NB Sapporo Night 1

Just finished the show. I can understand the dissension, but still thought it was a good show. Quick thoughts on all of the title matches.

Mayu/Mina was MOTN for me. It was paced perfectly, super stiff, and had some insane spots and near falls. Mina has really elevated over the last year, and I really thought she was gonna win it for a second, probably her best match. And Mayu just continues to amaze.

As much as I hate to say it, Despe/Sho was the worst match. Despe is my favorite wrestler, and pre-HOT Sho was also one of my favorites. And while there were some great sequences in the match, the HOT bullshit just ruined it. And are we really getting Naito/Sho at the anniversary show? I was super excited for a defining Despe run, hopefully he wins it back.

Umino/Evil was decent. Again, the HOT shit was lame, but not as bad as the previous match. Umino had another good showing, but I can’t for the life of me understand why they keep booking him to lose. I know NJC is coming up, so maybe they want him to go far. But, come on, when are one of the young guys gonna win a title? The top two stars of the company are gone, we have to elevate some of these guys. Evil looked pretty good when actually wrestling.

Tanahashi/Riddle was great. Tana pulled out all the stops and Riddle is so clean as always. Riddle’s history makes me question the decision to put the belt on him, but the domestic crowd loved him. I think he could be a big draw in Japan if pushed right. On KISS, Jeremy said they got him a visa, so hopefully that means he’s here for a while and is in the NJC. That would make for some amazing matches.

Finlay/Nemeth was fantastic. They told a great story and Nemeth adjusted pretty well. What I’ve seen of him in TNA has been solid, but this was by far his best performance so far post-WWE. And Finaly’s bully style worked well in this and they had great chemistry. Again, I question this move to put the belt on Nemeth. But they are obviously trying draw some Western eyes to divert the attention of Okada and Ospreay leaving. I guess we’ll see where this goes.

Not the best show of the year, and not even of the tour. But still a good show. I still think BiTV is the best show of the year so far. Feeling a little skeptical about the direction of some of these titles and pushes, but looking forward to what comes out of NJC. And, I’m going to Windy City Riot, and that is shaping up to be an amazing show. They weren’t lying when they said new beginning.

by MrHatandClogz