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dawho5

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  1. dawho5
    This match is easily Tanahashi's best as ace so far. His match against Fujita outclasses everything I've seen of him as an ace, but that's beside the point. There are a few things that work for this match that a lot of his NJPW matches just don't have. For one, the refereeing is even. Wada starts by saying "break", counts and then gets physically involved if he has to. For both wrestlers. I can't tell you how much this elevates him above that dumbfuck with the red shoes in NJPW. Secondly, the wrestlers involved seemed to be booked as even. This makes Tanahashi's abandoning of the legwork for a portion of the match not stand out so much. Especially against Nagata it seemed like the only way he could do damage, so abandoning it in favor of his nearfall offense seemed stupid. Here it seemed more like a natural progression. Suwama looked like he was taking damage from the non-leg stuff, so it doesn't feel like such a disconnect. And last, but definitely not least. The finishing run was well-worked, fit with the rest of the match and didn't go overboard. Moves were teased or done and then sold after so there was no cover. Suwama re-bangs up the knee by bringing the knees up on the frog splash, which is I think a nice use of the leg work by Tanahashi. It kills the counter to his finisher a la Kawada working the arm so that when people blocked the gamengiri it gave him time to still get back on offense. Tanahashi has recently added to that by working a Texas cloverleaf as a finisher/nearfall and does that here. Suwama hits some big nearfalls and seems like he's ready to put Tanahashi away with the powerbomb, can he do it or will Tanahashi be able to finish him off after wearing him down? The strike exchanges, a slight lull right at the beginning of the nearfall sequence and some less-than-crisp striking by both work against this, but the structure and lack of going too far put it somewhere around 50 for me.
  2. dawho5
    Mostly a juniors exhibition style match. Hulk, a DG guy, surprisingly supplies the majority of the structure by playing a really good face-in-peril. The hardway bloody nose from KENTA's kicks helps this out for sure. KENTA and SHINGO have some kind of heat between them or KENTA is just being a dick to the "big man" on the other team. Can't tell. Finish has SHINGO kicking out of some big KENTA offense before going down to the GTS and a head kick. SHINGO comes off looking really good from this match, so I have to think that's what it was about mainly.
  3. dawho5
    No, the one you were talking about. Really, the Candy Okutsu one.
  4. dawho5
    So early match is again perfectly good. Could do with more selling of the leg by Goto, a lot more, during his offense but that's the one strike against it. On a side not, what the fuck is with the NJPW head ref? Is he supposed to be a heel ref? Or is it just a bad attempt by NJPW to have American style ref problems in their matches? He very rarely physically interjects himself when it's a heel, but boy, once a face gets fired up and throws down on a heel, we better get control of this thing. The finishing sequence actually features some leg work by Tanahashi, which is still nosold. Tanahashi again dies several times on bumps and kicks out. Then comes back instantly without selling any of the damage when he gets a counter in. Finish actually plays off of the legwork, but a lot of bullshit in between kills it.
  5. dawho5
    Juniors spotfest. Taka has become someone who I both love and hate to watch. His offense is really simplified, but he tends to get into these WWE-esque finisher counering sequences that drag the match down for me. And he tends to repeat the same 5 spots in the longer matches I've seen him in during the late 2000s early 10s. Not sure Ibushi should be using the phoenix splash as a nearfall. That's not exactly two count material if you ask me.
  6. dawho5
    Right away you get the sense that this is a big night for Kobashi. Some reading tells me that it's his first match back after recovering from cancer. That Kobashi is one tough dude. And the match...holy crap is it great. They go back to the more All Japan style of doing things rather than the NOAH way for the majority of the match. And the few instances where it isn't that way get set right pretty quickly. Kobashi works this absolutely tremendous heat segment. Kobashi getting beaten up and showing vulnerability (read here: not screaming, no-selling and killing everything in sight with chops) is so fucking great. Kobashi makes his comeback, then they go into the finishing run with not a lot of falls and a lot of fighting over who gets to hit their big moves. WOOOOO! Kobashi looks to be doing well and cruising towards the win, but he ends up on the wrong end of some offense from both Misawa and Akiyama after Akiyama surprises him with an exploder to counter a lariat. Takayama makes the BIG SAVE and hands Misawa to Kobashi on a silver platter. Lariat! Akiyama barely makes the save! Misawa does a big nosell, but it's not too bad because it's a half nelson and those are worthless by now anyway. Kobashi kicks out of an emerald frosion, so Misawa gets some help from Akiyama to hit one from the top and put Kobashi away. If NOAH would have just stuck to matches like these, the 2000s would have been a much happier time for me. I can definitely see this above top 30.
  7. dawho5
    So again, they have a great opening part of the match. This time they skip the Nagata beating and go straight to Tanahashi outwitting Nagata by suckering him into giving up his leg on the apron. And Tanahashi does really good work on the leg. Nagata comes back and progressively stops selling the leg, which works. Mainly because Tanhashi forgets about it until there are about 5 minutes left in the match. I can't imagine why since he's eating a bunch of kicks to set up big nearfalls. Nagata hits so many big nearfalls it gets past the point of ridiculous. He hits a super belly to belly after a super exploder that gets 2. Then comes the brainbuster. Then the exploder 98 that gets...ONE. Then his backdrop finisher that just looks sick here gets a big nearfall. So basically, Tanahashi takes Misawa-level punishment and is fine to keep going. Then he finally has motivation to attack the leg, which works into the finish. I hate how the conventions that developed take good 15-20 minute opening segments and trash the match just so we can have big nearfall sequences.
  8. dawho5
    First 20 minutes of this match were about as perfect as a juniors wrestling match can get. Nakajima was attacking the arm, Kondo had hit one big move on the outside to mess up Nakajima's collarbone/neck. They play off of this for a long time, going back and forth and teasing momentum changes hitting the spot they have weakened. Then we get to the nearfalls. Kondo's second nearfall is a Razor's edge dropped into a piledriver. Something was said about a lack of overkill, but that's not what I saw given the last sentence. There's ten minutes left in the match and Nakajima ought to be in a hospital after that. Anyway, Nakajima leaves the arm alone for a while and just goes into his big finishing offense. Kondo finally starts going for the lariat and eats kicks to the arm that...sort of slow him down a little. I'm not saying that the finishing run was badly worked, because it was not. I'm saying it was completely out of place given the first 20 minutes and like most 10+ minute finishing runs in the 2000s it was overdone. Perhaps not to the level of a lot of it, but enough that I'm not voting for this match given the other major flaw.
  9. dawho5
    The beginnings of this were great. Brawling around the ring with lots of hate and venom, great way to start a match. Things start to fall apart with the dragging around by the head, but I'm willing to let it pass. The ref grabs a chair when Nagata is going to use it on Makabe after kicking it into his face. Makabe uses this to turn the tides and grabs the chair. Makabe hits Nagata with the chair 4 times while the ref is nowhere to be found. Did he get lost? There are ways to set this kind of thing up better, especially given how Japanese referees are viewed. Then during the heat segment, makabe clearly has a chain wrapped around his arm and is going to hit Nagata with it. Ref sees this, but oh my, one of Makabe's buddies is on the apron. This again undermines the NJPW head ref in a big and incredibly bad way. I know that this kind of stuff was pretty common in American wrestling. But you look at referees like Joe Higuchi and Kyohei Wada and this kind of shit would not have flown on their watch. They would be in there shoving that heel around with no regard for whether or not they got hit by whatever illegal object they were holding. Then Nagata gets his big comeback and the ref...physically pulls him off of Makabe in the corner. Once again, what the FUCK? Ref saves some face by not counting a few foreign object-assisted finisher type things, but the damage has been done in my book. Finish goes too long for the condition these guys are in by a long way. I really wanted to like this because it had a Southern brawl feel to it that you don't get a lot in japan. Only problem with that is a lot of the big heel moments were inadvertently or not ref-assisted, which is really out of place in this setting. Find a better way to do those and this is a great match.
  10. dawho5
    I went in expecting a lot of big spots with no particular focus on any kind of psychology and...Marufuji surprised me by wrestling an incredibly basic match. Ishimori and Ibushi seem like they are the reasons this match is here, to showcase their athleticism and ability to hang with Marufuji and KENTA. Both are incredibly athletic and have all kinds of really impressive flippy stuff. KENTA seems to be developing some idea that he needs to have a thought process going in the ring here also. I've started going into these looking at them as athletic exhibitions rather than wrestling matches. When things that resemble good pro wrestling come up I get pleasantly surprised. Oh, I also thought it was a really impressive go 2 sleep by KENTA for how he got to it. That little dude has some strength to lift a guy his weight like that.
  11. dawho5
    First twenty minutes were pretty good. Shiozaki has the clear advantage early, mauling Danielson with big chops. Danielson goes to work on the right arm to neutralize that advantage. Shozaki switches to lefty and it's more even. Then they go into a NOAH style suplex trading contest for some nearfalls, probably because they are in Tokyo. Haven't seen enough ROH to know if that's the standard way of finishing matches there, but it is suspiciously like a NOAH match. Finish makes sense with the early and mid match, just wish they hadn't inserted the completely unnecessary suplex nearfalls in between the two. Could have done with less Shiozaki no-selling, but it wasn't overly bad. I like both of these guys and they have a great match in them. That was not it though.
  12. dawho5
    This match was really, really good. Mutoh works over the leg, Suzuki works over the arm. Both have odd offenses and let their personalities come out in the wrestling, which works to the advantage of the match. They do this great sleeper -> counter -> sleeper sequence that really works well. Everything is absolutely great up until the multiple shining wizard nearfalls. I know that it usually takes more than one, but three in quick succession before the first nearfall seems overdone. Mutoh hurts his knee on the moonsault and pauses to sell it before the cover, makes the nearfall work really well. Suzuki does his best to take advantage of this, but can he put Mutoh away before he falls to the shining wizard? With the exception of Suzuki not selling the leg for a little while and the excessive SWs, this was a well-wrestled match where neither did more than they needed to in order to get the story across. I can see this around the mid-30s to 40s range.
  13. dawho5
    This match was almost really good. Opening sequence was well-done, with Tanahashi showing he's got the quickness and technique to keep up with Nagata in the technical work, even if he's doing non-traditional stuff. Then Tanahashi gets a quick advantage and decides he's gonna do lots of strikes to a vulnerable Nagata on the apron. He gets really cocky and lets Nagata back in the ring without mugging him, which proves to be a major mistake. Nagata is PISSED after that apron attack and destroys Tanahashi. That was fun to watch. Nagata goes to work on the arm after a while, looks like he's winding up to his really big offense. Tanahashi catches Nagata, could have been his plan all along, but it seems like a lot of damage to take for a small victory like that. Tanahashi works over the leg for a while until we come to the part where the match falls apart. They go into...nearfalls. Nagata does a good job of selling the leg throughout, wish I cold say the same about Tanahashi and the arm. To me, if you take out the 3-4 minutes or so from right before the top rope exploder -> shining wizard combo (which always seems to come too early) and skip right to the sling blade countered into a backdrop (really well done), and throw in one or two Tanahashi falls before the end you have a really great match with a solid story told all the way through. as it is, you have a pretty good match with some excess stuff in the wrong spots.
  14. dawho5
    This has some pretty good stuff going on in it. The opening moments with Takayama putting Rikio over as an immovable object are really good. Sugiura's performance outside of the bad strike exchanges and no-selling is also pretty good. Rikio gassing again is not so good, but he seems to recover it as he goes. It's really odd to see Akiyama being outdone by Sugiura. If anything, Akiyama and Takayama are here to highlight the fact that the young guys are the real focus of this match. And Akiyama isn't even that old. Akiyama should be down for 3 twice just before the 20 minute mark. But we go 8 minutes longer so we can have MORE BIG NEARFALLS. Boo. Probably won't be getting a vote, but at the very least an interesting watch.
  15. dawho5
    Interest is all on you, sir. Whoever is going to read it will, and the people who don't aren't something you ought to worry about.
  16. dawho5
    You know, I look at these DG matches differently than your NJ/AJ/NOAH juniors matches. Those are supposed to have some kind of coherent structure and story. DG matches like this one really aren't. Just 9 guys flying around the ring (and outside of it) killing themselves in a spotfest. And this one does not disappoint on that level. There's too much to really cover in a small amount of text. The first elimination is a brilliant piece of booking and work. The big dive train not too long before it is incredible. BxB Hulk is a great face (heel?) in peril. He bumps like a maniac and has the facial expressions to get milage out of it. Yoshino is tiny so he makes a pretty convincing secondary version, but he's got all these weird submissions and rollups out of nowhere that save him far more often. The big guys have some fun exchanges. Doi and Yokosuka have this nice enemies/friends thing going on throughout. Saito comes up big a few times. Overall, this is 25 minutes of non-stop action that is a nice break from the normal "epic match" nonsense. I think this and the earlier 3-team matchup are on par as far as overall quality, but they have very different setups and spots to them.
  17. dawho5
    Rikio and Morishima going after each other early was really good. Akiyama being at the mercy of Morishima and Yone and the crowd buying into nearfalls 15 minutes in was weird. Had he really fallen that far? Rikio gasses right about halfway through and it's obvious. He kind of recovers during the finishing run, but it hurts the match. Early on, the match seemed centered around Rikio and Morishima making a beeline for each other. Don't know if Rikio gassing killed that and they called an audible on the Akiyama heat segment or what. Either way, match doesn't really fit together well and ends up just being your run of the mill NOAH bomb-fest by the end. Edit: And as a bonus, we get treated to some leading through the arena by the neck. They may have the fighting spirit to fight through being hit in the face over and over and dropped on their heads. But even if a wrestler has fighting spirit, once you grab them by the back of the neck they are helpless to fight back.
  18. dawho5
    This goes too long and has some pretty excessive stuff. That being said, Tanaka stopping his outside working over of Taguchi to flirt with a girl in the front row is gold. Taguchi getting his arm worked over is pretty good. Taguchi's selling and comeback (initially) are pretty good as well. The very end of the match brings it all back together again and it is a good finish, but it doesn't save the match for me. Too many one counts and too much no-selling of big moves during the finishing sequence. Minoru really needs to stop using that head kick finish in big matches. The fans and anyone else watching know the armbar is where it's at and nothing else is going to get the job done. Unless they actually booked him to win with t a few times in big matches, but that's kinda doubtful. Also, they almost got through a match without a meaningless elbow exchange. Almost.
  19. dawho5
    I went in expecting this to be exactly what it was. A really nice collection of nifty double teams, odd looking submissions, cutting edge suplex variations and high flying spots. And hey, they threw some elbows back and forth to tie it all together. This...won't be getting a vote.
  20. dawho5
    This was pretty good. Triple Crown match between NJPW and AJPW so I'm 99.9% sure Suzuki doesn't lose. They skip the standard low-end opening stuff and go right to fireworks. Suzuki and Nagata both get busted open from chairshots outside (blade jobs). I liked Nagata's countering the early sleeper with an arm breaker. Good use of his own moveset as an on-the-fly counter. Suzuki gets the crap beaten out of him by Nagata in grand fashion. Then they go into a long slap exchange-based section of the match that makes me hate that this became so commonplace. Up until that point, it was a great match. Nagata eventually comes out on top and hits a big brainbuster, following up with a backdrop. Covers for 1,2,...pulls Suzuki up??? Apparently Suzuki's mind games and dickishness have more long-term useful effects, namely pissing off the opponent to the point that they do stupid things. Neat little detail they worked in I thought, especially given Nagata's penchant for getting pissed off. Suzuki gets the sleeper on, but Nagata is struggling to get an armbreaker. Nagata can't quite get to that point this time and passes out in the sleeper. Really good finish that plays off of the personalities of both guys. And the entire match seems to be built around Suzuki not being able to match Nagata's firepower, but being wily and willing to break the rules enough to get in the damage he needs to. I really like matches like this, where they take that sort of dynamic and build the match on that rather than doing the standard big match epic build. I'd give this right around 75 due to the slap exchange nonsense.
  21. dawho5
    This was a pretty standard 6-man from DG it seemed. The idea looked to be putting over Shingo, but I'm still not sold on him as a wrestler. CIMA is using a more martial arts gimmick now, still with the dickish stuff though. Saito was fun, but I like watching him. Hulk and Yokosuka play good in-peril guys for their teams. Kong is fun as the little big man. His corner splash is grrreat. Finishing run was chaotic fun up until the end when Shingo completely nosells a dragon suplex, Saito's finisher, so he can put him away. Terrible booking.
  22. dawho5
    So there is a major NJPW match without Chono at ringside so we can cut to him anytime a submission is applied? Well, color me surprised. As for the match, it seems like Koji might be questioning Tanahashi's cred as the future ace or something, but I don't understand Japanese. Opening moments are pretty even. Koji offers a handshake. Then kicks the crap out of Tanahashi. For the better part of 25 minutes. Tanahashi gets in 5 moves, hits a dragon suplex and wins. HUH? How exactly does booking your future ace getting his ass handed to him by a junior (your top junior, sure, but a junior?) for 20 out of 25 minutes help? Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems really out of place. Also, the strike exchange near the end was terrible. But you know, the beatdown of Tanahashi was mostly good as Koji seemed to enjoy punting him around the ring. So I guess not a complete waste.
  23. dawho5
    The key to this whole match is the guy you've never heard of. Yamamoto being so far below both of his opponents is the engine that makes this match go. Takayama and Suzuki do a great job of heeling it up just enough while beating the youngster up. Suzuki in particular is really great, as is the odd chemistry between Suzuki and Takayama. Nagata as the force of nature coming in to save Yamamoto is pretty damn good too. Both the heels make him look great. Suzuki vs. Nagata gets fun, as Nagata starts throwing Suzuki's "messing with your head" spots right back in Suzuki's face. Which sets off Suzuki, who goes into the prideful slaps back and forth mode, which is completely out of character. Then he and Nagata both go back into messing-with-your-head mode in the middle of it. That is a great little curveball. Nagata is cruising and looks like he may be able to put the finishing touches on Takayama, but Yamamoto wants a piece of the big man. Nagata does the right thing and TAGS IN the youngster. The rest is really fun and a nice way to finish this match. I liked how everybody involved kept the match going in a pretty straight line from beginning to end. This wasn't the greatest match ever, but the structure and coherent storytelling were more definitely enough to get this in my bottom 25 or a bit higher.
  24. dawho5
    There's a lot going on here. Takayama and Omori are feuding, I guess Omori is jealous that people figured out he wasn't near as good as Takayama. Murakamai and Yokoi are feuding, and it seems like Ohtani and Sato might have a little beef too. First few minutes are just Omori and Takayama hitting each other back and forth. Best Takayama vs. Omori stuff is just after this when neither is the legal man. No real heat segment, just a short 6-man with lots of rivalry-based dickishness thrown back and forth. Good heat, but the match lacks any sort of flow or direction. They set up the finish pretty well for that, but I won't be voting for it. Watching Takayama use the railing to double stomp Omori over and over was worth the watch though.
  25. dawho5
    Early and mid-match were really good. Both worked smart and kept it simple. Then it falls apart for me. Danielson does a big dive and hurts his knee. He makes it exceedingly obvious that his knee was hurt during that dive. KENTA...decides we're going into a suplex nearfall sequence. Danielson is still selling the knee, and KENTA's one move that targets it is the Texas cloverleaf. Then we move on to more nearfalls. Actual finish and the few moves leading directly up to it was pretty god, but once again the need for big suplex nearfalls when the match had another perfectly logical way to go kills me.
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