YOH Gabba Gabba!

Rocky Romero/SHO/YOH VS Jushin Thunder Liger/KUSHIDA/Tiger Mask IV - NJPW 9/15/2018

CJD: So you've just been through the uphill battle that is finding decent NJPW matches up for free online. I guess they're cracking down more than ever. And this match has a lot going against it. Cheating a bit going right back to SHO. Also right back to KUSHIDA. And yet another extremely short match (don't let the overall runtime fool you, it's first up and flies by). But fuck, this is great trios action while it lasts. Even in its brief duration so much happens and everyone has such a clear role to play. YOH especially shines and you can feel Liger's influence on this division for decades in both directions just from his presence in this simple little match. The way he works with YOH for their interaction here makes me think about how he's done that with so many wrestlers over the years, no matter how small the promotion or how big the stage, he makes everyone he works with feel like you need to watch what comes next for them. I wish I could have found something a bit more interesting for you this week but there was a lot to like here despite the fact I wish it was triple the runtime.

JJZ: Baby cakes this was quite a fun little six man tag. I agree with you that YOH really did shine in this match. This is a match that if you were there live for it might think, this is just a filler match. But it definitely was not. It made the most for what it was. And big ups for the commentators. I really enjoyed the picture they painted for that time in all the wrestlers life. I would love to see that British J-Cup. I'm positive it's not on NJWORLD. I would've definitely watched the shit out of that. My favorite thing about this match was that the vets let the young guys get their shine while still looking good themselves. Nice match baby cakes.

KUSHIDA Makes You Rock

KUSHIDA VS SHO - WCPW 7/7/2017

CJD: KUSHIDA is one of those great wrestlers who doesn't exactly wow you from the first time you see him. He doesn't burst off the screen and grab your attention. But what he does so consistently is have smart, satisfying matches that leave you wanting to see more of both him and his opponent. That's this tournament match through and through. They didn't set out to do anything spectacular but everyone in that building left thinking KUSHIDA is great and Sho is going to be something special. And make no mistake, Sho holds up his side of the bargain with an awesome little breakout performance that he'll keep delivering for years to come. Crazy strong and explosive. This wasn't the direction I expected to go with KUSHIDA this week but when the bulk of your career has been spent in NJPW and WWE the free streaming options are limited. So thanks to Defiant for hooking this one up!

JJZ: I curious about your opinion on my comment her CJD. Kushida really reminds of a modern day Ikuto Hidaka. If you're keeping score at home check back Friday for an example to compare. But to me they are so equal in so many ways. Juniors that work a more technical style but also pop out with some quick high spots. I think a lot of people underestimate them in their ability. I can't ever remember seeing Sho Tanaka before to be honest. But I liked him. Good moveset with smooth transitions. I agree that this is a great tournament match that kept you guessing. And in these settings you can never be sure who is gonna win. Good pick baybay.

Golden God Star

Kota Ibushi VS KUSHIDA - NJPW BOSJ 6/4/2010

JJZ: This some bitch is the definition of making every minute count. Thirthteen minutes felt like twenty. Let's talk about the filming of this one. Just using the single cam gave it such an epic feel. Never seen pre Time Splitter Kushida before that I can remember. The potentional for greatness was dripping off of him. With this being a BOSJ match I couldn't tell one way or the other who was going over so this match had a real edge of your seat viewing to it. Both wrestlers busted out with some shit I hadn't seen from them before also. I really loved this one hope you do too mi amigo.

CJD: One of my all-time favorite matches you've ever played forward to me is Ibushi VS Kanemoto from the 2009 BOSJ. And this isn't quite on that level, but god damn if it's not far off. I'd have a hard time telling you what I'd like to see improved in this match. There was a little whiff here, a slight moment of awkwardness there. That's it. I loved how they used every minute. KUSHIDA's technical work and snug strikes were a perfect balance to Ibushi's wild flying and explosive striking combos. Some cool fake outs and really effective false finishes. Not too long, not too short run time... this match is juuuuuussssttt right!! What a fascinating look into a simpler time for the BOSJ.

This Is Heavy

Will Ospreay VS KUSHIDA - WCPW World Cup Finals 8/26/2017

JJZ: So before watching this match I watched the quarterfinals match between Kushida and ZSJ. I was so excited for that and thought it would be a lock for me to Play Forward. As soon as I saw it I was like "YES." Then I watched it and was like "naw." It really underdelivered in my opinion. So, I saw this and you know how much I love Ospreay, and I couldn't recall really seeing a big time Ospreay vs Kushida match before. This was the finals of the same tournament and I really enjoyed this one. These two complimented each other nicely. This was a pretty textbook build of a match. Nice technical work in the beginning. Back and forth middle and an exciting home stretch. Loved the finish. I've seen a few matches from this tournament now and really think it would be something to invest time in.

CJD: I have seen one of the big time Ospreay/KUSHIDA matches in NJPW and it was very good. And this was on a similar level! These guys do have nice chemistry. This particular match felt like more of Ospreay's brainchild and as such there were a few moments I thought he was trying to get a bit more melodramatic than it needed. BUT, at the same time, this crowd felt like they'd been through a lot, and maybe they needed a lot to hook them back in. They were definitely fully invested by the finish and what a finish it was. And for any criticisms I might have, they never lost me in the slightest, and this was a highly satisfying match beginning to end. 64 man tournament! God damn. One of the fantasy wrestling feds I used to be a part of back in the *Prodigy days did one of those but we kayfabed a bunch of early rounds like it was the IC Title in Rio de Janeiro. I have to assume WCPW actually held every one of these matches, and my hat's off to them and the talent for that.

The Dog's Jarmies

Johnny Gargano (c) VS KUSHIDA - NXT North American Championship 2/14/2021

CJD: It's going to be hard for me to put my thoughts about this match into words. There's a lot of really great work here. KUSHIDA brings some of what I like best out of Gargano, his mean streak, his World Of Sport influence (without straight up stealing spots). They definitely got too cute for my tastes at times but the good stuff here had too much wow factor for me to skip sharing it with you. I've been wanting to catch up on some of KUSHIDA's work in NXT and even though I have no idea why he's dressed for a street fight, even though this is sterile piped-in audio pandemic production value hell, I still enjoyed seeing him do his thing with a very game opponent. I'm curious how you'll feel about this one.

JJZ: Well alright, I was very excited to sink my teeth into this. I miss watching Kushida first of all and I haven't watched very much if any NXT in the year 2021 so I'm very very hype on this. NXT really really made Johnny a better all around wrestler. He looks so polished in this match. Just smooth and confident. Now, I haven't watched a Kushida match in forever. I mean, I forgot his moveset. I was popping like a little kid on Christmas for his stuff. The arm work alone was a teachable moment for the young guys in the back. Pair that with John John's selling and your getting your money's worth with this match alone. Finishing sequence was so well done. I was pulling for Kushida the whole way. I got very invested in this one.