WingedEagle

This is your prototypical mid-card G1 match. Solid work that built to a hot finishing stretch without rising to the level that you'll remember anything about it when the tourney is done. The one mark against it is that the execution and technique had more holes than you'll usually see from this crew. That finishing run more than made up for it, but these issues really stood out along the way because of how rare they are in New Japan. ***1/2

You nailed just about everything here. This was tremendous fun and a change of pace from Yano's usual G1 schtick while the finish was a great wrinkle. ***1/4

Okada's character work here was very strong, from the early parts where he wasn't taking White seriously to his selling White's attacks, which between the various suplexes and vicious whips around ringside was pretty strong. On the other hand, this felt a few minutes too long and I don't think the antics with the ref at the finish did anyone any favors. Give White a strong, clean win or don't bother. Well below the White/Juice match from San Fran and my expectations for this night, but still very good. ***3/4

Somehow pleasantly surprised to see the range of opinions on this one. I'm likely somewhere in the middle as there was no compelling hook or storyline/selling to kick it into that next gear, but they worked a strong, compact match with an excellent finishing stretch. Very solid outing from these two. ***1/2

With 4 matches at 5 stars and 8 at 4 3/4 it seems like this year would rank among the best ever for all-time matches.

Definitely an improvement. Its still not as quick as the site used to be, but noticeably better than it was even a few days ago. Thanks!

What happened to Cesaro & Sheamus?

This felt like the TV rematch of Sakura Genesis's PPV classic. That's not to knock this at all, as it was a very good match. But it seemed a bit rushed and certainly lacked the psychology and intricacy of the first match, which featured some truly great arm work by Sabre that was not only right out of his wheelhouse, but worked to counter Okada's Rainmaker. They worked that angle for so long that when it finally paid off down the stretch (in multiple variations) it was all the more rewarding. This simply didn't have the depth of the original outing. Everyting they did here worked, as between the transitions and escalation they built to something special before the surprise finish. There just wasn't enough for it to rise to the level of something truly great or memorable. ***3/4

I found this incredibly disappointing. I didn't love the ROH match over Mania weekend, so the fact that this was similarly bloated without any real hook other than a couple illogical big spots made it a very inferior sequel. Not sure what the thinking was, as you've got two world class personalities, along with one world class performer and another who can certainly hold his own in the ring. Yet rather than capitalize on those raw materials they tried for an epic world title affair that completely missed the mark and dragged like nails on a chalkboard after the first 10-15. Perhaps I'm being overly harsh, but matches that go wildly and unnecessarily long are arguably my least favorite around. And I'm someone who's generally doing backflips over most NJPW main events.

its not an error, but since the board underwent a facelift it has taken a really long time for pages to load, whether clicking on a fresh thread or going back to a previous folder.

Are any of the interviews with NJPW talent from this weekend worth listening to?

Does anyone know if this weekend's Rev Pro shows will be posted on NJ World, and if so in full or only select matches?

Enjoy! I actually haven't dug too deeply into the archives as I've found searching for historical items difficult because of search results due to language issues and/or difficulty scrolling through the archives (you'll see what I mean as I'm sure its like the Firestick app). But its fantastic for staying on top of the current product, and they put out a ton of shows every month even if its not G1 season, so its a pretty great value at roughly $9 per month.

Agreed, but even in commentary they refer to it as the WWE UK Championship.

Essentially. They don't prorate, so for value purposes its best to sign up early in the month. Of course, if you're signing up for the G1, it doesn't really matter when this month you sign up as everything you're really paying for gets busy mid-month.

Were these NXT or WWE shows? NXT ring and announcers, but it was all about the WWE UK Championship.

I am a big, big fan of the possible road to Bryan/Miz that looks teased from the Smackdown open.

What'd folks think of Rollins/Ziggler this week? It seemed to pick up after the first (second?) commercial break, but I felt that they were out there looking to kill clock until then, and didn't care at all for the finish even if the post-match was a bit interesting.

Roman/Lashley vs. The Revival was a lot better than I expected when it was set up. It actually got time to develop and they didn't paint The Revival as pure jobbers but rather a cohesive unit taking advantage of working against singles wrestlers. Very pleasant surprise.

It seems to be doing that for me. Just click on the link to the left of any unread thread.

Now that is a wonderful idea.

Got it, so its a chat feature rather than a thread. Everyone stay away and keep your comments permanent

Good luck! Will the current address auto redirect to the new one? What's a shoutbox? (Says the apparently old man from his rocking chair)

I'd have loved to see a wild surprise outsider in the fold, but its still a stellar lineup with big matches up and down the field. A few thoughts on potential finals/winners: -- Ibushi/Omega feels like an absolute lock to go to a draw. It leaves open a big match singles outing down the road, title or no title. Its also easy to see Omgea dropping two matches along the way -- Naito on night 1 is probably a given, along with perhaps Sabre, Goto or Ishii to set up another fall title defense -- while Ibushi only drops one (including avenging last year's G1 loss to Naito) and thus advances on the draw. -- Jay White is definitely upsetting Okada on night 1. If I could get odds on it I would. Whatever you think of White, they're invested in the guy and he's going to have a big tourney. -- So big, in fact, that I could even be tempted to have him coming out of the block ahead of Tanahashi and Okada. Is a White/Ibushi final with Ibushi setting up the Golden Lovers title match at WK that inconceivable? -- To answer my own question, yes. This is Okada's promotion. If he's not involved in the top program in the company on their biggest show of the year, what's he doing instead? I don't have a very good answer to that question, which leaves me with him going over Ibushi in the finals en route to Wrestle Kingdom 13. Naito over Omega at KOPW to set up a rematch at WK seems logical and a more than distinct possibility, but I wouldn't lock it in just yet. I could see a Naito/Jericho rematch on that show leaving us with Okada/Omega V, especially since they're kept apart here. That's more than enough intrigue at the very top of the tourney to make things super interesting, and is also without even discussing Tanahashi or the plethora of likely incredible matches we'll get over the month. Really looking forward to it, as always.

Loved the gauntlet and the finish, as I was absolutely positive Miz was winning at that stage. It'll be a ton of fun looking forward to a fresh title program, even if only for one PPV.