NJPW presents Wrestle Kingdom V 1/4/2011 Reviewed! (Spoiler Free)

NJPW presents Wrestle Kingdom V at Tokyo Dome
Jan. 4th, 2011 (Tues) 17:00
(claimed 42,000)

(Pre-A) 1st World Wrestling Inter-Promotional Match: Wataru Inoue, Tiger Mask IV, Tama Tonga & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, Jado & Gedo
~ Alright and the usual standard opening contest, well this time pre-show match. Ishii and tiger are really the only two who have a real history coming into this match. Other than that there was nothing too thrilling in the match. I felt that Ishii and Tiger would have benefited more from a singles match that would have just ended up more in a brawl. Even after the match was over Ishii was still going after Tiger Mask, kind of a drop of the ball with NJPW there, but really with all the other matches going on today it would mean more to end this battle between the two later on down the road.
[45%] Kind of mix of wrestlers who did not make the cut for the main show, and without Ishii and Tiger it would have blown off as nothing happening.
(Pre-B) 2nd World Wrestling Inter-Promotional Match: Kohji Kanemoto & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega & Taichi (Ishikari)
~ This was alright, kind of another mash of wrestlers who didn’t make the main card. Omega shined the most in the match, while Taichi sort of came off not a sound as everyone else in the match.
[48%] Better than the previous match, but nothing to go out of the way for. Probably the only thing to come from it is Kanemoto and Taguchi both pointing at the IWGP Jr Belts and wanting a shot. So that will be something to look forward to in the coming year.
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(1) IWGP Tag Team Championship ~ 3 Way Hardcore Match: “Bad Intentions” Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson vs. vs. “Muscle Orchestra” Manabu Nakanishi & Strongman “Jon Anderson” vs. “Beer Money, Inc.” James Storm & Robert Roode
~ This match starts off very strong, with all the teams being evenly matched. Strong Man shows why he is called Strong Man, Beer Money show the most cohesiveness early on. The fans in attendance seemed to be very behind Nakanishi/Strong Man and Bad Intentions. Muscle Orchestra to be honest are probably going in as the fan favorites and I can easily say we have not seen the last of them as a team in Japan.
[70%] This was a fun match, maybe a bit short especially with 3 teams in the ring. It was a good start for the main show though.
(2) ROAD TO FANTASTICAMANIA: Jushin Thunder Liger & Hector Garza vs. Mascara Dorada & La Sombra
~ Definitely keeping the fans on the edge of their seats in the arena with all the high flying and acrobatics, but with this being a Lucha style match that is suspected. Dorada and Sombra shined the most in this match. Not much tag cohesiveness in the match, just more set ups for the bigger spots.
[62%] OK match, some good spots, one sort of mess up, but it happens. Kind of an odd finish in the end, but it leaves you wondering how things are going to be playing out heading off from this match.
(3) DEEP SLEEP TO LOSE: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka
~ I love Iizuka’s character, he closed his entrance by attacking the announcer and just being the crazy heel that he does so well in my opinion. Tenzan is coming in with revenge on his mind, but finds himself of the wrong end of Iizuka’s tactics early on as the match does not make it to the ring for first half. Eventually it does and Iizuka continues to take advantage of Tenzan. Tenzan finally gets an opening and tries to mount some offense.
[65%] Both men work well with one another, but they have been training together since day one and it shows. Tenzan is definitely still gaining the fanfare and should jump up the ranks if Iizuka can finally stop picking on him as his prime target that is to say.
(4) NJPW－TNA Greatest Showcase: Rob Van Dam vs. Toru Yano
~ RVD is not unfamiliar in Japan like most of the TNA talent, and easily has his own good amount of praise in the match. All in all a standard RVD type match, just this time in Japan. Yano definitely benefited from it being a hardcore match as it opens him up to play his heel role better.
[58%] This match surprised me with how much better it ended up being than I first thought. Nothing more than a garbage match in the end, but Yano ended up performing descent enough against RVD.
(5) NO JUSTICE, NO LIFE: Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
~ A rematch 5 years in the making with Suzuki picking up the victory the first time around Nagata is looking to gain some favor back on his side. These two are known for their stiffness as well as their technical abilities and with it being 5 years since their last one on one meeting I am definitely looking forward to this match. Both go at one another early on with kicks and Suzuki taking early control with taking out Nagata’s leg. From then on the match was very physical both men beating up each other with kicks and slaps and showing why they are both where they are at in this stage of their career.
[85%] I liked this match in the end, with how Suzuki just keeps taking the punishment and smiles that he is wanting to more. Nagata had his moments as well bringing it to Suzuki and I enjoyed this match over their first one back on Wrestle Kingdom 1.
(6) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Prince Devitt [c] vs. Kota Ibushi [IWGP Jr Tag Champion]
~ This match is 6 months in the making with Ibushi and Devitt meeting back at the Best of the Super Jr’s. Since then Ibushi and his partner Keny Omega have gone on to beat Devitt and Taguchi for the IWGP Jr Tag Belts and this had led us to this match with Devitt and Omega looking to settle the score. This started off strong with both looking evenly matched. For the most part the crowd was into the match, the dome itself may have killed the mood some, just too big for the actual amount of people there. There was still signs of the crowd into the match.
[84%] I enjoyed the match, it may not have been the best defense for Devitt, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Both men show that the future is strong for the Junior Division and in a few years there is no telling how much higher they will stand up as the top of the division.
(7) NJPW vs NOAH Battle Combustion I: Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada vs. Takashi Sugiura & Yoshihiro Takayama
~ Okada has been trying to make an example out of Takayama and is looking to come back to Japan and show that he is the future of the company. Goto and Sugiura have a lot of history that even goes back to the least years Wrestle Kingdom where Sugiura ended up with the victory.
[63%] This match came off alright, Okada was treated as the young lion in the match and with him being only 23 that is a given. He looked a little off in the match, but it could have been booked that way. Though with him currently on a excursion in the USA and not really being utilized correctly you might think he is better off just staying in Japan. Takayama and Sugiura ended up looking the strongest in the match by beating up Okada, but without much else really going into the match that is why I have to rate it low. Personally I think this should have came before the IWGP Jr Title Match.
(8) TNA World Heavyweight Title Match: Jeff Hardy (TNA) vs. Tetsuya Naito
[21%] No chemistry between these two, I put some of that on Hardy and his action even a day before the show and not even being able to name his opponent. Naito got all of the fanfare in the match, Hardy might as well not have existed, I have never heard a most awkward silence after a match in Japan till this match if that says something.
I am done talking about this match, it is over, if you plan to watch you can skip and you can live on.
(9)NJPW vs NOAH Battle Combustion II: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Go Shiozaki
~ Both of these men met a couple of times last year with both running for a 30 minute draw at the G1 and Shiozaki picking up a win a few months later in NOAH. So this time around it is on Nakamura’s turf and on the big stage. The match starts strong Shiozaki going for the power while Nakamura aims for the technical side of things. Same can be said for Nakamura’s love for his knees while Shiozaki aims to chop his opponents down.
[79%] These two beat each other down in this match and bring their top game. Both aim to take each other out fairly quickly with how this match plays out compared to their previous bouts. Nakamura even starts bleeding in the mouth following one of Shiozaki Chops. Though I will say what hurts this match is it’s shortness in length. Kind of brushes off their previous matches for going longer as sort of pointless. Though for the action, crowd into the match it was good in the end.
(10)Special Singles Match ~ The Absolute Exhaust: Tohgi Makabe vs. Masato Tanaka
~ This was a bad blood match, both pretty much hate each other and come in from the bell brawling. Tanaka already has a one up coming into the match after hurting Makabe’s neck and makes that the point of his attacks early on. The match goes back and forth, but the edge sort of lies with Tanaka at times, with Makabe showing weakness with his neck.
[83%] If you like just seeing some good in ring brawls then this match is for you, there are some good spots, and the crowd was getting into this match as well. Which makes sense since they love the big Gorilla known as Makabe. My only issue is how the match ended, but considering what happened right before the fall makes it work out.
(11) IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Satoshi Kojima [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
~ Time for the Main Event, the fans are very passionate earlier on with who they really care for in this match. Some are pulling for Kojima while more are pulling for the ace of New Japan, Tanahashi. Back and forth in the beginning, and the match plays into both wrestling hands as it progresses.
[91%] These two bring their best in this match. Kojima plays his card as the outsider champion very well and shows his power dominance of the ace. Tanahashi backs things up with his speed and quickness. Kojima takes out Tanahashi’s leg and that puts things in his favor, Tanahashi does what he does best and capitalizes on the right opportunities to keep himself in the match against his stronger opponent. This match played out very well in my opinion and I consider it to be better than their encounter at the finals of the G1.

With the event finally finished I do still say it is a recommendation to watch. Though this does not stack up like the other Wrestle Kingdom initially it still has some good matches. Some may say the length of the event is it’s downfall, but really to me it seemed some of the matches were rushed a bit. Could have added some time to a couple of the matches and had some better psychology.
With only one bad apple being what was involved with Hardy, I did enjoy everything else.

So in the end I can say watch, and see the Hardy/Naito match on your own free will.
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