Typical NJ youngster match where the emphasis placed on wrestling a solid match with proper execution, and the few high spots are reserved for the finish. Makabe had advanced past this level, but rather than ask too much of Tanahashi they used Makabe as a more solid version of Tanahashi's typical rookie opponent. This made Makabe look less accomplished, but didn't mess with Tanahashi's development like having him sometimes do rookie matches and sometimes do regular matches would. The impact was solid, but if they are going to have them mainly do submissions I'd like to see them learning how to utilize them rather than the bulk of the match being them clamping on any old lock and holding it for 30 or so seconds. Makabe won with the gyaku ebigatame (Boston crab).

9:33

Rating:

 

Minoru Tanaka vs. AKIRA

The focus was surprisingly tight. Tanaka began working AKIRA's arm after he transitioned into an udehishigigyakujujigatame when AKIRA kicked out of his missile kick off the 2nd. Though AKIRA was back on offense almost right away, he was consistently selling his arm. He went to work on Tanaka's knee. Tanaka did his spot where he landed on his feet for the German suplex, remembering to sell the knee, then ducked AKIRA's lariat and went back to the arm with his dobitski udehishigigyakujujigatame. Later, Tanaka got his knees up for AKIRA's diving body press and applied the udehishigigyakujujigatame for the win. I was surprised how short this was, but while it didn't build the level of drama it could have, it was a smart focused match with slick maneuvering and strong selling.

10:32

Rating:

 

Junji Hirata vs. Kenzo Suzuki

I don't know what they hope to accomplish with matches like this. Hirata was a better tag wrestler when he was young and good. At this point there's no chance he'll carry Suzuki to any kind of singles match. Suzuki is a guy they have high hopes for, but he doesn't control his body well, so he looks awkward and clumsy. He has to wrestle singles matches sometimes, but on a big show I'd want to hide him as much as possible. Better to hope he looks decent working 2 minutes in a large tag than expose him working 10 against a guy that isn't going to make him look better.

The match was pretty basic, but there were a lot of mistakes and they were both making each other look worse. It was slow, lifeless, and there was no rhyme or reason for what they were doing. Suzuki had taken control, but when he whipped Hirata into the corner and went to charge, Hirata popped out with a lariat then did his machine windmill suplex.

10:13

Rating:

 

Shiro Koshinaka vs. Koji Kanemoto

This sounded like a good junior vs. heavy match because Koshinaka fights about the same regardless of weight class. Unfortunately, little Koji was beneath Koshinaka, so Koji's nasty kicks just made Shiro grumpy. Koshinaka played the big bad tough guy, showing Kanemoto's offense had little effect and how superior he was. Koshinaka's offense looked good because he was putting a little extra on it for the fun of punking Kanemoto, who is easy to throw around. Kanemoto took good bumps as always and did some of his nice moves. He missed a pescado then Koshinaka gave him his hip attack off the apron. Koshinaka was so sure he had Koji beat after two powerbombs he didn't bother making a solid cover, which allowed Koji to counter into an ura akiresukengatame (reverse Achilles' tendon hold). This was about the only hope for Kanemoto though, who was soon pinned after being German suplexed on his head.

11:40

Rating:

 

Takashi Iizuka vs. Shinjiro Otani

Iizuka fights much different now than he did as a junior. Since he's a technician now you'd think he'd be excited by the opportunity to face a guy that could actually go with him, but no. Again, the main purpose was to show the junior was beneath the heavyweight. Iizuka did a bunch of stomping. Otani fought rough because that's what Iizuka was doing. Iizuka didn't actually make Otani seem as week as Koshinaka made Kanemoto seem, but he didn't do anything interesting either and the match never improved. Iizuka won with his sleeper hold.

11:04

Rating:

 

Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie

It doesn't say much when Yoshie is in the second best match on the PPV. I guess that's what can happen when you have most of your best wrestlers sit it out, and have the ones you do use are getting jobbed out. Yoshie pushed Nakanishi into the corner, kicked him, and threw him out of the ring so he could start the match. It was very stiff, but basically the first 13 minutes was just standing toe to toe and exchanging blows. It seemed more like Sasaki & Nakanishi were on an ego trip than that they were trying to have a good stiff match. That said, Yoshie is best when he's allowed to stand in one spot, and even though it wasn't the least bit difficult at least what they did looked good.

The match almost totally changed in the last 5 1/2 minutes, becoming a sprint with the expected big moves. They did do things like take turns running at each other with lariats, so the tone wasn't as different as it initially appeared. There was too much no selling, but I felt the match worked and did generate some heat. Nagata pinned Yoshie in his backdrop hold.

18:23

Rating:

 

Yuushitessen (barbed wire) Denryu (electric current) Bakaha (explosion) Death Match: Riki Choshu vs. Atsushi Onita

Choshu's back and his ego is bigger than ever. In fact, I don't think you could find a more ego maniacal performance than this. As terrible as this match was, it almost has to be seen to be believed. You had two of the biggest names in the history of puroresu, but even in his own match Onita couldn't fair as well as the average Saturday morning jobber.

Choshu choked Onita right away, stomped his face, kicked the ref out of the way, and blew Onita up. Choshu was just muscling Onita like he was a rag doll. He ripped Onita's shirt off, scooped him in bodyslam position, and rammed him into the wire for the second explosion. Onita was sliced up all around the elbow and up the arm. Onita made his big comeback, which consisted of 3 low blows and a DDT. Choshu got right back up and exploded Onita for the 3rd time, ending Atsushi's offense for the day as soon as it had begun. Onita blew himself up grabbing the ropes to escape the sasorigatame (scorpion deathlock). Choshu then blew Onita up for the fifth time. Even Hollywood films haven't gotten so pathetic they have an explosion every 93 seconds. These explosions were as laughable looking though, with a few firecrackers going off and some sparks that obviously weren't doing any damage and were getting far less potent with each explosion. Anyway, Onita took 4 of the deadly Riki lariats then the ref stopped it because he wasn't responding while in the sasorigatame. Onita was then stretchered out and rushed to the hospital. The match wasn't a disaster from a technical/execution standpoint like it could have been, but it had less than no drama and was just plain uninteresting. One can only wonder what someone had on Onita to get him to agree to this public funeral.

7:46

Rating:

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