Suzuki-gun will be no more by the end of this year.
Minoru Suzuki announced during Wednesday morning’s NJPW World Tag League/Jr. Tag League finals that the group would be disbanding at the end of 2022. After the group won their match on the show’s undercard, he took the time to praise each member of the group before announcing that the group will disband in order for each wrestler to embark on their own voyages.
The group currently consists of Suzuki, AEW’s Lance Archer, DOUKI, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Zack Sabre Jr., Taka Michinoku, and El Desperado.
Suzuki-gun’s roots originally began with Satoshi Kojima. He, NOSAWA, Michinoku, and Taichi first formed the group in early 2011. Later that year, Michinoku and Taichi turned on Kojima, instead aligning with Suzuki and forming Suzuki-gun. Over the years, people such as Davey Boy Smith Jr., Takashi Iizuka, Takashi Sugiura, and Yoshihiro Takayama were part of the stable.
In 2015, a two year-long storyline took place in Pro Wrestling NOAH where Suzuki-gun invaded the promotion, with Sugiura and Kanemaru joining the group. In early 2017, the group returned to NJPW, with Sugiura departing the group and Kanemaru jumping back with the rest of the group.
NJPW’s Summer Struggle tour continued today with the second of four straight nights in Korakuen Hall.
Members of CHAOS took on a Suzuki-gun squad in an elimination match main event, while Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan faced Kazuchika Okada and Tomoaki Honma in the semi-main.
KOPW 2021 Chase Owens and his next challenger Toru Yano were in action on the undercard, as were IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo.
The opener featured new Young Lions Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita meeting for the second consecutive night. They drew in Tuesday’s opener.
NJPW’s Summer Struggle tour continued today with the first of four straight nights in Korakuen Hall.
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI and Robbie Eagles of CHAOS took on Suzuki-gun’s Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. and DOUKI in the six-man tag main event.
Kazuchika Okada and Jeff Cobb were on opposite sides of a tag match in the semi-main event. Okada and Cobb will battle on night one of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on September 4.
Provisional KOPW 2021 Chase Owens teamed with Jado against Toru Yano and Ryusuke Taguchi. Owens will defend the KOPW title against Yano at Wrestle Grand Slam.
The opener featured the debut of new Young Lions Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita.
NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour kicked off today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
The main event featured Los Ingobernables de Japon taking on four members of Suzuki-gun in an eight-man tag.
Highlights from the undercard included the beginning of singles gauntlets for Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura on this tour. Tsuji took on Hiroshi Tanahashi, while Uemura faced Minoru Suzuki in the show’s opener.
Below are results from today’s show.
**********
Minoru Suzuki defeated Yuya Uemura (13:55)
Suzuki used a Boston crab for the submission win.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yota Tsuji (13:36)
Tanahashi won by submission with the Texas Clover Hold.
SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma, SHO & Master Wato
Report —
Yota Tsuji defeated Gabriel Kidd (7:26)
This was a well-worked opener. They focused on technical wrestling for the bulk of the match.
Kidd went after Tsuji’s left arm, hoping to soften him up for a butterfly suplex later. Tsuji worked the legs, looking to set up the Boston crab.
Tsuji hit a hip toss and a splash for a near fall. Kidd hit a dropkick and a vertical suplex for his own near fall. Kidd went for the butterfly suplex. Tsuji blocked and hit a spear, then used a running powerslam for a two count.
Tsuji got the full Boston crab applied and Kidd was forced to tap.
SANADA and Ibushi began with a chain wrestling sequence that ended in a stalemate. Wato and BUSHI tagged in and traded strikes. Wato looked good and had some unique counters to an attempted hurricanrana and a leapfrog.
BUSHI was cut off and briefly worked over by Wato and Honma. Honma missed a kokeshi and LIJ stomped him down 4-on-1. They then took turns working him over. Hiromu used a dropkick for a near fall.
Naito got a tag and used a neckbreaker and an attempted jackknife cradle for a two count. Honma came back with a DDT. Ibushi and SANADA got tags and traded strikes. SANADA hit a house show plancha for a near fall.
Ibushi blocked a TKO. Both missed standing moonsaults. SANADA missed a springboard attack. Ibushi countered with a springboard dropkick.
SHO and Hiromu got tags and the action really picked up. Hiromu hit a dragon screw. A sequence of counters ended with a SHO kick to the back. They traded strikes again. SHO hit a lariat. Hiromu hit a superkick.
Wato got a tag and hit a dreamcast for a two count. Everyone hopped in for a big move. Ibushi teased a Kamigoye on SANADA, but BUSHI saved.
BUSHI hit a backstabber on Wato into a Time Bomb II from Hiromu. Hiromu then pinned Wato.
SHO and Hiromu, Ibushi and SANADA, plus Naito and Honma stared each other down after the match.
This was notable for the post-match, but practically a carbon copy of every match EVIL, Yujiro and Togo have been a part of with Okada and his rotating partners on this tour.
Bullet Club attacked before the opening bell. Yano was worked on 3-on-1. Yano’s team worked over Togo 3-on-1. Yano and Togo did some comedy with the turnbuckle pads. Yujiro exposed a buckle and Yano got sent into it.
Yano managed a tag to Okada. Okada hit some trademark offense on Yujiro. Okada got whipped into the exposed buckle. Okada hit a flapjack into a double down.
Ishii got a tag and was promptly subdued by Bullet Club. Togo took the referee and Yujiro hit Ishii with his cane. Ishii no-sold one cane shot. Yujiro hit a second for a near fall as Okada saved.
The finish saw Okada jump in and hit an air raid crash neckbreaker on Yujiro. Ishii then hit the vertical drop brainbuster and pinned Yujiro.
**********
Jay White ran in and attacked Ishii after the match. EVIL, Yujiro and Togo pulled Okada and Yano to the floor, laying them out.
White hit a series of strikes on Ishii, then left him laying with a Blade Runner. Ishii was helped to the back.
This was a decent match with an impossibly bad finish.
Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell. The teams brawled around ringside.
Taichi and Tama started as the legal men. Both teased eliminations over the top rope. Sabre tagged in and cranked on Tama’s neck.
Suzuki-gun isolated Tama in their corner. DOUKI tagged in. Jado teased a kendo stick shot. DOUKI threw Tama out, but the ref’s back was turned and Tama got back in the ring. DOUKI was then isolated in the Bullet Club corner.
ELP tagged in for some comedy. Ishimori taunted Sabre by using the same neck cranks on DOUKI. DOUKI and Jado did some spots together and I began questioning my chosen profession.
Taichi got a tag and made a house of fire babyface comeback that was pretty great. Kanemaru and ELP got tags and had a nice sequence. ELP hit a quebrada. ELP got dumped over the top but his feet didn’t hit. Ishimori and Kanemaru fought on the apron.
Ishimori got knocked off the apron but ELP caught him on his shoulders. Kanemaru got bounced off the apron as Desperado hit the ropes for the first elimination. *Kanemaru eliminated*
Desperado then hit a right hand and knocked Ishimori to the floor for the elimination. *Ishimori eliminated*
DOUKI and Desperado doubled up on Tama. Ishimori tripped Desperado, then Tama used the distraction to toss Desperado. *Desperado eliminated*
DOUKI teased Daybreak on Tama. Tama caught him off the ropes with a spinebuster, then used a sharpshooter for the elimination. *DOUKI eliminated*
Sabre entered and used an armbar, then a triangle on Tama. Sabre used the hold to pull Tama to the apron, then dropped him to the floor. *Tama eliminated*
Tanga jumped in while Sabre was still on the apron and knocked him off for an elimination. *Sabre eliminated*
Taichi used a jumping high kick to eliminate Tanga. *Tanga eliminated*
It was down to Taichi and Jado. Jado begged off and tried to raise Taichi’s hand in victory. Taichi declined and lit him up with kicks.
Tanga jumped back in. Sabre got in the ring and used a guillotine, distracting the ref. Jado used a kendo stick on Taichi, then Tama entered and hit Taichi with the iron fingers, knocking him out.
Jado covered for the pin on Taichi. *Taichi eliminated*
Sabre grabbed the mic after the match and cut a promo on G.O.D. and the NJPW tag division. Sabre promised to save the division. Sabre helped Taichi out of the ring.
El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru are the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
The Suzuki-gun team defeated Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI in the main event of today’s New Japan Road event in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall to claim the vacant titles.
After a low blow and a whiskey bottle shot from Kanemaru, Desperado hit Pinche Loco on Takahashi for a near fall. Desperado followed up with a straight right hand and a second Pinche Loco before pinning Takahashi to win the titles.
The is the second IWGP Junior Tag Team Title reign for Desperado and Kanemaru.
Former champions SHO and YOH were forced to relinquish the titles after YOH suffered a knee injury, resulting in a four team, league-style tournament to determine the new champions.
Kanemaru and Desperado’s team and Takahashi and BUSHI both finished the tournament 2-1 to set up today’s final. The teams of Taiji Ishimori/Gedo and Master Wato/Ryusuke Taguchi both finished 1-2.
NJPW’s World Tag League continued today in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall in front of an announced sellout crowd of 1,725.
The show featured all Tag League matches, with all 16 teams in action. Here are full results and match recaps:
JUICE ROBINSON & DAVID FINLAY DEFEATED HIROYOSHI TENZAN & SATOSHI KOJIMA
Finlay and Tenzan kicked things off. They traded shoulder tackles and knockdowns. Kojima got a tag and hit machine gun chops in the corner. Kojima missed a charge into the corner, which enabled Finlay and Juice to take over.
Finlay hit Kojima with uppercuts. Juice used a senton for a two count. Kojima came back with DDTs on both Finlay and Juice, then made a hot tag to Tenzan. Tenzan hit Finlay with Mongolian chops, then used a brainbuster for a near fall.
They traded strikes. Tenzan used a wheel kick, then slapped on an Anaconda Vice. Juice made the save for Finlay, breaking the hold. Juice tagged in. Tenzan and Juice traded strikes. Juice hit a spinebuster. Tenzan answered with a Mountain Bomb, then tagged out.
Kojima hit Juice with machine gun chops, a top rope elbow, and a Koji Cutter. He covered, but Finlay made the save for Juice. The match broke down and all four jumped in. Tenzan and Finlay brawled to the floor. Kojima hit Juice with a brainbuster for a near fall.
Juice ducked one lariat, but Kojima connected on another for a near fall. Finlay jumped in. Juice and Finlay hit a double dropkick on Kojima, who no-sold it.
The finish saw Juice hit the Left Hand of God into a Stunner by Finlay, into a Pulp Friction from Juice, who pinned Kojima. This turned into a heck of an opener by the end.
Sadly, three of these four guys have no business being in the ring, with Makabe the only exception. Honma looked as good as he has in a long time, but Nagata seems to have aged five years since his last tour, and Nakanishi is immobile.
The match was built around Honma missing kokeshis. He scored some early chops and shoulder tackles on both Nagata and Nakanishi, but missed kokeshis on both.
Nagata and Nakanishi took over on Honma. Makabe finally got a hot tag and hit 10 punches in the corner and a lariat on Nagata. Nagata answered with an exploder suplex.
Nakanishi hit a splash on Makabe for a near fall. Nakanishi put Makabe in the Argentinian backbreaker, while Nagata used a Nagata Lock on Honma. Makabe responded with a double lariat, then Honma and Makabe hit Nakanishi with a double lariat.
The finish saw Honma hit a kokeshi on Nakanishi. Makabe then hit a lariat for a near fall, a sloppy slam, then the King Kong Knee Drop for the pin.
BAD LUCK FALE & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI & TOA HENARE
Fale and Owens attacked before the opening bell, sending Henare outside. Tanahashi made his own comeback. Henare and Tanahashi used a tandem crab on Fale, which Owens broke up with thumbs to the eyes.
Fale and Owens isolated Henare. Fale eventually missed a splash, which allowed Henare to make a tag to Tanahashi. Tana hit Fale with strikes, a dragon screw, and tried for a cloverleaf, but Fale fought it off.
Tana tried a slam on Fale, but collapsed with Fale on top of him. Fale missed a splash, which led to Owens and Henare getting tags.
Henare hit a Samoan drop, then used a diving chop for a near fall. Owens blocked a charge into the corner, and Fale entered for a double team. Owens hit a second rope elbow for a near fall. Tana and Henare suplexed Fale.
Tana hit a slingblade on Owens, and Henare covered for a two count. Tana rolled outside to brawl with Fale. Fale tripped Henare from the floor, allowing Owens to hit a shining wizard. Owens then hit a package piledriver and pinned Henare.
HIROOKI GOTO & KARL FREDERICKS DEFEATED KENTA & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI
Let’s all pitch in and buy Yujiro a new hat for Christmas this year. The one he wears during his entrance has seen better days.
They could be setting up a Goto/KENTA NEVER title match. This whole match was built around the two of them and the finish makes no sense otherwise.
KENTA stalled in the early going, avoiding Goto. Fredericks again worked most of the match for his team. He scored early offense with an uppercut forearm and a diving chop. KENTA and Yujiro then turned this into a brawl around ringside, leading to a lengthy bit of getting heat on Fredericks.
Fredericks blocked a Pimp Juice attempt by Yujiro, then both tagged out. Goto hit some trademark offense on KENTA. Yujiro tried to jump in for a double team, but Fredericks hit him with a spinebuster. Fredericks also hit a blockbuster off the second rope.
Goto tried an ushigoroshi, but KENTA raked his eyes. KENTA used Game Over, but Goto reached the ropes for a break. The finish saw KENTA take the ref. Yujiro jumped in with his cane, but Goto blocked a shot and hit him with an ushigoroshi. Goto then pinned KENTA after two GTRs.
Yano and Cabana argued over who would start. Yano began but quickly tagged out. Tonga hit a neckbreaker on Cabana on an illegal double team, which led to a lengthy beatdown on Colt by GOD.
Yano finally got a tag and untied a turnbuckle pad. All four did some comedy spots. Yano and Cabana both took Tongan Twists. The ref took a bump, which allowed Jado to jump in and hit Yano with a kendo stick.
The finish saw Cabana take the referee, which allowed Yano to hit low blows on both Tonga and Loa. Yano rolled Loa up with a schoolboy, then Cabana jumped on top with a Superman pin to earn the victory.
This didn’t have enough comedy to be a good comedy match. It also didn’t have enough brawling to be a good brawl.
TOMOHIRO ISHII & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED JEFF COBB & MIKEY NICHOLLS
Ishii and Cobb started off by no-selling each other’s power moves. Nicholls and YH got tags. Nicholls took over on YH after a lariat. YH came back with a headhunter, allowing both to tag out.
Ishii and Cobb exchanged heavy strikes and chops. Cobb hit a massive brainbuster, then tagged Nicholls. Nicholls hit Ishii with clotheslines in the corner. He tried a brainbuster, but Ishii slid out. Ishii hit some hard strikes, but Nicholls countered with a spinebuster for a near fall.
Ishii ducked a lariat, then hit a vertical suplex. Cobb and YH both jumped in and hit superkicks. YH used a backstabber on Nicholls into a German by Ishii. Ishii hit a lariat and went for a cover on Nicholls, but Cobb broke it up.
YH hit a dragon suplex on Cobb. Cobb popped up and hit Ishii and YH with lariats. Cobb and Nicholls hit stereo standing moonsaults on Ishii for a two count. Nicholls hit Ishii with a DVD, then hit a sliding lariat for a near fall.
Nicholls teased a Mikey Bomb on Ishii, but YH jumped in to make the save. YH hit Nicholls with a lariat. Ishii then hit a sliding lariat for a two count, while Cobb and YH rolled outside. Ishii then hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin.
This was a great match worth going out of your way to see — if only for the one-man show that is Tomohiro Ishii. He is unreal.
There is honor among stablemates, as neither side used an attack before the bell.
After the bell, however, all bets are off. Suzuki and Taichi started off in the ring. Suzuki went after Taichi’s hair. Taichi responded by sending Suzuki into the barricade and hitting him with a chair. Sabre used a heel hook on Archer on the outside.
Archer and Suzuki made a comeback. Suzuki used a chair on Taichi and sent him into the barricade. Archer and Sabre brawled all over the building. Back in the ring, Suzuki and Archer took turns working over Taichi in their half of the ring.
Taichi snapped and went after Suzuki’s throat, backing him into a corner. Sabre made a blind tag and used a kimura and stomped on Suzuki’s elbow. Suzuki’s facial expressions here were absolutely priceless.
Suzuki fired back with strikes on Sabre. Sabre tried to respond with stiff forearms, but Suzuki got the best of it. Sabre hit a PK, but Suzuki no-sold it. Suzuki hit a PK, but Sabre no-sold it. This was great. Sabre and Suzuki knocked each other down with simultaneous high kicks.
Archer and Taichi got tags. Archer teased the EBD Claw on Taichi. Taichi blocked and hit a kamiguri. He teased a buzzsaw kick, but Archer caught him in a black hole slam.
Suzuki tagged in and slapped the crap out of Taichi. Taichi answered with a high kick, then made a tag to Sabre. Suzuki and Sabre squared off. Sabre dared Suzuki to hit a forearm. Suzuki did, dropping Sabre. Suzuki dared Sabre to hit him. Suzuki dropped to a knee from the strike.
They continued to trade hard strikes. Sabre tried a neck twist, but Suzuki blocked and put him in an ankle lock. Sabre reversed into an octopus. Archer jumped in and hit a Pounce on Sabre. Taichi jumped in and ate a big boot from Suzuki.
Suzuki hit Sabre with kicks. He tried a misdirection spot, but Sabre answered with a European clutch for a near fall. Suzuki got a rear naked choke applied. Sabre slid out. They traded a series of cradles, with Sabre finally using an inside cradle for the pin.
This match ruled. My favorite tag match in weeks.
EVIL & SANADA DEFEATED SHINGO TAKAGI & EL TERRIBLE
EVIL and SANADA established the early advantage on Shingo with some very basic offense. EVIL hit some shoulder tackles. Shingo came back with a lariat on EVIL, and all four brawled around ringside.
Back in the ring, Shingo hit a slingshot stomp on EVIL, a knee lift, then a vertical suplex. Terrible and Shingo worked over EVIL’s left arm, cutting the ring in half. EVIL came back with a double bulldog, then tagged SANADA.
SANADA used the Paradise Lock on Terrible. Shingo and SANADA exchanged strikes. SANADA teased a leapfrog dropkick, but Shingo blocked. Shingo tried a dragon screw, but SANADA reversed into one of his own.
SANADA hit a springboard dropkick. EVIL got a tag and hit a lariat for a two count. EVIL and SANADA teased a Magic Killer, but Shingo fought it off, then hit both with a double lariat.
Terrible came in for some double team spots. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber on EVIL. Terrible hit a top rope splash for a two count on EVIL, as SANADA made the save.
Terrible hit his punch and chop combos on both EVIL and SANADA. EVIL and SANADA hit Terrible with a Magic Killer. Shingo jumped in to make the save, but SANADA locked him in Skull End. EVIL and SANADA then hit Shingo with a Magic Killer.
The finish saw EVIL hit Everything is EVIL on Terrible for the pin. A good main event, but it had no chance at following the previous two matches.
CURRENT WORLD TAG LEAGUE STANDINGS:
Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI — 4 points (2-0)
David Finlay & Juice Robinson — 4 points (2-0)
EVIL & SANADA — 2 points (1-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare — 2 points (1-1)
Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer — 2 points (1-1)
KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi — 2 points (1-1)
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima — 2 points (1-1)
Suzuki-gun returned to New Japan, laying waste to Chaos and made clear they wanted all of their titles, with Suzuki gunning for the top title. Juice Robinson scored a big upset win over Goto, making himself next in line for the NEVER title. Elgin scored a win over Naito, looking to take the Intercontinental title back down the line. Dragon Lee made his return, laying out Hiromu Takahashi and challenged for the IWGP Jr. title, much to the chagrin of KUSHIDA, who also wants another crack.
Good opener. Ricochet is excellent, in case you didn’t know. Not just him doing great spots, but how he does it in execution, it’s virtually flawless at times. The match boiled down to Henare fighting for his team, but as like with other young lions, took the pin here. Finlay did the rolling senton, Ricochet hit a shooting star press and Finlay covered for the win.
Finlay went into the crowd and hugged his mom after the match in a nice moment.
Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page defeated Yoshitatsu & Billy Gunn
This wasn’t that good. The crowd wasn’t into it aside from a few faint Billy Gunn chants. Yujiro laid out Yoshitatsu on the outside with the pimp juice DDT. Page laid out Gunn with a lariat then pinned Yoshitatsu with the Rite of Passage (Omori Driver).
YOSHI-HASHI & Roppongi Vice defeated The Young Bucks & Adam Cole
Bucks (and even Cole) tried to do the Meltzer Driver but were taken out by Baretta. Bullet Club made their comeback. Cole gave the Last Shot to Romero and Nick followed with a knee strike but Romero kicked out. YOSHI-HASHI made a good comeback but Cole cut him off. He was going for the Last Shot but YOSHI-HASHI cradled him and got a flash win.
Cole and the Bucks laid out YOSHI-HASHI after the match, drilling him with a double superkick/Last Shot combo. That seems to indicate YOSHI-HASHI getting an ROH title shot down the line.
Team 2000 (Scott Norton, Hiro Saito, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Cheeseburger) defeated Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale & Bone Soldier)
All of Team 2000 posed for a picture and Tiger Hattori pulled Cheeseburger away in a funny spot. Both teams did the Wolfpac sign before the match. Omega tried to get Norton to join the Bullet Club, but he wasn’t interested.
There was a hilarious spot where Norton laid everyone out, then Cheeseburger came in to do the Wolfpac sign again, but instead Norton opted to Gorilla Press Cheeseburger out of the ring. He was supposed to wipe out all the Bullet Club members on the outside, but instead they grabbed him and just threw him back in the ring. Cheeseburger tried to do Kojima’s chops in the corner on Fale but it didn’t exactly work. Kojima laid out Bone Soldier, allowing Cheeseburger and Saito to land a couple of sentons, then Kojima pinned him with the lariat.
Michael Elgin & KUSHIDA defeated Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi
Good action. KUSHIDA focused on Takahashi and Elgin set his sights on Naito. Good back and forth action by everyone involved. Elgin took Naito and gave him a German suplex into the turnbuckle, then smooshed Takahashi on top of Naito after a running Death Valley Driver. Naito low blowed Elgin but all of a sudden Dragon Lee ran out and took out Naito, then wiped out Takahashi on the outside with a dive. Elgin proceeded to score the win with a running Death Valley Driver.
Dragon Lee posed with the title after the match, shaking hand with Elgin. He and KUSHIDA had a staredown as well, with KUSHIDA making his intentions known.
Shibata and Ospreay started things off. Ospreay motioned that he wanted the RPW British Heavyweight Championship. He and Shibata had a nice early exchange. It ended up becoming a brawl on the outside with Ishii taking Makabe and throwing him into a sign in the crowd. All good, solid action throughout. It continues to be clear that Robinson has improved tons since joining New Japan. Everyone came in and were trading spots. Goto and Robinson went at it. Goto pelted him with clotheslines but Robinson responded with one of his own. Shibata flew in and hit the penalty kick. Robinson hit the unprettier and pinned Goto in a big upset.
Juice Robinson was holding the NEVER title, making clear he was challenging next when all of a sudden, Suzuki-gun ran in for the big return and started to clear house on Chaos. Davey Boy Smith Jr, Lance Archer, Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Takashi Iizuka & Taka Michinoku all came in and destroyed whoever was in their path. Taichi and Taka Michinoku laid out Roppongi Vice and Killer Elite Squad laid out Yano. Okada came in and tried to clear house, but the boss himself Minoru Suzuki came in and laid him out with the Gotch piledriver. Suzuki said he wants to rule this ring again and all the belts will be theirs. This got really great heat.
Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI for the NEVER Six-Man tag titles
A solid main event with some good action. Crowd was into this and treated it like a big deal. Nakanishi worked in here longer than you’d think. A big cluster went down during the final moments of the match. Nakanishi scored the win with the Hercules cutter, winning the titles for his team. These titles are quickly becoming redundant, but they were never that interesting to begin with so it doesn’t matter much.
Nakanishi closed the show off with a promo.
Final Thoughts —
A good show to set up events leading to the New Beginning shows next month. The return of Suzuki-gun has its plusses and minuses (Iizuka, Taichi) but it does set up an exciting future main event in Okada vs. Suzuki. Nothing blow away here, but a fun show that did what was needed to start New Japan’s year with a bang.
