NJPW on AXS TV: Episode 4

New Japan Pro-Wrestling on AXS TV

Episode 4, February 6th 2015

It’s time for some Dominion 2013. First we get a highlight reel of Devitt/Tanahashi, shame, because the match was great but for some reason they didn’t think it was worth of a full showcase. They only aired 3 minutes, so whatever… Funny to revisit the days when Bullet Club was just Devitt, Fale, Karl and Tonga. Devitt and Tana had a good feud that year.

In the studio, Okada talks about the Togi Makabe challenge, he says he gladly took the challenge after defeating Minoru Suzuki at Wrestling Dontaku. He says he wrestled Makabe back in G1 2012, but this is something else, this is the IWGP. He doesn’t think Makabe is the top wrestler. He thinks his pro-wrestling is real deal.

Dominion 2013

(2013/6/22)

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Togi Makabe vs. Kazuchika Okada ©

I didn’t think this match was great back in 2013, but now I see I was a damn fool, because this match is all kinds of awesome. Stellar performance by Togi Makabe, simply put, he was – marvelous. First he did some ground based chain wrestling at the beginning, showing Okada there’s way more in his arsenal than what he thought, then he just proceeded to obliterate the champ with his rough brawling tactics, that was a glorious workover on Okada. Matter fact, both guys did extremely well on offense, there wasn’t a single dull moment when they controlled the pace. Many punishing blasts were dished out in the process, Okada was targeting the challenger’s neck area, Makabe was just a relentless gorilla with something to prove against the modern main event prototype, the match was a truly captivating wrestling story. Bodymaker Colosseum was heavily behind Makabe, they recognized the veteran’s quest for another career defining moment, goddamn it these Osaka fans are so awesome. TLDR, this is a definite Togi Makabe match, I’ve never seen a better performance from him, and it’s probably going to stay that way. Lariats, suplexes, forearms, punches, that table… he went all in here, balls on that prick.

****3/4

Makabe is shown sitting backstage and discussing the outcome. None of it made sense. Probably due to all the damage his brain suffered.

Gedo is doing his post-match celebration promo, dude’s an amazingly charismatic showman, Osaka adores him. Here comes Prince “Oy-Oy” Devitt with his stablemates, he’s challenging for Okada’s heavyweight belt, but Okada has one condition – Devitt must let Gedo challenge for his Junior strap first, and Osaka fucking EXPLODED on that, they went nuts for Gedo taking on the Irish douchebag. What a reaction! Devitt accepts and we have a posedown.

Back in the studio Okada talks about rough experience that was the Makabe challenge, he discusses the match for awhile before talking about Devitt’s challenge and how it sounds interesting to him because he hasn’t faced many Juniors in his career.

New Japan on AXS TV keeps delivering excellent episodes, Ranallo and Josh did another great job on commentary. Makabe/Okada is a fucking must-see classic.