superkix

I like Go Shiozaki. I feel a bit sorry for him but he’s one of my favorites guys to watch in NOAH. He works hard, busts his ass in-and-out of the ring. He’s a terrific seller and he’s become a lot more aggressive with his offense. Sadly, the NOAH fans don’t give a shit. In a bubble, this was a really good, hard-hitting match with the chop vs. kick theme established early on. Nakajima as the bratty champion is a lot of fun but I still think he needs to show a little more confidence to resonate better with the fans. Shiozaki sells hard for the kicks and in general, he looked really strong throughout. The fans at least pop for the chops. Nakajima was really good here, as well – I loved his sell after the extensive chop vs. kick battle, when he finally succumbs to the pain. At one point, Shiozaki just starts clobbering Nakajima back-to-front with little lariats before decking him. The strikes came hard and often, and Nakajima lands an especially nasty kick to the side of the head to set-up the brainbuster finish. I’d love to see Go in this year’s G1 Climax with motivation and a more conducive environment. As it is, he seems dead in NOAH waters.

This was a solid but disappointing match. It was there, it happened, but that's about it. The exchanges often felt forced and what it lacked was a greater sense of chaos and animosity. I liked the idea of Suzuki utilizing the sleeper hold over Shibata and forcing Shibata to find another route to defeat him, which I thought played out well with the finish. Maybe we'll get a G1 rematch later in the year.

I thought this was on par with their matches last year. I probably liked it a little better than their WK match. With these two, you know what to expect going into it: lots of strikes, bouts of no selling, pissing contests, and suplexes. The first few minutes are forgettable but once Shibata starts testing the patience of Ishii, it really picks up. Loved the pop-up lariat spot from Shibata and Ishii confusing Shibata with surprise offense was a lot of fun to watch. Ishii's definitely the MVP of the tournament. His selling in this match was fantastic, especially at the end and post-match. Shibata heads into the final looking unfuckablewith.

This was a blast. It's DDT's "big match" formula with a good mix of psychology, counter tangos, and high-impact offense. Takeshita working with a little more attitude was great -- loved the pursed lips and head shake at HARASHIMA's handshake offer -- and he was especially focused on HARASHIMA's neck and back to set up his shutdown German finish. Some of the execution was off (Omega = Croyt's Wrath) and selling sometimes gets shelved in favor of high spots but Takeshita does a really good job of bringing it back around, especially in the final minutes. He's got the physical sell down and HARASHIMA's facials were terrific as always. HARASHIMA works the leg to set-up the...Somato. I don't know but it looked vicious and I liked the leg lariat catch into the kneebar. They both bump around like hell and HARASHIMA drops Takeshita with a couple of gnarly bombs. Great selling and spirit by Takeshita in the end and a strong finish.

YES to Sekimoto vs. Suzuki. I wrote about it here.

AJ VS. SHINSKAY!

The first five minutes or so is a feel out process between Takada and Yamazaki as they bite with strikes and try to maintain arm control on the mat. But when Takada bridges out of a hold, Yamazaki kicks him in the ribs and the match finds its sweet spot as Yamazaki starts unloading on Takada with kicks and knee drops. He works his way back to the arm but Takada is able to fight out, landing a short spurt of kicks and planting Yamazaki with a tombstone piledriver. When that doesn’t work, he pelts him with stiff strikes and pulls out the running jumping tombstone! Yamazaki rules in this match, really kicking it up a notch (literally) heading into the final stretch as he fires back with his own hard-hitting offense, including a great belly-to-belly suiplex. I like the crossface chickenwing teases on both sides, before Yamazaki uses it almost as a distraction to deliver the German suplex hold for the surprise victory. A short and sweet exhibition.

Fujiwara was once again ruled in this match match with his great veteran prowess, time and again forcing Yamazaki back to the ropes as he zeroes in on Kazuo’s arm. Seriously, those ropes became Yamazaki’s second home. When Yamazaki realizes that taking the grap action down to the canvas is a bad idea against Fujiwara, he starts snapping off kicks. It works to an extent but it also serves to further piss off Fujiwara. The build to the arm submission finish was teased throughout, with Fujiwara briefly switching things up to the legs as a way to weaken some of Yamazaki’s kick. Yamazaki's kicks were on point, especially that solebutt, and he puts a little extra spicy mustard behind some of them toward the end of the match. Yamazaki’s able to deliver a low-bridging German suplex but Fujiwara responds with the piledriver, transitioning right into the kimura. Yamazaki again makes it to the ropes but after Fujiwara stuns him with a big slap, he’s back on the arm and quickly submits Yamazaki. An great little "Take Your Kid to Work Day" match.

This match was a blast. I love how he no sells Takada’s high kick early on so he can tie him up in the ropes and give him a good smack. Takada’s kicks look brutal and Koshinaka’s selling is terrific, at one point dropping like a bag of flour. There’s some sloppiness to the match, especially with some of the pin attempts, but it doesn’t take too much away from it. They fire off some bigger offense, Takada with his jumping tombstone and Koshinaka with a German suplex hold. As Takada tries to submit Koshinaka, first with the arm, then the leg, tension starts to build. They start kicking at each other while Takada’s got the kneebar on and then they just explode into a maelstrom of vicious slaps. Koshinaka builds momentum heading into the finish but he misses the diving headbutt and Takada is comes after him with those stiff kicks. After a full nelson suplex hold isn’t enough to put him away, Takada locks in the crossface chickenwing for the submission victory.

Suzuki's one of the most engaging wrestlers to watch in the ring but works in such a cool-headed, almost nonchalant way, reserving most of his energy to unleash these micro-explosions of offense throughout. There's very little downtime with Suzuki and his spontaneity is incredible. There's a lot of great examples of this throughout, like the small package on a doubled over Sekimoto, the sleeper hold off the pin attempt, and kneeing Sekimoto off when he tries to cover him. And because Suzuki's such a maestro on the mat, I think I underrated him as a striker but he throws great strikes -- some of the best snap elbows and I love the way he lays into his uppercuts.The story was technique vs. power, with the hyper-alert challenger taking the powerhouse champ a few clicks past empty. Suzuki immediately sells Sekimoto's strength in their first lock-up but he's able to shows off his ring smarts early on with some take downs and ground control, leaving Sekimoto huffing. They do a really good job of teasing Suzuki's dragon and double arm suplexes. The match loses a little bit of steam when Sekimoto takes over on offense but he's still as intense as always. There's some great counter sequences and ultimately Suzuki comes back out on top and starts targeting Sekimoto's head and neck. It turns into a war of attrition as they empty bombshells and slug away at each other in exhaustion. This is where Suzuki's energy reserve comes into play as he tries to capitalize on Sekimoto's lack thereof. Terrific selling in the end as they're both so drained, they don't even have the energy to effectively execute their respective finishers. Maybe this wasn't the match I was hoping for but it became a match I really enjoyed. There wasn't a particularly loud crowd but that's been the trend with these BJW Strong Heavyweight title matches. I won't be shocked if Sekimoto retains in their rematch but Suzuki came away looking like a true badass.

I like that Tiger Mask W is basically Kota Ibushi playing a pissy Satoru Sayama. A simple start to the story, with TMW showing he can keep pace with the champion, boosting his confidence a little until Okada shuts him down. Okada's flying crossbody over the guardrail was a thing of beauty and he starts building that ace swagger as he slingshots in across TMW with the senton. When Tiger starts to heat up and show off, Okada cools him back down.The hiccups occur when they try to overdo it with some of the more elaborate spots and they come off looking awkward and out-of-place, especially that mess with the top rope spot and Okada corpsing as he prepositions Ibushi. But the basic execution was great and a big part of the visual presentation was Ibushi's bumping. This match also made me excited to see Okada in 10 years. Pissy ace Okada is terrific and Tiger Mask's heelish response to the bullying was great. Personally, I thought Tiger beating Okada in a non-title match with that Super Tiger Driver would have been a great route to go, with TMW emerging as a star and the two building to a title match down the road.

When Ryusuke Taguchi delivers, he delivers big booty-style. There was a lot to like about this match, from Taguchi chasing after Hiromu's injured ankle and Takahashi tenderizing the small of Taguchi's back, to Taguchi finally reaching his breaking point. Taguchi's selling isn't a strong point and he more or less blows off Hiromu's good lower back work to land a few hip attacks. And this match still has Takahashi's signature sloppiness -- I'm still not quite sure what they were going for off the top rope but it looked bad. But once Taguchi snaps on Takahashi with those slaps, the match settles in for a roller coaster ride of offense down the stretch, with Taguchi still targeting Hiromu's ankle. I loved when he starts destroying the ankle in frustration, trying to get Hiromu to submit. It may have a dragged one or two moves long but it was a lot of fun and better than any "big match Taguchi" match of 2016.

Thanks for the positive feedback! We apologize for the technical difficulties from this week's episode. The whole Burning Spirits team is finally back together, and we’re joined by frequent guest Andy to discuss the latest shows from AJPW. We start with the 2/17 Korakuen Hall show and end up with the 2/26 Osaka show featuring standout performances by young Koji Iwamoto and a fantastic Triple Crown defense featuring The Bodyguard! Plus, it’s the return of the Match of the Week! It’s an action packed show this week on Burning Spirits! Recommended Matches for this episode: - Minoru Tanaka vs. Keisuke Ishii (AJPW, 2/17/17) - The Bodyguard & Zeus vs. Kento Miyahara & Jake Lee (AJPW, 2/17/17) - Hikaru Sato vs. Koji Iwamoto (AJPW, 2/26/17) - Kento Miyahara vs. The Bodyguard (AJPW, 2/26/17) http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2017/03/06/burning-spirits-18-japan-pro-wrestling-2017-excite-series-jr-battle-glory/ https://audioboom.com/posts/5672907-burning-spirits-18-all-japan-pro-wrestling-2017-excite-series-jr-battle-of-glory?t=0 Also, here's a link to our match of the week:

AJPW is definitely grooming Iwamoto to be the ace of the junior division and aside from the dead Osaka crowd, this was a star-making performance from him. The legwork was engaging, Iwamoto stepped up his selling from the previous match-up against Aoki, and the set-up to the triangle hold played out well, with Sato going back to the leg in times of need. I like that the judo throw is used as a real game changer, I thought Iwamoto's finishing run made him look really strong. Loved the repeat headbutts into the corner German suplex spot, and the way he slams Sato down with that second judo throw and tightens the triangle choke to force the ref's decision. This could've benefited from a better environment but it was a technical compelling junior heavyweight match.

Burning Spirits is back! We focus on Big Japan in 2017, talking about the promotion’s year so far, preview upcoming title matches and the Ikkitosen Deathmatch Survivor tournament. Then we head over to All Japan to preview the newly-released Champion Carnival blocks. Recommended Matches for this episode: - Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato (BJW, 1/2/17) - Kohei Sato, Kazuki Hashimoto & Kazumi Kikuta vs. Daichi Hashimoto, Atsushi Maruyama & Takuya Nomura (BJW, 2/10/17) - Hideki Suzuki vs. Ryuichi Kawakami (BJW, 2/10/17) http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2017/02/27/burning-spirits-17-big-japan-wrestling-2017/ https://audioboom.com/posts/5651725-burning-spirits-17-big-japan-wrestling-2017?t=0 Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.

I thought their match last year was good and this one surpassed it. Hidaka was a little less forgiving this go round and Nakatsu was able to showcase his growth as a wrestler over the past year. They established the limbwork early on and the story was told compellingly up through the finish, thanks to some terrific selling from both guys but Nakatsu in particular. While Hidaka's works the leg to set-up the Shawn Capture, Nakatsu does a good job of staying on Hidaka's arm, going back to it in times of need and after almost every two count. The Shawn Capture finish was perfect, with Hidaka having to drag Nakatsu back to the middle of the ring and he gives him this little knee to the leg before applying it for the submission. The camerawork wasn't ideal and the in-ring tempo could've been a little higher. Otherwise, a nice hidden gem.

Sycho Sid vs. The 1-2-3 Kid

CIMA vs. HARASHIMA?

This was a pretty good and heated junior heavyweight match, if not a little sloppy at times. I liked Fujinami working a little more aggressive against Teranishi, especially with some of those strikes. The legwork was largely ignored but when these two are going back and forth on their feet, it's a lot of fun to watch. Loved the finish too.

I thought Tiger Mask looked really good here, with his swanky takedowns and reversals, and a lot of really innovative offense for the time. This was definitely one of his more...impassioned performances early on. He's got plenty of fire, great agility, and a little extra spicy mustard behind his strikes. Kobayashi was the really solid yang to Tiger's yin. He's great when he's frustrated with Tiger and going after his mask out of desperation toward the end. A fun work rate match with a good crowd.

Pretty sure Ikuto Hidaka vs. Minoru/Masato Tanaka has happened a few times. Same with Yuji Okabayashi vs. Abdullah Kobayashi.

Finishers are weird. i feel like "finishers" should be used more sparingly, in a do-or-die situation or when nothing else is working. It makes for a more exciting and unpredictable product in general when guys win matches with certain moves or submissions based on the structure of the match. It's only natural if you're working a guy's leg most of the match to finish him with a submission rather than having to hit the Alpha Omega Driver III to win. Moreover, in New Japan specifically, so much of the offense they use looks more devastating than the actual finishers. EVIL will drop dudes on their skulls with a half-and-half suplex but then he's needs to hit that STO to win. Or the top rope dragon suplex in the Okada/Omega match. It's ridiculous to think ANYONE could kick out of that when the normal version is a perfectly believable finisher.

I’m loving the proto-shoot-style of these late 70’s junior heavyweight matches that feel like transition pieces into the 80’s mentality of “more is better”. Kengo Kimura is awesomely aggressive throughout, staying on Fujinami like salt on pretzels. He tries overwhelming him with offense right out of the gate and then works to keep him grounded, utilizing a great Indian deathlock and the grounded headscissors. Fujinami plays defense for much of the match but his reversals are slick per usual. They pick up the momentum midway through with a fun little snapmare exchange and Kimura starts tapping his cache, hitting a plancha to the outside, backdrop suplexes (including one on the floor), and what looked like a deadlift sheer-drop double arm suplex, but he can’t put the champ away. At one point, he tried to backdrop Fujinami into the corner but Fujinami hangs onto the ropes. The finish comes out of nowhere, as Fujinami counters a backdrop attempt with a German suplex hold and follows up with a piledriver for the win. Kimura ruled here if you like your early juniors bomb-tastic but this wasn’t Fujinami’s most captivating performance and the abrupt finish didn’t help.

Yeah, I agree. Suzuki was great but it's another example of Okada not deviating from his standard game plan, to the point where he exposes himself and puts himself in jeopardy..but not in the "he's the champ, he's got to do whatever he can to keep the title" kind of way. I thought Okada's best offense came during his slap exchange with Suzuki, where he actually put some heat behind his strikes. Some of those submission teases were milked way too long and at weird times in the match. Lot of start-stop momentum, that made the whole thing feel like a clunker. It was a good match but they had too much time to kill.

Long, focused control segments with snappy counters. The counterwork throughout was just phenomenal and they really work the holds, even in the slower moments of the match. Gotta love ole Verne egging Robinson on with those little taps to the face before he starts laying into him with shoulders. They go back-and-forth with the side headlock takedown/leg scissors counter spot that’s become so prevalent in modern chain wrestling sequences before Verne picks up the first fall after Robinson passes out to the sleeper hold. Great selling from Robinson at the start of the second fall as he’s still a bit loopy from the sleeper hold. Gagne sends him outside with a really snug forearm shot but when he tries going back to the sleeper hold, Robinson uses that awesome backbreaker of his for the pin. The third fall saw Robinson spending a lot of time working Gagne’s back with bearhugs but then they really heat things up down the stretch with more backbreakers, a double arm suplex, Gagne’s white ass cheeks, and a double KO finish. Really good stuff.