ROH
Invades Japan
Volume 1
Normally I don't buy custom compilations, but this one
caught my eye as I think it is fun sometimes to watch the American
stars I love battling the Japanese stars I love. Well there is plenty
of that here, as each match features wrestlers that have been featured
in Ring of Honor. This compilation was created by Chris over at IVPVideos.com,
and can be purchased just as a normal disk for only 2.99,
and for 7.99
in its own special Custom
Art Cover. Eight matches are featured, most in full,
and all but the last match (two Japanese wrestlers that have been
in ROH many times) have American stars you might recognize even if
you have never seen a puroresu match. Here is the full line-up:
- ROH Tag Team Championship: Austin Aries and Roderick
Strong vs. Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi
- Mushiking Terry vs. Rocky Romero
- Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA
- Jack Evans, Liger, Matt Sydal and BxB Hulk vs. Doi, Yoshino, Magnitude
Kishiwada and Kevin Steen
- Nigel McGuinness and Doug Williams vs. Takeshi Rikio and Kishin
Kawabata
- GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: The Briscoe
Brothers vs. Ricky Marvin and Suzuki
- Chris Hero and Doug Williams vs. Yoshinori Ota and Mohammed Yone
- ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima vs. KENTA
This DVD doesn't have entrances or any post-match shenanigans in
an attempt to squeeze in as much wrestling as possible, which doesn't
bother me any, but I thought I'd warn you just in case those things
mean a lot to you.
(c) Austin Aries and Roderick Strong vs. Masato Yoshino and
Naruki Doi
This match is for the ROH Tag Team Championship and took place on
July 11th, 2006 as part of Dragon Gate's WrestleJAM. Strong and Yoshino
start things off. Tie-up, side headlock by Strong, Yoshino Irish whips
out of it but Strong shoulderblocks him down. Strong goes off the
ropes, armdrag by Yoshino but Strong hits an armdrag of his own. Roll-up
by Yoshino but Strong easily kicks out of it. Both wrestlers tag out,
as we have Aries against Doi. Tie-up, side headlock by Aries, Doi
Irish whips out of it but they collide with no result. Aries goes
to go off the ropes but Doi grabs him, shoulderblock by Doi but Aries
hits an armdrag. Kicks by Aries in the corner, Irish whip, reversed,
Aries flips over Doi when he charges in and connects with a back elbow.
Aries tags in Strong and Strong hits a fallaway suplex. Strong tags
in Aries, who comes in the ring with a corkscrew pescado onto Doi.
Lionsault by Aries, cover, but Yoshino breaks it up. Aries tags in
Strong, who hits a butterfly suplex for a two count cover. Forearm
by Strong but Doi returns fire. Catapult by Strong, but Aries elbows
Doi back down while Strong still has his legs and then hits a springboard
senton. Aries goes off the ropes and hits an elbow drop, cover, but
Yoshino breaks it up. Strong throws Doi into the corner and tags in
Aries, double Irish whip to Doi and they hit a double armdrag. Pendulum
Elbow by Aries, cover, but Doi kicks out. Aries picks up Doi but Doi
drives him back and makes the tag to Yoshino. Chop in the corner by
Yoshino, Irish whip, reversed, but Yoshino sends Aries into the air
and kicks him low as he lands. Yoshino places Aries in the middle
of the ring and kicks him in the leg before applying a leg lock. After
a moment Aries gets to the ropes, Doi comes in the ring, double Irish
whip and they dropkick Aries in the head. Cover, but it gets a two
count. Yoshino applies an arm bar to Aries, Doi comes back in, double
Irish whip, drop toehold by Doi and Yoshino kicks Aries in the head
as he hits the mat. Doi picks up Aries and throws him into the
corner
before stomping him down to the mat. Dai Bosou! by Doi, he picks up
Aries and Yoshino comes in to continue the attack. Yoshino puts
Aries so that his legs are draped over the second rope and Doi comes
off the top turnbuckle with a senton. Cover, but it gets a two
count. Doi kicks Aries back into the corner but Aries fights back
and makes the tag to Strong. Clotheslines by Strong and he suplexes
Yoshino onto Doi. Irish whip to Yoshino and he hits a dropkick. He
gives a dropkick to Doi as well, Irish whip by Strong to Yoshino into
the corner, but Yoshino back bodydrops Strong out of the ring when
Strong charges in.
Aries quickly runs into the ring and elbows Yoshino in the chest
before delivering a dropkick. Cover by Aries but it gets a two count.
Aries picks up Yoshino, Irish whip, reversed, and Yoshino applies
the From Jungle. Aries gets out of it and goes for a suplex, Yoshino
reversed it and suddenly the entire Muscle Outlaws faction runs into
the ring to perform running strikes in the corner. Doi goes last,
but Aries gets out of the way and now it is Doi in the corner being
attacked by Evans, Sydal, and Aries and Strong. Yoshino tries to hold
Strong for Doi, but Strong moves and Doi accidentally hits Yoshino.
Strong picks up Doi and hits the Fireman's Carry into a Double Knee
Gutbuster, Strong goes off the ropes and kicks Doi in the face. Cover,
but it gets a two count. Strong picks up Doi but Doi pushes him off
and hits a spinebuster for a two count cover. Doi picks up Strong
and goes for the Doi 555, but Strong pushes him off. Strong picks
up Doi into the powerbomb position, and Aries hits a missile dropkick
onto Doi while Strong hits the powerbomb. Cover, but Doi kicks out.
Strong applies a single leg crab hold but Yoshino flips over Aries
and breaks it up. Yoshino goes up to the top turnbuckle but Aries
punches him up there and joins him onto the top turnbuckle. Aries
goes for a superplex but Yoshino blocks it. He goes for an avalanche
sunset flip powerbomb but Aries grabs the ropes to stop from going
over. Doi then gets onto the top turnbuckle while Aries is facing
the crowd and German suplexes him down to the mat. Missile dropkick
by Yoshino, cover, but Aries gets a shoulder up. Doi picks up Aries
and hits the Doi 555, he goes off the ropes but Strong catches him
and hits a backbreaker. Double backbreaker by Strong and Doi, brainbuster
by Aries but Yoshino breaks up the cover. Aries calls for the 450
and goes to the top turnbuckle, but he gets hit from the outside.
Avalanche Tornado DDT by Yoshino, cover, but Strong
breaks it up. Strong and Yoshino trade chops, Yoshino goes off the
ropes and hits the Torbellino, Doi then hits the Bakatare Sliding
Kick, cover, but Aries breaks it up. Yoshino goes off the ropes towards
Aries and drops him right on his head with a Lightning Spiral.
Cover by Yoshino but it gets a two count. Yoshino goes for a
suplex, Doi tries to throw powder into Aries' eyes but Aries ducks
and Yoshino gets hit in the face with it instead. Tope Suicida by
Aries into Doi, in the ring Strong hits Yoshino with a Tiger Driver
but it only gets a two count. Strong picks up Yoshino, half nelson
backbreaker in front of the corner and Aries nails the 450 Splash.
Cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winners and still champions:
Austin Aries and Roderick Strong
Match Thoughts: These kinds of matches are always
a mixed bag from me. On one hand the fast paced action holds your
attention and is fun to watch, but on the other hand the selling was
atrocious and the match come across as more of an exhibition then
a normal wrestling match. The wrestlers all looked good and the moves
were crisp, even though I think that Yoshino was trying to break Aries'
neck with that Lightning Spiral. An entertaining match, but with little
substance. Score: 6.0
Mushiking Terry vs. Rocky Romero
This match took place on March 4th, 2007 in NOAH. JIP, kicks
by Romero but Mushiking Terry connects with a kick of his own. Dropkick
by Mushiking Terry, Irish whip from the corner and he hits a jumping
knee. Second turnbuckle jumping knee by Mushiking Terry, cover, but
it gets a two count. Mushiking Terry goes up to the top
turnbuckle
and hits a body press, cover, but again it gets a two. Mushiking Terry
picks up Romero but Romero fights back with elbows, Irish whip by
Mushiking Terry, reversed, Mushiking Terry goes for the handspring
attack but Romero kicks him in the arms as he attempts the move.
Romero goes for an armbar, Mushiking Terry tries to roll through but
Romero gets it applied. Cross armbreaker by Romero but Mushiking Terry
makes it to the ropes. Stomps by Romero, he picks up Mushiking Terry
and goes for as suplex, but Mushiking Terry lands on his feet. Atomic
drop by Romero and he hits a step-up enzigieri for a two count. Chops
by Romero and he hits a shuttle loop dragon suplex. He goes for a
lariat but Mushiking Terry ducks and hits a backdrop suplex. Back
up, Romero hits a second shuttle loop dragon suplex, but Mushiking
Terry comes back with another backdrop suplex. Both wrestlers slowly
get up, but Romero is up first and he hits another dragon suplex.
Mushiking Terry responds with a backdrop suplex, and back on their
feet they trade kicks until they both knock each other down at the
same time. Back up, slams by Romero but Mushiking Terry hits a crucifix
slam for a two count cover.
Snapmare by Mushiking Terry, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but
Romero pushes the referee into the ropes to knock Mushiking Terry
down. Romero then joins Mushiking Terry on the top turnbuckle and
hits an avalanche cross armbreaker takedown. He keeps the hold locked
on in the middle of the ring, Mushiking Terry slowly gets to the ropes
however and he is able to break the hold. Romero picks up Mushiking
Terry, he puts him up onto the top turnbuckle and joins him, hitting
a superplex. Fisherman Buster by Romero and he connects with a kick
to Mushiking Terry's head. Cover, but Mushiking Terry gets a shoulder
up. Romero goes for the cross armbreaker, but Mushiking Terry keeps
his hands locked. Romero finally gets the hold applied but Mushiking
Terry manages to get a foot on the bottom rope. Romero picks up Mushiking
Terry and puts him onto the top turnbuckle again, but this time Mushiking
Terry reverses the superplex by rotating in midair. Romero rolls out
of the ring, Mushiking Terry goes out to the ramp and from the ramp
he hits a Tiger Feint Kick as Romero gets back to the apron, knocking
Romero out to the floor. Mushiking Terry then gets in the ring and
hits a corkscrew pescado onto Romero. Mushiking Terry slides
Romero back into the ring and goes for a suplex, Romero knees out
of it, but Mushiking Terry returns the favor and hits a Fisherman
Buster. Mushiking Terry picks up Romero and delivers a Death Valley
Bomb, he picks Romero back up and hits a German suplex hold for a
two count. Back up, Mushiking Terry goes for the Myst Crash but Romero
gets out of it and applies the backslide for a two count. Romero goes
off the ropes, Mushiking Terry hits a hurricanrana but Romero rolls
through for a two count cover. Romero charges Mushiking Terry but
Mushiking Terry drop toeholds him onto the second rope and hits the
Tiger Feint Kick. Myst Crash by Mushiking Terry, but Romero barely
gets out of it. Mushiking Terry picks up Romero and puts him onto
the top turnbuckle, he then joins him and nails the Teradrive. Cover,
and he picks up the three count! Your winner: Mushiking Terry
Match Thoughts: For the sake of saving room this
match was cut in half (about 12 minutes out of 22 was shown), but
from what was shown here the match was perfectly acceptable. Kotaro
Suzuki (who plays Mushiking Terry) and Romero aren't the most popular
wrestlers in cyber space, but I love Suzuki and Romero is decent if
not unspectacular. The only thing here that annoyed me was Romero
continuing to lock on the cross armbreaker, twice in the middle of
the ring. In Japan the cross armbreaker is generally a very respected
move... if a wrestler's arm is weak and someone applies it in the
middle of the ring, unless a friend breaks it up the wrestler is going
to tap out 99% of the time. The slow-selling (they didn't blatantly
no-sell) part towards the middle of the clipping seemed out of place
as well, but other then those complaints the match flowed well and
it was fairly entertaining. I do wish more of it was shown though
as it is hard to get into a match when you are coming into it 10 minutes
after it started. Score: 5.0
Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA
This match took place on December 2nd, 2006 in NOAH. They
jockey for position to start, with neither man able to get a clean
advantage. Tie-up, wristlock takedown by Danielson and he keeps the
hold applied on the mat. KENTA applies a wristlock of his own by Danielson
rolls out of it and hits a dropkick. Tie-up, side headlock by KENTA
and he hits a side headlock takedown but Danielson reverses it with
a headscissors. KENTA eventually gets out of it and slaps Danielson
before backing off. Tie-up, Danielson goes for the arm but KENTA backs
up into the ropes. Danielson returns the slap before backing away
and the two trade strikes (uppercuts and elbows, respectively). Irish
whip by Danielson, dropdown, leapfrog, and he hits an armdrag. Danielson
slaps on the cross armbreaker but KENTA quickly gets a foot onto the
bottom ropes. Armbreaker by Danielson and he stomps down onto KENTA's
now injured arm. Cover by Danielson but KENTA easily kicks out. Keylock
by Danielson, KENTA struggles to his feet and gets Danielson into
the ropes before connecting with a series of kicks. Irish whip by
KENTA and he knocks down Danielson with a kick to the chest. KENTA
picks up Danielson, snapmare, and he kicks Danielson in the back.
Cover, but it gets a two count. Side headlock by KENTA on the mat,
Danielson struggles to his feet after a moment and KENTA pushes him
into the corner. Kick by KENTA in the corner, he picks up Danielson
and hits a neckbreaker. Cover, but it gets a two count. KENTA applies
a headscissors but Danielson gets out of it and puts KENTA in the
Mexican Surfboard. After a moment Danielson releases the hold and
he jumps down onto KENTA's legs. Danielson picks up KENTA and hits
an uppercut followed by an armbreaker. Another armbreaker by Danielson
but KENTA fires off a few elbows. Fujiwara Armbar by Danielson but
KENTA gets a foot on the bottom rope. Back up, armbreaker by Danielson
and he hits a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count.
Danielson applies a modified Stretch Plum, but KENTA gets to the
ropes. Danielson picks up KENTA and hits an uppercut, sending KENTA
into the corner. Danielson pulls KENTA back out and gives him a few
headbutts, he picks KENTA back up and hits a butterfly suplex into
a cross armbreaker. KENTA wiggles to the ropes fairly quickly to break
the hold, Danielson picks him back up and hits another armbreaker.
Irish whip by Danielson to the corner but KENTA kicks him when he
charges in. KENTA goes off the ropes but Danielson catches him with
an elbow, Danielson goes for a suplex but KENTA lands on his feet
and hits a powerslam. Irish whip by KENTA and he delivers a boot to
the face. Irish whip by KENTA from the corner, but Danielson kicks
him when he charges in. Danielson jumps off the second turnbuckle
but KENTA catches him with a cutter, cover, but it gets a two count.
Back up, kicks by KENTA, he goes out to the apron and hits a missile
dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Forearms by KENTA in the
corner, Irish whip, but Danielson flips out of the corner when KENTA
charges in and hits a backbreaker. Danielson goes up to the top turnbuckle
and delivers the diving headbutt, cover, but KENTA kicks out at two.
Irish whip by Danielson, but KENTA hits the sunset flip for a two
count. The two trade pin attempts but neither man can pick up the
three count. KENTA picks up Danielson and hits a Fisherman Buster,
cover, but it only gets a two. KENTA goes up to the top turnbuckle
but Danielson gets his feet up when he
jumps
off for a knee drop. KENTA rolls out to the apron, Danielson picks
him up while he is still standing in the ring and goes for a vertical
suplex, but KENTA reversed it and suplexes Danielson out of the ring.
KENTA then gets back in the ring and goes off the far ropes, but Danielson
moves when he goes for a baseball slide and clotheslines KENTA over
the guard rail. Danielson then gets back into the ring and does
a springboard plancha suicida over the railing onto KENTA. Danielson
gets up first (holding his knee which hit the ground pretty hard when
he landed) and gets into the ring at 18, with KENTA right behind him.
Danielson goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick,
followed by a kip up (still holding his knee). Elbow by Danielson
in the corner, he puts KENTA onto the top turnbuckle and joins him,
but KENTA knocks him off. KENTA hits a tornado DDT with Danielson
hitting his neck on the top top and KENTA landing on the apron, he
goes for a swan dive lariat but Danielson ducks it and hits a German
suplex hold for a two count. Danielson goes for the crossface chickenwing
but KENTA blocks it, Danielson goes off the ropes but KENTA connects
with a
dropkick. KENTA grabs Danielson and applies the Texas Cloverleaf,
but Danielson makes it to the ropes. German suplex hold by KENTA,
but it only gets a two count. KENTA goes for a strike combination
but Danielson delivers the Regalplex for a two count. Danielson
goes up to the top turnbuckle but KENTA recovers and joins him. Danielson
slides between his legs to the mat however, he then goes back to the
top turnbuckle and nails an avalanche backdrop suplex. Cover, but
KENTA barely gets a shoulder up. Cattle Mutilation by Danielson but
KENTA slowly inches to the ropes and is able to force the break. Back
up, they trade strikes, Danielson goes off the ropes but he can't
knock KENTA down with a headbutt. KENTA tries a boot but Danielson
doesn't go down either, and after trading charging blows KENTA gets
the Texas Cloverleaf re-applied. Quick roll-up by Danielson, but KENTA
kicks out at two. Strike Combination by KENTA, he goes off the ropes
but Danielson knees him in the stomach. Repeated elbows to the head
by Danielson, cover, but it gets a two count. Cattle Mutilation by
Danielson but KENTA eventually makes it to the ropes. Danielson goes
for a tiger suplex but KENTA gets out of it. KENTA goes for the Go
2 Sleep but Danielson slides down his back and hits the tiger suplex
hold for a two count. He goes for the Cattle Mutilation again but
KENTA reverses it into a two count cover. Danielson goes off the ropes
but KENTA hits a cutter, strike combination by KENTA and he nails
the Busaiku Knee Kick. Cover, but Danielson gets a shoulder up. Knee
to the back of the head by KENTA and he goes for another Busaiku Knee
Kick, but Danielson moves out of the way and rolls him up for a two
count. School boy by Danielson but it gets a two as well, and the
two trade strikes. Danielson goes for a backslide but KENTA lands
on his feet, KENTA lands a series of high kicks and finishes Danielson
off with the Go 2 Sleep. Cover, and he gets the three count. Your
winner: KENTA
Match Thoughts: It should be noted that while Danielson
wrestled in New Japan a few years prior, he was still not that well
known by most NOAH fans as this was during his first tour in NOAH.
They made a point during the match of mentioning that Danielson had
defeated KENTA in Ring of Honor to try to explain why he was wrestling
so competitively, but I think the crowd not being completely aware
of Danielson's body of work hurt the match as they were much quieter
then they usually are. Besides that though I thought this was a very
good match, as the technical wrestling to start was very well done
and they had enough big spots to pop the crowd and keep things interesting.
It is a wonder that Danielson didn't seriously injure his knee as
he didn't land too well on the plancha, but wrestlers aren't really
human which would explain it. The ending was sudden but it had slowly
built to KENTA having the advantage with Danielson getting desperate
(the two quick pins and backslide attempt), as KENTA had gotten out
of just about everything Danielson had in his arsenal (Regalplex,
cross armbreakers, and two Cattle Mutilations). Overall I really enjoyed
it, it would have been better with a crowd that was more vocal (yes,
Japanese crowds tend to be more quiet then American crowds, but this
was even moreso then usual), but that doesn't take away from the solid
action in the ring. Score: 7.5
Jack Evans, Liger, Matt Sydal and BxB Hulk vs. Doi, Yoshino,
Magnitude Kishiwada and Kevin Steen
This match took place on November 23rd, 2006 in Dragon Gate. We jump
right into it with Kishiwada beating around Liger in the crowd before
throwing him into the ring post. Steen joins in as Doi beats around
BxB Hulk, and finally Doi and BxB Hulk get in the ring. Side headlock by Doi,
BxB Hulk Irish whips out of it but Doi shoulderblocks him down. Kip-up
by BxB Hulk and he goes off the ropes, hitting an armdrag. Dropkick by
BxB Hulk and he tags in Evans while Doi tags in Steen. Kicks by Evans,
Steen catches one though and knocks Evans down before hitting a senton.
Steen throws Evans into the corner and hits a series of chops, Irish
whip, reversed, but Evans hits a headscissors. Evans goes for a cartwheel
kick but Steen catches him and knocks him out of the ring. Sydal and
Yoshino come in and bounce off the ropes before Yoshino hits a dropkick.
Headscissors by Sydal and he hits a spinning heel kick before posing
for the crowd. Sydal tags in Liger when Kishiwada comes into the ring,
tie-up, Kishiwada gets Liger into the corner and he gives a clean
break. Tie-up again, side headlock by Kishiwada, Liger Irish whips
out of it and they collide with no result. Another collision with
both wrestlers not going down, both wrestlers go off the ropes but
finally Kishiwada shoulderblocks Liger to the mat. Kishiwada's team
mates come in the ring and all four hit running strikes onto Liger
in the corner. Doi stays in and he clubs Liger in the back. He goes
for Liger's mask but BxB Hulk comes in and stops him. Yoshino runs in as
does Evans, Evans hits a kick and BxB Hulk follows with a cutter. BxB Hulk throws
Evans into Yoshino, cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by
BxB Hulk to Evans into the corner but Yoshino catches him when he comes
in and kicks him low. Stomp to the face by Yoshino, he picks up BxB Hulk
and tags in Doi. Doi throws BxB Hulk into the corner and stops him down
before hitting the Dai Bosou!. Yoshino comes in the ring and they
hit a double elbow followed by a triple running dropkick to the face
(with Steen). Cover, but it gets a two count.
Kishiwada comes in the ring, Irish whip by Kishiwada to the corner
and he hits a running body press. Standing moonsault by Kishiwada,
cover, but it gets a two count. Senton by Kishiwada, another cover,
but again it gets a two count. Steen is tagged in, he picks up BxB
Hulk and hits a backdrop suplex. Somersault senton by Steen, cover,
but Liger breaks it up. Yoshino comes in, he puts BxB Hulk into the
ropes and Doi comes off the top turnbuckle with a senton. Cover, but
it again gets a two count. Yoshino stays in, he picks up BxB Hulk
and goes for a suplex, but BxB Hulk blocks it. Vertical suplex by
BxB Hulk but he can't make the tag. Irish whip by Doi but BxB Hulk
dropkicks him back and tags in Liger. Shotei by Liger to Doi and Yoshino
eats a spinning backbreaker. Kishiwada comes in but
Liger
hits a clothesline onto him and Doi. Steen comes in next, Evans and
Sydal both come in the ring and they hit a triple dropkick. Evans
then sails out of the ring with a corkscrew springboard plancha suicida
onto Steen, and Sydal follows with a moonsault plancha suicida
onto everyone. Liger goes to do a dive as well but the (heel)
referee stops him. Doi runs in and hits a lariat onto Liger, cover,
but it gets a two count. Doi takes the turnbuckle pads off in one
corner, Irish whip by Doi to that corner but Liger reverses it and
then hits a shotei. Scoop slam by Liger, he goes up to the top turnbuckle
and hits a body press. Cover, but it gets a two count. Liger picks
up Doi and goes for the brainbuster, but Doi gets out of it and hits
an atomic drop. Doi goes off the ropes but Liger hits him with a shotei.
Yoshino flies in with a missile dropkick to Liger, bringing in Sydal.
Hurricanrana by Sydal but Steen comes in the ring and hits a Pumphandle
Half Nelson Driver onto his knee. This brings in Evans who hits a
series of kicks, but Kishiwada comes in and levels him with a lariat.
BxB Hulk joins in the fun with a flying clothesline to Kishiwada,
but Doi comes in the ring. BxB Hulk fights him off with a lariat,
scoop slam by BxB Hulk and he goes to the top turnbuckle, but Kishiwada
pulls him down. Dropkick/moonsault combination by BxB Hulk onto Kishiwada
and Doi, Kishiwada tries to break up the cover by BxB Hulk but BxB
Hulk moves and Kishiwada hits Doi by accident. Irish whip by BxB Hulk
onto Kishiwada, reversed, but BxB Hulk avoids him when he charges
in. BxB Hulk tries to slam Kishiwada and finally manages to do so,
Steen runs in, and BxB Hulk slams him as well. Sydal comes in the
ring with a moonsault onto Steen, cover, but it gets a two count.
Yoshino comes in the ring but Sydal gets him on his shoulders and
Evans delivers the Ode to the Bulldogs, landing onto Steen. Cover
by Evans but it gets a two count. Evans calls for the 630, goes up
top, but he gets a chair thrown at him and he falls out of the ring.
Kishiwada comes in and goes for a German suplex onto BxB Hulk, but
BxB Hulk lands on his feet. BxB Hulk reverses a powerbomb attempt
into a roll-up but it gets a two count. German suplex hold
by Kishiwada but Liger breaks it up. Scoop slam by Kishiwada onto
BxB Hulk, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving
body press. Cover, but BxB Hulk barely kicks out. Kishiwada picks
up BxB Hulk and nails him with the Last Ride, he picks him up
again for Doi, who hits the Bakatare Sliding Kick. Cover by Doi
but Sydal breaks it up. Doi picks up BxB Hulk and hits the Doi 555,
he goes for the Bakatare Sliding Kick again but he gets tripped from
the outside. BxB Hulk's team mates all come in and they hit strikes
onto Doi in the corner. Sydal then sets up Doi in the corner and tosses
Evans into him, and Liger finishes with a Liger Bomb. Cover, but Doi
barely gets a shoulder up. Liger picks up Doi, Doi gets behind Liger
and holds him for Kishiwada, but Liger ducks and Kishiwada accidentally
lariats Doi. Sydal comes in the ring and hits his Slice Drop, with
Evans following with the 630 Splash. Cover, but Doi kicks out. Evans
goes up top again but this time Steen grabs him from behind. With
Evans on Steen's shoulders, Kishiwada goes up to the top turnbuckle
and hits a diving lariat. Cover by Steen but it gets a two count.
Steen goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault, cover, but
Evans gets a shoulder up. Steen picks up Evans and goes for the Package
Piledriver, but Evans slides down his back and connects with a series
of kicks. Evans goes off the ropes but Steen kicks him and nails the
Package Piledriver. Cover, but Sydal breaks it up. Yoshino comes in
the ring and all four men hit strikes onto Sydal in the corner. Yoshino
hits the Torbellino onto Sydal, he goes for the Sol Naciente but Sydal
rolls him up with a two count. Doi tries to throw powder into Sydal's
face but Sydal ducks and Yoshino is hit by accident. Shotei by Liger,
he brainbusters Yoshino in front of the corner and Sydal comes off
the top turnbuckle with a Shooting Star Press. Cover, and he picks
up the three count! Your winners: Jack Evans, Liger, Matt Sydal and
BxB Hulk
Match Thoughts: I hate typing these matches up.
This is a Dragon Gate eight man tag, and we know what that means.
Lots of excitement, lots of big moves, no selling, and no rhyme or
reason (although they did have a little heel thing going with the
referee). Not that these facts make it a bad match, I enjoyed it quite
a bit. Liger added a lot of class to the match just by being in it,
and all the moves were hit very crisply even if the camera missed
a few. The heel referee didn't have much of an impact, which is always
good, and the wrestlers clicked very well. Pretty much 18 minutes
of complete chaos, but what it lacked in substance it made up with
non-stop action. Score: 6.5
Nigel McGuinness and Doug Williams vs. Takeshi Rikio and
Kishin Kawabata
This match took place on December 4th, 2005 in NOAH. The Brits attack
their opponents as the bell rings, uppercuts by McGuinness to Kawabata
in the corner but Rikio runs in and shoulderblocks him down. Irish
whip to McGuinness and both men hit a shoulderblock, cover by Kawabata
but it gets a two count. McGuinness bails out of the ring and Williams
comforts him before McGuinness finally returns. McGuinness pushes
Kawabata back, tie-up, and McGuinness tags in Williams. Williams grabs
Kawabata, tie-up, wristlock by Kawabata into a hammerlock and he tags
in Rikio. Irish whip by Rikio and he delivers a back elbow. Scoop
slam by Rikio and he applies a crab hold. Williams eventually makes
it to the ropes to break the hold, stomps by Rikio, Irish whip to
the corner and he tags in Kawabata. Kawabata and Rikio kick down Williams
in the corner, uppercut by Kawabata but Williams returns fire. Williams
throws Kawabata into the corner and tags in McGuinness, McGuinness
pushes Kawabata to the mat and applies a leg lock. Williams is tagged
back in, wristlock by Williams and he goes back to the leg. McGuinness
runs in to grabs the other leg and they both go around Kawabata's
body, working on different body parts. Double leg lock by Williams
and McGuinness but the referee gets them to break and McGuinness goes
back to his corner. Williams tags him in, uppercut by McGuinness and
he applies a hammerlock. Kawabata Irish whips out of it and hits a
Samoan drop, and he tags in Rikio. Irish whip by Rikio and he hits
a shoulderblock, cover, but it gets a two count. Stretch hold by Rikio,
he picks up Williams and makes the tag to Kawabata. Wristlock by Kawabata
and he applies a hammerlock before clubbing McGuinness in the back.
McGuinness comes back with a knee though and punches Kawabata to the
mat. Irish whip by McGuinness and he applies a sleeperhold. Kawabata
elbows out of it and hits a backdrop suplex, giving him time to tag
in Rikio. Shoulderblock by Rikio to McGuinness and he hits a running
body
press,
cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Rikio to the corner
and he hits a lariat. Vertical Suplex by Rikio, cover, but it gets
a two count. Rikio picks up McGuinness but Williams runs in to distract
him. Uppercuts by McGuinness and he hits the Pendulum Lariat,
allowing him to tag in Williams. Williams comes in the ring with a
diving knee, but it gets a two count. Williams goes off the ropes
but Rikio shoulderblocks him down and tags in Kawabata. Kawabata comes
off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick, cover, but it get
a two count. Lariat by Kawabata in the corner, but Williams kicks
him back when he goes for a second one. Powerslam by Kawabata, cover,
but it gets a two count. Rikio comes in the ring, double Irish whip
to the corner and both men hit strikes. Scoop slam by Rikio, Kawabata
goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving senton. Cover, but McGuinness
breaks it up. Williams tries to fight off Rikio and Kawabata, Rikio
holds Williams for Kawabata but Williams ducks and Kawabata accidentally
lariats Rikio. Irish whip by Williams to Kawabata to the corner, McGuinness
comes in the ring as well and he hits a lariat followed by the handstand
kick in the corner. Knee lift by Williams, cover, but Rikio breaks
it up. McGuinness knocks Rikio out of the ring while Williams picks
up Kawabata and nails the Chaos Theory for the three count pinfall!
Your winners: Nigel McGuinness and Doug Williams
Match Thoughts: Note that unlike most matches on
this compilation, this was a match in the undercard of the event and
it showed. They basically did nothing, which is on par with NOAH undercards.
Williams and McGuinness worked very well together which I guess was
the point, as Kawabata/Rikio was just a random pairing. Some of the
spots looked contrived, but I won't hold it against them too much
as it wasn't really supposed to be an important match. Nice if you
just want to see McGuinness and Williams in NOAH, but otherwise the
match was nothing of any importance. Score: 3.5
(c) The Briscoe Brothers vs. Ricky Marvin and Kotaro Suzuki
This match is for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship and
took place on January 21st, 2007 in NOAH. I just remembered I still
can't tell the Briscoe Brothers apart. I'll use the tattoos to tell
which is which. Suzuki and Mark start things off. Tie-up, wristlock
by Suzuki, Mark rolls out of it and they exchange elbows. Side headlock
by Suzuki, Jay runs in but Suzuki hits a side headlock takedown/headscissors
combination on them. Marvin comes in the ring as well but the Briscoes
chops him to the mat. Marvin rolls to the apron while Suzuki hits
a double arm drag on the Briscoes. Marvin then hits a swandive body
press onto the Briscoes and he follows that with a catapulted double
dropkick. the Briscoes fall out of the ring, and Marvin and Suzuki
sail out onto them with double dives. Suzuki rolls back into the ring
with Mark eventually following him, tie-up, waistlock by Suzuki but
Mark gets out of it and applies a side headlock on the mat. Suzuki
gets back to his feet but Jay tags himself in and punches Suzuki in
the ribs. Elbows and chops by Jay in the corner, but Suzuki fires
back and the two trade blows. Back kick by Suzuki and he tags in Marvin.
Snapmare by Marvin and he hits a dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two
count. Submission hold by Marvin but Jay quickly gets to the ropes.
Jay tags in Mark, vertical suplex by Mark but the cover gets a two
count. Mark applies a reverse chinlock on the mat before getting back
up and stomping Marvin to the mat. Jay is tagged in, Irish whip to
Marvin and Jay hits an elbow strike. Cover, but it barely gets two.
Jay tries to pick up Marvin but Marvin drives him back and tags in
Suzuki. Irish whip by Suzuki and he hits Jay with a dropkick. Cover,
but it gets a
two
count. Suzuki picks up Jay but Jay hits a scoop slam. Jay goes up
to the top turnbuckle but Suzuki recovers and joins him, setting him
up for the Avalanche Mysteriorana. Mark runs in to break it up however,
and then joins Suzuki on the top turnbuckle. Marvin runs into
the ring and springboards off the side ropes, hitting a Reverse Hurricanrana
onto Mark from the top turnbuckle to the mat. This allows Suzuki to
hit the Avalanche Mysteriorana onto Jay, cover, but it only gets
a two count. Suzuki tags in Marvin, they pick up Jay, double Irish
whip and they hit a double elbow. Cover, but it gets a two.
Marvin puts Jay into the Mexican Surfboard but after a moment he
lets it go and tags in Suzuki. Knee by Suzuki in the corner, Irish
whip, and Suzuki hits a forearm strike for a two count cover. Camel
Clutch by Suzuki facing the ramp, Marvin goes out to the ramp and
hits a dropkick through the ropes into Jay. Cover, but again it gets
a two. Suzuki applies a stretch hold but Jay gets out of it. Dropkick
by Suzuki and he tags in Marvin. Suzuki throws Jay out of the ring
for Marvin, and Marvin Irish whips him into the guard rail before
sliding him back into the ring. Marvin kicks Jay from the apron before
getting into the ring and applying a submission hold. Marvin tags
in Suzuki, and they kick Jay in the corner. Double Irish whip to the
corner, but Jay dropkicks Suzuki and hits a back bodydrop onto Marvin,
giving him time to tag in Mark. Mark comes in the ring with a swandive
dropkick onto Marvin and then hits a spinning hee
l
kick onto Suzuki. Mark picks up Suzuki and tags in Jay, Irish whip
to the corner, but when Mark charges him Suzuki bodydrops him onto
the apron. Mark then runs down the apron and hits a plancha over
the turnbuckle onto Marvin at ringside while in the ring Jay hits
a running elbow strike onto Suzuki. Cover by Jay but it gets
a two count. Jay picks up Suzuki and holds him up, allowing Mark to
hit a swandive spinning heel kick. Cover by Jay but Suzuki kicks out.
Jay tags in Mark, Suzuki tries to fight them both off but he gets
kicked by both wrestlers for his trouble. Suzuki lands with his head
over the apron from the second rope, and Jay hits a running knee from
the apron. Cover by Mark after a slingshot foot stomp but it gets
a two count. Headscissors by Mark, he picks up Suzuki, snapmare, and
he hits a fist drop. Mark tags in Jay and they hit an elevated double
armdrag. Irish whip by Jay and he hits a high dropkick before tagging
in Mark. Double Irish whip to Suzuki and they hit a double shoulder
tackle. Cover, but it gets a two count. Mark applies a stretch hold
to Suzuki but Marvin breaks it up. Knee drop by Mark, cover, but Suzuki
kicks out. Elbow drop by Mark, he picks up Suzuki and tags in Jay.
Jay stomps on Suzuki in the corner, Suzuki hits a series of elbows
but Mark kicks him from apron.
Mark comes in the ring, double Irish whip, but Suzuki rebounds back
with a handspring elbow strike. Suzuki is
intercepted
as he goes to tag in Marvin, but after the Briscoes have a miscommunication
and Suzuki dropkicks both of them he is able to make the tag. Marvin
trips up the Briscoes from ringside as they go off the ropes and
quickly gets on the apron to hit a double quebrada. Marvin then
kicks Jay from the apron before coming into the ring with a swandive
missile dropkick into Mark. Marvin hits a modified neckbreaker onto
Jay, cover, but Mark breaks it up. Marvin picks up Jay and applies
a Dragon Sleeper, but Jay fights out of it before Marvin hits a rotating
neckbreaker for a two count. Marvin picks up Jay but Jay forearms
him and the two trade blows. Jay goes off the ropes and hits a Yakuza
Kick, giving him time to tag in Mark. Mark picks up Marvin, Irish
whip, reversed, but Mark kicks Marvin when he charges in and hits
a springboard sunset flip followed by a powerbomb in the corner and
an exploder. Cover, but Suzuki breaks it up. Mark picks up Marvin
but Marvin gets away. Mark gets to the apron and goes for a swandive
body press but Marvin gets his feet up and makes the tag to Suzuki.
Suzuki comes in the ring with a top rope diving body press, cover,
but it gets a two count. Back up they trade elbows, but Suzuki hits
the Akushizu onto Mark. Suzuki goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits
a body press, cover, but Mark kicks out. Suzuki goes up top again
but this time Jay runs around the ring to trip Suzuki up. Mark joins
Suzuki onto the top turnbuckle and goes for a superplex, but Suzuki
rotates over and lands on top of Mark. From the apron Jay hits Suzuki
but Marvin comes in the ring and Suzuki swings Marvin into Jay, kicking
him down to the apron. Suzuki then goes off the far ropes and with
Marvin's help he hits an Assisted Suicide Moonsault. Suzuki and Mark
get back in the ring and Suzuki hits the Tiger Feint Kick. German
suplex hold by Suzuki, but it only gets a two count. Suzuki goes for
the Blue Destiny but Mark gets out of it and hits an Exploder. A second
Exploder by Mark and both wrestlers hit strikes, knocking each other
out. Both wrestlers tag out, Jay goes off the ropes and hits Marvin
with a vertical suplex into a facebuster for a two count.
Jay picks up Marvin but Marvin quickly rolls him up, jawbreaker by
Marvin but Jay fires back with a lariat. Jay tags in Mark, and after
knocking Suzuki off the apron he hits a shoulder powerbomb onto Marvin
for a two count. Jay picks up Marvin and goes off the ropes, but Marvin
ducks the lariat and hits a facebuster. Jay runs in the ring and hits
a Death Valley Driver on Marvin, but Suzuki comes in to hit a Tombstone
Piledriver onto Jay. By now Mark has recovered and he hits a German
suplex onto Suzuki, and all four men struggle to get back to their
feet. Marvin and Mark are up first and they trade elbows, Mark goes
off the ropes but Marvin delivers the Santa Maria. This gives him
time to tag in Suzuki, Suzuki picks up Mark but Mark gets out of the
suplex attempt and hits a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two
count. Jay puts Suzuki onto his shoulders as Mark goes out to the
apron, but as they go for the Swandive Doomsday Device, Marvin
springboards off the adjacent ropes and as Mark is about to springboard
off the ropes Marvin hits him with a hurricanrana. Suzuki then
hits a reverse hurricanrana onto Jay, Suzuki DDTs Mark and goes for
the Blue Destiny but Jay breaks it up. Jay and Mark both superkick
Suzuki, cover by Mark but it gets a two count. Assisted Cutter by
the Briscoes, cover by Mark but Suzuki barely gets a shoulder up.
Mark picks up Suzuki and throws him to Jay, who hits a press slam
into the Death Valley Driver. Mark then goes up top and nails the
Shooting Star Press, cover, but Marvin barely breaks it up in time.
Knees by Jay onto Marvin and he dumps him out of the ring, and they
go back to Suzuki. Jay puts Suzuki on his shoulders and go for the
Doomsday Device again, but this time Suzuki flips as Mark is about
to hit the lariat and he grabs Jay in a waistlock while Marvin hits
Mark with a superkick. Jay tries to fight off Suzuki but he is hit
with the rotating Tombstone Piledriver. Double Irish whip to Mark
and they hit a series of dropkicks. Double leg throw by Suzuki and
Marvin and they hit a double Tiger Feint Kick. Cover by Suzuki but
it gets a two count. Blue Destiny by Suzuki, cover, but Jay barely
breaks it up. Suzuki and Jay trade elbows, Suzuki gets Jay into the
corner and he hits a jumping knee while Marvin hits an enzigieri from
the apron. Suzuki gets Jay onto his shoulders and Marvin hits a swandive
Shining Wizard from the apron. Going back to Mark, Suzuki picks him
up and with Marvin they hit a Union Blue Destiny. Cover, and they
pick up the three count! Your winners and new champions: Ricky Marvin
and Kotaro Suzuki
Match Thoughts: This was a hell of a match. These
two tag teams are two of the most crisp and in-sync pairings you will
ever see, as both teams did at least a dozen double team moves during
the match and almost all of them went off flawlessly. Some of the
spots I had literally never seen before and it was from bell to bell
one of the most exciting matches I saw in all of 2007. The story here
was the typical one you see in tag matches - isolate one wrestler
and finish him off before his opponent recovers - and it was done
very well as both teams had their opponents beat during the match
only for it to be broken up. When they finally got a pinfall that
worked, Suzuki and Marvin first killed Mark, then killed Jay, and
Mark was still dead enough from before that he was able to be put
away without Jay interfering. Even as I watched it I couldn't find
any obvious flaws... one might argue it was too spotty and it was
rather spotty, but sometimes I am in the mood for cool spots and big
finishers and this match brought plenty of both. A must-see for any
fans of The Briscoes, Marvin, Suzuki, or just really fun wrestling.
Score: 8.0
Chris Hero and Doug Williams vs. Yoshinori Ota and Mohammed
Yone
This match took place on February 24th, 2007 in NOAH. Hero and Ota
start things off, wristlock by Hero but Ota reverses it. Hero kips
out of it and goes back to the wristlock, Irish whip from the corner,
reversed, and Ota runs up Hero in the corner before hitting a backdrop
suplex. Ota picks up Hero, Irish whip, but Hero hits an elbow which
sends Ota out of the ring. Hero then goes off the far ropes but he
jumps up onto the top rope and flips himself back into the ring. Yone
takes Ota away from the ring to talk to him but after a moment they
return. Ota slides back into the ring as Williams tags in, tie-up,
side headlock takedown by Williams but Ota reverses it into a headscissors.
Williams does a handstand to get out of the hold and applies a leg
lock, but Ota pushes him back and tags in Yone. Side headlock by Williams,
Yone Irish whips out of it and the two collide with no result. Again
they run into each other with nothing happening, kick by Yone and
he hits a scoop slam followed by a leg drop. Cover, but it gets a
two count. Yone goes off the ropes but Williams hits a gutwrench suplex
for a two count. Tie-up, Williams gets Yone into his corner and makes
the tag to Hero. Club to the back by Hero and the two trade blows.
Kicks to the leg by Yone and he knocks down Hero before tagging in
Ota. Double Irish whip to Hero and they hit a double elbow, cover
by Ota but it gets a two count. Ota picks up Hero, Irish whip, and
he delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by Ota, but Hero avoids the
third and hits a dropkick of his own. Hero tags in Williams, double
Irish whip and they connect with a double boot and another one with
Ota sitting up. Cover, but it gets a two count. Williams picks up
Ota and applies a
stretch
hold into a body scissors before tagging in Hero. Hero sets up Ota
in the corner and connects with a running kick. Cover, but it gets
a two count. Hero picks up Ota and slams him in front of the corner
before hitting a handstand into a twisting senton for a two
count. Hero tags in Williams, who hits Ota with a headbutt. Knees
by Williams and he connects with a running kneelift for a two count
cover. Williams picks up Ota, Irish whip, and he hits an atomic drop.
Missile dropkick by Hero (who Williams tagged in a moment ago) and
he knocks Yone off the apron before covering Ota for a two count.
Irish whip by Hero to the corner and he hits a dropkick followed
by a flip and an elbow strike. Hero tags in Williams, uppercut by
Williams but Ota elbows him back. Elbows by Ota and he goes off the
ropes, but Williams catches him with a dropkick. Williams picks up
Ota and hits a body slam before dropping a series of knees on this
throat. Cover by Williams but it gets a two count. Williams picks
up Ota and tags in Hero, who punches Ota in the ribs. Club to the
back by Hero, he picks up Ota and chops him into the corner. Irish
whip by Hero but Ota kicks him when he charges in and hits a missile
dropkick. This gives him time to tag in Yone, kick by Hero on Yone
and Williams comes in to help, but Yone kicks down both of them. Yone
picks up Hero, Irish whip from the corner and he hits a jumping knee.
Irish whip again and he hits a second jumping knee, scoop slam by
Yone and he goes up to the top turnbuckle to deliver a leg drop. Cover,
but Hero gets a shoulder up. Yone goes off the ropes but Hero catches
him and hits a neckbreaker. Hero tags in Williams, Irish whip by Williams
to the corner, reversed, but Williams kicks him when he charges in
and hits a diving body press for a two count. Back up, spinning elbow
strike by Williams but it gets a two count as well. Irish whip by
Williams to the corner and he hits a jumping knee, he goes off the
ropes but Yone hits a spinning heel kick. Yone goes off the ropes
but Williams avoids the lariats and both wrestlers knock each other
down. Yone tags in Ota as Williams tags in Hero, elbows by Ota and
Hero, Ota goes off the ropes but Hero hits a spinning elbow. Backdrop
suplex by Hero, cover, but it gets a two count. Hero picks up Ota
and elbows him into the corner, Irish whip, reversed, Hero flips over
Ota but Ota hits a flying clothesline from the second turnbuckle for
a two count.
Ota picks up Hero and gives him the Airplane Spin. Samoan Drop by
Ota, cover, but Williams breaks it up. Yone comes in but Williams
throws him out, he picks up Ota and hits a jumping knee in the corner.
Hero follows with a splash of is own, and Williams dumps Ota onto
the top turnbuckle. Hero then hits a cravate hold into a side
slam while Ota is sitting on the top turnbuckle, cover, but Yone
breaks it up. Williams throws Yone out of the ring while in the ring
Hero picks up Ota. Ota goes off the ropes but Hero connects with a
superkick. Hero picks up Ota and hits a modified vertical suplex,
cover, but it gets a two count. Hero picks up Ota again and hits the
Hero's Welcome, cover, and Hero picks up the three count. Your winners:
Chris Hero and Doug Williams
Match Thoughts: Pretty average match. Nothing really
wrong with it and it had a few heated exchanges, but nothing that
really got you into the match. This was during Hero's first tour and
he didn't do anything overly goofy, even though I still question his
ring attire choice as it makes him look bush league. Ota was the only
one that did anything interesting as he tried to fight off Hero and
Williams, but other then that it was just your typical mid-card tag
team match. It wasn't bad by any stretch as the action flowed well
and there weren't any mistakes, but it just wasn't gripping in any
way. Score: 5.5
(c) Takeshi Morishima vs. KENTA
This match is for the ROH World Heavyweight Championship and took
place on March 4th, 2007 in NOAH. They brawl to start the match, KENTA
goes for kicks on Morishima's legs but Morishima mostly blocks them.
KENTA gets Morishima into the ropes and connects with a series of
kicks to the chest, but Morishima catches one and clubs KENTA repeatedly
in the head. KENTA returns fire with his own strikes and a lariat
sends Morishima to the mat. Morishima gets up and KENTA connects with
a running kick while he is in the corner followed by a dropkick. KENTA
picks up Morishima and hits a backdrop suplex followed by a running
kick while Morishima is sitting up, cover, but it gets a two count.
KENTA picks up Morishima, KENTA goes off the ropes but Morishima catches
him with a side slam. Morishima picks up KENTA and goes for a backdrop
suplex, but KENTA fights him off. Morishima gets KENTA near the ropes
and tries another one, again it is blocked and KENTA hits a lariat.
Morishima rolls out of the ring but KENTA joins him on the outside.
KENTA picks up Morishima
and
tries to Irish whip him into the railing, it is reversed, but when
Morishima charges him KENTA drop toeholds him throat-first into the
guard rail. KENTA gets Morishima up and drops him again onto the guard
rail. KENTA snapmares Morishima onto the floor and kicks him in the
back, before returning to the ring. KENTA then approaches the
ropes and hits a sick springboard double stomp onto Morishima's chest.
Back in the ring, running knee to the chest by KENTA, he picks up
Morishima before going off the ropes but Morishima catches him with
a lariat. Morishima goes off the ropes and goes for a hip attack,
but KENTA catches him and hits a German suplex. Modified Go 2 Sleep
by
KENTA (kick instead of a knee), cover, but it gets a two count. KENTA
puts Morishima draped over the second rope and hits a running knee
to the back of his head. KENTA goes off the ropes but Morishima
turns around and nails him with a hard lariat. Backdrop suplex
by Morishima, cover, but it gets a two count. Morishima picks up KENTA
and hits a Scrap Buster, cover, but KENTA kicks out at one. Back up,
they trade blows, with Morishima getting the better of it as he hits
KENTA into the corner. With KENTA slumped in the corner Morishima
gets a running start and kicks him in the head. Stomps by Morishima
and he clubs KENTA until the referee gets him off. Morishima tosses
the referee to the mat however and clubs him some more in the corner,
he gets a running start and delivers a lariat. Backdrop Driver by
Morishima, cover, but again it gets a two count. Morishima goes off
the ropes and delivers another lariat, cover, but KENTA barely kicks
out. Backdrop Driver by Morishima, KENTA gets back to his feet but
Morishima hits him with a lariat to the back of the head before nailing
another Backdrop Driver. Cover, and he picks up the three count! Your
winner and still champion: Takeshi Morishima
Match Thoughts: A very entertaining heavyweight
sprint. These two clicked very well together and I am looking forward
to the matches they will no doubt have in the future. The springboard
double stomp to the outside of the ring was sick, as were some of
Morishima's strikes, and it really came across as them not holding
anything back. Some of the structuring I was a little surprised with,
as after Morishima took back over at around the seven minute mark
he just dominated KENTA the rest of the way without even giving a
hint that KENTA might make a comeback. I'd say it made KENTA look
weak, but Morishima was so devastating that you couldn't really blame
KENTA for not making a comeback. Overall I thought it was a lot of
fun and different from most NOAH main events, which seem to require
five minutes of mat work in a match that must go at least 20 minutes.
Score: 7.0
Final Thoughts:
Overall this is a solid compilation as while three of
the matches were average or worse, the rest were entertaining and
two were excellent. I also liked that while Ring of Honor primarily
works with NOAH there were also two Dragon Gate matches included to
give the compilation a little variety. KENTA/Danielson and the GHC
Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship matches are both worth going
out of your way to see, and the ROH World Championship match is quite
entertaining as well as historical. For only 2.99
it would be hard not to recommend this DVD, if you are a fan of Ring
of Honor and want to see some unique pairings against Japanese wrestlers
then this is a must buy compilation set.
Recommended
Back
to Compilation Reviews
event reviewed on 2/17/08