The Five Star Radar is the Five Star Network’s weekly series highlighting the best matches from all of pro wrestling throughout the week. This week’s edition looks at AEW, NJPW, and DRAGONGATE!
Shun Skywalker vs. Strong Machine J – DRAGONGATE (3/5/23)
Shun Skywalker continues to be the most irritating yet exciting heel in pro wrestling with his first defense of the Open The Dream Gate Championship being the perfect example as to why.
Strong Machine J made the step up to challenge Skywalker, a spot maybe no one expected him to be in but one he was willing to take on. It’s never easy being the first challenger, especially against a man like Skywalker who has been unstoppable for months now.
But as we saw in this match, not only will Strong Machine J be a future champion but he was so close to making that future a reality here.
Champion Gate, the proving ground for future Dream Gate champions.
Four years ago Shun Skywalker proved himself ready for the Dream Gate scene when he faced PAC in the very same building he defended that title in last Sunday against Strong Machine J the question going into this match was “would Strong Machine J prove himself ready?” and in my opinion he most certainly did.
Strong Machine J in a passion-filled performance and in his 9th DG singles match, proved himself fully ready for the spot DG was giving him. When Shun ripped open the eye part of SMJ’s mask it almost woke up a killer within the Strong Machine. The close near-falls and hope spots they gave SMJ after were so special and him lariating the chair out of the air is one of my favorite spots in DG this year.
In the end, Shun had to resort to a jackknife cradle to escape Strong Machine J and I really like how different that was from the dominant way he put away Yuki Yoshioka when he won the title. They treated this like Shun barely survived Strong Machine J and I think that will mean a lot for Strong Machine J’s future as a singles wrestler. – Sondre Bjorn (@SondreBjorn)
Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page – AEW (3/5/23)
One of the greatest matches in AEW history and maybe, just maybe, the best deathmatch we will see in a major promotion on television. Texas Death challenged Hangman Page to reach deep down and come out on the other side as a better competitor. Not only did he do that, but he welcomed the challenge of Moxley in a match that would favor Moxley nine times out of 10.
Credit to who Page has become and where he’s going to go. The new ace of AEW is a cowboy.
The culmination of one of the most violent feuds in AEW history, Hangman and Moxley brought every piece of barbed wire available in the state of California to the table in this match. Quite the expert of the Texas Deathmatch, Hangman pulled out the win after strangling Moxley over the ropes with a chain (Elite lore folks will recognize that as a spot Kenny used in the 2019 Lights Out match!), tapping him out for the first time in what seems like years at this point. Moxley seems set for a banger of a heel run and Hangman has the magic feeling back that he had in 2021. Overall – a smashing success! – Amy (@amyhay___)
MJF vs. Bryan Danielson – AEW (3/5/23)
The greatest ironman match of all time. An instant classic. 5.75 stars from Dave Meltzer. A lock for the Five Star Radar.
What more must we say that hasn’t been said already? Bryan Danielson solidified his status in the conversation of all-time greats for anyone who somehow doubted him while MJF proved to the world e is one of the very best and deserving to be AEW World Champion.
The “American Dragon” has nothing to prove to anyone anymore. His match at Revolution was a masterclass and highlighted what a complete performer Danielson is. From his legendary run in the independent scenes across the world, to fighting Jushin Liger, Marufuji, Morishima, KENTA, and his intense rivalry with Nigel McGuinness, to defying the odds to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by defeating all active members of Evolution, having a thirty-minute draw with Kenny Omega all the way to his match with MJF. – James Carlin (@JamesSetRadio), from Bryan Danielson: The Heart of The Dragon
Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW (3/6/23)
The idea and excitement behind “The Dream Team” winning the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship could not be denied on Monday and you felt it with the energy that the crowd had. Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi came together to try and be champions alongside one another while Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI, two men who have more often than not fallen victim to these guys in singles matches, showed why it isn’t easy to walk in and take their gold.
Phenomenal tag team wrestling and one of the best matches all year for NJPW.
NJPW isn’t known for their outstanding tag team matches, but this match between the reigning champions Bishamon against the Dream Team of Okada and Tanahashi was one of their best Tag Matches in the last decade. From the moment the bell rang, the crowd was loud and chanted for both teams. The drama was there from the first minute and a couple of times the fans in the venue thought that we will see a title change on this very day. YOSHI-HASHI really stood out in this match as a fantastic underdog, proving he can hang with some of the GOATs. The crowd supported him in the final moments over the Ace that carried the flag of NJPW over the last decade. YOSHI-HASHI getting the big win over Tanahashi to solidify Bishamon’s reign, and that was the best possible decision NJPW could have done here. – Peps (@P___Wrestling)
Just Off The Radar: Honorable Mentions
- BigTime vs. Yuki Yoshioka & Madoka Kikuta – DRAGONGATE (3/5/23)
- Nominated by Amy Hay
- SANADA vs. Taichi – NJPW (3/5/23)
- Nominated by Scott Edwards
- Harada Retirement – NOAH Star Navigation – NOAH (3/9/23)
- Nominated by Sondre Bjorn
- Soma Watanabe vs Hikaru Sato – GLEAT UWF (3/7/23)
- Nominated by Amy Hay
- Athena vs. Willow Nightingale – ROH (3/9/23)
- Nominated by Scott Edwards
- Shigehiro Irie vs. Dan Moloney – RevPro (3/5/23)
- Nominated by Steve Fackman
- Miyuki Takase vs. YuuRi – Ganbare Pro (3/5/23)
- Nominated by Sondre Bjorn
- Kyle Fletcher vs. YOSHI-HASHI – NJPW (3/10/23)
- Nominated by Amy Hay
Check out last week’s Five Star Radar here.
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