Essential Japanese Wrestling Discussion/News

[Beautiful Bobby Eatin]

Watched Dominion after RAW last night and damn, that was some good stuff. The best match of the Forever Hooligans/Time Splitters series (though they REALLY need to stop putting these four together), an excellent tag between CHAOS Invincible and Suzuki and Benjamin (Ishii was especially great, and Nakamura with the red hood? Fantastic stuff from everyone, in fact), Yujiro didn't fukk up Naito's return (Naito. I need to see this dude get the green light push immediately. Such charisma, even when slipping on the apron), Shibata/Goto was the shyt (are they going to do something else with Shibata and Sakuraba other than matches with big names? I need to see these guys go for some gold soon), Devitt/Tanahashi was pure fukkery of the best sort, and Okada actually made me enjoy a Makabe match. Great PPV. Washed down the stale taste of RAW nicely.



-Forever Hooligans/TAKA and Taichi is going to be pure fukkery of the best sort.
-Suzuki/Ishii.
-Tanaka/Naito will be good, though I'm not sure if I want Naito to really win or not.
-Need to watch that Sombra/Nakamura 2 out of 3 falls from CMLL at some point...
-Do we really need to see another Shibata/Goto match? At least it'll be good...
-Nagata/Sakuraba could be a match of the night, hell even a potential MOTYC. Looking forward to that one.
-Okada/Devitt.

I need this card in my life. Don't sleep on the 7/5 card either. Devitt/Gedo could be really good, as could Terrible and Tonga/Tanahashi and Liger.

Best promotion in the world right now, easily. EASILY.

Im gonna have to address the elephant in the room. Captain New Japan needs to stop. Like now. Its never gonna be ova. #Russo

 

[TrueEpic08]

Results from the 7/5 Kizuna Road show:

Spoiler

1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Super Strong Machine beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Jado (9:08) when Iizuka was DQ’d.
2. Togi Makabe, Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA beat Yuji Nagata, Hirooki Goto, Captain New Japan & Takaaki Watanabe (11:02) when KUSHIDA used a reverse cross armbreaker on Watanabe.
3. Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi beat Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov (11:38) when Taichi used the Low Fly Flow on Koslov.
4. Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi beat Tetsuya Naito, Tomoaki Honma & La Sombra (12:52) when Takahashi used the Tokyo Pimps on Honma.
5. Karl Anderson & Bad Luck Fale beat Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI (9:22) when Fale used the Grenade on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. CMLL World Tag Team Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jushin Thunder Liger beat El Terrible & Tama Tonga (c) (12:12) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Terrible to become the 34th champions.
7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) beat Gedo (18:11) with the Bloody Sunday (4th defense).

Aaaaaand your G1 Climax participants are...

Spoiler

Block A:
- Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Togi Makabe
- Hirooki Goto
- Satoshi Kojima
- Kazuchika Okada
- Tomohiro Ishii
- Lance Archer
- Davey Boy Smith Jr.
- Prince Devitt
- Katsuyori Shibata

Block B:
- Hiroyoshi Tenzan
- Yuji Nagata
- Tetsuya Naito
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Toru Yano
- Yujiro Takahashi
- Minoru Suzuki
- Shelton Benjamin
- Karl Anderson
- Kota Ibushi

Gotta say, that last name in Block B was NOT expected, even though I had been wondering why he hadn't been in New Japan lately.

Anyway, who are the early favorites?

 

[Beautiful Bobby Eatin]

Results from the 7/5 Kizuna Road show:

Spoiler

1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Super Strong Machine beat Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Jado (9:08) when Iizuka was DQ’d.
2. Togi Makabe, Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA beat Yuji Nagata, Hirooki Goto, Captain New Japan & Takaaki Watanabe (11:02) when KUSHIDA used a reverse cross armbreaker on Watanabe.
3. Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi beat Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov (11:38) when Taichi used the Low Fly Flow on Koslov.
4. Shinsuke Nakamura, Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi beat Tetsuya Naito, Tomoaki Honma & La Sombra (12:52) when Takahashi used the Tokyo Pimps on Honma.
5. Karl Anderson & Bad Luck Fale beat Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI (9:22) when Fale used the Grenade on YOSHI-HASHI.
6. CMLL World Tag Team Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jushin Thunder Liger beat El Terrible & Tama Tonga (c) (12:12) when Tanahashi used the High Fly Flow on Terrible to become the 34th champions.
7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) beat Gedo (18:11) with the Bloody Sunday (4th defense).

Aaaaaand your G1 Climax participants are...

Spoiler

Block A:
- Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Togi Makabe
- Hirooki Goto
- Satoshi Kojima
- Kazuchika Okada
- Tomohiro Ishii
- Lance Archer
- Davey Boy Smith Jr.
- Prince Devitt
- Katsuyori Shibata

Block B:
- Hiroyoshi Tenzan
- Yuji Nagata
- Tetsuya Naito
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Toru Yano
- Yujiro Takahashi
- Minoru Suzuki
- Shelton Benjamin
- Karl Anderson
- Kota Ibushi

Gotta say, that last name in Block B was NOT expected, even though I had been wondering why he hadn't been in New Japan lately.

Anyway, who are the early favorites?

Devitt in block A

Probably Nakamura in Block B

Rooting for Naito though

 

[Wcthesecret]

I saw a guy wearing a gbh great bash heel tshirt at the golds gym today.

 

[TrueEpic08]

Devitt in block A

Probably Nakamura in Block B

Rooting for Naito though

Devitt so soon after his title shot? I don't see it. I do think he'll do well, so as to not derail his momentum, but I can't see him coming out of that block. I'd either say Tanahashi (especially if they're giving the winner the shot right after the G1) or Shibata. Hell, I think Shibata's a candidate to win the entire thing outright.

I'd have said that Naito was winning the entire thing a week ago, but he might be winning the NEVER belt (that he was supposed to win last year), so that casts doubt on those projections. He could make the finals, though. My other candidates are Suzuki (again, if they're doing the shot right after the G1) or Nakamura (my other candidate to win the entire thing; I could see them having him win the G1, then wait to cash it in at the Dome Show to create a big Okada/Nakamura match-up. They've been keeping them apart for a year and a half now, save for a G1 match that Nakamura won last year. It might be time to pull the trigger on it).

Naito being the nearly man AGAIN doesn't exactly please me, though.

Oh, and I forgot to mention something: Since La Sombra successfully defended the IC Title against Volador Jr in CMLL, the 7/20 rematch with Nakamura's now an IC Title match.

 

[Beautiful Bobby Eatin]

Devitt so soon after his title shot? I don't see it. I do think he'll do well, so as to not derail his momentum, but I can't see him coming out of that block. I'd either say Tanahashi (especially if they're giving the winner the shot right after the G1) or Shibata. Hell, I think Shibata's a candidate to win the entire thing outright.

I'd have said that Naito was winning the entire thing a week ago, but he might be winning the NEVER belt (that he was supposed to win last year), so that casts doubt on those projections. He could make the finals, though. My other candidates are Suzuki (again, if they're doing the shot right after the G1) or Nakamura (my other candidate to win the entire thing; I could see them having him win the G1, then wait to cash it in at the Dome Show to create a big Okada/Nakamura match-up. They've been keeping them apart for a year and a half now, save for a G1 match that Nakamura won last year. It might be time to pull the trigger on it).

Naito being the nearly man AGAIN doesn't exactly please me, though.

Oh, and I forgot to mention something: Since La Sombra successfully defended the IC Title against Volador Jr in CMLL, the 7/20 rematch with Nakamura's now an IC Title match.

Id be good with Shibata winning the whole thing (especially if it gets me Shibata/Nakamura)

I say Devitt because I dont think the shot is coming until the dome show giving him plenty of time to drop his title (possibly to Kota) and build him cred against heavyweights. Plenty of room for surprises here though.


oh and fukk La Sombra.

 

[BrehWyatt]

Nakamura all day.

BOMA YE.

 

[Miracle Violence]

Aaaaaand your G1 Climax participants are...

Spoiler

Block A:
- Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Togi Makabe
- Hirooki Goto
- Satoshi Kojima
- Kazuchika Okada
- Tomohiro Ishii
- Lance Archer
- Davey Boy Smith Jr.
- Prince Devitt
- Katsuyori Shibata

Block B:
- Hiroyoshi Tenzan
- Yuji Nagata
- Tetsuya Naito
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Toru Yano
- Yujiro Takahashi
- Minoru Suzuki
- Shelton Benjamin
- Karl Anderson
- Kota Ibushi

This tournament is going to produce an unreal amount of good matches. I mean just off top:

Okada/Shibata
Nakamura/Naito
Tanahashi/Okada
Suzuki/Nakamura
Naito/Ibushi
Tanahashi/Shibata
Okada/Devitt
Nakamura/Anderson
Suzuki/Naito
Shibata/Devitt
Nakamura/Ibushi



and that's really just the tip of the iceberg. There are probably 40 more matches in this thing that could be very good to great, depending on time constraints (obviously a lot of these matches are going to have to be short).


Also, in other news, DDT announced something pretty big today:

 

[Wcthesecret]

This tournament is going to produce an unreal amount of good matches. I mean just off top:

Okada/Shibata
Nakamura/Naito
Tanahashi/Okada
Suzuki/Nakamura
Naito/Ibushi
Tanahashi/Shibata
Okada/Devitt
Nakamura/Anderson
Suzuki/Naito
Shibata/Devitt
Nakamura/Ibushi



and that's really just the tip of the iceberg. There are probably 40 more matches in this thing that could be very good to great, depending on time constraints (obviously a lot of these matches are going to have to be short).


Also, in other news, DDT announced something pretty big today:

Okada was in my dream today. I think gedo was too, or was it paul heyman? I dont know theyre the same anyway. He was awesome, he cut a great promo in English. Face and heel.

 

[Miracle Violence]

Okada was in my dream today. I think gedo was too, or was it paul heyman? I dont know theyre the same anyway. He was awesome, he cut a great promo in English. Face and heel.

:larry:...

 

[Wcthesecret]

:larry:...

...are you mocking me? Or actually saying that that is awesome?

 

[Miracle Violence]

...are you mocking me? Or actually saying that that is awesome?

Little of both tbh.

 

[Wcthesecret]

Little of both tbh.

He actually cut the promo in front of me, talking about how easy it is to toy with the fans emotions or something like that and pretending to be a good guy.

 

[Miracle Violence]

Checked this out this morning, ended up being pretty great.

Korakuen was white hot throughout and they desperately wanted that Gedo upset.

 

[TrueEpic08]

FULL MATCH - Prince Devitt (c) vs. Gedo - NJPW KIZUNA ROAD'13 -


Checked this out this morning, ended up being pretty great.

Korakuen was white hot throughout and they desperately wanted that Gedo upset.

Personally, I thought that the BOSJ Finals against Shelley was better both in terms of match quality and heat. But this was pretty good too. I loved Gedo and his seconds just trying to outheel Devitt and the Bullet Club at times, especially the chairshot sequence at the end.

Also, loved the fact that Devitt recognized that the jacket was getting too much of a pop, and removed it from his entrance. Try to get the most heat possible, it's great to see a heel committed to that these days. Even though it'll suck to not see it again if it really is gone.