Beast In The East Review

Over the 4th of July Weekend, WWE took an International Trip to the Far East in Tokyo, Japan for their "Beast In The East" Live Event. The Show took place Exclusively on the WWE Network at 5:00 in the Morning. I was one of those who refused to wake up that early, but I did watch it later in the morning. For me, this show did not disappoint. In the opening match, Chris Jericho defeated Neville by Submission with the Walls of Jericho. Y2J is a legend in Japan from his years wrestling in the Super J-Cup Tournament in WAR (Wrestling Association R), and he always receives a great reception. Jericho and Neville told a terrific story during this match. When Neville landed for the Red Arrow, Jericho blocked it and locked him in the Walls of Jericho (Liontamer version) to secure the win. This became one of the standout matches of the night. The loss does not hurt Neville because he was in the ring with one of the greatest warriors in the history of the sport. As I have said, Jericho is beloved in the Far East so it does nothing to bury Neville. This match gets a B+

The next match was a Triple Threat Match for the Divas Championship between Nikki Bella, Paige, and Tamina. In predictable fashion, Nikki won to retain her title on the "Race to 300" as she climbs the mountain to break AJ Lee's record of 295 days. I was not very impressed because I knew that it was part of the plans for Nikki which is why I cannot respect this reign (another story). Nikki has made improvements in the ring, but I just did not like the finish of the match. C-

The next match featured the Beast In The Far East himself, Brock Lesnar! Lesnar was the marquee attraction in the Land of the Rising Sun, and I was impressed with the marketing. Brock was booked to wrestle Kofi Kingston. The Internet immediately exploded at the announcement of Brock wrestling Kofi. The Memes about Kofi were hilarious. I don't know who booked this match, but it was hilarious. Lesnar murdered Kingston as he threw him around the ring from pillar to post like a ragdoll. Brock finished his massacre with an F5. The Beast continued to lay waste when he gave Big E and Xavier Woods the F5. Since this was in Japan, Brock Lesnar is the Broly of the WWE. He made Kingston, Woods and Big E look like Yamcha, Krillin and Tien for my Dragon Ball Z fans out there. I guess WWE needed a black guy to take the fall against Brock. Kofi and The New Day were just punching bags as Brock prepares for his WWE World Heavyweight Title Match with Seth Rollins. Lesnar looks at the camera and says "Seth, I am coming for you". B+

The Biggest and Best Match of the Night featured NXT Champion Kevin Owens defending the title against Finn Balor. Kevin started the match in tradition heel fashion by throwing the bouquet of flowers out of the ring before the match starts. This match was spectacular, especially since it took place in Japan. This was a homecoming for Balor, as he made a huge name for himself in NJPW. Michael Cole even acknowledged their past when he made references to their names away from WWE. He mentioned that Kevin Owens was Kevin Steen and Finn Balor was Prince Devitt. Owens mocked John Cena during the match with the Attitude Adjustment and Five Knuckle Shuffle. Kevin mocked Finn throughout the match saying "You can't beat me", but Balor would not back down. Balor countered Kevin's Pop-Up Powerbomb and sent the champ to the ground with a lariat. Finn nailed Kevin with two straight drop kicks before finishing with the Coup De Grace to win the NXT Championship. The Celebration was incredible as recent WWE Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami came to the ring to congratulate him. Backstage, John Cena approached Balor to shake his hand and congratulate him as well. In typical heel fashion, Owens refused to shake Balor's hand. This match was A.

The last match of the show was Tag Team match featuring John Cena & Dolph Ziggler versus Kane & King of the Ring Wade Barrett. Cena and Ziggler received a huge reaction from the crowd during their entrance. The match was a fairly decent quality, but it could not follow up the excitement of the incredible match right before it (Balor vs Owens). Dolph gives Kane the Superkick, as the 7-foot stooge gets set up for the Attitude Adjustment from John Cena. The match ends with Cena giving Barrett the AA for the win. After watching Balor vs Owens, it was hard for me to be invested in this match. Cena is the franchise of WWE, but the night ultimately belonged to Finn Balor. C

This was a very impressive show as it is the first International WWE Show streamed on the Network. The work rate of Japan is superior to that of the United States because they pride themselves on the technique in the ring. I look forward to more WWE Events in Japan in the future. Overall, the show gets a B.

As far as Titles, this Event gets 3 IWGP Championship Belts out of 5.