New Japan Pro-Wrestling – Wrestle Kingdom 9 – 4th January 2015
I’ve been watching NJPW for a while, but held off on dropping a review until this point. I tend to jump around, picking up the shows with matches on that I really want to see, and since there are so many excellent writers who watch so much more of the product than I do I’ve always held off on reviewing. But since Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling got involved with the international broadcast of this year’s annual January 4th Tokyo Dome supershow, opening NJPW’s famed product up to a wider international audience than ever before, I felt it appropriate to post my musings on the show as well. The card is stunning, with no less than six titles on the line. The main event sees the renewal of the greatest rivalry in puroresu since Misawa and Kawada, as Kazuchika Okada once again challenges the ‘ace’ of New Japan and reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. The undercard is seriously stacked out to create an event worthy of the ‘WrestleMania of Japan’ billing. Nakamura and Ibushi clash over the IWGP Intercontinental Title in a match people are already hyping as 2015 MOTY is probably the pick of the bunch – although with Styles/Naito, Taguchi/Omega, Ishii/Makabe and a star-studded four-team Jr. Heavyweight Tag Title to open the show this is going to be a hell of a watch. I’ve got the international version, meaning Jim Ross and Matt Striker call the action from Tokyo, Japan
reDRagon vs Young Bucks vs Forever Hooligans vs Time Splitters – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Title Match
Hands up if you find the concept of Jim ‘these young guys need to slow down’ Ross calling a Young Bucks match hilarious? The Bucks, the Hooligans and the Time Splitters have been at war over the Jr. Heavyweight Tag straps for a long time. They’ve all traded the gold and shared some stunning matches along the way. Their rivalry was given an added dynamic in the summer of 2014 when ROH Tag Champions reDRagon made their way to New Japan. Fish and O’Reilly initially failed to take the belts from Shelley and Kushida…but had a killer November which saw them win both the 2014 Super Junior Tag Tournament then finally defeat the Splitters to capture the Jr. Tag belts. Now the four premier teams in the division come together to open the biggest show of the year…
Matt Striker telling me how long everyone has been a wrestler immediately annoys me. Fish and Kushida start, with O’Reilly quickly pasting Kushi when he gets the edge on his partner. Cossack Stomps from Koslov to Fish, before the champs join forces to isolate the Russian. Alex is only recently back from injury and is carrying plenty of weight around his midsection by the way. Nick Jackson accidentally boots his own brother in his face, then eats a corkscrew enzi from Koslov. Romero in and with a guy slumped in every corner he is in his element dishing out clotheslines. Shelley takes him out via flying knee strike of the apron, and responds from the floor to BLOCK O’Reilly’s missile dropkick off the apron with a superkick. Koslov takes flight with a somersault plancha…before Nick flies over his own brother into a CORKSCREW PLANCHA! SWANTON TO THE FLOOR by Kushida! Outtatime gets 2 for the Splitters. SUPERKICKS by Nick! The Bucks BACK FLIP OUT OF A DOUBLE DOOMSDAY DEVICE attempt by the Hooligans. EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S! MELTZER DRIVER NAILED! reDRagon prevent them from hitting More Bang For Your Buck before giving Shelley a tilta-whirl backbreaker/knee drop combo. LAUNCHPAD OCEAN CYCLONE SUPLEX! Fish hits the avalanche falcon arrow, only for Kushida to lunge in and stop them hitting Chasing The Dragon. Axe & Smash on Koslov…CHASING THE DRAGON! They retain at 13:00
Rating - *** - They started slowly and inevitably held back somewhat, but in the end this built to a really solid curtain jerker. Everyone got their sh*t in, the Bucks continued to look like genuine superstars and reDRagon also delivered the goods in what was a huge night for them. For it’s spot on the card this wound up being decent.
Jeff Jarrett/Bad Luck Fale/Yujiro Takahashi vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan/Satoshi Kojima/Tamoiaki Honma
More representatives of Bullet Club hit the ring now. Jarrett, Fale and Yujiro are all members – with Jarrett famously joining moments after signing off on the deal cementing a relationship between NJPW and his upstart Global Force Wrestling group. They face three popular veterans in Tenzan, Kojima and Honma. Tenzan and Kojima are former rivals with years of experience at the very pinnacle of puroresu who now team together regularly. Honma has never reached the career heights of his partners, but is enjoying a career resurgence after an awesome showing in the 2014 G1 Climax Tournament (despite losing every match).
JR forgets which match he is watching – chalk it up to nerves or commentary rust if you want. I forgot how irritating Jarrett’s music is. Karen Jarrett, wearing a dress at least a size too small for her, gets the fight started by shoving Honma around (seriously). Ten-Cozy have to team up just to get Bad Luck off his feet, clearing him from the ring so Kojima can batter Takahashi with Machine Gun chops. Jeff rescues him, then feeds Koji to the massive Fale. Quickly Bullet Club isolate Kojima…until he floors Yujiro with the Cozy Cutter. Honma misses a headbutt, and instantly suffers more damage to his cranium with a fisherman buster from Takahashi. Jarrett tries to take Honma out with his guitar. GUITAR SHOT ON YUJIRO! Jeff inadvertently got his own partner, and then gets dropped to the floor with a double back drop from Ten-Cozy. Kokeshi Headbutt wins it for Honma at 05:31
Rating - ** - Far from the finest match you’ll ever see, but it was a testament to the value of good story-telling as this one actually got far more reaction from the audience than the Jr. Tag Title opener. Honma hitting that damn headbutt and winning was awesome pay-off to the way his character has been portrayed since last summer, whilst the involvement of the more limited workers (Jarrett and Fale) was kept to a minimum.
Takashi Iizuka/Shelton Benjamin/Lance Archer/Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs Toru Yano/Naomichi Marufuji/Shane Haste/Mikey Nicholls
Bullet Club aren’t the only villainous stable in New Japan. The Suzuki-gun group are rather dastardly in their own right. Here they are represented by the unpredictable Takashi Iizuka (who Matt Striker really puts over) and the gaijin trio of Benjamin, Archer and Smith. The group have two main enemies at this juncture – those being Kazushi Sakuraba and Toru Yano. Sakuraba faces leader Minoru Suzuki later, and here Yano is looking to even the score with his former tag partner Iizuka. There was plenty of hype surrounding who Yano would find to team with him at this show – until just before Christmas when Pro-Wrestling NOAH’s Marufuji and TMDK were revealed.
Suzuki-gun don’t waste any time getting the fight started. Yano and Iizuka come to blows immediately, with Takashi clubbing his former tag partner with the torn off turnbuckle covers. Hart Attack by the Killer Elite Squad…before Archer gets his head put into the exposed turnbuckle. JR marks out for Taka Michinoku at ringside, as inside the ring TMDK hit a running powerslam/cannonball combo. Bulldog Bomb nailed by Smith whilst his partner lands a colossal chokeslam. Marufuji gets the tag, and he is clearly the biggest star in this one despite NOAH’s problems in recent years. Iizuka blocks the Shiranui, feeding Maru into a ROPE RUN BELLY TO BELLY by Shelton. Marufuji hits the Tiger King knee strike for the win at 05:05
Rating - ** - Not a lot of substance to this, and given how much they hyped the involvement of the NOAH guys you’d think they could have found more time for it. Having said that, it’s impossible to deny that all eight guys were working hard. They got almost no ring time, so threw in as many strikes and spots as possible looking to make an impression.
Not sure who is laying this show out, but somehow Yano and the NOAH guys get more time to celebrate and pose for pictures inside the ring than their actual match did…
Minoru Suzuki vs Kazushi Sakuraba – UWFi Rules Match
The rules for this are simple – it’s KO or submission only. These two have been feuding for some time and, as the American announce duo point out, are extremely natural rivals. They have plenty of experience and pedigree in mixed martial arts and were trained by some of the most reputable wrestlers in the world. Suzuki founded the notorious Pancrase, whilst Sakuraba is arguably the finest Japanese MMA fighter ever. Who proves themselves the better man in this extremely bitter grudge match?
They quickly go to the mat, with Suzuki noticeably adopting defensive positions to counteract the prowess of Sakuraba. He even has to climb out to the apron to escape Saku’s clutches – but uses his unusual positioning there to capture him in a HANGING triangle choke. To the entrance aisle now, where they trade vicious strikes. Kimura applied by Sakuraba out there, but of course the finish has to be inside the ring. The damage may have been done though as it leaves Minoru on the ground obviously now suffering from an arm injury. He hesitantly makes his way back to the ring – right into a barrage of kicks from his dominant opponent. When Suzuki refuses to be counted out Sakuraba deliberately starts kicking at the bad arm…drawing a volley of PALM STRIKES back in his direction. Sakuraba is literally NAILING the arm now, then takes him down going for both Kimuras and cross armbreakers. Once again Suzuki clings to the ropes desperately trying to stay in the match. More kicks to the arm next…and Suzuki BEGS FOR MORE! He hits a knee strike, then Saka Otoshi’s Saku into the rear Sleeper. He is choked out, giving Suzuki the victory at 09:23
Rating - *** - Worked shoot matches can be hit or miss but thankfully this one was mostly pretty decent. Suzuki remains one of the best workers in the world despite his advancing years. The way he wrestles matches, sells for his opponents and conveys his character is still a joy to watch. He carried this one with a sterling sell job on the bad arm. If I’m honest I didn’t like the finish (it was a little too reliant on the arm for my taste) but considering many thought this might be a trainwreck, it was actually rather good.
Tomohiro Ishii vs Togi Makabe – NEVER Openweight Title Match
Ishii is a two-time NEVER Openweight Champion, and is still earning plenty of plaudits after his incredibly courageous 2014 G1 Climax performance when he battled through a shoulder injury to produce a string of super matches. New Japan veteran Makabe is a former G1 winner and IWGP Heavyweight Champion with a violent, Brody-inspired style which poses a serious threat to the champ who is still competing at well below 100% fitness.
Ishii still has his bad shoulder taped, but walks to the centre of the ring right into a strike exchange with his challenger. He even tries shoulder blocks using the aforementioned injured body part. Makabe is hurting, but stands up to Ishii and continues to trade blows with him. Some of the shots these guys throw at each other are really vicious. Eventually a northern lights suplex, again using the bad arm, is what gives Togi the advantage for the first time. STALLING superplex by Ishii, then a crisp powerbomb for 2…only for Makabe to drop him again with a discus lariat. King Kong Powerbomb gets another nearfall as the two guys continue to absolutely batter each other. GERMAN SUPLEX ON THE SHOULDER! He then tries an avalanche version of the same hold, only to settle on a Samoan drop from the second rope after his plucky opponent looks to fight it. Ishii gets up again so gets HAMMERED with a lariat flurry. One count of disrespect on that – even though the champion can’t stand. He manages to drag Makabe into a German suplex…then DECKS him with a lariat when the challenger tries to no sell. Makabe starts aiming every strike at the shoulder and still falls victim to a sliding lariat for 2. Dragon suplex once again piles all the pressure onto the busted shoulder again. STRIKE DUEL! POLISH HAMMER DUEL! And STILL Ishii won’t be pinned for more than one. LARIATOOOOO…for 2! KING KONG KNEE TO THE SHOULDER! Makabe wins at 12:23
Rating - **** - I can understand why some people wouldn’t like this, but I really enjoyed it. There was nothing pretty or overly elaborate about it, and was simply two tough bastards beating the stuffing out of each other. And what I particularly liked is that there WAS a story there. I’m sure purists will complain about selling, silly strike exchanges and so forth, but there was a clear logic to this madness. Ishii enjoyed arguably a career-defining 2014 thanks to his courage during the G1. He stakes his claim on being tougher than anyone he steps into the ring with – and the deal here is Makabe looking to prove him wrong. The challenger survived the first onslaught then tore into the shoulder, piling on so much damage to that body part that even Ishii couldn’t survive.
SIDENOTE – The slower pace and orthodox match format meant Jim Ross and Matt Striker were much more comfortable on commentary. For much of the night thus far JR has seemed horribly out of touch, whilst Striker has been taking away from the action by splurging everything he researched and barely giving Ross room to talk. This match was far more familiar to both of them, and they both were far more relaxed and actually contributed to the broadcast positively for the first time.
A video package airs hyping NJPW’s calendar for the coming months. Of note is that a return to ‘USA’ for another crossover show with Ring Of Honor is confirmed. Since it is listed alongside major events like the 25th G1 Climax and Invasion Attack 2015 it’s fair to say that it will be a full roster experience and they will be sending another strong line-up of talent to ROH.
Ryusuke Taguchi vs Kenny Omega – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title Match
Although now competing for singles gold, these guys have plenty of history togther – going back to their days in Apollo 55 and Golden Lovers respectively when they did battle over the Jr. Tag straps. Omega is another member of Bullet Club, having signed for New Japan in the summer after an extended period as a main event act in DDT. He now calls himself ‘The Cleaner’, and despite being fluent in Japanese, now pisses fans off by conducting his interviews in English only. Taguchi’s beef with Bullet Club dates back to it’s very formation – when Apollo 55 partner Prince Devitt severed ties with him to form the renegade gaijin faction.
Omega’s hair is a spectacle in itself. He playfully faux-slaps Ryu in the face…then spits at him when the champion plays games back with him. Taguchi tries an Anklelock, but finds his attentions taken by the Young Bucks who are at ringside. As they continue to distract Taguchi Kenny grabs a can of cold spray and unloads it into his eyes. Omega has plenty of extravagant offensive moves in his repertoire, but he adopts an extremely basic approach here – stomping, kicking and choking at the champion to really impose himself. INVISIBLE CHAINSAW! That’s a move that further rakes the eyes, causing more damage to Taguchi’s vision. Somehow he back drops Kenny to the floor, then sprints out after him with a somersault plancha – taking out both his challenger and the Young Bucks. Three Amigos blocked into the Kotaro Crusher by Omega. He then pounds on the back…only to take a hurricanrana straight into the turnbuckles. Both men fight up the ropes with Kenny emerging on top to plant a dropkick in Ryu’s ribs. Les Artess powerbomb lands, before Taguchi counters Croyt’s Wrath with the Dodon for 2. Anklelock again and for a second time the Bucks hop up to interfere. This time Taguchi tricks Omega into kneeing Matt Jackson in the face…then hits Dodon’s Throne for another nearfall. Dragon suplex into KATAYOKU NO TENSHI! Omega wins the belt at 13:18
Rating - *** - I expected more from this. The Bullet Club interference was kept to a minimum and the real issues actually came from a rather lifeless performance from the two wrestlers. Taguchi was extremely bland as the babyface champion, and even the usually entertaining Kenny Omega seemed a little subdued. Things did pick up down the stretch, but by that point large portions of the live crowd had lost interest leading some extremely lifeless false finishes.
Karl Anderson/Doc Gallows vs Hirooki Goto/Katsuyori Shibata – IWGP Tag Title Match
Bullet Club’s Anderson and Gallows have now held the IWGP Tag Titles for a full near, after winning them at Wrestle Kingdom 8. Goto and Shibata have been opposing Bullet Club looking to restore honour to New Japan and can strike a major blow to the prospects of the heel group if they can take their belts from them here. They already hold a victory over them having defeated them to win the 2014 World Tag League and earn this opportunity.
Tama Tonga and Gallows’ wife Amber O’Neal are both at ringside. Doc takes a cheap shot on Goto, who’s attempt at an angry response sees him inadvertently clobber his own tag partner off the apron. The champions are dogged in their isolation of Goto and refuse to let him near his corner for a tag. JR appears to call ‘Bullet Babe’ Amber O’Neal a prostitute. In the ring Goto finally manages to drop Gallows with a lariat and forces his way over into the crucial tag to Shibata. Doc throws his entire body weight into an avalanche, preventing him from hitting a running soccer kick. Double back suplex on Gallows for 2 before a backbreaker/elbow drop combo puts Shibata on the deck again. 3-D II for another nearfall before Goto saves his partner from the Magic Killer. Gun Stun countered into a fireman’s carry Penalty Kick combo. Gallows Pole on Shibata gets 2. Goto avoids the same fate and lariats Doc into kick. Penalty Kick by Shibata gives his team the win and the titles at 08:56
Rating - ** - A rather underwhelming finish to a year-long title reign if you ask me. At no point did this really feel like the culmination of a year long reign, and I didn’t feel any babyface tension on Shibata and Goto getting a big win either. I’ve seen plenty of reviews go higher on their rating than this, so maybe I misunderstood what they were trying to do. Personally I thought this was a mundane, plodding exchange of basic tag team pleasantries - lacking in drama of any kind.
AJ Styles vs Tetsuya Naito
This is a tough spot for the Phenomenal One. After an impressive 2014 in New Japan, he looked certain to make it to the Tokyo Dome as IWGP Champion to defend the belt against 2014 G1 winner Okada. Hiroshi Tanahashi rather snuck in the back door by defeating him for the belt and being the one to take the headline spot at this event. AJ, still at the heart of Bullet Club, now looks to rebound and force his way back into title contention with a win over Naito. He also comes in with plenty of heat after breaking Yoshi Tatsu’s neck with an errant Styles Clash in November.
Styles jumps Naito during his entrance, and draws gasps from the crowd as he goes right for the Clash. Phenom DDT to the floor misses though, allowing his opponent to NAIL a missile dropkick off the apron. The Japanese competitor hits a flurry of dropkicks, upsetting AJ to such a degree that he pulls out a leg stunner then starts savagely attacking the bad wheel. It soon means that Naito is unable to stand and unable to get up the ropes for any kind of high flying offence. He somehow hits a tornado DDT but then collapses to the ground favouring the leg. And he continues to struggle with his legs as he attempts a comeback. Despite his limitations he does manage to land a hanging neckbreaker out of the ropes…but then can’t climb the ropes quick enough to capitalise, so Styles whacks him in the face with the springboard elbow smash. The knee full-on collapses under Naito once again as AJ lifts him for the suplex neckbreaker. German suplex nailed WITH LEG SELLING for 2! Styles grabs at the leg again but eats an enziguri, giving the limping Naito a window to head upstairs. It takes too long to set up the Stardust Press though! CALF KILLER! The audience give Naito a standing ovation for making the ropes to escape that. Urinage nailed…into a bridging dragon suplex for 2. And at least Naito comes up limping to attempt another sell job on the knee. Pele Kick into BLOODY SUNDAY! BACK DROP TO THE FLOOR TO BLOCK THE STYLES CLASH! It gives Naito a full twenty seconds to recover, which he uses to hobble into a slingshot dropkick. Frankensteiner blocked by grabbing the bad leg! AVALANCHE STYLES CLAAAAAASH! AJ wins at 14:26
Rating - **** - Naito’s selling was patchy, but on the whole they judged the tone perfectly here. The growing notoriety of the Styles Clash has added an extra dynamic to Styles’ work which I love. It’s not his fault that some wrestlers make a foolish basic error and tuck their head, and it’s certainly not his fault that British wrestler Lionheart has tried to childishly blame AJ and ask him to stop using the Clash. The infamy of the move means that it is now revered like total death – particularly in a wrestling culture like Japan. The crowd gasped and reacted every time he went for it, leading to a huge reaction when he finally did it hit from the ropes. Styles has been outstanding since his release from TNA and, although Naito was a perfectly decent opponent for him, AJ was the clear star here.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi – IWGP Intercontinental Title Match
Nakamura has been a top star in New Japan for a long time. He continues to be a standard bearer in this company and remains immensely popular with the fans. His opponent tonight is the rising star imported from DDT – Kota Ibushi. A video package shows Kota returning from a concussion injury then attacking Nak from behind and demanding this match in the Dome. Ibushi has been heralded as the ‘next big thing’ for a long time. Tonight he looks to break-out on the biggest stage available to him. Will it be the unpredictable and hugely charismatic veteran who emerges victorious or the cocky, determined and exciting young lion?
Nakamura, the King Of Strong Style, enters the arena fully dressed like a monarch. Ibushi is tentative against the veteran but moves to the middle of the ring determined to throw down strikes with him. Kota basically piefaces Nakamura…irritating him to such an extent that Ibushi then has to take evasive action to duck a flurry of knees. Boma Ye Knee misses though, with Ibushi knocking him into the corner then MOCKING HIM! Nakamura is like ‘it’s on b*tch’ and almost knees the young pretender in half. He then dives off the apron into a knee drop to the back of the neck next, leaving the challenger struggling to catch his breath on the outside. Next he exerts his dominance on the mat, rolling Kota around the canvas into an assortment of stretches. Strikes from Ibushi, which Nak simply dusts off and SLAPS HIM! PALM STRIKES BY IBUSHI! NO SOLD! Nakamura drags him into a lungblower, only for Ibushi to pop up and knock him to the floor with a dropkick. TOP ROPE SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! Viewing high flying as his route back into the contest, Kota follows it with a springboard dropkick. NOW his strikes are having an effect, and he knocks the champ off his feet with a roundhouse kick before scoring a nearfall with a Red Star Press. Unfortunately he then goes to the well once too often – and tries another springboard off the ropes, this time catapulting himself straight into a jumping boot from Nakamura. Mounted knee strikes from the champion, but he still can’t hit the Boma Ye. SPRINGBOARD FRANKENSTEINER gets 2 for Ibushi. Dragon suplex, followed by a standing corkscrew moonsault and he has the veteran in very serious jeopardy. Golden Star Bomb nailed and Nak is looking increasingly troubled. Phoenix Splash misses…BOMA YE NAILED! BOTH MEN DOWN! As Ibushi crawls for cover Nakamura disrespectfully punts him in the ass then reaches through the ropes to REPEATEDLY boot him in the face. IBUSHI SMILES…THEN SLAPS HIM! Things get increasingly personal as they trade closed fist punches, until Nak finally COUNTERS one into the flying armbreaker. FACE STOMPS by Ibushi to escape that! HE’S DISRESPECTING NAKAMURA! BOMA YE KNEE ON NAKAMURA! FOR 2! The ref has to physically restrain him as he starts straight up punching Nak in the back of the head now. Nakamura finally stands up and makes him EAT HIS BOOTS! Somehow Kota survives another assault then gets his knees up to double stomp the chest. SPRINGBOARD DEAD-LIFT GERMAN SUPERPLEX! Is that even possible? Ibushi smiles again, but eats a flurry of headbutts as he lines up the Phoenixplex. MMA ELBOWS! FLYING BOMA YE! NO SOLD BY IBUSHI! LANDSLIDE! BOMA YE AGAIN! Nakamura finally puts Ibushi away to retain at 20:11
Rating - ***** - This one is getting plenty of hype and it truly deserves it. They didn’t go overboard on false finishes, limited the no selling and made sure every single high spot meant something. It was all about flat-out awesome story-telling from the opening bell, and on the biggest stage they pulled out an absolute classic. Kota Ibushi stopped at nothing to make an impact as he came out and started MOCKING the great champion. Not just being disrespectful – straight-up making fun of his signature poses and moves. Nakamura responded by beating the crap out of him for several minutes, forcing Ibushi to go back to what made him a superstar in the first place – his high-flying. That tactic was so successful it actually rendered Nakamura unable to defeat him even after he hit the Boma Ye Knee for the first time. The final flurry, with Ibushi once again impersonating the veteran whilst courageously refusing to give up the fight even in the face of absolute savagery coming back at him from Nak was utterly spectacular. You need to see this one.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada – IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
This is the latest instalment in what many consider to be the greatest rivalry of the modern era. Tanahashi is considered the ‘ace’ of New Japan, and reclaimed what many considered to be ‘his’ belt when he won it from AJ Styles in the latter end of 2014. In doing so, however, he denied Okada a moment of catharsis. Okada was screwed out of the belt by AJ and the Bullet Club and has been chasing it ever since. He lost his rematch, but rebounded spectacularly by winning the 2014 G1 Climax. He thought he was heading to Wrestle Kingdom for revenge on Styles…but now instead finds himself facing the toughest opponent of his career. These two have traded wins for years. Back in 2012 Okada’s breakthrough moment came when he famously defeated Tanahashi to win his first ever IWGP Heavyweight crown (shortly after returning from his forgettable TNA run). Tanahashi would regain the belt from Okada months later, and gained what seemed to be a definitive victory over him by retaining the belt against him in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 7. From the lowest of lows, Okada made 2013 the biggest year of his career, and made his case to surpass Tana as the ‘ace’ with decisive victories at two major pay-per-view events (Invasion Attack 2013 and King Of Pro-Wrestling 2013 – both awarded 5* by the WON and absolutely must-see matches). In 2014 it seemed like Okada was ‘the man’, whilst Tanahashi (now in his late 30’s) was on the decline after vowing never to challenge Okada for the belt again. Everything changed when AJ defeated Okada for the belt though. Tanahashi defended the honour of NJPW against the Bullet Club, took back the belt…and in doing so makes everything that seemed old new again. Once more he holds the prize Okada so desperately covets. Is Okada truly the ‘new ace’ as it seemed in 2013? Is Tanahashi truly on the slide? Was his win over Styles a fluke? Can he pull off a memorable victory against the younger athlete in his record-breaking ninth Tokyo Dome main event?
A good early call from Striker points out that Tanahashi has had a history of back and neck problems in the last year. Okada quickly looks to grind on that neck with a headlock. It’s a basic hold but it quickly makes the point that he is the dominant force in this match as a younger and stronger man. Where Tana thinks he has an edge is in speed – and again he makes that point by picking up the pace to whip him into a side headlock of his own. Okada pretends to make nice with the veteran, but fakes on a clean break to ELBOW HIM IN THE FACE! After five minutes the fight is now on and the two warriors tear into each other with a hard-hitting exchange of strikes. Tana looks to come off the top, but again he finds his way blocked by the ‘leader of the new generation’…as Okada clubs him all the way to the floor with a running European uppercut. The challenger is right on the back too as he whips Hiroshi into the rails before booting him into the crowd. HANGING DDT ON THE FLOOR! Tanahashi is really struggling and gets dragged up the ramp by the determined challenger – who wants to Tombstone him on the entrance ramp. HEAVY RAIN ON THE RAMP! It leaves the champion on the ground clutching the back in discomfort having been dominated for the majority of the first ten minutes. Okada is younger, stronger, faster…and in total control. BUT, he doesn’t have the experience of Tanahashi and shows his youth by missing a lazy standing senton. Defying his bad back, Tana capitalises with a flipping senton…only to sprint right into a flapjack from Kazu seconds later. Quebrada misses, allowing Okada to roll him into Deep In Debt – piling more pressure on the neck. Such is his dominance he starts begging Tanahashi to hit him…with the hapless elder statesmen of New Japan almost unable to get an arm up to take a swing. Okada lifts him to the top rope, and he hangs on for dear life. Another Heavy Rain attempt is somehow blocked…HIGH FLY FLOW MISSES! RUNNING UPPERCUT!
Was that Tanahashi’s last chance? He gets crumpled on his neck again with a kryptonite neckbreaker…followed by the Macho Elbow. Rainmaker DUCKED! Tana refuses to stay down, and manages to floor his opponent with a desperation dragon screw. Using all his experience he starts to target Okada’s leg – dropkicking it from under him as he sprints in his direction. Once again Kazu whips him into the rails but this time, despite the pain in his back, he lunges into another dropkick – knocking Okada over the barricade in the process. HIGH FLY FLOW OVER THE GUARDRAILS! It does significant damage to the champion but it also causes Kazu’s knee to buckle under him. Back in the ring Okada avoids a double stomp to the knee. RAINMAKER COUNTERED WITH A SLINGBLADE! High Fly Flow blocked…TOMBSTONE BLOCKED! TOMBSTONE BY TANAHASHI! HIGH FLY FLOW TO THE BACK! HIGH FLY FLOW AGAIN! OKADA KICKS OUT! Was that all Tana had left in the tank? He gets knocked back as he looks to hook the bad leg in a cloverleaf, and looks weary as he puts Okada on the ground with another Slingblade. Rainmaker attempted by Tanahashi…COUNTERED TO THE RAINMAKER BY OKADA! FOR 2! Neither man can stand now, so from their knees they meet in the middle of the ring to trade elbows. Okada swings for the fences with another Tombstone attempt…and instead gets dropkicked in his knees again. VETERAN SLAPS BY TANAHASHI! DOWN GOES OKADA! He clings to Tanahashi’s leg, tries one more desperation Rainmaker and gets swept into a straight-jacket German. BRIDGING GERMAN BY OKADA…FOR 2! RAINMAKER COUNTERED TO A DRAGON SUPLEX FOR 2! OKADA DROPKICK! REVERSE DRAGON SCREW by Tanahashi…followed by a dragon screw in the ropes! LEG CAPTURE HIGH FLY FLOW! ROLLING HIGH FLY FLOWS! Tanahashi wins at 30:57!
Rating - ***** - I’ve not seen all seven of their post-Okada-excursion matches, but here’s the crazy thing about this feud: I thought this was 5* levels of good, and it’s my THIRD favourite between these guys. As good as this was, I thought Invasion Attack and King Of Pro-Wrestling 2013 were even better. Once again these two delivered a phenomenal battle, meshing great story-telling with rollercoaster nearfalls and a level of spectacle befitting of such a grand stage. Their 2013 battles established Kazuchika Okada as the supposed superior worker. Age was supposedly catching up with Tanahashi two years ago, and for the first twenty minutes it really seemed like Okada was just too skilful for the veteran to overcome. But Tanahashi defied a ruthless assault on his back and neck then somehow devised a strategy that led him to victory. He absolutely destroyed Okada’s leg, never losing focus on it and finally securing the victory after a devastating flurry of offence targeted on that body part. Just when it seemed like Okada was the top guy in the company, Tanahashi raises the bar again at the age of 38 and takes his place as the undisputed ace of New Japan.
Okada is carried away by his manager Gedo in floods of tears. He gets a standing ovation, but after all the work he did in 2013 and 2014 to be ‘the man’ in NJPW, he knows he’s back in the chasing pack and is inconsolable.
Tape Rating - **** - An absolutely triumphant start to 2015 for the best workrate promotion on the planet. Not everything was a home run on this, their biggest show of the year, but there were far more hits than misses and the two headline bouts were absolutely stunning. Nakamura/Ibushi and Tanahashi/Okada, pitting the two veteran superstars of the company against two of the hottest young stars of the new generation delivered in spades. From Ibushi determined to make his mark against Nak at any cost, to the battle-weary Tanahashi somehow finding a way to put down the supposed ‘new ace’, both those matches told classic stories and really deserve to be seen. The undercard was slightly more of a mixed bag combining the very good (Styles/Naito and Ishii/Makabe) with the rather disappointing elements like the thrown together multi-man tags, the forgettable IWGP Tag Title Match or Taguchi’s performance in the Jr. Heavyweight Title bout. Ultimately this show runs nearly four hours, has absolutely no silly shenanigans and minimal pageantry or theatrics. It lets the wrestling speak for itself and, for the most part, the lengthy show flies by. Even Jim Ross and Matt Striker, who have taken plenty of criticism, aren’t bad. They are really poor for the first 90-minutes but started developing a rhythm by the end. JR’s palpable enjoyment of the last two matches definitely contributed to the occasion and added to my viewing experience via the Flipps app.
Top 3 Matches
3) AJ Styles vs Tetsuya Naito (****)
2) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada (*****)
1) Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi (*****)