Daiki Nagai defeated Masatora Yasuda
Yasuda largely stayed in control in the earlier half of the match; he targeted Nagai’s knee for a large portion, nearly trapping him in the middle of the ring.
Nagai powered out of this hold and let out a burst of offense before dragging Yasuda for a nicely tight Boston Crab for the win.
Yasuda came off as exuberant and charismatic, with future star energy. The underdog performance of Nagai made his end of the angle compelling.
Jakob Austin Young, Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan defeated Shoma Kato, Katsuya Murashima & Tiger Mask
Tiger Mask led his two Young Lion partners in an early beatdown of Khan, but he overcame them swiftly with Murashima getting most of his licks in. Newman and Young would do the same to Tiger Mask, but his expertise and experience countered them.
With brief assistance from Newman, Young tested himself against Kato, with the former getting a win by a Shiranui to get the 3-count.
— Post-match, Young and Tiger Mask got into a brawl.
With commentary putting over Young’s fresh entry into the United Empire, he performed excellently. His athleticism coupled with his cocky attitude instantly won me over. Murashima and Kato also show a lot of promise.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Ren Narita defeated Jado & Shota Umino
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There wasn’t a moment for Umino to breathe, as Kanemaru and Narita bullied him the second the bell rang. Kanemaru then targeted Jado’s leg for an extended, extended period. Umino made the hot tag, leading to a hot clash against Narita.
Beginning to overcome Narita, Jado had him through the ropes, not knowing that he was already on his two feet. Kanemaru snuck in to spray whiskey in his eyes, which Narita followed up with a swing of a board to the leg. Locked into submission, Jado tapped to Narita.
Typical House of Torture fare, but once again, the future is brightly on display with the high points being Uminio and Narita.
Jake Lee & Gabe Kidd defeated Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii
Catching the veterans by surprise, the War Dogs Kidd and Lee separated from each other to isolate and break their opponents. Eventually, Ishii decided he’d had quite enough of Kidd’s bullying, fighting back with forearms and punches. Sustaining the crowd’s energy, Honma overcame Lee once they were tagged in. Lee attempted Big Danger to put away Honma, but Ishii broke it up.
Putting Ishii away, Kidd gave just enough time for Lee to steal Ishii’s Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the win.
— Post-match – Kidd and Lee assaulted Ishii and celebrated in the ring. Ishii got up not too long after, understandably irate.
Ishii can’t catch a break. From his indestructible neck targeted by Chis Jericho and his Learning Tree on AEW to being sent through the rail, he’s had it rough. More of him vs Kidd, please.
SHO, Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano, & Hiroshi Tanahashi
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House of Torture started this match in typical fashion, dispatching Boltin and Tanahashi before humorously taking out Taguchi. Alone, Yano ducked and weaved only to find House of Torture beating up a Yoshinoya turnbuckle. Valiantly, he threw himself onto his inanimate object friend. Tanahashi and Boltin took it from there.
Boltin’s resilience and strength, while not enough to overcome the odds of House of Torture, found just enough to tag in Taguchi. The Funky Machine fared quite well against SHO, defiantly swinging the Yoshinoya turnbuckle and making life difficult for SHO before Takahashi violated him with a stick in his rear. SHO took advantage of this by rolling Taguchi up for the win.
The veterans on the babyface side shone brilliantly. with Tanahashi in particular reminding me of All-Might from the anime My Hero Academia. The more I see of Boltin, the more I become a fan of his.
Taiji Ishimori & Gedo defeated DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku
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Ishimori and DOUKI started off the match but Michinoku and Gedo drove most of the first half of this match. Mostly using eye-poking techniques, Gedo nearly had the match won had it not been for DOUKI distracting the referee.
Ishimori targeted the shoulder of DOUKI, but it was Michinoku who gave the Bone Soldier a run for his money each time he was tagged back in. Despite his best efforts, Michinoku tapped out to Ishimori’s Bone Lock, leading to victory for Bullet Club.
\Inconsequential, but fun tag match. At his age and career longevity, I’m impressed that Michonoku moves the way how he does.
Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita defeated Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI
This clash of Los Ingobernables de Japon and TMDK saw Naito and Sabre Jr. giving a hint of their upcoming match in October, but then it was left to Fujita to survive Naito and BUSHI. With Sabre Jr. back in the ring, the crowd was driven into a frenzy with every subsequent trick.
Keeping up his momentum, Sabre Jr. maintained his holds and submissions on BUSHI, with Fujita making the save on an intercepting Naito. BUSHI had no other option but to tap to Sabre Jr.’s bow and arrow hold.
Fujita’s come a long way since joining TMDK at Wrestle Kingdom 17. The sounds of his strikes on BUSHI and Naito echoed loudly through the arena. Sabre Jr. solidified my wish for him to be the IWGP World Champion. Beloved by the crowd, well-crafted in his style, and uniquely captivating on the microphone, there’s a lot to be gained from pushing him.
Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi defeated HENARE & Francesco Akira
A test of endurance begat this state of affairs, between the United Empire’s HENARE and Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Takahashi. Together, he and Takagi reduced HENARE’s defense. Akira took over from there, delivering an impactful basement dropkick on Takahashi.
Confidently standing his ground, Takagi initially endured the speed and precision of Akira, but not for long. Akira survived many devastating moves of Takagi, with edge-of-your-seat nearfalls, but ultimately Takagi got the win after an explosive Made in Japan.
The second half of the match felt more like a singles match between Takagi and Akira, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The smaller, more nimble of the United Empire withstanding the awesome power of LIJ’s Dragon added levels of intensity across their varied styles.
Jeff Cobb (c) vs Yota Tsuji for the NJPW World TV Championship ended in a time-limit draw
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The normally indomitable Jeff Cobb quickly found himself under the immense might of Tsuji, but mustered the will to persevere. Knowing that Tsuji may very well have his number, Cobb’s strategy and desperation to retain was palpable. Survive or win. He reminded Tsuji that he only needs to do one or the other to keep his title.
Cobb’s overbearing force gave little room for Tsuji to breathe, but the spirit within the challenger raged on. Withstanding each other’s offense, they traded finishers and transitions, heightening the drama to almost deafening levels. The champion retained with a Tour of the Islands onto Tsuji being too late with the 15-minute time limit expiring. Cobb’s efforts to get a win over Tsuji bore no fruit, but Tsuji failed to gain the title.
— Post-match – Cobb had no time to celebrate as Narita attacked him soon after, challenging for a match in the future.
I was on the edge of my seat with this match. Every move mattered and the 15-minute time limit added to the rush of adrenaline that came from this match’s intensity. This looked like it would be Tsuji’s moment, but instead, this sets the stage for so much more. The use of the time-limit draw was used effectively here, and I want more.
Overall: Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up
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