NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed Live Report 9/27/2019

The reason this was late getting posted was because I typed it all out and essentially it got lost so I have to type it out again.

New Japan Pro Wrestling toured the Northeast for the first time making stops in Lowell, Mass, New York City and Philadelphia at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Hammerstein Ballroom, and 2300 Arena.  All very popular wrestling venues each with their own unique histories.  I have been to the Memorial Auditorium three times in the past for ROH shows, two PPV's and a War of the Worlds house show.

The Memorial Auditorium is a beautiful venue with amazing acoustics.  The fans were hot and very loud all night long.  I would have to say that this is the best show that I went to all year from top to bottom and definitely one of the best shows I have ever been too.

Mikey and I recorded an episode of the Wrestling Insomniac podcast on the way to and from the event. Check it out here.  We met Jay and his friend Crip at the venue.  They did the official meet and greet from 4pm to 5pm with only Sanada, Tanahashi, Rock n' Roll Express, and Roppongi 3K with Rocky Romero.  It was odd because they wouldn't sign your item, you got a picture with a nice backdrop taken with your camera and they gave you a presigned 8x10.  Mikey, Jay, & I met Sanada, but I don't care about 8x10's.

After the meet and greet we had an hour until doors opened so we went across the street to Rizzo's and got a couple slices.  We sat with some other fans and we met Joe Briggs and his wife Rebecca.  They are from Virginia and wrestle in that area.  They are friends with The Rock n Rolls and love good wrestling, just like us.  They went to the Lowell and Philly shows, it would have been fun to go to all three shows.

The cards were different for each night with different titles on the line and a mix of singles and tag team matches.  For my money though I think we got the best announced line up.  Doors opened up promptly at 6pm and we got in quickly.  I was surprised that wrestlers were out signing autographs and taking photos because we already had the official meet and greets.  Around the lobby area was Lance Archer, Mikey Nicholls, Hirooki Goto, Ishii, and Sanada.  I grabbed a photo with Goto and really wished I would have brought his card with me.
 

Mikey, Jay, and I all bought the official Boston tour stop shirt, we all agreed it was bad ass.

The first match started right at 7pm and the show flowed so well and didn't drag at all, very efficient.  No intermission but I'm glad there wasn't.  The show was over by 10pm and was a solid three hours, well worth the money and the trip down.

Karl Fredericks submitted Alex Coughlin

I loved that show opened with a Young Lions match and I would have been satisfied if it had gone to a time limit draw.  It was a hard hitting back and forth match and it was everything that a Young Lions match is with a focus on the basics.  In the end Karl Fredericks go the submission with a half Boston Crab.

Lance Archer pinned Ren Narita

Lance Archer came out his usual house fire and destroyed the only young boy at ring side twice.  Archer dominated the match with Narita showing good heart and fire on his comeback.  It wouldn't have surprised me to see Nartia get a quick pin.  He just went on excursion from New Japan to the LA Dojo.  However in the end Archer got the win with the Everybody Dies Claw.

Mikey Nicholls & Juice Robinson defeated TJP & Clark Connors

From the NJPW1972.com

Solid tag team match up, Juice was over big time with the crowd.  Both teams really meshed well together, especially Nicholls and Robinson but they have teamed together in the past.  I haven't been a fan of TJP but he looked great here.  Connors did as well, but he succumbed to the Mikey Bomb.

Bullet Club: Chase Owens & Jado defeated The Rock n' Roll Express: Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson

I've met the Rock n' Roll Express in the past but I've never seen them wrestle live.  I've missed opportunities in the past and I didn't think that it was going to happen.  When Mikey messaged me that they had been announced for this tour I couldn't believe that this show was how I was going to finally see them wrestle.  I was also very excited that we got them in their only two person tag team match of the tour and they there were wrestling Chase Owens, who was trained by Morton.

From NJPW1972.com

 The moment their music hit the crowd didn't stop cheering for the Rock n' Roll Express, many times the crowd chanted "Rock n Rolls" at the tops of their lungs, like it was the mid 80's Jim Crockett Promotions / Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.

Morton and Gibson were both on top of their games, especially Morton who his a frankensteiner and a suicide dive through the ropes.  It was friggin' Amazing!  Sadly, the Rock n' Rolls lost the watch when Owens pinned Morton after a package piledriver.  It far exceeded everything I had expected.  Mikey has seen them at Beyond Wrestling's Americanrana this past July and he said this was much better and they let it all hang out.

Incidentally, four days later in Atlanta at the NWA TV Tapings they captured the NWA World Tag Team Championships becoming nine times world champions.
 

Tomohiro Ishii & Amazing Red defeated Shingo Takagi & BUSHI

Another great match on a card that just didn't disappoint.  Ishii and Shingo multiple times exchanged stiff shots in the center of the ring, it was fantastic!  The action was in and out of the ring.  This match is the best I've ever seen Red live.  That match with Osprey really did  reinvigorate him.  He and Ishii gelled well as a team.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Red in Japan for New Japan soon.  Ishii pinned Bushi with the vertical drop brainbuster.

Rocky Romero, Hirooki Goto, & YOSHI-HASHI defeated NEVER Openweight Champion: KENTA, IWGP Intercontinental Champion: Jay White, & Gedo

Super excited to see Goto live and I love his entrance music.  I was very surprised that HASHI picked up the win for his team submitting Gedo.  This was a fun match, Jay White has some serious heat and KENTA got a mixed reaction, mostly jeers, but he got a pop when he teased the go to sleep.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: GOD: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa defeated Roppongi 3K: Sho & Yoh

Going into this match I knew GOD was going to retain, they aren't going to do a title change here in Lowell.  Mid way through the match I was convinced that R3K was going to win the titles.  At the end Yoh had a series of near falls against Tama Tonga and with each false finish I was out of my feet thinking I was seeing a three count.  Especially when Yoh reversed the Gun Stun into a backslide...damn!  This was TAG TEAM WRESTLING!  Tonga pinned Yoh with the Gun Stun.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, IWGP Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika, & Kota Ibushi defeated LIJ: Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, & Sanada

Everyone got a big pop when they came out with Naito, Tanahashi, & Okada topping the night.  This was a tremendous match and a great way to send the crowd home happy.  Everyone shined, everyone looked good, feuds were continued and I was surprised when Tanahashi pinned Naito with the ground cobra twist.
  

Top to bottom this is the best show as a whole that I have been to not only this year, but in years.  There wasn't a weak match on the card.  The crowd was hot all night long and I blew my voice out.  Tonight was also a very emotional experience of me.  Seeing the Rock n Rolls wrestle, seeing Tanahashi wrestle for the third time this year knowing that he could be done soon.  This is his 20th year in wrestling and it's apparent that he's in rough shape.
 

Post match Tanahashi stayed in the ring alone, he thanked us all for coming, he said that they would be back and when they did he would have the championship.  He also played his patented air guitar for us before leaving.  It was a great capper to the night.

The show had to of sold out by bell time, and with how hot the crowd was I can only imagine that they will be back, hopefully next spring. 

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network.

Until next time!

History Has Been Made 2: More Title Changes That I Have Seen Live

Way back in March 2017 I posted History Has Been Made!: The Titles Changes I've Seen which looked at all the titles changes I saw in the WWE, WCW, & Ring of Honor from 1998 to 2016. Even though it's only been a couple years and I'm only talking about two wrestling events, I thought it was time to post an update.

June 23, 2017 Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA
Ring of Honor: Best in the World 2017

Dalton Castle and The Boys defeated World Six-Man Tag Team Champions: Bully Ray and The Brisco Brothers: Mark & Jay to win the championships

Dalton Castle's entrance is just amazing!  It's just a fantastic visual when the opens up his cape and it is enhanced by the fans throwing streamers at just the right time!
This match was set up when Castle was teaming with Bully and the Brisco's and the Boys pushed Castle out of the way so Bushi ended up spitting mist in Jay's face causing him to be pinned.  He out to kill The Boys.

The match was great, Bully busted out some comedy that I wasn't expecting.  Dalton had his usual hilarious theatrics.  Once Jay got his hands on the Boys he beat the absolute tar out of them!  I mean he lit them up with chops and you could see the bruises on their chests.

Ultimately it was Jay's anger towards the Boys that cost them the match and the titles.  While he was out chasing them, Bully Ray was trying to talk him down, Dalton rolled up Mark in a small package for the three count crowning new Six Man Tag Team Champions.

The crowd popped big time on this finish with a you deserve it chant breaking out.  It was pretty awesome.

"American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes pinned World Heavyweight Champion: "The Almighty" Christopher Daniels to win the championship

Another great match to close out a night of pretty damn fantastic wrestling.  Cody had his lip busted open early on in the match up but it didn't slow him down.  At one point Marty ran down to help out Cody after referee Todd Sinclair was knocked down, but Frankie Kazarian came out to make the save battling Marty to the back.

Rhodes dodged the Best Moonsault Ever and survived Angels Wings hitting two Cross Rhodes to get the pin and capture the Championship.

I feel very honored, no pun intended, to have been present to see Cody Rhodes win his first World Heavyweight Championship.  His emotional reaction when he won, which I was able to capture on camera, was what I hoped it would be.  He truly appreciates it and it means something to him to be World Champion.

April 6, 2019 Madison Square Garden
New Japan Pro Wrestling & Ring of Honor
G1 Supercard

ROH: World Television Champion: Jeff Cobb defeated NEVER Openweight Champion: Will Ospreay

This was a double titles match that kicked off the main card of the show.  It was an excellent match and it capped off the weekend for seeing Will Ospreay live in three stand out matches.  He wasn't able to pick up the win in this match, which surprised me.

Kelly Klein defeated Women of Honor World Champion: Mayu Iwatani

This match and the aftermatch of it was just okay for me.

Dragon Lee defeated Bandido, and  IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion: Taiji Ishimori

This triple threat match was amazing!  All these guys are so good and the meshed together well.  It's a shame that it only went 9 minutes because I could have watched this all night.  Dragon Lee is ridiculously fast in the ring.

IWGP Tag Team Champions: Guerrillas of Destiny: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa defeated The Briscoe Brothers: Mark & Jay and Los Ingobernables de Japon: EVIL & Sanada and ROH World Tag Team Champions: Villain Enterprises: PCO & Brody King

This was a fatal four-way for all the tag gold making GOD double champs.  This was another great match that was just two short based on the talent that was in the ring.  I was quite surprised that GOD won the ROH belts as I don't see them working ROH shows ever.

Kota Ibushi defeated IWGP Intercontinental Champion: Tetsuya Naito

This match was beyond amazing!  There was been some tremendous rivalries in wrestling where you don't get tired of watching two guys wrestle each other and Ibushi vs. Naito is one of them.  The fact that I got to see them wrestle each other live and on such a large stage as Madison Square Garden I feel truly lucky.

Ladder Match: Matt Taven defeated Marty Scurll & ROH World Champion: Jay Lethal

This match was awesome, the best pure ROH match on the card this night.  I still can't believe that Matt Taven won the title.  As far as ladder matches goes it in the top ten no doubt.

Kazuchika Okada defeated IWGP Champion: Jay White with Gedo

Tremendous match and a great match to closeout not only the show but my indymania weekend as well.  This was the first time the IWGP Championship changed hands outside of Japan, this also marked the beginning of Okada's 5th title reign.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Until next time!

ROH Lewiston, Maine Live Report

Ring of Honor finally made their debut in my home State of Maine as part of the Global Wars Tour featuring talent from New Japan Pro Wrestling.

As excited as I was when Ring of Honor announced their Maine debut there was a couple things that surprised me about it; the fact that it going to be on a Wednesday night and at the Colisee in Lewiston.  Nothing against Lewiston, it was a rich history of professional wrestling with the Armory hosting the WWF from the late 60's to the early 80's.  Also I attended numerous EWA events at the Armory in the late 1990's, it's one of my favorite places to attend wrestling.

However, in the last 35 plus years WWE has only had two shows at the Colisee primarily sticking to Portland, Augusta, & Bangor.  WCW only ran two shows in Maine, Portland and Bangor, and TNA's only show was in Portland.

Roy, my daughter Addison, and I headed to the Dirty Lew for a night of wrestling.  We saw some familiar faces we typically see at show here in Maine including my buddy Phil.  My high school chum Ben had the seat behind me, it's always nice running into Ben.

Our seats were fantastic!  The venue was set up for about half a house, out seats were center ring in the front row of the first section off the floor so we were elevated over everyone on the floor even when they stood up.  Not bad at all for $30!  The house was maybe 1,000 people, but they were a lively crowd that were up for all the matches.  I do have genuine concern if ROH will come back, I hope they do.

The matches were really good with some really great talent and everyone work hard putting on a good show.  Unfortunately two times during the night they lost power to their equipment and the fist time the building lost power as well with the emergency lights coming on.

Dark Match
Ryan Nova pinned "Retro" Anthony Greene with the Platinum Hunnies

It was a nice surprise seeing AG on the show.  He got a good pop and was over with the crowd who booed Nova heavily only because they favored AG.  AG got a good ovation after his loss and I'm hoping this is a good step towards him signing with ROH. 

Thursday Night ROH had a show in Lowell where Greene wrestled in the dark match on the losing end of a six man tag.

Main Show - Aired on Honor Club
Commentary by Ian Riccaboni & Colt Cabana

Flip Gordon pinned Eli Isom

Solid opening match.  Flip was over with the crowd and he gave us some flips.  I wasn't impressed with Eli Isom at all, he botched a spinebuster where he just gently layed Flip down on the canvas.  Flip for the pin after a flip five.

Tag Team Champions: SCU: Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian defeated The Bouncers: Brian Milonas and Beer City Bruiser

Great tag team wrestling with the champs bumping all around for bigger team.  I really like Beer City Bruiser.  He is a throwback to 70's wrestlers like The Crusher and The Bruiser.  Finish came when Milonas was in the corner and got caught by the champs for a double powerbomb.

World Television Champion: Jeff Cobb pinned Cheeseburger

Matches started off with Cheeseburger attempting multiple offensive moves and Cobb defending them like it was nothing.  He basically treated Cheeseburger like he was a child.  Eventually Burger did get so offense in that rocked Cobb for a bit, but then Cobb hit tour of the islands for the pin.

World Six Man Tag Team Champions: The Kingdom: Matt Taven, TK O'Ryan, & Vinny Marseglia defeated Dalton Castle & The Boys

For majority of the match Marseglia did his hide under the ring crap which was fine with me until of course he came out.  Overall I enjoyed the match, a lot of wild brawling in and out of the ring with very little actual tagging.   Once Marseglia came out from under the ring he got in a bit of offense before Castle it Bang-A-Rang for a two count.  The match broke down again and the finish came with Marseglia and O'Ryan hit house of a thousand horses on one of the boys for the pin.

I'm waiting for O'Ryan to breakaway from the Kingdom and become the singles star he is destined to be.

The Briscoe Brothers: Mark & Jay defeated Hangman Page & Cody with Brandi Rhodes

This match was fantastic!  All four of these guys are so good and they put on the match of the night here.  Page was the star of the match hitting his apron shooting star press to the floor and buck shot lariat.  He then hit a moonsault from the top rope to the floor on both Briscoes.  Cody hit Crossrhodes on Mark but Jay broke it up.  Cody was sent to the floor and after an attempted second rope rite of passage on Mark, Jay hit Hangman with the Jay Driller and Mark a froggy bow for the pin.

Juice Robinson pinned "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels

This was a good match but I think it had potential to be much better.  Juice for the win with pulp friction,

Bully Ray & Silas Young defeated The Young Bucks: Nick & Matt Jackson

This was great match.  Ray and Young dominated Matt for the majority until he made the hot tag to Nick who came in a house of fire.  Surprisingly though, the bucks took the loss when Matt was hit with a low blow and Silas hit his finish.  The fans were shocked that the Bucks lost and disappointed.

LIJ: Tetsuya Naito, Sanada, Bushi, & Evil defeated World Champion: Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, Chris Sabin, & IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion: Kushida

This match was all over the place!  LIJ and especially Naito was extremely over getting the biggest reaction of the night.  There was a lot of very fast paced action where Sabin and Kushida busted out some great combinations.  Gresham looked damn good in the match and we got the see LIJ get all their shit in.  Finish came when Gresham was hit with destino by Naito for the pin.

It was a fun night of wrestling, best show I've seen in the building and I went to the two WWE shows I spoke of earlier.  I really hope that ROH returns to Lewiston or anywhere in Maine in the future.

I didn't bring my good camera to take pictures, I just used me phone.  I used to bring my good camera and take tons of pictures at shows, now I just want to watch the matches and the only reason why I even take pictures is for my blog. 

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Later Readers!