Tag: kizuna road results

NJPW Kizuna Road results: NEVER Six-Man Tag Team title match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour concluded today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with a NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title match headlining.

Below are results and a report on today’s show. 

**********

Recommended matches —

  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata 
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Yota Tsuji
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Yuya Uemura 

Report —

Kota Ibushi defeated Yota Tsuji (12:10)

A terrific opener. 

Ibushi looked more ripped than usual, if that’s even possible. 

A mat wrestling sequence ended in a stalemate. Each tried to work the other’s left arm. Tsuji did not go down from an Ibushi tackle attempt. Tsuji got shot off the ropes into a mid kick. Ibushi hit the ropes, but Tsuji dropped him with a tackle. This was a nice opening volley. 

Tsuji took Ibushi’s back and used a choke, but Ibushi forced a rope break. Ibushi hit another big mid kick, then used a camel clutch. Tsuji forced a break. 

Ibushi dared Tsuji to hit him with chops. Ibushi ate the chops, then dropped Tsuji with another kick. Tsuji answered with a dropkick, a slam, a senton and a splash for a two count. 

Tsuji fought for a Boston crab, but Ibushi reversed and rolled through into a double stomp. Tsuji took three kicks, then fired back with strikes. They had a slap fight. Ibushi began lighting Tsuji up with strike combinations. Tsuji hit a spear. 

Tsuji busted out a giant swing, using it to set up a crab. Ibushi fought his way to the ropes for a break. Tsuji used a rolling cradle for a near fall. Ibushi hit a lariat for a two count. 

Ibushi used a single-leg crab, then switched to a high angle single-leg crab for the submission win. 

Ibushi led the crowd in a round of applause for Tsuji and left the ring to him. 

Shingo Takagi defeated Yuya Uemura (11:03)

Shingo was amazing in this match. He worked as a subtle heel. 

Shingo easily dodged a single-leg takedown attempt. Uemura refused to break cleanly after locking up and hit a chop. They traded headlocks. Shingo used a hair pull behind the ref’s back to escape a headlock. 

Shingo dared Uemura to hit the ropes. Uemura demanded that Shingo run the ropes instead. Shingo dodged an arm drag. Uemura rolled out of the way of a senton and went back to the arm drag. This was beautiful. 

Shingo took control with a tackle, then sent Uemura to the floor. Uemura got rammed into the apron. Back inside, Shingo won a striking battle. Shingo hit a corner clothesline. Uemura connected on a dropkick. 

Uemura hit a flying forearm, a shotgun dropkick and a side suplex. He used the threat of a cover to set up a cross armbreaker, but Shingo immediately got the ropes. Shingo hit a striking combo, then a second rope back elbow drop for a near fall. 

Uemura blocked noshigami and used a backslide for a two count. Shingo blocked an overhook suplex. Uemura blocked a lariat, but Shingo hit noshigami for two. 

Uemura blocked a sliding lariat and hit a bridging German for a near fall. He tried a double overhook suplex, but Shingo blocked. 

Shingo hit a lariat, then connected with a Pumping Bomber for the pin. Uemura ended up with a bloody mouth after the final two lariats. 

Shingo waved the IWGP title at Uemura after the match as if to say they will do this again one day for the title. 

Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado (11:08)

This was mostly a nothing brawl. 

Suzuki-gun overcame a jumpstart attack from Bullet Club and cut Ishimori off. Bullet Club came back and both teams brawled around the ring. I think Ishimori lost a contact lens here. Kanemaru was then cut off as Bullet Club took control. 

Kanemaru came back with a dropkick to ELP. ELP took a bump at a weird angle, almost spiking himself on the top of his head on a dropkick to the knee. 

Desperado and Ishimori got tags. Desperado caught Ishimori in a stretch muffler, but Ishimori escaped. Ishimori blocked a spinebuster. Ishimori hit a handspring kick. Ishimori managed a tag to Jado , with ELP running interference on Suzuki to prevent a Desperado tag. 

Jado hit a lariat for a two count. Jado hit his draping DDT. Suzuki saved Desperado. Ishimori tried a Bloody Cross on Desperado, but Desperado fought it off. 

Jado applied the OJK, but Desperado reversed into Numero Dos for the submission. 

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI (12:13)

Naito and SANADA ‘s utter disdain for Taichi and Sabre is the story of their feud. That continued here. 

LIJ attacked before the opening bell. Suzuki-gun overcame the attack and cut SANADA off. Sabre worked over SANADA’s left arm. SANADA managed a tag to Naito. Naito then began working on Sabre’s right leg. 

Naito, Sabre, Taichi and SANADA went back and forth. BUSHI and DOUKI tagged in for the closing stretch. DOUKI hit an Asai moonsault to the floor, then hit Daybreak for a near fall. Naito saved BUSHI from Suplex de la Luna. Taichi, Sabre and SANADA jumped in as well. SANADA used Skull End on Sabre. Naito hit Taichi with Destino. 

BUSHI then hit a codebreaker and an MX for the pin. 

Naito and SANADA posed over the fallen Sabre and Taichi with the IWGP Heavyweight Tag titles after the match. 

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata to retain the titles (26:50)

The NEVER Six-Man matches are always good. This was no exception. It was not a blow-away match, but given the limitations of the challengers, this was about as good as it could have been.

Ishii and Nagata began with a striking battle. Their match yesterday is worth going out of your way to see. Goto and Kojima tagged in. Goto was selling his anger over losing to Kojima yesterday. Kojima and Tenzan did some double team spots on Goto. 

Kojima hit machine gun chops to Goto. YH saved and chopped Kojima. Tenzan tried to save, but YH, Ishii and Goto tripled up on Kojima and cut him off. Ishii then chopped Kojima’s chest raw. Kojima came back with a cutter to YH and tagged out. 

Tenzan tagged in and hit a brainbuster to YH for a near fall. YH blocked an Anaconda Buster. They traded strikes. YH hit a thrust kick and a neckbreaker for a two count. 

As the other four brawled to the floor, YH used a Butterfly Lock on Tenzan, the finish to their singles match yesterday. YH gave up the hold and hit a series of chops. Tenzan hit a spinning kick and tagged Nagata. 

Nagata hit a series of kicks. YH blocked a suplex and hit a headhunter. Goto, Ishii and YH tripled up on Nagata. YH hit a lariat for a two count. He went for Kharma, but Kojima saved. Goto tried to save Nagata, but Goto stopped him. Nagata overcame Goto’s interference, but YH hit him with a low dropkick into a double down. 

Ishii tagged back in and hit Nagata with a powerslam. Tenzan saved for Nagata with a series of headbutts to Ishii. Nagata used a crossface on Ishii. Kojima and Tenzan used submissions on Goto and YH. Nagata used the hold to set up a cradle for a two count, then went back to the crossface. YH saved with a dropkick. 

Nagata hit Ishii with an exploder. Ishii ducked a kick and hit a German. Goto climbed in for a double team. YH hit a headhunter to Nagata. Ishii then hit a sliding lariat for a two count. Nagata blocked a brainbuster, but Ishii hit an enzuigiri. 

Kojima jumped in and ate an Ishii lariat and forearm strikes. Tenzan came in and Ishii tried to fight him off, but Tenzan dropped him with a headbutt. Kojima hit a lariat to Ishii. Tenzan hit Ishii with the Anaconda Buster. 

Nagata hit a mid kick and a high-angle suplex. He covered — but Goto saved for Ishii. Nagata tried a kitchen sink. Ishii blocked and hit a flying headbutt. 

Goto and Kojima got tags. Goto hit a misdirection lariat. Kojima came back with machine gun chops. Goto cut Kojima off before a diving elbow, then hit his own diving elbow for a near fall. Tenzan, Ishii and Nagata got in. Ishii got hit with a TenKoji Cutter. YH came in and hit lariats. 

Kojima blocked a GYW. YH hit Kojima with a meteora. Goto hit a PK for a near fall. Kojima blocked another GYW and hit a brainbuster to Goto for a two count. 

Goto blocked a Kojima lariat and hit an ushigoroshi. Goto hit a mid kick and blocked a lariat. 

Goto used an ushigoroshi position to set up a GTR attempt. Kojima slipped on the landing and they had to reset, then Goto hit the GTR for the pin. 

Everyone shook hands after the match. 

**********

Goto cut a promo, then YH cut a promo. The lights went out. When they came back on, Dick Togo was choking out Ishii with the microphone cord. 

EVIL hit Everything is EVIL to Ishii. Goto and YH jumped back in for the save. 

So EVIL, Togo and a third will likely end up the next challengers for the NEVER Six-Man titles. 

**********

NJPW’s next tour kicks off on Saturday, July 10. Here are the announced matches for the next two events:

NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo, Saturday, July 10, 5 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori

NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo, Sunday, July 11, 1 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA

NJPW Kizuna Road results: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

Three singles matches headlined the show, serving as previews for tomorrow’s NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match main event. 

Tomohiro Ishii took on Yuji Nagata in the main event, Hirooki Goto vs. Satoshi Kojima was the semi-main, while the third match featured YOSHI-HASHI taking on Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Ishii, Goto and YOSHI-HASHI defend the NEVER Six-Man titles against Nagata, Kojima and Tenzan on tomorrow’s show, which will air for free on NJPW World. 

A pair of trios matches rounded out today’s card. 

Below are results and a report on today’s show. 

**********

Recommended matches —

  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata 
  • Satoshi Kojima vs. Hirooki Goto 
  • Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI 

Report —

Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado defeated El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (10:22)

Desperado and Ishimori began with some solid chain wrestling. Desperado and DOUKI cut Ishimori off and briefly worked him over. Kanemaru got a tag and Jado used a kendo stick shot from the floor to turn the tide in Bullet Club’s favor. 

Bullet Club worked Kanemaru over with their comedy back rakes. Kanemaru made a comeback on ELP. Ishimori and Desperado tagged back in for another solid exchange. Ishimori hit a handspring kick. Desperado hit a spinebuster, then tagged DOUKI for the closing stretch. 

Ishimori pinned DOUKI after hitting a Bloody Cross. 

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki defeated Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (12:24)

This was different than I expected. Rather than a house show brawl, they had a very good wrestling match. 

SANADA and Sabre began with a nice grappling battle. LIJ isolated Sabre and went to work on his left arm. Sabre came back with a kick to Naito’s left arm. Suzuki-gun then dragged LIJ to the floor and turned this into a brawl. 

Back in, Suzuki and Sabre stretched Naito. Naito was isolated in the Suzuki-gun corner. SANADA, Taichi, Sabre and Naito did some four-way spots, then Suzuki and BUSHI got tags. 

BUSHI hit a tope suicida. Suzuki kicked out of a swinging neckbreaker, then used a misdirection spot to set up a rear naked choke. He went for the Gotch-style Piledriver, but SANADA saved with a dropkick. 

Everyone jumped in for a big move. Taichi got a tag. BUSHI blocked Zack Mephisto and hit a double rana. 

Taichi hit an axe bomber and removed his trousers. Taichi blocked a rewind kick and hit a backdrop suplex. Sabre and Suzuki ran interference on SANADA and Naito. 

Taichi then submitted BUSHI with the Seitei Jujiro (stretch plum).

YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan (14:30)

They knew they had to get a lot out of very little. YH is far from a ring general and Tenzan’s body has betrayed him. This was passable if grading on that curve. The effort is always there with Tenzan. 

YH dominated the first five minutes of brawling. He teased breaking cleanly, but slapped Tenzan across the face. Tenzan hit a shoulder tackle. YH dragged Tenzan to the floor and whipped him into the barricade. 

Tenzan came back with a wheel kick and his signature brainbuster. Tenzan tried an ugly top rope neckbreaker. He used the Anaconda Vice, but YH forced a rope break. Tenzan got the better of a striking battle. YH hit a headhunter. YH used the Butterfly Lock, but Tenzan powered out. 

They traded strikes. Tenzan hit Mongolian chops. They exchanged headbutts to the chest. Tenzan used the Anaconda Vice, then hit an Anaconda Buster for a near fall. Tenzan missed a diving headbutt off the top. 

YH hit a lariat and a meteora, then used the Butterfly Lock to pick up the submission win.

Satoshi Kojima defeated Hirooki Goto (15:11)

The story here was simple — Kojima only wins matches with a lariat, so Goto tried to take away Kojima’s arms. Kojima overcame and hit a lariat to win. 

Kojima broke cleanly after locking up. After locking up again, Goto refused to do the same and hit a kick to the gut. Kojima came back with a tackle. On the floor, Kojima sent Goto into the barricade. Goto reversed a whip and sent Kojima into the barricade. 

Kojima tried a lariat on the floor, but hit the post with his left arm. Goto then went to work on the left arm, wrenching it over the barricade. Goto continued the arm work as they got back in. Goto then went after the right arm with a cross armbreaker. 

Goto continued working over both arms. Kojima no-sold a back suplex and hit his own back suplex. They battled in the corner. Kojima hit machine gun chops and a top rope elbow for a near fall. 

Goto hit a misdirection lariat, wheel kick in the corner, then a running bulldog for a near fall. Kojima blocked an ushigoroshi. Goto teased a diving elbow. Kojima blocked and hit a lariat, sending Goto crashing to the floor at the 10 minute call. 

They traded strikes, then hit simultaneous lariats. Goto went down, Kojima did not. Kojima hit a cutter for a near fall. Goto ducked a lariat and hit an ushigoroshi into a double down. Kojima hit a left arm lariat for a two count. 

Goto blocked a lariat and hit a GTR, but didn’t go for a cover. Goto hit a draping GTR, but Kojima kicked out. Kojima blocked a kick. 

Goto ducked two lariats, but Kojima caught him with a third lariat and scored the pin.

Tomohiro Ishii defeated Yuji Nagata (22:20)

I had high hopes for this and was not disappointed. Ishii always delivers and Nagata can still go with the right type of opponent. This was excellent. 

Ishii avoided Nagata’s dropkick to the knee. Nagata avoided Ishii’s sliding lariat. After locking up, Ishii teased breaking cleanly against the ropes. Instead, he slapped Nagata across the face. 

Nagata got a cross armbreaker applied, then gave up the hold to work a different armbar. Ishii forced a rope break. Nagata hit a series of kicks. Ishii hit a powerslam. 

This is where the chops started. 

Ishii chopped the living hell out of Nagata’s chest, leaving it blistered. Ishii hit a series of kicks to the back. Nagata sold all of these strikes for everything he was worth. Ishii hit another series of chops. Nagata came back with a kitchen sink and checked out the damage to his chest. 

Nagata hit a series of kicks to Ishii’s chest. Nagata hit a running boot in the corner. Ishii blocked an exploder, but Nagata connected on a butterfly suplex for a near fall. Ishii reversed a brainbuster attempt into a suplex. 

They traded forearms. Nagata’s strikes got more powerful as Ishii’s power faded. Ishii dropped Nagata with a forearm, then hit a combination of forearms and chops in the corner. Ishii blocked a kick and hit a German off a whip out of the buckle. 

Ishii hit a delayed superplex for a near fall. Nagata blocked a lariat and used a crossface. Ishii tried to force a break, but Nagata rolled through and re-applied the hold in the middle. Ishii finally crawled to the ropes to force a break. 

Nagata hit a series of kicks, then went to work on Ishii’s left arm to set up the Nagata Lock. Selling with his left arm hanging at his side, Ishii hit a series of strikes. Nagata dropped Ishii with one forearm. 

Nagata hit a second rope exploder for a two count. Nagata hit a PK. Ishii blocked a high angle suplex. Nagata hit a knee strike to the chest. Ishii blocked a kick and hit a lunging headbutt into a double down. 

They traded slaps to the face for an extended period of time. Ishii hit an enzuigiri. Nagata hit an exploder. Ishii no-sold it and hit a lariat for a near fall. Nagata blocked a brainbuster and hit a spinning kick. 

Nagata hit a step-up knee in the corner. Ishii collapsed. Nagata covered, but Ishii got his foot on the rope. Nagata hit a high kick and a German suplex. 

Nagata hit a Thunder Death Driver for a great near fall. Ishii blocked a high angle suplex, blocked an exploder, then hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin. 

**********

Here is the lineup for tomorrow’s show:

NJPW Kizuna Road, Friday, July 2, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time, free on NJPW World —

  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI (c) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata
  • Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI
  • Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Yuya Uemura
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Yota Tsuji

NJPW Kizuna Road results: IWGP Junior Tag Team title match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships were on the line in the main event as SHO & YOH defended against Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo.

Following yesterday’s show-closing angle with Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata confronting the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI, a change was made to today’s card. 

The scheduled Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Gedo & Jado match was changed to Okada, Goto, Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Yano vs. Tenzan, Kojima, Nagata, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma. 

On the undercard, Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji’s singles gauntlets continued. Tsuji faced Great-O-Khan in the opener, while Uemura took on Kota Ibushi in the second match. 

Below are results and a report on today’s show. 

**********

Recommended matches —

  • Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. SHO & YOH
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma 
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Yuya Uemura 

Report —

Great-O-Khan defeated Yota Tsuji (11:30)

This was solid. A little more offense for Tsuji would have made for a more exciting match, but O-Khan was booked to look dominant. 

They opened with some chain wrestling. O-Khan got a takedown off an ankle pick. Tsuji got a takedown and began working for an armbar. O-Khan forced a quick rope break. O-Khan took control of the bout after hitting a throw. 

O-Khan worked Tsuji over. Tsuji came back with a dropkick, a splash and a powerslam. Tsuji used a crab, but O-Khan forced a break. O-Khan hit a gutwrench throw for a double down. 

They traded chops. Tsuji hit a spear for a near fall. Tsuji missed a top rope splash. O-Khan used an elbow for a near fall, then used a Boston crab. Tsuji forced a rope break at the 10 minute call. 

O-Khan hit a powerslam and a vertical suplex. Tsuji cradled O-Khan for a near fall. O-Khan came back with a belly-to-belly, then used a Boston crab for the submission. 

Kota Ibushi defeated Yuya Uemura (13:13)

This was very good. I think Taichi actually had a better match with Uemura yesterday, but Uemura continues to shine. Ibushi gave him a ton of offense. 

Uemura hit a series of strikes to begin. Ibushi took him down and dominated a mat wrestling sequence. Ibushi used a camel clutch, but Uemura forced a break. 

Ibushi dared Uemura to strike with him. Ibushi then dominated a striking battle. Uemura went for a dropkick and missed. He got the dropkick on his second attempt and had an offensive flurry. Uemura hit a back suplex and a series of slaps. 

Ibushi blocked a crab attempt and hit a double stomp to the chest. Ibushi hit a series of kicks, but Uemura refused to go down. They traded heavy forearms in the center of the ring. Uemura tried for a double overhook suplex, but Ibushi blocked. Uemura fought off a submission attempt from the overhook position and got a high-angle crab applied. Ibushi forced a break. 

Uemura hit a beautiful bridging German for a two count. Uemura ran off the ropes into an Ibushi lariat for a near fall. Ibushi then used a single-leg crab at a crazy high angle for the submission. 

Ibushi applauded Uemura after the match and urged the crowd to do so as well. A classy move. 

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma (13:19)

This was a lot of fun. An all-action brawl. 

Ishii and Nagata began, playing off the angle at the end of yesterday’s show. Kojima and Tenzan jumped in to make it three-on-one. Ishii bailed to the floor. 

Okada and Makabe tagged in. Makabe hit some forearms and punches. Okada hit a back elbow in the corner and a DDT to cut Makabe off. CHAOS then went to work on Makabe. Yano exposed a buckle and whipped Makabe into it. 

Makabe came back with a powerslam on Goto. Kojima tagged in and hit machine gun chops on Goto, then sent him into the exposed buckle. YH saved for Goto and it was Kojima’s turn to be cut off. Tenzan saved for Kojima and ran wild with Mongolian chops. Tenzan and Kojima hit a double suplex on Goto. 

Kojima hit Goto with a rolling elbow. Goto blocked a lariat. Kojima blocked an ushigoroshi attempt. Kojima hit a cutter, then tagged Nagata. Nagata hit a low dropkick to Goto. Goto answered with a lariat. 

Ishii got a tag. Ishii and Nagata had an awesome striking battle. Neither guy sold much of anything for the other. Nagata hit an exploder out of the corner. Ishii came back with a powerslam. Nagata hit a second exploder and tagged Honma. 

Honma hit Ishii with chops and a running bulldog. Honma missed a kokeshi, but caught an interfering Goto and YH with a lariat combo. Honma hit Ishii with a lariat. Okada saved for Ishii. Makabe jumped in. Okada missed a dropkick. Makabe nailed him with a lariat. 

Yano and Okada ate a double lariat from Makabe. Makabe and Honma hit Ishii with a GBH lariat. Honma hit a diving kokeshi and a brainbuster to Ishii. He hit a second diving kokeshi for a near fall. 

Honma went up top, but Goto cut him off. Honma took out Goto and YH with lariats. Ishii then hit Honma with a lariat for a near fall. Honma blocked a brainbuster and hit two more kokeshis. 

Ishii blocked a Honma brainbuster and hit his Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin. 

Tenzan, Kojima and Nagata briefly brawled with Ishii, Goto and YH in the ring after the match. 

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (12:26)

There was some good wrestling comedy here involving Naito and a cardboard box. 

Yesterday was Naito’s 39th birthday, so Taichi brought a box to the ring as a present. Hiromu Takahashi was on commentary and had paper poppers for Naito. Taichi kicked Hiromu off the apron and Hiromu took a bump to the floor. 

Taichi gave Naito his present. Naito made a big show of accepting the box, then promptly hit Taichi over the head with it. 

SANADA and Sabre started the match with a nice sequence. Shingo briefly tagged in in the plus position on Sabre. Naito tagged in and began working on Sabre’s arms. Taichi hit Naito in the head with the box, then put the box on Naito’s head and kicked it. The box was empty. 

Naito ended up cut off in the Suzuki-gun corner. Taichi tagged in and choked Naito. BUSHI tried to save, but Desperado and Kanemaru sent him outside. Sabre tried to double up on Naito. SANADA saved and hit a rana to Taichi. Sabre hit a PK to SANADA. Naito hit a neckbreaker to Sabre. Taichi hit an axe bomber to Naito, who took a flip bump. 

Shingo and Kanemaru got tags. Kanemaru went after Shingo’s left leg. Shingo ate a DDT, but hit Kanemaru and Desperado with a double lariat. BUSHI tagged in for a missile dropkick and a tope suicida. 

BUSHI hit Desperado with a low dropkick and a DDT. Desperado blocked a swinging neckbreaker and hit a spinebuster. Desperado hit Guitarra de Angel for a near fall. Naito and SANADA tried to save for BUSHI, but Sabre and Taichi cut them off with dueling cobra twists. Kanemaru and Shingo brawled to the floor. 

BUSHI and Desperado traded strikes. BUSHI hit a dropkick. Desperado blocked a codebreaker and hit a right hand. Desperado followed with Pinche Loco and pinned BUSHI. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo defeated SHO & YOH to win the titles (26:43)

You knew they were going a long time based on the pacing. The first ten minutes were filler, but they found another gear and turned in a great overall performance. 

First SHO, then YOH were cut off. Ishimori hit YOH with a sliding German. ELP tagged in for some comedy offense. YOH managed a tag to SHO. SHO and YOH used dueling submissions on ELP and Ishimori. ELP and Ishimori then returned the favor.

They did a long submission tease with SHO in Ishimori’s Yes Lock, but SHO forced a break. SHO hit a lungblower and tagged out. Ishimori tagged ELP as well. 

YOH and ELP traded strikes and slaps, then pinning combinations. YOH hit a thrust kick and a nice German into a bridge for a near fall. ELP used a cradle for a near fall. YOH used a jackknife cradle for a two count. 

ELP missed a v-trigger. YOH used an O-Connor roll for a two count. ELP kicked out, sending YOH into an Ishimori kick on the apron. Ishimori tagged in, then hit a plancha to SHO. ELP hit an airplane spin neckbreaker to YOH, then Ishimori covered for a near fall. 

Ishimori hit YOH with a lungblower. ELP tagged back in and hit a frog splash for a two count. Ishimori hit a codebreaker to YOH. ELP missed a moonsault and hit Ishimori by mistake. SHO hopped in and Roppongi doubled up on Ishimori. 

SHO and YOH hit a 3K to Ishimori. SHO and YOH hit the Strong X for a near fall on ELP with Ishimori saving. SHO hit a deadlift German on Ishimori and a kick on the apron as they fought to the floor. 

YOH went for Direct Drive on ELP. ELP blocked and stomped on YOH’s foot with a loaded boot. ELP then hit a Sudden Death superkick with the loaded boot. YOH sold like he was knocked out and ELP covered for the pin to win the titles.  

**********

Live action returns to NJPW World on Thursday, July 1 and Friday, July 2. Both shows will be at Korakuen Hall and will air for free on NJPW World. No cards have been announced for those events as of yet. 

NJPW Kizuna Road results: NEVER Six-Man title match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

The NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles were on the line in the main event, with Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI defending against EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and Dick Togo. 

The Young Lion singles gauntlets continued on the undercard, with Taichi taking on Yuya Uemura and Zack Sabre Jr. facing Yota Tsuji. 

Below are results and a report on today’s show. 

**********

Recommended matches —

  • Taichi vs. Yuya Uemura

Report —

Taichi defeated Yuya Uemura (10:12)

A fantastic opener. Everything Uemura did was fantastic. Taichi sold like a million bucks for Uemura as well. 

Uemura charged Taichi at the opening bell and hit a series of strikes, a dropkick and a flying forearm. Taichi rolled outside. Uemura whipped him into the barricade, then hit a diving crossbody off the apron to the floor. 

Back inside, Taichi took control after a gamengiri in the corner. Taichi used an abdominal stretch, but Uemura forced a rope break. Uemura fired up with strikes. He hit the ropes, running right into a Taichi big boot. Uemura fired off a dropkick into a double down. 

Uemura hit a shotgun dropkick in the corner. Uemura blocked a high kick and a backdrop suplex, then hit his own back suplex for a near fall. Uemura used a crab, but Taichi forced a rope break. 

Taichi blocked a double overhook suplex. Uemura blocked an axe bomber, then hit the overhook suplex for a two count. 

Uemura missed a springboard crossbody. Taichi hit an axe bomber for a near fall. He went for a Last Ride, but Uemura turned it into a victory roll for a near fall. 

Taichi hit a gamengiri and a Last Ride for the pin. 

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Yota Tsuji (13:58)

I liked the opener a lot more, but this was good as well. These Young Lion gauntlets are more enjoyable then most multi-man matches on these smaller shows. 

They began with a lengthy grappling battle. They traded the advantage. The story was that Tsuji was able to hold his own against the technical wrestling wizard. 

After grappling, they traded strikes. Tsuji had the power edge. Sabre sold big for Tsuji’s strikes. Tsuji hit a dropkick. He went for a slam, but Sabre blocked and used a neck twist and a necktie. Tsuji forced a break and hit a slam. 

Tsuji got a Boston crab applied. He gave up the hold and hit a splash, then stretched Sabre’s arms with a knee to the back. Sabre grabbed a flying heel hook, but Tsuji grabbed the ropes for a break. 

They went back to trading strikes. Tsuji went for a backslide, but Sabre reversed into a guillotine. Tsuji turned a Peruvian necktie into a cradle for a near fall. Tsuji used a small package for another two count. 

They traded cobra twists. From northern lights bomb position, Sabre caught Tsuji’s neck in a figure four. The referee called for the stoppage with Tsuji trapped in the hold. 

Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, YOH & SHO defeated Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado (10:04)

CHAOS attacked Bullet Club before the opening bell and they teased a quick finish. Okada got Gedo in the Money Clip right away. It probably would have been best if they had just gone home right there. 

Instead, Ishimori broke it up. Yano, Gedo, Jado, ELP and Ishimori did a lot of comedy. 

The match broke down and everyone hopped in for a big move. SHO and YOH hit the 3K on Gedo and YOH covered for the pin. 

ELP ended up with a bloody mouth in here somehow. They did a brief staredown with SHO, YOH, Ishimori and ELP. Those four for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles is the main event tomorrow. 

Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (18:41)

This turned into a pretty good match by the end. I would compare it to a good house show match. 

Shingo and Ibushi began with a brief exchange. Ibushi hit a flying mid kick, but they are clearly saving the big teases for Summer Struggle shows in July. 

Naito and Tenzan tagged in. Tenzan briefly got the advantage, but LIJ went 4-on-1 on Tenzan and cut him off. They focused on attacking his left leg. SANADA tagged in. Tenzan hit a mountain bomb, then tagged Nagata. Nagata hit SANADA with an exploder for a two count. 

Nagata caught an interfering Naito with an overhead belly-to-belly. SANADA went for the paradise lock, but Nagata blocked. SANADA hit a springboard dropkick and tagged out to Shingo. Nagata hit Shingo with an exploder, then tagged Ibushi. 

Ibushi lit Shingo up with kicks, a springboard dropkick and a standing moonsault for a two count. Shingo hit a backdrop out of a last ride attempt. They traded strikes in the corner. Ibushi kicked away a lariat attempt. Ibushi hit a series of kicks. Shingo fired off a lariat, then tagged BUSHI. 

Ibushi hit a double backflip kick to Shingo and BUSHI, then tagged Kojima. Kojima hit machine gun chops to BUSHI and Naito. SANADA stopped Kojima from hitting a top rope elbow. BUSHI hit Kojima with a missile dropkick. 

Kojima hit the Koji Cutter on BUSHI. Ibushi jumped in for a kick. Tenzan came in for Mongolian chops. Tenzan and Kojima went for the TenCozy Cutter, but Naito saved. SANADA and Shingo jumped in. BUSHI hit a backstabber on Kojima for a two count. 

While the other six brawled to the floor, BUSHI and Kojima squared off. BUSHI hit an enzuigiri. He ran off the ropes right into a Kojima lariat for the pin. 

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo (w/Pieter) (32:03)

Ishii was a workhorse in this match. It was an incredible performance by him. Togo was the best guy on his team by a wide margin as well. The match itself was beyond parody of all the usual Bullet Club shenanigans, ref bumps, weapon shots, low blows and the like. 

Pieter made her return, accompanying Yujiro and providing her interpretive dance before the match. 

EVIL, Yujiro and Togo hit the champs with their own title belts before the opening bell. A ringside brawl broke out. Ishii got whipped into the barricade. Togo and Ishii then began as the legal men. Bullet Club exposed the buckle in their corner and whipped Ishii into it. The Bullet Club trio used quick tags in working Ishii over. 

EVIL sent Ishii outside and into the barricade and the ring announcer’s table. EVIL hit his baseball swing chair shot to Ishii.  Ishii was worked over in Bullet Club’s corner, then finally came back with an enzuigiri. 

Goto tagged in for a quick sequence, then YH tagged in and was cut off. Another ringside brawl broke out. This time the champs got the better of it. 

YH and Goto doubled up on EVIL. Goto hit an ushigoroshi into a superkick by YH. YH then used the butterfly lock on EVIL. Ishii and Togo brawled on the floor while EVIL laid in the butterfly lock. YH then transitioned to a sleeper. EVIL grabbed the ref, who took a bump. 

Togo used a chair on YH. He went to use his ligature, but Ishii intercepted him. EVIL hit YH with Darkness Falls. The referee was revived and counted, but YH kicked out. YH and EVIL teased their finishers, but both blocked. YH hit a backstabber into a double down. 

Ishii tagged in. EVIL tried to use the ref as a base for a Magic Killer, but Ishii slipped out. Togo tagged in. Yujiro hit Ishii with a legdrop. Togo then hit Ishii with a senton for a near fall. Togo hit a lariat for another two count. 

Togo used a crossface. Ishii fought to the bottom rope to force a break. Togo went for a Pedigree, but Ishii hit a backdrop. Goto jumped in and hit a wheel kick on Togo. Ishii hit Togo with a superplex for a near fall. 

Togo blocked a Vertical Drop Brainbuster, but Ishii connected on a back suplex. Ishii missed a sliding lariat. Togo turned it into a crucifix for a near fall, then transitioned back to the crossface. YH saved for Ishii. 

Yujiro jumped in and bumped the referee. Yujiro kicked YH low. EVIL hit Goto with a chair. Yujiro hit YH with his pimp cane. Yujiro then used the cane on Ishii. EVIL used the chair on Ishii. It took three chair shots for Ishii to go down. 

Togo hit a Pedigree on Ishii on the chair. The referee was revived, but Ishii kicked out at the last instant. EVIL and Togo hit Ishii with a Magic Killer, but Ishii kicked out of that as well. 

Togo hit another Pedigree, then went to the top rope. Goto cut him off and slammed him off the top. Goto hit a GTR to Yujiro. EVIL hit a lariat to Goto. YH hit a lariat to EVIL. All six men were down at the 28 minute mark. 

Togo and Ishii traded strikes. Ishii dropped Togo with a lariat. Ishii hit a stack powerbomb for a two count as Yujiro saved. Goto and YH hit the GYW on Goto. Ishii hit a sliding lariat, but Togo kicked out at the 30 minute call. 

Ishii went for the Vertical Drop. Togo tried to bump the ref, but failed. Ishii blocked a low blow. Yujiro and Goto climbed in. YH and EVIL got in and distracted the ref, then bumped him. EVIL and Yujiro hit low blows to Goto and YH. 

Togo choked Ishii with his ligature. Ishii fought him off and hit a lariat, then hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin. 

**********

They shot an angle after the match. Tenzan, Kojima and Nagata came to the ring. Nagata dropped Ishii with a forearm strike. Kojima gestured towards the titles, so those look to be the next challengers for Goto, Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI. 

YH closed the show with a quick promo.

**********

Here is the lineup for tomorrow’s show:

NJPW Kizuna Road, Wednesday, June 23, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: SHO & YOH (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Gedo & Jado
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Yuya Uemura
  • Great-O-Khan vs. Yota Tsuji

NJPW Kizuna Road results: Elimination match main event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

Members of CHAOS faced members of Bullet Club in the elimination match main event. On the undercard, the singles gauntlets for Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji continued. 

The Kizuna Road tour continues with untelevised events on Friday, June 18 and Sunday, June 20. Live action returns to NJPW World with two more Korakuen Hall shows on Tuesday, June 22 and Wednesday, June 23. 

The June 22 show will feature a NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match main event, while the June 23 card will be headlined by an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match. 

Below are results from today’s show. 

**********

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yuya Uemura (13:17)

Tana won by submission with his Texas Clover Hold. 

Kazuchika Okada defeated Yota Tsuji (8:53)

Okada teased a Rainmaker, but used it to set up a toque espaldas cradle for the pin. 

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata defeated Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma (11:56)

Kojima pinned Honma after a lariat. 

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (11:30)

Desperado pinned BUSHI with the El Es Clero. 

Elimination match: EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, SHO & YOH (31:28)

Ishimori pinned SHO with a Bloody Cross to win the match for Bullet Club.

The order of eliminations: 

  • Yujiro eliminated YH over the tope rope after a cane shot
  • Ishii eliminated Yujiro over the top rope
  • Togo eliminated himself after he was disqualified for choking Ishii with a garrote
  • EVIL eliminated Ishii over the top rope
  • EVIL and Goto eliminated each other at the same time with a double clothesline over the top rope
  • Phantasmo eliminated YOH with a double stomp off the top rope to the apron
  • SHO eliminated Phantasmo over the top rope
  • Ishimori pinned SHO with the Bloody Cross

**********

Here are the lineups for the next two NJPW World events:

NJPW Kizuna Road, Tuesday, June 22, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI (c) vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo
  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata
  • Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, SHO & YOH vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yota Tsuji
  • Taichi vs. Yuya Uemura

NJPW Kizuna Road, Wednesday, June 23, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: SHO & YOH (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Gedo & Jado
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Yuya Uemura
  • Great-O-Khan vs. Yota Tsuji

NJPW Kizuna Road results: Eight-man tag main event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

The main event featured IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi teaming with the other members of Los Ingobernables de Japon against a team led by his next title challenger, Kota Ibushi. 

On the undercard, the singles gauntlets for Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji continued. 

Below are results from today’s show. 

**********

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Yuya Uemura (12:34)

Sabre used a submission hold called Selected Technical Works 2004-2013 for the victory. 

Taichi defeated Yota Tsuji (14:14)

Taichi won by pinfall after hitting a Tensho Jujihou superkick.

Toru Yano, SHO & YOH defeated Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado (9:53)

Yano pinned Jado after shoving him into Ishimori and ELP. 

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo & Gedo (15:17)

Goto pinned Gedo following a GYW. 

Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato (18:21)

SANADA used Skull End to submit Master Wato.

**********

Here is the lineup for tomorrow’s event:

NJPW Kizuna Road, Wednesday, June 16, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • Elimination match: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, SHO & YOH vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Yota Tsuji
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuya Uemura

NJPW Kizuna Road results: LIJ vs. Suzuki-gun

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour kicked off today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

The main event featured Los Ingobernables de Japon taking on four members of Suzuki-gun in an eight-man tag. 

Highlights from the undercard included the beginning of singles gauntlets for Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura on this tour. Tsuji took on Hiroshi Tanahashi, while Uemura faced Minoru Suzuki in the show’s opener.

Below are results from today’s show. 

**********

Minoru Suzuki defeated Yuya Uemura (13:55)

Suzuki used a Boston crab for the submission win. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yota Tsuji (13:36)

Tanahashi won by submission with the Texas Clover Hold. 

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo & Jado (12:29)

Yano pinned Jado with a schoolboy. 

Kazuchika Okada, SHO & YOH defeated Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Gedo (11:44)

Okada used the Money Clip to submit Gedo.

Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (14:48)

Shingo pinned Kanemaru after hitting Last of the Dragon.

**********

Here are the lineups for the next two NJPW World events:

NJPW Kizuna Road, Tuesday, June 15, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato
  • Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo & Gedo
  • Toru Yano, SHO & YOH vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado
  • Taichi vs. Yota Tsuji
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yuya Uemura

NJPW Kizuna Road, Wednesday, June 16, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • Elimination match: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, SHO & YOH vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Yota Tsuji
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuya Uemura

NJPW Kizuna Road results: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. YOSHI-HASHI

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour ended today in Sendai, with a pair of RPW title matches closing the event. 

The main event featured Zack Sabre Jr. defending his RPW British Heavyweight title, as well as his spot in the G1 Climax tournament, against YOSHI-HASHI. 

In what was a complete comedy match, the semi-main saw El Phantasmo defend his RPW British Cruiserweight title against Ryusuke Taguchi. 

Full results and match recaps are below:

SATOSHI KOJIMA & HIROYOSHI TENZAN DEFEATED YUJI NAGATA & YOTA TSUJI

Nagata and Tsuji double-teamed Kojima at the outset. Once Nagata exited, Kojima made a comeback. Tenzan got a tag, and TenKoji worked over Tsuji. Kojima hit his machine gun chops, then hit a diving elbow. 

Tsuji hit a dropkick, allowing him to tag Nagata. Nagata hit Kojima with kicks and used an exploder for a near fall. Kojima hit a Koji Cutter, then tagged Tenzan. He hit a sloppy brainbuster, then followed up with chops. 

Nagata got a Nagata Lock applied, but Kojima broke it up. Tsuji got a tag. He hit a body slam for a two count, then used a crab. Tenzan flipped out of the crab. Tsuji hit a spear for a near fall as Kojima broke up the pin. 

Tenzan and Kojima hit a TenKoji Cutter on Tsuji, but Nagata broke up the pin. Nagata and Kojima brawled to the floor, and Tenzan used the Anaconda Vice on Tsuji for the submission. A below average opener. 

TETSUYA NAITO, EVIL, SANADA, SHINGO TAKAGI & BUSHI DEFEATED KOTA IBUSHI, REN NARITA, SHOTA UMINO, TOMOAKI HONMA & TOGI MAKABE

EVIL again refused to participate in the LIJ fist bump before the bell. 

Umino and Naito started out. Naito sent Umino outside, then hit his tranquilo pose. Umino jumped back in and hit a dropkick. BUSHI and Honma tagged in. Honma missed a kokeshi, and LIJ took the opportunity to begin brawling around ringside. 

Back inside, LIJ worked over Honma. SANADA tried for a TKO, but Honma blocked it, hit a kokeshi, and tagged Makabe. 

The crowd got into it as Shingo and Makabe exchanged lariats. Ibushi and EVIL tagged in. EVIL missed a senton, and Ibushi connected on a standing Shooting Star Press. EVIL used a misdirection spot, then dropped Ibushi with a clothesline. 

Ibushi hit a double backflip kick to Shingo and EVIL, then tagged Narita. Narita hit a brainbuster and a belly-to-belly on Shingo for a near fall. Naito jumped in for the save. 

The match broke down, and everyone hit a big move. Shingo went for a noshigami, but Narita turned it into a backslide for a two count. Narita got another near fall off a cradle. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber for a near fall, then hit noshigami for the pin. 

The action really picked up in the last few minutes, particularly once Narita tagged in. Good stuff. 

After the match, Ibushi had a staredown with all five members of LIJ in the ring. Naito teased an attack, but Ibushi escaped unscathed. 

JUICE ROBINSON & MIKEY NICHOLLS DEFEATED TAMA TONGA & TANGA LOA

They brawled all around the arena at the opening bell. They did a countout tease, but everyone made it back in at 18. Loa and Juice were left the legal men. Tonga hit a neckbreaker, and Tonga and Loa went to work on Juice. 

Loa used a chinlock. Juice rolled out, then tagged Nicholls. Nicholls briefly ran wild, but Jado used a kendo stick shot from the floor to cut him off. Loa hit a diving headbutt off the top, and Tonga hit a top rope splash for a near fall. 

Tonga took the ref, and Jado jumped in. Juice no-sold a kendo stick shot, then hit a series of jabs. Tonga cut him off with a Gun Stun. Tonga went for a Gun Stun on Nicholls, but Nicholls turned it into a backslide for the pin. 

After the bell, Nicholls hit a Mikey Bomb on Tonga, then said that he and Juice want the IWGP Tag Team titles. I expect that to be on the Australia show on Saturday. This was not the most inspired effort from either team, but I guess they accomplished what they set out to do, which was to establish Juice & Nicholls as challengers. 

JAY WHITE, TAIJI ISHIMORI, CHASE OWENS & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI, SHO, YOH & TOGI MAKABE

Tanahashi’s team went for a quadruple dropkick on Ishimori, but Ishimori avoided it, and Bullet Club took over. White used a single-leg crab on SHO. Tanahashi got a tag. He and YOH hit stereo dragon screws. Tana hit a somersault senton on White for a two count. 

White came back with a Saito suplex, then a brainbuster. He tried for Blade Runner, but Tana reversed it into a Twist and Shout. Henare tagged in and fought off Yujiro. He hit White with a delayed vertical suplex for a two count. 

The match broke down. Tana and YOH hit stereo planchas. Henare hit White with a spear for a two count. He tried for a uranage, but White hit a suplex, then used the Blade Runner for the pin. 

The match was nothing special, but Henare looked good here. Tanahashi is clearly hurting. 

White cut a promo on Hirooki Goto after the match. He said he saw that he ran off to the LA Dojo to see Shibata. He said Goto and Shibata are two failures. Goto ran in and hit a lariat on White. He hit Gedo with an ushigoroshi for good measure. 

KAZUCHIKA OKADA, TOMOHIRO ISHII, JUSHIN LIGER, TIGER MASK & TORU YANO DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, LANCE ARCHER, TAICHI, YOSHINOBU KANEMARU & DOUKI

This was a standard Suzuki-gun brawl. They worked over Tiger Mask at the outset. Things picked up once Okada and Archer tagged in. Okada hit a slam, then avoided Archer’s EBD Claw. Okada hit a dropkick. 

Ishii and Taichi tagged in. Taichi connected with a buzzsaw kick and used a stretch plum. They did a long submission tease, but Liger made the save for Ishii. 

The match broke down. Yano sent Suzuki into an exposed buckle. Taichi hit an axe bomber on Yano, then hit one on Ishii for a near fall. Ishii blocked a buzzsaw and hit a suplex. DOUKI blind-tagged in, and Suzuki-gun ganged up on Ishii. 

DOUKI hit a DDT on Ishii, but Okada saved. Okada hit Archer and DOUKI with dropkicks, allowing Ishii to hit a lariat. Ishii hit the vertical drop brainbuster, then pinned DOUKI. 

The last few minutes were fun, but the rest was forgettable. 

RPW BRITISH CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: EL PHANTASMO DEFEATED RYUSUKE TAGUCHI TO RETAIN THE TITLE

They did a total comedy Taguchi match. They started with crowd work. They did rope-running comedy. ELP pulled Taguchi’s tights down, exposing his red underpants. Taguchi worked for several minutes with his tights down. 

ELP used a chinlock, then hit a quebrada for a two count. Taguchi came back with hip attacks, a rana, and a springboard hip attack to the floor. ELP retaliated by attacking Taguchi’s nipples. ELP hit an airplane spin neckbreaker for a two count. 

Taguchi hit Three Amigos, then a DDT. He followed up by hitting Nakamura’s pose, then a running hip attack for a near fall. Taguchi went up top, but got crotched. ELP broke out a reverse rana off the top. 

ELP went for a frog splash, but Taguchi got his knees up. Taguchi hit Dodon for a near fall, then slapped on an ankle lock, but ELP reached the ropes. 

Taguchi used a cradle for a two count, then went back to the ankle lock. ELP tried to roll through to a cradle, but Taguchi kept the hold applied. ELP reached the ropes, then hit a Canadian Destroyer off the second rope for a near fall. 

ELP hit CR2 and got the pin. This was the third time I’ve seen them do a version of the same comedy match in the last month, so this didn’t do anything for me. If you haven’t seen it before, maybe you would enjoy this. More power to you. 

RPW BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH WITH A SPOT IN THE G1 CLIMAX 29 AT STAKE: ZACK SABRE JR. DEFEATED YOSHI-HASHI TO RETAIN THE TITLE

They began with some mat wrestling. Sabre had the clear edge, but YH held his own. YH hit a couple of chops to the chest, and Sabre decided he was done toying with YH. He used a heel hook over the bottom rope, then sent the same left leg of YH into the barricade. 

Back in the ring, Sabre continued to target the left leg. YH fired up and hit a chop, and Sabre responded by hitting a dropkick to the bad leg. YH came back with a brainbuster, a dropkick to the back, then a neckbreaker. 

YH missed a swanton bomb, and Sabre went for a cross armbreaker. YH rolled to the ropes. Sabre used a triangle choke. YH hit a powerbomb, breaking the hold. YH went to the top rope, but Sabre cut him off. Sabre used an ankle lock over the top rope. 

Sabre tried for a superplex, but YH fought him off. YH hit a Headhunter off the top rope for a two count. YH tried for the butterfly lock. Sabre went for the octopus, but YH turned it into an octopus of his own, then hit a shoulder breaker. 

YH hit a thrust kick, then applied the butterfly lock. Sabre rolled to the ropes, forcing a break. Sabre blocked a lariat. YH hit the ropes, but ran into a step-over toehold. Sabre then used a neck crank, but YH reached the ropes.

YH blocked a Zack Driver and hit a backstabber. He followed with double knees off the ropes for a two count. Sabre blocked Kharma, then hit a PK. He hit another PK, then strolled around the ring. Yep, he just went for a walk.

YH tried to fire up. He hit a chop, but Sabre stomped on his arm. Sabre hit a series of uppercuts, then slaps to the face. YH used a cradle for a near fall, then hit a lariat. He dropped Sabre again with a forearm, then hit a fisherman buster for a near fall. 

Sabre blocked Kharma, then trapped YH’s legs in a figure four. He also pinned YH’s arms underneath him, and torqued on the legs with his arms for good measure. YH submitted. The move wasn’t Napalm Death or Hurrah!, so I’m not sure what to call it. 

A good effort from both guys, but this was a style clash to say the least. 

Sabre cut a promo after the match. He promised to win the G1 — and to become the first British IWGP Heavyweight Champion. 

NJPW Kizuna Road results: 10-man elimination tag main event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Happy Birthday, Minoru Suzuki. 

The Wrestling Observer Hall of Famer celebrated his 51st birthday in Korakuen Hall today, main eventing Kizuna Road. 

There was a lot of good wrestling on the show, but a lack of marquee matchups meant that this would not have been a must-see event, if not for the G1 lineups being announced. 

Here are the results and match recaps:

YUYA UEMURA DEFEATED YOTA TSUJI

These two showed great intensity in the latest installment of their never-ending series. 

Uemura took the bulk of the match. He went for a variety of submissions early on. He tried a cross armbreaker and a Fujiwara armbar. He hit a corner dropkick. Tsuji made a comeback, hitting a powerslam. 

Tsuji got a full crab applied. Uemura reached the ropes, forcing a break. Uemura connected with a dropkick. Tsuji hit the ropes, but ran right into a deep arm drag. Uemura then hit a belly-to-belly into a bridge and got the pin. 

Their lifetime series is now 4-4-21. This was an excellent opener. 

TOA HENARE & TOMOAKI HONMA DEFEATED YUJI NAGATA & SHOTA UMINO

Umino has leaned out a bit, and that has added some definition to his chest and arms. Couple that with his new haircut, and he really has a great look to go with his in-ring skill. He’s going to be a huge star. 

Umino got the best of an early shoulder tackle exchange with Henare. Honma and Nagata got in. Honma missed a kokeshi. Nagata made a tag to Umino, and the momentum shifted to Henare and Honma. 

Umino made a comeback and landed a dropkick. Nagata tagged in and landed some kicks to Honma. Honma hit a series of chops, but Nagata no-sold them. Honma hit a diving kokeshi, then tagged Henare. 

Honma went for a Nagata Lock, but Honma hit a diving kokeshi, saving Henare. Umino tagged in and hit a back elbow. Henare cut him off with a lariat. Honma and Henare hit stereo lariats, then stereo kokeshis. Henare covered, but Nagata saved. 

Umino and Henare traded strikes. Umino hit a German into a bridge for a close near fall. Henare blocked a fisherman buster attempt, then connected with a tackle for a near fall. Henare followed with an uranage for the pin. Honma was the weak link here, but another solid match. 

TETSUYA NAITO, SHINGO TAKAGI, EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI DEFEATED KOTA IBUSHI, JUSHIN LIGER, TIGER MASK, SATOSHI KOJIMA & HIROYOSHI TENZAN

This was Tenzan’s comeback match after missing a couple of months due to injury. 

LIJ went for their trademark fist bump before the match. For the second consecutive night, EVIL declined participation. 

Naito had a few stitches in his lip after being busted open last night. 

Naito and Tenzan began the match. Naito taunted Tenzan. Tenzan and Kojima hit some of their trademark TenKoji offense on Naito. Naito and EVIL worked over Kojima. Ibushi and EVIL got tags, and they had a fairly even exchange. 

Ibushi hit a springboard dropkick. BUSHI tagged in, then Liger entered for his team. Liger went for a Romero Special, but Shingo stopped him, which got some boos. 

SANADA and Tiger were left the legal men as the match broke down. Tiger used a small package for a near fall. SANADA got Skull End locked in, and Tiger Mask submitted. 

SANADA kept the hold locked in after the match. Liger jumped in for the save, but Naito put the boots to him. Liger and Naito then had a pull-apart. EVIL again refused to participate in the group celebration after the match. 

G1 LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

Here are the featured matches for each night of the G1 Climax. The full schedule of tournament matches is listed here: 

  • July 6: KENTA vs. Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi 
  • July 13: Hirooki Goto vs. Jay White, Jon Moxley vs. Taichi
  • July 14: Lance Archer vs. Bad Luck Fale, KENTA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • July 15: Jeff Cobb vs. Jon Moxley, Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi
  • July 18: EVIL vs. SANADA, Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay
  • July 19: Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jon Moxley
  • July 20: KENTA vs. EVIL, Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
  • July 24: Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • July 27: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA, Kazuchika Okada vs. KENTA
  • July 28: Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano, Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley
  • July 30: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr., KENTA vs. SANADA
  • August 1: Toru Yano vs. Jon Moxley, Taichi vs. Jay White
  • August 3: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA
  • August 4: Jon Moxley vs. Jay White, Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi
  • August 7: Will Ospreay vs. KENTA, Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
  • August 8: Toru Yano vs. Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi
  • August 10: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
  • August 11: Juice Robinson vs. Jon Moxley, Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White
  • August 12: G1 finals

JAY WHITE, TAMA TONGA, TANGA LOA & TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI, JUICE ROBINSON, MIKEY NICHOLLS & REN NARITA

Bullet Club used a kendo stick shot from Jado on the floor to establish the early advantage. White worked over Tanahashi. He used a chinlock, and they did an awesome spot where Narita kept jumping in to break up the hold. He did it twice. On the third try, White dropped him with a right hand. 

White hit a dragon screw to Tana. Tana hit one of his own, and they both tagged out. Juice and Nicholls ran wild on Tonga and Loa. Juice went for a senton, but Tonga got his knees up. Nicholls hit a plancha to Loa. 

Narita blind-tagged himself in to face off with Ishimori. He hit a vertical suplex. He went for a belly-to-belly, but White made the save. Narita hit White with a dropkick, then hit an overhead belly-to-belly on Ishimori for a two count. 

Narita got a leg lace applied on Ishimori. White tried to save, but Tana put him in a cloverleaf. Juice used a crab on Loa, while Nicholls used a single-leg crab on Tonga. 

Narita got two quick cradles on Ishimori for near falls. Ishimori got the Yes Lock applied, and that was it for Narita. He lost the match, but he had a great night in the ring. 

NEVER OPENWEIGHT SIX-MAN TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: RYUSUKE TAGUCHI, TORU YANO & TOGI MAKABE DEFEATED EL PHANTASMO, YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & CHASE OWENS TO RETAIN THE TITLES

Taguchi and ELP kicked things off. They did some of Taguchi’s trademark comedy spots. Taguchi hit some hip attacks. ELP hit a springboard crossbody, then hit a quebrada. They exchanged a series of pinning combinations, then tagged out. 

Yujiro and Yano were in next. Yano untied a corner pad, but Owens and Yujiro used it against him. Bullet Club worked over Yano three-on-one. They stole Taguchi’s forever clothesline spot in the corner. 

After a lengthy beatdown, Yano used a hair pull to take down Yujiro, then tagged Makabe. Makabe hit a clothesline in the corner, blocked a fisherman buster, and hit a lariat. Taguchi tagged in and hit Yujiro with hip attacks. Yujiro caught him on another hip attack, then hit a DDT. 

ELP made a tag, and Taguchi hit a series of hip attacks. Taguchi tried for Dodon, but ELP rolled into a cradle for a two count. ELP hit an airplane spin into a double down. 

Owens and Yano got tags. Yujiro jumped in for a double team. Owens hit a knee strike for a two count, as Makabe made the save for Yano. Yano hit inverted atomic drops, and he removed a second corner pad. 

Owens blocked a low blow attempt, and hit the Jewel Heist on Yano for a two count. He teased a package piledriver, but Makabe made the save. Everyone jumped in as the match broke down. 

The ref took a bump. Yano hit a double low blow to Owens and Yujiro. Makabe hit a double lariat. Yano used a schoolboy on Owens for the pin. 

ELIMINATION MATCH: KAZUCHIKA OKADA, TOMOHIRO ISHII, YOSHI-HASHI, SHO & YOH DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, ZACK SABRE JR., LANCE ARCHER, TAICHI & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU

Eliminations could come by way of pinfall, submission, countout, DQ, stoppage, or over the top rope. 

This quickly broke down into a chaotic brawl around the arena. Okada and Suzuki brawled all the way backstage. DOUKI came to ringside to aid Suzuki-gun in establishing the early advantage. 

Suzuki was the first elimination by way of DQ. He had Okada in a heel hook. Okada rolled to the ropes, but Suzuki refused to break the hold. Referee Red Shoes slapped away at Suzuki to try to get him to break the hold. Suzuki shoved Red Shoes — and got disqualified. 

Okada eliminated Kanemaru. Kanemaru was seated on the top rope, and Okada dropkicked him to the floor. 

Archer was in next for Suzuki-gun. He hit Okada with a Pounce, then threw him out over the top rope for the next elimination. 

SHO and YOH entered to take on Archer. Archer hit YOH with a chokeslam, then hit Blackout on SHO. Archer eliminated YOH, throwing him over the top rope. 

Archer used the EBD Claw on SHO, and SHO submitted to make it three-on-two for Suzuki-gun. 

Ishii and Archer no-sold each other’s chops. Archer dropped Ishii with a shoulder tackle. Ishii went for a brainbuster on Archer, but Archer blocked it, then hit a suplex to Ishii. Ishii got the vertical drop brainbuster on his second try. They fought on the apron, and Ishii eliminated Archer with a lariat. 

Taichi got an assist from DOUKI, who grabbed Ishii’s ankles. Taichi hit an enzuigiri, eliminating Ishii, and leaving YOSHI-HASHI alone against Sabre and Taichi. 

YOSHI-HASHI threw Taichi to the floor, but DOUKI took the referee, so the elimination was missed. Taichi and Sabre peppered YH with kicks. Taichi removed his pants. YH used the Butterfly Lock on Taichi. Sabre tried to save, but YH hit him with a lariat. 

DOUKI jumped in, hitting YH with a pipe. YH fought him off, then tossed Taichi over the top for an elimination. 

Sabre grabbed a guillotine, but YH reversed it into a suplex. Sabre slapped on a triangle, then slipped to a cross armbreaker. YH escaped. YH went for Kharma, but Sabre slipped back into a triangle. YH reached the ropes. 

The two exchanged strikes. YH used a backslide for a two count. Sabre applied an octopus hold near the ropes. They fought on the apron. YH snapped Sabre’s arm on the top strand, then hit a chop, and Sabre fell to the floor for the final elimination. A fun main event. 

YOSHI-HASHI cleared the ring of Suzuki-gun single-handedly after the match. He promised to take Sabre’s RevPro British Heavyweight title when they face off later this month, and YH also said he’ll take Sabre’s spot in the G1.

NJPW Kizuna Road results: KUSHIDA defends against BUSHI

Posted on by Bryan Rose

New Japan brought us the third Kizuna Road show of the month at Korakuen Hall this morning, complete with a big IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match as KUSHIDA looked to successfully defend his title against former champion BUSHI.

We also got a look at all the big matches lined up for the G1 Climax, with dates included.

Tetsuhiro Yagi and Shota Umino went to a time limit draw

This was a nice match to kick off the show. They did a bit more than usual and looked pretty good. Yagi was in control for a lot of the match and looked good when on offense; same with Umino when it came to selling. Umino eventually cut him off and had the Boston crab in when the time limit expired. 

Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taka Michinoku defeated Tiger Mask IV & Hirai Kawato

A solid match, with Kawato being the highlight with his intensity. They built up Kawato’s near falls very well as the crowd got into all of them. Michinoku eventually took him down and applied the crossface for the submission.

Tiger Mask and Kanemaru got into it after the match.

Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Tomoyuki Oka, Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata

Oka took a lot of the match and was worked over by everyone, including Liger. Kojima picked up the win for his team with a lariat.

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated Katsuya Kitamura & Togi Makabe

It was Kitamura’s time to shine, working mostly with Ishii. Kitamura, as far as star quality goes, probably could be the biggest star in the promotion in a few years. They’d need to do it soon though as he’s 31 years old already. He took the pinfall after eating a lariat from Ishii.

Here are the big matches taking place in this year’s G1, along with the dates for them —

  • July 17th: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • July 20th: SANADA vs. EVIL, Minoru Suzuki vs. Kenny Omega
  • July 21st: Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • July 22nd: Kenny Omega vs. Tama Tonga, Minoru Suzuki vs. SANADA
  • July 23rd: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto
  • July 25th: Toru Yano vs. Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA 
  • July 26th: Togi Makabe vs. Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
  • July 27th: Minoru Suzuki vs. EVIL, Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega
  • July 29th: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • July 30th: Satoshi Kojima vs. Kenny Omega, Juice Robinson vs. Kazuchika Okada
  • August 1st: Yuji Nagata vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
  • August 2nd: Satoshi Kojima vs. Minoru Suzuki, Kenny Omega vs. EVIL
  • August 4th: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe
  • August 5th: Satoshi Kojima vs. SANADA, Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
  • August 6th: Togi Makabe vs. Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • August 8th: Kenny Omega vs. SANADA, Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
  • August 11th: Kota Ibushi vs. Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • August 12th: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki, Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA & Hiromu Takahashi defeated David Finlay, Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson & Hiroshi Tanahashi

This time everyone tried to wrap SANADA up in the ball, but they all failed and in stereo all looked ashamed that they couldn’t get it done. That was funny. This turned into a pretty good match with a lot of heat towards the end. Everyone worked well against one another. Finlay made a good comeback before eventually submitting to SANADA’s Skull End.

I think Taguchi wanted SANADA to join Taguchi Japan, or at least give him his towel, after the match. SANADA acted like he was going to grab it, but then jumped him and sent him out of the ring.

Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Taichi & El Desperado defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo

This was another good back-and-forth match between CHAOS and Suzuki-gun, with everyone coming in and getting some shine. Suzuki got Gedo in the sleeper, then shoved him to Desperado, who got the win with his new finisher, the Angel’s Wings.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA defeated BUSHI to retain his title

This was a good, but not great match. There was nothing particularly wrong about it, but it never truly felt heated. Hiromu Takahashi coming in to do spots was kind of annoying, as it was similar to the way the NEVER title match went on this tour, but it wasn’t as pronounced and may at least be a prelude to another showdown between him and KUSHIDA.

BUSHI went for a handshake; KUSHIDA obliged but immediately hit him into the ropes for a hot back and forth. BUSHI gained control and ground down KUSHIDA with some submission work.

BUSHI went to do something off the top rope, but KUSHIDA latched on and took him down to the floor, looking for a Kimura lock. Hiromu Takahashi, with his stuffed cat Darryl, came in to interfere, but KUSHIDA quickly took him out, then followed with a tope con hilo. His feet landed on top of the rail, hurting his leg. 

KUSHIDA came back to the ring and hit the Back to the Future, but Takahashi came in instead and pretended to be the ref, counting to three. KUSHIDA got up, allowing Takahashi to superkick him, then followed with the sunset flip bomb before exiting. 

BUSHI came around and took over on offense. He went to hit the MX, but KUSHIDA countered and laid him out. He misted KUSHIDA (while the ref was distracted, of course), then went for a bridge, but KUSHIDA kicked out. BUSHI went to jump off the top rope for the MX, but KUSHIDA caught him and landed the Back to the Future for the win.

Desperado came out after the match and hit KUSHIDA with his guitar, channeling Jeff Jarrett. He does have a win over KUSHIDA from the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, so he has his reason for challenging. The G1 finals would make the most sense for that match.

Desperado cut a promo to end the show.

NJPW Kizuna Road results: NEVER title on the line

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Kizuna Road tour returned this morning for a big main event at Korakuen Hall. We not only had some young lions matches and your usual tags, but also a NEVER Openweight title match with Minoru Suzuki defending against YOSHI-HASHI.

Shota Umino and Tetsuhiro Yagi went to a time limit draw

They had a solid opening match — standard stuff you’ll see in the usual young lion match. Both seem to show a lot of promise, with both of them continually improving as time goes on.

Once it went to a draw, Umino went to pick up Yagi, but he’d have none of it, and they butted heads for a bit before leaving.

The locker room segments that were seen on the previous Kizuna Road show made their return here. An announcer guy tried to interview Suzuki in the Suzuki-gun locker room, with the kind of results one would expect.

Tomoyuki Oka and Katsuya Kitamura went to a time limit draw

This was also solid. The crowd got into it towards the end as Kitamura was doing power spots, including a gutwrench suplex. Oka had the advantage and was landing some near falls when the bell rang, ending the match. Oka wasn’t done and continued working on Kitamura as both eventually had to be separated.

Announcer guy was back, this time with YOSHI-HASHI, who was all alone in the CHAOS locker room. YOSHI-HASHI politely answered the announcer’s questions.

Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & Taka Michinoku defeated Hirai Kawato, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV

This was Kawato’s match to shine. As far as the young lions go, he is probably the overall highlight out of the current bunch in terms of intensity. He scored a number of big near falls on Kanemaru which got the crowd hot for him. Kanemaru came back with his DDT finish for the win.

Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & Jado defeated Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima

Nagata and Ishii had a really good back-and-forth brawl. Nakanishi and Yano came in, then Nakanishi and Nagata worked on Yano together. An errant clothesline by Nakanishi into Nagata gave Yano ample opportunity to low blow Nakanishi and roll him up for the win.

This year’s G1 blocks were announced —

A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe. Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Bad Luck Fale, Yuji Nagata, Zack Sabre Jr., Kota Ibushi, Tetsuya Naito

B Block: Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima, Michael Elgin, Juice Robinson, Tama Tonga, SANADA, EVIL, Minoru Suzuki, Kenny Omega

Match lineups will be announced on tomorrow’s show.

El Desperado & Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated Kazuchika Okada & Gedo

Desperado had the stretch muffler on Gedo at one point until Okada broke it up. DBS grabbed Okada and prevented him from entering the ring again, allowing Desperado to score the win with an Angel’s Wings.

Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, EVIL & BUSHI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Ryusuke Taguchi & Togi Makabe

This match was full of solid action, but it was nothing too memorable. It was basically a showcase for Los Ingobernables. I did like one spot where Taguchi went to roll up SANADA in a ball, but he then exited the ring frustrated because he couldn’t get the job done. EVIL submitted Finlay with what looked like a chicken wing sleeper hold.

NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defeated YOSHI-HASHI to retain his title

This was one of those Suzuki-gun matches where the constant interference spots superseded everything, making you really wonder why New Japan makes their refs look so incompetent in trying to keep a match going without any interference. Once that all got settled, however, this turned into a pretty good bout.

YOSHI-HASHI was seconded by Okada, while Suzuki had Desperado, Kanemaru, Taka Michinoku, and Taichi. Okada proved his worth early, fending them off as YOSHI-HASHI bailed to the outside after taking some stiff kicks. Suzuki responded by grabbing the referee and walking away, leaving the heels to gang up on the faces. I didn’t know it was that easy.

Suzuki took YH and beat him down in the crowd, pelting him with steel chair shots. It turned into a wild mess where Suzuki laid out Okada and the rest of the heels picked apart YOSHI-HASHI.

Suzuki gained control, but when going for the Gotch piledriver, YH countered into a back body drop. YH came back with the butterfly lock, but the rest of Suzuki-gun interfered. Okada cleared house again, but Davey Boy Smith Jr. laid him out.

Smith went for the Bulldog Bomb, but suddenly the rest of Chaos emptied out of the locker room, finally evening the score!

YOSHI-HASHI sent Suzuki down with a sleeper and hit a senton, but Suzuki kicked out. He locked in the butterfly lock. Suzuki writhed in pain, but had trouble making it to the ropes. After being in it for a long while and teasing several times like he was going to submit, Suzuki managed to get one foot on the ropes.

Suzuki flew back with a dropkick, evening the odds. The two had a slap battle, with Suzuki winning. He put on the sleeper, then nailed YH with the Gotch piledriver to retain the title. 

Suzuki cut a promo to end the show.