[2020-01-05-NJPW-Wrestle Kingdom 14 In Tokyo Dome: Night Two] Chris Jericho vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

[paul sosnowski]

Non title match.   Talk about it here

[Boss Rock]

I was expecting this match to either be really good or be a slow, boring trudge. Thankfully it was the former. It's truly a testament to both guys that they knew how to work around their physical limitations and yet still deliver a really entertaining match. It's also a case study in physical charisma and knowing how to make your offense, flashy or not, count.

****1/4

[cactus]

I saw someone saw this is carried by both men's charisma and I couldn't agree with them more. The workrate is nowhere near as heavy as you can come to expect from a big NJPW match in this era, but they keep you engaged by building up to their big signature moves at a methodical pace and making everything count. Jericho's character work is sublime as flips off the crowd and mocks Gino Gambino. I had little desire to watch this as I was burnt out by all the wrestling I had consumed over the past two days, but these guys brought me back with a well-crafted match.

★★★★¼