Currently Watching: NJPW “NEW JAPAN NEXT ~CATCH THE VICTORY II~”, 12/24/07
edited last-12.30.07 Taso
NJPW “NEW JAPAN NEXT ~CATCH THE VICTORY II~”, 12/24/07 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,695 Fans
1. Takashi Iizuka, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Taichi Ishikari vs. Jado, Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma
Average Japanese 8 man tag. Nothing more, nothing less. *3/4
2. NEW JAPAN NEXT Match #1: Koji Kanemoto vs. Tetsuya Naito
Great match with a good mix of brawling, youthful spite, submission moves and reversals, and good all around work. ***
3. NEW JAPAN NEXT Match #2: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Mitsuhide Hirasawa
A solid undercard match telling the story of the young, overpowered wrestler vs. the jacked-up veteran. This was a squash without the squash feel as Hirasawa showed alot of fighting spirit. *3/4
4. NEW JAPAN NEXT Match #3: Yuji Nagata vs. Yujiro
The Nakanishi match told a better story. Lots of strikes and chops and kicks traded. I liked themat work but there wasn’t enough of it. *3/4
5. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano vs. Riki Choshu & AKIRA
Good high paced match, even when Choshu was in there sinply throwing clotheslines. The use of the chains, foreign objects, etc. brought down a notch for me. brother YASSHI, Shuji Kondo, and co. caused a comotion leading to the finish. AKIRA was pretty good, and I’ve been a fan of Toru Yano for awhile. **1/2
6. Masahiro Chono & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Hirooki Goto & Minoru
Goto & Minoru are former IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions. Good strong-style action. **3/4
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Wataru Inoue vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Milano Collection AT
The mat work between Wataru and A.T. to start the match was good, but it turned a little slow paced and contrived before they tagged out to let Nakamura and Hiroshi go at it. A.T. is one of my favorite Toryumon alumni, but he comes off as a comedy character in New Japan. But his skill is unquestioned and his mannerisms are great. I prefer him in more high-paced matches with smaller opponents. When he got into the match later and went to the faster style with both Wataru and Tanahashi, business picked up. Nakamura seemed uninterested before and during the match. Afterwards though, as the bell rang Nakamura jumped Tanahashi. The finish to the match was also kinda weak and I was expecting more from Tanahashi and Nakamura. **3/4
