Cyanide Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Anyone keeping up with this tour? Tokyo was pretty skippable aside from the mains, I thought. Shibata/Fish: Spoiler I haven't seen much of Bobby outside of reDRagon, but obviously his style meshes well with Shibata's whole thing. Surprised how much Fish dominated/how well Shibata put all his stuff over, and a really good match overall. They're definitely going all in on that ugly Shibata hardaway headbutt, and that PK for the finish was nasty. KUSHIDA/BUSHI: Spoiler Oh, boy. The sports-ent~ was strong in this one, even by LIJ standards. I'm sure some people still dug it, but it really took me out of what had been a great match. It also got really sloppy, to the point I was wondering if the mist was legit fucking things up for either guy. Surprising finish and result too - I'm curious if KUSHIDA might be positioned for bigger things, or if this could just end up as a junior version of Naito/Okada, with LIJ briefly taking a belt before ceding ground back to the NJPW icons. Also, any scuttlebutt on the new LIJ member? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zev Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 The Hiroshima card. Did I really just see one of the Young Bucks no sell a Doomsday Device from the Briscoes so he and his brother could get in more superkicks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 It's OK, if they somehow didn't before, Bullet Club officially jumped the shark and went full on nWo tribute today, so yeah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zev Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Today they jumped? Not months ago when they messed with the Cabana-Lethal match or weeks ago when they shaved Lethal's head? Or sometime in 2015? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Oh, the RoH version did months ago. The NJPW version, their newest member pretty much seals that they need to just die off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyanide Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 Couple thoughts on the other main cards. Hiroshima: Spoiler Skipped through the first four matches. All the NJPW Army vs LIJ stuff this tour has been a lot of fun, with LIJ going all out to weaken Elgin as much as possible (with mixed results). IWGP tag match was good stuff, provided you do prepare yourself with the knowledge that it is the Briscoes and Young Bucks blowing through their arsenals as usual. Cole/Ospreay fell victim to the forces that threaten interpromotional title defenses: a guy the crowd doesn't give a shit about takes on a crowd favorite, with everyone pretty much knowing the former is going to win because he's the (recently-crowned) outsider champ. I don't remember much other than feeling bad for Cole being put out there to die (by winning). Fale is so good as the Mountain-esque foil when paired up with a great worker (Okada, Tanahashi, Marufuji). Really good bout. Kenny has really embraced his Styles-like persona of being one of the best in the world right now, but still embracing the Bullet Club/Elite heel tactics because he's just a dick. I'm not a big YOSHI-HASHI fan, but this had me feeling for him as being constantly ganged up on by the Elite (sidebar: Goto is the worst second in history), and the inevitable comeback really had me concerned Kenny would drop the briefcase. Great storytelling. Kobe: Spoiler Watched just about all of this - really fun to great card from top to bottom. I don't follow a lot of the Young Lion stuff, but I loved everything Kanemitsu brought against GBH. I definitely want to see more of him. People have been talking about how well Nakanishi can still go at his age, but he looked like he should be put out to pasture in that tag vs reDRagon. RIP Matt Sydal. Long live David Finlay. (I actually really like Finlay and what he's shown since graduating - nice to see him get the surprise title win. And also a new BFF in Ricochet, as they apparently called out the Young Bucks for their junior titles after. Oh, and apparently Ospreay, Beretta, and Rocky called out the new champs despite gettint chumped out by the bottom of the NJPW barrel in the opener? Undercard title booking~) Elgin/Naito rocked, even with all the LIJ shenanigans. Elgin turning Naito's mindgames against him was wonderful. Naito made that apron to ring super falcon arrow look like death before managing to squeeze in a kick-out. The semi-clean finish after everything, with Naito planting Big Mike with two Destinos following a flash reversal for the win, made everyone look like a million bucks. Two of the top guys on the planet right now making each other look like it once again - great way to wrap things up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Captain New Japan now being known as BONE SOLDIER in all caps shall revitalize his career, especially if he starts doing all the heel junk he did when he first came back since he's got little else he's capable of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spritenaut 32 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 12 hours ago, Raziel403 said: Oh, the RoH version did months ago. The NJPW version, their newest member pretty much seals that they need to just die off. Who joined them? All I've seen is the Purolove results, which didn't make it clear if anyone turned or joined BC Spoiler Please tell me it's not Captain New Japan. He apparently has a new gimmick, so I'm guessing he turned heel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyanide Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 22 minutes ago, Vader does my taxes! said: Who joined them? All I've seen is the Purolove results, which didn't make it clear if anyone turned or joined BC Hide contents Please tell me it's not Captain New Japan. He apparently has a new gimmick, so I'm guessing he turned heel? Well, I've got good news and bad news! Oh wait, no only bad news. Spoiler But yeah, Yoshitatsu apparently gave him the boot from Hunter Club or was about to, so Captain New Japan turned on him to give Takahashi and Owens (or Page, I skimmed this part and don't care about the B-teamers too much) the win and aligned himself with Bullet Club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spritenaut 32 Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Yeah, I just saw it elsewhere a few min ago. I hated the Captain New Japan gimmick, but I don't have much hope for this one either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 On 9/26/2016 at 9:24 AM, Ryan said: Captain New Japan now being known as BONE SOLDIER in all caps shall revitalize his career, especially if he starts doing all the heel junk he did when he first came back since he's got little else he's capable of. Somebody needs to find the picture of him with the net on Takayama's head. In the meantime: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 Him as comedy heel underling fall guy will be more entertaining than shitty wrestler in goofy outfit at least. Watch him start getting wins instead and an eventual title shot at the NEVER belt or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.STAP Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 I wouldn't mind seeing BONE SOLDIER vs. "Cold Skull" SANADA at WK. Feud writes itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 No man can stop BONE SOLDIER, somehow his gear got worse. Maybe they're still making the rest of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Spirit of Halloween Japan just got an endorsement, good for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyanide Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 Matt Sydal being well and truly dead in Japan for the time being reminded me, hey, King of Pro Wrestling was a thing I watched! Also I'm making this the NJPW events topic through the end of the year (to hit the sweet spot between worrying about cluttering the puro catchall thread and making a bunch of sparse topics for stuff) unless overruled! Back on topic, the junior tag stuck with me most from KoPW. Just a ton of fun with a bunch of near falls I totally bit on, great heeling by the Young Bucks, and David Finlay is a revelation now that they're letting him live a little with this Ricochet team and the six-man run. I feel like he should be a favorite here, and I don't know what I want more: a glorious, hairy, hyperkinetic tag team or match with Finlay and Trevor Lee. The mains were good but holy shit did they rack up the snowflakes. Shibata/O'Reilly was very good but exactly what you'd expect, Omega/Goto didn't do anything for me the G1 Final didn't, and the main was great but also I watched it after work on Tuesday and was fading in and out by the end. So - whatever rating that translates to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyanide Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Road to Power Struggle Day 1 Not much here besides the junior stuff. Ospreay/Finlay was fun but nothing outstanding, and I'm a big fan of both at this point. Roppongi Voice/Team CMLL was good, if a bit hamstrung by the need to keep teasing Beretta's continuing tension with Rocky. But what you're really here for is Young Bucks/ACH and Ishimori, and it is every bit of the glorious junior team spotfest you want it to be, assuming you get down with that sort of thing. Maybe a bit overlong, and freighted with near falls as you may expect, but it delivers what you think it would and then some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinit Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 The G1 Tag League Teams: Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson Tetsuya Naito & a mystery partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson) IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) Leland Race & Brian Breaker Manabu Nakanishi & Henare Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page Block B: Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI Katusyori Shibata & Yuji Nagata Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto Yoshitatsu & Billy Gunn Kenny Omega & Chase Owens SANADA & EVIL Bad Luck Fale & Bone Soldier BILLY GUNN!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Gunn apparently looked fine and the MYSTERIOUS X is Rush, surprising literally no one on Earth except maybe EVIL if he was busy dying his hair at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maciej Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Is Rush the best wrestler in New Japan? Yes, right? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoeCristyV.1.6 Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Na, that would be Shibata. Billy Gunn was super over with the crowd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Rush/Shibata would be the coolest mashup of styles. Too bad they're in separate blocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinit Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 I've fallen so far behind on the tag league...any recommendations so far? I got to check out Naito/Rush vs War Machine yesterday and thought it was a pretty fun match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I would've so much prefered if Omega's suprise for the new Bullet Club member was Ryback and not Cody. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 They should put Ryback in los Ingobernables de Japon and then kick him out because he doesn't have sufficient tranquilo. Then he can tag with Nakanishi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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