Jan 5, 2019 2:24:12 GMT Strobe said:

A **** match isn't just disappointing (which I could see if someone thought it was going to be a Match of the Year contender) but "hugely disappointing"?

A show with two ****½ matches, a ****¼ and a **** (and those 4 matches taking up about two-thirds of the in-ring time of the show) and it gets a "that wasn't great was it?".

I know we live in a ******* Meltzer world and many people seem to throw snowflakes at New Japan like it is going out of fashion, but I just need some sort of context for this.

Even if the other third of the in-ring stuff was the worst stuff ever seen, I can't imagine giving out those ratings for that much of the show and not giving the show a massive thumbs up.

A mixture of too high expectations and the fact I’m way more generous with stars than you’d be. I just was really disappointed with being bored for two hours in the middle even though that opening two and ending two matches were great.

We’re also spoiled recently with shows being great from top to bottom.

Overall a decent show, favorite matches from the show would be Ibushi/Ospreay, Juniors Tag, Okada/White, and Omega/Tanahashi.

As the opening act, Ospreay and Ibushi aren't expected to wrestle the best match of the show, and they wouldn't have been given enough time to do so. They went in there to produce a spectacle, to showcase their incredible athletic ability against one another, and they certainly succeeded. There were some moments of more visceral fighting, but they felt inorganic, put there because every big NJPW match has to have a strong style moment. As a whole, it felt like a teaser, a collection of fast-paced GIF sequences, but that's not necessarily a bad thing considering the position they were in. They will meet again, and they set the bar for themselves fairly low. Not a great match, but I believe they succeeded in what they set out to do. ***1/2

The first time Revolution Pro Wrestling's British Heavyweight Championship is defended outside of England. A historic moment for the British promotion. They even flew out their own referee to officiate this match. Good for him! The match suffered in a similar way to the opener: it felt like a disjointed sequence of moves as opposed to a cohesive match. Although it wasn't as bad as Ospreay/Ibushi in that respect. There was a running theme of Ishii's injured arm, which made a frequent target for ZSJ's offense and hindered the effectiveness of Ishii's strikes. At around the 10 minute mark the match really picked up, with many dramatic sequences and near falls. ZSJ won the match rather suddenly when one of his many devastating holds submitted the champion. A very good match, but both men are capable of better. ***3/4

Both three way tag matches were dumb spotfests, but I'm very happy that LIJ won both.

Almost nothing about Cody vs Juice worked. I liked Juice showing some edge by hitting Pulp Friction twice at the end. Apart from that, the match was a dud. **

KUSHIDA's Back to the Future themed entrance was better than the entire Cody vs Juice match. The match was very good. It was an unusual Junior Heavyweight match in that there was almost no high flying. The match was very technical, lots of submission holds, and a large focus on counters and defensive wrestling. However, we still got a taste of Ishimori's incredible speed and athleticism. The match suffered from not being especially dramatic or spectacular, but it still was an entertaining contest. ***1/2

Okada came down to the ring with his original Rainmaker music. The thousand dollar jacket. The pose. And finally, the trunks. Gone are the tights that defined Okada's post-champion run. The great Okada is back, so it seemed. Jay White had his moments, but it looked to be going the way of a routine Okada victory, just as his many title defenses went. White hung tough, dodging Rainmaker attempt after Rainmaker attempt, and scoring with some big moves, but Okada's resourcefulness and quickness saw him coming on top of many exchanges. The glorious dropkick killed White's momentum at several moments. However, just as Okada looked to be wrapping things up, White surprised Okada with a Blade Runner, and pinned Okada for a shocking three count, and suddenly Gedo's decision to betray his long time friend seemed...justified. Although Okada put on a front of being the same Rainmaker he was during his amazing championship reign, he clearly hasn't regained his lost confidence, or lost ability. Or maybe he has recovered, and Jay White is simply just a better wrestler? The match didn't stand out especially much, but I believe that was by design, because they are telling a story, a long story that has yet to reach its conclusion. They know that the two main events are going to be the high quality, unforgettable matches. I'm sure Okada and White are content with what they produced. They'll have a bigger match at Dominion or something. ***1/4

Perhaps I'd have been better off not watching their Dominion match, because Jericho/Naito II felt like a rehash of their first match. This time Naito got the jump start, but it wasn't long before Jericho was dominating, much like he did at the Dominion. The match went on more or less the same path, even with Jericho hitting the low blow/Codebreaker combo that put Naito away in their previous match. This time Naito kicked out, and we got a feel good finish with Naito walloping Jericho with the belt and hitting Destino to regain the Intercontinental Title. Essentially a worse version of the Dominion match, with Jericho trying too hard to get a rise out of the crowd. However the Dominion match was awesome, so it doesn't make this match bad, per sé. Just inferior. ***3/4 LIJ go 3-0 and have a large chunk of gold. Now Hiromu needs to return at New Year's Dash and pin Bone Soldier.

Not even 60 seconds into Omega vs Tanahashi and it felt special. It felt like a Wrestle Kingdom match, something that did not apply for any other match on the show. And it delivered. Absolutely everything they did was perfect. Every move, every sequence, every transition. You could feel the genuine hatred these two men have for one another. I could find no fault with this match, other than perhaps the fact that it ended. A perfect conclusion to Tanahashi's unexpected return to the top of the mountain. The easiest ***** I've ever given. This is why I watch NJPW. This is why I watch wrestling.

Overall, I'd say the show was disappointing, but it was saved by an amazing main event. Not sure it replaces Shibata vs Okada as my all-time favourite NJPW match, but it's a clear second.

I really like you're reaction to the main event. I feel like I was a bit grumpy when watching it and maybe wasn't giving it as much attention as I should have.

I also have no idea why I disliked the Dominion Jericho/Naito match but loved this one. I think it's a case of high expectations for Dominion vs. low expectations for this one. It's crazy how much your mood or expectations influences how you feel about a match.

I feel like I would have enjoyed Jericho/Naito a lot more if I hadn't watched their Dominion match the previous day. My expectations were high for almost all the big singles matches but most of them disappointed.

Just watched that Kenny Omega video package. I really wish they would have aired that before the match because it was absolutely fantastic. You don't even need to have played Undertale to appreciate it, although knowing Undertale is a nice bonus.

Jan 5, 2019 0:17:57 GMT PB said:

I really like Kenny Omega as an in-ring talent but I just can't get on board with his character at all. He looks like a total dork when he cosplays with a stupid looking sword calling himself the best bout machine. If he were to go to WWE they would have to work hard at his presentation otherwise Vince will take one look at him and give up after two months.

Personally I love Kenny Omega's video game inspired attire and it probably has broader appeal to the Japanese audience than it does to us. It's no less goofy than Triple H dressing up as Conan the Barbarian at Wrestlemania or any other special entrance.

I’ve just been watching Omega’s entrance on repeat since yesterday.

I didn’t have time to watch the whole show today so I can’t comment on it as an overall experience, but I watched the main event, Jericho/Naito and Ospreay/Ibushi.

Ospreay/Ibushi was like 5 mins long but did everything it needed to do and was still a great match.

Jericho/Naito was the perfect end to their blood feud and easily my MOTN.

Omega/Tanahashi was a very solid match and I had no complaints, except maybe that after all it took for Omega to win the title from Okada, to have him lose it like that felt kind of upsetting.

...

I’ve read some theories and wild speculation and the one thing that stuck out about the main event was Kenny never hitting the OWA. I guess going forward he can claim that if he hit it the match was his. But going forward, who knows what’s happening with Omega? I try not to buy in to the hype and speculation but after losing how he did, not being at New Year’s Dash, AEW being a thing...you gotta wonder.

Will Ospreay’s match is the only one I really remember and I watched it last night. Omega losing was a given so I couldn’t get into that match at all.

I just can’t watch 5+ hours shows that are just straight wrestling, Vince has trained me too well 😂.