NJPW Match Review: July 29 2023
Great showmanship meets Mortal Kombat style technical skill
I like to keep my eye on different companies because you never know when you’ll watch an epic match. This week I’m going outside of the AEW ring and reviewing an NJPW match. Why, you ask? Well, once I’m done explaining, you’ll understand.
NJPW stands for New Japan Pro Wresting, and it’s been around for a good 50 years (since 1972, to be precise). You’ll often see familiar faces in the NJPW, as some AEW wrestlers will take part in both, depending on the event. That said, there are some distinct differences between to two companies.
One of the main differences you’ll notice is the crowd. The NJPW crowd is a lot more subdued than the normal AEW crowds, as they’re very respectful but enthusiastic in their own way.
Even the entrances have their own unique style, with the wrestlers arriving in almost a serious boxing-style way, rather than the usual theatric, hyped-up AEW way.
Image courtesy of New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co.,Ltd
The G1 Climax 33 is a tournament that sees wrestlers go head-to-head in 20 minute matches across four blocks. The winner of this tournament overall then gets a shot at the world championship at the end of all the tournaments, based on points accumulation (you can find the ladder here and matches here).
This match was set in Tokyo, at the Ota City General Gymnasium. The legendary Will Ospreay (who you may be familiar with from AEW, despite having been in NJPW for nearly a decade) went up against (who most consider to be the G.O.A.T. of NJPW), Kazuchika Okada. Up until this point, Ospreay hasn’t had the best luck against Okada, so this was a match with a lot of history behind it. Even with so much tension, both wrestlers delivered their moves in the clean, precise form that NJPW has come to be known for. At times it was like watching Mortal Kombat, with martial arts sharpness and technical skill clear in how both Okada and Ospreay moved in the ring.
Image courtesy of New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co.,Ltd
At first, it seemed like history was repeating itself, because Okada had the upper hand in most of the match (even the commentators seemed to think the trophy could be handed out easily). Okada’s Rainmaker was cleanly executed at the mid-point of the match, he dealt out countless Money Clips, and finally delivered a brutal Landslide towards the end. With the final Money Clips, foam was coming out of Ospreay’s mouth, and I truly thought this could be the end of him due to the doctors potentially calling for stoppage.
But, despite Okada’s repeated attempts, Ospreay wasn’t going down without a fight. Even painful shoulder/traps weren’t going to hold him back from exacting his revenge. Every move from Okada seemed to charge him up more. He showed some impressive moves, like when he delivered a Pele Kick to Okada on the rebound from the ropes in the early part of the match, as well as a swift Phenomenal Forearm at one point (both reminiscent of AJ Styles technique). After a match of twists and turns, it was Ospreay’s Stormbreaker that won him the victory.
In terms of endurance, it seems that Ospreay is a sprinter, and not a marathon runner. Matches between the two have previously lasted over 40 minutes, with Okada usually coming out on top. In this case, though, the short time-frame seemed to work well for Ospreay in the end.
With lots of technical skill, two wrestling icons, and a good storyline, this match ended up being pretty great. It’s definitely awesome to see Ospreay finally getting revenge on Okada after all this time. It feels like the end of a long and eventful story.
Image courtesy of New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co.,Ltd
I give this match 5 out of 5 stars:
