Katsuyori Shibata vs. Riki Choshu (Riki Pro, 9/3/05)

For the last of Katsuyori Shibata's sabbatical matches, we head to Riki Choshu's vanity promotion, Riki Pro, where Shibata had a fight against the big boss himself (also a tag match with Yuki Ishikawa -- is this somewhere in the dark web?). There was a cool chaos brewing in this match that never quite bubbled over into a full-blown violent pandemonium. Shibata hops out of the ring to attack Choshu, taking him to the back of the arena for a private PK ceremony, throwing chairs at him, kicking the snot out of him while he's helpless on the ground. Once it gets back into the ring, though, the match settles into something kind of forgettable. Shibata tries wearing Choshu out on the mat with holds until Choshu dumps him on his noggin with a backdrop, sits up, calmly fixing his hair, before beating on Shibata until the finish. He snapmares Shibata over the ropes in a cool spot and his first big lariat looked brutal enough to end the game...but no, it took six more to put the rabid Shibata down. Not bad but not quite the fight you'd hope for.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata (4/9/17)

Hands down, New Japan's best match of the year and my personal MOTY for 2017. Such an impassioned performance from Shibata, putting his life on the line (perhaps literally) to try and defeat the easily frustrated Okada, who tried to man up to Shibata's stiff ways only to get beaten down in glorious fashion. I mean, from start to finish, this was Shibata pissing all over Okada's gold rug. From the early matwork, with Shibata hiking his leg just because he can, to the Rainmaker-tease into a straight bitch slap, Shibata made Okada his bitch for nearly 40 minutes. Quasi-heel champ Okada was great here, drawing the ire of the NJPW fans with his dirty breaks, which only further fuels Shibata's stiff-as-fuck beatings. Was it a perfect match? No. I mean, it could've benefited from a little fat trimming, especially in the midsection of the match, but the build to the finish was well-executed, with Shibata working the Rainmaker arm to weaken the impact and in perhaps the most spectacular (and cringe-worthy) moment of the match, Shibata withstanding the Rainmaker and thunking Okada with that blood-busting headbutt.

When you put Okada in a different situation, he becomes so much more enjoyable to watch in the ring. He had to fight for every one of his signature spots, even though some of his offense looked pathetic compared to the heat behind Shibata's elbow strikes, and his selling during the submission teases really added a dose of drama to the bigger narrative. I loved his little temple flareups throughout. But this was Shibata's match, the way he goads Okada into striking with him, the zero respect boot scrapes to the back of the head. The no sold "strong style" rush of back-and-forth offense was pulled off so well, with Okada unable to follow up after that German suplex. Okada takes one hell of a beating here, getting dumped on his head a number of times with suplexes. I don't how he keeps doing it. The wrist play stuff was excellent, with Shibata holding on as he just drills him repeatedly with those kicks to the shoulder. Such a brutal visual accompanied by those shotgun acoustics. I thought it would've been awesome had Shibata dropped down into the cross armbreaker but Okada was able to take over control of the wrist and pull him into a weakened Rainmaker. The final nail-in-the-coffin Rainmaker looked absolutely nasty but I loved how Shibata was still trying to fight back, going for an elbow as he gets hooked with the killer final blow.

The crowd was hot for Shibata and this was a career performance for him as he put his body on the line for our enjoyment. It was hard to watch him try to make it to the back on his own post-match knowing the full extent of his injuries but that's Katsuyori Shibata for you. There was so many little things to love about this match, simple things, like Okada trying to block the figure-four attempt or Shibata's British-inspired counters in the first few minutes. Hell of a performance from Red Shoes, as well. Great, great match.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 3/19/17)

The rivalry between these two is one of the best in New Japan and going into a match, you already know what to expect: stiff strikes, bouts of no selling, pissing contests, and tons of suplexes. You see it plenty these days but no one can pull it off quite as well as Shibata and Ishii. After a pedestrian opening, with Ishii saying "fuck you" to Shibata's armwork and going straight to the strikes, the match picks up once the enmity kicks in. Like an angsty Shibata walking over and punting Ishii back or Ishii repeatedly chopping Shibata in the throat against Red Shoes' wishes. It wouldn't be a Shibata/Ishii match with a minute-long elbow exchange, with Ishii's nose getting busted open in the process.

I loved the spot with Shibata popping up after the lariat like a zombie only for Ishii to lariat him back down. This time, we get the Indian-style slap off, with Shibata really laying into Ishii once they've made it back to their feet. After they trade suplexes, Ishii catches a PK attempt and what what...armbar takedown! Ishii's selling in this match is terrific (no surprise there), especially toward the end as he's fighting the sleeper attempts, fading into the PK, with Shibata going right back to the sleeper to win in dominant fashion, and Ishii still not wanting to give up the fight as he crawls toward the victor. Awesome stuff. I think it's right up there with last year's battles, thanks to the strong second half, and I may have even liked it more than their WK match. We'll see upon rewatch later in the year. Definitely the best match of the New Japan Cup.

NJPW "WRESTLE KINGDOM 11 IN TOKYO DOME" (1/4/17)

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: KUSHIDA (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi 

This was wacky and haphazard, with some miscalculated spots that added a sense of urgency and unpredictability to the match. It fits Hiromu's 'time bomb' crust punk character and I think it initially forced KUSHIDA to work at that breakneck pace, nearly killing himself with the top rope somersault senton on the outside. They blew the 'rana over the ropes but Takahashi made up for it by hitting his own somersault senton from the top. KUSHIDA then snaps out of it and catches Takahashi's apron senton with a cross armbreaker on the outside. I loved KUSHIDA pissed off armwork with the hair-grabbing and kicks. The Hoverboard Lock struggle, along with Hiromu's selling, fleshed out the frantic nature of the match. The finishing stretch saw the champ's desperation in full effect as he tries in vain to hold onto his title, only to fall to Hiromu's Time Bomb finish. Structurally, this thing was a mess but maybe that's a big part of it's charm. Hiromu is like bizarro-KUSHIDA and I love it. 

NEVER Openweight Title: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Hirooki Goto

Out of every match on the show, this one had me hooked from start to finish. I understand that stylistically, these NEVER Openweight Title matches are polarizing but for me, it's a style I enjoy when the violence doesn't feel overly indulgent. This had the right balance, the crowd was fully invested, and it was awesome to watch Goto's mounting frustrations reach a tipping point as Shibata gives zero fucks and makes him work his kind of match. The strikes were stiff, as expected, and Shibata in is full 'Goonies never say die' mode, kicking, elbowing, headbutting Goto without regard. I don't even think Shibata cared if he kept the title or not, he just wanted Goto to show some fire and when Goto finally exploded, it was amazing. The build to that final headbutt exchange made it feel special and Goto's headbutts looked like a million bucks. I loved that shot of Shibata's zombie-fied face after Goto hits that final headbutt and plants him with the inverted GTR before finishing him off with the regular GTR. This is exactly the kind of win Goto needed and he looked like a total badass with that finish. I enjoyed this more than both of Shibata's matches with Ishii last year, as it felt fresh, not like a retread of old territory, and the performance from a reinvigorated and pissed off Goto was one of his best. I think this is my MOTN on first viewing. The end result was the absolute right decision and I can't wait to see what Goto does with the title while Shibata begins his road to winning the G1 Climax. 

IWGP Intercontinental Title: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

This was good and would likely have been even better if Tanahashi put more into his selling. That being said, veteran ace Tanahashi does a masterful job of setting the pace of this match and I thought the storytelling was really good, with the dueling legwork, the callbacks to previous encounters, and Naito's mostly shenanigans-free approach to wrestling. The crowd was still hot from the previous match and bought what these two were selling. I'm a big fan of Naito's limbwork and his use of the injured leg to escape predicaments and squash momentum. When Tanahashi started going after Naito's leg, Naito's selling eclipsed Tanahashi's. When it comes to sustained selling, I'm a nitpicker and in a match like this, where Naito's legwork is a primary focus, Tanahashi didn't put enough into his performance to make me care. Things like him using the cloverleaf hold, which puts a lot of stress on the knees, and then running around to hit High Fly Flows without much of a limp in his step. The slingblade on the apron was a cool spot though. By the end of it, it felt a little puffy and should've ended on that first Destino but they kill a few more minutes, allowing Naito to hit a couple more to retain. A good slow-burner with a great underlying story and performance from Naito. The result makes sense considering the result of the main event and now LIJ is dominant as fuck. 

IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchida Okada (c) vs. Kenny Omega

Woof, this match. I mean, I think the reason Naito/Omega worked so well is that they kept it under 30 minutes and the downtime only added to the narrative, with Omega working around his bum knee. Here, the first 20 minutes felt like complete, sleep-inducing filler and then they suddenly ramp it up from a 2 to an 11, to the point where it felt artificial and mechanical. There's no doubt these two busted their asses for the second half of the match and some of the spots were nutzo but maybe they were trying a little too hard to re-create the 'epic', jaw-dropping nature of the Naito/Omega match. Even if they had shaved off 15 dull minutes, I still don't think this would've reached the much-hyped "MOTY" label everyone was hoping for...at least from my perspective. Lots of indulgent, finish-worthy spots, like the top rope dragon suplex, that were inconsequential thirty seconds later. That being said, I did like the finishing stretch, with Omega landing some vicious knees, including the Rainmaker knee, and Okada managing to counter out of every attempt at the One-Winged Angel, preserving the danger of it and laying the groundwork for the rematch. The spinning tombstone > Rainmaker combo was the cherry on the sprinkle-coated frosting of this cake and the exclamation point on Okada's dominant ace role while still making Omega look strong as a title challenger. This match skipped the appetizers and went straight to the dessert bar at the Golden Corral. 

Katsuyori Shibata & KENTA vs. Akira Taue & Go Shiozaki (NOAH, 9/9/06)

The pairing of Shibata with KENTA works on so many different levels. It’s a shame we only got three tag matches out of them. When Shibata teamed with KUSHIDA for a few matches earlier this year, it reminded me of the Takeover as they complement each other well. But they’re not the same disrespectful little pricks. Hot opening as Big Taue chicken-steps around the ring and Shibata tries to bully the vet with elbows and boots. Taue slaps him silly and gives him a coconut crush to the entertainment of the fans. They eat up Taue’s dive tease. Shibata really brings out the best in the veterans, which is probably why his series with the New Japan Dads was so enjoyable to me. He gives zero fucks. Shiozaki makes for a good whipping boy, especially against a pissed off Shibata. They have great chemistry together. But when Go and KENTA are in their, the match cools off a little. It feels like they’re just going through the motions. KENTA pestering Taue on the apron was awesome though.

Shibata mocks Taue with a couple of coconut crushes over his knee to Shiozaki and oh boy, Taue is pissed, shaking the ropes. Shibata puts Taue in the octopus hold and when Go comes in and breaks it up, Shibata pedigrees him! They try to set Taue up for the Doomsday Device but he chops his way out. He catches KENTA with a great chokeslam counter to the springboard before chokeslamming Shibata and hitting a sit-out powerbomb for a huge false finish. KENTA and Shiozaki bring things to a close, cooling the crowd down again as they trade two counts off suplex holds. After Shibata takes down Taue with the sleeper hold > PK combo, they finish off Go with the brutal springboard Doomsday Device for the win. Probably the best Takeover match of the three and a hot crowd for the Shibata/Taue exchanges.

Katsuyori Shibata & Kota Ibushi vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Takeshi Morishima (BML, 6/18/06)

Katsuyori Shibata & Kota Ibushi vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Takeshi Morishima (BML, 6/18/06)

Well, this was a hot mess. Marufuji and Ibushi weren’t at their bests here, with Ibushi looking especially ungainly. Marufuji just didn’t seem to care much at all. That being said, I loved the shoot interactions between Shibata and Morishima. During the match, Shibata tags in Ibushi but Morishima completely blows off Ibushi’s kicks to continue fighting with Shibata and when Ibushi finally gets his attention, Morishima clobbers him with an elbow and tags out. Team NOAH work on the lower back and legs of Ibushi for a bit, keeping him distant from his partner, but once Shibata gets the tag, he goes completely nuts on Marufuji with strikes in the corner and poor Marufuji doesn’t have a prayer. It’s an awesome moment in an otherwise unawesome match. In the end, Morishima pins Ibushi after a backdrop. 

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (BML,4/19/06)

Ah, a pudgy, teenaged Nakajima slugging it out with Shibata. What a super fun little match. Tons of great strikes, good counterwork, and crowd-supported hope spots for Nakajima. I loved Shibata’s Cobra Twist counter into the shoot pin attempt and Nakajima’s mini-elbows. When Nakajima begins a comeback, Shibata cuts him off the hard way with a piledriver! Nakajima fires off a big roundhouse kick and a German suplex hold but Shibata comes out of the two count with a double wristlock on Nakajima. Shibata follows that up with a PK to the arm, a kick to the chest, and he’s right into the armbar off the kickout. Nakajima tries to escape but when he slips, Shibata sinks his teeth in and it’s over quickly. Probably my favorite Shibata BML match so far. 

KENTA & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Go Shiozaki (NOAH, 12/4/05)

I guess this is where the “heat” between Shibata and Shiozaki took root. Shibata kicks the crap out of Shiozaki to open this match and calls out Misawa like a badass. Hell of a way to start the match. Similar to the previous KENTA & Shibata tag match, this was pandering at times but felt more consistent from bell to bell. Misawa took some major bumps (Jesus, that springboard Doomsday Device) and the interactions between he and Shibata felt unique but it’s a lot of Shiozaki getting dominated – those alternating kicks against the kicks looked painful.  Shiozaki doesn’t look bad in there and he’s always been a good seller. Love Misawa snapping on KENTA when he comes at him with those disrespectful shit kicks in the corner. The story here is Shibata REALLY wants to put Misawa to sleep and defeat him. He dangerously backdrops Misawa on his head after a sleeper hold and slaps it right back on, tiring him out for the PK. Shiozaki breaks it up and immediately pays for it. Misawa/Shiozaki rally back with a tiger driver into the German suplex combo and there’s a great moment where Shibata is fighting against a German but Shiozaki delivers it anyway. That KENTA save from across the ring after the moonsault was awesome. In the end, Shiozaki survives the PK but not a few brutal kicks to the head. Another good to great tag match with plenty of fun moments. 

KENTA & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Takeshi Morishima & Mohammed Yone (NOAH, 11/5/05)

This was like a greatest hits match, with a lot of cool spots and moments, but no real cohesion. Mohammed Yone was the lame duck and the match lost a bit of its steam when he was controlling on offense.  KENTA and Shibata were a fun pairing, and pissed off Baby Huey Morishima was awesome, especially in his interactions with KENTA. After KENTA hits the tag-in springboard dropkick, his shitty little face kicks only aggravate Morishima, which leads to a beat down and Morishima tossing him out of the ring. Shibata/KENTA looked great on offense against the cut off Yone, using plenty of hard strikes and some fun fake-out double teams. But Yone’s selling wasn’t good at all. Morishima’s volatility, however, was the best thing about this match, in my opinion. When KENTA goes to fuck with him on the apron, Morishima yanks him out of the ring and throws him over the barricade! Things slow down when Morishima/Yone are on offense, though I loved the smaller KENTA throwing himself at both guys in an attempt to fight them off. Shibata worked in some good strikes and arm control on Morishima. I loved him coming in and booting Morishima over the ropes to the outside to set up the big springboard Doomsday Device. The final stretch was a mess but the finish between KENTA and Morishima was brutal. Not a great match by any means but plenty of great moments.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazunari Murakami (BML, 9/11/05)

This is the inaugural Big Mouth Loud show, Shibata’s vanity promotion following his departure from New Japan, and who better to battle the face of the place than big bad boss, Kazunari Murakami. This was an alright match. The strikes looked good and hard, and it felt as if they were building to something much bigger, but the finish was abrupt and unconvincing. Ideally, the legwork from Murakami should have had a more prominent role in this match, as it felt like a logical approach and Shibata’s selling of it was solid. The midsection of the match stuck out to me the most. Shibata catches a kick attempt and tries to suplex Murakami, who hangs onto the ropes, building to the corner attacks and dropkicks from Shibata. When Murakami re-enters the ring, he has that evil grin on his face and the two try to outkick each other for our enjoyment. Good stuff. Murakami ends up winning with a running knee but again, it felt like the wrong guy won here. 

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Genichiro Tenryu (NJPW, 11/13/04)

In his last match with New Japan, Shibata faces Genichiro Tenryu, who promptly exits the ring to meet Shibata on the entrance ramp and throws him down into some chairs before returning to the ring. Awesome. This was all kinds of ridiculous in maybe the best way possible? I don’t know. They trade finishers maybe half a dozen times before Tenryu tries to kill him with a rope-hung DDT from the apron to the floor. Holy shit. Shibata comes back pissed and stiff with strikes. He connects with the second PK of the match but Tenryu’s not going out like that. He DDTs Shibata through the slaps and nearly KOs him with a front necklock. Loved the look on Tenryu’s face after Shibata kicks out, followed by a barely coherent Shibata stumbling into a pair of guh! punches for the finish. 

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Toshiaki Kawada (NJPW, 11/3/04)

This is Shibata's second-to-last match in New Japan before his exodus and it's against the Triple Crown Champion, Toshiaki Kawada! It isn’t much but what we get is Shibata trying to get in as much offense against Kawada as he can, riffing some of Kawada’s own signatures, before Kawada snaps and goes apeshit on him, chopping him in the throat and backdropping him on his head! Surprisingly, Shibata is able to wear Kawada down with the sleeper for a big PK for two but that’s as close to victory as Shibata is able to taste. The finish is something else as he and Kawada go at it until Kawada rocks him silly with shots, including a KO punch, which Shibata mistakenly sits up from so Kawada kicks him in the head and drops the knee for the three count. Kawada's selling made this thing all the more enjoyable. A sub-10 minute match with a great back half. 

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hayato "Jr." Fujita (Michinoku Pro, 12/17/06)

Is there nothing more satisfying than watching Hayato "Jr." Fujita get his ass beat? Maybe not. In continuing down the post-New Japan Shibata road, one of his last stops before heading off to MMA land is Michinoku Pro, home to resident shooty punk Fujita. I thought this was fun for what it was, with Shibata quickly taking control of the situation after Fujita tries to rush him before the bell with kicks. Shibata stiffs him with his own kicks and slaps, suplexes him a couple of times onto the hardwood floor and even encourages Fujita to try and bring some fire before shutting him down. Fujita's comeback was actually my favorite part of the match, as he kept right on top of Shibata, transitioning from move to move in accordance with Shibata's actions. When Shibata struggles against a sleeper, Fujita German suplexes him and eventually goes back to the sleeper. When Shibata gets too close to the ropes, Fujita backdrops him on his head and applies a hanging front necklock. Again, Shibata fights it off so Fujita DDTs him and re-applies it on the ground. Fun stuff. Alas, Fujita's hope spots run out as he eats a big slap and a running knee from Shibata to set up the PK. But Shibata's not ready to end Fujita's punishment. He spikes him with a Pedigree, holding on for a brutal powerbomb follow-up before locking on a crab hold for the quick submission win. Well worth the 10 minutes.  

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Jun Akiyama (WRESTLE-1, 8/4/05)

This is Shibata post-NJPW, bottled full of spitfire and ready to make someone bleed. That someone just happens to be daddy Akiyama and when he bleeds...well, he ain't too happy about it. Holy shit this match. I first watched this nearly 10 years ago in college but re-watching it today has only reaffirmed my love for these two bad dudes. Non-stop savagery. The one downside to this match is the shitty camerawork and poorly-timed cutaways.  Shibata is brutal right out of the gate, rushing Akiyama with a dropkick before backdropping him on his pre-bald head. He gives him a little love tap kick to the face before busting him wide open with a follow-up shotgun blast of a kick (see photo above). Shibata only pisses him off and Akiyama starts throwing elbows and knees and chairs on the outside. Back inside, the two slap it out but when Akiyama sneaks in a backdrop, Shibata smartly holds on and turns it into a sleeper upon impact. What a visual of the blood draining from Akiyama's face in this moment. The sleeper wears him down and Shibata drills him with the PK. But he doesn't want to pin Jun,  he just wants him back on his feet so he can continue dishing out the pain. Love that fight. 

Shibata with a big running knee to Akiyama's gut while he's using the ropes for support. The referee does everything he can to prevent Shibata from going after Akiyama on the outside but Shibata's not having it. He misses a kick and connects with the ringpost, allowing Akiyama to take advantage and backdrop Shibata on the commentary table. Takayama is sitting there like "what the fuck, you guys?" Akiyama kills Shibata's knee with repeated chairshots on the guardrail, exposes the cold concrete and proceeds to piledrive him. But he's not quite done and goes back for the chair, laying into Shibata with some shots to the head. Jun welcomes him back to the ring with a running knee, kicking and kneeing him in the face before delivering another backdrop. Shibata kicks out at one so Akiyama cinches in the front necklock. Such great psychology from Akiyama throughout.

I love the desperation in the strike exchanges, with Akiyama throwing himself at Shibata. I love Shibata teasing the Exploder and in turn, planting Akiyama with the STO into a neck crank. When he tries for the sleeper, Akiyama's in the ropes so he tries for a full nelson suplex but Akiyama struggles...so he settles for a quick German suplex instead. The toukon no sold rush of back-and-forth offense was inserted perfectly into this and yeah, Shibata is blowing off most of Akiyama's neck work but he works in such an adrenaline-frenzied way that it takes a couple of head-drop Exploders to really faze him. Good counterwork from Akiyama as he catches a kick, elbows the knee and hits another Exploder before going right into the facelock. A pair of knees gets a one count and Akiyama lays into Shibata with some vicious slaps. He hits a sheer-drop Exploder and a running knee, finally putting Shibata to bed with am awesome Exploder '98 for the win. Comfortably in my top 3 Shibata matches of all time, just balls to the wall from bell to bell. Probably WRESTLE-1's greatest match to date. 

NOAH "GREAT VOYAGE 2016 IN YOKOHAMA VOL. 2" (10/23/16)

NOAH vs. Suzuki-gun: Minoru Suzuki vs. Kaito Kiyomiya

I love when Suzuki toys with the young boys. Let them think they’re getting somewhere then quickly shut them down and out when they overstep their boundaries and piss him off. Same reason I love the other Suzuki (Hideki). Give them an inch and when they take a mile, kill them. This is exactly what happened here with poor Kiyomiya. He comes out red hot with elbows but Suzuki doesn’t let it spiral out of control and hits back even harder with his own elbow shots. We get the expected rope-hung submission spot from Suzuki before he introduces Kiyomiya to some chairs. Kiyomiya sells Suzuki’s offense well enough and mounts a little bit of a comeback as he tries to wear Suzuki down with dropkicks and crab holds. But this only pushes Suzuki to the breaking point, and he unloads on Kiyomiya. Loved Suzuki picking Kiyomiya back up whenever he collapses from exhaustion only to keep paintbrushing him with slaps before ultimately ending his misery with the Gotch-style piledriver. Fun little rookie punishment match with Kiyomiya getting a bit of control time in before dying at the hands of Suzuki.

NOAH vs. NJPW Special Singles Match: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Go Shiozaki

This is a match that’s been built-up nicely since Shibata’s violent interactions with the NOAH boys and Shiozaki’s NEVER Title challenge fake out. I admit, my expectations were high going into this and maybe I was left a tad bit disappointed by the end of it but following the awesome post-match shenanigans, I’m certain this is only the first of several interactions between Shibata and Shiozaki, possibly leading to Shiozaki challenging for the NEVER Title at Wrestle Kingdom. As an introduction, though, this was a pretty fun Shibata formula match with some blatant no selling, awkward German backdrops, tons of elbows, tons of chops from Shiozaki that left Shibata’s chest raw meat red. Go’s offense can often be underwhelming but I thought everything was executed well, from the fisherman buster to that gnarly lariat -- hell, even the Go Flasher looked as devastating as it can. I thought the busted nose only added to the match, with Shiozaki sniffing back the blood. The sleeper hold into the sleeper suplex was also a neat, fitting spot given the environment and set up the finish nicely. I didn’t love this like some of Shibata’s NJ matches from earlier in the year but it was good and I’m certain they’ll deliver much more come January.

GHC Heavyweight Title: Takashi Sugiura (c) vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima

I may be in the minority here but I enjoyed this more than the Shibata/Shiozaki match and in my opinion, it was a definite improvement upon their match from earlier in the year. Nakajima’s just so good playing the baby-faced, underdog burning spirit and his selling of the injured back and selling those elbows like death really added something special to the narrative. It’s a slow burn, no doubt, and could’ve benefitted with a few minutes trimmed off the total runtime but it didn’t feel like a chore to sit through like with Sugiura’s previously defenses. Loved Nakajima almost KO’ing Sugiura early on after Sugiura tries to cheap shot him against the ropes, a nice callback to his match with Suzuki and Suzuki trying to punk him like he’s still Kensuke’s towel boy. None of that bullshit, sir. After Sugiura hits an overhead suplex on the walkway, he starts working over that injured back, at one point using a chair. Shuichi Nishinaga is one of my favorite officials to watch because he ain’t scared to get in there and cut out the nonsense. Nakajima took some nasty elbows from Sugiura but kept asking for more and eventually fired back with some of his hard kicks, building to a PK and a brainbuster for two. I feel like Nakajima’s brainbuster should be reserved as the nail in the coffin but it didn’t take away too much here and Sugiura got to hit one of his own. When the Olympic Slam isn’t enough, Sugiura tries for the top rope variation only for Nakajima to blast him with a big fat headbutt to knock him off. So great. After a couple of quick thrust kicks, Nakajima hits a smooth-as-silk deadlift German for two before connecting with back-to-front PKs, a thrust kick to the head and the brainbuster for the biggest win of his career. Let’s hope he gets a proper reign to cement his status as the ACE of NOAH. Probably the “best” NOAH show of the year from what I saw

Katsuyori Shibata & KUSHIDA vs. Yuji Nagata & Jushin Liger (4/27/16)

Another awesome tag, another awesome build to Dontanku. They built upon their last match, which was a more structured, smartly worked tag, by injecting the HATE into this. This felt personal. The veterans are pissed off but so is Shibata, and he sucks up most of the crowd’s energy. He and KUSHIDA get the early jump and Nagata ain’t got time to get his t-shirt(s) off. So Shibata uses it against him with his chinlock. He mocks Nagata with the saluting leglock. But that only leads to the vets getting revenge. Lots of elbows thrown on the outside, Liger cracking Kushida’s knee with a chair. Liger’s a great leg bully here and KUSHIDA does a solid job selling, desperately clinging to the ref to escape the leglock. When KUSHIDA comes in later off the fresh tag, he sells the tilt-a-whirl landing,  keeping the work relevant. A nice and easily overlooked nuance.

Nagata and Liger are such a fun pairing.  After some more rudo chairshots, Liger puts KUSHIDA back in the leglock and Nagata just stands there vigilant by his side. I liked how Shibata so calmly avoids Nagata’s apron attacks. Lots of friendly hate between these two. I mean, Nagata eyefucks Shibata so hard he trips over KUSHIDA during the single leg crab. Shibata’s snappy kicks in the corner were cringy, capping them off with a sliding kick and the hesitation dropkick. Nagata sells Shibata’s offense so well, especially during the elbow exchange, and his knee strikes looked extra stiff. The traded suplexes were a great exclamation point to their happy little exchange. In the end, the Shelley Clutch finish came by surprise but it’s the logical finish, building off their last tag and heading into Dontaku. Great tag team wrestling, and not just a repeat of their last tag but a new, hateful facet. 

Katsuyori Shibata & KUSHIDA vs. Yuji Nagata & Jushin Liger (NJPW, 4/23/16)

Fantastic build for Dontaku and one of the better tag matches I’ve seen this year. Emotions were high between Shibata and Nagata, and their heated exchanges brought the right amount of impact to wet your whistle for their NEVER title match. Arm killer KUSHIDA was excellent, and the submission work on Liger played well into the story, with Shibata picking up where KUSHIDA leaves off. They work really well together as a unit, complimenting each others' style where Shibata brings the stiffness and KUSHIDA works the mat. Of course, Nagata and Liger are a fun pairing, with Liger playing the downtrodden veteran.

Nagata and Shibata open a little nice tussle for leg control, where he sees Nagata bust out a flurry of baby knees and Shibata getting pissed after Nagata reverses the leglock. Lots of angry elbows from Shibata. We get a taste of the impending Dontaku strike fest and Shibata is all fired up, no selling the Exploder (because that's just what people do) and connecting with an STO.  KUSHIDA and Liger get to show off their lucha-inspired skillz, and KUSHIDA gets busy with the arm work. Liger capitalizes off a missed standing moonsault and locks in the Kimura but KUSHIDA is able to reassert the arm control, first with a cross armbreaker and then transitioning to the Hoverboard Lock to prevent Liger's escape. Shibata does a good job at keeping Nagata stretched and at bay while KUSHIDA brings Liger to the middle of the ring. Even when Nagata breaks up the hold, KUSHIDA goes right back to work on the arm like a pitbull. Liger finds an opening on an over-the-shoulder armbreaker attempt, picking up the flash pin victory off a backslide. Great stage-setting finish and I'm stoked more than ever for Dontaku. 

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Satoshi Kojima (NJPW, 3/19/16)

This was great stuff -- lots to love on. The mounting frustration of Shibata, his great submission counters to the lariat. The early submission stuff was more or less filler  (although the figure-four reversals were fun) but the focused armwork and attack by Shibata was a compelling narrative, and Kojima did a solid job of expressing the exhausted determination. Plenty of stiff shots, too, especially Kojima's elbows.  After Shibata kicks out the arm of Kojima, he smells the blood and gets to work. The missed lariat to the ring post added to the story, and Shibata kept it relative throughout. I loved Kojima's angry apron lariat to the back of Shibata's knee. Shibata's slow grinding boot scrapes are an added touch but he's no Ohtani with his running face washes. There's a fun back suplex exchange and then they go at it for a while with the elbows and Kojima gets especially feisty in the corner. Shibata gets a couple of big spots with a PK and a Death Valley Bomb but Kojima comes back with a top rope Cozy Cozy Cutter. Great spot where Shibata blocks a right arm lariat with a boot so Kojima sucks in the pain and blasts him with his left arm. Shibata counters another lariat attempt with an armbar takedown and although Kojima hits another, he sells the pain and can't finish him off. Nice brainbuster gets a big nearfall for Kojima but in the end, Shibata has him scouted out and counters the final lariat attempt with the sleeper hold, wearing him down enough for the PK to be the nail in the coffin. Awesome performance by Kojima who sacrificed the shit out of his arm to try and take down Shibata but the great ring awareness of the champ allowed him to hang onto his title. 

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW, 2/11/16)

A macho tale of the thresholds of pain tolerance and how to break them. Maybe not as cringe-inducing as their Wrestle Kingdom 10 match-up but perhaps a more complete round of friendly violence. Shibata mocks the neck chops early on, which leads to an extended forearm battle. The "suplex me" sequence is silly but for this kind of manly competition, it totally works. Shibata chops the spit out of Ishii's throat and he sells like he's about to die -- Ishii was great throughout. Shibata took a sensible approach and tried to choke out/pass out Ishii, which made the finish extra special. The headbutts to the chest were a little easier on the ears but not that final spurt with the Shibata spinning backhand and subsequent slap-the-shit-out-of-each-other battle. The crowd was hot, commentary was vocal, CJ Parker was looking on from ringside. All in all, a great night for a fight. An inch above the WK match.

New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 10 (1/2/16)

Wrestle Kingdom 9 was the best pro-wrestling event of 2015. Hands down. The K. Ibushi/S. Nakamura match topped many a folk's end-of-the-year lists, with Tanahashi/Okada easily in the top 5 and a pretty awesome Suzuki/Sakuraba squabble. Enter 2016. Wrestle Kingdom 10. Is this already show of the year? Probably.

NEVER Openweight Title: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata

We knew this was going to be awesome. We knew that when these two went at it, it would be sometimes hard to watch. The sound effects would make you cringe. The emotion would be high, the fighting spirit undying. The tag match from 12/19's Road to Tokyo Dome show gave us an awesome preview of what would come in one of the best tag team matches from last year. Did it deliver? Hell yeah. This was a contest of pure endurance and pain tolerance. Early on,  these two were begging for pain, trading shots until Shibata went Happy Gilmore on Ishii's back with a kick. But Ishii's a Stone Pitbull. He's like New Japan's version of the Absorbing Man. He chops Shibata like firewood and Shibata's forearms are nutzo. After kicking the shit out of Ishii, he gladly cleans it off his face with the side of his boot in the corner. He's polite about his violence, and god, does it look painful. Lariats, kicks, suplexes, and we all fall down. Ishii wants to keep his NEVER title and folds Shibata up with a powerbomb for two -- the first pin attempt of the match. Lariat? Count one. Sliding lariat? Count two. And those thunking headbutts are the stuff of nightmares. More lariats from Ishii, more kicks from Shibata...and a nasty flying knee kick, a front kick, and the PK for the Shibata victory! A surprising finish to a non-stop match in which the competitors didn't have time to think about the consequences of their actions, or the degradation of the human biomass. Life is short. Let's fuck each other up and call it art. A+

IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. AJ Styles

So these two are leaving New Japan, heading to WWE in a quasi-surprising move, and instead of going the Goldberg/Lesnar route and not giving two shits, they gave like 4 and a half shits. This was easily my favorite AJ Styles New Japan match, and when Shinsuke wants to be solid, he's above and beyond. A slower build, which suits the 18-year veteran Styles well. The high flying shenangians are in still in his repertoire but he's picked up a few new tricks along the way that don't jeopardize his chances as much. There's also a franticness to this match. You can see it in their movements and counters. AJ's a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion so in his mind, this is beneath him. But Nakamura's swallows his final piece of Bullet Club lead and Styles quickly needs to coat check the ego. He does beautifully with a Styles dropkick (one of the best still) but when he plays opossum in the corner, he pays for it with a backbreaker and a sick high knee strike in the corner. Shinsuke looks like a lunatic and I'd be happy to see a Shinsuke Nakamura/Dean Ambrose match in his WWE future. Styles sells the back with the suplex lift attempt and goes low with the snap suplex in the corner. He works over Nakamura's leg, trying to weaken the Boma Ye, but it doesn't seem to be working. Once Shinsuke connects with that murdering second-rope Boma Ye, the momentum shifts. AJ lands his own Boma Ye and goes old-school with the Firebird Splash and Nakamura goes old-school with the cross armbreaker counter. A one-armed Styles Clash from AJ isn't enough to dethrone the foppish king. He hits the Bloody Sunday set-up to another Styles Clash...wait, fuck that, Super Styles Clash is the better decision. But his ego comes back to haunt him and after Nakamura counters off the top with the Landslide, he nails AJ with one of the most brutal Boma Ye knees to the back of the head, followed by a second Boma Ye to retain. Awesome stuff. A+

IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Rewind to Wrestle Kingdom 9, Tanahashi was still ace. He defeated Okada to keep his belt and his pride intact -- well, relatively intact and then lost it to Styles. Okada had to wade through the Bullet Club bullshit to finally reclaim what was taken from him at Wrestling Dontaku 2014, and now, the stage is set for the final battle to decide Japan's top pro wrestler. Tanahashi goes for the leg early on because, let's face it, he likes the Texas Cloverleaf. Unfortunately, Okada's selling of the limb work left something to be desired in this match, and while it didn't necessarily detract from the match as a whole, the inconsistency made you realize that Kazuchika Okada is human and not a wrestling god. It was what you would expect from these two, with a little more salt and pepper here and there, some big nearfalls, the 'Hey, I respect you but I'm going to try and beat you with your own finisher' game, and one of the best finishes I've seen in awhile. Tanahashi, the consummate samurai, strikes out with a final flash of steel: a Sling Blade, a dragon suplex hold, and back-to-back High Fly Flows. But Okada won't go down. He can't go down. The passion for this rivalry is deafening within the Tokyo Dome, and maybe Tanahashi lets that get to him because in his heart-of-hearts, he knows that Okada is now the master. He tries for the third HFF but Okada shows him the best dropkick in the world! After Okada's German suplex, Tanahashi slaps Okada! He's got nothing left at this point and Okada won't let go -- literally. Three Rainmakers and it's goodnight, sweet prince Tanahashi. A+ And with this win, Okada fulfills his destiny. He becomes the embodiment of New Japan; the modern evolution of pro wrestling art. Here's to 2016!