Kevin Wilson

I had heard the name before somewhere and finally looked it up. Moose!

Yea I'd put a 0% chance of any of Over the Edge 1999 showing up, but I can't think of any other event they wouldn't show. What about the "Jesse Ventura" issue, was this ever resolved? Be a shame if the commentary is edited on the older WWF/WCW PPVs.

*pouts*

So an All Japan show?

What on Earth... did you SEE his fucking dive?? He went into the third row and nearly killed some tiny lady. In his mind, he's still in Mexico. He's awesome in that match. His superkick was fine. You have bad opinions. Etc. Yea I dunno if we will see that as part of his moveset again but it sure was entertaining. I thought it was a solid debut for him, actually wish he didn't already have a title shot as that greatly increases the chances of him being cut off before he can really even get running. Here is the dive for those that don't want to download the match:

An amazing deal really, they are basically saying "fuck you" to the PPV model at that price point. Definitely a radical way to go about it, we'll see if it works.

FREEDOMS has announced that they will be holding a tournament to crown their first ever tag team champions. Since many of these wrestlers currently do or used to wrestle in Big Japan, I figured there were enough recognizable names to talk about the results. Since this goes until March I will update this post as the results happen, but feel free to use this as a general FREEDOMS thread. I just want to make sure we aren't only giving love to the main promotions . Occasionally their stuff makes it to the Internet... but not very often. If I can find anything from these shows, I will post them. Here are the blocks: Block A Kenji Fukimoto and Karate Brahman [2] Jun Kasai and Masashi Takeda [2] Kamui and SUSUMU [0] HIROKI and Daisuke Masaoka [0] Takashi Sasaki and Tatushito Takaiwa [0] Block B Great Kojika and The Winger [4] Daisuke and Tatsuhiko Yoshino [2] Minoru Fujita and Kenichiro Arai Shu & Kei Brahman [0] Mammoth Sasaki and Toru Sugiura [0] 1/8 Results: Block B: Daisuke and Tatsuhiko Yoshino [2] defeated Brahman Shu and Brahman Kei [0] (10:22) with a Messenger from Yoshino to Kei Block A: Kenji Fukimoto and Karate Brahman [2] defeated HIROKI and Daisuke Masaoka [0] (9:54) when Brahman hit Masaoka with a Package Piledriver and Fukimoto pinned him Block B: Great Kojika and The Winger [2] defeated Mammoth Sasaki and Toru Sugiura [0] (15:52) with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold from Winger to Sugiura Block A: Jun Kasai and Masashi Takeda [2] defeated Takashi Sasaki and Tatsuhito Takaiwa [0] (14:18) with a Mega Rubber from Takeda to Sasaki 1/19 Results: B Block Match: Great Kojika and The Winger defeated Daisuke and Tatsuhiko Yoshino with a Jacknife Hold from Winger to Yoshino A Block Match: Kamui and SUSUMU vs. Kenji Fukimoto and Karate Brahman - DRAW (No Points Rewarded) Anyone follow FREEDOMS? Any thoughts on the Tournament?

Yea that event screamed "house show", aside from showing Desperado's debut I dunno why they decided it needed to be taped and broadcasted

The Osaka show does look ten times better. Really looking forward to Goto/Okada as those are my two favorite wrestlers in New Japan and being the main event for the title I am sure they won't be holding anything back. I will hope for a Goto win but I that wouldn't be the normal New Japan way of doing things so I'd be surprised if it happened.

Another average-quality release but at least they are showing up in a timely fashion anyway so we don't miss anything. Files range from 55 MB to 250 MB. New Japan "NEW YEAR DASH!!" on 1/5/14 1. KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley vs. Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov vs. TAKA Michinoku and Taichi 2. Minoru Suzuki vs. Sho Tanaka 3. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Jado, and Gedo vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Super Strong Machine, and Yohei Komatsu 4. El Desperado and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Kota Ibushi and BUSHI 5. Prince Devitt and Bad Luck Fale vs. Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma 6. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Shelton Benjamin vs. Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Tama Tonga 7. NWA World Tag Team Championship: Rob Conway and Jax Dane vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima 8. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito, and Captain New Japan vs. Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI

VOTING: YES on 1/4 Tanahashi vs. Nakamura. I watched it again, I thought about it, and I think its a borderline yes. But I also think it pales in comparison to the match that came just before it and doesn't have much of a chance in being in my Top 20 this year.

Man I hadn't seen Nakanishi wrestle in all of 2013 but he looked really rough. It was like I was watching Taue wrestle in a Nakanishi fat suit. Sad to watch wrestlers go over that edge.

One thing I actually like about Okada is that he is big (as in tall mostly) but still does move quick, has good stamina, etc. so he kept some of those traits but generally does wrestle like a Heavy with his offense.

NOMINATE: 1/4 Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito. I loved the hell out of this match. First of all, Okada is so smooth, he really is a complete package. He has the size to be a heavyweight, but he is incredibly athletic (the height he gets on his diving elbow drop was unreal) and just is a natural. Naito is no flake either of course and their chemistry is palpable. Also, I love that Okada protects his finisher. How many wrestlers with a strike as a finisher use it constantly throughout the match? Even the greats like Mutoh, Sasaki, Misawa, etc. are all guilty of it, but while Okada went for it a number of times he only hit it once. And that was all he needed. Naito on the other hand was always ready for it, and it took two tombstone piledrivers to make him hurt enough to not be able to reverse it. Nothing here seemed wasted, it was always leading up to the ending that never seemed excessive… they never went over the top with big moves in the stretch run. Early candidate (well very early) for my MOTY. VOTING: YES on 1/4 Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata. I really like Goto and I still don’t understand why he got skipped over. He has the look, good moves, the crowd likes him. Anyway this match was very “fighting spirit” in its layout, but again like the last few matches it was the first one on the card like that so it came across as fresh. A little excessive at times in my opinion which is my only notable complaint about the match, but at least it went both ways. Goto was fired up in his return and was really busting his ass, and I am so glad to see Shibata back as he was really 'snug' with his strikes and came across as legit. The strikes were stiff as hell, the downtime was minimal, and it really came across as two men who thought they were the best and wanted to prove it. An entertaining match, and hopefully the beginning of something good for Goto in 2014. I am really really on the fence about a few of the other matches on the 1/4 show, curious if anyone else liked them enough to nominate as I want to see some other people's thoughts on it. Really close to nominating Nakamura/Tanahashi and I will probably watch it again, but to me it was a step down from the two matches I listed above. My first ever votes, isn't that exciting?

Nakamura/Tanahashi is the only match I have left to watch, but I loved Okada/Naito. So many little things I liked about it, I didn't watch hardly any wrestling in 2013 so I really didn't know what to expect, especially after reading around that some people don't like Naito. Okada did outshine him but I thought the match was so smooth, they definitely have great chemistry. Really entertaining match, should have been the main event, and I say that even before seeing Nakamura/Tanahashi.

I am not sure if they did it in purpose or not, but at the Tokyo Dome when the two met, the only camera on Desperado and Kota was from the floor. Still though from the brief moment they were actually standing fully upright facing each other, unless they switch wrestlers ala Black Scorpion no way this is Sugi. Kota is billed at 5'11", Mikami 5'9", and Sugi 5'4". From the picture, Desperado only looks a few inches shorter than Ibushi and definitely not 7 inches shorter. So either they are pulling a switcheroo or Dave is just being silly again (spoilered for size):

Yea the finisher is well done, but the model is sub-CAW level in terms of looking and acting like Rude.

He can do it if it isn't a 25 minute match, his singles matches in W-1 haven't been long or fast paced but he is still serviceable. I don't mean that as a knock on Takayama's abilities, just that he is a bit physically limited these days due to age and injuries. He actually had 57 matches in 2013 which seems kinda crazy.

Good point, problem solved!

I can't imagine it is Sugi, New Japan didn't seem to have interest in him when he was "hot" (which was years ago), and after his drug thing he has virtually disappeared (has he wrestled since his brief run as "Dual Force" in NOAH last summer?). Plus Mikami just left CMLL so it matches up. But once a match of his makes TV we will know for sure since you're right, their sizes are quite different. Glad that Mikami had success in Mexico if it is him, always enjoy having a little shake-up in my pro wres.

So looks like New Japan's new Jr. Heavyweight, El Desperado, is Kyosuke Mikami. Haven't heard his name in a long time, which makes sense since he has been in CMLL for the last two years. Anyone seen his work there? Sometimes excursions work wonders for wrestlers, other times they come back and go right back to opening cards as if they never left. Will be interesting to see how he does.

FIrst post updated with results, Morishima defeated KENTA for the GHC Heavyweight Championship.

Oh man you're right, and the Fale/Makabe match was 15, not 5. Everywhere just posted the same wrong times from whoever did it first I updated the post above to reflect the right times on those two matches.

I posted an average quality version of the full show in the Matches thread, once something better comes up in the next few days I will cut the matches up so you don't have to download the whole thing if you were only interested in one match.

I will split up the matches once a better quality version becomes available (or someone else will if they beat me to it, feel free to post it here). Also once a better quality version shows up I will update the links for the full show and make a note of that, this is just for those that wanted to see it RIGHT NOW. Event: New Japan at the Tokyo Dome, WRESTLE KINGDOM 8 Date: January 4th, 2014 Where: Tokyo, Japan Quality: Average (if that, no big screen TV watching) Links: Part 1 and Part 2 (separate files) Part 1 (Mediafire) or Part 1 (Mega) 0. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan, and BUSHI vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Super Strong Machine, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Yohei Komatsu 1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title – Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson © vs. KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley vs. TAKA Michinoku and Taichi vs. Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov 2. IWGP Tag Team Title: Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. © vs. Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows 3. NWA World Heavyweight Title: Rob Conway © vs. Satoshi Kojima 4. Yuji Nagata and Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Daniel Gracie and Rolles Gracie 5. Minoru Suzuki and Shelton Benjamin vs. Great Muta and Toru Yano Part 2 (Mediafire) or Part 2 (Mega) 6. King of Destroyer Match: Togi Makabe vs. King Fale 7. Hirooki Goto Return Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata 8. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt © vs. Kota Ibushi 9. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada © vs. Tetsuya Naito 10. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi