By Dave Meltzer, WrestlingObserver.com
Welcome to our live coverage for Friday’s Ring of Honor & New Japan Pro Wrestling Global Wars Night #1 event from Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto, Canada, available on iPPV. Coverage kicks off at 7:30 PM EST.
GEDO & MOOSE VS. SILAS YOUNG & TAKAAKI WATANABE
Moose pinned Young after a spear. Young wasn’t ready to be tagged in. Young clotheslined Watanabe after the match. Basically a showcase for Moose who did a high dropkick and high crossbody and some powerhouse spots. He wasn’t nearly as over as he’s been in other cities.
CHRIS SABIN VS. KYLE O’REILLY VS. KUSHIDA
Kushida had lost on both Philadelphia shows so he was due here. Kushida got the Kimura on Sabin for the submission. Good match overall. Crowd was giving them the “This is awesome” stuff. A lot of good stuff with O’Reilly and Kushida. O’Reilly used a brainbuster and armbar on Sabin but Kushida moonsaulted O’Reilly to break it and then put Sabin in the Kimura for the win.
MICHAEL BENNETT & MATT TAVEN VS. MATT SYDAL & JUSHIN LIGER
Largely a good match. Liger kept taking both out and strutted toward Maria. Maria rubbed Liger’s face into her boobs and that was it for Liger as he turned around into a superkick by both. Taven came in with all kinds of cool kicks until he came off the top with a shooting star press into a superkick by Taven which looked really good. Taven & Bennett used a spike piledriver on Taven for the pin.
CEDRIC ALEXANDER VS. KAZUCHIKA OKADA
Best match so far. Okada won with his dropkick, a tombstone piledirver and the rainmaker. Okada went to shake his hands and Alexander walked off. It looked like a heel turn for Alexander coming. Okada did all his regular moves, flapjack, dropkicking the guy off the ropes out of the ring, the draping DDT. Alexander did all his stuff as well. Alexander got some good near falls. I don’t know if anyone truly believed he could win but he did about as good as he could. The power went out twice during this match. When it came back on the first time, Okada looked really happy.
ROPPONGI VICE VS. THE ADDICTION VS. B.J. WHITMER & ADAM PAGE
The Addiction won when Roppongi Vice did a stuff Omori driver on Page, but Christopher Daniels saved and then Frankie Kazarian tagged in and stole the pin on Page. Daniels & Kazarian are now heels but really weren’t much different, both out there entertaining. Colby Corino, Steve’s son, was in Whitmer & Page’s corner.
They are showing last year’s Kevin Steen vs. Shinsuke Nakamura match during intermission. They showed the first 3 seconds and went to a blank screen.
They went back and aired the match. So far, the taped Steen vs. Nakamura bout is the best bout on the show.
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA VS. ACH
Of course Nakamura won with the bom a ye. Good match. The crowd wasn’t that hot for it, even though there was a chant of “This is awesome.” Nakamura was very over. He did all his stuff and ACH was working exta hard. ACH was wearing a local wrestler’s gear because his didn’t arrive with him. ACH did a springboard off the middle rope over the top with a flip dive. The finish saw ACH hit a dropkick, but Nakamura then nailed him with the bom a ye for the pin.
JAY LETHAL VS. TETSUYA NAITO FOR TV TITLE
No Truth Martini in the corner, insted Donovan Dijak is in the corner. Lethal won with the Lethal injection after traidng near falls. This was the best match thus far but was missing something when it came to heat to make it a great match. Both wrestled really well. Naito asked for a rematch after. They were pushing that Lethal claims his title is the most important title because he has it to build for his match with Jay Briscoe. Dijak interfered and was booted midway. Both did pretty much all their regular stuff until Naito missed the stardust press.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI VS. MICHAEL ELGIN
Tanahashi did his main event style match, even the High Fly Flow to the floor. There was still something missing as far as the crowd went, not that they were bad, but not great. It felt like a very good match but not a classic. Tanahashi did the high fly flow to the back but Elgin got his knees up on the second one. Elgin used the buckle bomb but Tanahashi got right up and hit the sling blade and high fly flow for the win. I don’t think the crowd was ready for the finish at that point.
MARK & JAY BRISCOE & HANSON & RAYMOND ROWE & RODERICK STRONG VS. A.J. STYLES & YOUNG BUCKS & DOC GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON
This match was ridiculous. It was just this spectacle of insanity and creativity. There was far too much to describe but it was a combination car wreck and highlight reel and just an incredible match. Highlights were the Bullet Club doing a five way superkick on Hanson for a near fall. Styles & The Bucks all did moonsaults off the apron at the same time. Nick, Styles and Matt all did 450s on Hanson and he kicked out. Hanson did a flip plancha on everyone. Then Strong gave top rope superplexes to Matt, Styles and Anderson. He then superplexed Nick off the top rope to the floor onto everyone. The finish saw Matt take a suplex into a gutbuster by Strong, a Jay driller and finally Mark pinned him with the elbow off the top. And then the feed died right after it ended but Lethal did lay the Briscoes out, or at least Jay, to set up the 6/19 PPV main event.
The show was very good, but if you didn’t see it, you really need to order the replay just to see the main event. It was that good.