Thrilling junior bouts in Nashville
A pair of singles matches at Music City Mayhem were marked with mutual respect, and potential signs of things to come from NJPW’s junior heavyweight division.
The sixth match of Music City Mayhem on July 30th in Nashville saw Alex Shelley take on KUSHIDA. The crowd seemed evenly split between the two competitors as cheers filled the venue. When the bell rang, both men rushed at each other and KUSHIDA immediately tried to secure the Hoverboard Lock. Shelley got to the ropes to break the hold, surprised at KUSHIDA’s ploy to end the match early. When the two tied up again, Shelley got the upper hand and tried to seize a Hoverboard Lock on the Tiemsplitter’s arms. KUSHIDA grabbed the ropes to break the hold, as surprised as Shelley was at his opponent’s tenacity. The respect the two former Time Splitter tag team partners had for each other was apparent throughout this match, each working to outthink the other to gain the advantage. A crack appeared in that show of mutual respect when Shelley hit his former partner with a shoulder tackle and KUSHIDA got up and angrily pushed Shelley. The two exchanged blows, each absorbing the other’s so they could dish out their own.
As the two competitors battled on, KUSHIDA focused on Shelley’s arms, twisting and stretching his body to the limit. Shelley’s pain was apparent on his face as his yells filled the venue, but he insisted on continuing each time referee Jeremy Marcus asked. Freeing himself from his opponent’s clutches, Shelley returned the favor and doled out some punishment of his own to the arm. The crowd continued to be split in this evenly matched battle and cheers for each wrestler rose from the sea of spectators. Shelley’s drive to win the match kicked into high gear, and he switched from punishing his opponent’s arms to focusing on his legs, wrenching Kushida’s knees in awkward directions. Shelley even seemed to revel in his opponent’s pain as KUSHIDA writhed in agony while Shelley continued to work his knees and arms. Despite the obvious torture, there was no submission rendered.
Just when it seemed like KUSHIDA wouldn’t be able to continue, his resolve to be the victor of the match was renewed and he snatched Shelley’s arms up in another submission. When Shelley still wouldn’t give up, KUSHIDA hit Cradle Shock on the motor City Machinegun and it seemed the match would surely be over, but Shelley found the strength to kick out at two. The former tag team partners continued their back-and-forth battle, neither able to gain the advantage over the other. Shelley caught his friend in the Border City Stretch in the center of the ring and it seemed like there was no option but to tap out; still he managed to make it to the ropes to break the hold. As the announcer’s voice filled the venue, warning the two men they only had one minute left in the match, the urgency of the competitors was palpable. As KUSHIDA tried to lock in a Border City Stretch of his own, Shelley rolled him up for a close two count. Just as the announcer counted down the final seconds of the match, the Hoverboard Lock was secured. Shelley’s hand hovered over the mat, about to tap out, but he managed to hold on until time expired. The match ended as a time limit draw at 20 minutes.
Post match was a story of mutual respect, as wry smiles were exchanged before KUSHIDA and Shelley leaving together. Could the TimeSplitters ride again?
In the fourth match of the night, Blake Christian took on Hiromu Takahashi. Before the bell rang, Takahashi looked impressed as cheers for “All Heart” Blake Christian filled the venue. Once the match started, the two competitors went at each other, fast and furious. When Christian rocked Takahashi and sent him to the outside, Christian wasted no time and dove onto his opponent. Thinking he had the upper hand, Christian threw Takahashi back into the ring but was startled when Takahashi caught him in a submission on the ropes. Although the hold was quickly broken by the referee’s count, the damage had been done. Takahashi continued to take advantage of the reeling Christian and after punishing him on the outside for a few moments, he delivered a devastating snap suplex on the floor. Obviously shaken by the impact, Christian still managed to answer the count and rolled back into the ring to the waiting Takahashi.
As Takahashi continued to punish Christian, it looked like All Heart’s time in this NJPW ring in Nashville would be short-lived. Then All Heart dug deep and hit Takahashi with a Fosbury Flop on the outside and slammed his opponent to the floor. As the competitors made their way back into the ring, Christian’s face was covered in blood from a previous head injury. The two men continued to battle, each jockeying for control. Christian took the LIJ member down with a big moonsault off the second rope as blood unrelentingly ran down his face. When he followed that with a 450 off the top rope, it looked like the match would end in victory for Christian, but Takahashi managed to kick out.
After trading covers that earned them very near two counts, the capacity crowd in Nashville rallied in approval of the two wrestler’s efforts. As Christian tried to stumble to his feet, his body weakened by blood loss from his head wound, Takahashi caught him with Time Bomb II and this time Christian’s shoulders stayed pinned to the mat for the three count, giving Takahashi the victory at 13 minutes and 59 seconds. After the bout, the four time BOSJ winner extended a hand to Christian, who accepted it, indicating that Blake’s NJPW journey is not yet over.
