What's the story, onlookers of obscuring outmuscling?!
Seems I'm stuck in Japan for the time being! It's my own fault for going right back to the rings of Japan again this week, but when a match of note (for good or for bad) comes across my feed, I feel the need to weigh in.
Let's see how things panned out this week, yeah?
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| NJPW |
📖 -14 minutes
Here's what I watched for the week;
| Match | Show | Date |
|---|---|---|
| United Empire vs. Knockout Brothers | NJPW Road To King Of Pro-Wrestling 2026 - Day 1 | 10/06/2026 |
• • • • •
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Basic Breakdown
I heard a lot of talk about this match right after it happened earlier in the week, with some people claiming this to be a "match of the year" contender. I, of course, am always skeptical about matches with "less than exceptional" wrestlers, let's say, producing MotY contenders. I do live to be proven wrong, of course, I never would have discovered Chihiro Hashimoto earlier this year if I had not seen the discussion around their Sareee-ISM match from 03/22/2026, a legitimate MotY contender. Now, before you guys start making connections where there are none, I am not trying to claim that anyone in that match was "less than exceptional," I was more unfamiliar with their work than anything. This match, however, I knew the players involved and already had opinions on them.
OSKAR and Yuto-Ice, better known as the Knockout Brothers, have been on my radar since their exceptional tag team match from NJPW Sakura Genesis 2026 on 04/04/2026 against TMDK. HENARE and Great-O-Khan, the defending IWGP Tag Team Champions and two-thirds of the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions, along with United Empire's Will Ospreay, are where my issues arise. I believe that HENARE could be a legitimately good-to-great wrestler if given some careful time and attention, there's something there just beneath the surface. GOK, however, I see nothing in. In fact, I see less than nothing in him, I genuinely cannot stand this guy. He's right up there with Jake Lee for having "get off my fucking screen" heat. Maybe I missed the boat with GOK, maybe I need to go back and find some of his "best matches," if such a thing exists. Regardless, the current iteration of GOK wrestles like someone who just got off a 18 hour shift at the plant and was told to pick up a weeks worth of food at CostCo at 8:30pm when all he wants to do is lay in bed and forget about the world.
All of this is to say; "I am skeptical but remain hopeful." My expectations were low and, unfortunately, were just about met. Let's get into the match proper.
Bell To Bell
Removing their titles and GOK's entrance garb, both teams waste little time before laying into one another, with HENARE and Ice laying into each other, while GOK and OSKAR go at it. The brawl quickly spills out to the floor and into the crowd. GOK quickly brandishes a chair and goes after the left leg of OSKAR, the brace acting more like a target than protection. He's quick to jump to the help of HENARE with his chair, laying into Yuto as referee Red Shoes Unno urges them to get into the ring. HENARE rolls Yuto back inside the ring where he assaults him in the corner with chops and forearms. Fun fact! HENARE is the only full-time contracted professional wrestler of Māori descent in a major wrestling company, pretty neat, huh? I almost called him Samoan here but I guess I'm just so used to the 'Fed and their Bloodline antics.
Back to the action, Yuto tries to counter a corner whip, but HENARE comes charging out with a shoulder tackle, tagging in GOK. Oh boy, here we go. His Mongolian chops target the trapezius muscles of Yuto, taking him to a knee each time he rises to his feet, they are absolutely dreadful looking, how and why he's been doing them as long as he has is a wonder to me. With Yuto chest first in the corner, GOK just... sits on him? He turns it into a "submission" hold by bending the arms of Yuto back at the same time, but it looks really unremarkable. It's at this point I also notice some of the sponsors on GOK's pants, one of them being Palworld. Hilarious.
HENARE is back in now, with Yuto fighting out of his firemans carry, but HENARE is still able to bring him down to the canvas, assaulting him with a triplet of senton's in the middle of the ring. A cover is made, but he survives, with GOK tagging in again. Pulling Yuto to the floor, he whips him into the barricade hard not once, but twice. Sending him back in the ring, GOK takes his sweet time to do anything at all, challenging Yuto to strike him, only to move to the side and trip him. What is this, the fucking Looney Tunes? Making a throat slit gesture on Yuto, he takes off for the ropes, but Yuto comes alive and whips GOK down to the canvas, who sells like he just got shot. What are we doing here.
Can I get something out of my system really quick? Yeah? Thank you.
To me, Great-O-Khan is the epitome of "play wrestler," an insult I often hear lobbied towards many in the AEW locker room by old heads that make a living off of shitting on the business (I'm looking at you, Cornette). There is next to nothing about GOK that is even remotely convincing to me, I am not convinced this guy could beat up a toddler, let alone either member of the Knockout Brothers. His Mongolian chops, to say nothing about the rest of his "asleep at the wheel" offence, looks weak as shit and makes me want to leave my desk and take a walk around the block in frustration. Maybe if I watched NJPW years ago during his "peak," if such a time period even exists, I'd understand this guy. Maybe he needs to be against the right guy, or maybe he was never good (I know which of these two I'm leaning towards), but to me, there is next to no redeeming qualities about Great-O-Khan. If I hadn't seen multiple pages lauding this match as something "incredible," I'd have never watched it, but the discussion around it got me curious, so here I am. Suffering. Enjoy this gif.
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| I present to you, the smoking gun. NJPW |
Yuto tags in OSKAR who takes both GOK and HENARE down, but the damage done to his leg earlier prevents him from getting GOK up for a bodyslam or a back suplex, with GOK stomping the foot of OSKAR to wear him down further. Catching the left foot of OSKAR, I can only assume he was going for something akin to a dragon screw leg whip, but it ends up being more of a snapmare to the leg. Whatever, I guess. Tying up the legs of OSKAR, GOK does whatever he can to keep the lanky giant from getting to the ropes, pulling his hair and pulling at his arm, but OSKAR is able to squirm and get to the ropes, with GOK taking his sweet time to break the hold.
With OSKAR in the corner, GOK charges him but gets shoved back with a boot, but he's able to get to his feet fast enough to make sure OSKAR can't tag in Yuto, pulling him to the canvas in the middle. Gesturing for HENARE, who climbs into the ring, he charges at Yuto before helping GOK in the middle, Red Shoes trying to restore order, but neither man pays him much attention. GOK tries to get OSKAR up for a suplex but OSKAR blocks HENARE and gets them both by the throat, bonking head before tackling GOK to the canvas.
Nearly able to tag in Yuto, HENARE pulls him off the apron just in time, with GOK laying in more damage on OSKAR's leg. It's little more than "slamming the knee on the canvas" but it's damage nonetheless. OSKAR is able to catch a charging GOK and take him over with a back suplex this time, desperate to make a tag to Yuto, back on the apron now. Both sides make the tag, with Yuto and HENARE meeting in the middle with forearms. They trade shots back and forth, the damage ramping up as they rebound off the ropes with kicks and forearm shots, with Yuto getting the better of the exchange with a knee shot to the side of HENARE's head.
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| Ear-crushing offence. NJPW |
With HENARE in the corner, Yuto lights him up with forearms and knees, dropping him to a seated position before connecting with the "Bomboclat" knee. I'm just on the threshold of understanding that slang, but had to rely on Google for clarification. He pulls HENARE out for a cover, but he gets free at two. With HENARE seated, Yuto tries a kick to the back, but he fires up to his feet to meet the challenge of Yuto, coming back with a kick of his own. They exchange kicks in the middle now, with HENARE absorbing some heavy shots on his knees before falling to the canvas. Yuto charges for the ropes and rebounds, but HENARE comes alive with a spinning heel kick to level Yuto in the middle.
Both men are on their feet and ducking rope rebounds now, with HENARE able to get Yuto up and around with a Berserker Bomb, a side slam into a powerbomb for a close two count. Back in the corner, HENARE looks to spear Yuto in half but Yuto gets a knee up, only for HENARE to catch it at the last second. We're back to strike exchanges now, with Yuto lighting HENARE up with slaps and punches, but HENARE counters with a gut punch and a forearm that drop Yuto. Nearly connecting with a lariat, Yuto stops HENARE in his tracks with a kick, a buzzsaw kick to a kneeling HENARE leads to another pin attempt, but HENARE gets free at two, still alive and ready to fight.
Backing himself in the corner, Yuto lines up HENARE for Cruella, but GOK is on the apron with a chair. I almost forgot this guy was involved with how great Yuto and HENARE were just now. Yuto shoves GOK off the apron and lines up HENARE again, charging in only to get caught and shoved into the ropes, with GOK catching Yuto in the head with the chair when he stumbles between the ropes. Backing himself in the corner this time, HENARE charges and catches Yuto with the Rampage Tackle, a combination spear/spinebuster. Covering for three, Yuto is barely able to survive at two.
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| Big fan of this one. NJPW |
GOK is in now and I can feel the joy leaving my body. He whips Yuto into a corner and he and HENARE charge him with tackles and knees, Red Shoes doing little to stop this. GOK gets Yuto up in position for a bodyslam, basically, in the position you are in the final moment you are still held before hitting the canvas. Upside-down, basically, with HENARE connecting with a kick to the shoulder blades before GOK slams Yuto down. Attempting to put Yuto away with the Knockout Brothers KOB move, GOK covers Yuto for a pin, but he survives at two.
HENARE is still in the ring and pulls Yuto up onto his shoulders, but Yuto slips free as GOK heads for the ropes and shoves HENARE into his partner before tagging in OSKAR, who just returned to the apron. Clearing house, he backdrops HENARE and attempts a German suplex on GOK, but his left leg is in terrible shape. Unless GOK was doing some major work on the floor while Yuto/HENARE were in the ring, this feels like a crazy amount of selling for the work that was done to the leg, but maybe that's just me. Again, GOK stomps the foot, with OSKAR simply ripping GOK off the canvas and dumping him stomach first on the canvas. He drops a big elbow on the small of GOK's back before trying a cover, but his foe gets free.
Pulling GOK to his feet, OSKAR tries for the Berlin Fall, his version of a chokebomb, but GOK claws at the eyes as HENARE gets in the ring, kicking the bad wheel of OSKAR as he drops to the ropes. GOK comes in with the claw, trying to snatch the skull of OSKAR, but he ducks and instead snatches a sleeper, with GOK initially breaking the hold, only for OSKAR to lick it in again, with GOK fading for a moment before biting the arm of OSKAR to finally break the hold. Red Shoes tells him off, which gives OSKAR a chance to come alive, only for GOK to shove Red Shoes into OSKAR as he charges off the ropes, taking him out. Oh good, a ref bump. My favourite thing.
I really can't emphasize just how sick I am of ref bumps. Maybe it's how often they happened in WWE main events when I was in my last year of watching, but they feel like the most contrived, desperate, lazy, "how do we let the heel be a heel" moments in wrestling. I think they still have a place and can be done right, but by and large, they are the exact same thing. Ref bump, babyface hits his finish, cover, count to infinity, heel does something dastardly so babyface can come back when the ref is revived. More often than not I groan and look at my phone when a ref bump happens because I can already predict the beats, and I'm really sick of companies using it as an easy way to give the heel(s) more heat. Be creative! Work within the constraints of a match! It's more than doable, you are just lazy!
Grabbing the chair from ringside, GOK pulls OSKAR to the middle and begins assaulting the wounded knee, driving the end of the chair into the back of OSKAR's knee before ripping his brace off. With OSKAR all alone, GOK winds up, ready to crush the wounded limb into dust, but Yuto slides in and protects his partner. Stopping for only a moment, GOK swings the chair and cracks the back of Yuto over and over again before tossing it to the side and laughing to himself, pleased with his work.
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| Indiscriminate. NJPW |
With Yuto tossed out, GOK goes back for OSKAR, but he gets goozled and pushed up against the ropes, with HENARE getting back in the ring to kick the wounded wheel of OSKAR some more. An assisted powerbomb plants OSKAR in the middle, with GOK pulling a groggy Red Shoes back in the ring to count the pin, but he survives at two! Looking to drive the death nail, HENARE pulls OSKAR into the powerbomb position near the corner, with GOK on the top rope. When he tries to get OSKAR up, he instead gets back body dropped, with OSKAR pulling GOK down for the Berlin Fall, but GOK does the most athletic thing I've ever seen him do, twisting in air to snatch the bad limb of OSKAR and grab him in a kneebar!
Fighting to survive, OSKAR shifts and shuffles for the bottom rope, but GOK releases the hold and pulls him back to no mans land, reapplying the kneebar. Miraculously, Yuto is back in the ring, kicking the head of GOK, only for HENARE to slide in the ring and snatch him in a full nelson, referred to as Ultima. With both members of the Knockout Brothers in a hold, it seems like only a matter of time before the match ends, with OSKAR close to submitting but desperate to hold on. He crawls, but GOK has the hair of OSKAR, only for Yuto to fight to the ropes and push off, forcing he and HENARE to fall backward onto GOK.
With all four men down and OSKAR worse for wear, GOK ties OSKAR's leg up in the ropes and boots it, dumping him back in the middle of the ring before setting him up for a shinbreaker. Somehow, OSKAR comes alive, driving his good leg up into the face of GOK, saving his leg from being shattered. Looking to pull GOK up after falling back in the corner, OSKAR doesn't realize HENARE is sneaking up behind him, looking to lock him up in Ultima, but OSKAR breaks the hold and fights free, even fighting out of a vertical suplex. He attempts a powerslam on HENARE, but his leg is too banged up, with HENARE able to reverse into a huge vertical suplex of his own.
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| Muscling the big German off his feet. NJPW |
Calling for Yuto, HENARE stands tall in the ring, a strike exchange going down in the middle, with both men trading straight up punches to the jaw in the middle. It's a good thing neither of these men are legal in the match right now, or it probably would have been called off. HENARE wears him down with headbutts, but Yuto gets the last laugh with a forearm, a punch, and a knee as HENARE falls. Red Shoes is gesturing like crazy to get these men out of the ring, with OSKAR pulling himself up on the ropes and Yuto grabbing GOK in the opposite corner.
With Yuto trying to toss GOK into his partner for the assist, GOK is able to send Yuto into OSKAR instead, catching Yuto with a boot and OSKAR with a straight punch to the jaw. HENARE is back in again, holding OSKAR on his shoulders as GOK lands a swinging neckbreaker, the combination called the Imperial Drop. GOK covers, but OSKAR survives! GOK pulls the dead body of OSKAR off the canvas and seats him up top in the corner, with HENARE getting beneath in the powerbomb position and GOK climbing up high. Springing to life, Yuto grabs the leg of GOK and holds him in place, with OSKAR fighting HENARE to the middle. Reversing a whip, he catches HENARE and drills him with the Berlin Fall, his foe rolling to the floor.
Yuto and GOK are jockeying for position in the corner, with GOK kicking Yuto and Yuto landing a stiff right to the jaw of GOK. Tossing Yuto off the top into the arms of his partner, OSKAR drops him initially, but bellows before ripping GOK off the canvas in the tombstone position, using the ropes to help keep himself vertical. Stumbling to centre, Yuto meets his partner with a kick to the back of GOK, with OSKAR drilling him into the canvas with the KOB.
OSKAR covers, and Red Shoes counts three. We have new IWGP Tag Team Champions.
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| The brothers have knocked you out. NJPW |
Match Time: 34:21
I dunno, man, I just didn't care for this match. More drawn out and lengthy than it needed to be, regardless of who was involved. Am I happy that I sat through almost 35 minutes of Great-O-Khan twice? No, I'm not. DO I think this match may have been better if it was 10 minutes shorter? Possibly. It's not like it lost me, but I just don't think it needed this much real estate, honestly. Could have spent less time, worked a bit harder, and gotten a better result, I feel HENARE was great and his time sparring with Yuto was fun, OSKAR's selling was really good and Great-O-Khan was... anyways. Nothing close to a match of the year contender for me and a match that will sadly get lost in the shuffle that was 2026.
• • • • •
A brief tangent I want to go on here to bookend this review, are my general thoughts on New Japan as a whole. I can't in good conscience sit here and say I am well versed in New Japan, though I have been a "fan" of New Japan since I got back into wrestling 10 years ago. I've made an effort to watch Wrestle Kingdom most years, I go out of my way to watch notable matches (that said, most of the Okada/Omega series is still unknown to me. I will elaborate on that in a future feature I intend on doing on their matches), and have put in the work over the past 2 years to watch some of their bigger shows throughout the year to see how a year in New Japan progresses.
Honestly, I really struggle to enjoy New Japan the vast majority of the time, I'm not really sure what it is, but more often than not, I find their wrestling just doesn't "click" with me. I don't know if its a stylistic thing, as I've enjoyed plenty of New Japan matches in my time, and I can't tell if modern day New Japan is just in a tough spot in-ring wise, being only the most casual of fans. More often than not, however, I find myself either largely indifferent or just about enjoying a show at best, and outright hating it at worst. I mean, have a look back at Watchlist 082 and the ratings I gave Wrestle Kingdom 20. The difference between matches nearly gave me whiplash, with the majority of the card being either pretty crap or unremarkable.
In truth, Wrestle Kingdom was a bit of an outlier on the whole from this year, as my ratings have been averaging around 4 stars most of this year, with 2025 and 2024 being very similar, but the bad or unremarkable matches stand out to me and sour me on wanting to watch more.
I don't say this as a way to plant my flag in the ground and say "henceforth, I will no longer be watching New Japan Pro Wrestling!" I want to keep watching New Japan! I want to be a fan, I can understand the appeal at certain times. All of this is to say, really, New Japan hasn't really done a lot to wow me and pull me in. Maybe if I sat through it with a casual eye years ago like I did AEW and WWE I'd have enjoyed it more now, but I don't, sadly. I'll continue to give it a chance and seek out matches that are noteworthy, for one reason or another. Hopefully by this time next year I'll be singing a different tune.
Until next week. Be well, stay safe, and love one another.
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com
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