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Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi

  • New Japan on AXS report: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in the G1 finals

    We are finally here at the August 16, 2015, G1 Finals show at Sumo Hall. Before we get to the big main event, we get action in the Junior Heavyweight division.

    The Young Bucks vs. reDragon for the IWGP Jr. tag team titles

    They aired this match in full, and it was better than I remembered. They do so many four ways and three ways in New Japan, it’s actually kind of rare we just get a straight up tag team match between two teams in this division. Really good back and forth match. Loved the spot where Cody Hall took Kyle O’Reilly, as it created a good dramatic situation for Fish as he was being worked on by the Bucks. O’Reilly came back and after some more back and forth, reDragon pick up the win and the titles.

    O’Reilly said just like they said on day one, they would get the win and they did. Fish said it was just a matter of time, we are conquerors and made the most of our opportunity.

    Kushida said he wanted to rule G1 final days to show off the juniors to the packed crowd at Sumo Hall. It was a big chance for them. It was a nerve racking match for him as he didn’t know how his style had changed in the past. He also has great physical ability and is a tough opponent. Between 2014 and 15 he worked really hard to hone his skills; this is what that match is all about, to showcase his skills.

    Kushida vs. Ricochet for the Jr. heavyweight title

    Another really good match. Ricochet’s flying senton over the turnbuckle to the floor is my favorite spot in pro wrestling – just incredible! Good drama throughout with Kushida building towards the hoverboard lock. Lots of great moves. Maybe not as good as their other matches, but this was still a fine addition to their series and a good match.

    Kushida says he always wanted to bring the Super Junior finals to fill in that gap between heavyweight and junior heavyweight. Every step of the way proves he can do it. He thanks Ricochet and welcomes him to New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    In his reflective interview, he mentions facing Kyle O’Riley in the BOTSJ finals and Ricochet at the G1 finals. It was tough for him to use his grappling moves since Ricochet is a high flying wrestler. He was highly motivated that night as he wants to prove that the Super Juniors can go run at Sumo Hall too. It’s hard to win against non-Japanese wrestlers, but he will do it no matter what.

    Tanahashi welcomes us to the second episode, all about the G1 finals. He mentions how he’s never faced Nakamura is a G1 championship match before, but he was glad he was going to face him in this final. He noticed a lot of Nakamura’s comments, and how they were about life itself, and they got to him. He was cheered in matches against Okada, but the G1 finals were on another level- they were walls of noise, and that was an incredible experience.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the G1 trophy

    I thought it would be ultra hard to top the prior years G1 Finals match with Nakamura pinning Okada in a terrific match to win the trophy, but both of these guys proved me wrong. By far, this is the best match I have seen between these two and the previous matches were excellent. In other words…this was a clear candidate for match of the year. Just fantastic selling, crowd work, near falls, atmosphere – just everything about this was great. I loved the selling in particular as both guys were working on legs.

    It’s also a testament to how much they protect finishers, as it’s pretty rare that someone kicks out of a boma ye and very few people kick out of the high fly flow. So when Nakamura kicked out of two of them, that was amazing and the crowd went crazy. Nakamura hit the boma ye, but Tanahashi kicked out and after some more back and forth, hit a high fly flow while Nakamura was on the middle rope, then hit his fourth high fly flow to win the match. Just stellar in every way.

    Nakamura was interviewed after the match. He gave everything he had, that was his 100 percent. Tanahashi thanked the fans, saying he has mastered the heat and it’s thanks to you all. He said although the G1 ends today, pro wrestling continues onwards so please support us. To everyone who viewed the G1 today, I love you! Very few people have that babyface connection to the crowd Tanahashi has, it’s incredible.

    They showed the footage of the G1 flag breaking and Tanahashi trying to fix it. They make a note of it during the post-fight press conference. Tanahashi says he’s been on everyone’s radar. He doesn’t just want to be a rival. He doesn’t want that. So starting from today, he will look for something past that.

    In his reflective interview, Tanahashi notes that Nakamura was really fired up, and never saw him as the passionate type. It was as if pro wrestling changed his life. We evolve as time goes on. Now that he’s leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling, it was an intense moment with a lot of meaning. On Nakamura leaving New Japan, Tanahashi notes he’s leaving to make his dream come true, New Japan will survive and go one. New Japan still has me, so it’s all good. He wishes him the best of luck.

    Two great shows. Check out the G1 Finals, obviously, but the two junior matches are very good as well.

  • NJPW 2016 G1 Climax tournament blocks, key matches, Tanahashi’s return

    By Joseph Currier for F4WOnline.com (updated on July 3rd)

    The return of an ace and the debut of several key talents were the most notable takeaways from Monday morning’s announcement of the participants in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s 26th annual G1 Climax tournament, made during the promotion’s Kizuna Road show.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi will make his return to the NJPW ring after a shoulder injury had kept him sidelined since May 21st. Tanahashi was written off in an angle with Kenny Omega and hoped that rest would allow his shoulder to heal in time for Dominion’s IWGP intercontinental championship ladder match. But after being replaced by Michael Elgin in that match, it became unclear whether he would be able to participate in this year’s tournament.

    After the losses of Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Kota Ibushi, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows from NJPW, the rest of the field is full of fresh faces along with a veteran in Hiroyoshi Tenzan who is returning for his 21st tournament.

    Kenny Omega headlines the six participants making their first G1 appearance in this year’s tournament. He is joined by Tama Tonga, Yoshi-Hashi, Seiya Sanada, Evil, and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Katsuhiko Nakajima. Nakajima and NOAH stalwart Naomichi Marufuji are the only outsiders among the field.

    – A Block: Togi Makabe, Tenzan, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Seiya Sanada, Naomichi Marufuji, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi

    – B Block: Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma, Michael Elgin, Toru Yano, Tetsuya Naito, Evil, Kenny Omega, Yoshi-Hashi, Katsuhiko Nakajima

    Here’s some of the key matches to watch per our NJPW reporter Bryan Rose:

    • 7/18: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Sanada, Okada vs. Marufuji
    • 7/22: Nagata vs. Naito, Shibata vs. Honma
    • 7/23: Tanahashi vs. Makabe, Okada vs. Sanada
    • 7/24: Nakajima vs. Shibata, Honma vs. Yoshi-Hashi
    • 7/25: Makabe vs. Sanada, Okada vs. Goto
    • 7/27: Yano vs. Naito, Shibata vs. Elgin
    • 7/28: Ishii vs. Marufuji, Goto vs. Sanada
    • 7/30: Omega vs. Elgin, Shibata vs. Naito
    • 7/31: Makabe vs. Marufuji, Tanahashi vs. Goto
    • 8/1: Yoshi Hashi vs. Nakajima, Honma vs. Naito
    • 8/3: Tanahashi vs. Ishii, Makabe vs. Okada
    • 8/4: Nakajima vs. Naito, Shibata vs. Omega
    • 8/6: Tanahashi vs. Marufuji, Okada vs. Ishii
    • 8/7: Omega vs. Nagata, Naito vs. Evil
    • 8/8: Ishii vs. Sanada, Tanahashi vs. Tenzan
    • 8/10: Honma vs. Elgin, Shibata vs. Nagata
    • 8/12: Goto vs. Marufuji, Tanahashi vs. Okada
    • 8/13: Shibata vs. Evil, Naito vs. Omega

  • New Japan on AXS report: AJ Styles vs. Tanahashi highlights more G-1 ’15 action

    Tenzan welcomed us to the show this week. I don’t think he’s been interviewed once since these shows started airing on AXS.

    This is from August 14, 2015 in Sumo Hall.

    Doc Gallows vs. Katsuyori Shibata

    Gallows chokeslammed Shibata on the apron early, which is a big time owwie. I mean apron spots are cool, but New Japan has some of the nastiest ones I’ve seen. This wasn’t one of them, but they remind me of the ones Will Ospreay and Ricochet took during the Best of the Super Juniors. This was fine, but nothing memorable. Gallows got the surprising win with the Gallows Poll.

    Kota Ibushi vs. Togi Makabe

    Ibushi is so great at adapting to styles. He’s not only a terrific aerial wrestler but a great striker as well, and this that made this match memorable. Facially Ibushi is awesome at everything he does. A really fun, stiff match. Makabe is great in this role, but Ibushi shone in being able to hang with him. He got the win with the Phoenix splash.

    Tenzan mentioned that 2015 was his 20th anniversary in the ring, so this year’s G1 was tough for him. He was outraged when someone wrote he wasn’t capable of being in the G1, and thus got him enraged and motivated. Regarding Naito, he says he really wanted to tear him apart and it was in his mind the whole time. He’s wasted his chances by acting out, doesn’t seem committed. He wonders if there is any motivation. He’s not a type of guy he enjoys wrestling against.

    Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tetsuya Naito

    First off, I hope Tenzan didn’t read what I said prior to the G1 because…well, Tenzan has on and off days. Sometimes he’s super awesome, other times it’s kind of sad that he’s still wrestling. Time’s never kind to pro wrestlers, Tenzan being a good example of this in recent years. But despite all that, he did some great work in this match, and with the announcing of JR and Barnett, they turned this into a really good match.

    Announcing was great here, getting over that Naito was being disrespectful to his former mentor. In terms of work, nothing blow away awesome, and some of it wasn’t pretty but as a whole the match was pretty good. Tenzan gets the submission win with the anaconda vise.

    Tenzan ran down Naito after a match, saying it would take a million years before he could beat him. Naito said good job, was he able to regain his honor in the end? Nice work, he’s heading home now.

    Tenzan mentioned that it was a really long G1 – he was determined, however, not to lose. It wasn’t a refreshing victory, and physically it was tough. At times, his body didn’t move like it wanted to. It is NJPW’s most prestigious series right now, though, and he wanted to fight until the end.

    Tanahashi welcomes us to the 200th episode of World Pro Wrestling Returns! This also took place on August 14.

    Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale

    This really wasn’t much. Jim Ross called it a “bowling shoe ugly” match and I wouldn’t disagree. They always tease the count out spot in New Japan, and here they finally did it as Fale didn’t make it to 20 and got counted out.

    Already time for Tanahashi to talk. He mentioned his match against Kota Ibushi where he was lawn darted into the turnbuckle (and in hindsight, what a dangerous spot), and was still banged up from that spot.. AJ’s match was one of concern. He definitely didn’t want to lose against him. The winner of the match was going to the finals. He considered AJ one of the best wrestlers in the world – why wouldn’t he want to beat Styles and reclaim that title?

    AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

    They, of course, pulled out all the stops here and was a great match that you totally need to see if you haven’t yet. I really liked the leg work from Styles on Tanahashi early in the bout, only for Tanahashi to return it a while later. Another factor that you have to remember is that even before Styles came to New Japan, Tanahashi used the Styles Clash, so that was also a big part of the match, with Styles escaping before eventually landing one.

    Styles even hit a high fly flow but Tanahashi kicked out. Finally Tanahashi hit a big high fly flow to a standing Styles then finished him off with another one. This was so fantastic, a great story told by both men. One of the best matches of 2015, easily, and stands out even more today thanks to the English commentary.

    Tanahashi announced he was in the finals match to big applause. ‘

    In his reflective interview, he mentions how it took eight years for his favorite match (vs. Goto) to be replaced by this one. He mentioned that how of the four wh made it to the semifinals, only two would be continuing to 2016 in New Japan, which shows how great 2015 was.

    On Styles leaving, he would like to thank him as a member of New Japan Pro Wrestling. In his first match against him back in 2007, he was booed. But after, he said he wanted to face him again. “Let’s do this again, genius” is the exact quote. When AJ left for WWE, he told him the same thing.

    First hour had some pretty good action. The second one is great and highly recommended, as it was fantastic.

  • NJPW on AXS G1 2015 report: Naito vs. Tanahashi; Ishii vs. Nakamura

    We got two hours to cover this week of G1 2015 coverage, so let’s not waste any time!

    July 26, 2015 in Hiroshima:

    Katsuyori Shibata vs. Togi Makabe

    This, of course, was super stiff, but nothing out of the ordinary. Good, not great. Shibata got the win with the penalty kick.

    AJ Styles vs. Kota Ibushi

    This was good stuff. I loved the sequence near the end where Kota tried a hurricanrana off the top rope, but AJ blocked hit and hit a hurricanrana just for Ibushi to counter with a rollup, but AJ countered with a Styles Clash attempt. I keep saying this like a broken record, but Ibushi is so great; the last place he needs to be is in IGF where there’s like zero buzz. The burnout is totally understandable, but at the same time I feel like his eccentricities are getting the best of his career. Kota wins with the phoenix splash in a really great match.

    Tetsuya Naito is interviewed. He went to Mexico in May (2015) and mentioned how he met people like La Sombra and Rush and how they wrestled freely; he was jealous. As he teamed with them in matches he felt a sense of joy, so he wanted to bring that to Japan. He felt that he needed to stick to his own style. But after wrestling in Mexico, he realized he needed to branch out. He could say he has no feelings regarding Tanahashi, but that would be a lie. He doesn’t have much more to be say regarding him.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito

    A great showcase for the new Naito here. He took his time taking off his suit (he’s replaced that with just taking a very long time getting to the ring and harassing Milano Collection AT), posed during matches and even took his time brawling around the ring, including a neckbreaker onto a table. In fact, a lot of this match was the two just brawling around, with Naito getting the upper hand. They eventually make their way back to the ring and bust out a ton of great offense.

    I really liked the work on Naito’s knee (he was out for a long period of time a couple of years prior due to a blown out knee) including the two high fly flows on it. Naito got the somewhat surprising win with his new finisher, Destino (a standing sliced bread).

    In a post match promo, he told the Japanese people to calm down. No one can stop him now, He finished off his short promo saying LOS INGOBERNABLES!

    Tanahashi says this was one of his top 5 disappointing matches as he’s helped out backstage. He said the match was what it was – it was destiny. At first, no one could even pronounce los Ingobernables, but as the tournament went on he gained more confidence. He wants Los Ingobernables to gain strength in New Japan.

    Shinsuke Nakamura welcomes us to the second hour of New Japan on AXS.

    This footage is from August 1 in Osaka.

    Karl Anderson vs. Yuji Nagata

    Pretty decent match. I liked the work in the beginning where Anderson worked on Nagata’s ribs while Nagata worked on the arm. Anderson got the win after a gun stun out of nowhere.

    Anderson told Nagata in a very rude manner to make him some food and do his laundry. Nagata didn’t have much response.

    Tomoaki Honma vs. Michael Elgin

    Elgin was such a fresh face in this tournament -literally everyone else was in the tournament a year prior, so seeing some new match ups here was pretty great. Elgin proved just how great a talent he really is by doing some of the best work of his career in this tournament, and prove a lot of his haters wrong with some terrific offense that really got Elgin over.

    This was a great match. People were super into both guys and wanted Honma to get the big win. My favorite spot was the deadlift falcon arrow onto the apron to the mat – such a great spot! Elgin gets the win with the buckle bomb and a sitout powerbomb. Great match.

    Elgin says he’s back on track and how he’s on his way to the finals, because that’s just how good he is. Honma was amazed by Elgin’s power; he really wanted to win, but he will be happy with a win next time.

    Nakamura mentions his elbow injury that kept him off some of the G1 shows and mentions how he wanted to get back in the ring very quickly. He stayed on tour during his injury, saying he would go to different hospitals to get the treatment he needed. It was tough for him to get his way back, and wasn’t until Osaka where he was finally able to return.

    Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomohiro Ishii

    This was really great. Just built up really well from start to finish and the crowd was totally into it from start to finish. Both guys worked super hard. I loved the spot near the end where Nakamura went for another boma ye, Ishii stopped him but countered with the flying armbar scissors. Is that not the coolest move in pro wrestling? Both guys are awesome and they had, in fact, a really tremendous match. Nakamura got the win after a boma ye.

    Nakamura says he had to give his all against Ishii, and glad he was able to face him. He was also happy he only missed one G1 match due to injury so he’s still in the game. In his reflective interview, he says he was very eager to face Ishii. Each one of their hits was full of passion. He appreciated that Ishii never tried to attack his elbow. He had to bring out everything he had, or he wouldn’t be able to stand. He felt that, even though saying this was weird, that it was a great comeback story.

    Lots of great action on these shows; be sure to check them out!

  • New Japan on AXS report: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi, more from G1 ’15

    As we’re heading into the middle of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, we’re also going back and taking a look at last year’s G1 tournament. We start off on action in Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center from July 20, 2015.

    Tetsuya Naito vs. Bad Luck Fale

    Solid match. Fale usually performs pretty well with great performers and this was one of those matches. Naito won with a roll up. Not much more to say about it other than Naito starting the Los Ingobernables phase seems way longer than just a year ago. I don’t know if it’s just time coming to a standstill or I just watch way too much New Japan.

    AJ Styles vs. Katsuyori Shibata

    Really good. Not out of this world awesome but a great 13 minute match. Good back and forth match with Styles winning after the Styles Clash. What a difference a year makes – AJ’s still the same performer that he was here in the WWE. I really think going to Japan gave him the confidence to be a true main event headliner, like TNA tried to do with him but there were always start and stop pushes that prevented him from really becoming a star. It’s all about the lay of the land.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi talked about his match with Kota Ibushi. He said he felt insecure going into the match, mentioning his battles with Nakamura and Okada and wondered what he could do. Eventually, the last day before the match, he decided all he could do was be himself.

    Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

    It’s so weird the career trajectory path Ibushi chose. He’s here having a match with one of the best babyfaces in world and in one of the biggest promotions, and now he’s in the IGF and wrestling blow up dolls. Sure, he might be in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament coming up but he’s really fallen off the radar with his weird side projects. This was really built up well. Crowd was hot, and it lead to some great near falls. Ibushi as a performer is just stellar- facials, mannerisms, everything. Ibushi isn’t as flashy as Ricochet or Will Ospreay but does enough crazy stuff as a heavyweight that he still stands out. Tanahashi got the win with the high fly flow.

    Tanahashi promised to win the G1 in a post match interview. Backstage, Kota Ibushi says he accepted today’s loss as Tanahashi is an amazing performer. Tanahashi says Ibushi is ambitious, and as long as Ibushi is here the future is bright. Oops.

    Tanahashi says he was impressed by Ibushi during the match. He was injured during the match, and mentioned his neck injury. The match wasn’t fun, but was interesting. When asked if he would want to face Ibushi again, he said absolutely, as he is looking forward to Ibushi coming back soon. Don’t think he is, unfortunately!

    A fun show this week. Main event is great. I guess the underlying theme of the show is that a lot can happen in a year.

  • NJPW Wrestling Dontaku results: Super Juniors lineups; IWGP champ Naito vs. Ishii

    Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi

    This did not last long at all. Fale pinned Captain New Japan quickly with the grenade in under 3 minutes. I don’t know why Yoshitatsu let this guy in his Bullet Club Hunter club, he’s worthless in every way.

    Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi & Jay White & David Finlay vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Yoshi-Hashi & Will Ospreay & Gedo

    Fun little match. Usual good eight man match you’d see on the first half of any New Japan show. Ospreay’s offense is so dynamic. He had a great dynamic with Finlay as they did some fun spots together. He did the Sasuke special at one point during the match, taking everyone out in the process. He ended up getting the win for his team after a springboard diamond cutter.

    Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta vs. IWGP Junior Tag Champs Matt Sydal & Ricochet 

    Really good match. I think they’ve had better, but this built up nicely and had some good near falls toward the end. RPG Vice had the heat early. Ricochet did this great move where he caught Baretta in mid air while he was executing a tornado DDT, countered into a northern lights suplex, floated over then gave him a brainbuster. Sydal gave Baretta a reverse rana, then aided Ricochet in laying out Romero with a double Benadryller. They followed with the stereo shooting star presses and pinned RPG Vice to regain the junior titles.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu vs. NEVER Six-Man Tag Champ Kenny Omega & Young Bucks for Never

    Good match, though like the previous match, their last bout was a bit better. Unlike their previous match, where they had crazy spots just about everywhere, they mostly kept this in the ring for most of the match. Elgin made a great comeback for his team. Tanahashi and Omega were in there when Omega went to use the hairspray but it hit Tiger Hattori instead. Elite acted like they were helping him, but then Omega low blowed him because he’s mean.

    That’s when the weapons were brought out. Elgin powerbombed Matt Jackson into a ladder, but Omega came back and with the help of the Bucks, powerbombed Elgin through a table on the floor. They gave Yoshitatsu the triple kick, then Omega pinned Yoshitatsu with the One Winged Angel to win the titles.

    Tanahashi cut a promo after the match, asking Kenny Omega for a rematch, saying he is the next Intercontinental champion. Kenny said no, but then took out the ladder and said if he wanted a ladder match, then he would say yes. They both climbed to the top of the ladder and shook hands, so it’s on.

    Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa for IWGP tag team titles

    Okay match, mostly picked up toward the end. Guerrillas of Destiny just lack something here. Makabe and Honma are great singles guys, and have had great matches but this program just doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere. Tama Tonga and Makabe had some great back and forth that got the crowd into the bout. Tonga and Tanga took out Makabe on the outside as they cornered Honma. He tried to fight his way out of losing, but didn’t work as the brothers laid out Honma with their finish to retain the titles.

    This year’s Best of the Super Junior lineups:

    • A Block: Kushida, Ryusuke Taguchi, Kyle O’Reilly, Matt Sydal, Rocky Romero, Gedo, Bushi, Matt Jackson
    • B Block: Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Nick Jackson, Will Ospreay, Trent Beretta, Bobby Fish, Ricochet, Volador Jr.

    No real surprises other than Volador Jr. He and Will Ospreay make the B block far more interesting. I’d really like to see how their singles match goes down.

    Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata for Never title

    Good match. Started off slow with some mat wrestling, then picked up from there. They had a better G1 match, but this was good stuff while it lasted. Shibata went for the penalty kick but Nagata grabbed him and gave him a big boot and backdrop driver. Shibata mounted a comeback but Nagata put him down on the ground, gave him a penalty kick and pinned him with the backdrop driver to win the title.  Shinpei Nogami, the biggest fan of Yuji Nagata you’ll ever see, freaked out after the match and kept screaming “JUSTICE!”

    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kushida vs. Jushin Liger

    Really good match. Different than most junior heavyweight matches. Kushida is one of th best all around workers in wrestling today just by how he’s able to adjust to any style and have a great match no matter what.

    This was a more traditional match, working on body parts and applying submissions. Liger worked on Kushida’s leg early in the bout and kept working on it throughout. Liger can’t fly like he did back in the day but as far as technical wrestling goes he’s really good. Liger hit the shotei once, then went for it again but Kushida blocked it and countered with the hoverboard lock. Liger took a while, but eventually submitted.

    Kushida grabbed a mic and said that he’d like to see Liger wrestle for many years to come. Liger said if the champion thinks so, he might have to challenge again down the line.

    Hirooki Goto vs. Evil

    Another good match. Kinda short, but it was explosive as they went at right away. A lot of brawling, and a lot of back and forth stiff shots. Goto kicked out of a fireman’s carry into a spinebuster, but then Evil gave him the STO and pinned him clean in the middle, just like that. Pretty surprising.

    Kazuchika Okada vs. Sanada

    Really good match. Another match that had some good back and forth early. Sanada’s really good, definitely upper midcard/main event kind of character. Okada did the rainmaker pose but Sanada came back and put him in the Skull End submission. He missed the moonsault. Okada went to go for the rainmaker but Sanada kept dodging and trying for the Skull End. Sanada got him back down to the floor but Okada transitioned back to the tombstone, laid out Sanada with that then pinned him with the rainmaker. That’d probably put him in line for a rematch against Naito soon.

    IWGP Champion Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii

    Awesome match, especially in the last ten minutes or so. Sure enough, Okada was out there with Ishii to second him, along with Gedo. They had a straightforward match for a while, pretty solid back and forth offering until Evil interfered, hitting Ishii with a steel chair. Ishii was working on Naito’s leg and had an ankle lock in as Chaos warded off Los Ingobernables.

    Eventually they got free, but Ishii held his own until Okada made the save. Ishii hit the sliding D and went for a brainbuster but Naito countered with a DDT. Ishii countered the Destino and laid him out with an inverted brainbuster (that’s a new one!) for a nearfall. Finally, Ishii whipped Naito across the ropes but he came back with a forearm, then pinned him with Destino to retain the title.

    Okada took shirt off and stared down Naito after the match. He didn’t respond at first, but eventually they had a staredown as Okada left. After all the ceremonies, Naito cut a promo asking Kidani to see the pop he’s getting in front of his crowd, and that he knows Okada wants a title shot but he has to “tranquillo”.

    – This was a really good show. Everything was good for the most part, with the IWGP and Jr. title matches being really exceptional.

  • NJPW on AXS: Toru Yano faces off against Hiroshi Tanahashi

    Tonight’s episode features highlights from the big Dominion event from Osaka Jo Hall that took place July 5, 2015.

    IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi Vice vs. reDragon

    I thought this was a really good match, but the problem is the matches eclipse the titles in terms of importance. During this match I kept trying to think who the champions were during this time and I kept drawing a blank. They’ve done so such hot shotting with the titles it kind of renders them useless, even though they aren’t. There needs to be an “ace” kind of team in this division because really it’s just a bunch of great athletes trading wins. Nothing wrong with that, as again this was a great match, but the purpose of the titles comes into question here. Bucks, who were in fact the champions, retained their titles, pinning Romero with the More Bang for Your Buck.

    Nick said we might’ve been first, but we were the main event. Matt called themselves the greatest champions of all time and have added prestige to these titles. We can wrestle anywhere, any company, and we chose here because the best are here, and so are the Young Bucks.

    IWGP Tag Team titles: The Kingdom (c) vs. Bullet Club

    This was a very slightly better version of every Kingdom/BC match they ever had. Bit more tandem action, but still tons of “Anderson is infatuated with Maria” kind of stuff. Gallows laid out Maria and Anderson gave Bennett a gun stun on the paron. Taven made a brief flurry of a comeback, but it was too much and was laid out with the Magic Killer, allowing Anderson to get the win as he and Gallows regain the tag team titles. Not much to say about it.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi is this week’s reflective interview. They felt ready that night in Osaka, the roster couldn’t wait to get there. He talks about how Yano is confidence in his abilities and how he can win without breaking the rules. He has a strong grabbing technique, and you can never tell that by just looking at him.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano

    This was a good little match. Not great or anything, but Yano’s style is so different than anyone else’s, it’s kind of fun to just watch and see it. It’s a refreshing change of pace, in other words. Yano kept using his tricks, like the low blow, the turnbuckle spot, and using the ref to the point that eventually Tanahashi had to go to Yano’s level to gain the advantage. He got the win over Yano after another high fly flow.

    Tanahashi laments he and Yano should have faced earlier, or else it wouldn’t have taken him this long to get there. The biggest disappointment to him is that he’s not in the main event, as he wanted to headline Osaka Jo Hall.

    Back to the reflective interview, he said it was a luxurious stage to fight on, and the match itself got him ready for the G1 tournament, which we’re no too far away from