1.Honda vs Ganseki +
2.Strong Hearts(Seiki,Lindaman) vs Jun, Pegaso ++
3.Soya vs Ito +
4.Hajime, Koju vs Andy Wu, Niki ++
5.Alejandro, Hijo del Pantera, Kono vs Fujimura, Seigo, Kondo +
6.Enfants Terribles(Ashino,Kodama,Kuma) vs Inaba,Kaz,Doi ++
Thoughts:
Long-term visitors here know WRESTLE-1 is one of my favorite promotions. It saddens me to say that they've announced that, starting April 1st, they are closing down. They are officially calling this an indefinite hiatus, just in case someone wants to resurrect it later, but it's dead, for sure. There are many rumors suggesting this is in part due to WWE's expansion into Japan that's set for this year.
Note, I cannot confirm with complete certainty right now if it is true but there are several signs pointing that direction.
A reminder that my cross system for this series translates to stars like this:
+:*-***1/4 (skippable)
++:***1/2-****1/4 (worthwhile)
+++:****1/2-***** (MOTYC)
The opener was a solid rookie clash. I feel especially bad, if the WWE deal isn't factual, for these level of guys because it'll be even harder for them to get a spot elsewhere as unprovens.
Match two was a pretty good looking tag. Seiki is my favorite worker in W1 outside of Ashino so I'll be keeping a close eye on his next move.
Number three was solid hoss work until Ito stopped giving a fuck again and got disqualified. Chaos ensued after.
Up fourth, I'm pretty sure the only reason this one was so high up the card is due to Andy Wu and Takeda being involved. Still, it looked decent and if they had shown more it might have even bumped up a bit.
Kono, Pantera, and Alejandro made a good six-man. There was a pitbull showing from Fuji against Kono that was a nice touch. That is, before the little dude was murdered.
Closing this one, the Enfants came up on top. Ashino looked as good as usual, as did Kodama, and with the big title match coming up this was a smart throwaway match.
Note that they closed this promoting a show on March 15th that was meant to be a big deal. I heard the show might be canceled but am waiting until I see better confirmation. It is meant to be their last big show and the promotion hasn't said anything yet, so consider it a green light for now. Let's hope it remains true.
This program made me create a whole new system specifically just for it. I watch every week and tend to brag about the show and the W1 roster as often as I can. I'm sad knowing the end is near, but I wish nothing but the best for the workers involved. This one in particular was a solid b-show episode that will mean much more if you're a regular viewer. If not, it's fair to suggest skipping.
Keep an eye out for news here in the blog!