NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 17
Francesco Akira & TJP vs. Lio Rush & YOH
A very tame, run-of-the-mill lil' spotfest jr tag opener. Absolutely nothing offensive, but also absolutely nothing that I'll remember. *3/4
KAIRI vs. Tam Nakano
I love me a good violent sprint, and this was that, but goddamn it would've been awesome if they got more time. It is what it is I guess, but aye, this was indeed a good get-your-shit-in sprint with plenty of badass offense by both women. ***
FTR vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
FTR do their thing in the Tokyo Dome, baby. It goddamn rules & Bishamon were rock solid dance partners for them with Goto in particular (unsurprisingly) mashing really well with Big Match Cash & Big Match Dax. ***
Ren Narita vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
This was good. You could sum it up to "both guys did their thing", which was the case & it created for a pretty neat dynamic + overall made for a match that told its narrative nicely n' effectively. ***
Karl Anderson vs. Tama Tonga
The Gun Stun finish-mess is very unfortunate, but this was actually a super solid match otherwise! Very surprisingly. I thought that both guys rocked their roles pretty damn well -- Machine Gun being a very good dick throughout & providing good work on top with a couple of truly awesomely vicious big match moments + Tama's fighting from underneath had a nice little spark to it. Especially those forearms. A simple, honest 10-minute heel vs. babyface match with rock solid wrestling & a story to it. I liked it. ***
BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Keiji Muto & Shota Umino
Muto, Tanahashi & Umino really is the perfect squad for this particular match. This was pretty fun. Obviously nothing blow-away great, but it didn't need to be. Cool seeing Muto in the Dome. **3/4
El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Master Wato vs. Taiji Ishimori
Master Wato had a few pretty cute nearfalls, but other than those, I wasn't feeling this one much at all. Very generic four-way action all the way thru with none of the guys really bringing the heat. *1/2
Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay
Not gonna lie, I wasn't feeling the first half (or so). It wasn't until Ospreay got busted open & Omega went into nasty murder-mode that I got into it, but oh boy did I love that shit. Kenneth was looking like a killer out there, and Ospreay was selling like a king. Cringe overselling is always a possibility with him, but here he was truly fantastic; selling just the right amount of big, you know? Moments like Kenny smashing Ospreay's head onto the table repeatedly, all the beautifully brutal V-Triggers, the Croyth's Wrath & the whole sequence leading to it w/ Will's amazing selling = *chef's kiss* beautiful goddamn stuff, beautiful goddamn stuff. There was stuff that I disliked too, though. I thought that all of Will's comeback bits towards the end were pretty bad & actively brought the match down. Especially that Hidden Blade after he had just ate the V-Trigger; wrist control stuff like that just feels like a parody at this point. It's still a great damn match, but yeah, it would've been on an entirely different level had I liked Will's work on the offense more. Or cared for the first half. Just says how otherworldly great Kenny brutalizing Ospreay was when it's still overall such a banger even with those factors. ***3/4
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
A very generic NJPW main event sadly. Super long & not much of a catch or hook to it. White offered nothing of note & Okada was Okada: always good, but these IWGP Heavyweight Championship main events rely so much on his opponents & what they have to offer against him. **
