The Super Junior Tag League rolls on and, to be honest, I don’t have much to say in this intro. It’s another one camera show with only two matches on it, so we know not to expect much. Hopefully, someone will surprise us.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi and BUSHI) (3-1) Volador Jr. and Soberano Jr. (1-3)
What a weird ass match. I kept waiting for the moment when I’d start enjoying it. You’ve got two Lucha guys in there with Bushi, who did his excursion in Mexico, and Shingo, who is used to the flippy boys of Dragon Gate. It should have worked, shouldn’t it?
So, why did this never click? Why did it feel like just a match? One in which everyone involved was going through the motions? There were some cool moments, with Volador and Soberano showing off their dives, but they didn’t make me feel anything. The whole thing lacked fired, and I never believed these teams were doing everything they could to get the win.
Still, I don’t think you can call it a disaster. There were a couple of moments where the communication wasn’t quite right, although it was nothing that you wouldn’t see in any tag match between two teams that haven’t worked together before. For whatever reason, things just failed to click, which happens sometimes. The wrong crowd with the wrong pairings on a bad day. Or perhaps I’m the one who is in the wrong? Whatever it is, we’ll chalk it up to experience and move on.
Verdict: Two And A Quarter Stars
Roppongi 3K (SHO and YOH) (3-1) defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask (2-2)
This was a chance for the grumpy kitty and the Thunder God to do what they do best. Beat up two youngsters who think they deserve to be in the ring with them. SHO and YOH might have graduated from Young Lionhood a while ago, but the Junior legends do not give a shit. They were going to treat them like the disrespectful pups they are.
It’s a dynamic that I love as Liger and Tiger took YOH apart, snarling in his face and barking at SHO everytime he tried to get involved. Meanwhile, you can feel Roppongi’s frustration building. They should be passed this shit, and yet they still have to deal with it. So, when SHO got the chance to take his revenge, he grasped it eagerly. Not afraid to drop a legend or two with a German.
They built this match as a battle of youth vs experience with both sides showing they have plenty to give. In the closing stretch, it even looked like the legends might take it. The Avalanche Tiger Suplex set Liger up for a Liger Bomb only for YOH to kick out and trap him in that Five Star Clutch which has become a bit of a speciality. Sometimes, the kids are just as smart as the adults.
Verdict: Three Stars
Overall Show
One of two ain’t bad. If the LIJ vs the Luchadors match were important, I’d probably have noted it down to return to it in a few months and see if I reacted differently to it. As it is, it’s not worth the effort. Still, others might get more out of it than I did while Roppongi vs the legends is worth a watch.
Watch Super Junior Tag League: https://njpwworld.com/
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