All Together with New Japan, All Japan, and NOAH
Super Enhanced Review by Kevin Wilson

The Date:  August 27th, 2011
Location:  Tokyo Nippon Budokan
Announced Attendance:  17,000

Wrestling, at its base, can sometimes be a bit of a sleazy business. There tends to be lots of backstabbing, little loyalty, and occasional embarrassing and harmful incidences. But sometimes, wrestling can be "more" then that and do something truly good for the community. "All Together" is one of those situations. After the disaster last spring in Japan, the major promotions got together and decided to run a charity event to help raise money for the victims. And the promotions didn't hold anything back, as the champions and big stars from New Japan, All Japan, and Pro Wrestling NOAH all participated. This event marks what will likely be the last ever time the champions from all three major promotions team up together in a match. We also get Kobashi and Mutoh teaming together, and over 80 wrestlers total on the card. This event wasn't designed to be a wrestling clinic, as that is hard to do with so many multi-man and special attraction matches, but rather it gave all the wrestlers from the different promotions a chance to wrestle on a card for a great cause. The card is chock full of first time pairings that we will likely never see again. Here is the full card in all it's splendor (all names take you to the wrestler's profile, except for a handful that I still need to add that debuted recently):

- ALL TOGETHER Opening Match SUNRISE OF J: Kota Ibushi, Taiji Ishimori, Hiroshi Yamato, and BUSHI vs. Tiger Mask, Kaz Hayashi, Shuji Kondo, and Ricky Marvin
- FIGHTING FOR FUTURE: Tetsuya Naito, Shuhei Taniguchi, and Seiya Sanada vs. Mohammad Yone, Yujiro Takahashi, and Manabu Soya
- OVER THE BORDER: Togi Makabe and Akitoshi Saito vs. Hirooki Goto and Taiyo Kea
- JUNIOR ONE NIGHT CARNIVAL: Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Kotaro Suzuki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and KAI vs. Koji Kanemoto, KENTA, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru, and Genba Hirayanagi
- ONE NIGHT REUNION: Masakatsu Funaki, Takuma Sano, and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Minoru Suzuki, Atsushi Aoki, and Taichi
- Destroyer Cup - ALL TOGETHER Special Battle Royal:  Hideo Saito, Tomohiro Ishii, Gedo, Takaaki Watanabe, Hiromu Takahashi, King Fale, KUSHIDA, Wataru Inoue, Tomoaki Honma, Super Strong Machine, Jun Nishikawa, Satoshi Kajiwara, Kento Miyahara, Che-Gyong Lee, Takumi Soya, Soshun, Yasufumi Nakanoue, Masanobu Fuchi, Rene Dupree, Joe Doering, BLACK BUSHI, Masao Inoue, Yoshinari Ogawa, Akira Taue, Kentaro Shiga, MAZADA, and Zack Sabre Jr.
- MIDSUMMER ENCOUNTER IN BUDOKAN: Yuji Nagata, Wataru Inoue, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Osamu Nishimura vs. Takeshi Morishima, Akebono, Yutaka Yoshie, and Ryota Hama
- NO FEAR! GO AHEAD!!: Kensuke Sasaki and Jun Akiyama vs. Yoshihiro Takayama and Takao Omori
- BELIEVE THE POWER OF Prowrestling!: Kenta Kobashi and Keiji Mutoh vs. Toru Yano and Takashi Iizuka
- ALL TOGETHER NOW!: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Go Shiozaki, and Suwama vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Takashi Sugiura, and KENSO

To mark such a monumental event, I am am including a video of the big moments and images to make this what will likely be my most in-depth review ever. While I will still do my usual match reviews, keep in mind like I said that this card is more about emotion and helping those in need then it is about having Five Star matches. Let's get started!


Kota Ibushi
, Taiji Ishimori, Hiroshi Yamato, and BUSHI vs. Tiger Mask, Kaz Hayashi, Shuji Kondo, and Ricky Marvin

BUSHI and Marvin start things off. They circle each other to start, Marvin goes off the ropes and hits the handstand springboard elbow. He goes off the ropes again but BUSHI hits a headscissors takedown. Dropkick by Marvin, BUSHI hits him with an elbow and runs to the ropes, but Hayashi grabs him from the apron and holds him for Marvin. BUSHI kicks back Marvin when he charges in, Marvin charges again but BUSHI back bodydrops him over the top rope. Marvin skins the cat however and hits a headscissors takedown as he comes back into the ring. BUSHI falls out of the ring, Marvin goes off the ropes but BUSHI moves before Marvin can dive. Marvin slams on the breaks in the ring, regroups and sails out onto BUSHI with a tope suicida. Kondo and Ibushi are tagged in, and they trade elbows and then chops. Kondo gets the better of it, Irish whip by Kondo, reversed, and Ibushi kicks him in the chest. Kondo goes for the lariat, Ibushi drops down and does a kip-up to avoid it, Kondo sees this and goes for a German suplex, but Ibushi lands on his feet. Ibushi kicks Kondo in the chest, Kondo ducks the next kick attempt but Ibushi hits a twisting standing moonsault for a two count cover. Ibushi picks up Kondo and makes the tag to Yamato. Yamato grabs Kondo but Kondo fights him off and tags in Tiger Mask after Yamato asks for him. Yamato and Tiger Mask trade chops, punches by Yamato but Tiger Mask comes back with a slap. Kick by Tiger Mask followed by a scoop slam, more kicks by Tiger Mask and he elbows Yamato to the mat. Tiger Mask goes off the ropes but Yamato catches him with a heel kick. Clubs to the back by Yamato, he goes off the ropes but Tiger Mask catches him with a pair of kicks. Tiger Mask tags in Hayashi, chop by Hayashi and he chops Yamato against the ropes. Yamato fires back as they trade chops, Irish whip by Hayashi and he hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Hayashi picks up Yamato and applies a cross-arm stretch hold. Hayashi tags in Marvin, who comes in the ring with a slingshot senton. Marvin applies the Mexican Surfboard to Yamato, and Hayashi comes in the ring to dropkick Yamato in the face. Cover by Marvin but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Marvin and he tags in Tiger Mask.

Tiger Mask hits a standing double knee moonsault onto Yamato, cover, but it gets two. Chickenwing Armlock by Tiger Mask, but Yamato manages to get a foot on the bottom rope to break it up. Tiger Mask tags in Hayashi, punches by Hayashi but Yamato comes back with a headbutt. Kicks to the knees by Hayashi and he kicks Yamato again in the chest. Back up, punches by Hayashi, Irish whip to the corner but Yamato hits him with an elbow. Yamato goes off the ropes and nails the spear, giving him time to tag in Ishimori. Double knees by Ishimori in the corner and he hits a double stomp out of the corner to Hayashi for a two count. Ishimori goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the Meteora, cover, but again it gets two. Irish whip by Ishimori, reversed, Hayashi moves but Ishimori kicks him back. Irish whip by Ishimori but Hayashi hits the rebound handstand elbow strike. Hayashi tags in Marvin, Irish whip by Marvin to Ishimori, reversed, but Marvin trips up Ishimori and hits a moonsault off the second rope for a two count. Irish whip by Marvin but Ishimori hits a twirling hurricanrana for a two count. Ishimori plants Marvin with a kick, he goes for the Superstar Elbow but Kondo runs in the ring to block it. Lariat by Kondo as things break down, and Marvin hits a running powerbomb onto Ishimori for a two count. BUSHI and Yamato take out Hayashi and Tiger Mask, then sail out onto them with tope suicidas. Ibushi starts kicking people and then sails out of the ring with a moonsault onto Kondo. In the ring, Marvin kicks Ishimori in the chest and goes for the body press, but Ishimori gets his knees up. Ishimori drills Marvin with a reverse landing tombstone piledriver into his knees, cover, but Marvin barely gets a shoulder up. Ishimori puts Marvin onto the top turnbuckle and goes for a superplex, but Marvin blocks it and tosses him off. Ibushi flies in out of nowhere with a backflip kick to Marvin while he is on the top turnbuckle, Ishimori goes back up top and this time hits an avalanche fallaway slam moonsault. Cover, but Marvin kicks out. Ishimori goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the 450 Splash, cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winners: Kota Ibushi, Taiji Ishimori, Hiroshi Yamato, and BUSHI

Match Thoughts: This match started fast and ended hot, which are the two most important parts of the match. Some of the middle section dragged a bit with a rather lackluster beat down of Yamato, but they recovered quickly. I haven't seen much of Ishimori in awhile, he has added some new moves to his repertoire which is always a plus when I don't know what is coming next. The match didn't really give time to let everyone shine but I thought that BUSHI, Hayashi, and Ibushi all looked really good. A simple but entertaining match to get the crowd going. Score: 6.0


Tetsuya Naito, Shuhei Taniguchi, and Seiya Sanada vs. Mohammad Yone, Yujiro Takahashi, and Manabu Soya

Sanada and Yone start things off. Side headlock by Yone, Sanada Irish whips out of it but Yone shoulderblocks him down. Yone goes off the ropes but Sanada catches him with a dropkick. Yone shrugs it off, Irish whip by Yone, but Sanada avoids the boot and hits Yone with an elbow. Yone kicks Sanada back and he tags in Takahashi while Sanada tags in Taniguchi. Taniguchi and Takahashi circle each other, kick and elbow by Takahashi, he goes off the ropes but the two collide with no result. He tries it again with no success, and a third time sees Taniguchi shoulderblock Takahashi to the mat. Taniguchi goes off the ropes but Takahashi catches him with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Takahashi goes off the ropes but Taniguchi catches him with a big boot. Takahashi goes off the ropes again and this time it is Taniguchi that hits the overhead belly to belly. Taniguchi tags in Naito, who hits a somersault senton on Takahashi for a two count. Naito elbows Takahashi, he picks him up, Irish whip, reversed, and Takahashi drops him throat-first onto the top rope. Takahashi powerbombs Naito into the corner and tags in Soya. Irish whip by Soya to Naito in the corner and he hits an elbow followed by a bulldog for a two count cover. Soya applies a reverse chinlock to Naito and drops an elbow for another two count. Soya tags in Yone, scoop slam by Yone and he hits a leg drop onto Naito. Kick to the back by Yone and he applies a neck crank. Yone tags in Takahashi, snapmare by Takahashi on Naito and he kicks him in the chest. Naito fights back with chops but Takahashi plants him with a powerslam before tagging in Soya. Stomp by Soya, he picks up Naito but Naito lands on his feet after the suplex attempt and rolls up Soya for a two count. Naito goes for another roll-up but Soya muscles him up and hits a suplex for a two count. Stomp by Soya, he picks up Naito and throws him into the corner. Irish whip by Soya but Naito avoids him when he charges in and hits a leg sweep from the apron followed by a missile dropkick. Takahashi runs in the ring but Naito hits a jumping elbow strike and makes the hot tag to Taniguchi.

Running boot by Taniguchi to Soya and he hits an elbow, Yone comes in the ring and tries to help but Taniguchi gets the better of them as he drops Yone with a spinebuster. Powerslam by Taniguchi onto Soya, cover, but it gets a two count. Taniguchi deadlifts Soya up and hits a suplex followed by a German suplex hold for a two count. Taniguchi goes off the ropes but Soya blocks the boot. Taniguchi blocks Soya's lariat attempt but the second attempt finds it's mark. Soya goes off the ropes but Taniguchi ducks the lariat and hits a release German suplex. Soya tags in Takahashi while Taniguchi tags in Sanada, but Takahashi drops Sanada with a lariat. Irish whip by Takahashi to the corner but Sanada flips himself to the apron and hits a springboard dropkick followed by a standing moonsault for a two count. Sanada picks up Takahashi but Takahashi elbows him off. Elbow by Takahashi and he goes for a German suplex, but Sanada lands on his feet. Vertical suplex by Takahashi, Yone comes in the ring along with Soya, Irish whip to Naito to the corner and they all hit running strikes followed by a Soya Death Valley Driver. Top rope leg drop by Yone, then Takahashi drops Sanada with a German suplex hold but the pin is broken up. Yone puts Naito onto the top turnbuckle but Taniguchi kicks him to break up the Muscle Buster attempt. Chaos for a bit as they brawl, but Takahashi ends up alone in the ring with Sanada. Takahashi grabs Sanada but Sanada wiggles away and Naito hits a missile dropkick on Takahashi. Backdrop suplex by Sanada to Takahashi, cover, but it gets a two count. Sanada picks up Takahashi, elbows by Sanada but Takahashi kicks him in the face. Roaring elbow by Sanada and another elbow floors Takahashi, cover, but it gets two. Sanada picks up Takahashi, he slams him in front of the corner and nails the moonsault. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Tetsuya Naito, Shuhei Taniguchi, and Seiya Sanada

Match Thoughts: Definitely a change of pace from the first match with more heavy hitting. It certainly wasn't bad and had its moments, but nothing overly special either. I have seen very little of Taniguchi since I haven't watched NOAH in awhile but he was a beast here, wonder if he is always like that. He made the strongest impression while most the other wrestlers were just "there".... hitting their spots well but not adding a lot to the match as a whole. It was fun to see some new wrestlers facing off but overall a pretty normal six man tag match. Score: 5.0


Togi Makabe and Akitoshi Saito vs. Hirooki Goto and Taiyo Kea

They brawl to start the match, Kea throws Makabe out of the ring while Saito and Goto battle it out inside. Lariat by Goto to Saito, Makabe comes in the ring but Goto gives him a lariat too. Kicks by Goto to Saito into the corner, Irish whip, and Goto delivers a lariat. Goto goes up to the top turnbuckle but Saito rolls out of the way of the elbow drop. Lariat by Saito, and Goto rolls out to the apron. Saito gets out of the ring to join Goto on the apron, and Saito DDTs Goto on the apron. Makabe throws Kea into the guard rail at ringside while Saito gets back in the ring. Makabe slides Goto back in for Saito, Saito picks up Goto and clubs him in the back. Goto returns fire as they exchange chops, knee by Saito, Irish whip, and he knees Goto again in the stomach. Saito picks up Goto and hits a delayed vertical suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Saito tags in Makabe, Makabe picks up Goto and hits a scoop slam. Makabe picks up Goto and punches him back into the corner. Headbutt by Makabe and he tags in Saito. Makabe throws Goto out of the ring for Saito, and Saito rams Goto into the ring post. Saito picks up Goto and punches him while he is against the ring post. Saito gets a running start and hits a lariat. Saito picks up Goto and slides him back into the ring, snapmare by Makabe and he applies a single leg crab hold (apparently Makabe is legal now). Goto manages to get to the ropes to force a break, and Makabe tags in Saito. Saito picks up Goto and hits a release German suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Saito picks up Goto and goes for a brainbuster but Goto lands on his feet.

Waistlock by Goto, Saito elbows him off but Goto delivers a spinning heel kick. Goto makes the hot tag to Kea, Irish whip by Kea to Saito and he hits a jumping elbow strike followed by a lariat. Kea waits for Saito to get up and kicks Saito in the chest and back before hitting a heel kick. Side Russian leg sweep by Kea, cover, but it gets a two count. Double Irish whip to Saito and they take turns kicking Saito in the chest and back. TKO by Kea to Saito, cover, but Makabe breaks it up. Goto throws Makabe out of the ring and goes for a pescado, but Makabe moves out of the way. Modified uranage by Saito to Kea and he tags in Makabe. Irish whip by Makabe from the corner and he lariats Kea. Mounted punches in the corner by Makabe and he hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Makabe picks up Kea, Irish whip from the corner but Goto intercepts him with a lariat. Saito runs in the ring but Goto elbows him to the mat. Kea picks up Makabe, Irish whip, reversed, but Kea nails a jumping DDT. Cover by Kea, but Makabe barely gets a shoulder up. Kea is up first, he goes off the ropes but Makabe catches him with a lariat. Cover, but it gets two. Saito comes back in the ring, Kea fights them both off with chops but Saito hits him with an enzigieri. Lariat by Makabe, cover, but Goto breaks it up. Saito takes care of Goto, scoop slam by Makabe to Kea and he nails the King Kong Kneedrop. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Togi Makabe and Akitoshi Saito

Match Thoughts: I am surprised that Goto was the face in peril when Kea was sitting right there, but I have no idea how they decided the structure of these matches. I have never found face in peril to be Goto's strength so I don't think that helped the match much, but Kea did show some fire when he had his chance to clear the ring. I've never been a big fan of three of these four so they had an upward battle going in, but the match was fine even if not particular inspired. I thought it would take a bit more to get rid of Kea, but the King Kong Kneedrop is a really respected move at this point so it didn't come too much out of left field. This match was missing a lot of the oomph of the last two matches and while I wouldn't call it "flat" it wasn't great either. Score: 4.0


Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Kotaro Suzuki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and KAI vs. Koji Kanemoto, KENTA, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru, and Genba Hirayanagi

Oh boy, my fingers are dreading this one. Devitt and Kanemaru starts things off. They circle each other, Irish whip by Devitt but Kanemaru shoulderblocks him down. They go off the ropes again, takedown by Kanemaru but they both attack their opponents on the apron and we get a crazy melee. Taguchi and Devitt target Kanemaru in the ring, cover by Devitt but he gets a two count. Devitt picks up Kanemaru and tags in Taguchi, wristlock by Taguchi and he tags in Suzuki. Suzuki then tags in KAI as they take turns wrenching on Kanemaru's arm, Taguchi is tagged back in but Kanemaru catches him with an elbow. They trade elbows, Taguchi goes off the ropes but Kanemaru delivers a dropkick and tags in Kanemoto. Kick combination by Kanemoto, KAI is tagged in and they trade elbows. Kanemoto gets the better of it as he knees KAI, but KAI hits a scoop slam followed by an elbow drop. KAI tags in Suzuki, Irish whip by Suzuki to Kanemoto and he delivers a dropkick. Cover, but Kanemoto is in the ropes. Front facelock by Suzuki but Kanemoto tags in Minoru. Irish whip by Minoru and he delivers a dropkick. Jumping kneedrop by Minoru on Suzuki and he tags in KENTA. Double Irish whip to Suzuki and they both kick him in the chest. Cover by KENTA but it gets two. Reverse chinlock by KENTA but Suzuki gets out of it and they trade elbows and slaps. Elbows by Suzuki, cover, but KENTA kicks out. Suzuki tags in Taguchi, kicks by Taguchi to KENTA but KENTA fights back. KENTA tags in Kanemoto, and they take turns kicking Taguchi in the chest. Kanemoto picks up Taguchi and hits an uppercut. Kanemoto picks him up again and they trade chops, and Taguchi tags in Nakajima. Kicks by Nakajima in the corner, and Nakajima trades strikes with Kanemoto.

Snapmare by Kanemoto and he kicks Nakajima in the back, but Nakajima gets right back up. Another snapmare and kick by Kanemoto, but again Nakajima returns to his feet and they trade slaps. Nakajima throws Kanemoto into the corner and chokes him with his boot. Kanemoto gets out of it and pushes Nakajima back, making the tag to KENTA. KENTA grabs Nakajima and goes for a suplex, but Nakajima reverses it into his own suplex and tags in Taguchi. Taguchi and KENTA trade elbows, Taguchi goes off the ropes but KENTA catches him with a powerslam. Kick combination by KENTA and he levels Taguchi with a lariat. Minoru and Devitt are tagged in, dropkick by Minoru and he kicks Devitt in the corner. Irish whip by Minoru, reversed, Minoru avoids Devitt when he charges in but Devitt hits a dropkick followed by a vertical suplex for a two count. Devitt waits for Minoru to get up but Minoru catches him with an elbow. Devitt ducks the high kick and hits the Pele Kick however, and he tags in Nakajima. Nakajima kicks Minoru in the head a few times, getting him back into the corner. Irish whip by Nakajima and he hits a bit boot followed by a double arm suplex. Nakajima goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover, but it gets a two count. Kicks by Nakajima and he goes off the ropes, but Minoru catches him with a kick and hits the Minoru Special. It is quickly broken up, and Minoru tags in Kanemoto. Kick to the chest by Kanemoto but Nakajima returns fire as they trade kicks. They then trade slaps, but Nakajima kicks Kanemoto to the mat. Running kick to the chest by Nakajima and he tags in Suzuki. Jumping knee by Suzuki on Kanemoto and he hits a diving knee off the second turnbuckle for a two count. Suzuki goes off the ropes but Kanemoto catches him with a kick. KENTA flies in the ring with a springboard kick and all ten men start battling in and out of the ring.

Kanemoto hits his bootscrapes on Suzuki in the ring as does KENTA, they pick up Suzuki and Kanemaru hits a diving crossbody off the top turnbuckle. Irish whip to Suzuki but he dropkicks both KENTA and Kanemoto before hitting the Tiger Feint Kick onto Kanemoto. Backdrop suplex by Suzuki onto KENTA, he then goes back to Kanemoto and goes for the Blue Destiny, but Kanemoto slides down his back. They trade elbows, with both wrestlers falling to the mat. KAI and Hirayanagi are tagged in, and KAI hits a spinning kick. KAI charges Hirayanagi in the corner but Hirayanagi drop toeholds him into the second turnbuckle. Backdrop suplex by Hirayanagi, he picks up KAI, Irish whip to the corner and he headbutts KAI. Hirayanagi goes up to the top turnbuckle but KAI catches him up there and joins him. Hirayanagi pushes KAI back down to the mat and comes off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick. Melee again, Minoru throws KAI into the corner and he gets a beating from Minoru and Kanemoto. Kanemaru and KENTA come off the top turnbuckle and with a diving body press and double stomp onto KAI respectfully, Hirayanagi goes for the pin but it gets a two count as it is broken up. Devitt and Taguchi kick Kanemoto and Kanemaru in the face, they roll out of the ring, and Devitt/Taguchi sail out of the ring with somersault suicidas onto them. Back in the ring, Suzuki knocks down Hirayanagi, but KENTA comes in the ring with a strike to Suzuki. KAI and Nakajima both hit superkicks onto Hirayanagi, then Suzuki delivers the Blue Destiny. Cross Legged Falcon Arrow by KAI, cover, but it is broken up. KAI goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Plancha Splash onto Hirayanagi, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi, Kotaro Suzuki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and KAI

Match Thoughts: If any of the play by play is slightly off or incomplete, well that happens in a ten man Jr. Heavyweight match. Anyway, nothing wrong with this match at all but there were just too many wrestlers for it to be special. Cut it down to Devitt, Taguchi, and KAI vs. Kanemoto, KENTA, and Minoru and you have yourself what could be a really quality match. Minoru looked great but no one else really had a chance to shine since they were in and out so much. I will say this - for ten wrestlers that don't pair off too much, there seemed to be no miscommunications whatsoever which is worth noting. There was actually less flying around then I was expecting, with I think only two dives, and while I understand what Hirayanagi is doing he did seem a bit out of place in this match. Overall, it was what it sounds like it would be on paper, mindless fun but nothing resembling a story or structure. Score: 5.5


Masakatsu Funaki, Takuma Sano, and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Minoru Suzuki, Atsushi Aoki, and Taichi

Funaki and Suzuki start things off, but Suzuki immediately tags in Taichi. Taichi doesn't look amused. Taichi sticks his head out of the ring to avoid Funaki for a moment, they finally tie-up, Taichi pushes Funaki into the ropes and chops him in the chest. Taichi bails out of the ring to the apron but does return, he asks for a handshake but then kicks Funaki in the stomach. Taichi goes off the ropes but Funaki catches him with a kick to the stomach. Taichi tags in Aoki as Funaki tags in Liger. Liger is wearing an awesome half mask, with one half being the mask he first debuted in back in 1989. Tie-up, side headlock by Liger, Aoki Irish whips out of it and Aoki knees Liger in the stomach. Elbows by Aoki in the corner, Irish whip, reversed, and Liger nails a shotei. Liger picks up Aoki, Irish whip, reversed, and Aoki delivers a dropkick. Liger tags in Sano, tie-up, waistlock by Aoki and he tags in Suzuki. Kicks by Suzuki and he goes after Sano's teammates, which doesn't go too well as Suzuki is triple teamed in the corner. Suzuki is stomped down to the mat as his teammates don't help, elbows by Liger to Suzuki but Suzuki knees Liger in the stomach and takes him out of the ring. Taichi gets a chair and hits Liger in the stomach and face with it. Taichi throws Liger into the chair as he and Sano choke Liger on the outside of the ring. Taichi slides Liger back into the ring, snapmare by Suzuki and he kicks Liger in the back. Cover, but it gets a two count. Suzuki starts messing with Liger's mask, he picks up Liger and throws him to the mat. Suzuki and the referee start bumping each other while Liger is worked over by Taichi and Aoki. They start to untie his mask as well, before Suzuki tags in Aoki. Stomps by Aoki and Suzuki applies an ankle lock to Liger from the apron. Liger is getting stretched in the corner but Suzuki finally lets Liger go. Taichi picks up Liger and puts Liger onto the top turnbuckle, he joins him up there and again messes with his mask, having some luck getting it loose but Liger manages to get off the top turnbuckle.

Irish whip by Taichi to the corner, reversed, Taichi avoids Liger coming in however and kicks his leg while it is across the second rope. Taichi slaps Liger insultingly, he goes off the ropes but Liger catches him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and tags in Sano. Back kicks by Sano to Taichi , and Aoki and Suzuki get them too. Scoop slam by Sano to Taichi, he goes up to the second rope and hits a double stomp. Cover, but it gets a two count. Waistlock by Sano but Taichi kicks him off. Back kick by Sano and he goes off the ropes, but Aoki kicks him from the apron. Kick to the head by Taichi and he tags in Suzuki. Suzuki kicks Sano in the corner, Irish whip, and Suzuki hits a boot followed by a kick to the chest for a two count cover. Suzuki picks up Sano but Sano fights him off. Octopus Hold by Suzuki but Funaki breaks it up. Funaki and Suzuki trade elbows while Funaki is back on the apron, allowing Sano to kick Suzuki and tag in Funaki. Mid-kicks by Funaki to Suzuki and he applies a cross armbreaker, but Suzuki gets out of it by raking Funaki in the eyes. Back up they trade chops, but Suzuki ducks one and applies a sleeperhold. Taichi kicks Funaki in the face while he is still in the hold, Suzuki applies a knee lock while Aoki comes off the top turnbuckle with a diving body press. Cover, but it is broken up. Suzuki goes for a piledriver on Funaki but Sano breaks it up, Liger comes in too and with Funaki they hit lariats onto Suzuki. Sano and Funaki both kick Taichi in the chest, then all three hit a dropkick onto Aoki. Liger grabs Aoki and nails the powerbomb, Sano goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving double stomp. Funaki applies the cross armbreaker to Aoki but Suzuki breaks it up. All six men battle, Taichi falls out of the ring and Liger dives out onto him with a body press off the top turnbuckle. Funaki and Aoki are alone in the ring, and Funaki nails a rolling kick. Funaki applies the standing chickenwing hold to Aoki, and he has no choice but to submit! Your winners: Masakatsu Funaki, Takuma Sano, and Jushin Thunder Liger

Match Thoughts: This match is really about Sano, Funaki, and Liger teaming together for the first time after they all were training in the New Japan Dojo at the same time back in the mid-80s. I dunno how the hell the other team was concocted, maybe with a dart board. Anyway, unlike some of the other matches on the card this one actually had a solid story coming into it that they played up well with Funaki and Suzuki still hating each other. Taiji seemed like an odd person to have in the match but he played his roll well, and Liger was of course awesome as usual. Really though it was about Funaki and Suzuki, with the other wrestlers just acting as the supporting cast. Aoki and Sano really didn't do anything and served a limited purpose, but they did get their moves in. A good match though, even though it was slower then what we have seen so far they kept it interesting and meaningful which was a nice change of pace. Score: 6.0

We get a break as The Destroyer (!!!) and his son make their way to the ring. Destroyer slowly gets into the ring (he is 81, so we give him a pass for his lack of mobility) and says a few words, much to the crowd's delight. Destroyer introduces his son, who seems hesitant to take the microphone. He does after a moment and says something in Japanese as well (again, don't ask me what he said). The Destroyer thanks everyone and exits the ring as the crowd chants what I am guessing is his name. Good times.


Battle Royal with Hideo Saito, Tomohiro Ishii, Gedo, Takaaki Watanabe, Hiromu Takahashi, King Fale, KUSHIDA, Wataru Inoue, Tomoaki Honma, Super Strong Machine, Jun Nishikawa, Satoshi Kajiwara, Kento Miyahara, Che-Gyong Lee, Takumi Soya, Soshun, Yasufumi Nakanoue, Masanobu Fuchi, Rene Dupree, Joe Doering, BLACK BUSHI, Masao Inoue, Yoshinari Ogawa, Akira Taue, Kentaro Shiga, MAZADA, and Zack Sabre Jr.

This match is a Battle Royal. Remember that in Japan, you can be eliminated by going over the top rope or more commonly by pinfall, usually being pinned by lots of people at the same time. I don't really do play by plays for Battle Royals since too much is happening at once. So I'll just jump ahead until we are down to the final six wrestlers. The final six wrestlers were: Fuchi, Inoue, Gedo, Miyahara, Strong Machine, and Shiga. Miyahara dropkicks everyone until Gedo pokes him in the eyes. Springboard dropkick attempt by Miyahara, but Gedo moves out of the way and all the wrestlers jump on Miyahara to pin him. Miyahara is eliminated. Shiga is Irish whipped to the corner and the four remaining men go for running strikes, but Shiga kicks back both Inoue and Fuchi. Machine and Gedo are successful with running strikes, Inoue tries again as does Fuchi with no luck, so Fuchi rakes Shiga in the eyes. They insist that Inoue try again, but Inoue forces Fuchi to run at Shiga instead and Shiga kicks him back. Machine rolls up Fuchi, and everyone joins in to pin Fuchi. Fuchi is eliminated. Gedo, Inoue, and Shiga then immediately cover Machine, and they pin him as well. Machine is eliminated. Inoue, Fuchi, and Shiga are left. Inoue and Shiga plot to get Gedo, they both kick him, double Irish whip and they both hit an elbow. Shiga covers Gedo but Inoue stomps him in the back. Gedo rakes Shiga in the eyes, Inoue comes to his defense and they go for a double lariat but Gedo moves and they run into each other. Dropkick to the knee by Gedo, he pins down Inoue and with Shiga's help they pick up the three count. Inoue is eliminated. Shiga immediately rolls up Gedo and he picks up the three count! Your winner: Kentaro Shiga

Post match: The Destroyer gives Shiga a trophy and even his own Destroyer mask to wear. How nice.

Match Thoughts: Battle Royals in Japan are silly by design. They are meant to get a few chuckles out of the crowd and be over quickly, as this 27 man battle royal was over in less then 12 minutes. So I don't really know how to rate them as they are generally all about the same and with so many wrestlers in the ring no one really stands out. But the crowd enjoyed it and it was nice to see The Destroyer again, perhaps for the last time in the ring. Score: N/A


Yuji Nagata, Wataru Inoue, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Osamu Nishimura vs. Takeshi Morishima, Akebono, Yutaka Yoshie, and Ryota Hama

Akebono and Tenzan start things off. Tie-up, and Akebono pushes Tenzan to the mat. Kick and a chop by Tenzan, he applies a side headlock, Akebono Irish whips him off and hits a shoulderblock but Tenzan stays on his feet. Tenzan goes off the ropes but he can't knock down Akebono. Shoulderblock by Akebono but Tenzan rolls out of the way of the elbow. Chops by Tenzan and he hits a heel kick, but Akebono won't go down. Tenzan goes off the ropes but Akebono hits him with a lariat and tags in Yoshie. Nishimura is tagged in as well, Yoshie and Nishimura tie-up, Nishimura gets Yoshie into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Slap by Yoshie and he bumps Nishimura to the ground. Body splash by Yoshie, cover, but it gets a two count. Yoshie holds down Nishimura but Nishimura bridges up. Yoshie tries to break the bridge but can't, Nishimura gets back up, side headlock takedown by Nishimura but Yoshie reverses it with a headscissors. Nishimura gets out of it with a handstand and he gives a clean break. Back up, side headlock takedown by Yoshie but this time Nishimura reverses it with a headscissors. Yoshie gets out of it by rolling on top of Nishimura, Yoshie picks up Nishimura and hits a scoop slam. Rolling butt smash by Yoshie, cover, but it gets two. Yoshie picks up Nishimura and chops him into the corner, Irish whip by Yoshie but Nishimura moves out of the way of the charge and applies a sleeper hold. Yoshie pushes Nishimura back into the corner to break it up, Hama runs in the ring and squishes both of them which I guess hurts Nishimura more. Yoshie manages to make the tag to Hama while Nishimura tags in Inoue. Inoue and Hama circle each other, tie-up, and Hama tosses Inoue to the mat like a child. Kicks by Inoue, he goes for a scoop slam but he can't get the big man up. More kicks by Inoue, but again he can't pick up Hama as Hama clubs him in the back. Scoop slam by Hama, he picks up Inoue and hits a headbutt. Irish whip by Hama to the corner but Inoue rolls out of the way of the charge and hits a jumping elbow in the corner. Inoue goes for a sunset flip, Hama tries to sit on him but Inoue rolls out of the way.

Hama tags in Morishima while Inoue tags in Nagata. Morishima and Nagata tie-up and they trade strikes. Kicks to the leg by Nagata, Irish whip, reversed, and Nagata dropkicks Morishima in the knee. Morishima clubs Nagata to the mat, Irish whip by Morishima to the corner and Morishima hits a lariat. Morishima picks up Nagata, Irish whip to the corner but Nagata avoids the lariat and boots Morishima in the face. Nagata goes for an exploder but Morishima elbows out of it. They trade elbows, clubbing blows by Morishima and Nagata falls to his knees. Nagata blocks the next one however and hits an enzigieri, Nagata goes off the ropes but Morishima catches him with a lariat. Morishima goes to the top turnbuckle but Inoue distracts him. This gives Nagata time to recover, he joins Morishima and hits an avalanche exploder. Cover by Nagata, but Morishima gets a shoulder up. Nagata tags in Nishimura, Inoue comes in too and they all hit running strikes on Morishima. Enzigieri by Nishimura to Morishima and he applies the Spinning Toe Hold. Figure four leg lock by Nishimura to Morishima while everyone else brawls. Akebono gets away to break up the hold, Akebono picks up Nishimura and throws him into the corner. Yoshie, Hama, and Akebono all crush Nishimura and Morishima finishes with a lariat. Cover by Morishima but it is broken up. Morishima goes off the ropes and goes for a lariat, but Nishimura ducks it and applies the grounded Cobra Twist for a two count. Uppercut by Nishimura but Morishima comes back with an elbow. They trade blows which Morishima gets the better of, and Morishima drops Nishimura with a backdrop suplex. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Takeshi Morishima, Akebono, Yutaka Yoshie, and Ryota Hama

Match Thoughts: Unlike the other matches on the card, you could tell these guys were not too familiar with each other. There were numerous awkward moments, and the ending seemed really odd and out of nowhere. Aside from the fat man fun, which I am all for, the match really had nothing going for it at all. Most of the wrestlers had such a small role they might as well have been invisible, and the wrestlers that did participate seemed out of sync. Yoshie/Nishimura controlling the bulk of the match probably didn't help matters either. I'm not sure what happened here, the pairings seemed to give the possibility of a fun eight man brawl but overall it was just disappointing. Score: 3.5


Kensuke Sasaki and Jun Akiyama vs. Yoshihiro Takayama and Takao Omori

Omori and Akiyama start things off. They circle each other to start, tie-up, Omori pushes Akiyama into the ropes and gives him a chop. Tie-up, side headlock by Akiyama, Omori Irish whips out of it and they collide with no result. Chops by Omori but Akiyama absorbs the blows and they trade blows. Uppercuts by Omori, he goes off the ropes and he shoulderblocks Akiyama to the mat. Back up, Akiyama pushes Omori into the ropes and gives him a knee. Akiyama tags in Sasaki and Omori tags in Takayama. Tie-up, Sasaki pushes Takayama but they break cleanly. They go into a Test of Strength, but neither gets an advantage and they trade strikes. Irish whip by Sasaki and they collide with both staying on their feet. Three more collisions have the same result, but Takayama eventually catches Sasaki with a knee. Takayama goes off the ropes but Sasaki catches him with a powerslam and tags in Akiyama. Knees by Akiyama against the ropes, Irish whip, reversed, but Omori hits Akiyama from the apron. Clubs to the back by Takayama and he hits a backdrop suplex. Takayama tags in Omori, snapmare, and Omori knocks Sasaki off the apron so both he and Takayama can hit elbow drops on Akiyama. Cover by Omori, but it gets a two count. Omori applies a reverse chinlock, he picks up Akiyama and chops him against the ropes. Akiyama fires back with elbows, kicks by Akiyama but he is knocked back by an uppercut. Omori tags in Takayama and they both choke Akiyama with their boot. Takayama picks up Akiyama, double Irish whip and they hit a double shoulderblock followed by a double elbow drop. Cover by Takayama but it gets two. Takayama goes off the ropes and kicks Akiyama in the chest. One foot cover but it gets a one count. Back up, they trade elbows, Irish whip by Takayama to the corner and he hits a big boot. Takayama goes for a suplex, but Akiyama blocks it and hits a jumping knee. Akiyama tags in Sasaki, chops by Sasaki, but Takayama returns with elbows. Sasaki chops Takayama into the corner, Irish whip by Sasaki and he hits a face crusher. Sasaki goes off the ropes, blocks Takayama's big boot and hits the Tornado Bomb. Lariats by Sasaki and he hits the Ipponzei. Strangle Hold Gamma by Sasaki but Omori comes in the ring and punches Sasaki. Omori goes off the ropes but Sasaki catches him with a lariat.

Takayama recovers, boot by Takayama but Sasaki comes back with a lariat. Another boot by Takayama, lariat by Sasaki, and they go back and forth. They both collapse after taking so much damage and crawl to their corners to tag out. Boot by Omori to Akiyama, but Akiyama returns the favor and hits a lariat. Omori and Akiyama trade slaps and elbows, knee by Akiyama and he applies a grounded front facelock. Omori passes out, cover by Akiyama but Omori barely gets a shoulder up. Knee by Akiyama but Omori hits a heel kick. Cover by Omori but it gets two. Omori goes off the ropes and hits a lariat from behind, but Akiyama comes back with an exploder. Lariat by Omori, and both wrestlers are down. Sasaki is tagged in, he lariats Takayama off the apron and then hits one on Omori. Sasaki goes for the Northern Lights Bomb but Omori slides down his back and hits a release dragon suplex. Takayama books Akiyama off the apron, he throws Sasaki into the corner and hits a knee. Big boot by Omori and they hit a backdrop suplex/lariat combination. Cover by Omori but Sasaki gets a shoulder up. They pick up Sasaki, they go off the ropes and both hit lariats. Cover, but Akiyama breaks it up. Akiyama is thrown out of the ring, they pick up Sasaki but Akiyama has returned and clubs on Takayama. Takayama throws Akiyama out of the ring and goes out after him, while in the ring Omori hits a chokeslam. Omori goes up top and nails the diving knee. Cover, but Sasaki kicks out. Omori waits for Sasaki to get up and goes off the ropes, but Sasaki knocks away his lariat attempt and hits one of his own. Akiyama is back, and he hits an exploder on Omori. Sasaki goes off the ropes and levels Omori with a lariat, cover, but Omori barely kicks out. Sasaki picks up Omori, Northern Lights Bomb, and this time he picks up the three count. Your winners: Kensuke Sasaki and Jun Akiyama

Match Thoughts: A very entertaining heavyweight slugfest. This had everything a fan of heavyweight style could want... strike battles, big moves, killer lariats and heavy bodies hitting the mat hard. Course it was presented in a compact manner so it will never be considered a classic, but considering the time they had they did the most they could do with it. Almost like a mini version where you knew if they had 15 more minutes they might have been able to put together something special. I loved Omori's sell of the lariat, it just makes it look so much more devastating when the big guys do a half rotation from the hit. Good hard hitting match, while most of the matches on this card are kinda laid back and nostalgic, these guys really laid into each other to create something that will stand out on the card. Score: 7.0


Kenta Kobashi and Keiji Mutoh vs. Toru Yano and Takashi Iizuka

The heels attack the legends before the match can even begin, and they brawl outside the ring. Yano chokes Kobashi with his robe and throws him into the ring post while Iizuka throws Mutoh into the guard rail. Iizuka throws Mutoh into the ring and goes in after him, and Yano gets in the ring as well. Stomps by Iizuka and Yano to Mutoh, double Irish whip but Mutoh rolls under the lariat attempt and dropkicks them both. Kobashi comes in the ring and chops both Yano and Iizuka, double Irish whip to Iizuka and they hit a double elbow. Mutoh and Kobashi pick up Yano and hit a double vertical suplex, cover by Kobashi but it gets a two count. Kobashi chops Yano while he lays on the mat, cover, but again it gets two. Kobashi picks up Yano and tags in Mutoh. Kick to the ribs by Mutoh, snapmare, and he nails the Flashing Elbow. Mutoh starts twisting on Yano's leg and applies the STF but Iizuka breaks it up. Mutoh picks up Yano, Irish whip, and Mutoh applies a sleeper hold. Yano inches to the ropes and gets a foot on them to force a break. Mutoh tags in Kobashi, Kobashi picks up Yano but Yano rakes his eyes. Chops by Kobashi, he picks up Yano and chops him in the throat. Kobashi grabs Yano and goes for the half nelson suplex but Iizuka kicks him low. Iizuka pulls Kobashi out of the ring and throws him into the guard rail. Yano comes out as well and gets some scissors, but Kobashi gets them out of his hand. Iizuka comes over and clubs Kobashi, Iizuka gets a chair and hits Kobashi with it. Yano takes off the turnbuckle pads while the referee is distracted by Mutoh trying to help. Iizuka slides Kobashi in the ring for Yano, Yano picks up Kobashi but Kobashi chops him in the chest. Yano pulls Kobashi back to the mat, he picks up Kobashi, Irish whip to the corner and he tags in Iizuka. Irish whip to the exposed corner by Iizuka and he chokes Kobashi. Mutoh gets a chair, then an umbrella but the referee won't let him interfere while Kobashi continues to get choked. Cover by Iizuka but Kobashi gets a shoulder up.

Iizuka chokes Kobashi some more, he picks up Kobashi and bites his head. Iizuka picks up Kobashi, Irish whip to the corner and he tags in Yano. Kicks by Yano, Irish whip, but Kobashi reverses it and Yano goes into the exposed corner. Iizuka runs in the ring to knock Mutoh off the apron and stomp on Kobashi. Yano recovers, he picks up Kobashi and goes for a vertical suplex, but Kobashi blocks it and hits one of his own. He makes the hot tag to Mutoh, dropkicks to the knee by Mutoh to Yano and he hits a dragon screw leg whip. Another one by Mutoh and he applies the figure four leglock to Yano while Kobashi has Iizuka in an abdominal stretch. Mutoh releases the hold after a moment, Irish whip by Mutoh into the corner and he hits a Shining Wizard. Dragon screw leg whip by Mutoh but Yano blocks the Shining Wizard attempt and tags in Iizuka. Iizuka chokes Mutoh with some rope, but Mutoh catches a kick and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Mutoh tags in Kobashi, and Kobashi hits his rapid fire chops in the corner to Iizuka. Kobashi picks up Iizuka and goes for the half nelson suplex, but Yano breaks it up. Atomic drop by Iizuka to Kobashi and Iizuka applies the sleeper hold. Kobashi gets to his feet and grabs the ropes to force a break. Yano wacks Kobashi in the head with a chair from the floor, Iizuka grabs Kobashi and hits a Pedigree. Cover by Iizuka, but Kobashi barely gets a shoulder up. Iizuka gets his iron fist but Kobashi ducks it and drops him with a half nelson suplex. Kobashi then hits Yano with a lariat as Mutoh comes in the ring and hits a Shining Wizard on both of them. Mutoh picks up Yano, backbreaker in front of the corner and he nails the moonsault. Mutoh then points to Kobashi to do the same, Kobashi slams Iizuka in front of the corner, goes up top, and hits a moonsault of his own. Cover by Kobashi, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Kenta Kobashi and Keiji Mutoh

Match Thoughts: You have to rate this match on nostalgic value or else its not going to rate very highly. I am still disappointed with the opponents for two legends like Kobashi and Mutoh, I know they wanted cheating heels but Yano? Really? At least the crowd was really into it, they reacted to just about anything that Kobashi and Mutoh did throughout the match. The moonsaults at the end were a very special touch, from what I saw Kobashi hasn't won with the moonsault since 2004 as he stopped doing the move after his knee surgeries so it was definitely a memorable moment. For Kobashi or Mutoh fans (or fans of both like myself) this is worth watching for sure, but in terms of actual match quality it was lacking. Score: 6.0


Hiroshi Tanahashi, Go Shiozaki, and Suwama vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Takashi Sugiura, and KENSO

Suwama and Nakamura start things off. They jockey around for position, Suwama pushes Nakamura into the ropes but he gives a clean break. Double leg takedown by Suwama but Nakamura wiggles into the ropes and Suwama has to step back. Suwama and Nakamura get tangled up in the ropes and Suwama tags in Shiozaki. Tie-up, side headlock by Shiozaki, Nakamura Irish whips out of it but Shiozaki shoulderblocks him down. Nakamura comes back with a boot to the face, and the pair trade strikes. Nakamura catches Shiozaki's arm and goes for a Fujiwara armbar, but Shiozaki gets into the ropes. Nakamura throws Shiozaki into the corner and tags in Sugiura. Shiozaki and Sugiura circle each other, Sugiura hits a boot but Shiozaki knocks him back. They trade chops and elbows, Sugiura goes off the ropes and hits a boot, and a second one sends Shiozaki to the mat. Shiozaki quickly gets back up and chops Sugiura down to the mat. Shiozaki picks up Sugiura and tags in Tanahashi. Kicks in the corner by Tanahashi, snapmare, and Tanahashi drops a knee. Tanahashi picks up Sugiura, he goes off the ropes but Sugiura catches him with a knee to the midsection. Sugiura then picks up Tanahashi and tosses him gut first onto the top rope. Big boot in the corner by Sugiura but Tanahashi blocks the second one and hits a rebound crossbody out of the corner. He celebrates too long however and gets kneed in the back. Sugiura tags in KENSO, and KENSO slaps Tanahashi in the face. Tanahashi returns the favor, elbows by Tanahashi, and he hits an uppercut. Tanahashi goes for a crossbody but KENSO moves and Tanahashi falls out of the ring.

While everyone else brawls at ringside KENSO stays in the ring, he gets a running start and tries to hit a pescado on the group but everyone moves so he goes straight to the floor. Everyone else keeps brawling around the ring, with Suwama taking on Sugiura and Shiozaki battling with Nakamura. KENSO gets back in the ring as the brawl continues, as Tanahashi finally follows him back in. KENSO picks up Tanahashi and slaps him in the corner. Irish whip by KENSO but Tanahashi moves when he charges in. KENSO hits a big boot anyway, but he somehow hurts his knee in the process so both men lay on the mat. KENSO picks up Tanahashi, snapmare, and he kicks Tanahashi low. Sugiura comes in the ring but he is annoyed with KENSO arguing with the referee and tells him to tag out, which he does as Nakamura comes in the match. Nakamura knees Tanahashi in the corner, he puts him over the top rope and hits another knee. Cover by Nakamura but it gets two. Nakamura picks up Tanahashi, scoop slam and he delivers a knee drop. Cover, but it gets two again. Nakamura tags in Sugiura, Sugiura picks up Tanahashi, snapmare, and Sugiura kicks Tanahashi in the back. Sugiura picks up Tanahashi and they trade elbows. Tanahashi goes for a dropkick but Sugiura grabs the top rope to avoid it. Dragon screw leg whip by Tanahashi, but Nakamura comes in the ring and stomps on him before he can tag. Sugiura picks up Tanahashi, Irish whip, but Tanahashi hits a jumping elbow strike and tags in Suwama. Shiozaki comes in too, double Irish whip to Sugiura and all three men deliver a dropkick. Suwama picks up Sugiura, Irish whip to the corner and he hits a lariat. Irish whip again and this time he hits a perfect belly to belly suplex. Cover, but it gets two. Suwama picks up Sugiura but Sugiura hits a few elbows. Suwama plants him with a powerslam however, cover, but Sugiura kicks out. Ankle hold by Suwama but Sugiura gets a hand on the bottom rope. Waistlock by Suwama but Sugiura elbows out of it and hits a spear. Now it is Sugiura that applies the ankle hold but he releases it after a moment and they trade blows standing up again. Sugiura goes off the ropes and boots Suwama but Suwama comes back with a boot of his own. Capture suplex by Suwama but Sugiura hits a release German suplex, slaps by Sugiura, he goes off the ropes but Suwama levels him with a lariat.

Suwama tags in Shiozaki while Sugiura tags in Nakamura, kicks by Nakamura but Shiozaki catches one and chops him in the chest. Irish whip by Shiozaki from the corner and he hits a running chop. Elbows by Nakamura and they trade shots, boot by Nakamura then a knee, but Shiozaki hits a superkick followed by a vertical suplex for a two count. Roaring lariat by Shiozaki, cover, but Nakamura gets a shoulder up. Shiozaki picks up Nakamura but Nakamura lands on his feet after a suplex attempt and hits a lung blower. Inverted powerslam by Nakamura, he waits for Shiozaki to get to his knees and charges in but Shiozaki kills him with a lariat. Shiozaki tags in Tanahashi, elbow by Tanahashi and he knocks Sugiura off the apron. Scoop slam by Tanahashi, he goes to the second turnbuckle and hits the rolling senton onto Nakamura for a two count cover. Tanahashi picks up Nakamura and goes for a dragon and then trapped suplex, but Nakamura gets out of it and hits an enzigieri. Nakamura tags in KENSO, KENSO picks up Tanahashi but Tanahashi slaps him and hits the Sling Blade. Cover, but Nakamura breaks it up. Nakamura and Tanahashi trade elbows, but KENSO slaps Nakamura for taking over. Sugiura comes in, KENSO slaps him too but Sugiura plants him with an Olympic Slam. Boma Ye by Nakamura to KENSO, but Suwama and Shiozaki come in the ring and clear out Nakamura and Sugiura. Tanahashi goes off the ropes but KENSO chokes him with his waist scarf. Suwama comes in the ring however and drops KENSO with a release German suplex. This brings in Nakamura, who knocks Suwama to the mat with a heel kick. Front fisherman buster by Shiozaki to Nakamura, but Sugiura hits Shiozaki with a spear. Sling Blade by Tanahashi to Sugiura, and all six men lay on the mat. KENSO slowly gets up but he is alone in the ring with all three of his opponents. Short range lariat by Shiozaki, then Suwama picks up KENSO and plants him with the Last Ride. Tanahashi goes up to the top turnbuckle, nails the High Fly Flow and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Go Shiozaki, and Suwama

Match Thoughts: Sugiura and Suwama really saved this match. Their brief segment in the middle was pretty badass and showed how much Suwama has grown that he can be the highlight of the match. That is not to say the rest of the match was bad and there were other "moments" that were memorable but their pairing in the middle was the lasting impression that I had after the match ended. Nakamura and Suwama not cooperating at the beginning was interesting, no idea what the deal was but watching wrestlers not wanting to give the other one anything is always fun to watch. KENSO stuck out as out of place since he was, and was treated as such by both teams. A historical match as I doubt you'll ever see the three champions team up together again like this, and a fitting end to the inter-promotional event with enough going for it that it is worth watching even without that special foot note. Score: 6.5

Highlights of the All Together Inter-Promotional Event

Final Thoughts:

Best Match: Kensuke Sasaki and Jun Akiyama vs. Yoshihiro Takayama and Takao Omori. Just a 15 minute heavyweight slugfest. Lots of killer strikes, big suplexes, and men being men. These guys aren't going dive around and be cute, they are just going to beat each other until someone isn't moving. It won't do down in history as a classic but it stood out on this card as the best in-ring match as they let it all hang out in the ring and emphasized their strengths while staying away from their weaknesses.

MVP: Suwama. Maybe it was because he was in the last match, I don't know, but with so many wrestlers on the card it was hard for any one wrestler in particular to stand out. Suwama managed to do that by being the biggest beast in the main event, I have no idea who laid out the match but they certainly gave Suwama the longest straw. From him not putting up with Nakamura to getting the better of Sugiura, he came out on top on this card from a wrestling perspective.

Overall: With so many wrestlers on the card, as I mentioned before I had even watched it this was never going to be a wrestling clinic. What they did to in ring is have a variety of matches, even though most were multi-man matches. They were smart to go with only one "legends" match as it made that match more special and ensured it wouldn't go down as strictly an event for nostalgia. There were Jr. Heavyweight matches, heavyweight slugfests, and even a Battle Royal to mix things up. The crowd was tremendous throughout, really getting into the matches. This was helped by a few factors, including that the event was sold out and everyone understood the cause of the event. Overall for the atmosphere and the solid in-ring action, I'd recommend watching this event if you can.

review completed on 9/5/11