Hi!
It was November, then all of a sudden it was December. Are you kiddin’ me?
This week at Happy Wrestling Land:
Stardom in Showcase Vol. 3 (11/26/22) - Dum Dum Daniels
Top 10 WWE Matches of the Month (November 2022) - Dum Dum Daniels
AJPW Real World Tag League Day 7 (12/4/22) - Captain Lou
12th Goddess of Stardom Tag League Finals (12/4/22) - Dum Dum Daniels
AJPW Real World Tag League 2022 Finals (12/7/22) - Captain Lou
AJPW XMas Eve 4 (12/21/22) - Captain Lou
Next Time: Fujinami vs. Tanahashi. NXT Deadline. ROH Final Battle. NJPW Tag League Finals. TAKATaichi 2 Together. Wait, is 2022 ALREADY OVER? DO WE HAVE TO MAKE A LIST???
Stardom in Showcase Vol. 3 (11/26/22): Canon, Collaboration and Coffins Explosions
The year 2022 was coming to a close. What lessons were learned? More importantly, how did they apply to pro wrestling?
Infamous in different circles for being both scripted and improvised, wrestling in 2022 could feel too often over-scrutinized before it made air, with TV matches reading more “yes sir” than “wouldn’t that be cool?” Space to experiment in front of an audience can be a gift for any wrestler in this stubborn and crowded business – even if it doesn’t work, the right environment renders that no bother.
The Stardom in Showcase series began this year focused on goofs and gimmick matches, none of which will rate high under any star-rated analysis but with an emphasis on collaboration over canon, Stardom’s stars could be seen in new situations (and potential Stardom stars could be seen at all in the first place).
Stardom in Showcase Vol. 3 took place at Kawasaki City Todoroki Arena before nearly 800 fans.
1. Goddess of Stardom – Blue Goddess: Nanae Takahashi & Yuu vs. Hanan & Saya Iida
Before a set by DJ Pretty Dragon, there was a Goddess of Stardom tag tournament match. Nanae and Yuu bullied the young STARS unit though for a second there Saya bullied Nanae with chops. Hanan tried to backpack Yuu up on Saya to splash Nanae but it didn’t really work. **3/4
2. Anywhere Fall Rules 4-Way Battle: AZM vs. Koguma vs. Starlight Kid vs. Ram Kaichow
This was a match about soccer (fútbol if you’re gonna get hot about it): soccer ball, soccer jerseys, and a big inflatable soccer player at the entrance. There was some high-speed wrestling and Starlight Kid’s great Asai moonsault; there was also a bit where folks kicked a ball around. Eventually the match made its’ way to the big inflatable soccer guy where, among other hijinks, Ram yelled GOAAAAL! It was all a bunch of fun if not a serious wrestling match. ***
3. Beauty Salon ZEST Collaboration Match – Winner Haircut Rules 4-Way Battle: Saya Kamitani vs. Himeka vs. Lady C vs. Momo Kohgo
This match was sponsored by beauty salon ZEST, and it began with everybody holding spray bottles around a pool filled with shampoo. Momo actually managed a little run but her 619 was caught and she got dumped in the shampoo, then Himeka put Kamitani in a camel clutch and really messed up her bangs. This was sort of wrestling, and I know that because it ended with a cobra twist. **3/4
4. Judo Jacket Rules: Mayu Iwatani, Maika & Hanan vs. Utami Hayashishita, MIRAI & Hina
The shampoo-covered ring mat was replaced prior to this, a Judo trios match with points for takedowns. Mayu’s crew wore blue (she wore a tail on hers) while Utami’s wore white and everybody seemed real proud anytime they managed a takedown. After that initial fun, the match lost its’ way. It’d be rude and perverted of me to say this was a poor replacement for the bikini beach matches but those honestly had better wrestling. **1/2
5. No Holds Barred Match: Hazuki & Sumire Natsu vs. Natsuko Tora & Saki Kashima
This was Sumire Natsu’s return to Stardom, where she was part of Oedo Tai from 2017 to late-2021. She faced two current Oedo Tai members and though Kashima broke a bottle over her head, Natsu was quick to crack back with a whip. The rest of Oedo Tai ganged up on Hazuki and Natsu before they used the power of teamwork (and wine bottles?) to rally back, though a blown assisted Codebreaker and no contest finish (for a no holds barred match?) ended an already so-so match on a bummer note. Natsu laid out Hazuki afterwards and declared war on everyone. **3/4
6. Hardcore Rules: Tam Nakano, Natsupoi & Sayaka Unagi vs. Risa Sera, Suzu Suzuki & Kurumi Hiragi
This had mops, chairs, an exercise ball and paintbrushes (as in people’s faces were colored with paint). It was fun but didn’t seem very Hardcore Rules until Tam hit Risa with a Tiger suplex that landed the back of Tam’s head on a ladder, which wasn’t very enjoyable. The Angels tried to isolate Suzuki before Suzuki managed a German suplex hold on Unagi to win. Just a decent match but other than the one with the soccer guy bounce house, best one on the show. ***
7. Neo Stardom Army vs. Donna del Mondo Coffin Explosion Match: Nanae Takahashi, Yuu & Grim Reaper Mask vs. Giulia, Thekla & Mai Sakurai
Yuu was revealed as a mysterious Reaper after Rossy Ogawa at the first Stardom in Showcase, then Yuna Manase played Reaper at the second. A third Reaper teamed with Nanae and Yuu here and when Giulia ripped off her mask, it was just another mask: the mystery endured.
Mai working around Yuu was fun but the casket at ringside broke a few minutes in. Thekla fell in and they, like, tried to piece it together before continuing to brawl around the ring. Giulia and Thekla hit a really double-team (a reverse Hart attack!?) on Nanae, Giulia and Nanae traded backdrops, and Yuu hit a crossbody and cannonball on all of DDM. Then Nanae grabbed Rossy and Giulia and threw them in a new bigger casket closer to the entrance, which exploded. **1/2
Happy Thoughts: Space to experiment remains good, though this Showcase didn’t work out as well as the other two. It was just as zany as the others but lacking any real quality or thing (all due respect to those in the exploding coffin) to stand out. Could’ve used a Moneyball match actually. 2.5 / 5.0
Top 10 WWE Matches of the Month – November 2022
Triple H’s honeymoon phase had ended approximately a month ago but RAW and SmackDown still usually had a match worth watching at the very least, if not much more than that and The Bloodline. With a 5-match Survivor Series WarGames, it was up to those shows (and Crown Jewel I guess) to carry the weight.
1. WWE Intercontinental Title: Gunther [c] vs. Rey Mysterio (SmackDown 11/4/22)
There’s going to be some great big-and-tall wrestlers 20 years from now that wrestling fans will be sad they didn’t see Rey Mysterio wrestle, though I don’t know: maybe he’s still doing it. Somehow he stayed capable of greatness long enough for Gunther to become a big deal on SmackDown, delivering an awesome TV match where he stayed competitive using momentum, a chokehold and a few big counters that led to big near falls. Such good wrestlers were doing such good wrestling!!
2. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title: The Usos [c] vs. The New Day (SmackDown 11/11/22)
The Usos’ went into this match about to break New Day’s record as longest reigning WWE tag champions, so the stakes were high for a great pairing of tag teams that have wrestled a lot of great matches together but hadn’t in a while. They opened SmackDown with a casually great one that didn’t reach the heights of their best but did have quality heat, double teams and near falls from two (four) of the era’s best.
3. Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Logan Paul (Crown Jewel 11/5/22)
The WWE Celebrity Special was at it again with a few major spots to distract from anything else it might’ve been missing, though this one had the added benefit of the Celebrity resembling an actual wrestling prospect and a dominant champion actually capable of the balancing act required to sell for him.
4. WarGames: Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Alexa Bliss & Mia Yim vs. Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley & Nikki Cross (Survivor Series 11/26/22)
This felt overproduced and going nowhere until it was 5-on-5 for The Match Beyond, but once it got there it definitely got there. The big thing was the talent: Belair and Kai’s consistency from start to finish, IYO occasionally freaking everybody out, and Ripley and Lynch’s staredown and star power all helped make this the better of the two WarGames.
5. WarGames: Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, The Brawling Brutes & Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa & Sami Zayn (Survivor Series 11/26/22)
There is now a documented Sami Zayn WarGames and there’s some good in that. Otherwise this relied more on individual moments from the talent (Sami and Jey all match, Owens’ big run, Roman’s showdowns with Owens and Sheamus) over a complete great package.
6. WWE U.S. Title: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Finn Balor (RAW 11/14/22)
This was a stronger than usual RAW TV main event, with Balor going after Seth’s ribs to setup a hot finish filled with near falls, run-ins and continuous selling of those ribs. It was honestly better than both their Survivor Series matches.
7. Triple Threat Match – WWE U.S. Title: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory (Survivor Series 11/26/22)
For a little while this felt like any other Triple Threat but Rollins was a feature of one of the few Triple Threat matches anyone remembers (Royal Rumble 2015 with Brock and Cena) and I’m not saying this reached that level, but for 90-seconds or so it was approaching it: his comeback with a bunch of topes and tope con hilo woke the crowd up and his height and timing on a frog splash to break a pin was incredible.
8. SmackDown World Cup – Round 1: Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali (SmackDown 11/18/22)
Ricochet and Mustafa Ali — around for a while — had their biggest and best match together here, with Ali selling his ribs big during the early matwork before they began popping off the spots.
9. NXT Title: Bron Breakker [c] vs. Von Wagner w/ Mr. Stone (NXT 11/15/22)
Two big fellas kept it moving, with Bron proving he can carry a match and Von proving he can have one. It was like if McMahon’s NXT 2.0 actually worked itself to a natural and enjoyable place.
10. NXT North American Title: Wes Lee [c] vs. Carmelo Hayes (NXT 11/22/22)
Too much good stuff here to write this off as any other NXT black-and-gold match, with Wes Lee delivering without a tag team or ladder to fall back on. Hayes is just biding time having fun matches before a call-up too.
Honorable Mentions: SmackDown World Cup – Round 1: Pete Dunne vs. Sami Zayn (SmackDown 11/18/22), Apollo Crews vs. JD McDonagh (NXT 11/15/22), Matt Riddle vs. Chad Gable (RAW 11/14/22), Matt Riddle & Elias vs. Alpha Academy (RAW 11/21/22), The New Day & Matt Riddle vs. The Usos & Solo Sikoa (RAW 11/7/22), No DQ Match: Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville (SmackDown 11/4/22)
Last Woman Standing – NXT Women’s Title: Mandy Rose [c] vs. Alba Fyre (NXT 11/15/22), AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows & Mia Yim vs. Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio & Rhea Ripley (RAW 11/28/22), SmackDown World Cup – Round 1: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Santos Escobar (SmackDown 11/11/22), Axiom vs. JD McDonagh (NXT 11/8/22), Indus Sheer vs. Local Competitors (NXT 11/15/22), AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor (Survivor Series 11/26/22)
Captain Lou’s Review: AJPW Real World Tag League 2022 – Day 7 (12/4/22)
Today, we only have time for tournament matches because society could collapse any minute.
Rising HAYATO vs. Ryo Inoue – Junior Battle of Glory
I’m extremely confident these two will have a much better match down the road, but as a 5-minute Osaka Edion Arena #2 opening ODYSSEY – this still did the trick. The early section was especially tight, both guys finding snappy ways to one-up each other until young Ryo landed the mother of all soccer kicks for your viewing pleasure. The rest of Inoue’s offense looked better in all of his other tournament matches and I wish HAYATO wouldn’t wait so long before hitting the Sid Vicious but HEY! That’s enough complaining for today. ***
Hikaru Sato vs. Hokuto Omori – Junior Battle of Glory
Instagram nudist Hikaru Sato had a terrific title defense against Omori when he held junior gold earlier this year. This crammed similar tropes into the JBOG’s time gimmick – Hikaru staying on the arm like a shark, Hokuto having to come up with clever counters to survive. Omori keeps getting better at the annoyingly nerdy concept known as The Little Things. Yes, I am referring to his capacity to sell the arm like a man who knows he is being watched by people on the Internet. ***1/4
Atsuki Aoyagi vs. Dan Tamura – Junior Battle of Glory
Straight-up one of the better matches of the whole JBOG and a top-tier performance from Child of Divorce Dan Tamura. Few things in wrestling work as well as stylistic opposites and these young fellas are just that. A supremely well-executed clash between Aoyagi’s pink-haired gymnastics and Dan’s pint-sized powerhousing – Tamura pushing the champ to the limit and supplying mass carnage in the process (APRON DEATH VALLEY~!). That ending stretch couldn’t have made me more excited about a potential final opposing these two. ***1/2
Jake Lee & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Yuji Nagata & Yuma Anzai – Real World Tag League
This was uuuuh pretty great!? Old man Nagata lit a god damned fire under The Neutral Gentleman Jake Lee and it led to a wide array of pissed off strike-throwing and assorted shit-talking. Jake wisely used this tense setting to bring back bits and pieces of his Total Eclipse persona without going overboard with the method acting. Good balance between the Laughter-Based drama and Tall Person dominance. The other big highlight here was Jake closing the match with Anzai and letting the supernova go wild. I am constantly blown away by the main-event caliber timing on Anzai’s suplexes. Enjoyed all of this. ***1/2
Suwama & KONO vs. Koji Doi & Kuma Arashi – Real World Tag League
Is Wada Kyohei gonna’ have to choke a bitch? This was the question that ran through my mind as I once again witnessed Voodoo Murders explore the depths of the Ring-side Brawling subgenre. The amusing Protagonist Wada spots and DoiKuma babyface comebacks couldn’t save this one. **1/4
Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Cyrus – Real World Tag League
Hell of a good time to wrap up this seventh day of the REALEST World Tag League. Miyaken To Takuya’s comedic babyface approach meshed seamlessly with Monster Inc’s Big Dude tropes. In other words, your favorites got thrown around and had to claw their way to a feel-good victory. As dumb as it is in on paper, some thought clearly went into Takuya’s arc during this tournament. From pure discomfort to the complete acceptation and subsequent USAGE of the Kento Clap Pattern Hulk-Up. Scorsese would approve such cinematic storytelling. ***1/2
Stardom 12th Goddess of Stardom Tag League Finals (12/4/22): Yuu Got First?
The 12th Goddess of Stardom Tag League ran from October 23 to December 4, with stops on the way at a Goddess Festival (11/3), Gold Rush (11/19), Historic X-Over (11/20) and Showcase Vol. 3 (11/26). Sixteen teams entered two blocks of eight and wrestled each team in their block for point supremacy (2 for win, 1 for draw) and standings going into tonight are listed below:
Blue Goddess Block:
1. MaiHime (Maika & Himeka) [10]
2. 7Upp (Nanae Takahashi & Yuu) [9]
3. BMI2000 (Natsuko Tora & Ruaka) [8]
4. FWC (Hazuki & Koguma) [8] – 2021 Winners
5. The New Eras (Mirai & Ami Sohrei) [7]
6. 02 line (AZM & Miyu Amasaki) [2]
7. wing★gori (Hanan & Saya Iida) [2]
8. Kawild Venus (SAKI & Waka Tsukiyama) [2]
Red Goddess Block:
1. meltear (Tam Nakano & Natsupoi) [10]
2. Mafia Bella (Giulia & Thekla) [8]
3. AphrOditE (Utami Hayashishita & Saya Kamitani) [8]
4. Karate Brave (Syuri & Tomoka Inaba) [7]
4. Black Desire (Momo Watanabe & Starlight Kid) [7]
5. Peach☆Rock (Mayu Iwatani & Momo Kohgo) [4]
5. We Love Tokyo Sports (Saki Kashima & Fukigen Death★) [4]
6. Mai Fair Lady (Mai Sakurai & Lady C) [0]
Nine block matches remained, and some would decide who advanced to the Finals — TONIGHT!! It all went down at the Makuhari Messe outside Tokyo.
1. Goddess of Stardom – Blue Goddess: AZM & Miyu Amasaki vs. SAKI & Waka Tsukiyama
All action for 6-and-a-half minutes, among the moves packed in here were a flying crossbody, Romero Special, Michinoku Driver, brainbuster, draping Flatliner, crap Tiger suplex, double footstomp. Miyu eventually scored her first win of the tourney, though she looked a little off toward the end there if I’m giving notes. **3/4
2. Goddess of Stardom – Blue Goddess: MIRAI & Ami Sohrei vs. Hanan & Saya Iida
Bruisers. Babyfaces. This was the situation before the bell but more impressive, it stayed that way the whole time. MIRAI was a dick then got a receipt from Hanan before Saya chopped the shit out of both bruisers. The good guys almost put Ami away before a MIRAI clothesline set things straight. ***1/2
3. Goddess of Stardom – Blue Goddess: Hazuki & Koguma vs. Maika & Himeka
This match delivered a Codebreaker and kicks, a Koguma crossbody and Hazuki tope, but more than anything? It brought the spirit. ***
4. Goddess of Stardom – Blue Goddess: Nanae Takahashi & Yuu vs. Natsuko Tora & Ruaka
I don’t know why this was the second longest match on the show (the longest being the Finals, also with Nanae and Yuu) but once they got in the ring there was some good wrestling here: Yuu and Tora hossed out, Nanae and Ruaka traded intensity, and after another misfired Oedo Tai run-in a couple frog splashes and the Refrigerator Bomb sent 7Upp to the Finals. ***1/4
5. Goddess of Stardom – Red Goddess: Syuri & Tomoka Inaba vs. Mai Sakurai & Lady C
Syuri and Inaba performed a dead serious karate routine for their entrance, then during the match got caught in a double Cobra Twist from Lady C — it was a stretch. Eventually they got it together, though a miscue from their opponents was still needed to win. This was probably the most I’ve ever seen Lady C do and it wasn’t bad. Good? Let me think about it. ***
6. Goddess of Stardom – Red Goddess: Mayu Iwatani & Momo Kohgo vs. Saki Kashima & Fukigen Death★
This was the, uh, comic relief. Kashima did a variety of cradles and the clown avoided a 619 and generally clowned around. The cradle exchange between Iwatani and Kashima at the end was pretty good. **1/4
7. Goddess of Stardom – Red Goddess: Giulia & Thekla vs. Momo Watanabe & Starlight Kid
On tap was brawling and hair-pulling, elbows and kicks, a double knee smash and double elbow drop and spear and the B-Driver and a moonsault and the Kuro Tora Tenbatsu – these are just some of pro wrestling’s things. There was plenty of action and DDM’s mafia get-up really is swell , but overall this didn’t feel good or interesting enough to be the thing that kept DDM from 10 points and the Finals. ***
8. Goddess of Stardom – Red Goddess: Utami Hayashishita & Saya Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano & Natsupoi
Four of Stardom’s best in-ring talents (Saya and Tam are currently neck-and-neck for my Stardom wrestler of the year, if that means anything to you) came together and had a very good match, though not an outstanding one. It was 10 minutes and filled with high-quality action, but also it was 10 minutes and one team was wrestling 20 more right after. So, it was complicated.
Saya and Nat tore it up, then the Cosmic Angels isolated Saya until a spinning wheel kick brought in Utami to trade German suplexes with Tam. This began a heck of a finishing sequence (though not an outstanding one) as the Angels tried to either save each other or end the match, culminating when Utami dropped Tam on her head so she couldn’t make the save after Saya’s 450 splash on Nat. ***1/2
9. Goddess of Stardom – Final: Utami Hayashishita & Saya Kamitani vs. Nanae Takahashi & Yuu
Utami & Saya won the Red Goddess block with 10 points plus tie-breaker wins over Nakano & Natsupoi and Giulia & Thekla. They were a little fatigued, so attacked with dropkicks immediately.
Nanae & Yuu won the Blue block with 11 points, and what Stardom’s old hero (Nanae) may lack in “athleticism” or “excitement” she made up for with all sorts of posturing opposite Stardom’s new heroes, as well as Yuu who provided both.
Utami and Saya hit plenty of big moves – an Air Raid Crash, springboard dropkick, springboard plancha, and double missile dropkick among them – but Saya missed the 450 and wheel kicked Utami by mistake. Yuu hit the cannonball but Saya reversed a powerbomb with a hurricanrana, so Yuu just hit another cannonball followed by a second-rope splash that seemed to exhaust Saya’s tank once and for all.
Yuu keeps impressing and Nanae is a certified legend, but the decision to have them go all the way gave the Finals a ceiling. It was another good match only lacking when judged against the other matches that’ve held the same spot, and it didn’t really make the case for all these tournaments either. Anyways, the Stardom Triangle Derby starts first thing in January. ***1/2
Happy Thoughts: What we had here were a bunch of tag matches. Nearly all of them were good, though only some of them stood out. Considering Stardom’s PPV track record it felt like a disappointment even if compared to other wrestling it was still pretty good. 3.0 / 5.0
Captain Lou’s Review: AJPW Real World Tag League 2022 – Finals (12/7/22)
Hokuto Omori & Rising HAYATO vs. Hikaru Sato & Ryo Inoue
As a consolation prize for not reaching the finals of the Junior Battle of Glory, these four men were given the COVETED Korakuen Hall opening slot. They had 7 minutes of wrestling worthy of this breezy tournament, HAYATO and Omori working surprisingly well as a team despite their contrasting personas. Onwards and upwards. **1/2
Shuji Ishikawa & Cyrus vs. Ryuki Honda & Izanagi
Pleasant little midcard burner that revealed shockingly-good beef chemistry between Cyrus and the grinning marshmallow warrior Ryuki Honda. Because Cyrus is so good at making all of his bumps count, Honda taking him down with that big lariat felt like a proper moment. Also, holy shit at that turnbuckle Exploder!? Nikkan Lee’s reaction was even better. **3/4
Yusuke Kodama & Seigo Tachibana © vs. Yoshitatsu & TAJIRI vs. Takao Omori & Masao Inoue vs. Black Menso-re & ATM – 4-Way Match – All-Asia Tag-Team Titles
A true celebration of the All Japan Undercard Cinematic Universe. ATM once again provided insightful social commentary on our crumbling financial structures, Tatsu and Seigo reignited their Yoshitatsu Kingdom beef and Kodama committed to his contractually-obliged tope con hilo. Also Masao Inoue won. I have no complaints. **1/4
NOSAWA aka. Black Tiger Freakin’ 7 is here for some reason.
Jake Lee & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Koji Doi & Kuma Arashi – Real World Tag League
This group of combatants was tasked with providing you three stars worth of professional wrestling and they accomplished their mission. There were some fun subplots here that elevated this into above average tag league territory, notably Yuma milking an early Brainbuster for all of its babyface worth and Jake/Doi TOTAL ECLIPSING the competiton with unexpectedly cool chemistry. Lovely ending stretch between Yuma and Kuma too – these two always have a very pleasant dynamic. ***1/4
Suwama & KONO vs. Yuji Nagata & Yuma Anzai – Real World Tag League
ANZAI NEW HERO! The road to the upset of all upsets was a bit bumpy (could’ve done without the Wada fuckery), but the result remained pretty earth-shattering. Fast-tracking rookies is not standard procedure for All Japan, so we’re witnessing a special – dare I say HISTORIC – storyline in real time. The rest of the match was mostly a Nagata showcase and he gave one of his better performances of the whole tournament. All geriatric resilience and fiery ass kicking. ***1/4
Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura vs. Jun Saito & Rei Saito – Real World Tag League
The Saitos’ first high-ish profile match with Kento mostly worked. Their signature clunkiness is still very much there, but they seemed to have a blast throwing themselves into Miyahara’s ring-side rampaging. The core story of Takuya fighting off the two giants was good stuff and built nicely into the big babyface finish. Loved the visual of Nomura snatching on the sleeper in the middle of a freakin’ TARU Powder Fog. ***
Atsuki Aoyagi vs. Dan Tamura – Junior Battle of Glory Finals
Very much like Atsuki’s Korakuen main event with HAYATO, this was a match that attempted to bring All Japan junior heavyweight wrestling into the year 2022. While Atsuki/HAYATO projected near-Dragon Gate vibes, this retained a lot of classic AJPW features alongside the more modern tropes. We got the classic Kobashi/Misawa armdrag opening, apron spot teasing and Learned Psychology-style callbacks to their last match. The sense of tradition is strong with these kids.
Even by clap crowd standards, the reactions felt a bit cold but it didn’t stop Aoyagi and Daniel from putting on a banger. Dan seemed especially energized by the prospect of going Full Big Match and delivered a career performance. From the opening tope suicida to the rarely-seen super moves (gutwrench suplex into the buckles!?) – Suwama’s disowned son seized the moment and proved that he belonged.
Like in the aforementioned HAYATO match, there was a feeling of both guys still trying to figure out some of the high-stakes wrasslin’ intangibles. The ideas and execution are all there, but they’ll reach another level once the boys master the MINUTIAE of pro-wrestling drama. Still, watching them get there is pretty exciting. Special shoutout to the insane Reverse Franken’ bump from Dan. ***3/4
Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Cyrus – Real World Tag League Finals
Let’s kick this off by stating some factual information. This was the best RWTL final since the 2019 Violence Giants/JIN epic. It might not have been the intended final (see: Ashino shoulder injury), but these teams made the most of the opportunity and had an absolute face-melter.
Big Shuj and Cyrus’ MONSTER INC. dynamic hinted at great things throughout the tournament and this is where it all came together. They cranked up the monstrosity to 11 and unleashed a truckload of mayhem on the league’s most-unlikely friendship. Kento and Takuya both bumped their asses off to make this work – the comedic vibe of their previous matches turning into a life-or-death struggle here.
Perched on top of the crunchy David vs. Goliath layout was a Strong BJ-esque throwdown between Nomura and Ishikawa that helped raise the tension another level. Nomura perfectly captured the mood of modern-day All Japan by peppering in some comical reactions in the middle of a full-force forearm slug-fest. The guy gets it.
An insane sequence of events (Takuya top-rope leaping slap!? Big Shuj straight-up no-selling the Follow Back) led to a Kento/Ishikawa closer on par with their batshit Triple Crown match from March. The man loves to fuck around, but at the end of the day, no one does big match drama like Kento Miyahara. Just a pure rollecoaster of a wrestling match that had me cackling from bell to bell. ****1/4
Captain Lou’s Review: AJPW XMas Eve 4 (12/21/22)
Ryuki Honda & Masao Hanabata vs. Masao Inoue & Dan Tamura
It is Christmas week in Shin Kiba 1st RING and the Japanese government psy-op known as ‘’Wada Kyohei’’ is in full effect. This man is not a mere referee. He is the entire wrestling match. In spite of the large amounts of Wada dementia and Masao World exploration in this thing, the ending stretch reached mind-boggling levels of radness.
PS – During my RWTL review rampage, I forgot to mention that Seigo Tachibana changed his name to Masao Hanabata. It is 100% unclear whether this is a temporary thing while he feuds with Masao Inoue or a permanent change. I love a good mystery. **1/4
Suwama vs. Takao Omori
A match where the controversial VOW backstage scoopz came to life before our very eyes. Who will take creative control of AJPW? Suwama and his Voodoo Vision or old man Omori and his anti-WWE protectionism!? According to the ending of this match, we may not be out of the RAW is ZEN NIHON era just yet. Before the mandatory Wama fuckery, this was headed in real solid Champion Carnival midcard burner territory. Omori’s spit sell of the Wamster’s corner lariat was a god damned work of art and you must respect it. **1/2
Jun Saito & Rei Saito vs. Yoshitatsu & TAJIRI
The Zen Nihon Freaks™ in Shin Kiba gave TAJIRI full babyface support for his second to last AJPW match and it made for a charming clusterfuck. The many talents of All Japan’s on-and-off bookerman were on full display – from the Charlie Chaplin-ISM comedy to the crowd-popping mist spots. The Undercard Cinematic Universe will miss this conniving creature. **
Black Menso-re vs. Izanagi
Much like TAJIRI and The Departing Gentleman Jake Lee, Izanagi is leaving the territory. As he’ll be joining President Zeus in Osaka Pro, fellow masked artist Black-Mensore was a fitting final opponent for him. After all, these two were very much the Ebessan/Kuishinbo Kamen pairing of the COVID AJPW era. Shin Kiba ate up their non-sense for one last time and also Tiger Kihara gave a (muted) Karaoke performance!? I will never forget you Atsushi Maruyama.
Atsuki Aoyagi & Hokuto Omori vs. Rising HAYATO & Ryo Inoue
You might remember these four from a pleasant tournament known as the Junior Battle of Glory 2022. From a coolness perspective, they’re very much looking like the new pillars of the junior division. And they wrestled like it, having an action-packed crowd-pleaser where Ryo Inoue fit in seamlessly with his more experienced JUNIOR BRETHREN (I immediately regret this sentence). The mechanics and freakin’ fluidity of it all were as inspiring as ever – Atsuki casually throwing out a Misdirection Quebrada like a true Toryumon binge-watcher. Hell of a good time. ***1/2
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuma Anzai
Only a few months into his career, boy wonder Yuma Anzai has already had two seminal matches. The interpromotional schoolyard scrap from October and now this. A Michael Bay-sized, jacked-up take on the Veteran Destroys Rookie subgenre. When it comes to these hierarchy-based matches, Japanese wrestling deviates so rarely from the norm that this felt like a proper event.
Coming off a tag league upset over Heel Ace Suwama, Anzai took the beating of a lifetime and survived to tell the tale. Not only did he survive, but he fought back like a motherfucker and was allowed to kick out of an inordinate amount of Stuff – the perfect storm for a rowdy Shin Kiba crowd. 14 minutes of the nastiest foreams you’ll find anywhere in wrestling and legit-shocking babyface comebacks.
The kind of match that flirts with horror movie thrills. You watch certain parts through your hands but the excitement is unbeatable. Peak wrasslin’. ****
Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura
The Nextream boys go long for one last time. The pairings were decided via lottery and interestingly, it led to a rematch of the 2019 RWTL semi-finals. Jake and Nomura were collectively known as JIN at the time and both have gone through their own Gritty Reboots since then. Kento and Yuma have been divorced since 2021, but you can tell they’re still itching to play around together.
This felt like they couldn’t quite decide if the Final Nextream match would be amusing fan-service or a full-on workrate banger. THUS, it landed right in the middle. There were long stretches of comedy mixed with crowd brawling filler and actual red hot King’s Road wrasslin’. Not the most consistent 30-minute draw, but seeing these four mix it up for one (probable) last time packed enough of an emotional punch to make it work.
While there was a clear bittersweetness to all the Kento/Jake exchanges, it was Yuma and Nomura who ended up stealing the show – especially in the latter part of the match. These boys have a stone-cold classic in them and I absolutely lost my shit at Aoyagi’s roll-through Endgame counter to Nomura’s spear cradle. Losing Jake Lee is a complete bummer, but I’m looking forward to Yuma and Naoya grabbing more spotlight in his absence. ***1/2