Beech27

Exactly. Perhaps I'm really asking more from his opponents, rather than him? Like, he wants to lure you into strike exchanges, because that's how he can win. We know this. So either they A) Don't do that; B) Do it, and pay for it; C) Do it and survive, if they're one of a select few. I'm nitpicking, really, since I'm very happy with the quality of New Japan's matches right now. (Ishii included.) But I enjoy wrestling most when each guy is clearly trying to do something to win, in addition to the cool, violent and/or athletic spots. Sometimes I get the impression the fighting spirit forearm exchange is just there because it's the thing you do. But then, the crowd nearly always reacts, and there's always risk in imposing my outside sensibilities on a style that's evolved from and in a culture that isn't mine.

I thought it was hilarious--it seemed the live crowd loved it--but ymmv.

That's fair, and I'm certainly looking forward to those matches. I'm just over the "I hit you, you hit me" exchanges as a staple. Ishii does them better than most, maybe better than anyone, but he also does more of them. If every match is an epic fight, well, none of them are. (This is on his opponents too, of course. I don't want to see ZSJ stand and trade with him, for instance.)

As hilarious as Omega dunking all over him is, my first thought is how dumb this is on the part of DBS. Calling out New Japan's top gaijin (and Yano too, whose spot on the roster has to be as safe as anyone's), whom they're likely to bend over backwards to keep (and keep happy) for at least the next couple years, while your tag partner is out injured... yikes. Does he want to go back to NOAH? I didn't think anyone would.

And Kevin Steen (signed in August of '14, but) vs. AJ Styles on the undercard! But nevermind that, because there's a video series featuring Tyler Breeze and Fandango that might overshadow both, if it airs.

Omega/Yano was tremendous. If we were still doing the top 20 puro matches of the year poll, I'm almost certain it'd fit somewhere in mine. -It's not fair, but I can't look past Yoshi-Hashi's church wife haircut. And Ishii, while he's had a banner year... feels a little exposed having this many singles matches so close together, maybe? The exchanges are stiff and the crowd gets into it, but they're also the same every match. So, this didn't really hit for me. -ZSJ using Fale as a jungle gym was the obvious thing to do, and it worked pretty well when they stuck to it. The finish missed, though, because Fale's shoulder was clearly up--if they were ever down to begin with. -Surprised Makabe got the win here, to be honest. I liked that the finish was decisive, though. The G1 needs that. If anyone can string together a few of their big moves and hit a finisher, it's over. (It's also possible I'm assuming Ibushi's in line for a bigger heavyweight push than is rational, and this shouldn't be surprising at all. Oh well. Wishful thinking.) -Nagata's a bit of a man out of time, between the past legends and the Tanahashi/Nak--->Naito/Okada crop that elevated the company (back) to where it is now. So it's really satisfying to see him get this run, work so damn hard, and have it received so well. -Speaking of Tanahashi... this was compelling before it started. The weakened, descending ace, vs. the perpetual bridesmaid, increasingly desperate as his potential becomes his past. That works! And they worked.

It's on smackdown, so the idea, I guess, is that more people might tune in. Puro fans, Cena fans, the idly curious, whatever. Sometimes they seem to care about individual shows halting a downward ratings trajectory--or improving a stagnant one--and with AJ/Owens added too, I'm guessing this might be one of those times.

Cena/Nakamura is... interesting. It's the guy Nakamura has said he most wants to work with, and frankly, New Japan and WWE main event style have so overlapped at this point that it should be a comfortable fit. So maybe it's the start of seeing THAT Nakamura, at least somewhat regularly. There's a more pessimistic argument to be made too, though: they're just rushing this out now before any more shine comes off of him. Pop a number, move on.

Not surprising results. That really is the shit thing about this, though; it would be one thing if the answer was simply to "work smart", avoid head-drops, needless stiffness, etc. Don't be Shibata, or Nigel, or any of the other obvious cautionary tails. But if a decade of shoulder tackles and scoop slams adds up to brain trauma... well, good advice is still good advice, and mitigating risk is still wise, probably. But how do you solve a problem with no solution? (And full disclosure, I'm waking up early to watch the G1 before work tomorrow. Someone's getting dropped on their head; Ishii's gonna take and give some gross forearms, then a headbutt. I'm plenty complicit.)

Tranquilo, by any means. (As for the latter, well, Kitamura works there, they ain't testing.)

It's also very bro of him. Which, of course, is perfect. -Both Kojima and Nagata have had great tournaments. I'm pretty much roped in by the end every time, hoping they win despite "knowing" they won't. I'm grateful for any match that keeps me that firmly rooted in the present, rather than, y'know, letting my mind wander to likely outcomes, future prospects, annoying smark bs, etc. -I think one of the other outcomes of too much crowd brawling is that, in venues like this that really have no elevated seating, a massive portion of the audience is taken out of the match, because they can't see for minutes at a time. Still, Evil is getting really good at stringing together a compelling finish, and MiSu is always compelling to me. -I loved Omega/Yano. The props were fun, but the send-up of various strong style tropes was even better. The Cleaner hasn't scrubbed away DDT completely. -You hear about the Orton test, in WWE. Put a guy across from him, and just see if he fits. I suppose something similar could be said of Okada in New Japan; there's something to standing in the ring with him and just looking like you belong. Sanada passes.

I mean...

Yup. I'd love to see him in New Japan, in any capacity.

The only other left field option I can think of is Baretta. He's moving to heavyweight, will necessarily get a singles push, has established animosity with the Bucks, and his name is almost spelled the same as the pistol already.

I think they'd love for it to be Cody, but don't want to pay him for full-time work. Other than that... umm... Elgin could turn heel? Dude keeps losing already; might as well try something. (I know this wouldn't make any sense. And you're probably right.)

Sasha keeps having everyone's best match. She's still, like, ten percent slower on everything than she thinks she is, but somehow it doesn't matter. The matches are put together well, and the crowd always reacts. Pretty much the moment we're down on any woman, Sasha can hand them a showcase. Given she already worked in two forearm exachanges and a pop up from a knee strike into another knee strike tonight, maybe she should just be the one to work Nakamura?

Apparently he signed a three year deal. WWE announced the signing on February 21, 2016, so assuming the contract starts about then, he's got a while yet to go.

I'm in the "Nak is struggling as much as lazy" camp. He's (mostly) used to matches being built around escalating violence in a pseudo-sports environment, not the heat/shine formula. This is reductive as hell--yes there are holes--but the work of top faces in Japan and WWE is different. Both he and Itami have suffered from this. They've always worked best as taunting, swaggering dickheads, who just happen to kick harder and more accurately than you. Not working as (sometimes recklessly) stiff, dominant jerks (who you cheer anyway) but firey comeback oriented babyfaces was always dubious. (Regarding tonight: I also think Corbin is brutally boring in control, which doesn't help.)

Man, Nak isn't just struggling with his match layout, he's also visibly whiffing on almost all of his strikes. I've never thought much of Corbin, but I can't really blame him here. Breezango should get all three hours next time.

If Juice isn't amazing, he's well on his way. Dude is 28, and just now getting significant work in high profile singles matches. I saw nothing at all in NXT, and didn't want him in NJPW, but I've rarely been as wrong about a wrestler. Regarding today: Fale and Makabe scoring the upsets would have been more interesting if the announcers hadn't pointed out the booking logic behind it the day before; ZSJ continues the best run of his career (I don't know if he associates with Suzuki at all irl, but he does seem to have learned a thing or two about mean rather than neat submission work); it's interesting how they're positioning Ibushi as a more credible heavyweight threat by pushing his striking ability.

I know they're expensive, but they should at least buy him a new plush.

Juice/Evil was my favorite match on a show that also featured Suzuki, Omega, and Okada singles matches, and the only surprising thing is I'm not really surprised, given the trajectory they've been on. Two guys at basically the same level, real sympathy, and a great finishing stretch. I did enjoy Suzuki/Sanada, which I think pushed forward the story of Sanada having all the tools, but not using them properly. He lost because he went to the ground and started trading submissions, which... yeah, he should pay for that. There really wasn't a ton to Omega/Tama itself; the match was all about the angle, which is still being teased out. Felt like the crowd was holding its breath for a swerve that never came. In some ways, Elgin is my least favorite type of opponent for Okada. He gives away so much even when he isn't facing the ace of the company, that unbelievable nearfalls are instead very predictable. I did enjoy the burning hammer attempt, though, since Okada is basically on that Misawa god-tier of absorbing an absurd amount of your power moves, then beating you anyway.

I think so, and the story isn't a difficult one to tell. The Bullet Club has always been a refuge for gaijin who feel slighted by "the office", and want the protection that numbers offer. The more Omega, individually, is treated as a face of the company, the more he contradicts that ethos. Furthermore, he was always going to be an awkward fit in the long run, given his affinity for all things Japan. (He doesn't really want to be an outsider. Arguably, he doesn't see himself as one now. He speaks Japanese, talks of wanting a house in Japan for the rest of his life, etc.) Most of his promos, after all, focus on how he could ultimately help the company if only he were given the chance. We also have the chance to bring things full circle, with Ibushi back, since Omega distracting him (vs. Styles) was his real sell-out moment. But the Bullet Club merch machine is really strong, and while The Elite as a stand-alone faction (or part of a new one) would move plenty of shirts, I could see NJPW not wanting to mess with that. Regarding Sanada: I kind of love that he kept the weak looking backbreaker and flat trajectory on his Mutohsault, despite the fact that 10% of his gimmick at this point is based on jumping really high.

Juice/Kojima was so good, and a perfect, straightforward match to offset a night of chairshots and interference. A glimpse at what babyface heavyweight Omega would look like was fun, and the knee could keep him in that sympathetic role if they want to continue teasing him that direction.

Your serve, New Japan.