nivvad

A little underwhelming for a Kobe Fest main event, but still a great match on par with their King Of Gate match at least. Shingo was a total beast in this match as he just destroyed Yoshino for most of it. Yoshino on the other hand had very amazing selling as his body would constantly crumble at the beating he was being given. The finish is where I have to show a little disappoint though as Yoshino quickly made his comeback to lock in Shingo for the win, which was anticlimactic after the punishment he had gone through. Still, the story leading up to this match was great at least as it had major repercussions, ****1/4.

This was easily match of the night. It took a while to get going, but once it got going, it went hard in classic DG fashion. Big Ben is such a great team of two young guys looking to make their mark. I loved the dynamic of this match being the "future" vs the "present" of Dragon Gate as it embodied everything great about the promotion from big moves, fast speed, great chemistry, and high drama. No one wanted to see Big Ben lose, but losing the titles to two modern DG legends is nothing to be ashamed of, especially since it took everything in YAMATO and Hulk's power to put them down, ****1/2.

More than one year since their first singles match, and man did they do this one even better. Juice of early 2017 and Juice in mid-2018 are worlds away in talent and star power. Naito was like a shark smelling blood in this match as he instinctivley attacked Juice's injured hand quickly into the match. The real meat of the match though was Juice pulling out all the stops. I'm surprised Juice actually managed to get cheers over Naito at points. I won't say these guys didn't have chemistry the first time they faced off, but they for sure showed it this time around, ****1/2.

An incredible match with two CHAOS members going all out once again on each other. There was no bones about it, this was all meat and all power colliding against each other at a fast pace for almost 20 minutes. I loved watching this live, and I loved it even more watching it hours later. That said though, what is keeping me from going all the way on this match is the lack of drama, ****3/4.

A G1 rematch of the finals match from 2 years ago. While I can't say this was close to the level of their first match or even their second match a few months later, I can safely say they still delivered a very fun and physical match. Loved the brawling in the beginning that went out into the crowd that led to that amazing moonsault from Kenny. Great sequences that led into the finish with Kenny going 3 and 0 against Goto for the win, ****1/2.

A somewhat short bout that was loaded with action from start to finish. Ibushi and Juice are not enemies or even rivals with each other, but I'm glad neither held back from going all out in the time alloted. This crowd loved Ibushi so much too as they even at a few points surprisingly gave Juice a few boos. Nice finish with Juice unfortunately taking another loss which is not a good start for a champion this G1, ****.

Naito and Ishii once again hit it out of the park with an awesome match. Years of chemistry and bitterness lay within these two, and you could feel it with how serious they treated each other throughout this match, especially Naito. Ishii let Naito feel the pain with some wicked chops and strikes, but Naito was able to withstand the best of it. A fantastic finishing stretch saw Naito once again get the better of Ishii, ****1/2.

Surprising to know that this is the first time ever meeting between these two British stars from two different worlds. I mean you had Ospreay and Bate in a singles match; there was zero doubt this wasn't going to deliver as an epic match. The chemistry was there from the beginning all the way to the finish with a slow start that steadily built to some amazing counters and sequences. Would love to see these two go at it again with higher stakes, ****1/2.

On par with their Anniversary show match, but once again this didn't hit the level I had hoped it would hit. Very fun match though with lots of brawling in and outside of the ring which was perfect for these two grumpy grandpas. Suzuki unfortunately suffers another loss which is very interesting to me, ***3/4.

Not as good as the night 1 main event, but still a pretty good match. This wasnn't your standard quality Tanahashi match as once again, the match was more about getting Jay over as a heel. His pacing still needs work, but I guess it works for his current character. I could do without the weapons finish, but it is what it is, ****.

Page is someone who has been killing it all year with opportunity after opportunity, and this match wasn't any different. Very hard hitting match with lots of big moves. Elgin once again had my MOTN with his incredible offense to elevate his opponent. I hope this G1 is a tournament that really breaks out Page as a future star, ****1/4.

This was fun. Rusev's first title shot and he proved he can hang with a big star like AJ. Loved the little storytelling with his leg as a way to protect him too. I hope this isn't the last time Rusev gets a big opportunity, ***3/4.

Only the second night of the tournament, and this match just might be the best match of the tournament by the end. I wouldn't place this match above the first two they had as it was shorter, and less dramatic, but still an extremely fun match from start to finish. Naito and Omega just have a special top star quality that can make any match they have together feel special. This match mostly played off of their G1 finals last year as it was mostly big spots and sick sequences, but there was still a good amount of selling and storytelling here and there. I can't bring myself to say this is a perfect match like the prior two matches in this now trilogy, but it's still a match to remember as one of their best, ****3/4.

Admittedly not my favorite match of theirs (Cup match is my favorite), this was arguably their best match yet from a technical level. Zack's submission work was as great as always, and I loved him trying to destroy Ibushi's leg. Ibushi's selling was spotty as per usual, but his strikes and intensity were still high, so the match had a tension of who could really win this match. Excellent match with Ibushi getting his revenge win in this first block match, ****1/2.

Goto and SANADA are two guys who I did not expect to have great chemistry with each other. Very good wrestlers on their own, but they went out there and tried to steal the show considering the hype of the semi-main and main events. Fast pace with a lot of cool counters and sequences. Still as hard hitting as it could get. Would love to see these guys go at it again in a bigger match situation, ****1/4.

Very short yet very fun. It's funny to forget that Yano is still a New Japan trained wrestler, so of course he could be able to stand toe to toe with Ishii of all people. Neat storytelling with Ishii knowing Yano so well, that he countered the latters funny business into his own dirty pin for the win, ***1/2.

Another New Japan faction in peril after a devious result. Jay was pretty good here as he always is in his work, and of course Okada was there too, but his role was more about making Jay look as good as possible. I don't think the match needed to go as long as it did, and the finish was just a big "meh" from me. I get they're trying to establish Jay as a top heel, but the execution is just not what New Japan should be about, ****1/4.

A great big boy style battle between both men, and might I even say was the match of the night. Both guys have had matches in previous G1s, but this was on another level of chemistry I didn't know both guys had. Lots of big moves and great sequences to make this hard hitting and fast paced. Would love to see these guys tussle again for the NEVER title, ****1/4.

Nowhere near the quality of their match in January, but still a pretty dramatic match for the time they were allotted. Suzuki went right for the kill at the beginning by destroying Tanahashi's leg in brutal fashion. The finish is a little weird as Tanahashi makes a standard comeback to win the match, kind of no selling the damage. Also the first match I have ever heard Suzuki scream in pain in, ***3/4.

You can tell Nakajima sees something special in Nomura if he's willing to beat the kid to absolute death. This match was pretty sick though as this was fast paced with lots of stiff strikes. Kamitani and Kitamiya did some classic hoss stuff while Nakajima and Nomura slugged it out with their kicks. That beatdown at the end with Nakajima just KO poor little Nomura with a punt to the face is absolutely brutal, ****1/2.

A rematch of the great match both teams had in the UK. This sequal is just as good, but in an entirely different way. The leg work that Kyle and Roddy did on Trent's leg was great, and by god did Trent sell that leg to the bitter end. Bate did very well too as the FIP with his amazing signature offense. Very dramatic finish with Bate needing to throw in the towel to save his partner and give UE the win and titles back, ****1/4.

This is a Cody match, so of course not everyone will be a fan of it, but personally speaking this is the best Cody singles match to date. This match turned out to be a wild brawl filled with weapons and lots of heat for Cody and Kenny to beat the hell out of each other. Call it "smoke and mirrors" if you want, a good match is still a good match in my eyes no matter how it is presented. Sure it wasn't the standard IWGP Heavyweight title matches that were set by Okada the last two years, but this match didn't have to be like that at all. If anything, I'm glad both men took a risk with this match and made it different from the rest of the title matches in making this feel huge and climactic. Of course, everyone knowing Cody had little to no chance of winning kind of hurt the match in a way, but the execution was still very enjoyable to me and a great way to end the show. The post-match stuff is also a great twist to add more intrigue to the upcoming G1 Climax, ****1/2.

Arguably the best Jay White and Juice Robinson performance, this was the most unique match on the card in my opinion. Nothing flashy here involving spots or crazy moves, but both men still mangaged to deliver a very compelling brawl between these former young boys turned bitter rivals. I still don't know if the Josh Barnett stuff was a work or not, but it definitely elevated the heat level in this match taking Jay to a nuclear place of heel. That in turn made Juice's comeback all that much more exciting, especially when he finally did what everyone wanted to happen but were unsure if it would happen, and that is win a title in New Japan. One thing is for sure that both men came out of this match looking like stars, ****1/2.

Dragon Lee and Hiromu once again go nuts, this time taking their endless feud to America. Just as dangerous and crazy as their matches before, this match took it to an even newer level with Lee just destroying Hiromu with a disgusting looking Phoenixplex. You know what to expect when watching a match between these two. Unfortunately though, fate caught up with them which left the champ, while still retaining his title, with a very scary injury as far as we know, ****1/2.

LIJ and the Bucks proved once again that they have the chemistry to put on a classic that I thought was better than their Dominion match. Much faster paced with less filler, both teams excelled in putting on a very athletic match that saw SANADA and EVIL show that they are on the Bucks level. SANADA in particular was the MVP of the match with his great spots and agility. I do question why EVIL had to be the one to eat the pin since he is probably taking on Jericho. Bucks retain the belts though proving their win wasn't a fluke whatsoever, ****1/2.