Tag: Okada

Dave Meltzer’s 2019 5-star matches: Okada, Ospreay, Moxley

Posted on by Josh Nason

12 matches earned Dave Meltzer’s five star rating in 2019, dominated by (you guessed it) New Japan Pro Wrestling.

In chronological order, here’s what made the list including some notes from the corresponding Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We’ll focus on the nine matches that cleared the five star rating in another post.

Okada vs. SANADA | New Japan Cup Finals
March 24, 2019 

“Kazuchika Okada captured the 2019 New Japan Cup and as expected, will headline Madison Square Garden on 4/6 and challenge Jay White for the IWGP heavyweight title. Okada won the biggest and best New Japan Cup tournament in history, and also had what was voted the two best matches of the tournament in his semifinal and final match. Okada scored consecutive wins over Michael Elgin, Mikey Nicholls, Will Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii and Seiya Sanada to win the 32-man tournament for the second time in his career. He had previously won the 2013 tournament, in its former 16-man form, with wins over Lance Archer, Karl Anderson, Toru Yano and Hirooki Goto.

This match was a classic and fantastic climax to the tournament, which wasn’t easy since the semifinals were so great and the every round had great matches.”

Will Ospreay vs. Bandido | New Japan Super Juniors Tournament
May 23, 2019

“To me, this was the match of the tournament so far. It was even better than their New York match, and that was, to me, the match of Mania weekend. The big pop was when Bandido finally got his 21 plex on Ospreay, he landed on his feet and hit a Spanish fly.”

Dustin Rhodes vs. Cody | AEW Double or Nothing
May 25, 2019

“The match was probably the most emotional match in North America since maybe the Atlantis vs. Ultimo Guerrero mask match at the 2014 CMLL anniversary show. Blood is very much a debatable issue today. Blading, largely removed from major promotions today as an anachronism of the past, did work big for this audience and is still effective when used judiciously. I’m not a fan of it, but when not overdone it can be effective in getting matches and certain storylines over.

The audience was crying multiple times during the match. Even though Cody was the spiritual leader, his working heel style worked for the match because for it to work, Dustin had to be the sympathetic character. Cody won, but it wasn’t over. Dustin started taking off one of his boots while a loud “Thank you Dustin” chant started. Cody, who had left, returned, and told him that he doesn’t get to retire now, and that a long time back he had signed an open contract for a tag team match in Jacksonville against The Young Bucks. Cody then said, “I don’t need a partner, I don’t need a friend, I need my older brother.” That was it. The whole building was in tears in a way that may happen every few years in Mexico, on occasion in Japan, but hasn’t happened in the U.S. for a match in decades. When it was over, I thought the show should have ended, because nothing could top that.”

Dragon Lee vs. Will Ospreay | New Japan Dominion
June 9, 2019

“Ospreay beat Lee to follow his Super Juniors tournament win with an IWGP jr. title win, clearly making him the star of the division. This was one of the best matches of the year. But they had an absolutely insane spot where Ospreay was sitting on the barricade when Lee hit him with a tope and both went flying over the announcers table, talking former wrestler Milano Collection A.T out with them. Because of the set up, that was incredibly dangerous as well.

Not only has Ospreay been the best performer in the world for the past several weeks, but New Japan is presenting him as a landmark junior heavyweight, breaking Takagi’s streak, winning the title as well as being a contender for every heavyweight.”

Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay | New Japan G1 Climax
July 18, 2019 

“The story here is both were injured legit. So from a crazy athletic standpoint, it was not as good as their Tokyo Dome match, but for drama and story telling it was much better.”

Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii | New Japan G1 Climax
July 19, 2019

“I think this was the first time I ever saw a match where at the 17 second mark I already felt it was going to be a **** match”.

Black Taurus/Laredo Kid/Puma King vs. Bandido/Flamita/Rey Horus | PWG 16th Anniversary Show
July 26, 2019

“The 7/26 show still drew a sellout crowd of more than 600 fans and featured an incredible match that some were talking was the best in the history of the company with Bandido & Flamita & Rey Horus beating Laredo Kid & Black Taurus & Puma King. I wouldn’t go quite that far, but would say it was the best PWG match I’ve seen since The Young Bucks & Adam Cole vs. Will Ospreay & Matt Sydal & Ricochet many years back, and would be among the best U.S. bouts of the past decade. This was nothing but big moves like futuristic Lucha Libre. Tons of dives and moves that nobody had ever seen before.”

Okada vs. SANADA | New Japan G1 Climax
August 3, 2019

“This broke the record-setting G-1 unbeaten streak of 13 matches dating back to last year. It was an incredible match that, because of the timing of the pinfall and the drama of using the time, made a great match classic. The emotion of Sanada beating Okada when everyone was convinced they were going to a draw was evident as they showed the fans in the front row and women all had tears in their eyes. This was the best show so far in G-1 and one of the best shows of the year.”

Shingo Tagaki vs. Tetsuya Naito | New Japan G1 Climax
August 4, 2019

“This match was so physical. The idea was to tease going the 30:00 but at no point was this telegraphed or did they slow down to pace or stall for a long match. Naito used a brainbuster but Takagi came back with a sick lariat. He went for last of the dragon, but Naito countered with a Canadian Destroyer and the running destino for a near fall. Naito got the pin with Destino and afterwards praised Takagi and said that some time we have to do this again.”

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi | New Japan G1 Climax
August 10, 2019

“Then, in what was the spot of the tournament, Ibushi ran in with the Bom Ba Ye and out of nowhere, Okada dropkicked him. Okada escaped from the kamigoye and used the same cradle he used to beat Jericho and Omega, but Ibushi kicked out. Ibushi got the pin after two Kamagoyes.”

Bandido vs. Dragon Lee | PWG BOLA Night 2
September 22, 2019

“Having been in the same spot nearly 31 years earlier for the famous Flair-Steamboat match in Chicago, where, at the finish, everyone around us proclaimed it as the greatest match they had ever seen, when this was over, my reaction was, it was better than Flair-Steamboat in every way except the historical aspect of seeing a “real” world title change in an era when that meant something.

This was about as good of a 12:00 match as you could possibly see. It had super wrestling, super flying, insane spots, two super charismatic guys, and a crowd going nuts. I’d call it the best singles match I’ve seen since going to PWG and aside from the Young Bucks & Adam Cole vs. Will Ospreay & Ricochet & Matt Sydal match a few years back, and maybe the six-man tag this summer, one of the three best overall.”

David Starr vs. Jordan Devlin | OTT
October 26, 2019

“Between the fantastic video building the match where Starr champions the independent scene against Devlin having signed with WWE, and Devlin taunting back saying that Starr has attended multiple WWE tryouts and only has this attitude because WWE won’t take him. The heat was some of the most amazing you’ll ever see, which isn’t unusual in that building. It was like a cross between PWG with the brutality of one of the A-Kid classics in Spain.

I’d go ***** for this one and I think it’s the rare kind of a match that will appeal to every kind of fan except the ones who need great production values or they won’t accept it. But it felt like a match that viewed live would be one of those matches that you would never forgot that you were at. It would be better knowing the story because it was a story match. But it was so good with the fight feel that you would love the match not knowing the background, like the pro wrestling version of Corrales/Castillo (one of the great boxing fights ever which was one of those fights that even people who didn’t know either fighter ended up in awe of) or Zombie-Leonard Garcia in MMA. The crowd was molten.”

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated match of 2018: Omega vs. Okada IV

Posted on by Josh Nason

Throughout the week leading into December 31st, we are taking you back to some of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with the five star matches and ending up with this seven star classic.

15 matches got the five star treatment while six matches garnered ratings above that level.

What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup from the match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, available in full for subscribers. Also, we want to give a big shoutout to Cagematch.net who makes research for this list ridiculously easy. 

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega
IWGP Championship | 2-out-of-3 falls
NJPW Dominion | June 9, 2018
*******

“So I’ve been watching pro wrestling for 48 years consistently. I’m trying to figure out what the odds are that the two greatest individual performances I’ve ever seen would be in the same match.

On January 4, 2017, Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega had a match that I thought was one of the three best matches I had ever seen, perhaps the best ever. Some people thought it was the best match they had ever seen. But when it was over, I did think that someday I would see another match that good. The top guys in the industry today keep progressing the drama, art form and athleticism. Don’t get me wrong, anything that is great in its actual place and time is great. But what is great today learns from not only what is great in the past, but what is great all over the world in its present. It’s a situation that until the last few decades, that really couldn’t happen, but it’s easier now than ever before because you just push a few buttons and you can learn far more things that can work and apply them. Okada won what was up to that time the longest New Japan match ever held at the Tokyo Dome.

On June 11, 2017, they met again and went to a 60 minute draw, the first in a New Japan ring in 14 years. The match, in my mind, slightly better, enough so that I could say, with no reservations, it was the best match I had ever. Many other people thought the same. Others had it just as one of the best. Some didn’t see it that way. Some didn’t get it. Some, for whatever reason, refused to get it for their own political reasons. Almost all awards and voting of international scope had one of these two matches as the best match of the best year ever for great matches. More had the first match, perhaps because it was the first, perhaps because it had a clear winner and loser, or perhaps, just because the Tokyo Dome, like WrestleMania, magnifies both what is good and what is bad on that night.

Still, to me, it was the best match. But it wasn’t that much better than a dozen other matches I’d seen. Some day, I figured I would see a better match.

On August 12, 2017, the same two wrestlers met again, this time they had to do a finish, and it had to be done in less than 30 minutes. It was a completely different match. It was a classic to be sure. One of the best ever. Omega finally beat Okada, but the IWGP title wasn’t at stake. It was big enough that it more than made up for Omega losing the G-1 tournament finals and the Tokyo Dome main event spot to Tetsuya Naito.

Some day, I figured we would see a better match. In the opinion of the majority, some day was about 20 or so hours later. The Naito match pulled out more stops, was the finals of the tournament, which makes it bigger, and was more overall outstanding. But it was also more dangerous.

Most figured on January 4, 2018, that Naito was beating Okada for the title. I was kind of tipped off that the story of 2018 was going to be Okada setting the all-time record for not just the longest IWGP title reign in history, but longest combination time as champion in history, as well as most consecutive title defenses. The idea was to make him the greatest pro wrestling champion of the current era.

But a booker can only do so much. You can book a guy to win, and in time, even in a contrived world, those numbers in hindsight look impressive. Long crappy title reigns sometimes are remembered as legendary. But usually they aren’t.

People can cry and moan until the cows come home about the subjective method of rating pro wrestling matches. To some, the statistic that Okada’s title defenses averaged 4.86 stars going into this past week just gets people mad, and makes them dig deep and try and argue that he’s really overrated. To some, it means, since nobody has ever come close to that, it must be something special. To some, the numbers don’t mean that much, but it’s pretty clear the guy is something special. Even in a subjective world, there are also objective numbers, a great business rise during that period, and more international exposure, fame and respect that any Japanese wrestler based in Japan has ever had on an international basis. Okada is a lock to go into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. The only question left is whether he will break the all-time record set by Kenta Kobashi in 2002 of getting 98 percent of the vote when he goes in.

Yes, this was a legendary title reign and one of the best of all-time. As far as big matches go, it was the best of all-time. Ric Flair did it far more often, carried some mediocre and even terrible guys to good outings and one can argue him as the greatest all-around performer the industry has ever seen. But as far as top tier matches, I’ve seen them in small gyms, big arenas and national shows with Ricky Steamboat and Barry Windham on down. They were great. It was a different era. Shawn Michaels was immensely talented. Kenta Kobashi could drive emotion like no other. This guy combined what they all had. He was the most creative of them all. He was as good an athlete as any. And, partially because of the time, put more thought and on his big shows, had generally better opponents. Nobody could match his consistent match quality when the title was at stake.

We knew it as it was going on. In Japan, they did as well. A poll was done recently among the general public as to the greatest wrestler to ever perform in the country of Japan. It has been nearly 55 years since Rikidozan passed away. People know of him, know the legend, but few people in the public, and really none under the age of 60 or 65, actually saw him and have the emotional connection to him. Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba were the top two, who had decades of prime time national television, beating every big star that was in pro wrestling. Satoru Sayama was a short-term cultural phenomenon, who came when television ratings were high, and was like no star previously, and he completely changed the game.

No. 4 was Okada, at the time he was 29 years old, and while he had the advantage of being today’s top star, wrestling is so much less popular mainstream that his finish stunned most long-time fans. Not that he wasn’t that good, but that he didn’t get the exposure the others did to the general public. If it was a poll of hardcore wrestling fans, the result would be less surprising. Equally surprising was that the No. 2 foreign star, behind Stan Hansen, was Okada’s new rival, ahead of Lou Thesz, The Destroyer, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Bruiser Brody, The Funk Brothers, Mil Mascaras and all the stars when they were on the front page of the daily sports newspapers and magazines on the newsstands and on network prime time television.

When Omega won the second longest championship match ever held in Japan, the initial reaction was that a two-year-long storyline had played out perfectly. Suddenly, in that moment, it was clear that the decision not to put the title on Naito was no longer even arguable. Even those of us who believed Naito winning to be the right move, but accepted the big picture that this was the run to create a legend, and breaking records were part of it, and that there was a very good reason Naito didn’t win, well, at that moment it was clear we were wrong. Naito wins, the key records aren’t broken. The Tanahashi match never happens. This match never happens. At least not in this way.

This match, held before an advanced sellout crowd of 11,832 paid at Osaka Jo Hall, was at a different level far more than for what took place over 69 minutes and 49 seconds, which just happened to be, in the opinion of an awful lot of people, the greatest pro wrestling match they had ever seen. Whether it was or it wasn’t that, as far as storytelling, emotion and drama in a match, it is inconceivable to me that there has been another match close to this level in modern times.

There was a two-year-chase, from Omega’s win and interview after beating Hirooki Goto to win the 2016 G-1 tournament, through his Tokyo Dome loss, his Tokyo Dome draw, his G-1 win and subsequent loss the next day.

There was an emotion that he could bring out of a match with Okada that Naito couldn’t. Tanahashi could get that emotion, and there was a great story there, but it wasn’t the best story.

This was something that rarely happens at this level in wrestling. Mitsuharu Misawa did it without a long chase in 1990 against Jumbo Tsuruta, which turned into an amazing business run. Kerry Von Erich did it for the moment with Ric Flair in 1984 at Texas Stadium, but three weeks later it was meaningless. Dusty Rhodes did it the first time in Tampa with Harley Race, but five days later it was over and meaningless. Jack Brisco could have done it in Tampa or Miami Beach with Dory Funk Jr., in 1973, but in fact, that never happened. Ric Flair could have done that anytime after 1979 or 1980 in Greensboro or Charlotte, but that also never happened. Jerry Lawler could have done it in Memphis, and sort of did with Curt Hennig, but it was too late when it happened. It’s a dream scenario that takes patience, but it also doesn’t always work, as Vince McMahon has shown for the past four plus years trying to build this exact same emotion of Roman Reigns finally beating Brock Lesnar.

The next emotion, as expressed by Omega in the backstage interview, was that the Okada reign was over. How could it have ended any better, the culmination of a chase by his now greatest rival, in what many would call the greatest match ever held. The records were set, and he went down on the night of what was easily his greatest performance. The goal for the last half-dozen years was to create a true legend in Okada, and he could not have lost the title in any greater manner.

After Omega’s interview, the show was over, and fans had gone home, and in one of the great shots of all-time, there was a close-up of a single $1 Okada bill alone on the ground of an empty building that a half hour earlier was packed and as full of life as could be.

We received the second most number of responses of any show in our history for Dominion, only behind this year’s Wrestle Kingdom. Considering the response to New Japan shows in recent months hasn’t been anything special at all, people were expecting something.

I didn’t keep a tally, but I read every response. The vast majority were the same. Well, almost the same. “I’ve been watching wrestling (insert the number, most numbers were more than 20, one was 62) years and this was the best match I’ve ever seen.” Over and over. Probably two-thirds of the responses said that. Many called it, and more because of the main event, although the entire show was great, particularly the second half, the greatest wrestling show they had ever seen. I’ve seen deeper shows from start-to-finish, but this was certainly close. As far as the last three hours of a show, because of the main event, as well as the tag team title, jr. title and IC title, and with the time of the main event, it makes that hard to argue.

When it had ended, my thought was that this was the greatest match I’ve ever seen. Not arguably, and not by a little big either. It was at a level far beyond when it came to emotion, storytelling, and attention to detail. It was almost astonishing watching it. Will Ospreay may be the best wrestler, night-after-night, in the game today, and he had an incredible opponent and they vowed that when the show was over, while Omega, Okada, Chris Jericho and Naito were the guys who brought people to the arena and to watch it, that they were going to be the people everyone talked about when it was over. Instead, they had maybe the greatest match ever to be so overwhelmed by another match to become an afterthought. The Young Bucks had the single greatest storytelling match they ever had in Japan, and won the heavyweight tag team titles. When their match was over, I thought it probably would get a ton of votes for match of the night. It got one out of 993.

But the biggest difference was I thought I would never see another match this good again. This was not some five-star match or six-star match. You can call it whatever you want. I’ve had people arguing 16 or 17 stars, with the idea that the first fall, which went 29 minutes was an easy six stars, and the third fall, at 17 minutes, was also an easy six star, and the middle fall couldn’t be less than 4 and probably closer to 5. Surprisingly, in responses, the consensus was far more clear than I would have expected at 7. There were a lot of 8s, 10s, even a 12, and the ones who argued it as three different matches, which it wasn’t, to get some crazy number, a few 5s, and 6.5s, a 4 3/4 here and there.

In the match build, Omega told the story that he finally had to admit to himself that Okada was a better wrestler than he was. His storyline was that he is still better all-around as a performer, and still more valuable in taking the New Japan brand worldwide. They did a storyline contrast as Omega said he was training with Kota Ibushi at a level he had never trained before, and showed up in incredible shape. Okada was said to be getting his head peaceful, doing things like fishing. Omega said the two of three falls and no time limit gives him the advantage because he was going to show up in better condition.

Omega becomes the first Canadian to win the IWGP champion, only the third former junior heavyweight champion in New Japan history (after Tatsumi Fujinami and Nobuhiko Takada) to win the IWGP heavyweight belt, and breaks a streak that dates back to January 4, 2011, when Tanahashi beat Satoshi Kojima to win the title, that the title was in the hands of someone other than Okada, Tanahashi, Naito or A.J. Styles.”

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of 2018: Five stars, pt. 3

Posted on by Josh Nason

Throughout the week leading into December 31st, we’ll take you back to some of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with the five star matches and ending up with a seven star classic.

We kick off with our floor: five star ratings. In 2018, 15 matches got that honor, a mix of New Japan Pro Wrestling, NXT, and even an indie group out of Spain. 

What follows are edited versions of Dave’s writeups from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, available in full for subscribers. Also, a big shoutout to Cagematch.net who makes research for this ridiculously easy. 

And now, enjoy looking back at part two of three of Dave’s five star matches from 2018 in the order in which they happened. Based on this list alone, it was a hell of a year. Here’s part 1 and part 2 if you missed it.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada
NJPW G1 Climax finals | August 10, 2018

“Tanahashi went to a 30:00 draw with Okada in the A block final. Because Tanahashi came in with a 7-1 record and Okada at 6-2, Tanahashi only needed a draw to win. Tanahashi vs. Okada at this point has to be considered among the greatest long-term programs in wrestling history. Nearly every match has been a match of the year candidate, ironically, perhaps except this one because of what a freaky year this has been. Still, this was a tremendous match with the story that Tanahashi hit the high fly flow to the back, but Okada kicked out, just as time expired.

Tanahashi needed the visual of being strong to go to the final and, in theory, if he goes all the way to the Tokyo Dome main event. You could argue for the win to make it more clear, but it appears the plan now, based on Tanahashi at the press conference, is to do Tanahashi vs. Okada for the briefcase sometime this fall with the idea of a longer time limit match and thus the draw and not doing the pin makes long-term sense.

So the draw accomplished two things. The first is it leaves an opening for Okada to still be in the title match at the Tokyo Dome, as he’s been every year since 2013. Okada is coming off his record-setting title run, and since losing the title, he has not gotten a rematch. The draw was a surprise if only because Tanahashi and Okada had draws in their last two G-1 matches, in 2013 and 2016 and you just wouldn’t think they’d do it again. But the key is that in the Tanahashi vs. Okada program, Tanahashi hasn’t beaten Okada since January 4, 2015, and given that pretty much every match that has had a finish has been past the 30:00 mark there is a story there as well.

There was the belief earlier this year that maybe, with Okada becoming the clear major star, that he never would never lose to Tanahashi again. But very clearly, this will be the biggest briefcase match in history.

I would not say this was the best match of G-1, although some would. In some ways it was my favorite, because as far as a match where every single move meant something, this was pretty much textbook. It was paced perfectly and while hard hitting and very physical, it was never scary at any time. But as big as this seemed, the next two nights rocked the crowd more.”

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Title Shot Contract On The Line
NJPW Destruction In Kobe | September 23, 2018

“The story behind the match is that this was their 13th career singles match, and Okada came in with a 5-4 edge in wins with three of the matches being 30 minute draws in G-1 competition. But Tanahashi hadn’t beaten Okada since January 4, 2015, nearly four years ago. Also, every match the two have had in at least six years has gone either to a 30 minute draw or longer.

With three high-profile big show classics in one year, this feud is very much like Okada vs. Omega in 2017 and Flair vs. Steamboat in 1989. It’s all a matter of opinion, but I’d rate the May match the best because of the story elements which I think is the best of the 13 matches the two have had. This was a different match, but similar in quality to the G-1 match. It would be among the best of the series, but not top three.

The crowd was pro-Tanahashi in a big way. Tanahashi dropkicked Okada off the apron and hit a pescado, but in doing so, started selling the left knee. His ability to sell the left knee with his facial expressions is as good as anyone. Okada started doing some Negro Navarro style knee submissions. Okada dropkicked the knee as Tanahashi hung upside down in the corner, and used a kneebreaker and a figure four. Tanahashi reversed the figure four and the two rolled into the ropes. They were fighting on the floor, when, out of nowhere, Tanahashi gave Okada a tombstone piledriver on the floor. The story is Tanahashi could have won via count out, but instead did a high fly flow to the floor, and of course, his knee went out, leading to him selling the knee like crazy. As far as the ability to produce a long dramatic match where every move means something, Tanahashi is one of the greatest of all-time.

Both were fighting over a tombstone piledriver but couldn’t get it until Okada dropkicked Tanahashi in the left knee. They each kept reversing out of big moves. Okada chop blocked the knee, but Tanahashi hit a sling blade as Okada went for the rainmaker. Tanahashi went for a high fly flow but Okada got up and dropkicked him and hit the tombstone. But Okada’s left knee went out. Tanahashi ducked two rainmakers but Okada finally hit a spinning rainmaker. He went for another rainmaker but Tanahashi hit the dragon suplex for a near fall. Tanahashi went to the top rope but Okada dropkicked him. Okada teased a tombstone piledriver off the middle rope, and then a gut wrench superplex but Tanahashi blocked. Okada fell off the ropes and as he was falling, Tanahashi jumped off and crushed him with a high fly flow. Tanahashi went to the top, but Okada got to his knees, not standing, and was hit with another high fly flow. Tanahashi did a third one on the prone Okada for the pin.”

Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi
NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed | September 30, 2018

“The tag team main event where Omega & Ibushi beat Okada & Ishii had four of maybe the six best wrestlers in the world right now, and it was perhaps the best tag team match of the year. Really, the Omega & Ibushi vs. Young Bucks match in the same building would be its challenger. They were very different. This past week’s match was crisper and reached more of a fever pitch in the New Japan realistic style and had the great explosive moves at the right time. The prior match had a unique emotional element, was built with a most in-depth story going in and was longer and told more of a story. It’s really a matter of taste.

This was a great match. The story was to keep Omega and Okada apart for most of the match as this was the first time the two were in the same match in the U.S. So a lot of early action was Ibushi vs. Ishii. The one thing about this match is that every combination, Omega vs Okada, Omega vs. Ishii, Ishii vs. Ibushi and Ibushi vs. Okada, give you constant match of the year level action and intensity. Omega did an ugly DDT on Ishii and got up limping but that didn’t play a part in the match. Omega & Ibushi did the golden triangle, which was Omega giving Okada a moonsault off the middle rope to the floor and Ibushi doing the same to Ishii. At 13:00, Omega and Okada finally squared off and started throwing the elbows. They did a series of reversals until Omega hit the snap dragon suplex. Okada hit a dropkick on Omega and went for the rainmaker, but Ibushi saved.

Omega used a V trigger and Ibushi a moonsault on Okada. Ibushi did a plancha on Ishii. After a series of reversals, Okada hit the tombstone on Omega and Ishii followed with a sliding lariat on Omega, but Ibushi saved. Okada went for the rainmaker but Omega ducked and hit a uranage. Ishii and Ibushi started trading elbows. Ibushi did a standing double knees moonsault on Ishii. Omega picked up Ishii and power bombed him into a moonsault by Ibushi for a near fall. Okada went for a dropkick and Omega stepped back, caught him and power bombed him, and Ibushi followed with a Pele kick. Ibushi and Ishii did another crazy exchange and blows that was ridiculous. Ibushi was bleeding from the mouth.

Ibushi went for the Kamagoye but Ishii ducked and went for a German suplex, but Ibushi landed on his feet and clotheslined him back. It ended when Omega hit a high kick on Ishii and Omega & Ibushi did the double golden trigger for the pin. Omega then did an interview with The Young Bucks in the ring and talked about wrestling Ibushi when Cody came out to set up the three-way and then Omega ended the show.”

Hiroshi Tanahashi and Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi
NJPW Road To The Tokyo Dome | December 15, 2018

“The 12/15 show featured the annual dream tag team match, and this year’s version may have been the best tag team match of the year. The best tag match of the year to me was Young Bucks vs. Omega & Ibushi, largely due to the storytelling. But as far as crisp action and excitement, Omega & Ibushi’s win over Tanahashi & Ospreay was better. Ospreay, who was pinned by Omega’s One Winged Angel in 28:46, was the star of the match with his fire, facial expressions, and intensity. The big spot was Ibushi doing a ropewalk super Frankensteiner off the top and Ospreay flew over and landed on his feet. The camera work captured this amazingly as Ibushi made his face that seemed to say, “I hear the crowd but as long as I don’t turn around I can pretend he didn’t do that.”  So, Omega opened 2018 with a ***** match and ended it with a ***** match. The show ended with Omega & Ibushi doing a promo which included Omega singing and snow coming down from the ceiling.”

Starting Saturday and twice a day, we begin our dive into Dave’s top six rated matches of the year, all above the ***** mark.

NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku results: Goto vs. Juice

Posted on by F4W Editors

Ren Narita defeated Yuya Uemura

Uemura used his better physique to his advantage to throw more powerful elbow shots and chops, but Narita worked over the back throughout the match. Narita landed a ton of chops before a series of slams set up a Boston crab for a victory. 

Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Shota Umino, Tomoyuki, Oka, and Yuji Nagata

Nagata prevented a Romero special, so Liger disposed of him and went to apply it again, but Umino prevented it. Taguchi ate a barrage of corner shots before Umino missile dropkicked Taguchi down for 2.9. Another Boston Crab was locked on, but it didn’t get the win win. A la majistral cradle got 2, but a Taguchi hip attack got 2.9. A Taguchi jumping high kick followed by a double-armed chickenwing facebuster end it. 

SHO & YOH and Rocky Romero defeated TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, and Takashi Iizuka

Taka hit YOH in the corner with a running kick before landing another one on him.  Iizuka got the iron fingers and threatened the referee, but SHO avoided them and landed a series of forearms. However, Iizuka hit an inverted atomic drop and TAKA superkicked SHO for 2. YOH ran wild with superkicks while Romero hit a suicide dive on the floor to Taichi. SHO hit a backstabber on Iizuka before a pump knee strike hits. SHO got the iron fingers and felt their power before landing the Iron Fingers from Hell on Iizuka and landing the 3K to win it.

Toa Henare, Big Mike, Togi Makabe, and David Finlay defeated YOSHI-HSHI, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, and “Switchblade” Jay White 

Finlay and Switchblade went at it with Finlay hitting a jumping European uppercut and a charging variant in the corner. Switchblade landed a snap Saito suplex, but ate an Irish curse backbreaker. YOSHI-HASHI came in with Big Mike for more forearms and chops. A jumping mule kick got HASHI an edge before a running blockbuster and everyone hit charging attacks in the corner before Ishii landed a German and HASHI laid Mike out with a lariat. Henare saved it at 2, but gets tossed outside. Everyone was standing around on the floor, leading to HASHI ducking low and Big Mike hitting a flip dive on the pile. Mike caught HASHI and apron powerbombed him. Mid-ring, he hit the giant lariat to get 2 and a buckle bomb set up the Elgin bomb for the win. 

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI, and Hiroumu Takahashi Desperado, Kanemaru, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer, and Minoru Suzuki

LIJ poses before Suzuki-gun is out and Lance sprays the crowd down. Suzuki jumps Naito while he’s kneeling and they brawl on the floor. Bushi hits a double rana on Desperado and Kanemaru. Takahashi lands a big dropkick on Desperado for 2.  Kanemaru sends him to the floor where hte brawl continues and extends to include DBS Jr. and Suzuki tearing apart barricades to smash Naito with. Archer and Hiromu go at it in one of the biggest size-mismatches you’ll see in New Japan this year. Hiromu lands some chops, but eats a pounce that sends him to the apron – where Suzuki lightly kicks him to get him to move out of his way so Archer can resume his punishment. 

Davey Boy comes in and deadlift Saito suplexes him before throwing him across the ring with a butterfly suplex. Suzuki tags in to face Hiromu, and this is going to be fantastic. He shuffles around before round kicking his chest, picks him up, and round kicks him again. Minoru Suzuki smiles in a menacing manner before locking on a half-crab that Naito makes a save for. This offends Suzuki, so he dashes at him and kicks him off the apron before Desperado comes in and slaps Hiromu. Hiromu lands a palm strike and  goes to tag EVIL, but KES prevents it and teases a Hart Attack that Hiromu turns into a DDT before tagging EVIL in. 

EVIL takes care of Davey and Archer before bringing SANADA in – but Davey hits a double Northern Lights on them before tagging Archer in for a Demolition Decapitation splash and a Hart Attack on SANADA for 2. Killer Bomb is set up, but SANADA kicks Davey away and hits a springboard dropkick to Archer. NAITO AND SUZUKI ARE IN and Suzuki lands a series of elbows, a corner kick, and his charging PK while a giant “NAITO” chant breaks out. Naitro hits his corner carging kick and goes for the basement dropkick, but Suzuki catches hte foot and locks on a kneebar.Suzuki locks on a kneebar and an armbar before turning it into a figure four. Naito is saved by a rope break, but his bandaged right knee is in even more trouble – so Suzuki mockingly kicks his head and wants his best shot – which he laughs on before measuring him for an elbow strike.

Suzuki lands measured elbow strikes while Naito responds with overhand chops. Naito goes for the eyes, but gets locked in a sleeper before going for the Gotch piledriver. However, Naito senses it and kicks away for a rope-assisted tornado DDT. Suzuki kicks the right leg more and tosses him in for an Irish whip, but Naito drops down and Suzuki-gun lands corner charges on him. Kanemaru hits a diving DDT before EVIL makes a save. Kanemaru hits a charging kick, but Naito sets him up for an EVIL kick, corner charge from his team, and then a double team-assisted shotgun dropkick from Hiromu for before landing Destino on him for the pin. This was an awesome ten man tag and a perfect use of the format. Naito talks smack to Suzuki after the match and Suzuki has to be restrained to avoid beating him up.

NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto defeated Juice Robinson

Juice gets a nice reaction coming out, while Goto’s theme plays and the fans clap along. Juice works on him with headlocks and armbars for a bit. Goto gets a hiptoss and they meet in the middle for a shoulder charge where no one budges. Goto rains down corner forearms, so Juice responds in kind before a slap exchange breaks out and he sends Goto outside to eat a tope. While he’s down, Juice lands a series of punches from the mount – showing that while he may look goofy, he can still kick ass. They brawl on the floor and Goto lands a sick neckbreaker on the barricade – which plays into just about every major move in his arsenal. Juice is placed up top for a draping neckbreaker, which hits and he rolls outside to heal up.

He’s outside for a 17 count, rolls back in, and recovers more before Goto just goes out and chucks him inside to wrench his neck and gets an extended headscissors. Goto hits a diving elbow for 2. Goto attempts to drive his elbow into the nose, but gets blocked and Juice lands a side kick to get his first major blow. Juice lands his punching combo, but Goto ducks the last shot, so Juice chops him instead. A lariat hits, but Goto doesn’t budget and they both lariat each other until Juice lands a sliding Hart Attack lariat to send him down. A corner lariat hits for Juice, but he goes back to the other corner and eats a lariat of his own – only to do the same to Goto when Goto tries it. Juice charges back again, so Goto thinks he has a chance, but Juice ducks his spinkick and lands a cannonball for 2. Juice goes up top, buto Goto goes to the floor only to eat a crossbody anyway. Juice hits a crossbody mid-ring for 2, leaving him absolutely gobsmacked. Juice sets up Pulp Friction, but Goto avoids that and eats a German, only to get up and land a sick lariat, that Juice gets up from, only to eat the ushigoroshi. 

A mid-ring elbow exchange fires up Juice, who wins that only to eat a round kick, but then land a big dropkick, but take a running kick to the chest on his way back up to his feet! Juice gets up in the corner and eats the corner spinkick that Goto set up earlier. A Saito suplex hits and further damages Juice’s neck before a second one lands. Red Shoes teases a stoppage, but Goto picks him up and signals for the GTR. Another Ushigorishi hits and gets 2.9! Goto sets him up top for some elbow strikes and teases a super ushigoroshi, but Juice fights out and wants a powerbomb – but Goto avoids that and eats a burning hammer to hte knee and a giant left-arm lariat for 2.9! 

Juice lands a giant brainbuster for another 2.9 count, leaving him even more shocked than before. Goto locks on a sleeper to further damage the neck and weaken Juice, but Jucie backs him into hte corner. Juice runs up the corner, but still can’t escape until he snapmares his way free. Reverse GTR hits for Goto, leading to the GTR, but Jucie gets a small package for 2. Goto almost eats a Pulp Friction, but avoids that, giving Juice an opening for a giant elbow strike. A second one hits and Juice fires up and goes for another Pulp Friction. Goto avoids that and lands a shouten kai for 2.9.

Goto lands a round kick to the chest and a GTR ends it. After the match, Big Mike comes in and squares off with Goto and says that Goto has something he wants – the NEVER Openweight Title. He says he will be Goto’s next challenger, but Taichi comes down and attacks Goto, leading to Big Mike running him off. Mike grabs the title so Taichi doesn’t snatch it, and Goto rips it from his hands. The main event participants come out, with Tana getting a fantastic reaction and Ospreay’s reaction eclipsing Tana’s. Ospreay does his pose right in KUSHIDA’s face when he comes into the ring. Okada’s reaction tops everyone’s as he calmly climbs to the top and strikes his signature pose.

KUSHIDA and Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Will Ospreay and IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada

Ospreay and KUSHIDA did a ton of matwork to start. KUSHIDA locked on a headscissors that Ospreay couldn’t counter, so he got a rope break. Ospreay teased a dive, but backflipped mid-ring and posed for a fakeout. Tanahashi tagged in and the crowd chanted for Okada, who tagged in and the fans got into a chant-off for the heavyweight legends.

Tanahashi was put into the ropes, but his experience allowed him to use an opening and elbow Okada in the jaw. Tanahashi avoided a rainmaker and Okada avoided a slingblade, but Tanahashi couldn’t avoid a spike DDT. They brawled on the floor and Okada teased a tombstone, but Tanahashi avoided it while Okada kept carrying him around, impressive given his size. They all fought in the crowd for a bit before Ospreay tossesd KUSHIDA into a chalkboard.

Ospreay came in to face Tanahashi and hit a sliding dropkick before executing a double-armed torture lock. Okada came in to pick the bones and work over the bad arm. Tanahashi fought off both members of Chaos, but ate a tombstone. Okada got a cobra clutch while Ospreay hit a space flying tiger drop on KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA ran in and saved Tana with a dropkick before slapping the turnbuckle pad to motivate him to tag out. KUSHDA dropkicked Okada down to a huge “KUSHIDA” chant. He hit a tope con hilo off the top to the floor on Ospreay before hitting a slingshot DDT on Okada mid-ring. KUSHIDA got an armbar, but Okada made it to the ropes.

Okada avoided a punt, but ate a discus elbow and tagged Ospreay in. Ospreay hit a corner European uppercut and a basement hesitation dropkick before a standing SSP got 2. KUSHIDA mule kicked his way out of the head-trapped superkick and hit a somersault DDT. Tana comes in and dragon screwed Okada before hitting a twist and shout on Ospreay for 2. He went for a dragon suplex on Ospreay, but Okada dropkicked him in the back of the head before dropkicking KUSHIDA on the jaw. Tanahashi avoided another tombstone on the floor and landed a slingblade. Ospreay superkicked Tanahashi down before landing the kneeling tornado kick. KUSHIDA’s springboard dropkicked Ospreay’s arm before executing the Hoverboard Lock to put him in position for the High Fly Flow, which ended it.

WOR: IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

With New Japan Pro Wrestling returning to Long Beach, CA, for the second straight year, it was a perfect time for our Dave Meltzer to take the drive and meet up with IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada for a 48-minute in-person interview, recorded Friday.

Dave and Okada talked about Okada’s career, his unforgettable series of matches with Kenny Omega, the company’s return to Long Beach, and plenty more. 

At Sunday’s Strong Style Evolved show on AXS TV, Okada teams with Tomohiro Ishii to take on Zack Sabre Jr. and Minoru Suzuki. Sabre will challenge Okada for the title on April 1st. 

Note that you’ll hear Dave, Okada, and Okada’s interpreter on the show.

Right click save

March 19, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2017 Observer Newsletter Awards

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

With WWE’s last major show, Fast Lane, out of the way, everything now is directly geared for WrestleMania with most of the show either announced, or teased in some form.

Interest appears to be high since television viewership was well up for both Raw and Smackdown this past week, with both shows doing their second biggest numbers of the year, even beating the week after the Royal Rumble.

After all the storyline denials, the John Cena vs. Undertaker match is now a given, with Cena issuing the challenge on the 3/13 Raw show. Three other new matches have led to a lot of speculation and controversy.

Stemming from Fast Lane, where Shane McMahon pulled the ref out of the ring twice, once when Kevin Owens had the six-way match won, and a second time when Sami Zayn did, and an angle on Smackdown where the two of them brutally beat down Shane, there is some sort of a match set up.

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 Preview: Okada vs. Naito, Jericho vs. Omega

Posted on by Ethan Renner

It’s just about time for Wrestle Kingdom 12, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year, and the biggest non-WWE event on the pro wrestling calendar. This year’s edition airs live on New Japan World with your choice of English or Japanese commentary. If you don’t mind waiting another day or so, you can see a three-hour special on AXS TV on Saturday, January 6th, in prime time with Jim Ross and Josh Barnett on commentary.

This year’s show feels more high stakes than in years past as New Japan has embarked on a slow, steady global expansion plan. That plan saw them run shows in the United States in 2017 with at least one more scheduled in 2018.

Additionally, New Japan has brought in WWE stalwart and global star Chris Jericho for this year’s Dome show. His inclusion is interesting in that it marks a clear departure from the workrate-centric style that New Japan is known for booking. Now in his late 40s, Jericho simply can’t hang in the ring with his much younger foe, Kenny Omega.

But for all he may lack in athleticism at this stage, Jericho will more than make up for in his ability to draw eyeballs to the product, meaning that New Japan is clearly thinking business over artistic success, something that has not been their hallmark in years past.

Here’s a look at the show from yours truly with additional thoughts in the second half from fellow NJPW writer Brian Denny.

New Japan Rumble (pre-show)

This is always a bizarre mix of a way to get undercard guys on the show, and nostalgia pops for returning veterans. Remember when Scott Norton came back in this match and almost got a push out of it? As an outlandish prediction, I’ll pick Hulk Hogan to make a surprise appearance and win this year.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Sho & Yoh vs. The Young Bucks

The Bucks will be looking to claim the Junior Tag Team titles for a seventh time while the Roppongi 3K team of Sho and Yoh will be looking to continue to establish themselves. It feels to me that Sho and Yoh aren’t over yet, and that The Bucks are primed for another run with the titles. I expect a fun 8-10 minutes of action, ending with the Cease and Desist.

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Michael Elgin & War Machine vs. Taichi, Takashi Iizuka & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Beretta (gauntlet match)

Like WrestleMania and the battle royal, you have to come up with matches like this one to try to get everyone a payday on the biggest show of the year. There are more than enough good workers in this contest for it to be good, but they likely won’t be given much time to tell a story. I expect a fine 10 minutes, and that’s about all.

Cody vs. Kota Ibushi

This is a bucket-list match for Cody, and another Tokyo Dome showcase for the freelancer Ibushi. The two worked well together when they were in the ring in a tag match at the World Tag League Final, and Ibushi did not have to slow his pace or change his style as much as one might think.

Cody is going to feel the pressure to deliver on the big stage, and Ibushi is one of the most talented flyers in the business. The heat is on, but I expect both men to deliver.

IWGP Tag Team Champions Killer Elite Squad vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)

KES are three-time champs, while EVIL and SANADA earned this title shot by winning the 2017 World Tag League tournament. While not the best team in the WTL, EVIL and SANADA had a good showing in the tournament, and the Los Ingobernables stable is massively over. SANADA’s flying should be the highlight of this match, and I expect a title change.

Brian Denny:

NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto (hair vs. hair match, Suzuki-gun and Chaos barred from ringside)

The NEVER Openweight title was once for the younger wrestlers to fight over, but current champion Minoru Suzuki is the oldest guy on the main Wrestle Kingdom 12 card. Suzuki has been champion since April 2017 where he beat his WK opponent, Hirooki Goto. What makes the match even more interesting is that both Suzuki and Goto’s hair will be on the line and the loser will have to shave their head.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Marty Scurll vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay

Scurll, the joint-manipulating villain, will put his title on the line against LIJ member Hiromu Takahashi, KUSHIDA, and the high-flyer Will Ospreay in a four-way where all guys held the belt in 2017. Expect a lot of flips, high spots, and plenty of “how did he do that?” moments.

IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White

White was gone from NJPW for more than a year before returning in November and taking out Tanahashi. He is coming for the Intercontinental Championship, but more importantly, he wants to prove he’s the future of NJPW. The old guard Tanahashi will be wrestling (again) with injuries, including a knee injury that has kept him out of action since the Tag League tour, as he tries to show the Switchblade that he’s not ready to go away just yet.

IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho (no DQ match)

In 2017, Omega won a tournament to become the promotion’s first-ever US Champion at the Long Beach G1 Special shows, which were NJPW’s first solo shows in America. He faces Jericho is an dream match of sorts come to life as we never knew we wanted or needed it until it was announced.

The build to this has been right out of old school professional wrestling, an art that is clearly lost in the big stages of American pro wrestling. We got the surprise video announcement by Jericho challenging Omega, then a Jericho post-match beatdown saw Omega get busted open, a rarity in NJPW. Then, we had a press conference that turned into an all-out brawl.

Now what we have is a showdown that might be so good, we’re talking about it next January.

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito

Naito won professional wrestling’s most grueling tournament, the G1, to get this championship match against one of the longest reigning champions in NJPW history, Okada. Four years ago, the two were fan voted out of the main event of Wrestle Kingdom and now the match that has most of the buzz is not theirs, which has led to Naito and Jericho exchanging insults.

Naito is the merchandise-selling king, and is so good he has turned boos into cheers while Okada is arguably the best professional wrestler on this green Earth whose resume speaks for itself. His 2017 trilogy with Omega rivals (maybe beats) Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat’s 1989 trilogy.

One thing is for certain: Naito and Okada have a chance to prove that they’re the true main event and an instant classic is expected.

Follow along with our live coverage tonight.

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of 2017: Okada vs. Shibata

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Editor’s Note: Every day this week, we’ll take you back to one of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with No. 10 and going through No. 1. What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup of that match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Dave’s review of this match was written before it was known that Katsuyori Shibata’s injury was legitimate and would end his career. Shibata has chronicled his recovery in blogs, made an appearance at the G1 Finals in one of the best moments of the year, and has an autograph signing set for next week’s fan festival prior to Wrestle Kingdom 12.

IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata
NJPW Sakura Genesis | April 9th
*****

Kazuchika Okada retained the IWGP heavyweight title over Katsuyori Shibata in 38:09

They returned to doing the video before the match where they showed the images of everyone who had ever held the IWGP title. This is such a great idea for setting the mood to the prestige of the title and I don’t know why other promotions don’t do that. As soon as the bell rang, the place popped like they were all here just for this match and it had the “big fight feel” thing that is said about ten times more than it really happens.

After the Omega vs. Okada match, I watched a Misawa vs. Kawada match from 1994 and the two were entirely different. However, they had their similarities and this one came off like a brutal fight with great psychology, intensit, and all kinds of twists and turns. The crowd was hot in wanting to see Shibata win the title to the point Okada was booed early on. As the match went on, they cheered more for the match and still wanted the title change, but weren’t booing Okada.

Okada was booed like crazy early when he didn’t break clean. Shibata then killed him with forearms and a hard kick to the back. Shibata used the figure four, but Okada got a rope break and was selling the left knee. Okada dropkicked him off the top rope to the floor, whipped him into the guard rail, and gave him a running kick over the guard rail. He followed with a draping DDT. Okada used a reverse kravat submission and Shibata made the ropes. Okada kept it on before breaking to get the heel response. Shibata then told Okada to throw his best shot and Okada started throwing elbows but Shibata dropped him with a counter. Shibata continued to work him over with elbows and a running dropkick into the corner. Shibata used a running dropkick into the guard rail. Shibata used hard kicks to the arm and chest. Okada came back with the Savage Elbow 60% of the way across the ring. Both were on their knees trading elbows. Okada used a missile dropkick but Shibata then got an armbar out of nowhere. Shibata used sick kicks to the right arm and a chop to the top of the head. They traded super hard slaps while on their knees.

Okada used Shibata’s trademark running dropkick into the corner, so Shibata came back and used an Okada style dropkick to the shoulder and threw kicks to the head. Shibata went for the penalty kick, but Okada got up and hit a dropkick. Okada used some German suplexes and set up the Rainmaker. Shibata kicked him in the face. Okada then hit a weak Rainmaker, and that’s when Shibata hit the sick headbutt, splitting his own head open. Shibata used the octopus and continued to work on the shoulder. He got a choke and then hit a choke suplex. Shibata was slapping the hell out of Okada and threw a sick kick to the chest, but Okada came back with a desperation Rainmaker, and then hit another Rainmaker for the pin.

When the match was over, Shibata and Okada both collapsed. The idea is that both men gave everything they had in a war that lasted 38:09. Had it not been for Okada’s match with Kenny Omega, this would have been a strong favorite for match of the year. The idea is both gave it everything they had. Okada won, but it was a battle of attrition and by the time it was over, neither had anything left. As Shibata was being helped out of the ring to the back, he lost his balance and fell to his knees more than once.

The match was among the best held anywhere in the world in the past few years, but there was the one spot more memorable than any. Okada, who had his arm weakened during the match, finally connected with the Rainmaker. Shibata not only didn’t go down, but responded with a sick headbutt that immediately split his head open.

It sounded terrible watching it at the time, but the one thing about Japanese wrestling is that as hard hitting as the matches seem on television, television greatly mutes the actual sound and impression. That’s why Japanese bouts are generally so much more impactful live and move emotions more. One person who was at ringside watching noted to me that it sounded like a baseball bat hitting hard wood and that the sound literally turned his stomach. The match was universally praised and the spot was praised in some circles because it was the single most indelible memory of the match. But, it was decried as well because that type of stuff shouldn’t happen in the ring. You shouldn’t mess with the head.

In fact, the entire match had questions about it. Okada, the guy whose role it is to carry the promotion for the next decade or so, took incredible punishment. You simply can’t get hit that hard and that many times and not develop injuries. Injuries in wrestling are the killer to longevity as well as the killer to longevity in being able to produce the kind of matches that are the current standard to headline big shows in Japan.

This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, especially when it comes to the protection of the long-term star performer. There are tradeoffs in the sense there is an emphasis on having great matches that move the audience, particularly in Japan when there are so many companies and the standard is so ridiculously high. But, careers shouldn’t be sacrificed for one night pops.

Backstage, Shibata collapsed again, motionless. Well, almost motionless. It was reported he couldn’t move, but that actually was not the case. The doctors were checking him and said there was internal bleeding and he was rushed to the IUHW Mita Hospital. It was said that Shibata was fully conscious and coherent at the hospital, but he was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and was said to have undergone emergency surgery.

Dr. Shunji Asamoto, who performed the surgery, stated, “There is no medical evidence, but it is said it can easily recur. If he still wants to be a professional wrestler in the future, strict examinations will be necessary. I am not optimistic at all.”

So the big question is: is this real or was this a way to sell and make the match even more legendary, give Shibata time off (and it’s possible with all the injuries he’s been working through that he needed it) and have him come back as an even bigger star? There is no answer.

From communicating with people there, the belief is that this was an intricate work. Certain evidence was presented to me as to why. A few things are notable that unfortunately can’t be discussed here, but aren’t necessarily proof either way. The obvious aspect is that it does fit into a potential great long-term plan for all involved (provided Shibata returns. If he doesn’t, it’s very clear this was real) and that Gedo is a great booker. Of course, having a great booker doesn’t mean something that fits into a great long-term story is necessarily not real.

Still, one person noted he’s gotten stories that are polar opposites, and another said that it’s seemingly a subject they can’t discuss. Most are taking it as it being real. It could be. Some of the talent believes it is. Some don’t, but in pro wrestling, you are taught not to believe anything. Even one person who said he believed it was a work and had evidence conceded the possibility it wasn’t and that evidence would lead one to believe it was a work but it wasn’t proof enough.

It is certainly being portrayed as a potential career ending injury, coming right on the heels of the situation with Tomoaki Honma, which is an even more likely career ending injury. As a booker, does that mean the Honma timing would enable the public to believe it more and thus makes it a better time to do it, or would the timing be you wouldn’t want to do anything that reminded people of it? In wrestling, historically the former would be used in the thought process more than the latter, but to many, the latter would also be used.

That Shibata and Honma were the two guys in the promotion, along with Tomohiro Ishii, who would take stiffness to a different degree is probably a telling tale about limitations of what a human body can take. The reality is that the modern style is going to lead to more injuries because of the bigger bumps and higher flying moves. It’s somewhat tempered by the guys who work this style doing much fewer matches than their predecessors and generally being smaller, but I’m not confident of the long-term prospects.

The long-term prospects of the older generation, for the most part, wasn’t good. The long-term prospects of the All Japan stars in the Misawa and Furnas era was downright horrible, although some of that was bad luck like Steve Williams, Kobashi and Gary Albright that wasn’t necessarily ring related. Others, like Misawa, absolutely was. With Doug Furnas, it probably was as well.

For now, Shibata is off all shows. In time, it will be very clear what was and wasn’t real.

*****

Previous Matches:

– Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak
– WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
– Tanahashi vs. Naito
– KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay

June 19, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather on, Okada/Omega classic, more

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

What is likely to be one of the biggest PPV events of all-time appears to be a reality.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo! reported on 6/14 that the negotiations for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor fight have been completed.

Dana White on Sports Center said the fight would take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on 8/26, and the fight would be at 154 pounds, which is a concession to McGregor, who would have the harder time making 147. Both men have agreed to 10-ounce gloves.

Mayweather Promotions was approved for a boxing event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for that date earlier that day, but Iole reported it could be moved to the larger T-Mobile Arena.

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

Figure Four Weekly 6/12/2017: Okada and Omega deliver another classic

Posted on by F4W Staff

After shaping the modern New Japan main event scene with his all-time classic series against Hiroshi Tanahashi, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada is now firmly entrenched in his next rivalry which will go down among the greatest of all time.

June 11th 2017 might go down as one of those wrestling dates that we just don’t forget. Much like June 3rd 1994 was for Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada, Okada and his new arch rival Kenny Omega wrestled a match that will live long in the minds of those who watched it. Whether you were in the building, at home or in a hotel room during Download Festival weekend, you would have been transfixed as these two incredible athletes built to one of the all time dramatic closing stretches. They went at a hellacious pace, blowing past the 46 minute mark which saw their Tokyo Dome encounter conclude, and entering the last minute of the designated 60 allotted for IWGP title matches.

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

Okada vs. Suzuki proved wrestling can still tell a classic good vs. evil story

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Since the start of 2017, we have been spoiled with so many historically great matches throughout the wrestling business and especially in both WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Of those, four matches stand head and shoulders above the rest: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega from Wrestle Kingdom; AJ Styles vs. John Cena from the Royal Rumble, Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki from the February 5th NJPW New Beginnings show, and Naito vs. Michael Elgin from the February 11th NJPW New Beginnings show.

While most probably have Okada vs. Omega at the top of the list (heck, our Dave Meltzer gave it six stars) and while I enjoyed Styles vs. Cena a bit more, one of those matches had something that none of the others had. It doesn’t necessarily mean it was a better match, but I think it told a story that is very unique in pro wrestling and something I wish we would see more of in 2017: something we see in other forms of entertainment that fits in wrestling very well.

The Okada/Suzuki match was the classic hero in peril story like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars,  or countless other movies and TV shows. The hero or heroes find themselves in a situation that seems lost when all hope is gone and the villain seemingly is going to come out ahead. But yet, as you watch, you never give up hope that the hero will come through in the end.

Especially in the case of a TV show where the main character finds themselves in peril, you just know they can’t lose, yet it doesn’t take you away from the fact that you want to see just how the hero will manage to get out of it whether it be through something he or she does or whether it will be the arrogance of the villain that will eventually do them in.

Okada/Suzuki had that. Okada was the defending IWGP Champion, but came into the match vulnerable due to an injured knee that had been the focus of a previous attack from Suzuki. Right from the start, Suzuki targeted that knee and at several points during the match, it seemed like he could end it. In fact, Okada’s own corner was seemingly close to throwing in the towel.

But eventually, Suzuki’s arrogance caught up with him and through heart and determination, the champion stuck it out, hit the Rainmaker clothesline, and won it. It was a beautiful story and one that isn’t over. Okada is still vulnerable. Suzuki knows that he, or someone else, could very easily take advantage of his weakened condition and Okada, being the fighting champion that he is, will continue to meet his challenges but will eventually succumb to someone, someday.

Or, maybe he won’t and that’s why we continue to watch. 

If the rest of 2017 is half as good as the first two months have been, we are in for a hell of a year.

NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 11 airing on AXS TV starting January 13th

Posted on by Josh Nason

On Tuesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live, Jim Ross broke the news that New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 11 will begin to air on AXS TV just one week after it happens, broken up into four weeks. 

Additionally, Ross announced that the weekly show has been renewed for 50+ episodes in 2017 and will move to 8 PM EST on Fridays. He will continue to work alongside Josh Barnett.

WK11 will begin on Friday, January 13th, with the IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega match, and a week later, they will air Tanahashi vs. I-C Champion Naito. Broadcast matches for the subsequent two weeks have yet to be announced.

Ross first announced NJPW action just over two years ago at Wrestle Kingdom 9 that aired live on PPV. He began working for AXS TV earlier this year as the lead voice on NJPW’s weekly Friday show, taking over for the WWE-bound Mauro Ranallo.

The build for Okada vs. Omega to begin on iPPV in New Zealand

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

New Japan Pro Wrestling and Sakura Events announced their official lineup for an iPPV show happening on November 12th in Auckland, New Zealand.

The main event features The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada & Rocky Romero & Baretta, designed to start the hard push for the Okada vs. Omega Tokyo Dome NJPW main event on January 4th, 2017.

The show is called “On the Mat” which was the name of the very popular local pro wrestling show in the 70s in the era of Steve Rickard and King Curtis Iaukea. The $18 iPPV will be held under the bill of Charity Pro Wrestling at The Trusts Arena in Auckland.

New Zealand native and ROH wrestler Jay White will be pushed as a local star in facing R.J. Brewer, the former John Walters. Brewer is being pushed a foreign heel and avowed Donald Trump supporter playing on nationalism.

The third main event will be Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Dalton Castle with the idea of allowing Castle the opportunity to be in a classic Tanahashi singles match.

Other matches announced are The Haku Dynasty (King Haku teaming with his sons Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa) vs. local radio DJ Nasty Nate, Hooligan Marcus Kool & Juice Robinson; David Finlay & Kushida vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly, Gedo & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Yujiro Takahashi & local powerhouse Bad Luck Fale; Jon Strongman Andersen vs. El Terrible from Mexico, Hirooki Goto vs. Paul Sayres and Henare of New Japan vs. Hiku Leo’o, which will be the pro debut of the youngest son of Haku.

Kevin Kelly will be the lead announcer on the show.

A number of New Zealand celebrities have been announced including boxer Brown Butter Bean, who will referee the White vs. Brewer match, Princess of Flowers, who will manage Andersen; New Zealand X Factor contestant Ashley Tonga, who will manage El Terrible, as well as TV personalities Niko Goulter and Sisters Singh.

The Week In Japanese Wrestling: A Block booking mars tremendous NJPW G1

Posted on by Alan Counihan

The following originally appeared in this week’s Figure Four Weekly.

What has been a tremendous G1 Climax was slightly marred this past weekend by some very disappointing booking in the A Block.

Coming into the tournament, it seemed pretty likely that the Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match on the final night of the block would be the match to decide who would get to the final. But, it would have been nice for some other scenarios to still be viable past July 31st.

But on the show in Gifu this past Sunday – the midway point of the tour – they completely killed everything else that could be intriguing in the Block, and all it took was three results to do it.

Tomohiro Ishii lost to Tama Tonga, stalling at four points and making him a non-player at this juncture. He had a huge match in Osaka today with Okada that was made a lot less interesting going into it. SANADA started the G1 with a huge career boosting win over Tanahashi, and everyone was ready for him to soar and be a key guy in the block. Since then, he’s gone 1-4, taking him out of play two weeks before we get to Sumo Hall.

The biggest disappointment of all is that his Sumo Hall opponent is also out of contention. Hiroyoshi Tenzan’s miracle run in his final G1 Climax was looking like the most exciting thing in the tournament after his 2-0 start and great performances. He’s lost four in a row since then and his loss to Kazuchika Okada in Gifu ended his chances, also taking away what many hoped would be one of the biggest moments of the tour with the legend veteran beating the champ.

The story is clear now. Tanahashi, who got off to a very slow start, is going to win out until we get to Sumo Hall. Okada is going to drop points in one of his matches and then it will all come down to their match. There is nothing at all wrong with that story, but it would have been nice if other matches in the last two weeks had meaning.

Thankfully, the B Block still has a lot of viable scenarios and there are many guys who could be players on finals night.

That Block also produced the show of the tournament at the weekend in Nagoya. The final four bouts of the show were all great with the main event being arguably the best match of the tour. Tetsuya Naito and Katsuyori Shibata had an easy story for their match. Shibata was mummified with his shoulder, collarbone and leg all taped up after several gruelling matches. Naito had attacked his leg on the prior show throughout their tag bout and put him in a leglock after the bell which he refused to break.

Shibata was coming for blood, but there was not a whole lot he could do due to the injuries. Naito taunted him throughout the match, slapped him around and toyed with him. It came back to bite him though as Shibata finally got his opportunity and took out Naito’s wheel in return. The last few minutes were classic as the two wrestlers scratched and clawed to get the win.

Shibata finally hit his PK but he didn’t go for the pin as normal. He wanted retribution and he grabbed Naito by the neck, sunk in a choke, and held it until the former IWGP champ passed out. Then, in a fitting touch, he kept it locked in after the bell right up until the point where he would have been DQ’d.

NJPW G1 Climax 26 night 11 results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Togi Makabe

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Another nice break leads us to the eleventh day of the G1, held this morning in Kagoshima.

Tiger Mask & Jushin Liger defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & David Finlay when Liger rolled-up Finlay.

Satoshi Kojima, Michael Elgin, Yuji Nagata, & Manabu Nakanishi defeated Gedo, Katsuhiko Nakajima, YOSHI-HASHI, & Toru Yano when Kojima pinned Gedo after a lariat.

Kenny Omega & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Katsuyori Shibata & Captain New Japan when Yujiro pinned CNJ after the Pimp Juice DDT.

BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito, & EVIL defeated Tomoaki Honma, Juice Robinson, & KUSHIDA when Naito tapped out Robinson with his new submission.

Bad Luck Fale defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan

These two together created a kind of slow, plodding match to start. Tenzan got in the Anaconda Vise, but Fale escaped from it and leveled him with a boot that looked like it missed by a mile. One thing I will give Fale credit for is taking some great bumps when needed.

Tenzan missed the moonsault. He tried to make a comeback, but Fale stopped him with a spear then pinned him with the Grenade. Just a boring match.

Hirooki Goto defeated Tama Tonga

This was pretty good. Tonga has had a hit and miss G1 so far, Goto’s fared better but these two had good chemistry with one another and it helped in this match.

There was a cool spot where Goto went for what seemed like the GTR but Tonga reversed it, went behind him, and hit a spinning neckbreaker and the waistlock DDT for a good near fall. Tonga frantically tried to avoid Goto, tried to hit the Gun Stun, but instead Goto grabbed him and hit the GTR for the win. Great match.

Naomichi Marufuji defeated SANADA

These two had really good chemistry. The fact that the crowd was totally into the match really helped too. Kind of on the short side, but worked well throughout and everyone looked good. Marufuji won after hitting the Sliced Bread #2 after SANADA blocked it earlier in the match. Marufuji wanted a handshake after but SANADA blew him off.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii

If Tanahashi loses here, he’s out of the tournament after suffering too many losses to stay in contention. They fought on the top rope where Ishii fell to the floor, but Ishii responded by headbutting Tanahashi in the knee. Ishii unleashed a big time brainbuster. Really picked up after this with some great back and forth.

Lots of scary looking suplexes. Tanahashi finally had him out with the Sling Blade but missed the High Fly Flow and just BARELY kicked out of a sliding D by Ishii. More great back and forth until Tanahashi finally gets another Sling Blade and finishes off Ishii with two High Fly Flows for the win. Fantastic match, one of the best in the tournament so far. 

Kazuchika Okada defeated Togi Makabe

A fast paced, hard hitting match. Makabe actually hit a belly-to-belly Spider suplex but Okada dodged the King Kong knee drop. Makabe went for a dragon suplex and started to lay it in, but Okada came back with the dropkick, tombstone, and Rainmaker clothesline for the win. 

Okada and Gedo cut a promo to end the show and send people home happy. One of the better shows of the tournament, lots of fun action and a hot crowd helped a lot.