Pegasus Kid Reviews...

[Pegasus Kid 0]

I started doing up match reviews in the "Matches To Check Out" thread but with the start of this year and the fact that I'll have ready access to newer Puroresu matches (at least the major stuff) I will be doing up reviews again. Some people know who I am and what to expect. Some people may be either new to the scene or haven't got a clue who I am, in which case welcome and I hope you enjoy. Questions/comments/criticism are all encouraged. I'm very out of the loop so if any of the Puro heavy hitters have insight into matches, that'd be appreciated.

 

Today I'll be taking a look at the marquee matches from the NJPW 1/4 Tokyo Dome Show.

 

KOJI KANEMOTO/TIGER MASK IV/KAZU HAYASHI/TAKA MICHINOKU/WATARU INOUE VS JUSHIN "THUNDER" LYGER/MINORU/MILANO COLLECTION A.T./SHUJI KONDO/BROTHER YASSHI

Man this is a seriously loaded line up of junior wrestlers. The heel team has the NJPW and AJPW Jr. champs, two young stars and the greatest junior wrestler ever. The faces have OG Kaientai, one of the great assholes in Kanemoto, the super fired up Inoue and this generation's Tiger Mask. When I looked at this card, this is easily the match that caught my attention as it concerns a sensory overload. It reminded me a lot of the old Michinoku Pro days with Kaientai Deluxe against Sasuke & Co. They even pay homage to the old tags in the early going as the heels do the Quintuple KDX beatdown. They go US tag style at first, isolating TAKA, which I really don't get. You can't really establish a story in an All Star Game so to speak. Milano and Kondo were both impressive in their small amounts of work. I've seen Milano before and know he's got a lot of talent. I haven't seen Kondo though and was blown away by his work. Everything looked crisp and clean but moreso it looked like it really hurt. You can't undermind the aspect of credible looking offense in pro wrestling and this guy has got it in spades. Back to the match as there is a great piece in the middle with Hayashi and MINORU. They look to have history. Great back and forth action from these guys and if there's been a singles match or two, I'll have to go out of my way to see it as they have great chemistry. The match falls back into a more "random" mode after that with your usual collection of fun tag spots. The Voodoo Murderers are a lot of fun to watch and really liven things up with their tag work. There isn't really so much a hot finish as a collection of fun spots leading to what you know is the end, especially considering the men involved. I'd have liked to see it run a little longer with a hotter sprint to the finish but still enjoyable. **3/4

 

TOSHIAKI KAWADA VS SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

I had very big expectations going into this match. It's purpose is obvious. Kawada is the established legend who is there to elevate Nakamura to the next level. Nakamura doesn't necessarily need to win this so much as show everyone that he can hang with a wrestler of Kawada's calibre. Everyone that has read my old work knows that I love Kawada like no other. Everything this guy does in the ring reminds me why I love pro wrestling. Great attitude, fantastic offense, instant connections with the fans, Dangerous K has it all. He truly draws the viewer into his matches and I'm eternally grateful for all that he's done for wrestling over the years. This match establishes the roles quickly. Kawada brings some stuff shots and Nakamura responds with the young fire. He's got something to prove and he's not going to take anyone's crap. For everything Kawada dishes out, Nakamura is right there to return the favour. There is an absolutely brilliant moment about five minutes in that reminds me of why I love Kawada so much. Nakamura brings a flurry of knees to the back of the head and the ref gets him to step back. When Kawada gets up, his face was absolutely perfect. It screams "who the hell do you think you are" as he stares Nakamura in the face and then brings down the pain. After that we get into the real storytelling. Nakamura takes control and it becomes a tale of whether he has enough in his arsenal to beat Kawada. Kawada's job is to survive the storm of offense while keeping Nakamura looking strong. After that we get Nakamura having to survive the trial by fire as Kawada throws everything he's got in his arsenal and Nakamura has to survive it all. The end comes in a flurry and is lacking a logical build of near falls to really pay it off but much like the previous tag match, it made perfect sense. As a viewer, you see a move and absolutely know the match could and better should be over as a result. While only the future can truly tell if Nakamura was elevated as a result, I'd say both guys did the job they came out there to do to the best of their abilities. ***1/4

 

YUGI NAGATA VS MINORU SUZUKI (TRIPLE CROWN)

There's a lot of little things that make this match a true joy to watch. The video package prior sets the tone. Suzuki is the overly cocky champion of AJPW. He makes it a point not only to not take Nagata seriously as a challenger, but to disrespect him whenever possible (the pouring water on his head is a nice touch). Nagata is obviously all business and now he's not only motivated to take the title but beat the hell out of the young champ. The tone is set before the match even starts with Suzuki actually lying down on the rampway, not a care in the world as it concerns the difficult task ahead of him. When they finally do lock it up, it's an outright war. This match isn't about the coveted titles. This is a flat out war between two guys who hate each other. Nagata taking the slap spot up a notch with the spit in the face is fantastic stuff. Both guys bleed to really get over the ill feelings between the two. Nagata's onslaught throughout the bulk of the match is sometimes hard to look at. He really beats the hell out of Suzuki. Considering the beating being unloaded and that Suzuki is the champ, the ending is sadly a forgone conclusion though so anyone that understands how all this works. It's a shame too because if I had any doubt at all as to who was going to be winning this match, it would have been enough to elevate it into early MOTY consideration. You can't say enough about the suspension of disbelief in pro wrestling. As is, I give them all the credit in the world for putting on a great match full of raw emotion and stiff action. This was easily the best match on the show. ***3/4

 

TAIYO KEA VS HIROSHI TANAHASHI (IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE)

This was billed as this generation's Baba vs Inoki. I didn't quite know what to think going into this one. I've always been a fan of Kea but never felt he really had that main event aura about him. Tanahashi has the look and the work but I've always felt that he serves his role best when you're of the belief that he's not going to win it and his fighting spirit will take him through. So when you have a champ who you feel can't fill his role and a challenger you feel doesn't have the stuff to be a main eventer, how am I supposed to get into it? Well in the end you have to hope that the work is up to snuff and the crowd will help you along. This match manages to pull it off on both counts. I read other reports saying that Kea didn't bring the goods here but I'd beg to differ. He brought the whole arsenal for this one. He created the sense of domination that's common for the Tanahashi comeback but never giving you the belief that he was so dominant that he was doomed to fail. As per usual, Tanahashi takes the beating and makes the appropriate hot comeback. As they come down the stretch, the crowd does their part (something lacking throughout the rest of the show) and you really get into this one. It's got the big moves, the hot crowd, the close near falls. It's a rock solid match and if there was a match I'd consider the most "fun" out of the marquee matches, it'd be this one. ***1/4

 

HIROYOSHI TENZAN/SATOSHI KOJIMA vs KEIJI MUTOH/MASAHIRO CHONO

It's interesting looking at this matchup. If this took place five years ago it would instantly have that feeling of Proteges vs Mentors. However, all four guys are now viable main eventers of their respective companies. They could have gone the even keel route but instead fell back on the easy story and I'm a little disappointed in that regard. Running Protege vs Mentor allowed for some enjoyable spots like Mutoh's double Shining Wizard to start the match and the reversal double submission spot for a good crowd pop. The match falls into a relatively standard extended US tag formula with Tenzan getting the first turn of face in peril. The Musketeers spend a good portion of the match working over Tenzan's legs. He eventually gets the hot tag and Kojima pulls the crowd into it with his high octane offense (nice touch with the Kobashi Machine Gun Chops). In an interesting twist, they switch the face in peril after that with Chono on the receiving end. TenKoji get to run through their trademark double team offense and it's all fun stuff. The last leg of the match serves a couple of purposes. TenKoji miss a cardinal opportunity to finish, attempting to one up their mentors, thus completing the primary protege vs mentor arc. The finish is also a tribute to Shinya Hashimoto as The Musketeers using some of his offense near the end to set up the finish. It's a warm moment if you've followed NJPW for a long time and remember all those great Hashimoto moments over the years. While I don't feel that the finish really benefits anyone for the future, it's a feel good moment to send the crowd home happy. ***

 

I expected more from "The Japanese Wrestlemania" considering the line up, but it was still a rock solid card (the undercard wasn't horrid, just not worth me going through with any detail). Try to find Nagata/Suzuki either online or on a tape compilation as it's definitely worth going out of your way to see but nothing else really sticks out.

[Pegasus Kid 0]

Review of NOAH's 1/21 Budokan Hall show coming tonight.