News and notes stemming from Sunday morning’s NJPW Destruction in Kobe.
New IWGP Tag Team Champions were crowned at Destruction, with The Knockout Brothers (Yuto-Ice & OSKAR) defeating Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi to win the titles for the first time. They pinned Ishii after they hit their finish, the KOB. After the match, Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura came out and confronted the new champions, setting up a potential title match down the road.
Other matches were also set up during the show. After Boltin Oleg defeated Don Fale to retain the NEVER Openweight title, EVIL attacked him and made his claim for the title by laying out Oleg with the Everything is Evil. After the opening bout, DOUKI made it clear he wanted the next shot at Desperado’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. The two had a match earlier this year at Wrestle Kingdom, but it ended early after DOUKI suffered an elbow injury early into the match.
In the co-main event, Gabe Kidd defeated Shingo Takagi to retain the IWGP Global Championship. After the match, Yota Tsuji, who was successful against David Finlay in the previous match, came out and challenged Kidd for the title at King of Pro Wrestling on October 13.
Pro Wrestling NOAH stars also appeared to promote the group’s upcoming Wrestle Odyssey event on October 11 at Sumo Hall. After Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Great-O-Khan, Kaito Kiyomiya came out and asked to team with him at the upcoming show, which Tanahashi accepted. Later in the night, NOAH’s Eita superkicked Hiromu Takahashi after he successfully retained the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship against Taiji Ishimori. The two are planned to square off for the title at Sumo Hall.
The main event saw Zack Sabre Jr. successfully defend the title against House of Torture’s Ren Narita. Despite the usual interference from the group, Sabre pinned Narita with the Zack Driver for the win. That makes his upcoming title match against Konosuke Takeshita official for King of Pro Wrestling.
A match for the IWGP World Heavyweight title will headline the show, with Tetsuya Naito defending the title against The Great-O-Khan, who defeated Naito during the G1 Climax tournament. Whoever wins this match will likely go on to face the G1 Climax winner Zack Sabre Jr., who has chosen to have his IWGP World title match at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling on October 14.
Other title matches will see David Finlay defend the IWGP Global title against YOSHI-HASHI, Henare defend the NEVER title against Shingo Takagi, and DOUKI defend the IWGP Junior title against Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano, and Hiroshi Tanahashi will also defend the NEVER Six-Man Tag Team titles against EVIL, Yujro Takahashi, and SHO.
Zack Sabre Jr. will be in trios action. He, Kosei Fujita, and a mystery partner will take on SANADA, Taichi, and Taka Michinoku. A special singles match between Hirooki Goto and Gabe Kidd will also take place.
Join us for live coverage starting at 3 am ET.
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Shota Umino, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Dragon Dia defeated Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma, and Tiger Mask
Taguchi started this match, being put in his paces by each opposing team member, fighting out of it with a hip attack on Tiger Mask (after multiple attempts gone wrong). He later uses this hip attack to help Umino shift the momentum until at last being halted by Honma’s Kokeshi.
With Nagata and Tiger Mask dispatched outside, Umino weakened Honma. After an impressive dropkick, Umino sealed a victory for his team after a Death Rider on Honma for the 3-count pinfall.
I wish Dragon Dia had more to do with this match—it felt like he wasn’t given much. However, Taguchi throwing more enthusiasm into his hip attacks after a few tries was admittedly funny. Umino being the one to gain the pinfall shows how much the company believes in him. Not quite on the levels of Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura for my tastes yet, but it’s easy to see why he has the support that he does.
Los Ingobernables de Japón (Yota Tsuji, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi) defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Callum Newman, and Francesco Akira)
To set the stage for each tonight’s main event, this six-man started with Tsuji and Cobb running back their running story from the Road To tour with BUSHI failing to run interception. Newman handled BUSHIfrom there until Takahashi scouted his moves, save for an enzuigiri, leaving Akira to take it from there. Cobb and Tsuji were immense boons to their respective teams, but would later help the deciding factor.
Newman meanwhile held Bushi from breaking up Akira’s scuffle with Takahashi. The Time Bomb swiftly found the upper hand against Akira, and locked in Figure Four to submit the United Empire member despite Cobb’s desperate attempt to break the hold.
Taking the time to keep the rivalry between Tsuji and Cobb’s NJPW World TV Championshipleft me salivating for more. Their matchups during the Road To tour were a highlight for me. Give me more. I’ve been a staunch defender of Callum Newman, and I still see a lot of potential in him, but I must concede he should do more to set himself apart—a great talent with much potential.
Hirooki Goto defeated Gabe Kidd
Kidd entered through the curtain, grabbing a cameraman as he dragged them to Goto’s prone body in the back. Hauling Goto out for all to see, the pair brawled across the ground floor of the arena before Kidd choked Goto out, with the referee declaring the match over.
Kidd disputed this, calling for a restart. Kidd introduced a chair, only to kick it once he got even the slightest hint that Goto was about to send him through it. Throughout the match, Kidd berates Goto for causing an injury to Jake Lee during the Road To tour. Reintroducing the table once again, Kidd sat it in the ring, only for Goto to throw it out alongside a sharp object that Kidd brought into the ring. Hoping for a running knee, Kidd instead had been flattened by Goto’s running clothesline. Though he was still feeling the effects of the blindsided assault backstage, Goto found victory after following up a Shouten Kai with a GTR to get the win over the War Dog.
Great match. This felt like a real fight with the theatrics of pro wrestling behind it. I don’t think we’re fully scratching the surface as to how important Kidd could be for NJPW. His character is uncomfortable yet compelling and his thuggish, brutish wrestling style more than compliments that.
TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Kosei Fujita and Ryohei Oiwa) defeated Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi and Taka Michinoku)
— Fujita and Sabre revealed Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Ryohei Oiwa as their newest member to raucous applause.
Oiwa traded elbows for Taichi’s kicks before immediately gaining control over his right arm. Sabre, hoping to put SANADA in his paces, found the two in an intense technical grappling battle for control, which neither fully gained. Fujita fared no better with Michinoku and Taichi bullying him.
Oiwa took over, strong-arming Michinoku before crumpling the legend with a discus lariat. Just like that, the newest member of TMDK proved a wise investment in securing the victory for the team.
TMDK is the best current faction running in NJPW, and I stand by that completely. Oiwa is an impressive specimen. Presented in this debut, he feels like a much-needed shot in the arm for the company. With the young acts in the Reiwa Three Musketeers, War Dogs, United Empire, and Yuya Uemura, the future looks astonishingly bright.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, and Boltin Oleg (c) defeated House of Torture (EVIL, SHO, and Yujiro Takahashi) (with Dick Togo) for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
All three challenging members ganged up on Tanahashi, but Yano promptly circumvented this in a hot tag that saw him send EVIL into the exposed turnbuckle. Togo stunted this momentum with a quick chair shot. Once again, the House of Torture surrounded him with offense.
Oleg made the dramatic yet vital tag to even the playing field, dispatching the House of Torture easily. Tanahashi found the courage and spirit to contend with Takahashi until he was outnumbered. The champions replicated the House of Torture’s Dick-to-Dick Contact spot to the crowd’s delight on Togo.
Ren Narita interfered to stop Tanahashi, only for a returning El Phantasmo (sporting a new hairstyle) to turn the tide for The Ace. Tanahashi unleashed a High-Fly Flow for a successful pin, thus retaining the titles.
— Tanahashi shook hands with Phantasmo and the accompanying Jado, saying “Welcome home.” This new alliance parted ways with the audience with a pose and Tanahashi strumming his belt like it were an electric guitar.
The babyfaces coming out wearing black jackets much to House of Torture’s confusion was incredibly hilarious.What stopped this match from being great were the House of Torture run-ins. But otherwise, this was fun. Yano combined comedy with hoss-like energy. As always, the standout to me is Oleg.
DOUKI (c) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (with Yujiro Takahashi and Dick Togo)for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
The House of Torture’s residential squatters yet again took up occupancy tonight, but the ever-so-speedy DOUKI remained resilient. Considering Kanemaru spent much of the time targeting his knee, maintaining that spirit proved to be crucial. Nowhere was this more evident than a prolonged turnbuckle spot where Kanemaru applied pressure to DOUKI’s knees. Locking his legs, Kanemaru mockingly posed as the champion desperately crawled to the ropes to break it, screaming in agony.
Sending Kanemaru out of the ring and flying onto him over the top rope, DOUKI found new life. Kanemaru nearly circumvented this with a Jackknife to a near-fall. This knee problem nearly caused DOUKI the belt, as he was a millisecond away from the 20-count. He even failed the Northern Lights Suplex pin, with his knee trembling and buckling beneath him. With adrenaline flowing like a mad river in his veins, DOUKI attempted variations of the inside cradle and the DOUKI-CHOKEY to incapacitate Kanemaru. SHO distracted the referee from making the call to end the match with a bell as Kanemaru spat whiskey in the eyes of an equally distracted DOUKI.
The champion found the will to persevere, escaping Kanemaru’s attempt to use the referee as a projectile and eliminating House of Torture’s involvement out of the picture. At last, with a Suplex de la Luna, DOUKI reached the 3-count, retaining his Junior Heavyweight gold.
— Post-match, SHO threatened to break DOUKI’s belt if he weren’t granted a title opportunity. DOUKI obliged, but SHO beat him up regardless.
DOUKI and Kanemaru got me to suspend my disbelief, as I was on the edge of my seat with the knee spots. There were a few spots where I felt DOUKI hadn’t sold it enough. Even still, this match was enjoyable and they had the crowd firmly in the palms of their hands.
Shingo Takagi defeated Henare (c) for the NEVER Openweight Championship
These two brutes were evenly matched in the beginning, but Henare briskly gained momentum after a few barricade spots and a gnarly submission hold. Takagi found the will to survive as he fought out of it, with a shoulder tackle to flatten the champion. Rallying up the crowd, Takagi charged at a downed Henare, who subdued him, going so far as to survive a Takagi Driver.
Kick upon kick, Henare started to wear down the challenger, and he sensed it. Locking in the Dragon with a standing full-nelson lock, Henare nearly had Takagi faded. Following a MADE IN JAPAN, Takagi followed suit with a Pumping Bomber, but Henare regained control with a headbutt. Takagi slowly but surely regained the fighting spirit to recover with a Dragon Suplex. Trading headbutts and lariats, Takagi deployed Pumping Bomber after Pumping Bomber. Using his signature the Last of the Dragon, Takagi got the pin over Henare, becoming the new NEVER Openweight Champion.
What a hoss fight. I almost got a headache just watching them trade headbutts. Their craniums are going to hurt in the morning. I wish Henare had more title defenses, but I’m always down to see Takagi with gold.
David Finlay (c) (with Gedo) defeated Yoshi-Hashi for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
Finlay and Yoshi-Hashi began with natural vigor, but the Bullet Club leader’s dirty tactics put him ahead. Clutching at the nose, smack-talking, and mockingly doing push-ups, he was in full control. Aiming for a suplex on the red entrance ramp, Finlay’s aspirations were immediately dashed as Yoshi-Hashi reversed it into a suplex of his own. Finlay caused great damage to Yoshi-Hashi by slamming him onto the turnbuckle post outside, and minutes later, Yoshi-Hashi did the same to him in the ring.
After grappling for any semblance of control, Finlay landed two Backbreakers but Yoshi-Hashi grasped momentum with a hold. Gedo sneakily handed Finlay a shillelagh, but Yoshi-Hashi kept him from using it. Goto strong-armed Gedo from causing any further support to Finlay. Yoshi-Hashi stood tall in a colliding lariat spot, but Finlay ended it with a Pop-Up Powerbomb and ultimately retained the title with an Overkill.
— Post-match, Goto confronted Finlay, hinting at a future challenge for the championship.
While not being the match of the night, this penultimate bout had an excellent pace to it. The crowd was fully invested in it and the spots were earned. Though I’m not impressed by either man, they made the most of it, extending some hype to an already warmly anticipated main event.
Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated Great-O-Khan for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
After competing to see who could take their clothes off the slowest it was off to the races. Interestingly, the pace halted as the pair engaged in holds and grapples, keeping the audience waiting in bated breath. Naito’s strategy had the match in his favor, but all Khan needed was an opportunity to strike and apply pressure to his notoriously weak knees. Combined with Khan’s penchant for using the full force of his weight, the champion wallowed in misery under his flesh.
Naito reached his recompense when he toppled Khan with a dropkick to the knee, but the formidable challenger continued to wear him down. Both men spent, Naito mustered enough power to send Khan out of the ring via a Tornado DDT. Recovering from a neck breaker on the ramp, Khan rolled to the ring when Naito trapped him in a Puma Blanca to no avail. Naito later dropped Khan with a Destino and again to no success, but the Kobe crowd was left frothing in a frenzy. With one last Destino, Naito regained his championship, thus remaining the champion, setting forth the path to his defense against Zack Sabre Jr at King of Pro Wrestling in Ryōgoku Kokugikan.
— Post-match, Zack Sabre Jr., Shingo Takagi, and Ryohei Oiwa addressed Sabre and Naito’s upcoming match at King of Pro Wrestling while Oiwa challenged new NEVER Openweight Champion Takagi at the same event.
While certainly not a bad main event, I struggled with this one. I’m a fan of Khan and I know Naito has more great performances left in the tank, but a few stretches of holds and submissions felt a little too long. However, the action superseded all of that, with flashes of what Naito used to be, mixedwith how effective Khan is with his in-ring style, made for exciting spots. That said, I feel they had better matches on the tour.
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Final thoughts
Destruction made for a fun show, but there was not much to write home about, save for Ryohei Oiwa’s TMDK surprise, El Phantasmo’s return, the NEVER Openweight changing hands, and Gabe Kidd vs. Hirooki Goto. My recommendations would be the matches featuring the younger talents as well as the NEVER Openweight and IWGP World Heavyweight Championship matches.
The full card for Destruction in Kobe has been announced.
Overall, the show will have five title matches. Announced for the card in Kobe include Henare defending the NEVER title against Shingo Takagi, DOUKI defending the Junior Heavyweight title against House of Torture’s Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and the team of Oleg Boltin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Toru Yano defending the NEVER Six-Man Tag titles against EVIL, SHO, and Yujiro Takahashi of the House of Torture.
In addition, Hirooki Goto will wrestle in a singles match against Gabe Kidd. Zack Sabre Jr., who has challenged for the IWGP World Heavyweight title at King of Pro Wrestling on October 14, will tag with Kosei Fujita and a mystery challenger against SANADA, Taichi, and Taka Michinoku.
The two title matches that have been previously announced include IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito defending against Great-O-Khan and David Finlay defending the IWGP Global Championship against YOSHI-HASHI.
The full card for Destruction in Kobe:
IWGP World Heavyweight title: Tetsuya Naito defends against Great-O-Khan
IWGP Global Championship: David Finlay defends against YOSHI-HASHI
NEVER Openweight title: Henare defends against Shingo Takagi
IWGP Junior Heavyweight title: DOUKI defends against Yoshinobu Kanemaru
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles: Oleg Boltin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Toru Yano defend against EVIL, SHO, and Yujiro Takahashi
TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Kosei Fujita, and TBA) vs. Just Five Guys (SANADA, Taichi, and Taka Michinoku)
Hirooki Goto vs. Gabe Kidd
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI) vs. United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Callum Newman, and Francesco Akira)
Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma, and Tiger Mask vs. Shota Umino, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Dragon Dia
NJPW has booked a slate of title matches for the promotion’s next tour.
Following the G1 Climax, NJPW is set to embark on its Destruction tour next month. It will culminate with Destruction in Kobe being held on Sunday, September 29. The first two matches have now been announced for the show:
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito defends against Great-O-Khan
IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay defends against YOSHI-HASHI
Great-O-Khan was positioned for this title shot by defeating Naito during the G1 Climax. On the undercard for the G1 Finals, YOSHI-HASHI pinned Finlay in a six-man tag match, setting himself up as Finlay’s next challenger.
This is Naito’s first title defense since regaining the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Jon Moxley at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. The winner of Naito vs. Great-O-Khan will defend the belt against G1 winner Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling this October.
Finlay is a two-time IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion during the title’s brief existence. He made a successful defense against SANADA this June.
In addition to these two matches, NJPW also has several title bouts set to take place on the Road to Destruction tour:
Sunday, September 8: NJPW World Television Champion Jeff Cobb defends against Yota Tsuji
Monday, September 9: NEVER Openweight Champion HENARE defends against Hiromu Takahashi
Wednesday, September 11: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI defends against Taiji Ishimori
Saturday, September 14: NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Oleg Boltin defend against EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo
NJPW presented Destruction in Kobe from Kobe World Hall on Sunday.
The show was headlined by Will Ospreay defeating Yota Tsuji to retain the IWGP United States/United Kingdom Championship. Following the main event, Zack Sabre Jr. confronted Ospreay, and the two agreed to a title match at Royal Quest III on October 14.
ZSJ had let it be known at last month’s RevPro 11th Anniversary Show in London that he was looking to challenge for the belt at Royal Quest, whether that be against Ospreay or Tsuji. With Ospreay having defeated Tsuji on Sunday, ZSJ vs. Ospreay is now official for next month’s show.
Zack Sabre Jr. has officially made the challenge, and Will Ospreay has accepted!
October 14, Royal Quest III
IWGP UK Championship Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr. !
In Sunday’s semi-main event, Tetsuya Naito defeated Jeff Cobb. The win means Naito retains his title shot at WrestleKingdom. He also avenges the loss he suffered to Cobb on the second night of the G1 this summer.
House of Torture’s SHO left Kobe World Hall as the new KOPW Champion after defeating Taichi. In the closing moments of the match, Taichi had to fend off interference from several HOT members when his Just 5 Guys stablemate, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, appeared to come out for the save. However, Kanemaru spit whiskey in Taichi’s face and revealed a HOT t-shirt, signifying he has joined the faction. SHO then hit Taichi with the Shock Arrow and picked up the win.
NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2023 results:
Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defeated Tiger Mask & Kevin Knight
SANADA, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo & Jado defeated David Finlay, Chase Owens, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd & Gedo
Lio Rush & YOH defeated Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito defeated Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii
KOPW Championship: SHO defeated Taichi (c)
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (c) defeated Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste
Shingo Takagi defeated Great-O-Khan
Tetsuya Naito defeated Jeff Cobb
IWGP United States Championship: Will Ospreay (c) defeated Yota Tsuji
The IWGP United States-United Kingdom title is on the line in the main event of NJPW Destruction in Kobe.
Champion Will Ospreay will defend the US title, which he has re-christened as the UK title, against Yota Tsuji in the headline match, the first career singles meeting between the two.
In the semi-main, Tetsuya Naito faces Jeff Cobb with Naito’s Wrestle Kingdom title shot unofficially on the line.
Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan is another featured singles match on the show.
Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI will defend the IWGP Tag Team titles against TMDK’s Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste.
The provisional KOPW 2023 is on the line as Taichi defends against SHO.
The undercard:
Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito
Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Lio Rush & YOH
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo & Jado vs. David Finlay, Chase Owens, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd & Gedo
SANADA, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo
Tiger Mask & Kevin Knight vs. Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney
Our live coverage begins at 3 a.m. Eastern time.
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Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defeated Tiger Mask & Kevin Knight
This was a good open.
This match opened fast, with Knight rushing the War Dogs, but without TM’s help, the younger pair took little time to gain the upper hand. Once TM tagged in, the babyfaces retook the lead for some time. In the end, TM couldn’t hold onto the lead, falling to a jumping spear/suplex combination.
SANADA, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo
The match opened with a brawl and an extended Yujiro/DOUKI sequence. As the match continued, HoT used all of their normal tactics to gain and maintain a lead. This lead fell apart in a skirmish, leading to TAKA hitting Togo with the Michinoku driver and winning the match.
EVIL still has possession of the IWGP World Title.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo & Jado defeated David Finlay, Chase Owens, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd & Gedo
This match could have been better, but Kidd and Coughlin looked great throughout.
This match opened with a brawl before transitioning into a Bullet Club control sequence. The eventual hot tag to Tama led to a babyface rally. Tama was able to win the match for his team by hitting Gedo with a gun stun.
After the match, another short brawl happened, ending with the babyfaces standing tall.
Lio Rush & YOH defeated Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
This was an action-packed, hyper-athletic match.
Rush and YOH scored an early lead with tandem offense. As Hiromu bounced back, Rush kept up the pace, leading to multiple athletic back-and-forth sequences. BUSHI then entered the fray, leading to more chaotic exchanges. Ultimately, Rush would win the match for his team with a long-distance splash on BUSHI.
Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito defeated Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii
This was a fantastic match.
Tito and Okada opened the match, where Tito held his own before Ishii tagged in. Tito knocked Ishii to the floor and tagged in ZSJ, who worked to maintain this lead.
Eventually, Ishii tagged out to Okada, who then unloaded on Tito. This intense exchange forced a double tag, leading to a just as wild back-and-forth between Ishii and ZSJ. The match then broke down with all four men in the ring, with multiple major momentum shifts. ZSJ won the match with a trap pin on Ishii in the center of the ring.
KOPW Championship: SHO defeated Taichi (c)
Before the match could begin, Dick Togo and TAKA Michinoku, Yujiro Takahashi and DOUKI, and EVIL and SANADA were handcuffed to each other.
Immediately after the opening bell, SHO ran to the outside in an attempt to free his faction mates. Taichi met him on the floor, whipped him into the barricade, and carried him back to the ring, establishing control early.
Handcuffed or not, the HoT squad continued interfering, allowing SHO to work his way into the match. Taichi held on through most of the chicanery, but a ref bump, a face full of powder from Togo, and a low blow, all in quick succession, left SHO far ahead. SHO attempted a wrench shot, but Yoshinobu Kanemaru hit the ring to make the save. Instead of helping Taichi, Kanemaru betrayed him, spitting his whiskey in Taichi’s eyes, dropping him with a bottle, and revealing a House of Torture shirt. SHO then hit Taichi with Shock Arrow and won the KOPW belt.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (c) defeated Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste
This match was built around tandem control/isolation segments from both teams. TMDK worked a nasty match, being mean when the opportunity was presented.
After being isolated for some time, Goto hit a double bulldog and secured the hot tag to YH. YH took out both of his opponents before scoring a nearfall.
Haste avoided the finish and hit YH with a superplex/powerbomb combination with Nicholls. The pair then isolated YH, scoring a couple of nearfalls before Goto hit the ring. TMDK attempted a tank buster, but YH reversed into a crucifix bomb to win the match and retain the belts for Bishamon.
Shingo Takagi defeated Great-O-Khan
This was the best O-Khan performance in ages.
O-Khan opened the match with a double-leg takedown, some grounded strikes, and a shirt-assisted choke. O-Khan then threw Shingo to the floor, where the intensity continued. O-Khan beat Shingo with a chair before taking him back to the mat.
Shingo eventually started to rally, landing multiple strikes to put O-Khan on the back foot. Just as Shingo seemed to be advancing, O-Khan landed a suplex and a cutter for a nearfall; a massive lariat and Eliminator scored O-Khan another.
A late strike exchange allowed Shingo to stay in the match, and a sudden lariat put him ahead. To close, Shingo landed Last of the Dragon and won the match.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Jeff Cobb
Naito put Cobb on the backfoot early, forcing him to the floor and landing some light offense. Once the action returned to the ropes, Cobb hit a belly-to-belly, gaining an upper hand. Similar shifts played out several times, establishing the match’s pace.
Cobb launched Naito with an F5000 for a nearfall. Naito blocked the Tour of the Islands before landing a perfect poison rana. Cobb reversed Destino but failed to follow up immediately. After surviving multiple rollups, Cobb landed a suplex and a lariat, but again, Naito escaped Tour of the Islands. Naito then hit Destino and won the match to retain his spot at Tokyo Dome.
IWGP United States Championship: Will Ospreay (c) defeated Yota Tsuji
The match opened with a standard feeling-out grappling sequence that escalated into a more athletic affair. Tsuji hit a tope to gain the upper hand early, but Ospreay responded with a plancha to equal things out. After a brief exchange in the ring, Tsuji landed a Fosbury flop, regaining the lead.
Ospreay ate a brutal stomp before hitting a stunner to keep himself in the match. Tsuji was quick to answer with a powerbomb for a nearfall. Ospreay reset the match by cutting off Tsuji’s strikes.
Tsuji and Ospreay traded strikes in the center of the ring, where Ospreay won out. The pair then worked their way to the apron, where Ospreay attempted an OsCutter, but Tsuji reversed. Tsuji attempted a stomp but missed, opening the door for an OsCutter from the top rope to the floor.
Back in the ring, Ospreay landed a long-distance dropkick but was stuffed on the follow-up. Tsuji dropped Ospreay before landing a fantastic stomp. Tsuji then pulled Ospreay to the top rope but ate a Spanish fly. After Tsuji kicked out, Ospreay hit a powerbomb and an OsCutter, but again, Tsuji held on.
Ospreay attempted Storm Breaker, but Tsuji reversed into a cutter. Tsuji immediately followed up with a picture-perfect spear, but Ospreay found the bottom rope at the last possible second. Tsuji hit another stomp and Storm Breaker, but Ospreay kicked out. Tsuji tried for another spear but was knocked silly with a hidden blade instead. Ospreay then hit a spear of his own and the Storm Driver 93 for another nearfall. Tsuji stood tall, staring down Ospreay, only for Ospreay to take off his head with another hidden blade and a storm breaker to win the match.
After the match, Zack Sabre Jr. walked to the ring and challenged Ospreay to a title match at Royal Quest 3. Ospreay accepted. After shaking hands, Ospreay tried for a hidden blade, but ZSJ avoided the attack. ZSJ then walked to the back.
Ospreay cut a short show-ending promo, calling himself the best in the world.
NJPW has announced several title matches for its upcoming Destruction tour.
The two big events upcoming will be Destruction in Kobe on Sunday, September 24 from Kobe World Hall in Hyogo and Destruction in Ryogoku on Monday, October 9 from the Ryogoku Kokugikan.
In Kobe, Will Ospreay will defend the IWGP United States Championship against Yota Tsuji in what will be the first singles match between the two. Also on that show, Bishamon will defend the tag titles against TMDK’s Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls, and Taichi defends the KOPW trophy against SHO.
G1 Climax 33 winner Tetsuya Naito will wrestle Jeff Cobb in Ryogoku as well. Cobb defeated Naito in the G1 Climax 33 group stage. Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan has also been scheduled for the show.
Destruction in Kobe on Sunday, September 24 announced lineup:
IWGP United States Champion Will Ospreay defends against Yota Tsuji
IWGP Tag Team Champions YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto defend against Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls
KOPW2023 Holder Taichi defends against SHO
Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb
Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan
As expected, SANADA will defend his IWGP World title against EVIL, who eliminated him in the quarterfinals of G1 Climax 33. That match will headline the show on October 9. Also on that show, David Finlay will defend the NEVER Openweight title against Tama Tonga. Tonga defeated Finlay in the G1 round-robin stage.
Bullet Club’s Gabe Kidd and Alex Coughlin will defend the Strong tag titles in Ryogoku as well, defending against former Bullet Club members El Phantasmo and Hikuleo.
Destruction in Ryogoku on Monday, October 9 lineup:
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA defends against EVIL
NEVER Openweight Champion David Finlay defends against Tama Tonga
Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin defend against El Phantasmo & Hikuleo
The Road to Destruction tour kicks off with two shows from Korakuen Hall on Friday, September 8, and Saturday, September 9. Full lineups for both shows have been announced.
Zack Sabre Jr. will defend the NJPW World TV Championship against Boltin Oleg on the Friday show. The NEVER Openweight six man titles will be on the line the following night as Tomohiro Ishii, Kazuchika Okada, and Hiroshi Tanahashi defend against Tiger Mask, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Togi Makabe.
Road to Destruction on Friday, September 8 lineup:
Taichi & SANADA vs. SHO & EVIL
NJPW World TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Boltin Oleg
Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito vs. Callum Newman, HENARE, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb
Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto vs. Bad Dude Tito, shane Haste, & Mikey Nicholls
Oskar Leube, Master Wato, Shota Umino, & Yuji Nagata vs. Tomoaki Honma, El Desperado, Ren Narita & Minoru Suzuki
YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Road to Destruction on Saturday, September 9 lineup:
BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito vs. Callum Newman, HENARE, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, & Will Ospreay in an Elimination Tag match
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Kazuchika Okada, and Hiroshi Tanahashi defend against Tiger Mask, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Togi Makabe
Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, & SANADA vs. SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL
Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto vs. Bad Dude Tito, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, & Zack Sabre Jr.
Tomoaki Honma, Master Wato, Shota Umino, & Yuji Nagata vs. Yuto Nakashima, El Desperado, Ren Narita & Minoru Suzuki
Big stakes are on the line this morning during the third and final Destruction event, this time in Kobe.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada will once again battle inside the squared circle. This time, the briefcase for the title shot at WrestleKingdom 13, which Tanahashi possesses, will be on the line. Okada would love nothing more than to regain the title Kenny Omega took from him, but first he’ll need to pick off Tanahashi which, as he has learned many times, is easier said than done.
We’ll also see the start of the Junior Heavyweight title tournament, as KUSHIDA will take on BUSHI in the co-main event. The winner of this match will face the winner of the Will Ospreay/Marty Scurll on 9/30 at King of Pro Wrestling on 10/8.
Join us tonight starting at 3:00 a.m. EDT for live coverage. There will be English commentary.
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YOTA TSUJI DREW WITH YUYA UEMURA (10:00)
This picked up in the last few minutes, and was slightly better than a typical Young Lion opener.
Tsuji found himself outwrestled on the mat. He responded with a shoulder tackle, but Uemura went back to the mat. Back on their feet, they exchanged strikes. Tsuji got a single-leg, and went to work on Uemura’s left leg. He employed a leg lock, then a single leg crab, but Uemura reached the ropes.
Uemura dropped Tsuji with a chop, and fired up. He hit a back elbow in the corner, then an elbow strike, and picked up a two count. Uemura went for a full crab, but Tsuji reached the ropes before the hold was applied.
Uemura bounced off the ropes into a back bodydrop for a two count. Tsuji went for a crab, but Uemura reached the ropes. They exchanged chops and palm strikes to the chest. Tsuji went for another, but Uemura hit a dropkick for a nearfall.
Uemura went for a crab, gave it up, and flipped into a cover for two. Tsuji hit a dropkick for a nearfall. Tsuji applied a full crab, but Uemura survived the time limit, still in the hold as the clock ran out.
They had a really nice match. All action, and Narita and Umino got a lot of offense.
Narita and SHO started off. Narita dropped SHO with the fourth in a series of shoulder blocks. Umino jumped in to hit a dropkick and some tandem offense, but SHO and YOH employed some tag team offense of their own, and took control of the match.
YOH worked over Narita’s right leg, which was wrapped up. SHO got a tag and went for a deadlift suplex, but Narita countered with one of his own. Umino got a tag and nailed SHO and YOH with running elbow strikes. He followed up with a dropkick off the top onto both, and got a nearfall on SHO.
Umino hit some strikes, but SHO countered with a knee lift, and Umino went down. YOH got a tag, but got caught with a dropkick, allowing Umino to tag Narita. Narita hit some double sledges on YOH, and got a nearfall with a belly-to-belly.
Narita and Umino applied stereo crabs, but SHO and YOH reached the ropes. Umino took SHO to the floor, leaving YOH and Narita the legal men. YOH used a neckbreaker, then applied a crab, but Umino jumped in to break it up.
SHO and YOH hit flying knees on Umino, and SHO took him to the floor. Narita used a rollup, a small package, and a backslide for three nearfalls on YOH, but YOH popped up and used a falcon arrow, then covered for the pin.
They packed a lot into about seven minutes. The crowd loved the upset, and both Tiger and Liger are best suited for matches like this at this stage of their careers. Both looked good.
Suzuki-gun jumped Tiger and Liger as they made their entrance. They beat them around ringside. Desperado used a chair on Liger, and choked him with a camera cable. In the ring, Kanemaru went for Tiger’s mask, but Tiger fired up and hit some thrust kicks. Tiger teased a tiger suplex off the second, but Desperado made the save.
Desperado got a tag and went for the mask, but Tiger was able to escape, and tagged Liger. Liger hit a top rope rana on Desperado, but Kanemaru jumped in to cut him off. Liger ducked a clothesline, and hit a backbreaker.
Tiger got a tag, and Desperado hit him with a spinebuster. Tiger made his own comeback and nearly got a tapout on Kanemaru with a wristlock, but Desperado saved. Kanemaru hit a dropkick and a moonsault, but Liger made the save.
Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall. He went for deep impact, but Tiger caught him coming off the top with a dropkick. Tiger followed up with a crucifix into a pinfall, and got the upset.
After the match, Liger and Tiger posed with the junior tag belts. Liger cut a promo, challenging them for the titles at a later date.
Lots of veteran star power here, but the match felt very disjointed.
Kojima and Honma started off. Kojima hit his machine gun chops in the corner. Honma hit a slam, but missed a kokeshi. Taguchi and Nakanishi got tags. Taguchi was dropped with a knuckle lock, then waved in Yoshida, who cut Manabu off with a kick.
Taguchi called for the clothesline train spot, but Nakanishi stopped a hip attack, and tagged Nagata. Nagata and Tenzan worked over Taguchi. Taguchi finally hit a hip attack on Tenzan, and tagged Makabe. Makabe hit corner clotheslines on Tenzan and Kojima, then a double clothesline in the center of the ring.
Honma jumped in for a kokeshi, and Makabe hit Tenzan with ten punches in the corner. Tenzan hit a brainbuster for a two count, but Honma broke up the pinfall. Honma hit a headbutt on Tenzan, who tagged Nagata.
Makabe hit Nagata with a powerslam, then tagged Yoshida. Yoshida hit a pair of pk’s on Nagata, and got a two count. Nagata countered a suplex attempt into a Nagata lock, but Taguchi broke up the submission with a hip attack.
While the other six brawled on the floor, Nagata and Yoshida remained the legal men. Nagata hit a running knee in the corner, and used a high angle suplex for the pin.
CHUCK TAYLOR AND BERETTA DEFEATED DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. & LANCE ARCHER (12:42)
They had a very intense match, and went a million miles an hour.
Archer went right after Taylor and Beretta, and the action spilled to the floor. Beretta hit a running stomp from the apron to Smith as he was draped over the security fence. Taylor and Beretta hit some tandem offense. They went for a double suplex on Archer, but Smith jumped in for the save, and Archer and Smith took control of the match, both hitting suplexes.
Smith and Archer worked over Beretta with stomps. Smith hit a northern lights suplex for a two count. Smith hit a pair of rolling germans, but Beretta flipped out of the third, and sent Smith into the corner. He fought off Archer with an enziguri, then tagged Taylor.
Taylor ran wild with dropkicks, but Smith cut him off and nailed him with hard forearms and mid kicks. Taylor hit a complete shot for two. Smith lifted Taylor for a Hart Attack, but Taylor ducked, and Archer rolled to the floor. With the other three fighting on the floor, Taylor hit a tope con hilo.
Taylor and Archer both missed moonsaults, and Taylor hit a double stomp off the top for a two count. Beretta missed with a tornado DDT. He went for a sunset flip, Archer countered. Beretta slipped out of a chokeslam, and hit a low dropkick. Taylor and Beretta suplexed Archer, but Archer popped up and hit a pounce.
Beretta took a Ray Stevens flip into the corner, but Taylor hit Archer with a knee. Beretta hit a springboard DDT, but Smith broke up the pinfall. Archer and Smith hit the Hart Attack, but Taylor broke up the pin.
Smith took Taylor to the floor and laid him out. Beretta escaped a killer bomb attempt, and kicked out of a pinfall after a chokeslam. Smith and Archer then hit the killer bomb. Archer covered, but Beretta turned it into a crucifix, and stole the pin.
SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE, YOSHI-HASHI & WILL OSPREAY DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON, TOA HENARE & DAVID FINLAY (9:05)
Juice and Finlay’s chemistry as a team really shone through here. The focus of the match was the CHAOS team and their inability to get on the same page, but everyone on that team went out of their way to make their opponents look good.
YOSHI-HASHI and Finlay traded hammerlocks and headlocks. YH hit a headhunter. Juice jumped in for a save, but Ospreay hung him in the ropes. YH draped Finlay over the ropes, and hit a dropkick on both. Juice jumped back in and he and FInlay hit dropkicks and a double bulldog, then cleared the CHAOS apron.
Henare got a tag, and went after YH’s left arm. Finlay and Juice exchanged quick tags, and continued working over the left arm. Henare jumped in and hit a diving chop, and picked up a two count. Henare hit a vertical suplex, and got another nearfall.
Finlay tagged in, but YH hit a neckbreaker, and tagged Ospreay. Ospreay hit a handspring kick on Finlay, then hit a senton to the floor to Juice and Henare. Ospreay hit a springboard clothesline for a two count. Ospreay hit an enziguri, but Finlay hit a lariat, forcing both to tag out.
Juice and White tagged in. They exchanged chops and strikes. Juice hit his jabs, a corner clothesline, and a sitout clothesline. YH jumped in, and Juice hit a spinebuster. Ospreay dove in, and Juice hit a uranage. Juice hit White with a cannonball, and Juice and Finlay hit a double flapjack.
Henare tagged in, and hit a spear on White for a two count. He hit a Samoan drop, but Ospreay and YH broke up the pinfall. YH held Tenare, but Henare ducked and White hit him with a clothesline. White hit a blade runner on Henare and got the pin.
They continued to tease the dissension in CHAOS, as YOSHI-HASHI and White argued after the match.
TETSUYA NAITO, SANADA & EVIL DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, ZACK SABRE JR. & TAKA MICHINOKU (11:20)
This was the standard LIJ/Suzuki-gun match from this tour. It wasn’t bad, but there wasn’t much to it.
Suzuki-gun attempted to jump LIJ before the bell, but LIJ quickly countered the attack. SANADA applied the paradise lock to TAKA in the ring, then broke the hold with a dropkick. EVIL got a tag, and chopped away at TAKA. Naito got a tag, and hit an inverted atomic drop and slingshot dropkick in the corner.
Suzuki attacked Naito from the apron. He applied an armbar over the ropes, then pulled Naito to the floor, and sent him over the security fence. Suzuki hit Naito with chairs, then tossed him back in the ring. Sabre and TAKA worked over Naito’s left arm, then Suzuki got in. Suzuki hit a boot in the corner, a pk, and applied a heel hook. Naito reached the ropes.
Naito and Suzuki traded shots, and Naito spit at Suzuki. Suzuki hit some more short foearm strikes, but Naito hit the flying forearm, leading to a double down. Both tagged out. EVIL and Sabre came in, and EVIL ran wild on Sabre. EVIL hit a standing senton for a nearfall.
Sabre tied EVIL up with an abdominal stretch, then transitioned into an octopus. EVIL tried to counter with darkness falls, but Sabre turned it into a triangle attempt, then another submission attempt, but EVIL reached the ropes.
TAKA got a tag, and Suzuki and Sabre jumped in, and they worked over EVIL with kicks. They got a nearfall, but SANADA and Naito jumped in for the save. The match broke down into a six-way. Everyone hit a big move, but TAKA and EVIL were left as the legal men. TAKA went for a Michinoku driver, but EVIL hit a fisherman buster, then hit everything is EVIL for the pin.
IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINAL: KUSHIDA DEFEATED BUSHI (16:42)
A good match. I was expecting the pace to be much quicker than it was, but they spent the first several minutes working body parts. I thought this had blow-away match potential going in, but it never reached that level.
Both men came out firing strikes. BUSHI used a flying headscissors and a dropkick. He hit the ropes, but KUSHIDA hit him with a handspring, and sent him to the floor. KUSHIDA went after BUSHI’s left arm. He attacked it with kicks, and used a leg-assisted hammerlock. KUSHIDA wrenched back on the arm, then bridged. KUSHIDA used a rolling octopus, but BUSHI reached the ropes.
KUSHIDA worked the arm over the top rope, and they stepped onto the apron. BUSHI countered with a backstabber on the apron, and both men went to the floor. BUSHI sent KUSHIDA into the security fence, then tossed him back into the ring.
BUSHI used a headscissors on the mat, but KUSHIDA rolled into the ropes, forcing a break. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick as KUSHIDA was draped over the ropes, and picked up a nearfall. BUSHI used a chinlock, and raked at KUSHIDA’s face. BUSHI hit double knees in the corner, and a missile dropkick from the middle rope.
BUSHI took off his t-shirt and tried to choke KUSHIDA, but KUSHIDA escaped, and hit a cartwheel dropkick. They went up top, and KUSHIDA hit a superplex. He kept control of BUSHI’s neck and went for back to the future, but BUSHI countered with a swinging neckbreaker.
They traded slaps and strikes. KUSHIDA kicked at the bad left arm. He went for a forward roll, but BUSHI hit him with a codebreaker. BUSHI hit a suicide dive, and the action spilled to the floor. KUSHIDA used a hoverboard lock on the floor. They teased a double countout, but both men made it back in at 13.
KUSHIDA kicked the left arm again, but BUSHI hit a kick to the face. BUSHI hit a canadian destroyer for a two count. BUSHI went for the MX, but KUSHIDA caught him coming off the top and applied the hoverboard lock. BUSHI teased grabbing for the ropes, but pulled Red Shoes over for a ref bump.
BUSHI sprayed KUSHIDA with black mist, and rolled him up for a two count. KUSHIDA rolled through and hit two back to the futures, and got the pin.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA TO RETAIN THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE FOR THE IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP AT WRESTLE KINGDOM 13 (35:44)
This may shock you. These guys had another classic match.
They didn’t touch for nearly a minute, milking the crowd. They locked up, then quickly broke, before locking up again. Tanahashi worked on the left arm, but Okada got a single-leg and worked on Tanahashi’s leg. Tana tripped out of a hammerlock into a takedown, then used a side headlock. Tana used the side headlock for a takeover, but Okada used a headscissors to escape the hold.
They tied up. Okada pushed Tana into the ropes. Tana called for a clean break, but Okada hit him with a forearm on the break, enraging the Ace. They traded a series of furious strikes, then Tana hit a hip toss, and played his air guitar. Tana slid under a kick in the corner, and pulled Okada to the apron. He slammed Okada’s left leg on the apron. Okada tried to get back inside, but Tana hit him with a dropkick, then hit a plancha. On the landing, Tana sold his left leg.
Tana got back in the ring, still selling the leg. Okada hit a running dropkick to the leg, then continued to work it over with strikes and stomps. Tana went for a crossbody off the middle rope, but Okada easily side-stepped it, and continued his attack with a leglock. Tan reached the ropes, forcing a break.
Tana hit a series of left hands to the gut, and a series of forearm shots, but Okada yelled for more. Tana hit a chop block, and followed with a dragon screw. Tana hit an elbow, a senton, and a somersault senton. He hit a slam, then a second rope somersault senton for a nearfall.
Okada hit a back elbow, a running back elbow in the corner, and a DDT out of the corner, picking up a nearfall. Okada went for an alabama slam, but after a series of reversals, Tana hit a dropkick to Okada’s left leg. Okada hit a neckbreaker over the knee, but sold the damage from the earlier dragon screw to his own left leg.
Okada hit a shotgun dropkick, but continued selling his leg. Okada put Tana up top, and hit a dropkick. Tana stayed hooked in the ropes, and Okada attacked the bad wheel with strikes. It took three Young Lions to unhook Tana, and push him back into the ring.
Okada used a kneebreaker, then a figure four. After a long struggle, Tana reversed the hold, and rolled to the ropes, forcing a break. Tana rolled to the floor, and Okada went out after him. He continued attacking the leg. Tana managed to get to his feet, and hit Okada with a tombstone on the floor.
Tana rolled back inside. By the count of 15, Okada still hadn’t moved after the tombstone. But rather than take a countout, Tana went up top and hit a high fly flow to the floor, then threw Okada back inside. Tana went for sling blade, Okada reversed, Tana hit twist and shout, then hit a sling blade for a two count.
Tana went for a high fly flow, but Okada got his knees up. Okada battled for a tomstone, but his leg gave out, and Tana fought him off. They traded shots, and Okada got the best of the exchange. Tana tried to fire up, but Okada hit a dropkick to the leg. Okada attempted to send Tana into the ropes, but Tana collapsed while running, selling the leg.
Tana used a desperation sunset flip for a nearfall, then hit an inverted dragon screw. Tana hit the ropes, right into a dropkick from Okada. Okada went for a rainmaker, but Tana countered out. Okada went for the rainmaker again, Tana slipped out and dropkicked the leg. Okada went for it again, but Tana hit a slingblade.
Tana hit a high fly flow, but couldn’t cover immediately, as he sold the impact of the move on his leg. He finally covered, but only got a two count. Tana struggled to the top rope again, and went for a high fly flow, but Okada dropkicked him out of the air. Okada hit a tombstone, selling the damage to his leg on impact.
Okada went for a rainmaker, and finally hit one after a series of counters. He picked Tana up for another, but Tana hit a dragon suplex, bridging into a nearfall. Tana dragged himself to the apron, and climbed to the top, but Okada hit a dropkick. Okada teased a second rope tombstone, but Tana eventually fought him off. He pushed Okada off, and flew off simultaneously for a high fly flow.
Tana hit another high fly flow to a kneeling Okada, then one last high fly flow, and picked up the pinfall.
After the bell, Switchblade Jay White ran in. He hit Tana with a blade runner, then went after Okada. White went to the announce table. He shoved Rocky Romero down, and took his chair. As he went to use it as a weapon, YOSHI-HASHI ran in.
YOSHI-HASHI tripped running down the ramp, and busted himself open. He stumbled to his feet for the save, but White hit him with the chair.
Gedo then ran down. He took the chair from White, then blasted Okada with it, turning on him. White hit Okada with a blade runner. Gedo gave White the briefcase, and said that Tana will next face White for the briefcase.
