http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Tue, 30 Jun 2015 02:45:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-21415/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-21415/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2015 17:34:10 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews ACH AJ Styles Alberto El Patron Bullet Club Cedric Alexander Christopher Daniels Hanson IWGP Jay Briscoe Jimmy Jacobs Kevin Kelly Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Michael Elgin Moose Nick Jackson R.D. Evans Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Steve Corino The Romantic Touch The Young Bucks Tommaso Ciampa Veda Scott http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9815 Honorable Mention ROH TV 2/14/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Love is in the air, everywhere you look around! It's Valentine's Day at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and Ring of Honor is back in action with another star-studded hour of power, just two weeks away from the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. I'll […]

Honorable Mention
ROH TV 2/14/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Love is in the air, everywhere you look around! It's Valentine's Day at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and Ring of Honor is back in action with another star-studded hour of power, just two weeks away from the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. I'll be heading out to Sin City, as it's just a quick car ride out of Southern California, and I'll be looking forward to shooting some dice with the Young Bucks and perhaps having an appletini or two if Chris Daniels is around. This week's episode of ROH TV helped further establish the rivalries going into their biggest show of the year so far. What was the match of the night and what could we have done without seeing? Let's waste no time and get right into the thick of things with our commentators Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino, and very special guest ROH world heavyweight champion Jay Briscoe.

The show begins as Ring of Honor world champion Jay Briscoe makes his way to ringside, getting set to join the usual duo of Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino on commentary. Tonight's episode of Ring of Honor TV will include four bouts, three of which feature participants in the upcoming four-way championship match in Las Vegas. Jimmy Jacobs is set to go one-on-one with the "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa. Jacobs has been making waves in recent weeks, scouting the Top Prospect Tournament in search of the Decade's newest "young boy." The match is off to a rough start for the "Zombie Princess," as Ciampa quickly resorts to his signature blend of striking offense. Announcers at ringside made mention that Jacobs has just as much fight as anyone, despite weighing-in at just 185 pounds. The onslaught of lariats and running knee-strikes took its toll on both Jacobs and the Philadelphia audience; the fans inside the 2300 Arena were silent during the unnecessary roughness of Ciampa, except for one man who yelled, "What a maneuver!" Ciampa obliterated Jimmy Jacobs in less than five minutes, leaving the Decade member broken on the outside of the ring. The official opted to forgo a count, and declared Ciampa the winner. This breathtaking display by the �Psychopath left the champion speechless. He stood to face Ciampa, sizing up what could be his most violent competition at the Anniversary Show in two weeks.

Before ROH hit the air I knew we'd be getting a dose of The Romantic Touch—it is Valentine's Day, after all! �Touch enters the arena with a heart-shaped box of chocolates and two beautiful ladies hanging on each of his arms. As he struts to the ring, Kelly and Corino question whether the champ has enough time for romance when preparing to defend his title in two weeks. Jay Briscoe says, "Well, we've been married for seven years…" Steve Corino immediately cuts him off, "Oh don't tell me the romance is all gone!" But Jay was quick on his feet, joking back, "Oh shoot no, I'm just tryin' not to have another kid!" The Romantic Touch has a prerecorded promo wherein he warns viewers at home to treat their ladies well, otherwise he's prepared to do so. His opponent tonight however, is a little less loving than �Touch might have hoped. This is the second exhibition featuring the three number one contenders to Jay Briscoe's world title, and this time it's "Warbeard" Hanson. The impressive Hanson stands at 6'2" and weighs in at 275 pounds—not a massive individual by "New York" standards, but a menacing force inside the Ring of Honor locker room. The Romantic Touch and "Warbeard" Hanson meet to engage in the "Code of Conduct," where �Touch offers Hanson a chocolate. Hanson responds with a disastrous kick, dubbed the "Spin Kick of Doom." Hanson defeated the Romantic Touch in less than thirty seconds, and even ate one of the chocolates when he was through. After the match, Hanson met eye-to-eye with Briscoe, just the same as Ciampa before him. Hanson shouted, "Look what I did," in reference to laying out his opponent. Jay responded in kind, letting Hanson know that he "ain't no Romantic Touch."

The third and final bout featuring challengers for Jay Briscoes coveted belt pits the undefeated Moose against the former Ring of Honor world heavyweight champion Michael Elgin. Moose is escorted to the ring, per usual, by Veda Scott and Stokley Hathaway. Since defeating R.D. Evans at Final Battle in December, Moose has established the "New Streak" in Ring of Honor, and will put it on the line tonight in his greatest test to-date. Elgin enters to a chorus of boos, but doesn't allow the Philadelphia fans to breach his skin as he prepares to dismantle Moose. Both men adhere to the code of conduct before quickly engaging in battle. Elgin takes advantage of the former Atlanta Falcon within the opening seconds, lifting him into a brain buster position, and holding him there for over 10-seconds before driving him into the mat. But Moose was back up just as quick as Elgin, ready to continue with a dropkick, sending the former champion barreling to the outside. This match is already more competitive than both previous bouts on the card, which makes sense; aside from Jay Briscoe, Michael Elgin is certainly the odds-on-favorite heading into Las Vegas. Michael Elgin returns to the ring and dodges a clothesline, returning with a big boot of his own. Elgin pumped his arm, mocking the choreographed way in which Moose and his entourage enter the arena. The former champion climbed the ropes, but was distracted by Veda Scott. Elgin fought her away and cartwheeled off the turnbuckle and away from and imposing Moose. He proceeded to deliver a devastating powerbomb, and then lifted the 300 pound athlete from the canvas, into the air, for another grueling power bomb. A near-three count and the contest continues with both men reeling against the ropes. Moose then shoved Elgin through the ropes and to the outside where he was face-to-face with Jay Briscoe. Just the same as Ciampa and Hanson, Elgin stared into the eyes of the champion, but unlike the �Psychopath and "Warbeard, Michael Elgin pushed Jay Briscoe back and over his chair. Briscoe wasn't going to stand for such disrespect and immediately charged the ring where he was caught in the line of fire between Elgin and a Spear by Moose. The referee called for the bell and before long all four combatants in the Thirteenth Anniversary main event were warring inside the squared-circle, with a great deal of focus placed on the reigning world champion. Luckily Jay Briscoe was saved by his brother Mark who engaged all-comers before being put down by Moose's spine-shattering Spear.

It's time for the main event at the 2300 Arena—a trios match with Ring of Honor babyfaces squaring off against Bullet Club villains. ACH, Matt Sydal and Cedric Alexander are the first team introduced, and although all three men are among the most-over in ROH, their popularity pales in comparison to their opponents. The Bullet Club coming to America and performing on Ring of Honor TV is akin to British rock bands touring America or the Harlem Globe Trotters playing in North Korea. The Young Bucks enter first wearing black pants with fringe complete with a Bullet Club logo on the side. Just before they make it to the ringside area, the lights go down and the music slowly begins. It's as if a spiritual leader of some sort has just entered this holiest of hallowed halls; the audience is almost completely silent until AJ Styles makes his dramatic appearance. They chant, "AJ, AJ, AJ," as both Styles and the Bucks cruise into the ring amidst a sea of colored streamers. All six wrestlers shake hands before returning to their respective corners and this match is underway. It's interesting to note, as this was filmed several weeks ago, AJ is without the IWGP championship title belt. AJ, of course, won the IWGP world heavyweight championship from Hiroshi Tanahashi just this past week in Japan. The �Bucks begin by each taking turns on Matt Sydal who soon trades out to his former tag team partner ACH. The Bucks work like a well-oiled machine, working their opponents down to the mat in whatever way possible. When AJ tags into the contest he is met with immediate praise from the live audience, and sets to work attacking ACH just the same as his fellow Bullet Club members. The show goes to a commercial and when we return ACH and AJ Styles are standing in the center of the ring trading knife-edge chops with deadly precision. Nick Jackson tagged back in, hitting ACH with his patented blend of Young Bucks chicanery, poking the decorated superstar in the eyes and "too sweeting" his tag team partners in the corner.

The action heats up with all six combatants seeking to get involved at the same time. Sydal finds himself alone inside the ring with the Bullet Club, who triple team the former WWE tag team champion, before Matt Jackson takes the lead, continuing to take the fight to "Reborn" Matt Sydal. The quick tags from the Bullet Club work to their advantage as one-by-one AJ and the Bucks trade shots on their opponent, isolating him from his partners. After managing to reach his corner, the contest works toward the favor of the ROH wrestlers. Cedric Alexander takes to the skies, performing an exhilarating splash, followed by "two-out-of-three Amigos." Nick Jackson countered and proceeded to superkick ACH, who was standing on the outside, from the apron. He spring-boarded into the ring where he face-busted Cedric Alexander, only to slide back out of the ring and hit ACH once more, this time with a Tornado-DDT. Not to be outdone by his brother, Matt Jackson joined the action with a misguided Swanton bomb, crash-landing on the knees of Cedric Alexander. Cedric lifted Matt Jackson up into a powerbomb predicament, complimented by a jumping knee smash courtesy of Matt Sydal. Sydal then went toe-to-toe with AJ Styles in a battle of rights-and-lefts until he was taken off his feet by a superkick from Matt Jackson. Nick and Matt Jackson were ready to deliver superkicks to whomever may ask for one, but were caught off guard with the equally-quick superkick-game of ACH. AJ attempted a 450-splash but to no avail, once again countered by the educated knees of Cedric Alexander. This time ACH would be the one going for a 450, landing expertly on Styles. Matt Sydal would hope to follow-up with his own high-risk maneuver, the Shooting Star Press. As Sydal leapt from the top turnbuckle, he was forced to make an emergency landing on his feet, met almost immediately by duel superkicks. Nick and Matt then proceeded to superkick ACH and Cedric Alexander out of contention. The end would come for Matt Sydal as the trio put him through a combination of the "Meltzer-Driver," a hanging upside down double superkick, followed by a "Styles Clash" for the 1-2-3. Your winners are the Bullet Club.

This was an excellent edition of ROH TV, which believe it or not, I'm almost getting sick of saying each week! Ring of Honor delivers at least three—in some cases FOUR highly athletic wrestling contests every time it airs. In addition, ROH isn't bogged down by heavily scripted talking segments, instead allowing for the story to be told inside the squared-circle. That might sound like a cliché, but that's only because I've said it before. Just two more episodes of ROH TV to go until Sunday March 1st and the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. Next week will feature two main-event caliber bouts—Alberto El Patron will go head-to-head with ACH, and the world television champion Jay Lethal will battle Roderick Strong. Until then, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been "Honorable Mention."

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-6-2715-akita-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-6-2715-akita-japan/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2015 17:30:31 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Captain New Japan CHAOS Cody Hall Doc Gallows Gedo Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Manabu Nakanishi Mascara Dorada Matt Jackson New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Road to The New Beginning Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shinsuke Nakamura Sho Tanaka Tama Tonga Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Togi Makabe Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano Yohei Komatsu YOSHI-HASHI Yuji Nagata Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9538 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. В The event took place on February 7th, 2015 from the Akita Terrsa in Akita, Akita, Japan:   Tag Team Match reDRagon [2] (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) defeated Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu (10:48 minutes) Six-Man Tag Team Match Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. В The event took place on February 7th, 2015 from the Akita Terrsa in Akita, Akita, Japan:

Tag Team Match
reDRagon [2] (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) defeated Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu (10:48 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask #4 and MГЎscara Dorada (11:57 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, Ryusuke Taguchi and Captain New Japan defeated Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Kenny Omega and Cody Hall (11:43 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Yuji Nagata, Togi Makabe, Tetsuya Naito and Tomoaki Honma defeated CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and YOSHI-HASHI) (14:57 minutes)

Tag Team Match
BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada and Gedo) (11:21 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley defeated BULLET CLUB (Tama Tonga, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (16:09 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-5-2615-wakayanagi-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-5-2615-wakayanagi-japan/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2015 00:36:54 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Captain New Japan CHAOS Doc Gallows Gedo Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Manabu Nakanishi Mascara Dorada Matt Jackson New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Road to The New Beginning Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shinsuke Nakamura Sho Tanaka Tama Tonga TenKoji Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Time Splitters Togi Makabe Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano YOSHI-HASHI Yuji Nagata Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9518 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on February 6th, 2015 from the Wakayanagi City Gymnasium, in Wakayanagi, Miyagi, Japan:   Singles Match Yohei Komatsu defeats Jay White (8:40) Tag Team Match reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) defeat Jushin Thunder Liger & Sho Tanaka […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on February 6th, 2015 from the Wakayanagi City Gymnasium, in Wakayanagi, Miyagi, Japan:

Singles Match
Yohei Komatsu defeats Jay White (8:40)

Tag Team Match
reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) defeat Jushin Thunder Liger & Sho Tanaka (9:38)

Six Man Tag Team Match
Manabu Nakanishi, Mascara Dorada & Tomoaki Honma defeat TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & Tiger Mask (9:34)

Eight Man Tag Team Match
BULLET CLUB (Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeat Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA), Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata (11:12)

Tag Team Match
BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi) defeat CHAOS (Gedo & Kazuchika Okada) (10:23)

Eight Man Tag Team Match
CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) defeat Captain New Japan, Tetsuya Naito, Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata (15:30)

Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi defeat BULLET CLUB (Kenny Omega & Tama Tonga) (14:43)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-4-2415-chiba-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-4-2415-chiba-japan/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2015 19:11:38 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Captain New Japan CHAOS Cody Hall Doc Gallows Gedo Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Manabu Nakanishi Mascara Dorada Matt Jackson New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Road to The New Beginning Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shinsuke Nakamura Sho Tanaka Tama Tonga Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Togi Makabe Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano Yohei YOSHI-HASHI Yuji Nagata Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9508 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on February 4th, 2015 at the Port Arena Sub Arena in Chiba, Japan. Tag Team Match reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) defeated Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka. 6 Man Tag Team Match Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask IV […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on February 4th, 2015 at the Port Arena Sub Arena in Chiba, Japan.

Tag Team Match
reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) defeated Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka.

6 Man Tag Team Match
Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask IV & MГЎscara Dorada defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger.

8 Man Tag Team Match
Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan defeated BULLET CLUB (Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Kenny Omega & Cody Hall).

8 Man Tag Team Match
Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma defeated CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Gedo).

Tag Team Match
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga).

6 Man Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley defeated BULLET CLUB (Yujiro Takahashi, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson).

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-1315-review/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-1315-review/#comments Sat, 10 Jan 2015 04:52:40 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Adam Cole AJ Styles Bobby Fish Bullet Club Chris Adams Doc Gallows Impact IWGP Jerry Lawler Karl Anderson Kevin Steen Kyle O'Reilly Matt Jackson New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW NWA NXT Randy Orton reDRagon Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Steve Corino TNA Wrestle Kingdom 9 Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8717 Honorable Mention ROH TV 1/3/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Everyone will always remember 2014 as the year ROH stepped onto the "Sports Entertainment" battlefield with huge successes including their first-and-second classic pay-per-view events, the return of many former ROH stars, but most importantly for me? The ACTION FIGURES! Ring of Honor signed a merchandising […]

Honorable Mention
ROH TV 1/3/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Everyone will always remember 2014 as the year ROH stepped onto the "Sports Entertainment" battlefield with huge successes including their first-and-second classic pay-per-view events, the return of many former ROH stars, but most importantly for me? The ACTION FIGURES! Ring of Honor signed a merchandising deal this year that includes a variety of Ring of Honor Action Figures! How cool is that? Yes 2014 was a cataclysmic year for professional wrestling which is why I decided to write about this week's episode of ROH TV, even though it was nothing more than a "Best of 2014" clip show. We're going to cover an array of bouts from earlier in the year, including the Ring of Honor Match of the Year. If you would instead prefer to read more recent match reviews then I suggest you check out my extensive reaction to Wrestling Kingdom 9 or the reboot of TNA Impact, also available here at Cheap-Heat, otherwise let's get right to business.

The first match that Ring of Honor would like you to remember this year was the duel between former Ring of Honor World Champion Roderick Strong and then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles. While the fundamentals were sound enough and the bell-to-bell was without flaw, I still found it awfully peculiar that ROH would want to highlight this match above any else. But more on that when we come to it. I enjoy Roderick Strong despite the mixed-to-negative reaction he seems to elicit from the majority of wrestling fans. I think that has a lot to do with how he's been booked and how quickly he was pushed in relation to his post-championship career. I think it's similar to several other wrestlers and superstars, I've even referred to him once-before as the "Randy Orton of Ring of Honor." I think he's got all of the necessary tools needed to build an outstanding career, but at the end of the day he lacks originality and the charisma needed to carry him beyond his current surroundings. Styles on the other hand is a man who made the most for himself in 2014. He abandoned what appeared to be a sinking ship in favor of uncertain waters, but has been met with unprecedented success by becoming the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a title which I consider the most prestigious honor in the world of wrestling. From the moment the bell sounded it appeared as though AJ might have underestimated Strong who had no trouble in putting AJ through his paces. The war between aerial and ground based maneuvers is an ever-present backdrop in Ring of Honor, brought to the foreground in this contest. I wonder—is New Japan's most decorated champion allowed to lose a match in America? In the old days of the NWA, promotors would book accordingly so as to protect the champion without damaging the territorial stars. I'm curious if Ring of Honor's Roderick Strong ever stood a chance of winning, or if the politics of professional wrestling protected AJ clear through the summer. That leads me to the final moment of the match, and the reason I'm surprised ROH would want the fans to remember this contest. Twenty-fourteen was the year AJ Styles came under fire for continuing to use a supposed dangerous finishing maneuver—"The Styles Clash." More than one worker came forward including Roddy Strong claiming the move is not only unsafe but goes against the core instincts developed by professional wrestlers. As AJ lifted Roderick Strong into position to perform the �Clash, you could clearly see Strong tuck his head at the last moment—a reflex that's almost impossible for any wrestler to ignore. By the end, the match belonged to Styles, although I debate whether or not this was his best showing in Ring of Honor all year. Maybe his best SINGLES match, or his best match against ROH talent. Three stars, although I don't generally award star ratings in my ROH reviews. But I figured this edition was a special occasion.

Up next is one of my favorite matches from 2014, the heartfelt farewell bout between Steve Corino and "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen. On the one hand you have a much-despised villainous wrestler and heel commentator combination in Steve Corino who, on the flip-side, is the close friend and mentor to one of the most visible professional wrestlers in the world, Kevin Steen. For those who have followed Ring of Honor for the past few years, I don't need to define the depth of the relationship between Corino and Steen. Former tag partners but more often-than-not opponents, Kevin Steen was given the chance to wrestle anyone he wanted in his last match and he chose the semi-retired Jerry Lawler of ROH Steve Corino. The first thing you'll notice about Corino is his ridiculous wardrobe, as well as his uncanny ease of movement despite having succumbed somewhat to middle-age. One of the most amazing parts of Ring of Honor is the "Code of Honor" and the inherent personal accountability that appears to come with it. I know from speaking to several �Universe Residents,' they don't like the handshake because it doesn't make for a provocative storyline. "Why are they fighting if they like each other? It doesn't make sense" Why are football teams playing one another? Why do karate students kick their friends in the face? Tennis players don't HATE other tennis players, do they? Ring of Honor is about competition and not comedy; for fans of professional wrestling and not soap operas. I was entirely too emotionally invested in this match due to the way in which both Corino and Steen interacted. You could tell that both were taking great care not to injure the other all while at the same time trying to give the fans a match of the year contender. Part of the story of course were the words not being mentioned: what of the relationship outside of this ring when all is said and done? Would it be too far to venture a guess that some little part of Steve Corino might be jealous that Steen's been called up? Or does he view Kevin more through the eyes of a big brother, simply proud of the man that this kid has become? None of these question-marks found sentences as we were riddled with a machine-gun fire of exclamation points. Stiff chops made way for harsher clotheslines and even package pile-drivers. When Kevin Steen got the pin and had his hand raised, the local fans were in tears as they chanted, "Thanks, Steen, Thanks," while wearing t-shirts adorned with the same sentiment. Ring of Honor is known for borrowing the streamer aspect of their presentation from Japan; as Steen stood in the squared-circle, the audience proceeded to decorate the former champion and future NXT Superstar, tossing what must have been miles of colored paper into the ring. If you're looking for another Star Rating, I'd have to think about that. On the one hand you have one of the most emotional match-ups of the year fought between two industry legends. On the other the contest was kind of hindered by neither man wanting to hurt the other, a result of Steen moving to Florida maybe? Regardless I'd be willing to meet halfway and then-some so I'll award this match: Three and a Half Stars.

After an array of vignettes highlighting some of the more impactful programs from the previous year, we're back to the action and this time it is the 2014 Ring of Honor Match of the Year featuring reDragon taking on the Young Bucks for the ROH World Tag Team Titles. The Ring of Honor tag teams are in many ways an extension of NJPW's vibrant junior-tag division. Both the Bucks and reDragon have held both sets of titles, in fact both teams have held both sets of titles simultaneously! If it's Ring of Honor or NJPW, you've got about four or five teams you can always count on to provide an engaging show. At the top of the mountain however has to sit the best team in the world, and this match proved worthy of declaring the kings of tag team wrestling. The Young Bucks are always being discussed in some capacity or another; traditionalists mock their flamboyant attitude while we—the hipsters of wrestling—consider their antics an homage to the wrestling that we grew up with. Too sweet me! The "Superkick Parties" as they've been nicknamed are only abhorrent if you consider the super kick a viable finishing move—which I do not. I really love how Nick and Matt Jackson have been able to modernize a move made popular by Chris Adams in the 1980's so that it works in a variety of settings. The Young Bucks are way beyond super kicking chins, but more on that in a moment. Across the ring are the challengers, the equally talented and highly decorated duo of Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. O'Reilly has been named one of the best wrestlers on the planet but I think Fish does more than his fair share to ensure reDragon is a team name that strikes fear in the hearts of their opponents. Much the way The Young Bucks do inside the squared circle, reDragon has been able to evolve outside of the ring by taking their promos and interviews to a whole new level. When not competing you might catch Fish and O'Reilly sporting sweater vests and spectacles, but once the bell sounds it's all about business—it's MOUTH GUARD TIME! Now that I'm done selling you on both teams and what they're doing to further the industry as a whole, let's discuss what made this The Ring of Honor Match of the Year.

This contest of course went down at ROH's joint-venture with NJPW in New York City, War of the Worlds. Going in I think the crowd was split regardless of who may be pegged a heel and who's the babyface, because like most of ROH's big money matches, this was about respect. As soon as the bell sounds we're hit with the flagrant disregard of authority that is The Young Bucks. The match seems to go off the rails rather early as tagging one's opponent quickly loses all merit. The Bucks appeared to gain the offensive from the onset even delivering a yet-to-be-named Meltzer driver to a member of reDragon in the early going. It seems like Kyle O'Reilly is always bleeding from his mouth, which I guess is why he should keep that mouth guard in! There were some incredible spots scattered throughout this match, the first that really caught my eye featured the Bucks once again on offense stacking O'Reilly and Fish in "Tombstone Pile driver" formation, and then super kicking Fishes knees, thus drilling his partner in the process. This wasn't enough to stop reDragon however, and O'Reilly took the lead as Fish provided support; it seemed as though Kyle O'Reilly was insistent on winning the match and the titles by making the Jackson's submit. His hubris almost got the better of him toward the finale, when Nick Jackson proceeded to drop a 450 springboard splash on O'Reilly who had his brother on the verge of tapping out. Once the move was hit and the pin was attempted, the audience in NYC and around the world got to see what was perhaps the nearest fall in history—close but no cigar for the ROH Tag Champs the Young Bucks. That's when Fish found his way back into the action to help O'Reilly fend off the tireless Jackson brothers. Once again, O'Reilly set out to make the squirrely Bullet Clubbers tap. After all of the insane acrobatics and innovation that this match has become known for, the decision was eventually decided by a crippling Fujiwara Armbar—performed by Kyle O'Reilly! Your new tag team champions and still champions to this day are Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish of reDragon! Was this the Ring of Honor Match of the Year? Without going back and digging too deep I'd say it's a number one contender, for sure. I'm happy to give this remarkable altercation for the coveted ROH tag titles a near perfect: Four and a Half Stars.

I don't generally waste my keystrokes on clip shows but in the case of this 2014 Ring of Honor Retrospective, I was happy to make an exception. From Michael Elgin's Cinderella-story victory over Adam Cole to Kevin Steen's final match with his friend and mentor Steve Corino, this was the first year in some time that Ring of Honor felt in any way relevant. Join me next week for the January 10th edition of Ring of Honor TV where I'll be dissecting and discussing every aspect of the fastest growing promotion on the planet. Until then my name is Mark Haggerty reminding you to be safe and make this week count for something other than a paycheck because life is too short not to have fun.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/bullet-club-introduces-newest-member/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/bullet-club-introduces-newest-member/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2015 21:25:45 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Bullet Club Cody Hall New Japan Pro Wrestling New Years Dash NJPW http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8707 At the recent NJPW New Years Dash 2015 Live eventВ Cody Hall, son of Scott Hall, was introduced as the newest member of BULLET CLUB. He did not compete only as a second/young boy trainee at the moment.

At the recent NJPW New Years Dash 2015 Live eventВ Cody Hall, son of Scott Hall, was introduced as the newest member of BULLET CLUB. He did not compete only as a second/young boy trainee at the moment.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/doubleshot-2-in-1-wrestling-reviews-g1-climax-2014-aj-styles-vs-minoru-suzuki/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/doubleshot-2-in-1-wrestling-reviews-g1-climax-2014-aj-styles-vs-minoru-suzuki/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:28:49 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews A.J Styles AJ Styles Bullet Club G1 Climax Minoru Suzuki New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW Ric Flair TAKA Michinoku http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8611 Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews G1 Climax 2014 – AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki Written by Mark Haggerty & Gary Mastriano Welcome to the jungle where instead of fun and games we're supplying objective opinions as to what is being called by many the "2014 Match of the Year." Ladies and gentlemen my name is Mark […]

Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews
G1 Climax 2014 – AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki
Written by Mark Haggerty & Gary Mastriano

Welcome to the jungle where instead of fun and games we're supplying objective opinions as to what is being called by many the "2014 Match of the Year." Ladies and gentlemen my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I'm joined this week by my brother from another planet-we've-yet-to-discover Gary Mastriano. If you haven't already had the chance, do yourself a favor and check out Gary's growing library of incomparable content featuring far-out fantasy-booking and more mainstream musings on the current state of professional wrestling. The man is an exceptional talent who I'm proud to say has been my best friend since we were only fifteen years old. Several years later and just on the southern-side of thirty we're both overjoyed to introduce our first joint-venture for Cheap-Heat, a retrospective review series titled, "Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews." For the debut edition we thought it might be fitting to talk about one of the most impressive contests of 2014: the G1 Climax showdown between "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles and Minoru Suzuki.

A Stranger in a Strange Land
By Gary Mastriano

Where is Michael Cole? Does AJ Styles think that tattoo is cool? Will the Shield have a run in? What is G1 climax? What is with Suzuki's hair? Can I download his awesome theme song somewhere? These were the questions I was asking myself as I sat down to watch AJ Styles vs Minoru Suzuki at G1 Climax. Luckily I found an English commentary track over the match to help my American ass understand this better.

Ok so maybe I have only seen about 5 New Japan matches in my life, including this one. That being said I am glad I had Bob Saget sounding American commentator to take me through the background of the match. Apparently these guys were in some sort of 2 week tournament. That sounds pretty cool. AJ Styles is still the TNA champ? Or is that the Divas championship? Can AJ wrestle in a ring without 6 sides? AJ is in the Bullet Club, that I know. They are like NWO 2000. I think Finn Balor was in that group too. Suzuki is in… the New Hart Dynasty?

Right off the bat this Suzuki dude impresses me. Not only does he have an awesome receding hairline and kickass theme song, but also every move he does is "his finisher" according to Bob Saget. AJ brings his educated legs to Japan with a flurry of kicks. Suzuki brings his educated Ric Flair chops to AJ. Are the fans chanting for Triple H? Wait…wait… TAKA MICHINOKU!!!???????? CHOPPY CHOPPY TO PEE PEE!

All jokes aside, this was an exciting match. Hard hitting and frantic right from the get go. My favorite spot had to be the finger submission Suzuki applied to AJ. I have never seen a finger submission before. Very cool. Very lucky AJ wears gloves while he wrestles. Side note… his hands must get sweaty. The run in was cool, mostly because I saw a lot of guys I knew. I have never been a fan of the Styles Clash. It just looks overly complicated and unnatural. Styles is a great talent, and I am happy to see him doing well. After seeing Suzuki for the first time I looked up some of his other matches on YouTube. That should keep me busy for a while.

I think what put me off the most to this match was the lack of backstory. Yes the wrestling and athleticism was fantastic. But that is only a small part of the reason I enjoy professional wrestling. I admit it—I LOVE the soap opera storylines and personalities. The fact that this match was just another match in a tournament really hurt it in my opinion. If this was the blow off to some long-standing feud, then I would rate it much higher. In my opinion it was a solid match, with decent action, but far from my top match of the year.

Everything is Something
By Mark Adam Haggerty

Whenever I sit down to review a match I find myself taking notes page by page until I'm left with nothing more than a yellow pad riddled with short hand phrases such as, "Drop Kick F AJ T Suz." Of course that's referring to the high angle drop kick performed by AJ Styles immediately following the initial string of chain-wrestling and rope-running. From the moment we're introduced to the competitors, it's made clear that we're no longer in WWE and this main event is about to take place inside a Japanese community center. I personally enjoy the stripped-bare presentation of independent wrestling, so I don't really read much into any promotion staging an event on a youth basketball court.

The match was off to a lightning quick start which allowed both men the chance to display their specific brand of high-octane physical prowess without being blown up too early. However just as fast as the action itself, so came the screeching halt when the two combatants slowed things down on the outside of the ring. Sometimes when I watch the strong-style wrestlers such as those commonly seen in Japan, I question the constant use of kicks and forearm strikes. But that's when I remember that closed-fist punches are illegal in wrestling, I'm just not use to a company that cares about consistency. I thought the ring psychology outside of the squared circle was just as beneficial to the outcome as anything between the ropes, and actually worked to establish both characters in their respective roles. Suzuki's use of the bell-hammer as a mere prop was subtle yet worked to distract the referee from Suzuki's ultimate intentions. Jim Ross likes to say, "Bad guys can't cheat when there aren't any rules to break." It appears that NJPW keeps its rules intact, perhaps for that very reason.

I was taken out of the action by the seemingly meaningless ref-bump that allowed for various third party players to become involved, though it was interesting to see Styles and Suzuki react. It's easy to forget the disadvantages both English-speaking and Japanese wrestlers could encounter; outside talents have to rely greatly on their miming abilities, whereas domestic workers are faced with a rather low glass ceiling. I commend guys like AJ and Suzuki who are able to convey a sense of urgency to every fan in attendance—from the front row to the rear of the auditorium to the geeks on their computer back here in The �States. Suzuki reminds me of Big Van Vader and Stan Hansen, which isn't surprising as both American Geijin achieved mythical status during their tours of Japan. Both "The Lariat" and Leon White operated at full speed with an arsenal of maneuvers meant to inflict damage, not look pretty on TV. Much the same can be said for the knee-and-elbow pad-lacking Minoru Suzuki who appears more fixated on injuring AJ Styles, than he is with winning the G1 Climax.

The defining moment of the match occurred as AJ caught Suzuki's leg and made an unsuccessful attempt at the "Styles Clash." Suzuki turned the tables once more, gripping Style's leg in a vicious ankle lock submission. The script continued to flip as both wrestlers gained leverage each with their own variations on the ankle lock until Suzuki broke the monotony with a cross arm-bar. Another exchange of slaps to the face and chest courtesy of both individuals bled into the final moments of the match; amidst the confusion of an already turbulent bout, AJ powered the mighty Minoru Suzuki into his infamous "Styles Clash"—this time capitalizing and earning the 1-2-3.

I'm not sure if I would call this the Match of the Year, but it was still fantastic and included many of the components I admire in such high-caliber contests. An all-around incredible twenty minutes of non-stop action featuring two of the greatest wrestlers in the world, telling a story about honor and AJ's lack-thereof. I can't give this match a full five-star rating because of the inauspicious run-in by The Bullet Club and Killer Elite Squad, but a very entertaining match nonetheless.

Gary's Star Rating: 3
Mark's Star Rating: 4.25

New Japan is most certainly a polarizing entity, as are many things found in the whimsical world of professional wrestling. While the strong-style employed is perhaps more than enough to satisfy some, the product does seem to lack somewhat in the more traditional sense of pageantry and presentation. Though we both grew up in the exact same shadow of New York City watching Shawn Michaels on TV each week, it's clear that Gary and I have differing ideas as to what comprises a truly excellent wrestling match. It was both interesting and informative for both of us to read the others' opposing opinion regardless of whether or not we agree. Thanks for reading this very special preview—we invite you join us next week when we compare WWF Wrestlemania 17 to WCW Greed in the first official edition of "Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews."

http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-lineup-for-the-new-japan-pro-wrestling-new-beginning-events-on-211-214/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-lineup-for-the-new-japan-pro-wrestling-new-beginning-events-on-211-214/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2015 01:59:58 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha A.J Styles AJ Styles Alex Shelley Bobby Fish Bullet Club Chase Owens Doc Gallows Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan IWGP Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kenny Omega KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Matt Jackson Meiyu Tag New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Rob Conway Ryusuke Taguchi Shinsuke Nakamura The New Beginning Time Splitters Togi Makabe Tomohiro Ishii Young Bucks Yuji Nagata http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8609 Here are the updated card for the NJPW New Beginning events, which will be available via New Japan World… The New Beginning in Osaka, The Bodymaker Coliseum, February 11th: * IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship: Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly (ReDRagon) vs. Nick & Matt Jackson (The Young Bucks) vs. Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA (Time […]

Here are the updated card for the NJPW New Beginning events, which will be available via New Japan World …

The New Beginning in Osaka, The Bodymaker Coliseum, February 11th:
* IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship: Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly (ReDRagon) vs. Nick & Matt Jackson (The Young Bucks) vs. Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA (Time Splitters)
* IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
* IWGP Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata (Meiyu Tag) vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows (Bullet Club)
* IWGP Heavyweight Championshi: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. AJ Styles

The New Beginning in Sendai, Sendai Sun Plaza, February 14th:
* NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Chase Owens
* NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Rob Conway vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
* NEVER Openweight Championship: Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii
* IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yuji Nagata

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-new-years-dash-1515-tokyo-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-new-years-dash-1515-tokyo-japan/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2015 02:18:13 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha AJ Styles Alex Koslov Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Captain New Japan CHAOS Davey Boy Smith Jr. Doc Gallows El Desperado Forever Hooligans Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega Kota Ibushi KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Lance Archer Manabu Nakanishi Matt Jackson Minoru Suzuki New Japan Pro Wrestling New Years Dash Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Rocky Romero Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shelton Benjamin Shinsuke Nakamura Sho Tanaka Suzuki-gun Taichi TAKA Michinoku Takashi Iizuka Tama Tonga Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Togi Makabe Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano YOSHI-HASHI Yuji Nagata Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8547 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on January 5th, 2015 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan:   Tag Team Match Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku and Taichi) defeated Tiger Mask #4 and Sho Tanaka (7:29 minutes) Tag Team Match reDRagon [2] (Kyle O’Reilly and […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on January 5th, 2015 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan:

Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku and Taichi) defeated Tiger Mask #4 and Sho Tanaka (7:29 minutes)

Tag Team Match
reDRagon [2] (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) defeated Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov) (10:30 minutes)

Special Five on Five Match
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Shelton Benjamin, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr.) defeated Tomoaki Honma, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Captain New Japan (11:59 minutes)

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title Match
Jushin Thunder Liger (c) defeated El Desperado (16:56 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley defeated BULLET CLUB (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (9:16 minutes)

Special Match
BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale and Tama Tonga) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano) (10:17 minutes)

Special Match
Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata and Kota Ibushi defeated CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI) (13:58 minutes)

Special Match
BULLET CLUB (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata and Tetsuya Naito (14:45 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-puroresu-perspective-a-geijin-guide-to-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-9-review/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-puroresu-perspective-a-geijin-guide-to-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-9-review/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2015 20:09:29 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews AJ Styles Alex Koslov Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Davey Boy Smith Jr. Doc Gallows Forever Hooligans GFW Global Force Wrestling Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jeff Jarrett Jim Ross Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kazushi Sakuraba Kenny Omega Killer Elite Squad Kota Ibushi KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Lance Archer Makabe Matt Jackson Matt Striker Meiyu Tag Mikey Nicholls Minoru Suzuki Naomichi Marufuji New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW NXT reDRagon Rocky Romero Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shane Haste Shinsuke Nakamura Suzuki-gun Takashi Iizuka Tetsuya Naito The Bullet Club The Mighty Don't Kneel Time Splitters TMDK Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano Wrestle Kingdom 9 WWE Young Bucks Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8513 The Puroresu Perspective A Geijin Guide to NJPW By Mark Adam Haggerty Welcome one and all to the Puroresu Perspective, an in-depth analysis of New Japan that also serves to educate the uninformed as to where to catch the most exciting wrestling action on Earth. I can't pretend as though this will be a regular […]

The Puroresu Perspective
A Geijin Guide to NJPW
By Mark Adam Haggerty

Welcome one and all to the Puroresu Perspective, an in-depth analysis of New Japan that also serves to educate the uninformed as to where to catch the most exciting wrestling action on Earth. I can't pretend as though this will be a regular periodical as I myself only catch the big events for New Japan and rely greatly on match reviews and podcasts in between. But I fancy myself something of an expert when compared to the casual Cena-supporter who may just now be getting with the NJPW program. There are sure to be some condescending smarks hiding away in cyber space who will be quick to belittle the less seasoned puroresu fans, but trust in Cheap-Heat.com as well as your pal Mark Haggerty. I’m here to make the learning process simple and more importantly enjoyable. First and foremost, "puroresu" is the Japanese term for what we in America have come to know as Sports Entertainment; it's sort of a reverse engineered cognate in that puroresu is merely the way most Japanese fans pronounce, "pro wrestling." "Geijin," is another Japanese word referring to the foreign talent working in Japan regardless of where they might be from originally.

Now that you've got a handle on the lingo we can dive right into what is already being called one of the best cards of the past 20 years. For those of you who might be making your residence underneath a rock, New Japan Pro Wrestling produced it’s first pay-per-view outside of Japan and the results have been overwhelming. Wrestle Kingdom is considered by many to be the Wrestlemania of Japan, and thanks to Jeff Jarrett and GFW, this year’s ninth edition reached more homes than ever before. The show was breathtaking from beginning to end, serving as the perfect introduction to a worldwide audience formerly unfamiliar with strong style wrestling or the Japanese performers. In addition to familiar faces such as AJ Styles and Jeff Jarrett, new fans were welcomed by comforting vocal tones—those of WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross and the voice of Lucha Underground Matt Striker. I thought Jim seemed a bit out of his element but did an incredible job nonetheless. Let’s break down each and every match from Wrestle Kingdom 9; I’ll give you the who, the what, and most importantly the why, as well as my 5-star match ratings.

IWGP Jr. HW Tag Team Championship
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) vs. reDragon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) (c)

This was an impressive start to a fantastic show, broadcast in front of an incredibly wide audience and quite a bit of credit can be given to the co-bookers Jado and Gedo who chose to lead off in a traditional sense, featuring the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles. I feel as though a match featuring seven Geijin might have helped ease an otherwise apprehensive audience into what is, quite literally a FOREIGN CONCEPT. This was an incredible bout contested between four of the best tag teams in the world. I recently released my weekly "Honorable Mention," discussing the December 27th edition of Ring of Honor; this week's episode of ROH TV featured reDragon defending their other set of titles against six worthy adversaries in a 4-team elimination match. It was an extremely entertaining exhibition but could hardly stand on par with this carefully worked contest featuring The Young Bucks, The Time Splitters and Forever Hooligans. After the hype died down and the bell finally sounded it became clear that the duo of Rocky Romero and Alexander Koslov were just as impressive as the more talked-about-teams like The Young Bucks or Time Splitters. The match came down to a spot-fest as one might imagine, complete with a separate Super Kick party starring the Young Bucks playing on every one of their opponents. The story of the match was the heat between The Young Bucks and The Time Splitters; reDragon and Forever Hooligans played into the affair but the flashy bravado of The Young Bucks seemed to reignite a longstanding rivalry between Kushida and Shelley and the Bullet Club's Nick and Matt Jackson. That's Alex Shelley for anyone wondering who I'm mentioning at random—yes the former Motor City Machine Gun is enjoying an exceptionally successful career as teammate to former Junior Heavyweight Champion Kushida in what has always appeared to be a "Back to the Future" gimmick. While Romero and Koslov enjoyed their share of high spots, the most thrilling nuances of this particular match occurred at the hands of The Young Bucks and Time Splitters, and ultimately reDragon. Just as they did to retain their titles on Ring of Honor TV, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish managed to swoop in and pick up the victory using an elaborate assortment of trickery and technique. If you like high-flying acrobatics mixed with logical chain wrestling and old school ring psychology, why not give the opening contest of Wrestle Kingdom 9 a watch?
Winners: reDragon
Rating: 3.5/5

The Bullet Club vs. Tenzan, Kojimo, & Honma

This match was a let-down for a variety of reasons, none of which being the slovenly workrate of which there was plenty. It was an abysmal debut for the Bullet Club in front of a global audience. Even after the Young Bucks competed in the opening contest, this was obviously The Bullet Club's formal introduction and you're first privy to Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi and part-time �Club member Jeff Jarrett? That seems like a strange decision however I can't argue with putting Jarrett on as early as possible. Their opponents were Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojimo, and Tomoaki Honma—a tremendous trio of seasoned athletes generally known as individual talents, come together to help vanquish the dastardly Bullet Club. I guess it's important to talk about why Japanese fans hate the Bullet Club and why Westerners can't get enough. The Bullet Club is essentially an homage to the "Kliq," drawing upon gimmicks and mannerisms made famous by both the NWO and Degeneration X. The Japanese wrestling culture has a long tradition of honor and respect, so an entire faction of Geijin pretending to be Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan tends to drive a lot or puroresu purists absolutely insane. The match was slow even by American Rasslin' standards and I would have much rather seen Jeff later in the evening, perhaps standing in AJ Style's corner—not wrestling. Yujiro is an interesting case as he's the only Japanese member of the Bullet Club outside of offshoot factions across indie America. He's a wonderful example of how charisma can transcend language barriers as I feel more in tuned to someone like him than I do Bad Luck Fale. This was my t-shirt match, meaning it was the bout where I would normally buy my mandatory souvenir had I been in the arena. In this case I started writing the intro for this very article and tuned out until the final bell. Not a very good match obviously which is unfortunate because I'm sure several people were excitied to see Double Jay mix it up in the ring once more. Although I'm giving this match a pretty lousy rating, I would implore you not to do yourself a disservice by skipping any bit of this pay-per-view; the worst match from Wrestle Kingdom 9 is better than 99% of what you're going to see on Raw all year.

Winner: Tenzan, Kojimo, & Honma
Rating: 2/5

TMDK, Marufuji, & Yano vs. Suzukigun (Killer Elite Squad: Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer, and Takashi Iizuka)

I hope it wasn't lost on the first time viewers that this 8-man tag contest was a groundbreaking bout for New Japan and professional wrestling as an industry. "TMDK" is an impressive young duo comprised of Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste—both wrestling out of Perth, Australia whose team name initials stand for "The Mighty Don't Kneel." What's most bizarre about this match and the way in which it was booked is that TMDK and Naomichi Marufuji are all signed to NOAH—a smaller but nonetheless competitive promotion also located in Japan. That's like if Wrestlemania 31 rolled around and Vince McMahon decided to book an 8-man tag featuring Ring of Honor wrestlers. That would be incredibly awesome, but we know it's not going to happen. They're lead into battle by Toru Yano, an NJPW mainstay who has promised to build a team to take down his longstanding rivals, Killer Elite Squad. Little did KES know however, Yano would explore alternative avenues when scouting talent for their collision at Wrestle Kingdom. On the opposite side of the ring stand Yano's most dreaded foes who just so happen to be former WWE Superstars—Shelton Benjamin, now sporting a stylish X in between both his first and family name; David Hart Smith, the son of Diana Hart and the late British Bulldog; and TNA-turned-WWE wrestler Lance Hoyt AKA Vance Archer, now operating under the moniker, "Lance Archer." Shelton Benjamin and Killer Elite are part of a faction known as "Suzukigun," meaning "Suzuki Army." Unlike the Bullet Club, this ragtag band of Geijin work closely with a number of Japanese wrestlers, this evening teaming with Suzukigun member Takashi Iizuka. The MVP's of this match were most certainly the explosive team of Nicholls and Haste who wasted little time in introducing themselves to not one, but two brand new sets of viewers. Despite their lumbering style when compared to the smaller and generally swifter native talents, take nothing away from Smith and Archer whose more traditional presentation makes for an all-original hybrid sports-product. Shelton X Benjamin was far more low-key than I would have preferred but I can't fault him had it been in an effort to mask his age and protect his image. He was impressive nonetheless in delivering some of his more signature spots such as the heel kick complete with the initial fake-out. I was really excited and surprised to see the outside team win, even though they were led by Yano. A very fast paced back and forth with staggering displays of strength. If you like insane acrobatics but you also want to see choke slams, this match is right up your alley,
Winner: TMDK, Marufuji, & Yano
Rating: 2.75/5

Minoru Suzuki vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

Minoru Suzuki is a name being brought up more commonly in conversation by wrestling fans across the planet and that's perhaps due to his match with AJ Styles last year—a contest deemed, "Match of the Year" by many insiders and outsiders alike. The announcers did their darnedest to put over both Suzuki and Sakuraba's ability inside the MMA arena, and with just-cause. Both individuals have garnered sterling reputations not only as fighters but as pioneers in the evolution of the sport of fighting. I find Sakuraba particularly interesting as pertains to fighting outside the admittedly pre-determined realm of wrestling; Sakuraba has defeated famed fighting family members Royler, Renzo, Ryan and Royce in individual competition earning himself the nickname, "The Gracie Killer." Under all that experience and ruthless determination, Kazushi Sakuraba seems like the nicest guy in the world. Especially in contrast to his opponent, the formidable Suzuki who Jim Ross claims, "Loves to hurt people." This was the first one-on-one battle of the night and was contested under alternative rules than a normal matchup, rather the only way to win was by knockout or submission. The match was a combination of both smash-mouth strong style and amateur wrestling. As the match waned, what had basically been a brawl evolved into a mat-based-game leading Suzuki to lock in the rear-naked choke. It wasn't long before the "Gracie Killer" was asleep. An incredibly violent bout lacking in the hardcore elements that make most mainstream matches intolerable. I will definitely consider this the next time I have a UFC friend that considers checking out professional wrestling.
Winner: Suzuki
Rating: 3.5/5

NEVER Openweight Championship
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii (c)

Another fast paced strong-style battle featuring two of the most recognizable faces in all of NJPW. Togi Makabe is a former IWGP Heavyweight champion in addition to holding a victory in the G1 Climax 2009, so securing championship titles is nothing new to the bleached blonde babyface brawler. In this match however, Makabe is challenging for a championship rather than defending one which always makes things a bit trickier. The NEVER Openweight Championship is a title without limits originally conceived as a means to highlight up-and-coming talent. But as is the case with the current title holder Ishii, only established wrestlers and former world champions have succeeded in claiming the belt. Makabe is an interesting talent to watch as he doesn't really resemble anyone in the west as far as his style, perhaps a handful of Japanese-influenced members of this generation but no one of importance. Ishii on the other hand uses his size and natural ability to his advantage in luring each of his opponents into a state of security, just before striking and saving his NEVER Title in the process. Makabe is a bit smarter than the Young Boys Ishii's been tangling with as of late and it was only a matter of time before Tomohiro's honor had depleted enough for Makabe to take full advantage and take what belonged to him. Although his youthful exuberance and amateur dye-job give Togi Makabe the appearance of being the youngest NEVER Openweight Champion in history, he is actually the oldest. NJPW is constantly setting precedents and raising the bar, and Togi Makabe's championship victory at The Tokyo Dome show at 42 years of age is another notch in the life expectancy of professional wrestlers.
Winner: Makabe
Rating: 3.5/5

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Kenny Omega vs. Ryusuke Taguchi (c)

Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this match, but seeing as how it's my job to write about wrestling I guess I'll give it a go. Kenny Omega has been hit with a fair amount of flak since opting to darken his image and align himself with the Bullet Club. Fans on both sides have voiced a variety of valid grievances with Omega as to their opinion on which way his career should have gone. I too struggled with the abrupt change in his otherwise happy demeanor, wondering why they'd turn such a white meat babyface heel for no foreseeable reason. Then I was watching Wrestle Kingdom 9 and during Kenny Omega's entrance I said, "Oh! He was boring as hell before!" While the idea of Kenny Omega turning heel and darkening his hair seemed at first ill-advised, it makes far more sense than wasting an unbelievable young competitor who's fluent in Japanese and able to perform within the single percentile of talent. As far as opponents, Kenny could have asked for none better and not just because Ryusuke Taguchi is currently in possession of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Taguchi AKA Funky Weapon was one of the first Japanese stars I latched onto when I began watching NJPW on a regular basis. He's got an unequalled level of charisma and a nickname that English-speaking puroresu fans are clamoring to scream out loud. His skillset goes beyond his entrance and marketability however as Taguchi has held onto the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship since claiming it from Kushida on July 4th, exactly six months ago. During the match Matt Striker made mention of Kenny Omega's chainsaw spot so as not to completely confuse those who'd never seen stubble used as a weapon. I thought that this was the Match of the Night up until this point without question. Kenny Omega is an awesome addition to the Bullet Club and it was good to see the most talked-about faction in wrestling get at least one win on the biggest card of the year. As sad as it is to see Ryusuke drop a title he's carried with such pride, one can only wonder what's on the horizon for the wrestler known to millions around the world as "Funky Weapon."

Winner: Omega
Rating: 4/5

IWGP Tag Team Championship
Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata) vs. The Bullet Club (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) (c)

Meiyu is a much beloved tag team made up of high school classmates and lifelong friends Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata. The story here is a pair of small town All-Japan athletes defending themselves and their national pride against Luke "the Doc" Gallows and the defacto leader of the Bullet Club—"Machine Gun" Karl Anderson. First of all, I absolutely loved the detail involved in Anderson's entrance, stopping midway down the ramp to take his shot at the forty-thousand fans inside the Tokyo Dome. It's a spot he employs on a regular basis but on this night was captivating given the ambiance and grandeur of the arena. I got the feeling that Jim Ross did the most preparation for this match as he featured Karl Anderson on his show this past week. He also seemed all-too-comfortable falling back on his WWE wrestling knowledge to help steer away from water deemed too deep, and that's why a match involving Festus AKA Fake Kane AKA Doc Gallows is right up Good Ol' JR's alley. I thought this was an unimpressive contest that did little to excite but I was willing to cut it a fair amount of slack given it's position, nestled in between the Junior Heavyweight Title match and AJ Styles versus Naito. Not much to say except another poor showing for the Bullet Club, and this time from the man claiming to be in charge. Karl Anderson is one of the biggest stars of New Japan, I just wish the company would choose to market him as such rather than relegating him to yet another tag team on the roster. Anderson was once part of a far more imposing duo with retired WWE superstar and current NXT commentator Matt Bloom AKA Jason Albert. Now he's tagging up with Festus? I will give credit where it's due—Luke Gallows is a funny guy, especially on The Bullet Club's podcast, "Talkin' Shop." But Tag Team Champions? Once again, it's time for Karl Anderson to go his own way. By the end of the match the hometown boys were afforded their "Wrestle Kingdom Moment" as they sat stoically in the center of the ring, a tribute to a simpler time as school boys to symbolize just how far they had come.

Winner: Meiyu Tag
Rating: 3/5

AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito

I wasn't sure this would be the best match on the card and I'm happy I kept my expectations low because as fun as it was, it didn't reach the heights of what either wrestler is capable of. Many fans had been waiting for this match more than most others on the card and with good reason I suppose; this could be the only time we hear Jim Ross call an AJ Styles match ever. But add to that the significance of two celebrated athletes squaring off in another historic battle, this time at the January 4th Dome Show, and you're on the precipice of a Match of the Year Contender. I'm slowly starting to see the value in Naito, a wrestler I've admittedly been down on since his revival earlier this year—I just don't get the eye thing, what is up with the eye thing? Regardless, his matches with some of the biggest names in the sport have started to sway me somewhat and this bout in which he's featured across from "The Phenomenal One" was another well-paced learning experience. AJ is just so good at what he does especially when tweaking his nice guy image to play a true heel. When working a crowd where words aren't an option, everybody needs to be at the top of their game in terms of big gestures and high yield sales tactics. AJ never phones anything in and commits to even the most evil character he's asked to portray, adopts a more carefree delivery of how he stomps Naito into the ground. I was surprised when the final pin fall was tallied and I was able to gauge the length of the match, discovering it lasted far longer than I would have guessed. AJ of course walked away with the win following an incredibly risky "Style's Clash" from up high. If you hadn't had the chance yet, give my "Top Fourteen Wrestlers of 2014" a read and see why I named AJ Styles the Number Two Wrestler of Twenty-Fourteen.

Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: 3.5/5

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Kota Ibushi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c)


Until the final match was underway I would have called this the match of the night. Much like during the glory days of WWF the Intercontinental Championship is among the most prestigious titles available, and quite often even headlines pay-per-view events. Shinsuke Nakamura is a highly visible figure in Japanese culture; sporting an array of alternating bizarre hairdos along with his throwback threads from the 1980's, Nakamura has been considered by many, "The King of Strong Style." His kicks and forearm strikes are perhaps just as deadly as Okada's Rainmaker, or perhaps Roman Reigns' Super Man Punch would be a better example. This match was by my estimation the strongest style contest of the evening and that's including the earlier bout with Suzuki and Sakuraba. Both individuals have a keen understanding of what they are willing to do to steal the show, as well as an accurate idea of their personal limits. Nakamura was never the most technically proficient member of the NJPW roster, but his Freddie Mercury-inspired charisma is what has helped him to reach the top-most tier of stardom. The challenger for Nakamura's belt is 32-year old Kota Ibushi—described by both JR and Striker as a "young buck" compared to Nakamura, although he is only but a few years younger. Both performers had high spots and low points from the dawning of the contest until its conclusion but the action never waned. Although unable to attain victory, Ibushi was lucky enough to walk away better than before. His varied arsenal helped him earn the respect of Nakamura, perhaps most notably the kick which may have given Nakamura a concussion.

Winner:В Nakamura
Rating: 5/5

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c)

It's only January 4, but I think we have a solid contender for Match of the Year. I started following NJPW closely some years back and I've been afforded the opportunity to watch young Kazuchika Okada evolve from a Young Lion to the Rainmaker we know today. The story as it relates to Okada and the champion Hiroshi Tanahashi is respect or lack-thereof. Tanahashi is the aging champion who, although nearing the end of his career, is unable to pass the torch to someone as dishonorable as the 27 year old former IWGP champion Okada. I am personally enamored with Okada as I think he is one of the finest performers in the world. Any time you can get excited about a man's dropkick in 2015 is a moment worth celebrating. Not to take anything away from the record-setting Tanahashi and his seven illustrious title reigns, but I feel as though the time has passed and not only in a Kayfabe context. When Tanahashi hits the ring he's played out by an orchestra of stereotypical Japanese pop music with big flashy poor English translations reading phrases like "Ace Universe." Hiroshi Tanahashi might still be one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, but if the conversation is about the future, look no further than Okada. Tanahashi is a man out of time. I thought Striker and JR touched upon some interesting stuff and that's that Tanahashi will forever be remembered as the man who helped turn NJPW around; Okada is the man who took NJPW to the next level. This match was just as fluid as anything you're going to see anywhere in the world; the 38-year old Tanahashi has no trouble keeping in step with the star eleven years his junior and in most cases sets the pace for the match himself. Tanahashi and Okada each made use of their big spots and signature maneuvers, but as the clock ticked away and the four hours of Wrestle Kingdom 9 came to a close, there could only be one winner. After a continuous aerial assault bombarding Okada with a series of big splashes, Tanahashi managed to turn his 227-pound frame in midair securing one final cross body and thus saving the highly coveted IWGP Heavyweight Championship. If you're going to see just one match from Wrestle Kingdom 9, make sure it is the main event contest for the IWGP Title featuring Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada. Both men gave an extraordinary effort, the likes of which most wrestling fans have never seen before.

Winner: Tanahashi
Rating: 5/5

This event is already being hailed an overall masterpiece and I have to agree. During the final moments of the main event Jim Ross exclaimed, "If you can find two better matches back to back all year long, I want to be there to see them with you." His praise was in no way hyperbolic as the final three contests could have each headlined their own separate pay-per-view anywhere in the world. Jeff Jarrett really struck oil with this partnership and I hope GFW can continue showcasing international talent for years to come. If Wrestle Kingdom 10 can achieve half the success as did its predecessor, there might be a day where we say, "Wrestlemania—it's like the Wrestle Kingdom of America." Until that day I promise to keep you up to date on the most important movements inside the fascinating world of Japanese wrestling. As for now however, my work is finished—my name is Mark Adam Haggerty wishing you a Happy New Year and thanking the good folks at NJPW and GFW for a phenomenal first show of the year. Domo arigato.