Hayato Mashita vs Yoshikazu Yokoyama [*]
This was a super fast sprint that was clipped. We have two young boys with a combined 7 years wrestling experience. There were slaps galore and a cool spear to the back. The younger Yokoyama prevails with a camel clutch.
Meiko Satomura vs Yuhi [**]
The first JOSHI match of the year and it was pretty good, though I might be too accustomed to women's wrestling in America. This felt little more than an exhibition with the only story being who could hit one of their many kicks to win. One of the big faults in the match is that the kicks do not come into play in the finale. After a backdrop suplex Satomura puts Yuhi in a sleeper and its lights out. For a 17 year old in her rookie year (she started April '12), Yuhi impressed me. She is high energy and uses her kickboxing background extensively. Yuhi sold the sleeper very well by flopping around like a fish out of water until she was wrapped up by Satomura.
Bikuma, Craig Classic & Menso-re Oyaji vs Mineo Fujita, Travis Banks & Yuki Sato [1/2*]
This was both JIP and hacked to pieces. We mostly see Menso-re Oyaji and Fujita. Fujita gets the win with a beautiful swanton.
KAMIKAZE, Kohei Sato, Onryo & Ryouji Sai vs Jesse Williams, Shito Ueda, Will Gibson & Yusaku Obata [1/4*]
There is no two ways about it, this match was not good. You have eight men in a match that can turn into a Dragon Gate sprint or an awesome suplexfest or something you know interesting. I zoned out twice through the match looking at other posts on DVDVR or something on CAGEMATCH. Onryo's vampire dust (or whatever the stuff is called) was the most engrossing thing in the match. Onryo gets the pin on Will Gibson after sitting down to escape a full nelson and rolling him up, think last half of a victory roll.
Akebono vs Jason New & Jo Kyung-ho - Handicap Match [*3/4]
I maybe overrating this but I really enjoyed Akebono destroying these two young boys. New and Kyung-ho must be the youngest of the young boys as neither has a page on CAGEMATCH (cagematch.net). These two actually get a good amount of offense in but that allows Akebono ample opportunity to look boss no selling it. One of Akebono's opponents attempts a swanton bomb from 3/4ths of the way across the ring and comes dangerously close to landing on the top of his head. I actually cringed when I first saw it. If Akebono was any smaller that guy could have broken his neck. Akebono wins with a big splash on both New and Kyung-ho. After the match there is a big angle but I don't speak Japanese.
Takuya Sugawara© vs Ikuto Hidaka - ZERO1 International Jr Heavyweight Title/NWA World Jr Heavyweight Title [**1/4]
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. The first half is filled with good leg work that is forgotten in the latter half of the match. The latter half of the match is fast paced but it is just move move move without a definitive story being told. If the leg work would have been carried past the midpoint in the match this could have been very good. Sugawara retains the titles after an impressive head dropping move that I think is the Shiisanpuuta or the T.C.O. Cannot find a YouTube clip to confirm this.
Daisuke Sekimoto & James Raideen vs Emblem (Masato Tanaka & Shinjiro Otani) [**3/4]
Raideen is the NWA UN Heavyweight Champion and he along with his partner Sekimoto come out to Sting's old NWA music which scores major points with me. The tag team action is good but yet again we get another match lacking something to bind the match together. Make no mistake this is a power match that features plenty of suplexes, shoulderblocks and clotheslines, but the mat wrestling never goes anywhere Sekimoto breaks out a Chaos Theory which I had never seen him do. Otani gets the pin on Raideen after a head and arm suplex and of course Raideen kicks out at three. In a complete Botchamania moment Otani slips on the second rope celebrating and drops to the canvas laying there with his foot trapped between the ropes for a couple of minutes. I enjoyed this match but it is nothing special nor is it worth going out of your way for.
Overall Thoughts: Happy New Year is mediocre at best. This is probably for the hardcore Puro fans and not for everyone. Most of the matches give you something to enjoy, and though the rating doesn't reflect it the handicap match would be the only match I would recommend to see because it is harmless fun.
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