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After an arduous journey battling injury and a trial series of sorts, this was Shiozaki's return to the GHC Heavyweight Title picture. Following a lengthy losing streak, he picked up wins over Manabu Soya and former AXIZ tag team partner and rival Katsuhiko Nakajima to get here. Meanwhile, Kiyomiya looked to prove that he once again belonged at the top of NOAH. Working the first five minutes of a match around a side headlock is an ambitious task, especially by modern standards, but Shiozaki and Kiyomiya succeeded. Every time Shiozaki got back on offense, Kiyomiya was there to bring him back down to the mat. Kiyomiya worked the headlock with intensity and purpose. That continued until Shiozaki escaped, and Kiyomiya took a wild spill into the guardrails. Kiyomiya has added some wicked European uppercuts to his repertoire since I last saw him. One even caught Shiozaki in the nose, which looked grotesque. Kiyomiya was a good foil for Shiozaki's intensity, bringing some much-needed urgency to make this 30-plus-minute match triumph. A highlight was Kiyomiya's beautiful topé con giro over the turnbuckles. One of my biggest complaints about apron moves is the lack of build-up. They're often treated like any other maneuver rather than a potential tide-turner in a match. Where Shiozaki and Kiyomiya got it right is saving the Bloody Sunday off the apron to the floor until the twenty minute mark, which got a relatively big reaction by clap-crowd standards. There are some modern tropes holding this back ever so slightly, namely the occasional no-selling and constant screaming from Kiyomiya. However, they were far from egregious, and Shiozaki and Kiyomiya built up to those brief moments better than the bulk of the so-called epics I've seen this year. This was a great match that showed both the growth of Kiyomiya and the reliability of Shiozaki.

Pretty standard DDT workrate tag. These kinds of matches typically have a high floor, but where they lose me is when the tags don't matter. It's not even that it comes down to referee's discretion. Rather, the illegal men in the match would frequently be allowed to make pin attempts after a flurry of offense where everyone entered the ring. Without rules in place, the match is functionally no different than a scramble. Personally, I find it much more impressive when wrestlers can work within the confines of limitations instead of cramming everything they can into 14 minutes. Anyway, this was fine. **3/4

FTR defend the ROH World Tag Team Title in a 2/3 falls match The first fall was nothing to write home about. It was very basic and I would have preferred if they'd gone straight into the action rather than doing another extended feeling-out process. Respect was shown early, with both FTR & The Briscoes backing off when the doctor attempted to attend to a member of the opposing team. Things progressively escalated when The Briscoes began taking cheap shots. Wheeler makes a fantastic save, delivering a lariat to Mark as he tries to go for the Cactus Elbow off the apron onto Dax. Dax takes a nasty bump, hitting the post chest-first, and The Briscoes hit a Doomsday Device to pick up the first fall. Something I found interesting about the way this match was structured is how FTR alternated as the face in peril, with Cash taking the brunt of the offense in the first fall and Dax in the second.Harwood's chest gets busted open from chops by Mark. The Briscoes expertly cut off the ring and milk the tags for all they're worth, knocking Wheeler off the apron at every opportunity. After a while of Harwood taking the heat, The Briscoes attempt a second Redneck Boogie, but Wheeler cuts Jay off at just the right time. That leads to Wheeler hitting a Gory Special for an extremely close near fall. Jay hits Wheeler with the ring bell, splitting him open. Harwood makes the save and pulls Jay out of the ring, goading Mark in and delivering a Flapjack into the steps to take him out. FTR scores the second fall with the Big Rig on Jay shortly thereafter. I cannot overstate how great FTR's saves in this match were, as they were perfectly-timed each go-around. This was arguably the apex of the match, as The Briscoes were repulsive in their heat segment, and Harwood was great as the never-say-die babyface. The third and final fall is the come down, which feels odd to say since it starts off hot with Cash and Mark headbutting each other. Wheeler pushes Mark off the top rope when The Briscoes attempt another Doomsday Device, allowing Harwood to deliver a right hand to Mark in mid-air.Jay ducks a punch and Dax erroneously decks the referee. I'm never a fan of ref bumps, especially ones this poorly-executed. They come off as theatrical, and Jay looks stupid when he goes for a pin knowing the referee was taken out mere seconds earlier. The hyperbole from commentary didn't help matters, with Coleman saying something along the lines of "this is the greatest match I've ever seen in my life," and Riccaboni responding with "one of the absolute greatest tag matches I've ever seen." That brings me to the discourse surrounding this match. It's not enough for something to be good or even great. Everything has to be The Best Thing Ever. I, myself, have a propensity to hype up matches, but all I'm asking is for people to be a little more thoughtful. Wheeler makes another great save, breaking the count at 2.99 after The Briscoes finally land the Doomsday Device they were looking for earlier. There was a botched suplex over the ropes, which made the match feel slightly more dangerous. The Briscoes locked in double submissions and FTR grabbed each other's hands to keep from tapping out, which came across as a hokey relic of NXT. Wheeler gave a back suplex to Mark from the top rope to a table on the outside, allowing Harwood to hit a top-rope piledriver on Jay for the win. I liked that they saved the top-rope piledriver for the finish, as that move should be treated as a potential career-ender. I probably sound more negative on this match than I actually am, but it's only because I loved their first encounter so much. The tease of two straight falls gave more weight to the near falls. The second fall is superb, straight-forward tag team wrestling at its finest. However, the match is bogged down by bloat and some late melodrama that didn't land for me. Regardless, if you're a fan of these teams, there's plenty to enjoy here.

Wheeler Yuta defends the ROH Pure Title Garcia's trying to get into YUTA's head, sporting the maroon boys made famous by YUTA's Blackpool Combat Club stablemates William Regal and Bryan Danielson. The opening lock-up is gritty and intense, setting the tone for the match perfectly. YUTA and Garcia get chippy immediately, trading slaps and strikes. YUTA takes a wicked bump to the outside when Garcia merely chucks him over the top rope to the floor. Garcia immediately follows up on the bump to the floor, sending YUTA into the barricades. I appreciated Garcia rolling YUTA into the ring and desperately going for pinfall attempts, selling the fact that he's trying to win. There's more snap to YUTA's offense than usual, as he dumps Garcia on his neck with German Suplexes. Garcia distracting the referee so he could bite YUTA's ear, only to start working over the ear by grinding the point of his elbow into it is tremendous character work. He's clearly trying to ingratiate himself to Regal, but not at the cost of becoming champion. YUTA also matches Garcia's intensity, grabbing him by the ears and punching him off the top turnbuckle. A hockey fight breaks out with both agitatedly trading slaps, and Garcia's hit with another German Suplex as he makes it to his feet at the count of nine. YUTA nails Garcia with some ungiving shots to the midsection as he has Daniel's armed locked behind his back, showing off some of that BCC training. Rather than taking turns allowing each other to lock in holds, the submission teases came off as a struggle to survive against the opponent's tactics. Garcia locks in the Red Death Lock, but YUTA reverses into a Bulldog Choke. Garcia lets YUTA out of a Regal Stretch to hit some more knee strikes, but it proves to be a mistake as YUTA traps him in a Lion Tamer, forcing Daniel to use his first rope break. YUTA caught Garcia off-guard when Daniel got too cute and went for the stomps used by his mentor Bryan Danielson, reversing into a Seatbelt Clutch for the win. Unlike many recent pure rules matches, this wasn't reliant on rope breaks. Instead, they used one rope break near the end of the contest, milking it for maximum impact. The match was gutsy, intense, and determined, everything you could want out of these two while leaving room for a rematch. A match to go out your way for.

This match is deeply stupid. From the outset, Rush eggs Lee on, like a big brother would, but always makes sure Lee knows he's in control. Rush hits a fantastic topé con giro and heels it up, throwing Lee into the barricades repeatedly. Rush mocks Lee, slapping him around and stomping him in the corner. This leads to Lee's eventual comeback, where he places Rush on a table and lawndarts himself out of the ring onto Rush. Admittedly, that looked awesome. Where the match starts to fall apart is when they start no-selling everything. I could buy it a few times, maybe as Rush and Lee not giving their sibling the satisfaction of having one-upped them, but it was constant. This ended up having the third superplex from the apron on the show, which would've been fine if it hadn't already happened, but didn't carry much weight after the previous two. Rush and Lee lay in their strikes on the apron, but it's just a ruse so they can no-sell more moves. Rush eventually gets the better of Lee and sends him flying off the apron with a suplex. Unsurprisingly, Lee sells it for all of a second before hitting a hurricanrana off the apron. I understand the appeal of cool moves, but this is all getting to be exhausting. More tired tropes rear their ugly head, with a count-out tease leading to both competitors getting in the ring at 19. They kick out of each other's signature moves, and you know the deal by this point. Rush eventually gets the win with the Bull's Horns. While parts of it were enjoyable, I don't think this ever came together cohesively.

Jonathan Gresham defends the ROH World Title Classic dueling body work- based match. Gresham immediately tries to break the base of Castagnoli with a wrist lock. I like how the early arm work from Gresham plays into him softening up Castagnoli for what's to come later. It's a small detail, but the kind of thing Gresham does incredibly well. Gresham targets the knee, while Castagnoli goes after Jonathan's lower back. Gresham goes for a suplex, but the damage has already taken its toll. The selling comes across naturally and is a wonderful extension of the technique vs. power story they're telling. Take, for example, the moment Castagnoli's knee gives out after an Alpamare Waterslide attempt. Or how Claudio takes a bump into the turnbuckles and falls to a knee, allowing Gresham to regain control. The high point of the match is Castagnoli hitting an absurd gut-wrench suplex on Gresham from the apron into the ring. Gresham continues to pepper Castagnoli with kicks to the knee, which is met by European Uppercuts from Claudio. The arm work even comes back into play briefly, as Gresham's able to block an uppercut and hit an Enziguri. Claudio also serves as the perfect base for some of Gresham's high-flying offense, getting into position for a moonsault at the perfect time. My biggest gripe with this match lies in the finish, which was abrupt. Shortly after a flurry of offense from Gresham, Claudio lands a series of elbows and hits the Ricola Bomb for the win. This is about as decisive of a victory as you can get, and if it's Gresham's swan song from ROH, it was quite the way to go out. Gresham and Castagnoli are masters of creating late drama, and the final roll-up from Gresham had me biting. While I would've loved to see something a little more substantial, this was a really good match.

Apparently, the full match was aired on Arabic TV on March 25, 1988. It recently popped up on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CgE48tbjez5/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Very good match, but not quite great. Sabre capitalizes on small mistakes from Claudio, going after his opponent's arms. The match is laid out to highlight Claudio's freakish feats of strength, and it's successful in that regard. ZSJ locked in a submission while Claudio was in the ropes, and they both spilled to the outside. Claudio casually walked up the steps while carrying Zack and dumped him back into the ring with a gnarly powerbomb. Crucially, Claudio's selling was also on-point. When Castagnoli finally lands the Giant Swing, his arm gives out on the fifth rotation and ZSJ hones in on it some more. They could've tightened things up in the final stretch, but as a whole, this was quality stuff.

This match is impossible to separate from its emotional context. In 2017, during a match with Shinjiro Otani in ZERO1's Fire Festival, Fujita Hayato suffered a knee injury. On November 24, 2018, Hayato announced that he'd been diagnosed with a spinal tumor. Hayato returned to the ring for a bout with Kengo in December 2019 and has made sporadic appearances since then, but has largely been away. Hayato came out to theme "I Believe," a song used by his trainer Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, who passed away due to gastric cancer in 2018. While Hayato was gone, the former Daichi Sasaki changed his name to MUSASHI and became the company's ace. He's a different person than the plucky underdog babyface Hayato once knew. MUSASHI's matured, as is shown by his poise when Hayato started to get chippy with him almost immediately. There's no extended, lifeless feeling out process to be found, only two mean dudes wailing on each other as hard as possible. Things began to ramp up around the five minute mark, where Hayato and MUSASHI both started frantically throwing shoot headbutts. Hayato came across as a certified buttkicker and one of the baddest men on the planet in this match. His strikes were rutal, his kicks grotesque, and his submission game as strong as ever. However, I don't want to overshadow MUSASHI's performance. He brought the fight to Hayato, matching him strike-for-strike. Hayato takes MUSASHI to the outside and wails on his leg with a steel chair. He goes for a Penalty Kick off the apron, but MUSASHI counters with an inverted dragon screw and uses the chair on Hayato's leg to get some payback. MUSASHI followed that up with a tope con giro. Back inside, Hayato and MUSASHI battered each other with thunderous chops. MUSASHI went for a Brainbuster, but Hayato countered into the K.I.D., his version of the guillotine choke. Hayato would continually go for the submission throughout the match, getting closer to the victory each time. MUSASHI targeted Hayato's leg throughout the match to try and take away the power of Fujita's kicks, but it wasn't the primary focus. Instead, it was something he gradually chipped away at whenever opportunities presented themselves. Hayato fighting through the pain would annoy me in most instances, but he came off as such an unstoppable force that it didn't bother me. With each glancing blow, Hayato felt more and more defiant. Defiant in the face of the new ace on the block, refusing to let MUSASHI take his spot at the top of Michinoku Pro. Hayato busted out some wicked transitions here, including one where he twisted MUSASHI's digits at an unsightly angle and seamlessly turned it into a cross armbreaker. Hayato took control of the match with a series of kicks and finally hit the apron P.K. he'd been looking for earlier, with the reverberation causing a fan in the Korakuen crowd to shriek. Hayato again went for the K.I.D., but MUSASHI was able to land a Brainbuster this time. For a lengthy match, this was largely restrained. The nearfalls were saved for the final stages and more importantly, felt earned. MUSASHI threw everything he could at Hayato, with a Falcon Arrow and several Superkicks not being enough to seal the deal. When all else failed, MUSASHI stuck with what was working for him and goaded Hayato into a strike exchange. Hayato kicked out of a German suplex at one, and it felt like a big deal, not just something done for a cheap pop at the expense of the match. Try as he might, MUSASHI was unable to put Hayato away. Hayato lit MUSASHI up with kicks, but resiliently, MUSASHI kicked out at one. Hayato transitioned directly into a submission and scored the victory with the K.I.D., winning the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight title for the first time since 2013. After a grueling battle, an emotional Jinsei Shinzaki presented Hayato with the championship. Hayato was also met in the ring by fellow BAD BOY stablemates Ken45° and Manjimaru. In his touching post-match promo, Hayato would go on to call out long-time rival Kenou of Pro Wrestling NOAH, as well as NJPW's Hiromu Takahashi. This match was, in a word, cathartic. Not since last year's GAEAism tag has a contest made me feel this way. For one magical night in Tokyo, wrestling made me believe again. For one magical night, all was right with the world.

I’m only familiar with Sato, one of my favorite prospects in BJW, and Nomura, who defected from AJPW not long ago. Crafter is a masked wrestler who, as far as I can tell, is a CAPTURE trainee. Meanwhile, Fudo is an utter tank of a man. Crafter and Nomura get into a brief spat before the bell over who will start the match, but the former prevails. Crafter has all kinds of flashy tricks in his arsenal, including a jumping spin kick. Sato’s feistiness is on full display as he kicks at Crafter as he’s showboating for the crowd. Sato found himself on the wrong end of a sleeper and used his team’s first escape. Crafter tries to get fancy with a dropkick, and Sato simply sidesteps him. There’s nothing like a well-placed kick to the gut from Crafter to get Sato to break a hold. Wholesale tags to Nomura and Fudo follow, and the elbow strikes start flying. Nomura charges in with a spear, and it barely moves Fudo. Realizing his slam will only keep Nomura down for 9, Fudo decides to start clubbing Naoya in the face. Nomura lands a second spear and immediately transitions into a sleeper to pick up the first fall. Crafter comes in hot, but Fudo charges him with a shoulder tackle that knocks him loopy, allowing Fudo and Sato to pick up the second fall. At this point, it feels like any move can end the match. The match continues with a flurry of dropkicks from Sato to Crafter, with Kosuke showing more aggression. I’ve mentioned this elsewhere, but if BJW can tap into that side of Kosuke, they could have a star on their hands. Nomura tried to spear Fudo again but caught with one of the darndest lariats I’ve seen in a minute. Sato came back in and got into a slap fight with Nomura. Nomura got caught in a sleeper, but Crafter broke the hold. Still, Sato wouldn’t relent, but he got hit with a Brainbuster, and Nomura locked in a modified chokehold for the win. Fudo was livid and went after Nomura post-match, with the two having to be separated. This is one of those “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” type matches with so much cool stuff going on at all times. You had Crafter’s showy mat work, Nomura trying to spear the tar out of Fudo and Fudo barely budging, and Sato trying to prove his worth against the veterans of the scene. The falls could’ve easily felt rushed, with the whole match clocking in at just over ten minutes, but it was structured so well that it didn’t matter. Strongly recommend checking this out.

Yamato smothers Nomura on the mat early. But, it only takes one mistake to gain the upper hand. Nomura traps Yamato in a knee bar, and Hiroshi slaps away at him, almost as if to say he can beat Nomura at his own game. Nomura forces him to use an escape, bringing out the yellow card. Both have to scratch and claw their way into holds, with Yamato punching away at the ribs to try and break Nomura’s guard. A hockey fight breaks out, and both competitors start battering each other as hard as possible with chops and kicks. The offense stands out in an intimate environment like this where you can hear the full impact of every strike. Yamato locks in a gorgeous modified armbar and forces Nomura to use his first escape. Yamato sticks with what’s working for him in the armbar, and Nomura eventually slips out by hitting an absurd deadlift suplex. Nomura goes full killer mode and swings wildly on Yamato, dumping him on his head with a suplex. Nomura finishes him off with a kick square in the head. I was unfamiliar with Yamato going in, but he brought the fight to Nomura and came across every bit his equal. This was a brisk yet complete match full of quality striking and compelling mat work. Do yourself a favor and set aside eight minutes for it.

This match takes place in a dimly-lit basement in front of approximately 20 people, to give you the vibe. The ring consists of a mat surrounded by guard rails on each side. Using an escape or getting a down results in a yellow card, a second one gets a red card, and a third means you lose the match. Tsubakichi and Jota kick things off, lighting each other up with slaps and kicks to the leg. Tsubakichi grounds Jota and starts pummeling him with punches to the mid-section and knees to the head. Every time Jota gains the advantage, Tsubakichi swings frantically, looking for any strike that will land. The violence is off the charts even in the early stages of the match. Jota forces Tsubakichi into the corner, and in comes Abe. Abe's the perfect wrestler for this sort of environment, bringing focused, gritty mat work and stiff strikes. I'm a big fan of Tsubakichi slapping Abe and immediately making the tag to Goto. Goto and Abe struggle over control of a knee bar, slapping each other silly in the process. Tag to Tsubakichi, and Goto overpowers him and immediately locks in a Boston Crab. The grappling exchanges between Goto and Tsubakichi are equally as gripping as the previous ones, as they weave in and out of holds seamlessly with gorgeous transitions. Jota comes back in and fells Tsubakichi with a quick blow to the head. Tsubakichi grabs an armbar and mounts Jota, but Jota makes him scratch and claw for control. Abe breaking up a Cross Face attempt from Jota by running in and kicking him in the back as hard as possible ruled. This cost the team of Tsubakichi and Abe their yellow card but gave them the upper hand briefly. Tsubakichi got caught in an Ankle Lock, forcing him to use an escape, and quickly tagged out to Goto. Jota, wanting some payback from earlier, broke up a submission attempt on Goto. You could feel the tension between Jota and Abe, and when Jota came back in shortly afterwards, things really started to get chippy. Jota and Abe went blow-for-blow, trading headbutts, kicks, and knee strikes, but it was Jota who came out on top. Goto came in to finish things off with two sentons, but Abe caught him in a submission for the win. This match had a little bit of everything. Shoot headbutts, kicks to the head, unrelenting strikes and thoughtful, determined mat work. Of the three wrestlers I was unfamiliar with, Jota impressed me the most. He's got an attitude to his work and elevated things to another level once he got in there with Abe. If you're in the mood to watch a bunch of wrestlers you've probably never heard of slug it out in a basement in Tokyo, give this one a whirl.

Kanemaru's a total slimeball, jumping Ishii at the bell, utilizing roll-ups and throwing young lions in the way of Tomohiro on the outside to try and pick up the win. Kanemaru's content to take the count-out, which I appreciate. So often, you see heels roll their opponents back into the ring rather than take a breather. Kanemaru's also great at showing his behind when the time calls for him to take a backseat and let Ishii control the pace. Kanemaru brutalizes Ishii's leg with knee breakers and low dropkicks. Ishii does his usual fighting through the pain schtick, but it's much more charming against the sleazy Kanemaru than against other so-called tough guys. The match is also less repetitive. For one, there's no extended strike/forearm exchange to pad out the time. Even the sequences with the referee, which I've never been a big fan of and have often found contrived, played into the story of Kanemaru doing whatever it takes to win. Ishii survived a missed Whiskey shot and a Samson Clutch to put Kanemaru away with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the win. Even in the finish, Ishii's selling was fantastic, as he could merely scoot himself across the mat and fling his body over Kanemaru for the pin. This match didn't have all the bells and whistles that come with a big, New Japan match. It was fairly simplistic and restrained. But, I'll take a tidy sub-twenty-minute match with clearly defined characters and a story that's easy to follow over a bloated epic any day of the week.

The first fall established Averno's dominance. Averno jumps Guerrero on the ramp, whipping him with his jacket. Guerrero monkey flips Averno into the ring and follows up with a quick flurry of offense, but Averno takes the fight outside and whips him into the barricade. Back inside, Averno shuts down Guerrero with a double underhook facebuster, following up with a cross arm breaker to submit Ultimo. Picking up where he left off, Averno targets his opponent's arm. Averno is a wonderfully slimy rudo, snapping Guerrero's bum limb across the ropes, putting the boots to him, and chopping his chest into raw meat. Averno revels in the boos of the crowd, almost as if he's mocking them at points. Guerrero fights back, but his temper gets the better of him, causing the referee to separate the two and allowing Averno to take a cheapshot. A missed splash in the corner allowed Guerrero to hit two consecutive Sentons de la Muerte, and he picked up the second fall. Averno begs off to start the third fall, signaling to the crowd for a timeout. Guerrero heads out after him, but it's another ploy, as Averno uses the diversion as an opportunity to kick Último. Guerrero fires up and hits a low dropkick off the apron, sending Averno crashing to the floor. Guerrero is the consummate técnico, high-fiving fans after diving across the barricade and onto Averno. Showing a bit of learned psychology from the previous fall, Averno counters the Senton de la Muerte by booting Guerrero in the chest. A simple counter, sure, but an effective one nonetheless. Guerrero attempts a moonsault, but Averno is there to yank him off the apron again. Everything builds to a crescendo, with Guerrero's dive off the top rope to the outside feeling monumental. The match admittedly starts to lose a bit of steam in the final act. The cascade of top-rope moves followed by near falls is long-winded, and they take their sweet time getting to the finish after Guerrero's dive, which feels like the apex of the match. But the atmosphere was enough to carry even the weaker portions of the contest. Averno hits a cross armbreaker off the top, but Guerrero narrowly escapes. Averno attempted a moonsault, but Guerrero recovered in time to hit a reverse superplex for the victory. Post-match, Guerrero calls out Averno for a hair match. They may no longer be spring chickens, but Guerrero and Averno delivered a bout that projected the feeling of importance more than almost anything I've seen all year. It wasn't flashy, but it didn't need to be. The raw emotion of Guerrero fighting valiantly to defend himself and a hot crowd wanting to see the villain get his comeuppance were enough on this night. I can only hope some younger luchadores come away from this match with the lesson that less is more.

At its core, wrestling is about people of all shapes, sizes, and styles coming together to compete. Makabe and Hoodfoot’s methodologies could not be more opposite. Makabe’s known for his technical prowess, while Hoodfoot’s more of a fighter. Hoodfoot gets the better of an early mat exchange, showing off some of his amateur background and proving he can go with the best of them. Hoodfoot gradually frustrates Makabe into wrestling his kind of match, as they start throwing hands and spill to the outside. Hoodfoot grabs two chairs, culminating in the best bar fight spot I’ve seen in a minute. Hoodfoot lights Makabe up with chops but gets caught in an armbar. He swipes and kicks at Makabe, throwing him back into the ring. Makabe capitalizes on small mistakes, as Hoodfoot goes for one too many seated lariats and gets caught in a Kimura. Hoodfoot breaks a Border City Stretch by pulling Makabe’s kneepad down and headbutting him in the knee, which rules. After another brief exchange of trading blows, Makabe lands a big Unit Punch but gets taken down by a Saito Suplex. Hoodfoot reminds us of his bad ankle in subtle ways, massaging feeling back into it and pulling down his kneepad. Hoodfoot goes for a second Saito, but Makabe kicks at his bad knee. Makabe scrambles, desperately hitting three running dropkicks and another Unit Punch, collapsing and flinging his body across Hoodfoot for the win. In the end, it felt like both competitors had survived a war. This was uncooperative, scrappy and fierce. Possibly the best Different Style Fight I’ve seen all year.

There’s a certain broad appeal to this match that I think just about anyone can enjoy. Everyone lays in their offense and brings a controlled energy to the bout. Sato takes a shellacking from the most proficient striker in the match, Sakaguchi. Sato and Sakaguchi trades kicks, but Sakaguchi always gets the better of his adversary. It builds to a crescendo where HARASHIMA and Higuchi come in, and when they do, boy does the pace ever pick up. Both competitors batter each other, going back-and-forth with chops and kicks. Higuchi’s selling as the unwavering yet beatable giant is phenomenal. He registers the damage of the strikes but stays one step ahead of HARASHIMA. There was one counter where HARASHIMA went for a Somato, and Higuchi chucked him into the mat that nearly had me jumping out of my seat. Higuchi eventually clamped on the Brain Claw and kept HARASHIMA down for three as he frantically struggled to escape. I love that even the finish played into Higuchi outsmarting HARASHIMA at every turn. I loved all of this, really.

Unlike O'Reilly's recent match against a beloved member of the AEW roster, this was intense, focused, and violent. Kyle tends to lean into his worst habits, with over-the-top selling and convoluted spots that rarely land. But with Mox there to control the reins, his strengths are highlighted. His mat work is snug, and he turns up the aggression when it comes to his striking. Kyle shoots for the leg after a brief feeling-out process and almost nicks the win with an armbar. Mox busts out a Cornish Hipe, popping both myself and William Regal on commentary. Mox grounds O'Reilly, twisting the digits and stomping away at Kyle as he's on the mat. Unfazed by O'Reilly's strikes, Mox allows him to land a few blows, and starts bleeding from the mouth. Kyle traps Mox's toe under the bottom rope and hits a diving knee drop off the top rope. I like how Mox struggled to get out of the ropes as Kyle climbed up to the top. So often, you see wrestlers hang around waiting to get hit with a move. O'Reilly gradually chips away at the leg of Moxley, forcing our injured hero to deck Kyle with punches. O'Reilly blasts Mox with a dropkick on the outside, but allows him the time to get back into the ring. The lowlight of the match is undoubtedly O'Reilly's mounted open-hand strikes, which don't look great, as they lack the impact of some of his meatier elbow strikes and slaps later on. Kyle's leg work is ferocious, as he drapes Mox across the apron, alternating between forearms to the face and driving Mox's bad wheel into the mat. Mox's selling is subtle but poignant. Ever the opportunist, Mox hits the ropes when Kyle goes to the top again, allowing him a bit of respite. Rather than following up on a superplex, Mox takes the time to sell his arm, which got trapped underneath O'Reilly on the way down. Kyle goes back to the forearms, but Mox fires back with wicked headbutts. A chickenwing forces Kyle to bite the ropes to escape, and Mox decides to kick the ropes. Both scramble for submissions until Kyle eventually gets the better of an exchange with a knee. Even O'Reilly, whose selling I find overindulgent at the best of times, gave the sense that he was exhausted and any move could end the match. Mox stuffs O'Reilly with a Piledriver, but it's only enough for two. A hockey fight breaks out, and O'Reilly nails the Ax and Smash, then a Saito suplex, but Mox pops back up. No-selling is supposed to feel defiant, and this moment felt like Mox not giving Kyle the satisfaction of having his number, showing his toughness and resilience. Moxley put away O'Reilly with a Paradigm Shift in a thrilling main event. As I mentioned, not all of the striking landed, with some of Kyle's mounted punches feeling superfluous. But when everything else was as airtight and gruesome as it was, it's hard not to enjoy the match. The best showing I can recall from O'Reilly in some time, and another notch in Moxley's belt.

DDT does these big, all-star tags better than pretty much anyone. Our, ahem, HERO! goes for a handshake at the beginning, but gets blown off. Takeshita and Sakaguchi begin in a battle of power vs. technique. That's not a match we've seen much of, to my knowledge, so it's nice to get a glimpse of it here, however brief it may be. HARASHIMA & Akiyama continue where they left off at CyberFight Festival, having a gripping mat exchange. Every time HARASHIMA goes for a tag, Honda hops off the apron until Antonio's former Happy Motel stablemate, Endo, comes in. They trade punches, and Honda collapses in one fell swoop, but he baits Endo in for a strike. Endo kicks out his leg of Honda, causing the enemy team to mock him as he tries to enter the ring. This section is so joyous that even the usually straight-laced Sakaguchi can't help but crack up on the apron. Honda is oddly endearing as the face in peril, constantly hurting his bad wheel in increasingly hilarious ways, including one where he goes for a dropdown and gets tripped by Endo. Wholesale tags to HARASHIMA and Akiyama follow. HARASHIMA gets the better of an exchange, and we go into a showdown between one of the most reliable pairings in DDT, HARASHIMA, and Sakaguchi. The two batter each other with kicks, each glancing blow having more impact than the last. Things eventually boil down to Endo & another of his former Happy Motel teammates and storied rivals, Takeshita. Despite being the least interesting section of the match, having neither the charm of Honda's isolation nor the intensity that HARASHIMA, Sakaguchi, and Akiyama bring to the table, it's still more explosive than Takeshita and Endo's recent singles efforts. Honda comes in swinging, jumping over Endo to try and knock Sakaguchi and Akiyama off the apron, but Endo trips him up. Honda then grabs the microphone and does his usual comedy routine. The Burning and Sakaguchi trio's energy is infectious, as they can't stop laughing at Honda's antics. Except for Akiyama, who takes an errant swing at Honda. Honda goes for a dive off the top rope, but Endo gets his feet up, only for Honda to reverse his pinfall attempt in a great nearfall. Takeshita and Sakaguchi wipe each other out with dueling Jumping Knees, and once again, it comes down to Honda and Endo. Endo fells his old mentor with a Torture Rack Bomb and a Burning Star Press for the win. A fitting celebration of DDT's 25th anniversary, displaying its past in Happy Motel and its present in Burning. While it's unlikely to be remembered as one of the best matches of the year, it's perhaps one of the most enjoyable.

Starlane rules, as far as I can tell, are similar to UWF rules. Both competitors get five points, with knockdowns and rope breaks each using a point. If you use all of your points, you lose via TKO. Both scramble for holds immediately, with Nasu targeting the leg and Sasaki going after the arm. We're in the intimate venue of Basement Monstar. There's around 20 or 30 people in the crowd if I had to guess, so we get a nice, up-close look at the mat work. Sasaki switches up his game plan briefly, going after the leg, and forces Nasu to use his first escape. Nasu ties things up with a leg lock of his own. Nasu gets rocked with a knee, but like a shark smelling blood in the water, circles Sasaki and regains control. Nasu gets overzealous, slapping Sasaki in the face, but Sasaki sticks with the ankle lock, and this time Nasu's able to get out of it. A flurry of kicks follow, and that's three downs remaining for Nasu. Nasu caught Sasaki off-guard with a kick of his own, and Sasaki made it to his feet just in time for the referee to hit ten. A cross armbreaker from Sasaki followed, and suddenly Nasu was down to two points. Nasu can barely stand at this point, but he's still throwing errant kicks in an attempt to catch Sasaki unaware. Nasu goes for an ankle lock of his own, but Sasaki reverses the pressure and turns it into a sleeper. Exhaustion is setting in for both at this point, and Sasaki employs a deep side headlock to try and drain the energy out of his opponent, but Nasu reverses with a back suplex. Nasu makes the rookie mistake of getting into a striking battle with Sasaki, who nearly ends the match with a rolling Koppo Kick. Nasu sticks with the leg lock that's worked for him so far, forcing Sasaki to use his final rope break. Nasu goes for a backdrop driver, but Sasaki rolls through into a Boston Crab, forcing him to submit. Another banger from Sasaki, who has a great understanding of fundamentals and selling. Too often in shoot-style-inspired settings, I see people rely on rope breaks for drama. But in Sasaki's matches, they feel like a meaningful glimmer of hope for both competitors. There's always a sense of struggle to Sasaki's mat work, which I also appreciate. He's not out there feeding opponents his limbs so they can lock in a submission; he makes them fight for it. This was a feather in Sasaki's cap, but be sure to make note of Nasu. He was no slouch here either.

Sasaki and Watanabe are tied one to one in tag matches, but Hitamaru has a fall over Soma, and Soma's victory came at the hands of partner Minoru Tanaka. This is the rubber match. Sasaki has the superior mat game, so he tries to goad Watanabe into trading submissions early on. Watanabe fights back by lighting up Sasaki with slaps, but Sasaki weaves in and out of holds seamlessly, turning a leg lock into an armbar. Sasaki's top-notch ground game was further established when he caught a leg-scissors from Soma and turned it into a single-leg Boston Crab, causing Watanabe to use his first escape. Sasaki made Soma scratch and claw for every submission, locking his hands to block an armbar attempt. A strike battle broke out, and Watanabe rocked Sasaki with a high kick, but he bounced back at the count of nine. Sasaki evened the odds with a kick of his own, and Soma spent the rest of the match fighting from the backfoot. The slap exchanges were resounding, like something you'd see in an actual fight. Watanabe gets the better of a submission battle and evens the score at three to three. Sasaki locks in a gnarly Fujiwara armbar, but Watanabe once again makes it to the ropes, hanging on by the skin of his teeth. In a callback to their first tag match, Sasaki goes for a piledriver, but it was reversed, and he turned it into an ankle lock. Soma fired up and got a second wind, nailing Sasaki with a German Suplex. Watanabe turned a driver into an armbar, leading to Sasaki using one last escape. One final flurry followed, but Soma ultimately tapped to a sleeper. I loved how Sasaki's hubris almost cost him the match, as he seemingly underestimated Watanabe, and it was nearly his downfall. One heck of a match.

Sasaki choked out Watanabe in a tag match before this one, leading to Soma calling out Sasaki. Sasaki and Watanabe begin, kicking us off where the last match between them ended. Sasaki scrambles for holds, smothering Soma on the mat, but he's unable to gain the advantage. Tensions are high as Watanabe kicks away Sasaki's attempt at a friendly handshake. Tags to Hara and Tanaka follow. The holds aren't just for show. Both Hara and Tanaka look like they want to hurt one another and sink in deep leg locks that end in a stalemate. Hara forces Tanaka into the corner, but Sasaki allows his opponent a brief respite. Sasaki traps the legs and twists Tanaka into an armbar in a gorgeous transition. Still, neither can gain the advantage, and we return to Hara and Watanabe. Things start getting chippy, and Hara goes for a stomp. The mat work is breathtaking, feeling like there's a constant struggle for control of the match. Soma's able to escape the leg lock Sasaki's been going for the whole time, and it looks as if we're going to get a repeat of the last match, but he escapes a chokehold by desperately grabbing the ropes. Sasaki sticks with his game plan and avoids a rolling Koppo Kick, lighting up Soma with strikes. Watanabe hits a driver and transitions into an armbar, making Sasaki use a rope break of his own. Sasaki follows back with a high knee, downing Soma. In come Hara and Tanaka, as Manabu catches Minoru off-guard with a flurry of kicks. A triangle choke causes Tanaka to reach for the ropes, and suddenly, the blue team's on their last legs. Tanaka catches Hara with a flash Minoru Special, and that's all she wrote. Uncooperative, breezy, and not overly reliant on gimmicks. A gratifying slice of shoot-style in a world where that's becoming increasingly uncommon.

The appeal of this match is real simple. It's a guy who's built like a tank vs. a kicky boy. That dynamic plays out exactly how you'd imagine. Nozaki steamrolls Umeda with shoulder blocks, but Umeda makes good use of the Steamboat rule, fighting back whenever possible. Nozaki tries to take away the impact of Umeda's kicks, grounding him with a Boston Crab. Umeda bounces back with rapid-fire kicks, going after the leg to try and wear out his larger opponent. Umeda's been wrestling sporadically for the past few years, but the attitude and confidence that first drew me to him is still present. If he ever decides to return to wrestling full-time, he has star potential. Umeda nails Nozaki with a running high kick, but the behemoth follows it up with a Golden Spear for the win. A fun little romp that doesn't outstay its welcome.

Tanaka defeated Sasaki with a high kick in the latter's first GLEAT match to date, leading to this tag bout. Watanabe shoves Sasaki before the bell, setting the tone for the match. A cagey start follows, with both competitors relying on kicks. Neither was able to gain the advantage, and wholesale tags were made. Tanaka had to rely on his technique to overwhelm the brute force of Nozaki, forcing him into the corner to make a tag out to Sasaki. Sasaki and Tanaka become entangled in a battle of leglocks, forcing Hitamaru to use the first rope break for his team. Back inside, Nozaki overwhelms Soma and shows off some impressive mat work of his own. One minor quibble I have with this match is that it felt like Nozaki wasn't able to showcase his skill-set as much with the focus being on Sasaki, Watanabe, and to a lesser extent, Tanaka. It felt like he disappeared for large segments of the match, often tagging out almost as quickly as he entered the ring. Nozaki caught Tanaka in a deep side headlock, but Minoru escaped, only to be downed by a lariat. A leg lock followed shortly thereafter, and Nozaki was forced to use another rope break. An opportunistic German suplex kept Watanabe down long enough for Sasaki to make the tag. From there, Watanabe and Sasaki started swinging wildly with kicks. After a blistering closing stretch, Sasaki hit a piledriver, then locked in a chokehold for the win. Not quite a great match, but one that got a lot right. If their interactions here were any indication, I'm in for a treat when I get to Sasaki and Watanabe's singles match from a few weeks later.

The Jericho Appreciation Society (Chris Jericho, Matt Menard, Angelp Parker, Daniel Garcia & Jake Hager) vs The Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson), Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz --- ANARCHY IN THE ARENA A wild, hate-filled spectacle with forks, sunglasses, a jib camera, and a turnbuckle being among a few weapons used. “Wild Thing” blared throughout the first few minutes until Jericho smashed a soundboard. Garcia’s piledriver onto the steps looked gnarly. Mox channeled his inner-L.A. Park by chucking a full cooler at Jericho’s head. Most everyone was willing to let the juices flow, and there was insane energy to all of it. Danielson fish hooking Hager with a turnbuckle is the kind of unhinged, creative violence you’ve come to expect from the G.O.A.T. Santana and Ortiz wiped out Parker and Menard with stereo dives off ladders. Kingston being so obsessed with getting revenge on Jericho that he was willing to dump gasoline on his partner to burn the former was perfect, the sort of palpable hatred this kind of match relies on. This match is an example of being better than the sum of its parts. It just so happens that stellar performances from a few of the all-time greats, and one of the best prospects in wrestling buoyed this thing. Everyone held up their end, even Jericho (who’s a coward for not bleeding, by the way), but Bryan, Kingston, Mox, and Garcia were on another level. Jericho put Danielson in the Walls of Jericho as Hager choked him with the dismantled ring ropes, and the feud must continue. Few matches this year, if any, have captured the sense of pageantry and wonder of a blood-feud like this did.

Mox is the front-runner this year for having these crazy, out-of-control feeling fights. He gets busted open on a spill to the outside, and he and Garcia beat each other senseless. I would've liked to see Garcia work the cut a bit more, but that's a minor nitpick. Mox's selling of the leg, even on offense, was tremendous. This kicked butt.