NJPW Dominion 6.9: Star Ratings For All 9 Matches
7. Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. Vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
In another tag match that looked routine but delivered an exciting conclusion, Suzuki-gun's Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr. met CHAOS brawler Tomohiro Ishii and court jester Toru Yano in a bout highlighted by its two biggest names.
Suzuki and Ishii were fantastic. Their brawling exchanges set the bout ablaze, with the 'Stone Pitbull' his usual hard-nosed, gritty self, answering most of Suzuki's flurries with trademark defiance. Minoru, meanwhile, was as sadistic as ever. At one point, he brushed off a series of forearms and a shoulder block with a broad smile in his opponent's face, as he's prone to doing. This led to an electric back-and-forth between the duo, who eventually wiped each other out on their feet.
Despite this, it was Sabre who scored the win. He blocked a Yano low-blow by closing his thighs, then slipped the CHAOS clown into a modified Jim Breaks armbar. Though Ishii tried to break it up, he found himself trapped in Suzuki's abdominal stretch, leaving him helpless.
A heated post-match brawl between MiSu and 'The Stone Pitbull' all but ensures a big one-on-one. On the evidence of this and their past encounters, it'll be beautifully violent.
Star Rating: ***1/4