Views from the Hawke’s Nest: NJPW Destruction 2014

I’m still not feeling NJPW’s booking too much this year. So, I’m taking a look at a few matches from the big Destruction shows here. I plan on reviewing King of Pro Wrestling in full (and live!) though.

 

Destruction In Kobe
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
September 21, 2014

 

KUSHIDA(c) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi [IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship]
Taguchi has not looked the same since Apollo 55 broke up. I was pretty surprised to see him put back in the title picture here.

KUSHIDA tried for a kimura early, but Taguchi reversed it into the Dodon (KUSHIDA managed to roll to the floor). Taguchi then went after KUSHIDA’s left leg. KUSHDIA fought back but a failed springboard attacked re-injured his left leg. He pulled off a handspring kick and then went after Taguchi’s left arm. Cross armbreaker! Taguchi immediately got to the ropes. Ankle lock on KUSHIDA’s injured leg! They did an awesome pinning combination sequence. Taguchi reversed a guillotine into the Three Amigos. Ankle lock! KUSHIDA escaped. He went for a moonsault, but Taguchi got his knees up. They kicked each other’s injured limbs. KUSHIDA went for the kimura, but he did not seem to have it completely locked in. Taguchi eventually reversed it into an ankle lock. Taguchi repeatedly slammed the leg into the ground. Taguchi transitioned into a Milano-saku Dodon’s Throne! Ankle lock with a grapevine! KUSHIDA tapped out!

El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku, and Taichi attacked KUSHIDA and Taguchi after the match. Alex Shelley failed in his attempt to make the save. Holy shit. El Desperado vs. Ryusuke Taguchi looks to be in the works for NJPW’s biggest autumn show. What made them think this was a good idea???

As much as I would love to blame Ryusuke Taguchi entirely for this match being solid instead of great, both men were partially at fault for how average this match was. Taguchi just is not the same performer since Apollo 55 broke up, and the crowd has treated him with (what I would call) an appropriate amount of apathy ever since.

Meanwhile, KUSHIDA was pretty spotty with how much he wanted to sell his knee in this match. He fluctuated from selling intense pain to pulling off flippy maneuvers that require great strength from your legs. I expect such nonsense from Tetsuya Naito, BxB Hulk, and Kota Ibushi, but KUSHIDA falling into that trap was unexpected.

The match was still solid though. I liked the story of each man going after a body part. The crowd certainly got into it by the finish. It was not bad, but it was not significantly above average.
Match Rating: ***

 

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata
These two have had two singles matches since Shibata returned to NJPW. Tanahashi defeated Shibata in the 2013 G1. Shibata defeated Tanahashi in the 2014 G1. Their complicated relationship (a mix of dislike and begrudging respect by the sounds of it) is well-documented. Tanahashi openly discussed in his book that he thinks Shibata’s style is limiting.

It was all back and forth early on. Shibata briefly was in control and hit the Corner Dropkick of Doom & Destruction. Tanahashi came back with a couple of dragon screws. Shibata no-sold a German and then hit a short-range PK. Tana reversed a GTS into a Sling Blade. Sling Blade #2. Shibata blocked a High Fly Flow. Tana avoided a PK and hit a dragon suplex. Tana went after the right knee and applied a cloverleaf. Shibata made the ropes. They traded a bunch of forearms. Tana took him down with a massive slap. After eating the backfist, Tana avoided another GTS and hit a corner dropkick of his own. He then finished Shibata with two High Fly Flows.

They actually shook hands after the match. RESPECT~! Shibata was visibly frustrated after the loss. We’ll see what happens with that.

I saw this match as “enjoyable,” but I did not find it particularly special in any way. I think Shibata matches are more effective when they’re in the 10-13 minute range. This felt artificially extended, as they did not really do much of in-ring substance. I criticize them for that because the strength of this matchup is the actual matchup itself. They do not need to do much to make the fans care, and I think they’re better off going shorter if they’re just going to rest on that.
Match Rating: ***1/2

 

Bad Luck Fale(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura [IWGP Intercontinental Championship]
This is the FOURTH time these two have worked each other this year. It’s also their THIRD main event of the year. The world is a strange place.

They eased their way into this one. Fale tried to win via countout early on. He worked Nakamura over after that. Nakamura fought back, but Fale hit a scoop slam to cut him off again. He continued to work over Nakamura. Nakamura avoided the Bad Luck Fall but then got put into a Liontamer. Nakamura fought back and hit a Boma Ye to the back of the head, but Fale hit a spear. Diving kick from Nakamura. Diving Boma Ye. Fale slowed him down with a sidewalk slam. They traded forearms. I feel like I never need to see another forearm exchange ever again in NJPW. Fale hit a backbreaker and the Samoan Spike. Nakamura avoided the Bad Luck Fall and hit a Boma Ye for a nearfall. That was generous of him. BOMA YE: 1…2…3

I would describe this main event as “acceptable-ish.” The second Nakamura/Fale match made me think Fale was potentially turning into a solid wrestler. After the G1 and this match, I’m right back to being cynical about Fale and never need to see him in a prominent match ever again (unless he wants to get much, much better). Nakamura should be getting better matchups on PPV.
Match Rating: **3/4

 

 

Full Destruction in Kobe results (courtesy of cagematch.de):
Six Man Tag Team Match
Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) & Tomohiro Ishii defeat BULLET CLUB (Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson & Yujiro Takahashi) (7:51)
Alex Shelley, BUSHI & Maximo defeat Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku) (2:43)
Jushin Thunder Liger, TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & Tomoaki Honma defeat Captain New Japan, Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata (5:22)
Kazushi Sakuraba & Toru Yano defeat Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka) (11:34)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match
Ryusuke Taguchi defeats KUSHIDA (c) (14:55) – TITLE CHANGE !!!
Kota Ibushi & Tetsuya Naito defeat BULLET CLUB (AJ Styles & Tama Tonga) (12:57)
IWGP Tag Team Title Match
BULLET CLUB (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) (c) defeat CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) (12:57)
Togi Makabe defeats Hirooki Goto (14:38)
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeats Katsuyori Shibata (17:57)
IWGP Intercontinental Title Match
Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Bad Luck Fale (c) (19:13)

 

 

 

Destruction In Okayama
Okayama, Japan
September 23, 2014

 

Great Bash Heel (Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe) vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto
Makabe defeated Goto in a singles match the at Destruction in Kobe.

After the briefest of heat segments on Goto, Honma and Shibata tagged in. Honma hit a leaping headbutt and then a falling headbutt. Shibata avoided the diving headbutt though and then hit the Corner Dropkick of Doom & Destruction. Honma escaped the sleeper and hit a big lariat. Shibata came back, and I think they botched the GTS. Regardless, the Penalty Kick came right after and finished Honma.

Makabe and Goto shook hands after the match. Shibata tossed Honma out of the ring. I guess we’ll see what comes from those developments.

I found this to be inoffensive but nothing I needed to seek out. I thought a short tag match between these two would be a bit more wild. It mostly made wish I was watching another Shibata/Honma match though, as Makabe and Goto did not add anything as far as I am concerned. The GTS botch brought down the match some, as the finish coming on the heels of that felt really weak.
Match Rating: **1/4

 

The Time Splitters(c) (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) vs. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Taichi) [IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships]
TAKA Michinoku and the challengers attacked the champions during their entrance. Suzuki-gun worked the champs over after that. They used several nefarious tactics. Desperado and Taichi looked awful here and the match was so lifeless. Shelley was worked over for so long. He finally escaped the beatdown and tagged out to KUSHIDA. Desperado accidentally took out TAKA with a tope con HELLO. Shelley then wiped out Desperado with a pescada. The Splitters were nearing victory, but Suzuki-gun fought back. KUSHIDA survived a Liger Bomb from Taichi. Taichi went to use microphone stand, but Shelley made the save. KUSHIDA went for the kimura on Taichi and eventually got it. Shelley took out Desperado. A TAKA distraction caused the referee to miss Taichi’s submission! Taichi then hit a low blow. Shelley saved KUSHIDA, and Desperado got sent to the floor. Taichi ate the I-94: 1…2…3

The Young Bucks and Forever Hooligans came out after the match. A triple threat tag title match seems to be in the works.

I feel bad for shitting on a Time Splitters match because they have provided so much entertainment for me in the last two years. However, this match was total ass. Taichi is okay in certain situations, but this match did not play to his strengths at all. Desperado has been consistently underwhelming all year, and I do not understand why he is still being used.
Match Rating: *

 

Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Karl Anderson [Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship Shot]
These guys are behind the eight ball at the start due to the face/heel alignment. Anderson is a much better face, and Okada is much when he’s controlling the match.

They paid homage to the feeling out process. Maybe Okada’s work on Anderson’s left arm will go somewhere, and I’m just being a jackass. Anderson’s stalling tactic baited Okada in, and Anderson then went after Okada’s right arm. Okada fought back after a flapjack. Yujiro Takahashi even got taken out. Okada hit them with his dive over the guardrail. Anderson and Okada then started to go back and forth in the ring. Okada hit the Air Raid Neckbreaker and the Heavy Rain. Okada called for the Rainmaker, but Anderson reversed it into a leaping divorce court. You win this one, Anderson. Anderson hit a diving TKO for a nearfall. Anderson kicked out of Red Ink and caused a ref bump. Anderson hit Okada’s injured arm with a chair and then hit the seated tombstone on the chair: 1…2…NO! Okada avoided a Gun Stun and hit a tombstone. They did a cliche forearm exchange. They did an equally cliche, but way more fun, finisher tease sequence. Okada hit a German and then followed it up with the Rainmaker: 1…2…3

Tetsuya Naito came out to challenge Okada for the Tokyo Dome briefcase at King of Pro Wrestling. Naito defeated Okada in the G1, and Okada announced weeks ago that he wanted to defend the briefcase against everyone who defeated him in the G1.

I thought this match was fine. The biggest thing this match had going for it was that Anderson was consistently going after Okada’s Rainmaker arm. That can lead to some pretty great drama down the stretch, but Okada just did not make it meaningful when it mattered. On top of all that, they were performing in front of an apathetic crowd. This was just not a great combination. Okada and Anderson are not well-suited in their current roles, and I hope that is corrected in 2015.
Match Rating: **3/4

 

 

Full Destruction in Okayama results (courtesy of cagematch.de):
BUSHI, Captain New Japan & Ryusuke Taguchi defeat Jushin Thunder Liger, Maximo & Tiger Mask (5:05)
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeat Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) (9:57)
CHAOS (Gedo & Toru Yano) & Kazushi Sakuraba defeat Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Takashi Iizuka) (5:51)
Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata defeat Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) (7:31)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match
Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) (c) defeat Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Taichi) (15:01)
CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii) defeat BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga) (11:44)
NWA World Tag Team Title Match
TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) (c) defeat Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata (15:08
NEVER Openweight Title Match
Yujiro Takahashi (c) defeats YOSHI-HASHI (13:29)
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tetsuya Naito defeat BULLET CLUB (AJ Styles & Doc Gallows) (13:15)
IWGP Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match
Kazuchika Okada defeats Karl Anderson (19:55)

 

 

 

BONUS Review

Kizuna Road
Tokyo, Japan
July 4, 2014

Kota Ibushi(c) vs. KUSHIDA [IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship]
KUSHIDA was one half of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions at the time of this match.

They actually started on the ground, which I was greatly surprised by. KUSHIDA had the advantage after a handspring kick, and he targeted Kota’s left arm (setting up the kimura) after that. (KUSHIDA gets the moral victory automatically for going after Kota’s arm instead of a leg.) Kota tried to come back with the Kota Ibushi Moonsault to the Floor, but his arm gave out. Hashtag I love this match. KUSHIDA relentlessly went after the arm after that. Kota fought back and even sold the arm when he rallied the crowd with clapping. Kota was able to hit a moonsault by not putting pressure on the arm. Kota then made a comeback. He went for a moonsault, but KUSHIDA caught him in a triangle. KUSHIDA got a cross armbreaker on the right arm for some reason. Kota escaped but then ate a dropkick to the back of Kota’s head. That may have been where he got a concussion. KUSHIDA made a comeback. He got a series of nearfalls. Kota avoided a cross armbreaker on the left arm, but KUSHIDA then transitioned to a kimura on the same arm. Kota had to tap!

El Desperado and other members of Suzuki-gun attacked KUSHIDA after the match until they were run off.

The injury to Kota dragged this match down at the end and caused the finish to seem out of nowhere. They seemed to be building something special here, which makes the injury an even bigger bummer. KUSHIDA has been one of the best wrestlers in the entire company this year, and he clearly was going out of his way to have a match with Kota that we do not normally see from Kota. Even as a big fan of Kota, I greatly appreciated what KUSHIDA was doing here. While I am happy that Kota is being moved to the heavyweight division, I’m disappointed that NJPW is seemingly not going to a rematch between these two for the belt. They really deserved a chance to top this match.
Match Rating: ***

 

 

 

A Quick Preview of King of Pro Wrestling 2014

 

BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson & Tama Tonga) vs. Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma), Kota Ibushi & Yuji Nagata

This may actually be better than the typical atomicos opener on NJPW PPVs. I assume the BULLET CLUB is going over, but I do not care either way.

 

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title Match
Chase Owens (c) vs. BUSHI

Mostly interested in this for Bruce Tharpe’s clothing selection.

 

NWA World Tag Team Title Match
TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) (c) vs. Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer)

FUCK YOU, THIS RIVALRY WILL NEVER END (Volume 1)

 

Kazushi Sakuraba & Toru Yano vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka)

FUCK YOU, THIS RIVALRY WILL NEVER END (Volume 2)

 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Three Way Match
Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) (c) vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) vs. Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)

This is a rematch of the reportedly excellent match these three teams had in Toronto earlier this year. The Time Splitters will likely win.

 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match
Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. El Desperado

This is an awful matchup on paper in every way. I cannot imagine that it will deliver anything remotely good.

 

NEVER Openweight Title Match
Yujiro Takahashi (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Yujiro needs to not have singles matches on PPVs anymore. I’m not the biggest Ishii fan in the world, but I will be rooting for him hard.

 

CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata
Well, mayyyyyybe this will lead to Nakamura/Shibata at 1/4. That is the silver lining of this one. (I assume Goto/Shibata are winning the World Tag League and then challenging Anderson/Gallows at 1/4 though.)

 

IWGP Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match
Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito

This match has a good chance of delivering due to Okada controlling it and Naito just needing to make comebacks. I’m mildly optimistic for it.

 

IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
AJ Styles (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
I assume AJ is winning, but Tanahashi not main eventing a 1/4 show at this point almost seems unbelievable. This match should be good and could be great. I’m hoping Jeff Jarrett does not get too involved in this one.

 

What match do you want to main event 1/4? Okada vs. AJ or Okada vs. Tanahashi?

 

 

 

Watch some NJPW for free!
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Masato Tanaka (G1 Climax)
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hirooki Goto (G1 Climax)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jun Akiyama (G1 Climax)
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata (G1 Climax)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yujiro Takahashi (G1 Climax)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Prince Devitt (G1 Climax)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Milano Collection A.T. (G1 Climax)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano (G1 Climax)
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hirooki Goto
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Togi Makabe (Chain Match)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Prince Devitt vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson
Masato Tanaka vs. Tomoaki Honma
Kota Ibushi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi [Fantastic Match]
Prince Devitt vs. Kenny Omega
Sin Cara vs. Averno
Prince Devitt vs. Kota Ibushi (With thoughts from Prince Devitt)
Davey Richards vs. Kota Ibushi
Kota Ibushi vs. KUSHIDA
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Hirooki Goto vs. Karl Anderson & Giant Bernard
Kurt Angle vs. Yuji Nagata
ORLANDO JORDAN VS. YUJI NAGATA
Christopher Daniels vs. Tetsuya Naito
Katsuyori Shibata & Scott Norton vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Jushin Liger vs. Ebessan
Katsuyori Shibata &Wataru Inoue vs. Eddy Guerrero & Black Tiger

 

Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to my Twitter or to my email address: [email protected]. Also, feel free to check out my own wrestling website,FreeProWrestling.com. Also, check out my Best of Chikara blog and an archive of allmy 411 video reviews.