#njpw dominion
In my opinion, the Takahashi-KUSHIDA rematch was one of the most exciting light heavyweight matches I have seen since Eddie Guerrero at Rey Mysterio Jr and WCW Halloween Havoc in 1997.
The background story to this match had KUSHIDA fighting to redeem himself following a two-minute squash at Sakura Genesis where the Junior Heavyweight Champion Takahashi obliterated him. Having recently won the Super Junior tournament, KUSHIDA set his target on his rival at Dominion.
This match was amazing- both men had the crowd on their feet. In a desperate act to gain an advantage, KUSHIDA resorted to some uncharacteristic tactics such an Air Sabu on the floor and closed-fist strikes in order to wear down the champion. Takahashi, the always unpredictable and dangerous competitor, did not go down without a fight. a brutal fight.
I appreciated the fact that KUSHIDA had to dig deeper into his arsenal, using his new submission hold to get the victory. Post-match: Takahashi asked for a rematch, but that may be on hold thanks to BUSHI who attacking KUSHIDA afterwards.
Just imagine how exciting WWE’s Cruiserweight division would be if the company allowed the wrestlers to go all-out in the ring and put on competitive matches. The Aries/Neville submission match from Extreme Rules 2017 could have stolen the show had the two men been allowed to do what Kushida and Takahashi did.
I love that NJPW portrays its Junior Heavyweight competitors and championship as being main-event-level. New Japan has the market on exciting wrestling. Thank you KUSHIDA and Takahashi.
In my opinion, Cody Rhodes and Michael Elgin had one of the best matches on the Dominion card. It was a showcase where both men displayed some amazing power moves (Cody’s delayed suplex on Elgin) and surprising aerial attacks (Elgin springboard onto Cody) which you would not expect from their physical stature. I support “Big Mike” but it was nice to see Cody get a clean victory after reversing Elgin’s deadlift suplex into a Cross Rhodes. 1-2-3. Great match.
Post-match, Cody issues warnings to both ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, letting them know that he is coming after their crowns. 2017 could be the year Cody finally gets the chance to fulfil his wrestling destiny.
