Jan 6, 2020 19:02:47 GMT PB said:

Emperor, RT, What are the must-watch matches. I will probably only watch four or five given the way life is atm, and ZSJ/Sanada will be one of them because ZSJ is my guy - but what else is can’t miss?

Match quality is pretty low for Wrestle Kingdom standards. In order:

1. Naito vs Jay White
2. Okada vs Naito
3. Okada vs Ibushi
4. Jericho vs Tanahashi
5. Zack Sabre Jr. vs SANADA
6. Moxley vs Archer

Will Ospreay/Hiromu Takahashi preys upon the audiences sense of anticipation. It's been nearly 18 months since one of the best performers in the company suffered a horrific neck injury that almost ended his career prematurely. In his first return singles bout can he topple Will Ospreay on the biggest show of the year? Or will he embarrass himself like he did when he lost to Robbie Eagles, Will Ospreay's closest friend in the lead up shows?

The opening exchanges were as hectic as we've come to expect from Ospreay. The way he's able to put together those exchanges rides the fine between choreograph dance and pro wrestling, but they usually serve their purpose. I see them as a natural evolution of the tired headscissors takedown exchange where both guys arrive on their feet at the same time to generate a respectful applause from the audience. It was popularised by Dean/Eddie back in 1995 and every wrestler for the next 15 years found a way to include it in their matches. It was so cliche, it became like a forearm exchange spot, except that was usually a way to build to a finish, like a drummer slowly but surely picking up the tempo.

During those hectic opening exchanges, it's Takahashi who emerged victorious and it appeared he had put his doubters to rest. Ospreay was able to block one of Takahashi's signature moves, the sunset flip powerbomb off the apron, but he paid for it with a wicked apron powerbomb. Then to follow it up, he blasted him with a running front dropkick from the apron. It's such a simple move, but Takahashi executes it with such verocity that it allows the opponent to sell it. Believe it or not, but Takahashi has executed far better variations than the one he showed here.

Then right as fans have settled in and come to the realisation that Hiromu hasn't missed a beat, disaster strikes. Ospreay catches Takahashi with a Randy Orton style rope-assisted DDT and it just about ends the match. Ospreay has a clear target and begins working over the neck before trying to end the match with one of Takahashi signature holds the Triangle Choke. I thought they did a really good job of putting Takahashi on the back-foot and in a position where he really needed to make a strong counter. His variation of the downward spiral was incredibly impressive and a nice way to lead into the next part of the match.

After a short-lived comeback spot from Takahashi, Ospreay comes back with his handspring roundhouse kick that catches Takahashi in the back of the neck and he rolls out of the ring quickly to try and regroup. This leads to one of the best sequences on the show, the Sasuke Special spot. What at first felt like a slightly weak transition, turned into a well crafted spot that really did both guys justice. Takahashi is able to lull Ospreay into the dive, catches him with a German, but Ospreay lands on his feet which he's known to do. Takahashi turns around in just the right time to hit his release overhead suplex, but Ospreay uses the momentum to slide back in the ring and hit his Sasuke Special. That sequence could have been a disaster if the execution was the slightest bit off or if they telegraphed the spot, but the mastery of both performers to hit it on the night deserves all the credit in the world.

The spot was that good, I felt like it over-shadowed the rest of the match. Rumour has it that Ospreay may have broken his ankle in the fall which would make the rest of the match a miracle but I doubt it's the case.

From there, the match went into it's finishing stretch which was incredibly long. Ospreay had a chance to hit a Hidden Blade, but Takahashi crumbled and Ospreay took pity. There was also a spot where Ospreay had Takahashi lined up for a missle dropkick to the back of the head, but he barely grazed him. Fans would call this a botch and perhaps it was. However, if it was a botch, it actually served the match. Ospreay doesn't want to end Takahashi's career, he just wants to win the match and prove his mettle. He isn't willing to win by any means necessary, until Takahashi refuses to stay down at which point, it becomes a case of him vs. me. Either Ospreay gives Takahashi everything, or he loses.

All the while, Takahashi refuses to go away. Everytime Ospreay looks to put Hiromu away, Takahashi comes up with a lethal counter that slowly but surely brings him back into the match. Sometimes these counters feel weak or worse, almost comedic where a guy takes an unnecessary risk all for the sake of drama. In this match every counter made sense in the style of match and looked incredibly painful. The top rope Canadian Destroyer may seem excessive since it wasn't the finisher, but it undeniably took the match to another level and both performers rode that wave of momentum.

Modern trends in wrestling dictate that finishes have to be back and forth. It's gotten to the point where wrestlers have undergone a Jason Vorheez style transformation, as they simply won't stay down until they've exhausted all their moves. This can hurt a lot of matches but I feel on a Tokyo Dome show, you've got to expect this level of drama. When you're trying to present this show as special, you've got to loosen the reigns. In a way, it's like breaking a diet around Christmas, sure it isn't good for us, but during the holidays you've got to savour the occassion.

In the case of Ospreay/Takahashi, not only were they hitting their impressive array of signatures, but I felt it suited the theme of the match. When Ospreay had a chance to win the match he hesitated and it cost him. With the realisation he had no other choice, he pulls the trigger and still Takahashi won't be denied. It's almost like a cruel joke on Ospreay who tried to be honorable, went back on it, and he still fell short. Takahashi also has his own problems. After hitting two Time Bombs, Ospreay refuses to stay down. Just as it appears he's all out of ideas, Takahashi decides to pull deep and debut a move he had never shown before, the Time Bomb 2.

I don't think Takahashi necessarily had to introduce a new move to his repertoire, he already has plenty of believable finishes, but I love the idea of a guy working a new move into the finish of a career defining match. It gives it that sense of realism, that they have really done their homework and devised a number of plans to win the match. Not only does it reflect well on the wrestler, but also on the moment and the contest. It's why Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena from SummerSlam 2013 is one of my favourite matches and why I think it's genuinely considered one of the greatest WWE Championship matches of all-time. Bryan ascending into main event status by hitting a move on a mentor and his one time potential brother in-law was a moment only Pro Wrestling could create.

In his first match back, Hiromu Takahashi reclaims his spot as the best junior heavyweight in NJPW dethroning Will Ospreay who could potentially pull an Ibushi and graduate to main event status. As far as junior heavyweight championship matches go, the only one on a WrestleKingdom show that could compare was the four-way from two years ago which coincidentally also featured Ospreay and Takahashi. Usually the matches end up getting lost in the shuffle. As the third last match show, it was given a lot of significance and the moment itself felt like a defining moment for Takahashi. If you go through the Jan 4 shows, the only singles match of a similar length was between Jushin Liger and Koji Kanemoto from 1999. This would have to be right up there as one of the best return bouts in wrestling. Think Shawn Michaels circa 2002 or Brock Lesnar 2012. Daniel Bryan in 2018 should have been in the conversation, but for whatever reason they decided to have him sell while Shane McMahon battled on with a hernia because he's trying his best to emulate his idol, Sabu.

Well well well. I was going to write many paragraphs about Okada/Naito in the Match Review Thread. Guess I should do it here instead?

Jan 7, 2020 14:32:42 GMT Big Pete said:

After a short-lived comeback spot from Takahashi, Ospreay comes back with his handspring roundhouse kick that catches Takahashi in the back of the neck and he rolls out of the ring quickly to try and regroup. This leads to one of the best sequences on the show, the Sasuke Special spot. What at first felt like a slightly weak transition, turned into a well crafted spot that really did both guys justice. Takahashi is able to lull Ospreay into the dive, catches him with a German, but Ospreay lands on his feet which he's known to do. Takahashi turns around in just the right time to hit his release overhead suplex, but Ospreay uses the momentum to slide back in the ring and hit his Sasuke Special. That sequence could have been a disaster if the execution was the slightest bit off or if they telegraphed the spot, but the mastery of both performers to hit it on the night deserves all the credit in the world.

The spot was that good, I felt like it over-shadowed the rest of the match. Rumour has it that Ospreay may have broken his ankle in the fall which would make the rest of the match a miracle but I doubt it's the case.

That was a phenomenal sequence that I watched several times over. As you say, a lot of modern wrestling appears overly choreographed, which kills the enjoyment for me, but that sequence was perfect. It was obviously pre-planned, but it didn't look that way, and the actual cooperation was minimal (compared to, say, a Canadian Destroyer). It was 99% Ospreay's amazing athleticism. I also agree that it overshadowed the rest of the match, although I hold that if the match as a whole was better, that may not have been the case.

Jan 7, 2020 14:32:42 GMT Big Pete said:

Modern trends in wrestling dictate that finishes have to be back and forth. It's gotten to the point where wrestlers have undergone a Jason Vorheez style transformation, as they simply won't stay down until they've exhausted all their moves. This can hurt a lot of matches but I feel on a Tokyo Dome show, you've got to expect this level of drama.

This is a feature of modern wrestling that I don't really like, but grudgingly accept. A corollary of this trope is that when a guy has a new finisher, suddenly his old finisher that previously beat everyone, doesn't beat anybody. Ospreay kicked out of the Time Bomb, Hiromu wins with Time Bomb 2. Now nobody will get pinned by Time Bomb despite the fact it pinned everybody before he broke his neck. The exact same thing happened when Ospreay replaced the Oz Cutter with Stormbreaker. It's dumb.

Awesome review Big Pete.

Let's talk about KENTA for a moment.

KENTA returned to a mild fanfare in Summer 2019, announcing his intention to compete in the G1. He was booked very strong, winning his first four bouts in mediocre matches, except the Tanahashi match, which people considered to be borderline great. Super strong booking. Unfortunately then he lost all of his remaining matches, which more than undid the four victories. All this time he was being booed or receiving silence for no obvious reason.

KENTA probably realised his limitations, that he couldn't keep working the style that brought him to the dance in NOAH, because it had been surpassed by fresher talent. To stay relevant, he had to change it up. So he did something shocking and unexpected. He turned heel and joined Bullet Club. He did this in the prickiest way possible. Attacking his own tag team partner Ishii during a random tag match, and then beating up best friend Shibata (with some help) after he intervened. His justification was that the crowd didn't give a fuck about him, so why should he give a fuck about them? Fantastic.

Leader of Bullet Club Jay White is a massive prick, but in a fairly typical, hyper-arrogant cheating heel kind of way. KENTA is a massive prick in a different way. He's basically a pro-wrestling troll. If you watch his backstage interviews, he has this really oddball sense of humour where he bashes his rivals while going on random tangents and bashes other wrestlers. It works well for him and you can tell it's his natural personality and he's having a lot of fun with it. Jay White is a great heel, but he's definitely forcing it at times, while KENTA is embracing his natural cool-heel-prickishness that's always been there even when he was the top babyface junior in NOAH.

Here comes the Wrestle Kingdom Day 2 spoilers, so don't read ahead.




You have been warned.





You have been warned again.





Last chance to leave.







KENTA loses his NEVER Openweight belt to Goto. Naito finally achieves his dream of winning the main event of the Tokyo Dome. He does his trademark role call to end the show, a NJPW staple for the winner of the last match. Just before he can say "Los Ingobernables...DE...JAPÓN", KENTA blasts him, hits Go 2, Sleep cuts a mocking promo, and walks out. Naito is escorted out of the arena by BUSHI. End show.

That is unprecedented, and NJPW had huge balls to end their biggest ever show in that way. Dare I say it's Steve Austin allying himself with the devil Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania X7 levels of ballsy? Honestly, I can't think of a bigger way to get as much heat on KENTA as possible, and I feel it's a little unjustified for a guy who hasn't really been that relevant in his NJPW run. If this leads to a Naito filler defense where he defeats KENTA with relative ease, then that's not at all worth ruining Naito's career defining moment for. But if KENTA beats Naito, it sort of ruins it as well, and not for a greater good (as much as I love KENTA). So a ballsy move, but I feel Gedo has booked himself into a corner.

Every time we think Gedo has booked himself into a corner, he has a plan. So I think he’s going to pull something out on Feb 9th.

My guess: Jay White interferes and stops KENTA from winning the double gold. Have Jay White and KENTA interacted at all since he joined Bullet Club? I don’t think they have. Or at least not in any meaningful way.

Now KENTA inserts himself as the rightful challenger to the double gold, ahead of the leader, ahead of Jay White? Gedo’s new pet, the guy he left Okada for? I have to think that KENTA’s actions aren’t sitting well with the Switchblade and he won’t be able to sit back and watch himself get leapfrogged so soon after a disappointing outing at WK14.

Then again Naito probably just wins and KENTA moves on to something else, because that’s also incredibly likely :lol: