[2017-05-03-NJPW-Wrestling Dontaku] Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii

[ShittyLittleBoots]

So, so, SO much better than their first match. I wasn't a fan of that one, but this rocked my world. The start of the match was amazing with them going full speed right from the get go. The brawl outside the ring was fantastic. Omega's work on top was so good, which I was very happy about because his work on top was what really ruined the New Japan Cup match for me. The way he targeted Ishii's neck throughout the whole match was tremendous. Ishii once again proved why he is one of the best sellers in the biz - amazing selling from him. The whole finishing stretch was just insane with them busting out sick counters & big moves w/ a very nice sense of urgency. Amazing match. ****1/2

[soup23]

I want to watch this again but on first watch it was akin to Honma vs. Ishii from New Beginning 2015 for me. A great, great match but one that is worked at such a blistering pace that it feels like a spotfest and while I am enamored in the moves and stuff that is pulled out in real time, on subsequent viewings the match loses something. My rating is going to be kind of META in that regard in that I am adjusting it for that situation. Omega definitely knows how to craft an exciting match and Ishii is able to bump and sell in a really convincing manner that looks brutal. His bump off of the short DDT for example was brutal. Ending minutes were just insanity and Ishii doing the reverse rana did have me fist pumping while watching. This was a great setup to the Okada vs Omega II match at Dominion. ****1/4

[SmartMark15]

Really enjoyed this match! Ishii necking himself for the sake of the story of the match looked great (that DDT bump, ugh). Then you have Omega staying pretty cohesive with his attack on the neck which was nice to see. Worked at a nice pace that keeps things exciting and Ishii really did sell fantastically all throughout. While it seems over the top at times, I really do appreciate how Omega just throws himself into those knee strikes which is strange because the excellence of those strikes undermine some of his more up close strikes like his elbows. Still, great fun!

 

****1/4

[puropotsy]

I thought this was great action and an awesome example of what both guys are capable of. My excitement for Ishii doing a reverse rana knows no bounds. I really hope Omega gets the belt because his title defenses will be something else. ****1/2

[Boss Rock]

Great match, possibly even better than the last one. Loved how Ishii tried to blitz him early so Omega has to go to drastic measures to stop him. As annoying as Kenny can be in tag matches, he more often than not steps it up in singles matches and proved his worth again. Ishii was also great here, his spots were insane but made perfect sense in the context of the match.

 

****3/4.

[stro]

I liked this a lot. I'm still not 100% sold on Kenny, but when he's good, he's really good. Ishii coming in extra cunty and grumpy, the beating Kenny took, and the match not pretending to be some protracted epic with body part work that will be shrugged off so Okada can hit all of his spots anyway...I mean one of them can hit their spots anyway. A lot of hatred, a lot of bombs, and a pretty different match from the NJ Cup meeting, which was also far better than anything else on the card that night.

 

I always like Ishii's stuff more when it's not just lazy "let's spend the whole match hitting each other really hard over and over" bullshit that he'd always do with Shibata and Honma. I think he's always at his best when he's the one delivering all the beatings while the other guy has to come up with something else to compete.