[2014-01-04-NJPW-Wrestle Kingdom VIII] Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x19hzlv_kazuchika-okada-vs-tetsuya-naito-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-8-2014_sport?search_algo=1

[Edwin]

Not particularly a great match, but definitely a good one. Easily the best and only noteworthy match from the Dome Show. Okada needs to work on his tombstone piledriver though. He makes it look like a really low impact move. I'm sure he can probably learn how to make it look vicious without breaking his opponents from various Joshi wrestlers or Mexican luchadors. Loved Naito's headbutts. Also loved how Okada doesn't go overboard with the use of the Rainmaker and one is more than enough.

[FightingOkra]

I wasn't as big a fan of this as some were. The match is technically good but there is something missing that I cannot put my finger on. The end sequence was quite good but the middle really sagged. ***1/2

[BoneSoldier]

I must be in the minority, because I thought this match was phenomenal. I remember thinking in January that it stole the show. I rewatched it a few weeks ago and loved it even more. Just a hair short of perfect. I went ****3/4.

[Superstar Sleeze]

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs NEVER Champion Tetsuya Naito - NJPW 01/04/14 Tokyo Dome

 

SHOW SOME FUCKING EMOTION! That felt good. This was one of the most boring matches I have watched in quite some time. It just seems like they are going through the motions for over 30 minutes and there was no discernible narrative. My only enjoyment came from ridiculous amount of dropkicks hit in this match. The first fifteen minutes was particularly dry. Naito wins the first exchange with a dropkick and gets a painful looking arm submission. Naito gets a little too cute and Okada dropkicks him off the apron. Okada does a weird submission on the ramp, which strikes me as an odd thing to do, but then does the normal thing a running dropkick on the ramp. Okada is so damn slow in the ring. Even the Japanese announcers are bored and they start talking you about Tanahashi/Nakamura coming up. I shit you not, I was so bored I tried understand as much Japanese commentary as I could. Naito hits that cute dropkick and now more dropkicks. This is when I was like damn there has been a lot of dropkicks. Finally some heat when Naito won't let Okada up in the corner by putting his boot on the throat this draws boos! Naito hits a springboard dropkick and goes for his Koji Clutch. Naito is just not following up his work. Okada starts goading him and Naito gets wild with headbutts. Ok, here we go, Naito goes up top. Okada counters with a dropkick, of course and Naito wrenches his knee on the way down. That might be a cool hook, here we go. Okada hits his hangsman DDT and I am liking his aggression. They milk the count and Naito makes it back in. Okada hits the big elbow drop and Rainmaker Pose! Naito counters the Rainmaker into the DDT. Okada misses the dropkick. NAITO HAS IT SCOUTED! Naito runs through his shit: Koji Clutch, enziguiri, German Suplex looking for Stardust Press, but Okada breaks it up. Okada hits a flapjack and DDT. There is some nice struggle over the Tombstone and Naito hits a big forearm. I like Naito's staggered selling after scoring that big forearm and is best selling of the match, which has not had much. Naito hits more offense, but crashes and burns on Stardust Press. Rainmaker is reversed into the rollup and then exactly what this match needed a strike exchange. OKADA DROPKICK! WHAT ELSE! Rainmaker->reverse->Dropkick BABY! I would have rather Okada won with a dropkick, but we get a pair of Tombstones and the Rainmaker to win.

 

Blame the Dome maybe, but there was no heat for this. One of the better things about Okada is using the crowd loves him, but he does not have the Dome presence that a Choshu, Hashimoto or a Kobashi does. There were flashes of aggression, but it sure felt perfunctory until the end. I would say Naito two runs to Stardust Press, which did not feel like much to me at least had some sort of direction. I have to say the Rainmaker reversals are fun and the best part of Okada matches. Okada looking more and more like Orton for me. C'mon brutha, lets pull this one out of a tailspin.