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.

Welcome To The SHO

Sho Tanaka VS Yohei Kematsu - NJPW 12/3/2014

JJZ: We are going back to basics with this one homie. A couple of young boys doing young boy moves. But dare I say doing them extremely well and efficiently. As I sit here drinking a cup of earl grey tea I can honestly say I found this match soothing. Sho and Yoh go on to have a very colorful energetic run together. But in this match both wrestlers put on a basics match that I think you could show to young students in training. The biggest highlight I think came out of this contest was the selling for both guys really made it feel like winning this match was the most important thing in the world at that moment. Hope you enjoy it baby cakes.

CJD: Full transparency here. You watched and reviewed the Sho match last week not realizing Sho Tanaka was the Sho you've seen probably like a hundred matches of since you watched nothing but NJPW one year recently. And I haven't seen a hundred Yoh matches but I sure as shit didn't put together who Yohei Komatsu was until after I looked him up after I was done and then read your review!! All I want out of young lions matches is three things. A feeling of huge struggle for the victory. Execution over wow factor. And single leg Boston crabs!!!! Check, check, mate my man!! Loved this and love you.

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.