Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Road to Wrestling Dontaku, April 27th, Hakata Star Lanes:
Juice Robinson & Jay White defeated Captain New Japan & David Finlay
This was a pretty fun opener. Nothing major to report. Captain dragged the match down in some ways. Robinson made Captain submit to a Cobra Clutch.
Rocky Romero, Beretta & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Tiger Mask IV, Ryusuke Taguchi & Manabu Nakanishi
There was lots of comedy in this. CHAOS argued over who would start with Nakanishi. Nakanishi fought off Beretta while he had Romero on his back. There were ass antics from Taguchi, even getting Nakanishi to do a hip attack. Romero pinned Tiger with a small package after he pulled the mask over his eyes.
Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Yoshitatsu defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
This was a pretty solid match. It felt more like a WWE style tag match than an NJPW one. Tatsu is going all out with the Triple H thing. He hit a Double A Spinebuster and a running high knee. Makabe got cut opener around the eye when he came in off a hot tag late in the match. There was some fun back and forth at the end. Makabe took out everyone with lariats. Honma then hit a top rope Kokeshi and Makabe finished Yujiro with a King Kong Knee Drop.
KUSHIDA & Katsuyori Shibata defeated Jushin Thunder Liger & Yuji Nagata
This was a rematch from Korakuen Hall a few days ago and it was great. These guys told an incredible story here. There was no messing around. From the bell Shibata went right after Nagata, while KUSHIDA attacked the arm of Liger on the floor. Shibata & KUSHIDA targeted the leg of Nagata. The veterans eventually got pissed off, so Liger attacked KUSHIDA on the floor and hit his knee with a chair while it was wrapped around the ring post. This was very unlike Liger. He and Nagata viciously worked over the knee of KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA sold it amazingly. By the time Shibata got the tag he was ready to kill. He kicked the holy hell out of Nagata on the corner. They went to war, exchanging submission, strikes and suplexes. KUSHIDA & Liger got in the match. KUSHIDA hurt his knee and Liger went for an arm, but KUSHIDA was able to tie Liger up and get the pin. If this doesn't get you excited for these two singles matches at Dontaku, nothing will.
Tomohiro Ishii, Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & Gedo defeated BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito
This was a relay good match with plenty of intensity and some nice previews of the three big CHAOS vs LIJ matches coming up at Dontaku. Okada vs SANADA is really becoming a battle of the dropkicks. EVIL & Goto had a hell of an exchange here. Their match should be a great brawl. There was a nice preview of Ishii vs Naito. Ishii unloaded with lots of big strikes on suplexes. Naito had Ishii in a Koji Clutch and it was played up that Ishii wasn't able to reach the ropes. The end of this saw a huge flurry of finishers. BUSHI & Ishii were the last two legal men. BUSHI looked great here and used his speed to avoid Ishii until Ishii managed to catch him in a Brainbuster to pick up another big win for CHAOS.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Bad Luck Fale
This was really good. Tanahashi is one of the best big match wrestlers around today. Very few can create the excitement he does down the finished stretch of a match. Fale worked over Tanahashi until Tanahashi managed to slam him. Fale was too big to put the Texas Cloverleaf on. They exchanged superplexes, which was quite the sight. Fale hit the Grenade and went for the Bad Luck Fall twice. Tanahashi countered into a Slingblade, a big German suplex, another Slingblade and a High Fly Flow to finish it. This was a great match, but not the best they've had.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kenny Omega defeated Michael Elgin
This was awesome! These guys had to prove they were worthy of an all gaijin main event, and they did, particularly Elgin in his first ever singles main event for NJPW. Omega brought a ladder to the ring, which got involved in the early going. Elgin used his power to combat Omega, but Omega used some power of his own. He hit a snap dragon suplex followed by an incredible deadlift sit out gutwrench powerbomb. The moment of the match came when Elgin hit a powerbomb out of the ring through a table on Omega that he set up earlier. There were some excellent near falls and counters. Omega countered an Elgin Bomb and hit two reverse rana's. Elgin hit the buckle bomb, but Omega bounced out with two knee strikes for the near fall of the match. Omega got the win with another knee and the One Winged Angel. This was a hell of a match. The best part being that Omega won the match cleanly and there was only limited use of foreign objects.
After the match Tanahashi challenged Omega. Omega said no, low blowed him, attacked him with the ladder and stood over Tanahashi. This might be leading to a ladder match, and if it is, it might be a first for NJPW.
The show is available now at NJPWWorld.com
I can be found on Twitter @MatthewMacklin and RunningEnzuigiri.com (@TweetEnzuigiri).
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
