To help build toward an upcoming Junior Heavyweight title match, NJPW has made a slight change to the Sakura Genesis card.
Tiger Mask IV and Master Wato have swapped places on the April 4 lineup, with Tiger Mask now set to compete in an eight-man tag match opposite IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI. The match pits Tiger Mask, Aaron Wolf, YOH & Toru Yano against DOUKI, Don Fale, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
As for Wato, he will now team up with Togi Makabe against Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita.
The change comes after Tiger Mask confronted DOUKI earlier this week and challenged him to a title match. A date for that bout has not been set yet. Tiger Mask, who only has three months left before the end of his in-ring career, wants to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title and retire as champion.
Sakura Genesis is being held at Sumo Hall in Tokyo and will stream live overnight at 3 a.m. Eastern/midnight Pacific.
NJPW Sakura Genesis 2026 (Saturday, April 4) —
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji defends against Callum Newman
IWGP Tag Team Champions The Knock Out Brothers (Oskar & Yuto-Ice) defend against Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa
NJPW World Television Champion Konosuke Takeshita defends against Shota Umino
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Oleg Boltin defend against Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan & HENARE vs. Yuya Uemura, Taichi & El Desperado
Tiger Mask, Aaron Wolf, YOH & Toru Yano vs. DOUKI, Don Fale, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Shingo Takagi, Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X vs. Jake Lee, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young
Togi Makabe & Master Wato vs. Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita
The next three entrants in this year’s Best of the Super Junior tournament have been announced.
It was confirmed on Sunday that YOH and Master Wato would be returning this year. In addition, CMLL’s Valiente Jr. will be making his tournament debut, which starts on May 14 and concludes on June 7 in Ota.
This will be Master Wato’s sixth entry, missing last year’s tournament due to injury. He recently challenged current IWGP Junior Champion DOUKI during NJPW’s Anniversary show earlier this month, but came up short after frequent interference from the House of Torture.
YOH meanwhile made it to the finals of last year’s BOSJ, but lost out to Kosei Fujita. Valiente Jr. made his debut for NJPW earlier this year, taking part of the annual Fantasticamania tour in Japan featuring CMLL talent.
Those already announced for the tournament include last year’s winner Fujita, DDT’s Daisuke Sasaki, DOUKI, and El Desperado.
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 confirmed participants:
NJPW has booked a couple of title bouts for its upcoming Anniversary event.
On March 6, NJPW will celebrate its 54th birthday with an Anniversary show at Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo. It’s been confirmed that the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles will be on the line. DOUKI is defending his belt against Master Wato, while Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X are challenging Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita for their tag team gold.
This will be the second defense for both DOUKI and Eagles & Fujita during their respective reigns.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when Master Wato challenges DOUKI. Mere days after HOUSE OF TORTURE rallied around DOUKI to assist him to a first defence of the junior heavyweight title against El Desperado in Korakuen, Wato ensured the H.O.T victory lap was cut short, striking with the Tstenkaku German to pin Japones Del Mal and assert himself as the next number one contender. As the next chapter of HOUSE OF TORTURE with Ren Narita at its helm continues, will the self proclaimed ‘junior heavyweight god’ DOUKI retain by hook and crook again, or on the site of his Best of the Super Jr. tournament victory in 2023, can Wato finally complete his journey to Grand Master status?
Also official for Anniversary is a battle over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita defending against Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori. The last time NJPW was in Ota for New Year Dash, the Ichiban Sweet Boys Eagles and Fujita won the junior tag gold by defeating Robbie X in a four way bout. When Ishimori scored tag team victory for himself and Hiromu Takahashi at New Beginning in Osaka however, defeating United Empire’s Jakob Austin Young and Francesco Akira, the Unbound Co. name seemed to grow stonger in tag contention. Robbie would provide the assist to prevent a post match assault on Hiromu, and backstage, Ishimori would issue a challenge. These two teams tore the house down in a junior tag title clash in Korakuen last April as well as in the Super Junior Tag League in the autumn to bring them to a 1-1 record. This time, which team will not only bring down the house, but bring home the bacon?
The Anniversary show will air live on NJPW World with English commentary available. Along with these title bouts, the card includes two opening-round matches in New Japan Cup 2026.
NJPW 54th Anniversary Show (Friday, March 6) —
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI defends against Master Wato
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita defend against Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X
New Japan Cup first-round match: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jake Lee
New Japan Cup first-round match: OSKAR vs. Callum Newman
The card for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 officially has a new addition.
NJPW has confirmed that NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions YOH, Master Wato & Toru Yano will defend their titles in a multi-team ranbo at the January 4 Tokyo Dome show. The match was set up this week with an angle where YOH staged a protest at an NJPW show, demanding that his team get a spot on Wrestle Kingdom. YOH said they would take on any number of challengers.
The ranbo match has a tornado stipulation where there are no tags and eliminations can occur via pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope. Once one member from a team is out, the whole team is eliminated.
“The NEVER Openweight 6 man Champions were created at Wrestle Kingdom 10, and their tenth anniversary is being marked in this first time ever team ranbo,” NJPW wrote. “In the match, an as yet unknown number of teams will make their entrances at one minute intervals. Tornado rules mean there are no tags, and when one member of a team is pinned, submitted or thrown over the top rope, that entire team is eliminated, with the last trio standing the NEVER 6 Man Champions. Who will be victorious in this new twist on a Ranbo Tokyo Dome tradition?”
In another Tokyo Dome announcement, NJPW has confirmed that Kaisei Takechi of DDT Pro Wrestling and pop group The Rampage will be competing at Wrestle Kingdom. It’s not been announced which match he’ll be wrestling in.
Here is where the Wrestle Kingdom card stands with more than a month to go:
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 (Sunday, January 4, 2026 on NJPW World) —
Winner-takes-all match: IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita vs. IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada
NEVER Openweight Champion EVIL defends against Aaron Wolf
NJPW wrestler Master Wato is facing an extended period of time out of action.
Wato was supposed to face SHO in the semi-main event of Tuesday’s Road to the New Beginning show at Korakuen Hall. Instead, the event opened with Wato on crutches and announcing that he has a left knee injury that will require surgery. There was then an angle where SHO attacked Wato with a wrench. SHO taunted Wato until El Desperado made the save.
NJPW has confirmed that Wato’s injury is a torn left ACL. The injury happened during a tag team match where Wato & Desperado lost to SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru at the New Beginning in Nagoya on January 20.
Wato said: “I will come back better than 100 percent and when I do come back I will face SHO one on one.”
SHO didn’t wrestle at Tuesday’s Road to the New Beginning event after his scheduled match against Wato was canceled. The main event saw Desperado retain his IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Kanemaru. SHO attacked Desperado during a backstage interview following the match and declared that he’ll be challenging for Desperado’s championship next.
NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors 30 finals take place today at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
B Block winner Master Wato will take on the winner of A Block, CMLL’s Titan in the main event. Both scored upset victories in the semifinals show on Friday to punch their tickets to the finals.
Oleg and Leube opened the match with an intense sequence before the Yuto helped the youngest team take full advantage. They also did a decent job at holding back Makabe early on. Eventually, Makabe turned things around, landing a leaping knee from the top rope to pin Yuto.
Clark Connors defeated Ryohei Oiwa
This was another good, to the point match.
This match quickly spilled to the floor, where Connors drove Oiwa into the ring post. Back in the ring, Connors maintained his lead until a well-timed dropkick from Oiwa turned the match around. Oiwa held the lead before a pair of spears ended any advances he made. Connor ended the match with a DDT.
After the match, Connors destroyed Oiwa with a chair.
Eagles and Rush opened with a quick exchange before passing the match off to YOH and Fujita. YOH and Rush were able to single out Fujita to establish an early lead.
Eventually, Eagles received a hot tag. Rush tried his best to maintain his team’s lead, landing a big tope to the floor, but Eagles continued to advance, forcing YOH to hit the ring and resulting in a match reset.
Fujita tried taking on Rush, but Rush fought through, landing final hour to win the match for his team.
United Empire (Aaron Henare, Dan Moloney, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP) defeated TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima), Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA) & Yuji Nagata
The match opened with a few one-on-one sequences before UE worked to isolate Knight. Once the tag came, Kojima reversed the momentum of the match, leading to a few more one-on-one exchanges.
Ultimately, Henare hit Tenzan with streets of rage to win the match.
No Contest: CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)
HOT opened the match by rushing the CHAOS trio. CHAOS held on through the initial onslaught to gain the first lead, but a trip from Dick Togo allowed HOT to take a full lead.
After an extended period of HOT control, Yano tagged in and began removing turnbuckle pads. This backfired when he was whipped into the exposed corner, only furthering HOT’s control.
Eventually, YH tagged in and turned the match around. He secured a butterfly lock, which seemed to mark the end of the match. Instead, EVIL and Yujiro dragged Arron Henare and Great O-Khan into the ring and started attacking them. The United Empire pair fought back, resulting in a no contest.
Okada vs. defiant younglings continues to be the best feud in wrestling.
Taguchi tried starting the match, but Umino only wanted Okada. Once the veteran squad refused, the match opened with a typical exchange.
Eventually, rivals Desperado and Ishii came to blows. Desperado maintained a strong footing for his team, leading into a match breakdown.
Umino and Okada traded a few moves in a period of chaos before Umino tried to take on Tanahashi. Okada interrupted Umino’s advance, taking Umino to the floor, where he dropped him with a DDT.
Ultimately, Umino put Okada on the back foot, prompting Narita to tag himself in. Okada was able to fight off Narita before tagging in Taguchi. A match breakdown followed.
In the brawl, Umino threw a table at Okada, leaving Narita alone in the ring with Taguchi. Narita secured a cobra twist and forced Taguchi to submit, winning the match for his team.
After the match, Desperado and Bailey traded a couple of strikes.
Umino cut a promo where he called out the trios champions. Umino announced his partners for Dominion were Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
LIJ started the match by rushing J5G. J5G withstood the initial onslaught and turned the match in their favor early. Even though a second LIJ rush, J5G maintained a lead.
The third LIJ rush allowed Naito to take a bit of a lead over DOUKI. When J5G hit the ring to fight off LIJ, LIJ won out. Naito hit DOUKI with Destino and won the match.
BOSJ Final: Master Wato defeated Titan
Early on, the pair seemed to be on even footing. Wato scored a dive to the floor to establish the first lead. Dropkicks to the leg of Wato allowed Titan to turn the match around, at least for a moment, but a second dive to the floor left Wato back in control.
Titan threw Wato to the floor before landing a springboard flip to put Wato on the back foot; a second dive moments later only furthered this lead.
Back in the ring, the pair traded strikes before a bomb left Wato ahead once again. Wato tried for a submission, but Titan found the ropes and landed a DDT moments later to retake the lead.
Titan tried for a corner dropkick but overshot and crashed to the floor. Titan was quick to recover, landing a double foot stomp moments later before securing a leglock; Wato escaped with the rope.
Wato hit a sudden suplex to reset the match and score a near fall. Titan responded with la mistica for a near fall of his own. Titan then landed a second foot stomp, this time from the top rope, and again, Wato kicked out.
After hanging on, Wato hit another suplex. Wato then landed Recientemente and pinned Titan to win BOSJ.
After the match, Wato and Hiromu shared the ring to set up their future title match.
It will be Titan vs. Master Wato in this year’s Best of the Super Juniors finals.
The tournament’s semifinals took place Friday from Tokyo.
Wato defeated Mike Bailey in the first semifinal on the card. In the later stages of the match, Wato kicked out from Bailey’s Ultimate Weapon. Moments later, he was able to fight back from a series of kicks and hit his Tsutenkaku German suplex for the win.
Titan defeated El Desperado in the second semifinal. Both wrestlers were favoring an injured leg in the closing stages. Titan was able to get to the ropes while locked in Desperado’s Numero Dos. Desperado later tapped to Llave Inmortal (Muta Lock) to send Titan to the finals.
Both Wato and Titan finished second in their block and then defeated the other block’s winner in the semifinals. This year’s tournament was the first since 2014 to include a semifinal round.
This is Titan’s fourth time entering the Best of the Super Juniors. His previous best finish in the tournament had been eight points. This is also Master Wato’s fourth BOSJ. He finished with 8 points each of the last three years.
The tournament finals take place Sunday from the Ota City General Gymnasium. No other matches have been announced for the show.
A change has been made to NJPW’s next IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match.
Champions Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask will now defend their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles in a four-way match at NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series show this Saturday (February 19). It will be Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
The match was originally set to be Eagles & Tiger Mask defending against Ishimori & Phantasmo, but the other two teams were added after challenges that were issued at Sunday’s New Year’s Golden Series show.
Eagles & Tiger Mask have been IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from Desperado & Kanemaru last October.
Saturday’s New Year’s Golden Series event is the second-to-last stop on the tour. The tour will conclude with shows in Sapporo on both Saturday and Sunday. Both shows are airing live on NJPW World.
Here’s the updated lineup for Saturday’s event:
IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defends against SANADA
IWGP Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defend against EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi
Four-way match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask defend against Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato, and El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Kazuchika Okada, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Tomoaki Honma vs. The Great-O-Khan
Tomohiro Ishii & YOH vs. Dick Togo & SHO
Toru Yano & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
Togi Makabe & Kosei Fujita vs. TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI
Kidd and Tsuji have been regular opponents on this tour and began with an intense striking battle. Kidd got the upper hand at first, but Tsuji came back with a slam and took over with a series of forearms.
Uemura got a tag and used a kravate and a chinlock. Tsuji tagged back in for a slam and a near fall. Kidd avoided a vertical suplex. Tsuji hammered away again with forearms. Kidd reversed an Irish whip and hit a dropkick.
Taguchi got a tag and hit Uemura and Tsuji with hip attacks. Taguchi hit a springboard hip attack to Tsuji for a two count. Tsuji blocked three amigos and hit a vertical suplex.
Uemura tagged in and traded strikes with Taguchi. Tsuji entered and hit a splash. Uemura hit an elbow drop for a two count, then got a Boston crab applied. Kidd saved for Taguchi. Tsuji speared Kidd and they brawled to the floor.
Taguchi blocked an overhook suplex. Taguchi tripped Uemura and used an ankle lock. Uemura escaped, then used a roll-up for two.
Taguchi hit Dodon for the pin.
Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated EVIL, Jay White & Yujiro Takahashi (w/Dick Togo & Gedo) (11:07)
The post-match here was better than the match itself.
Bullet Club attacked as soon as their opponents entered the ring. White and Ishii began as the legal men. White hit a series of strikes. Ishii no-sold. White tried to escaped to the outside, but Okada threw him back in. Gedo distracted Ishii and White hit a dragon screw in the ropes to take control of the bout.
White used an inverted dragon screw and tagged Yujiro. Ishii went to the outside to go after White again. EVIL saved and White choked Ishii with a camera cable. Togo exposed a buckle. Ishii repeatedly got sent into the buckle.
White tagged back in for some strikes and a suplex. Ishii managed a tag to Okada. EVIL tagged in for a sequence with Okada. Togo distracted Okada and EVIL threw Okada into the barricade. Back inside, Okada blocked a fisherman buster and sent EVIL into the exposed buckle.
Yujiro tagged in and ate an Okada flapjack. Okada tagged Yano. Yano exposed a second buckle, then got sent into it himself. Yujiro hit a sliding dropkick and neckbreaker for two.
White and Ishii jumped in. Ishii hit White with a German suplex. Okada hit a big boot on Yujiro. Togo tripped Yano. Yano sent Yujiro into Togo, then hit a low blow and a schoolboy on Yujiro for the pin.
Ishii attacked White after the match and sent him into the barricade. Hirooki Goto jumped up from the commentary table and joined in the attack on White. EVIL attacked Okada with a chair.
Goto and Ishii stood over White with their NEVER Six-Man titles. White went crazy and attacked ringside attendants Kidd and Tsuji with chair shots.
Bullet Club worked the match in their t-shirts to give you some idea of how seriously they were taking this match.
The story of the G.O.D. vs. Dangerous Tekkers feud is that G.O.D. have stolen Taichi’s iron fingers. Taichi attacked Tama Tonga, who had a satchel that appeared to contain the fingers. Taichi opened the satchel and there was a toilet paper roll inside.
Ishimori and Desperado tagged in. Jado hit Desperado with a kendo stick from the floor. Tama hit Desperado with the toilet paper. Desperado was isolated in Bullet Club’s half of the ring and they took turns working him over.
Sabre and Tanga tagged in. Sabre got hit with a spear and they did a double down. ELP and DOUKI tagged in. DOUKI, Desperado and Kanemaru tripled up on ELP. Jado saved for ELP. DOUKI got two quick near falls on ELP.
ELP then hit a superkick with the loaded boot and pinned DOUKI.
SHO blocked a shotgun dropkick from Hiromu with a spear at the opening bell and they were off to the races. Honma and SHO doubled up on Hiromu. SHO got an armbar, but Hiromu forced a rope break. Honma and SHO cut Hiromu off in their half of the ring.
Hiromu went outside after SHO. Naito entered and used a camel clutch on Honma. Hiromu and Naito then used quick tags in isolating Honma. Honma came back with a vertical suplex on Naito.
SHO and Hiromu tagged in. SHO hit a suplex for a near fall, then got another armbar applied. Hiromu forced a rope break. SHO continued attacking Hiromu’s left arm. Hiromu got D applied. SHO fought the hold for a long time, then finally broke it with a one-armed powerbomb.
Honma and Naito got tags. Honma hit a DDT and a bulldog. Honma missed a kokeshi. Naito and Hiromu double teamed Honma and hit double dropkicks for a two count. Honma hit a superplex on Naito, then used a lariat for a near fall.
Hiromu and SHO got in. Hiromu hit a pop-up powerbomb on SHO. Naito then hit Destino and pinned Honma.
Hiromu and SHO had a nice face-off after the match. Somehow Hiromu’s BOSJ trophy got broken off-camera.
SANADA & BUSHI defeated Kota Ibushi & Master Wato (18:47)
This was a fun main event to cap a very good show.
Wato and BUSHI began by locking up. Wato hit a tornillo and gained the upper hand in their battle. Ibushi and Wato traded tags and continued working on BUSHI. SANADA saved with a dropkick to the knee and the match broke down into a brawl around the ringside area with LIJ in control.
SANADA and Wato ended up the legal men. SANADA used a paradise lock. BUSHI got a tag in the plus position and used an STF and a knee breaker. SANADA tagged in and got hit with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
Ibushi got a tag and hit a springboard dropkick and a plancha on SANADA. SANADA hit his own plancha for a near fall. SANADA hit a hurricanrana. They traded strikes. Ibushi avoided a TKO. SANADA used an O’Connor roll to set up Skull End. Ibushi slid out and hit a high kick.
Ibushi missed with a Kamigoye. Ibushi blocked a dragon screw. SANADA blocked a v-trigger and hit a back suplex. BUSHI tagged in for a missile dropkick. Ibushi blocked a swinging neckbreaker and hit a v-trigger before tagging out.
BUSHI and Wato did a series of teases and counters. BUSHI hit a dropkick and a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. Wato hit recientemente into a double down. BUSHI hit a dropkick to the knee and a DDT.
SANADA tagged in as the match worked towards the climax. Wato hit an interfering BUSHI with a rana. Ibushi hit SANADA with a flying mid kick. Wato and Ibushi hit dueling high kicks for a near fall.
BUSHI hit a codebreaker on Wato. Ibushi got sent outside and hit with a BUSHI tope suicida. Wato used two quick cradles for near falls.
SANADA used a spinning Skull End. While BUSHI held Ibushi at bay, Wato tapped out and SANADA got the submission victory.
SANADA closed the show with a promo. The arena lights were turned down and the crowd lit up the house with their cell phones for a cool visual.
This was a fun brawl to kick off the show. The highlight was the interaction between Suzuki and Uemura.
The Suzuki-gun side attacked before the opening bell. The babyface side was able to withstand the attack at first. Uemura and Suzuki brawled outside and Suzuki sold big for Uemura with his facial expressions.
Tiger Mask got cut off in the ring after a pipe shot from DOUKI while the referee was distracted. Makabe got a hot tag and hit ten punches and a northern lights suplex on Suzuki. Suzuki used a Fujiwara armbar. The two traded strikes.
Uemura and Desperado tagged in for the closing sequence. Uemura got a couple of near falls off quick cradles. Desperado used the ref as a distraction to set up his illegal right hand and a Pinche Loco for the pin.
Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan went to a no-contest with Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (3:39)
This was a continuation of the finish of last night’s match between these two teams and more of an angle than a match.
No Bea Priestley tonight for United Empire.
O-Khan threw the ref out of the ring before Tenzan and Kojima had even entered. O-Khan and Ospreay attacked as Kojima and Tenzan made their way to the ring.
All four brawled on the outside. The referee lost complete control. O-Khan and Tenzan got in the ring and traded chops. Ospreay entered with a chair and hit Tenzan. The ref waved off the match. It was ruled a no-contest for whatever reason rather than a DQ.
Ospreay and O-Khan brought a stack of chairs into the ring. Kojima made the save for Tenzan with a chair and United Empire made a united retreat.
This was practically the same middling undercard tag that some combination of opponents have had with this Bullet Cub trio on every night of the tour, only Bullet Club came away with a win tonight.
Yujiro began with Goto and tried to get the advantage with biting. Okada and YH saved and they did some comedy. Togo and EVIL cleared the CHAOS apron.
EVIL used YH’s staff as a weapon on Okada. Yujiro hit Goto with his pimp cane. Togo choked YH with a camera cable. Okada got a hot tag and made a comeback on Yujiro. EVIL and Yujiro cut Okada off. Okada hit a big boot to EVIL and tagged YH.
Goto and YH hit some tandem offense on EVIL. EVIL took the ref. Yujiro jumped in with his cane. Togo choked YH with his ligature. EVIL hit Everything is EVIL and pinned YH.
If you’ve been watching the entire tour, then this match rewarded you for paying attention as it paid off the Naito/Honma interactions that have been going on. If not, enjoy the Hiromu/SHO stuff.
LIJ immediately turned this into a brawl around ringside. Honma missed a kokeshi on Naito in the ring and Naito and Hiromu sent their opponents into the barricade repeatedly. Honma ended up cut off in the ring.
Naito used a crucifix on Honma on the mat while Hiromu kept SHO away. Honma forced a break and hit a vertical suplex. SHO and Hiromu got tags and went a thousand miles an hour. SHO hit a spear and a series of lariats. The two had a long striking battle. Hiromu hit a pop-up powerbomb into a double down.
Naito and Honma tagged in and brawled. Naito teased a top rope frankensteiner but Honma escaped. Hiromu entered for a double dropkick and a near fall. Honma hit a diving kokeshi to Naito. SHO and Honma doubled up on Naito and Honma hit a cannonball for a two count.
The finish was unique. Naito hit a step-up enzuigiri. Hiromu jumped in to hit a thrust kick. Naito then used a jackknife cradle on Honma and pinned him.
Naito and Hiromu did some goofing off after the match that was pretty entertaining.
This was a good main event that picked up steam as it went along after a slow start.
Ibushi and SANADA began with a sequence of chain wrestling that was not particularly inspired. Both fought off attempts at the paradise lock. Ibushi hit a dropkick and tagged out. Wato knocked BUSHI off the apron and then hit a sloppy backbreaker on SANADA.
Tanahashi tagged in to face SANADA. Shingo tripped Tana from the floor and the LIJ rout was on. All six brawled around ringside. Shingo and Tana ended up back in as the legal men. Tana was cut off in the LIJ half of the ring.
Shingo and Tana traded strikes. Shingo got the upper hand. Tana hit a dragon screw but Shingo no-sold and tried a pumping bomber. Tana ducked and hit a second dragon screw and Shingo sold the impact of both. Shingo tagged out.
Tana tried to cradle SANADA. Ibushi tagged in for a mid kick and a standing moonsault for a near fall o his next challenger. SANADA busted out the leapfrog dropkick and hit Ibushi with a plancha. Back in, SANADA used a TKO threat to set up a Skull End attempt. Ibushi hit a high kick and both fell down.
Wato and BUSHI got tags. Wato used a dreamcast for a near fall. They traded kicks. BUSHI hit a rewind kick. Wato hit a jumping knee strike. They traded palm strikes. Wato hit another dreamcast before tagging Tana back in.
Tana dispatched an interfering Shingo with a slap. Shingo and SANADA climbed back in to triple up on Tana. BUSHI hit a backstabber for a near fall. SANADA and Ibushi, Shingo and Wato brawled to the floor.
Tana hit a twist and shout, slingblade, then used a cloverleaf. Shingo teased breaking the hold with a pumping bomber. Wato was supposed to hit him with a springboard forearm but slipped coming off the ropes. Wato saved as well as he could, then hit Shingo with a forearm and a 619.
With the cloverleaf still applied, BUSHI tapped out.
Tanahashi, Ibushi and Wato played air guitar to close the show.
This was the quickest show of this loop at roughly 110 minutes.
**********
Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji (8:36)
There was some good action in this one as Ospreay worked the bulk of the match for his team.
Kojima and Tsuji attacked before the opening bell. Tsuji was quickly cut off when O-Khan grabbed an anaconda vice. O-Khan worked Tsuji over with his wacky offense. Ospreay tagged in and continued the attack.
Kojima got a tag and hit machine gun chops to Ospreay. O-Khan blocked a top rope elbow attempt from Kojima. Ospreay hit Kojima with pip pip cheerio. Kojima blocked a Storm Breaker attempt and took Ospreay down with a cutter.
Tsuji tagged in and hit a back bodydrop and a vertical suplex on Ospreay for a near fall. He followed with a splash for another two count as O-Khan made the save for Ospreay. O-Khan and Kojima exchanged Mongolian chops and rolled outside.
Ospreay hit a bloody sunday on Tsuji. Kojima broke up the ensuing pin attempt. Tsuji connected with a spear to Ospreay. Ospreay blocked a slam attempt and hit a hook kick and an Oscutter for the pin.
O-Khan did his United Empire roll call promo after the match.
Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (10:42)
This was the third garbage brawl between these teams in as many nights and the worst match of the bunch. ELP’s loaded boot was again the story of the bout.
Kanemaru fell victim to the loaded boot after Bullet Club attacked before the bell rang. Bullet Club isolated Kanemaru and worked over his abdomen. Suzuki tried to save but got sent outside by Gedo and Jado.
ELP and Ishimori did a lot of their comedy offense. Kanemaru managed a low dropkick to Gedo and tagged Suzuki. Suzuki hit a penalty kick on Gedo for a near fall.
Jado saved for Gedo. Suzuki put Jado in a Fujiwara armbar. ELP saved for Jado. Suzuki blocked a shot from ELP’s boot and put him in a kneebar. ELP rolled outside. Desperado tagged in and got hit with a kendo stick from the floor.
Ishimori tagged in and hit a seated senton on Desperado. Kanemaru jumped in for a double team. ELP got a tag and stomped on Desperado with the loaded boot. DOUKI tagged in to set up the closing sequence.
DOUKI hit Daybreak for a near fall, but Ishimori made the save for ELP. Gedo jumped in with brass knuckles. Jado entered with a kendo stick. DOUKI brought his pipe into the ring.
ELP hit a superkick with the loaded boot for the pin.
Suzuki put Jado in an armbar on the floor after the match, just for giggles. ELP and Ishimori briefly posed with the IWGP Jr. Tag belts after the win.
This was a fine little brawl. Goto looked especially good here.
Bullet Club used a jumpstart attack and sent Okada and YH outside while they worked on Goto. Goto made a heck of a comeback and beat on all three Bullet Club guys. Togo tripped him from the outside to shift the momentum back in Bullet Club’s favor.
They brawled around ringside. EVIL used a chair to choke Okada. Goto was worked over for several minutes. Goto and Yujiro hit simultaneous lariats into a double down. Okada got a tag and hit some signature offense on Yujiro. EVIL tagged in and got hit by an Okada air raid crash.
YH tagged in. YH and Goto hit EVIL with some tandem offense, including a thrust kick into an ushigoroshi. The match broke down and everyone jumped in for a big move. YH used a lariat and a butterfly lock on EVIL. Togo jumped on the apron with a chair for the distraction save.
EVIL hit a low blow and Everything is EVIL on YH for the pin.
SANADA & Tetsuya Naito defeated Kota Ibushi & Tomoaki Honma (13:07)
Ibushi and SANADA began by locking up. Ibushi broke cleanly against the ropes. Ibushi gained the advantage with a mid kick, then tagged Honma. Ibushi jumped back in for a double team. Honma and Ibushi missed a double kokeshi, allowing LIJ to take control of the bout.
Naito tagged in and toyed with Honma. He hit a series of back elbows to the neck, softening up Honma for a later Destino. Naito and SANADA exchanged tags and kept the pressure on Honma. Naito used a kravate on the mat and hit a basement dropkick for a near fall. Honma came back with a diving kokeshi.
SANADA and Ibushi got tags. Ibushi hit a back elbow and a standing moonsault for a near fall. SANADA hit a dropkick to Ibushi’s left knee. Ibushi tried a sunset flip, but found himself stuck in the paradise lock. SANADA used a dropkick for a near fall.
Ibushi avoided a moonsault attempt and a TKO attempt, but SANADA hit a magic screw to reset the match. Naito and Honma got tags to set up the finish.
Honma hit a vertical suplex for a two count. SANADA interfered. Honma hit a combination complete shot/DDT on both and used a kokeshi for a near fall. Ibushi entered to double up on Naito. Honma hit a lariat for another near fall.
Honma teased a top rope kokeshi, but SANADA cut him off at the pass. Naito teased a reverse frankensteiner, but Honma blocked, thank goodness. SANADA and Naito hit double dropkicks on Honma. Ibushi tried to save but SANADA threw him out of the ring.
Naito hit a step-up enzuigiri. Honma hit a headbutt. Naito blocked a lariat and hit Destino for the pin.
Naito threw Honma into the barricade after the match. He legitimately seemed angry that he had to work with Honma on a third straight show.
SANADA and Ibushi did some crowd work after the match.
This was another fun main event. The finish was awesome and very creative as well.
SHO and Hiromu started out. Hiromu hit an immediate shotgun dropkick. They traded tackles. SHO used two misdirection spots to hit another shoulder tackle. Tanahashi tagged in and used a cobra twist on Hiromu.
SHO tagged in for a strike exchange. BUSHI entered for the illegal double team and LIJ took control of the match. They cut SHO off and all three worked him over. Hiromu tagged back in for another nice exchange with SHO. SHO managed a spear and a tag to Wato.
Wato peppered BUSHI with kicks. They traded strikes. BUSHI hit a rewind kick and a swinging neckbreaker into a double down.
Shingo and Tanahashi tagged in. Tanahashi avoided a combination of strikes and hit a second rope crossbody. Shingo fought off three dragon screw attempts. Tana ducked a sliding lariat. Shingo came back with his own dragon screw. Tana fought off a cloverleaf attempt, but Shingo answered with a sliding lariat.
They traded strikes. Shingo blocked a slingblade and hit a suplex. Tanahashi popped up and hit slingblade into a double down. These guys are incredible.
Wato got a tag and cleared the LIJ apron. Wato hit a dreamcast on Shingo. SHO jumped in for a double team. Shingo hit a double lariat. Wato ducked a short lariat. Shingo got the short lariat on his second attempt.
SHO entered. Hiromu tried a hurricanrana on him, but SHO blocked and hit a lariat. BUSHI hit a step-up enzuigiri on SHO. Tanahashi hit a slingblade on BUSHI. Shingo hit a lariat out of the corner on Tanahashi.
With the deck cleared, Shingo and Wato were set for the finish. Wato hit a crucifix bomb for a two count. Wato used another crucifix for a near fall.
For the finish, Wato tried a dreamcast. Shingo caught the kick and plucked Wato out of the air, then hit Last of the Dragon for the pin.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Master Wato vs. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI
Report —
Just like last night, this show ran just under two hours, including a long opening video package and a brief intermission. They announced an attendance of 694 for Sunday’s show. No number has been announced yet for today’s show, but the building looked much more empty.
The show itself was very much like last night’s, but with a few minor tweaks to the lineup.
**********
Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Satoshi Kojima & Yuya Uemura (9:13)
A solid opener.
United Empire attacked before the opening bell. Kojima and Ospreay fought outside while O-Khan and Uemura began as the legal men. Kojima recovered and helped Uemura double suplex O-Khan for a two count.
Uemura quickly found himself cut off and being worked over in Empire’s corner. He made a comeback with palm strikes to the chest and a dropkick. O-Khan and Uemura tagged out.
Kojima lit up both Ospreay and O-Khan with strikes. Kojima took the Flair press slam bump off the top rope from O-Khan, who stopped him from hitting an elbow. Kojima answered with DDTs to both. Ospreay teased a Storm Breaker. Kojima blocked and hit a cutter into a double down.
Uemura tagged in and hit Ospreay with a flying forearm. He went for a double overhook suplex, but Ospreay blocked by biting his ear. Ospreay then hit a back suplex and tagged out.
Ospreay and O-Khan double-teamed Uemura. Kojima broke up a pinfall after a what-a-maneuver by O-Khan. Ospreay took out Kojima with a hook kick.
Uemura used two quick cradles for near falls. He teased a running forearm, but O-Khan hit a pump kick and Dominator for the pin.
O-Khan did his United Empire roll call promo after the match.
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI defeated Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado (9:48)
Suzuki-gun made their intentions clear as soon as they stepped through the curtain — They were mad about losing last night to ELP’s loaded boot and they were here for revenge.
They attacked as soon as they got into the ring and cut Gedo off. Jado used a kendo stick shot on DOUKI to turn the momentum in Bullet Club’s favor. A bad match ensued.
Jado couldn’t get DOUKI up for a suplex then took a bad-looking bump on a DDT. Desperado, Kanemaru, Ishimori and ELP did their best to save the bout with a nice exchange. Gedo tagged in and immediately tried to drag the match quality back down.
Desperado used a spinebuster on Gedo for a near fall, then used Numero Dos for the submission.
EVIL and Togo began the match with an illegal double team on Okada. Yujiro tagged in and got nailed by an Okada elbow drop. Okada tagged out to YH. YH hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Togo kicked YH from the apron.
YH fell victim to a hot shot across the top rope from Yujiro. Bullet Club turned the bout into a brawl around ringside. EVIL used a chair on Okada. Back inside, YH was isolated in Bullet Club’s half of the ring. Togo, EVIL and Yujiro used quick tags in working him over.
YH hit a vertical suplex to Yujiro and tagged Ishii. Ishii ran wild briefly, before Yujiro used a face rake and a low dropkick to stop his momentum. Yujiro bit Ishii’s hand. Ishii hit a stiff forearm shot. Yujiro countered with an inverted DDT.
EVIL tagged in and sent Ishii into an exposed turnbuckle. Ishii charged out of the corner and dropped EVIL with a lariat. Okada tagged in and hit a flapjack. Okada applied the Money Clip. EVIL broke the hold, by ramming Okada into the corner, then used his Darkness Scorpion. Okada forced a rope break.
Togo tripped Okada from the floor, then raced to tag himself in. Bullet Club tripled up on Okada. EVIL hit a fisherman buster.Togo covered for a near fall.
Everyone jumped in for a big move near the finish. Togo raked Okada’s eyes, but then ran right into a dropkick. Okada locked on the Money Clip and Togo submitted.
This was a fine little match, but nothing you need to go out of your way to see.
SHO and Hiromu began with a striking exchange. SHO got the upper hand. Naito intervened and hit an inverted atomic drop. The LIJ rout was on from there.
SHO came back with a double spear to Naito and Hiromu. Ibushi and SANADA got tags. Ibushi hit a flying mid kick and a standing moonsault for a near fall. Ibushi tried his best to engage the small crowd.
SANADA turned a standing moonsault attempt of his own into a dropkick in a cool spot. Ibushi fought off a paradise lock attempt. SANADA fought off a paradise lock attempt by Ibushi, but then ran into an Ibushi dropkick.
Honma tagged in. He hit a kokeshi on SANADA for a near fall. SANADA raked Honma’s face. Honma avoided a dropkick and hit a diving kokeshi. Hiromu broke up the pin, then hit a pop-up powerbomb on SHO.
LIJ triple teamed Honma and hit a triple dropkick. SANADA teased Skull end, but Honma cradled him for a two count. SANADA hit a magic screw for a near fall.
For the finish, SANADA locked on Skull End with a body scissors and Honma tapped out.
This has to be the first sub-fifteen minute NJPW main event in some time.
Master Wato and BUSHI started out. Wato got a little bit of momentum going with some kicks, but Shingo tripped him from the outside and this quickly became a one-sided affair. BUSHI and Shingo worked on Wato.
Shingo would take some shots at Tana on the apron when he was in working on Wato. Wato hit a jumping kick to Shingo, allowing Tanahashi to get his first crack at Shingo.
Tana went for a cloverleaf on Shingo, but BUSHI broke it up. Tana took BUSHI out with a dragon screw, then hit a senton on Shingo. Shingo came back with a back suplex, then tagged out.
BUSHI hit a missile dropkick. Tanahashi hit a second rope crossbody and tagged Wato back in. Wato hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a series of kicks. Wato hit a dreamcast and recientemente for a near fall. BUSHI answered with a rewind kick and a backstabber. Both made tags.
Shingo and Tana traded strikes, then traded twist and shouts. They are going to tear the house down in their singles match, they have great chemistry.
Tana and Shingo traded more strikes, then traded slaps. Shingo went for a pumping bomber. Tana turned it into a slingblade. Shingo popped right back up and hit a lariat into a double down.
BUSHI and Shingo doubled up on Tana. Shingo assisted in a BUSHI backstabber for a near fall as Wato saved. Tana blocked a swinging neckbreaker and hit a dragon screw, then used a cloverleaf. Shingo broke that up with a lariat.
Shingo hit Tana with strikes. He tried a pumping bomber, but Tana ducked and Wato hit a springboard attack and a tornillo dive on Shingo.
Tana then hit a slingblade and a High Fly Flow on BUSHI for the pin. A great main event.
Tanahashi and Shingo had a brief face-off after the match. Tana then closed the show with a promo and an air guitar duet with Master Wato.
Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) vs. Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji
Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo
SHO & Master Wato vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Report —
Due to a COVID-related state of emergency being declared in Tokyo until February 7, the show began a half hour earlier than usual at 4 a.m. Eastern.
This was also a five-match card rather than the traditional six as there is a recommended 8 p.m. curfew in Tokyo (6 a.m. Eastern).
**********
Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji (8:38)
This was an entertaining opener.
Kojima and Ospreay began, as Kojima wanted revenge for Ospreay kayfabe injuring Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Kojima got the better of a quick striking battle and hit a tackle.
Tsuji and O-Khan tagged in. I like the O-Khan character but his wrestling leaves a lot to be desired. He’s very unorthodox and not in a good way. O-Khan cut Tsuji off and repeatedly picked him and dropped him on the mat. There was a fair amount of squeezing.
Ospreay got a tag and took a back bodydrop. Kojima tagged in and hit some machine gun chops and a top rope elbow for a near fall. Ospreay’s bumping and feeding is the weakest part of his game besides his dollar store Ric Flair gimmick.
Ospreay cut Kojima off with a kick to the bread club and a vertical suplex. O-Khan tagged in and hit some Mongolian chops. Kojima came back with a cutter and tagged out.
Tsuji and O-Khan squared off. Tsuji is significantly better than O-Khan. Kojima jumped in for a double team. Tsuji used a splash for a near fall. Ospreay jumped in and traded strikes with Kojima. Ospreay blocked a lariat with a high kick, then hit a hook kick.
Tsuji used a unique pinning combination for a near fall on O-Khan. O-Khan cut him off with a big boot, then hit the Dominator for the pin.
O-Khan did his United Empire roll call promo after the match.
Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (9:23)
The key to this one was continuing to get ELP’s loaded boot over.
It’s typically fun to watch NJPW’s heel stables wrestle each other, just because there’s no depth that they won’t sink to in trying to win.
This match was the exception to that rule. Ishimori and ELP are fantastic wrestlers who are handicapped by being placed in the Bullet Club job squad. Gedo is a fine in small doses. Jado has significant balance issues and should not be in the ring.
Suzuki-gun started brawling before the opening bell. Bullet Club got the upper hand when ELP hit Kanemaru in the leg with the loaded boot. Bullet Club worked Kanemaru over with comedy back rakes and such.
There was a cool finish. DOUKI went for Daybreak, but came off with a springboard into an ELP superkick with the loaded boot for the pin.
With Jay White on hiatus, EVIL has borrowed his stalling routine.
Yujiro and Goto began as the legal men. Yujiro bit Goto’s hand. Ishii tagged in and demanded that Togo do so as well. Ishii and Togo doing spots together gave me life. This ruled.
EVIL jumped in to try to double up on Ishii. Instead, Okada and Goto saved. EVIL tripped Ishii from the floor, finally allowing Bullet Club to turn this into a brawl more suited to their style. EVIL used a chair on Okada on the floor.
Ishii ended up cut off in the Bullet Club corner. Ishii was whipped into an exposed turnbuckle. Ishii avoided a second whip into the buckle. EVIL ran sternum-first into the exposed steel, allowing Ishii to tag Okada.
Okada had a great hot tag here. He ran wild with elbow strikes and back elbows on EVIL. Okada teased an air raid crash neckbreaker, but EVIL used a hair pull and a trip from Yujiro on the floor to regain command and tagged Togo.
Okada hit a flapjack on Togo. Goto got a tag. Goto tried a misdirection lariat, but soon fell victim to a 3-on-1 from Bullet Club. Togo got a near fall off an EVIL fisherman buster to Goto.
Things broke down as the finish approached. Togo grabbed his ligature. Okada saved. EVIL took out Okada. Goto rebounded and hit an ushigoroshi and a GTR on Togo, then pinned him.
These guys were up first after intermission. SANADA entered last for the LIJ squad. It will be interesting to see if Naito being phased down is just for the short term.
This was not a good night for Naito and Honma in the ring. Someone could have been seriously injured.
Shingo and Tanahashi began. Shingo teased a clean break against the ropes, then tried a wild chop. Tana ducked, then hit a second rope crossbody. Naito interfered from the apron and LIJ took over.
SANADA got a tag and got the paradise lock on Tana. Naito tagged in and used a kravate. Tanahashi knocked Shingo down on the apron with a wild swing. Shingo then tagged back in and the two traded strikes.
Ibushi and SANADA got tags. Ibushi scored a knockdown with a forearm, then used a high kick and a standing moonsault for a two count. SANADA hit a dropkick to the left knee and a follow-up plancha as Ibushi rolled outside.
Ibushi avoided a springboard attack and hit a flying mid kick. Ibushi teased a last ride. SANADA escaped and tried to lock in a dragon sleeper. Ibushi hit a high kick into a double down. Honma tagged in and hit a series of strikes and a bulldog.
Honma missed a kokeshi, allowing SANADA to tag Naito. Naito hit some trademark offense on Honma, then used a crucifix. Tanahashi broke the hold. Shingo entered and took Tanahashi out. Naito tried a Destino. Honma was supposed to reverse, but stumbled. Naito and Honma stumbled around and fell into a turnbuckle.
Tanahashi hit a slingblade on Naito. SANADA took out Tana. Honma missed a top rope kokeshi. Naito and Honma were supposed to do something else, but again they stumbled and fell down. Naito looked like he was really mad with how the match was going here.
SANADA and Naito hit a double dropkick on Honma. Naito then used Destino and pinned Honma.
SANADA and Ibushi stared each other down after the match.
Wato and BUSHI began. Wato immediately knocked Hiromu off the apron with a running boot. Hiromu answered by hitting a sunset bomb. BUSHI tagged out and Hiromu began working on Wato in the LIJ corner. Hiromu knocked SHO off the apron for good measure.
BUSHI got a tag and used an STF, but Wato forced a rope break. Hiromu and BUSHI continued to use quick tags in working Wato over.
SHO got a hot tag and ran wild on Hiromu. Hiromu sold big for him. SHO hit a spear and began working on Hiromu’s left arm, looking to set up the Shock Arrow or the cross armbreaker. SHO hit a vertical suplex for a two count.
Hiromu tried to take SHO’s back. SHO threw him off and got the cross armbreaker. Hiromu reversed the hold into a cradle for a two count. They did a series of counters and reversals. Hiromu hit a superkick into a double down.
Hiromu tried a Dynamite Plunger. SHO blocked and hit a big forearm strike. They traded stiff forearm shots. Hiromu blinked first, as SHO knocked him into the ropes with a strike. Hiromu popped up and they kept trading. Hiromu knocked SHO into the ropes with a strike.
After another striking sequence, SHO hit a lariat into a double down. Both tagged out. Wato lit BUSHI up with kicks and a springboard uppercut forearm for a two count. BUSHI blocked a recientemente attempt and hit a DDT.
BUSHI hit a missile dropkick. Wato blocked a codebreaker and hit a slingblade. Wato climbed to the top rope, but Hiromu shoved him off to the mat. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick with Wato draped over the ropes. BUSHI hit a DDT on the apron.
Hiromu entered for a double team. SHO hit Hiromu with a German suplex. BUSHI hit a codebreaker on SHO. Wato hit a dreamcast on BUSHI. All four were down in the ring at this point.
BUSHI and Wato climbed to their feet and traded strikes. Wato hit a jumping knee strike. BUSHI hit a rewind kick and a destroyer, but SHO saved. BUSHI and Hiromu took out SHO with a double sunset flip.
BUSHI suplexed Wato into a powerbomb from Hiromu, then covered for a near fall. BUSHI tried to set something up, but Wato reversed into a jackknife cradle and stole the pin.
Hiromu and SHO had a staredown over the IWGP Jr. title after the bell.
Wato and SHO both cut short promos in the ring after their win.
Including the opening video package and the intermission, the show was done in an hour and 53 minutes.
