The New Beginning in Sapporo Night One
February 1st 2020
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
Tomohiro Ishii pins EVIL in 21 minutes and 14 seconds
The backstory about EVIL being 0-8 against Ishii going into this match helped it be more than just a generic series of forearms and lariats. That said, it never really felt like EVIL was going all out here the way that he should have to sell that narrative. It was a shame to see him reverting back to the gimmicky chair spots that he really should have left behind him in 2016, especially coming off of a 2019 where he subtly added a lot more urgency and crispness to his arsenal. It also didn’t help that the Hokkaido crowd, who were pretty silent throughout most of this show, didn’t seem to be particularly into this contest. It was still a very well-worked hoss battle, but one that felt like a step down from the very strong match that they had together during last year’s Dontaku tour. *** ½
NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi pins Hirooki Goto to gain the title in 20 minutes and 10 seconds
Shingo and Goto once again prove to have excellent chemistry, in this rubber match following last year’s spectacular G1 and Destruction bouts. Shingo can go to-to-toe with Goto on vicious, hard-hitting offense, but he also pushes the pace far beyond what’s expected of the typical NEVER Title slugfest. With these two you get the brutal no-nonsense action that has been the title’s hallmark but delivered with the speed of a high-end Junior division match. This match was also noticeably tight by New Japan main event standards, clocking in at just over 20 minutes even as it delivered every spot that a fan could want to see from a Shingo or a Goto match.
It remains to be seen how long New Japan will stick with this direction for what has traditionally been somewhat of a hot potato title, but at this point Shingo taking the reins feels momentous. He proved over the past year that he can have an exciting match with any wrestler on the roster, regardless of weight division, and on this weekend he had a diverse set of potential challengers set up in the form of Tomohiro Ishii, Toa Henare, and SHO. With the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Titles being merged, at least for the time being, the NEVER Title may need to fill that B-show main event void, and Shingo certainly has the charisma and talent to potentially elevate this title in the same way that Shinsuke Nakamura once did with the Intercontinental belt. Just look at the way that in this match Shingo yelled things at the crowd mid-bout and managed to be one of the only performers on the entire show to elicit a big reaction from them. The guy is a star. **** ½
The New Beginning in Sapporo Night Two
February 2nd 2020
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr defeats Will Ospreay via referee stoppage to retain the title in 27 minutes and 4 seconds
An exciting duel emphasizing the distinct fighting styles of technical wizard ZSJ and aerial assassin Will Ospreay. Ospreay was occasionally able to fend Sabre off with his unpredictable acrobatics, but the long-reigning British Heavyweight Champion generally had an answer for everything, and as usual was able to apply a complex submission maneuver from basically any position in the ring. The match was full of neat little details like Sabre wisely rolling out of the ring when he knew he was in danger of being pinned following an Oscutter. These two kept up an impressive pace for the entire match, and while it does feel like they could have accomplished just as much in a bout that was 10 minutes shorter (especially as we would learn later on this tour that the two will rematch at an upcoming Rev Pro show) I can’t say that I was ever bored. ****
Kazuchika Okada pins Taichi in 30 minutes and 53 seconds
Taichi has really come a long way in the last year or so, to the point that he now looks right at home challenging the company ace in the main event of a relatively big show. (Although it should be noted that his tremendous entrance video did a lot of heavy lifting in making him come off as a big star here). Still, I’m not sure that it should have taken Okada over 30 minutes to defeat Taichi, especially since the extended match length forced the Suzukigun member to resort to some of the played-out gimmickry (the iron fingers, using Miho Abe as a shield, etc.) that it seems like he should have evolved past by now. Despite the unnecessary excesses, this was still for the most part an entertaining contest with a fully engaged crowd, some convincing nearfalls, and a great closing stretch of counters and reversals. Shave 10 minutes off and you might be looking at Taichi’s best performance ever. *** ½
Road to the New Beginning
Thursday February 6th 2020
Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship: Shingo Takagi, EVIL, and BUSHI defeat Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and Robbie Eagles to retain the titles in 21 minutes and 44 seconds when BUSHI pins Eagles
This had to have been the best match to date in these titles’ four-year existence. It really delivered on the openweight trio match format’s potential for dynamic action, as all six men worked at a blistering pace whether delivering beefy strike exchanges, high flying Junior spots, or a combination of the two. The interactions between Shingo and Ishii had me salivating for a likely upcoming NEVER Title singles match between the two, especially during a wild moment where Shingo ran full force and collided with Ishii as the latter was entering the ring, causing Ishii to awkwardly crumple on his injured leg. Robbie Eagles and BUSHI delivered a really thrilling closing stretch as well, where there was serious doubt as to who would come out on top. I found myself much more invested in these often throwaway titles than I currently am in the Heavyweight Tag Title scene, where I’m not sure that I’ll even be able to bring myself to watch the New Beginning in USA match where the ultra-boring G.O.D. won the titles back from Finjuice. ****
