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A Block Finals Prelims

(Taichi debuted in 2002, Shingo in 2004. Unless by inexperienced you just mean NJPW-wise or Heavyweight-wise)

ZSJ working Tana's guilt to submit him through kindness

The o/g star rating system only went to 4, Cornette (who has done a surprising amount to destroy the kayfabe he holds so dear) originally suggested to the person who was doing one of the first wrestling newsletters and all of the others started copying it. Dave first broke the 4-star system with a 5-star rating for Tiger Mask vs Dynamite Kid in 1983, then broke the 5-star system with a 6-star rating for Kawada vs Misawa in 1994 (I think there was another match, maybe a Joshi match that was listed as "5+++++" or something like that). The rating system isn't meant to be out-of-5, but has no upper limits if the things that wrestlers do and the stories they tell significantly surpass what came before. I've also heard it said that a 5 is a Match-of-the-Year candidate, a 6 is a Match-of-the-Decade candidate, a 7 is century/greatest match ever/etc. His 5+ star matches are basically saying "this is almost match of the decade, but not quite." Or it's like you say, jumped the shark and now the system has moved upwards so his 5-star matches are really 4.5-star matches and his 5+ star matches have to be differentiated somehow out of the 10-20 matches that get 5s the last few years because he fucking loves the current style of wrestling and can't help himself

I could probably rec it to new fans just based on the crowd roar. And then you can follow it up by going "This was actually just a strong match, not even a MOTYC" ;) Naito v Yano was fun for what it was.

Fredericks and Connors are LA Dojo Young Boys.

G1 Final/Rest of the Card

Night 11 Definitely a "middle of the tournament" show. Solid wrestling all around, another really good showing by Lance Archer, but also wrestlers in "preserving their bodies for the final days" mode (except Tana v EVIL, Tanahashi is always preserving his body and still somehow having 4+ star matches, this is no different)

Night 5 Prelims Archer vs KENTA I'll watch the rest later

Night 2

Have you heard the arguments Dave has made about "breaking" the star rating system?

It's gotten to the point where if Sept rolls around and there's a news report on the people who showed up for the Area 51 raid and Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens aren't there in their wrestling gear, I'm going to be disappointed

Okada/Sanada from 08.03, Naito/Shingo from 08/04, and Ishii/Shingo from this show pulled 5 stars (Ishii/Shingo with the 5.5) Night 16 Block Matches ISHII VS SHINGO YOSHHHHHH

B Block Finals Prelims

Night 5 Backstage Comments Ishii told Mox that he'll have "any kind of match he wants, a death match, a street fight, anything." Also fucking Tanahashi

Night 15

Night 16 - Prelims

Night 14 So if I'm reading the booking right/predictions

Night 8's solid all around. Ishii/Naito, Mox/Shingo, it's all about what you would expect

I'm gonna be shocked if A Block makes it to the halfway point of the tournament intact. Ospreay's apparently hurt enough to miss tag matches, Ibushi's still got a hurt ankle from Night 1 and ZSJ had his neck cranked on an Okada Tombstone. NIght 3

A Block Finals - Just watching Tana/Ospreay and Okada/Ibushi for now, the rest later (oh god, this weekend)