3. Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Master Wato
NJPW
A glorious closing run of nearly-but-not-quite deathblows summed up the success of this four-way's tremendous structure.
Master Wato was the unfancied underdog here, but the layout put him over as somebody that may one day be a contender amongst his more experienced peers, even in heartbreaking defeat.
There was an unusually disciplined feel to proceedings for much of the early stages, but when Desperado, Takahashi and Ishimori fell like dominoes to a Wato dropkick on the ramp, everything gradually became a little more unhinged.
From there, the title could have gone anywhere but fans wanted it for Wato, and that was the point. Takahashi's latest stint with the belt should be his last - he's been in the Junior Heavyweight division for far too long - but this was extremely effective in
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.
