NJPW/GFW Wrestle Kingdom 9 Review
By Mike Smith
NJPW.co.jp
Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) vs. Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata) for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The team of Gallows and Anderson is a joy to watch.
This was a story of two different matches. In the beginning, Gallows and Anderson dominated with their power, and Goto and Shibata, the smaller guys, did a great job of selling the moves.
Towards the end, Goto and Shibata took over the match, and used their quickness advantage. However, it should be noted that Gallows and Anderson did a great job of keeping up with them.
Goto and Shibata did a great job of working together in the final moments, isolating Gallows, and keeping Anderson out of the match at ringside.
Shibata hit a very loud PK kick for the win.
Meiyu Tag defeats Bullet Club via pinfall to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
4.25 out of 5 stars.
AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito
Styles came out and attacked the leg of Naito, which Naito did a great job of selling throughout the match.
The offense that both men bring is a lot of fun to watch. It’s a nice blend of hard-hitting and high-flying, and it looked awesome when put together in this match.
Styles almost put this one away with a Calf Killer on that injured leg. Naito almost tapped a couple of times, but was able to reach for the ropes.
After Naito had already countered an attempt at a Styles Clash, Styles countered a hurricanrana off the middle rope, and hit his much-discussed finisher from that middle rope for the win.
Styles defeats Naito via pinfall.
4 out of 5 stars.