NJPW/CMLL
Korakuen Hall (Toyko, Japan)
The tecnico side is a bit of a ‘dream team’. You’ve got the New Japan ace (Tanahashi), the Junior Heavyweight Champion (Ibushi), and the big CMLL star of the tour (Mistico) all on the same side. The rudo team is less of a force, although really it is Yujiro’s presence on the team that sticks out like a sore thumb. Rey Escorpion or Ishii (amongst wrestlers actually on the card) would have evened up the two sides a bit but Ishii was occupied with Naito.
Nakamura and Ibushi locked up for the first time since their classic G1 Climax bout this past August. Their exchanges here were equally as good as they were six months ago and a singles re-match sometime in 2014 appears inevitable. In fact, it would not be altogether shocking if Ibushi were to drop the Junior championship to Desperado in February and settle in the heavyweight division going forward.
Mistico looked to injure himself (his shoulder) right near the end of the match, but was still able hit La Mistica for the pin on Mephisto. That gave Mistico two victories over Mephisto during the tour, but the one loss came when it counted the most. Mistico appeared to be okay after the main event when the locker room came out for a curtain call, but his shoulder is an ongoing injury concern. Good match, although a step below the trios semi-main event from the prior evening.
Trios | Watchable | Quality
