Csonka’s NJPW WTL (Night 9) Review 11.28.17

Csonka’s NJPW WTL (Night 9) Review 11.28.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Block A Match: Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan defeated Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi @ 12:18 via pin [**½]
– Block A Match: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima @ 11:08 via pin [**½]
– Block A Match: Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens @ 10:03 via pin [¼*]
– Block A Match: EVIL & SANADA defeated Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi @ 12:14 via pin [**½]

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– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– Day One Review at this link..
– Day Two Review at this link..
– Day Three Review at this link..
– Day Four Review at this link..
– Day Five Review at this link..
– Day Six Review at this link..
– Day Seven Review at this link..
– Day Eight Review at this link..

– Going forward, reviews will just be tournament matches, since the shows aren’t live and that’s all New Japan World will be uploading…

– This is small venue, single camera, and no commentary.

Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan : Juice and Nagata to begin. They work some solid back and forthwith Nagata targeting the arm early. They push and shove, with Juice laying in some jabs until Nagata takes out the knee. Sami tags in, as does Nakanishi. Sami offers to shake hands, but then lays in chops, but Nakanishi fires back and takes Sami down. The running splash gets 2 but Juice makes the save, only to be tossed to the floor. The dads double team Sami, and Nagata attacks the arm, and locks on the arm bar. Juice takes out Nakanishi and then makes the save. Sami works over Nagata on the floor as Juice works over Nakanishi. Sami brings Nagata back in, keeping control as he and Juice work some double teams. Juice tags back in, working over Nagata in the corner. Sami now lays in chops, but Nakanishi makes the save. Juice and Sami work double teams, and send Nakanishi to the floor. Sami lays into Nagata with strikes, and they then work into a double down. They fire up and trade strikes, until Nagata hits a head kick but Juice takes Nakanishi to the floor and cuts off Nagata, but Nagata hits an XPLODER on Sami, sending him onto Juice. Nakanishi in and he lays in chops on Juice and Sami, taking control back. Corner clotheslines follow, and then a suplex on Sami follows. He misses the knee drop, Sami takes out Nagata and they double team Nakanishi until he rebounds with a spear on both. Nakanishi heads up top and hits a high cross onto Sami and Juice, covering for 2. Nakanishi and Nagata fire up, Nagata takes Juice to the floor as Nakanishi gets the torture rack on Juice. Sami makes the save, but Nakanishi suplexes them both. Nagata rushes in, hits the running knee on Juice, Nakanishi up top and that leads to double teams on Juice. Nakanishi accidentally hits Nagata, and the double team pulp friction puts Nakanishi away. Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan defeated Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi @ 12:18 via pin [**½] This was a perfectly sound, but slow moving match. It was an overall average outing, that mainly existed and lacked any real drama, which has been an issue throughout the tournament.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI: Kojima and Goto begin, with Goto laying in strikes and then a shoulder block. Kojima quickly battles back, hitting a shoulder block and tagging in Tenzan. HASHI also tags in, they lock up HASHI lays the boots to Tenzan, but Tenzan powers up and hits a shoulder block. Kojima takes out Goto and TenKoji lays in chops on HASHI. Kojima hits a slam and double teams follow. Tenzan continues to lays on strikes on HASHI, but HASHI pulls him to the floor as Goto and Tenzan also spill out and brawl. After some lethargic brawling, HASHI and Tenzan return to the ring. Goto tags back in and keeps control on Tenzan, covering for 2. Goto then grounds the action, HASHI tags in and they work double teams. Tenzana manages a comeback, and Kojima tags in and works over HASHI with machine gun chops. The corner elbow and top rope elbow connects and Kojima covers for 2. They now trade strikes center ring, and Kojima follows with a suplex. HASHI avoids the lariat and hits the blockbuster. Goto makes the save, takes out Tenzan, and hits a spin kick and Saito suplex for 2. Kojima escapes the ushigoroshi and tags in Tenzan. They double team Goto, and Tenzan hits the mountain bomb for 2. HASHI back in, and he and Goto work over Kojima. Tenzan back in, he sorta makes the save as it breaks down. Kojima fires up, but Goto counters the lariat into an assisted ushigoroshi for 2. The double team GYTR finishes Kojima. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima @ 11:08 via pin [**½] This was another average match that felt about the same as the opener, which is another theme here, everything feels the same.

Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka: We of course start off with a Suzuki-gun pre-match attack and crowd brawling. Suzuki and Owens eventually roll back into the ring. Fale follows and they double team Suzuki, very slowly. Desperado distracts the ref, allowing Iizuka to attack with chair shots, and that again leads to more crowd brawling. It feels like it lasts a year, and outside of “oohs and aahs,” there is absolutely no heat for this. Iizuka beats on Fale with a chair as Suzuki tries to rip off Owens’ arm. Iizuka bites Owens, and then chokes him out with his little rope. Owens manages a jawbreaker, and Fale tags in and tosses Suzuki to the floor. Iizuka bites Fale’s foot, but then hits a Samoan drop. Fale misses a corner splash, and Iizuka chokes him out with the rope. Suzuki tags in but Fale rushes him to the corner. Owens back in, they double team Suzuki and Iizuka makes the save to keep this torture going. Fale and Iizuka brawl to the floor, Suzuki cuts off Owens and locks in the sleeper and Desperado takes the ref. Iron fingers by Iizuka and the Gotch piledriver finishes Owens. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens @ 10:03 via pin [¼*] This was the drizzling shits with absolutely no heat to it whatsoever. It also felt about two hours long.

Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi vs. EVIL & SANADA: Yujiro and EVIL to begin. EVIL looks to use the power game, but Yujiro pulls the hair and connects with a kick, EVIL quickly cuts him off, and we go to brawling on the floor. EVIL and Yujiro eventually spill back in with Yujiro taking control and picking up near falls. Page tags in, but EVIL cuts him off and SANADA tags in, and the dropkick follows. Page fights off the paradise lock, but EVIL pulls Page to the floor. Page cuts him off with a DDT as Yujiro cuts off SANADA and Page attacks with chair shots. Back to floor brawling we go, with Page and SANADA eventually rolling back in. Page and Yujiro work the knee of SANADA, maintaining control and keeping him isolated in their half of the ring. Page tags back in, SANADA misses a standing moonsault, and Page locks in the half crab. Bullet Club now works double teams, but SANADA tries to fight back, but they attack the knee again. SANADA cuts off Page, and EVIL gets the hit tag and runs wild, taking Page to the floor and whipping him around to the barricades. Back in and Page hits a desperation superkick, but is immediately cut off by EVIL. Wholesale changes to Yujiro and SANADA, SANADA trips him up and locks him in the paradise lock. The dropkick to the ass follows and SANADA covers for 2. Yujiro fights back by biting SANADA’s hand and then hits the big boot. Page takes out EVIL, Bullet Club double teams SANADA but EVIL returns to make the save. Page hits the buckshot lariat, and Yujiro hits a reverse DDT for 2. EVIL takes out Page, SANADA hits Yujiro with a Saito suplex for 2; the magic killer finishes Yujiro. EVIL & SANADA defeated Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi @ 12:14 via pin [**½] Today’s final match was another technically sound and average effort, with nothing to set it apart from the rest of the bunch.

A Block:
* Juice Robinson and Sami Callihan: (3-1) 6pts.
* Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale: (2-2) 4pts.
* Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima: (2-2) 4pts.
* Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page: (2-2) 4pts.
* Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI: (2-2) 4pts.
* Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka: (2-2) 4pts.
* SANADA and EVIL: (2-2) 4pts.
* Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi: (1-3) 2pts.

B Block:
* Killer Elite Squad: (3-0) 6pts.
* War Machine: (2-1) 4pts.
* Jeff Cobb and Michael Elgin: (2-1) 4pts.
* Best Friends: (2-1) 4pts.
* Guerrillas of Destiny: (2-1) 4pts.
* Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii: (1-2) 2pts.
* Henare and Togi Makabe: (0-3) 0pts.
* Katsuya Kitamura and David Finlay: (0-3) 0pts.

-Thanks for reading.

– End scene.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

4.5

The final score: review Poor

The 411

This was another rough show from the A block, with what appeared to be minimal effort in front of a crowd that didn’t care even when they tried and used trademark spots. More than that, the matches aren’t defined at all, and are really starting to feel the same. There is no drama, no fire and most importantly the matches have no identity of their own. These shows are unfortunately becoming a chore; I anticipated they would but I was really hoping for the best considering the talent involved.