wrestling / Video Reviews
Best of the Month: March 2016 – Part One
Loading...Best of March – Part One
Neville vs. Finn Balor from NXT 3-2
Both men attempt to gain control of the arm to start and Neville hip tosses Balor into a basement dropkick. Neville grabs a side head lock but Balor escapes and he rolls through a sunset flip in order to hit a basement dropkick. Snap suplex by Neville gets 1. Neville sends Balor hard into the corner as we go to break.
Back and Neville grabs a chin lock on Balor. Balor starts to fight out so Neville takes him down with a short arm clothesline. Back elbows in the corner by Neville and Balor backdrops him to the floor to come back. Back in, Neville catches Balor with a flying forearm, forcing Balor to bail. Asai moonsault to the floor by Neville!!!! Back in, Neville covers for 2. He grabs a chin lock but Balor fights out. Pele kick by Balor and both men are down. Running chops by Balor and he hits a baseball slide. PK Kick by Balor from the apron and back in, he gets 2. Neville throws some kicks and he hits the slingshot German suplex. Deadlift German suplex by Neville gets 2. Neville goes up and leaps but Balor moves. Enzuigiri by Neville and he goes up. Balor catches him with an enzuigiri, knocking him to the floor!!! Summersault plancha to the floor by Balor!!! Back in, Balor goes up but Neville crotches him and follows up. Frankensteiner off the top by Neville and he goes up. Shooting Star Press misses and Balor hits the Slingblade. Balor charges in the corner but misses and Neville gets a bridging O’Connor roll for 2!!! Discus lariat by Balor and he hits the shot gun dropkick. Balor goes up and hits Coup De Grace. Bloody Sunday by Balor gets 3!!!
Winner- Finn Balor ***3/4 ( Great match, living up to the quality you would expect from these two. Took some time to get going but after Balor’s comeback this was reaching Takeover level quality, with both men throwing a little more into their regular repertoire and you got some great moments in which both men was anticipating what the other was going to do based on past battles. )
Ladder Match for the Gift of the Gods Championship- King Cuerno © vs. Fenix from Lucha Underground 3-2
Handspring back elbow by Fenix and he hits a double stomp to the back of Cuerno. Twisting corkscrew plancha to the floor by Fenix!!! Back in, Fenix climbs the ladder but Cuerno tips the ladder over, sending Fenix crashing to the mat. Cuerno power bombs Fenix onto the ladder and he gord busters Fenix to the floor. He snake eyes Fenix onto a ladder and he continues to work over Fenix on the floor. He springboard off a ladder and he catches Fenix with a clothesline on the floor. Cuerno tosses Fenix into a pile of chairs and they climb up a ladder on the floor. Fenix blocks a superplex attempt and drives Cuerno’s head into the ladder, sending him crashing into the mat. FENIX LEAPS OFF A BALCONY AND HITS A SUMMERSAULT PLANCHA OVER A LADDER ONTO CUERNO!!!! Fenix charges but Cuerno dumps him into the front row. Curerno hits a double stomp off the barricade onto Fenix and they brawl in the crowd. Fenix catches Cuerno with a super kick and he tries to head back down below but Cuerno shoves him off the balcony and onto a ladder placed against the ring apron!!!! Cuerno charges with a ladder but Fenix moves and the ladder crashes into the post, injuring the arm of Cuerno. Super kick by Fenix and he climbs a ladder. Cuerno grabs the ladder and they attempt to shove the ladder into each other, with Cuerno getting the better of that exchange. Back in, Cuerno climbs the ladder but Fenix brings him off with a springboard dropkick. They both climb and the ladder tips over, causing them to hang above the ring. Both men crash down to the mat!!! Thrill of the Hunt by Cuerno and he sets up a table. Cuerno puts Fenix on top and follows up. Fenix escapes his clutches and hits a palm strike. Frankensteiner off the top through the table by Fenix!!! Fenix climbs and he grabs the belt!!!
Winner and NEW Gift of the Gods Champion- Fenix ***3/4 ( This was their best match of the feud so far. They had an awesome brawl featuring great intensity and did some really unique stuff with both the ladder and different parts of the temple. The ladder match stipulation took away from the match, as they were having this great brawl but then had to go into the ring and do climbing stuff for the finish for the sake of the stipulation. With the title change, looks like we’ll get another match between these two which is fine because you feel the epic blow off is coming with each match. )
CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship -Kamaitachi © vs. Dragon Lee from CMLL 3-4
Fall One: They brawl in the entrance way to start and Kamaitachi catches Lee with a super kick. He sends Lee into the steps and he hits a cross body off one of the screens onto Lee!!!! Back in, Kamaitachi covers for 2 as he pulls Lee off the mat. Kamaitachi works Lee over in the corner and Lee comes back with a hurricanrana. Standing Spanish Fly by Lee gets 3!!! Dragon Lee 1-0.
Fall Two: Hurricanrana by Lee and Kamaitachi bails to the floor. Suicide dive by Lee and he sends Kamaitachi into the barricade. Kamaitachi returns the favor and the momentum brings Lee into the front row. Kamaitachi goes into the crowd and catches Lee back at ringside with a shotgun dropkick. Back in, Kamaitachi goes up and hits Meteora for 3. Tied 1-1.
Fall Three: Kamaitachi charges but misses and falls to the apron. Lee goes for a hurricanrana off the apron but Kamaitachi blocks with a power bomb onto the apron!!!! Kamaitachi CHUCKS Lee into the front row and back in, Kamaitachi covers for 2. Kamaitachi suplexes Lee onto the entrance ramp and he charges but Lee hip tosses him back into the ring. Springboard hurricanrana by Lee and he catches Kamaitachi with a summersault plancha!!!! Back in, Lee hits a sit-out cradle suplex for 2. Hip toss into a basement dropkick by Lee gets 2. Shotgun dropkicks by Kamaitachi knock Lee to the floor. Kamitachi goes up and hits the senton plancha to the floor onto Lee!!!! Back in, Kamaitachi goes up and hits Meteora for 2!!! Falcon Arrow by Kamaitachi and he hits a shot gun dropkick from the ramp into the ring for 2. They exchange German suplexes and Lee catches Kamaitachi in the Crossface but Kamitachi gets his foot on the ropes to break. Super kick on the apron by Kamaitachi but Lee answers back with a knee strike. He charges but Kamaitachi catches him with a monkey flip off the apron!!! Lee catches Kamaitachi with a German suplex on the floor and both men are down. Lee takes Kamaitachi off the apron with the hurricanrana and back in, Lee puts Kamaitachi in the tree of woe. Double stomp by Lee gets 2!!! Lee goes up but Kamaitachi stops him and they fight on top. Superplex by Kamaitachi gets 2. They trade chops and Lee catches him with a super kick. Wheelbarrow roll-up by Lee gets 2. Inside cradle by Kamaitachi gets 2.He rolls through a hurricanrana attempt by Lee for 2!!! Sloppy Canadian Destroyer by Kamitachi gets 2. Kamaitachi goes for the shotgun drop kick from the apron but Lee dropkicks him as he was coming in for 2!!! Lee goes for a power bomb but Kamaitachi counters with the Canadian Destroyer for 2!!! Standing Spanish Fly by Lee gets 2. Bicycle knee by Lee and he hits the Package Suplex for 3!!!
Winner and NEW CMLL World Super Lightweight Champion- Dragon Lee ****3/4 ( This was incredible, it felt like the definitive blow offs to one of the best feuds in wrestling. I loved the elements of awareness and familiarity sprinkled throughout the match and the culmination was both guys throwing everything they had in their repertoire to prove who the better man was. They didn’t attempt limb work and just focused on what makes these two incredible, which is the insane high flying and the reckless abandon. I loved this more than their New Japan match and this will hold up as one of the best matches of the year.)
New Japan Cup Quaterfinal Match- EVIL vs. Tomohiro Ishii from New Japan Cup 3-3
EVIL attacks Ishii as he was entering the ring and he hits a lariat for 2. Ishii bails and EVOL sends him into the railings. He shoves Ishii into the post and he drills two chairs into the head of Ishii!!!! Back in, EVIL works over Ishii and throws some chops in the corner. He uses the ropes to slingshot Ishii back down to the mat for 2. Ishii fires back with chops but EVIL knocks him down with one of his own. Slam by EVIL and he misses a back senton. Ishii fires way with forearms and chops in the corner and EVIL catches him with a sidewalk slam for 2. Forearms by Ishii but EVIl hits one of his own. Curb stomp by EVIL and he follows up with a back senton for 2. Power slam by Ishii and both men are down. Ishii trucks EVIL and EVIl fights back with forearms. Ishii cuts him off with one big forearm and he hits a corner lariat. Ishii puts EVIL on top and follows up. Superplex by Ishii gets 2. They battle for a suplex and EVIL catches Ishii with the discus corner lariat. EVIL catches Ishii with the Fisherman’s Buster. They trade blows and EVIL catches Ishii with a discus lariat. Inverted DVD Driver by EVIL gets 2. Rolling elbow by EVIL and he hits a release half nelson suplex. EVIL goes up and hits a flying clothesline for 2. Ishii throws a head butt and both men are down again. They trade lariats and Ishii throws another head butt. Power bomb by Ishii gets 2. Sliding D misses and Ishii catches EVIL with the STO. Lariat by Ishii gets 2. Head butt and a knee strike by EVIL and he catches Ishii with a lariat for 2. Release Dragon suplex by Ishii and he hits a lariat. Sliding D by Ishii gets 2!!! Brainbuster by Ishii gets 3.
Winner- Tomohiro Ishii **** ( This was easily EVIL’s best performance since his return to New Japan. He took it to Ishii right from the beginning and did a tremendous job in going blow for blow with him. This was a great power match where they didn’t go into strong style mode and just throw bombs. Everything felt impactful and EVIL tosses Ishii around put over the idea that he’s going to be a tough customer to deal with down the line. )
New Japan Cup Quarterfinal Match- Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii from New Japan Cup 3-4
Ishii attacks to start and he overpowers Naito. Power slam by Ishii and he throws some head butts at Naito. Chops by Ishii and Naito comes back with an inverted atomic drop into a swinging neck breaker. Flatliner by Naito and he grabs a chin lock. Reverse DDT back breaker into a dropkick to the back by Naito gets 2. Naito works over Ishii in the corner and Ishii catches him with a lariat on the apron to avoid the slingshot dropkick. Ishii suplexes Naito back into the ring for 2. Ishii fires away on Naito in the corner and he catches Naito with a corner lariat. Ishii puts Naito on top and follows up. Delayed superplex by Ishii gets 2. Tornado DDT by Naito and he goes up. Missile dropkick to the back by Naito and he hits a German suplex for 2!!! Naito puts Ishii on top and follows up with the Frankensteiner for 2. Head butt by Ishii and he counters the flying forearm with a release German suplex. Enzuigiri misses so Naito slaps Ishii across the face. Ishii comes back with a lariat!!! Power bomb by Ishii gets 2!!! Another lariat by Ishii gets 2!!! Enzuigiri by Naito and he catches Ishii with a Shining Wizard, bringing both men down. They trade blows and Naito throws a head butt. Capo kick by Naito and he hits the hammerlock side slam for 2!!! Head butt by Ishii and he hits a lariat. Naito comes back with the flying forearm and he hits a Dragon suplex for 2!!!! Ishii blocks Destino and he catches Naito with an Island Driver. Sliding D by Ishii gets 2!!! Enzuigiri by Ishii and Naito counters the Brainbuster into Destino for 3!!!!
Winner- Tetsuya Naito **** ( Great main event and a crucial match for Naito. In terms of making him look like a killer and legitimate threat, this was probably the best Naito performance since the gimmick change. He matched Ishii in intensity and looked STRONGER than Ishii, showing how far he’s come in terms of giving and taking blows and he came across as a more dangerous, threatening wrestler that can beat the big boys in the promotion. Ishii did an incredible job putting over Naito and the crowd reaction for Naito as the match progressed showed that he may finally be ready to enter the main event picture. )
WWE Tag Team Championships- The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Big E.) w/Xavier Woods © vs. Y2AJ (Chris Jericho and AJ Styles) from Raw 3-7
Kofi and Jericho start. Dropkick by Jericho and he catapults Kingston to the floor. Y2AJ clothesline Big E to the floor and they hit stereo pescados to the floor as we go to break!!!
Back and Big E works over Jericho in the corner. The New Day take turns stomping away on Jericho in the corner. Kofi finishes it off with a basement dropkick as Woods plays the trombone. Jericho catches Big E with a second rope dropkick and he catches Kofi with an enzuigiri. Tag to Styles and he cleans house. Springboard reverse DDT by Styles gets 2. Jaw breaker by Kofi and Styles looks to springboard but Big E catch him. Assisted Big E by New Day gets 2 as Jericho saves!!! Tag to Jericho and he goes up. Double axe handle off the top to Kingston and the springboard drop kick knocks Big E off the apron. Kofi catches Jericho with a sunset flip for 2. Hard forearm by Jericho and he hits the Lionsault. Tag to Styles and he hits the Springboard 450 for 2 as Big E pulls Kofi to the floor!!!! Slingshot pescado to the floor to Big E and back in, Kofi catches Styles with a small package for 2. Spin kick by Kofi and Jericho tags in. Jericho counters Trouble in Paradise into the Walls of Jericho!!! Xavier tries to push the rope forward but Styles takes him out. Big E rams Styles into the barricade and he tags in. He charges at Jericho but Jericho blocks. They trade counters until Jericho sends Big E into the post shoulder first. Jericho goes for the Codebreaker but Big E counters into the Big Ending for 3!!!
Winners and Still WWE Tag Team Champions- The New Day ***3/4 ( Hell of a tag match. This was the smoothest Styles’ has looked in the ring to date, all his signature stuff was crisp and he seems to finally adjusted. The final stretch was hot and I’m glad New Day got a strong clean win under their belts. )
2 out of 3 Falls- Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn from NXT 3/9
Fall 1: Winner faces Finn Balor at Takeover. Feeling out process to start and Joe looks to target the arm of Zayn. Inside cradle by Zayn gets 1. Joe works a side head lock and he overpowers Zayn when he attempts to fight back. Back to the side head lock and Zayn comes back with an arm drag and he begins to work the arm of Joe. Joe fights back with chops but Zayn catches him with an arm drag sending Joe to the floor as we go to break.
Back and Joe throws some kicks to the chest of Zayn. Elbow drop by Joe and he grabs a chin lock. Zayn fights out so Joe catches him with a back elbow for 2. Joe works over Zayn in the corner and he catches Zayn with an Olay! Kick. Joe covers for 2 and he throws some jabs at Zayn. Zayn fights back so Joe catches him with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Joe fires away in the corner again and Zayn comes back with some clotheslines. They trade counters and Joe catches Zayn with the enzuigiri in the corner for 2. Zayn fights back again but Joe cuts him off with the inverted atomic drop. Big boot followed by a senton from Joe gets 2. Flatliner by Zayn and Joe comes back with the snap power slam for 2 as we go to break.
Back and Joe throws some chops. Joe cuts off another comeback by sweeping the legs of Zayn. Zayn low bridges Joe, sending him to the floor. Arabian press to the floor by Zayn!!! Back in, Zayn goes up and hits a cross body off the top for 2. Joe blocks the Blue Thunder Bomb for 2!!! Lariat by Joe gets 2. ST Joe and he puts Zayn on top. Muscle Buster by Joe gets 3!!! Joe 1-0.
Fall 2: Joe hits a chop on Zayn, knocking him to the apron. Zayn catches Joe with a second rope dropkick and both men are down. Zayn throws a head butt and he hammers away on Joe in the corner. Joe fires back and hits a snap suplex for 2. He goes back to the chin lock but Zayn fights out so he hits the chop to the back, kick to the chest combo. Knee drop misses and Zayn gets the crucifix for 2. Joe dumps Zayn to the floor and he sends Zayn into the steps. He hits the STO on the floor and back in, Zayn fires back. They battle for a suplex and Zayn wins that battle, forcing Joe to bail. Summersaula plancha to the floor by Zayn!!! Back in, Zayn hits the flatliner into the Koji Clutch. Joe taps!!! Tied 1-1.
Fall 3: They trade blows and Joe throws a back fist. Blue Thunder Bomb by Zayn gets 2. Zayn goes up but Joe stops him and follows up. Sunset Bomb by Zayn gets 2!!! Zayn catches Joe with the ring post Tornado DDT on the floor!!! Joe counters the Helluva Kick into a power bomb for 2. Boston Crab by Joe and he converts it into the Crossface. Joe cuts off the arm of Zayn from grabbing the ropes so he uses his leg to get there!!! Joe throws some strikes and he catches Zayn with an enzuigiri. Joe throws some kicks and Zayn catches Joe in the Conquita Clutch!!! Joe makes the ropes to break. Exploder suplex in the corner by Zayn andhe misses the Helluva Kick. Joe grabs the Conquita Clutch and Zayn passes out!!!!
Winner- Samoa Joe ****1/4 ( People will complain about the length and the pace of this match, but I personally enjoyed the hell out of it. I totally bought these two needing to go forty minutes to finish their war, as they’re the top contenders so it makes sense for both men to endure a long match to finally decide a winner. I loved Joe was the aggressor and dominated the majority of the match, it puts over that he is truly the biggest threat to end the reign of Finn Balor. My main problems was that while I love Joe dominated, his heat segment overstayed its’ welcome when it crossed over into the second fall and I was hoping for hotter hope spots and more sympathy behind the Zayn comeback but otherwise this was one hell of a match and a cool experiment to have the match last the entire hour of the program. )
Lucha Underground Championship- Mil Muertes w/Catrina © vs. Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr. from Lucha Underground 3-9
The challengers team up of Muertes to start and Muertes comes back with a double clothesline. Power bomb to Puma and he hits a tilt-a-whirl back breaker on Pentagon. Corner lariats by Muertes and he stacks the challenges up in the corner for some. He tosses Puma across the ring and dumps Pentagon to the floor. Suicide dive into a Tornado DDT by Puma to Pentagon!!! Enzuigri from the apron by Puma but Muertes cuts off a dive attempt. Slingshot pescado to the floor by Muertes!!! They brawl in the crowd and Puma walks a handrail into a hurricanrana on the floor on Pentagon!!! Muerted DRILLS Puima with a straight right hand and Pentagon catches him with a super kick. Back suplex on the apron by Pentagon to Puma and Muertes sends him into the post. Back in, Muertes power bombs Pentagon for 2. DDT by Muertes gets 2. Sling Blade by Pentagon and Muertes bails. Summersualt plancha to the floor by Pentagon!!! Summersault plancha to the floor by Puma!!! Another one by Pentagon!!! Corkscrew plancha to the floor by Puma!!! Puma and Pentagon fight in the crowd and Pentagon hits an AA on the floor!!! He hits a cross body from the balcony onto Muertes!!!! Muertes rams Pentagon repeatedly into the apron and he tosses him into some chairs. Super kick by Pentagon and PUMA HITS A SHOOTING STAR PRESS FROM THE BALCONY ONTO BOTH MEN!!!!! Back in, Puma catches Pentagon with a spinning enzuigiri. Puma goes up and hits the 630 Splash for 2 as Muertes saves!!! Power slam by Muertes to Puma gets 2. Pentagon and Puma throw super kicks at Muertes and they finish it off with a double super kick. Pentagon catches Puma with a Backstabber and he hits a Half Nelson Driver for 2!!! Package Piledriver by Pentagon and Muertes catches Pentagon with a Spear. Spear to Puma and Muertes hits a double flatliner. He pins both men for 3!!!
Winner and Still Lucha Underground Champion- Mil Muertes **** ( Absolute insanity. This was an incredible mix of creative lucha libre and intense brawl capped off with a simple yet effective story of the challengers putting aside their differences to eliminate the monster so they could focus on beating each other for the championship. In the end, the monster was too much even for the two of them. This is my favorite match of the season so far. )
Lucha Underground Championship- Mil Muertes w/Catrina © vs. Fenix from Lucha Underground 3-16
Muertes fires away to start and Fenix comes back with a springboard dropkick. Muertes blocks a handspring attempt with a knee but Fenix fires back. Handspring Ace Crusher by Fenix and he catches Muertes with an enzuigiri from the apron. Muertes comes back with a Spear knocks Fenix to the floor!!! Back in, Fenix springboards but Muertes catches him with an Ace Crusher for 2. Muertes rips at the mask and Fenix knocks him off the apron with a springboard dropkick. Fenix looks to dive but Muertes nails him with a chair to block!!! Fenix is busted open so Muertes works voer the cut of Fenix. DDT by Muertes and he dumps Fenix to the floor. They brawl around the temple and Fenix catches him with some super kicks. He walks the railings but Muertes shoves him into some chairs to block. Fenix comes back with a crossbody off the balcony to the floor!!! Muertes power bombs Fenix onto the announce table. Back in, Fenix catches Muertes coming in with a dropkick and he goes up. Double stomp to the back by Fenix and he rips at the mask of Muertes. Muertes trucks Fenix and he hammers him on the mat. Fenix fights back with some chair shots and both men are down. Super kicks by Fenix and he goes up. 450 Splash by Fenix gets 2!!! Urinage by Muertes gets 2. Spin kick by Fenix and he hits a German suplex for 2. Fenix goes up but Muertes stops him and follows up. DDT off the top by Muertes and he goes for the Flatliner but Fenix counters with a bridging wheelbarrow roll-up for 3!!!!
Winner and NEW Lucha Underground Champion- Fenix **** ( I’m disappointed they resort to brawling and wacky temple spots because the story they told throughout the rest of the match was tremendous and a great payoff to weeks of Fenix fighting obstacles just to get this shot. Muertes kicked Fenix’s ass but Fenix held on through sheer force of willpower and was able to capitalize on frustrating Muertes in order to steal the title from the monster. )
AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens from Raw 3-21
Owens works the side headlock to start but Styles escapes and catches Owens with a dropkick, forcing Owens to bail. Owens catches Styles with a flap jack into the barricade as we go to break!!!
Back and Styles begins to fight out of a chin lock but Owens takes him down by the hair to come back. Enzuigiri by Styles and both men are down. Styles throws some strikes and knocks Owens down with a clothesline. Basement forearm by Styles and he hits the corner clothesline. Sit-out gordbuster by Styles gets 2. Styles misses the Pele and Owens comes back with a lariat. Inverted TKO by Owens gets 2. Cannonball misses in the corner and Styles hits the DVD back breaker for 2. They go up and Owens blocks a Frankensteiner attempt. Frog Splash by Owens gets 2!!! They trade blows and Owens cuts it off with a knee to the midsection. Super kick by Owens but Styles comes back with a Pele as we go to break!!!
Back and Owens chops away on Styles. Owens goes up but Styles brings him down. Torture Rack Bomb by Styles gets 2. They go up again and Styles brings Owens down into the Sunset Bomb for 2!!! Chris Jericho comes out and starts chanting Styles’ name. Styles tries to springboard in but Owens catches him. Styles rolls Owens’ into the Calf Cutter but Jericho hops on the apron. Styles goes after him, allowing Owens to roll him up for 3!!!
Winner- Kevin Owens ***3/4 ( Damn, they were having a terrific match until the trope distraction finish. This was too and nail right from the get go and they worked the style of match that AJ thrived in the past two years in New Japan, with crazy exchanges and dramatic builds to big spots. Lame finish aside, this was AJ’s best singles performance to date and you hope these two get a full feud at some point this year. )
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship- KUSHIDA © vs. ACH from ROH Conquest Tour: Philadelphia
Test of strength to start and KUSHIDA into the corner to force a break. They grapple for a bit and we reach a stalemate. Inverted atomic drop by KUSHIDA and he dropkicks the leg of ACH. Basement dropkick by KUSHIDA and he hits the Stunner. High kick by ACH and he dumps KUSHIDA to the floor. KUSHIDA sends ACH into the barricade and he goes to do it again but ACH leaps into the front row to block. ACH leaps off the barricade with a summersault plancha onto KUSHIDA!!! Back in, ACH hits a Tornado Flatliner for 2. Dropkick by ACH gets 2. Big splash by ACH gets 2. Abdominal stretch by ACH but KUSHIDA fights out. Leg lariat by ACH gets 2. KUSHIDSA snaps ACH’s arm off the ropes and he catches ACH with a lariat. Capo kick by KUSHIDA knocks ACH to the floor. KUSHIDA goes up but ACH cuts him off and follows up. KUSHIDA’s snaps ACH’s arm off the ropes again and he hits a baseball slide knocking ACH off the apron. KUSHIDA goes up and hits a summersault plancha to the floor!!! KUSHIDA catches ACH coming in with a dropkick and he goes up. Moonsault by KUSHIDA gets 2 and he goes for the Hoverboard Lock but ACH quickly goes to the ropes to block. ACH goes for a Brainbuster but KUSHIDA counters into the Hoverboard Lock!!! ACH escapes and he counters the handspring back elbow into the German suplex for 2. Enzuigiri from the apron by ACH and he hits a slingshot Ace Crusher for 2!!! ACH goes up but KUSHIDA stops him and follows up. ACH fights him off but KUSHIDA catches him with a Capo Kick before going back up. He catches ACH off the top with the cross arm breaker!!! He tries to convert it into the Hoverboard Lock but ACH rams him into the corner to block. ACH puts KUSHIDA on top and catches him with a super kick. Brainbuster by ACH and they trade blows. Straight right by ACH but KUSHIDA comes back with a rolling elbow. Straight right by KUSHIDA and ACH comes back with a discus lariat, taking both men down!!! ACH goes up and misses the 450 Splash. Tilt-a-whirl into the Hoverboard Lock by KUSHIDA and ACH taps!!!
Winner and Still IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion- KUSHIDA **** ( Great match that overcame the challenge of getting people to believe that ACH could actually win the championship. This match had a bunch of great exchange and I loved the build toward the Hoverboard Lock finish where ACH kept evading and countering at every turn but once KUSHIDA locked it in ACH was done for. They did a tremendous job making this engaging without the need to go false finish crazy and hopefully this performance will give ACH a tour in New Japan at some point down the line. )
