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Post by silverwidow on Jan 5, 2023 21:18:39 GMT -5
Modern New Japan is usually not my thing, but holy shit this rocked. A brutally stiff war with some insane spots mixed with dramatic selling throughout.
GME Top 100 contender. Easily.
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Post by [Darren] on Jan 5, 2023 22:07:06 GMT -5
First half felt unfocused to me. But, it never bothered me like these two do normally. Kenny’s heat segment was great, I loved Ospreay getting bloodied but that’s about the only thing. I cannot accept him as a babyface since he’s so naturally unlikeable.The best possible match of this kind. I still don’t care for it but I understand I’m in a very small minority. This just isn’t my thing, even if it’s the best that thing can
Be.
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Post by elliott on Jan 6, 2023 0:03:33 GMT -5
I watched it.
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Post by Cap on Jan 6, 2023 15:25:28 GMT -5
I'm going to rewatch this before I decide if I second or do a direct nomination. My gut on first watch is that the first 1/3rd might keep it off my GME list, but the last 2/3rds makes it an easy MOTY contender.
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Post by kas on Jan 6, 2023 17:36:43 GMT -5
Omega was fantastic with how vicious and urgent he was. Ospreay was up and down (more up then down) with fantastic dazed selling after he started bleeding, but comebacks that came a bit too easy. Still a top 100 contender easily.
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Post by tetsujin on Jan 7, 2023 20:21:30 GMT -5
Maybe some of you already know that I hate, and I mean HATE, these two. I am a hater of both Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay. I can't stand their worst tendencies, their over the top facial expressions, the massive ego portrayed through their performances, how they both are the symbols of the most brainwashed fanbase ever in wrestling. I know they can be good, really good even, but most of the time I just can't stand their stupid, cartoony, small dick personas. I could go on. But man, this match fucking ruled hard.
Gotta admit I started watching it expecting to laugh at them, but holy shit was I wrong. There were almost zero shred of those bad tendencies, and even the few that were there were just a couple of bad facial expressions and annoying eye contact with the cameras, no biggie. They executed everything they attended to do with such grace and making it look easy, it felt like the clash of two super heroes... until Omega started to destroy Ospreay's fucking back. And it all started very early on: some people say the first half or so of the match was pointless or something, and I will be with you 99% of the time when it comes to NJPW main events, but I swear it didn't feel to me like that this time. Omega controlled almost the whole time and each attack to the back was decreasing Will's chances to win. There are two or three spots here that are absolutely fucking insane, specially that monstruous DDT on the corner. Ospreay's bleeding added an even more special tone to the match, and it didn't overstayed its welcome by any means. Some of Ospreay's selling throughout the worst parts of his in peril segments was just perfect, with things like Kobashi-esque kickouts at 2'99999, baaaaaaarely moving a shoulder for example, and his attempts to coming back felt huge. At that point, I just thought "man, Ospreay really need to start having true momentum if they want me to buy his win", and suddenly Omega won. Very shocking, but it left me wanting more, and I get that's the point and they will probably have a more complete rematch on Dominion or whenever, but man... When a match is becoming something truly special, you just want it to continue its road and reach its full potential, even if it means not setting up a sequel. I wanted a proper Ospreay comeback and some crazy, 50-50 final sequences, with Ospreay winning if possible. For once I can say that I wanted five more minutes in a NJPW big match. But yeah, even with those minor complains, I'm highly impressed, and I'm glad these two reminded me how good they can really be.
The first MOTYC of 2023, and a contender for a GME list, yeah why not. It won't be in mine, but I wouldn't bat an eye if people start to have it on their lower halfs. ****1/4
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Post by lemming on Jan 16, 2023 4:33:37 GMT -5
Checked this out due to all the hype. Like a few others here I'm a bit of a skeptic of modern New Japan and not a big fan of either of these two guys. So my expectations were tempered.
I really enjoyed it. Probably the best Omega match I've seen and definitely the best from Ospreay. Aggressive, nasty match, with Ospreay giving Omega a black eye almost from the off with a stiff back elbow. Unlike some others above I didn't think the beginning felt too unfocused as Omega was targeting the back from early on. There were a couple of times they started to lose me but they always got my attention back. I liked that the finish was definitive and came at a good time too, without running into overkill.
I could definitely see people who are more into this stylistically than me ranking it in a top 100. Early MOTYC.
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Post by microstatistics on Apr 22, 2023 14:21:20 GMT -5
An English guy with a stable named United Empire is an automatic mega-heel to me.
The match was all over the place. Nearly halfway in and couldn't believe this is currently #8 on Cagematch's Top 100. The work was decent but felt like the usual disjointed experience with cool isolated sequences and little connective tissue. But then came that gnarly avalanche DDT spot and suddenly Omega's ultra-focused demolition and Ospreay's dazed selling and layered comeback were among the best wrestling stretches I've seen from the past few years.
Finally, I agree with Tetsujin, the finish stunned me. I really expected an Ospreay comeback victory considering how they were laying out the match. That's why the transition to him defiantly going down felt so abrupt. I guess all that cliched wrist-holding and the straitjacket german meant something significant story-wise.
Holistically, I'd say it ends up being a low-end MOTYC but this is a difficult match to gauge upon first viewing because of the unevenness.
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Post by makaiclub on Apr 26, 2023 16:31:23 GMT -5
Well shit. They did it. Honestly, I thought it would be good-great but, like a lot of highly touted matches, wrestled like a match trying to be the greatest match unlike what this was, which was them going out there, following the story they were actually telling and wrestling the match and not the moment. There was no gratuitous let’s soak in the crowd moment, or something similarly manufactured. They simply tried to win. Both wrestled with intent, aggression and with follow through. Omega was aggressive from the off, hurting Ospreay quickly with his approach and spent the whole match following up on that with some of the most dangerous stunts he could think of. In classic Kenny fashion, there were some call backs to his previous matches, like the table spot with Okada, but in this case, they linked into the story of the match in a natural way. Omega put the table on the injured back of Ospreay, after he just crashed into the edge of the ring. Exactly the right thing for the right moment. Moreover, Ospreay proved that his best self is him selling for his opponent and working from beneath. His selling was great at times, playing into the blood extremely well and the effect it should have on you, while still providing some excellent offence when he could. This match was Omega heavy however, but luckily, this was the best Kenny Omega performance since 2018. I’ve never been in love with Omega’s work during his AEW. He was usually good but rarely great and NEVER this good. And he showed up big time in this match. This was nothing short of amazing. A quality dome match. ****1/2
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Post by fxnj on May 13, 2023 6:01:23 GMT -5
This feels like a case of me going completely cold into a heavily pimped match backfiring. Is there some context that enhances this? Count me as among those who was thoroughly impressed by individual sequences but left confused on how it's supposed to come together. First half felt like they were working a juniors spotfest that featured some mind blowing athleticism but I couldn't find much of a hook driving things. Then the match completely changes tone into a hate-fueled epic after the exposed turnbuckle DDT with Ospreay being awesome working from underneath. It seemed like there was some major significance to the extended hand clasp towards the end, but I was left scratching my head what it was supposed to represent. This feels like a great match even with me not really being sure what I was watching, but some guidance would be appreciated. I could piece together that this was Omega's return after being gone from the promotion for a long time and Ospreay wanted to prove he was the new top dog, but I have a feeling there's a bit more to it than that.
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Post by puropotsy on Jun 24, 2023 19:13:38 GMT -5
Amazing match with a head into a table spot reminiscent of Hokuto vs Kandori. It was a great Japanese return for Omega and a great showcase for Ospreay to demonstrate that he’d risen to Omega’s level. There was intense physicality for a prolonged match. Ospreay spitting blood at the end and telling Omega to bring it on with the V Trigger was cool and then Omega finishing it with the One Winged Angel was a great ending. I am watching this the day before getting to watch the rematch live at Forbidden Door.
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Post by microstatistics on Jun 26, 2023 22:55:50 GMT -5
An English guy with a stable named United Empire is an automatic mega-heel to me. The match was all over the place. Nearly halfway in and couldn't believe this is currently #8 on Cagematch's Top 100. The work was decent but felt like the usual disjointed experience with cool isolated sequences and little connective tissue. But then came that gnarly avalanche DDT spot and suddenly Omega's ultra-focused demolition and Ospreay's dazed selling and layered comeback were among the best wrestling stretches I've seen from the past few years. Finally, I agree with Tetsujin, the finish stunned me. I really expected an Ospreay comeback victory considering how they were laying out the match. That's why the transition to him defiantly going down felt so abrupt. I guess all that cliched wrist-holding and the straitjacket german meant something significant story-wise. Holistically, I'd say it ends up being a low-end MOTYC but this is a difficult match to gauge upon first viewing because of the unevenness. Hmm, maybe I should watch matches at least twice before I leave a comment. The initial viewing really doesn't give a properly informed impression. This was way more cohesive and focused after a second viewing, both intra- and inter-segment-wise. Hyper-aggressive Omega working the back --> athletic Ospreay fightbacks (with solid selling of the back) --> avalanche DDT and subsequent mauling ---> gradual Ospreay comeback --> Omega pulling out a few extra tricks to quench the rebound and secure the win. #3 for the year (behind Danielson vs. MJF and the WM Triple Threat) and I think you can add this to the list of modern matches that actually live up to the Meltzer/Cagematch hype. |
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Post by [Darren] on Dec 31, 2023 5:03:54 GMT -5
I don’t know what it is but I’m going back and watching these matches I typically wouldn’t care for for and my opinion is changing.
I loved this whole match in rewatch. Nio idea why I said it was unfocused. It’s cohesive and has a logical flow. It’s violent and engaging. There’s blood. Kenny works great on top and some of the moves are outrageous but it’s not a spotfest and it’s not a forced epic.
I had a blast with this match
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