A seasonal treat, downloaded off the DVDVR boards, with the big title match that I've been looking forward to. That comes last, though. To the undercard.
Opener is a two minute affair, involving a wrestling bird-man. The three way with MEN's, Shinobu and Hiugaji is similarly light-hearted fare, with MEN's not allowing a mere professional wrestling match stop him from catching up with his reading. Amusing finish as MEN's sets up Shinobu's shooting star miles out of range, goads him into trying it, and beats both opponents in the process. I won't say anymore, because it might spoil to joke for you. Kesen Numajiro and Jinsei Shinzaki square off in a battle of two M-Pro veterans which I assume has no reason or back story. Pretty simple match, both from story and offence, neither offensive nor memorable.
Kagetora, Rasse and Shinjitsu Nohashi vs. Takeshi Minamino, ken45° & Maguro Ooma is a rematch from the September taping. I liked this a little more than that one - more coherent and felt less like just a series of moves. This match is still a series of moves, but one that I felt I could follow. Fun enough. Kagetora looked good here.
The semi-final is the Final Decisive Great Space War, which is a real thing. This is the big silly Sasuke match. There's loads of Japanese culture reference stuff that I'm sure I don't get. What I do understand is comedy brawling, which was entertaining, and Sasuke - dressed as Batman - attempting to kill himself with somersault senton onto the top of a barrel and cartwheel dives to the apron from the top. Robin wins with a cross body that could be optimistically described as untidy. This was a joy, of absurb proportions.
The main event is the title match between champion Yoshitsune and Fujita "Jr." Hayato. Going in to this, I have high expectations. I like flyers versus mat wrestler juniors matches. Actually, this is the opposite of the usual sort of match between these two styles - flyer Yoshitsune is in control for a lot of this, and the striker use his offence to launch short counter attacks.
Yoshitsune, as well as being an incredible, breath-taking flyer, does two things in this match that makes him stand out. Firstly, his flashy offence looks full of hurting. Secondly, he uses it to focus on a particular body part, and thus makes it mean something. So, we get standing moonsault knee drop, the double foot stomp from the balcony and the tilt-a whirl stomach buster, which were all wince-inducing.
Hayato is all about surviving this offence and looking for a knockout strike, which were generally and unsurprisingly Battlarts stiff. The hard-hitting nature of this match is all the more surprising given the setting. Add in some crazy spots - the german suplex escape on the apron was particularly impressive - and some really great selling, especially from Hayato, and you have a match that will definitely feature high on mine, and I'm sure many others, year end lists.
A really fun show, with a great main event. Feel free to watch also, and share this opinion.
Monday 29 December 2008
Tuesday 16 December 2008
Pro Wrestling NOAH, 12/7/08
Hey everyone, I'm the new contributor to Spin Fly Kick, thanks to Craig for allowing me to join up. I thought for my first post, I would shine some light on the recent "WINTER NAVIGATION" show from Pro-Wrestling NOAH.
Takeshi Rikio, Naomichi Marufuji & Mohammed Yone versus Yoshihiro Takayama, Takuma Sano & Ricky Marvin.
Ahh, the NOAH 6-man, essentially what I view as the staple of the promotion. Marvin works fast and crisp and his opening sequence with Marufuji is impressive. Yes! Takayama and Rikio come in early and I'm pumped to see these mammoths throw down but I can't help but think Takayama needs to drop some weight, he's getting out of shape, can't blame him, he's had it rough, but I doubt he can capture his previous form like this. And they lose me around here, unfortunately. Takayama playing with Yone's afro before elbowing him in the face...okay whatever. Sano's in with Yone and I'm having a bit of trouble paying attention. They stiff each other on kicks but whatever.
Marvin's stuff is fun but not much really goes on in this match at all. Wow, and they just try to kill me with these ridiculously contrived spots on the floor. I guess I overestimated the potential of Rikio/Takayama, they're not doing much for me the second time they're in ring together either. Sano/Marufuji is entertaining and stiff. Marvin doing two Lionsaults within twenty seconds of each other just makes me think that he needs a little variety. Yone pins Marvin in the end and this was pretty lackluster, given a fairly talented lineup.
Katsuhiko Nakajima versus Mitsuharu Misawa
Misawa's as bloated as Takayama, I guess the big NOAH names are all going for a certain fat boy appeal. Nakajima's spunky and elbows Misawa instead of breaking clean. Nakajima wants to beat the old man. Misawa sells his kicks well, rolling out to the floor to avoid an onslaught. Here's a keyword for this match: elbows. Misawa decides he doesn't really have to sell Nakajima's elbows, for he is king of all elbow strikes. Or something. He sells every kick like a champ, though. He also elbows Nakajima's face in on numerous occasions. It's short, it's stiff, but I've got a major problem with it, Nakajima never gets a convincing nearfall, so when Misawa wins, the already predictable results feels flat and I'm not feeling like anything has been done to make little Katushiko look any better.
Jun Akiyama versus Takeshi Morishima
And the guts just keep on coming. Morishima's good ol' Mori, but Akiyama's getting a bit heavier himself. This match is pretty much a sprint, the start is high energy and Morishima's tope suicida is quite majestic for a big boy. Unfortunately they stay out on the floor for a while and the going gets slow. Akiyama gets crushed by Morishima when he tries to Exploder him off the apron (which he has done against Yone, speaking of that match, it's a better sprint than this). Back in, they beat each other up some more and Akiyama busts Mori's nose with a running knee and the finish is sort of intense, but sort of ridiculous with Morishima kicking out of a Wrist Clutch Exploder, but the referee stops the match when Akiyama grabs a Front Facelock, not even his old grounded version, a regular standing variant. I don't see where they're going with this in the long run, Akiyama doesn't seem to have enough left in him for another GHC reign...hopefully he'll provide Kensuke his first good defense (more on that later).
GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Kotaro Suzuki © versus KENTA and Taiji Ishimori
These teams do battle again for like...the fourth time this year. Luckily it's damn good, if not a little bit too long. Genba's attempted assault of KENTA on the ramp is spectacular, he's worth paying attention to in this match, he may just be a lackey, but he's a persistent one. Taiji planting himself on the concrete early on and somehow escaping head injury free is shocking. The thud is audible. Ishimori also has a beautiful Deja Vu style headscissors, but it's all part of a fairly slow control section for the champs. KENTA gets busted open after some shenanigans on the floor and takes way too long to blade, but I'll overlook that because it's here where we get going. KENTA gets abused and the blood does wonders for the match, like when Kotaro elbows him repeatedly in the wound while on his shoulders. Kotaro and Taiji have fun athletic spots together. Kotaro busting out some awesome counters to the Go 2 Sleep stands out, as does him going over KENTA in the end. They're finally selling me on him, I've been relatively wary of his work since the beginning, but I think he's starting to get it, this is the best match of the show despite the slow first section. And hey, I make it through a match without calling anyone fat.
GHC Heavyweight Title: Kensuke Sasaki © versus Akitoshi Saito
Yeah, let's end the show on a down note. I'm going to say it, right here, right now: Kensuke Sasaki sucks, or at the very least, his GHC reign sucks. And I don't think the Akiyama defense is going to help it. Get the belt off this useless clod, I've tried to watch this match twice and it just can't hold my interest whatsoever. I don't think anyone in the crowd thinks Saito has a chance. Let's try and wrap this up. There is a stupid German suplex and backdrop no sell exchange. Saito kicks out of the Northern Lights Bomb and loses after an illogical series of lariats where the selling of each one differs radically despite them all being pretty much the same. That's pretty much the gist of this, GET THE BELT OFF KENSUKE.
Anyways, despite my harsh dislike for the last match...I'd say give this show a shot, the undercard stuff is solid enough if kind of by the numbers. Misawa/Katsuhiko is an interesting look at an old man who's obviously growing very tired and weary of this wrestling business deciding to get revenge on the world by elbowing Nakajima repeatedly in the face. Akiyama and Mori do a decent sprint. The Jrs. Tag is really good and is definitely worth a watch. Hell, watch everything from the show except the last match, unless you just for some reason really love Kensuke Sasaki. I guess I must not.
Takeshi Rikio, Naomichi Marufuji & Mohammed Yone versus Yoshihiro Takayama, Takuma Sano & Ricky Marvin.
Ahh, the NOAH 6-man, essentially what I view as the staple of the promotion. Marvin works fast and crisp and his opening sequence with Marufuji is impressive. Yes! Takayama and Rikio come in early and I'm pumped to see these mammoths throw down but I can't help but think Takayama needs to drop some weight, he's getting out of shape, can't blame him, he's had it rough, but I doubt he can capture his previous form like this. And they lose me around here, unfortunately. Takayama playing with Yone's afro before elbowing him in the face...okay whatever. Sano's in with Yone and I'm having a bit of trouble paying attention. They stiff each other on kicks but whatever.
Marvin's stuff is fun but not much really goes on in this match at all. Wow, and they just try to kill me with these ridiculously contrived spots on the floor. I guess I overestimated the potential of Rikio/Takayama, they're not doing much for me the second time they're in ring together either. Sano/Marufuji is entertaining and stiff. Marvin doing two Lionsaults within twenty seconds of each other just makes me think that he needs a little variety. Yone pins Marvin in the end and this was pretty lackluster, given a fairly talented lineup.
Katsuhiko Nakajima versus Mitsuharu Misawa
Misawa's as bloated as Takayama, I guess the big NOAH names are all going for a certain fat boy appeal. Nakajima's spunky and elbows Misawa instead of breaking clean. Nakajima wants to beat the old man. Misawa sells his kicks well, rolling out to the floor to avoid an onslaught. Here's a keyword for this match: elbows. Misawa decides he doesn't really have to sell Nakajima's elbows, for he is king of all elbow strikes. Or something. He sells every kick like a champ, though. He also elbows Nakajima's face in on numerous occasions. It's short, it's stiff, but I've got a major problem with it, Nakajima never gets a convincing nearfall, so when Misawa wins, the already predictable results feels flat and I'm not feeling like anything has been done to make little Katushiko look any better.
Jun Akiyama versus Takeshi Morishima
And the guts just keep on coming. Morishima's good ol' Mori, but Akiyama's getting a bit heavier himself. This match is pretty much a sprint, the start is high energy and Morishima's tope suicida is quite majestic for a big boy. Unfortunately they stay out on the floor for a while and the going gets slow. Akiyama gets crushed by Morishima when he tries to Exploder him off the apron (which he has done against Yone, speaking of that match, it's a better sprint than this). Back in, they beat each other up some more and Akiyama busts Mori's nose with a running knee and the finish is sort of intense, but sort of ridiculous with Morishima kicking out of a Wrist Clutch Exploder, but the referee stops the match when Akiyama grabs a Front Facelock, not even his old grounded version, a regular standing variant. I don't see where they're going with this in the long run, Akiyama doesn't seem to have enough left in him for another GHC reign...hopefully he'll provide Kensuke his first good defense (more on that later).
GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Kotaro Suzuki © versus KENTA and Taiji Ishimori
These teams do battle again for like...the fourth time this year. Luckily it's damn good, if not a little bit too long. Genba's attempted assault of KENTA on the ramp is spectacular, he's worth paying attention to in this match, he may just be a lackey, but he's a persistent one. Taiji planting himself on the concrete early on and somehow escaping head injury free is shocking. The thud is audible. Ishimori also has a beautiful Deja Vu style headscissors, but it's all part of a fairly slow control section for the champs. KENTA gets busted open after some shenanigans on the floor and takes way too long to blade, but I'll overlook that because it's here where we get going. KENTA gets abused and the blood does wonders for the match, like when Kotaro elbows him repeatedly in the wound while on his shoulders. Kotaro and Taiji have fun athletic spots together. Kotaro busting out some awesome counters to the Go 2 Sleep stands out, as does him going over KENTA in the end. They're finally selling me on him, I've been relatively wary of his work since the beginning, but I think he's starting to get it, this is the best match of the show despite the slow first section. And hey, I make it through a match without calling anyone fat.
GHC Heavyweight Title: Kensuke Sasaki © versus Akitoshi Saito
Yeah, let's end the show on a down note. I'm going to say it, right here, right now: Kensuke Sasaki sucks, or at the very least, his GHC reign sucks. And I don't think the Akiyama defense is going to help it. Get the belt off this useless clod, I've tried to watch this match twice and it just can't hold my interest whatsoever. I don't think anyone in the crowd thinks Saito has a chance. Let's try and wrap this up. There is a stupid German suplex and backdrop no sell exchange. Saito kicks out of the Northern Lights Bomb and loses after an illogical series of lariats where the selling of each one differs radically despite them all being pretty much the same. That's pretty much the gist of this, GET THE BELT OFF KENSUKE.
Anyways, despite my harsh dislike for the last match...I'd say give this show a shot, the undercard stuff is solid enough if kind of by the numbers. Misawa/Katsuhiko is an interesting look at an old man who's obviously growing very tired and weary of this wrestling business deciding to get revenge on the world by elbowing Nakajima repeatedly in the face. Akiyama and Mori do a decent sprint. The Jrs. Tag is really good and is definitely worth a watch. Hell, watch everything from the show except the last match, unless you just for some reason really love Kensuke Sasaki. I guess I must not.
WINTER NAVIGATION Final Score: B-
Friday 12 December 2008
Kaientai Dojo: 12th July 2008
A new K-Dojo show has arrived. PUNQs on hiatus (from earnings) so I got this new batch of DVDs from the guy at WrestlingDVD.net, who has a huge catalogue. The DVD picture quality is not as high as some suppliers, which bothers me not one bit, but might bother others. It's perfectly watchable.
The show is quite clipped, to fit in the long final, the highlights from the Strongest-K tournament, as well as four other matches. Skipping over the couple of minutes that were shown of the first two matches, we have the OMEGA vs. TAKA, JOE and Tonai tag match. This was fine for continuing the feud. MIYAWAKI does little for me, but KAZMA is fun. Match ends up with Asahi and JOE in the ring while the other pairs fight outside, with JOE going for a million billion pump kicks, and finally getting the win. Energetic and fun.
Semi-final is a UWA Middleweight title match between Oishi and Yamato. I found this to be a entertaining - especially the couple of nice sequences on the mat. Yamato is a keeper, and you get the impression he could become quite a crowd favourite. They play a nice subtle story here, as Oishi starts out a little arrogantly assuming Yamato won't be much of a challenge, but becomes increasingly desperate throughout. I could watch a longer version of these two.
The final is the long, good Mashimo match that I've been waiting for this year (though sadly missing five minutes or so). This is very kicky, and both guys can kick. Mashimo targets Madoka's leg with his kicks, and Madoka does a pretty decent job selling it throughout. I mean, he occassionaly kicks with it, rather than the healthy leg, and finds it in himself to run around, but it less frequent than normal, and he reminds the watcher that its hurting.
Predominatly, this is the Kengo Mashimo show. The thing I like most about Mashimo is his focus. When he goes for the arm, like in the BJW tag, or against YOSHIYA in June, it is unrelenting. Here, he kicks at Madoka's leg at every opportunity, and counters Madoka's offense with an ankle lock/leg bar submission on a bunch of occassions. Also, there's no overuse or reliance on fifty different finishers - they both kick out of each others finisher once, then Mashimo wins with the second brainbuster. In fact, Mashimo delays pinning after the first brainbuster, thus justifying the kickout, which in itself is setup by a series of nasty head kicks by Madoka, leaving Mashimo dazed even after he hits the brainbuster.
It would have been nice if the legwork featured in the finish, but that's probably just me being picky, seeing as Mashimo also has plenty of head-related offense as well (for example, kicks to the head. For another example, kicks to the other side of the head). The leg based offence can also be seen as a defensive strategy, to ground Madoka and weaken his kicks. They remember the fact that they are partners and friends - the match is quite scientific, and neither looks to injure or kill the other. The kicking exchanges come across as one-upmanship, and also play into this. Best K-Dojo match of the year, and has moved to the top of 2008 matches from the indie juniors-based promotions. This is a good show.
The show is quite clipped, to fit in the long final, the highlights from the Strongest-K tournament, as well as four other matches. Skipping over the couple of minutes that were shown of the first two matches, we have the OMEGA vs. TAKA, JOE and Tonai tag match. This was fine for continuing the feud. MIYAWAKI does little for me, but KAZMA is fun. Match ends up with Asahi and JOE in the ring while the other pairs fight outside, with JOE going for a million billion pump kicks, and finally getting the win. Energetic and fun.
Semi-final is a UWA Middleweight title match between Oishi and Yamato. I found this to be a entertaining - especially the couple of nice sequences on the mat. Yamato is a keeper, and you get the impression he could become quite a crowd favourite. They play a nice subtle story here, as Oishi starts out a little arrogantly assuming Yamato won't be much of a challenge, but becomes increasingly desperate throughout. I could watch a longer version of these two.
The final is the long, good Mashimo match that I've been waiting for this year (though sadly missing five minutes or so). This is very kicky, and both guys can kick. Mashimo targets Madoka's leg with his kicks, and Madoka does a pretty decent job selling it throughout. I mean, he occassionaly kicks with it, rather than the healthy leg, and finds it in himself to run around, but it less frequent than normal, and he reminds the watcher that its hurting.
Predominatly, this is the Kengo Mashimo show. The thing I like most about Mashimo is his focus. When he goes for the arm, like in the BJW tag, or against YOSHIYA in June, it is unrelenting. Here, he kicks at Madoka's leg at every opportunity, and counters Madoka's offense with an ankle lock/leg bar submission on a bunch of occassions. Also, there's no overuse or reliance on fifty different finishers - they both kick out of each others finisher once, then Mashimo wins with the second brainbuster. In fact, Mashimo delays pinning after the first brainbuster, thus justifying the kickout, which in itself is setup by a series of nasty head kicks by Madoka, leaving Mashimo dazed even after he hits the brainbuster.
It would have been nice if the legwork featured in the finish, but that's probably just me being picky, seeing as Mashimo also has plenty of head-related offense as well (for example, kicks to the head. For another example, kicks to the other side of the head). The leg based offence can also be seen as a defensive strategy, to ground Madoka and weaken his kicks. They remember the fact that they are partners and friends - the match is quite scientific, and neither looks to injure or kill the other. The kicking exchanges come across as one-upmanship, and also play into this. Best K-Dojo match of the year, and has moved to the top of 2008 matches from the indie juniors-based promotions. This is a good show.
DRAGON GATE - Infinity 106 + 107!
Going the two for one route again this week.
106
1. Shingo Takagi & Susumu Yokosuka vs. Taku Iwasa & Akira Tozawa
Simple enough match designed to show that Shingo and Yokosuka were not the best of friends leading into their Dream Gate match on 11/16. I liked it because they didn't beat you over the face with it like Vince Russo would. It was subtle tension and it worked. Juku were mainly fodder for the stars here but the made them look good and got to shine a little themselves. Shingo via Pumping Bomber on Tozawa for the win.
2. Open the Brave Gate Title: Genki Horiguchi © vs. Masato Yoshino
It was a pleasure to see Genki in a meaningful match as we just don't see that often enough anymore. As an added bonus, the match was more or less unclipped. Real solid stuff from start to finish as guys like this just aren't gonna make mistakes in the ring, they're so good. Genki was as smooth as ever and Yoshino always has the crowd behind him. They didn't go as all out as the Yoshino/Dragon Kid match but they still had some fairly big near falls that the crowd popped for. There was interference from Real Hazard but it wasn't done too badly at all, so I had no problem with it. Yoshino won and was immediately challenged by K-Ness and Dragon Kid.
Good episode, two perfectly fine matches and solid storyline advancement.
INFINITY #106 - 7.5/10
107
1. Open the Brave Gate Title Contendership: Dragon Kid vs. K-ness
Not as good as the Yoshino/Genki match from 106, but still pretty decent. The finishing sequence featured some pretty swank cradelling, and DK got the leverage and the win. I wish I could say more about this, but there really isn't anything....
2. Naniwa-Style Elimination Match: Kenichiro Arai, Taku Iwasa, Akira Tozawa & Shinobu vs. Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii, Magnitude Kishiwada & Super Shisa
THIS I can talk about. So much to love here. Mochi and pals have been puttin a whuppin on Tozawa for the past several weeks, but much to their dismay he has shown a level of fighting spirit that could not possibly have been accounted for. He has been full of, dare I say, GUMPTION.
And boy did this gumption ever come to the fore pre-match. Mochi is the first entrant for his team and he strolls down to the ring with his awesome theme music playing as the crowd sings along "MO-CHI". Then the opening chords of Tozawa's theme hits but in a flash they turn into Mochi's theme.... again? No of course not silly. This time the song is not "MO-CHI" but "AKI-RA!!!" and Tozawa is singing his bad self down to the ring (complete with handwritten lyrics by his side). The crowd goes banana, Mochi can't keep a straight face, and Tozawa is rockin' it.
When the karaoke ends, Tozawa gets the jump with a springboard dropkick and the two went at it. More participants entered and there was much brawling around Korakuen both backstage and ringside. Things kicked up a notch when Super Shisa entered. For the first time in many a year, he was KICKING ASS. He eliminated Arai and Shinobu with Yoshi-Tonics and then took out Iwasa with a cool submission. It was down to 4 on 1, with poor Tozawa all alone.
They beat on him for a while until he made the mother of all comebacks. Seriously he was ruling it here. He got rid of Shisa but ultimately the numbers caught up with him as he was forced to tap to a vicious crab hold from Fuji while being stomped by Magnitude and Mochi.
The show wrapped up by running down the card for the 11.16 PPV.
Damn enjoyable show again. Tozawa's shenanigans were definitely the highlight.
INFINITY #107 - 7.5/10
106
1. Shingo Takagi & Susumu Yokosuka vs. Taku Iwasa & Akira Tozawa
Simple enough match designed to show that Shingo and Yokosuka were not the best of friends leading into their Dream Gate match on 11/16. I liked it because they didn't beat you over the face with it like Vince Russo would. It was subtle tension and it worked. Juku were mainly fodder for the stars here but the made them look good and got to shine a little themselves. Shingo via Pumping Bomber on Tozawa for the win.
2. Open the Brave Gate Title: Genki Horiguchi © vs. Masato Yoshino
It was a pleasure to see Genki in a meaningful match as we just don't see that often enough anymore. As an added bonus, the match was more or less unclipped. Real solid stuff from start to finish as guys like this just aren't gonna make mistakes in the ring, they're so good. Genki was as smooth as ever and Yoshino always has the crowd behind him. They didn't go as all out as the Yoshino/Dragon Kid match but they still had some fairly big near falls that the crowd popped for. There was interference from Real Hazard but it wasn't done too badly at all, so I had no problem with it. Yoshino won and was immediately challenged by K-Ness and Dragon Kid.
Good episode, two perfectly fine matches and solid storyline advancement.
INFINITY #106 - 7.5/10
107
1. Open the Brave Gate Title Contendership: Dragon Kid vs. K-ness
Not as good as the Yoshino/Genki match from 106, but still pretty decent. The finishing sequence featured some pretty swank cradelling, and DK got the leverage and the win. I wish I could say more about this, but there really isn't anything....
2. Naniwa-Style Elimination Match: Kenichiro Arai, Taku Iwasa, Akira Tozawa & Shinobu vs. Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii, Magnitude Kishiwada & Super Shisa
THIS I can talk about. So much to love here. Mochi and pals have been puttin a whuppin on Tozawa for the past several weeks, but much to their dismay he has shown a level of fighting spirit that could not possibly have been accounted for. He has been full of, dare I say, GUMPTION.
And boy did this gumption ever come to the fore pre-match. Mochi is the first entrant for his team and he strolls down to the ring with his awesome theme music playing as the crowd sings along "MO-CHI". Then the opening chords of Tozawa's theme hits but in a flash they turn into Mochi's theme.... again? No of course not silly. This time the song is not "MO-CHI" but "AKI-RA!!!" and Tozawa is singing his bad self down to the ring (complete with handwritten lyrics by his side). The crowd goes banana, Mochi can't keep a straight face, and Tozawa is rockin' it.
When the karaoke ends, Tozawa gets the jump with a springboard dropkick and the two went at it. More participants entered and there was much brawling around Korakuen both backstage and ringside. Things kicked up a notch when Super Shisa entered. For the first time in many a year, he was KICKING ASS. He eliminated Arai and Shinobu with Yoshi-Tonics and then took out Iwasa with a cool submission. It was down to 4 on 1, with poor Tozawa all alone.
They beat on him for a while until he made the mother of all comebacks. Seriously he was ruling it here. He got rid of Shisa but ultimately the numbers caught up with him as he was forced to tap to a vicious crab hold from Fuji while being stomped by Magnitude and Mochi.
The show wrapped up by running down the card for the 11.16 PPV.
Damn enjoyable show again. Tozawa's shenanigans were definitely the highlight.
INFINITY #107 - 7.5/10
Wednesday 10 December 2008
NOAH: December 7th 2008
I watched a show put on by something called a NOAH. It seemed to mainly be a supershow combining talent from All Japan (Misawa, Akiyama) and New Japan (Kensuke Sasaki). I hope they continue working together.
I really liked Misawa's match versus Nakajima. It has sparked quite a debate over on the DVDVR boards, divided between people who think Misawa is old and fat (he is) and people who are Misawa is entertaining this year because he's old and fat (he is). This is a very simple veteran versus young gun match. Misawa looks perpetually tired and weary, always conveying an attitude of feeling too old for this stuff anymore. The only thing he has left is his elbows (which are evil). I completely love his selling - there is an air of "must keep going" to it, despite all the stuff Nakajima throws at him, including five thrust kicks to the chin, and a diving kick to the throat. I really like the finish - Misawa gets more elbows, one Emerald Froizen, pins, flops, and dies. I could stand to see a lot more matches like this. Not quite as good as the Morishima title switch, but still good.
Akiyama versus Morishima is up next. I really got nothing out of this one. Firstly, I don't understand the booking. The logical thing to happen over the GHC title is that Sasaki goes through most of NOAH's guys, before Morishima wins the belt back, thus setting him up as supreme king and ruler of all he surveys. So, it makes sense for Akiyama to go over here, setting up his match with Sasaki. However (and that's a big but), why have Morishima lose in, like, seven minutes. Why not go twenty? Why not have Akiyama really have to dig deep for the win, thus keeping both strong for the future? Second point, this match is messy. They go outside early, do some stuff out there, head back in a do some finishers for a bit, including two big Exploders, Morishima's backdrop driver, some lariats, before finally Akiyama gets the win with a front facelock choke. The match lacked body. Hence, it lacked soul.
The semi-final was for the GHC junior tag titles between KENTA and Ishimori, and Suzuki and Kanemura. I thought this was OK, and better than a lot of long junior tag matches I've seen this year. The middle was slow, which was somewhat of a doubled edged sword (as opposed to swords that have just one edge?), because it dragged as the heels (I'm told) aren't good at filling time, but it did serve to make the final third more exciting, with first Ishimori's hot tag, then KENTA tag back in, face bloodied, coming in for revenge. If Suzuki anbd Kanemura had been better, this would have been better. Also of note, Ishimori goes all Sasuke and tries to break his skull doing a moosault to the outside. There was an audible thunk. Possibly, they should have exploited this more during the match, but they didn't.
The main event was Sasaki's second defence against Saito. I don't know Saito at all. Anyway, this went on for twenty five minutes, and didn't really keep my interest in any one of those minutes. The selling was bad - plenty of getting straight back up after being hit with a big move, no consistency on the lariats (lariat one takes you down, lariat two is shrugged off, lariat three gets a pinfall). Saito works the arm for a bit (I don't know why), then Sasaki fights back (with his arm). I like Sasaki in short five minute burst in tag matches, but I really don't care for him in long title defences.
All in all, this show was OK. Only the Misawa vs. Nakajima will get anywhere near my MOTY thoughts. Too much time was given to the last two matches at the expense of the Morishima match, which is my biggest complaint.
I really liked Misawa's match versus Nakajima. It has sparked quite a debate over on the DVDVR boards, divided between people who think Misawa is old and fat (he is) and people who are Misawa is entertaining this year because he's old and fat (he is). This is a very simple veteran versus young gun match. Misawa looks perpetually tired and weary, always conveying an attitude of feeling too old for this stuff anymore. The only thing he has left is his elbows (which are evil). I completely love his selling - there is an air of "must keep going" to it, despite all the stuff Nakajima throws at him, including five thrust kicks to the chin, and a diving kick to the throat. I really like the finish - Misawa gets more elbows, one Emerald Froizen, pins, flops, and dies. I could stand to see a lot more matches like this. Not quite as good as the Morishima title switch, but still good.
Akiyama versus Morishima is up next. I really got nothing out of this one. Firstly, I don't understand the booking. The logical thing to happen over the GHC title is that Sasaki goes through most of NOAH's guys, before Morishima wins the belt back, thus setting him up as supreme king and ruler of all he surveys. So, it makes sense for Akiyama to go over here, setting up his match with Sasaki. However (and that's a big but), why have Morishima lose in, like, seven minutes. Why not go twenty? Why not have Akiyama really have to dig deep for the win, thus keeping both strong for the future? Second point, this match is messy. They go outside early, do some stuff out there, head back in a do some finishers for a bit, including two big Exploders, Morishima's backdrop driver, some lariats, before finally Akiyama gets the win with a front facelock choke. The match lacked body. Hence, it lacked soul.
The semi-final was for the GHC junior tag titles between KENTA and Ishimori, and Suzuki and Kanemura. I thought this was OK, and better than a lot of long junior tag matches I've seen this year. The middle was slow, which was somewhat of a doubled edged sword (as opposed to swords that have just one edge?), because it dragged as the heels (I'm told) aren't good at filling time, but it did serve to make the final third more exciting, with first Ishimori's hot tag, then KENTA tag back in, face bloodied, coming in for revenge. If Suzuki anbd Kanemura had been better, this would have been better. Also of note, Ishimori goes all Sasuke and tries to break his skull doing a moosault to the outside. There was an audible thunk. Possibly, they should have exploited this more during the match, but they didn't.
The main event was Sasaki's second defence against Saito. I don't know Saito at all. Anyway, this went on for twenty five minutes, and didn't really keep my interest in any one of those minutes. The selling was bad - plenty of getting straight back up after being hit with a big move, no consistency on the lariats (lariat one takes you down, lariat two is shrugged off, lariat three gets a pinfall). Saito works the arm for a bit (I don't know why), then Sasaki fights back (with his arm). I like Sasaki in short five minute burst in tag matches, but I really don't care for him in long title defences.
All in all, this show was OK. Only the Misawa vs. Nakajima will get anywhere near my MOTY thoughts. Too much time was given to the last two matches at the expense of the Morishima match, which is my biggest complaint.
Monday 1 December 2008
El Dorado: March 26th 2008
First time reviewing an El Dorado show on this site. El Dorado is a fun and easy promotion to follow. There's only about six televised shows each year, so I don't know if follow is the correct word, but regardless, being a lucharesu-based promotion (and we could argue about what that word means these days) the matches tend to be quick, often flashy, with the emphasis placed on entertainment over the more serious promotions in Japan. There is a stronger heel/face dynamic than in many puro promotions, which is good for a non-Japanese speaker who doesn't necessarily follow the intricacies of a particular matchup or feud. Good guys versus bad guys, I can easily understand.
To the show. Opener was Go Sato (Go) and Ken 45 (degrees), from heel stable Hell's Demons, against DDT's Antonio Honda and Shimizu. I thought this was fine as a simple tag formula match. Honda's schtick is entertaining, though he gets taken out of the ring and the heels eventually pin Shimizu. I guess this was designed to make Go and Ken 45 look good - I like Go, but have yet to care for Ken.
Next match was also a little bit of a squash - the larger TAKEMURA vs. the smaller Jumping Kid Okimoto. Oki got some stuff in, including a couple of suplexes, and some more lucha-y stuff, but finally was overcome by the power. He seems to have quite a lot of crowd support, despite a quite hideous costume.
The third match was a number one contender's tag title match between member's of the recently schismed Animal Planet's faction: Bear Fukoda and Hercules Senga on one side, and Touru Owashi and Takuya Sugawara. This was a nice little match - lots of energy, palpable dislike between the two teams, opponents charging across the ring to level the other team member before they could tag in. Senga has a really excellent match - he came out straight away with some flying, and a big somersault tope. Then, he took (and sold) quite a beating. The finish was less evenly balanced than it could have been to take - it was clear who the superior team are. That said, both Sugawara and Owashi would leave the promotion by August, so hopefully the other two, especially Senga, will move up the card a bit.
Semi-main is a six-man tag building up to next month's Kondo vs. Kishiwada match. Kondo is joined by "brother" YASSHI and Men's Club favourite Yuki Sato. Magnitude Kisiwada (which is my favourite name in all Japanese wrestling) is partnering co-leaders of Hell's Angels Brahmen Kei and Shu. This starts as a lucha-esque brawl, before the long heat section on Sato. At one point, Magnitude gives Sato a double-arm suplex that propels him from one corner to another. There is a lot of Magnitude beating up Sato, and a few comebacks, but not a huge amount else.
The main event is for the UWA world tag titles, between NOSAWA and MAZADA and challenger KAGETORA and Kota Iibushi. I don't generally like Gurentai matches, but I guess this is a good environment for them (for a bad environment, see any time they are in Big Japan). Here they are playing rudos to two popular crowd favourites, so it's the characters rather than the work that's important. This goes from opening matwork section to a long rudo beatdown on KAGETORA, who gets bloodied in the process. Iibushi comes in with his high-flying stuff, which is as visually impressive as ever. They have a finishing stretch of move and things, which, while fine and easy to watch, doesn't lend itself to much analysis (and I could give you thirty reasons why).
Nothing vital to watch on this show, but quite fun and action-packed. For people more familiar with US wrestling, this is a good promotion to watch - such fans will find the wrestling a lot more familiar than, say, NOAH (or even actual lucha).
To the show. Opener was Go Sato (Go) and Ken 45 (degrees), from heel stable Hell's Demons, against DDT's Antonio Honda and Shimizu. I thought this was fine as a simple tag formula match. Honda's schtick is entertaining, though he gets taken out of the ring and the heels eventually pin Shimizu. I guess this was designed to make Go and Ken 45 look good - I like Go, but have yet to care for Ken.
Next match was also a little bit of a squash - the larger TAKEMURA vs. the smaller Jumping Kid Okimoto. Oki got some stuff in, including a couple of suplexes, and some more lucha-y stuff, but finally was overcome by the power. He seems to have quite a lot of crowd support, despite a quite hideous costume.
The third match was a number one contender's tag title match between member's of the recently schismed Animal Planet's faction: Bear Fukoda and Hercules Senga on one side, and Touru Owashi and Takuya Sugawara. This was a nice little match - lots of energy, palpable dislike between the two teams, opponents charging across the ring to level the other team member before they could tag in. Senga has a really excellent match - he came out straight away with some flying, and a big somersault tope. Then, he took (and sold) quite a beating. The finish was less evenly balanced than it could have been to take - it was clear who the superior team are. That said, both Sugawara and Owashi would leave the promotion by August, so hopefully the other two, especially Senga, will move up the card a bit.
Semi-main is a six-man tag building up to next month's Kondo vs. Kishiwada match. Kondo is joined by "brother" YASSHI and Men's Club favourite Yuki Sato. Magnitude Kisiwada (which is my favourite name in all Japanese wrestling) is partnering co-leaders of Hell's Angels Brahmen Kei and Shu. This starts as a lucha-esque brawl, before the long heat section on Sato. At one point, Magnitude gives Sato a double-arm suplex that propels him from one corner to another. There is a lot of Magnitude beating up Sato, and a few comebacks, but not a huge amount else.
The main event is for the UWA world tag titles, between NOSAWA and MAZADA and challenger KAGETORA and Kota Iibushi. I don't generally like Gurentai matches, but I guess this is a good environment for them (for a bad environment, see any time they are in Big Japan). Here they are playing rudos to two popular crowd favourites, so it's the characters rather than the work that's important. This goes from opening matwork section to a long rudo beatdown on KAGETORA, who gets bloodied in the process. Iibushi comes in with his high-flying stuff, which is as visually impressive as ever. They have a finishing stretch of move and things, which, while fine and easy to watch, doesn't lend itself to much analysis (and I could give you thirty reasons why).
Nothing vital to watch on this show, but quite fun and action-packed. For people more familiar with US wrestling, this is a good promotion to watch - such fans will find the wrestling a lot more familiar than, say, NOAH (or even actual lucha).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)