New Japan - Wrestling #2 King of Pro Wrestling 2017

I checked and some of the matches from this New Japan event weren't shown on this particular AXS TV presentation. The ones shown:

Roppongi 3K vs. Ricochet and Taguchi ***/****
KES vs. GOD vs. War Machine **/****
Will Ospreay vs. Kushida ***/****
Naito vs. Ishii ****/****
Okada vs. Evil ***/****

Out of the matches AXS TV shown, Ishii battling G1 Climax 2017 winner, Naito, in a very physical encounter was my personal favorite. Naito basically put his contract to wrestle for the IWGP Heavyweight championship on the line against Ishii, a move many would consider idiotic. Against the blunt force object of Ishii, particularly seems numbskullish. All the same, Naito scratched and clawed out of it after 23 minutes of brutality and bodily punishment, using multiple Destino (climbing over the opponent shoulder until hitting a reverse DDT after locking the head) finishers to finally pin Ishii. I love Ishii. Love this guy. He’s old school bruiser, hitting you with punches, headbutts, arm/elbow strikes, chops, clothelines, kicks, dishing it out and taking it. Ishii very much lives up to his Pitbull moniker, a bad-to-the-bone and gutsy human weapon, willing to suffer, withstand punishment, and deliver everything with great intensity and force. He did a last ride powerbomb, Angle slam, and superplex from the top turnbuckle that are well executed as you will ever see by any pro wrestler. I felt privileged to watch Ishii just give and take with Naito who had no reason to put that “certificate for the Tokyo Dome” on the line. There was this turning point in the match where Naito had worked over Ishii’s right knee and wore him down, having weakened him with that effective offense that included some sick suplexes and drop kicks to the leg, but decided to slap him and mock him. That “woke up” Ishii and pissed him off which resulted in a flurry of shots to the face, neck, chest, shoulders, and throughout the body. I yelled at the screen, admittedly, when Naito provoked him into that flurry. It was so nonsensical yet makes sense considering Naito is a real NWO type of heel, beloved by many in Japan for his F-U cocky attitude and nonchalance. He arrives in this match in full suit and just takes his time getting to his tights while Ishii is stewing, ready to lock up with him. At the end, I thought his nonsense involving grabbing at the defeated Ishii’s face and spitting on him was repulsive, yet his fans in the crowd love that shit. Just the same, I’m one of those that was glad he lost again to Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 12.

I applaud the athleticism and innovative offense of both Will Osprey and IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion, Kushida, in their match. My favorite part of it was when Kushida continues to work over Osprey’s arm including some incredible arm bars, often out of mid-flight. The diamond cutters and DDTs off of ring ropes certainly are worthy of awe. I told my wife, when responding at the dynamic offense on display, that human bodies really shouldn’t do that. Just the same, Osprey and Kushida perform all of this “gymnastics” creatively. Critically, I can see why this kind of match might not be held in such high esteem. Like the IWGP Junior Tag Team Heavyweight championship between challengers, Roppongi 3K, and champions, Richochet and Taguchi, where they fly around, spring off ropes, orchestrating maneuvers at a breakneck pace, Osprey and Kushida telegraph and choreograph everything in a manner that is obvious. I think you can see where those involved clearly organize everything to wow the audience. It is spectacular, there is no denying that. But performance art aside, I just prefer hard-hitting fights where there is something significant on the line and a distinct dynamic that often features two men at odds (over bad blood, a valuable prize, or bragging rights that come out of competition). Osprey had lost four to Kushida, wanting one final shot at the championship, succeeding finally with his Oz Cutter, while Ricochet succumbs to the 3K (Sho flap jacks the opponent into a Yohei reverse STO) after working all over the ring performing his various arsenal of Cruiserweight offense. An ordinary suplex or DDT these performers don’t prefer…they want to work them out of extraordinary chain maneuvers using turnbuckles and ropes (and other wrestlers, even). Osprey genuinely appeared overjoyed to finally win the Junior Heavyweight title.

The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team championship between K.E.S, G.O.D, and War Machine went similarly as the match I watched just yesterday (Destruction in Kobe 2017) with Killer Elite Squad retaining. These teams use weapons in their Elimination Tornado Tag Team match, going in and out of the ring slamming each other, pummeling each other over the head with garbage cans and lids (and using tables to hurl their bodies through and into), and destroying each other with double team power maneuvers. Hanson propelling himself with Topei dives and moving about the ring at such speed considering his size is impressive. But New Japan love Davey Boy Smith, Jr. and Lance Archer, keeping them strong in this title defense after winning the titles in the previous tag match against the other two teams. Guerillas of Destiny (Haku’s boys) just have fallen short multiple times. They really work a lot like the Usos, except they don’t use a lot of superkicks. Chops, headbutts, leaps off the top turnbuckles, high flying offense seems to be their forte.  War Machine are just big boys that throw their weight around. G.O.D are eliminated first by War Machine thanks to the “Fallout” double team and K.E.S hits their Killer Bomb on Hanson for the win (through a table, no less).

Okada is taken to a 33 minute match with Evil (who got an Undertaker type entrance with cloaked followers pulling him on a throne), in an exhausting battle. Evil is in the same faction as Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon), so had he won, it would have been quite an interesting main event at Wrestle Kingdom 12. The IWGP Heavyweight title was on the line, and this seemed like a way to build up Evil as a performer on the rise. He uses a chair draped over Okada’s head as a weapon to damage the neck/shoulder and yet the referee (Red Shoes) just lets it go without disqualification. No warning to stop or anything! And that afforded Evil the chance to work on that neck and shoulder throughout the match. Evil and Okada really work well together, I thought, but the outcome seemed clear despite near falls. The wear and tear of these lengthy physical encounters have to eventually take their toll on Okada who gets the very best out of the “murderer’s row” (used to great effect by Barnett to describe Naito’s G1 Climax success getting to Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 12) that is New Japan. I really enjoy how New Japan uses losses in the G1 tournament as storyline fodder. Like Evil pinning Okada as a means to produce this match. The Long Beach US tournament produced Naito’s challenge of Ishii (who pinned him in the opening of the tourney). These losses (that don’t result in title changes) nonetheless offer matches in the future where the possibility of title change is aware to the audience.

I hope AXS did include the excluded matches from this 3 hour television special in episodes I haven’t yet seen. The absence of Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi was disappointing.