NJPW DOMINION

 

Osaka, Japan

AARON HENARE, TJP & FRANCESCO AKIRA vs. RYUSUKE TAGUCHI, MASTER WATO & HIROYOSHI TENZAN (10:31): It's kind of sad that New Japan wasn't working with AEW when AEW first started. Supposedly New Japan's president at the time didn't want to do it. The new president does, and so we have AEW & NJPW's first PPV together happening later this month in Chicago. It's a shame that it's happening now and now 3 years ago because New Japan has lost a lot of it's luster lately and become somewhat of a dull, lame company. The Pandemic can be blamed, because fans in Japan are still sparse and still masked and still can't cheer or boo. But also the top stars; Tanahashi, Okada, and Naito, have gotten old. The PPV coming now isn't the greatest timing either, as Omega is out with injuries, CM Punk, who was supposed to main event against Tanahashi, got injured, and Ibushi is feuding behind the scenes with management and hasn't wrestled since his injury in the G1 final last October. Dominion is NJPW's 2nd biggest show of the year (3rd if you count Wrestle Kingdom being 2 shows). Considering this is supposed to be their 2nd biggest show of the year, the cracks in the foundation were obvious and glaring. They did have an IWGP title change...which was something big at least. The undercard was entirely forgettable except to see the best wrestler in the world, Ospreay, in action. It's sad seeing such a great company flounder. The glory days were never going to last, though, and we all knew it. This opener was a fun, short, all action match. A bunch of the young, new wrestlers in these first two matches were in the Super Jr.'s tournament that just ended with Hiromu winning. TJP I remember from Impact Wrestling years ago. He still looks the same which is shocking considering I use to watch his X-Division matches like ten years ago. Akira is a new guy they picked up and he's at least fairly exciting to watch. Tenzan got pinned of course. **1/2

TAIJI ISHIMORI, EL PHANTASMO & ACE AUSTIN vs. TETSUYA NAITO, BUSHI & HIROMU TAKAHASHI (8:04): Ishimori is the Jr. champ and he's facing Hiromu for the belt later this month at a random Korakuen Hall show. They used to have the Super Jr.'s winner face the Jr. champ at Dominion...but not this year. I'm guessing because they wanted to give the guy's some rest? Either way it made this card fairly weak without that match. This was more of a comedy match than anything. Ace Austin did a bit where he did some flips and then magically a cane appeared out of his wrist. I guess his gimmick is David Copperfield? Naito did have 2 unsuccessful main event title matches this year against Okada, so he is still being pushed, but why is one of their big stars in a superfluous, multi-man tag match early on this big show? This was at least amusing, and ELP always entertains. **1/2

TORU YANO vs. DOC GALLOWS (4:05): Sadly, this show featured Gallows & Anderson in singles matches. Ugh. As if their tag matches aren't enough of a chore to watch, we have to see two singles matches with them? Gallows flew all the way to Japan to lose to Yano. I hope he got a good paycheck for that humiliation. There wasn't much to this. Gallows isn't good with humor. 1/2*

EVIL, YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & SHO vs. ZACK SABRE, JR., EL DESPERADO & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU (9:25): The House of Torture retained the 6 man titles thanks to cheating. They do this in all of their matches and it got old the second The House of Torture was created. Zack looked good. Desperado was wasted in this. At least the intensity was there. **

GREAT O'KHAN & JEFF COBB vs. BAD LUCK FALE & CHASE OWENS (11:52): O'Khan and Cobb won the tag titles. It really says something about the tag division considering Fale and Chase Owens were the champions. Fale looked like he got really fat, although he never was skin and bones or anything. Maybe I just haven't seen him in awhile. Chase was the star of the match. He works hard but isn't spectacular or anything. Cobb won with the Tour of the Islands. I really can't stand O'Khan. He's just the worst of the worst. *1/2

HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. HIROOKI GOTO (12:40): CM Punk won the AEW title last month at Double or Nothing. Then he broke something in his foot on Dynamite. He was supposed to defend the title against Tanahashi at Forbidden Door. So AEW did a Battle Royale which Kyle O'Reilly won. O'Reilly lost to Moxley and Moxley would face the winner of this match for the interim AEW title. Man, I really wanted to see a Goto vs. O'Reilly PPV main event. Can you fathom that? So, no, the outcome of this match wasn't up in the air. Moxley vs. Tanahashi is a big match on paper...but Tanahashi doesn't "brawl" and Tanahashi is old and limps around. I doubt that will be a very good match. Goto, shockingly, still looks more alive than Okada, Tanahashi, and Naito. I guess he wasn't in too many 30+ minute IWGP title matches over the years and thus is body is saved. He was in one once, though, in 2011 at Dominion he lost to the champ, Tanahashi. I'm guessing that that match was probably better than this, which was mediocre. **

SHINGO TAKAGI vs. TAICHI (10:00): Shingo and Ospreay are New Japan's best wrestlers...so why are they giving the title to Jay White? Baffling, really, although Shingo and Ospreay did get the title last year. Spreading the wealth? Gedo loves Jay White for some unknown reason. This match had a 10 minute clock and who ever got the most pinfalls won. So if you got a 1 count you got 1 point. Shingo won. I think it was 11-10 or something. Taichi got 3 counts at the end. This was hard hitting but would've been better in a real, longer match. Shingo retained the KOPW title. **1/2

KARL ANDERSON vs. TAMA TONGA (16:27): This was better than I expected. Maybe because they worked fast and hard unlike Okada's matches where he leisurely walks around the ring for most of the match. Anderson won the NEVER title. Is he not with Impact anymore? Does anyone care? This company has way too many titles. **

WILL OSPREAY vs. SANADA (12:48): Juice was the U.S. champ but supposedly had his appendix taken out and couldn't make the show. I don't think New Japan believed his excuse because they put out a statement saying he refused to come to the show and was stripped of the title. The last time Sanada and Ospreay wrestled, Ospreay landed feet first on Sanada's head in the New Japan Cup and broke his orbital bone. Maybe that's why they only went 12 minutes? Ospreay was also seriously ill recently, apparently close to dying from a kidney infection. Was it that bad, though, considering he's already back flying to Japan and wrestling? He also wrestled on AEW Rampage last week. He looked as great and incredible as he's ever looked in this match. Sanada didn't really attempt to make this a great match, so it was just okay. I really hope they put Ospreay in a singles match at Forbidden Door. I don't want to see him barely used in some dumb multi-man tag match. **1/2 

JAY WHITE vs. KAZUCHIKA OKADA (36:04): Jay White won the IWGP title. I guess that's not too big of a surprise...although on AEW Dynamite, Adam Page called out Okada and said he wanted the title. Nobody wants to see Page vs. Jay White. And considering the IWGP title is usually rarely defended from this show until Wrestle Kingdom...does that mean Jay White will be champ that long? I don't want to see that. I especially don't want to see Jay White in the main event of either night of WK. Granted, his last WK main event was awesome, that 45 minute epic against Ibushi. But Jay White is very rarely in great matches. There so few and far between that I remember them all. That great match in California against Juice Robinson. That short Okada match at WK. That ROH match against Ospreay in NYC from years and years ago. Those are great Jay White matches. This was not one of them. Okada does still have a little left in the tank. His matches aren't awful. He doesn't hobble around the ring like Tanahashi. Okada's match against Ospreay at WK this year was great. But usually, Okada matches are fucking boring. A lot of this match was Okada just walking around like he was on a Sunday stroll. Jay White isn't much better, either. So you had two slow guys doing some cool stuff here and there sparingly. The final flurry was good and the title change was at least something memorable. But...if you're going to give the title to someone besides Okada...don't give it to Jay White, give it to Ospreay. This isn't rocket science. **1/2