superkix

Watching Ikeda, who looked at his most pro-wrestling here, mix it up with Kawada was the definite highlight of an otherwise solid six-man tag. Fun stuff.

This was a bit of a mess but you kind of expect it to be going in. I love that Nagata just really wants to suplex Murakami and Nakanishi is able to throw him down a couple times but doesn't know what to do when he's got him on the mat. They beat up Murakami awhile until Nagata throws him into Ogawa's corner and tells Ogawa to tag in. Ogawa hits a couple STOs, Nakanishi tries going after Ogawa's injured shoulder while Nagata pins Murakami with some kind of suplex hold. Then everyone starts fighting post-match, including Choshu. A hot mess.

What a whirligig of a match. Everyone but Kashin got there moment to shine and the NJ juniors were extra stiff out there. CIMA looked pretty good with his mirage-like slingshot senton and pissing off Kanemoto. Loved when Kanemoto throws him with the tiger suplex and then poses with his prone body. Takaiwa was being a little shitkicker in there, nearly KO'ing Fujii with the lariat or powering Minoru up out of the armbar into the Death Valley Bomb. Lots of fun.

Dolph Ziggler and Kurt Russell

This ruled. Stiff strikes, focused legwork from Kanemoto with some uncharacteristically great selling from Takaiwa, neat little nuances here and there, and a few bombs for good measure. Even with a couple of minutes missing, we got the complete story. Kanemoto promptly shotguns him with a kick to the left leg and Takaiwa sells hard for it, before he starts trying to clobber his way to the driver's seat. The lariats into the guardrail were great but then he gets caught with the overhead suplex on the floor and Kanemoto goes to town on the leg. Fun stuff like Takaiwa grabbing the ref's shirt while in the figure-four or Kanemoto backhanding him in the face after he drops down with the spinning toehold. I love that when Takaiwa tries for his own figure-four, it's immediate reversed and he's put on the rocks. Then Kanemoto pulls off the knee pad and starts punching the bandaged knee. Takaiwa is able to work around the bum knee and throw some bombs, including a sweet Death Valley Bomb hold off a tiger suplex attempt. His double powerbomb is obviously weakened because of the leg and he knows it so he pulls Kanemoto up instead of pinning him and clubs him with a lariat. The finish was cool, too, with Kanemoto rolling through the frankensteiner into an ankle hold to submit Takaiwa. I'm probably the high man on this match but this is everything I want out of a sub-15:00 junior heavyweight match.

So cool to see Delphin work this kind of a match, and his takedowns were explosive. He wasn't able to get much going on the mat, mostly due to positioning, and in the second round, Murahama starts lobbing more punches to try and slow him down. But the third round was awesome, with Delphin absorbing Murahama's blows to try and get the quick submission with the single leg. After the German, Delphin tries for the double wristlock or kimura but Murahama's such a baby, he has to rake Delphin's eyes to escape. Loved it. Then, like in most of these "Different Style" fights, Murahama pummels him with strikes and high kicks him in the head for the KO. Good stuff.

I was not a fan of their last time limit draw and while they definitely improved upon that mess here, I feel like they don't quite have the chemistry to keep pulling these kind of matches off. It was a good match, and I liked Takeshita showing off more of his mean side after brainbustering Endo on the floor and continuing the attack on Endo's neck. Endo's never really been the best seller and it was competent here - hard in the moment, not so much afterward when it comes time to hit the flash. I think his best showing was against HARASHIMA in last year's King of DDT final but that was a much more grounded match than what this turned into. Lots of back-and-forths and reversals, and some fun little fighting spirit rushes before they both start dumping signatures and bombs to try and get the pinfall before the time expires. A perfectly fine match and a more aggressive side of Takeshita.

For a stiff as day-old catshit BattlARTS exhibition tag, this match ruled. Everyone had a role to play in this, and Ikeda’s willingness to get dumped on his head by Otsuka’s brutal suplexes will never not impress. Yoneyama’s the unknown underdog rocking the Tiger Mask IV pants and for a guy I’d never heard of, my first impression is a thumbs up, as he dished out some punishment as much as he took it, especially in the end against Ikeda. Ono was awesome with his wiliness both on the mat and on his feet slinging kicks. I liked the way he nonchalantly tapped Otsuka with kicks or how he'd kick his opponents from the apron. Both he and Ikeda did a good job of patrolling submission holds, so mostly, this was about the fold-up suplexes and hard hits. The finishing stretch was ugly beautiful, as poor Yoneyama tries to quickly submit Ikeda with the front necklock but that backfires and Ikeda solebutt kicks him in the throat, kicks him in the head, and when Yone won’t stay down, he slaps him silly and kicks him back down for good.

There were some cool moments in this but it felt like they stayed in first gear way too long. The kicks were snug and the matwork pretty straightforward, with Minoru going after the arm and Usuda the leg. I like that Minoru looked a little meaner on the ground, rubbing the wrist tape across Usuda's face at one point to try and break the arm for the jujigatame. Really great dragon screw legwhip from Usuda to set-up the figure-four leglock and of course, Minoru's dragon suplex throw always looks scary. I thought they did a good job of building toward the submission finish and the danger of the armbar/leglock, and Minoru's selling was subtle but better than his usual fare. The finish was also pretty cool, with Minoru fighting against the leglock but when Usuda gets the full extension, he immediately taps out.

I really liked this match. Both guys looked good and Ishikawa did such a terrific job of selling Nagai's strikes and legwork on the ground. That first Nagai kick against the ropes was perfect. When Nagai doesn't let go of a hold after a rope break, Ishikawa's pissy reaction with the kicks made me smile. Going back to Ishikawa's selling, his panic on the mat really adds to the overall sense of struggle, which I thought was expressed well on both sides between all the rope breaks. The striking up top was good, with some great elbows from Ishikawa and big kicks and knees from Nagai, including some head shots in the corner. Ishikawa pulls out this neat little combo of this beautiful right hand > jumping enziguri > grounded manjigatame. After Ishikawa escapes a rolling leglock, Nagai starts buckling his leg with kicks, which leads to the final fight over the leglock, which Nagai wins.

I recently watched Taira in a '92 RINGS shoot with a random Dutchman and didn't really peg him as a guy who could make a smooth transition into a more worked environment. He's a little excitable here and holds back on some of his flamboyant kicks but when he does connect, like with the spinning back heel kick or Pele kick, they were great. His leg trip into the submission early on was pretty swanky, and the legwork scramble on the mat was fun but messy. Otsuka worked more of a strong-style here but it worked well against Taira's hyper shoot boxer approach. Loved him using the camel clutch and crab holds and the finish with the giant swing into the cloverleaf. Pretty good match.

Kenoh and Corey Feldman

After your standard junior-y opening exchange and a quick journey in and out of the arena, this mostly turned into what I was hoping it would be: dueling neckwork to set up their respective crossface finishes. TAKA isn't quite as smooth as a guy like Togo and some of the transitions felt delayed but it was still a fun back-and-forth with TAKA using the legscissors on the mat and Daisuke hanging onto to a necklock, rushing back to it each time TAKA throws him off. The finishing crossface scramble was a lot of fun with some good counters from both until Daisuke's able to trap the arm for the finish. Nothing blow away but a solid addition to Daisuke's 2017 resume.

Bailey usually excels against a bigger, meaner opponent and Shuji was that opponent, ragdolling him with suplexes and clobbering him with elbows. I liked early on when he was trying to keep his distance with kicks and when he was able to connect to Shujis head or something, they looked and sounded solid. His bumping around for Shuji far exceeded any actual selling, which he isnt great at, but the crowd was into it and it was fun. Shujis knee counter to the SSP was cool.

Thanks for catching those typos. Glad you enjoyed the show.

Masakatsu Funaki and Lou Diamond Phillips

Okada's shit pants aside, Naito was great in this match, bumping like a maniac for Okada's whatever offense...I mean, the way he takes that running big boot on the floor was gnarly. When he's focused on a limb, he really focuses on it but in order for it to be compelling, he needs someone who can make it look effective and Okada ain't that guy. Having two 30+ minute matches back-to-back didn't add to my viewing experience and this felt like Okada going back to Okada ace cruise control mode with his convenient selling and predictable transitions. I did like the first cobra clutch sequence, with Naito momentarily escaping before Okada catches him again and when Naito tries to arm drag out of it, Okada holds on. Loved Naito's leg sweep on the apron and him smacking the shit out of Okada after those shitty Okada elbows. I enjoyed this more than Okada/Omega from last year's WK but it wasn't too too great.

Jericho really elevated this match and it's easily his best singles performance in who knows how long. I mean, this went way too long and there was obvious confusion around the No DQ stip, some blatant verbal cues and shitty set-ups, but Jericho yelling "shut your mouth, fuckface" and calling out "KENNY!" to the fans was perfect. Oh, and putting the young lion in the LIONTAMER...something he didn't even use on Kenny until the end when Kenny grabbed the rope and he let go...in a NO DQ match. Still a fun match though and I feel like Kenny excels in these No DQ batshit crazy spectacles rather than trying to wrestle a straight match.

This was my match of the night, and the best match of 2018 (so far). Incredible performances from both men in a stiff, no-nonsense contest that really played to their individual strengths. Minoru was at his most callous without the Suzuki-goons bringing him down, and Goto did such a fantastic job of selling that classic Suzuki sadism. In a night that was mostly about trying to outdo the overdone, this was simple, brutal, and under twenty minutes -- my kind of my match. Immediately, they stagger each other with hard slaps to the face before Suzuki grabs the sleeper and hangs Goto from the turnbuckle with it -- the visual of Goto's body going limp in the corner and lying motionless on the mat was unbelievable. Suzuki doesn't let up on the outside, and when Goto's trying to fight back in the ring, Suzuki only cackles at him and levels him with a hard elbow. I loved how the sleeper > piledriver set-up played into the match, and Suzuki connects with one of the most awesome dropkicks I've seen in quite some time. The way he unloads on poor Goto with that never-ending combination of slaps and jabs, busting open his lip...so so good.

On 12/31, KIMERA held its inaugural event, “CRYSTALIZED HEARTS IN TOKYO”, before a sold out crowd in the Tokyo Dome. The co-owners of the promotion, Akira Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Bob Backlund, introduced the show and spoke about why each style is an important part of modern professional wrestling. All competitors then descended upon the rings wearing sweet red and white KIMERA t-shirts to a big ovation from the fans. In closing, Maeda thanks everyone for their support and told them to enjoy the event. The opener saw Tatsuo Nakano defeat Willie Peeters in a scrappy “Hybrid Rules” fight. Both guys let their hot tempers get the best of them and there were plenty of hard open hands exchanged, one of which caught Nakano in the nose and busted him open. After dumping Peeters on his head with a German suplex, Nakano locked in the rear naked choke for the submission. The first “Catch Rules” match-up of the night saw Osamu Nishimura defeat Yuki Ishikawa in a beautiful display of traditional catch-as-catch-can techniques and collar-and-elbow wrestling. At one point, Yuki Ishikawa had Osamu in the sleeper hold but Osamu was able to slip out of the hold and snag the left arm with a short-arm scissors. In a “Strong Rules” contest, Kensuke Sasaki and Yuji Nagata brought a big, suplex-heavy bout that saw the fans rally behind the underdog, Nagata, as he tried to kick and knee his way to a comeback after Sasaki dominated early on. He got a nearfall after a nasty backdrop suplex but it wasn’t enough to down Sasaki and after a lariat, Kensuke put him away with the Northern Lights Bomb. In the first round of the KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Stars + Strikes (Dan Severn & Bart Vale) defeated Yoshihiro Takayama and Gene Lydick after Severn submitted Lydick with the Beast Choker. Takayama and Lydick were in control early on, using a combination of knees, kicks, and suplexes to isolate Vale. Vale, however, was able to drop Lydick with a roundhouse for a nine count and when Severn was tagged in, he quickly put him away. Minoru Suzuki and Grom Zaza wrestled under “Catch Rules” with Suzuki the clear favorite based on the name calling from the crowd. Zaza was able to get a few fireman’s carry takedowns and focused mostly on working Suzuki’s right leg but Suzuki’s speed advantage played a major factor in the outcome of the match. In an nod to his mentor, Suzuki was able to catch Zaza in the wakigatame for the submission victory. After the match, Suzuki thanked the fans and said that his goal is to be the best in all styles of pro-wrestling. Big Dick Leon-Vrij defeated Kazuo Yamazaki in a “Hybrid Rules” contest after KO’ing him with a brutal high kick. Leon used his size to his advantage and did not let up on Yamazaki, constantly backing him into the corner or against the ropes with hard kicks and body shots. Yamazaki was able to connect with a few kicks of his own, and after a German suplex, he nearly submitted Vrij with a double wristlock before Vrij was able to make the ropes. Sudden Impact (Chris Jericho & Lance Storm) were victorious over the team of Akira Nogami and Shinjiro Ohtani in a fast-paced junior heavyweight-style match fought under “Strong Rules”. Jericho was very charismatic throughout the match, playing to the fans and mocking his competitors, while Storm took a more…serious approach. At one point, Ohtani tried for the swan-dive spinning heel kick but Storm countered with a thrust kick to the jaw. After Ohtani survived a frankensteiner from the top rope, Jericho finally put him away with the Tiger Driver. In one of the most competitive matches of the night, Masakatsu Funaki and Kiyoshi Tamura wrestled nearly 15:00 under “Hybird Rules”. While Funaki was mainly a threat on his feet, Tamura was the bigger threat on the mat and Funaki did his best to try and distance himself from Tamura’s takedowns with kicks. Tamura pulled off some beautiful takedowns, including a step-over armbar and a rolling kneebar, but Funaki was able to reach the ropes in both instances. At one point, he came at Funaki with a barrage of palm thrusts, catching him with a hard shot that left a deep cut above Funaki’s left eyebrow. This forced a halt in the action due to the ringside physician checking on Funaki but Funaki was able to continue and in the end, picked up the submission victory with a heel hook. Backstage, Funaki echoed Suzuki’s earlier statement and said that he will not be satisfied until he has mastered the rules. In the first of three matches to determine the KIMERA Light Heavyweight Champion, Masanobu Fuchi defeated Jushin “Thunder” Liger under “Catch Rules”. Liger was more than able to hold his own against Fuchi, utilizing his speed and quick takedowns to capture Fuchi in some lucha-inspired submission attempts. Throughout the match, Fuchi kept trying to get Liger in an STF but Liger was able to counter out. A frustrated Fuchi earned himself a yellow card when he struck Liger with a body shot after a rope break. Liger teased hitting the shotei on Fuchi but Fuchi was able to hit the drop toehold into a cross-legged STF to submit Liger. Bob Backlund and Shiro Koshinaka wrestled a semi-serious “Strong Rules” match but also injected their own unique styles of offense into the structure, which elicited some laughs from the crowd with Backlund’s “whoa whoa”-ing around the ring and Koshinaka using his hip attacks to overwhelm a confused Backlund. When Koshinaka tried for a powerbomb, Backlund was able to roll through with the pin attempt for a nearfall. In the end, he was able to score the pin with a backdrop hold. Backstage, Backlund said he wants a shot at the heavyweight title. Under “Catch Rules” Hiroshi Hase and Yoshiaki Fujiwara wrestled the full ten minutes to a very receptive crowd. Of course, Fujiwara was one to necessarily play by the rules and earned himself a yellow card when he headbutted Hase in the corner. Hase, however, was able to stun Fujiwara with some hard takedowns and tried to quickly submit Hase before the wily Fujiwara could grab a limb. He excecuted a Northern Lights suplex hold and maneuvered into a cross armbreaker but Fujiwara was able to grab the ropes. Fujiwara nearly got Hase with his signature armbar but Hase was able to get to the ropes. With less than a minute remaining, Hase was able to place Fujiwara in an STF and while Fujiwara was able to use a ropebreak to escape, Hase was awarded the victory in the end, having only used one ropebreak. The main event of the evening was H-O-T, with the crowd-favorite Maeda forced to overcome Big Van Vader under “Hybrid Rules”. Maeda’s strategy was obvious early on – keep Vader away with kicks and hack away at the left leg to try and fell the monster. With each collapse, Maeda was quick to secure the leg with a leglock and try to get the submission but Vader’s size was too much for him at times. When Maeda came at Vader with another series of middle kicks, Vader caught a leg and planted Maeda with his own signature capture suplex to a huge reaction from the crowd! Maeda survived the suplex and a big deadlift German that launched him half-way across the ring. Toward the end of the match, Vader charged him and Maeda leveled him with a big wheel kick that had Vader down for nine. As the crowd chanted “MA-E-DA!”, he tried to finish Vader off with more kicks but Vader swatted them away and began clobbering him with clubbing blows, including a brutal shot to the back of the head that Maeda was barely able to recover from. But it was too late for Maeda at this point in the match, and after a huge lariat, Maeda stayed down for the count and Vader was crowned the first KIMERA Heavyweight Champion to close the show. KIMERA "CRYSTALIZED HEARTS IN TOKYO", 12/31 Tokyo Dome 65,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Hybrid Rules: Tatsuo Nakano beat Willie Peeters (6:12) with a rear naked choke. 2. Catch Rules: Osamu Nishimura beat Yuki Ishikawa (7:23) with a short-arm scissors. 3. Strong Rules: Kensuke Sasaki beat Yuji Nagata (9:33) with the Northern Lights Bomb. 4. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Round 1 ~ Hybrid Rules: Dan Severn & Bart Vale beat Yoshihiro Takayama & Gene Lydick (10:42) when Severn used the Beast Choker on Lydick. 5. Catch Rules: Minoru Suzuki beat Grom Zaza (8:26) with the wakigatame. 6. Hybrid Rules: Dick Leon-Vrij beat Kazuo Yamazaki (10:28) by KO (high kick). 7. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Round 1 ~ Strong Rules: Chris Jericho & Lance Storm beat Akira Nogami & Shinjiro Ohtani (11:35) when Jericho used a Tiger Driver on Ohtani. 8. Hybrid Rules: Masakatsu Funaki beat Kiyoshi Tamura (14:56) with a heel hook. 9. KIMERA Light Heavyweight Title, 1st Match ~ Catch Rules: Masanobu Fuchi beat Jushin “Thunder” Liger (9:12) with a cross STF. 10. Strong Rules: Bob Backlund beat Shiro Koshinaka (12:34) with a backdrop hold. 11. Catch Rules: Hiroshi Hase beat Yoshiaki Fujiwara (10:00) by decision. 12. KIMERA Heavyweight Title ~ Hybrid Rules: Vader beat Akira Maeda (23:27) by KO (lariat) to become the first KIMERA Heavyweight Champion.

Agreed. Both Takeshita and Daisuke Sasaki deserve to be mentioned when it comes to top performers of 2017.

My excitement level is way down from last year. On paper, Naito/Okada is the most exciting match-up and I guess if Suzuki/Goto delivers. Other than that...whump whump

-PWO2K -1992-1999 Japan

I agree with Marvin that it was cool to see Misawa changing things up in the early goings, like that nice somersault senton from the top. I thought Kobashi working on the neck was good stuff, alternating between the neck-focused offense and grunty submission holds, which sort of played into the half nelson suplex teases until Kobashi was able to fire off two of them back-to-back. The escalation of the finishing stretch was built well, with the ultimate finishers being countered and the crowd biting onto the nearfalls. Really liked Misawa elbowing the lariat attempts so Kobashi grabs a sleeper and turns it into a nasty suplex to set up the game ending lariats. There were various points throughout that the action would play out and my eyes would sort of glaze over but when it was good, it was good.