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Strong Style Evolved UK Night 2, Manchester, July 1st:
The Great O-Khan defeated Dan Duggan. Duggan recently went through the NJPW LA Dojo. He played the same role as Umino did on the previous days show. Duggan looked decent in his brief comebacks. O-Kharn dominated the match, again getting The Mongolian chops and Von Erich Claw over. He won with a neckbreaker.
Yuji Nagata defeated Shota Umino. This was very similar to the matches they've had in Korakuen Hall recently. Nagata put a beating on the young lion with Umino firing up and making come backs. Nagata was laying in his kicks. Umino hit a missile dropkick and locked on a Boston Crab. They traded slaps, with Nagata winning and locking on a crossface to get the submission win.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado & Takashi Iizuka defeated Gedo, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano. This was pretty much the same thing as the previous days match. LOTS of biting from Iizuka. Gedo has some of the best looking punches in pro wrestling. YOSHI-HASHI did nothing of note in this. The finish saw Kanemaru spray whiskey at Gedo and finish him with the Deep Impact Diving DDT.
WALTER defeated Yujiro Takahashi. Yujiro started this by doing his best to stay away from WALTER until he was able to wrap his ankle around the ring post. Yujiro went after the leg with the usual enthusiasm that he usually shows. WALTER made the comeback and started tossing Yujiro around with suplexes and big strikes. WALTER nailed a huge lariat for a near fall and finished the match with a powerbomb. One of the great things about WALTER is that he has several ways to win a match.
Taichi defeated Will Ospreay. This has to be considered an upset. Taichi started the match by stalling on the outside, until Ospreay wiped him out with a suicide dive. Taichi took control on the floor. The match dragged a bit while Taichi was in control, but Ospreay picked up the pace. Taichi blocked two attempts at the Spanish Fly. Ospreay set up for the OsCutter, but Taichi shoved the referee into him. Kanemaru got involved, but was taken out by a Sasuke Special from Ospreay. Taichi then hit a low blow, a mic shot and a Last Ride to steal the win. It was okay, but nowhere near as good as Ospreay vs Kanemaru the night before.
British Cruiserweight Championship: David Starr defeated Tiger Mask IV, El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori. This was the match of the show up to this point. This was great with too much going on to recap. Starr & Phantasmo carried this with Phantasmo having a show stealing performance. Some of his aerial work here was fantastic. The moment of the match saw him hit a rope walk moonsault onto the outside. He also kicked out of a Tiger Driver. The story here was that Phantasmo had the match won, only for Starr to unmask Tiger and roll him up to steal it. This is worth watching. After the match the crowd showed huge respect to the the veteran, Tiger.
Jay White defeated Kyle Fletcher. This was supposed to be White vs Chris Brookes, but after an injury, Fletcher took his place. This was an excellent underdog performance from Fletcher. White is really starting to gain confidence in his role as champion. He wrestles like a ring general now and is assured. He beat the hell out of Fletcher, and it took a while for Fletcher to really get into the match. Fletcher hit a great Michinoku driver, and after he got sick of White chopping him, he fired up and nailed a beautiful somersault from the top rope to the floor, followed up by a springboard X-Factor in the ring. The finish here was perfectly fitting to the story of the match as Fletcher slipped while attempting a moonsault, which allowed White to hit Bladerunner to get the win. Really good match.
Zack Sabre Jr defeated Kazuchika Okada. What an upset. This was absolutely phenomenal. The story here was that Sabre had an answer for everything Okada had, and even though Okada would find a way through at times, Sabre was still one step ahead. Sabre twisted and tortured Okada, and tried to embarrass him. He caught Okada's elbow drop and turned it into an armbar. He countered a Rainmaker into a rolling armbar. The right arm was a target to weaken The Rainmaker, and it worked. Okada hit the move, but he couldn't follow up. He held onto the arm, but his second attempt was countered. Okada did hit two tombstones. Sabre scored the upset when he pinned Okada with the European Clutch to a thunderous pop. No one expected it and the crowd were in total disbelief. This is why NJPW's booking is so good. Wins and losses matter. Okada has been dominant for two years, so this loss is a major deal and does so much for Sabre. Okada continues his post title loss slump and will have to get himself back and track as the G1 approaches.
The camera work on this match really hurt it. Rev Pro have had atrocious camera work ever since I've been following it. They seemingly hand the cameras to the two nearest trainees and it isn't good enough on shows like this. Constant unsteadiness makes the show very hard to watch and so many great shots (Okada's wrist clutch) were completely missed. The standard of production needs to be higher on cards like this, because it hurts these incredible matches.
British Heavyweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki defeated Tomohiro Ishii.
This was a huge match that fans have been waiting for, for a very long time, and for Rev Pro to get it for their title is a big deal for them. This didn't disappoint. These men went to war. Suzuki attacked Ishii in the crowd and took control of the match. Ishii got pissed off and started firing back like only he can. He paint brushed Suzuki, which obviously didn't go down well. They then began trading strikes for a very long time, which the crowd loved. It kept going until they both collapsed in a heap. Ishii hit some headbutts and a really hard lariat. He also fought his way out of the Piledriver more than once. The finish saw Ishii escape a sleeper, only to he KO'd with a forearm and dropped him with the Gotch Style Piledriver to become the new Rev Pro British Heavyweight Champion.
This show is available now at RPWonDemand.com along with night one and will be available soon at NJPWWorld.com.
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