EVIL won the NEVER Openweight title from Boltin Oleg Monday morning at Sumo Hall. After the match, he and the rest of House of Torture continued their beatdown on Boltin. Young lions entered the ring in an attempt to end the brawl, but things only continued until Aaron Wolf entered the ring and cleared house, taking down members with judo throws. He and EVIL met face to face, indicating a showdown may be imminent.
Backstage, the Olympic gold medalist in judo challenged EVIL to a match for Wrestle Kingdom 20. It had been previously announced that he would be making his professional wrestling debut on January 4.
In the co-main event, Yota Tsuji defeated Gabe Kidd to win the IWGP Global Championship for the second time. After the match, the two hugged and showed signs of respect towards one another. The rest of Bullet Club War Dogs came to the ring as the remnants of Los Ingobernables de Japon (Titan, Shingo Takagi, and Hiromu Takahashi) entered the ring to back up Tsuji. However, there wasn’t any confrontation, and instead the two factions ended up shaking hands. Announcers were confused as to what this could mean.
The NJPW Summer Struggle tour continued today with the first of three consecutive nights in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
An elimination match pitting members of Los Ingobernables de Japon against a Bullet Club team headlined today’s event.
The tour continues Saturday and Sunday. Sunday is the bigger show, with a NEVER Six-Man Tag title match, plus Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura’s final matches before their excursions.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
Night six of the Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour took place today at Korakuen Hall.
The top two matches again featured members of Los Ingobernables de Japon taking on members of The United Empire. Today it was United Empire that won both bouts.
The tour continues with a 5:30 a.m. Eastern time show on NJPW World on Monday morning.
NJPW continued the Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour today with a show at Korakuen Hall.
The top two matches pitted members of The United Empire against Los Ingobernables de Japon, with each unit winning a bout.
The tour continues with an untelevised event in Tochigi on Friday, then returns to Korakuen Hall with a 5:30 a.m. Eastern time show on NJPW World on Sunday morning.
NJPW continued the Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour today with a show at Korakuen Hall.
The main event pitted members of The United Empire against Los Ingobernables de Japon in an eight-man tag, with United Empire coming out on top.
The big angle on the show took place in the semi-main, as EVIL helped Dick Togo defeat Toru Yano after turning the lights out. EVIL will challenge Yano for the KOPW 2021 provisional title on April 28 at Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni.
The tour continues Thursday with a 5:30 a.m. Eastern time show, again from Korakuen Hall.
Here are full results from today’s show:
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated SHO, YOH & Gabriel Kidd (10:00)
Kanemaru pinned SHO after a ref bump, a low blow and a schoolboy.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI (8:40)
EVIL was presumably under the ring for the match as Yano crawled under the ring and someone threw him back out.
The lights went out after Yano put a hood over Togo’s head. A camera flash appeared to illuminate EVIL hitting Yano with Everything is EVIL while the lights were out. With the hood still on, Togo was placed on top of Yano. The lights came back on and Togo pinned Yano.
EVIL put a hood on Yano and stomped him down after the match.
Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (16:16)
Cobb pinned BUSHI after hitting a Tour of the Islands.
Here is the lineup for Thursday’s show:
NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku night four, Thursday, April 15, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
Will Ospreay & Aaron Henare vs. Shingo Takagi & SANADA
Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI vs. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the first two cards for their Summer Struggle tour.
Night one airs on Sunday morning starting at 5:30 a.m. ET. Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi will take on EVIL, Dick Togo, and Taiji Ishimori in the main event. Naito confronted EVIL last night and made the save for Hiromu Takahashi after Hiromu was beaten up by EVIL, Togo and Ishimori.
Kazuchika Okada and SHO will team in the co-main event, facing Yujiro Takahashi and Gedo. Okada defeated Yujiro at Sengoku Lord this weekend in a singles match.
Night two features the same top two matches from night one, with the exception of SANADA taking BUSHI’s place in the main event. Some matches in the midcard have also been altered.
Here are the full cards for the first two nights of the Summer Struggle tour, both which take place at Korakuen Hall:
Night one:
Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. EVIL, Dick Togo, and Taiji Ishimori
Kazuchika Okada and SHO vs. Yujiro Takahashi and Gedo
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Yuji Nagata and Yuya Uemura vs. Minoru Suzuki and DOUKI
YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA and Shingo Takagi
Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima, and Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and Gabriel Kidd
Night two:
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. EVIL, Dick Togo, and Taiji Ishimori
Kazuchika Okada and SHO vs. Yujiro Takahashi and Gedo
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and DOUKI
Yuji Nagata and Yuya Uemura vs. Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado
YOSHI-HASHI and Toru Yano vs. Shingo Takagi and BUSHI
Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima, and Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and Gabriel Kidd
This was a solid opener and Uemura was the star of the match.
Kojima and Tsuji began and traded a few power moves. Tenzan and Uemura tagged in and they did some mat wrestling. They traded strikes until Tenzan cut Uemura off with Mongolian chops.
Kojima and Tenzan worked Uemura over. Kojima used a neckbreaker for three near falls as Uemura did a great job selling his neck. Tenzan and Kojima took turns chopping Uemura in the corner.
Tenzan used a brainbuster for a near fall. Uemura managed to tag Tsuji who gut cut off after a mountain bomb from Tenzan. Kojima tagged in for machine gun chops but Tsuji cut him off before he could hit the follow-up elbow.
Uemura hit Kojima with chops. He hit both Tenzan and Kojima with a double dropkick. He used a crab on Kojima. Tenzan tried to break it up but got hit by a Tsuji spear. Kojima finally forced a break.
The finishing sequence saw Kojima kick out of a double underhook suplex from Uemura. Uemura hit the ropes but ran right into a lariat for the pin.
The highlights of this one were the exchanges between Honma and Ishii. Ishii went out of his way to make Honma look good and the crowd really got into their spots. Kidd also looked good here.
Honma got some early offense on YOSHI-HASHI. YH was slightly favoring his right knee which he injured during the New Japan Cup.
Honma and Ishii traded a bunch of chops which got the crowd into the match. Honma missed a kokeshi. Taguchi hit an illegal elbow drop on Ishii to cut him off. Taguchi Japan went four-on-one against Ishii before Ishii escaped.
Yano and Taguchi did some comedy spots. Makabe and SHO traded a series of forearm shots. Yano exposed a buckle which led to the finish. Kidd hit a dropkick on Yano and used a crab but Ishii broke it up.
The finish saw everyone jump in for a big move. Kidd rolled Yano up for a near fall before transitioning to a crab. Yano reached the ropes, hit a slingshot into an exposed buckle and used a schoolboy for the pin.
SANADA & Shingo Takagi defeated El Desperado & DOUKI (12:41)
The action in this one was weak for a Shingo match but this was all about setting up his match at Sengoku Lord.
Shingo and SANADA attacked before the opening bell. Shingo went right for Desperado, his opponent in the NEVER title match on Saturday.
Suzuki-gun turned the tide and turned it into a brawl around ringside. This was notable as it was the first crowd brawl in the COVID era that required fans to move.
DOUKI used a chair on Shingo’s left leg, so it looks as though he will go into the match Saturday selling a knee injury. DOUKI and Desperado worked over SANADA in the ring before SANADA managed a tag.
Desperado continued working on Shingo’s left knee. He used a stretch muffler and Shingo sold for a long time before finally forcing a rope break. Shingo hit a back elbow, jab and lariat before tagging out to set up the closing sequence.
DOUKI hit a neckbreaker and his Day Breaker slingshot DDT for near falls. Shingo and Desperado brawled to the floor. SANADA tried for Skull End but DOUKI cradled him for a near fall.
SANADA then lifted DOUKI for a TKO before transitioning to Skull End instead. He locked in the dragon sleeper and body scissors and DOUKI tapped.
Desperado attacked Shingo after the bell and stole his NEVER Openweight title belt as well.
I was willing to give this Yujiro vs. Okada program a shot but it was clear in this match that they need to get out of this as soon as possible. Yujiro’s work is just nowhere near Okada’s level and the people don’t care about the feud.
Okada wanted to start off with Yujiro but Yujiro begged off. Okada hit Gedo with a dropkick. Gedo tried to run to the back but Goto went after him and brought him back to the ring. Goto tagged in and worked on Gedo with stomps.
Gedo cut Goto off with a thumb to the eye. Yujiro interfered and aided in attacking Goto before turning his attention to Okada. The crowd was completely silent as Yujiro posted Okada and nailed him with punches on the floor.
Gedo exposed a buckle and sent Goto into it. Gedo and Yujiro spent several minutes working on Goto before he finally managed a hot tag to Okada.
Okada hit his trademark back elbow, back elbow in the corner and DDT sequence on Yujiro. He teased an air raid crash but Yujiro blocked. They worked back to the air raid crash and Okada hit it before both tagged out.
The closing sequence saw Goto hit a wheel kick and a Saito suplex for a near fall, then hit the GTR for the pin.
Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell. Taichi used his mic stand to attack Tanahashi. Suzuki and Nagata began with an exchange that left you wanting to see a rematch of their New Japan Cup classic.
Tanahashi and Sabre tagged in and the story they told was cool as Tanahashi was able to get the upper hand on the mat at first and had a counter for every hold Sabre tried. Sabre used interference from Taichi to target Tana’s right knee and take over.
After a few minutes of continuing to work on the knee, Tana managed a dragon screw on Taichi and tagged Ibushi. Ibushi hit a standing moonsault for a near fall. Ibushi and Taichi traded kicks before Wato and Kanemaru tagged in.
Wato hit a standing moonsault for a two count. He went to the top rope but Suzuki jumped in and cut him off. Kanemaru recovered and hit a one-legged dropkick and inverted DDT for a near fall.
Kanemaru hit Deep Impact and had Wato pinned but pulled him up after the count of two. Kanemaru then hit Touch Out (spinning brainbuster) for the pin.
Nagata and Suzuki went at it after the bell and had to be pulled apart. Sabre and Taichi talked trash to Tanahashi and Ibushi.
Suzuki and Nagata had a second pull-apart and traded slaps to the face so they definitely look to be running that back soon.
This had a unique start as Hiromu came to the ring acting very heelish. He kept his ring jacket on while everyone else was getting ready for the match.
Hiromu stared at EVIL before taking his jacket off and revealing a Bullet Club shirt. He pointed a finger gun at EVIL before turning it on Naito and BUSHI. Naito and BUSHI acted confused. Hiromu then attacked EVIL and revealed that this was all a ruse and he was still LIJ.
Bullet Club tripled up on Naito as the match began. Togo used a fist drop before slapping a chinlock on Naito. Naito blocked a DDT and used a crab on Togo before EVIL jumped in to cut him off with an eye gouge.
Hiromu and EVIL got tags. Hiromu hit a low dropkick on EVIL. Togo and Ishimori tried to cut him off but Hiromu fought them off. Hiromu hit a shotgun dropkick off the apron onto all three Bullet Club members.
Back inside, Hiromu hit EVIL with a falcon arrow for a near fall. The crowd got into the match at this point. EVIL blocked Time Bomb and took the referee, allowing Togo and Ishimori to expose a buckle and double up on Hiromu.
EVIL repeatedly sent Hiromu into the exposed buckle. Hiromu came back with a superkick and a lariat into a double down.
BUSHI tagged in and hit an enzuigiri and a missile dropkick on EVIL. He fought off attacks from Ishimori and Togo and hit a tope suicida on EVIL. BUSHI and Naito held EVIL up while Hiromu hit a doomsday device missile dropkick. BUSHI covered for a two count.
The match broke down as everyone jumped in at the finish. EVIL hit Hiromu with a lariat. Togo choked BUSHI with a ligature while Ishimori took the ref.
EVIL then hit BUSHI with Everything is EVIL for the pin.
After the match, Togo choked Hiromu out with the ligature. EVIL teased hitting EVIL on Hiromu but chose not to.
EVIL cut a brief promo before standing over the fallen LIJ to close the show.
EVIL not only emerged triumphant in tonight’s New Japan Cup finals, he severed his relationship with Los Ingobernables de Japon and joined the Bullet Club.
Towards the end of tonight’s finals, Gedo came out to distract the referee, allowing Yujiro Takahashi to jump Kazuchika Okada from behind. EVIL went for the pin, but Okada kicked out as both Gedo and Yujiro left the arena.
Okada went for his new cobra clutch submission towards the end of the match, but EVIL drove him and the referee into the corner, sending the referee down. EVIL proceeded to low blow Okada twice, then landed the Everything is EVIL STO to win his first New Japan Cup tournament, setting the stage for Sunday’s Dominion main event against Naito for both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles.
After the match, Naito came out and said a few words before raising his fist for the LIJ salute. EVIL went to raise his arm, but instead flashed the “two sweet” hand gesture before attacking Naito, sending him down with Everything is Evil. The rest of the Bullet Club came out and attacked before the rest of LIJ came out for the save.
Two other title matches set for Sunday include Shingo Takagi vs. SHO for the NEVER Openweight title and Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. for the IWGP Tag Team titles. Seven to nine matches are scheduled.
NJPW returned today with its first show in 110 days, the Together Project Special.
The show began with a video recap of some of the Together Project content posted on NJPW World over the last few months. The recap continued with video messages sent in from NJPW fans celebrating the return.
After the video package, we got our first look at the empty arena. The set resembled an empty theater.
The ring announcer called out the Taguchi Japan members of the NJPW roster. Hiroshi Tanahashi cut a promo in Japanese.
The ring announcer then presented the card for the evening.
This was your standard, technically sound NJPW opener.
Kidd got a waistlock takedown. Tsuji powered Kidd back into the ropes and broke cleanly. Each tried to work the other’s left arm. Kidd briefly had an armbar before Tsuji grabbed a heel hook. Kidd escaped and applied a cross armbreaker but Tsuji forced an immediate rope break.
Tsuji hit a shoulder tackle. Tsuji hit a series of strikes in the corner. Tsuji hit a hip toss for a near fall. Tsuji applied a camel clutch. Tsuji hit a splash for another near fall.
Kidd blocked a slam and hit one of his own. Kidd tried a pair of tackles but could not get Tsuji down. Kidd hit some forearm strikes and then finally got Tsuji off his feet with a tackle. Kidd hit a dropkick for a two count.
Kidd fought for a full crab. Tsuji kicked him off so Kidd settled for a single-leg crab. Tsuji forced a rope break.
Tsuji hit a backdrop and used a vertical suplex for a two count. Kidd used a cradle for a surprise near fall. They traded strikes and some hard slaps.
For the finish, Tsuji used a spear for a two count then got a full Boston crab applied. Kidd tapped.
Desperado and Kanemaru attacked before the opening bell. They hit Ishii with a 3D and he rolled outside. Uemura came back with a dropkick on both Desperado and Kanemaru. Kanemaru cut him off with an eye rake.
Desperado taunted Ishii and Ishii jumped in illegally. Ishii and Desperado traded strikes while Kanemaru ran Uemura into the barricade.
Kanemaru tagged in and continued working Uemura over. Kanemaru used a camel clutch while Ishii and Desperado fought on the floor. Desperado raked Ishii’s eyes.
Uemura missed one dropkick but hit a second and tagged Ishii. Ishii dropped Kanemaru with a tackle. Ishii no-sold an eye rake. Desperado nailed Ishii from the apron. Ishii brought Desperado inside with a brainbuster.
Desperado and Kanemaru tried to double team Ishii. Ishii side-stepped a big boot and Kanemaru nailed Desperado. Ishii hit Kanemaru with a powerslam.
Kanemaru hit a low dropkick to Ishii’s left leg. Desperado tagged in and worked on the same leg. Desperado tried Numero Dos but Ishii forced a rope break. Ishii hit a backdrop suplex and tagged out.
Uemura entered and first went after Kanemaru on the floor, whipping him into the barricade. He then attacked Desperado with a vertical suplex and a full crab. Kanemaru attacked and forced Uemura to give up the hold.
Desperado hit Uemura with a spinebuster. Kanemaru connected with a one-legged dropkick and Desperado covered for a two count. Ishii jumped in. Uemura cradled Desperado for a two count.
Desperado hit a spear for a near fall then used the stretch muffler for the submission win.
This was a comedy brawl. Sometimes the comedy was unintentional. This would have been a stretch to make work in front of a crowd and it had no chance in this setting.
All of these guys were very vocal. Jado can barely move and shouldn’t be in the ring.
Yujiro and Goto began. Goto went for an ushigoroshi early but Yujiro blocked.
Yano and Jado tagged in. Yano grabbed a corner pad and Jado brought his kendo stick into the ring. Yano ducked a kendo stick shot. Jado took the ref and Yujiro attacked Yano.
YH tagged in. Gedo hit him from behind and attempted a double team but YH fought it off. Jado cut YH off and the heels took turns working him over. YH hit a headhunter on Ishimori to set up a tag to Goto.
Goto used a misdirection lariat, a wheel kick and a Saito suplex to earn a near fall. Ishimori blocked an ushigoroshi and hit a handspring kick.
Gedo tagged in and hit a jaw breaker. Goto blocked a thrust kick and tagged Honma. Honma sent Gedo into the exposed buckle and hit a bulldog. Honma missed a kokeshi.
Yujiro tagged in and all four faces teamed up against him. Honma hit a kokeshi for a near fall. Honma hit a slam. Honma tried a kokeshi off the second rope but missed.
Jado used a kendo stick on Honma. Yujiro followed with a fisherman buster but Goto broke up the pin.
Yujiro then hit Pimp Juice for the pin.
**********
A hype video played for The Grand Master. He is coming soon.
**********
Some staff members were shown cleaning the ring and ringside area. The announcers filled time. The announcers were several feet apart with partitions between them.
We then got an official cleaning and disinfection intermission.
These guys had a really good match and the finish was surprising. The time off looked to have done Tenzan some good as he was moving well.
Taguchi and SANADA locked up. They had a nice chain wrestling exchange that ended in a stalemate. Taguchi offered a fist bump but then kicked SANADA instead.
They did a great comedy spot where Taguchi thought he had successfully applied the paradise lock. He hadn’t. Taguchi did his Nakamura mannerisms and hit a hip attack to SANADA’s head.
Tenzan and SANADA traded palm strikes to the chest. Tenzan hit some Mongolian chops. Kojima cleared the LIJ corner and joined Tenzan for some tandem offense on SANADA.
LIJ took control of the match after BUSHI tripped Tenzan from the floor. BUSHI tagged in and choked Tenzan with his shirt. LIJ took turns working over Tenzan. Tenzan managed to tag out after hitting a wheel kick to EVIL.
Kojima hit machine gun chops on EVIL and connected with the follow-up top rope elbow for a near fall. Taguchi tagged in for a series of hip attacks on SANADA and BUSHI.
Taguchi hit a springboard hip attack and used an ankle lock on SANADA. Taguchi blocked a TKO, blocked a Skull End and used a cradle for a two count. SANADA hit a low dropkick.
The match broke down. BUSHI hit Taguchi with a backstabber for a two count. BUSHI hit a rewind kick. Taguchi countered with a hip attack and an ankle lock. SANADA broke up the hold. Tenzan and Kojima hit a TenCozy Cutter on EVIL.
BUSHI blocked Dodon. Taguchi hit a Bomaye for a two count, then got the ankle lock applied again. BUSHI tapped out.
This was about setting up New Japan Cup matches and teasing some spots for those matches.
Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell in this match as well. Suzuki and Nagata started off as the legal men and traded strikes.
Sabre and Ibushi tagged in. They traded strikes until Sabre grabbed a hold. Ibushi tried to shoot Sabre off into the ropes but Sabre hit a flapjack and Suzuki-gun turned this into a brawl around ringside.
Suzuki-gun isolated Ibushi in their corner. It was something else seeing DOUKI get offense on Ibushi. Ibushi came back with a backflip kick and tagged out.
Tanahashi hit a slam and a somersault senton on Taichi for a two count. Taichi blocked a slingblade. Tana blocked a backdrop suplex. They traded strikes. Taichi hit a high kick. He went for a buzzsaw kick but Tana blocked and hit a dragon screw.
Makabe tagged in and hit Taichi with punches in the corner. Sabre and Suzuki tried to interfere but they were intercepted by Tana and Ibushi.
DOUKI and Makabe ended up as the legal men. Makabe got caught in a triangle but forced a rope break. Everyone jumped in for a big move. Nagata and Suzuki brawled to the floor.
DOUKI hit Makabe with a pipe and rolled him up. Makabe kicked out at two. Makabe then hit a slam and hit the King Kong Knee Drop for the pin.
Taichi and Tanahashi had a long staredown after the match.
Okada and Naito began the match. They locked up. Okada broke cleanly against the ropes. Naito kicked Okada off the break. They traded holds. Naito used a side headlock takeover. Okada used a headscissors escape.
Shingo and SHO tagged in for an electric exchange. Hiromu jumped in. YOH intercepted him and SHO and YOH nailed Hiromu with dropkicks.
SHO got the upper hand on Shingo with some hard kicks. Shingo sold them big time for SHO. SHO tried a series of lariats but Shingo did not go down.
LIJ used an illegal triple team to assert control of the match. They isolated SHO in their corner and worked him over. Shingo used a brainbuster for a near fall. Naito tagged in and worked on SHO’s left leg. Hiromu tagged in and worked on the left leg and left arm.
Hiromu hit a dropkick and made a cover but YOH broke up the pin after just a one count. SHO came back with a spear to Shingo and a vertical suplex on Hiromu.
Okada tagged in for a running back elbow, a running back elbow in the corner and a DDT for a two count. Hiromu avoided a top rope elbow attempt and Okada landed on his feet. Hiromu avoided a tombstone and dropped Okada with a back suplex.
Naito and Okada had another exchange. Naito avoided an air raid crash on the first attempt. Okada landed the move on the second try.
YOH tagged in and nailed Naito with a flying forearm and a missile dropkick for a near fall. LIJ saved for Naito. The match broke down. SHO and Shingo jumped in and hit lariats.
Naito went for Destino. YOH blocked and rolled up Naito for a two count. Naito blocked a falcon arrow and hit a flipping inverted Destino. I’m not sure that’s what the move is, but I don’t know what else to call it. The move looks awesome.
Naito then hit YOH with the traditional Destino and pinned him.
**********
Naito cut a promo to close the show. He mentioned the New Japan Cup and ended with the LIJ roll call.
Here are the results from tonight’s New Japan Showdown event at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California. It featured a six-man tag match in the main event, with LIJ members facing off against The Bullet Club.
TJP & Amazing Red defeated Alex Zayne & Aaron Solow
– Red pinned Solow with the Code Red.
Colt Cabana & Toru Yano defeated Alex Coughlin & Karl Fredericks
– Cabana pinned Fredericks with the Superman pin.
Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer & El Desperado defeated Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Clark Connors
– Suzuki defeated Connors with the Gotch Style piledriver.
SANADA & EVIL defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Rocky Romero
– SANADA submitted Rocky with the Skull End.
Kota Ibushi defeated Ren Narita
– Ibushi submitted Narita with an elevated Boston crab.
Ibaraki was home this morning to the first Road to Wrestling Dontaku card, headlined by a ten man tag team match pitting members of CHAOS against members of Los Ingobernables de Japon. Here are results from this morning’s event:
Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura
Basic, simple opener. Most young lion singles matches end in draws, but Tsuji got the submission win here with the boston crab, marking the first singles win of his career.
Toa Henare defeated Ren Narita
Another pretty basic match, the kind of formulaic bout you’d see between a young lion and someone further up the card. Narita made a hot comeback, but Henare cut him off with a headbutt and won with the uranage.
Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado defeated Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata and Shota Umino
A good match. Match started with the usual Suzuki-gun brawling. Kanemaru gave Umino a guillotine leg drop across the barricade. Suzuki-gun made sure to work over him a lot. He got some close near falls on Suzuki, but quickly fell to a Gotch piledriver once Suzuki connected.
Guerillas of Destiny and Taiji Ishimori defeated Togi Makabe, Toru Yano and Tomoaki Honma
Bullet Club basically did what Suzuki-gun did and brawled with their opponents throughout the crowd. It’s okay if one stable does it, but two is kind of overkill. Another okay match. Honma survived a Jado kendo stick shot, but was no match for Tanga Loa’s sitout piledriver, which ended the match.
Yano once again took possession of the IWGP tag belts after the match, which led Tama Tonga to chase after him into the back.
Juice Robinson, Hirooki Goto, Mikey Nicholls and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens and Hikuleo
Juice has very…loud new ring gear. Another formulaic tag match, but people did get into Juice. Hikuleo seems more confident in the ring even though he’s still pretty green. Juice cut him off and hit the pulp friction for the win. Fale stared him down after the match, as that is the next US title program.
Kota Ibushi, Jushin Thunder Liger and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi and Taka Michinoku
Naturally, the highlight was the faceoff between Sacre and Ibushi, who go at it at the end of this month. Taichi set hits sights on Liger, who he threw into a bunch of empty chairs outside the ring. This ended up being another solid match that the crowd got into. Ibushi took out Sabre with a dive to the floor as YOSHI-HASHI hit a lariat on Michinoku. He followed up with karma and scored the pinfall for his team.
Suzuki-gun jumped the faces after the match. Sabre laid out Ibushi with the Zack driver and held both the IC and British Heavyweight titles over the fallen Ibushi.
Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI, SANADA and Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and Roppongi 3K
SANADA and Okada, the two that will face off next month for the IWGP title, squared off first. EVIL and Ishii had a huge striking battle, while the two junior tag teams went after each other as well. Naito, whose storyline on this tour seems to be that he has nothing to do, paired off with Rocky Romero.
SANADA tried to put Okada in a paradise lock at one point, but failed to do so. That may play into their future match. EVIL put Ishii in the sharpshooter, then Naito scored the win over Romero with the Destino. A fine house show main event, but nothing special in the larger scope of things.
Naito closed off the show with a promo and the LIJ roll call.
The new pareja of Los Ingobernables de Japon is none other than new free agent Shingo Takagi.
The former Dragon Gate star made his debut tonight during King of Pro Wrestling, the fourth man in a eight man tag team match pitting CHAOS members against LIJ. After teasing that the partner might be Milano Collection AT at ringside, Tetsuya Naito introduced their partner, who was introduced as The Dragon. Takagi, who was under a LIJ mask, then revealed himself to a huge pop. They went on to win their match against Roppongi 3K, Toru Yano and Kazuchika Okada when Takagi pinned SHO with the Last Falconry, which is now called the Last of the Dragon.
Takagi announced last month that he would be going freelance, with his last date as a full roster member of Dragon Gate being on 10/7. In his final match with the promotion, he lost to BxB Hulk in a singles bout.
In Dragon Gate, he held the Open the Dream Gate four times and the Open the Triangle Gate six times with various stablemates over the years.
The appearance of Los Ingobernables de Japón in Arena Mexico has been altered a bit due to an injury.
The original match was slated to be Tetsuya Naito, EVIL and BUSHI vs. L.A. Park, Volador Jr. and Diamate Azul. However, the card for the 8/31 show was posted today on the Arena Mexico Twitter account, with Rush taking EVIL’s spot in the main event. The poster noted that EVIL would be a valet for the Ingobernables instead.
Dave Meltzer mentioned on Twitter that EVIL is currently suffering from a knee injury, which may be why he’s off the card in an active capacity. It isn’t known how serious the injury is, but he was recently announced for the Destruction events that will be taking place next month.
The co-main event of the 8/31 card will have a singles match between two of the participants in the 85th Aniversario main event, as Matt Taven will take on Barbaro Cavernario. Ultimo Guerrero, Euforia and Gran Guerrero will also team up to take on Ciber the Main Man, The Chris and Scharly Rock Star.
