NJPW POWER STRUGGLE

Osaka

CLARK CONNORS, TJP, TITAN & VOLADOR, JR. vs. JYUSHIN THUNDER LIGER, RYUSUKE TAGUCHI, TIGER MASK & YUYA UEMURA (5:43): I only watched one match in the Jr. tag team tournament that ended on this show. That was the first night's main event, which was Robbie Eagles and Ospreay vs. Sho and Yo. I suppose if Dragon Lee had been given an invite the tournament may have been more interesting, but ever since CMLL fired him he's been persona non grata in Japan because politics. Dragon Lee was stuck in Columbus, Ohio at a Ring of Honor show in front of maybe a hundred fans. Oh, well. So that's the reason why this match had all these small, high flyer types...they're left over from that Jr. tag team tournament. But that's a good thing, as this short match was all action and a lot of fun. I still have no idea who Clark Connors or Yuya Uemura are and because I watched the Japanese language version of this show and don't speak Japanese I'll probably never know. TJP I do know. He used to be fairly entertaining in Impact. **1/2

EL PHANTASMO & TAIJI ISHIMORI vs. ROBBIE EAGLES & ROCKY ROMERO (8:42): Short, fun, entertaining match. Phantasmo is definitely the big, rookie star of 2019 in my book. And I can't wait to see him face Hiromu for the first time next year if it ever happens. **1/2

EVIL, SANADA & SHINGO TAKAGI vs. MINORU SUZUKI, LANCE ARCHER & ZACK SABRE, JR. (9:07): The big story was Shingo vs. Suzuki in this match, which means they're probably going to face each other at the Dome. Suzuki is apparently leaving the company soon, so I guess a hard-hitting, brutal final match against Shingo is a good farewell. Besides those two battling it out (and by the end of this, Suzuki was holding a guardrail and Shingo a chair while they stared each other down), there wasn't much else. **

KOTA IBUSHI & HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. KAZUCHIKA OKADA & YOSHI-HASHI (10:51): This would be like a main event match if Yoshi-Hashi was unfortunately thrown into this mix for no reason. This went ten minutes and pretty much nothing of note happened besides Yoshi-Hashi working his ass off and running all over the place trying to get over. *1/2

TETSUYA NAITO vs. TAICHI (12:56): I'll just never see a good Taichi match...because it'll never exist. Dude sucks. Every time I review a match he's in I always just talk about his stupid, lip singing, Phantom of the Opera entrance. Maybe he should just do that and not wrestle. And while Dave Meltzer keeps saying after every Naito match that he's done and looks broken and is falling apart...I always watch him and he looks as great and fantastic as ever. Go figure. 1/2*

RAPPONGI 3K vs. EL DESPERADO & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU (12:56): This was the final of the Jr. tag tournament. You can tell how prestigious that tournament is...the final is in the middle of the show and only goes 12 minutes. This was pretty average and filled with the usual Desperado/Kanemaru schtick...which is throwing you into the guardrail like ten times. I did finally watch that Jun Kasai/El Desperado match from May where Desperado broke his jaw. It was a hardcore match with barbed wire and stuff so I figured he broke his jaw hitting a table or a chair or something. No, Jun Kasai just punched him in the face and hit him too hard. That crazy fucking monkey. **

KENTA vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII (20:12): I really need to go and watch some of Kenta's old NOAH matches. Back then he was apparently the best wrestler in the world. I've only seen him in the WWE as Hideo Itami and now in New Japan and he's always in lame, slow, stiff matches that put me to sleep. I can't imagine him being in four star classics all the time so I'll have to see them to believe it I suppose. Kenta beat the shit out of Ishii for the first ten minutes and it was like a typical, boring WWE match. The big Ishii comeback never really came as when it did Kenta still kept at it and then won. Hard hitting match but not too memorable. **

WILL OSPREAY vs. BUSHI (16:20): Bushi is like Taichi in that he'll never be in a good match. I've given up on that. But...the last few minutes of this were excellent. Bushi tried to spit his black mist into Ospreay's face but Ospreay swallowed the mist and spit it back at Bushi...which was crazy and very inventive. Ospreay gave Red Shoes an Oscutter by accident. The end of this was like a WWE ending with interference and a ref out and shenanigans. But I like that stuff. Ospreay is the best wrestler in the world so this was perhaps the best Bushi match you'll ever see even though it wasn't that great until the end. After the match we finally got the return of Hiromu Takahashi after Dragon Lee broke his neck in San Francisco in July 2018. Hiromu looked good and did a bunch of silly dives and falls by himself as he ran around the ring and by the entrance, I guess to show that he was okay. There have been wrestlers that broke their neck and came back. Sabu did, as did Steve Austin. Sabu still did all of his crazy stuff after, too, so Hiromu might still be a great wrestler upon his return, but I guess we'll see. I'm happy that we're going to see Ospreay/Hiromu at the Dome for the Jr. title...but, man, Hiromu was one crazy mother fucker. Do I still want to see him doing all kinds of insane shit? And if he doesn't, will he still be entertaining? Well the crowd loved his return and it was by far the highlight of this show. **1/2

JAY WHITE vs. HIROOKI GOTO (27:40): Jay White is only in good matches once a year...and he already had his this year (against Okada at the Dome). Goto is in a good match maybe once in a blue moon...and this wasn't it. This was a bore fest. Of course it was. White's a good heel but not the most exciting in the ring. The end of this match got somewhat interesting when the ref was pulled out by his leg by Kenta to prevent a Goto win. Shibata came in to make the save and Kenta kicked him right in the head (Shibata retired because of bleeding on the brain and almost dying...so it's weird to see him get kicked in the head). Everyone keeps saying Shibata is retired and isn't doing another match but it sure as hell looks like he's going to wrestle Kenta at the Dome. White eventually won and retained his IC title then called out Okada and Tanahashi to the ring but Naito came out instead to challenge him for the IC title. Then Okada and Tanahashi did come out and the four of them are all apparently going to be in a four man tournament at the two Dome shows that will culminate in the first ever dual champion, which, presumably will be Ibushi. This means that, presumably, we will be getting another Naito/Ibushi match...which a lot of people never want to see again because when they wrestle they attempt to kill each other for fun. I'd honestly just be happy seeing a one Dome show with Okada/Ibushi. But...those two have wrestled before, just recently in the G1, and while their matches are good, they're not Omega/Okada good. And considering who ever wins will have to wrestle again the next night at Dome #2...will they have to hold back? At least the Dome is intriguing this year...which, with Omega gone, it definitely had a chance not to be. 1/2*