Yeah so I'm going in this route too. Though this is here to test out my new review format. No more play by play. Just why the match is what it is with some history mixed in. So let's kick this off.

Triple Crown Title Match:
Satoshi Kojima © vs. TARU

Match History: This is from 1/8 earlier this year. Kojima is about the only thing going for All Japan today. The roster is just in shambles for the most part. TARU is probably one of the best heels you'll ever see. Everything about the guy just screams evil. With that said he's the drizzling shits in the ring and his title shot here just further shows how desperate All Japan is roster wise.

The Match: Nothing really special about this match. They start out brawling on the outside. TARU gets help from the Voodoo Murders, beats on Kojima only for Kojima to weather the storm and pull out the win. The match worked in the aspect that they communicated the hatred well. There was little matwork as they just wanted to beat the piss out of each other. As I said earlier TARU is a great heel and plays it up well here. Unfortunately his limitations as a worker show up in spades. He often lacks the moveset to really make the match flow. He likes that sit out piledriver he does and uses some kicks but that's about it. Kojima unfortunately sticks to using diamond cutters and lariats. It ultimately felt like a 10 minute match trapped in a 20 minute matches' body. Still a worthwhile look if you're computer can handle a bigger file. **1/2

Other Thoughts: Unfortunately for All Japan the challenger field is pretty thin. Kojima just celebrated one year as champion yesterday and has few options for further defenses.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-9YMJWQtl0U&search=ajpw

You know, I'm really surprised that even though AJPW is basically broke that they haven't brought in anyone to challege him for it. There are shitloads of good freelancers out there too.

I'm sure they will at some point this year. Though the TARU defense is definately a low point for All Japan. He's defending against whoever the current Great MUTA is next month. I guess they could build up Yoshie for a late spring/early summer defense.

Also their March tour is awful talent wise:

KENSUKE OFFICE:
- Kensuke Sasaki (All shows)
- Katsuhiko Nakajima (All shows)

FREELANCE:
- Yutaka Yoshie (3/5 - 3/10)
- AKIRA (All shows)
- Kikutaro (All shows)
- Kikujiro (All shows)
- Taiji Ishimori (All shows)
- NOSAWA Rongai (All shows)
- MAZADA (All shows)

Voodoo Murders:
- TARU (All shows)
- Shuji Kondo (All shows)
- "brother" YASSHI (All shows)

RO&D:
- TAKA Michinoku (All shows)
- Taiyo Kea (All shows)
- D-Lo Brown (All shows)
- Buchanan (All shows)
- Matt Morgan (3/5 - 3/10)

And please tell me what you think of the new format.

Great Muta vs. Osamu Kido 9-26-1994

Match History: This is from the 94 G-1 Climax tournament. For those not in the know it's an annual New Japan tournament that usually yields some high calibur matches. The winner is typically going to have the federation focused on him for the rest of the year. Muta is Muta of course so it's a crap shoot if he's motivated or not. Osamu Kido's peak as a worker was sometime in the 80s probably. I've only seen his work when he was well past his prime and only a part timer. So let's just say he's unspectacular at this point.

The Match: This match right off the bat isn't going to work in my book. Just looking at the two you have Muta who's a prime specimen of a person at this point and Kido who's got an old man body. So it's hard to believe in Kido's chances of getting a win. Basically just an extended squash for 9 minutes. Kido gets a few hope spots by grabbing an armbar which is a match ender in Japan. Muta usually ends his comebacks with mist in the face. Muta also spends about as much time attacking people around the ring. I'm not sure who it was that he kept getting into it with. Just a mess of a match from start to finish. 3/4*

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nnaHeXssPaA

I like it, and the fact I keep setting new trends in reviews and fantasy booking. Just call my Kanyon... minus being gay.

American Dragon vs. Tiger Mask IV

Match History: Tiger Mask IV is a really talent guy but lazy as hell. He got away with it for a long time because the New Japan junior division was terrible from 02-04. Last year saw the other juniors start bringing their A games and poor Tiger Mask was exposed. American Dragon of course is a top calibur worker. I expect around *** from this.

The Match: So Dragon will try to keep things paced and grounded while Tiger Mask will want to speed things up and hit his big moves. The flow of the match is basically that Tiger Mask gets control early on and usually lets Dragon back into the match by going for high risk moves at the wrong time. Dragon usually goes for the kill whenever he gets on offense with some nice knees or pin attempts. Tiger Mask usually hits flashy moves and roundhouse kicks. They stick to the formula for most of the match. Very few negatives to this match as they don't blow any spots. In a pleasant surprise American Dragon wins the match. What I expected. ***

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SkDo2HJoVbE

Nigel McGuinness vs. Delirious - RoH 1-27-06

Match History: I can take or leave McGuinness. He's a very good wrestler but he's just too bland most of the time. McGuinness is the Pure Wrestling Champion here but the title isn't on the line. Delirious is a favorite of mine but his employment in Ring of Honor puzzles me. His act doesn't seem like the type of thing they'd be interested in. Either way he's basically a glorified jobber.

The Match: McGuinness uses his European stlye of offense to keep Delirious grounded while Delirious runs around like a maniac with flurries of offense. Basically just an extended squash for McGuinness. McGuinness hits a diamond cutter off the top rope to pull off the win. Fun, little match but pretty short. *1/2

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTNO41ZcJU&search=roh

CM Punk vs. Danny Inferno

Match History: This is CM Punk's OVW debut. I've only seen Danny Inferno a couple of times but he's pretty forgettable.

The Match: I'll hand it to Punk. He's got some sweet music in OVW and it really fits his douchebag persona. There's a nice touch at the start as Inferno offers a handshake and Punk blows him off. There's a lot of stalling for what's basically a 4 minute match. They got from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds. Inferno dominates 90% of the match. Considering it's OVW it's all very basic. Punk gets a little offense in but only briefly. Punk gets the win with a roll up and a handful of tights. Nothing match. 3/4*

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BFMZTR0XkJE&search=cm%20punk

NWA World Heavyweight Title Match:
Ric Flair © vs. Ted Dibiase

Match History: This is from the Mid-South territory in 1985. This is a pretty infamous match if I remember correctly. At the time Dibiase was the top dog in the territory and this was at the tail end of Flair's big drawing days.

The Match: Dick Murdoch attacks Dibiase before the match starts. They act like they're going to call off the match because of the cut on Dibiase's head but he demands the match go through. And just to blow your mind. This is a televised match. Just think of how blockbuster that would've been in 1985. Dibiase is selling the blood loss so he tries to finish it as quickly as possible. He actually dominates much of the match with Flair just trying to weather the storm until Dibiase punches himself out. The match ends when Flair kicks him to the outside and Dibiase is too worn down to make the count. Quite a fun match as it was nonstop action from bell to bell. There were nice touches like Flair attacking as Dibiase was getting into the ring. Dibiase would also hit a big move and then be too tired to follow up on it right away. All of the moves were well executed and they stuck to the match storyline well. Dibiase sold the blood loss really well. Really short match as it was under 10 minutes. Had they gone longer and had a better finish I think it could've been a really good match. **3/4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tphw9EDsQMg&search=mid%20south

PWF Heavyweight Title Match:
Stan Hansen © vs. Giant Baba 3-24-84

Match History: Giant Baba is past his prime here. Later on in his career he became more of a comedy mid-card act to hide his faults as a worker but he's still clinging to his main event status here. Stan Hansen has yet to hit his peak as a worker at this point. The PWF Heavyweight Title would later become a third of the famous Triple Crown Championship.

The Match: The basics of this match are that Giant Baba wants to have a wrestling match and Stan Hansen wants to have a bar room brawl. Baba eventually gives Hansen what he wants. The match ends in a DQ when Hansen gets his arm caught in the ropes and Baba refuses to stop attacking him. Baba is the entire problem with this match. He doesn't sell well and due to his age he's trying to move as little as possible. Baba seems to be mostly interested in getting his spots in (neckbreaker drop, russian leg sweep, big boot). Hansen for his part really offers little. He brings a lot of fire in how he acts and is very willing to sell and bump for the aged giant. It just doesn't click. Maybe with an extra 10 minutes they could've done something special. *1/2.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qd2QcgWHRms&search=ajpw

Jamal and D'Lo Brown vs. Bob Sapp and Keiji Mutoh

Match History: Taka Michinoku decided he wanted to bring down All Japan in 2005. Unfortunately for him he was hated by everyone else on the roster. So what do you do when you have no allies? Why bring in your old buddies from the WWE. Behold the RO&D stable and their mission.

The Match: First of all Bob Sapp screams like he just dropped the soap in a prison shower. It's quite annoying. I enjoyed this match a lot more than I thought I would. I only like one worker in the match so I was expecting a bad match. The D'Lo/Mutoh feeling out process is well down. Even Jamal/Sapp's power stalemate is pretty good. After that it's good when D'Lo/Mutoh are working the match and sucks when anyone else is in there. Mutoh is semi-motivated so it isn't him sticking to his couple of moves. Mutoh and Sapp win with a double team move. This match is interesting in a few ways. First they stuck to the American tag team forumla quite a bit and you don't see that in Japan very often. They worked the forumla pretty well and a solid match resulted. ***.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mhYjKgrXuso&search=ajpw

Kamala vs. Mick Foley

Match History: This is probably one of the first matches Foley did as a jobber. Kamala is probably a high end mid-carder at this point in his WWF run.

The Match: Kamala hits Foley a couple of times and then hits the big splash for the win in a matter of seconds. Kamala's entrance took longer than the actual match. What can you say? Dud. Just remember that I don't give negative stars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS50IP7_9sw&search=wwf