From The Shelf- NJPW Wrestlekingdom VIII

NJPW Wrestlekingdom VIII
1-4-14
Tokyo, Japan

Hey, one more Wrestlekingdom review won’t hurt anyone, right?

Pre Show:
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan, and Bushi vs. Jushin Liger, Manabu Nakanishi, Super Strong Machine, and Yohei Komatsu
Liger’s team attacks to start and Komatsu dropkicks Honma. Liger’s team all charges at Honma in the corner and Komatsu hits a double under hook suplex for 2. Liger’s team stomps away on Honma and Honma comes back with a clothesline to Komatsu. Dropping head butt by Honma and he tags Bushi. He goes up and hits a missile dropkick to Komatsu. Slam by Bushi and he grabs a Boston Crab. Liger and Nakanishi break it up and Tenzan tags in. Shoulder chops by Tenzan gets 2 and they trade chops. Spinning heel kick by Tenzan gets 2 as Liger saves. Tag to Captain and he hits a back elbow for 2. Slam by Captain and he goes up. Diving head butt misses and Nakanishi tags in. He chops away in the corner and hits a corner clothesline. He charges again but misses and Nakanishi blocks an Irish whip attempt. Flying shoulder block by Captain and Tenzan tags in. He gives Nakanishi some shoulder chops but Nakanishi comes back with a Spear. Lariat by Nakanishi gets 2. Torture Rack by Nakanishi and he releases. Back suplex by Honma to Nakanishi and Komatsu tags in. Running forearm by Komatsu gets 2. Small package by Komatsu gets 2 and he rolls Tenzan up for 2. Clothesline by Tenzan gets 2 as Liger’s team breaks. Everyone comes in to brawl and Captain chops away on Komatsu. Honma goes up and hits the dropping head butt off the top to Komatsu. Tenzan goes up and hits a diving head butt off the top to the back of Komatsu for 2 as Liger’s team breaks again. Half Crab by Tenzan and Komatsu gives.
Winners- Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan, and Bushi **1/4 ( It was decent for a pre-show match. Nothing blew me away and it was weird seeing Nakanishi and Tenzan working most of the match despite being past their primes.)

Main Show:

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships- Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) © vs. Time Splitters (Alex Shelley and KUSHIDA) vs. Taka Michinoku and Taichi vs. Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov)
Time Splitters have the first awesome entrance of the night, as they come out in the DeLorean in a Back to the Future parody. Koslov sings the Russian national anthem but eats a SUPERKICK PARTY~!!!!! The Bucks clean house to star and they hit a double hip toss into a double basement dropkick to KUSHIDA. Gutbuster/swinging neckbreaker combo by the Bucks to Shelley. Knee lift by KUSHIDA to Matt as Taka and Taichi join commentary instead of wrestling. Assisted dropkick by Nick to Shelley and KUSGIDA hits a handspring back elbow to the Bucks. The Hooligans hit baseball slides to the Bucks and Romero hits a hurricanrana to KUSHIA. Crossbody off the top by Koslov to KUSHIDA and the Hooligans charge at Shelley in the corner. Rapid corner clotheslines by Romero to Shelley and Koslov battery rams Romero into Shelley. Clothesline by Romero and it’s time for a RUSSIAN DANCE~!!!!! Double stomp to the head by Koslov gets 2 as Taka and Taichi save. RUSSIAN DANCE BY TAICHI AND TAKA!!!! They charge at Koslov in the corner and Taichi hits a knee to the groin. Everyone attempts a suplex with the Bucks, Taka a, and Taichi winning the battle. Matt goes for an enzuigiri on Taka but misses and nails Nick. Nick hits the slingshot X-Factor to Taichi but misses the apron moonsault to Romero. Suicide dive by Romero to Nick but he eats a slingshot dropkick from Matt. Koslov suplexes Matt to the floor and Taka hits a springboard Asai moonsault to the floor!!! The Time Splitters dive onto everyone on the floor!!! Taichi goes up but Matt stops him and follows up. Nick joins him and THEY DOUBLE SUPERPLEX TAICHI ONTO EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR!!!! Back in, everyone lands strikes on each other and that ends with the springboard Doomsday Device by the Hooligans to Nick for 2!!! Time Splitters double team Koslov and that ends with a basement dropkick from KUSHIDA. Corner knee strike by KUSHIDA to Romero and he slams him. Standing moonsault/top rope splash combo by the Splitters gets 2 as the Bucks save. Capo kick by KUSHIDA knock the Bucks off the apron and they hit a moonsault/neckbreaker combo to Romero. Taka distracts the ref with a chair to prevent the pin and Taichi and Taka hit a double Fade to Black on Shelley for 2 as Matt saves. Spear to Taka and the Bucks hit a springboard spiked Tombstone to Taichi for 2 as Taka saves!!! Double superkick to Taka and they hit More Bang for Your Buck on Taichi for 3!!!
Winenrs and Still IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions- Young Bucks *** ( Too many of the spots were contrived and it was too chaotic for my taste, but some of the antics off all eight guys was fun to watch and the action never slowed, so it made for a solid opener that probably could have been better.)

IWGP Tag Team Championship- Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) © vs. Bullet Club (Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows) w/Tama Tonga
Archer and Gallows start. They trade boots and Archer hits some forearms to start. He clotheslines Gallows to the floor as Smith Jr. catches Anderson coming in with a powerslam. Leg drop/big splas combo by the KES and they hip toss Tonga into the ring. Anderson and Gallows save Tonga and Gallows clotheslines Archer to the floor. Anderson stomps away on Smith Jr. and he rakes the eyes of Smith Jr. Gallows works over Smith Jr. in the corner and he hits an Avalanche in the corner. Gallows dumps Smith Jr. to the floor and Tonga gets some shots in. Smith Jr. snaps Gallows’ neck off the ropes but Gallows comes back with a suplex for 2. Tag to Anderson and he hammers Smith Jr. on the mat. Smith Jr. returns the favor so Anderson rakes the eyes to come back. Bicycle kick in the corner by Anderson and Gallows hits a lariat. Back senton by Anderson and Gallows hits a big splash for 2. Smith Jr. blocks the Gun Stun and he hits a back suplex to Anderson. Tag to Archer and he hammers Gallows with forearms. Gallows hits a hip check in the corner but Archer comes back with a cross body. Facebuster followed by a lariat by Archer and he hits a sit-out full nelson slam for 2. Archer looks to go Old School but Tonga crotches him to block. Uppercuts by Anderson and Archer comes back with an overhead toss to Anderson. Avalanche in the corner by Archer and he puts Anderson on top. He follows up but Anderson fights him off. Archer catches him with Blackout for 2 as Tonga pulls the ref out of the ring!!! Archer drags Tonga into the ring and the KES hits the Killer Bomb. KES go for the Killer Bomb on Anderson but Gallows saves. They go for the Killer Bomb on Gallows but Anderson saves. Belly to belly suplex by Smith Jr. to Gallows but he eats a Sick Kick from Anderson. Big boot by Archer and he hits a Chokeslam for 2!!! He goes for a second chokeslam but Anderson counters into the Gun Stun for 2 as Smith Jr. saves!!! Flapjack by Gallows to Smith Jr. and the Bullet Club hit the Magic Killer for 3!!!
Winners and NEW IWGP Tag Team Champions- Bullet Club ***1/4 ( Good big man tag match. The action was consistent and fun and the finish stretch where both team worked to prevent each other’s finishers was excellent. Too much Tonga interference combined with little to no tags hurt the match for me.)

NWA World Heavyweight Championship- Rob Conway © w/Bruce Tharpe and Jax Dane vs. Satoshi Kojima w/Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Harley Race comes out for the introductions and he takes a shot at Tharpe when Tharpe bad mouths him. Back elbow by Conway and he hammers Kojima on the mat. Elbow drops by Conway and Kojima fights back with rights. Back suplex by Kojima but Conway crotches him to come back. Dropkick by Conway knocks Kojima to the apron and he follows out. Kojima catches him with a DDT on the apron and back in, Conway pokes the eye of Kojima. Conway works Kojima over in the corner and Kojima comes back with rapid chops in the corner. Corner forearm by Kojima and he goes up. Dane hops on the apron but Kojima fights him off. The distraction allows Conway to shove Kojima to the floor. Conway follows out and he sends Kojima into the railings. Clothesline on the floor by Conway and back in, Conway hits a sit-out Urinage for 2. Elbow drop by Conway gets 2 and he hits some shoulder chops as an insult to Tenzan. Kojima comes back with an ace crusher. Brainbuster by Kojima gets 2. Dane grabs a sleeper from the apron on Kojima but Tenzan breaks it up and fights Dane on the floor. In the ring, Conway catches Kojima with a Spear. They trade counters and Kojima hits a Northern lariat from the apron. Lariat by Kojima gets 3!!!
Winner and NEW NWA World Heavyweight Champion- Satoshi Kojima **1/2 ( Match was decent, as there worked a more old school NWA style rather than the hard hitting lariat-fest we usually get from Kojima. It didn’t rock my world or anything but it was fine and the pop Kojima got for the win made it worthwhile. )

Yuji Nagata and Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Daniel and Rolles Gracie
Nagata is the only full time pro wrestler in this match so this should be interesting. Rolles and Sakuraba start. Rolles for an inverted half nelson but Sakuraba quickly goes to the ropes to break. Rolles looks for the Triangle Choke but Sakuraba escapes. Rolles locks Sakuraba in the grape vine but Nagata breaks it up. Nagata and Daniel tag in. Daniel takes Nagata down and looks for the Kimura but Nagata rolls on top of Daniel to counter. Nagata attempts a cross arm breaker but Daniel blocks and they battle for control on the mat. Daniel goes to the ropes to break. Kicks to the leg by Nagata but Daniel catches him in the sleeper. Nagata makes the ropes to break and Rolles tags in. Rolles hammers away but Nagata protects himself from the shots. Knees to the gut by Rolles and Daniel tags in. More knees in the gut by Daniel but Nagata takes him down and goes for the arm. Daniel counters into a cross arm breaker but Sakuraba steps on his face to block. Tag to Rolles and Nagata hits a hard kick to the chest. Tag to Sakuraba and he fires away on Rolles. Sakuraba goes for a head scissors but Rolles goes to the ropes to block. Tag to Daniel and he hits some knees to the gut in the corner. Nagata tags in and he and Sakuraba throw some kicks to the chest. Saito suplex by Nagata gets 2. Fujiwara arm bar by Nagata and he converts it into a cross arm breaker. Rolles breaks the hold and Daniel judo chops Nagata and chokes him with his jacket. He refuses to let go and the ref calls for the bell.
Winners by DQ- Yuji Nagata and Kazushi Sakuraba * ( I understand what they were going for but this experiment failed miserable. This was a horrible shoot match, as the Gracies did not know how to work so everything they did with Nagata and Sakuraba looked horrible. One of the worst matches I’ve seen in New Japan in awhile. )

Minoru Suzuki and Shelton Benjamin w/Taka Michinoku and Taichi vs. Toru Yano and Great Muta
Muta and Suzuki start. Both men look for control on the mat but neither can gain the advantage. Benjamin tags in and he looks for an arm bar but Muta goes to the floor to block. Back in, Yano tags in and he fires away on Benjamin. Suzuki hits a knee to the back from the apron and grabs a hanging cross arm breaker. All four men brawl on the floor and Suzuki chokes away on Yano. Taichi throws some cheap shots using a chair at Yano and Benjamin slams Yano on the floor. Back in, Benjamin covers Yano for 2. Benjamin hammers Yano on the mat and he hits a butterfly suplex for 2. Tag to Suzuki and he hits a Yakuza kick in the corner. Snap mare into a running kick to the chest by Suzuki for 2. Benjamin tags in and he grabs a hammerlock but Yano goes to the ropes to break. Taichi chokes Yano in the ropes and Suzuki grabs another hanging cross arm breaker from the apron. Running knee strike from the apron by Benjamin gets 2. Yano rakes the eyes of Benjamin but Benjamin comes back with a suplex. Benjamin goes for the Stinger Splash but misses and hits the now exposed corner. Corner knee strike by Muta and he hits a dragon screw leg sweep. He dumps Benjamin to the floor and Muta drives a chair into both Benjamin and Suzuki. Back in, Muta hits hit famous elbow drop and Benjamin comes back with a spinning heel kick. Tag to Suzuki and he sends Yano into the exposed corner. Forearms by Suzuki but Yano takes him down by the pony tail to come back. Clothesline by Benjamin and he hits the Stinger Splash. Spinebuster by Benjamin and Suzuki grabs a cross arm breaker. Muta breaks it up but walks into a superkick from Benjamin. Sleeper by Suzuki and he goes for the Gotch Piledriver but Yano blocks. Shining Wizard by Muta and he hits a dragon screw leg sweep to Benjamin and Taka. Shining Wizard to Benjamin and he sprays mist in the face of Taichi as he was aiming for Suzuki. Sleeper by Suzuki but he eats a chair to the midsection from Yano. Suzuki catches him in the sleeper but Yano goes low and Muta sprays mist in his face. Small package by Yano gets 3!!!
Winners- Toru Yano and Great Muta **1/2 ( Obviously the match wasn’t going to be a technical classic but it was fun and everyone enjoyed seeing Muta’s spots so it was good for what it was supposed to be. )

King of Destroyer Match- Bad Luck Fale vs. Togi Makabe
You have to win the match by submission or knock out. Makabe attacks Fale at the bell and they slug it out. Makabe knocks Fale to the floor to win that battle and he follows out. Fale sends Makabe into the railings and he slams Makabe on the floor. Fale chokes Makabe with his chain and back in, Fale hits a Samoan Drop. The ref beings counting Makabe down and he’s up at 6. Elbow drops to the back by Fale and he steps on the back of Makabe. Sitting chinlock by Fale and he works over the midsection of Makabe in the corner. Fale misses the Avalanche in the corner and Makabe catches him with a lariat. Corner clotheslines by Makabe and he hits some punches in the corner. Clothesline by Makabe and he hits the DVD. Makabe goes up for the King Kong Knee Drop but misses. Big boot by Fale and he grabs the chain. Makabe stops him and he nails Fale with the chain a few times. Clothesline using the chain by Fale and Makabe drives a table into the head of Fale. Makabe puts Fale on the table and he goes up. Fale recovers and shoves Makabe back into the ring. Avalanche in the corner by Fale and he hits a big splash. Samoan Spike by Fale and Makabe gets up at 8. Razor’s Edge by Fale and Makabe gets up at 9. Slam by Fale and he goes up. He misses a flying spot off the top and Makabe clotheslines him to the floor. Makabe follows out and Fale works him over. Fale puts Makabe on the table and goes to the apron but Makabe catches him with a power bomb through the table!!! Back in, Makabe hits some clotheslines in the corner and Fale is up at 8. Makabe goes up and hits the King Kong Knee Drop. A second King Kong Knee Drop by Makabe and Fale doesn’t get up before the count!!!
Winner- Togi Makabe ** ( This match would have worked better as a chaotic brawl with Makabe bumping like crazy for Fale’s offensive. Instead, we got a slow paced brawl that showed that went too long and showed that Fale is still green. He’s offensive looks cool, but he has some work to do. )

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto
Both men look for control early and Shibata slaps Goto a few times to send a message. Snapmare followed by a kick to the back from Shibata and he goes to the Figure-4. Goto makes the ropes to break and Shibata hits some forearms in the corner. Spinning heel kick in the corner by Goto but Shibata comes back with a hard kick to the chest. Forearms in the corner again by Shibata but Goto fires back with his own. Basement hesitation dropkick in the corner by Shibata and Goto bails. Shibata rolls him back in and Shibata hits some kicks to the chest. Goto comes back with a clothesline and he hits some kicks to the chest. Corner clothesline by Goto and he goes up. Flying elbow drop by Goto gets 2. They trade forearms and Goto hits some lariats with Shibata refusing to go down. Big boots by Shibata but Goto comes back with a lariat for 2. Saito suplex by Goto gets 2. Abdominal stretch by Shibata but Goto goes to the ropes to break. Release German suplex by Shibata and Goto comes back with a Saito suplex. They trade Saito suplexes and Goto connects with a Northern lariat. Shibata blocks a German suplex attempt and connects with the Pele. Lariat by Goto gets 1 and Shibata hits a kick to the chest for 1. Lariat by Shibata gets 1 and Goto hits a kick to the chest for 1 and both men are down!!!! Sleeper by Shibata and he hits the DVD backbreaker. Running kick to the chest by Shibata gets 2. Ura Shouten facebuster by Goto and he hits a DVD backbreaker. Powerslam backbreaker by Goto gets 2. Shouten Kai by Goto gets 2. Shibata catches Goto with the Shouten and both men are down again. Goto blocks the GTS attempt and he hits a hard head butt. Shibata returns the favor and they trade forearms. Lariat by Goto gets 1 and he fires away at Shibata with lariats. He KILLS Shibata with a lariat and then hits Shouten Kai for 3!!!
Winner- Hirooki Goto **** ( This was a hell of a comeback match for Goto. They wrestled as though they hated each other so their hard strikes and vicious exchanges had meaning to them. There were some awesome sequences throughout the match and Goto got a huge win to put him into title contention. )

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship- Prince Devitt © w/Bullet Club vs. Kota Ibushi
Devitt’s entrance consists of him coming out of a coffin painted like a zombie. It’s sick. Devitt gets a cheap shot to start and Ibushi comes back with a kick to the chest. Nick Jackson distracts Ibushi, allowing Devitt to attack from behind. Dropkick by Ibushi and Devitt bails. Now Gallows distracts Ibushi so Devitt charges but misses and knocks Gallows off the apron. Arm bar by Ibushi but Devitt goes to the ropes to break. Gallows pulls Ibushi to the floor and Bullet Club works him over on the floor. Back in, Devitt hots some hard stomps into the midsection of Ibushi and Devitt stomps away in the corner. Basement dropkick in the corner by Devitt and he puts Ibushi in the tree of woe. The Bullet Club stretch Ibushi and Devitt continues to stomp away. He releases the hold and covers but the ref refuses to count due to the interference. Abdominal stretch by Devitt and he converts it into a gut buster for 2. Devitt charges in the corner but eats boot and Ibushi goes up but Devitt chops him, knocking him back to the floor. Anderson powerbombs Ibushi onto the apron and back in, Devitt slams him. He goes up but misses the double stomp and Ibushi dropkicks Devitt to the floor. Ibushi nails the Young Bucks with a double Pele as they were coming in and Ibushi hits a springboard twisting press onto the Bullet Club on the floor!!! Back in, Ibushi hits a springboard dropkick for 2. Ibushi fires away at Devitt and hits a kick to the chest. Standing SSP by Ibushi and he hits a springboard moonsault for 2. They trade counters and Ibushi gets an O’Connor roll for 2 and the kick out sends him into a chair tossed at him by a Bullet Club member!!! Devitt rolls Ibushi up for 2 and Ibushi rolls him into a German suplex for 2!!! Slam by Ibushi and he goes up. Gallows grabs the leg allowing Devitt to shove Ibushi off the top and to the floor!!! The ref has enough and he kicks the Bullet Club out of ringside!!!! Dropkick against the railings by Devitt and back in, Devitt goes up. Double stomp to the back by Devitt gets 2. Spin kick to the gut by Ibushi but Devitt comes back with a dropkick. Ibushi charges in the corner but eats elbow and Devitt goes up. Ibushi catches him with an enzuigiri and he follows up. Super hurricanrana off the top by Ibushi gets 2!!! Ibushi goes up and he misses the Phoenix Splash. Lariat by Devitt and he hits Bloody Sunday for 2!!! Devitt goes up and hits a double stomp off the top for 2!!! Ibushi escapes another Bloody Sunday attempt and hits the Pele. High kick by Ibushi and he hits a release Dragon suplex. Lariat by Ibushi and he hits the sit-out powerbomb for 2!!! Ibushi goes up and hits the Phoenix Splash for 3!!!
Winner and NEW IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion- Kota Ibushi **** ( In terms of storytelling, this was phenomenal. Ibushi looked like he didn’t have a chance in the world with the constant interference by the Bullet Club but all that interference came back to bite Devitt and when he was in a straight one-on-one environment, he couldn’t beat Ibushi. The final stretch between just the two of them was fantastic and the interference prevented this from being a classic wrestling match.)

After the match, El Desperado comes out and gives Ibushi black roses. He looks to be a future contender for Ibushi’s title.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship- Kazuchika Okada w/Gedo © vs. Tetsuya Naito
Both men look to gain control on the mat and they reach a standstill. Okada goes to a hammerlock but Naito goes to the ropes to break. Arm drag and a dropkick by Naito and he snap mares Okada into a chinlock. Head scissors by Naito and he releases into the cover for 1. Chinlock by Naito and he snap mares Okada into a standing summersault senton for 2. Reverse DDT backbreaker by Naito and he grabs a rear butterfly submission. Okada goes to the ropes to break and Naito goes for the slingshot basement dropkick but Okada blocks. Springboard dropkick knocks Naito off the apron and Okada follows out. Okada stretches Naito and he hits a running basement dropkick on the ramp. Back in, Okada hits a neckbreaker for 1. Okada stomps away in the corner and Naito fights back with chops. Slam by Okada and he hits the Hilo. Snap mare and Okada grabs a rear Cravat. Naito gets to the ropes to break and Okada hits some back elbows in the corner. He charges in the corner but misses and Naito charges but eats elbow. Slingshot basement dropkick by Naito and he cleans house. Hip toss into a basement dropkick by Naito and he hits a dropkick. Naito hammers away on Okada in the corner and he chokes Okada with his boot. Okada bails and Naito charges but eats boot. Okada goes for a Tombstone on the floor but Naito blocks and hits a Tornado DDT onto the ramp!!! Back in, Naito goes up and hits a missile dropkick to the back of Okada. Koji Clutch by Naito and Okada gets his foot on the ropes to break. Forearms by Naito and he throws some head butts in the corner. Okada puts Naito on top and he takes him to the floor with a dropkick. Okada follows and he hits a big boot on the floor. Hanging DDT off the apron to the floor by Okada!!! Naito makes it back into the ring at the 18 count so Okada slams him. Okada goes up and hits the flying elbow drop off the top. Naito blocks a Rainmaker attempt and he counters a DVD into a DDT. Capo kick by Naito and he goes for a German suplex but Okada blocks. Okada misses a dropkick and Naito goes back to the Koji Clutch. Okada gets his foot on the ropes to break. Enzuigiri by Naito and he hits a German suplex for 2. Slam by Naito and he goes up. Okada stops him and catches Naito with a flap jack. DDT by Okada and he grabs the STF. Naito makes the ropes to break. Okada goes for the Tombstone but again Naito blocks. Forearms by Naito and he hits a head butt. Big boot by Okada and Naito catches him with a flying forearm. Naito puts Okada on top and hits a Frankensteiner off the top. Dragon suplex by Naito gets 2!!! Hammerlock back suplex by Naito gets 2 and he goes up. Stardust Press misses and both men are down!!! Naito charges in the corner but eats boot and Okada hits the Air Raid backbreaker for 2. DVD by Okada gets 2. Wheelbarrow roll-up by Naito gets 2. Urinage by Naito and again both men are down. They trade forearms and Okada hits some forearms. Head butt by Naito and Okada comes back with some uppercuts. They trade counters and Naito slaps Okada. Dropkick by Okada and he goes for the Rainmaker but Naito counters into a roll-up for 2!! Wheelbarrow roll-up is blocked and Okada dropkicks Naito in the back. Tombstone by Okada and he goes for a Rainmaker but again Naito blocks. A second Tombstone by Okada and he hits the Rainmaker for 3!!!
Winner and Still IWGP Heavyweight Champion- Kazuchika Okada ****1/4 ( This was an awesome wrestling match. The thirty minutes never dragged and they put together an exciting match that lived up to expectations.)

IWGP Intercontinental Championship- Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Stan Hansen comes out to present the main event. Both men look for control early but neither can gain the upper hand, leading to a standstill. Knee breaker by Tanahashi and he throws some kicks to the leg of Nakamura. Tanahashi stomps the leg and Nakamura charges but eats elbow. Springboard crossbody attempt by Tanahashi but he eats knee. Snap mare and Nakamura hits a knee drop for 2. Nakamura dumps Tanahahsi to the floor and follows out where he drops Tanahashi on the railings. Back in, Nakamura hits a knee to the gut of Tanahashi and he charges in the corner but eats boot. Kick to the chest by Nakamura and he stomps away on Tanahashi. Dragon screw leg sweep by Tanahashi and he hits a flying forearm. Slam by Tanahashi and he goes up. Second rope summersault senton by Tanahashi gets 2. Dropkick to the leg by Tanahashi and he hits a chop block. He goes for the Texas Cloverleaf but Nakamura goes to the ropes to block. Spinning heel kick by Nakamura and both men are down. Knee to the gut by Nakamura and he throws some knees at the midsection of Tanahashi. Gordbuster by Nakamura gets 2. Nakamura stomps away in the corner and he chokes Tanahashi with his boot. He goes for the corner knee strike but misses and Tanahashi goes for an Avalanche but misses. Knees to the midsection by Nakamura and he hits an enzuigiri. They go to the floor and Nakamura sends Tanahashi into the railings. Flying knee to the back by Nakamura and he hits a knee lift from the floor. Knee drop off the apron misses and Nakamura crashes to the floor. Tanahashi goes up and hits a cross body off the top to the floor!!! Back in, Tanahashi hits a Dragon screw leg sweep in the ropes and Nakamura comes back by catching Tanahashi in the Triangle Choke. Tanahashi counters into the Boston Crab but Nakamura goes to the ropes to break. German suplex by Tanahashi gets 2. Slam by Tanahashi and he goes up. Nakamura catches him with an enzuigiri to take him off but Tanahashi skins the catch. Nakamura immediately catches him with the Lungblower and both men are down. They trade forearms and Tanahashi slaps him a few times. Big boot by Nakamura and he stomps away on Tanahashi. Dropkick to the leg by Tanahashi but Nakamura comes back with a Boom Ye to the back of the head!!! DVD backbreaker by Nakamura and he hits the release back suplex. He goes for another DVD but Tanahashi counters with the Sling Blade. Tanahashi goes up but Nakamura stops him and follows up. Tanahashi looks to come out of the corner with a powerbomb but Nakamura counters into the Codebreaker!!! Dragon suplex by Tanahashi gets 2. Tanahashi goes up and hits the High Fly Low for 2!!! Dropkick by Nakamura and he goes up. Second rope knee strike by Nakamura and he hits the Boom Ye for 2!!! Tanahashi blocks every attempt at another Boom Ye and he hits a Dragon screw leg sweep into the mat. Texas Cloverleaf by Tanahashi and he turns it into the Styles’ Clash. Tanahashi goes up and hits the High Fly Low. He goes up and hits a second one for 3!!!
Winner and NEW IWGP Intercontinental Champion- Hiroshi Tanahashi **** ( Great main event. Tanahashi targeted the leg early in the match to try and take away Nakamura’s Boom Ye and his relentlessness at the end of the match finished off Nakamura for good. There were some annoyances like Nakamura forgetting to sell the knee at points and the surprising lack of heat for a match featuring two of the most popular guys on the roster, but this is still an excellent contest which didn’t even reach the greatness these two are capable of.)

The 411: First off, I agree with the decision to have the Intercontinental Championship match main event over Okada/Naito. Naito's G1 Climax win came off as a fluke since he backdoored his way into the finals and he didn't get the momentum that the company expected him to gain heading to the match. Plus, Tanahashi and Nakamura are the two most popular guys on the roster, so their match would seem bigger in the eyes of the casual NJPW fan. As for the show itself, the first half of the show was really bad for an NJPW show. The second half was phenomenal, show of the year caliber stuff with four great matches and Okada/Naito is the first MOTY candidate for 2014. For the awesome second half I will recommend the show but the first five matches aren't really worth a watch.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]