NJPW Death Vegas Invitational 2026 (4.16.26) 

 

April 16, 2026 

 

WRESTLEMANIA WEEK REVIEW #7 

 

We’re at the Horseshoe, again. Way more people are in attendance now.  

 

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Fuminori Abe  

This is technically excellent, as you should expect. Abe initially tries to roll on the mat but opts for slapping Zack in the face instead. This leads to a tasty scrap around ringside where they can demonstrate striking up close and personal with the rubes. Abe has great charisma. His work here is fantastic. The selling and mentally preparing for taking a spot, only for Sabre to switch gears on him. Good stuff. 

 

Sabre’s use of the six second rule (not the food on the floor one, the changing holds one) never really made sense to me. Maybe someone will tap out after 7 seconds mate? Perhaps it’s a more socialist form of wrestling. It’s funny to me that Zack, reknowned socialist, is plying his trade in Trump’s USA here. Abe punches him in the face for it. Good lad. Zack wins with the Michinoku Driver, and they get a standing ovation.  

 

I’ve got Eddie Sideburns with me, and we argue over the star rating. Technically, this is the best match of the weekend so far. ***¾.  

 

ISHIN vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Effy 

“No” – Eddie Sideburns.  

 

I wish you could hear how much Eddie hates this match. It’s really beautiful. The match is a hilarious mess. Effy trying to bring sexy back. It doesn’t work. ISHIN bleeds from the ear after a chair shot and then they spitroast Effy. Yep.  

They do cheer me up by putting Effy through the door (yeah, yeah, I know) and then Lloyd takes a MEATY German suplex from ISHIN. Jimmy Lloyd does a remarkable job of burying himself in chairs at the finish so ISHIN can win with a splash off the ropes. This wasn’t very good but, yanno, Effy. * 

 

Jordan Oliver & Alec Price vs. KUSHIDA & YAMATO vs. Mansoor & Mason Madden 

Price makes it down the stairs unscathed today.  

Mason Madden is a large gentleman. I’ve not seen him wrestle since he was a jobber for NXT. This match is just a bunch of random shit. Wall to wall spots, which doesn’t stand out at all. I couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened in it. Madden does a crab on everyone and then everyone powers out of it. Dogshit. Awful wrestling.  

YAY! 

I don’t even know who won. Maybe nobody? DUD 

 

Dragon Kid & Starlight Kid vs. El Phantasmo & X 

Maki Itoh was supposed to be in this but isn’t here. So, ELP has a mystery partner and its Maika from Stardom.  

Dragon Kid is an elegant pro-wrestler. It must make ELP feel like shit as DK just flows around him like water. Starlight Kid sympathy farming is always good for a laugh. ELP kicks her in the head. They do a lot of nice comedy with Maika missing Kokeshis. I’m chuckling away and having a nice time. DK ruins my takes on wrestling by doing a good version of the 619 on Maika as she tries to get back into the ring. ELP is trying very hard to mimic Chris Brookes in this. Playing his IG role.  

 

Dragon Kid occassionally forgets his spots and doesn’t save when he’s supposed to. Luckily Starlight Kid is switched on and doesn’t get caught out. The wheels come off this in the later stages. They fuck up a few spots and the finish is awkward. A shame, as I really enjoyed 75% of it. Call it **¾ 

 

Joey Janela & Gringo Loco vs. Daisuke Sasaki & Gedo 

There’s a lot of nothing here until Gedo starts stabbing people with a fork. Gedo forks Janela again. “WE WON’T GET FORKED AGAIN” – Eddie. They should have just done Sasaki vs. Janela here and had Gedo manage Sasaki. Janela tries to save the match by going face first through the table (it’s a door because the promoters are stupid but hey). We get more stupidity and people waiting around for spots to happen. Gringo should win with a Spanish Fly through a door, because why would you kick out, but he did.  

 

At his worst Janela is extremely self-indulgent. This is a prime example. Everyone is self-indulgent in this match, and the match suffers. It’s a tag match and yet there are no saves. Just big dumb spots and big dumb kick outs. The execution is ugly at times. Janela at least takes a nice clean bump onto some prepped chairs. Double stomp on Gedo finally puts him, and us, out of our misery. *½  

 

We take a brief break so we can hang light tubes off the ring.  

 

El Desperado & Jun Kasai vs. Rina Yamashita & Masashi Takeda vs. Matt Tremont & Nick Gage 

Despy’s late career pivot to death matches is akin to Atsushi Onita. Bones heal and chicks dig scars, he’s alright by me.  

There’s a lot of light tubes out here. I predict incoming spooky dust. NICKUUUUUU FUCKKKINNNN GAGEUUUUUU. Kasai’s jerking off/flipping off Nick Gage introduction is sensational. We get light tubes and sheets of glass. ULTRA-VIOLENCE! Takeda sticks a fork in Tremont’s head. It’s disgusting. I love it. Rina then hacks at Tremont’s forehead with a pair of scissors.  

Gage brutalises Rina with a light tube, stabbing her. The blood gushes everywhere. Fuck. Everyone is busted wide open. Blood everywhere. Gage is going to put someone in fucking hospital here. There are so many fun spots in this. People looking to ‘plan spots’ and getting cleaned out. Rina firing up and eating tubes. Gage powerbombs Despy into the glass covered canvas for the pin. I was marking out here. ****¼  

Holy shit, that fucking ruled. Everything worked here. It felt organic how the comebacks worked and how people interrupted others. The bloodshed here. Sensational. Great pro wrestling.  

 

Gage grabs the microphone to warn Jun Kasai not to disrespect him. “Nick Gage, you cocksucker”.  

 

The 411: 

Some middling and outright crap but bookended by a GREAT Sabre-Abe match and a fucking phenomenal death match main event. I was not prepared for how much that shit fucked. God damn wonderful stuff. Easy thumbs up. Best show of the weekend so far.  

 

Show Ranking:  

NJPW Death Vegas 7.5 

Wrestlecon Supershow 6.3  

Dragon Gate USA: Gate of Sin City 5.8  

Progress 5.6  

Hybrid x PWU Midnight Xpress 4.1  

Podermania~! 3.7  

CCW High Rollers 3.4  

 

Best Matches:  

Tremont & Gage vs. Takeda & Yamashita vs. Desperado & Kasai (NJPW Death Vegas) ****¼  

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Fuminori Abe (NJPW Death Vegas) ***¾  

Mark Davis vs. Masato Tanaka (Wrestlecon Supershow) ***¾  

Man Like Dereiss vs. Michael Oku (Progress) ***½  

Manders vs. Thomas Shire (Hybrid/PWU) ***¼  

Bandido vs. Galeno del Mal (Wrestlecon Supershow) *** 

Ben K & Hyo vs. Aero Panther & Fight Panther Jr vs. Jordan Oliver & Alec Price (DGUSA) *** 

 

Number of coffees drunk; 4