Boss Rock

I actually thought this was the weakest match of the Tanahashi-Sabre series even if I still found it enjoyabe. I sort of liked that it was more rough around the edges so it came off as more of a shoot, but there seemed to be a few points in the match where they just weren't clicking. The most notable example is when Zack threw a kick so Tana could counter with the dragon screw only for Tana to not catch the kick (making it look weak as hell) and having to do it again. Still, some good limbwork and there was definitely a charm to the grittiness of it all. I just can't tell if it was intentional or not. ***1/2.

Managed to top their classic G1 2016 match. Loved how they got to work right away. No padding, just all action. Just like the Ishii match with YOSHI-HASHI, I love these stablemate matches as they know each other so well and push each other so hard that there appears to be legitimate hatred. Some really creative and unexpected spots such as Ishii's armbar counter and Okada's backslide into the Rainmaker. I can't really say much more that hasn't been said. Just seriously watch this match. ****3/4.

A hair below their MOTYC in BJW but still an excellent clash of the titans. I couldn't help but feel things started off a little bit slower than usual ( I'm really tired of the obligatory crowd brawling spots in these matches) but once they kicked into second gear they really took off. Excellent effort by all four but Okabayashi and Ishikawa felt like the stars here. Their exchanges (while going a bit too long near the end) had tons of impact and intensity. Suwama and Sekimoto were great in their own right by breaking up the pins and evening the odds. And extra points to Suwama for throwing in a Tenryu enziguri. ****1/2.

Well, this ruled quite a bit. Having a lackluster match with Ishii is pretty hard to do (Taichi got rather close), but this was easily the best YOSHI-HASHI match I've ever seen. Really loved the theme of the two friends and stablemates pushing each other so hard it looked like they hated each other's guts. Ishii brought the violence as always but YOSHI-HASHI managed to convincingly go blow-for-blow with him and had some really fiery comebacks. YOSHI-HASHI has really endeared himself to me as the guy who almost always loses and know he's probably going to lose and yet never gives up while finding ways to overachieve in singles matches. Definitely seek this one out. ****1/2

Bit of a slow start but really good stuff. Liked how they continued the theme from the Ishii/YOSHI-HASHI match of the Chaos stablemates pushing each other to the limit almost to the point of disdain (particularly Okada throwing some stiffer forearms and booting Ospreay's head while he was down). Ospreay's offense was great as always and Okada did a great job selling bomb after bomb. ****

Yeah, I was a huge fan of that one.

Active: Kazuchika Okada Kento Miyahara Tetsuya Naito Zeus Tomohiro Ishii All-Time: Kenta Kobashi Mitsuharu Misawa Daniel Bryan Undertaker Stan Hansen

This was a pretty solid match if nothing you need to go out of your way to see. Nicholls is still really bland to me, but I did like the aggression and his chops are surprisingly hard. Okada also did a really good job selling the damage and appearing to be on the ropes on more than one occasion. I particularly liked the finishing stretch where Okada couldn't get the tombstone and struggled to hit the Rainmaker. ***1/4

Remarkable how good Liger looks at 54. He literally looks like he has not lost a single step in the last 30 years. Taiji did a good job but this really felt like more of a showcase for Liger and that's really what it needed to be. The retiring vet getting one of his last moments in the limelight by proving he can keep up with and even surpass the best wrestlers in the world. Great matwork, great selling, and great babyface fire. Again, Taiji did what he needed to but this was the Jushin Liger show. ****

These guys were in a really tough spot considering the bait-and-switch they pulled with Kofi, but the fact they managed to (somewhat) pull the crowd back into their favor is a testament to how good this match really was. Ali continues to take Darby Allin-levels of insane bumps and Owens thrives as the badass babyface fighting off two guys at once. Like the fatal four-way for the U.S. title, a really good spotfest with everyone getting their time to shine. ****

Really good spotfest with everyone getting their time to shine. A lot of the spots in these kinds of matches (especially when involving more than two people) can feel forced and contrived but everything felt pretty natural for the most part. The real story though is how unthinkable it is that Rey somehow still looks and moves like he did in 1996. Unbelievable performance. ****

Didn't quite reach the level of their last two G1 matches but it was going to be pretty hard to screw this one up. Lots of big bombs and awesome, fast-paced sequences. Thought some of the neck bumps were a bit much even for a Kota Ibushi match, but he did a great job working his selling into his comebacks. Unfortunately another big match loss for Naito but he still looked really good as well. ****1/4.

Excellent match and I would agree it was exactly what a tepid first round show needed. Nagata is still incredibly limber and still has a great deal of oomph behind his strikes. And Ishii is still one of the best wrestlers in the world. While this was ultimately a back-and-forth war of attrition, there was a really cool story of the aging vet proving to a younger, more firey opponent that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Absolutely no respect between these two with a series of slap exchanges that give Suzuki-Okada a run for its money. Terrific match and one of the best this year so far. ****1/2

The Taiji match was proof Liger can still go at a high level, he hasn't really lost a step at all.

Really good match and I would agree it's probably Jay's best match yet. Ospreay was the star here but White more than delivered. While I still think he's better suited to be an upper-midcarder, I would disagree with the sentiment that Jay is a "bad" wrestler. He's consistently been delivering against good wrestlers for close to a year now. His work over Ospreay's ribs was consistent and logical and Ospreay sold really well (even if his grunting was annoying). Ospreay's offense was stellar as always without sacrificing any of the work Jay did on his ribs. I don't think the match needed to be as long as it did, but at the same time it didn't feel padded like a lot of other NJPW main events (it also helped that it didn't go 30+ minutes). Great stuff. ****1/2.

Just watched this one for the first time.

The IC title during the Nakamura days was definitely a big deal, although in a lot of ways it felt like a sort of consolation prize for Nak not getting THE push. Still, guys like Tanahashi, Naito, and Nak did a really great job making it feel like a legitimate number 2 belt.

Really great match and a terrific bounce-back for Kento after his disappointing performance in the KAI match. Kento tries to soften up Suwama early with shots to the head and neck but makes one mistake and Suwama decides turnabout is fair play. I love how Suwama varies his approach to attacking the neck by not only throwing huge shots but also trying to choke Kento out with sleepers. I felt that Kento's comebacks were also a bit more earned. As much as I love his breakneck speed and offense, he sometimes recovers a bit too quickly. This time it came off much more as Kento actually running on adrenaline and a will to survive as opposed to a "Nope, I'm fine!" sort of thing. The finishing stretch is also one of the hottest of the year so far and tells Brock Lesnar who the REAL proprietors of Suplex City are. One thing I've really noticed in these title matches is that Kento starts off as kind of a cocky hotshot who proceeds to get in over his head and has to mount these valiant comebacks. Not sure if I think that's a good or bad thing for a top face, but's interesting nonetheless. ****1/2

Like that they're doing something different with such a huge field. Awesome to see Nagata, Kojima, Tenzan, and Nakanishi getting spots. Would have preferred them keeping Naito and Ibushi's hopes of winning alive longer, but yeah that match will rule.

A masterclass in the minimalist approach to wrestling. Thirty minutes of two powerhouses just throwing chops, lariats, and the occasional submission at each other. Sekimoto turns it yet another excellent babyface against the more arrogant Hino. There's also a really interesting story being told of two guys so evenly-matched that neither can maintain control for more than a few minutes at a time. The selling is also top-notch with both guys spent yet still trying to throw everything they can behind each strike. A must-see and one of the best matches of the year so far. ****1/2.

Thought night one of Honor Rising was pretty good. Scurll-Narita was decent, BC-Gresham/Liger was brilliantly booked, Sabre-Umino was really good (Umino is definitely someone to watch for), Ospreay-Dalton was a lot of fun even with Dalton working through an injury, and Goto-Cobb improved upon their NEVER match last year. Main event wasn't anything special but did what it needed to. Also stoked at Charlton and Kelly basically confirming Gresham will be in BOSJ this year. In some rather bad news Finlay separated his shoulder at the end of the main event for night 2.

Excellently-booked match. While this was always going to be about Kofi and Bryan, everyone got their time to shine. Of course once we did get to the Bryan and Kofi showdown, an already good match was taken to a whole new level. Kofi once again proved he's a tremendous babyface and Bryan turned in yet another terrific heel performance. This type of heel/face dynamic is proof that finisher kickouts CAN work. Can't wait for the Fastlane match. ****1/4.

I sort of wished they cut the first five minutes or so of this match, but everything else was great. Easily PAC's best post-WWE performance and Kzy once again delivers in a big match setting. The finishing stretch had some tremendous bombs, particularly the backslide driver by PAC. A bit too many big move kick-outs but the finishing stretch has some of the most exciting action of the year so far. ****1/4.

Cena-Punk MITB is such a tough one for me. Don't get me wrong, the build-up, atmosphere, and crowd reaction are out of this world. But the match itself, while great, wouldn't even be my pick for best match of 2011. The second half is tremendous but it takes too long to get there.

Bryan-Wyatt I think is a great match that often gets overlooked and doesn't get enough love.