NJPW On AXS Recap (3/4): Jim Ross' Debut, AJ Styles, Bullet Club, Shinsuke Nakamura, Okada, More
Welcome to Wrestling Inc's coverage of NJPW on AXS. Tonight features the NJPW on AXS debut of WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross. You can check out our exclusive interview with Ross at this link. The following matches first happened in May 2015.
- We get started with an abbreviated version of CHAOS (Okada & Yoshi-Hashi) vs. Bullet Club (AJ Styles & Takahashi). Ross puts over Okada big time in this excellent tag team match. Ross' commentary is much different than that of Ranallo's and that's not a bad thing. Ross shows the same excitement doing voice overs as if he were in the arena live. Styles pins Yoshi-Hashi after the Styles Clash. He tries to attack Okada, but has the tides turns and darts from the ring.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hirooki Goto
The two trade holds inside the ring, but the action quickly spills to the outside, where Nakamura takes Goto out with a knee. Goto barely makes it back in before the 20 count. Back inside, Nakamura punishes Goto with several knees, and Good Vibrations, but it serves to make Goto mad, as he connects with a big lariat.
Goto lands some big strikes, but Nakamura fires back with a knee as we go to a commercial. The two go back and forth until Goto reverses a sleeper hold into an Olympic Slam for a two count. Ushigoroshi and Ura Shouten land, but Nakamura gets a lungblower. Goto gets another lariat as we head to a break.
Both men are slugging it out with forearms, until Nakamura kicks Goto square in the eye. As is tradition in this match, Goto scores with a lariat. Goto drags Nakamura up top, but gets back body dropped. Nakamura hits a Boma Ye off the middle rope, and a running Boma Ye, but Goto kicks out!
Goto repeatedly headbutts Nakamura and clotheslines Nakamura, which gets about 2.9. Goto gets another one with an avalanche Ushigoroshi. Another Shouten Kai gets the pin!
Winner: Hirooki Goto via pinfall (Shouten Kai)
- The main event was a fantastic match, and Jim Ross was outstanding in his debut. It'll be interesting to see how he does as this becomes a regular gig.