Tag: Shibata

AEW Collision live results: Bandido, JetSpeed & Mascara Dorada team up

Posted on by Josiah MacDonald

Saturday’s All In aftermath edition of AEW Collision from Chicago will feature Bandido in the night’s featured bout.

The current ROH World Champion will team with CMLL’s Mascara Dorada and JetSpeed (Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight) against Josh Alexander, Lance Archer, Rocky Romero and Hechicero of the Don Callis Family.

With no interference, Megan Bayne will go one-on-one with Tay Melo in her first singles match since December 2022.

In a four-way $200,000 tag team match, it will be The Gunns vs. Gates of Agony vs. CRU vs. Big Bill & Bryan Keith.

New TNT Dustin Rhodes will be on hand to celebrate his title win as will Max Caster who will hold another Best Wrestler Alive challenge.

Ricochet will face AR Fox, and Rush will take on Katsuyori Shibata in a highly-anticipated match.

Following her re-debut of sorts at All In, Alex Windsor will return to AEW TV against Taya Valkyrie.

**********

Dustin Rhodes opened AEW Collision, saying that he wished his day was with him right now as he celebrated his win of the TNT Championship. Rhodes talked about how his dad always told him to keep stepping, getting up every time he is knocked down. It is hope that things can and will get better as you keep get back up. Rhodes said that he spent 37 years in the wrestling business, reaching the highest of heights, and hitting rock bottom, and he experienced a lot of failure. He said he was waiting to say this for 30 years: “I am now the face of TNT.” Rhodes promised that he would give his all week in and week out because he wanted to be a fighting champion, and that he will keep fighting into the future.

Don Callis came out with Kyle Fletcher, and Fletcher said that Rhodes’ story was crap, and the celebration that they were having tonight was supposed to be his. Fletcher was angry that his one-on-one title shot was ruined by Cole getting injured, and that Rhodes was lucky to win the title in a four way match. Fletcher said that he was going to take everything from Rhodes, and take his title.

Rhodes put Fletcher over as a great wrestler, and talked about his own times falling short at winning the title, from Lance Archer, to Sammy Guevara, to Christian Cage, and Brodie Lee, but Rhodes wrestled 3 times in 24-hours, and all Fletcher does is make excuses, while Rhodes pulled it off and Fletcher didn’t.

Don Callis calmed Fletcher down, and said that Rhodes was a legend, and that he has known him since 1997, going on the road together. He wanted Rhodes to think about what will happen when he loses the TNT Championship, and offered him a place in the Don Callis Family, as that was a better than being a 3rd wheel in the Rhodes family. At this, Rhodes attacked Callis. Fletcher attacked Rhodes, but Rhodes fought back and sent Fletcher to the floor, fleeing the ring. This segment was great, especially Dustin Rhodes.

–Mark Briscoe was narrating the recent actions of the Conglomeration, with Ishii, Willow Nightingale and her feud with Kris Statlander, and Briscoe, Hangman, and Hobbs standing tall over the Death Riders on Wednesday, with Briscoe leaving the last word for MJF, saying he was coming for him.

–A recap of Ricochet and AR Fox’s issues aired, with the announcers reminding us that Ricochet turned on Fox in their tag match, and how he recruited the Gates of Agony. This was a small story playing out on TV, which I like when wrestlers don’t necessarily have a PPV level feud in the works at the moment. It gives both of them something to do that is mildly interesting, and keeps them both on TV until something else comes.

Ricochet vs. AR Fox

Ricochet tried to bait Fox into fighting at ringside, but Fox refused to do so, dodging and countered Ricochet at every turn, hitting a tope con giro to the floor and going to ringside on his terms. The Gates of Agony came down at this point, stalking Fox. Ricochet distracted the referee letting Liona slam Fox on the apron as they went to ad break. When the came back from break, Fox managed to dodge a shoulder thrust from Ricochet and hit a top con giro, and a senton bomb for a 2-count.

Ricochet and Fox went into a series of near falls, ending with Ricochet powering into a Death Valley Driver, which popped the crowd. Fox kicking out led to Ricochet going for the Spirit Gun, but Fox dodged it, and Ricochet ended up draped on the middle rope near the turnbuckle. Fox used the ropes and launched himself into a Canadian Destroyer on Ricochet, pulling him from the middle ropes. That was incredible. Ricochet dodged a 450 Splash and Ricochet hit a Spirit Gun for the pinfall.

Result: Ricochet

This was a great match, but it would be nice for AR Fox to get some credibility by beating some lower card guys in the future. He is really good, and the fans clearly like him, so it is time for him to start winning.

–A recap of Hangman Page and Jon Moxley aired, and as Colt Cabana, Nigel McGuinness, and Tony Schiavone were discussing what happened, Marina Shafir emerged from the audience behind Cabana and started choking him unconscious. Moxley came out of nowhere and started punching Cabana in the face with a chain, busting him open. Yuta joined Moxley in the beat down. Moxley claimed he was only giving the fans what they wanted, and he choked Cabana with the chain, screaming that Cabana should tap out, and he threw Cabana over the ropes choking him out. Cabana tapped out, just like Moxley did at AEW All In, and then Moxley let go, and left through the crowd as the fans chanted “You tapped out!” at Moxley. Tony Schiavone noted that Cabana was very good friends with Hangman Page, and this couldn’t be interpreted as anything else but a message to him. This angle was awesome.

–Kris Statlander was with Lexy Nair, and she was talking about what happened at All In and her loss in the Casino Gauntlet. As she was talking, the Death Riders walked by, and Yuta, covered in Cabana’s blood, and said “Champions always make a comeback” before Marina Shafir pulled him away, and Statlander said that he was right. I loved this angle too. The Death Riders came across as very dangerous, yet very scummy, heels. Great storytelling in giving us a villain to boo.

Megan Bayne vs. Tay Melo

Everyone was banned at ringside for this, hopefully eliminating the Penelope Ford factor for Bayne in this match. Bayne dominated the opening portion of the match, but Melo countered a spear into a Fujiwara armbar, and transitioned into a triangle choke, but Bayne did a Rampage Jackson slam to counter out. Melo and Bayle shuffled for position at the ropes and Melo pulled Bayne to the floor with a head scissors. Bayne caught Melo as she jumped from the apron with a cross body and hit a fallaway slam on the floor.

As they came back from break, Melo hit a kick in the corner and several boot scrapes across the face of Bayne. Bayne stood up annoyed by it, hitting a belly-to-belly suplex. As Bayne did this, Tony Schiavone announced a match for Dynamite – Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta because of what they did to Colt Cabana for Shark Week Dynamite. Poor Yuta is going to die. Melo locked on a guillotine choke, but Bayne fought out. Bayne went for Fate’s Descent, but Melo rolled out hit a running knee, and a Canadian Destroyer for a 2-count. Bayne responded with a flying lariat in the middle of the ring and hit a running Liger bomb for the finish.

Result: Megan Bayne

Nigel McGuinness had the call of the night that Melo was now a Marsh-melo.

–Don Callis walked up to Sky Flight, offering Scorpio Sky a place in the Don Callis Family. Christopher Daniels said that they were well represented, but they were looking for a fight, and if Callis was up for it, he could give the Callis Family a fight. Don Callis said he would think about it, which seems sinister.

–Alex Windsor cut a promo before the match, talking about taking Athena to the limit at Grand Slam Australia.

Alex Windsor vs. Taya Valkyrie (w/ mXm Collection & Johnny TV)

There wasn’t a lot to this match as they only got a few minutes, but it saw Windsor going for a sharpshooter, and Valkyrie reversing into a STF. Windsor hit a blue thunder bomb, a lariat, and then locked the sharpshooter on for Valkyrie for the win.

Result: Alex Windsor

–Athena appeared in the balcony that Toni Storm was in on Dynamite, and she mocked Toni Storm, and also dismissed Windsor, saying that her match with Windsor ended like all the others, with Athena winning. As Athena was making fun of Storm, Storm came out and said that no one was allowed to be in the balcony but her, and she dared Athena to fight her.

Athena refused, saying that she would fight her on her terms, as Storm had to face Billie Starks on Wednesday. Storm then said it was true that she was facing Starks, and that if Starks won, she would be granted a shot at Storm, which Athena did not like. Storm then ran into the crowd and ran up to the balcony, going after Athena, who ran away.

–Anthony Bowens was backstage with Lexy Nair, and he was talking about how he did not have success at All In. Billy Gunn walked up, and Bowens was confused, as Gunn said he would be there for him, but wasn’t at All In. Gunn said that Bowens has been confusing, saying he wanted him there, but didn’t want him there, and that they needed to get on the same page, and that Bowens needs to stop obsessing with Max Caster. At least they tried to fix that plot hole. Gunn said he had a match for Bowens next week, and all he needed to do was trust him.

Big Bill & Bryan Keith vs. Cru (Action Andretti & Lio Rush) vs. The Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) vs. The Gunns (Austin & Colton Gunn) (w/ Juice Robinson) in a $200,000 Tag Match

Austin Gunn started the match with Andretti, and was quickly forced to tag out to Colton Gunn, as they were so much faster. Colton hit a double clothesline, forcing Cru to leave the ring, letting the Gates of Agony to come in. Bishop Kaun ate a dropkick and fell backwards into the corner and was blind tagged by Bryan Keith. Keith and Colton started an exchange, but Keith quickly tagged out to Bill, who got a huge reaction from the Chicago audience.

It didn’t take long for the match to break down into all 4 teams brawling as they went to the ad break. Colton Gunn was isolated in this by Cru, and they came back from the break with Lio Rush doing handsprings into people causing them to fall from the apron. Rush tried to knock Bill off the apron, but Bill shrugged off his chop and Rush shook his head, indicating it was a mistake. Colton Gunn tagged out to Bill out of desperation, who ran wild, destroying everyone in the ring and hitting a black hole slam on Rush.

Colton Gunn tagged in, interrupting Bill’s rampage, but Bill launched him into the air and hit a punch. Colton Gunn went down holding his knee, which did not look good. I think this is where his injury happened. Bill ran around ringside dropping everyone, but as he was running in front of the announce table, Toa Liona came out of nowhere and hit a pounce that sent Bill flying through the air and over the announce table, causing Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone to run away. Ricochet came out and grabbed the leg of Austin Gunn, allowing the Gates of Agony to destroy Andretti for the win.

Result: The Gates of Agony

While Ricochet still hasn’t won one of these money matches, his crew finally did, with his help.

–A recap of the Patriarchy turning on Christian Cage aired, with Adam Copeland clarifying that he was not saving Christian, but getting revenge on FTR, and Nick Wayne giving his reasons for the turn, saying that Christian never stuck with the plan.

Kyle O’Reilly (w/ Roderick Strong) vs. Max Caster

Kyle O’Reilly answered Caster’s challenge this week. Caster claimed that O’Reilly could not win the match if he couldn’t catch him, so Caster ran around the ring on the outside. Well, O’Reilly could win by allowing a count out, but that did not occur to either of them, and Strong tripped Caster, allowing O’Reilly to catch him. Caster tried to hit O’Reilly with his trademark for the Best Wrestler Alive gimmick, but O’Reilly kicked it away. Caster raked the eyes of O’Reilly, but O’Reilly turned a sunset flip into an armbar and Caster immediately tapped out.

Result: Kyle O’Reilly

–We were shown Tomohiro Ishii and Hologram watching backstage, and they were looking at the TV like normal human beings! A positive.

–Juice Robinson was backstage and he talked about Ricochet, wanting revenge for what he did in the 4-way tag match. Big Bill walked in, and said that Robinson was getting in his business during the match, and they started fighting, with Robinson driving Bill into the lockers behind him, almost knocking them over, before a bunch of referees and agents separated them.

Rush (w/Dralistico, & The Beast Mortos) vs. Kaysuyori Shibata

Shibata and Rush started the match exchanging hard strikes with very hard chops that delighted the fans. This continued for the first 2 or 3 minutes, as they kept returning to chops until Rush finally hit a punch that dropped Shibata and they went to the floor. As Rush sent Shibata back into the ring, Shibata stood up and hit a running kick that sent Rush to the floor. Shibata grabbed Rush by the hair and rain around the ringside area, driving Rush into the guardrails repeatedly.

Shibata locked a figure four leglock on Rush back in the ring. Shibata hit a dropkick in the corner on Rush as they came back from break, getting a two-count. Shibata went for a vertical suplex, but Rush countered into his own, hitting two suplexes, and then Shibata countering and hitting one. Both men went back and forth on the suplexes until Shibata hit the last one, and they were both down. Rush kicked out at one, but ate a German suplex. Rush stood back up and hit one on Shibata, and they started exchanging German suplexes like the vertical.

Rush hit a headbutt on Shibata, but Shibata hit a hard chop and locked on a sleeper hold in the middle of the ring, but Dralistico & Mortos ran in, but Shibata dispatched them. The referee did not end the match for some reason, as Nigel McGuinness claimed that LFI must have paid off the referee. Rush hit the Horns in the corner on Shibata for the win.

Result: Rush

Listen, I know people will say that the reason Rush wasn’t DQ’d was because they didn’t actually touch Shibata, but it was still right in front of the referee. This was no good. It does not make sense. The match itself was quiet great, but that finish was a mess.

–LFI attacked after the bell, indicating that they wanted the Trios titles. Powerhouse Hobbs ran down to make the save. It seems we’re setting up a match for later once Joe returns.

The Don Callis Family (Hechicero, Rocky Romero, Josh Alexander, & Lance Archer) vs. JetSpeed (Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey), Mascara Dorada, Bandido

Bandido and Hechicero started the match, with Bandido eager to get revenge for his loss as Hechicero eyes the ROH World Championship. Bandido rolled to the floor and Dorada hit a headscissors after a tilt-a-whirl from Hechicero. Dorada tried to hit a handspring, but Lance Archer was the one who was on the other end of it, and this quickly stopped that. The speed of the babyfaces still had an advantage, with it taking a triple dropkick from Dorada, Bailey, and Knight to drop Archer. Dorada, Bailey, and Knight all hit planchas to the floor on the heels as the party match continued.

Josh Alexander hit a reverse suplex on Mike Bailey as they went to the final ad break. Hechicero came in and locked on a series of violent submissions on Bailey, as they continued to isolate him for the heat. Tony Schiavone announced that there was good news though, as Don Callis was not at ringside. His hatred for the heels makes up for the occasional missed call. I love Tony Schiavone. As they came back from break, Bandido tagged in and hit a gorilla press on Alexander.

Rocky Romero hit a knee to the back of Bandido, allowing Alexander to tag out and Hechicero came in and swarmed Bandido immediately, hitting a flying knee in the corner and a went for a running powerbomb, but Bandido countered into a sunset flip bomb to tag out to Dorada. Dorada countered a chokeslam from Archer, who worked as a wonderful base for Dorada’s offence.

Archer went for the Black Out, but the Callis Family broke it up. Rockey Romero was launched off the shoulders of Archer onto Dorada which set of a series of big moves from everyone until Archer took out Bailey, Bandido, and Knight all at the same time. Archer clotheslined Knight into the ring from the apron, but Knight landed on his feet and hit a dropkick and Knight hit an assisted Asai Moonsault to Archer that finally dropped him. Romero almost finished Dorada with a sliced bread, but the the babyfaces made the save, and as Bailey and Knight hit dives onto everyone on the floor, Bandido hit the 21-plex on Romero allowing Dorada to hit the shooting star press on Romero for the win.

Result: Bandido, Mascara Dorada, & JetSpeed

Final Thoughts

I really like how Collision has been advancing the midcard stories on Collision lately. It is clear the show is not the A show, but having the midcard stories built on this show and given time makes them feel more important, and that also gives Collision a distinct purpose – it doesn’t always advance the A-show stories, but it will always advance the stories of several of the midcard wrestlers. The angle with the Death Riders and Cabana was tremendous though, and definitely plays into one of the A level stories with Hangman and Moxley.

AEW Dynamite – July 23, 2025

Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta

AEW Collision – July 26, 2025

Athena vs. Alex Windsor

AEW Collision live results: International title eliminator tournament continues

Posted on by Suit Williams

The eight-man tournament to determine who faces AEW International Champion Kenny Omega at April’s Dynasty continues on tonight’s live AEW Collision from Las Vegas, Nevada.

The featured bout will pit former Ring of Honor Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata against Ricochet. The latter was defeated by Swerve Strickland at last Sunday’s Revolution while Shibata has been teaming with The Opps as of late.

The other bout will see former Ring of Honor World Champion Mark Briscoe against Mark Davis of the Don Callis Family. Davis was involved heavily in the Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher cage match last Sunday while Briscoe was in tag team action on the pre-show.

In a rematch from last week, former AEW Tag Team Champions FTR will look to go 1-1 against Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong of the Undisputed Kingdom.

The main card is rounded out by former AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa going heads-up against the surging Megan Bayne.

**********

We’re on the short track to Dynasty, with this week’s Collision stopping at The Virgin Hotels Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. Collision started with words from the International Title Tournament competitors, The Undisputed Kingdom, & FTR. Sir Elton John kicked off the show properly, and Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call as always.

International Title Eliminator Tournament Match – Ricochet defeated Katsuyori Shibata

This was a solid opener with good energy to kick off the show. Ricochet gets a nice win to bounce back after his loss at Revolution.

The winner of this match joins Orange Cassidy & Mike Bailey in Wednesday’s four-way tournament final. Despite both men spending several years in New Japan Pro Wrestling, this is the first time these two have met in a singles match, and only the second time they’ve ever shared a ring together.

Shibata, who called Ricochet “baldie” in his cold open comments, scored the first strike with a shot to the leg. Ricochet took the upper hand with a springboard clothesline before throwing Shibata around on the floor. Ricochet landed a standing moonsault for a nearfall as we went to a commercial break.

The two men were trading strikes as we came back from the commercial, with Ricochet dropping Shibata with a dropkick. Ricochet sat with Shibata and tried to hurt him with strikes, but Shibata put on the Iron Claw – as taught to him by the Von Erichs – before smacking Ricochet on his bald head. Shibata followed with a suplex for a nearfall.

The two men traded suplexes before Shibata caught a flying Ricochet and put him in an STF that forced Ricochet into the ropes. Ricochet picked Shibata up and hit the Benadryller and a Lionsault for a nearfall, then hit a standing Shooting Star Press for another nearfall. Shibata locked on a sleeper hold, and after kicking out of a stacked pin, hit an Ushigoroshi in honor of his long-time friend and IWGP World Champion Hirooki Goto. Ricochet ducked the Penalty Kick and rolled Shibata up, then put his feet on the ropes as the referee was counting to score the tainted win.

During this match, it was announced that there would be special Slam Dunk Saturday and Slam Dunk Sunday editions of Collision coming on immediately after next weekend’s college basketball coverage on TNT.

After a recap of Dynamite, The Don Callis Family killed some extras in the back.

AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm was backstage, ready to collide with Megan Bayne. She called out Bayne, as well as anyone else who wanted to challenge her for her title.

Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Griff Garrison (w/ The Frat House)

Hobbs walked out through the crowd. The Frat House is ROH’s newest stable, featuring Garrison, Preston Vance, & Jacked Jameson. Hobbs bumped all three of them and beat Garrison with a main event spinebuster. Vance and Jameson circled Hobbs, but The Outrunners came out to run them off.

Lexy Nair’s guest at this time was Thunder Rosa. Rosa was tired of Megan Bayne’s disrespect before getting jumped by Bayne and laid out in the back.

International Title Eliminator Tournament Match – Mark Davis defeated Mark Briscoe

A surprising result here, as Mark Davis gets the win with some Callis Family assistance. Since Omega took the title from a Callis Family member, I wouldn’t write off Davis as a potential challenger, although that wouldn’t exactly be a marquee matchup.

The winner of this match joins Orange Cassidy, Mike Bailey, & Ricochet in Wednesday’s four-way tournament final.

Briscoe used his redneck kung-fu to get the jump on Davis, but Davis came back with a big back body drop. Briscoe ripped Davis over the ropes, then followed him to the floor with a dive. Briscoe sent Davis into the post, then launched himself off of a chair into Davis on the floor as we went to a commercial break.

We came back to Briscoe biting Davis off of the top rope before landing a missile dropkick. Briscoe and Davis hammered each other with chops, but Davis wouldn’t drop after repeated lariats. Davis caught Briscoe with a Tiger Suplex and a running knee for a nearfall. Davis followed Briscoe to the floor, but Briscoe caught him with a running blockbuster off the apron. Briscoe then climbed the guardrail and hit a Cactus Elbow.

Briscoe hit a lariat and a Fisherman’s Buster for a nearfall. Davis backdropped out of a Jay Driller attempt before snatching Briscoe up in a piledriver for a nearfall. Briscoe smacked Davis off the top rope into a Death Valley Driver. Briscoe went up for the Froggy Bow, but the Murder Machines came out. Archer took the referee as Cage knocked Briscoe off the top rope into a boot from Davis. Davis hit his pendulum piledriver for the win.

The Murder Machines defeated multiple victims

After a commercial, The Murder Machines dragged four corpses to the ring and killed them all. I don’t even know which ones were in the match, and none of them got names. They pinned one with the chokebomb. They continued killing before Mark Briscoe came out for revenge after the last match. Powerhouse Hobbs came out to help, brawling with Archer to the back as Briscoe and Cage brawled through the crowd to the back.

Swerve Strickland Town Hall

Swerve Strickland came out to address the crowd. He recapped his last week, noting that Prince Nana was at home safeguarding the Embassy robe. He reminded everyone that he won the AEW World Title at Dynasty last year, reigning as champion for four months, and that he’ll be challenging for the World Title at Dynasty this year in a nice coincidence.

Strickland talked about his relationship with Cope, as a professional inspiration and as someone whose helped him to become more dangerous over the years. Strickland said that he would run through him if he was in his way, as champion or challenger. Strickland then talked about Jon Moxley, putting him over for being a four-time World Champion but noting his complete desperation to stay on top. Strickland said to catch a maniac, you had to send a maniac, and Strickland promised to take the World Title back at Dynasty.

Jon Moxley made his way through the crowd and dropped Strickland with a crowbar. Moxley laid Strickland out with a Curb Stomp before leaving through the crowd. The camera followed him outside, with Moxley saying that he was tired of people like Strickland and Jay White trying to close him into a corner. Moxley said that on Dynamite, Cope was a dead man.

Hologram & Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) defeated Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty, Shawn Dean, & Carlie Bravo)

There was a lot going on here.

The announcers said that this was a stand-by match. Lio Rush & Action Andretti, now known as The Cru came out to watch the match from the stage. Harleygram was also watching from backstage. Hologram and Moriarty started on the mat before Dante Martin and Dean tagged in. Andretti got in Dante’s face, allowing Dean to score with a suplex as we went into the commercial.

After the break, STP had Dante isolated. In the back, The Beast Mortos found Harleygram and stared her down. Can’t blame him. We got a sight of Dralistico on Spanish commentary before Dante tagged in his brother. Darius ran wild before Dean and Bravo double teamed him. The match broke down into a Pier Six brawl before Top Flight got the win with a shotgun dropkick into a German Suplex. Top Flight stared down The Cru at ringside as Hologram stared down Dralistico at the Spanish commentary desk.

In a voiceover promo, Alex Abrahantes challenged La Faccion Ingobernable to a tag team match on behalf of Hologram & Komander.

Megan Bayne defeated Thunder Rosa

Bayne is getting the Monster of the Month treatment here, leaving everyone laid out. She’s been fine, but I wouldn’t call her impressive in her outings so far.

Thunder Rosa came out with her ribs taped after the attack by Bayne earlier tonight. Rosa came out firing, hammering Bayne with chops before Bayne dropped her with a shoulder block. Rosa fought off a charging Bayne in the corner, but Bayne caught her and dumped her with an overhead throw. Bayne booted Rosa off of the apron as we went to a commercial.

Bayne and Rosa were hammering each other with strikes as we came back from the break. Rosa sent Bayne into the corner, then knocked her down with a shotgun dropkick. Rosa sent herself and Bayne to the floor with a seated dropkick against the ropes. Rosa sent Bayne off the post and the stairs. They brawled onto the ramp, where Bayne dropped Rosa with the F-5.

Bayne got back into the ring to take the countout, but Rosa beat the count. Bayne hit her with another F-5 to score the win over the former AEW Women’s World Champion. After the match, Bayne put Rosa in an Argentine Backbreaker when Toni Storm came out to make the save. Bayne dropped Storm with the F-5 as well, leaving the champion laid out as referees and Kris Statlander came out to ward her off.

The announcers ran down the card for next week’s Dynamite, now featuring Megan Bayne vs. Kris Statlander. A TNT Title Match was announced for Slam Dunk Saturday, as Daniel Garcia vs. Adam Cole was booked with everyone banned from ringside. Hologram & Komander vs. The Beast Mortos & Dralistico was announced for Slam Dunk Sunday.

FTR (w/Daniel Garcia) defeated The Undisputed Kingdom (Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) (w/Adam Cole)

I love this tag team match serving as a build of sorts for the TNT Title match next Saturday. That’s why I’m always in favor of singles stars having tag partners or associates for reasons. This match started out roughly, with Strong and Wheeler on different pages, but they rounded into form and pulled together a quality main event. FTR continuing to refuse handshakes is a point of interest here, even with Garcia shaking Cole’s hand.

Garcia and Cole joined the commentary desk, in support of their respective trios partners. O’Reilly and Harwood started, with O’Reilly forcing Harwood to the ropes while attempting an ankle lock. Wheeler tagged in but got isolated in the Kingdom corner. Strong and Wheeler kept whipping each other into the ropes, leading to Wheeler dumping Strong on the ropes and isolating him for a short while.

Strong dumped Wheeler to the floor, but Wheeler came back in to distract the referee on a tag, keeping Strong in the ring. Wires got crossed on a Hart Attack attempt, but FTR eventually got it as we went to a commercial. After the break, Strong dropped Harwood with an Olympic Slam to get the tag into O’Reilly. O’Reilly immediately got Wheeler in an ankle lock, then dropped Harwood with a side suplex when he tried to break it up.

O’Reilly hooked Wheeler in the ankle lock again, with Strong locking Harwood in an ankle lock on the apron. Harwood shoved Strong into the post before breaking up the ankle lock with a diving headbutt. An FTR Doomsday Device was cut off by O’Reilly, but FTR got him in position for the Steiner Brother Bulldog for a nearfall. Strong cut off a Shatter Machine, then drilled him with a jumping knee for a nearfall.

The match broke down into a Pier Six brawl, with the Kingdom hitting the Total Elimination for a nearfall broken up by Wheeler. Harwood’s chest was bleeding as the four men got up and swung. FTR scored with the Shatter Machine on Strong, but O’Reilly pulled Harwood off the cover. Wheeler dove onto O’Reilly, but Harwood’s second cover only got a nearfall as the referee saw Strong’s foot on the ropes this time.

The ring announcer made the fifteen-minute call, as five minutes remained in the time limit. FTR went for the PowerPlex, but Strong got his knees up on the splash and rolled him up for a nearfall. The Total Elimination got cut off, and FTR hit a second Shatter Machine to score the win. Both Cole and Garcia went to the ring to help their friends and ended up staring each other down. Cole & Garcia shook hands, but when FTR were offered a handshake from the Kingdom, they refused.

Ring of Honor TV live results: Three title matches

Posted on by Suit Williams

Three championship matches are scheduled as part of tonight’s ROH TV on HonorClub. 

Athena will put her ROH Women’s World Championship on the line against Angelina Love on the show. She will be seeking her 14th successful title defense. This will be Love’s first match in ROH since Tony Khan purchased the company. She is a former Women of Honor Champion, having held the title briefly in 2019. 

Katsuyori Shibata will also put the ROH Pure Championship on the line tonight. He defends the title against Nick Wayne, who will be making his ROH debut. 

ROH Six Man Tag Team Champions The Mogul Embassy will defend their titles on Thursday’s show as well when they face Willie Mack and The Infantry. Brian Cage and The Gates of Agony’s title defense against The Hung Bucks will air on Friday’s episode of Rampage. 

Other matches scheduled for tonight’s show include Leyla Hirsch and The Renegades taking on Willow Nightingale, Skye Blue, and Kiera Hogan, Lee Johnson vs. Lee Moriarty, Ethan Page vs. VSK, and more. 

**********

The show started with a promo from the new Ring of Honor World Champion Eddie Kingston, who talked about not liking Claudio Castagnoli, but respecting his talents. He dedicated the title win to former ROH World Champion Xavier, who passed away in 2020.

ROH Pure Title Match – Katsuyori Shibata (c) defeated Nick Wayne

This was Shibata’s sixth title defense. The judges for this title match were Dalton Castle, Jerry Lynn, and Jimmy Jacobs.

The two jockeyed for position early on, with Shibata almost scoring with a Penalty Kick. Shibata snatched on an ankle lock soon after, with Wayne having to use his first rope break at 2:30. Wayne feigned injury to bait Shibata to the floor, but Shibata sent Wayne into the barricades anyway. Shibata held serve on Wayne until Wayne knocked Shibata down with a running forearm.

Wayne knocked Shibata into the corner before hitting Shibata’s signature shotgun dropkick on Shibata himself. Shibata woke up and drilled Wayne with a forearm before following with the shotgun dropkick on Wayne. Shibata locked on the Cobra Twist, forcing Wayne to use his second rope break at 8:00. Wayne immediately used his third rope break to escape a hold before dropping Shibata with a neckbreaker for a nearfall.

Wayne hit a pair of high kicks and went for Wayne’s World, but Shibata caught him in a sleeper hold. Shibata sat Wayne down and hit the Penalty Kick to win and retain the title.

Lexy Nair was backstage with Lee Johnson, who was quickly interrupted by Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor. Moriarty mockingly offered a handshake before Taylor got in Johnson’s face. They broke away before things got physical.

Diamante defeated Catie Brite

This was a quick showcase for Diamante, who won with Rolling The Dice.

Lexy Nair was backstage with The Infantry & Willie Mack. Carlie Bravo said that they have become one of the hottest teams in ROH, and alongside Willie Mack, they would win the titles.

Lee Moriarty (w/Shane Taylor) defeated Lee Johnson

It’s a Lee Derby here in State College, PA. After jockeying for position, Johnson picked up the pace and sent Moriarty to the floor with a dropkick. Johnson met Moriarty on the floor and peppered him with chops. Back in the ring, Moriarty cut off Johnson with a kitchen sink knee. Moriarty hit a bridging suplex for a nearfall.

Johnson fought out of a Ground Cobra and avoided another kitchen sink knee before taking Moriarty down with a lariat. Johnson fired up, hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Moriarty yanked Johnson into the turnbuckle, but Johnson drilled Moriarty with a superkick. Johnson hit a frog splash, but Moriarty got his foot on the ropes to break the pin. Moriarty dropped Johnson on the ropes neck first before hitting a leg lariat to score the clean win.

In a pre-tape, Athena held Minion Training with Billie Starkz & Lexy Nair. Their tasks included rigorous exercise, booing Willow Nightingale, and attempting to scare the Renegade Twins. According to Athena, Lexy passed her training, but Starkz did not. This was very silly.

Mercedes Martinez (w/Diamante) defeated Trish Adora

After the opening salvo, Adora had Martinez in a fireman’s carry before Diamante distracted her. Martinez laid Adora out with a main event spinebuster. Diamante got some shots in on Adora while the referee was distracted by Martinez. Martinez hit the Anarchist Suplex for a nearfall.

Adora caught Martinez with a bridging German suplex from her knees before following with a senton for a nearfall. Martinez hit a half-and-half suplex before hitting a running forearm. Martinez followed with a rabbit forearm before locking on the Brass City Sleeper to score the submission win.

ROH Women’s World Title Match – Athena (w/Billie Starkz) (c) defeated Angelina Love

This was Athena’s fifteenth defense of the title.

Athena is wrestling in street clothes. The two traded kip-ups before Athena dropped Love with a back heel kick and a meteora for a nearfall. Love rolled to the floor and apprehended Starkz, then sent Starkz into Athena to gain control. Back in the ring, Love hit a sidewalk slam for a nearfall.

Athena bit her way out of a chinlock before firing up with a combo that ended with a low enzuigiri. Athena hit a handspring forearm before going to the top rope, but Love cut her off. Love ducked a corner charge before hitting the Botox Injection for a nearfall. Athena came back with her double knee facebuster to win and retain.

Lexy Nair was backstage with Maria Kanellis-Bennett, Cole Karter, & Griff Garrison. Garrison said that he felt he’s lost a step since returning from injury and that teaming with Karter seemed like a relatively good idea.

Kiera Hogan, Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale defeated Leyla Hirsch, Charlette Renegade, & Robyn Renegade

Hogan quickly got the upper hand on Robyn Renegade, hitting a hip attack and a low dropkick for a nearfall. Blue tagged in and hit a rising knee before landing a superkick for a nearfall. Charlette and Hirsch yanked Blue’s partners off the ropes before the Renegades hit a double suplex on Blue for a nearfall.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett made her way to the stage to watch. The Renegades double-teamed Blue before Hirsch tagged in. Hirsch rag-dolled Blue around with suplexes before snatching Blue’s arm in a cross armbreaker. Blue rolled her up to escape before tagging in Nightingale, who ran wild on all three opponents.

Nightingale hit a double suplex on both Renegades for a nearfall. The match broke down into a Pier Six brawl before Nightingale hit a Pounce on Hirsch. Nightingale hit a DVD on Charlette before Blue hit a Code Blue to score the win.

Lexy Nair was backstage with Mark Sterling, Tony Nese, & Spanish Announce Project. Nese was very condescending to his partners tonight.

Ethan Page defeated VSK

Page hit a powerslam and set up for Ego’s Edge, but VSK escaped and fought back. Page hit a cradle slam, similar to Rhea Ripley’s Riptide, before hitting the outside-in cutter to score the quick win.

El Hijo del Vikingo, Gravity & Metalik (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. Spanish Announce Project (Angelico & Serpentico) & Tony Nese (w/Mark Sterling)

Metalik started off with Serpentico, quickly taking him down with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Gravity & Angelico tagged in, with Gravity sending Angelico to the floor with a lucha armdrag. Vikingo & Nese came in, with Vikingo hammering Nese with kicks before sending him to the floor with a dropkick. Vikingo hit a step-up twisting tornillo to the floor before his partners followed with dives of their own.

Metalik came in, but Sterling cut him off in the ropes and allowed Nese to take control. Angelico tagged in and tied Metalik in knots before he reached the ropes, all the while arguing with Nese. Angelico brought Metalik to the top rope, but Metalik brought him down with a sunset flip powerbomb. Gravity tagged in and ran wild, hitting a powerslam and a standing moonsault for a nearfall.

The match broke down into a Pier Five brawl – Vikingo hasn’t been around since the dive – before Nese tried to unmask Gravity. Serpentico took offense to that, leading to both SAP members bailing on the match. Metalik tagged in and hit a rope walk senton for the win.

Lexy Nair was backstage with Ethan Page. He hasn’t felt this good in a while, not since he challenged MJF for the AEW World Title in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. He wanted to get back to that feeling, so he’s here in ROH to keep competing.

Action Andretti & Darius Martin defeated Cole Karter & Griff Garrison (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett)

Karter was outpaced by Martin, so he quickly tagged out to Garrison. Andretti & Martin outsmarted Garrison, fooling him with a blind tag to score with a double team. After Karter and Maria tripped up Martin, Garrison dropped him with a big boot. Karter kept control of Martin, with Maria helping on the outside to Garrison’s dismay.

Martin fought off a double team to make the tag to Andretti, who ran wild on both men. After a scramble, Karter tried getting a roll-up with his feet on the ropes. Garrison knocked his feet off the ropes, not wanting to cheat to win. Martin and Andretti took advantage, isolating Karter before Andretti hit a springboard 450 to score the win.

ROH World Six Man Tag Team Title Match – The Mogul Embassy (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage & Toa Liona) (w/Prince Nana) (c) defeated The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) & Willie Mack (w/Trish Adora)

This was the Mogul Embassy’s tenth title defense.

Bravo & Dean isolated Kaun with a wishbone before Liona tagged in. Liona dropped Bravo with a lariat before Kaun came in with a senton. Cage tagged in to continue the offensive on Bravo. Bravo fought his way to the tag to Mack, who took Cage down multiple times.

Mack fought off all three of the Embassy before hitting a yakuza kick on Cage for a nearfall. Cage cut Mack off and hit his outside-in superplex. Bravo tagged in and dropped both Cage and Kaun before avoiding Liona’s charge. The Infantry isolated Liona, drilling him with kicks before Mack hit a Stunner. The Infantry hit a double suplex on Liona before tagging Mack. Mack hit a frog splash on Cage for a nearfall.

The match broke down into a Pier Six brawl, with the Embassy isolating Mack. Liona and Kaun hit Open The Gates on Mack to score the win and retain the titles.

ROH Supercard of Honor live results: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston

Posted on by Suit Williams

Ring of Honor returns to pay-per-view on a busy Friday night in pro wrestling with Supercard of Honor.

ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will defend the title against past friend and rival Eddie Kingston. The two have had a history dating back to 2004 and will meet in singles action for the first time since 2011.

After their recent star-making performances on AEW Dynamite, AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo will defend against Komander while NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi will answer the challenge of Daniel Garcia.

ROH Women’s Champion Athena defends against Yuka Sakazaki, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta will defend against NJPW star Katsuyori Shibata, ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defends against Mark Briscoe, and ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Embassy defend against AR Fox, Blake Christian & Metalik.

The ROH Tag Team titles will find a new home as The Kingdom, Lucha Brothers, Top Flight, Aussie Open and Rush & Dralistico will battle in a ladder match for the vacant titles.

**********

**Zero Hour**

Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman welcomed us to the Galen Center on the campus of USC for the Zero Hour pre-show before throwing to our first match of the night.

Jeff Cobb defeated Tracy Williams

Both men had on black armbands with Jay Briscoe’s name printed. After starting with some grappling, Cobb stuffed a headlock takeover attempt and sent Williams flying with a Spin Cycle side suplex. Cobb won a strike battle with a palm thrust to the neck before hitting a stalling suplex for a nearfall. Williams avoided a standing moonsault and went for a facelock, but Cobb powered up to his feet. Williams took Cobb down with a side suplex. Cobb went after Williams in the corner, but Williams caught Cobb with a DDT for a nearfall.

Cobb lifted Williams up, but Williams got a small package for another nearfall. Cobb ducked a set of lariats before hitting a German suplex. Williams went for a set of strikes before Cobb suddenly finished proceedings with a Tour of the Islands.

– Riccaboni and Coleman announce that this show will be done in honor of the late Jay Briscoe before throwing to a hype video for the Shibata/Yuta Pure Title match.

– Bobby Cruise welcomed the third commentator for the night, former ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness.

Konosuke Takeshita defeated Willie Mack

Mack and Takeshita hammered each other with shoulder blocks, with Mack winning the exchange with a punch. Takeshita gained a head of steam before laying out Mack with a flying clothesline. Takeshita looked to follow up with a dive to the floor, but Mack evaded it and laid out Takeshita with a lariat. Back in the ring, the men traded headscissors, with Takeshita sending Mack to the floor. Takeshita hit a senton to the floor and sent Mack into the ring, where Mack answered with a senton to the floor of his own.

Back in the ring, Takeshita fought up from a chinlock but got taken down by a Mack lariat. Mack hit a jumping Shining Wizard and followed with a Samoan Drop. Mack nipped up and hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Takeshita fired up with elbows, but Mack dropped him with a dropkick. Mack went to follow up, but Takeshita dropped him with a lariat for a two count.

Takeshita set up for the Blue Thunder Bomb, but Mack fought out and went for a Stunner. Takeshita fought out, but Mack hit two Stunners. Takeshita answered with a jumping knee and a Stunner of his own, but Mack got the last word in the exchange with a Shining Wizard.

The crowd chanted This Is Awesome as both men got up. Mack hit an exploder suplex into the corner before smashing Takeshita with a cannonball. Mack went to the top for a frog splash, but Takeshita moved out of the way. Takeshita hit the Blue Thunder Bomb before scoring the win with the running knee strike.

– In the middle of that match, it was announced that Komander vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo would be the opener.

– We got a hype video for the Women’s World Title match between Athena and Yuka Sakazaki.

Willow Nightingale defeated Miranda Alize

Alize smacked away Nightingale’s hand for the Code of Honor, which Nightingale responded to by tossing Alize around with suplexes. Alize bailed out of the ring, forcing Nightingale to chase her before catching her with a spike rana. Nightingale fought back with chops before Alize clawed at her eyes to get away. Alize hit a face wash boot and a shotgun dropkick before scoring a nearfall with a butterfly suplex.

Nightingale cartwheeled out of the way of an Alize attack and went on offense, hitting a spinebuster for a nearfall. Alize hit a ripcord knee and a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Alize hit a low dropkick and a DDT for another nearfall, which she quickly followed with an armbar. Nightingale rolled her up to get out of the hold before hitting a Spicolli Driver for a two count.

Alize ducked a cannonball and spun Nightingale around into a cutter. Alize set up for the Drive By knee, but Willow ducked it and hit a pounce. Nightingale dropped the straps and hit the Babe With The Powerbomb for the win.

– We got a hype video for the Reach For The Sky ladder match, the Mark Briscoe/Samoa Joe Television Title match, and the Eddie Kingston/Claudio Castagnoli World Title match.

Stu Grayson (w/Evil Uno) defeated Slim J (w/Ari Daivari & Smart Mark Sterling)

It’s not a new-era ROH show until the Trustbusters show up. That’s not a good thing. Slim J is good though, and this was a fine showcase for the returning Grayson.

Grayson overpowered Slim J to start, sending him flying with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. After convening with his team on the outside, Slim J hit a pair of headscissors, but Grayson hit one of his own. Grayson hit an inside-out senton to Slim J on the apron. Sterling and Daivari ran distraction, allowing Slim J to hit a hurricane kick off the top rope before ripping off his pricey t-shirt.

Slim J hit a springboard reverse DDT for a two count. Slim J laid in strikes that only fired up Grayson, leading to a Grayson offensive flurry. Grayson hit a springboard twisting senton for a two count. Slim J caught Grayson in a sleeper hold, but Grayson hit a pop-up powerslam for a nearfall. Slim J fought out of a backbreaker and hit a standing Sliced Bread for a nearfall.

Slim J went to the top rope and missed a high-arcing moonsault. Sterling got involved again, leading to Evil Uno taking him and Daivari out. Grayson got his hands on Slim J and finally hit the Nightfall to score the win.

– After the match, former ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Vincent and Dutch of the Righteous made their way to the stage and menaced the Dark Order team.

**Main Card**

– Riccaboni, Coleman, & McGuinness welcomed us to the main card before introducing our first match.

AAA Mega Title Match: El Hijo del Vikingo defeated Komander to retain

An absolutely dazzling affair. The raw athleticism on display was unreal. You would think these two came from a different planet with the moves they pulled off. I cannot recommend this match enough, as this was a fantastic way to kick off Supercard of Honor.

We got a pop at the bell as the crowd was red hot for this match. Komander caught Vikingo by the legs and went for a trap pinfall that only got a two count. Vikingo responded by trapping Komander in a surfboard stretch that Komander got out of. They got their legs tied up, eventually ending up in a headstand. They slapped each other out of it before Vikingo sent Komander to the floor. Vikingo hit a Fosbury Flop and landed with Komander in a reverse DDT position, but Komander reversed position. They do-si-do’ed position before Vikingo sent Komander in the ring.

Komander sent Vikingo to the floor and hit a top rope dive. He hit a senton to the floor before pulling out a table. Komander hit a 450 splash to Vikingo on the floor. Back in the ring, Vikingo got back in control, hitting an imploding hurricanrana and a hurricane kick. Vikingo hit a meteora that sent Komander to the floor. Komander got his knees up on a Shooting Star Press from the apron. Komander went for a rope-walk shooting star, but Vikingo got his feet up.

Vikingo hit a snap Frankensteiner for a nearfall before following up with a spinning uranage. Vikingo went for a double jump springboard hurricanrana, but Komander caught him with a powerbomb for a nearfall. Komander went to the top, but Vikingo shoved him down to the floor. Vikingo stood on the top of the ringpost, then hit a springboard imploding 450 to Komander on the floor. This is madness!

Vikingo sent Komander in the ring and hit a outside-in Phoenix Splash for a nearfall. They rolled to the apron, where they engaged in a strike battle. Komander rolled up onto Vikingo’s shoulder before hitting a Destroyer on the apron. Komander went to the turnbuckle on the far-side of the ring and hit his rope-walk soaring dive to a massive pop. Back in the ring, Komander hit the rope-walk Shooting Star Press successfully, but only got a nearfall.

Komander went back to the well, but Vikingo knocked him down onto the ropes. Vikingo went to the top, but Komander walked the ropes to him. Vikingo then caught Komander off the top rope with a Canadian Destroyer that sent Komander to the table on the floor. Vikingo hit a step-up 630 to Komander on the table that didn’t break the table, but was no less spectacular.

Vikingo went to the top rope and missed the 630 Splash into the ring. Komander went to the top rope and hit a twisting Phoenix Splash, but Vikingo grabbed the rope on the cover. Komander took Vikingo to the top rope, but Vikingo slammed him down with the twisting uranage off the top. Vikingo hit a Meteora in the corner before crushing Komander with a 630 to win this incredible match.

ROH World Six Man Tag Team Title Match: The Embassy (Brian Cage, Toa Liona & Kaun) (w/Prince Nana) defeated AR Fox, Blake Christian & Metalik to retain

This match had a solid story, with the challengers trying to blitz the champions before they got their feet under them. Eventually, the Embassy were able to keep one guy isolated long enough to win. There was no way they could match the spectacle that the opener was, but this was a solid trios match nonetheless.

The challengers brought the fight to the champions, sending them to the floor before hitting a triple dive to the floor. Metalik tried to follow with a crossbody onto Liona, but Liona caught him and sent him down with a twisting senton. The champions isolated Metalik, who hit a back elbow to tag out to Fox. Fox hit a set of cutters on Cage, before taking out Kaun with a cutter. Liona tried to cut him off, but Fox ducked his charge and hit dives onto Kaun and Cage. Fox hit a top rope senton onto Cage for a nearfall.

Cage caught Fox on a dive and hit an F-5 before tagging out to Liona. Fox got the tag out to Christian, who took out Kaun on the apron before hitting a Fosbury Flop to Liona on the floor. Metalik hit a splash, but Liona kicked out before the ref started counting. The Embassy isolated Christian, hitting a top rope backbreaker and an apron splash on him. Fox cut off Cage and hit a powerbomb, leading to a flurry of offense on Cage. This broke down into a pier 6 brawl, ending with Metalik hitting a DDT on Liona.

Cage lined up a powerbomb, but Christian walked on Kaun’s back to hit a Destroyer on Cage. Kaun and Liona took out Christian with a facebuster. Metalik and Cage were left alone in the ring, with Cage hitting the Drillclaw to win the match and retain the titles.

ROH Women’s World Title Match: Athena defeated Yuka Sakazaki to retain

This wasn’t as good as Athena’s title defenses on Ring of Honor television as it lacked the hyper-intensity that those matches had, but this was still a quality title match. Athena has become one of the most compelling women’s wrestlers in America just from the viciousness of her offense.

Athena charged Sakazaki to start, but the opening challenge ended in a stalemate. Sakazaki picked up steam, hitting a headscissors that sent Athena to the floor before following it with a step-up cannonball to the floor. Athena tried bailing through the crowd, but Sakazaki caught up with her and sent her back in the ring. Athena sidestepped a missile dropkick and brought Sakazaki down with a Black Hole Slam.

Athena caught Sakazaki’s leg on a corner charge and drove her down to the mat by the neck. Sakazaki hit a jawbreaker and followed with a sliding lariat for a nearfall. Sakazaki hit an up kick in the corner before Athena caught her on a headscissors attempt. Athena hit a trio of powerbombs for a nearfall. Athena hit the double-knee facebuster for a nearfall as the crowd chanted for Sakazaki. Sakazaki rolled to the apron where Athena dropkicked her to the floor.

Athena hit a wheelbarrow suplex to Sakazaki on the floor. She tried to follow with a dropkick into the barricade, but Sakazaki moved. Sakazaki hit a big slam on the floor before sending Athena into the ring steps. Sakazaki got on the stage and took a long run before hitting Athena with a running Thesz Press. Back in the ring, Sakazaki hit a splash from the top rope for a nearfall.

Sakazaki hit a quintet of forearms before setting up her finish, but Athena drilled her with a forearm of her own. Sakazaki grabbed the ropes to break the pin. Athena went to the top for the O-Face, but Sakazaki met her on the top and hit a superplex. Sakazaki hit her spinning facebuster finish – think Dalton Castle’s Bang-a-rang but inverted – but Athena kicked out. Sakazaki went for a top-rope splash again, but Athena sent the referee into the ropes and took Sakazaki down with an elevated O-Face for the win.

ROH World Television Title Match: Samoa Joe defeated Mark Briscoe to retain

A stunning result here to a really good, hard-hitting match.

Joe bailed out of the ring to start, letting the emotion of the moment simmer down before locking up with Briscoe. Briscoe peppered Joe with Redneck Kung Fu strikes before engaging in a chop battle that Briscoe won with a chop to the neck. Briscoe hit the Spicolli Driver and went for the Froggy Bow, but Joe rolled out of the ring. Briscoe charged Joe on the floor, but Joe took Briscoe down with a suplex to the floor.

Back in the ring, Joe hammered Briscoe with strikes and dropped him with a back elbow. Joe kept control with heavy strikes, but Briscoe fired up after Joe started laying in the punches. Joe ducked a corner charge and hit the body block/enzuigiri combination to send Briscoe to the floor. Briscoe came back in the ring only for Joe to send him back to the floor and hit the Elbow Suicida.

Joe grabbed a chair, but Briscoe cut him off with a baseball slide. Briscoe used the chair to hit a step-up dive over the top before pulling a table out from under the ring. Hopefully it wasn’t the same table that Vikingo used. Briscoe hit a running blockbuster off the apron through the table. Back in the ring, Briscoe laid in the chops on Joe, but Joe responded with elbows and a headbutt. Briscoe took Joe down with a forearm off the ropes.

As both men recovered, Ian Riccaboni announced that Supercard of Honor broke the all-time ROH gate record in Southern California. I don’t think there’s much competition there, but a record is a record. Briscoe crawled to the corner for a tag, but instead fired himself up and hit a uranage for a nearfall. Joe fought out of a Jay Driller attempt and hit the snap powerslam for a nearfall. Joe hit a powerbomb, and when Briscoe kicked out, transitioned into the ST-Joe. When Briscoe started crawling to the ropes, Joe transitioned to a crossface, but Briscoe got to the ropes regardless.

Briscoe fired up, fighting through a high-angle back suplex, but Joe landed a big lariat for a nearfall. Joe’s nose was busted as he set up the Muscle Buster, but Briscoe fought off and hit a boot that sent Joe to the mat. Briscoe went to the top and hit the Froggy Bow, but only got a close nearfall. Briscoe called for the Jay Driller, but Joe powered out again. Joe countered the Cut-Throat Driver and locked in the Coquina Clutch. He sent Briscoe up and over with a sleeper suplex before locking in the Clutch again, forcing Briscoe to pass out.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Daniel Garcia

This was a good match. I realize saying that about a Tanahashi singles match is like saying the grass is green, but good is about all this match was. The work was smart, but the crowd still felt down from the Briscoe loss. They did get up for Tanahashi’s signature offense.

Garcia is entering this match without any Jericho Appreciation Society backup. Tanahashi is entering this one without his front teeth, as his veneers broke while eating an apple yesterday. Garcia grabbed a hold of Tanahashi’s hair and laid in shots to Tanahashi’s back. Tanahashi came back with a back elbow and a crossbody off the second rope. Tanahashi beat Garcia around the ring, but Garcia took control after a drop toe hold onto the stairs.

Garcia worked over Tanahashi’s knee before playing his own air guitar to boos. Garcia does more work on Tanahashi’s leg before getting distracted by the crowds chant of You’re A Wrestler. Garcia channels Shinsuke Nakamura by hitting Tanahashi with the good vibrations boot in the corner. He hit the Nakamura pose on the ropes to massive heat as Ian Riccaboni promoted a very special announcement from Tony Khan this Wednesday on Dynamite. Hmm.

Tanahashi fought back and hit the second-rope senton for a nearfall. Garcia cut off Tanahashi and hit a scissors kick for a nearfall. Tanahashi and Garcia engaged in a strike battle that became a boot-to-the-knee battle that Garcia won. Garcia went for a Sharpshooter, but Tanahashi rolled him up for a nearfall. Tanahashi caught Garcia’s boot and hit a Dragon Screw before locking on the Texas Cloverleaf.

Garcia reached the ropes and dropped Tanahashi with a kneebreaker and a German suplex. Garcia hit the Bryan Danielson running knee for a nearfall. Garcia went for a piledriver, but Tanahashi maneuvered into the Twist and Shout before landing the Slingblade for a nearfall. Tanahashi went to the top rope and hit the High Fly Flow for the win. Garcia denied Tanahashi a handshake after the match.

Reach For The Sky Ladder Match for ROH World Tag Team Titles: The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) defeated Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin), The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett), Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis), & La Faccion Ingobernable (Dralistico & Rush) to win the titles

Absolute mayhem from start to finish.

You will have to forgive me if I don’t catch every spot in this one folks. LFI and the Kingdom stay in the ring, clearing out the rest of the teams before the Kingdom dropped LFI and sent them to the floor. Top Flight avoided a ladder attack and dropkicked the ladder into both members of the Kingdom. LFI tied up Top Flight in the corner, allowing Rush to crush them with a ladder-assisted Bull’s Horns. Aussie Open caught Dralistico with the Dental Plan before dropping Rush with the tandem cutter.

The Lucha Brothers come in and take out Aussie Open with a wheelbarrow splash on top of those two and a ladder. We got a run of dives, peaking with the Kingdom taking out Darius Martin with an inside-out Doomsday Device. LFI isolated Penta and sent him into the post as the Kingdom set up a massive pile of tables on the floor. Aussie Open laid out the Kingdom with dual piledrivers. They sandwiched a Martin brother with two ladders on the floor.

Aussie Open set up the ladder, but the Lucha Brothers cut them off. The Kingdom was busted open on the stage. LFI took out the Lucha Brothers, but the Kingdom fought back in. Bennett and Rush climbed the ladder, but climbed down and moved the ladder to fight to a big pop from the crowd. Rush wiped Bennett’s blood on his chest before engaging in a chop battle. Rush won it but got met with a King of the King from Taven. Dralistico sent Taven into a ladder in the corner with a suplex.

Darius Martin cut off Dralistico before catapulting Dante Martin to the top. They took out Rush with a dropkick to a chair, but Aussie Open took out Top Flight by sending them into a ladder. Aussie Open send both Lucha Brothers into ladders with a beel throw. Dante Martin dropkicked Fletcher in the ankles to knock him off the ladder. Darius Martin hit a Spanish Fly off a ladder bridge to Matt Taven. Dante Martin took out Bennett with a sunset flip powerbomb, but got dropped by Aussie Open with the Coriolis. Aussie Open took out Darius Martin with a tandem spinebuster onto a ladder bridge on the floor.

Dralistico sent Fletcher off the apron into the announce table with a rana. The Kingdom double-teamed Dralistico, with Taven sending Dralistico through a ladder with a splash. Rush sent Davis into a ladder with a German suplex off the apron. Jose The Assistant and Alex Abrahantes got into fisticuffs. Dante Martin tried fighting off both Lucha Brothers, but Penta sent Dante off of a ladder bridge through four tables with a Canadian Destroyer. The Kingdom tried fighting off Fenix, but Fenix fought them off and grabbed the titles to win.

After the match, Mark Briscoe and FTR raised the arms of the Lucha Brothers.

ROH Pure Title Match: Katsuyori Shibata defeated Wheeler Yuta (w/ Jon Moxley) to win the title

Yuta got himself in way over his head. On ROH TV, he had been toying around with his opponents, showing his proficiency in the Pure style. He got a big head and made a challenge to man much better than him and found out he made a massive mistake. This was a great culmination of Yuta’s work over the past month of work in Ring of Honor. Seeing Shibata in the ring, holding a Ring of Honor Championship is surreal.

Pat Buck, Madison Rayne, and Christopher Daniels were the judges.

Seeing Shibata in the ring is still surreal after all of these years. Moxley made his way to the back during the opening exchanges. Shibata won the early exchanges, almost scoring with the Penalty Kick before Yuta moved. Shibata was in firm control early on, tying Yuta up in a figure four leglock. Yuta tried hard to escape the hold, but was forced to use his first rope break. Yuta rarely used his rope breaks in his television defenses of the title, so this is signaling a big step up in competition for the champion.

Shibata got Yuta in position and laid in the hammer-and-anvil elbows. McGuinness reminisced about the time “Clam Digger Danielson” beat him for the Pure Title with those strikes. Yuta escaped a figure four head lock by forcing Shibata on his shoulders for a pin cover. Yuta took hold of Shibata’s arm and began working on it, but Shibata worked his way to his feet and stomped Yuta in the chest. Yuta laid in the chops to Shibata, who didn’t sell it and hit a palm strike that sent Yuta to the corner.

Yuta trapped the referee and hit a low blow behind the referee’s back. The referee did see Yuta hit Shibata with a closed fist, which earned a warning. Yuta worked over Shibata and taunted him with boots. Yuta tried chopping Shibata again, but Shibata walked into them and drilled Yuta with an elbow. Shibata hit the face wash before landing the picture-perfect basement dropkick. A suplex landed for a nearfall.

Yuta used his second rope break as Shibata pulled him off the ropes. Shibata booted Yuta in the chest repeatedly, with Yuta spitting in his face. Yuta hit a set of strikes and went for the Seatbelt pin cover, but Shibata cut it off. Yuta went for the rebound suplex, but Shibata slapped him in the face and locked him in the sleeper choke. Yuta went down, leading to Shibata hitting the Penalty Kick to win the match and the Pure Title. After the match, Yuta blew off the Code of Honor and left to boos.

– The announcers ran down the card for Dynamite this week, including the additions of Sammy Guevara vs. Komander and Hook vs. Ethan Page for the FTW Title. They also announced that Athena would defend the ROH Women’s World Title against Miyu Yamashita on ROH TV this Thursday.

ROH World Title Match: Claudio Castagnoli defeated Eddie Kingston to retain

A match with intensity and fire that built up to an excellent crescendo. Kingston once again came up short against Castagnoli, but he proved that the talent gap between the two wasn’t as steep as Castagnoli believed. With the next set of Ring of Honor tapings coming in New York, I wouldn’t be surprised if a rematch came about, replaying the decade-old Chikara story that is so foundational to this feud. An excellent, emotionally charged main event to this show.

Kingston tackled Castagnoli to start, laying in the strikes to start. Castagnoli sent Kingston out of the ring with a set of uppercuts. Kingston grabbed a chair, but let the referee take it out of the ring. Castagnoli hit a side suplex, but Kingston came back with chops and a headlock. Kingston went after Castagnoli’s knee, sending him into a split. Castagnoli bailed to the floor to stop the attack. Kingston went for a dive, but Castagnoli cut him off with an uppercut in the ropes.

Kingston and Castagnoli brawled in the ropes, with Castagnoli tying Kingston up and hitting open hand slaps to Kingston. He dragged Kingston over the second rope to the floor with a suplex. Castagnoli hit a double stomp to Kingston before following it with a diving headbutt for a nearfall. Kingston and Castagnoli exchanged palm strikes, with Castagnoli cutting it off to spin Kingston with the Giant Swing. He only got three rotations, as Kingston’s work on the knee forced Castagnoli to stop.

Castagnoli hit a running uppercut in the corner and sent Kingston to the top rope. Kingston threw more palm strikes, with Castagnoli answering with a dropkick to Kingston seated on the top rope. Castagnoli went to the top and brought Kingston with him before bringing him down with a Superplex that scored a nearfall. Castagnoli laid in the boots before double stomping Kingston in the face, but Kingston cut off a cover attempt by clawing Castagnoli in the face.

Kingston hit an enzuigiri that sent Castagnoli to the floor, and quickly followed with a dive. Kingston hit an exploder suplex on the floor and rolled back in the ring. Castagnoli followed and was met with a bulldog off the second rope for a nearfall. Kingston tried for a side suplex, but Castagnoli didn’t go and clubbed at him with strikes. Castagnoli went for a big uppercut, but Kingston hooked him in the Stretch Plum.

Castagnoli got to the ropes, so Kingston hit the Backdrop Driver for a nearfall. Castagnoli blasted Kingston with elbows and hit a German suplex. We had a forearm battle. Kingston had a backfist blocked, and Castagnoli hit a heavy lariat for a nearfall. Castagnoli laid in the knees to Kingston’s midsection, setting up the Ricola Bomb. But Kingston slipped out and hit the Backfist for a tight nearfall.

Castagnoli rolled to the apron, where Kingston tried to hit an Exploder off the apron. But Castagnoli got Kingston in a gutwrench and suplexed him off of the apron to the floor. Castagnoli grabbed the barricade and threw it into Kingston’s back multiple times. Castagnoli dumped Kingston’s limp body into the ring and called for the running uppercut. He hit it clean, but Kingston kicked out at two. Castagnoli talked trash and slapped Kingston, but Kingston answered back with two Backfists.

Castagnoli hit the Neutralizer, but Kingston kicked out at one. Castagnoli rebounded with a massive uppercut, but Kingston kicked out again. Castagnoli laid in heavy uppercuts and went for the Ricola Bomb, but Kingston rolled through into a pin. Castagnoli rolled into a pin of his own to steal the win and retain the title.

After the match, Wheeler Yuta came to the ring to help Castagnoli up. They cornered Kingston before Katsuyori Shibata made his way to the ring to even the odds. They had a tense staredown before Castagnoli and Yuta left the ring. Kingston grabbed the mic and swore a lot before closing the show by saying that he wasn’t going anywhere, and that he would still be coming for Castagnoli and the title.

NJPW announces rules for Katsuyori Shibata Wrestle Kingdom match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Image: NJPW

NJPW has announced the set of rules for Katsuyori Shibata’s return match at Wrestle Kingdom 16.

At Wrestle Kingdom 16 night one on Tuesday, January 4, Shibata will face off against a mystery opponent. It was revealed at a press conference/contract signing event overnight that the match will be contested under “catch wrestling rules.”

“Stretches and submissions will be in use, as well as throws. Victory will be attained as usual, via pinfall, submission, countout etc. However, strikes of any kind will be prohibited,” NJPW announced.

Shibata, who is the head coach of NJPW’s LA Dojo, was forced out of action for more than four years after suffering a subdural hematoma in a match against Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis in 2017. He made his return to the ring at this year’s G1 Climax finals in October, going to a five-minute draw against Zack Sabre Jr. in a grappling exhibition.

Shibata spoke about the rules for his match at Wrestle Kingdom 16:

I wanted to give this a different name to the grappling exhibition match I had with Zack (Sabre Jr.) and set it apart as something else. Grappling rules is a concept that is already common in MMA, where strikes are banned. Catch wrestling rules is something that I think can be specific to pro-wrestling, and that’s why the name change is there.

To explain (those differences with grappling rules) more specifically, I think it allows for moves using the ropes, or more pro-wrestling styled, ‘three dimensional’, if you will, expression (than a grappling match). Victory to a pro-wrestler comes down to skill and technique in this environment, and it strips pro-wrestling right down to its essentials. 

To go to the roots of wrestling a bit, pro-wrestling sprung out of what we call the Lancashire style in England, and that’s something we mustn’t lose sight of. I want a fusion in NJPW that brings the base fundamentals to the fold. This is something that’s just beginning, and I think these rules, match times and things of that nature can change as the concept evolves. That’s it!

Wrestle Kingdom 16 is a three-night event. The first two nights will be held at the Tokyo Dome on January 4 and January 5. The third night will be an NJPW vs. Pro Wrestling NOAH event at the Yokohama Arena on January 8.

August 19, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Summerslam and G1 Finals reviews, more

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

One of the most shocking and heated angles in modern wrestling took place out of nowhere, coming off a six-man tag match third from the top at the 8/12 G-1 finals in Budokan Hall.

In a match a lot of the fans figured to be just a time filler, to get a bunch of guys on the card, IWGP tag champs Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa, who were not even on the tour and had flown in from an ROH show in Toronto, teamed with Bad Luck Fale to face KENTA & Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-hashi. The only tease was that Tonga, on twitter, said that a great athlete would be revealed as the newest member of Bullet Club.

That answer came fairly quickly. KENTA never entered the match. Ishii was selling and went to make the hot tag to KENTA, who jumped off the apron and walked off. They beat down Ishii, but Ishii came back hit Fale and the place went nuts due to the size difference.

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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

Revolution Pro Wrestling live results: Matt Riddle vs. Shibata

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Abdulkerim Unal from York Hall

–  Josh Bodom def. Ryan Smile to win the interim cruiserweight title

Pretty good match for what it was with good action throughout. At one point there was a “knockoff Lesnar” chant at Bodom.

– RPW Tag Champions Charlie Sterling and Joel Redman def. War Machine

WM got a pretty big pop while Sterling and Redman got no response. There was some good back and forth action with WM having the upper hand for most of it. There was a point when Hansen had Sterling and Redman in opposing corners and proceeded to uppercut them for about a good minute. The crowd chanted “one more time” so he proceeded to do it again for another 30 or so seconds. Eventually, Sterling and Redman took over and won the match. Afterwards CCK came out and took out Sterling and Redman.

– Yoshi Hashi def. Pete Dunne

Dunne came out to a pretty big pop and the biggest up to that point. This was a pretty good match with Dunne taking off his mouth guard a few times which got some good crowd reaction. Dunne was more over than Yoshi although there was good support for Yoshi. The crowd chanted a few times “please don’t go” at Dunne. Hashi won in what was a good match.

– Zack Sabre Jr. def. Marty Scurll

Scurll was probably the most over guy on the whole show and got a bigger pop than Zack. This was a great match with constant back and forth action and a lot of submission holds. At one point, Zack was hurt in the ring and Marty stepped outside and appeared to be grabbing something from under the apron. It turned out to be some rope which he then used to pull back on Zack’s finger with Zack selling his hand as being really hurt.

Ref teased DQ’ing Scurll but decided against it. Sabre took out the ref which led to Scurll getting his umbrella and attacking Zack. Later, both guys were outside and the ref was holding Scurll back which gave Zack time to bandage up his bad hand. There was more back and forth and the crowd was really into the match with everyone on their feet. Scurll had the upper hand but in the end, Zack managed to pick up the win in a 40+ minute match.

– Trent Seven def. Trevor Lee

Lee challenged Seven to a dance-off. Lee did some dancing and Seven started to dance but was jumped, getting some boos. This was a fairly short match with some good action. Lee shouted “I’m a TNA superstar” which led to anti-TNA chants. He kept doing the “delete” chant but the crowd didn’t really do it. Seven picked up the win after hitting a rainmaker and a tombstone piledriver. 

– Jay White def. Martin Stone

– RevPro Champion Shibata def. Matt Riddle

Riddle was extremely over with constant singing throughout and lots of “bro” chants. Shibata got a good reaction as well. This was a very good match with Riddle having the upper hand to start, but Shibata made a comeback. Eventually, Matt gave Shibata a hard chop in the corner with Shibata no selling it which led to another hard chop with absolutely no selling by Shibata and with him just casually walking to the next corner and telling Matt to do it again.

Another chop again with no selling and walking to the next corner which he did for another two corners, eventually leveling Matt. The crowd started really getting into the match by this point. Matt hit Shibata wih a Bro 2 Sleep. Back and forth elbows for a good while and eventually Shibata got Matt in a chokehold and got what for me was a surprise tap in around 10 minutes.

Could Katsuyori Shibata be 2016’s Wrestler Of The Year?

Posted on by Alan Counihan

Editor’s note: NJPW announced earlier today that a spine injury will keep him on the shelf temporarily. This column for this week’s FFW was written before that news.

After gutting through a G1 Climax tournament which saw him taped him like a mummy by the end, Katsuyori Shibata finds himself with more on his plate than any wrestler in the world right now.

So, when news broke earlier in the week that a spinal injury was going to pull him from the NJPW DESTRUCTION tour, it was both a potentially big blow to plans and also not exactly surprising. Shibata’s close to the year looked set to be beyond busy, and him making it through everything feels next to impossible. But, for it to have ended before it started was potentially disappointing.

However, two days before this past Saturday’s Tokyo show, it was announced that Shibata was not going to be pulled after all and his match with Bobby Fish for the NEVER Openweight Title would go on as planned. Not only did it happen, but Shibata held nothing back. He and Fish, who both have legitimate fighting backgrounds, went at it hard both in the grappling and striking realms.

The real scary moment was a snap suplex attempt by the ROH star which saw the champion’s body crunch down directly onto his head. Shibata fought through that and more, eventually hitting a sick headbutt (which bloodied him up), locking in a choke and delivering a PK for the win.

Following the match, Fish’s cornerman Kyle O’Reilly went face to face with Shibata in an intense moment which sets up a mouth-watering title match between those two. O’Reilly looked fantastic earlier on the show defeating Juice Robinson by submission. He has bulked up considerably making his move out of the Junior Heavyweight Division, adding a lot of upper body muscle.

His style matches perfectly with Shibata and there’s no doubt that he’ll view it as one of the most important matches of his career. If it happens at King Of Pro Wrestling on October 10th, we could be in for a classic in front of that Sumo Hall crowd.

If Shibata gets through that, he still has plenty on the horizon. Kenny Omega has said that he will defend his Wrestle Kingdom title shot briefcase against everyone who beat him in the G1: a short list which includes Shibata. EVIL defeated Shibata on finals weekend at Ryogoku which should have him in NEVER title shot contention. If all that isn’t enough, Shibata has picked a fight with the whole NOAH roster and his tussles with the likes of Katsuhiko Nakajima and Go Shiozaki are surely leading to big matches.

If somehow Katsuyori Shibata makes it through all of that in one piece, not to mention a UK tour with Revolution Pro where he’ll surely have some big matches, he’s got to be in Wrestler Of The Year contention. He opened the year with a series of classics against Tomohiro Ishii, and exchanged the NEVER title with Yuji Nagata in a summer feud which featured some memorable matches and had a great G1 as well.

Some have theorized that the injuries may be exaggerated as a way to build his story as a fighting champion full of heart. It would not be out of the realm of possibility and Japanese promotions have worked injuries like that before. But with the style he wrestles and the hard matches he’s had, it’s also very possible that Shibata is indeed that hurt and that he truly is a fighting champion full of heart.

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 six results: Michael Elgin vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Posted on by Bryan Rose

After one day of a reprieve, we’re back for night six of the G1 as New Japan runs in Nagano. Here are the results:

Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, & Manabu Nakanishi defeated David Finlay, Juice Robinson, & Togi Makabe when Kojima pinned Finlay with a lariat.

Naomichi Marufuji & Hirooki Goto defeated BUSHI & SANADA when Marufuji pinned BUSHI with the sliced bread.

KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Captain New Japan, Jushin Thunder Liger, & Tiger Mask when KUSHIDA submitted Captain New Japan with the Hoverboard Lock. Most of the match was Captain New Japan’s tag team partners not wanting to tag with him, leading to the buildup where he makes the hot tag then loses.

Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, & Tama Tonga defeated Kazuchika Okada, Gedo, & Tomohiro Ishii when Takahashi pinned Gedo with a DDT.

Yuji Nagata defeated YOSHI-HASHI

YOSHI-HASHI’s shoulders are already taped up. Those are usually the first to go in a tournament like this.

YOSHI-HASHI hit the senton and applied the butterfly lock but Nagata fought out dramatically. This was a great spot. Nagata came back with the white eyes armbar. The crowd was super into all the near falls and made this a fantastic match. Nagata got the win with the backdrop hold.

Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated EVIL

This was a solid back and forth match that started to pick up towards the end as the near falls started. EVIL did the usual spot he does (the chair to the throat posting) to get heat but Nakajima started to pelt him with kicks for a comeback.

EVIL did a cool Death Valley Driver into a spinebuster for a near fall. Nakajima came back with the Penalty Kick and a brainbuster for the win. Very good match.

Tetsuya Naito defeated Toru Yano

This sounded interesting on paper, but it was your usual Yano match. He tried all of his comedy, including the usual turnbuckle spot, but fell short. Didn’t last long at all with Naito getting the win with the Destino.

Kenny Omega defeated Tomoaki Honma

Omega got the heat early by covering Honma with a mat and giving him a double footstomp to the floor. Omega was in control for a lot of the match, but Honma kicked out of everything that was dished out.

The crowd got behind Honma like they usually do. Honma hit back with a brainbuster. He missed a Kokeshi, and Omega hit a snap dragon suplex for a near fall. Omega gave him a knee strike then pinned him with the One Winged Angel for the win. Good stuff.

Michael Elgin defeated Katsuyori Shibata

They spent the early part of the match telling one another to hit them as hard as possible. When they hit hard, they HIT HARD. Elgin gave Shibata two powerbombs into the post then another in the ring for a near fall.

Elgin went for the spiral bomb, but Shibata countered with the sleeper and turned it into a sleeper suplex in an amazing spot. Elgin came back, powerbombed Shibata into the turnbuckle, then laid him out with the spiral bomb for the win. This was really great, but felt like it ended too soon and should have gone another five minutes.

Elgin said that as a wrestler he doesn’t go home much, but he likes nothing more than to compete here in Japan for all these people. Tonight he got his first two points, and here on out no one beats Michael Elgin.

A very good show overall. Most of the G1 matches delivered and we had a hot crowd tonight, so everything worked out.

NJPW on AXS TV results: Goto faces Nakamura; Naito battles Shibata

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tetsuya Naito welcomes (?) us to the show this week, which features highlights from last year’s Destruction in Kobe show that took place on September 27th.

IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hirooki Goto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

This is one of those matches that I initially didn’t mind at all, because these two are great and ended up having a good match, but it was actually better than I remembered. Nakamura is just so great in his style and how he applies it to each match.

But beyond match quality, I wasn’t a fan of the actual result as it felt stale and tired. I don’t think Nakamura winning the title back added anything to him, whereas Goto winning the title meant a breath of fresh air. It felt like a step backward more than a step forward. Nakamura won back the title with the Bomaye.

Karl Anderson comes out and challenges Nakamura for a title shot, even using Nakamura’s “Yeaoh” catchphrase. Nakamura does the catchphrase the right way, making it seem like the match is on.

Nakamura says that it seems the next challenger has been decided. The only thing to do is to continue fighting.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito

Naito says ever since the G1, he’s been making up for the loss. He mentioned how Shibata called him out. He thought it would be the right time to finish this once and for all. He doesn’t hate Shibata but he’s on a different path. Shibata is really straightforward, while he is not, as he keeps his cool. He gradually had more fun teasing him.

I liked the story behind this match as it was Naito teasing Shibata and looking to avenge a loss he suffered at the G1 just a month prior. The match itself was pretty good, though I think the previous match was a lot better. I think this got the better slot as Nakamura isn’t with the company any longer.

Naito won the match after two low blows and the Destino. Makes sense as they’re trying to get Naito’s new character over.

Naito asks who is the winner here and says Shibata is the uncontrollable one. He’s happy for him, he got to show off those gleaming eyes of his. Shibata, as well as the rest of the crowd, should thank him. The G1 is over, he beat the most bothersome guy in the tournament.

When mentioned that Tanahashi wants to challenge him, he says if he wants to face him he should challenge him face-to-face.

In his reflective interview, Naito says he had fun. Everyone watching Shibata in that match should thank him, and Shibata should thank him for getting that glistening feel from three years ago.

Final Thoughts:

Nice, solid show this week. Watch the first match if you can.

RevPro Wrestling live results: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shibata; Marty Scurll vs. Speedball Mike Bailey

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Peter Hitchcock

– Charlie Garrett and Joel Redman retained the British Tag Team Championships in a Fatal 4 Way tag match over British Young Bloods, Legion of Lords, and Johnny Storm and Jody Fleisch

Fun but kinda sloppy, Fleisch/Storm and the Young Bloods took each other out and disappeared halfway through. Redman hit a second rope Tombstone on Grey of the Lords and Garrett followed up with Spiral Tap.

– Tomohiro Ishii defeated Josh Bodom with a Brainbuster

Fun, hard hitting match which got a lot better as it went on. Bodom continues to improve.

– Sha Samuels pinned Moose with his feet on the ropes

Decent match. Moose’s dropkicks are awesome. The “Moose” chant got over in all subsequent matches.

– Will Ospreay won the British Cruiserweight Championship from Pete Dunne following an Os Cutter

Great, lengthy match. Both guys looked great, probably not as good as the Speedball/Ospreay match from last month. Dunne is an underrated performer.

– Marty Scurll beat Speedball Mike Bailey via chicken wing submission

Great match, much better than Scurll/Noam Dar from a month ago. Scurll ripped Speedball’s hand apart and also snapped one of his toes.

– Matt Sydal beat Big Damo with a Shooting Star Press

Decent and fun match. Damo began to cut a promo afterwards thanking RevPro, very heartfelt but was ambushed by Samuels. Looks like Damo’s last program in the company.

– RevPro Champion Zack Sabre Jr retained over Katsuyori Shibata by reversing a rear naked Choke into a pin

Great match with a lot of split crowd heat. This is clearly leading to another match perhaps at Uprising in a month.

NJPW Kizuna Road 2016 live results: Katsuyori Shibata defends NEVER title, Young Bucks, Kenny Omega

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

This morning’s Kizuna Road show, live in Iwate on New Japan World, is highlighted by two title matches and an eight man elimination tag team match.

Send your feedback and thumbs up/down/in the middle and a best and worst match to [email protected]

The main event has Katsuyori Shibata, who just won back the NEVER title a few weeks ago at Dominion, defending his championship against Tomoaki Honma, the perennial underdog. It’ll be interesting to see who wins here as they are also scheduled to meet again later this summer in the G1. In another title match, NEVER Openweight Six Man champs The Elite (Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) defend against veteran Satoshi Kojima and former Junior tag champs Ricochet and Matt Sydal.

In between those two matches we have a big eight man elimination match as Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Will Ospreay and Yoshi-Hashi take on Los Ingoberables de Japon – Evil, Bushi, Tetsuya Naito and Sanada.

**********

CHASE OWENS VS. DAVID FINLAY

Owens won a short, solid match after a package piledriver. Finlay is good, and also getting popular. Owens was animated, sold well, but comes across as just a guy.

KAZUSHI SAKURABA & TOMOHIRO ISHII & ROCKY ROMERO & BARETTA VS. HIROYOSHI TENZAN & TIGER MASK & JUSHIN LIGER & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI

Better than usual for this slot. Baretta survived some near falls with Tenzan. It ended with Taguchi using a plancah on Ishii, Tiger Mask did a tope on Romero, Liger did a plancha on Sakuraba and in the ring, Tenzan pinned Baretta after a moonsault. The crowd was pretty hot seeing Tenzan deliver the move.  Match kept moving, was good.

Tenzan did a promo after the match. He’s mad he’s not in G-1 this year, and the crowd wants him in.

YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & HANGMAN PAGE VS. YOSHITATSU & CAPTAIN NEW JAPAN

Fans were into chanting for the Hunter Club. Match was okay with Page actually the best of the four. Captain got some near falls on Page before Page put him away with the Omori driver. Whenever Page does that move, it looks like the guy is going to get hurt because he drops them on their head.

Page hung Captain over the top rope after the match. Page cut a promo announcing that in August the tag titles come back to Bullet Club. That means that tag title match with Briscoes vs. Page & Takahashi is likely on the final day of G-1 at Sumo Hall.

TOGI MAKABE & JUICE ROBINSON VS. YUJI NAGATA & MANABU NAKANISHI

As you would expect, Nagata pinned Robinson with a bridging back suplex for the win. Robinson worked most of the way and sold. Nakanishi did more than usual including a top rope superplex and a crossbody off the top. Best stuff was Nagata vs. Makabe.  Right before the finish, Nagata & Nakanishi did a double-team on Robinson with Nagata doing a high kick and Nakanishi coming off the top rope wth a chop.

It’s intermission time. They ran through the entire undercard in barely an hour.

YOUNG BUCKS & KENNY OMEGA VS. SATOSHI KOJIMA & RICOCHET & MATT SYDAL FOR NEVER TRIOS TITLES

Young Bucks & Omega were all wearing New Day T-shirts. Nick still has his ribs taped up. He was also doing the Big E pelvic thrusts.

Super match, great from start to finish with the belts changing hands. With the Bucks as tag champs, losing the trios belts makes sense but they bounce these belts around too much. The finish saw Kojima hit Omega with a lariat and then, he lariated both Bucks at the same time. Sydal hit the shooting star press on Matt, and Ricochet hit the shooting star press at the same time on Nick with Sydal pinning Matt.

Nonstop action and moves, but at times, it was the Ricochet highlight show. Everyone was at their best here. The Bucks twice tried the Meltzer driver but both times it was stopped. Lots of dives. The Bucks & Omega also did a “The Elite” chant to the cadence of New Day sucks. 

Kojima called out Tenzan.  He talked about Tenzan not being in G-1, and then offered Tenzan his spot.  He really didn’t do much here so maybe he’s hurt, but on paper, that’s a backward move for the tournament.

KAZUCHIKA OKADA & HIROOKI GOTO & YOSHI-HASHI & WILL OSPREAY VS. TETSUYA NAITO & SEIYA SANADA & EVIL & BUSHI IN AN ELIMINATION MATCH

Another excellent match.  It came down to Ospreay and Bushi and they were great. Bushi blew the mist but Ospreay moved and it went into Sanada’s eyes.  Ospreay won after a standing Spanish fly and the Oscutter, a diamond cutter off the ropes. Pretty heated match. Naito and Okada did their big spots early to make it clear they were going over the top together. Evil clotheslined Goto off the apron to eliminate him. Yoshi-Hashi superkicked Evil off the apron to eliminate him. Sanada revesed a cradle by Yoshi-Hashi to pin him. This left Ospreay with Bushi and Sanada. Ospreay dropkicked Sanada off the apron to eliminate him. Ospreay was booked to be, and was, the star of the match.

KATSUYORI SHIBATA VS. TOMOAKI HONMA FOR THE NEVER OPENWEIGHT TITLE

Another excellent match but a little predictable. I think everyone pretty much knew how the match would go and the ending. Honma got a lot of offense but nobody ever bought him winning.  Everything was laid in hard.  A highlight was Honma coming off the top rope to the floor with a diving headbutt and escaping a guillotine by turning it into a brainbuster.  Lots of hard elbows.  Honma did his headbutts.

The finish saw Honma do a Mascaras style headbutt and Shibata caught him with a choke. He choked him almost all the way out, let go and hit the penalty kick for the pin. It just felt from the start that this is a showcase win for Shibata.  Because of that, it wasn’t as good as the match they had a few years ago in G-1 which was a match of the year candidate.  Last three bouts were all totally different and all delivered.   

Shibata helped Honma to his feet and then threw Honma out of the ring and raised the belt.

Wrestle Kingdom 10 Preview Series: The Stone Pitbull vs. The Wrestler

Posted on by Zach Dominello

At Wrestle Kingdom 10, Katsuyori Shibata takes on Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER (ALL CAPS) Openweight Championship. Why? Because shut up! That’s why! There is no backstory here. No storied rivalry. It’s just happening. And you know what? I’m not even mad. Not even a little. Usually I would be. But in this case, nope. Totally not mad. I’m unmad. And I’ll tell you why in just a minute. But first, let’s get to know these two bruisers who will no doubt beat each other senseless at the Tokyo Dome.  

Similar to how the formerly white (current colour undefinable) IWGP Intercontinental belt is Shinsuke Nakamura’s plaything which he occasionally lets others have a hold of, Ishii and the NEVER title go hand in hand. Ishii has the most reigns of any NEVER Champion at 4, and the most combined days as champ. Since the conception of the title in 2012 and after Masato Tanaka’s initial run (and Tetsuya Naito’s subsequent run), the NEVER title division has been dominated by Tomohiro Ishii.

That is until the great disturbance in the force that was Togi Makabe, but that King Kong sized speedbump is in the past now. Ishii is champ and all is good once again. The other important thing to know about Ishii is that his matches are brutal. THE BRUTALEST. Stiff lariats, thudding headbutts, and all the things that make you wince when watching a wrestling match. But he’s not just a physical worker, his selling (always that darn shoulder/neck area) is second to none.

And then there’s The Wrestler, Katsuyori Shibata. If Ishii’s matches are the brutalest, Shibata’s aren’t far behind. Shibata is one of the best talents in New Japan, but also one of the most underutilised. He’s only ever held one title in New Japan: the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Hirooki Goto. His biggest singles wins usually come in the G1 tournament. Other times, he’s mostly put in tags and multi-mans.

2015 was a fairly quiet year for Shibata. After winning the tag titles at Wrestle Kingdom and losing them almost immediately, Shibata had very few singles matches and feuds. Late in 2015, it looked like he was heading towards a showdown with the excellently ingobernable Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Shibata defeated Naito in the G1, but Naito got his revenge at Destruction in Kobe. Then, Naito and EVIL (best name ever) defeated Shibata and Goto and knocked them out of the World Tag League.

However, after pinning Ishii (for the umpteenth time) in a multi-man match on the final day of the World Tag League, he laid the NEVER title over Ishii’s carcass, signifying his intention to challenge at Wrestle Kingdom 10. It was then later announced that Hirooki Goto would be the one to face Tetsuya Naito at the Tokyo Dome.

Slightly baffling build up, but it kind of makes sense. Sort of. Shibata has beaten Ishii quite a few times in multi-man matches, so he may as well get something out of it in the form of a championship. Meanwhile, Goto has been almost equally involved in the feud with Naito and EVIL, so that match isn’t completely out of left field either. In a discussion about the match I had on social media, an interesting idea was brought up in that Shibata wins the NEVER title and feuds with Naito over it. That would be logical considering their recent history, and something I’d love to see, but it also means Ishii loses at the Tokyo Dome, and I don’t care for that at all.

When it comes to Ishii vs. Shibata, no elaborate angles or backstories are needed. These two are no frills wrestlers. They arrive. They obliterate. They leave. At Wrestle Kingdom 10, these two are going to murder (not literally) each other, or die trying. I’m not going to lie, I’ll be spending the majority of this match with my hands over my eyes, peeking at the destruction through my fingers. I love both of these wrestlers, but their style is career shortening. It’s sometimes hard to watch, but even harder to look away. When these two meet in the Kingdom of Wrestling on January 4th, they’re going to tear the roof off. We’re gonna need a bigger dome.