AN AVALANCHE REVERSE RANA!~! OMEGA KICKS OUT!!!! DESTINO… COUNTERED INTO A PACKAGE TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER~! NAITO KICKS OUT!!! Omega staggers up and throws knees to a dazed Naito but struggles to get him up for One Winged Angel… and he can’t hit it! SLAP FROM NAITO! OMEGA SMACKS HIM BACK! ENZUIGIRI FROM NAITO! NAITO DIVES RIGHT INTO A KNEE~! ONE WINGED ANGEL… COUNTERED… CROYT’S WRATH!!! NAITO KICKS OUT! RUNNING KNEE! ONE WINGED ANGEL~! Kenny Omega FINALLY wins one of the most insane matches I’ve ever seen at the 28 minute mark. ***** There is a very good chance that on this night, in this match, in front of this crowd, Kenny Omega was the very best professional wrestler in the entire world. This was undoubtedly a man who put the weight of the world on his shoulders, and not only did he succeed, he blew away even the most generous of expectations with one of the very best wrestling matches I have ever seen. I have no doubt in my mind that this is 2016’s Match of the Year, and the best match Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito have ever had. And to be quite honest, it’s hard to exactly pinpoint WHY this match was so good. Was it because Kenny Omega did a magnificent job of selling the knee, even when the match intensified? Was it because they managed to look like they’d peaked three times, only to bring the crowd to a fever pitch with every sequence afterwards? Or was it because Tetsuya Naito took every single insane bump he could to get Kenny Omega as the superstar he was? Those are parts of it, sure. But one of the major parts of why this match ended up so incredible was how IMPORTANT it felt. It really felt like Kenny Omega was fighting for everything. He was fighting for the G1, to prove himself to fans, and internal and external validation. Kenny Omega wrestled like this match meant everything to him, and that was especially blatant against a guy in Naito who doesn’t care about anything unless he feels like it. You could even tell Naito was overwhelmed by the fury of Kenny Omega, given that any time he found himself in trouble, he was forced to go after the bum knee he worked on earlier in the match. But Kenny Omega just wanted it too much, and he wrestled the match of his life to get to the G-1 Finals. There are so many story threads in this match that deserve to be mentioned because they were so perfectly timed and executed – like Kenny not being able to hit the One Winged Angel due to his knee until the last second – but I won’t go into for the sake of brevity, and hopefully as motivation for whoever reads this to seek this match out. If you’re a NJPW fan there’s a chance you’ve already seen it, but even if you’re not, this is one of the very best matches of the decade thus far and has something for everybody, be it selling, flying, or maniacal nearfalls. If watching this match doesn’t get you going to see Omega vs. Okada, then what are you watching wrestling for? It doesn’t get any better than Naito vs. Omega. Five stars.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii
G-1 Climax 23 Day 4. This G1 Climax 23 match has a Meltzer-attached five star rating to it as well, and from what I can recall has some stomach-churning stiffness in it that mortal men just couldn’t withstand. But it’s ISHII and SHIBATA, who are not human beings, so those rules don’t matter. I haven’t seen this in 3 years and given Ishii’s wars since then, I wonder if it holds up…

HERE WE GO~! They are going INSANE from the opening bell, and Shibata gets the upper hand in the very earlygoing with a yakuza kick in the corner until Ishii chases him down with a lariat in the corner! Shibata catches Ishii running with a forearm that wobbles him, and the crowd is already at a fever pitch! They trade forearms in the center of the ring until Shibata finally drops Ishii with a boot to the mush. Ishii battles up and throws some chops and TELLS SHIBATA TO KICK HIM. Shibata begs for Ishii to chop him, because they’re fucking MEN~! Shibata finds an opening after staggering Ishii with a kick to the chest, and he BRINGS THE PAIN WITH FOREARMS IN THE CORNER AS ISHII TAUNTS HIM!~! CORNER DROPKICK OF DEATH~! This match is barely three minutes old and I’m in love. Shibata throws a kick to the back, so Ishii tells him to throw another one, which ends up being a kick to the chest that sends him to his back followed by a few more that forces the ref to check on Ishii to see if he’s still breathing. Ishii is half-dead and still talking shit as Shibata boots him in the face, because WHY NOT. Ishii hits a powerslam to a running Shibata followed by some chest kicks of his own, followed by a spinning wheel kick from Ishii and a brainbuster! Ishii looks for a PK, but Shibata catches it and LARIATS HIM INTO THE SHADOW REALM. Shibata puts on a Boston Crab, but Ishii is eventually able to find the ropes… only for Shibata to follow up immediately with an STF! Ishii finds the ropes once more, but Shibata drops him on his head with a German! SHIBATA NO-SELLS AND HITS ONE OF HIS OWN! ISHII LARIATS SHIBATA! Ishii dares Shibata to throw leather with him, and Ishii throws some Misawa elbows… only to eat a boot from Shibata! ISHII KICKS OUT AT ONE~! PENALTY KICK… INTO A LARIAT FROM ISHII! SHIBATA KICKS OUT AT ONE! HEADBUTT FROM SHIBATA! THEY BOTH FOLD! Ishii is up at 8, but Shibata immediately locks on a sleeper! Ishii is foaming at the mouth but HE WON’T DIE! CAPO KICK FROM ISHII! BOMAYEE KNEE FROM SHIBATA! LARIAT FROM ISHII! SHIBATA KICKS OUT AT ONE! ONE MORE! SHIBATA KICKS OUT! BRAINBUSTER! Ishii puts Shibata down in 12 minutes. ****1/2 It didn’t have enough depth for me to be able to put a perfect rating on it, but if you want to watch a human bowling ball beat the shit out of the baddest son of a bitch on the planet, this match is going to make your week. There isn’t going to be any limbwork, headlocks, or hammerlocks. No one’s going to cry and make a valiant effort. These two insane Japanese dudes are just going to go out there, throw everything at each other, and the one man who manages to put the other down for three seconds is going to win. It’s bascially the Ron Swanson of wrestling matches, and it’s glorious. I do apologize for the brief analysis, but what can I really say that the match doesn’t? It’s two dudes killing each other, and it’s the best thing ever. That’s all you need to know.

10.0
The final score: review Virtually Perfect
The 411
I mean, look at the snowflake ratings and you can figure out what I'd recommend and what I wouldn't. It's not like I'm going to go out and watch a bunch of crap wrestling for a review I don't get paid for, ya know? The matches are all awesome - and I'm sure a few of my ratings are going to ruffle some feathers - and New Japan is great. What else is there to know? If you watch any of these, I'd say Omega vs. Naito in a heartbeat. That's 2016's Match of the Year so far, in my humble opinion.
legend