AJPW - Super Power! 2017 Super Power Series (5/21/2017)

4. GAORA TV Championship: Jun Akiyama (c) vs. Mitsuya Nagai

Nagai beats up Akiyama with a camera, a steel chain and chairs. He's the orc of Dark Nightmare, and he manhandles Nikkan Lee! What an asshole! The old man fighting spirit sequence was gold.

**

5. World Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hikaru Sato (c) vs. Black Tiger VII

Sato's entrance theme fucking rules! Dragon screw followed by a Shining Wizard from Black Tiger right out the gate, so NOSAWA is still wrestling like NOSAWA in this gimmick. I guess putting him in a mask and a full body suit makes him more aesthetically-pleasing for All Japan viewers.

**1/2

6. AJPW World Tag Team Championship: The Big Guns (The Bodyguard & Zeus) (c) vs. KAI & Kengo Mashimo

Sprint semi-main with Big Guns tossing motherfuckers left and right. KAI & Mashimo are an odd couple tag team who can't get on the same page. KAI did the heavy lifting. Mashimo looked like a doofus, but at least he gets the fall!

***

7. Triple Crown Championship: Kento Miyahara (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa

This was a great match, worked at a 'brisk' pace. Miyahara took every chance he could to strike with the blackout, and every single one of them looked awesome. Shuji was Shuji. Miyahara's selling of the backwork was practically nonexistent, but he had some great emotes and bumps, especially for the finish.

****

BASARA - VAJRA 25 ~SHIPPUJINRAI~ (12/25/2016)

3. Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi

I never thought much of Ryuichi Kawakami in Big Japan, he was another hard-hitting dude amongst hard-hitting dudes, but here in BASARA he's been allowed to show range and he's great. Match itself was mediocre.

**

4. IRON PRIEST (FUMA, Madoka & Yusuke Kubo) vs. Jun Kasai, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba

Toba looks like something that blew in off the highway, but he throws gnarly punches. FUMA was getting nailed with hard hits left and right and selling amazingly. The veterans did a great job building up heat for the home team to make the comeback. FUMA's heavy metal heart refused to give in!

****

5. Jun Akiyama vs. SAGAT

SAGAT's selling was awesome in this, he's a freak show but the fans rallied behind him as bald, mean bully Akiyama had his way with him. I liked SAGAT reverting back to his crotch-chewing persona during the final sequence... only to get rocked by a big knee from Jun.

***

7. Union Pro MAX Championship (vacant): Isami Kodaka vs. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi

There was great legwork here that was neglected in the final act which is always a pet peeve of mine, but this was pretty good. Both guys were throwing meaty slugs, especially Trans-Am's lariats.

***1/4