An NJPW Strong Women’s title defense by Mercedes Mone headlines tonight’s Strong Style Evolved.
Mone puts her title on the line against Hazuki in the main event after the challenger won a qualifying match on last month’s NJPW show in the United States. Mone has held the title since Forbidden Door this past June.
Two more title bouts are set for the show.
Gabe Kidd will defend the NJPW Strong title against Ryohei Oiwa on the show. Grizzled Young Veterans put their Strong Tag Team titles on the line against Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs of the West Coast Wrecking Crew.
AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita teams with Jack Perry against Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji of Los Ingobernables de Japon in another of tonight’s featured bouts.
Tonight’s show streams at no extra cost on NJPW World for subscribers to the company’s streaming service (monthly subscription fee applies), or as a pay-per-view on Triller. Our coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time with the pre-show.
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Pre-show
Zane Jay defeated Matt Vandagriff in a Strong Survivor Match
Vandagriff’s advantage in size put Jay through woe within the early goings of the match. Throughout the match, he confidently threw and slammed his opponent around as though there were nothing behind his eyes.
The tide turned when Jay slammed Vandagriff on his back with a spiteful spurt of energy. Attempts by Vandagriff would momentarily stun Jay, but it would have to take more than that to quell his spirit. After a Flying Crossbody on the outside and a Frog Splash on the inside, Vandagriff nearly got the win, with successive brutish throws meeting the same fate. Jay’s pride refused to keep him down, and he dragged Vandagriff with every iota of willpower to defeat his bully of a foe with a Boston Crab. Vandagriff tapped, marking a huge victory for Jay.
— Post-match: Vandagrifff apprehensively shook hands with Jay as he left the ring.
After witnessing the long-running story of Vandagriff’s dominance, each distanced neared by Jay grew increasingly compelling. Vandagriff would make for an interesting Bullet Club member, but I admit, I’d love to see Zane Jay as a regular in Japan.
Main Show
Mina Shirakawa defeated Johnnie Robbie
Though flashy and explosive, Shirakawa found her mettle tested by Robbie, who was determined to prove herself to her fellow Californians in Long Beach. A Figure-Four Leglock from Shirakawa entrenched Robbie through multiple layers of agony; though she reached for the rope, the sting was still there.
Attempting a Glamorous Driver, Shirakawa’s finisher was thwarted by successive Inside Cradles. However, Shirakawa squared her opponent away with a now successful Glamorous Driver onto the mat. Robbie only looked at the lights as Shirakawa gained the pinfall.
Robbie made a fan of me. That plucky babyface hoping to make a name for themselves in the midst of a more popular and flashy competitor just sucks me in.
West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs) defeated Grizzled Young Veterans (c) (James Drake & Zack Gibson) for the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship
Isaacs immediately found himself in the throes of pain by the GYV, fresh off his Bloodsport Match the previous night with Josh Barnett. Nelson fared better, but Gibson and Drake were equally as callous to him. WCWC found a stride in momentum, however, as they stayed close in proximity with each other to maintain stamina.
As GYV wrenched their opponents into gnarly holds, Isaacs found strength beyond strength to lift Drake and plummet him on top of Gibson, breaking his hold on Nelson. With Gibson restrained on the outside by Nelson, Drake hopelessly grabbed for his partners and the ropes, hoping either to be the savior. With a roll-up pinfall, Isaacs wins the gold for him and Nelson.
— Post-match: Rocky Romero came out to congratulate WCWC, and even challenged the pair at Battle in the Valley against him and YOH. WCWC replied in short by attacking Romero.
I love a hometown victory, but I expected Grizzled Young Veterans to take the win here. Perhaps that’s why this match kept me hooked. From their past wars with Dirty Work and epic matches against Motor City Machine Guns and Tanahashi & Ishii earlier in the year, their hard-fought journey paid off. Great match.
TJP defeated Clark Connors, Kosei Fujita, and Kushida
Fujita kept TJP in his paces after the bell while Connors and Kushida fought on the outside. Once finished with the Intergalactic Jet Setter, Connors contended with TJP and Fujita. Kushida and Fujita found their composures, felling their American foes while dealing with one another. An all out frenzy transpired, with each player employing their signature offense with utmost aesthetic and excitement.
Fujita wrenched back Connors, pulling as far as he could go, but almost as if to taunt him, TJP pinned Kushida just inches away. His eyes were firmly locked onto the soon disheartened Fujita as the referee counted to three. TJP stood victorious over his three competitors.
Four wrestlers of the same size but different styles morphed this match into an exciting bit of high-flying mayhem. This is one of those matches you turn your brain off for and let the players direct your attention the whole way through.
Hechicero defeated Lio Rush
Rush, more familiar with the wind soaring past his ears, met a formidable talent in Hechicero, he who controls the ground. Dodging Rush’s swift strikes as though he were the world’s quickest soothsayer, Hechicero’s strategy of letting the speedy wrestler tire himself out paid dividends. Rush, thinking outside of the box, changed his tempo and trajectory.
Stunting Rush after a flasy attempt on the ring apron, Hechicero tied, wrangled, and cranked his body on the ropes. Not to force a submission, but to leverage that pain later. Perhaps the thing that saved Rush the most in this match were his repeated bursts of adrenaline, one such that stunned Hechicero with a high-velocity flurry of strikes. Hechicero, tenacious as ever, trounced Rush with a sound El Camisa for the pinfall.
Rush is always an exciting wrestler who moves at unreal speeds, so seeing him clash with an artist like Hechicero was a treat. Hechicero’s offense clashed so well that the pair seemed as though they’ve been facing off against each other for decades. Spectacular stuff.
United Empire (Jakob Austin Young & Templario) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Titán)
Takahashi’s frenetic energy saw Young and Temlario laid out on the floor, gaining his team the early advantage. Young, back in the ring, suffered at the hands of Titán, but managed to gain some momentum after a dropkick to a later-legal Takahashi. Outside, Templario and Titán’s acrobatic maneuvers left each other in a heap. In the ring, Templario dropped Titán with a Fireman’s Carry + Double-knee Gut Buster as Takahashi dispatched Young into the guardrails.
Takahashi, returning to the harassment of Young on the outside, failed to see Titán being folly for Templario’s comeback. After a really cool breakdancing move, Templario rose to plunge his fellow luchadore to the mat with a Powerbomb + Brainbuster combo. Takahashi could only helplessly grasp for his teammate as the referee counted to three.
LIJ are a cool group, but seeing the less prominent members of United Empire get a moment to shine put a smile on my face. Templario moves with the best of his lucha peers. To see him bring out his best while Young served as a sponge for pain made their comebacks progressivley gripping with each swing in momentum throughout the match.
Gabe Kidd (c) defeated Ryohei Oiwa for the Strong Openweight Championship
Two beefcakes collided in this title match. Kidd’s heelish tendencies contrasted with the unwavering spirit of Oiwa, as seen through the latter’s perseverence through ungodly chest slaps echoing throughout the venue. Following a series of stiff strikes, Kidd flung himself with a lariat to Oiwa, who countered with a suplex as his chest’s chop-splattered blotch glimmered pinkly under the lights.
A Schoolboy Roll-up from Oiwa teetered him close to a pinfall, but Kidd evaded it with a last-second kickout only to be rewarded by a Doctor Bomb. Before he could make any further progression, Clark Connors snuck his way to the ring, battering Oiwa with a chari. Kosei Fujita made the save for Oiwa, brawling with his opponent from earlier as they headed backstage. Despite a passionate lariat, Oiwa’s hopes were dashed by a Piledriver, punctuated by a Madman Bomb for the pinfall.
— Post-match: Kidd grabbed the microphone and besmirched the name of Kenny Omega, Daniel Bryan, and All Elite Wrestling in general before kindly departing.
Meaty men, slapping meat. Oiwa and Kidd remind me of the classic clips of Kenta Kobashi and Stan Hansen brawling it out in 90’s AJPW. For those that salivate over the signature brutal style of NJPW, I say go out of your way to watch. Kidd and Oiwa have fantastic chemistry that I hope continues in NJPW for years to come. But moreover, this match brings us closer to seeing if Kidd makes his name immortalized when competing with the impending Best Bout Machine come January.
TMDK (Bad Dude Tito, Shane Haste and Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated Dirty Work (Fred Rosser and Tom Lawlor) and Shota Umino
Tokyo Dome challengers Umino and Sabre fought to a standstill, opting to save more for later. Lawlor and Tito instead locked up, with urgent matwork ensuing. Rosser took it from there, giving Tito a run for his money. Haste’s grappling and agility served as a foil to such power. TMDK proceeded to isolate Rosser from his teammates, with Haste picking at him vulturously. One spiritual shot of adrenaline later, and he quieted the Australian’s advances with a Gut Check. Umino challenged Tito’s strength, only for Haste to once again return to sweet agony.
With Dirty Work cleaned up on the outside, each TMDK member in the match took turns hurling their bodies at Umino at the turnbuckle. Wringing the arms of Umino behind his back, victory was within Sabre’s grasp. He would’ve clutched it had Dirty Work not struggled their way to break the hold. A Tornado-DDT by Umino granted him a comeback, serving to reunite Lawlor and Tito once more. Recovering from a botched slip-and-fall on the top rope, Lawlor flew from the top onto Tito. While Rosser and Umino were concerned with Haste and Sabre on the outside, Tito plopped Lawlor soundly on the mat for a pinfall.
— Post-match: Sabre taunted Umino, goading him to strike him, as though not to play nice. Umino didn’t oblige this attempt, which seemed to be a mixture of disdain and tough love.
A fantastic preview to the Wrestle Kingdom match, this also complimented the efforts that Dirty Work has put in for the U.S. based events. To see them involved with the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in a match was rewarding as a fan. Tito and Rosser were fantastic together, and I want more. Admittedly, my hype died down a little after Lawlor’s scary botch, but he and Tito won me back over.
Jack Perry and Konosuke Takeshita defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji)
The dastardly pairing of Perry and Takeshita made them a menace for Tsuji and Takagi, the otherwise powerful members of Los Ingobernables de Japon. Their alliance proved contemptuous, however, as Takeshita tagged himself back into the match with a chop to Perry’s back.
Perry continued to be subject to torment inside the ring, but his partner Takeshita thrived under the powerhouse of Takagi, going so far as to land a Blue Thunderbomb. Tsuji chased Perry around inside the ring, nearly finishing him off, until the Scapegoat careened Tsuji nearly into the referee. Landing a low-blow to Tsuji, Perry ended the match with a Running Knee and a pinfall over LIJ.
— Post-match: Hiromu Takahashi made the save to Takagi and Tsuji, only for The Young Bucks to make a surprise appearance, making their claim to regain their place as the top tag team in NJPW at Wrestle Dynasty.
A fan of AEW, I’ll say that this was one of my least favorite matches on the card. Not that it was bad, but it didn’t have the oomph that earlier matches had. Perry being a target for punishment only to be a winning factor later on was humorous, and Takagi’s stand against Takeshita was incredible. Other than that, this is saved by Takagi, Tsuji, and Takeshita’s ringwork and the spectacle of what’s to come with AEW and NJPW’s eventual clash in Tokyo.
Main event
Mercedes Mone (c) defeated Hazuki for the Strong Women’s Championship
With all the glitz and bombast at her disposal combined with the love of the crowd, Hazuki’s initial momentum was stunted the more Mone found an opening. However, Hazuki’s determination brought her opening chances at victory, especially as she threw herself with multiple tope maneuvers. A desparate Mone clutched a Statement Maker onto Hazuki, who countered with one of her own.
Repeatedly throughout the match, Mone tried slapping and trading forearms with Hazuki, but each time. Mone tried to borrow from her hero Eddie Guerrero with a Frog Splash to no avail and to her hearbreak. Hazuki held onto a Statement Maker for a prolonged period, nearly causing Mone to tap (and I could’ve sworn she almost did). Mone flung Hazuki with a Sunset Flip, then blasted her with a Meteora, which bore no fruit. A Diving Codebreaker by Hazuki brought her a deep pin, broken miliseconds away from the third count.
A series of consecutive Backstabbers and a Mone Maker nearly eked out a victory for her, but at the last second, Hazuki rasied her leg to the bottom rope in just enough time to break the pin and the one after. Red-faced and distraught beyond human capacity, Mone readied another Money Maker only to be countered with a roll-up. Money tried it once more, and finally grabbed victory with a pinfall.
— Post-match: Mone beckoned anyone willing to step up to her to face her at Wrestle Dynasty. Mina Shirakawa answered that call, throwing her proverbial hat in the ring.
I honestly thought Hechicero vs Lio Rush would’ve been my match of the night, but this blew every other match out of the water, and most of the matches were already incredible. This match simultaneously reminded me of Hazuki’s battle with Hana Kimura at the 2019 5 Star GP and Mercedes Mone’s wars with Bayley at the early NXT Takeover events. I’m so glad to see Mercedes back in top-form after her Kris Statlander match at Full Gear and to have everyone see why Hazuki is as special as she is.
