Match 01: Tag Team
Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba v Yoshiki Inamura & Yasutaka Yano| Not much to say about this match as side that it was fun to watch. 05/10
Match 02: Eight-Woman Tag (TJPW)
Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi & Shoko Nakajima v Maki Itoh, Yuki Arai, Miu Watanabe & Mizuki| I loved this match aside from the fact it is TJPW every woman went out there and put on a good show. The only problem I had is Maki and Miyu being on different teams since they just won the tag belts. One cool spot was the Hurricanrana into a Giant Swing by Miu was cool. Cool fact as well, Mizuki is the only trainee of Cutie Suzuki and that is why she uses the Cutie Special as a finisher. 07/10
Match 03: Six-Man Tag Team
Good Looking Guys (Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Greene) v Sugiura-gun (Takashi Sugiura, Timothy Thatcher & Satoshi Kojima)| I liked this match for what it was. Good Looking guys is a stable I enjoy a lot because Jake Lee is amazing, Jack Morris is a future star, and Anthony Green is fun. It was solid enough, and it did its job for what it was. Also, if anyone wants to know. Kojima using the Machine Gun Chops is to pay tribute to his friend Kenta and Kenta allowed him to use them as well. 06/10
Match 04: Ten-Man Tag Team
Stinger (Yoshinari Ogawa, Eita, HAYATA, Chris Ridgeway & Daga) v Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY, Seiki Yoshioka, Alejandro & Junta Miyawaki| First off, I fucking hate Yoshinari Ogawa, and second this was an alright match. One cool thing was the Stepover Toehold Chris used to win the match. I ahve always thought that was possible, but seeing it makes it cool. 05/10
Match 05: DDT Showcase Eight Man Tag Team Match
The 37KAMIINA (Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima) v BURNING (Tetsuya Endo and Yuya Koroku), Hideki Okatani, & Takeshi Masada| Sauna Club for life. This was a good DDT match that showcased that DDT can be serious and not just all jokes. I will not be surprised if Endo ends up in NOAH. Yeah, not really much to say aside it was a fun watch. 06/10
Match 06: Six-Man Tag Team (NOAH v Dragon Gate)
Naomichi Marufuji, El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Ninja Mack v Shun Skywalker, Diamante & KAI| I thoroughly enjoyed this match, and I really like Marufuji's attire. The main highlight I thought was crazy was the Double Handstand Suplex Slam thing that happened to Ninja Mack. My only thing I wish was that BxB Hulk was in this match instead, but hey like I said a solid match. 07/10
Match 07: Six-Man Tag team (NOAH v AJPW)
KONGO (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh & Manabu Soya) v Zennichi Shin Jidai (Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi) & Suwama| First off, fuck Suwama, and second Nakajima and Kento in a match is awesome, I'll explain why. Aside from Suwama being in this match, I loved this match, seeing Nakajima and Kento wrestle was great. The others were great as well and Kenoh was being full Kenoh and I loved it. 08/10
So here is the first geeky thing. Among Puro fans, there was a concept called The Musketeers of the Pillars, and the idea was that there were eight upcoming wrestlers who would lead Japanese wrestling and wrestling as a whole, to some degree, into a new era. Those were Naomichi Marufuji, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kento Miyahara, BxB Hulk, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Tetsuya Naito. Shibata and KENTA were also considered but were left out due to different reasons, and some have replaced BxB with KENTA or Shibata so.
Match 08: TagTeam Match
Taiji Ishimori & Gedo v NOSAWA Rongai & MAZADA| So this was a quick match, but powerful. 06/10
Geeky thing number two. Nosawa trained Taiji in Japan and Mexico, and looked out for him a lot, both in Japan and Mexico. When a rookie goes on an excursion. They end up looking a lot to whoever kept them safe, gave them a home, helped them get booked, and more. Even adopting moves from them. Nosawa decided to retire due to a medical condition and at the advice of his doctor. So he wanted someone who meant a lot to him to end him, think Shawn v Ric. The main thing was that Ishimori’s facade as a cold heel cracked for a moment as he was reminded of the love and respect they had for one another. Nosawa may not be a big star, but he’s very important to Ishimori, so it is meaningful for him. That was the story/lore of that match and why I enjoyed it.
Match 09: Singles Match
Hiromu Takahashi v AMAKUSA| This was everything a Junior and story match is meant to be. Hiromu coming out with Kenbai mask and name was such a cool reference and nod to both men. You have to watch this match to really enjoy it. 08/10
Geeky thing number three. So Hiromu has been looking for former tag partner Kenbai forever. The name "Tokyo Tornado" was and is a reference to the tag team the two created while wrestling in the UK over nine or so years ago, and Michinoku Pro is where AMAKUSA got his start as Kenbai. So after the match is when Hiromu realized the guy he has been seeking has been in front of him, and now he has found his friend he once lost. Beautiful story that was told.
Match 10: Singles Match
Kazuchika Okada v Kaito Kiyomiya| I know many figured, I would be mad about this match, but truth be told I loved it. Okada was and is the right winner of this match and I know many said Okada made Kaito his "bitch" but I disagree and wouldn't say that. I would say he made him humble. I can't do this match justice, go watch it and enjoy it. 09/10
Geeky thing number four and why I am not mad at this match. This match was about one thing and one thing only. What it means to be an Ace in Japan. I love Kaito, but he has one problem, and it is part of his arc. He isn't Kaito. He is a fan who copies those he loves and nothing more. When Kaito began in NOAH he was just a Misawa clone, for lack of a better term, and did/does a lot of Misawa's moves, which is fine, but he isn't Misawa. Recently, now he is Kaito the Mutoh clone. While, it has caused him to become more popular and even a semi-Ace statues, he isn't an Ace because he isn't Kaito. He is just a knock off. Okada is the ace because he learned from the past and respects it, but knows he has to be his own man and own wrestler. It is fine to admire the past and learn from it, but not to copy it and adopt it as your own. Kaito has to shred Misawa's and Mutoh's influence in order to be the Ace. He has to be his own man. To me, this is what the match was about and why I loved it. I also loved it because it reminded me of Jumbo v Misawa, which for those who don't know Jumbo's character was that of a grizzled old Ace who would be damned if he was dethroned, and Misawa was the young up comer who wanted to dethrone him. Misawa did. How? By being Misawa and no one else. So Okada is Jumbo and Kaito is Misawa, but Kaito has learned he needs to be him and no one else.
Main Event
Tetsuya Naito v Keiji Muto| God, where do I begin with this, as there is so much to unpack here. As for the match itself, it was good. Muto denying the Moonsault and everything was brilliant and Naito's drip, as the kids say, was amazing. Also, them using all of Muto's themes was so fucking cool, and My Way being used in that vignette gave me chills, man. This was a match that if you knew/know the lore, then you really liked it a lot. Yeah just watch this match because it is great, and I love seeing Muto use his style of F4LL. 09/10
Surprise Main Event
Masahiro Chono v Keiji Muto: It was what it was. No rating, just because of how cool it was.
Final geeky thing. So with Naito and Muto the story is that Naito growing up was a huge fan of Muto and is a huge wrestling nerd. When Naito got into the New Japan Dojo, Muto was one of his teachers, and one of Muto's nicknames was/is The Wrestling Genius. So Naito debuted and was The Stardust Genius and used a Corkscrew Moonsault as a finisher since Muto used a regular one. The gimmick failed and we all know what happened. But remembered the thing I mentioned about Kaito? The same applied to Naito, and he became his own man. When he came back from Mexico and all, he began feuding with Tanahashi. Why? Because Tanahashi was the new ace and Muto passed the torch to him, so Naito, still being a nerd, felt betrayed by this as he wanted to do not and felt like it rightfully his. So now, Naito got his revenge on the man that gave him a failed gimmick and everything, but also made him who he is now.
The Chono and Muto match was just old friends doing a favor and ending each other. They were part of the three musketeers and once said that if they were all going to retire, then they would all do it at the same time. Unfortunately, Hashimoto passed and so it only left Chono and Muto left and Tiger being the referee was perfect. This was a perfect end to a era in Strong Style.
PPV overall score: 09/10
