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Makai Club #1

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  1. Makai Club #1
    A superb tag team match with so much creative tag moves and sequences thrown together. Great pacing with the start being slow, with three trying to fit in the ring at the same before getting more and more crazier with the offence being thrown around. This could’ve been a total mess but it worked so well. The entire match was exciting with Omega, Endo and Kodaka doing the chops at the early parts of the match to the all out bomb fest in the finishing stretch. ****1/2
  2. Makai Club #1
    This was an awesome match. What Takagi lacked in technical skill compared to the others, he more than made up in charisma and impactful offence. His presence made him a highlight in a match where he could’ve easily been a non factor in. The exchanges between Sato and Sakaguchi were great. Both from an MMA background and putting it to great use here. Akito is a superb technical, wrestler as well and fit in just fine on the mat with Sato. Great match. ****
  3. Makai Club #1
    Everything from the build with Takeshita constantly beating HARASHIMA with the wall of Takeshita whether it was via towel or submission to the match was excellent. It all seemed to point to point victory but the doubt of Takeshita was always there. And it climaxed so perfectly. KUDO returning to ringside, DISASTER BOX being at ringside, it being the biggest show DDT has had in years. Takeshita was excellent in the match. Loved his work on the back, everything looked very impactful, and built to the Wall of Takeshita. Even him turning a bit heelish when egging on DISASTER BOX was great. But the match was built around HARASHIMA’s excellent selling and underdog performance. His comebacks were fantastically timed. His facial expressions were great. Him persevering and overcoming Takeshita, the one who shot over him as the ace of DDT back in 2017, was enthralling to watch. The post match promo was heart-warming as well. *****
  4. Makai Club #1
    KO-D Openweight Title Match: Shigehiro Irie (c) vs. HARASHIMA - DDT Ryogoku Peter Pan 2013 18/08/2013 I can’t help but love Irie’s entrance. Him crying just at the moment makes you automatically on his side. He was fantastic during the match as well as was HARASHIMA. I loved how everything built throughout with there being tons of great escalation in offence both guys. Really loved the early sections of the match. HARASHIMA trying to beatdown Irie with his strikes only for Irie to lay into him with a lariat or squish with his body by sitting down on HARASHIMA’s chest. There was a great sense of struggle in the match where momentum constantly shifted back and forth. Irie adopted some tremendous counter wrestling to match HARASHIMA’s direct assaults. Irie hit a sick powerbomb off the top rope followed by an over the shoulder driver. His elbows looked raw as hell, too. HARASHIMA was out right ruthless in the final stretch, hitting strike after strike before hitting a springboard elbow/type finish for the win. A great climax to a great match. ****1/2
  5. Makai Club #1
    SAG vs Tsuruta-gun is simply fantastic. One of the best (if not THE best) six man tags of all time. Fuchi was amazing in this match. He was a great heel in this match, cheating whenever he could and being a slimy hateable dick. He sold excellent when he had too as well. Kobashi was the ultimate babyface, selling his arse off for 15 minutes but making some great comebacks. He gets the crowd behind him so well. In-fact, everyone was fantastic in the match. The only criticism I would have for this match is the length. There are many times where I drifted off and became disinterested but that's gonna happen when a match is 52 minutes long. *****
  6. Makai Club #1
    I liked it. Although Kenny was very animated with his mannerisms which is always annoying but given he was in a new territory, I get why he was "projecting". I liked the early work on the back by Kenny on Fenix, although it wasn't sold very well. The wrestling was quite fluid and fast paced. The finishing stretch was good, it's not often you see someone land on their necks in a lucha libre ring which is a bit different, and the crowd seemed to like it. Fenix's nose leaking like a faucet was a cool visual. One of the better Omega performances in a year where they are lacking. ***1/2
  7. Makai Club #1
    I like the Judgement Day one. A fun 10 Minute ish match. But one can argue that Khali shouldn't be losing in 10 minutes
  8. Makai Club #1
    This was fantastic.. Maybe the turning point for Kawada turning from Misawa’s partner to a top guy. Maybe not. The difference from this match and their Champion Carnival match is clear. In that match Kawada was on the defensive, this time he was on offence. And boy was he dominant. Smart use of the headlocks and the abdominal stretches to wear down Jumbo. Him being able to grind Jumbo down was fantastic to watch. Jumbo having to struggle and fight for everything he got is a rare sight, even against some of his toughest opponents. Misawa included. The crowd was red hot for everything as well. Being Pro-Tsuruta but Kawada having tons of fans as well. The finishing stretch was fantastic and eleavted by all the struggle beforehand. ****1/2
  9. Makai Club #1
    This started off hot with a brief brawl on the outside and kept on being hot through the match. I recently watched the 2015 Becky vs Sasha match and Sasha showed how nasitly she could work over an arm and how adaptable she is in using her surroundings to suit that approach. And she did that again here by slamming Becky’s arm in-between the doors. Sasha hitting meteoras into the ladders and chairs was awesome, too. I’ve not been a fan of Becky for way over a year now with her performances being disappointing every single time but she seemed to have great chemistry with Sasha and she was really great here as a result. Both women really going all in on the big impact spots of the match added a ton to the match as well. The match was really good, even if it was basically a TLC match inside a cage. And I would say the match went on 5 minutes longer than it should’ve but that’s nitpicking. ****
  10. Makai Club #1
    I love this feud. People really don’t like it for various reasons, I didn’t even like the WM match but there is so many great matches in this feud. This, the SD June match, some house show matches, even the Summerslam match which is arguably marred by WWE “storytelling”. This is a very unconventional match as far as WWE. It's a style of match built upon dislike and resentment but instead of a brawl, it’s very much a typical match with so much more grit behind every hold. Honestly, if you want to study how to create a hate filled match in modern wrestling, watch this match. The aggression and hate is honestly steaming from Eddie’s body almost. Then they played into the story that Eddie can’t beat Mysterio, even after he is cheating. And that just escalated things way higher. Eddie’s work on the back is a true piece of art. His nasty powerbombs on the table, the torque and modifications he puts on certain submissions holds to apply more pressure. So much snap and violence in everything he did. And of course, Rey’s selling of the work was excellent. His brief hope spots were great as well, adding drama to the mix among everything else. The DQ finish totally works within the story as well. Everything just worked so perfectly. ****1/2
  11. Makai Club #1
    I love the entrance for the simple reason that Misawa and Kawada getting mobbed and struggling to get to the ring while Hansen gets through easily with his bull whip. Lol. This was excellent. Kawada was a total killer for most of the match. He was the one getting the advantage for his team, he was the one beating Hansen up when Misawa was struggling. A great switch from what Misawa usually does. Misawa and Kawada showed tremendous team work early in the match when going for Hansen’s arm. Then later Spivey and Hansen also showed why they were the champions and attacked the knee of Misawa using a table. This was a great match. ***3/4
  12. Makai Club #1
    I wouldn't be so sure. Park vs Rush didn't happen in a mask vs hair match because CMLL refused to pay the fee Park wanted for his mask. AAA might. Either way, this is BIG news. Rush was CMLL's biggest star (arguably)
  13. Makai Club #1
    I kept on using the words "beautiful" throughout watching the match. Beautiful this, beautiful that. Because that's the only way to describe it. It's fucking beautiful. The first two falls were tremendous. Excellent maestro skill shown by Virus. Superb matwork with tons of struggle mixed with finesse. I loved that both falls were given just the amount of time needed, neither blown away without a thought. Both laid great foundations for a grand climax. And it totally delivered on that. Great bursts of intensity and increase in tempo for the third fall. Both guys throwing their all in hitting bombs like Maya and his tope or that brutal running knee to the back of Virus. Maya really showed his worth in that aspect. His counters to set up that neckbreaker on the knee were amazing. Virus was great as always. Tremendous match. From start to finish. ****3/4
  14. Makai Club #1
    I think the idea of the demon is great, a nice added WWE spin to his special attraction on the indies but the problem is that Balor doesn’t wrestle much differently. A bit more aggressive facially but yeah, it’s mostly just the same Balor. Expectations can hurt matches. I don’t think it did here, but I imagine for some it might. Neville got to show off how he can work while on top, grinding down Balor, toning down the aerial offence for more strikes. Balor had some nice offence and gelled well with Neville. He got the crowd behind him, got some great nearfalls and looked great for the finish. ***1/2
  15. Makai Club #1
    The video package set up the build to the match really well. Giving a brief history to all these people with each other and how they link. What their motivations are. The match showcases that well. Everyone is aggressive, seems determined to get the win. The wrestling was very exciting. Everyone got a little time to shine and have some good sequences. Banks had some great character work. Bayley showed tons of fight and aggression in this match. Charlotte had her moments and Becky... ur a big forgettable if I'm honest. Good match for the most part. ***1/2
  16. Makai Club #1
    Just for context, Super Libre basically means No DQ. This is hot and heavy from the off with the teams fighting from the entrance. The violence is there right away with Cerebro being cut open via biting. Next minute we see Black Terry in the match bloodied up with Diablo beating the hell out of him. Terry's selling in the match is off the charts. He looks so vulnerable when absorbing everything the rudos dish out but when he goes back on offence he is able to transfer it to great heat for himself and the match. Cerebro added some great strikes where he looks like he is trying to break Diablo’s face. This was a wild uncontrollable brawl. And it was awesome. ****1/4
  17. Makai Club #1
    After returning from his very successful excursion, he re-debuted as Blood WARRIORS’ new henchman. This was his big shot, against one of the most prolific wrestlers on the roster, Shingo Takagi. And this plays out as such. Tozawa is a beast - his pre match assault, his mannerisms, his look, his offence. Everything clicked the way it should. I loved the Shingo and his face jacket (since I normally see him wearing it when he is a face) - the whole atheistic rules. He excelled the against adversity dynamic. His selling awesome, he really knows how to make it look more impactful due to his own style being similar. His comebacks were great with being filled with so much fire and will behind them. This is Tozawa’s match though. His facial expressions sell the match alone. This is a total different DG match than you’ll see, even if you watch Shingo’s matches alone. A lot of more compact and simple - it ruled. ****
  18. Makai Club #1
    This is an interesting group of people. You have Yusuke Kodama. Someone who is aesthetically appealing but missing that tangible quality. And you have Shotaro Ashino, someone with some much talent and ability. Particularly on the mat but can sometimes possess the overly ambitious ideas of Kurt Angle. Yes, I do mean that as a criticism - the way he can sometimes be working on the arm for a while then randomly throw a German for example. El Lindaman - he has personality of a 6ft5 speed fiend but the body of a 5ft4 weightlifter. And Shigehiro Irie. The man used to possess a green mohawk. And that’s all you really need to say about him El Lindaman is a perfect little shite in this match. He has a small frame, but by no means does he wrestle as such. He is very aggressive, used a ton of chokes and claw holds early on. Lindaman’s expressions make his performance. Looking into the refs eyes while he is counting to five and counting along. The little smiles he pulls when he counters something Kodama does early on or knocks Ashino off the apron. Irie being the base of his aerial moves perfectly encapsulates why the were a good little team in the match as well. Irie is the brute (and not the cuddly bear he normally portrays) and Lindaman is the smarts. Now while I enjoyed Lindaman, Kodama didn’t compel me as a face. He doesn’t look like a face and while he is impressively smooth, he isn’t able to show that fire required in the role he had in the match. I just didn’t feel in anyway like I was rooting for Kodama to get the tag. Ashino when he got worked over by Strong Hearts was similar but Ashino sold much better. His suplexes to Lindaman looked really good. I thought him and Irie going against each other felt a little flat. They seemed to be protecting that pairing for a potential singles match but from what I saw he, I’m a little cold on the idea. The finish with Ashino finally getting control with the ankle lock after the aforementioned suplexes was good. Seeing the little terror in El Lindaman tapping out was a good finish for the match. The match didn’t blow me away but I liked the brief tag work by Strong Hearts. I dug Ashino fighting against the 2 on 1 assaults. Irie was fine for what he did. And Kodama continues to be only visually enjoyable. ***1/4
  19. Makai Club #1
    Tetsuya Naito for the past several years has the most beloved wrestler in New Japan but is he one of the best wrestlers in regards to his matches? Some people would call him the best, some would call him terrible and sloppy at times. I think he is something inbetween. I find his work to be inconsistent. He can have these great matches, like the Tanahashi trilogy in 2017 and the Omega matches in the G1, which I thought were great to watch. But then just look like he is sleep walking his way through a match, like his Minoru Suzuki matches. I find him best when he is playing off his opponents rather than being worked over (I'm going to use Suzuki match) or controlling the match (his recent Ishii match in the G1). I'm going through a ton of early Naito to see if there is any difference and there are some but not a lot. Mostly a bit more aerial offence and way more bland than his LIJ character.
  20. Makai Club #1
    The match that saved Okada’s main event career after flopping so badly that anyone other than Gedo would’ve been turned off. The first real match of one of the greatest in-ring rivalries ever, in my opinion. My favourite actually. Some great storytelling to start off, stemming from the Dome interaction. Tanahashi catching Okada out several times, using his experience to keep the advantage. Which then began to turn into Tanahashi being more arrogant, playing to the crowd more and not taking Okada seriously, allowing Okada to get some ground in the match. And considering that this is one of Okada’s first matches where he is in control, without having the chance to develop that overseas, he does a pretty good job of doing it either. He is awkward at first, but gets his groove eventually, and then pulls out some nice experimental offence on Tanahashi (llave style~!). Tanahashi really had his working boots on, selling and putting over Okada big time while adding some leg work on the leg, giving the match some great drama. There were some great transitions with Okada catching Tanahashi with the tilt-a-whirl into the tombstone and then Okada moving out of the way of a rolling senton by Tana on the outside, following up with brutal tombstone on the outside. Both great ways to put over the tombstone as a big move as well. The selling near the latter stages was nice with Okada being unable to follow up after he counters the High Fly Flow with his knees. Loved the finishing stretch, as I usually do with these two. Simple and impactful. And yet, every time I see it, I get goosebumps every time Red Shoes counts the three. Nagata's, Fale's, Rad Shoes, Gedo's and especially Okada's facial expressions after that pin were all gold. Shock, surprise, amazement, the look of "OMG I did it". And…..Rainmaker Shock Indeed. ****1/4
  21. Makai Club #1
    I did like Miyahara's posing as it added some character to the generic structure of the opening sections of the match. Miyahara really came across as the dominant ace that is still champion (that's a shoot, brother) and for some reason, despite me hating that Miyahara is still champ, I bloody loved it. Him no-selling Nomura and really treating him like garbage is so appealing. Nomura in return was okay for the most part. I thought his brief work on the ribs was forgettable and didn't add a ton to the match other than cutting off once Miyahara comeback with the spear. He didn't stand out as a top level guy but he wasn't awful either. I liked his forearms (and strikes in general) although I didn't love the strike exchange they had. There would be such long pauses in between them that it was annoying not to see them at least try and follow up while the other is trying to stay on their feet. The parts where Nomura was nailing Miyahara with the forearms late in the match ruled though. As was the rest of his offence in that finishing stretch. Showed tons of life before Miyahara hit the shutdown. Appropriate name. A good main event, one of Miyahara's better matches in 2019 (add performances to that also). It just needed more from Nomura outside of the finish. ***1/2
  22. Makai Club #1
    I like Kamitani. He is rather bland look-wise but I think he generally is good when he is on the same page as his opponent (aka not the Hideki match). Sato is just a gremlin that’ll give you brain damage. So yeah, this looked good. Striking v Power. Experience vs Youth. Ruthlessness vs Determination. Kamitani gave a very spirited performance here. I thought his suplexes and submissions were good. Loved the use of the standing variation of the stretch plum. His facial expressions when Sato was kicking his chest were good. He had a big stretch of offence in the match and he made good use of it. Sato did very little - just a few strikes until the finish. This was pretty much Kamitani dominating. So it was good but it needed a little more from Sato and the crowd, really. ***1/2
  23. Makai Club #1
    I’ve watched this a couple of times but I was never that high on it myself. The highest I ever recall myself going on it was ***1/2. But with a bit of context, I imagine this’ll come off better. Suzuki has been terrorizing New Japan for the past year. First taking Kojima’s stable, then getting to the (practically) semi-final of the G1 with no stop in sight. And now, he is facing the pure face of the promotion. The Ace. The Champion. Hiroshi Tanahashi. I liked the escalation this match had. Suzuki changing and adapting as Tanahashi began to figure him out. First on the mat, then when Suzuki starts throwing strikes and then he heads to the outside for which Tanahashi had no answer for. The match had a bit of a lull but then Suzuki began attacking the arm and that’s where the match improved tremendously. Suzuki started to show off some of his personality rather than being a bit dry early on (compared to later anyway). Tanahashi had some nice selling. Him using one arm during the slap exchange opposed to Suzuki using two was a good example of it and added to the total against the odds feel match this had. I think the match had to deal with a tough crowd, which at one point didn’t even pop for Suzuki kicking out of a High Fly Flow which probably took some of the drama that it could have. And apart from one nearfall from the Piledriver, the crowd didn’t seem to buy Suzuki winning here at all. So there are a few problems that take away. I think the overall match was fun and the post match angle is both famous (as far as what it would mean for the future of the promotion) and infamous (for its initial reception). Good main event but much more inferior to their match later in the year. ***1/2
  24. Makai Club #1
    This was hell to watch. Hell. 30 minutes long. How on earth is Shane McMahon going 30 with The Undertaker and why? This was so bad. Awful offence from Shane McMahon which was borderline parody. Taker looks old as hell and it's embarrassing seeing him sell for Shane tbh. Awful pacing, awful spots aside from one. DUD
  25. Makai Club #1
    Two generational rivals going against each other one more time. Shinsuke Nakaura, G1 Winner against Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ace Of A Century and IWGP Heavyweight Champion. It's a high stakes match and it plays out as such. From the entrances, it felt like this had way more weight to it than most of their other matches, even the ones in the Dome. A calm hesitancy early on, both looking for openings with Nakamura, occasionally, hitting a flurry of strikes, one of which caused Tanahashi to retaliate by going for the knee. But with Nakamura being more skilled on the mat, he fought and struggled, even getting a Fujiwara armbar locked in. Both wrestlers blurred the lines of whether they'd get a little heelish with Taanahashi playing dirty with the leg but Nakamura being a bit dickish with his strikes, so the fans were split all the way through. Chants of Nakamura and Tanahashi, even boos in some cases, were prevalent throughout the bout. I loved the way they put the cross armbreaker over a dangerous move. Tanahashi's utter desperation to stay out of it anyway he could was great. The struggle which lead to Tanahashi locking on the cloverleaf which then gave Nakamura the opening to lock it on before Tanahashi got to the ropes was just fantastic. Nakamura unable to follow up on the sudden Boma Ye finish, his bread and butter, just after Tanahashi had him in the cloverleaf was great selling, very consistent with his selling the entire match. The finishing stretch wasn't a total bombfest that you would expect from a New Japan main event. Instead it was a battle of Nakamura trying to find a clean connection with his Boma Ye and Tanahashi trying to weather the storm, and hit the High Fly Flow in return. Great match with yet another tremendous Nakamura performance with Tanahashi be awesome himself, albeit the lesser of the two in the match. ****1/2
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