Match from NJPW Road to the New Beginning 02/05:
1.Elimination: LIJ(Naito,Hiromu,SANADA,BUSHI) vs Bullet Club(White,KENTA,ELP,Ishimori) ***1/2
Thoughts:
Getting closer to being caught up on New Japan. While the corona virus stuff is going on, one of the few bright spots is that them sadly cancelling shows will help me catch up faster.
So, here we have another of those fun, New Japan style elimination unit cluster matches that I tend to enjoy the hell out of. The fact that they are essentially torneo ciberneticos is a large part of why I like these so much, alongside the fact that they feature some of the best workers in the world, of course.
The expected chaotic brawl kicked this one off, followed by a stretch with Bullet Club in control while they beat down on the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. The story work, as they built to the bigger matches on the remaining (then) upcoming New Beginning gigs were on display here especially, and the unit warfare style approach here really worked nicely due to BC's tactics. Them picking apart the charismatic division leader worked pretty well, as LIJ members occasionally tried to interject just to be shut down.
And, of course, the hot tag comeback spot came off nicely because of that extended sequence. Naito's fire entrance back into the match was a fun sight before the dickish BC boys took things back and set things more even moving forward.
There were nice waves here, and the action worked nicely throughout. When we got to the quick elimination phase, this elevated upwards.
In all, I'd call this a worthwhile, borderline great affair that burned slow and climaxed nicely. It's from a road show, so it's destined to get lost but consider checking out this little gem.