AJPW New Year Giants Series 2024 - TC title matches & Saitos!

AJPW New Year Giant Series 2024 - Day 2 - 02/01/2024

Triple Crown Title Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs. Charlie Dempsey

Dempsey showed some really good stuff in the Nakajima bout. Obviously he lacks the dynamism and stiffness of his father but he's very talented and presented a style of grappling that was fresh and interesting. Likewise Nakajima stood out to me as a strong champion. Someone worth paying attention  to which I haven't done for a while now. Him in All Japan adds something different though. A certain quality. This was a good match. ***1/2

AJPW New Year Giant Series 2024 - Day 4 - 27/01/2024

Konosuke Takeshita & Hideki Okatani vs Yuma Aoyagi & Atsuki Aoyagi

A perfectly good contest. It's good to see the Aoyagi duo looking good as a Heavy/Jr combo. Takeshita looked good, but not great. Okatani didn't blow me away either but he was solid. a good tag match. Had a fast tempo and concluded well. ***

AJPW World Tag Team Title Match: Saito Brothers (Jun Saito & Rei Saito) (c) vs. Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai

The Saito Brothers are very interesting, aren’t they? This is my first time really watching them and I was unsure what to expect. They aren’t the typical Japanese wrestlers. They are bigger and work in an unorthodox style that is hard to comprehend at first, but I slowly found myself enjoying their work and style. In a world where everyone is the same, I’m grateful for something different and they brought that. I also dug how they worked with Honda and Anzai. They felt like real obstacles to overcome due to their size and shockingly awesome double team offence. The dynamic was a hit with me. Good first impression by the team I’ve heard so much about. ***1/4

Triple Crown Title Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs. Shotaro Ashino

This was another kick ass match by Nakajima. Now that he’s outside of the stale and sterile environment that is NOAH, Nakajima feels refreshed and alive. Long are the days when Nakajima would endlessly kick someone in the chest for 40 minutes, his strikes have purpose, poise and significance. He looked great on top in the match with his precise striking skills and strong limb work. Ashino isn’t a great worker, but he’s good and this was another good performance. His selling was a strong point in the match and it added to the drama greatly. The highspots were well done and came off well. The one armed powerbomb particularly and the closing armbar sequence was played off wonderfully. ***1/2