Jake Mulligan here again, with a big week in puro. Inside, we’ve got new matches for All Japan’s 3/1 PPV, including New Japan involvement, results from Dragon Gate’s WrestleJAM3 series of shows, including wrestlers such as PAC and Austin Aries, a title switch involving Dragon Gate talent, results from NOAH with an ROH World Title match and news on which ROH stars are traveling next, news on which set of tag champs want to defend in America, and a match review from Big Japan! We’re packed this week, so let’s get to it!
NOAH Tour Ender in Korakuen, Big Matches Set Up
NOAH ran their tour ender this week in Korakuen Hall for the first time in years; this is normally a Budokan Hall date. They claimed a Super No Vacancy, with 2,100 fans packed in. NOAH presented a really fun card, highlighted by a number of special matches. The undercard was Battlebowl style, as always, but the top half was all fun, good matches, though nothing was outstanding. In a tag team attraction, KENTA and Akitoshi Saito defeated Yoshihiro Takayama and Atsushi Aoki, KENTA pinning Aoki. Takayama and KENTA always go to town on each other, and hopefully we will finally see that singles match soon, I imagine it would be very fun. Next up was Kensuke Sasaki’s return to NOAH, defeating Shuhei Taniguchi in the first match of his trial series. Taniguchi looked great, lasting 12 minutes before falling to the Northern Lights Bomb. The big news came after the match, however, as Sasaki begged for a rematch with Kenta Kobashi when he is 100%! Their first match was a classic, and Kenskay wants a win. I see this match happening next year, as it would be a true bitch to put together now, with Kenskay holding the Triple Crown and Kobashi recovering. When it does though…it will be special.
Next up was a title match, as Nigel McGuinness defended his ROH World Championship against Go Shiozaki! McGuinness won a hard fought contest after tapping Shiozaki’s bad arm out to his London Dungeon submission for his 4th successful defense. But again, the news was after the match. Shiozaki announced he was leaving NOAH for the US, and would not come back until he had found success in ROH! It seems Go will move to the US like Shingo did, and not travel back and forth like KENTA. This proved to be a great strategy for Hirooki Goto, who moved to Mexico, and we can only hope Go will find the same success.
The main event was up next, as in a match celebrating his 20th Anniversary as a pro wrestler, Akira Taue led his team of Takeshi Morishima and Jun Akiyama to victory over GHC Champion Mitsuharu Misawa, Naomichi Marufuji, and Kotaro Suzuki. Taue pinned Suzuki after his Ore Ga Taue, in a very entertaining matchup. There were many exchanges between Morishima and Misawa, and their title match is set for 3/2 in Budokan Hall. The tour leading up to that will feature ROH standouts the Briscoes, Chris Hero, and Claudio Castagnoli, whom I expect to be VERY protected. Check back soon for more on that card.
Dragon Gate WrestleJAM Rages On with Title Matches and Feud Enders
Last week we covered JAM in Korakuen Hall, and there were five more shows to close out the tour, all with significant matches. The day after Korakuen was marked by two big tag matches, with Speed Muscle defeating Jack Evans and YAMATO, and Keni’chiro Arai and Taku Iwasa defeating the SAT’s. The main event was an 8-man tag team match with Typhoon vs. New HAZARD, and PAC continued his rivalry with El Generico, pinning him to win the match. The next show seemed to be the smallest, and was main evented by a six man tag with New HAZARD vs. Muscle Outlaw’z, Aries winning for NH, pinning Genki Horiguchi. The next show featured two title matches, as Masato Yoshino successfully defended his Brave Gate against El Generico with his Speed Star, for his 3rd defense. And there was a title change, as Jackson Florida’s epic Owarai Gate reign was ended, as Masaaki Mochizuki is the new champion! Truly an upset for the ages. The Triangle Gate champions, Mochizuki, K-ness, and Don Fujii, defeated New HAZARD on the next main event, Fujii pinning Aries to give him his only dropped fall on the tour. And on the tour ender, Arai and Iwasa ended their feud with the Muscle Outlaw’z B-Team, beating Kanda and Genki to regain Tozawa-juku’s pants. With the victory, they earned a shot at Speed Muscle’s Twin Gate titles, and it will come on February 8th, in Korakuen Hall. Coming up next for DG is the big February 2nd show in Hakata, with Yoshino defending his Brave Gate against former champion Dragon Kid, and CIMA defending his Dream Gate against Gamma.
All Japan’s Next PPV Set, Title Matches and NJPW Involvement
All Japan will have their next PPV on March 1st, and it shall be a big one. Already set is a junior title match for the vacant belt, as former champion Katsuhiko Nakajima will face Silver King, the man who “cost†him the belt, for the title. The main event will be for the Triple Crown, as Kensuke Sasaki defends against numero uno heel Satoshi Kojima. This match has a good year or direct build behind it, and I am feeling a title change. Just recently confirmed, however, is that Keiji Mutoh will team with friend Hiroshi Tanahashi to face unnamed opponents. Mutoh has tried to draw Tanahashi to AJPW, but this is simply a show of respect from Tanahashi. Mutoh also announced that he wants a shot at the Triple Crown later this year. The next big show for All Japan is 2/17, as Sasaki and Nakajima team up to take on Silver King and Kojima.
Random Puro News and Stuff
We have a couple small news notes to cover before our match review.
Zero-One MAX: Masaaki Mochizuki continued his rivalry with Ikuto Hidaka, taking the International Junior Heavyweight title from Hidaka in the main event of the last show. Also on the show, New Japan continued their war with Z1, sending Taguchi, Kanemoto, and Nakinishi for a six man tag, which they won. Z1 has promised to retaliate on the 2/17 PPV, and I will update you when a match is announced.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto has been added to the 2/17 PPV. The next show, 1/27, is main evented by Wataru Inoue’s V2 defense of his junior title, against Taguchi. Also, Togo and TAKA defend their junior tag titles against Minoru and Devitt. I am feeling wins from Inoue and Minoru/Devitt.
Dragon Gate/NOAH: Shingo Takagi and BxB Hulk spoke on their upcoming reign as GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, promising to dominate the division, and defend in DG, NOAH, and America. Their first defense will be in NOAH on 3/2, against KENTA and Taiji Ishimori.
Match Review: Takashi Sasaki vs. Yuko Miyamoto, 12/14/07
This is a Big Japan Deathmatch, with Barbed Wire around two sets of ropes, panes of glass in two corners, shards of glass on the mat, and Alpha’s (small blocks with pins/needles sticking out) under the ring. It is from Big Japan Deathmatch Wars Episode #153, and is the 7th match in a 7 match Deathmatch Trial Series for Yuko Miyamoto. It is a rematch of a great title match from earlier this year, and both men are VERY over. Both men tie-up and struggle to force their opponent into the weaponry. Sasaki scores a takedown, and whips him into the wire, but Yuko evades it. Miyamoto tries to whip Sasaki to the glass, but he blocks. He dropkicks him, and both men are down. We are nearly 5 minutes in, and no weapons have been used. This is Deathmatch psychology. Yuko up, whips Sasaki into the wire ropes! That gets a 2 count. He hits a bodyslam and a fistdrop for another 2. Sasaki reverses a whip, and hits a German. He lowers the glass onto the middle turnbuckle. He goes for a suplex, but Yuko blocks and tries one of his own, which is blocked. Yuko rolls through a German attempt, but a whip is blocked, and Sasaki back body drop’s him through the glass!! Sasaki bodyslams Yuko on the shards. Yuko is up, and we have a forearm exchange. Sasaki whips him into the wire, and slams him on the glass. Yuko is bleeding, badly. Sasaki with stiff kicks, and then he wins a slap exchange. He hits a suplex, and goes for the other pane of glass, but is blocked. They each hit a lariat, Sasaki on the ropes, but gets caught with a suplex! Sasaki blocks a top rope rana attempt, but dives and gets caught with a dropkick! Yuko with double knees, and a dropkick off the top! That gets 2. Sasaki up, he hits forearms and slaps, then a kick, then a superkick, then a lariat! Up top, tornado DDT! Another superkick! 2!! He then hits a powerbomb on the glass shards… for 2. Yuko’s back is fucked up, badly. They fight up top, and Yuko gets a super reverse rana, on the shards! Up top, double stomp! It only gets 2! Both men are dead, and fight to their feet. Sasaki with a D-Geist on the shards! He pulls out the Alpha’s! Yuko fights out of a powerbomb, and hits a Yankee Driver on the shards! It gets 2! Handspring kick, and a German by Yuko…2! Moonsault, and a Yankee Driver! Sasaki is hurt bad! He sets up the glass over Sasaki…Moonsault through the glass!!!! It only gets 2~! They are trading ridiculous strikes, Yuko won’t go down!!! Sasaki with a HUGE combo of headkicks and superkicks, Dragon Suplex gets 2! Head kick…only gets 1! Yuko won’t give up!!! Head kick again, 2! D-Geist, straight on his head. Only 2!!! D-Geist on the Alpha’s!!! 3 count! ****
Damn great match, which was marred by overkill at the end. Did a great job of showing Yuko’s spirit, however. He gets a handshake, and this definitely ranks up with there awesome scaffold match from earlier this year. With that, I’m out. Back next week with more NJPW and AJPW news…promise.
