Boss Rock

I remember reading 30% capacity somewhere, but it seems like at least as recent as two weeks ago capacity for spectator events was being kept at 5,000. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/08/ebdfbed2164c-breaking-news-tokyo-reports-389-new-cases-of-novel-coronavirus.html

Really liked the show, almost felt like a "return to form" after a disappointing return. And although I wish the circumstances were better, I really like that they kept this show under 3 hours. They don't need to do so many undercard tags nor do the main events need to go 30+ every time. I also agree that Naito was always going to win it back. For at least the past few years, heel Heavyweight champions usually get just one or two title defenses before dropping it to a face. And faces almost always go over in the main event at big shows like these. Looks like the Golden Aces are done with the tag titles, but it's so nice to see how good the tag division can be without G.O.D. having a stranglehold on it.

Honestly, the only match I don't care for is Okada-Yujiro as Yujiro sucks and there's bound to be BC shenanigans regardless. SHO-SANADA will probably have a repeat of their NJ Cup match which should be fun. Kojima-Desperado could be fun if there are no finishers allowed. Could make for a more interesting finish. And Yano-BUSHI should be high comedy.

I like that these guys are given something to do and that SHO and Desperado are getting opportunities. The whole KOPW thing is still whatever to me, but I'm not against more singles matches.

Caught some of the NEVER tournament and there were a lot of fun matches, the Goto, Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI vs. Ibushi, Tanahashi, Wato match and the final in particular standing out. Great moment for YOSHI-HASHI. I watched a little bit of the U.S. #1 contender tourney and Fredericks-KENTA was an awesome sprint. Further proof that Fredericks is gonna be a big deal for them. King-Tonga was also pretty fun. King is a beast and Tonga looked better than he has in years.

Apart from the middle dragging a bit, I think this is a super underrated chapter in their rivalry if admittedly their "worst" championship match together. The desperation in Misawa's offense and elbows is off the charts and Kobashi's onslaught is excellent. I also love how Misawa can only get his foot on the rope to survive, proving that Kobashi is getting closer to besting him. The ending is also a great bit of "Chekov's gun" with Kobashi hurting his injured knee that Misawa targeted earlier on. ****3/4

https://www.njpw1972.com/77731 This looks interesting.

I think it could be argued that the death of Dusty is when things first started to turn south. This is evident with 2016 having no real stories or feuds beyond #DIY-Revival and everything else being "dream matches". But when folks like Nakamura, Asuka, and Joe got called up they found their footing again with an emphasis on stories and characters (break-up of #DIY, formation of Undisputed Era, Andrade teaming up with Zelina, etc). So while Dusty's death definitely impacted the product, NXT was able to rebuild and regroup. I think the true beginning of the end was 2018 and the Gargano-Ciampa feud in particular. This correlates with Shawn's arrival as a trainer and an increased focus on epic, melodramatic matches. Call-ups also became more and more sparse meaning guys like Ciampa, Gargano, and Aleister were stuck way past their expiration dates. Not sure if that has to do with Vince's reluctance for call-ups, Triple H's insistence on NXT being its own brand, or both. For a brief period last year it looked like they had somewhat righted the ship with Gargano finally getting his moment at Takeover: New York. But a lack of call-ups meant that Gargano, Undisputed Era, and Ciampa were still stuck and Shawn's influence began to permeate the house style more and more.

Not surprising, but that's still pretty big news.

I remember thinking Kawato had all the potential in the world and sort of saw him as the next ace of the Junior division. Kinda disappointing how things are now. Fredericks is also pretty clearly poised for great things. Although I wonder if he gets a babyface run rather than be the next in line to lead Bullet Club.

The finish is probably the only reason I have the '97 Kobashi-Misawa match over the '98 one. '97 just has a much more definitive ending while the '98 match feels just a smidgen too abrupt. Both are in my top 3 though.

Yeah as much as I've enjoyed the tag division not being dominated by G.O.D. and as good as the Golden Aces and Dangerous Tekkers are, that's four capable singles wrestlers wrapped up in a tag program. Perfect time to give TenKoji a title shot!

I'm mostly in the same boat. It's the lack of talent and stretching the roster thin that's the issue. That being said, I'm intrigued by this KOPW 2020 tournament, even if I was expecting Okada to challenge Kiyomiya.

He had some kind of timer going on, but that didn't result in him appearing. Wonder if they're saving him for the Jingu Stadium show. It definitely looks like Naito is getting the belt or belts back at Jingu Stadium and it seems very likely Okada wins the G1 to set up a rematch if they do indeed put on a Dome show.

Near the end, yeah. It also didn't help that LIJ did nothing to stop it. Stables failing to stop Bullet Club is my biggest frustration and is such a massive logic gap. Anywho, the main event was really good and Hiromu looked like an absolute star. EVIL definitely has more presence than Jay as a top heel, but yeah he needs to be kept in shorter matches. Desperado-Shingo wasn't quite as good as the Shingo-SHO matches but still worth seeing. Okada-Yujiro, as Kas said, was a match that happened but probably the best you could do with Yujiro.

This was a blast. Very much a match in two stages. The first stage was more methodical but had some nasty floor bumps for Misawa, one being a double-team electric chair/Ore ga Taue and the other being a Kawada powerbomb. The second stage was when the flip was switched and it was balls-to-the-wall action and desperation. And even with such a sudden change of pace, it felt earned. Taue and Kawada had given Misawa their best shots and yet he still wouldn't go down. Not to mention Jun was always there to spoil things for them. Shame how overlooked this one is. ****1/2.

Forgot I already commented on this match, but I re-watched it about a year ago and it still holds up. Still much better than the June match which, while very good, is over-hyped by its historical significance. This is more of a straight-up fight with Misawa looking to beat Jumbo at his own game rather than win by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Jumbo turns in one of of his finest performances by just beating the shit out of this dang punk who won't get off his lawn. Misawa hadn't reached his prime yet but the potential is clearly there and Jumbo is still rather giving despite re-establishing his dominance. ****3/4

I liked this but it's definitely a bit too slow going in the early stages. Sorta feels like a lot of the modern NJPW matches you see these days with a padded beginning and a strong second half. It definitely helps Misawa and Williams always had good chemistry, but I would agree it's the weakest of their series.

Thanks! I actually did find it there earlier.

Does anyone know where I can find this one?

Yeah that too. Way too big to be Bushi.

Looks like Jay is on his way back.

It's certainly possible the crowd wasn't into it, but I believe fans have been told not to cheer as an extra precaution due to COVID. They were quiet both shows and would only clap. A couple stuff like EVIL turning on Naito did manage to get an audible reaction though.

I did think it was a bit weird Cage would be pacing while Taz would point behind himself only for Cage to not be there. Should've just stood there and mean mugged the camera. But yeah I really like the Taz-Cage duo.

Gedo actually does strike me more as a long-term booker and one who "sticks to the plan" to a fault. I think he's pretty good at building stars and at least seeing things through, he just doesn't always know when to strike when the iron is truly hot. Like when Hiromu was on fire in 2017, he had to drop the title to make sure Ospreay got his time. Or when Okada and Naito looked poised to win at WK 9 and 12 respectively, their crowning achievements were delayed for the sake of a story.