wrestling / Video Reviews
Puro Review: King of Pro Wrestling 2013
Loading...NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2013
October 14th, 2013 | Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 9,000
As noted in previous reviews, I’ve only recently gotten into Japanese wrestling. I’ve come to really like it and will be bringing you Puro Reviews. Most of what I do will be New Japan Pro Wrestling, but I’ll to my best to throw in Pro Wrestling NOAH if I can get my hands on some of their shows. Using my subscription to NJPW World for the New Japan stuff, I’ll be randomly pulling shows but this show was a recommendation.
These won’t be done in play-by-play style since I have to watch New Japan World on my laptop and can’t write it up while watching.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Forever Hooligans (c) vs. Suzuki-Gun
The Forever Hooligans consist of Rocky Romero and Alex Kozlov, while Suzuki-Gun is represented by Taka Michinoku and Taichi. There aren’t two teams that I’m used to since I’ve seen more of Rocky’s new team, Roppongi Vice, while I’ve only seen Suzuki-Gun once. Kozlov wants the Russian national anthem played and the fans in Japan actually stand up for this. That would never be done by most American fans. Both teams work heel which certainly makes things a bit interesting. There is a mild tag to Rocky, who does his typical spots. The Hooligans look to be on the verge of retaining when Taichi hits a low blow behind the referee’s back. A rollup brings us new champions.
Winners and New IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: Suzuki-Gun in 7:37
Not much to see here. Pretty basic tag with nothing special really going on. It was interesting to see both teams work as hells but other than that, this is skippable. **
Minoru Suzuki vs. Toru Yano
I saw these two meet in a short match in the G1 24. This is a battle of a comedy wrestler in Yano and one bad motherfucker in Suzuki. Yano is up to his usual tricks, but Suzuki is ready for most of it and puts a stop to it a few times. He goes for his signature taunt three times, but keeps getting cut off before finally finishing it to a cool pop. Suzuki handcuffs Yano to the guardrail outside, threatening a countout. Yano, the master of trickery, manages to get free and break the count. It doesn’t last much longer though as shortly after he enters, Suzuki beats him with a cradle piledriver.
Winner: Minoru Suzuki in 7:09
Better than the G1 match I saw of theirs but nothing great. With Yano, it’s more about being entertained than the star ratings of his matches. The math isn’t very good, but it manages to be relatively fun and creative. **
Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer w/ Taka Michinoku vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Takaai Watanabe w/ Satoshi Kojima
Hiroyoshi Tenzan’s usual tag partner, Satoshi Kojima, is at ringside and isn’t competing due to a shoulder injury. Watanabe is his replacement and just gets picked apart by the NWA Tag Team Champions. A lot of the time, the match starts kind of even before breaking down into the heat. This just goes right into it, kind of playing into the fact that maybe Watanabe isn’t the best choice for a partner. The Killer Elite Squad look absolutely dominant throughout, even when Tenzan gets the tag. Watanabe has a real tough time trying to lift either of his opponents. They put him down with a double team powerbomb.
Winners: Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer in 11:38
Pretty solid tag team match here. It did a good job in showing how dominant the Killer Elite Squad can be, while showing that Tencozy might be the team that can beat them if healthy.**¾
After the match, they attack Satoshi Kojima and declare that they are coming for the IWGP Tag Team Titles.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson & Prince Devitt) vs. Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma
Prince Devitt is wearing his light up jacket and comes face to face with Kota Ibushi before the bell. He puts the finger gun sign to his head in a cool moment. I’m guessing that the Ibushi/Devitt IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match was already set for Wrestle Kingdom in a few months because they are the focal point of this thing, starting off against each other. Tomoaki Honma hits his trademark headbutt on the first try, which pretty much blew my mind. He takes the heat, which he’s pretty good at. The Bullet Club work well together until the hot tag comes to Ibushi. He comes in on fire and is just such a joy to watch. Everybody in the match honestly pulls their weight. Anderson gets the win after two Gun Stuns on Honma.
Winners: The Bullet Club in 10:37
Really enjoyable six man tag match here that is match of the night so far. The Bullet Club worked well together and all of the opposing faces got to do their thing. Kota Ibushi’s interactions with Prince Devitt were easily the highlight of this thing. ***¼
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii
I’ve seen these two wrestle twice. Once was a five star match at the G1 23 and the other was another great match at the G1 24. This takes place in between those events. Just like those matches, this starts with both men charging at each other because they are badass dudes. They just beat the hell out of each other and at one point, literally ask the other guy to hit them harder. It’s a pretty crazy thing to see. It’s great to see that both guys are billed as equals throughout. Every time Shibata does something, Ishii can do it back and vice versa. They call back to their previous G1 match with some big time near falls of one counts, despite big moves. Ishii hits a lariat at one point that would have ended a normal match but Shibata actually stays on his feet. He fights through and wins with the Penalty Kick.
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata in 15:57
The fact that these two guys went to war for almost sixteen minutes and pretty much didn’t stop at all is a testament to their abilities. Like the other two matches, this is just incredibly stiff and features two guys just trying to prove who is tougher and beating the shit out of each other in the process. It’s a style of wrestling that I’ve really come to love. ****¼
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Yuji Nagata
I’m not sure on the story behind this match, but it seems to me that there is some tension early on. This plays out more like a fight than a wrestling match. There aren’t many moves and it’s more based on strikes. It seems to be a bit of a hybrid match type and it isn’t for everyone. I thought it started slow but managed to pick up and become pretty interesting. They switched over from strikes into some submissions. Nagata eventually wins after a backdrop suplex.
Winner: Yuji Nagata in 10:25
As noted, this wasn’t for everyone. They worked more of a fight than a wrestling match and some people won’t like that. I found it to be a pretty cool idea that was executed rather well.***
NEVER Openweight Championship
Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Tetsuya Naito is fresh off of winning the G1 Climax and on his way to an IWGP Heavyweight Title shot at Wrestle Kingdom 8. This is before Yujiro Takahashi joined the Bullet Club, but he still had the gimmick where he brings out the girls in scantily clad outfits. These guys also used to be a tag team called No Limit, so they know each other well. It’s strange to see Naito as a face now. He wasn’t great at showing emotion but he’s vastly improved that now. Takahashi attacks quickly, playing the heel role rather well. They also dig into their past and showcase how well they know each other. As the match nears the finish, both men exchange some strikes though they aren’t as hard hitting as some of the future NEVER Title match strike battles. Being the G1 winner though, the outcome wasn’t really in doubt here. Naito hits the Stardust Press and goes right into the Koji Clutch, making Takahashi submit.
Winner and Still NEVER Openweight Champion: Tetsuya Naito in 16:35
The best Yujiro Takahashi match that I’ve seen to date. He has good chemistry with Tetsuya Naito, which makes sense given their past. He also seemed to put forth more effort here than he does in his later work that I’ve seen. This wasn’t great, but it was pretty solid. ***¼
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji
On almost any show that I put on, Shinsuke Nakamura will be the reigning Intercontinental Champion. Now, Naomichi Marufuji is someone who I saw live multiple times in Ring of Honor back in 2007, 2008 and 2009. These two go back and forth early on, with neither gaining the upper hand and just trying to test each other out. Marufuji gets the first big spot with a sick piledriver on the apron. I don’t think I’ve seen that before. Marufuji goes after the neck following this and works it consistently, with Nakamura doing a good job of selling it. It also sets up for Marufuji’s finish, Shiranui. Nakamura wisely has done his homework and has this very well scouted, blocking it numerous times. They go into a fantastic finishing stretch, where Nakamura nails two Boma Ye’s to retain.
Winner and Still IWGP Intercontinental Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura in 16:18
Just an absolutely fantastic match. Thinking about how much I like Nakamura and how much I used to like Marufuji, this is somewhat of a dream match and it delivered. Marufuji worked the neck in a great way that was never dull and Nakamura sold it well. When they went into exchanges, it was always exhilarating and I found this to be excellent. ****¼
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Obviously, both of these guys are among the top in the business. I’ve heard some seriously high praise for this match in particular so I went in with very high expectations. They managed to still blow those out of the water. There is a big fight feel during the match and the guys start fast. Coming into this, they are 2-2-1 against each other. I want to praise Tanahashi instantly as he wrestles in a way I don’t often see from him. Not only did he bust out the heel tactics, but he did so in a desperate manner. He feigns an injury at one point when his early advantage starts to slip. You can see that he is desperate to not give Okada any kind of momentum, no matter what it takes. Tanahashi, knowing his opponent, just obliterates his arm. It’s his goal to make sure that Okada can’t hit his big moves, especially the Rainmaker. He is just vicious and relentless on the attack from start to finish. Okada has to wrestle from behind, which works since the fans switch to getting firmly behind him after Tanahashi acts like the heel. He sells the arm work masterfully as even when he rallies, he can’t capitalize on certain moves because of the arm. It stops him from fully applying submissions and it opens the door for Tanahashi to either take a breather or get back on the offensive. Okada avoids a second High Fly Flow by rolling outside, but Tanahashi just leaps out onto him. Okada comes back with a tombstone outside and you could feel that the finish was near. I knew the outcome going in and still bit on a moment when Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow on Okada’s back and went for a second, but Okada got his knees up. Tanahashi blocks the Rainmaker at every turn until Okada is finally able to hit one from out of nowhere and retain.
Winner and Still IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika Okada in 35:17
All of the high praise that I heard about this and guess what? It really was better than expected. This was the epitome of telling a great story, using psychology correctly and having it all come together for a masterful big title fight. This is one of the greatest matches that I’ve ever seen. The desperation of Tanahashi, the resilience of Okada, the arm work coming into play and not over relying on things like false finishes all just do so much to make this an incredible match. *****
