superkix

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.

Kaito Kiyomiya is quickly becoming one of my favorite young guns. He brings a lot of fire and unbridled confidence to his matches, sells really well, and when paired with a chippy old ace like Naomichi Marufuji, you can't help to root for him. Marufuji's great with his doom chops, hitting him so hard, he's hurting his own hand, or he's sneaking around with his superkicks from all sides. Kiyomiya does a good job of rallying the crowd to his cause during his comebacks and I loved when goes crazy on Marufuji in the corner with elbows. The finish was absolutely brutal and awesome. Simple, effective, emotional, hard-hitting. Great little match.

This was quite the match, with solid limbwork and selling throughout, and a ton of offense in the back half. Terrific submission finish to the first fall with Inoki’s manjigatame, Backlund teasing the rope break and the crowd brewing in anticipation. For the second fall, Backlund initially focuses on the left leg, building up to a great bow-and-arrow hold, and then switching the focus to the back. Love his big releases on those back-to-back double arm suplexes. Backlund gets a few more two counts and out of frustration, scoop slams Inoki on the floor before picking up the fall after a running atomic drop. They fire up the offensive engines for the third fall, as Backlund continues targeting Inoki’s back, booting out of a leglock, applying a crab hold and even delivering a ridiculous over-the-shoulder backbreaker onto his knee. Inoki keeps coming after Backlund with the manjigatame attempts but Backlund manages to evade them and in turn, delivers suplexes and a piledriver. A bit messy there at the very end but a good match overall, probably my third favorite 70’s Inoki match behind Robinson and Brisco.

Burning Spirits #14: All Japan Pro Wrestling "2017 New Year Wars" Burning Spirits returns to the exciting world of AJPW this week, as we discuss some highlights of the New Year Wars shows. Triple Crown defenses, a red hot junior title match, returning heroes, debuting rookies, and some major tag team bouts are just some of the topics we touch on this week, so load up your BIG GUNS and hit the gym with Burning Spirits! https://audioboom.com/posts/5543423-burning-spirits-14-all-japan-pro-wrestling-2017-new-year-wars http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2017/01/27/burning-spirits-14-japan-pro-wrestling-2017-new-year-wars/

I prefer their match frp, the following year but this was still a solid contest, with a lot of dedicated work from both guys down the stretch. Great first fall with Baba rolling around the mat, trying to shake Bruno’s arm control before turning the game around on Bruno. Sammartino has some nifty escapes but Baba keeps him in check. When Bruno goes for an arm drag, Baba just deadweights him to counter, reasserting control. The crowd digs the sportsmanship as the two go back-and-forth targeting the arms, trying to weaken their opponent’s respective offense – Bruno with the bearhug and Baba with his giant chops. At times, the match feels sluggish and repetitive, and the execution isn’t quite as smooth but it picks up again when Bruno starts with the bear hug attempts. Bruno starts unloading on Baba during the third fall -- really great knees. By the end of it, they’re both past the point of exhaustion, with Bruno desperately lunging after Baba with the bearhug attempts and Baba trying to end it with chops, but due to all that prior hard work, neither is effective as the time runs out.

The first two falls of this match are unfortunately clipped, roughly half an hour of footage, but when the first fall opens with Harley in a grounded side headlock, you get the sense that he’s already been through a battle as he’s grunting and sweat-drenched, swigging beer between falls. Jumbo really works that side headlock, releasing at one point to elbow the back of Harley’s head (that facial!) before reapplying it. Race backdrops his way out of the hold and delivers a big vertical suplex for the first fall. The second fall kicks in with Jumbo working Harley’s leg, and turning an atomic drop into a small package to even the score. During the third fall, they start throwing the bombs: suplexes, piledrivers, elbows, and headbutts. I love Jumbo’s beautiful deadlift belly-to-bellies and Harley’s awesome grinding knees. In the end, Jumbo is chasing Harley around, trying to submit him with the spinning toehold before the time limit expires. Based on what’s available, the match seemed like a really good slog but without the complete narrative, it’s hard to really evaluate it.

Enjoyed this a shade more than their 7/27 match. Similar competitive touch-and-go matwork to open with neat takedowns and reversals, including Fujinami showing off his strength as he lifts Go while he’s still in the armbar to reach the ropes. After jockeying a bit for control, things heat up as they start throwing some heavy slaps. Go is persistent with his little side kicks to break up a leglock and a pissed off Fujinami busts him open with a hard smack to the face. The fans eat up that violence. Again, while Go isn’t quite as slick as Fujinami on the canvas, he more than holds his own and works an effectively aggressive style, never letting up on Fujinami, keeping him on the rocks. Loved his repeat elbow drops to the knee to set up the figure-four leglock, with some terrific selling from Fujinami during the struggle. Go also gets some nice elevation on those knee drops before he goes back to the leg, working in an Indian deathlock. It was if they were constructing a good narrative with their meticulous ground game, but then they had to finish it off mid-sentence with an exclamation point. They throw chops, slams, and suplexes, and after Go no sells a piledriver, Fujinami puts him away with the dragon suplex hold.

A slick hold-for-hold junior heavyweight exhibition, with Fujinami showboating on the mat and Go more or less keeping pace. This never really moved past the exposition but it had some cool moments. When Go tries to get out of a toehold via slapping, Fujinami responds by smacking the taste out of his mouth and wrenching the hold even harder. Fujinami continues working over the leg for a bit while Go tries to avoid getting trapped but it doesn’t go anywhere as they shift offensive gears. Fujinami’s offense is swanky, with his double wristlock suplex into the armbar, his sick piledriver, and the German suplex hold to finish off Go. An easy watch and something that wouldn’t look too out of place by today’s standards.

Terry Funk was terrific here, exuding a ton of charisma and selling to the sympathy of the Japanese fans, whom, by the end of it, were in full support of the Funks winning. I thought Dory looked more fired up then usual and both guys outshined Jumbo and Baba for the most part. Loved Funk selling Baba’s chop early on, tagging out in frustration only to return to shake Baba’s hand. Some of the extended hold sequences dragged a bit with Jumbo and Baba on offense but there were a couple spots like Dory delivering a knee crusher to escape a side headlock but Jumbo keeping it cinched in while still selling the leg. Or Terry physically walking Jumbo toward the ropes while he’s in the camel clutch. Terry worked from underneath as the FIP through most of this as Jumbo/Baba targeted his injured ribs with abdominal stretches. Jumbo’s kneeling uppercuts are really neat and him going nuts on Terry with the chops was great. The final minutes of this match sizzled with panic and desperation as each side unloads on offense trying to pick up the fall before the time expires. A plodding first half builds to a hot finishing stretch, with the Funksters all riled up and the crowd fully in support. Turned out to be a lot of fun.

I'd say yes to Shibata/Goto.

I'd say yes to Shibata/Goto.

Don't want to regurgitate what's already been said but the atmosphere was amazing, the interactions stiff and hate-filled, Murakami was the perfect insufferable prick, and Ogawa vs. Hashimoto delivered on most levels, even if it was cut a bit short. Loved Hash's shoot headbutt in the ropes before he starts clobbering Ogawa to the ground. I thought Ogawa's selling was really good during his exchanges with Hashimoto. Iizuka finding redemption in the rear naked choke was a satisfying finish to Murakami, and that face plant when he passes out was a great final visual.