There are just three matches remaining in the legendary career of Hiroshi Tanahashi, one of them on today’s NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome event.
Coming off a victory over junior heavyweight Hiromu Takahashi on Friday’s Road to Tokyo Dome tour opener, Tanahashi faces El Desperado on today’s show in the main event.
Remaining on Tana’s dance card are a singles match against Kosei Fujita on tomorrow’s show, then his retirement match against career rival Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4.
Six tag matches make up today’s undercard:
- Yota Tsuji, Taiji Ishimori, Yuto-Ice, and OSKAR vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson, and Kosei Fujita
- Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, and Daiki Nagai vs. Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman, and Jakob Austin Young
- Shota Umino, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Yuya Uemura, and Boltin Oleg vs. EVIL, SANADA, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- Taichi, Tiger Mask, Satoshi Kojima, and Masatora Yasuda vs. Toru Yano, YOH, Master Wato, and Shoma Kato
- Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma vs. Katsuya Murashima and Zane Jay
- SHO and DOUKI vs. KUUKAI and Tatsuya Matsumoto
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Main Card
House Of Torture (DOUKI & SHO) defeated Kuukai & Tatsuya Matsumoto
DOUKI grabbed Matsumoto before the bell and assaulted him elsewhere. Meanwhile, after the bell, Kuukai withstood SHO’s offense and teamed with Matsumoto with a double-chop to the chest. SHO and DOUKI took turns bullying the Young Lion Matsumoto with one powerslam after another. Fully isolated, Kuukai could only watch as the House of Torture weakened Matsumoto’s neck and shoulders.
Miraculously, Matsumoto fought back, earning a speedy recourse from Kuukai. SHO reclaimed the momentum with a Spear. Matsumoto delivered karmic justice, delivering powerslams to Douki in immediate succession. Repeated instances of Matsumoto’s inside cradles proved fruitless. Dragging DOUKI to the corner, Matsumoto fell prey to a chair shot courtesy of SHO. An Italian Stretch #32 resulted in the Young Lion falling unconscious, gifting the House of Torture a win to start the night.
(Crisp and clean. This batch of Young Lions has continually improved every time I’ve had the pleasure to watch them. So, with DOUKI and SHO working so well together in semi-fair matches, and this youthful crop would naturally be a satisfying blend.)
Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) defeated Katsuya Murashima & Zane Jay
Jay and Murashima laid Honma flat before going to work on Makabe. Honma replied with a single-leg Sharpshooter to the American Jay. His offense continued, but a failed Kokeshi gave way to an enzuigiri. Full-speed, Marashima charged with a tackle that dazed the veteran. Honma nearly escaped the determined grip of Murashima, but still suffered a powerslam.
Makabe refused Jay’s attempt at a powerslam. An elevated dropkick did the trick for Jay, providing him with a Boston Crab to his seasoned opponent. Murashima came to his side, but the two Young Lions dropped to the cerulean mat following Makabe’s double-clothesline. Makabe finished off Jay with a King Kong Kneedrop.
(Fine match, with Jay’s recent tenure in Japan paying off in dividends as his in-ring tightens itself in quality.)
Master Wato, Shoma Kato, Toru Yano & YOH defeated Team 100 (Satoshi Kojima & Taichi), Masatora Yasuda & Tiger Mask
Yano and Kojima started the match, with the latter quickly gaining the upper hand with his trademark chops. Yasuda picked up after Kojima, powerslamming Kato. Tiger Mask followed suit with a series of kicks. Taichi took over for Yasuda, yet found himself on the mat with a Dragonscrew Legwhip from YOH.
Wato entered the fray, faceplanting Tiger Mask with a Bulldog. A series of Snap Suplexes lent Yasuda an edge over Wato. Kojima, Taichi, Yasuda, and Tiger Mask coordinated their efforts on Wato, but his teammates came for the save. Wato found a second breath with a Brainbuster, followed by a Cyclone Uppercut to secure a win over Yasuda.
(Action-packed and concise. Wato was undeniably the star of the match.)
Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI), Oleg Boltin, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura defeated House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SANADA, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)
Amid the chaos of the usual House of Torture onslaught, EVIL tormented YOSHI-HASHI until Goto and Boltin came to his rescue. Bishamon and Boltin barreled their fists onto Takahashi’s back and did the same for EVIL. Dick Togo tripped up YOSHI-HASHI after repeated instances of distracting him failed; EVIL took advantage by choking him with a T-shirt. His teammates were further isolated by House of Torture members herding them violently as far away from the ring as possible.
Kanemaru baited Goto via a referee while his cohorts bore down on the still-legal YOSHI-HASHI ringside. SANADA wrapped up YOSHI-HASHI in a Paradise Lock, whereupon he swung a blue turnbuckle pad on him. Boltin emerged with a hot tag, absorbing offense from EVIL as he dizzied SANADA with a Boltin Shake. Narita goaded the Kazakh wrestler to the ropes, to which SANADA exploited a rope kick.
Umino spun a comeback for his team in the form of a Tornado-DDT on Takahashi. Uemura had the same luck with a Flying Crossbody to the same opponent. EVIL, Narita, and Kanemaru set Uemura up for Togo’s Dick-to-Dick Contact. Umino came to Uemura’s save, subverting a weapon spot to outsmart the House of Torture. Uemura and Umino had a brief misunderstanding, but came through with a Lariat + Suplex Combo to Takahashi. Uemura concluded the match with a Bridging Suplex to Takahashi for the pinfall.
(This is likely a hot take, but I think there’s great chemistry with Uemura and Umino since they aligned. Umino is far more likable. Giving this match a comeuppance finish for House of Torture increased the bout’s entertainment factor.)
United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young) defeated Daiki Nagai, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi
United Empire wasted no time in bearing down on their opponents. Newman struck Takahashi, mocking him with his GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. Takahashi’s distress continued, with Newman and Jay tenderizing his flesh. Khan drew on the referee’s distraction by Takagi and Nagai by crushing Takahashi’s face via an Iron Claw.
Grimacing from a chairshot to the back, Takahashi was easy pickings for Khan’s oppression. Once more, Khan reached for an Iron Claw, but Takahasih’s fighting spirit forbade it, nearly escaping with a dropkick. Takagi rampaged in, his kicks softening Khan’s leg. Mongolian Chops, an Iron Claw, and a bitten forehead didn’t deter Takagi, but a lariat did the trick for Khan. Takagi countered Khan’s bodyslam with a DDT. Nagai sent Young flying with a Monkey Flip, which he punctuated with a dropkick. Newman stole Takahashi’s Time Bomb, proudly revealing a middle finger as he won the match via pinfall.
Post-match: Nagai’s teammates flooded the ring as Newman proceeded to attack him. Takagi threw a chair. Newman and Young taunted them and the fans with smug grins and profane language.
(Newman and Young are such jerks, and it’s enjoyable how hateable they’ve become.)
War Dogs (OSKAR, Taiji Ishimori & Yuto-Ice) & Yota Tsuji defeated TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Yuto-Ice and Sabre’s boiling tensions simmered before the match before flooding over after the bell with rapid-fire strikes. Yuto-Ice’s Bomboclat saw him receive a united front from Sabre and Oiwa. Tsuji distracted the referee to allow Yuto-Ice and OSKAR a beatdown on Oiwa.
Displeased, Sabre brawled with Yuto-Ice in proximity to the crowd. Ishimori recovered after a prolonged dominance from Fujita with an enzuigiri. Jackson tackled Tsuji and laid him back down with a lariat. Tsuji unwisely tried a Flying Crossbody, but Jackson caught him, crushing his opponent with a Senton. Using a knee strike, Tsuji took advantage of a dazed Jackson to puncture him with a Gene Blaster for the pinfall.
(This started off being very much the Knockout Brothers’ match, with some thrilling junior heavyweight action from Ishimori and Fujita. Sabre and Yuto-Ice’s increased time together feels so believably spiteful, and I’m here for it. Moreover, the closing stretch of the match shone a light on Tsuji, heating him for his Tokyo Dome clash with Konosuke Takeshita.)
Main Event
Hiroshi Tanahashi versus El Desperado
Tanahashi gained an early advantage, holding Desperado against the ropes. The pair grappled to a standstill, which left Desperado recuperating in frustration. The Ace wore down Desperado with an unrelenting headlock. Momentarily, Desperado gained the lead, nearly securing a Numero Dos had it not been for a rope break. However, the damage was done; Tanahashi hobbled under the strain of his weak knee.
Referee Red Shoes pleaded with Desperado, who stacked a chair on Tanahashi’s knee and swung another chair on top of it. Dragging Tanahashi’s helpless corpse into the crowd, ignoring the protestations of NJPW’s Young Lions. The Tochigi crowd willed Tanahashi to his feet, and he obligingly limped to the ring despite a brief and dramatic collapse.
Unsatisfied with the injuries suffered thus far in Tanahashi’s knee, Desperado drained more life from him with a leglock. With a Flying Elbow, Tanahashi’s comeback began. Revenge was a dish best served cold as Tanahashi ensnared Desperado with a figure-four leglock of his own, which changed owners a few times during this spot. Sapping Desperado’s energy with an excruciatingly angled Texas Cloverleaf begat an anguished crawl to the ropes. Tanahashi fought for his life to prevent another Numero Dos attempt, grounding Desperado while clutching a rope break.
A Frog Splash from Desperado resulted in a nearfall that brought forth a passionate fervor from the audience. Exchanging strikes, it was by Desperado’s hand that Tanahashi staggered. However, a Slingblade from the Ace wrested control back. Making his way back to his feet, Desperado returned to the mat thanks to a High-Fly Flow. One more High-Fly Flow sealed the deal, gifting Tanahashi with one more win ahead of his January 4 retirement.
Post-match: Tanahashi and Desperado bowed in respect and shook hands. Alone in the ring, Tanahashi tearfully thanked the fans. Concluding on a happy note, he beckoned Katsuya Murashima to throw him his air guitar for a solo. He then requested it from a fan for another solo. Quietly, he addressed his December 22 opponent, Kosei Fujita, before greeting the crowd with a loving farewell.
(Desperado gave no quarter, as Tanahashi-san would have appreciated. After the past few years he’s been having, seeing Desperado work heel gave this a compelling edge. In this last stretch, Tanahashi feels like the superheroic babyface fans have adored him for throughout his tenured career.)
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for storyline beats to follow, this show has plenty of them. But this was absolutely Tanahashi’s event. More and more, it looks like the future is finally setting in for The Ace.
