Boss Rock

Sorta feel like it had the same padding issues as a lot of other Okada matches, but overall they did a great job building to the second half of the match and escalating everything. Ibushi snapping was of course the highlight but the last five minutes or so were terrific. Love Okada making the Michinoku Tombstone a part of his arsenal. Their G1 match was better as it was more compact but this was absolutely a worthy sequel. ****1/2

Terrific weekend of wrestling overall. Sort of devastated Ibushi lost two nights in a row and while I'm sure he'll get his moment down the line, Jay beating him in the end after the year he's had was a drag. Mixed feelings about the ending angle but Naito winning was the most important thing. Everything else ranged from solid to fantastic. Okada-Naito in particular was booked to perfection. So many great callbacks to the WK 12 match and they really knew how to milk the drama. Going to be a tough MOTYC to top.

Arguably the greatest in-ring rivalry of the 2010's and maybe the most important. While Okada is probably more responsible for NJPW's return to prominence, it was his feud with Tanahashi that was essential to his ascent. A lot of newer fans (myself included) can probably point to this feud as their introduction to the promotion. While you could argue they've had too many matches over the past 7 years and that Okada's coronation should have happened at WK 9 instead of WK 10, the storytelling and booking was for the most part perfect and made for one of the greatest passing of the torches in recent memory. In terms of how I would rank them as wrestlers, I would put Tanahashi ahead as he has more volume but that's really a credit to his longevity in the business. With Okada, it feels like he's only just entered his prime so it's a bit tough to compare. While I would put his peaks ahead of Tanahashi's, he could be inconsisent until around 2017 or so when he had a pretty solid claim to best in the world. Here's my ranking of their matches: 1. King of Pro Wrestling 2013 ***** 2. Invasion Attack 2013 ****3/4 3. Wrestle Kingdom 10 ****3/4 4. Destruction in Kobe 2018 ****3/4 5. Wrestling Dontaku 2018 ****3/4 6. G1 Climax 2016 ****1/2 7. G1 Climax 2018 ****1/2 8. G1 Climax 2019 ****1/4 9. G1 Climax 2013 ****1/4 10. New Beginning 2012 ****1/4 11. Dominion 2012 ****1/4 12. Wrestle Kingdom 9 ****1/4 13. Wrestle Kingdom 7 ****

I honestly don't think any of them looked much better than Janela when it comes to physique. And I don't really think he comes off as a jobber either. He's fine in that midcard position to lose to Mox and Omega but go over someone like Spears.

I think my biggest issue with Cornette (obviously apart from his offensive comments) is the hypocrisy when it comes to folks he doesn't like. I get not liking folks like Janela for what they bring to the table as a wrestler (I have no strong opinions on Janela either way, he's had matches I've liked and matches I don't like) but to criticize folks for not working out or looking out of shape when the guy managed Eaton, Condrey, and Del Ray is just silly.

Makes sense as Tana can't lose at the Dome to a heel gaijin and Jericho would need to get his win back at some point.

I was never a fan of the "pinfall followed by a 10 count" thing. And as much as I love Cactus-Vader, the break period made even less sense.

1,159 people are talking about this Supposedly won't be on the broadcast but still pretty cool and was actually surprised they didn't announce it sooner.

I think Mutoh is too.

Sorta wish they'd have given at least Shingo a singles match but it is what it is I guess.

2 hours seems ideal especially if you have a larger roster. Although I think for a while LU and NXT did a great job with just 60 minutes (although both shows had the advantage of a smaller roster where they could simultaneously avoid overexposure as well as folks going weeks without being on TV).

Taue not getting in and getting even less votes than Jun seems rather poetic.

My tentative top 30 with only the top 5 being for sure ranked: 1. Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW Royal Quest 8/31) ****3/4 2. Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi (BJW To Was Gat Early 1/13) ****3/4 3. Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/5) ****3/4 4. WALTER vs. Tyler Bate (NXT Takeover: Cardiff 8/31) ****3/4 5. Blue Demon Jr. vs. Rey Wagner (AAA Triplemania XXVII) ****3/4 Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 1/4) ****3/4 Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup 3/23) ****3/4 Jake Lee vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW Champion Carnival 4/29) ****3/4 SHO vs. Shingo Takagi (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/13) ****3/4 SHO vs. Dragon Lee (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/15) ****3/4 Rocky Romero vs. El Phantasmo (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/24) ****3/4 Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW Double or Nothing 5/25) ****3/4 Big R Shimizu and Eita vs. Naurki Doi and Kaito Ishida vs. KAI and YAMATO (Dragon Gate Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 7/21) ****3/4 Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW G1 Climax 8/3) ****3/4 Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 Climax 8/8) ****3/4 Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW G1 Climax 8/10) ****3/4 Jake Lee vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW Raising an Army Memorial Series 10/24) ****3/4 Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley (AEW Full Gear 11/6) ****3/4 Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi (AJPW Dream Power Series 3/19) ****1/2 Zeus vs. Yuji Okabayashi (AJPW Champion Carnival 4/21) ****1/2 Konosuke Takeshita vs. Tetsuya Endo (DDT Wrestle Peter Pan 7/15) ****1/2 Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW G1 Climax 7/18) ****1/2 Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 Climax 7/19) ****1/2 Yuji Okabayashi vs. Takuya Nomura (BJW Osaka Surprise 42 7/21) ****/12 Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW G1 Climax 8/10) ****1/2 Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White (NJPW G1 Climax 8/12) ****1/2 Kento Miyahara vs. Naoya Nomura (AJPW Summer Explosion Series 9/3) ****1/2 Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (WWE Hell in a Cell 10/6) ****1/2 David Starr vs. Jordan Devlin (OTT Fifth Anniversary 10/26) ****1/2 WALTER and Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Yuji Hino and Yuji Okabayashi (BJW Ryogokutan 11/4) ****1/2

With Okada he tends to lean more heel if the crowd really likes his opponent.

That would be awesome but yeah unlikely.

It's definitely a good line-up, but I agree for a two-night card I guess I was just expecting more.

I'm really curious about the result for Tanahashi-Jericho. Jericho will still be champion and I really don't imagine AEW would allow him to lose, but Tanahashi losing on this stage to a heel part-timer seems rather bold.

I know it was wishful thinking that Shibata would get cleared, but Goto getting the KENTA match after seeing how physical Shibata got is the most hilarious (and saddest) bait-and-switch. I don't hate Goto, but seeing him in this spot instead of Ishii or Shingo is incredibly disappointing.

New pick for 2019.

The contrast in presentation between Bryan and Rollins is pretty stark. Rollins would cower in fear, but Bryan stood strong and blitzed the Fiend right at the bell. The aura of the Fiend has been irreparably damaged thanks to the Rollins feud, but I really liked that this was a more narrative-driven match rather than the finish-fest the Rollins matches were. Bryan was aggressive and focused the entire match but the Fiend would not stay down. While I wish they would do more with the Fiend instead of him just no-selling or recovering too quickly from finishers, but this was still a good match. ***3/4

This was a really good match, but while I'm not a huge stickler for long-term selling, the fact that they were able to go through the finishing stretch with the injuries they had (particularly Cole) knocked this down a few pegs for me. There were some pretty outrageous spots and the final Panama Sunrise was probably the most logical way you could do a destroyer in a match. Just wish they had sold a tad more. ***3/4

Match of the Decade: Okada vs. Shibata (Sakura Genesis)-Understandable if folks don't consider this match due to Shibata's injury, but as a whole the match is still a masterpiece. Not just with the stiffness and intensity of Shibata's assault, but the character work of Okada as the cocky, hotshot ace who tries to beat Shibata at his own game. Wrestler of the Decade: Hiroshi Tanahashi-Arguably the most consistent big match wrestler of the decade. Even if his body is broken down, you can still count on Tana to deliver the goods in a main event match. While Okada can be more attributed to New Japan's rise as a global promotion, his rivalry with Tanahashi was a huge part of that. Feud of the Decade: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada-As stated above, this feud and the acclaim it received was a huge part of New Japan's upswing in the 2010's (especially in regards to its popularity in the U.S). And while the matches are great (the lowest I've gone is 4 on the WK 7 match), the story is one of the best in recent memory. Tanahashi was the established hero of the promotion having his claim to the throne challenged by this guy who was first seen as a joke but quickly revealed to be a wrestling prodigy. Okada's over-confidence would get in the way of his natural talent however, with the Rainmaker unable to defeat Tanahashi at the Dome. While he should have probably gone over at WK 9, Okada's triumph at WK 10 is what truly established him as a reliable draw and ace for New Japan (the maintaining of wrist control is one of my favorite visuals ever). Tanahashi would continue to nip at his heels, but Okada has been nearly untouchable since. Best Development: All In and the creation of AEW. With the fall of TNA on cable television and WWE's over-farming of the indies, AEW has been a real game-changer for wrestling in the U.S. Best TV Show: Season 1 of Lucha Underground. A bit of a sentimental pick as LU brought back the spark of my wrestling fandom after countless disappointments and frustrations with WWE. It would never quite be the same after the first season, but the combination of storytelling, unconventional presentation, characters, and great matches was a godsend and ultimately led me to exploring other promotions/eras outside of modern WWE. Also, without LU I question whether or not guys like Fenix or Pentagon would be where they are today. Major Show of the Decade: There's still a ton I haven't seen but I'll go with either Dominion 2017 for Takeover: New Orleans. Dominion 2017 to me remains the peak of the Bushiroad era of New Japan. A near-perfect card from top-to-bottom with hot angles and wrestlers. Takeover: New Orleans is my pick for the best show NXT has ever done and while the Gargano-Ciampa feud went downhill afterwards, their match was executed to perfection.

I pretty much agree with this. And if he cant adapt his character and promo skills, let him be the guy to have TV bangers. It doesnt seem like AEW is interested in midcard titles, but he'd be the perfect person for it.

The men's Survivor Series match is basically WWE booking in a nutshell. Dink out over acts with promise, put an insane amount of emphasis on Corbin, and try to give someone a rub without actually letting them win.

Its remarkable for a show attempting a sports vibe, a giant dinosaur man is one of their most over acts.