Tag: summer struggle results

NJPW Summer Struggle results: Final build to Jingu Stadium

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI 
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru 

Report —

Korakuen Hall was again the venue for the second straight night. 

Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura (9:12)

This was a well-worked opener and the crowd was into it. They built the match around Uemura selling his abdomen. 

Uemura opened up with some Ricky Steamboat arm drags. Tsuji cut him off and worked over the abdomen. Uemura came back with uppercut forearms. Tsuji hit a dropkick to the abdomen and used a spear for a near fall. 

For the finish, Tsuji busted out a giant swing before using a crab. Uemura fought the hold for a long time before tapping out. 

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma (9:46)

This was not good but it was relatively short. 

Nagata and Goto started off. Nagata hit some kicks and went after Goto’s left leg. Honma jumped in for some comedy spots. He missed three consecutive kokeshis. YH and Ishii entered to do some trios spots with Goto. 

Kojima and Ishii tagged in for some spots. Kojima hit his machine gun chops. Ishii hit a powerslam and both tagged out. Honma and YH tagged in. Honma hit a bulldog before missing a fourth kokeshi. 

Honma’s teammates cleared the opposing apron and helped Honma hit a kokeshi for a near fall. Honma hit a diving kokeshi for another two count. 

Ishii and Goto got in for a triple team on Honma. Honma stumbled after taking two lariats and YH missed whatever move they had planned. 

YH used the butterfly lock and Honma tapped out. 

**********

The teams continued brawling after the match. Ishii and Nagata went at it. YH and Kojima traded strikes. The brawl was worse than the match for YH who did not have a good night. 

**********

Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & SHO defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado (12:08)

I never need to see Okada and Yujiro in the same ring together after today. This feud has been detrimental to both guys and a waste of Okada. I understand keeping him away from the title picture while you build EVIL but this has been worst feud of the year stuff. 

Jado and Okada began. Okada and SHO hit some comedy elbows to Jado’s back. SHO got a tag and got cut off. Bullet Club worked SHO over. 

Okada got a hot tag and got a near fall on Yujiro with a back elbow. Yujiro hit a German and got a near fall as Yano saved. Did Okada really need Yano to save him from Yujiro? 

SHO tagged back in and Jado nailed him with a kendo stick. Jado tried to use the stick a second time but Yano hit a low blow. Yano exposed a buckle and blocked a Gedo brass knuckles shot with the corner pad before sending Gedo into the buckle. 

SHO used a backstabber and applied a cross armbreaker and Gedo tapped out. 

Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI (9:19)

Suzuki-gun tried an attack before the opening bell but it backfired. Shingo sent Suzuki into the barricade. DOUKI missed an enzuigiri on BUSHI in the ring. 

Desperado helped DOUKI cut BUSHI off and DOUKI hit an enzuigiri on the second try. Suzuki beat Shingo down on the outside before tagging in to torture BUSHI. Shingo tried to save but got dropped by one Suzuki forearm strike. DOUKI continued to beat down BUSHI before BUSHI hit a rana and both tagged out. 

Shingo and Suzuki tagged in and delivered an awesome preview of their NEVER title match coming up Saturday. They beat the hell out of each other. Suzuki went for a Gotch-style piledriver but Shingo blocked. Shingo missed a sliding lariat. Suzuki got a choke and went for the Gotch again but Shingo hit a DVD. 

Desperado and SANADA tagged in for a preview of the KOPW match on Saturday. Desperado shoved the ref and hit a right hand to SANADA. DOUKI got a tag and hit Daybreak for a near fall. 

Suzuki and Shingo jumped in and continued brawling. SANADA used a moonsault press to set up Skull End on DOUKI. DOUKI tried to reverse and cradle SANADA but SANADA kept the hold and used a spinning Skull End for the submission. 

**********

Suzuki and Shingo had a pull-apart after the match. Suzuki went after Shingo with a chair. Shingo tried a headbutt before they were pulled apart. 

**********

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato (w/ Hiroyoshi Tenzan) defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (11:40)

Suzuki-gun attacked the babyfaces as they made their entrance. Kanemaru hit a drive-by kick on Wato and knocked Tenzan off the apron. Suzuki-gun commenced with an extensive beatdown on Wato. 

Wato came back with a dropkick and Taichi and Ibushi got tags. They traded kicks. Ibushi got the best of the exchange and Tanahashi demanded a tag. Tana missed a second rope senton and Taichi tagged Sabre. 

Sabre and Tanahashi both fought for a backslide. Sabre eventually settled for a cobra twist. Wato made the save and broke the hold. 

Sabre and Taichi tried their tandem dragon screw move on Tanahashi but Ibushi saved. Tana and Ibushi hit Sabre with a tandem dragon screw instead. 

They did some cool twists and turns as they neared the finish. Kanemaru tried to hit Tanahashi with a whiskey bottle but Wato saved. It looked as though Kanemaru was done for after taking a springboard forearm from Wato and a Kamigoye from Ibushi. 

Tanahashi went up top for High Fly Flow. Sabre and Taichi tried to shove him off but Ibushi and Wato held them away and Tana hit High Fly Flow for the pin. 

**********

Tanahashi & Ibushi and Sabre & Taichi jawed at each other after the match but there was no further physicality.

Tanahashi and Ibushi did a full 1987 Hogan must pose routine in the ring before leaving. 

**********

EVIL & Taiji Ishimori (w/ Dick Togo) defeated Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi (11:58)

When you are only doing six match shows and a third of the matches have this constant ref bump, heel manager interference, tag partner distracts the ref while the other partner cheats stuff, it really wears out its welcome. 

Hiromu and Naito tried an immediate double team on EVIL but their plan was thwarted by Dick Togo. Togo exposed a buckle and EVIL and Ishimori took turns sending Naito into it. 

Naito managed a tag to Hiromu. Hiromu hit a flying headscissors and a shotgun dropkick off the apron. Ishimori came back and hit a sliding German on Hiromu. 

EVIL and Naito tagged back in. Naito used a crucifix hold. Togo jumped on the apron and took the referee, then distracted Naito. Naito hit a dropkick in the corner on EVIL. Naito went for a top rope frankensteiner but Togo pulled him off while EVIL took the referee. 

EVIL hit a German for a near fall. Naito hit a swing DDT into a double down. Hiromu got a tag and hit EVIL with a shotgun dropkick. EVIL blocked a Dynamite Plunger but Hiromu hit a lariat. 

Hiromu and Naito hit tandem dropkicks. Naito and Ishimori brawled to the floor. Hiromu went for Time Bomb but EVIL blocked. Naito tried to help Hiromu but he got hit with a shotgun dropkick by mistake. 

Ishimori used a mistica on Hiromu, then took the ref. EVIL hit Hiromu with a chair, then hit Everything is EVIL for the pin. 

**********

EVIL taunted Naito after the match. Togo attacked Naito from behind and choked him out. 

EVIL closed the show with a promo. 

NJPW Summer Struggle results: KOPW tournament begins

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI 
  • SANADA vs. SHO

Report —

Korakuen Hall was the venue. They announced an attendance of 626. 

They tested some sort of crowd noise system in the building that the fans were controlling with an app. I would call the experiment a minor negative. Fans were clapping anyway and drowned out the canned noise. 

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Yuji Nagata, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura (10:39)

This was a good opener. Nagata, Tsuji and Uemura attacked before the opening bell to get the show off to a hot start. 

Uemura and Tsuji tried working over Ishii but Ishii made his own comeback and cut off Tsuji. YH, Ishii and Goto worked Tsuji over. 

Tsuji came back with a brainbuster on Goto and tagged Nagata. Nagata got a near fall off an exploder. Goto hit a misdirection lariat and a second lariat before tagging out. 

YH and Goto doubled up on Nagata. Nagata used a crossface on YH but Ishii jumped in to break it up. The match broke down. Uemura hit Goto and Ishii with a double dropkick. Tsuji hit Goto and Ishii with a double spear. 

Tsuji hit a senton on YH. Uemura then used a Boston crab but YH forced a rope break. 

YH hit a headhunter for a near fall and used a butterfly lock for the submission. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (10:06)

This was excellent for a ten minute match. 

Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell. Wato got a bit of shine on Kanemaru with a springboard uppercut forearm but Suzuki-gun cut Tenzan off and dominated the early part of the match. 

Taichi hit Mongolian chops on Tenzan to taunt him. Tenzan came back with a mountain bomb and tagged Tanahashi. Ibushi and Tanahashi doubled up on Taichi. Ibushi hit a standing moonsault. Tanahashi hit a second rope senton for a near fall. 

Taichi kicked at Tana’s left leg. Tana hit a dropkick to Taichi’s right leg. Sabre dumped Tana outside. Ibushi sent Sabre outside with a rana. Kanemaru sent Ibushi to the floor. Wato sent Kanemaru outside and hit a tornillo. 

DOUKI hit a swan dive senton off the post onto all the guys. I’ve seen him do that before where no one caught him and he landed on his butt on the floor but thankfully he got caught here. 

Back inside, DOUKI used a triangle on Tanahashi. Tenzan broke it up. Ibushi hit a double Pele kick to Sabre and Taichi. Tana hit DOUKI with twist and shout. 

Tanahashi and Ibushi hit the Golden Blade on DOUKI. Tanahashi followed with High Fly Flow and pinned DOUKI. 

**********

Taichi and Sabre taunted Tanahashi and Ibushi with the IWGP Tag Team title belts after the match. Tanahashi told Sabre in English to enjoy his championship for three more days. 

**********

KOPW 2020 first round match: El Desperado defeated Satoshi Kojima by DQ in a no finishers allowed match (14:14)

Kojima’s lariat and Desperado’s Pinche Loco were illegal. 

They built the match around Kojima selling his left knee. The match was pretty dull and the finish was bad. 

Desperado feigned breaking cleanly against the ropes after locking up. They rolled outside where Desperado sent Kojima into the barricade. Desperado then went to work on the left knee. 

Kojima made a comeback. He hit something resembling a lariat but the referee ruled that it was a forearm strike. Kojima hit a DDT on the apron and a top rope elbow for a two count. 

Desperado used a stretch muffler but Kojima made it to the ropes. Kojima hit a cutter off the top rope for a close near fall. Kojima went for a lariat but stopped himself. Desperado hit a thumb to the eye. 

Kojima used a brainbuster for a near fall, then used a crucifix hold. Desperado forced a break. Kojima went back to the hold. Desperado threw the ref down. Desperado tapped but the referee was out. 

Desperado teased hitting Pinche Loco with the ref down. Kojima blocked. Desperado taunted Kojima by hitting him with lariats. Kojima finally snapped and hit a lariat for the DQ. 

KOPW 2020 first round match: Toru Yano defeated BUSHI in a two-count pinfall match (4:45)

As a change of pace comedy match this was pretty perfect. 

They did some comedy with a bottle of hand sanitizer. Each sprayed the other in the eyes with sanitizer and they traded near falls. Yano exposed a buckle and sent BUSHI into it. BUSHI sent Yano into the buckle. 

They rolled outside. Yano tried to tie BUSHI up with tape but BUSHI escaped and hit a tope suicida. BUSHI tied up Yano with the tape instead. 

BUSHI tossed Yano back inside and tried a magistral cradle. Yano reversed the cradle and got the pin with his feet still taped together. 

KOPW 2020 first round match: SANADA defeated SHO in a submission match (19:37)

SHO was fantastic in this match. The match type didn’t really play to SANADA’s strengths and I thought it went about five minutes too long but I’ll give it a mild recommendation. 

They opened with a nice chain wrestling sequence. They did a little bit of lucha before going back to mat work. SHO tried for a cross armbreaker but SANADA slid out and rolled to the floor to reset. 

SHO tried to work the left arm but SANADA used a headscissors escape. SHO got a headscissors applied on the mat but SANADA rolled through and tried a bow and arrow. SHO escaped. SANADA hit a dragon screw and SHO rolled to the apron. 

SHO continued to work on the left arm. SANADA hit another dragon screw as he looked to be going after SHO’s legs. SANADA draped SHO over the middle rope and hit a moonsault. 

SHO came back with a hammerlock and hit dropkicks to the left arm. SANADA went for a hurricanrana but SHO caught him and hit a powerbomb. SHO hit a power breaker but sold the impact of the move on his own legs. 

SANADA tried a moonsault but SHO got his knees up. SHO continued to sell his legs. SHO hit a jumping knee strike. SANADA hit a dropkick to the legs. 

SHO hit a cross-arm piledriver and rolling Germans into a cross armbreaker. Referee Red Shoes really tried to sell this a potential finish but SANADA broke the hold. He went for something or other but just dropped SHO on the mat. 

SANADA hit a moonsault and locked on a figure four. SHO fought the hold for a long time before finally tapping out. 

KOPW 2020 first round match: Kazuchika Okada defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado in a handicap match (15:29)

This match looked terrible on paper and it was terrible in execution. 

Okada was distracted by Gedo on the apron and Yujiro hit a boot for the first offense of the match. Okada hit a slingshot senton for a near fall but Gedo jumped in to break up the pin. 

Yujiro did some biting and eye raking. Gedo used his belt as a weapon. Yujiro tossed Okada to the floor where Gedo and Jado got some strikes in. 

Gedo and Yujiro doubled up on Okada. Jado covered for a near fall. Okada used the cobra clutch on Jado but Gedo and Yujiro broke it up. 

Yujiro accidentally bumped Gedo off the apron. Okada hit an air raid crash on Yujiro. Jado hit Okada with a kendo stick from the floor and Yujiro covered for a two count. 

Okada used the cobra clutch on Yujiro but Gedo and Jado jumped in to break it up. Okada fought them off and went back to the hold. They broke it up a second time. Yujiro hit Miami Shine for a two count. 

Yujiro, Gedo and Jado hit a triple powerbomb off the second rope for a near fall. Jado hit a lariat for a near fall. Gedo hit a frog splash for a near fall. 

Yujiro took the referee. Gedo grabbed brass knuckles. Okada blocked and hit a back elbow. Jado entered with a kendo stick. Okada hit him with a Woo dropkick. Okada hit Yujiro with a dropkick. Okada hit a tope on Jado and Yujiro and had a rough landing. That could have been terrible. Imagine Okada getting hurt in this match. 

Gedo used a Gedo clutch for a near fall. Okada hit a tombstone and used the cobra clutch. Gedo tapped immediately. 

Okada closed the show with a promo. 

NJPW Summer Struggle results: NEVER Six-Man tournament finals

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Shingo Takagi & SANADA vs. Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI 
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru 
  • Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & SHO

Report —

Korakuen Hall was again the venue today. 

Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo (w/Jado) defeated Gabriel Kidd & Yuya Uemura (8:33)

The Yujiro/Gedo bad match tour continued here. They had another bad match and Uemura and Kidd had to get whipped by Gedo’s belt to add injury to insult. 

This was all Yujiro and Gedo for the first several minutes. Gedo whipped Kidd with the belt on the outside. Uemura finally got a tag. Uemura and Kidd hit a double suplex for a near fall. Uemura hit Yujiro with a double underhook suplex for another. 

Gedo jumped in and helped Yujiro cut Uemura off. Yujiro hit a fisherman buster and Pimp Juice for the pin. 

The belt whipping continued after the match.

Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Yota Tsuji (9:52)

Tsuji and Nagata started off and traded tackles. 

Honma and Taguchi tagged in and Taguchi sold big for Honma’s tackles and chops. Taguchi did some comedy. Honma missed a kokeshi. Taguchi answered with a kokeshi. 

Kojima and Nagata used quick tags in continuing to work Honma over. Honma tagged Makabe who ran wild with clotheslines. Makabe used a northern lights suplex for a two count on Nagata. Nagata answered with an exploder. 

Makabe and Kojima had an exchange of strikes and chops. Makabe cut Kojima off before he could try his top rope elbow. Tsuji got a tag and hit his new senton/splash sequence for a near fall. 

Kojima hit a cutter for a two count. Everyone entered the ring to set up the finish. Tsuji hit a spear for a two count after a 3-on-1. Tsuji used a Boston crab but Kojima powered out. Tsuji rolled Kojima up for another near fall. 

Tsuji hit the ropes but ran into a Kojima lariat for the pin.  

Shingo Takagi & SANADA defeated Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI (12:09)

Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell and turned this into a brawl. It was a pretty great brawl. 

Suzuki used a chair on Shingo on the outside. They then had a lengthy exchange in the ring. They traded huge forearm strikes. Suzuki used a PK. Shingo missed with a sliding lariat. Suzuki used a choke to back Shingo into the Suzuki-gun corner and tagged out. 

Suzuki went over to the announcers and started jawing with them and laughing maniacally. Shingo made a comeback on DOUKI with a jab and a lariat. SANADA got a tag and hit a standing moonsault for a two count. 

Suzuki jumped in and knocked Shingo off the apron with a high kick. DOUKI hit a springboard double stomp on SANADA for a near fall. Shingo and Suzuki had another striking battle. Suzuki ducked a pumping bomber and put Shingo in a rear naked choke. 

DOUKI used daybreak and a cradle for near falls. SANADA answered with an O’Connor roll for the pin. 

**********

Suzuki officially made a challenge to Shingo for the NEVER title in Jingu on the 29th. Shingo accepted. 

**********

*****Intermission*****

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (12:45)

This was very good. 

Tanahashi started for his team. He wanted Taichi. Taichi stalled forever, tagged in, then immediately tagged out to Sabre. Suzuki-gun forced a brawl around ringside. Taichi choked Ibushi with a camera cable. 

Back inside, Taichi and Tenzan ended up legal. Tenzan hit a mountain bomb and tagged Ibushi. They had a fairly even exchange that ended after a Taichi high kick and an Ibushi frankensteiner. 

Wato and Kanemaru tagged in and had a nice sequence. Wato tagged Tanahashi. Tana hit a dragon screw on Desperado. Sabre and Taichi entered to cut Tanahashi off. They teased their tandem dragon screw but Ibushi saved. He hit Sabre with a high kick and a Kamigoye on Taichi. 

Ibushi and Tanahashi hit the Golden Blade on Kanemaru. Tanahashi hit an interfering Sabre with a High Fly Flow. Wato hit a tornillo on Desperado. 

After missing it the last two nights, Tanahashi hit High Fly Flow on Kanemaru and picked up the pin.

Taichi used a chair on Uemura at ringside after the match, selling how frustrated he was after the loss. Tanahashi and Ibushi posed with the tag titles so a rematch is almost certain for Jingu. 

EVIL & Taiji Ishimori defeated Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI by DQ (10:43)

This was more of a prolonged angle than a match. 

Bullet Club attacked before the opening bell. BUSHI got cut off and worked over by Ishimori and EVIL. BUSHI made a comeback and tagged Naito. Naito repeatedly shoved the referee down as he attacked EVIL in the corner. 

EVIL and Naito had a nice exchange. Naito used a Koji Clutch. Togo jumped on the apron and took the ref. EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a near fall. 

EVIL shoved Naito into the referee. The ref took a bump to the floor. EVIL hit a low blow. Togo jumped in and choked Naito with a ligature. 

Bullet Club put the boots to Naito. Hiromu Takahashi ran in for the save and cleared the ring. The ref woke up and called for the bell as Hiromu was pounding on Ishimori with punches. 

Hiromu cut a promo after. 

**********

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Championship Tournament Finals: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & SHO to win the titles (24:19)

This was an excellent main event. 

YH and Okada started off. Okada went for his trademark clean break after locking up but YH nailed him with strikes, putting over that this was a more intense YOSHI-HASHI than usual. 

Goto and SHO had a clunky exchange. SHO ended up cut off in the opposing corner. Ishii hammered SHO with chops and strikes. YOSHI-HASHI hit his draping dropkick. SHO came back with a brainbuster on Goto. 

Yano and Goto had a brief exchange, then it was back to Okada and YH. They had an intense striking battle. Okada hit a back elbow, back elbow in the corner, then a DDT for a near fall. 

Okada teased a tombstone but YH blocked. YH hit a headhunter. Ishii entered for a suplex on Okada. YH hit a diving headhunter off the top for a near fall on Okada. 

A chaotic sequence saw SHO hit YH with a dropkick. Ishii hit SHO with a lariat. Yano exposed a buckle. Ishii got sent into the buckle. Goto hit a lariat on Yano. Okada hit a flapjack on Goto. YH hit a superkick on Okada and all six men were down. 

Okada used a cobra clutch on YH. YH fought the hold for a long time. It looked like this could be the finish but Ishii jumped in and made the save. 

Okada hit a Rainmaker. He went for a second Rainmaker but YOSHI-HASHI answered with his own lariat. YOSHI-HASHI hit a second lariat for a near fall. YH used the butterfly lock. Okada fought his way to the ropes. Okada hit a dropkick into a double down. 

SHO and Ishii got tags. Ishii hit a brainbuster. SHO hit a spear. Yano sent an interfering Goto into the exposed buckle. He then sent Ishii into the buckle. SHO hit a German on Ishii for a near fall. 

SHO put Ishii in the cross armbreaker but Ishii powered out. Ishii hit a powerbomb for a near fall. Ishii hit a lariat for another two count as Yano broke up the pin. Ishii fought for the Vertical Drop Brainbuster but SHO blocked repeatedly and got another armbar. Goto broke it up. 

SHO hit a straightjacket German for a two count. He hit a lariat and called for Shock Arrow. Ishii hit a backdrop out of the Shock Arrow attempt. SHO ran into a thrust kick/ushigoroshi combo from YH and Goto. YH hit a meteora. Ishii hit a sliding lariat for a near fall as Okada and Yano saved. 

Okada, YH, Goto and Yano brawled to the floor. Ishii hit a lariat, then used the Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin to win the titles. 

**********

This was YOSHI-HASHI’s first title win in NJPW. All six competitors are CHAOS members so they were all happy for YH and everyone raised each other’s arms after the match. Milano Collection AT was crying on commentary. Okada put the belt on YH after the match. 

YH closed the show with a promo. 

NJPW Summer Struggle results: NEVER Six-Man tourney semifinals

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI 
  • Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato 

Report —

Korakuen Hall was the venue. They announced a sellout with 698 people in attendance. 

Taiji Ishimori defeated Yuya Uemura (8:14)

Ishimori is still great but you can really see the toll of all of his injuries this year. He’s slowed down so much. Uemura had a better night tonight than he did with Nagata yesterday. 

Uemura fired off some strikes at the opening bell. Ishimori responded by sending him outside and into the barricade. Ishimori used a chinlock as he slowly worked Uemura over. 

Uemura came back with a dropkick and a variety of suplexes. Ishimori blocked a crab attempt and used a cradle for a near fall. Uemura got the crab on his second attempt but Ishimori forced a break. 

Uemura ended up bleeding from the mouth here. He blocked a handspring Pele kick and hit a suplex. Uemura bridged into a near fall. 

Ishimori used a jumping knee strike and a lungblower for near falls before using the Yes Lock for the submission. 

Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo (w/ Jado) defeated Yota Tsuji & Gabriel Kidd (7:52)

This was really a terrible match. The Gedo/Yujiro team stands out in a bad way anyway, but when you see them three days in a row their pairing is even worse. 

It sucks for the guys in there with Gedo too because they have to get whipped with his belt for real which can’t be fun. 

They put over on commentary that Okada and Yujiro’s KOPW match could be a lumberjack match of some kind. 

Kidd and Tsuji fought off an illegal double team at the outset. Gedo sent Tsuji outside with a handful of trunks and it was all Bullet Club from there. 

Kidd started to make a comeback on Yujiro but ran into a kendo stick shot from Jado on the floor. Yujiro followed up with a fisherman buster and Pimp Juice for the pin. 

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Yuji Nagata (10:34)

This was a standard Suzuki-gun brawl. 

Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell and cut Nagata off. Taichi choked him with a camera cable on the floor. Nagata came back with a dragon screw on Sabre and tagged Makabe. Makabe got some offense before tagging Honma. 

Honma missed a kokeshi on Taichi. Honma’s teammates jumped in for a three-on-one on Taichi. Honma hit a diving kokeshi and a standard kokeshi. He made a cover but Sabre and Kanemaru broke it up. 

Nagata, Makabe, Sabre and Kanemaru brawled to the floor, leaving Honma and Taichi in. They traded strikes. Honma hit a lariat. Sabre and Kanemaru jumped in. Nagata, Makabe, Sabre and Kanemaru brawled to the outside again. 

Taichi hit an axe bomber but Honma no-sold it. Taichi hit a backdrop suplex and used a stretch plum for the submission. 

**********

They announced the G1 schedule, then followed with an intermission. 

**********

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI (9:38)

Suzuki matches are pretty much a guaranteed recommendation from me. This was the best match on the show up to this point.

Tenzan and Desperado started out. DOUKI came in for a double team and Suzuki-gun cut Tenzan off. DOUKI and Desperado crotched Tenzan with the post. Suzuki used a kneebar. Kojima jumped in to break it up but he got caught in a kneebar too. 

Suzuki tried a PK but Tenzan caught it. Tenzan hit a wheel kick and tagged Taguchi. Taguchi hit each member of Suzuki-gun with multiple hip attacks. Taguchi did his Nakamura poses and tried for one more hip attack but Suzuki caught him in a choke. Taguchi slid out, hit a hip attack and tagged Kojima. 

Kojima hit Suzuki with machine gun chops. He went for a top rope elbow but Suzuki-gun cut him off. DOUKI tagged in and hit a double stomp for a near fall. DOUKI used a triangle. DOUKI tried to hit Kojima with a pipe but Kojima’s teammates saved. 

Everyone jumped in for a big move as the match broke down. DOUKI tried a rolling cradle but Kojima kicked out. Kojima hit two lariats and got the pin. 

**********

Kojima challenged Desperado in the KOPW tournament after the match. Desperado accepted. 

**********

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title tournament semifinal match: Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & SHO defeated Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI by countout (13:07)

This was just okay. There was some decent wrestling but Yano’s involvement and the comedy finish didn’t help things. 

SANADA and SHO started with a mat wrestling sequence. BUSHI and Yano tagged in for some comedy spots. 

Shingo and Okada tagged in and locked up. Okada broke cleanly against the ropes. They traded strikes. Yano interfered from the apron. BUSHI then interfered and LIJ cut Okada off. Shingo worked on Okada’s left arm. SANADA tagged in and continued working on the arm. 

Okada fought off a paradise lock attempt and hit a flapjack before tagging SHO. SANADA fought for Skull End but SHO escaped. SANADA blocked a spear and hit a rope-assisted neckbreaker. 

BUSHI and YOH tagged in for some more comedy. Yano exposed a turnbuckle. Yano tried a schoolboy but BUSHI cradled him instead. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick. LIJ cleared the apron and went three-on-one on Yano. 

SANADA, Shingo, Okada and SHO fought to the floor. BUSHI sent Yano outside. BUSHI missed a tope suicida and crashed to the floor.

Yano pulled a roll of tape from under the ring. Shingo got the tape away from Yano. Yano tied the laces of BUSHI’s mask to the barricade and beat the count back in for the countout victory. 

**********

SANADA pointed at SHO after the match. This seemed to indicate that they’ll be facing off in the KOPW tournament. 

**********

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title tournament semifinal match: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato (w/ Hiroyoshi Tenzan) (17:12)

This was a fun main event. 

All six guys jumped in early. Tanahashi and Ibushi hit tandem dropkicks on Goto and Ishii. Master Wato and Goto ended up the legal men. Goto tagged YH and YH and Wato had an even exchange. 

Ibushi and Ishii tagged in and proceeded to beat the hell out of each other. They traded stiff strikes. Ibushi hit a suplex but Ishii no-sold it, hit a running tackle and a powerslam. Ibushi came back with a double Pele kick on Ishii and Goto. 

Tanahashi got a tag and ran wild with dragon screws. He used a cloverleaf on Goto but YH broke it up. Wato nailed YH with a springboard uppercut. Goto came back on Wato and Tanahashi. Goto hit a wheel kick and backdrop suplex on Tana for a near fall. 

Everyone jumped in again. Ibushi hit Ishii with a snap rana. Goto hit Tana with a misdirection lariat. Goto hit Tana with a headbutt and an inverted GTR. He tried another GTR but Tana blocked and hit two twist and shouts. 

Goto went for an ushigoroshi. Ibushi saved and hit a high kick which allowed Tana to use a crucifix on Goto for a two count. Ibushi and Tanahashi hit the Golden Blade on Goto. Tana went for High Fly Flow but Goto rolled out of the way and Tana crashed to the mat. 

Wato and YH got tags. Wato fell victim to a three-on-one. YH used a sit-out powerbomb and a stack cover for a near fall. YH hit a lariat for another near fall. They clearly wanted to make Wato look strong before they beat him. 

Ibushi hit an interfering Ishii with a springboard dropkick. Tana held YH up while Wato and Ibushi hit him with tandem high kicks. Wato went for the RPP but YH rolled out of the way. Wato hit a series of kicks and used a cool throw for a near fall. 

Wato was again the victim of a three-on-one. Goto hit him with an ushigoroshi. Ishii hit a sliding lariat. YH hit a meteora for a two count as Tanahashi saved. 

YH then hit Karma and got the pin. 

**********

Ishii and Ibushi faced off after the match as tempers flared, so that looks to be a KOPW match as well. Tanahashi got involved as well. Ishii hit Ibushi with a chop. YH and Tanahashi pulled them apart. 

YOSHI-HASHI closed the show with a promo. 

NJPW Summer Struggle results: NEVER Six-Man tourney continues

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & SHO vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI 
  • YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato (w/Hiroyoshi Tenzan) vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru 

Report —

Korakuen Hall was again the venue for today’s show. 

Yuji Nagata defeated Yuya Uemura (8:08)

This was a mixed bag. They began with some nice mat work but their striking exchanges were not nearly as crisp as usual. Nagata missed a kick by a mile but Uemura sold it anyway. Uemura took a cartoonish bump off a forearm strike. 

Uemura hit his double underhook suplex for a near fall then transitioned to an armbar. Nagata reached the ropes. Nagata hit two kicks, an exploder, then used the Nagata Lock II for the submission. 

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima defeated Gabriel Kidd & Yota Tsuji (8:52)

Kidd is kind of being portrayed as a powerhouse but he’s much more than that. He’s super athletic and I hope he doesn’t get stuck in that role. 

Tenzan and Kojima did a spot where Tsuji ducked out of the way and Tenzan hit Kojima with a lariat. Kojima got up and shoved Tenzan. They hit Tsuji with a double big boot and shook hands after, so it didn’t lead to anything. 

Tenzan worked over Tsuji with chops and a brainbuster. Tsuji hit a dropkick and tagged Kidd. Kidd did some power spots with Tenzan. Kojima tried to hit machine gun chops on Tsuji but Kidd jumped in and Tsuji and Kidd hit machine gun chops on Kojima instead. 

Tsuji used a crab on Kojima but Kojima powered out. Kidd interfered and Kojima and Tenzan hit a TenCozy Cutter. Tsuji hit a spear and a vertical suplex for a near fall. 

For the finish, Tsuji tried a lariat off the ropes but Kojima hit him with a lariat first and pinned him.

Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & SHO defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI (9:17) 

This was the best match on the show to this point. Another positive is that it got Okada away from Yujiro Takahashi for a night. 

Yano started off with Desperado and did some comedy. Suzuki-gun turned it into a brawl around ringside. Okada and Suzuki paired off in the brawl. Suzuki and Yano did some comedy. Yano then tagged Okada and Okada and Suzuki had a real exchange. 

Okada hit a running back elbow and another back elbow in the corner for a near fall. Suzuki hit a PK for a near fall. They traded strikes. Suzuki tried a misdirection spot but Okada caught him and hit an air raid crash. 

DOUKI and SHO tagged in for an extended closing sequence. SHO ducked a lariat and hit a spear. DOUKI used a triangle but Yano broke it up. Suzuki took Yano out. Okada jumped in and hit Suzuki with a dropkick. 

SHO used a backstabber to set up a cross armbreaker. He got it applied and DOUKI tapped immediately. 

Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI defeated EVIL, Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo (w/ Jado) (13:26)

There were some clunky spots in this one, especially between Naito and EVIL which doesn’t bode well for their next singles match. 

Bullet Club attacked LIJ before the bell. Shingo was left in the ring with Togo and Ishimori. He made his own comeback and hit corner clotheslines on both. BUSHI tagged in and was cut off by Togo. Bullet Club exposed a turnbuckle. 

BUSHI got worked over for several minutes. Gedo sent BUSHI’s left arm into the exposed buckle. BUSHI came back with a hurricanrana and it was Naito and EVIL time. 

Naito hit his trademark leg sweep and combinacion in the corner. They traded forearm shots. Naito teased ringing up the arm for Destino but EVIL blocked with a hair pull. EVIL sent Naito near the exposed buckle. Naito tripped on his way in and didn’t quite make it to the buckle. 

Ishimori tagged in. Shingo jumped in to aid Naito with an illegal double team. Naito tagged SANADA who tried a paradise lock but Ishimori blocked. Ishimori hit a handspring Pele kick and tagged out. 

Gedo got hit with SANADA’s leapfrog dropkick and a plancha. Everyone jumped in for a big move. Togo tripped in taking out SANADA. I wonder if the ring was slick after the cleaning intermission. 

SANADA ran into a kendo stick shot from Jado. Jado took the ref and Gedo grabbed brass knuckles. SANADA crotched Gedo on the top rope and took Jado off the apron with a dropkick. SANADA then used Skull End to submit Gedo. 

LIJ posed and did their fist bump after the match. 

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title tournament match: YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi (11:53)

This was a very good match. They kept it relatively short and everyone looked good. 

Honma and Ishii started off. They traded chops. Ishii sold big for Honma. Honma backed Ishii into his corner. Ishii tried to fight out but ended up in a fist fight with Honma and Makabe. That was awesome. 

Both teams did 3-on-1 spots. They ended up with Makabe being cut off in the opposing corner. Makabe tagged Goto. Taguchi and Goto did a series of misdirection spots ending with Goto hitting a clothesline. YH tagged in and got hit with a hip attack. 

Honma got a tag and hit YH with a bulldog. Ishii jumped in to save. Ishii, Makabe, Taguchi and Goto brawled to the floor. Things got chaotic from here. 

YH hit Honma with a lariat for a near fall. Makabe hit YH with a lariat. Makabe hit Ishii with a powerslam. Makabe hit Goto and YH with a double lariat. Taguchi hit a hip attack to YH. Honma hit a kokeshi and made a cover but Ishii jumped in and broke it up. 

Honma hit a hard headbutt. Honma hit two diving kokeshis for near falls. He teased a top rope kokeshi but Goto cut him off. Goto and Ishii hit simultaneous headbutts to Honma. Goto and YH hit an elevated GTR on Honma. YH then used the butterfly lock for the submission. 

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title tournament match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato (w/ Hiroyoshi Tenzan) defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (16:54)

This was fairly slow but it paid off the Ibushi/Tanahashi angle so it’s worth a watch. 

Tanahashi insisted on starting for his team. He was immediately cut off and had his left knee worked over. Tana sold, sold, sold and sold some more. 

Sabre and Taichi held Tanahashi up in front of Ibushi and again tried tempting him to attack. Ibushi grabbed Tana’s wrists like he was about to give him a Kamigoye but he attacked Sabre and Taichi instead. 

Sabre used an octopus on Ibushi. Ibushi powered out. They traded kicks. Ibushi went for a last ride but Sabre caught him in a guillotine. Sabre switched to a triangle. Ibushi broke the hold with a powerbomb. 

Master Wato and Kanemaru tagged in. Wato hit a springboard uppercut forearm for a near fall. Kanemaru blocked some kicks and hit a dropkick. Kanemaru teased an inverted DDT but Wato blocked and hit a combination of kicks. 

Tanahashi tagged in. He hit Kanemaru with a dragon screw and a slingblade. Tanahashi and Ibushi started working well together and hit Kanemaru with the Golden Blade. Wato hit a tornillo on Sabre to take him out. 

Tanahashi went for High Fly Flow but Kanemaru got his knees up. Taichi tagged in and hit an axe bomber for a near fall. He hit a last ride and stacked Tana up on the cover but Wato and Ibushi saved. 

Taichi held Tanahashi up while Sabre hit him with a series of dragon screws. Taichi took his pants off and hit a thrust kick. 

Taichi went for Black Mephisto with an assist from Sabre. I think the announcers called this Zack Mephisto. Ibushi jumped in for the save and hit a high kick. Tanahashi trapped Taichi in a double leg nelson position and stacked him up for the flash pin. 

**********

Sabre used a heel hook on Tanahashi right after the closing bell. Taichi sent Ibushi outside after a high kick, so Suzuki-gun got their heat back. 

Sabre and Taichi taunted Ibushi after the match. They again tried to tempt him to turn on Tanahashi but he refused. 

Ibushi helped Tanahashi to his feet and walked him to the back, so Golden Ace are back on the same page.  

NJPW Summer Struggle results: NEVER Six-Man tournament begins

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI 

Report —

The announced attendance at Korakuen Hall was 698. There were social distancing measures in place but the building looked more full than that. 

Yuji Nagata defeated Gabriel Kidd (8:12)

This was your basic NJPW technical opener. Kidd was already good when he got here and he’s even better now. 

They locked up twice and broke cleanly both times. After a knuckle lock, Kidd hit a chop on the break. Kidd hit a shoulder block. Nagata fired up and dropped Kidd with one strike. 

Nagata used a series of kicks and attacked Kidd’s left arm to soften him up for a Nagata Lock. Kidd hit a series of strikes but Nagata again dropped him with one strike. Kidd hit a dropkick but sold his left arm on landing. 

Kidd tried a crab but Nagata reached the ropes. They traded strikes. Kidd hit the ropes but ran right into a knee lift. Nagata hit a high kick for a near fall. 

For the finish, Nagata hit an exploder and used a Nagata Lock II for the submission. 

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & Yota Tsuji (9:55)

Taguchi and Wato kicked things off. They did some mat wrestling before taking to the air. They did a really spectacular sequence of flips and leapfrogs. Wato sent Taguchi outside and teased a dive but held up as Taguchi moved out of the way. 

Tenzan and Tsuji tagged in for something completely different. They traded power spots. Tenzan cut Tsuji off and he and Wato worked Tsuji over. 

Tsuji came back with a spear and tagged Taguchi who ran wild with hip attacks. Taguchi tried three amigos but Tenzan blocked the third amigo and hit a vertical suplex. Wato tagged in and Taguchi hit a hip attack before tagging out. 

Tsuji got a near fall on Wato off a slam/senton/splash combination. Tsuji tried for a crab but Wato got to the ropes. Tenzan and Wato doubled up on Tsuji but Taguchi saved. Tsuji hit Wato with a dropkick for another near fall. 

Wato hit two roundhouse kicks and his RPP spiral tap for the pin. 

Master Wato is making this awful gimmick work for him with his spectacular moves. I actually want to see Wato and Taguchi in a singles match now as they could tear the house down. 

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma (9:13)

This was good and didn’t overstay its welcome. 

Makabe and Goto started off and traded some hard strikes. Goto hit a hip toss before both tagged out. Honma and YH tagged in. Honma missed a kokeshi. Honma’s partners jumped in but were quickly taken care of by Goto and Ishii. 

Honma was cut off in the blue corner. Ishii hit him with some chops. Honma fired back with some forearms but Ishii dropped him with one strike. Honma hit a double sledge to the chest and then hit a kokeshi on Ishii. 

Kojima tagged in and hit machine gun chops on Ishii. Kojima teased a top rope elbow but Ishii popped up before he could attempt it. They traded rolling elbows. Ishii hit a vertical suplex and some hard kicks. They traded hard chops. Kojima hit a cutter and both tagged out. 

Makabe and Goto tagged in. Makabe cleared the opposing apron, then hit ten punches in the corner and a northern lights suplex. Goto tried a misdirection lariat but Makabe blocked and hit a lariat. Everyone jumped in as the match broke down. 

The finish was unique and pretty intricate for this undercard tag match. Makabe blocked a GTR from Goto. Goto then used a sleeper hold to set up a rolling cradle on Makabe for the pin. 

***** Intermission *****

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Yuya Uemura (9:28)

Tanahashi appeared ready to start off for his team but Uemura insisted on starting. While they argued, Suzuki-gun attacked. Uemura ended up the legal man and hit a flying forearm on Kanemaru. 

Then Tanahashi tagged in and was immediately cut off. Sabre and Taichi worked over his left leg. Tana finally managed a tag to Ibushi. Taichi and Ibushi had a nice exchange. Ibushi hit a standing moonsault. They traded high kicks. 

Uemura and Kanemaru got tags. Uemura used a crab but Kanemaru got to the ropes. Sabre jumped in for a double team. Kanemaru hit a dropkick for a near fall as Tana and Ibushi saved. There was a botch as Sabre tried to dropkick Tanahashi’s leg but he missed entirely. 

Taichi took Tanahashi out with a buzzsaw. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT for a near fall and then pinned Uemura with Deep Impact. 

**********

They continued to build intrigue with Ibushi and Tanahashi after the match. 

Sabre and Taichi kicked at the fallen Tanahashi after the bell. Ibushi was on the outside lost in thought. He finally climbed in for the late save but he got kicked down. 

Taichi and Sabre held Tanahashi up and dared Ibushi to kick him. Ibushi acted like he was giving this some thought but he waited too long so Sabre and Taichi threw him out of the ring. 

Ibushi walked to the back on his own while Tanahashi was helped to the back. 

**********

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Championship Tournament match: Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & SHO defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado (12:04)

Okada broke cleanly after locking up with Yujiro. Gedo and Jado jumped in for a triple team and cut Okada off. Jado used a kendo stick on the floor. Gedo whipped Okada with a belt. Bullet Club exposed a turnbuckle and sent Okada into it. 

Okada came back with a Woo dropkick on Yujiro. Gedo and Yano tagged in for some comedy spots. Yano sent Gedo into an exposed buckle. SHO tagged in and hit a series of kicks. Gedo used a thumb to the eye. Jado hit SHO with a kendo stick from the floor. 

Yujiro and Jado hit SHO with a back suplex. Jado covered for a two count. Jado hit a draping DDT for a near fall as Okada made the save. Okada and Yujiro brawled to the outside. 

Gedo took the ref. Jado hit SHO with the kendo stick but SHO no-sold it. Yano pulled Gedo to the floor. Okada and Yujiro jumped in. Okada hit a dropkick on Yujiro. 

SHO hit Jado with a spear for a near fall and locked on a kimura for the submission. 

This match was no good and the Yujiro/Okada program continues to be the worst thing Okada has been involved in for many years. 

**********

Okada cut a promo after the match. He challenged Yujiro to a first round match in the KOPW tournament and said it could be a 3-on-1 handicap match with Gedo and Jado if he wants. 

**********

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Championship Tournament match: Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI (13:43)

This was the best match on the show, although the bar was set fairly low.

Suzuki-gun attacked while LIJ still had their entrance gear on. Suzuki locked a nasty heel hook on BUSHI in the ropes. Shingo and Suzuki paired off and brawled on the floor. That’s probably your next NEVER title program. 

DOUKI took the ref while Desperado choked BUSHI with a shirt. Suzuki-gun isolated BUSHI in their corner and worked him over. Suzuki used an ankle lock, a modified cloverleaf and a straight armbar before Shingo made the save for BUSHI. Suzuki took Shingo outside and rammed him into the barricade. 

BUSHI hit a combination bulldog/dropkick on Desperado and DOUKI and tagged out. Shingo knocked Suzuki off the apron and beat up Desperado and DOUKI by himself. Suzuki’s facial expressions after being knocked off the apron were amazing. 

Desperado hit Shingo with a spinebuster and tagged Suzuki. Suzuki and Shingo proceeded to slap each other to death and trade forearm strikes. Suzuki hit a running high kick in the corner. Shingo blocked one PK but Suzuki hit a second. 

Suzuki and Shingo traded strikes. Suzuki went for a choke but Shingo blocked and hit a vertical suplex into a double down. SANADA tagged in and Suzuki caught him with a knee lift before tagging out. 

DOUKI hit SANADA with a lariat for a two count. SANADA blocked a suplex de la luna. Desperado jumped in for a spinebuster. DOUKI hit a springboard double stomp for a near fall. SANADA blocked another suplex attempt and his teammates jumped in for a 3-on-1. 

SANADA used a dragon sleeper but Suzuki broke it up and grabbed a choke. Shingo jumped in and broke up the choke. Suzuki and Shingo traded strikes. Shingo avoided the Gotch-style piledriver. Suzuki avoided a sliding lariat. Shingo hit a pumping bomber. 

DOUKI cradled SANADA for a near fall. DOUKI avoided a TKO and used a hip toss into a cradle for another near fall. 

SANADA used a moonsault to set up Skull End and DOUKI tapped out. 

**********

Shingo and Suzuki continued fighting after the bell. Shingo jumped in the ring. Suzuki grabbed Shingo’s NEVER Openweight title and dared him to come get it. Suzuki backed down but it was clear that this is not over between the two of them. 

NJPW Summer Struggle night four results: Suzuki vs. Nagata

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata

Report —

Korakuen Hall was the venue again today.

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano defeated Satoshi Kojima, Ryusuke Taguchi, Gabriel Kidd & Yota Tsuji (9:59)

This was a fun little opener with a lot of comedy and some cool spots for the young guys. 

Ishii and Kidd began, trading strikes and shoulder tackles. Kidd hit a double shotgun dropkick on Ishii and Goto. Taguchi tagged in and did some comedy spots with Goto. Goto hit a wheel kick in the corner and Taguchi sold his butt. 

YH and Kojima got tags. Kojima hit machine gun chops and a top rope elbow. YH hit a headhunter and tagged Yano. Yano exposed a buckle but got sent into it himself. Kojima hit a cutter and tagged Tsuji. 

Ishii and Goto jumped in and teased stereo ushigoroshis on Kidd and Tsuji. Kidd and Tsuji slipped out and hit dropkicks in an awesome spot. Tsuji hit a senton and a spear for two near falls. 

The finish saw Yano shove the ref away, hit a low blow on Tsuji and schoolboy him for the pin. 

Shingo Takagi & SANADA defeated Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma (10:59)

This was a good brawl. Honma looked much better than usual. 

They fought on the outside early with Shingo using a choke around the post to get the advantage on Honma. SANADA and Shingo then worked Honma over with chops and chinlocks. Honma missed a kokeshi before hitting a suplex on Shingo and making a tag. 

Makabe hit ten punches in the corner and a northern lights suplex on Shingo for a near fall. Honma and SANADA got tags and Honma hit SANADA and Shingo with a double DDT for a near fall on SANADA. 

Makabe tried a double lariat on Shingo and SANADA but they blocked. Honma entered and Makabe and Honma double suplexed SANADA and Shingo. Honma hit a diving kokeshi on SANADA for a two count. 

Shingo and Makabe brawled to the floor. Honma missed a kokeshi off the second rope. Shingo missed a pumping bomber but hit a lariat. Shingo hit Honma with a brainbuster. SANADA hit a dropkick but Makabe broke up the pin. Shingo and Makabe brawled to the floor again. 

The finish saw SANADA go for Skull End. Honma turned it into a small package for a near fall. SANADA got Skull End applied on the second attempt and Honma tapped out. 

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Master Wato & Yuya Uemura (14:12)

This was similar to the match they’ve done every night on this tour. It was built on Tanahashi selling most of the way. 

Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell and spent the first several minutes working over Tanahashi. Taichi used a neckbreaker and some eye gouging to maintain the advantage. Uemura jumped in with a dropkick to make the save and Tana and Taichi made tags. 

Sabre and Ibushi tagged in. Sabre tried to trade strikes with Ibushi but Ibushi hammered him with kicks and got the edge. Sabre locked on a triangle. Ibushi slid out and hit a high kick into a double down. 

Wato and Kanemaru got tags. Wato hit a hurricanrana on an interfering DOUKI. Wato hit an impressive tornillo onto DOUKI and Kanemaru. Wato hit a springboard uppercut for a near fall. 

Uemura and Desperado tagged in. Uemura, Tenzan and Ibushi went 3-on-1 against Desperado. Uemura hit a double underhook suplex for a near fall. Desperado hit a spinebuster and used a stretch muffler but Tana broke it up. 

Sabre hit Tana with a Zack Driver. Ibushi hit a double Pele kick on Taichi and Sabre and a dropkick to Desperado. Uemura hit a suplex on Desperado for a two count. 

The finish saw Desperado shove the ref. He then hit a straight right on Uemura and hit Pinche Loco for the pin. 

**********

They did an angle after the match where Sabre and Taichi talked trash to Ibushi while Tsuji held an ice pack on Tanahashi’s neck. Ibushi left on his own without tending to Tana as if Sabre and Taichi had convinced him that Tanahashi was holding him back. 

**********

There was a cleaning and disinfecting intermission.

**********

Kazuchika Okada & SHO defeated Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo (w/ Jado) (10:40)

This Yujiro/Gedo team is really awful. At least they kept this relatively short. Okada didn’t do much at all in this match.  

Okada avoided a double team and got some offense on Yujiro. Okada hit a slingshot senton for an early near fall before tagging out. Jado used a kendo stick shot from the floor on SHO. From there, Gedo used a hammer to attack SHO on the floor and Bullet Club gained control of the match. 

Yujiro raked Okada’s eyes and posted him on the floor. Gedo exposed a buckle and he and Yujiro took turns sending SHO into it. SHO finally came back with a vertical suplex and tagged Okada. 

Yujiro hit a hot shot and dropped Okada across the top rope. Yujiro hit a fisherman buster but Okada blocked a Miami Shine. Yujiro hit a lariat. SHO and Gedo got tags. SHO hit a series of kicks for a near fall. 

SHO went for a power breaker but Gedo blocked with a thumb to the eye. SHO hit a spear for a two count. SHO got a kimura at the 10 minute mark but Yujiro broke it up. 

The finish saw Jado climb onto the apron to take the ref. Gedo grabbed brass knuckles. Toru Yano ran in and hit a low blow on Gedo. SHO then hit a backstabber. SHO ducked a kendo stick shot from Jado and used a cross armbreaker on Gedo for the submission. 

EVIL & Taiji Ishimori (w/ “The Spoiler” Dick Togo) defeated Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI (9:54)

Naito got his hands on EVIL early. He took the fight to the floor and sent EVIL into the barricade. BUSHI hit a neckbreaker on EVIL for a two count. There were some clunky spots when BUSHI and EVIL were in together. 

Togo interfered liberally, tripping BUSHI from the floor. He sent BUSHI into the barricade and choked him on the floor. EVIL covered but Red Shoes refused to count the pin due to the interference. The pace slowed to a crawl as Ishimori and EVIL worked on BUSHI. 

Naito got a tag and hit EVIL with kicks. Naito hit a series of short elbow strikes. EVIL used a hair pull and hit a mid kick. Naito blocked a fisherman buster, hit an enzuigiri and used a crucifix hold but Ishimori broke it up. 

BUSHI got a tag and hit a missile dropkick on EVIL. He followed with a suicide dive to Ishimori. Naito tried to interfere but Togo pulled him to the floor and choked him. BUSHI tried a neckbreaker on EVIL but Ishimori intercepted him with a springboard seated senton. 

The finish saw EVIL hit a lariat for a near fall. He then put the scorpion deathlock on and BUSHI tapped out. 

Naito grabbed EVIL by the hair after the bell. Togo pulled Naito to the floor and hit some right hands. Bullet Club then celebrated in the ring. EVIL posed with both of his belts over a fallen Naito on the floor. 

Minoru Suzuki defeated Yuji Nagata (20:36)

This was not quite as good as their New Japan Cup match but this was another epic battle and a great main event. 

They opened with a striking battle in the ring. Nagata then barred Suzuki’s left arm. Suzuki escaped and used a kneebar in the ropes before pulling Nagata outside. Each sent the other into the barricade. Suzuki wrenched Nagata’s right leg over the barricade. 

Suzuki grabbed a chair but Red Shoes took it away. Suzuki continued attacking the right leg on the floor. They teased a countout but Nagata made it back in. Nagata caught a kick and hammered on Suzuki’s right leg with elbow strikes. 

Nagata hit some heavy kicks to the chest. He hit a running high kick in the corner but only got a one count off of it. They traded forearm strikes. Suzuki went for a rear naked choke but Nagata slid out and hit more forearms. 

They had a great striking exchange in the center of the ring. The crowd really got into this. Both teased going down from the hard shots but kept coming back for more. They both dropped to the mat at the same time. 

On their knees on the mat they traded headbutts like charging rams. They climbed to their feet and exchanged more headbutts. Suzuki went down first. All of these headbutts were safe. They traded more forearms. 

Suzuki tried a misdirection spot to set up a choke attempt. Nagata blocked and tried an exploder. Suzuki blocked the first attempt but Nagata got the exploder on his second try. Suzuki sold a mid kick to the gut bigger than I’ve ever seen Suzuki sell anything. 

Nagata tried another exploder but Suzuki blocked. Nagata hit a knee to the midsection and tried for a backdrop suplex but Suzuki blocked with a side headlock. Suzuki hit a series of headbutts to escape the suplex grip. 

They traded more forearm strikes. Suzuki put his hands behind his back and dared Nagata to hit him. They continued trading. They switched from forearm strikes to slaps. 

Nagata finally dropped after he couldn’t take anymore strikes. Suzuki hit the Gotch-style piledriver and covered for the pin. 

Suzuki taunted Nagata and the Korakuen crowd as he closed the show with a promo.

NJPW Summer Struggle night two results: Bullet Club vs. LIJ

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima & Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Gabriel Kidd

Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado vs. Yuji Nagata & Yuya Uemura 

Report —

Korakuen Hall was the venue for today’s show in front of an announced attendance of 482. The show was a tidy one hour, 51 minutes including intermission. 

Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima & Togi Makabe defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Gabriel Kidd (9:33)

Five of these six men were in the opener on yesterday’s show as well and they worked a very similar match. 

The focus was on Kidd trying to bait Makabe into a feud. They started the match and traded power spots. Ishii and Taguchi tagged in and did another great comedy sequence similar to yesterday but with a few added wrinkles because Ishii is great at every aspect of wrestling. 

Kojima cut Ishii off. They built to a tag to Makabe and Goto, then Taguchi and Kidd entered for the closing sequence. Taguchi hit a bomaye for a near fall and then hit Dodon for the pin.

Shingo Takagi & BUSHI defeated Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI (7:44)

YH and Shingo feels like it might be a NEVER title program soon. That doesn’t sound ideal but they worked well together here. 

Yano and Shingo started with some comedy. Shingo and YH exchanged tackles. Shingo sold just enough to make YH look dangerous and YH brought great intensity. BUSHI and Shingo used a double team to cut YH off. 

Yano got a tag and exposed a turnbuckle. He used the corner pad as a weapon on Shingo and BUSHI. BUSHI hit a backstabber for a near fall. They did a clever spot where BUSHI held Yano in a sunset flip position while Shingo tried a lariat. 

The finish saw Yano tease bumping the ref and teasing a low blow. Yano rolled BUSHI up but BUSHI reversed and trapped Yano’s legs for the pin. 

Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado defeated Yuji Nagata & Yuya Uemura (11:28)

This was more of a prolonged angle than a match. They continued to tease another Suzuki/Nagata singles match. 

Suzuki and Desperado took the first half of the match working over Uemura. They stretched him over the bottom rope and pounded him with hard forearm shots. 

The match built to a spot where Uemura side-stepped a Suzuki boot and hit a dropkick. Nagata tagged in and he and Suzuki renewed hostilities and traded shots. Suzuki got a choke applied but Nagata slid out and hit an exploder. 

Desperado and Uemura tagged in for the closing sequence. Uemura fought out of a single-leg crab and forced a break before Desperado hit him with Pinche Loco for the pin. 

Suzuki and Nagata continued fighting after the bell. Suzuki then cut a promo. He challenged Nagata to a match and asked NJPW to make it happen and set the date. 

**********

There was a mid-show intermission while they cleaned the ring.

**********

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (12:08)

This was akin to a fun house show match. 

The babyface team attacked Suzuki-gun before the opening bell, using their own tactic against them. Wato and Kanemaru started off the legal men. Wato teased a tope but DOUKI jumped in and stopped him.

Tenzan tagged in. Taichi took the ref while DOUKI choked Tenzan with a pipe. The ref saw DOUKI choking Tenzan with the pipe but did not call for a DQ. DOUKI continued working over Tenzan while the other six fought on the floor. Taichi used a camera cable to choke Tana. 

Tenzan hit a wheel kick on Sabre and tagged Tanahashi. Tanahashi got some offense but got caught in an armbar when trying an elbow drop. Tana broke the hold with a dragon screw. 

Ibushi and Taichi got tags and traded strikes. Ibushi turned a last ride attempt into a hurricanrana. Taichi hit a lariat into a double down. Suzuki-gun went four on one against Ibushi. DOUKI hit a springboard double stomp for a near fall. DOUKI hit a daybreak DDT for a near fall as Tenzan made the save. 

The finish saw everyone jump in for a big move. DOUKI grabbed his pipe again but Ibushi blocked a shot with a high kick. Ibushi then hit Kamigoye for the pin.

Ibushi and Taichi jawed at each other after the match. 

Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo defeated Kazuchika Okada & SHO (10:15)

These guys worked practically the same match that they did yesterday also but with a different finish. Yujiro and Gedo as a team is just yuck and this is a waste of Okada. 

Okada and Yujiro began and Okada got the upper hand after some simple offense. SHO tagged in and got cut off immediately. Gedo and Yujiro exposed a buckle and used a bunch of old school heel tricks to work him over. 

SHO made a comeback and tagged Okada. Okada fought off a double team. Okada slid out of Pimp Juice and hit an air raid crash on Yujiro before tagging SHO again. 

SHO had Yujiro in a kimura. Gedo took the ref and Jado stumbled his way to the ring with a kendo stick. Jado used the stick on SHO. Yujiro then hit Pimp Juice for the pin. 

Yujiro left Okada laying after the match with a pimp cane shot on the floor.

EVIL, Dick Togo & Taiji Ishimori defeated Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Hiromu Takahashi (10:40)

Hiromu and Ishimori and EVIL and Naito are theoretically the top two programs right now so this was all about laying more of a foundation for those. 

The story of the match was that Hiromu’s shoulder is so thrashed that he can’t do anything. 

Ishimori and Hiromu began. Hiromu’s left shoulder was heavily taped. Ishimori worked it over, including hitting a la mistica. They built to a big showdown between EVIL and Naito after a Naito hot tag. 

Naito ran wild with headscissors and was moving great here. He and EVIL squared off and Naito hit a series of unanswered strikes. Red Shoes tried to pull Naito off but Naito shoved him down twice. This was not a DQ for some reason. 

Bullet Club cut Naito off and triple teamed him. SANADA jumped in and hit a TKO on Togo. EVIL tagged Ishimori. Naito hit a dropkick to Ishimori before tagging Hiromu for the closing sequence. 

Hiromu went for Time Bomb but he got shoved shoulder-first into an exposed buckle. Ishimori hit a backstabber and rolled into the Yes Lock for the submission. 

Ishimori refused to give up the hold after the bell. Naito and SANADA jumped in for the save.

Ishimori cut a promo on Hiromu, taunting him. Naito and EVIL stared each other down from across the arena as the show closed. 

NJPW Summer Struggle night one results: LIJ vs. Bullet Club

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Gabriel Kidd 

Report —

Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Gabriel Kidd (9:14)

Kidd and Makabe were the focus of this match and they look to be building to a singles match between them at some point on this tour. 

This gets a recommendation based on an amazing sequence between Ishii and Taguchi. After an opening volley between Kidd and Makabe, Taguchi tagged in and demanded Ishii tag in as well. They proceeded to have a comedy exchange where Ishii targeted Taguchi’s butt while Taguchi went after Ishii’s neck. Trust me, it was incredible. 

Kidd and Makabe had another intense exchange of power moves. Kojima tagged in and went for a  top rope elbow but Ishii saved for Kidd. 

The match broke down from there before Kojima hit Kidd with a lariat for the pin. 

Shingo Takagi & SANADA defeated Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (9:00)

Shingo and SANADA just beat poor YH to death here. Goto and Shingo was teased as a NEVER title program but not strongly. 

Shingo and YH opened up with an exchange of strikes. SANADA jumped in for the illegal double team and SANADA and Shingo cut YH off in their corner. YH came back with a low dropkick to Shingo’s left knee which he was still selling from last night. 

Shingo made a comeback on YH. SANADA and Shingo hit some cool tandem offense. The finish saw Shingo use a lariat for a near fall, then hit Made in Japan for the pin. 

Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI defeated Yuji Nagata & Yuya Uemura (11:15)

Suzuki and Nagata went after each other before the bell rang, then just decided to have their own match on the floor while DOUKI and Uemura worked in the ring. The match on the floor was much better. 

Suzuki and Nagata pounded on each other with strikes and sent each other into the barricade. Uemura took a nasty bump over the top and hit his back on the apron on the way to the floor. All four brawled around ringside. DOUKI used his steel pipe on Uemura. 

Suzuki and Nagata had another striking exchange in the ring. Suzuki and DOUKI cut Uemura off. Nagata saved and Uemura hit Suzuki with a dropkick and a double underhook suplex for a near fall. Uemura escaped a kimura by using a small package for another near fall. 

The finish saw Suzuki hit a big boot and a Gotch-style piledriver for the pin. 

Suzuki and Nagata then brawled to the back. 

**********

There was an intermission as they cleaned the ring. 

**********

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato (13:35)

A brawl broke out at the opening bell. Tanahashi and Taichi were left the legal men as everyone else fought to the floor. Tanahashi got the better of the exchange. Wato tagged in and hit a weak hook kick before being cut off. 

On the floor, meanwhile, Taichi attacked Tanahashi with a hammer. He jammed the hammer up Tanahashi’s nose and raked it across his forehead. Sabre joined in on the attack. 

Wato finally managed a tag to Ibushi. Ibushi hit a double backflip kick on Desperado and Kanemaru. Sabre tagged in for a striking battle that ended with Ibushi hitting a high kick into a double down. 

Tenzan tagged in for the closing sequence. Sabre sold like crazy for him. Wato hit a springboard elbow and Tenzan covered for a near fall. 

Everyone jumped in for a big move. Suzuki-gun went four on one against Tenzan. Desperado hit a low blow and Kanemaru hit Tenzan with a whiskey bottle before Sabre slapped an armbar with a headscissors on Tenzan for the submission. 

Sabre and Taichi left Tanahashi and Taichi laying after the match to further their program. They don’t really have any challengers ready for Taichi and Sabre’s tag titles so I would expect they will run that match back. 

Kazuchika Okada & SHO defeated Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo (10:27)

I know that circumstances and travel bans have forced NJPW’s hand but this is such a waste of Okada. Yujiro is beyond limited and Gedo is a manager and here they are working a semi-main with Okada. 

Okada and Yujiro started out. SHO tagged in and got cut off. They brawled outside where Okada tried to save SHO and got posted instead. Yujiro hammered Okada with punches from the mount. 

Gedo and Yujiro isolated SHO in their corner and worked him over. SHO hit a double spear and made the big hot tag to Okada. Okada went for a flapjack but Yujiro hit a hot shot and dropped him on the top rope. Gedo and Yujiro doubled up on Okada. Gedo hit a superkick for a near fall. 

Yujiro took the ref. Gedo grabbed brass knuckles. SHO made the save. Okada then hit a dropkick and used the cobra clutch for the submission. 

EVIL, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo defeated Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI (13:01)

They had an entertaining main event brawl but nothing you need to go out of your way to see. 

LIJ used some misdirection and attacked at the opening bell. BUSHI choked Ishimori with his shirt and used a chinlock. Hiromu tagged in and got cut off. Ishimori hit some hard shots to the neck. 

EVIL tagged in and worked on Hiromu’s left shoulder which was all taped up. Hiromu got sent into an exposed turnbuckle. Hiromu got a couple of hope spots working with Togo before hitting a superkick and tagging Naito. 

Naito demanded that EVIL tag in. EVIL obliged. They traded shots before Naito hit a neckbreaker, a dropkick and another neckbreaker. EVIL used a scorpion deathlock while Ishimori put Hiromu in the Yes Lock. They teased a submission but BUSHI saved. Ishimori tagged in. Naito hit an inverted atomic drop and a dropkick into a double down. 

BUSHI tagged in for the closing sequence. He hit a missile dropkick on Ishimori and a suicide dive on both EVIL and Togo before using a spinning neckbreaker for a near fall. 

BUSHI went up top for the MX but EVIL shoved him off. Ishimori hit a lungblower but Naito saved. EVIL dropped Naito with Darkness Falls. Ishimori then hit the Bloody Cross for the pin. 

After the match, Ishimori hit another Bloody Cross on Hiromu. Bullet Club posed over the fallen LIJ and Ishimori cut a promo on Hiromu to close the show.