Welcome to our live coverage of the New Japan New Begining PPV from
the Hiroshima Green Arena. We're looking for your thoughts on tonight's
show so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle
along with a best and worst match to
dave@wrestlingobserver.com
YUJI NAGATA & MANABU NAKANISHI & TAMA TONGA & JUSHIN LIGER & TIGER MASK VS. TAKASHI IIZUKA & TORU YANO & TOMOHIRO ISHII & YOSHI-HASHI & JADO
The heels attacked Shimpei Nogami, the TV announcer and tore off his shirt, but the faces saved and Nogami was able to announce the match wearing Nagata's T-shirt. Match was good with Nagata vs. Ishii, crappy when Nakanishi was in and decnet the rest of the way. The heels were thrown out of the ring and Tonga, who did little Jimmy Snuka aside from dressing like him, did a Stinger splash on Jado in the corner. Nagata did a running knee into the corner and a bridging back suplex for the pin. The faces and Nogami all celebrated in the ring after. Okay opener.
ALEX SHELLEY & KUSHIDA VS. ROCKY ROMERO & ALEX KOSLOV FOR THE IWGP JR. TAG TEAM TITLES
Shelley & Kushida retained when Shelley used a tope on Romero, taking him out of play, and Kushida did a 450 moonsault on Koslov for the pin. Lots of near falls, good match overall but it never got to that next level that you'd hope for.
PRINCE DEVITT VS. RYUSUKE TAGUCHI FOR THE IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Devitt retained clean with the Bloody Sunday DDT and pin. Very good match but this is a cold crowd which hurt the last two matches. Both did running flip dives early and they went back and forth. Cool spot was Taguchi going for a full nelson face plant off the top rope, but Devitt blocked, turned around on the top rope and delivered a top rope superplex.
LANCE ARCHER & DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. VS. SATOSHI KOJIMA & HIROYOSHI TENZAN FOR THE IWGP TAG TEAM TITLES
Archer pinned Kojima after the double-team killer bomb. Another good match. This had the most heat of anything thus far but it's not a live crowd. Lots of near falls back-and-forth. It looked like there was going to be a title change when Kojima did a diamond cutter on Archer and followed with a lariat, but Taka Michinoku, the seocnd of Archer & Smith Jr., pulled the ref out of the ring so he couldn't makethe count. afte the match, Smith put on a mask and posed in the ring with Archer and Taka.
TOGI MAKABE VS. YUJIRO TAKAHASHI
Short match. Takahashi had most of the offense, got a near fall with a moonsault and then had Makabe up for the Bruno Sammartino backbreaker. Makabe got out of it and hit a left handed lariat. He followed with a Death Valley Driver, a German superplex and the King Kong kneedrop off the top rope. Match was decent, good technically but the crowd never really heated up for this one either.
WATARU INOUE & HIROOKI GOTO VS. KAZUSHI SAKURABA & KATSUYORI SHIBATA
Another good match. Probably the most heated, but that's not saying a lot. The idea was to bulid a Goto vs. Shibata singles match and given the post-match with the two facing off it's pretty sure they're doing it soon, maybe next PPV. Shibata was good because he worked different from everyone else with the stiff offense and no sell spots. Sakuraba's grappling was smooth. Weird finish, out of nowhere. Sakuraba went for a single leg but Inoue nailed him with a knee (takeoff on the spot Sakuraba did to Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome). But Sakuraba quickly got a takedown and cradle for the three count. No build to finish.
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA VS. KENGO MASHIMO
Nakamura won with the Bom a ye off the rope and then a second one for the pin. After the match, Taka Michinoku, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer. Archer said he wanted an Intercontinental title shot. They had face-to-face, and Archer is so much taller so Nakamura shoved his face in Arhchr's chest. Nakamura is very good because he's got a totally unique style, but this match was hurt because nobody bought that Mashimo had a chance to win and even when he had Nakamura in an armbar, people weren't buying it.
MINORU SUZUKI VS. KAZUCHIKA OKADA
Suzuki won when, after two failed tries earlier, he hit the Gotch piledriver for the clean pin. Suzuki cut a promo on him after the match. Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. came out with him. Gedo was in Okada's corner and Taichi, with a crutch and a messed up knee, was in Suzuki's corner. Taichi interfered few times. Still didn't have the usual big-time main event heat but this match was great. Suzuki had much of the offense working on Okada's left rainmaker arm.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI VS. KARL ANDERSON FOR THE IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
So awesome. Match of the Year candidate. These two were so great. Anderson put up such a performance that the chants for Anderson in the latter part of the match were loud. Both shook hands when it was over. It was your usual Tanahashi style match with the big plancha with the extended hang time midway through, all the near falls, reversals. Anderson got a teased count out win with a gun stun over the ropes and another on the barricade. He did several of them in the ring. He started using jumping Anderson Silva front kicks several times late. Tanahashi built to the first high fly flow but Anderson got his knees up. Tons of near falls including Anderson using the Bernard driver which people actually bought like he was going to win, which takes some talent here. Tanahashi even used a gun stun on Anderson for a near fall. After Tanahashi hit the gun stun, he followed with a Steamboat style crossbody off the top rope and the high fly flow for the pin.
No post match title challenge since he's facing Prince Devitt on March 3rd and then likely the winner of the Japan Cup on April 7th.
Doesn't anyone in Hiroshima leave early to not get stuck in traffic? This match has been over for 22 minutes and the building is still packed and the guy has already played the air guitar.
YUJI NAGATA & MANABU NAKANISHI & TAMA TONGA & JUSHIN LIGER & TIGER MASK VS. TAKASHI IIZUKA & TORU YANO & TOMOHIRO ISHII & YOSHI-HASHI & JADO
The heels attacked Shimpei Nogami, the TV announcer and tore off his shirt, but the faces saved and Nogami was able to announce the match wearing Nagata's T-shirt. Match was good with Nagata vs. Ishii, crappy when Nakanishi was in and decnet the rest of the way. The heels were thrown out of the ring and Tonga, who did little Jimmy Snuka aside from dressing like him, did a Stinger splash on Jado in the corner. Nagata did a running knee into the corner and a bridging back suplex for the pin. The faces and Nogami all celebrated in the ring after. Okay opener.
ALEX SHELLEY & KUSHIDA VS. ROCKY ROMERO & ALEX KOSLOV FOR THE IWGP JR. TAG TEAM TITLES
Shelley & Kushida retained when Shelley used a tope on Romero, taking him out of play, and Kushida did a 450 moonsault on Koslov for the pin. Lots of near falls, good match overall but it never got to that next level that you'd hope for.
PRINCE DEVITT VS. RYUSUKE TAGUCHI FOR THE IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Devitt retained clean with the Bloody Sunday DDT and pin. Very good match but this is a cold crowd which hurt the last two matches. Both did running flip dives early and they went back and forth. Cool spot was Taguchi going for a full nelson face plant off the top rope, but Devitt blocked, turned around on the top rope and delivered a top rope superplex.
LANCE ARCHER & DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. VS. SATOSHI KOJIMA & HIROYOSHI TENZAN FOR THE IWGP TAG TEAM TITLES
Archer pinned Kojima after the double-team killer bomb. Another good match. This had the most heat of anything thus far but it's not a live crowd. Lots of near falls back-and-forth. It looked like there was going to be a title change when Kojima did a diamond cutter on Archer and followed with a lariat, but Taka Michinoku, the seocnd of Archer & Smith Jr., pulled the ref out of the ring so he couldn't makethe count. afte the match, Smith put on a mask and posed in the ring with Archer and Taka.
TOGI MAKABE VS. YUJIRO TAKAHASHI
Short match. Takahashi had most of the offense, got a near fall with a moonsault and then had Makabe up for the Bruno Sammartino backbreaker. Makabe got out of it and hit a left handed lariat. He followed with a Death Valley Driver, a German superplex and the King Kong kneedrop off the top rope. Match was decent, good technically but the crowd never really heated up for this one either.
WATARU INOUE & HIROOKI GOTO VS. KAZUSHI SAKURABA & KATSUYORI SHIBATA
Another good match. Probably the most heated, but that's not saying a lot. The idea was to bulid a Goto vs. Shibata singles match and given the post-match with the two facing off it's pretty sure they're doing it soon, maybe next PPV. Shibata was good because he worked different from everyone else with the stiff offense and no sell spots. Sakuraba's grappling was smooth. Weird finish, out of nowhere. Sakuraba went for a single leg but Inoue nailed him with a knee (takeoff on the spot Sakuraba did to Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome). But Sakuraba quickly got a takedown and cradle for the three count. No build to finish.
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA VS. KENGO MASHIMO
Nakamura won with the Bom a ye off the rope and then a second one for the pin. After the match, Taka Michinoku, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer. Archer said he wanted an Intercontinental title shot. They had face-to-face, and Archer is so much taller so Nakamura shoved his face in Arhchr's chest. Nakamura is very good because he's got a totally unique style, but this match was hurt because nobody bought that Mashimo had a chance to win and even when he had Nakamura in an armbar, people weren't buying it.
MINORU SUZUKI VS. KAZUCHIKA OKADA
Suzuki won when, after two failed tries earlier, he hit the Gotch piledriver for the clean pin. Suzuki cut a promo on him after the match. Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. came out with him. Gedo was in Okada's corner and Taichi, with a crutch and a messed up knee, was in Suzuki's corner. Taichi interfered few times. Still didn't have the usual big-time main event heat but this match was great. Suzuki had much of the offense working on Okada's left rainmaker arm.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI VS. KARL ANDERSON FOR THE IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
So awesome. Match of the Year candidate. These two were so great. Anderson put up such a performance that the chants for Anderson in the latter part of the match were loud. Both shook hands when it was over. It was your usual Tanahashi style match with the big plancha with the extended hang time midway through, all the near falls, reversals. Anderson got a teased count out win with a gun stun over the ropes and another on the barricade. He did several of them in the ring. He started using jumping Anderson Silva front kicks several times late. Tanahashi built to the first high fly flow but Anderson got his knees up. Tons of near falls including Anderson using the Bernard driver which people actually bought like he was going to win, which takes some talent here. Tanahashi even used a gun stun on Anderson for a near fall. After Tanahashi hit the gun stun, he followed with a Steamboat style crossbody off the top rope and the high fly flow for the pin.
No post match title challenge since he's facing Prince Devitt on March 3rd and then likely the winner of the Japan Cup on April 7th.
Doesn't anyone in Hiroshima leave early to not get stuck in traffic? This match has been over for 22 minutes and the building is still packed and the guy has already played the air guitar.
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