Minutes to Bell Time

Jon Moxley defeats Minoru Suzuki

NJPW The New Beginning Osaka February 9: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship

Moxley made his entrance and waved to have Suzuki greet him on the ramp. Suzuki brought two chairs, so they could duel. They brawled back to the ring using the barricade as a weapon. Red Shoes called fro the bell before they ever made it to the ring. The referee’s count brought them in the ring to start the match by exchanging fists, elbows, and bites.

They continued the match on the outside where Moxley locked in a single leg crab. Moxley set up a table and Suzuki grabbed a chair. Moxley did not get to use the table, but Suzuki wrapped Moxley’s arm in a one chair and then hit with another one. Afterward, Suzuki locked in an arm bar, but Moxley hoisted him up and put him through the table. Of course, Suzuki laughed at this situation. In fact, he grabbed a piece of the table and hit himself over the head with it. Moxley did the same.

Back in the ring, they began striking each other again, but Moxley’s arm was useless. Once Suzuki locked in the rear naked choke, Moxley appeared to pass out but he kicked out of a pin attempt. Moxley got a short rally, and he even hit the Death Rider, but Suzuki kicked out. Moxley then brought two chairs into the ring. After Moxley hit Suzuki with one chair, he DDT’d him on the other. Suzuki continued to smile and laugh the entire time. After a second Death Rider, Moxley won the match by pinfall.

Zack Sabre Jr. attacked Moxley after the match and choked him out. Apparently, everyone in Suzuki Gun wants to have a crack at Moxley.

Match Ratings

Six dimensions combine to make up the overall rating. Matches score ratings of 1-10 only if the match lasts for a minimum of 5 minutes.

  1. Match Quality– Was the match well wrestled or sloppy?
  2. Audience Engagement– Did the live audience care about the match?
  3. Competitiveness– Was the match competitive or one-sided?
  4. Stakes – Did the match matter?
  5. Finish– Did the match end in a satisfying manner?
  6. Performance: (1) Poor (2) Below Average (3) Average (4) Above Average (5) Excellent
Share this: