The 28th NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament wrapped up its block action today in Hyogo.
Six competitors were still mathematically alive heading into the night, but no tiebreakers were needed as the block leaders finished ahead of the field.
Hiromu Takahashi finished with 15 points to lead the block. YOH finished in second with 14 points. They will face off in Wednesday’s finals to determine the winner of the Best of the Super Juniors 28.
Here are today’s results:
Yuto Nakashima drew with Ryohei Oiwa (10:00)
The Young Lions went to a time limit draw.
Best of the Super Juniors: DOUKI defeated Master Wato (11:50)
DOUKI wrapped up his tournament with a pinfall win with Suplex de la Luna.
Best of the Super Juniors: BUSHI defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (9:10)
BUSHI won with the MX, finishing at 10 points.
Best of the Super Juniors: Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Taiji Ishimori (12:45)
Taguchi won by pinfall with Dodon.
Best of the Super Juniors: YOH defeated SHO (15:31)
YOH won by pinfall with Direct Drive to stay alive at 14 points.
Best of the Super Juniors: El Phantasmo defeated El Desperado (21:11)
ELP eliminated Desperado from contention with Sudden Death.
Best of the Super Juniors: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Robbie Eagles (27:07)
Hiromu got the pin after hitting Time Bomb II to advance to the finals, eliminate Eagles and guarantee YOH’s spot in the finals.
The 28th NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament continued today in Saitama.
YOH faced El Desperado in the main event, and Hiromu Takahashi took on Ryusuke Taguchi in the semi-main.
The other tournament action was comprised of El Phantasmo vs. SHO, BUSHI vs. Taiji Ishimori, Robbie Eagles vs. DOUKI, plus Master Wato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
Kosei Fujita and Ryohei Oiwa faced off in the non-tournament opener.
Here are today’s results:
Kosei Fujita drew with Ryohei Oiwa (10:00)
The Young Lions went to a time limit draw.
Best of the Super Juniors: Master Wato defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (10:17)
Wato won by pinfall after an RPP.
Best of the Super Juniors: Robbie Eagles defeated DOUKI (11:53)
Eagles used the Ron Miller Special to pick up the submission win.
Best of the Super Juniors: BUSHI defeated Taiji Ishimori (13:35)
BUSHI won by pinfall after an MX.
Best of the Super Juniors: El Phantasmo defeated SHO (11:47)
ELP got the win after SHO tapped out following a Sudden Death low blow.
Best of the Super Juniors: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (8:56)
Hiromu used the “Nameless Hiromroll” rollup to score the pinfall.
Best of the Super Juniors: YOH defeated El Desperado (18:26)
YOH pinned the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion after hitting Direct Drive.
NJPW has finalized the cards for both nights of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome coming up this Saturday and Sunday.
In a battle of former tag team partners, SHO vs. YOH has been added to night one on September 4. The Roppongi 3K duo split up when SHO turned on YOH during the Super Junior Tag League tournament on August 16.
Also added to night one, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles and Tiger Mask will team against Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI of Los Ingobernables de Japon. Eagles will defend his title against Hiromu on night two.
Added to night two, Super Junior Tag League winners El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru will face IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo. The two teams have spent the bulk of the last year trading the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag titles, with both having two reigns with the titles since September 2020.
Also added to night two, Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii will tag against Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan. Cobb and Okada will face of in a singles match on night one.
Here are the full lineups:
NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome night one, Saturday, September 4, 4 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
IWGP United States Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
Provisional KOPW 2021 No DQ, I Quit match: Chase Owens (c) vs. Toru Yano
SHO vs. YOH
Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Pre-show: STARDOM exhibition match TBA
NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome night two, Sunday, September 5, 2 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. EVIL
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Robbie Eagles (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo (c) vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
A major angle closed today’s NJPW Summer Struggle event in Korakuen Hall.
Roppongi 3K split in the midst of losing their Super Junior Tag League match to El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru when SHO turned on YOH.
The Roppongi 3K duo have been on a losing streak, now losing all four of their Super Jr. Tag League matches. The two worked as a unit for the bulk of the match, but Desperado and Kanemaru worked over YOH’s left knee. YOH missed a year of action due to a torn ACL in the knee.
SHO entered the match to perform a tandem move on Desperado. As YOH ran the ropes, his knee buckled.
From that point on, SHO gave up on the match.
Desperado put YOH in his Numero Dos stretch muffler submission hold. SHO jumped in as if to save, but then backed away and allowed Desperado to continue using the hold. YOH fought for a rope break, but then fell to Desperado’s Pinche Loco finisher.
After the bout, SHO hit YOH with his Shock Arrow cross-armed piledriver to cement the turn on his tag partner.
SHO and YOH both joined the NJPW Dojo in 2012. They were opponents and tag partners as Young Lions, eventually forming something of a permanent unit in 2014.
The duo were sent to CMLL and ROH for their international excursion in 2016 at the conclusion of the NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania tour. They worked as The Tempura Boyz in ROH.
They returned to the main NJPW roster in October 2017 with the Roppongi 3K name, managed by Rocky Romero. They defeated Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi to claim the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship at King of Pro Wrestling in their first match back in Japan.
Roppongi 3K are one of the most decorated junior heavyweight teams in NJPW history, with five IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship reigns and three Super Jr. Tag tournament wins. Only three teams have more combined days as IWGP Jr. Tag champs. Only The Young Bucks have more IWGP Jr. Tag title reigns as a unit.
Today’s NJPW Kizuna Road event at Korakuen Hall saw a title change.
Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo defeated SHO and YOH in 26:43 to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in the main event of the show.
The finish of the match came after SHO and Ishimori brawled to the floor. With El Phantasmo and YOH the legal men, Phantasmo stomped on YOH’s foot with a loaded boot. Phantasmo then followed with his Sudden Death superkick with the loaded boot and pinned YOH to win the titles.
This marks the third reign with the IWGP Junior Tag titles for Ishimori and ELP. Their first reign also began at a Kizuna Road event in June with a win over Roppongi 3K, that coming in June 2019.
Ishimori and ELP’s second reign began with a win over El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at a Road to the New Beginning show in January 2021. They would drop the titles back to Desperado and Kanemaru a month later at a Road to Castle Attack event in February.
Ishimori is also next in line to challenge Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. No date has been announced for that match as of yet.
SHO and YOH’s fifth IWGP Jr. Tag title reign ends after one successful defense.
Two New Japan Pro Wrestling wrestlers have tested positive for COVID-19.
NJPW released a statement on their website tonight confirming that two wrestlers have tested positive and are currently showing mild symptoms. The company did not name the two individuals. This follows yesterday’s removal of six wrestlers (Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, and YOH) from the second night of Wrestling Dontaku after two of the indviduals developed fevers prior to the start of the card.
Additionally, NJPW said in their statement that other wrestlers and staff who have been in contact with the two wrestlers are “currently being monitored in a controlled environment and are receiving relevant tests.”
The company also noted that all wrestlers and staff for the Road to Dontaku tour returned negative PCR tests prior to the start of the tour.
Several matches set for the second night of Wrestling Dontaku were changed as a result of the protocols. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match between champion El Desperado and challenger YOH was removed from the card entirely.
Six wrestlers were removed from this morning’s NJPW Wrestling Dontaku card due to COVID-19 protocols.
Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, and YOH were all removed from tonight’s card. New Japan Pro Wrestling wrote on their website that several matches had to be changed, including the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match between El Desperado and YOH, which was removed from the card altogether.
The website said that one wrestler that was scheduled to appear on the show this morning had a fever, and was currently going through examination, including PCR and antibody testing. They also said that one other wrestler who has been part of the events since May 1 in Beppu is also undergoing evaluation.
NJPW’s website said the show currently taking place would continue after consulting with their medical committee. The following changes to the card have been made:
Second match: Master Wato and Hiroyoshi Tenzan will face Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi, replacing Kazuchika Okada and SHO vs. Minoru Suzuki and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Fourth match: Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano, and Hiroshi Tanahashi will face Jay White, EVIL, and Dick Togo, replacing the Wato/Taguchi/Tenzan/Yano/Tanahashi vs. Togo/Ishimori/Yujiro/EVIL/Jay White bout
Fifth match: El Desperado vs. YOH for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title has been removed from tonight’s card.
NJPW has revealed the cards for their next major events, Wrestling Dontaku 2021 and Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni.
Wrestling Dontaku is a two-night event that’s being held at the Fukuoka Convention Center. Night two is taking place on Tuesday, May 4 and will be headlined by IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay defending his title against Shingo Takagi, The winner of that match will go on to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Grand Slam at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday, May 29.
Also at Wrestling Dontaku night two, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado will put his title on the line against YOH.
Night one of Wrestling Dontaku is taking place on Monday, May 3. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi will defend his NEVER Openweight Championship against Jay White. There will also be a ladder match on the Wrestling Dontaku night one card, with Tama Tonga and Taichi battling for the Iron Finger from Hell, which is a weapon that both Taichi and Tonga have feuded over in the last few months. It originally belonged to Takashi Iizuka.
Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni is being held at the Kagoshima Arena over two nights on Wednesday, April 28 and Thursday, April 29. The first night will feature Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) defending their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles in a rematch against former champions El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. A pair of special tag team matches will headline the night two card, with Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi facing Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb and Will Ospreay & The Great-O-Khan taking on Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito.
Here are the full lineups for all four events:
Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni night one (Wednesday, April 28) —
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions SHO & YOH defend against El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Toru Yano defends the KOPW 2021 Provisional title against EVIL
Will Ospreay, The Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
YOH made his first appearance in months during the opening of tonight’s New Japan Cup finals.
He came out as the show opened. He noted that he had been out for a while, but now he was back. He challenged the current IWGP Junior Tag Team champions, El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, to a title match against himself and his Roppongi 3K tag team partner, SHO, for Sakura Genesis on April 4.
YOH tore his ACL in a match against BUSHI during last year’s New Japan Cup, which took place in June due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Roppongi 3K were the Junior Tag Team Champions during this time, and as a result had to vacate the titles.
SHO has continued his run in NJPW as a singles wrestler. He made it to the second round of last year’s New Japan Cup before losing to SANADA. He also challenged for the NEVER Openweight and IWGP Junior Heavyweight titles, but was unsuccessful in winning either.
One half of the champions, SHO, appeared at today’s press conference and officially vacated the titles, saying that YOH is unlikely to come back before the end of the year due to a knee injury. SHO had said they would be vacating the titles in a post-match interview at Summer Struggle in Jingu.
As a result, a four team round robin tournament will start on September 3. The two teams who score the most points will face off in the finals of the tournament on September 11.
The following teams will compete:
Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
SHO and YOH had held the titles for 239 days, defeating El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5, their second reign as champions. The duo had successfully defended the title twice before vacating.
Roppongi 3K are vacating the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team titles.
SHO made the announcement in a post-show promo following Thursday’s Summer Struggle event in Korakuen Hall. NJPW later confirmed the news on Twitter but made no formal announcement regarding the future of the titles.
SHO made clear that he is not dissolving the Roppongi 3K team, but that YOH will be out of action and he is unsure of a return date.
The duo are four-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag champs. Their most recent reign began at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5 when they knocked off El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori to win the titles.
YOH has been out with an unspecified left knee injury. NJPW announced on July 4 that he would miss the next two events but provided no further update. His last appearance came on June 23 when he lost to BUSHI in the first round of the 2020 New Japan Cup tournament.
SHO’s promo can be seen below, complete with English subtitles:
Two NJPW wrestlers are currently out of action with knee injuries.
NJPW announced tonight that YOSHI-HASHI and YOH both suffered knee injuries in recent matches. YOSHI-HASHI’s injury is to his right knee, while YOH’s is to his left knee.
YOSHI-HASHI and YOH won’t be able to wrestle at the New Japan Cup finals on Saturday, July 11 or Dominion on Sunday, July 12 due to their injuries. NJPW wrote that there’s no current timetable for when either will be able to return.
YOSHI-HASHI’s injury appeared to happen when he defeated BUSHI in the second round of the New Japan Cup. YOSHI-HASHI still wrestled against EVIL in the quarterfinals, but his injury was worked into the story of the match. It was only two minutes long and ended in a referee stoppage as EVIL had YOSHI-HASHI locked in a Scorpion Deathlock. EVIL attacked YOSHI-HASHI’s knee with a chair before the bell rang and then attacked him again after the match.
YOH hasn’t wrestled since losing to BUSHI in the first round of the New Japan Cup. SHO & YOH are the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
NJPW returned today with its first show in 110 days, the Together Project Special.
The show began with a video recap of some of the Together Project content posted on NJPW World over the last few months. The recap continued with video messages sent in from NJPW fans celebrating the return.
After the video package, we got our first look at the empty arena. The set resembled an empty theater.
The ring announcer called out the Taguchi Japan members of the NJPW roster. Hiroshi Tanahashi cut a promo in Japanese.
The ring announcer then presented the card for the evening.
This was your standard, technically sound NJPW opener.
Kidd got a waistlock takedown. Tsuji powered Kidd back into the ropes and broke cleanly. Each tried to work the other’s left arm. Kidd briefly had an armbar before Tsuji grabbed a heel hook. Kidd escaped and applied a cross armbreaker but Tsuji forced an immediate rope break.
Tsuji hit a shoulder tackle. Tsuji hit a series of strikes in the corner. Tsuji hit a hip toss for a near fall. Tsuji applied a camel clutch. Tsuji hit a splash for another near fall.
Kidd blocked a slam and hit one of his own. Kidd tried a pair of tackles but could not get Tsuji down. Kidd hit some forearm strikes and then finally got Tsuji off his feet with a tackle. Kidd hit a dropkick for a two count.
Kidd fought for a full crab. Tsuji kicked him off so Kidd settled for a single-leg crab. Tsuji forced a rope break.
Tsuji hit a backdrop and used a vertical suplex for a two count. Kidd used a cradle for a surprise near fall. They traded strikes and some hard slaps.
For the finish, Tsuji used a spear for a two count then got a full Boston crab applied. Kidd tapped.
Desperado and Kanemaru attacked before the opening bell. They hit Ishii with a 3D and he rolled outside. Uemura came back with a dropkick on both Desperado and Kanemaru. Kanemaru cut him off with an eye rake.
Desperado taunted Ishii and Ishii jumped in illegally. Ishii and Desperado traded strikes while Kanemaru ran Uemura into the barricade.
Kanemaru tagged in and continued working Uemura over. Kanemaru used a camel clutch while Ishii and Desperado fought on the floor. Desperado raked Ishii’s eyes.
Uemura missed one dropkick but hit a second and tagged Ishii. Ishii dropped Kanemaru with a tackle. Ishii no-sold an eye rake. Desperado nailed Ishii from the apron. Ishii brought Desperado inside with a brainbuster.
Desperado and Kanemaru tried to double team Ishii. Ishii side-stepped a big boot and Kanemaru nailed Desperado. Ishii hit Kanemaru with a powerslam.
Kanemaru hit a low dropkick to Ishii’s left leg. Desperado tagged in and worked on the same leg. Desperado tried Numero Dos but Ishii forced a rope break. Ishii hit a backdrop suplex and tagged out.
Uemura entered and first went after Kanemaru on the floor, whipping him into the barricade. He then attacked Desperado with a vertical suplex and a full crab. Kanemaru attacked and forced Uemura to give up the hold.
Desperado hit Uemura with a spinebuster. Kanemaru connected with a one-legged dropkick and Desperado covered for a two count. Ishii jumped in. Uemura cradled Desperado for a two count.
Desperado hit a spear for a near fall then used the stretch muffler for the submission win.
This was a comedy brawl. Sometimes the comedy was unintentional. This would have been a stretch to make work in front of a crowd and it had no chance in this setting.
All of these guys were very vocal. Jado can barely move and shouldn’t be in the ring.
Yujiro and Goto began. Goto went for an ushigoroshi early but Yujiro blocked.
Yano and Jado tagged in. Yano grabbed a corner pad and Jado brought his kendo stick into the ring. Yano ducked a kendo stick shot. Jado took the ref and Yujiro attacked Yano.
YH tagged in. Gedo hit him from behind and attempted a double team but YH fought it off. Jado cut YH off and the heels took turns working him over. YH hit a headhunter on Ishimori to set up a tag to Goto.
Goto used a misdirection lariat, a wheel kick and a Saito suplex to earn a near fall. Ishimori blocked an ushigoroshi and hit a handspring kick.
Gedo tagged in and hit a jaw breaker. Goto blocked a thrust kick and tagged Honma. Honma sent Gedo into the exposed buckle and hit a bulldog. Honma missed a kokeshi.
Yujiro tagged in and all four faces teamed up against him. Honma hit a kokeshi for a near fall. Honma hit a slam. Honma tried a kokeshi off the second rope but missed.
Jado used a kendo stick on Honma. Yujiro followed with a fisherman buster but Goto broke up the pin.
Yujiro then hit Pimp Juice for the pin.
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A hype video played for The Grand Master. He is coming soon.
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Some staff members were shown cleaning the ring and ringside area. The announcers filled time. The announcers were several feet apart with partitions between them.
We then got an official cleaning and disinfection intermission.
These guys had a really good match and the finish was surprising. The time off looked to have done Tenzan some good as he was moving well.
Taguchi and SANADA locked up. They had a nice chain wrestling exchange that ended in a stalemate. Taguchi offered a fist bump but then kicked SANADA instead.
They did a great comedy spot where Taguchi thought he had successfully applied the paradise lock. He hadn’t. Taguchi did his Nakamura mannerisms and hit a hip attack to SANADA’s head.
Tenzan and SANADA traded palm strikes to the chest. Tenzan hit some Mongolian chops. Kojima cleared the LIJ corner and joined Tenzan for some tandem offense on SANADA.
LIJ took control of the match after BUSHI tripped Tenzan from the floor. BUSHI tagged in and choked Tenzan with his shirt. LIJ took turns working over Tenzan. Tenzan managed to tag out after hitting a wheel kick to EVIL.
Kojima hit machine gun chops on EVIL and connected with the follow-up top rope elbow for a near fall. Taguchi tagged in for a series of hip attacks on SANADA and BUSHI.
Taguchi hit a springboard hip attack and used an ankle lock on SANADA. Taguchi blocked a TKO, blocked a Skull End and used a cradle for a two count. SANADA hit a low dropkick.
The match broke down. BUSHI hit Taguchi with a backstabber for a two count. BUSHI hit a rewind kick. Taguchi countered with a hip attack and an ankle lock. SANADA broke up the hold. Tenzan and Kojima hit a TenCozy Cutter on EVIL.
BUSHI blocked Dodon. Taguchi hit a Bomaye for a two count, then got the ankle lock applied again. BUSHI tapped out.
This was about setting up New Japan Cup matches and teasing some spots for those matches.
Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell in this match as well. Suzuki and Nagata started off as the legal men and traded strikes.
Sabre and Ibushi tagged in. They traded strikes until Sabre grabbed a hold. Ibushi tried to shoot Sabre off into the ropes but Sabre hit a flapjack and Suzuki-gun turned this into a brawl around ringside.
Suzuki-gun isolated Ibushi in their corner. It was something else seeing DOUKI get offense on Ibushi. Ibushi came back with a backflip kick and tagged out.
Tanahashi hit a slam and a somersault senton on Taichi for a two count. Taichi blocked a slingblade. Tana blocked a backdrop suplex. They traded strikes. Taichi hit a high kick. He went for a buzzsaw kick but Tana blocked and hit a dragon screw.
Makabe tagged in and hit Taichi with punches in the corner. Sabre and Suzuki tried to interfere but they were intercepted by Tana and Ibushi.
DOUKI and Makabe ended up as the legal men. Makabe got caught in a triangle but forced a rope break. Everyone jumped in for a big move. Nagata and Suzuki brawled to the floor.
DOUKI hit Makabe with a pipe and rolled him up. Makabe kicked out at two. Makabe then hit a slam and hit the King Kong Knee Drop for the pin.
Taichi and Tanahashi had a long staredown after the match.
Okada and Naito began the match. They locked up. Okada broke cleanly against the ropes. Naito kicked Okada off the break. They traded holds. Naito used a side headlock takeover. Okada used a headscissors escape.
Shingo and SHO tagged in for an electric exchange. Hiromu jumped in. YOH intercepted him and SHO and YOH nailed Hiromu with dropkicks.
SHO got the upper hand on Shingo with some hard kicks. Shingo sold them big time for SHO. SHO tried a series of lariats but Shingo did not go down.
LIJ used an illegal triple team to assert control of the match. They isolated SHO in their corner and worked him over. Shingo used a brainbuster for a near fall. Naito tagged in and worked on SHO’s left leg. Hiromu tagged in and worked on the left leg and left arm.
Hiromu hit a dropkick and made a cover but YOH broke up the pin after just a one count. SHO came back with a spear to Shingo and a vertical suplex on Hiromu.
Okada tagged in for a running back elbow, a running back elbow in the corner and a DDT for a two count. Hiromu avoided a top rope elbow attempt and Okada landed on his feet. Hiromu avoided a tombstone and dropped Okada with a back suplex.
Naito and Okada had another exchange. Naito avoided an air raid crash on the first attempt. Okada landed the move on the second try.
YOH tagged in and nailed Naito with a flying forearm and a missile dropkick for a near fall. LIJ saved for Naito. The match broke down. SHO and Shingo jumped in and hit lariats.
Naito went for Destino. YOH blocked and rolled up Naito for a two count. Naito blocked a falcon arrow and hit a flipping inverted Destino. I’m not sure that’s what the move is, but I don’t know what else to call it. The move looks awesome.
Naito then hit YOH with the traditional Destino and pinned him.
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Naito cut a promo to close the show. He mentioned the New Japan Cup and ended with the LIJ roll call.
The eleventh day of the Super Junior Tag League took place this morning in Shizuoka. There was only one tournament match, as one more will take place tomorrow and the rest will take place on Friday. Here are this morning’s results:
TJP & Karl Fredericks defeated Tomoaki Honma & Yota Tsuji
– TJP defeated Tsuji following the detonation kick.
Volador Jr. & Titan defeated El Desperado & DOUKI
– Titan pinned DOUKI after a springboard double foot stomp. This was pretty good, Volador Jr. and Titan mesh well as a team and stand out.
El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori defeated Jushin Thunder Liger & Clark Connors
– ELP pinned Connors following the CR2.
Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, SANADA and Shingo Takagi defeated Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr. and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
– Kanemaru took the pinfall here, being pinned after a Destino by Tetsuya Naito. Taichi waited until Natio was walking to the back to attack him, throwing him head first into the ringpost. He then nailed him with a chair.
Jay White, KENTA and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto and Toa Henare
– White pinned Henare with the bladerunner.
Super Junior Tag League: SHO & YOH defeated Tiger Mask & Yuya Uemura
YOH and Tiger Mask start things off, then Uemura is tagged in, who demands to wrestle SHO. The two wrestle for a bit before SHO gains control, tagging in YOH.
Uemura finally came to life, cutting off SHO with a dropkick and tagged in Tiger Mask, who went for the tiger driver but SHO blocked it. Tiger Mask instead took his leg and went for a scissors. He went for it again, but SHO escaped, only for Tiger Mask to strike him with a knee.
Tiger Mask connected with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on YOH, and after some goading from Uemura tagged him in, who went after YOH. Tiger Mask came back in and hit the Tiger Driver on SHO as Uemura hit a suplex on YOH and went for a Boston crab. YOH tried to crawl to the ropes, but he was unable to.
SHO eventually freed himself, but Uemura hit a giant German suplex on YOH. Uemura hit a bunch of hot near falls, but walked right into a YOH kick. YOH went for a dragon suplex, but Uemura blocked it. Instead, YOH went for a German, but Uemura kicked out.
YOH threw a tantrum, but then went for the dragon suplex and this time it connected, picking up the win. Terrific match, this was all about getting Uemura over and they did a wonderful job in doing so. It’s that easy, folks.
As far as standings go heading into Friday’s matches, SHO & YOH, Desperado & Kanemaru, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero, ELP & Taiji Ishimori and Ospreay & Eagles are still alive.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Robbie Eagles and YOSHI-HASHI
– Tanahashi pinned Eagles with the high fly flow. He and the rest of his team celebrated with an air guitar performance to close out the show.
NJPW returned to Korakuen Hall this morning for the second day of the Super Junior Tag League tournament. Here are the full results, complete with prelim matches.
Naito pinned DOUKI after a Pumping Bomber. Sabre teased defending the RPW British Heavyweight Championship on both nights at the Tokyo Dome.
JAY WHITE, KENTA & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO, TOMOHIRO ISHII & TOA HENARE
Yujiro pinned Henare after hitting Pimp Juice.
SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE MATCH: RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & ROCKY ROMERO DEFEATED TIGER MASK & YUYA UEMURA
Romero and Uemura began with some chain wrestling. Romero tried to hit forever clotheslines in the corner, but Uemura blocked them, then hit a tackle. Both tagged out.
Tiger and Taguchi did some rope-running comedy spots. Tiger hit a deep arm drag, and Tiger and Uemura worked on Taguchi in their corner. Uemura missed a dropkick, allowing Romero and Taguchi to take over.
Taguchi and Romero used a series of quick tags in working over Uemura. Romero hit a low dropkick. Taguchi hit some hip attacks. Uemura missed another dropkick. Tiger finally got a tag. Taguchi missed a hip attack.
Romero and Taguchi had some dissension, as both kicked the other. This was played for comedy more than teasing a break up. Tiger got a kneebar on Romero, but Taguchi broke it up. Tiger hit a Tiger superplex, allowing Uemura to use a full crab on Taguchi, but Taguchi reached the ropes.
Uemura got the hold re-applied. Tiger grabbed Rocky in a Fujiwara armbar to prevent the save, but Taguchi again reached the ropes.
Uemura hit a German into a bridge for a near fall on Taguchi, but Romero made the save. Romero and Taguchi hit stereo hip attacks on Uemura. Romero hit a hip attack to Tiger, then nailed him with a suicide dive.
Taguchi got an ankle lock on Uemura, but Uemura rolled through to a cradle for a two count. Taguchi hit a Bomaye, but Uemura kicked out at two. Taguchi then hit Dodon and pinned Uemura.
This turned into a heck of a little match by the end.
SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE MATCH: VOLADOR JR. & TITAN DEFEATED TJP & CLARK CONNORS
This was another good match.
Connors caused a ruckus by refusing Titan and Volador’s handshakes before the match. Volador and TJP began with some mat work. TJP used a bow and arrow. They had a nice sequence trading headscissors and dropkick attempts.
Titan and Connors tagged in. Connors used a headscissors on the mat. Titan escaped with a handstand. Connors fired back with a dropkick. Titan fought off a double team effort, and Connors accidentally clotheslined TJP.
Volador and Titan hit some tandem offense. Titan hit a fantastic springboard splash on TJP, and Volador covered for a two count. Titan and Volador focused on TJP’s left arm. Titan used a variation of a magistral cradle for a two count.
TJP managed a tag, then Connors took over on Titan with a shoulder tackle and stomps. TJP tagged back in and hit a slingshot senton for a two count. TJP used a sharpshooter, then a deathlock, but Titan forced a break.
Titan made a comeback with a springboard crossbody, then tagged Volador, who hit a backstabber for a near fall on TJP. Titan got an immediate tag back in, then hit a springboard leg drop off the middle rope. Connors broke up the pinfall.
TJP hit a superplex on Titan, then hit a kick for a near fall, as Volador made the save. TJP and Connors hit a tandem move, and Connors hit a spear on Titan for a two count. Connors used a full crab on Titan, but Volador saved.
Volador hit TJP with a tope con giro. Connors used an inside cradle for a two count on Titan. Titan hit a dropkick in the corner and flew through the ropes to the outside. He then hit a swinging dropkick in the corner, then used a springboard double stomp for the pin.
SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE MATCH: EL DESPERADO & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU DEFEATED EL PHANTASMO & TAIJI ISHIMORI
This was two heel teams having a cartoon heel brawl. Lots of eye rakes, back rakes, and plenty of other underhanded tactics. If you’re into that, this was fine. After a long day of watching wrestling, this didn’t do much for me.
Suzuki-gun used an attack before the bell. ELP and Ishimori managed to withstand the attack, then worked over Kanemaru with some comedy spots. ELP used a back rake. Desperado tagged in and returned the back rake favor to ELP.
ELP and Ishimori worked over Desperado’s crotch with stomps in the corner. Kanemaru tripped Ishimori from the floor, and Suzuki-gun turned this into a crowd brawl. Desperado used a chair and an umbrella to attack ELP.
Back inside, Desperado and Kanemaru worked over Ishimori with a series of suplexes and quick tags. Ishimori hit a backflip kick, then managed to tag ELP. ELP hit a springboard crossbody to Desperado, a quebrada, then hit a suicide dive to Kanemaru for good measure.
ELP teased his airplane spin neckbreaker, but Desperado slipped out, then hit a spinebuster for a two count. Desperado got Numero Dos applied, but Ishimori made the save.
The match broke down — and all four jumped in. ELP missed a plancha to Kanemaru. Ishimori hit Desperado with a handspring kick for a two count. Ishimori hit a lung blower for a two count, as Kanemaru pulled the referee out of the ring.
With the ref down, ELP, Kanemaru, and Ishimori got hit with low blows. Ishimori went for a low blow on Desperado, but Desperado blocked the shot with a title belt. Kanemaru then spit whiskey in Ishimori’s eyes, and Desperado hit Pinche Loco on Ishimori. The ref was revived, and Desperado pinned Ishimori.
SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE MATCH: SHO & YOH DEFEATED ROBBIE EAGLES & WILL OSPREAY
SHO and Eagles began by locking up. They traded left arm wringers. SHO used a hammerlock, then a side headlock takeover. Eagles escaped, then worked his own side headlock. They exchanged shoulder tackles, then tagged out.
Ospreay and YOH tied up. Ospreay and YOH both broke cleanly against the ropes. YOH hit a series of arm drags. Eagles jumped in and also got an arm drag. YOH then hit Ospreay with a dropkick.
YOH used a series of strikes on Ospreay. Eagles got a tag, and Ospreay and Eagles used tandem strikes to take over on YOH. Eagles and YOH stayed inside, while Ospreay and SHO fought into the audience.
Eagles hit a running kick for a near fall. Ospreay left SHO laying in the crowd, then returned to the ring to double up on YOH. Ospreay hit quick kicks, then a dropkick for a near fall. Eagles tagged in and used a knee drop for a two count.
YOH came back with a dragon screw on Eagles. Ospreay tagged himself in, and YOH hit both with a double hurricanrana.
SHO got a tag. He nailed Eagles with a delayed dropkick, sending him to the floor. SHO then hit a series of kicks on Ospreay for a two count. SHO tried for a wheelbarrow suplex on Ospreay. Ospreay blocked it, then hit a handspring kick, into a double down.
Ospreay and SHO exchanged strikes. Ospreay hit Kawada kicks. SHO fired up, no-sold a series of slaps, then dropped Ospreay with a forearm strike. SHO hit a series of forearms. Ospreay came back with uppercut strikes, but SHO cut him off with a lariat. Both tagged out.
YOH hit a back elbow and a dropkick to the left leg. SHO used a figure four, which Eagles sold as if he was covered in sulfuric acid. Eagles forced a rope break.
Eagles blocked a springboard attack from YOH, then fought off a counter attack by SHO. Both Roppongi 3K members rolled outside, and Eagles nailed them with a suicide flip dive.
Back inside, Eagles hit a couple of dropkicks to YOH, then locked on the Miller Special. SHO jumped in, and promptly ate stereo kicks from Eagles and Ospreay. Ospreay and Eagles hit a top rope ace crusher for a two count.
Ospreay and Eagles tried for their tandem finisher, the Red Wing. SHO broke it up. SHO and YOH hit Eagles with a tandem falcon arrow, but Ospreay saved. SHO and YOH hit Ospreay with stereo knees.
YOH hit a one-legged dropkick on Eagles. Roppongi called for a 3K, but Eagles hit YOH with a DDT, then a dropkick to SHO. Eagles hit Turbo Backpack on YOH for a two count. YOH didn’t get all the way over for the move and almost got spiked on his head.
Eagles went for a 450, but YOH got the knees up. Eagles avoided the knees and went for the Miller Special, but YOH used a cradle for a near fall. Eagles tried for Turbo Backpack again. YOH blocked.
YOH and Eagles traded a series of cradles for near falls. YOH then used a Japanese Clutch to pin Eagles.
This was a very good match, but Ospreay didn’t do many of his trademark spots. Apparently he was suffering from food poisoning and not feeling well. As a result, there was not nearly as much flying as you would expect.
