WingedEagle

I'm not buying Rollins/Dolph as the main until it happens. Whether its a Hogan angle, Ambrose return or something else, I'm skeptical the show is actually ending well before 11.

Very much a tale of two matches. Everything for the first half or so was slow and plodding, then they went all out with the power game and put together one hell of a match. This should've been a 10 minute match though. Still, the strengths more than overcame the weaknesses. That booking on the other hand? Not sure about that. ***1/2

That was a big bump.

Maybe, although if they keep things brisk until then (iron man match aside) the crowd may in fact not be burnt out or unusually frustrated.

I appreciate that they've gotten most of the BS matches out of the way right out of the gate. On the other hand, I was somehow unrealistically hoping this would end so I could catch Sacha Baron Cohen's new show at the 11PM replay, but that's as likely as us receiving an explanation for why Asuka should've lost at Mania. This is oddly a show where I'm either really excited for a match (Roman/Lashley, AJ/Rusev, Hell No/Bludgeons) or hoping my power goes out during it (most of hour one). Update: Nakamura/Hardy was FANTASTIC. That is how you make a show fit into a four hour window!

Still crazy to think one of the 10 best wrestlers in the world is now signed and involved with this.

Any word on pricing for this event yet? Already locking in the NJPW crew has my attention. I was planning on going to Takeover rather than Mania for various reasons -- primarily not wanting to make a 13 hour day of it on Sunday -- but will have to at least consider this show.

I love that they so strongly incorporated the story from January's match here and did so in such a compact fashion. No issues at all with the selling or comeback, particularly given the length of the match, although I can see why this would be an issue for some. Big fan of such a decisive finish, particularly one that's sold so well as that dragon screw looked like hell and Suzuki put it over as incredibly devastating. Hoping that the work here carries forward to both of their matches throughout the tourney. This was my favorite match of the night. ****

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.