As a precautionary measure, Minoru Suzuki will miss this weekend’s NJPW events.
“On July 10, Minoru Suzuki developed a fever, and as a cautionary measure, will not be present for the New Japan Cup or Dominion events on July 11 & 12,” NJPW announced. “Since wrestling on July 3, where Coronavirus antibody and antigen testing all showed negative, Suzuki has had no contact with any other wrestlers.”
Suzuki was scheduled to team with Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & El Desperado against Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata & Ryusuke Taguchi at the New Japan Cup finals. With Suzuki off the show, Yoshinobu Kanemaru will take his place in the eight-man tag match.
The full card for Dominion has yet to be revealed.
Suzuki lost to Nagata in the first round of the New Japan Cup.
The New Japan Cup finals and Dominion are both taking place at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. They’ll be the first NJPW events with fans in attendance since the promotion resumed running events last month, though the arena will be limited to one-third capacity each night.
New Japan Cup first round match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Gabriel Kidd (8:54)
There was not a lot wrong with the work in this match but it would have benefited greatly from having a crowd.
Kidd grabbed an armbar. Ishimori briefly escaped but Kidd got back to the armbar and got a quick one count. Kidd hit a shoulder tackle. He tried for a crab but Ishimori forced a rope break before the hold could be applied.
Ishimori tripped Kidd near the ropes and tossed him outside. Ishimori whipped Kidd into the barricade, then rolled him back inside for a near fall. Ishimori hit some knee strikes and raked Kidd’s back.
Ishimori hit double knees in the corner. He teased an attack off the second rope but Kidd intercepted him with a dropkick. Kidd fought for and finally landed a vertical suplex for a near fall.
Ishimori cut Kidd off. He teased a sliding German but opted for a springboard attack instead. Kidd was supposed to catch him off the ropes and apply a crab but the timing was messed up. Kidd got the crab but Ishimori forced a rope break.
The finishing sequence saw Ishimori hit a back elbow and a back handspring kick for a near fall. He then applied the Yes Lock and Kidd tapped.
New Japan Cup first round match: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Yuya Uemura (9:34)
These two had a good match. They had a hot start and a great series of near falls at the end.
Uemura is gigantic.
They came up with a creative start as Uemura attacked Kanemaru before the opening bell. Uemura hit a slam and a dropkick. Kanemaru rolled outside. Uemura avoided a whip into the barricade and hit some strikes.
Back inside, Uemura used a side headlock. Kanemaru broke free and took the fight back to the floor. This time he was able to send Uemura into the barricade. Kanemaru then hit a leg slice over the edge of the barricade.
In the ring, Kanemaru used a headscissors on the mat. Kanemaru hit some short kicks to taunt Uemura. Uemura fired up and hit a vertical suplex, a dropkick and a springboard crossbody for a near fall.
Uemura hit his trademark double underhook belly-to-belly but Kanemaru kicked out at two. Uemura charged but Kanemaru pulled the referee in his path. Kanemaru hit a kick and grabbed his whiskey bottle. The ref pulled the bottle away and Uemura rolled Kanemaru up for a near fall.
Uemura used three quick cradles for near falls. Kanemaru then cut him off with a dropkick and hit an inverted DDT for a near fall.
Kanemaru then climbed to the second rope and hit Deep Impact for the pin.
The CHAOS team went four-on-one against BUSHI at the outset. Goto hip tossed YH on top of BUSHI for a near fall. LIJ then used a four-on-one to cut YH off. They focused on YH’s left arm in working him over. EVIL hit a senton for a two count.
SANADA used a cobra twist. Shingo tagged in and took a shot at his first round opponent SHO on the apron. Shingo hit a knee drop on YH. YH fired up and tagged SHO who had a nice power exchange with Shingo. SHO powered Shingo up with a suplex for a near fall.
SHO and Shingo exchanged strikes and lariats. Shingo ducked a lariat and hit a German. SHO no-sold it and hit a lariat into a double down.
YOH and BUSHI tagged back in. YOH hit a nice hip toss, a dropkick and kipped up. YOH hit a head and arm suplex into a bridge for a two count as the other six competitors brawled around ringside.
BUSHI hit a jaw breaker and a rewind kick. YOH tried a Pele kick but their timing was off and it looked bad. Goto tagged in and fell victim to a four-on-one. BUSHI hit a back stabber for a near fall and a swinging DDT for another two count.
BUSHI called for the MX. Goto ducked and the move missed. Everyone jumped in for a big move. YH hit EVIL with a lariat and fought off a Magic Killer. SHO suplexed Shingo.
The finish saw Goto hit BUSHI with an ushigoroshi and a GTR for the pin.
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A Way to The Grandmaster hype video played before intermission.
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New Japan Cup first round match: Yuji Nagata defeated Minoru Suzuki (20:36)
This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but these guys presented a master class on getting a lot out of a little, playing to your strengths, selling and intensity. Happy Birthday to the king, as Suzuki turned 52 today.
Suzuki hit a big boot at the opening bell. Both men then fired off a series of strikes. Suzuki laughed as Nagata gave him his neck and invited some forearm shots. They traded forearm strikes to the side of the neck. Both saw their necks turn red from the force of the strikes.
After trading forearms, they moved on to trading slaps to the face and neck. Suzuki teased going down after several unanswered slaps but stayed up. The first five minutes of the match consisted entirely of strikes back and forth.
Nagata hit a big boot. He went for a second boot but Suzuki grabbed a kneebar. Nagata forced a rope break. They rolled outside where Suzuki sent Nagata into the barricade. Suzuki hit Nagata with a bucket and a water bottle.
Suzuki grabbed a chair. The referee tried to grab the chair. Suzuki shoved the ref to the ground and he took a bump. Suzuki then retrieved a second chair and used it on Nagata’s right arm. Suzuki wrenched Nagata’s left arm in the barricade.
They teased a countout but Nagata made it back in at 19. They traded strikes again in the corner. Suzuki dropped Nagata with a slap. Suzuki tried for a figure four around the post but the ref broke it up.
Suzuki hit a series of palm strikes to the chest in the corner. Nagata tried to fire up but couldn’t. Suzuki hit a kick in the corner. He went for a PK but Nagata caught the kick. Nagata then hit a series of kicks to a seated Suzuki.
Nagata hit a big boot in the corner. He tried for a suplex but Suzuki caught him in a guillotine. Nagata powered out of the hold and wrenched Suzuki’s right arm. Nagata then hit a series of kicks to the right arm.
Nagata continued working the right arm. Suzuki sold as though his elbow was dislocated. Nagata tried to wrench the arm again but Suzuki blocked and applied a rear naked choke. Nagata teased passing out. Suzuki gave up the hold and made a cover but Nagata kicked out.
Suzuki used a sleeper. He transitioned for a Gotch-style piledriver attempt. Nagata blocked the piledriver. Suzuki hit a knee strike. He tried for the piledriver again but Nagata powered out.
They traded forearm strikes. Nagata was bleeding from the mouth. They traded hard slaps to the face. Suzuki hit a headbutt and Nagata dropped to a knee. Suzuki hit two more headbutts and both men went down. The last headbutt was borderline unsafe. They traded more strikes.
Nagata hit an exploder out of nowhere. Suzuki used misdirection to try to set up a rear naked choke but Nagata blocked and hit a high angle suplex hold and pinned Suzuki for the upset.
New Japan Cup first round match: Kazuchika Okada defeated Gedo (15:31)
They used every trick in the book to make this a passable manager vs. wrestler battle.
Gedo entered with his right arm in a sling. He cut a promo. Okada entered. Okada demanded that Gedo remove the sling before the match started. Gedo pulled a spray bottle out of the sling and tried to spray something in Okada’s eyes but Okada blocked.
The bell rang and Gedo laid down, inviting Okada to pin him. Gedo tried to pull brass knuckles out of his jacket but Okada blocked and took them away. While the referee disposed of the knuckles, Gedo pulled a wrench out of his pants and used it on Okada’s abdomen.
Gedo again used the wrench on the floor. Gedo grabbed a table and hit Okada with it. Okada beat the count back inside but Gedo sent him back to the floor. Gedo used a chair on Okada at the five-minute mark.
Back inside, Gedo hit a series of kicks and punches. Okada blocked a kick and hit a big boot. Okada hit a running back elbow in the center and another in the corner. Okada hit a DDT for a two count, still selling his abdomen.
Okada hit a scoop slam. He teased a top rope elbow but Gedo rolled out of the ring. Gedo used a hammer to attack the abdomen and tossed Okada back inside.
Okada reversed a whip and missed a dropkick attempt. Gedo covered for a two count. Gedo used a bow and arrow but Okada reached the ropes for a break. Gedo blocked a flapjack but Okada countered with an air raid crash.
Okada went for a tombstone but Gedo fought it off by holding on to the referee. Gedo threw Okada into the ref and hit a low blow.
Gedo retrieved another set of brass knuckles that had been taped to the post. Gedo used the brass knuckles and revived the referee. Gedo used the Gedo Clutch but Okada kicked out at two.
Jado made his way to ringside. Gedo tried a Blade Runner but Okada blocked. Okada again tried for the dropkick but Gedo avoided it.
Jado took the ref. Gedo tried another brass knuckles shot but Okada ducked and hit a dropkick. Okada hit a second dropkick at 15 minutes, sending Jado crashing to the floor.
Okada hit a tombstone and used the Deep In Debt for the submission victory.
A new match has been announced for Joey Janela’s Spring Break IV.
Janela released a trailer during the Super Bowl halftime show revealing that Minoru Suzuki will face off against Orange Cassidy. The video announcement was an animation featuring both men preparing for a duel, and also highlighted their contrasting styles.
It would technically be a battle between a NJPW regular and someone who is under contract to AEW.
It had already been announced previously that Minoru Suzuki would be a part of WrestleMania weekend festivities. He is signed to face Chris Dickinson at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport III on April 2. Both Bloodsport and Spring Break are being held under Game Changer Wrestling’s The Collective banner of events.
The Great Muta, Alex Shelley and Will Ospreay have also been announced for the event.
Joey Janela’s Spring Break IV will take place on Friday, April 3 at the The Cuban Club in Ybor City, Florida.
After headlining two of the previous events, Minoru Suzuki is returning to Bloodsport.
It was announced tonight that Suzuki will face Chris Dickinson at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport III. The show is taking place at The Cuban Club in Tampa, Florida on April 2, which is the Thursday of WrestleMania week.
After Low Ki pulled out of Matt Riddle’s Bloodsport in 2018, Suzuki replaced him and defeated Riddle in the main event. Suzuki and Josh Barnett then went to a time limit draw at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport I over WrestleMania week last year.
Dickinson is also a previous Bloodsport headliner. Barnett defeated Dickinson in the main event of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport II last September, with that match being made after Jon Moxley had to miss the show due to the MRSA infection he had in his elbow.
Barnett vs. Moxley will now take place at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport III. Jeff Cobb and Davey Boy Smith Jr. have also been confirmed for the show, though their opponents haven’t been revealed.
Bloodsport features hybrid MMA-style pro wrestling matches that have no ropes and can only be won by knockout or submission.
Submitted by E.A. Krol from the Marian Catholic High School gym
Warrior Wrestling put on its seventh show Friday in Chicago Heights, IL, about 30 miles south of downtown Chicago. This was the first time for the promotion on Fite TV and it was one of the biggest independent events of the year in the U.S.
Danhausen def. Reilly Maguire (pre-show)
Danhausen prevailed over a student of Michael Elgin’s in a comedy match.
Templario def. Jake Lander
Templario won with a face first reverse duplex off the second rope in a bonus match that went about 15 minutes. The crowd was into this. Lander also trains at Elgin’s school in St. Louis.
Savanna Stone def. Holidead
Stone won in about nine minutes with a spear.
Impact X Division champion Ace Austin def. Blake Christian and Carlos Romo in a three-way to retain
To explain why he did not have his belt with him, Austin did a promo before the match poking fun at WALTER for getting the NXT UK belt stolen in Chicago. The crowd chanted “you forgot it!” In response. They took turns resting on the outside at the start before Romo (from White Wolf Wrestling in Spain) won a slap battle. At the end, each got to hit a finisher off the top with the third guy breaking up a pin attempt on the other two. Austin retained over Christian in about 11 minutes.
Robert Anthony (w/Frank the Clown) def. Jake Atlas
Frank did a pre-match promo telling the crowd it was the holiday season and he had a gift for the crowd: himself. His gift to Atlas was his best friend, Robert “Ego” Anthony, who came out to Queen’s “Can’t Stop Me Now”.
Early on, Anthony stalled and the crowd chanted “You’re a baby!” and Atlas got in the fetal position in the corner in a nice touch. Atlas called for quiet before chopping Anthony loudly a couple times. He missed a third and Anthony took over. Atlas hit a flipping top rope DDT but Frank put Anthony’s foot on the rope. In the end, Frank grabbed Atlas’ leg while the ref was tending to Anthony, who rolled up Atlas for the win in about 11 minutes.
Michael Elgin and Sam Adonis went to a draw
Adonis told the crowd to shut up about his brother (WWE announcer Corey Graves). He turned 33 today and the crowd wished him a happy one. Elgin won a chop battle and told the ringside fans he “really liked chops” before pasting Adonis, who soon after hit a tope. Elgin barely beat the 10-count back in. Elgin eventually hit a sitdown power bomb for two. Elgin hit a Samoan drop on the apron and Adonis missed a flip dive off the top, Elgin hit a lariat and a last ride sitdown power bomb for two.
Then, we got a double lariat and the bell rang for a 20-minute draw which fans booed. Afterward, Elgin said his relationship with Chicago has been a little rocky, but tonight was his birthday, and he’ll be damned if he’s gonna go to a draw. He called for five more minutes and the crowd chanted for it. Adonis declined and said they could do a no-time-limit rematch in Feb. 15 at Warrior Wrestling 8. Elgin brought in a little kid and told him a secret. He didn’t want to lose on his birthday. Elgin rolled up the ref and the kid counted three.
Black Taurus def. Drago, Aerostar, Rey Horus and El Gringo Loco in a five-way scramble
This was non-stop action as you would expect. Horus dove over the top rope and hit a rana outside. Taurus hit the pop up Samoan drop on Horus like Jacob Fatu does. Loco, a local who also appears for MLW, dove over the top onto everyone but Horus as they made the local guy look good. Taurus and Aerostar spit at each other. Taurus and Loco botched a spot near the finish, which was Taurus hitting a spinning slam on Loco for the win in nine minutes. They bumped fists and posed for pictures after the well-received match. A few fans threw money in the ring.
Kurt Angle made an appearance and was greeted with the “you suck” chant. He did a short promo and noted John Cena’s first match was against him in Chicago and said he took on Randy Orton (and Rey Mysterious) at WrestleMania 22 here as well.
Lance Archer def. Brian Pillman Jr.
New Japan’s U.S. champ had a tune-up match before he takes on AEW’s Jon Moxley at Wrestle Kingdom. Archer took a lot of the match and no sold Pillman’s chops. Archer hit the EBD claw to win in about 12 minutes. Fans were really into it when they went to the near falls.
Minoru Suzuki def. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
Lawlor came out wearing a yellow vest to a New Kids on the Block song, waving his arm. Suzuki got the biggest pop so far with a good portion of the crowd here to scream “Kaze ni Nare”. This was mat wrestling at first, followed by outside brawling and a chop/strike battle. Suzuki got the better of the exchange. They tried to choke each other out and reversed each other. Suzuki hit the Gotch piledriver about 14 minutes in for the win. Afterward, he left all the fans attempting high-fives hanging. On his way out, he teased putting a move on the kid who counted Elgin’s pin on the ref earlier in the evening.
Warrior Wrestling Champion Brian Cage def. El Phantasmo to retain
El-P took a couple hats off fans who tried to ‘Too Sweet’ him and tossed them into the crowd. He grabbed the mic from the ring announcer and said “I’ve been waiting a long, long time to say this: CM Punk sucks.” He also said Colt Cabana sucked, Chicago deep dish pizza sucked, and the Cubs sucked. The last one got cheers because the event was in White Sox territory. Cage clotheslined him for his troubles.
This was a speed vs. power match. They brawled in the crowd. Cage kicked El-P while he had a plastic trash can over his head. El-P took over with a dive through the ropes onto Cage. El-P did his rope walk spot. El-P got a handful of tights for two and somehow got Cage up for the airplane spin. Cage hit a buckle bomb and back breaker and the ref counted to three, but it wasn’t the finish. Oops.
Cage suplexed El-P back into the ring from the second rope. El-P hit a destroyer that Cage no sold, who then hit him with a big lariat for a spin bump and hit his finisher for the win in about 17 minutes.
The main event of the evening pitted the New Japan faction against the Impact team. Rocky and Wentz started off with some comedy and Red and Xavier were next. They were super fast. Ospreay was really into the match on the apron. He got the tag amid soccer chants of his name. This had the most sustained heat of the night even four hours in. Miguel got tied to the tree of woe and CHAOS each slide kicked him.
The Rascalz got heat on Romweo, who hit a double rana and hot tagged Red. Ospreay hit a standing twisting moonsault for two, then Pip Pip Cheerio. Ospreay went for an Os cutter but was pushed over the top rope instead.
There was a series of dives to the outside, topped by a Red monkey flip to one of the Rascalz off the top to the outside, landing on everyone else. Ospreay got the storm breaker on Xavier for the win in 24 minutes.
Both teams got on their knees and hugged after the match. Ospreay did the show-ending speech, singing “Sweet Home Chicago”.
NJPW’s World Tag League continued today in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall in front of an announced sellout crowd of 1,725.
The show featured all Tag League matches, with all 16 teams in action. Here are full results and match recaps:
JUICE ROBINSON & DAVID FINLAY DEFEATED HIROYOSHI TENZAN & SATOSHI KOJIMA
Finlay and Tenzan kicked things off. They traded shoulder tackles and knockdowns. Kojima got a tag and hit machine gun chops in the corner. Kojima missed a charge into the corner, which enabled Finlay and Juice to take over.
Finlay hit Kojima with uppercuts. Juice used a senton for a two count. Kojima came back with DDTs on both Finlay and Juice, then made a hot tag to Tenzan. Tenzan hit Finlay with Mongolian chops, then used a brainbuster for a near fall.
They traded strikes. Tenzan used a wheel kick, then slapped on an Anaconda Vice. Juice made the save for Finlay, breaking the hold. Juice tagged in. Tenzan and Juice traded strikes. Juice hit a spinebuster. Tenzan answered with a Mountain Bomb, then tagged out.
Kojima hit Juice with machine gun chops, a top rope elbow, and a Koji Cutter. He covered, but Finlay made the save for Juice. The match broke down and all four jumped in. Tenzan and Finlay brawled to the floor. Kojima hit Juice with a brainbuster for a near fall.
Juice ducked one lariat, but Kojima connected on another for a near fall. Finlay jumped in. Juice and Finlay hit a double dropkick on Kojima, who no-sold it.
The finish saw Juice hit the Left Hand of God into a Stunner by Finlay, into a Pulp Friction from Juice, who pinned Kojima. This turned into a heck of an opener by the end.
Sadly, three of these four guys have no business being in the ring, with Makabe the only exception. Honma looked as good as he has in a long time, but Nagata seems to have aged five years since his last tour, and Nakanishi is immobile.
The match was built around Honma missing kokeshis. He scored some early chops and shoulder tackles on both Nagata and Nakanishi, but missed kokeshis on both.
Nagata and Nakanishi took over on Honma. Makabe finally got a hot tag and hit 10 punches in the corner and a lariat on Nagata. Nagata answered with an exploder suplex.
Nakanishi hit a splash on Makabe for a near fall. Nakanishi put Makabe in the Argentinian backbreaker, while Nagata used a Nagata Lock on Honma. Makabe responded with a double lariat, then Honma and Makabe hit Nakanishi with a double lariat.
The finish saw Honma hit a kokeshi on Nakanishi. Makabe then hit a lariat for a near fall, a sloppy slam, then the King Kong Knee Drop for the pin.
BAD LUCK FALE & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI & TOA HENARE
Fale and Owens attacked before the opening bell, sending Henare outside. Tanahashi made his own comeback. Henare and Tanahashi used a tandem crab on Fale, which Owens broke up with thumbs to the eyes.
Fale and Owens isolated Henare. Fale eventually missed a splash, which allowed Henare to make a tag to Tanahashi. Tana hit Fale with strikes, a dragon screw, and tried for a cloverleaf, but Fale fought it off.
Tana tried a slam on Fale, but collapsed with Fale on top of him. Fale missed a splash, which led to Owens and Henare getting tags.
Henare hit a Samoan drop, then used a diving chop for a near fall. Owens blocked a charge into the corner, and Fale entered for a double team. Owens hit a second rope elbow for a near fall. Tana and Henare suplexed Fale.
Tana hit a slingblade on Owens, and Henare covered for a two count. Tana rolled outside to brawl with Fale. Fale tripped Henare from the floor, allowing Owens to hit a shining wizard. Owens then hit a package piledriver and pinned Henare.
HIROOKI GOTO & KARL FREDERICKS DEFEATED KENTA & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI
Let’s all pitch in and buy Yujiro a new hat for Christmas this year. The one he wears during his entrance has seen better days.
They could be setting up a Goto/KENTA NEVER title match. This whole match was built around the two of them and the finish makes no sense otherwise.
KENTA stalled in the early going, avoiding Goto. Fredericks again worked most of the match for his team. He scored early offense with an uppercut forearm and a diving chop. KENTA and Yujiro then turned this into a brawl around ringside, leading to a lengthy bit of getting heat on Fredericks.
Fredericks blocked a Pimp Juice attempt by Yujiro, then both tagged out. Goto hit some trademark offense on KENTA. Yujiro tried to jump in for a double team, but Fredericks hit him with a spinebuster. Fredericks also hit a blockbuster off the second rope.
Goto tried an ushigoroshi, but KENTA raked his eyes. KENTA used Game Over, but Goto reached the ropes for a break. The finish saw KENTA take the ref. Yujiro jumped in with his cane, but Goto blocked a shot and hit him with an ushigoroshi. Goto then pinned KENTA after two GTRs.
Yano and Cabana argued over who would start. Yano began but quickly tagged out. Tonga hit a neckbreaker on Cabana on an illegal double team, which led to a lengthy beatdown on Colt by GOD.
Yano finally got a tag and untied a turnbuckle pad. All four did some comedy spots. Yano and Cabana both took Tongan Twists. The ref took a bump, which allowed Jado to jump in and hit Yano with a kendo stick.
The finish saw Cabana take the referee, which allowed Yano to hit low blows on both Tonga and Loa. Yano rolled Loa up with a schoolboy, then Cabana jumped on top with a Superman pin to earn the victory.
This didn’t have enough comedy to be a good comedy match. It also didn’t have enough brawling to be a good brawl.
TOMOHIRO ISHII & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED JEFF COBB & MIKEY NICHOLLS
Ishii and Cobb started off by no-selling each other’s power moves. Nicholls and YH got tags. Nicholls took over on YH after a lariat. YH came back with a headhunter, allowing both to tag out.
Ishii and Cobb exchanged heavy strikes and chops. Cobb hit a massive brainbuster, then tagged Nicholls. Nicholls hit Ishii with clotheslines in the corner. He tried a brainbuster, but Ishii slid out. Ishii hit some hard strikes, but Nicholls countered with a spinebuster for a near fall.
Ishii ducked a lariat, then hit a vertical suplex. Cobb and YH both jumped in and hit superkicks. YH used a backstabber on Nicholls into a German by Ishii. Ishii hit a lariat and went for a cover on Nicholls, but Cobb broke it up.
YH hit a dragon suplex on Cobb. Cobb popped up and hit Ishii and YH with lariats. Cobb and Nicholls hit stereo standing moonsaults on Ishii for a two count. Nicholls hit Ishii with a DVD, then hit a sliding lariat for a near fall.
Nicholls teased a Mikey Bomb on Ishii, but YH jumped in to make the save. YH hit Nicholls with a lariat. Ishii then hit a sliding lariat for a two count, while Cobb and YH rolled outside. Ishii then hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin.
This was a great match worth going out of your way to see — if only for the one-man show that is Tomohiro Ishii. He is unreal.
There is honor among stablemates, as neither side used an attack before the bell.
After the bell, however, all bets are off. Suzuki and Taichi started off in the ring. Suzuki went after Taichi’s hair. Taichi responded by sending Suzuki into the barricade and hitting him with a chair. Sabre used a heel hook on Archer on the outside.
Archer and Suzuki made a comeback. Suzuki used a chair on Taichi and sent him into the barricade. Archer and Sabre brawled all over the building. Back in the ring, Suzuki and Archer took turns working over Taichi in their half of the ring.
Taichi snapped and went after Suzuki’s throat, backing him into a corner. Sabre made a blind tag and used a kimura and stomped on Suzuki’s elbow. Suzuki’s facial expressions here were absolutely priceless.
Suzuki fired back with strikes on Sabre. Sabre tried to respond with stiff forearms, but Suzuki got the best of it. Sabre hit a PK, but Suzuki no-sold it. Suzuki hit a PK, but Sabre no-sold it. This was great. Sabre and Suzuki knocked each other down with simultaneous high kicks.
Archer and Taichi got tags. Archer teased the EBD Claw on Taichi. Taichi blocked and hit a kamiguri. He teased a buzzsaw kick, but Archer caught him in a black hole slam.
Suzuki tagged in and slapped the crap out of Taichi. Taichi answered with a high kick, then made a tag to Sabre. Suzuki and Sabre squared off. Sabre dared Suzuki to hit a forearm. Suzuki did, dropping Sabre. Suzuki dared Sabre to hit him. Suzuki dropped to a knee from the strike.
They continued to trade hard strikes. Sabre tried a neck twist, but Suzuki blocked and put him in an ankle lock. Sabre reversed into an octopus. Archer jumped in and hit a Pounce on Sabre. Taichi jumped in and ate a big boot from Suzuki.
Suzuki hit Sabre with kicks. He tried a misdirection spot, but Sabre answered with a European clutch for a near fall. Suzuki got a rear naked choke applied. Sabre slid out. They traded a series of cradles, with Sabre finally using an inside cradle for the pin.
This match ruled. My favorite tag match in weeks.
EVIL & SANADA DEFEATED SHINGO TAKAGI & EL TERRIBLE
EVIL and SANADA established the early advantage on Shingo with some very basic offense. EVIL hit some shoulder tackles. Shingo came back with a lariat on EVIL, and all four brawled around ringside.
Back in the ring, Shingo hit a slingshot stomp on EVIL, a knee lift, then a vertical suplex. Terrible and Shingo worked over EVIL’s left arm, cutting the ring in half. EVIL came back with a double bulldog, then tagged SANADA.
SANADA used the Paradise Lock on Terrible. Shingo and SANADA exchanged strikes. SANADA teased a leapfrog dropkick, but Shingo blocked. Shingo tried a dragon screw, but SANADA reversed into one of his own.
SANADA hit a springboard dropkick. EVIL got a tag and hit a lariat for a two count. EVIL and SANADA teased a Magic Killer, but Shingo fought it off, then hit both with a double lariat.
Terrible came in for some double team spots. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber on EVIL. Terrible hit a top rope splash for a two count on EVIL, as SANADA made the save.
Terrible hit his punch and chop combos on both EVIL and SANADA. EVIL and SANADA hit Terrible with a Magic Killer. Shingo jumped in to make the save, but SANADA locked him in Skull End. EVIL and SANADA then hit Shingo with a Magic Killer.
The finish saw EVIL hit Everything is EVIL on Terrible for the pin. A good main event, but it had no chance at following the previous two matches.
CURRENT WORLD TAG LEAGUE STANDINGS:
Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI — 4 points (2-0)
David Finlay & Juice Robinson — 4 points (2-0)
EVIL & SANADA — 2 points (1-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare — 2 points (1-1)
Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer — 2 points (1-1)
KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi — 2 points (1-1)
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima — 2 points (1-1)
NJPW continued their Road to Destruction tour today with their third consecutive night in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.
The show featured the continuation of the round-robin Young Lion Cup tournament, along with a collection of tag matches previewing the key bouts on the Destruction shows later in the tour.
Here are full results and match recaps:
YOUNG LION CUP MATCH: ALEX COUGHLIN DEFEATED MICHAEL RICHARDS
Coughlin scored early with some chops and stomps in the corner. He used a side headlock takeover. Richards used a headscissors to escape the hold. Coughlin bridged out of the headscissors and tried for a crab, but Richards forced a quick break.
Richards hit a lariat. Coughlin came back with a crab. Richards again forced a rope break. Coughlin used a bridging Indian deathlock, and Richards tapped out. This was the least spectacular of the Young Lion Cup matches so far. It was technically sound, but not very exciting.
YOUNG LION CUP MATCH: KARL FREDERICKS DEFEATED CLARK CONNORS
Fredericks missed with a dropkick, giving Connors an opening to try for a full crab. Fredericks fought it off. Connors hit some chops in the corner. Fredericks came back with uppercut forearms.
Connors went to work on the taped right arm of Fredericks. Fredericks hit a dropkick. Fredericks tried a body slam twice, but Connors fought it off. Connors hit a jawbreaker, but Fredericks came back with a shotgun dropkick, then a splash in the corner.
Connors hit a spear out of the corner. They exchanged chops and uppercuts. Fredericks hit a spinebuster, then used a single-leg crab. Connors tapped out.
Kojima and Tenzan traded Mongolian chops. Umino and Narita tagged in and had a striking battle. Narita did not go down after two shoulder tackle attempts, then scored a knockdown on Umino on his first shoulder tackle.
Umino hit a back elbow and a dropkick. Uemura and Tsuji tagged in. Tsuji hit a chop, and Uemura responded with a double-leg takedown. Tsuji worked a side headlock. Uemura hit a shoulder tackle and a back elbow, and his team began working over Tsuji.
Tenzan hit Tsuji with headbutts, then choked him on the mat. Umino hit a shoulder tackle, then a series of elbow strikes. Tsuji hit a body slam, then tagged Kojima. Kojima hit Umino with a DDT, then hit machine gun chops in the corner.
Kojima hit a top rope elbow for a nearfall. Umino came back with a dropkick off the middle rope, then tagged Tenzan. Tenzan hit Kojima with chops, then hit a brainbuster for a two count.
Kojima and Tenzan traded strikes. Kojima hit a Koji Cutter, into a double down. Narita and Uemura tagged in. Uemura used a slam for a one count. Uemura tried for a double underhook suplex, but Narita blocked it, then hit a backdrop.
Umino jumped in and hit Narita with a dropkick. Narita hit a belly-to-belly on Umino. The match broke down, and four guys brawled to the floor, leaving Narita and Uemura the legal men. Narita hit an overhead belly-to-belly into a bridge and got the pin.
They started off with a wild brawl, with everyone jumping in. Honma hit Yujiro with a kokeshi, but missed one on Tonga. YH hit a dropkick through the ropes to Jado. Loa jumped YH on the floor, and everyone brawled around ringside.
Back inside, Bullet Club worked YH over. Yujiro hit him with a leg drop for a nearfall, then hit some forearm strikes from the mount. Loa hit a powerslam for a nearfall. Tonga teased a brainbuster, but YH escaped, then made a tag to Ishii.
Ishii ran wild, hitting shoulder tackles, a dropkick, and a powerslam. Tonga and Loa cut him off. Tonga hit a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Tonga blocked a lariat, then hit a Tongan Twist. Loa tagged in and covered Ishii for a two count.
Loa tried for a suplex on Ishii, but Ishii reversed it into a brainbuster. Ishii tagged Honma. Honma hit Loa with strikes, a bulldog, a kokeshi, then a pair of lariats. Loa cut him off with a boot to the gut.
Jado hit Honma with a kendo stick, then Loa hit Apesh*t for the pin. This was a weak match except when Ishii was in.
EL PHANTASMO, TAIJI ISHIMORI & BAD LUCK FALE DEFEATED WILL OSPREAY, ROBBIE EAGLES & TOA HENARE
Eagles and Ishimori kicked things off. Eagles went for the Miller Special immediately, but Ishimori reached the ropes. Eagles hit a hurricanrana, then a wheel kick. Ospreay and Eagles used a series of quick tags, working over Ishimori’s left arm. Eagles hit a double stomp off the top rope while Ospreay held the arm.
Henare tagged in. He hit a shoulder tackle for a two count. He tried for a suplex, but Ishimori slipped out and raked Henare’s eyes. Bullet Club worked Henare over. Each member tried a back rake off the top rope. ELP and Ishimori hit theirs, but Henare crotched Fale on his attempt.
Henare managed a tag to Ospreay. Ospreay and Eagles hit some tandem offense, including stereo kicks in the corner. Ospreay hit a standing shooting star press for a nearfall. They teased a double Spanish Fly, but ELP blocked it.
ELP tried to powerbomb Ospreay off the top rope, but Ospreay landed on his feet. Ospreay tried a wall flip, but ELP hit him with an airplane spin neckbreaker.
Henare and Fale got tags. Henare teased a Samoan drop on Fale, but Ishimori made the save. Ishimori hit double knees in the corner. Fale hit a splash in the corner, then hit a splash on the mat. He made a cover, but Ospreay and Eagles saved.
Ospreay and Eagles teased stereo planchas, but Ishimori and ELP avoided them. With those four out on the floor, Henare and Fale were left the legal men.
Henare managed a shoulder tackle for a nearfall. He ran to the corner, but ELP grabbed his ankle from the floor. Fale hit a splash in the corner, then hit The Grenade to get the win.
ELP and Ishimori taunted Eagles and Ospreay after the match. Ospreay and Eagles teased getting back into the ring to attack, but Fale stood in their way as a bodyguard for ELP and Ishimori.
Shingo and Goto started off exchanging hard chops. BUSHI tried to jump in for a double team, but Goto hit him with a Saito suplex. Everyone brawled on the outside. Okada teased hitting a tombstone on SANADA on the floor, but SANADA escaped. Okada sent him into the barricade.
BUSHI and Romero ended up the legal men. They traded chops. Romero got the best of the exchange, then tagged Okada. Okada hit a slam, then used a slingshot senton for a one count. Romero and Okada traded tags, working over BUSHI.
BUSHI came back with a hurricanrana on Okada, then tagged SANADA. SANADA hit a pescado on Okada. He tried for a back suplex, but Okada blocked it. Okada tried for an air raid crash, but SANADA avoided it. Okada hit a flapjack, then tagged Goto.
SANADA hit Goto with a dropkick off the middle rope, then tagged Shingo. Shingo and Goto traded forearms. They hit simultaneous lariats. Shingo hit a jab, but Goto caught him in an ushigoroshi.
Romero tagged in and hit Shingo with forever clotheslines, then used a tornado DDT for a two count. LIJ tripled up on Romero. Shingo used a side slam for a nearfall, with Okada and Goto making the save.
Everyone jumped in. Goto hit Shingo with a lariat. SANADA hit a dropkick to Goto’s legs. Okada went for a Rainmaker on SANADA. SANADA tried Skull End. Okada missed a dropkick. SANADA hit Okada with a dropkick. Romero hit a standing sliced bread on Shingo for a nearfall.
Romero tried for sliced bread again, but Shingo blocked it, then hit a pop-up DVD. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber, then hit Made in Japan on Romero for the pin.
TETSUYA NAITO & EVIL DEFEATED JAY WHITE & CHASE OWENS
Owens attacked EVIL before the bell, and they rolled outside. Naito attacked White with strikes, and White rolled outside, then tagged Owens. Naito tagged EVIL. EVIL hit a series of chops in the corner. He hit the ropes, but Gedo tripped him from the floor.
All four fought around ringside. Back in the ring, Owens hit a back elbow for a one count. EVIL came back with a fisherman buster, then both tagged out.
Naito choked White on the mat. He hit a neckbreaker, then used a dropkick to the back for a nearfall. Naito hit a series of forearms in the corner. White hit a DDT, then tagged Owens. Owens missed a running knee, and Naito hit him with a neckbreaker.
EVIL got a tag. Naito hit Owens with a dropkick. White jumped in to save Owens and sent Naito to the floor. White hit a Blade Buster on EVIL, and Owens followed up with a running knee for a two count.
Owens went for a package piledriver, but EVIL blocked it. Naito jumped in and hit an enzuigiri. White tried to stop Naito. He teased a Blade Runner, but Naito sent him to the floor after a flying headscissors. EVIL hit Owens with a headbutt and a lariat for a nearfall, then used the Scorpion Deathlock for the submission.
White attacked Naito on the floor after the bell. He whipped him into the barricade, then choked him before leaving with Naito’s title belt.
Suzuki attacked Liger at the commentary desk on his way to the ring. He dragged Liger inside the ring, then hit him with the Gotch-style piledriver. Tanahashi and Taguchi ran out to make the save. Taguchi hit a plancha on Suzuki, while Tana and Sabre started off the match inside.
Tana hit a dropkick to Sabre’s left leg, then hit a chop block. Taguchi tagged in and he and Tana hit tandem hip attacks on Sabre. Taguchi kept up the attack on Sabre’s left leg with stomps. Suzuki cut Taguchi off, applying an armbar over the ropes. Suzuki pulled Taguchi to the floor, then proceeded to take the fight into the crowd.
Suzuki hit Taguchi with a chair. Sabre and Tanahashi fought into the crowd, and Sabre used an armbar. After a countout tease, Sabre and Suzuki used a variety of holds to ground Taguchi in the ring. Suzuki used a crossface, while Sabre wrenched on Taguchi’s legs.
Taguchi and Suzuki ended up the legal men. Suzuki hit a hard forearm to the side of Taguchi’s neck. Sabre got a tag and used a PK on Taguchi’s butt. Suzuki applied an ankle lock. Tana came in for the save, but Suzuki got him in a rear naked choke, then tossed him outside.
Sabre and Suzuki continued working Taguchi over in their corner. Taguchi finally made a comeback, hitting Suzuki and Sabre with hip attacks. Tana got a tag. He hit Suzuki with a somersault senton. Suzuki cut him off with a rear naked choke, then tagged Sabre.
Sabre hit Tana with uppercuts. They traded cobra twists. Sabre teased a Zack Driver, but Tana hit him with Twist and Shout, then used a slingblade for a two count. Tana went up top while Suzuki and Taguchi fought to the floor.
Tana went for a High Fly Flow, but Sabre got his knees up. Suzuki and Sabre used armbars on both of Tana’s arms, and Taguchi jumped in for the save. Taguchi and Suzuki rolled outside.
Sabre went for a PK. Tana caught it, then hit a dragon screw before tagging Taguchi. Taguchi hit Sabre with four hip attacks, earning a nearfall.
Taguchi went for Dodon, but Sabre pulled him into a cross armbreaker. Taguchi rolled through into an ankle lock. Sabre reversed into his own ankle lock, but Taguchi rolled through that back to an ankle lock. Sabre rolled to the ropes for a break.
Taguchi went for a hip attack. Sabre caught him with a crucifix. Tana saved. Suzuki jumped in and put Taguchi in a sleeper while Sabre and Tana fought. Sabre hit Tana with a Zack Driver, then hit Taguchi with a Zack Driver for the pin.
After the bell, Sabre used a wristlock on Tanahashi. Uemura and Tsuji tried to make the save, but Suzuki fought them off. Sabre then stomped on Tana’s arms.
Sabre cut a promo on Tanahashi and Boris Johnson after the match. He said Tanahashi is a joke, the Ace is dead, and long live the new Prime Minister of the UK, Zack Sabre Jr.
Suzuki grabbed the mic and said Suzuki-gun is ichiban, then attacked Uemura with a chair for good measure.
NJPW heads to London today as Royal Quest takes place at the Copper Box Arena.
The event will be headlined by Kazuchika Okada and Minoru Suzuki facing off for Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In the semi-main, Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends his title against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
After turning heel and joining the Bullet Club, KENTA will challenge for Tomohiro Ishii’s NEVER Openweight Championship.
The IWGP Tag Team titles will also be on the line today, with Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) defending against Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher). Aussie Open got the title shot by winning RevPro’s Road to Royal Quest tournament.
Here’s the rest of the card for Royal Quest: Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Jay White & Chase Owens, Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo, Kota Ibushi & Juice Robinson vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Hikuleo, and Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. Rocky Romero, SHO & YOH.
Royal Quest will be available as a live iPPV via Fite TV. It will be uploaded to New Japan World in September.
Our live coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Major streaming issues on display here in the opener. There was no English announcer audio. The video feed had major lag issues as well.
The crowd was on fire. Loud “Shooter” chants for Umino.
Umino and YOH started out. SHO jumped in for a double team, and Taguchi entered to even the odds. Taguchi tried some hip attacks, but missed, and Romero took over on Umino.
Umino managed a tag to Taguchi, who ran wild with hip attacks and a pescado.
Romero hit a rewind kick on Umino. Umino hit a shotgun dropkick on YOH. SHO hit a bridging German on Narita for a close nearfall.
SHO won with a lungblower on Narita. The match looked like a hot opener, from what we could see of it.
KOTA IBUSHI & JUICE ROBINSON DEFEATED YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & HIKULEO
Juice and Ibushi ran wild at the outset. Yujiro crotched Juice on the top rope, and Hikuleo used a lariat on Ibushi, and the tide turned in favor of Bullet Club.
Hikuleo and Yujiro cut the ring in half, and worked over Ibushi. Juice got a hot tag, He hit a leg lariat and a plancha. Yujiro cut him off, then hit a fisherman’s suplex for a two count.
Juice made a comeback. He hit a Juice Box, then tagged Ibushi. Yujiro made a simultaneous tag to Hikuleo, who cut off Ibushi with a lariat.
Ibushi got a nearfall off a move that the video feed cut out for. Hikuleo hit a falcon arrow for a nearfall on Ibushi, as Juice broke up the pinfall with a cannonball.
Juice and Yujiro brawled to the outside, leaving Hikuleo and Ibushi the legal men. Ibushi hit a bomaye knee strike, then followed with the Kamigoye for the pin.
WILL OSPREAY & ROBBIE EAGLES DEFEATED EL PHANTASMO & TAIJI ISHIMORI
This was excellent. Eagles and Ospreay were on a mission to steal the show. They hit some tandem offense at the opening bell. Ospreay teased a dive, but posed instead. Eagles hit a big tope con giro.
ELP cut off Eagles. He connected with a dropkick, then a quebrada, earning a nearfall. Eagles made his own comeback. He teased Turbo Backpack, but had to settle for a leg sweep and a forearm shot instead.
Ospreay got a hot tag. He hit a moonsault off the post to Ishimori, then hit ELP with Pip Pip Cheerio for a two count.
Ospreay tried for Storm Breaker, but ELP blocked. ELP tried for an airplane spin driver, but Ospreay blocked. They did a double down, then both tagged out.
Eagles hit a springboard dropkick to Ishimori’s legs. Ishimori hit a handspring kick, then a sliding German. Ishimori hit a moonsault for a nearfall, with Ospreay making the save for Eagles.
The match broke down, and all four men jumped in.
Eagles hit Turbo Backpack for a nearfall on ELP. Ospreay hit ELP with an Oscutter. Ospreay and Eagles hit a tandem Spanish Fly off the top rope on Ishimori, and Ospreay got the pin.
Ospreay cut a promo after the match. He issued a challenge to ELP and Ishimori to defend their IWGP Jr. Heavyweight tag titles against Ospreay and Eagles.
TETSUYA NAITO & SANADA DEFEATED JAY WHITE & CHASE OWENS
This was a house show-quality match. Lots of fun, but worked at half-speed.
White and Naito teased locking up, but neither man seemed too eager to do so. White begged off, then tagged out. Owens demanded that Naito tag SANADA, and Naito obliged.
SANADA and Owens did some comedy. SANADA tried for the paradise lock on Owens, but White jumped in to cut him off. While Owens worked over SANADA inside, White choked Naito with a t-shirt on the floor.
White and Owens used some quick tags as they worked over SANADA. SANADA hit White with a vertical suplex, then managed to tag Naito.
Naito hit a back elbow, then used a series of neckbreakers for a two count. Naito tried for Gloria, but White blocked it with a flatliner. White hit a Blade Buster for a two count.
The video feed cut out here for about a minute. When it returned, SANADA had Owens in the paradise lock. SANADA broke the hold with a dropkick.
Owens and White doubled up on SANADA. Owens hit a running knee for a nearfall, as Naito made the save. White and Naito brawled outside.
SANADA went for Skull End, but Owens blocked it, then used an inside cradle for a nearfall. Owens teased a package piledriver, but SANADA blocked it.
While Naito held White at bay on the floor, SANADA used Skull End on Owens, and Owens tapped out.
After the match, SANADA refused to break the hold. White ran in and attacked SANADA. Naito tried to save, but White put the boots to him as well.
Gedo passed White a chair. White hit SANADA with the chair, then used it on Naito. He tried for a second chair shot to Naito, but Naito avoided it. Naito then hit Destino on White, then covered him for a visual pinfall.
IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: TAMA TONGA & TANGA LOA DEFEATED MARK DAVIS & KYLE FLETCHER TO RETAIN THE TITLES
A good match here. Aussie Open is a great team, and GOD threw a few new wrinkles in to what has become their very patterned match layout.
Tonga and Loa used a sneak attack before the bell. Aussie Open came back quickly. Davis hit Loa with a senton for a two count. Fletcher got a tag. He hit the ropes, and ran right into a kendo stick shot from Jado on the floor.
Loa worked over Fletcher with a shoulder block, a dropkick, a spear, and a delayed jackhammer. Tonga got a tag, and hit a slingshot elbow to the gut. Loa got a quick tag and hit a senton for a nearfall.
Loa missed a legdrop, then tagged Tonga. Fletcher finally managed a tag to Davis, who hit a series of clotheslines to both Tonga and Loa. GOD rolled outside to regroup, and Fletcher nailed both with a suicide dive.
All four jumped in as the match broke down. Aussie Open hit a tandem Alabama slam, and Fletcher covered Tonga for a nearfall. Jado hit Davis with the kendo stick. Davis chased Jado, and got laid out on the floor by Loa.
Back inside, Tonga and Loa hit top rope splashes. Tonga covered for a nearfall. GOD teased a super powerbomb, but Davis made the save for Fletcher. Fletcher hit a flip dive to the floor, wiping out Loa.
Aussie Open tried for a Fidget Spinner, but Tonga cut them off. Loa hit Apeshit on Davis, then GOD hit the super powerbomb on Fletcher. Tonga covered Fletcher for the pin.
NEVER OPENWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: KENTA DEFEATED TOMOHIRO ISHII TO WIN THE TITLE
They were having a good match. A little slow, but still good. Then KENTA appeared to get knocked out after landing on his head on a suplex from Ishii, and this totally fell apart.
They began with a lockup, then traded strikes. Ishii dropped KENTA with a shoulder block. They continued to trade strikes in the corner. KENTA snapped Ishii’s neck over the top rope, then hit a clothesline off the top rope.
KENTA hit a series of kicks, slowly working Ishii over. Ishii came back with a powerslam, then hit a series of punch and chop combinations in the corner. They traded strikes in the center of the ring. KENTA got the best of the exchange, then hit a Shibata dropkick in the corner.
Ishii rolled to the ropes to escape KENTA’s onslaught, but KENTA stomped on his head, then hit a draping DDT. KENTA teased a GTS. Ishii fired up, and started no-selling. He hit KENTA with a series of headbutts, then hit a German.
KENTA may have landed on his head on the German. They tried to do a spot, but KENTA sort of just collapsed to the mat. KENTA appeared to be out on his feet, either from the suplex, or one of the headbutts.
Ishii hit a short headbutt that appeared to connect for real, then a series of short headbutts. Ishii hit a series of slaps to the face, but KENTA hit a lariat into a double down.
KENTA hit a double stomp off the top for a two count. He tried for a GTS, but Ishii blocked it. Ishii went for a brainbuster. KENTA was supposed to reverse it, but they fell on top of each other in a heap.
They sat Shibata-style in the center of the ring, trading slaps. KENTA hit a PK. Ishii came back with a clothesline. He covered. KENTA was supposed to kick out, but he was late in doing so, and the referee held up his count to cover for it.
The referee took a bump. Tanga and Loa ran in. Ishii hit a suplex on Loa, then knocked Tonga off the apron.
Ishii hit KENTA with a vertical drop brainbuster. Tonga and Loa pulled the referee out of the ring before he could count to three. Loa hit a powerslam on Ishii. Tonga and Loa hit Ishii with a Magic Killer, then revived the referee.
KENTA covered, but Ishii kicked out at two. KENTA used a sleeper. They exchanged strikes. KENTA dropped Ishii with a right hand to the side of the neck, picking up a nearfall.
KENTA called for the GTS. He hit the move, and got the pin.
RPW BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. TO WIN THE TITLE
My personal take on these two is that their chemistry is hit-and-miss. This match didn’t click with me, and was not one of their more memorable encounters. The crowd was super hot for the match, and popped big for the title change, so my opinion may be in the minority here.
They grappled on the mat for the first five minutes of the bout. Tanahashi tried for a somersault senton, but Sabre rolled out of the way. Sabre stomped on Tana’s right arm, then went after the left arm.
Tanahashi came back with a dropkick to the left leg. He followed up with a dropkick in the corner. Sabre applied a cobra twist, which Tana reversed into a backslide for a nearfall. They traded quick cradles for nearfalls at the ten minute mark.
Sabre went for a PK, but Tana caught it, then hit a dragon screw. Tanahashi went for a cloverleaf, but Sabre blocked it, applied a triangle, then slipped to an armbar attempt. Tana blocked the armbar and went back to the cloverleaf attempt, but Sabre turned it into a small package for a two count.
Sabre used an octopus hold, but Tana reached the ropes. Tana blocked a Zack Driver, but Sabre answered with a PK. Sabre again tried for a Zack Driver, but Tana reversed into Twist and Shout. Tana then used a slingblade for a two count.
Tana went for High Fly Flow, but Sabre got his knees up. Sabre applied a triangle. Sabre then pinned one of Tana’s arms to the mat, while wrenching back on the other.
Tana countered the hold with an inverted dragon screw. Tana tried for a dragon suplex, but Sabre blocked it, then dropped down into a European clutch for a nearfall.
They exchanged strikes. Sabre went for a backslide, but Tana turned it into a slingblade. Tana hit a dragon suplex for a nearfall. Tana hit High Fly Flow, and got the pin.
IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: KAZUCHIKA OKADA DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI TO RETAIN THE TITLE
This was a work of art. Suzuki’s facial expressions were incredible. The psychology was nothing short of brilliant. I can’t say enough good things about this match.
Suzuki got a quick strike in the corner off the break on the opening lockup. They traded knuckle locks and hammerlocks. Suzuki worked over Okada’s left arm, but Okada got a single-leg takedown, then worked a heel hook. Suzuki countered the hold with a triangle, and Okada rolled to the ropes for a break.
They exchanged strikes in the center of the ring. Okada hit a dropkick to the back of a seated Suzuki. Suzuki came back by applying an armbar over the ropes. They brawled around ringside. Suzuki teased a chair shot, but Okada blocked it.
They fought to the ramp. Okada teased a tombstone, but Suzuki blocked it. Suzuki hit a Gotch-style piledriver on the ramp. Suzuki then hit a running PK . Back inside, Suzuki ate a series of forearms from Okada. He sold them by laughing, which the crowd loved.
Suzuki dropped Okada with a forearm, then used an ankle lock. Suzuki transitioned to a modified STF, but Okada reached the ropes. Suzuki hit a series of PKs, but Okada no-sold them. Okada hit a running back elbow.
Okada hit a DDT for a two count. Suzuki rolled to the floor, trying to stop Okada’s momentum. Okada hit a plancha. Okada teased an air raid crash, but Suzuki blocked it. Suzuki hit a running boot in the corner, then hit a PK for a two count.
Suzuki used a Fujiwara armbar, but Okada rolled to the ropes for the rope break. Suzuki hit a series of kicks to the right arm of Okada. Suzuki hit some short knee strikes, then connected on a running boot for a two count.
Suzuki went for a Gotch-style piledriver, but Okada blocked it, and backdropped out. Okada hit a diving uppercut forearm, into a double down.
Okada hit a shotgun dropkick, then used a DVD for a nearfall. Okada hit a scoop slam, then a top rope elbow. Okada hit his Rainmaker pose, and Suzuki responded with a slap to the face.
They exchanged strikes. The crowd went nuts for this battle of forearm blows. Suzuki scored a knockdown off a hard shot to the side of the neck, then followed with a shot to the back of the neck.
Okada reversed a Gotch-style piledriver attempt into an air raid crash. From their knees, they exchanged forearm strikes. They continued to trade while standing. Suzuki hit a series of headbutts. He whipped Okada into the ropes, and Okada rebounded with a dropkick.
Okada used a rear naked choke. He gave up the hold, then hit a series of strikes. Okada hit the ropes, but ran right into a dropkick from Suzuki. Suzuki then used a rear naked choke. Okada forced a rope break.
Suzuki went right back to the choke. He used the choke to take Okada down, and mounted his back. The crowd started dueling chants.
Okada slipped out of the choke, and hit a Rainmaker. They went into a double down, but Okada kept hold of Suzuki’s right arm.
Okada hit a second Rainmaker. He went for a third, but Suzuki elbowed out. Suzuki blocked a spinning Rainmaker with a right hand, dropping Okada.
Suzuki hit a series of combinations. Okada dropped to the mat, and Suzuki posed.
Suzuki used a rear naked choke. He transitioned to a Gotch-style piledriver attempt. Okada blocked it, then hit a dropkick to the back.
Okada hit another dropkick. He went for a Rainmaker, but Suzuki blocked it. Suzuki went for a piledriver, but Okada blocked. Suzuki went for a PK, but Okada caught him.
Okada hit a tombstone, then followed with a Rainmaker for the pin.
Okada closed the show with a promo. He said the next time he comes back to London, he wil still be IWGP champion.
A number of high profile title matches are now set for New Japan’s Royal Quest event at the end of this month.
Following the events of the G1 Climax finals, Minoru Suzuki will get the next shot at Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Zack Sabre Jr. will put the Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight title on the line against Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Tomohiro Ishii will defend the NEVER Openweight title against the newest member of the Bullet Club, KENTA.
Guerrillas of Destiny will also be defending their IWGP Tag Team titles, but their challengers have yet to be determined. The winners of RevPro’s Royal Quest Tag Team tournament, which concludes on August 30, will determine GoD’s challengers.
Royal Quest takes place on August 31 at the Copper Box Arena in London, England. The show will be made available on New Japan World via VOD.
Here’s the full card:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against Minoru Suzuki
RPW British Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defending against Hiroshi Tanahashi
NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii defending against KENTA
IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny defending against the winners of the RPW Road to Royal Quest tournament
Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Jay White & Chase Owens
Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Kota Ibushi & Juice Robinson vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Hikuleo
This morning’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku event celebrated the 30th anniversary of Jushin Thunder Liger’s career.
While Keiichi Yamada made his wrestling debut in 1984, it was exactly 30 years ago today on April 24, 1989 that the Jushin Thunder Liger character made its debut, which was based on a popular anime running in Japan at the time.
Here are results from today’s show at Korakuen Hall.
Satoshi Kojima, Shota Umino and Ren Narita defeated Yuji Nagata, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura
Story of the match was that Umino would constantly target Nagata, who would have none of it. This was a good opener, the young lions always show a lot of fire and that gets people into the matches.
Interestingly, it was a young lion that got the win this time around, and not even with a Boston crab. Narita and Uemura traded some good looking offense right before Narita pinned Uemura with a overhead suplex into a bridge.
Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi and Taka Michinoku defeated YOSHI-HASHI, Tomoaki Honma and Rocky Romero
Sabre and YOSHI-HASHI worked a lot of the match, with Sabre focusing on YH’s taped up shoulder. Taichi was tagged in after Taka and Rocky wrestled for a bit. Rocky got some near falls, but Taichi cut hm off with a big boot and hit the last ride powerbomb for the win.
Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tiger Mask
Suzuki took Liger into the crowd, much like other days and hit him with a number of chairs. Liger recovers and grabs a chair, fending himself from Suzuki as Desperado and Kanemaru keep Taguchi and Tiger Mask at bay.
In the ring, Liger stomped on Suzuki but he quickly takes Liger down and mounts him, punching him into oblivion. Desperado tries to intervene but Suzuki is incensed, shoving him down too. Liger cuts him off with a koppo kick as Tiger Mask and Kanemaru go at it. Suzuki chokes Liger out of the ring as Kanemaru sprays Tiger Mask with whiskey, takes off his mask and rolls him up for the win.
After the match, Suzuki continued to destroy Liger on the outside with more chair shots as young lions come in. Liger took a mic and says they fight in the ring, this is sacred ground.
Suzuki grabs a chair and enters the ring, but Liger grabs a chair of his own. They eventually throw down the chairs and go after one another, but are seperated quickly. Liger repeats what he says, saying if Suzuki can’t get it done in the ring he should leave New Japan. Suzuki responds by laying out Umino and Tsuji on the outside, then finally made his exit. This was all pretty cool but it doesn’t feel like the end of their feud.
Juice Robinson, Dragon Lee and Mikey Nicholls defeated Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale and Taiji Ishimori
This was your run of the mill six man tag on a Road To undercard. Not bad, but not a ton to it either. The crowd was pretty hot for everything they did, so that was a plus. Nicholls and Owens had some good chemistry with one another towards the end, with Nicholls planting Owens with the Mikey Bomb for the win.
Hirooki Goto, Togi Makabe, Toru Yano and Toa Henare defeated Jay White, Guerillas of Destiny and Hikuleo
Another good tag match. White and Goto faced off here and were the highligt of the match Hikuleo and Henare also worked together, with Hikuleo looking more comfortable in the ring. Jado came in for the distraction as Yano and Hikuleo were in the ring, but it backfired as Yano low blowed Hikuleo then rolled him up.
Yano escaped after the match with all of Bullet Club’s belts, including the NEVER six man tag team titles.
Tetsuya Naito, EVIL and BUSHI defeated Kota Ibushi, Tomohiro Ishii and YOH
Good tag match. The two big feuds highlighted during this match were Ibushi and Naito, who brawled around the ringsider area early, and EVIL & Ishii, who kept it in the ring. YOH kicked out of Darkness Falls, and when EVIL went for his STO Ishii came in and broke it up.
After everyone came in, YOH went for a dragon suplex but EVIL broke it and took him to the corner. BUSHI assisted him in laying out YOH with a lariat as BUSHI wiped out Ishii on the outside. EVIL applied the scorpion deathlock/sharpshooter, which looks to be his submission going forward, then got the submission win.
Naito and Ibushi exchanged words after the match.
SANADA and Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada and SHO
I dont think this was as good as the main event from yesterday, but this was still a pretty good main event. It helps that the crowd was hot for everything all night, and things did pick up towards the end.
After some mat wrestling, SANADA takes out Okada as he and Shingo focus on SHO, who gets thrown into the barricade. After being worked on, SHO makes the hot tag to Okada who goes wild on Shingo.
Okada tags back in SHO as he and SHINGO exchange strikes. SHO tries for a lariat, but Shingo is unphased. After some maneuvering, SHO hits two for a nearfall. SHO hits a back cracker and goes for an armbreaker but it is broken up. SHO continues to mount offense, but is quickly taken out by a lariat.
SANADA comes in as SHO gets the upper hand, but SANADA escapes the shock arrow and applies the cold skull. Okada breaks it up, but SANADA countered by taking out Okada, hit SHO with a tombstone then submited SHO with the cold skull. A fun main event.
Shingo says some words after the match, but the crowd desperately wants SANADA to say something to close out the show. He re-enters the ring, takes the mic and says that tombstone was a special gift to Okada. He says he has a bit of good news, that Korakuen Hall is the best place in Tokyo, and that he will see them next time.
On Friday afternoon, Revolution Pro held their Live In NY event at WrestleCon at the Midtown Manhattan Hilton. Here are some results and notes from being there live which is available on Fite.tv.
The show started late after a delay with some of the talent’s scheduled photo ops at the WrestleCon convention. The ring announcer thanked the fans for their patience and overall, this was handled well.
Chris Brooks & Jonathan Gresham defeated Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks
This was a solid opener, but probably worked better as a live match than on the broadcast. Conners and Fredericks are NJPW Los Angeles Dojo guys. Gresham won following a series of strikes.
Carlos Romo defeated A-Kid, Flamita & Kid Lykos
This was less of a spotfest than you might expect as they did a lot of striking before getting into their dives.
Brian Cage defeated Michael Oku
Oku is still pretty green, but he has a lot of potential and hit one dive in particular that was spectacular. Cage took most of the match.
Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay
This was really the main event of the show, but it was put on in the middle of the card for those who wanted to leave for TakeOver. All four men were massively over. Ospreay and Tanahashi did about one third of what they might do in a big show main event, but it all worked.
Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Rocky Romero
They were in a tough spot being the first match after intermission. They started out with some serious wrestling before getting their comedy spots in.
Tomohiro Ishii defeated David Starr
Ishii sold more than I expected him to as he gave Starr a lot of offense. Ishii won after a sliding lariat and a vertical drop brainbuster.
Aussie Open defeated SHO & YOH
Maybe half of the original crowd remained by the time these teams got in the ring. There was nothing wrong with the match, but all four guys had to bust their humps to get a reaction.
After the last match, they shot an angle where Suzuki and Sabre attacked Aussie Open, setting up a match between the two teams on RevPro’s May 10th show.
We kickoff GCW’s full slate of unique shows over the next three days with Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport, a show Barnett recently talked about at length on my podcast for the website.
For those not familiar with this style, there’s a specific ruleset: fights can be stopped by KO, submission, forfeit, or dq only. Action is stopped and restarted once it spills to the edge or outside of the ring.
From the White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ, via the magic of Fite.TV, let’s get to it.
Dominic Garrini defeated Phil Baroni by referee decision reversal
The former MMA fighter Baroni came out in wrestling shoes and MMA gloves while Garrini was in a BJJ gi with accompanying purple belt. Baroni dumped Garrini on the ground, but Garrini wanted the action on the ground so that didn’t last long. Baroni laid in some ground and pound which almost led to an Garrini omoplata. Baroni was the heel, calling for timeout and was disliked because he wasn’t a pro wrestler like Garrini. He played the crowd a lot and they gave it right back.
The end came when Baroni hit a right hand that knocked out Garrini for a 10 count. However, Baroni put his hands on the referee which led him to reversing the decision. This was a short match, but was entertaining in spots. It was a good introduction to this style which was completely different than traditional pro wrestling.
J.R. Kratos defeated Simon Grimm by knockout
Kratos is a massive guy and resembles a much bigger Jay Glazer. Grimm is the former Simon Gotch of WWE sans moustache and employing a more strong style persona. This featured a lot of amateur wrestling and jiu jitsu along with some big slaps and elbows. The end came when Kratos (bleeding from the nose) hit a big slam as Grimm was attempting an armbar, followed by a flying elbow to the grounded Grimm for the knockout. This was very entertaining if you like physical, no nonsense matches.
Two matches in and you can see how this style can be a big challenge to some pro wrestlers. With no ropes or near falls available, that eliminates transitions and spots you’d normally see, leaving the guys to use strikes and chain wrestling to flow through the match.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated Killer Kross by submission
DBS is a Barnett disciple while Kross has been in Impact Wrestling as of late. The two started out trading kicks, but it didn’t take too long to go to the ground with the grappler Smith. Kross tried for a toehold that Smith tried to reverse into a Sharpshooter that Kross then reversed into a leglock attempt but both guys rolled to the outside in a fun sequence. Smith had Kross seemingly beat several times with submissions, but every time, they would roll to the ring apron. The ref would break them up which turned the crowd against Kross.
Both guys were exchanging hard slaps, kicks, and suplexes in the final few minutes. The end came when Smith was able to transition to a crossface for the tap. This was fun, but the final few minutes were really awesome. The crowd absolutely loved it as did I.
Masashi Takeda defeated Jonathan Gresham by referee stoppage
Gresham is the fast riding darling of the indie scene, while Takeda is a deathmatch wrestler who sports a ton of scars all over his body. After a few minutes of amateur wrestling, action spilled to the outside where a slapfight broke out and Takeda threatened using a chair which escalated things a bit. Takeda also started bleeding from the head. Gresham later worked on the cut with hammerfists that the crowd ate up, chanting ‘GCW’ when Takeda made a comeback.
After Gresham hit a flurry of kicks, Takeda hit a huge knee that floored Gresham followed by some ground and pound that ended it. The crowd really got into this late which amped things up considerably. Once things escalated outside the ring, this match went from ok to really good.
Chris Dickinson defeated Andy Williams (w/Pepper Parks) by submission
Williams is part of The Butcher & The Blade tag team with Pepper Parks and the band Every Time I Die while Dickinson is a fan favorite through Northeast indies. I believe he replaced ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor was was unfortunately pulled from the show. The two started slapping the hell out of each other like a real fight. Williams hit our first powerbomb of the night and went into ground and pound mode. Dickinson reversed things and landed some more punches and slaps. Williams tried a rollthrough but Dickinson clamped on the rear naked choke for the tap in a quick match that really resembled a fight.
Frank Mir def. Dan Severn by submission
This was a clash of former UFC champions. Baroni randomly came out to shake hands with Mir and then corner him. Mir was smiling, but looked nervous for his first pro wrestling match, dressed in a sleeveless rash guard and Bellator shorts.
Severn controlled the action early which featured a lot of ground work. Mir locked in a heel hook and Severn just submitted out of nowhere in a very short match. Mir did a promo afterward that was hard to hear because the audio wasn’t piped into the broadcast. It was something about taking on Brock Lesnar and the crowd changed “Sign him, Regal” as he left. This was the most disappointing match of the night to this point.
Hideki Suzuki defeated Timothy Thatcher by referee decision
This was nearly all chain wrestling and the first part of the show to this point where things started to drag a bit. Both guys were flawless in transitioning from lock to lock to lock without any slow down. Suzuki hit a big knee and Thatcher came back with an enziguri to tempoarily regain the advantage. the end came when Suzuki hit a double arm suplex that knocked Thatcher silly for the stoppage. The commentators speculated that Thatcher had his bell rung. Post-match, Suzuki threw his towel in Thatcher’s face before eventually shaking his hand. The crowd came alive at the end of the match.
Josh Barnett vs. Minoru Suzuki went to a time limit draw
The crowd was into this from the second Suzuki’s music hit. Both guys eased into things early with a lot of back and forth exchanges. Suzuki flashed a leg lock or heel hook that popped the crowd with Barnett showing off his armbars late on. Both guys showed off an intensity, especially as they were in submissions, that really stood out. Barnett did a great job selling for his smaller opponent who didn’t fight like he was smaller.
Action eventually spilled to the outside and the referee didn’t do anything about it, eventually getting a Suzuki strike for his trouble. Suzuki hit a chair shot on Barnett on the floor who then fired up and laid his opponent out with a big boot. They got back in the ring sans referee where Barnett hit some elbows and a side headlock before hitting a gut wrench suplex. The men then traded elbows and a few headbutts for several minutes which the crowd quieted down for so they could hear the slap.
The final 30 seconds featured both men unloading slaps, strikes, knees, and kicks before the 20-minute time limit expired….until both guys agreed to five more minutes.
Barnett his a series of kicks that just fired Suzuki up more, leading to a suplex that fired him up even more before he collapsed and got locked in a Barnett rear naked choke. Suzuki bit his way out of it and eventually bit the toes of Barnett’s boot. Suzuki then worked Barnett through a series of painful looking submissions before the two locked on matching heel hooks as time expired again.
The two embraced and bowed as they got a standing ovation from the crowd. If you’re an MMA fan that likes pro wrestling, you need to watch this show.
Other Notes:
– The event was sans the red mat from last year’s Matt Riddle-named event. Instead, it was a traditional pro wrestling mat with advertising on it with no ropes.
– I didn’t like the commentary at times. There was too much complaiing about the referee’s actions, a little too much swearing, and a lack of calling some of the moves. It was fairly easy to get past, but when it stood out, often it was for the wrong reasons.
The day before they face off at G1 Supercard, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jr. will be on opposite sides of a tag match for Revolution Pro Wrestling.
RevPro has announced that Tanahashi & Will Ospreay will face British Tag Team Champions Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. in a non-title match at their WrestleMania week show in New York City on Friday, April 5. The event is taking place at the Hilton New York Midtown Ballroom and will begin at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
RevPro’s show in NYC is being presented by WrestleCon.
Tanahashi vs. Sabre at ROH-NJPW G1 Supercard will be for Sabre’s RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship. Ospreay is NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Champion and will face ROH Television Champion Jeff Cobb in a title vs. title match at G1 Supercard.
Ospreay was originally scheduled to team with PAC against CCK (Chris Brookes & Jonathan Gresham) at RevPro’s WrestleMania week show, but PAC had to be pulled from WrestleCon due to a visa issue.
The main event of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport has been set, and naturally it will feature the show’s titular star against one of the most well renown shoot-style wrestlers of the modern era.
Barnett announced tonight that he will be facing Minoru Suzuki in the main event. As Barnett described in the tweet, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport will be “Catch Wrestling Violence that will be possessed by the spirits of Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson.”
Suzuki was also in the main event of last year’s Bloodsport main event, where he defeated Matt Riddle.
Matches that have been announced for this year’s event include former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir against Dan Severn, Timothy Thatcher vs. Hideki Suzuki and Killer Kross vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. Filthy Tom Lawlor and Jonathan Gresham will also appear on the show.
The event, which takes place on April 4, will be held under the Game Changer Wrestling banner as part of their Collective series of shows. Other promotions running shows under the Collective banner WrestleMania weekend include AIW, CHIKARA and Black Label Pro.
NJPW ran their second consecutive sellout night at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on Sunday, highlighted by the conclusion of the second round of the 2019 New Japan Cup.
The undercard was much stronger than the day before. The matches without tournament implications all delivered with intensity, and the crowd reacted in kind.
The tag matches that provided previews of upcoming Cup matches were strong as well.
As for the tournament matches, Cabana and Yano delivered on what had to be one of the most highly-anticipated comedy matches ever, while SANADA and Suzuki followed up with a strong main event.
Super heated opener. Nakanishi and Tenzan jawed at each other during the match. The finish saw Nagata hit an exploder on Uemura, then he applied the Nagata Lock for the submission.
CHASE OWENS, BAD LUCK FALE & HIKULEO DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON, MIKEY NICHOLLS & REN NARITA
This continued the build for Chase eventually challenging Juice for the U.S. title. Juice and Chase started out, but Chase begged off. Fale and HIKULEO went after Juice on the floor, and Chase tagged in once Juice was on the defensive.
Narita looked good here. He hit Owens with a dropkick and had him in a crab, but Fale made the save. Owens hit the package piledriver on Narita for the pin.
Chase executed a sneak attack on Juice after the match. He teased a package piledriver on the floor, but Juice escaped. Owens ducked the Left Hand of God, and Jado hit Juice with his kendo stick. Owens tossed Juice into the ring, then left him laying with a belt shot.
LANCE ARCHER, DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. & TAICHI DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE, MICHAEL ELGIN & TOA HENARE
Another showcase match for Suzuki-gun, with Smith and Archer on the winning side for the second consecutive night.
The match began with Taichi and Archer dominating Henare. Henare dodged a charge into the corner and tagged Elgin. Elgin and Archer had a big man battle, then Elgin tagged Makabe.
The match broke down, and Smith and Archer hit a Hart Attack on Henare. Taichi took his trousers off, and he hit a buzzsaw kick for a near fall. Taichi hit a superkick before using a Stretch Plum for the submission victory over Henare.
This was an incredibly fun eight-man, and the last several minutes were excellent. They teased a future match between Ibushi and Naito for the Intercontinental title.
LIJ beat down SHO for several minutes at the outset. SHO made a comeback with a spear and a deadlift suplex, then tagged Ibushi. Ibushi and Naito did battle, with Ibushi picking up a near fall off a standing moonsault.
Naito hit a pair of neckbreakers. Both traded strikes, and Naito hit a spinebuster. EVIL tagged in and ate a dropkick. Umino entered and ran wild with back elbows and a missile dropkick. EVIL reversed a fisherman buster attempt into one of his own.
Everyone jumped in and hit a big move. Umino held off Naito and EVIL at first, kicking out of an inverted atomic drop into a lariat, but eventually fell victim to Everything is EVIL.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI & TOMOAKI HONMA DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. & TAKA MICHINOKU
Tanahashi and Sabre began the match with a mat wrestling clinic. Tanahashi picked up a near fall off a backslide. Sabre and Tanahashi applied dueling cobra twists to Honma and TAKA. Sabre went for a cobra twist on Tanahashi, but Tana dumped him over the top rope with a hip toss.
Sabre used a headscissors on Honma, while also applying a heel hook to Tanahashi. Sabre and TAKA worked over Honma, who eventually dumped Sabre on his head on a suplex, then tagged Tana back in.
Tanahashi went for a cloverleaf on TAKA, but Sabre broke it up. Sabre went for an armbar on Tanahashi, but Honma broke it up with a kokeshi. Tanahashi used a cloverleaf on TAKA for the submission.
After the bell, Sabre attacked Honma and taunted Tanahashi.
The highlight here was the interaction between Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI ahead of their matchup in the next round of the tournament.
Much of it was the fact that he was working with Ishii, but YH looked great, easily the best he’s been since his return from injury. Ishii and YH engaged in several chop battles. Ospreay broke out a standing shooting star press on Okada.
Near the finish, Okada hit a dropkick. Taguchi hit a hip attack. Goto hit a GTR and got the pin on Taguchi.
NEW JAPAN CUP SECOND ROUND MATCH: COLT CABANA DEFEATED TORU YANO (7:47)
This had to be one of the most anticipated comedy matches of all time. Expectations were extremely high, but they were met, if not exceeded.
Cabana grabbed a waistlock on Yano, and he pulled a roll of tape out of Yano’s trunks. Each used a distraction to attempt a schoolboy on the other. After a prolonged log roll spot, Cabana scored a second near fall.
Yano pulled a third roll of tape from under the ring, but Cabana got a hold of it and taped one of the turnbuckle pads. Yano went to untie it, while Cabana untied another. Yano untied a third turnbuckle pad, and they played catch with it. Yano used a schoolboy for a near fall.
Cabana blocked a low blow, then used a Superman cover for the pinfall.
NEW JAPAN CUP SECOND ROUND MATCH: SANADA DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI (28:45)
Can we put Suzuki in the Hall of Fame again? This was great.
They teased locking up. SANADA checked a leg kick. Suzuki grabbed a side headlock, then went after SANADA’s left arm. Suzuki used a rear naked choke. SANADA slipped to a hammerlock, Suzuki used a headlock takeover, and SANADA used a headscissors escape.
SANADA used a headlock, but Suzuki used a headscissors to escape it. SANADA used a handstand to escape the headscissors, and they ended up back on their feet.
SANADA went for the paradise lock, but TAKA jumped on the apron for a distraction. Suzuki played as though he was in the lock, but when SANADA went for a dropkick to break the hold, Suzuki popped up and pulled him to the apron for a heel hook.
Suzuki posted SANADA’s legs, then draped the right leg over the barricade and attacked it with kicks. The match spilled into the crowd, and Suzuki used a chair. Suzuki continued to attack the right leg over the barricade.
Back inside, Suzuki used an Achilles lock. SANADA reached the ropes, forcing a break. SANADA made it back to his feet. After an exchange of strikes, SANADA hit a dropkick to Suzuki’s right knee, then used a dragon screw.
SANADA hit his leapfrog dropkick, then a pescado. Back inside, Suzuki avoided a springboard dropkick, then hit a PK for a near fall. They exchanged a series of forearm strikes. Suzuki was staggered, but eventually dropped SANADA.
They did an awesome misdirection spot. SANADA went for Skull End, but Suzuki powered out and applied a rear naked choke with a bodyscissors. Suzuki transitioned to a lateral press for a two count.
Suzuki hit a couple of short knee strikes, then went for the Gotch Piledriver. SANADA powered out of it. SANADA slipped to the Skull End. He gave up the hold and went for a moonsault. Suzuki popped up, and SANADA rolled through.
SANADA went for a springboard dropkick, but Suzuki caught him and applied a kneebar. SANADA briefly tried to bridge into a cover, but Suzuki used a rear naked choke. Suzuki hit a series of palm strikes, then used another rear naked choke. SANADA powered out and hit a TKO.
After an exchange of strikes, SANADA hit a Saito suplex for a two count. SANADA went to the top for a moonsault, but Suzuki cut him off. SANADA eventually hit the moonsault into the Skull End. Suzuki grabbed the knee and briefly got a kneebar. They traded the same holds, and even simultaneously applied them.
Suzuki slipped to an inverted figure four, but SANADA slid back into the Skull End. Suzuki sold as though he passed out in the hold, so SANADA went for a cover. Suzuki kicked out at two.
SANADA went to the top rope, hit a moonsault, and got the pin.
