All Japan Pro-Wrestling "2017 New Years Wars", 01/02/17

The show starts with the obligatory new year tradition of the roster standing in the ring and bowing respectfully to the audience. They'll reaffirm their commitment to trying their best and usually one or two of the guys will speak.  

You can definitely stick your Tokyo Dome, my wrestling mecca is Korakuen Hall. The sheer amount of shows I've watched from that building is absolutely staggering. Anyway, on with the show and the first review

- Atsushi Aoki vs. Koji Iwamoto

I'll be honest, there was some weak looking offense in this match. Some neat moves though. There was a fake out hip toss into a knee which looked like a modified go2sleep, which I originally thought was nifty, but now i've seen it so many times, it does nothing for me.  [Meh]

- Yuma Aoyagi & Soma Takao (DDT) vs. Keisuke Ishii (DDT) & Fuminori Abe (Sportiva)

[Meh]

- Zeus, Yohei Nakajima & SUSHI vs. Ryoji Sai (LAND’S END), Rikiya Fudo (LAND’S END) & Minoru Tanaka (FREE)

I bloody love Zeus, he's this roided up angry midget. He is so jacked up that when he runs he doesn't know where his arms should go so they kind of flail around. Again, it was another nothing match. Sushi just irritates and i'm not sure why as this is the first match i've ever seen of his. He's a masked wrestler who has a sushi plate on his head. It was funny when Curry Man was doing it, now, not so much. [Meh]

- New Year’s Omori Festival ~ Special 6 Man Tag Match: Takao Omori, Manabu Soya (W-1) & Kazuhiro Tamura (HEAT-UP) vs. Isami Kodaka (BASARA), Yuko Miyamoto (666) & Daichi Kazato (BASARA)

It seems really weird to see so many non All Japan guys on the lower card. Especially BJW style guys who Misawa wouldn't have touched with a barge pole. There was a section where one of the guys bobbles was ripped off and chucked into the crowd, which they loved and I died inside. [OK]

- Asia Tag Championship ~ Street Bunkhouse Death Match: Masanobu Fuchi & Atsushi Onita (FREE) vs. Jun Akiyama & Masao Inoue

As if to further cement how different the wrestling world is,  they've got a deathmatch on the card, with Akyiama too, wtf! 

I had to Google Akyiama as he looks really different with his bald head, I would have comfortably taken a bet that it wasn't him. I'm hoping he's still somewhat as good as he used to be as here he looks a shell of his former self. 

This match was bad. I love Onita, but not for his matches. Back when I was tape trading Onita was the ultimate babyface. He overcame the most amazing odds to win, especially when he was getting cut open by Mr Pogo. His wrestling was sub-par, but he could have the crowd eating out his hands. Here, he's even less mobile than he used to be. He comes out to a massive reception though. Fans were mobbing him and trying to get a picture with him, which did warm my cold, dead, heart. Fuchi looks to be about 106. Not much wrestling and Onitas team wins. Oh and there was a guy in a panda mask running round, no idea who he was with and what he was doing there. [OK]

- Kento Miyahara, Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura vs. Suwama, Joe Doering & Hikaru Sato (Pancrase MISSION)

This is the first match that the guys in the ring looked like the real deal, and you'd actually pay to see them. Doering looks like a young, fit Stan Hansen. And he is fucking awesome. The story of the match is that it's his first match back since being off fighting cancer, and he's fired up. He lariats the shit out of everyone, and it's glorious to see. [Good]

- New Year Open Battle Royal: Omori, Zeus, Aoki, SUSHI, Iwamoto, Aoyagi, Sai, Fudo, Soya, Minoru, Tamura, Isami, Miyamoto, Abe, Kazato, Keisuke, Soma, Shigehiro Irie, Black Tiger VII, Osamu Nismura, and Kyohei Wada (referee)

This was definitely a match for the fans, which was just filled with lots and lots of comedy spots. One went wrong though as the ref does the undertaker walk on the top rope (and the ref is an old dude) and as he falls from the top rope straight to the floor, there was no one their to catch him. He apparently really hurt his leg and he's off the tour so that he can recover! 

Omori won the match and the prize money as he continues his strong start of the New Year.

Not a good show to start my wrestling viewing for the year. Out of the whole card i'd only watch the Doering Match.