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I don’t know what got into Izuchi, but he wrestled with more vigor than I’ve ever seen him compete with before. From the outset, you could feel the hatred between Izuchi and Ishida. Izuchi jumped Ishida and kicked him square in the head several times. Even Izuchi’s elbow strikes, which I’ve often found ineffective, were ruthless. Once things went to the outside, Ishida didn’t allow Izuchi any respite, repeatedly bouncing his head off the apron and delivering thunderous kicks of his own. Neither wanted to give the other an inch, looking to prove that their arsenal was the strongest. Ishida got busted open from a kick around five minutes in. Even the usual modern tropes that would typically annoy me, such as the occasional no-selling and repeated strike exchanges, felt purposeful. Izuchi and Ishida were merely out to hurt one another. When the referee got in Ishida’s way of that, he was pushed, and Tetsuya and Kaito continued to duke it out on the outside. Their kicks reverberated throughout Korakuen, with each passing blow feeling like it could be the one to end the match. Izuchi went for a second apron PK, but this time, Ishida had him scouted and hit a gnarly dragonscrew off the apron, only to deliver a PK of his own. Too often, these kinds of matches lose me in a cascade of near falls. Here, Izuchi and Ishida saved a few key two counts for the closing stretch and milked them for the maximum impact. It’s a minor issues, but I wish Izuchi would stop doing his Ospreay-lite spinning back elbow. The move rarely looks good. A flurry of kicks and suplexes meant neither was able to gain the advantage, but Izuchi eventually succumbed to a Tiger Suplex. Had Izuchi worked over the cut, this probably would have been elevated to excellent status. As is, it’s a very good kick fest between two guys with varying degrees of talent. I’ve recently been down on Izuchi after his less-than-stellar showings against El Lindaman and Seichi Ikemoto. But if this match is any indication, GLEAT may have two stars on its hands.

This match comes at the tail end of a grueling near-twenty-minute KO-D Tag Team Title defense for Higuchi. Aoki interrupts Harimao’s victory speech to cash in DDT’s anytime, anywhere, Right to Challenge NFT, one of many in a long line of silly gimmicks in the promotion. Aoki immediately goes after Higuchi’s injured arm, which Daisuke Sasaki and KANON attacked in the match prior. Aoki employs ruthless kicks, baiting Higuchi into a lock-up and pulling at his bad wheel. Higuchi’s selling is terrific. His arm is practically limp at this point, and Aoki uses that to his advantage. Higuchi desperately escapes to the ropes, but Aoki continues to pepper him with kicks, showing some of his trademark pettiness when he slaps Higuchi’s arm. Aoki continually grinds Higuchi down with armbars, manipulating the digits. As a result, Higuchi has to rely on roll-ups for the most part. Aoki is relentless, snapping back on the arm as he locks in an armbar. Higuchi musters the courage to power up Aoki and delivers a body slam off the top rope. With the damage done to his arm, Higuchi attempts to batter Aoki with chops, but they’re largely ineffective. Higuchi finally nails a good chop, only for his arm to give out on a Doctor Bomb attempt. I adored Aoki’s transition into the Fujiwara Armbar after that. He even busted out a topé suicida, proving he was desperate to capture the KO-D gold. Higuchi hit a Brain Claw Slam and a headbutt to score the KO win. The suddenness of the finish was the perfect capper, as it felt like Higuchi barely survived this defense. Higuchi’s ability to garner sympathy while still coming across as an unstoppable force is unparalleled. He’s as captivating fighting from underneath as he is controlling the pace of a match. Aoki was unyielding in his attack on the arm, but his opponent proved too strong in the long run. The layout was immaculate, maximizing the impact of Higuchi’s every comeback. All in all, this was a great title match. Post-match, Higuchi’s former Eruption stablemate Yukio Sakaguchi laid down the challenge for God Bless DDT.

This match combined two of my favorite archetypes in wrestling: two tough guys beating the tar out of each other and the surly veteran teaching the young gun a lesson. Narita being the protege of Katsuyori Shibata, one of Ishii’s fiercest rivals, has probably studied plenty of tape on his opponent. That manifests in ways like Narita cutting short Ishii’s counter sequences with a sleeper hold or a kick to the head. Ishii, ever the resilient underdog, may have met his match in Narita. Ren gets just as aggressive as he does, dishing out punishment with unruly slaps. Ishii fires back by simply chopping Narita in the throat repeatedly. It was a visceral sight, and Narita’s approach to selling was varied. He didn’t just grit his teeth and fight through the pain, but registered the damage to his throat throughout the match. The former usually bothers me, as I prefer when wrestlers show vulnerability, but Narita’s determination and desperation to prove himself against one of NJPW’s most respected wrestlers worked. The match was also laid out masterfully, with Ishii controlling the pace and Narita making the most of his hope spots. Narita’s offense looked fantastic, whether he was going strike-for-strike with Ishii or dealing out Manjigatames and Cobra Twists to fatigue Tomohiro. Another issue I’ve had with Ishii’s recent matches is the number of spots where both competitors are laid out on the mat, selling. The sole moment when that happened was towards the end of the match, with both being spent after withstanding so much punishment. The crowd got firmly behind Narita, but the closer they got to the end of the time limit, the more urgent the match became. Ishii started throwing bombs left and right, but Narita kicked out. Narita dodged a Sliding D and rallied after a shoulder tackle. Ishii went for a lariat, but in a last-gasp effort to win, Narita summoned all of the energy he could muster. Narita slapped the taste out of Ishii’s mouth and got downed by a lariat. Still, it was only enough for a two-count. Ishii barely survived a Jujigatame and an Enziguri. He bounced off the ropes for another lariat, but Narita caught him with a Kanuki Suplex for the win. I adored how they turned the NJPW formula on its head. The match didn’t end with a flashy series of counters and a bunch of unearned kickouts, but with Narita being in the right place at the right time and catching Ishii off-guard. This was the antithesis of the modern New Japan epic right down to the finish, and it was beautiful. I’ve likened Narita to Shibata in the past, and this match will only further those comparisons. His execution was on-point, his sense of timing and awareness immaculate, and his ability to take a formula that has otherwise become rote and tell a time-tested story with it impressed. The match was a sub-fifteen-minute delight with plenty of nuances to set it apart and the correct winner.

The king of the spectacle strikes again. Brock Lesnar is a fantastic babyface, but you wouldn’t know it with how rarely he gets to show off that side of himself. Lashley comes out of the gates hot, attacking Lesnar before the bell rings and driving him leg-first into the ring steps. Lesnar’s selling was phenomenal as he hobbled around the ring to avoid further damage to the bad wheel. Take for example, the moment after Lashley speared Brock through the barricade, where he could barely stand as he tried to get back into the ring. Lesnar’s German suplexes and F5 didn’t have as much snap as usual. Lesnar also fell victim to a few nasty bumps, spilling to the outside and being hoisted onto Lashley’s shoulders and getting thrown into the post. Lesnar bumped around the ring with the grace of someone much smaller, and it was refreshing to see him fight from the backfoot for once. Lesnar got in one last gasp of hope, getting Lashley up for another F5, but his leg gave out. Fate is cruel and inevitable, as is the Hurt Lock, which nearly put Lesnar out for good. Lesnar’s arm dropped twice, but he summoned the strength to kick himself off the ropes and keep Lashley down for the three-count. The execution of the finish could’ve been a little better, as Lesnar didn’t get enough momentum to carry him all the way over for the pin. The match was magnificent and a change of pace despite having the familiar beats of many other Lesnar matches. Most of that can be attributed to his selling and establishing Lashley as a credible threat that Brock merely survived. A certified hoot and a half.

Classic big man/little man dynamic. You know exactly what you’re getting with this match-up, and they more than deliver on that promise. Mysterio’s strategy early on was to stick and move, using evasiveness to his advantage. Gunther’s power proved too much, and he took control with a series of chops. Mysterio took a few gnarly-looking bumps, getting thrown head-first to the floor and powerbombed onto the apron. Gunther was dismissive and brutal in his control segment, raking the boots across Mysterio’s face and delivering bodyslams and clotheslines with ferocity. Mysterio using his arms to block the former was a neat touch and something I can’t recall seeing before. Rey realizing his strategy wasn’t working out as well as he’d hoped, decided to switch to a sleeper hold to wear down his larger opponent. Gunther, desperate to hang on the title, climbed the ropes with Mysterio on his back and dropped him. Gunther continued the attack by delivering a wicked neck crank. He even employed the one of the oldest heel tricks in the book: mask ripping. That only fired up Mysterio, who delivered consecutive slaps. With Gunther now weary, Mysterio returned to the air, connecting with a senton and a moonsault. I like how you could see Mysterio’s strategy shift throughout the match. It wasn’t as if he was doing the same old routine but actively adapting to his opponent. That’s one of the signs of an all-time great wrestler. Mysterio hit a 619 and went for a Frog Splash but was quickly thwarted by Gunther. Gunther attempted a top-rope powerbomb, which Mysterio countered by hitting a hurricanrana in mid-air. The suddenness of the finish was excellent. Mysterio got booted out of the air, and Gunther pulled him up from the mat and hit a clothesline for the victory. A harsh reminder that sometimes, the underdog doesn’t win. Great, simple television match that made good use of a time-tested formula. The classics are the classics for a reason.

This was a big, dumb, bombastic fireworks show with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from two of the most promising young high-flyers in Mexico today. Is it great? Not exactly. For one, the selling is virtually non-existent and only occurs when they're slowly inching across the mat to pin each other. The connective tissue between moves could also be better, as they'd often perform a move only to get hit by the same or a similar maneuver moments later. Soberano also showed off his best "I can't believe he kicked out" face. I could see any number of these things being a turn-off. If those quibbles sound like they would annoy you, chances are, they probably will. Still, what worked, worked. From the outset, this felt a little meaner than their previous encounter, with both competitors exchanging headbutts during a lock-up. But once you get into the meat of the match, it's all about cool moves, and Soberano Jr. and Templario delivered plenty on that front. Soberano took a gnarly bump early on, missing a plancha and eating the guard rail. They gradually built to bigger moves. Highlights included a Canadian Destroyer from the ramp into the ring, a suplex off the steps, and an armdrag from the ramp to the floor. Templario strung together a chain of offense, finishing off Soberano with a Powerbomb/Back Breaker combo. Even the imperfections, while plenty, weren't enough to keep me from enjoying this match. This was far from ideal, but it was still heaps of fun and well worth seeking out if you're a fan of either competitor. With some guidance, these two could be capable of creating something exceptional.

The three-way lock-up to start was a bit goofy, but the kind of creativity you come to expect from these matches. Natsupoi and AZM didn’t stand around waiting for Koguma’s big dive but instead jockeyed for a German Suplex to give the spot a more natural set-up. They deviated from the formula of two wrestlers teaming up on the other, with everyone opting to employ their own strategies instead. They also avoided one of my least favorite tropes in multi-person matches where someone disappears for large periods. After a blisteringly fast series of back-and-forth pin attempts, AZM defeated Natsupoi with the AZM Sushi. They kept the action moving along at a brisk pace and avoided many of the pitfalls of lesser matches of this ilk. Fun stuff.

The build-up to this match was fantastic, and the execution of it might have been even better. It had everything I want in an apuestas. Double juice, clear stakes, a molten crowd, drama, emotional intrigue, and intensity/struggle. One of the best matches I've ever seen. The post-match with shots of people in the crowd crying just adds that much more to the whole package.

This was disappointing in some ways, but otherwise totally fine. I wanted something more heated given how the Sendai Girls vs. Marvelous feud of last year went. Iroha missed an opportunity to compete in the main event of GAEAism with an injury, so I wish they had done more to show she had a chip on her shoulder after that. Iroha did a nice job of selling her back, and I bit on the Running Three near fall. If they wrestled with the urgency of the last few minutes, this would've been a great match.

Fuerza has a mean right-hand. Quick first fall for the tecnicos. Atlantis is obsessed with Villano III, going after him on the floor and ripping up a chair, and the ref has to calm things down before the segunda begins. Rudos take the second fall rather quickly. We come back to Casas going wild. Los Villanos attack Atlantis on the floor, but the rudos still end up getting the win. As others have said, I don't think this quite lives up to the 1/14 trios match, but it's a great way to further the feud and a pretty good match to boot.

The rudos jump start things with a brawl at the beginning. They beat down on Atlantis, unmasking him to give the tecnicos the first fall. I loved the visual of Villano III wiping his boots with Atlantis' mask. Atlantis fires back up, breaking a double submission on Casas and Niebla, and swinging wildly on Villano III, who gets his comeuppance when the tecnicos triple-team him. That leads to a DQ, taking us into the third fall. Things became a little more orderly in the third fall, but everyone was still out to inflict as much punishment on each other as possible. Villano III took some time to jaw-jack with the fans and ate a row of chairs for his troubles thanks to Atlantis. The crowd is molten when it comes back down to Atlantis and Villano III, and all of their exchanges are electric. Villano III eventually locks in the Cristo on Atlantis to get the win. Wild, action-packed 15 minutes or so with plenty of hatred to go around.

What do you get when you take six memorable characters and give them TV time and a hot Carolina crowd? Magic. Before the match, Flair cut a promo, vowing to go after Rhodes' leg. The heels are hesitant to start, with Flair immediately tagging out to Arn. Once things begin properly, Arn and Fernandez pick up where they left off in their quality singles match in April. Fernandez is electric, as is America's Team, who pinball Ole around the ring when he tries to save Arn. Arn comes back in and is the most delightful stooge. He eats a series of punches from America's Team, ending up back in his corner and tagging in Ole. Ole takes the brunt of the punishment, bumping and stooging for the heroes. Things come down to Flair and Rhodes, but they're careful not to give away too much of that match-up. It's a small detail but one that shows how thoughtfully and meticulously the match is laid out. Back from a commercial, Flair and the Andersons isolate Magnum. They're as dastardly as can be, triple-teaming him behind the ref's back and employing some nasty arm work. Fernandez tags back in, managing to take out both of the Andersons. Arn grabs the tights to pull Fernandedz back into his corner, which is both villainous and something you don't see often. The beatdown continues on Fernandez, and he fights as best he can, but before he can make the hot tag, the match breaks down into chaos. All six competitors end up entering the ring, with a brawl ensuing. Arn grabs a chair and waffles Fernandez with it while the ref is distracted, allowing Flair and the Andersons to steal the victory. Ole and Arn hold down Rhodes so Flair can use a chair on his leg, but Magnum makes the save. Great television wrestling at its simplest. ***3/4

This was Mashimo's second pro match, with Oishi having debuted a month prior for Michinoku Pro. Right off the bat, we're treated to some incredibly slick mat work from Oishi and Mashimo. Shockingly so, considering their level of experience. The transitions in and out of submissions are seamless as Mashimo swiftly catches Oishi in a leg lock and forces him into the ropes. Oishi, for his part, makes good use of takedowns. Mashimo outclasses him on the mat, but said takedowns are enough to give Oishi a fighting chance. The defensive scrambles are breathtaking, with Oishi perhaps putting up more of a fight than Mashimo expected despite Sambo being the more seasoned of the two. Mashimo gradually wears down the arm with armbars, even going so far as to lock the arm behind Oishi's back when he applies a sleeper. One of my favorite parts of the match sees Mashimo land a kick from the mat, immediately turning it into an armbar, only for Oishi to escape and apply a leg lock. Mashimo continues to smother Oishi on the mat. Oishi finds an opening, turning Mashimo's head kick into a counter and delivers a dropkick to the knee, but his comeback is quickly snuffed out, and Mashimo lands one final kick for the KO. This was as good as it gets for a six minute match between two rookies with a little over a month of experience between them. If this is the kind of stuff K-DOJO was producing in the early aughts, I may have to do a deep-dive at somepoint. Both competitors looked leagues ahead of most trainees, applying holds with vigor and being buttery smooth when working the mat. A real hidden gem.

As far as modern matches go, I'll add Sareee vs. Aja Kong from the February 11, 2019, Diana show. We only have three clipped minutes of footage and it seems phenomenal. Sareeee was arguably on her career run at the time, and I'm a sucker for a good Kong brawl.

This is clipped to bits, making it difficult to rate as a result. That said, the match appears to be a house show version of their usual good to great one. Manny picks Arn apart, and Arn stooges to the crowd's delight, excelling in that role as always.

This wasn't dissimilar to their tremendous Uncensored match, albeit with more weapon shots and less no-nonsense grappling. Cars came into play almost immediately. Finlay introduces a brick, and Regal grinds his face into it. It's all incredibly grotesque and fierce without being bloody. Regal's kicks look fantastic, with strikes and punches being his primary weapons of choice. Finlay plays a little more dirty, using glass, metal, and just about anything he can find in the vicinity of the parking lot. Finlay takes control, dropping Regal across a guard rail, but Regal counters by throwing him through a window. Regal thens decides to give Finlay a bit of comeuppance, using a bumper for good measure. Regal takes a backdrop on top of a car, but powers through the pain and piledrives Finlay through the hood for the win. Five minutes of pure, chaotic brutality. ***1/2

You know you're in for a good one when the match starts with Finlay hitting Regal in the face with his spiked jacket. Things get chippy from the outset, and they don't let up. There are so many awesome little details, like Regal and Finlay grinding their forearms across the bridge of the nose on pinfall attempts. Regal wrenches a headlock, really working the hold, and Finlay counters with a knee to the face and a thumb to the eye. There's nothing pretty about this match. It's gritty, visceral, and violent. the nose. Each pin attempt feels purposeful, as Regal and Finlay look to make each other expend energy. It's clear from the opening moments to the end that they want to hurt one another. Both competitors take a spill to the outside, and Finlay pulls Regal shoulder-first into the post. Rather than allowing Regal a moment of respite, Finlay stomps the bad arm as Regal's entering the ring. Repeated knee lifts to the face are a brilliant way to counteract the arm work. Regal stomps away at Finlay, catching him flush with dropkick when he gets a bit too fancy by going to the corner and jumping to the top rope. The momentum swings are swift but always feel earned. Finlay cuts Regal off with a well-placed uppercut and hones in on Steven's bad wheel. Regal counters with palm strikes to the nose, but Finlay explodes out of the corner with a gnarly lariat. The zenith of the match comes when Regal suplexes Finlay over the top rope to the floor, the earliest I can recall seeing that spot. Regal punts Finlay down low and gets a stern warning from the referee. Regal continues to ground Finlay, placing his knee in the point of the neck and clubbering him in the face. Regal bounces Finlay off the apron and takes a moment to talk trash, at which point Finlay punches him in the nose. The sounds of the strikes in this match are real crunchy. The finish is, unfortunately, the only real downpoint. After the fight spills the outside once more, Regal sends Finlay into the cage on the set, and members of The Blue Bloods attack Finlay for the disqualification. This was an intense, all-out war between two hard-nosed individuals. A great match that proves you can get so much out of doing very little. There's not a lot of flashing lights here, but what the match lacks in sizzle, it makes up for in stiff uppercuts and quality grappling. ***3/4

Hot TV match with a raucous Toronto crowd. Gable brought the aggression early on, leading to a German Suplex on the apron. You could argue that an apron move wasn't needed since this only went 11 minutes, and that they went to the well too early, but all-action matches are scarce in WWE. I appreciated them going for something a little different than your typical television match structure filled with a bunch of rest holds. I also thought Owens' long-term selling of the effects of the apron suplex was solid, as he hobbled around the ring out of exhaustion for the remainder of the match. The highlight was a twisting Superplex from Owens to Gable. My biggest gripe is how quickly Owens recovered from a missed Swanton, following up with a Superkick and a Pop-Up Powerbomb to finish Gable off. But otherwise, this was good stuff. ***1/4

I want to preface this review by saying I'm not some Cornette-ian weirdo who hates modern wrestling. I enjoy cool moves as much as the next guy. But I also prefer structure and find it far more impressive when wrestlers can work within a set of limitations. Where most tag matches lose me is when they forego that structure and do whatever they please, entering the ring haphazardly to give the illusion that something's going on underneath the surface. Ospreay and Fenix kick things off with your standard flippy exchange, nothing you haven't seen a million times before if you're familiar with either competitor. Things break down immediately, and everyone enters the ring for a standoff. There's no pretense of the rules mattering whatsoever. It's all empty and soulless, no matter how flashy the action is. Following a series of dives, Death Triangle isolates Ospreay and decides to work over his leg. That goes about as well as you'd expect. Ospreay's selling ranges from non-existent to overbearing. Ospreay takes out Penta and PAC on the apron and hits a perfect Skytwister Press to the floor. Aussie Open hammers Fenix with a series of elbow strikes that couldn't hurt a fly. They stay in the ring for a good minute and a half before Penta wipes out Fletcher. Once again, everyone enters the ring at-will, and the referee loses all sense of control. Not only does this make the wrestlers involved look bad for being unable, or in this case, perhaps unwilling to structure a match properly, it also makes the officiating pointless. Why should someone let go of a hold at five if the referee can't be bothered to make them follow the rules in a tag match? Without proper authority guiding the ship, contests become formless, functionally no different than scrambles. There's one spot in here that particularly irked me. An awful hockey fight broke out betwee The Lucha Brother and Aussie Open, followed by an incredibly choreographed sequence where both teams ducked moves simultaneously. PAC and Ospreay then proceeeded to hit double reverse 'ranas on each other's teammates, then stared at each other blankly, not following up on the offense. It's like they're not even pretending to hurt each other. An Avalanche Brainbuster followed from PAC, but he didn't go for a pin. There's no sense of urgency, intensity, or struggle. Everything is happening in a void, as shown by the cameras focusing on an outside brawl between the Lucha Brothers and Aussie Open. Fenix went for a top-rope hurricanrana, but Ospreay landed on his feet. That would've been bad enough, but the cameras didn't linger on it for long because Fenix and Penta had to get their crap in with topés. Excalibur remembers Fenix is legal, and a cascade of nearfalls, Canadian Destroyers, and Superkicks follow. PAC hits what must be the 50th dive of the match, meaning none of them carry any weight. If all of that wasn't bad enough, it built up to an angle where PAC got attacked by KIP SABIAN, of all people. An assisted Os-Cutter put me out of my misery after nearly thirty minutes. Post-match, The Elite approached The United Empire. So, not only was this atrocious, it set up a potential nightmare match in the process. An undistinguished husk of a match, one that showcased the worst aspects of everyone involved. DUD

Masada comes into this match having begun his pro wrestling training three months ago. HARASHIMA seamlessly led Masada through the opening mat work portion. Masada busted out an arm-wringer, which had a nice snap to it. HARASHIMA went to work on the back, bringing his trademark brand of meanness to the match. The second half was designed to allow Masada to shine, and shine he did. Masada hit a gorgeous dropkick to kick off his comeback, later matching HARASHIMA strike-for-strike. Masada even busted out HARASHIMA's signature Falcon Arrow, but it was only enough for two. Takeshi's already decent at garnering sympathy from the crowd, with them erupting in chants of "Masada"! HARASHIMA burst out of the corner with a running Somato and put Masada away for the three count. As far as debuts go, it doesn't get much better than this unless you're a prodigy like Jun Akiyama. Another selfless performance from one of the all-time greats and a decent match to boot. While it's too soon to tell how much Masada's capable of DDT may have another prospect on its hands. **1/2

This was Kojima's first match with a cheering crowd, having debuted post-COVID-19. All four competitors play with that dynamic, playing to the crowd. Higuchi and Yoshimura are a force to be reckoned with, steamrolling Kojima and cutting off the ring early on. Kojima tries to topple Higuchi, but he's no match for the former sumo and repeatedly gets shoulder-tackled into the ropes. Kojima gives as good as he gets, thrashing Yoshimura with chops and making good use of his limited offensive repertoire. Ueno gets the hot tag and briefly faces off with his former Nautilus partner, Yoshimura. Their sequences are compact and hard-hitting, continuing from where they left off in King of DDT. The counters are also logical, seeing as they have history together and have each other scouted. Yoshimura and Ueno even got the crowd to pop for a body slam! Once they get going, The 37KAMIINA's gameplan is as clear as day: isolate and double-team Higuchi. Higuchi continuously knocks Kojima off the top rope, but Kojima is unrelenting in his desire to make a statement. Ueno attempts a springboard hurricanrana while Higuchi's seated on the top rope, but he nearly counters it with a Brain Claw. Luckily, Kojima makes the save just in time with an Enziguri, and The 37KAMIINA follows up with a superplex. Kojima threw everything he had at Higuchi, including his rarely-seen submission. He scratched and clawed, fighting his way out of Higuchi's chops, but Kojima would eventually succumb to the Brain Claw Slam. Post-match, HARASHIMA and Yukio Sakaguchi gave Yoshimura and Higuchi blessings to leave their units and form a tag team. Thus, Harimao was born. In terms of elevating Kojima in defeat the match was a rousing success. Huge thumbs up for this one. ***3/4

Immediately, this feels like a huge deal, as we'll be crowning a first-time KO-D Openweight champion. The opening lock-up was intense, giving the match a feeling of weight and importance. Yoshimura dominated the early portion with stiff body slams and deafening chops. Yoshimura upped his intensity, clubbing the chest and not allowing Higuchi any time to breathe. I like how Yoshimura controlled the pace, continuing the neck work that Akiyama started in the semi-finals. Yoshimura hit some nasty elbows to the side of the neck, but Higuchi fired back with a lariat. Higuchi fired back with a chop and a pair of power slams. The struggle over the Brain Claw Slam was delightful and made Yoshimura feel like a convincing obstacle for Higuchi to topple. When Higuchi finally hit a Brainbuster, the crowd erupted in applause. Yoshimura's been learning from HARASHIMA's teachings as he countered a top-rope Brain Claw Slam by elbowing Higuchi in the neck. When Higuchi popped up from Yoshimura's stalling superplex, it felt defiant. He wasn't going to give some kid the satisfaction of having one-upped him in one of the biggest matches of his career. The chop exchange that followed felt like an escalation of the action, which is no small feat when you consider how often they feel like checking an item off a checklist. Higuchi got the better of a lariat-off and hit the Doctor Bomb for a nearfall, but Yoshimura's gameplan was near-perfect, and he got caught with a Harai Goshi. Yoshimura gave Higuchi a taste of his own medicine, kicking out at one from a lariat. Higuchi finally hit the Brain Claw Slam, but it wasn't enough. In a last-gasp effort Yoshimura went for another Harai Goshi, but it was blocked, and Higuchi landed one more Brain Claw Slam. Realizing he'd finally reached the top of the mountain, Higuchi made the cover and had the widest grin on his face when the referee's hand hit the mat for the three count. Fantastic heavyweight clash and one of this year's greatest triumphs in wrestling. As great as the match was, the post-match may be even better. Since Higuchi wrapped the belt around Akiyama's waist a little over a year ago, Jun returned the favor. Sanshiro Takagi then brought out a flag adorned with the DDT logo, stating that he was entrusting it to Higuchi as a symbol of DDT's strength. Takagi then gave Higuchi his blessing to lead the company. Higuchi has long been the workhorse of the promotion, delivering in every situation for years on end. 2022 wasn't a stellar year for DDT until the tournament began, so this was a much-needed win for Higuchi fans worldwide. Long live the new King of DDT.

Akiyama played mind games early on, exiting the ring repeatedly until Higuchi went after him and got tripped up on the apron. Akiyama would follow that up with a DDT on the floor. Higuchi fired back out of a suplex attempt on the apron and hit a Brain Claw Slam but ate an exploder on the floor. I didn't mind Akiyama and Higuchi going to the apron/floor moves so quickly, as it showed they were desperate to put their opponent away with the tournament finals still to come. Akiyama immediately stuffed Higuchi with a Piledriver as he entered the ring, continuing to target the neck with a modified sleeper. An exchange of suplexes broke out, but neither competitor would relent. That built up to a Brain Claw Slam from the top rope for a close near-fall. Akiyama stuck with what was working for him, returning to the sleeper. Higuchi's dazed, out-on-his-feet selling was excellent, and you got the sense that the match could end at a moment's notice. Higuchi survived an exploder, caught Akiyama with a few lariats to the back of the head, and hit the Brain Claw Slam for the win. While this wasn't quite as layered as their excellent title bout from last year, it was a great heavyweight meat and potatoes match with enough nuance to put it over the top.

One of the biggest stories in DDT recently has been the elevation of Naomi Yoshimura and his new tag team partner in Harimao, Kazusada Higuchi. Yoshimura has started to put it together after last year's King of DDT run, where I was slightly underwhelmed by his singles efforts. Here he is taking on the perennial ace of DDT as well as his former DISASTER BOX teammate, HARASHIMA. HARASHIMA tried to ground Yoshimura early on, but Naomi's superior strength meant he couldn't string together much offense. HARASHIMA is one of the pettiest psycopaths I've ever seen in wrestling, smirking as he stomps on and dissects Yoshimura's ribs. His offense was mean and laser-focused. To offset that, Yoshimura targeted the back with body slams and suplexes. Yoshimura countered a springboard attempt from HARASHIMA and sent him flying into the guardrails. Yoshimura took control with a stalling superplex. Yoshimura matched HARASHIMA's meanness, stomping on his back and delivering crunchy forearms when a hockey fight broke out. One thing I love about HARASHIMA is his selling. He fundamentally understands when to show pain and executes those moments expertly. The match gradually built to bigger and bigger bombs being thrown, with HARASHIMA busting out a running Somato and Yoshimura nailing him with a lariat. HARASHIMA's kicks reverberated throughout Korakuen Hall, but Yoshimura absorbed them and delivered thunderous chops. Matches can live or die by wrestlers fighting through the pain, but HARASHIMA and Yoshimura made it believable by not lingering on those sequences for too long. HARASHIMA went for a springboard, but Yoshimura caught him with a Harai Goshi in mid-air that looked awesome. Yoshimura landed the Osaka Pride shortly thereafter to pick up the win. A very good, slow-building match that displayed the growth of Yoshimura.

This match made me realize how much we missed out on by not getting an Akiyama run in the various shoot-style promotions. Imagine him mixing it up with Yoshiaki Fujiwara in PWFG, or Kiyoshi Tamura in U-STYLE. Sakaguchi made good use of his MMA background, laying it on thick with his strikes. That led to a moment early on where he downed Akiyama with a kick and subsequently followed up with an apron Penalty Kick. Akiyama was no slouch on the mat as he went hold-for-hold with Sakaguchi. They began lighting each other up with knee strikes, frantically trying to put one another away. I especially liked how Akiyama transitioned directly from a modified sleeper into a pinfall attempt to capitalize on Sakaguchi’s exhaustion. That Akiyama and Sakaguchi were able to create a series of convincing nearfalls off of limited offense made the match all the more impressive. Sakaguchi survived an exploder suplex, but Akiyama rocked him with a few flush knee strikes and hit the wrist-clutch exploder for the win. This was exquisite and made the most of its time. Despite the match clocking in at 11 minutes, I didn’t feel cheated. Sometimes, less is more. We could all do more to better appreciate morsels like this where we can get them.