KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs. Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH, 7/15/2007)

NOAH - Summer Navigation '07 (7/15/2007)

KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs. Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji 

This was one hell of a spotfest. Everyone looked amazing. The near-falls were super effective in adding drama to the match; each one of them increased the intensity of the third act, and when the referee finally does count 3 the crowd goes berserk. Fucking hell was the finishing sequence breathtaking.

*****

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi) (DDT, 11/14/2010)

DDT - Osaka Bay Blues Special (11/14/2010)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (c) vs. Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi)

This was basically a mini version of their New Japan matches. It's a fast-paced sprint that lasts for just 9-minutes. The action was smooth (save for Taguchi's early fuck-up) and the crowd was really hot.

***1/4

Yankee Two Kenju (Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto) vs. Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (DDT, 11/17/2013)

DDT - God Bless DDT 2013 (11/17/2013)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Yankee Two Kenju (Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto) (c) vs. Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)

This started off slow with two workover segments; Yankee targets Ibushi's leg, and you know he's not going to sell that long term. When they pick up the pace, the match turns into a wild spotfest, but in a way that was logical. There were cute moments like Miyamoto hitting the diving chop that he never hits, and Omega and Kodaka have this fantastic finishing run with one of the best counters you'll ever see to Croyt's Wrath. Good shit here.

****1/2

Monster Army (Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino) vs. Golden Rendezvous (Gota Ihashi, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (DDT, 5/26/2013)

DDT - Road to Ryogoku In Hiroshima ~ Dramatic Dream Tokasan (5/26/2013)

KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship: Monster Army (Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino) (c) vs. Golden Rendezvous (Gota Ihashi, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)

This was an entertaining trios. Hino didn't do a whole lot, but he does hit Gota with the Fucking Bomb. Gota was great, as was Antonio's over the top selling. The best parts were naturally Kenny & Ibushi's flashy movesets. 

***

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Happy Motel (Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo) (DDT, 9/28/2014)

DDT - Dramatic General Election 2014 Final Voting Day - Last Hope Special (9/28/2014)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (c) vs. Happy Motel (Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo)

Fucking incredible tag match -- super catchy, fast-paced action to a hot crowd. This really felt like Takeshita & Endo's moment because Golden☆Lovers did a tremendous job putting the heat on them and Korakuen was craving a Happy Motel win. The finishing run between Takeshita and Omega was phenomenal. A magical performance by all four men!

****1/2

HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi vs. Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (DDT, 1/24/2009)

DDT - Dramatic 2009 Special (1/24/2009)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi (c) vs. Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)

This turned into a great match once they got a good flow going. HARASHIMA & Toru had clever tag maneuvers in their arsenal to rival Golden Lover's chemistry, and the HARASHIMA-Ibushi kick battle was excellent. Nice bloodshed from Omega who gushes from the nose after taking a stiff kick.

****

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Danshoku Dino & Yoshihiko (DDT, 5/4/2009)

DDT - MAX BUMP 2009 (DDT, 5/4/2009)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (c) vs. Danshoku Dino & Yoshihiko

This felt like it went a bit long for a Yoshihiko match, but I never got bored of it. The Lovers obviously have excellent chemistry as a tag team, and their bumping for Yoshihiko was incredible. Fucking Dino probably has the most underrated punch in the business. Very fun, wacky tag match. 

***3/4

Kota Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega (DDT, 8/18/2012)

DDT - Nippon Budokan Peter Pan 2012 ~ DDT 15th Anniversary (8/18/2012)

KO-D Openweight Championship: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Kenny Omega

This was the biggest DDT show at the time, an epic collision between the Golden☆Lovers. Ibushi does not care to sell armwork, but he's one of the best when it comes to selling the toll that a match like this takes on the body. Omega as well. They were just going from extreme spot to extreme spot, in a way that flowed smoothly. DDT UNIVERSE cuts out Ibushi's moonsault spot. I know they got into trouble over it, but it seems silly to remove such a historic spot. Really good match, regardless. An epic!

****3/4

Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi (DDT, 8/6/2008)

DDT - Kota Ibushi Produce: Beer Garden Pro Wrestling (8/6/2008)

Hardcore Rules - Two Out of Three Falls: Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi

Fucking mad man Ibushi taking a Michinoku Driver onto a chair to concrete. The Phoenix Splash from the vending machines to Kenny on top of tables (that didn't break) was fucking bonkers. Omega does a dropkick from the bleachers and takes a flat back bump on the ramp. These guys were fucking destroying themselves. When they get back to the ring, they have a mini-epic, the crowd is hot, they're trading nukes; Ibushi murders Omega with an avalanche Dragon suplex. This felt so organic, and it was a thrill to watch.

****1/2

Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie (DDT, 1/20/2011)

DDT - Dotonbori Story 8 (1/20/2011)

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie

Back when Irie and Ishii were still young boys, and Irie had a buzzcut! Omega and Irie had a great segment, and Ibushi did magical stuff in the final sequence, and I dug the combos Ishii and Irie were doing. Solid little tag match.

***