RESULTS:
- David Finlay over Fred Rosser
- STRONG Openweight Championship: Oleg Boltin over Tomohiro Ishii © (Recommended)
- AEW National Championship: Ricochet © over Taiji Ishimori
- El Desperado & KUSHIDA over Alec Price & Jordan Oliver
- NJPW World Television Championship: Konosuke Takeshita over El Phantasmo © (Recommended)
- IWGP Tag Team Championships: OSKAR & Yuto-Ice © over Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona
- IWGP Women’s Championship: Syuri © over Athena (Recommended)
- IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Yota Tsuji © over Andrade El Idolo (Recommended)
David Finlay wins ‘First time and last time’ match
It is being promoted as a ‘first time and last time’ match-up.
Finlay jumped Rosser before the bell, and they fought on the floor. Finlay poked Rosser in the eyes and shoved him into the post from the apron. Rosser caught Finlay and crotched him on the post. With the count going, Finlay powerbombed Rosser into the post but rolled his opponent into the ring. Rosser scored with a big lariat for his first pinfall attempt of the match. He applied a chicken wing, but Finlay rolled back to escape. Rosser countered the Overkill and hit a DVD for a near-fall.
Finlay went to counter a body slam for a cradle, but Rosser lost his grip, Finlay transitioned and hit the Overkill to win.
This was a solid opening match with a minor hiccup on the scoop slam counter. Finlay is solid, and then it progressed with near-falls late in the match as the audience was behind Rosser, but also acknowledged that this was Finlay’s night.
There were chants of “Thank you, Finlay,” and he grabbed the microphone for an address, but then threw it down and walked off.
Finlay met the Knockout Brothers at the entrance and posed with OSKAR and Yuto-Ice.
Oleg Boltin captures the STRONG Openweight Championship from Tomohiro Ishii
This is another first-time singles match.
Both have their right shoulders taped. So, of course, they begin with shoulder blocks to each other. Oleg performed the Boltin Shake, which worked well, and finished with a kip-up. They engaged in an intense chop battle as the audience cheered as it escalated, and they didn’t slow down until Ishii dropped and was met with a ‘Holy shit’ chant. Ishii responded with a German suplex and ran at one another with lariats. They stumbled and collapsed from the contact, and the audience loved it. Boltin hit a powerbomb, and Ishii kicked out. Ishii kicked out of the Kamikaze and avoided a second one by landing an enzuigiri. Boltin popped Ishii into the air and hit the Verdict and followed with the Kamikaze to win the title.
Excellent match. One of Boltin’s best of his career, and it felt like a high-end G1 Climax match. There was a “Boltin” chant as he exited the ring.
Ricochet remains AEW National champion, beating Taiji Ishimori
They started at a fast pace by trading O’Connor rolls and Ricochet bailing to the floor, and teased leaving before being chased back by Ishimori. Ricochet snapped Ishimori’s arm on the rope and landed a Fosbury Flop. Ishimori was on the defensive until poking the champion in the eye. Ishimori tried a tope con giro but jumped too early and bounced his stomach off the top rope and flew over. The challenger sent Ricochet’s shoulder into the exposed turnbuckle and used La Mistica into the Bone Lock, but Ricochet rolled into a Northern Lights and was out.
Ricochet survived a Poisonrana and Inverted Bloody Sunday to connect with a DVD, followed by Vertigo and a Spirit Gun for the clean win.
Once this match found its groove, it really started to gel nicely. The final minutes showed elements of Ishimori’s best, and Ricochet wrestled a very smooth match, mixing both the comedy and “bald” chants with all his trademark spots to deliver a very satisfying match.
El Desperado & KUSHIDA secure a win over Alec Price & Jordan Oliver
Walker Stewart acknowledged Price & Oliver as the GCW tag team champions, although they didn’t wear the belts. He also mentioned KUSHIDA working for MLW, and he did have his Middleweight title.
Price landed a somersault dive off the entrance stage. Oliver’s shoulder was sent into the buckle, and they worked over the injured body part until reaching Price for a tag. There was a period in the middle where Desperado and Price seemed lost while in the ring. KUSHIDA hit Price with a Super Frankensteiner off the top. Hoverboard Lock was applied to Price and sent into a Shotei. KUSHIDA trapped Oliver in a Hoverboard Lock as Desperado hit the Pinche Lock and pinned Price.
I didn’t think this match clicked well at all, and there was a noticeable period where it felt like they were on different pages. It was definitely a comedown from the previous matches.
Konosuke Takeshita wins the NJPW World Television Championship
El Phantasmo and Konosuke Takeshita wrestled to a fifteen-minute draw last May at Resurgence in California, and had a rematch in the G1 Climax that Phantasmo won.
Phantasmo did a ridiculous count-out tease by stumbling around ringside and losing grip of the ring skirt before re-entering at nineteen. ELP started playing the air guitar and tossed it away when Takeshita ran at him with a boot. ELP landed a moonsault off the top rope and over the barricade, and it was spectacular. Takeshita stopped a CR II and hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. ELP missed a BME but followed with Sudden Death as Takeshita hit a forearm with both down and two minutes remaining. ELP hit the Canadian Hammer and a CR II, but Takeshita kicked out in the final minute. ELP climbed, and Thunderkiss ’86 landed on the knees. Takeshita tried the Raging Fire, but ELP countered and hit his own version when time expired.
The audience was disappointed and upset with the draw, but the time limit added so much urgency and made the final three minutes intense, with the match reaching another level.
ELP asked the audience if they wanted five more minutes, and they cheered, and then the match continued.
They went back-and-forth with pins, and ELP landed a Canadian Destroyer. ELP popped up from a wheelbarrow suplex, and the audience was really into the match. Takeshita hit CR II for a two-count. Takeshita got to his feet and struck the champion with a power drive knee and Raging Fire to win.
Knockout Brothers retain belts against GOA
The Knockout Brothers are seeking their fourth title defense.
Toa Liona shoulder tackled OSKAR into the barricade. GOA took control of Yuto-Ice while OSKAR recovered the barricade spot. OSKAR and Toa entered to chants of “meat”. They attacked each other with lariats until OSKAR slammed Toa. Toa lifted both for the Samoan drop / fallaway slam combination, which was impressive. Yuto-Ice struck Kaun with repeated knees in the corner. Toa broke up a cover, and Yuto spat at him and delivered slaps to Toa. Kaun hit a Pedigree on Yuto for a two-count.
Kaun fell to the KOB with Yuto-Ice scoring the pinfall.
GOA has a lot of potential, but I wouldn’t say they have reached that level to have a nearly twenty-minute title match on a pay-per-view. The match had several moments that worked, but it wasn’t among the Knockout Bros.’ best outings, and it wore on throughout the middle of the match. The audio was not ideal on this broadcast, but the Knockout Bros. did seem popular, especially Yuto-Ice.
Syuri retains IWGP Women’s title, Alex Windsor issues challenge
Syuri was on offense from the start and had the crowd behind her. She came off the apron, was caught, and tossed into the barricade by Athena. The ROH champion took over and swung Syuri with a front chancery. Syuri got her feet and started attacking with kicks, and then went for the arm with multiple submission attempts. Syuri used a hammerlock superplex and hyperextended the arm, transitioned to a sleeper, but Athena reached the rope. It took three powerbombs for Athena to break out of a Triangle armbar. Syuri kicked out from a Tombstone, and Athena couldn’t believe it.
Athena climbed to the top for the O Face; it was cut off, and Syuri struck with a roundhouse kick to the head and won with Syuri World.
Athena refused a handshake and attempted to leave when Syuri grabbed the ROH Women’s Championship as a tease for a future title match.
This was excellent, and this was the type of match that would have transferred really well on an episode of Dynamite. Both showcased their athleticism, a high intensity they maintained throughout the match, and the submission work on the arm of Athena, and her defensive work was very solid.
After the match, a video featuring Alex Windsor aired and she issued a challenge for a rematch with Syuri on March 8 at Wrestle Queendom VIII for Pro Wrestling Eve at the Indigo at the O2.
Yota Tsuji retains IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
They lit one another up with chops during the early stages, and Andrade El Idolo attempted the Three Amigos, and Tsuji cut them off. Andrade applied a figure-four from his back, which Tsuji reversed momentarily. The Marlow Crash was hit with Andrade draped on the middle rope. Andrade ducked a strike and hit the Three Amigos, which the audience cheered and chanted “Eddy”. Andrade missed the running knees into the corner and was hit by a ‘rana off the buckle as Tsuji signaled for the Gene Blaster, but Andrade side-stepped the maneuver. Tsuji attacked the mid-section as a precursor to his finisher. Tsuji shook the ropes and engaged the crowd, went for another Gene Blaster, and was caught by a dropkick.
Tsuji stopped the DM but connected with a spinning elbow for a near-fall. Tsuji countered a Last Ride into a Destroyer for two. Tsuji hit the Guerrero Special, and a spear thwarted his third attempt at the Gene Blaster. Tsuji recovered to his feet and hit the Gene Blaster coming off the rope, and hit a second, which Andrade kicked out from.
Tsuji applied the Boston Crab and pulled Andrade away from the rope, and was forced to tap.
This turned into a really solid match, and both worked at a high level. The Gene Blaster kickout generated a big response and emphasized the effectiveness of the Boston Crab.
Tsuji thanked Andrade for coming to NJPW, and they shook hands before addressing the crowd. He stated it’s his era and will always believe that NJPW is the best. He thanked the fans for coming.
