Jordan’s NJPW New Years Dash 2017 Review

NJPW New Years Dash 2017 Review

Kyle O’Reilly, Ricochet, and David Finlay vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, and Henare

This is going to be exciting. Well we already know that Team Liger isn’t winning because Henare is on it. It sounds like Corino and Kevin have absolutely no clue what Henare’s name is as they keep referring to him as “he”. Ricochet dives over the top rope with like a twisting moonsault which was beautiful. Ricochet is so incredible to watch. David Finlay has some really great uppercuts. Corino compares Henare to Nakanishi, however Henare is actually mobile and has speed. Ricochet gets the pin a rolling Fireman’s Carry from Finlay and the Shooting Star Press to Henare. Solid opener but nothing outstanding.

Rating: **1/2

Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Yoshitatsu and Billy Gunn

HI, BILLY GUNN HERE IN NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING , AND IF YOU’RE A MEMBER OF BULLET CLUB, THEN YOU’RE GOING HOME TONIGHT! If you get that reference, you’re the best. This one will be… interesting. Yujiro sucks, Tatsu isn’t any good anymore, Billy isn’t bad especially for his age and Page is good. This was okay. Billy sold the fuck out of Page’s clothesline which was cool. Yoshi’s head clearly didn’t hit the ground on the Rite of Passage. Billy put in a good effort but this is nothing you’ve never seen before.

Rating: *1/4

Adam Cole and The Young Bucks vs. YOSHI-HASHI and Roppongi Vice (Berreta and Rocky Romero)

Nice exchange between Cole and HASHI. Would like to see a singles match between those two. Some arguing going on between Beretta and Romero as Beretta goes for the dive he missed last night and Romero stops him so Beretta shoves Romero. Romero then hits a suicide dive onto Cole and it angers Beretta but they quickly make up and high five. One of the Bucks does an insane dive onto everyone, a beautiful senton bomb onto everyone. Beretta goes for a springboard and Cole catches him with a brutal backstabber in mid-air. Corino FINALLY shouts “Superkiiiiiick” instead of quietly saying it. Cole goes for the Last Shot to put YOSH-HASHI to rest but HASHI counters into a pin and PINS ADAM COLE. Now we may really get HASHI vs. Cole for the ROH World Title which would be really cool. Good match.

Rating: ***1/4

Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Scott Norton, Hiro Saito, and Cheeseburger vs. Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Guerrillas of Destiny, and BONE SOLDIER)

So we’ve got 1 good member in Bullet Club of Kenny Omega and a bunch of really bad ones. Would’ve rather seen Cody team with Bullet Club here since, well, he’s IN Bullet Club. I wish Chase Owens was here too. Omega looks scared to death as he has to start with Scott Norton so he offers him a spot in Bullet Club. Omega thinks Norton accepts and shakes his hand but Norton squeezes extremely hard and then begins to lay waste to the members of Bullet Club. Norton tries to launch Cheeseburger onto all the members of Bullet Club but the Biz Cliz catches him and throws him back to Norton which was hilarious. BONE SOLDIER is just god awful. Later on in the match Omega sells the fuck out of Kojima’s chops in a comical way and Cheeseburger lays into Fale with chops which honestly made me laugh out loud. Omega’s nickname for BONE SOLDIER is “boner” which is hilarious. As expected, BONE SOLDIER takes the fall as Kojima pins him following a lariat. This was just a lot of fun, nothin special wrestling wise at all but I enjoyed this.

Rating: ***

Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Michael Elgin and KUSHIDA

This is a match of huge proportions as the Intercontinental Champion and Jr. Heavyweight Champions take on the two men they owe a rematch as Mike never got his after his injury. Elgin and Takahashi are going at it which is interesting since we’ve seen them wrestle in PWG and ROH too. This was a very good match, lots of past paced action and big moves. Loved the top rope Falcon Arrow from Elgin. Naito takes out the referee using KUSHIDA and kicks KUSHIDA and Elgin in the dick. Dragon Lee randomly shows up and takes out the heels and Elgin hits the Burning Hammer on Naito for the pin and the win. Great match! Intense stare down between KUSHIDA and Dragon Lee post-match as well.

Rating: ***3/4

Katsuyori Shibata, GBH (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma), Yuji Nagata, and Juice Robinson vs. Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Will Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii, and Toru Yano

Really hoping for interactions between Shibata and Okada and Shibata and Ospreay here. And we’re kicking off with one of the interactions I really wanted to see as Shibata and Ospreay will be going at it. Ospreay got up in the face of Shibata and told him he has something he wants and that’s the RevPro Heavyweight Championship. Shibata and Ospreay had a very enjoyable encounter and if Shibata were still Openweight Champion I’d love to see those two go at it for the belt. Nagata and Yano are in now and I want Nagata to beat the piss out of Yano. GBH are going after the two men who they should think basically stole the titles that could’ve been theres. Everything Makabe does is sloppy and in slow motion. I don’t enjoy watching him wrestle. Ishii is busted open and that’s scary. Juice Robinson came VERY close to pinning Okada following a Gutbuster. Imagine if Juice pinned Okada? That would be something. I say that and Juice gets a shocking pin on Goto. That match was just as fun as the last one! Good stuff. After the match fucking Suzuki-gun shows up and beats the fuck out of CHAOS. Okada takes it to all the members of Suzuki-gun until Suzuki shows up and nails the Gotch-Style Piledriver on Okada. Damn, I really didn’t expect that!

Rating: ***3/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Rysuke Taguchi, and Manabu Nakanishi vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA, and BUSHI) for the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Championship

I swear to god if the team of immobile Nakanishi, ass-obsessed Taguchi, and Tanahashi win the belts I’ll be pissed, especially right after LIJ just won them. No reason LIJ shouldn’t retain. EVIL actually looks pretty creepy in his entrance, kudos to him. Nakanishi wants to start and that means we aren’t getting off to a good start. EVIL sneak attacks Nakanishi and the referee holds back Taguchi and Tana as EVIL and SANADA double team Nakanishi instead of, I don’t know, getting EVIL out of the ring. Tana throws SANADA’s head into Taguchi’s ass which is annoying. I’m with Corino in his dislike for Taguchi. Use some other offense besides just hitting someone with your ass, please. I agree with Corino that I also loved the Taguchi we saw in the Best of the Super Juniors last year but in these tag matches we don’t see that Taguchi. Side note, BUSHI’s gear today is really sweet. I wasn’t paying the closest of attention to this match but it was okay. Shitty outcome especially right after LIJ just won the belts the previous night. Ugh.

Rating: **3/4

Overall this was a decent show with a couple of cool surprises like Dragon Lee and Suzuki-gun showing up. Only a couple matches that are really worth watching and that’s Naito and Takahashi vs. Elgin and KUSHIDA and CHAOS vs. Team Shibata.

Overall: 6/10