[2016-08-13-NJPW] Tetsuya Naito vs Kenny Omega

[GOTNW]

As far as modern New Japan workrate matches go this was worked about as smartly and well as it gets. Early on they established clear mini narratives instead of just wasting time by doing insignificant "small" holds to fill time-Naito would mocks Omega and evade his lock ups which caused Omega to go off on him and start spitting at him, Naito had a long control segment based on attacking Omega's leg, Omega worked over Naito's neck and so on. It was worked pretty back and forth but with solidly long control segments that meant something AND memorable transitions. The legwork provided Naito an easy means of effectively cutting Omega off when he'd attempt a comeback or when he was already in control-Naito attempting his Fireman's Carry/Moonsault combination only to stop because his leg work was a great use of that. Naito selling the damage of a Neckbreaker he executed on Omega may not have fed into a transition but it was a cool detail that further hooked me in. A common criticism I have of the style is that they simply get lazy and rely on lazy cliches-the workrate isn't impressive because you can tell everything that's going to happen. It's not like I loved Naito running into an Omega Clothesline but him successfully hitting running dropkicks on Omega's leg served as an explanation of why he would do that and leave himself open to a counter. A lot of the strikes they did early-mid way on looked lazy, not as good as those of C level Memphis workers. Now you can say that those strikes weren't really the focal point of the match and that's a fair point, but if you're arguing that modern New Japan is the peak of workrate wrestling an All Japan fanatic can simply point to something like those weak strikes and say "that didn't happen in All Japan". The match will mostly be remembered for all the insane violence and drama that the finishing stretch brought. Naito is a complete lunatic, and was willing to take INSANE bumps to put Omega and the match over. Omega repaid him with similar recklessness. As far as the nerfall heavy finish goes, what seperated it from the usual New Japan match for me is that they worked it how I basically want this type of match to be worked. The moves should look convincing and dangerous. You should believe the wrestlers have a reason to attempt them. The execution should be convincing. It takes a lot of effort and creativity but they nailed it here, and credit to them-they didn't insist on getting all their shit in for the sake of doing so. Once he got cut off Omega never went for the Moonsault again. For the counters themselves...they were just well worked. They were set up in a way you thought the match was going to end-Omega would hit a big knee and lift Naito on his shoulder, and as he's about to do the one Winged Angel Naito somehow turns it around into a Destino, which I doubt anyone thought was physhically possible until it was done. There was also the brilliant use of Naito's Flying Forearm-it's a move Naito uses commonly, and it often gets countered too, but here it was already countered earlier on, and once that happens and Naito went for it again you'd think it would have to hit because that's just how New Japan has programmed me to view their matches. And Naito eating a big knee while going for it again is an effective play on that cliche. It's fair to question the existence of those cliches in the first place, how they've hurt the quality of the ringwork and how it could (and for some wrestlers has) lead to just everything becoming too meta and too counter heavy to work. But props to them-it did here. ****

[superkix]

This was a massive match backed by a red-hot crowd and they somehow managed to pull it off. There were a couple of questionable decisions but ultimately, they are minor nitpicks and don’t take away from the quality of the match. Most of the decisions and execution of moves were made with a sense of purpose, the “downtime” added to the larger narrative, and the nearfalls felt huge, especially that Destino counter to the One-Winged Angel. Both guys sold great in their own ways; Omega the more physical of the two and Naito with his awesome “I am dying inside” facials. While I’m not the biggest Omega apologist, I thought he was a little less cartoon-ish here. The desperation to finish off Naito was compelling, the build and struggle to hit the One-Winged Angel, the fight for the ropes during the leglock. Naito’s reaction to Omega hurting himself on the German suplex landing was priceless. Naito’s just so good in that nonchalant greaser role. On first watch, I felt this thing was a little too bombastic but after watching it second time, this was a well-executed spectacle that few guys can pull off so neatly.

[Jetlag]

Best moment in this match was Naito doing his ratboy grin when Omega collapsed after landing on his feet. Too bad the rest of this match wasn't anything worth giving a shit about. They tried so, so hard and did all these clever "watch me sell my leg" spots, but in the end just had your usual run of the mill indy spotfest. Neither of these guys knows how to build a meaningful transition, integrate a highspot into a match or that you can't have a match centered around leg selling and still get all your shit in. Instead, you had the usual leg slapping, your turn my turn, "run into the other guy" transitions, on/off selling, I hit you-you hit me, and all that for near 30 minutes. Can't decide what's funnier, two 2016 NJPW "stars" doing Haruka Eigen spots, Kenny's overselling/incredibly corny "passionate" facial expressions or Naito's complete lack of fire. Well, A for effort, but the match sucked.

[stro]

Crowd was hot as hell, but I felt like this match was just non stop spots and seeing how crazy they could get. I like Naito a LOT more than Goto, but the Goto/Kenny match was a much better match as a storytelling device for the match itself and the characters involved. There's a novelty factor to this kind of completely balls to the wall get as crazy as you can type of match for NJ heavyweights still.

[G. Badger]

I go into every current NJ match with an open mind. These big matches can be hit or miss but, I liked this one especially towards the end. All in all this reminded me of a souped up 90's NJ Jr's. match. Didn't get the spitting schtick but, whatever...

 

I'll say this: selling a hurt leg is easy to do. Hop around a little, rub the knee etc. but, selling it well is much more difficult.

 

Omega did a pretty good job down the stretch with nice little touches especially toward the end. Was it Kawada-like? No but, I was believing in a submission...

 

So much modern offense is based on running and jumping that basing a match of a bum wheel can be a recipe for junk but, I have become more lenient in my judgements though. I will give Omega credit for sticking to it as best he could based on his style and the current NJ style. I mean he very well could have blown it off by hulking up, calling upon his fighting spirit or whatever but he did not. Naito was excellent in his selling too...just in a more generalized fatigue/brain damaged kind way. Some of the looks he made after a big move or counter were priceless!

 

So, overall it got me engaged and invested. I bought the leg damage and thought it was a great match. Glad I went out of my way to watch it! The speech afterwards was a nice bonus. Go see this!

[Kadaveri]

I re-watched this as part of the Greatest Match Ever project and have to say it's not as good as I remember it being when I watched it live. Not gonna nominate it. There's still a lot of great stuff, the character conflict at the beginning is really strong but it turn into a bit of a spotfest in the middle of the match. An entertaining spotfest but you there's not much emotional resonance in it. Really hot finishing sequence with just enough nearfalls so it doesn't go on too long.

 

****1/4

[Microstatistics]

Top 5-10 match for 2016 and the match that sold me on Kenny Omega. Truly sublime knee selling. Great action, character work and escalation. ****1/4

 

[G. Badger]

NJPW has this up on their YouTube channel for free this week so, I rewatched it. Man, it is really awesome stuff. The last minute or two is really impressive and is worth showing people who are looking to get into wrestling again or want to see what NJ is about. 

My gripe: I would like if Naito's kicks to the gut and knee were stiffer or at least stiffer looking but, otherwise this really delivered. 

[cactus]

This starts the same way that all Naito matches start, with Naito trying to psych out Omega. This works and the two end up spitting at each other. I might be down on Omega's work in AEW, but he was magnificent here. Naito works over his knee and Omega does a masterful job at selling it. He'd attempt to make a comeback and only for his knee to give out on him and Naito would take back control. Even during the work-rate heavy home-stretch, he'd never stop selling and he even changes his V-Trigger up so that he uses his good knee to deliver the devastating blow. Everything they did had a purpose and this never felt like a spotfest, even though all the big highspots here were spectacular. That One-Winged Angel to Destino counter caught me off-guard and they couldn't have pulled that off anymore smoother. They tease this going to a time-limit draw, but Omega is finally able to land his One-Winged Angel and advance to the G1 finals. ★★★★★

[EnviousStupid]

Finally revisited it and while it doesn't hold up quite as well as I remembered, this is still well worth the time to watch. Omega's never been a really great seller to me (usually because of how hokey his reactions often look), but credit where it's due, the guy was incredibly consistent about emphasizing Naito's legwork. There's something really fascinating about their dynamic here too: two leaders of heel factions escalating from the usual shtick and character work they're recognized for early, to an epic back-and-forth that had the crowd cheering on both guys. The big moves all look spectacular, and I really liked how after Omega hit his springboard flip to the outside, he acts in a more urgent and spirited manner, reflective of him being in a must-win situation as he's still two points behind Naito in their respective G1 block. I also got the feeling that Naito's loss was in part because he went along with that shift in pace and tone, opening himself up to the kind of offensive flurry that someone as explosive as Omega could pull off. Doesn't stay with me the same way Okada's matches against Ishii or Tanahashi do, but I could still see why people like this one the most from the tournament.

[fxnj]

Anyone else have major issues with Omega's selling in this? I found Omega's hammy charisma charming in his DDT stuff because of how it fits in with the overall absurd tone of the promotion, but working a poor man's Kings Road match like this I find it completely undercuts the seriousness of the match. GOTNW brought up the strikes as something an AJ fanatic (like myself) might point to as a serious weak point of 2010's NJ, but the acting bothered me a lot more. Whereas Kawada is a guy I'd call a legitimately great actor, to the point I often couldn't tell if he was legitimately in pain, Omega's method of selling just screams to me that I'm watching a guy trying to sell, if that makes sense. It's really too bad as there really is a lot to like here between a nice build centered around character work, neat bodypart cut-offs, and the big head drop counters they bring to the finishing run. A bit long and near fall heavy for my tastes, but that kind of goes without saying for most of these 2010's NJPW main events.