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NJPW Destruction in Kobe Results
Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu defeated Jay White & David Finlay
It goes without saying, but this was really really good. Everyone looked great, in particular Jay White. They used double team moves on each other and played up how well they know each other from training together. There was lots of saves from pin and submission attempts. Tanaka made White submit to a Boston Crab while Komatsu had Finlay locked in one on the other side of the ring.
Yuji Nagata, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV defeated Juice Robinson, Captain New Japan & Manabu Nakanishi
This was better than your usual NJPW veterans tag match. One funny moment was when Captain attempted a surfboard to mock Liger and as he was applying it, Liger ran in and kicked him in the rear end. Nakanishi vs Nagata was far better than you would think. They had a fun slap exchange. There wasn't much to further Tiger vs Liger. Robinson finished the match with Nagata. He got in a bit and showed some fire before Nagata put him away with the Back Drop Hold.
Rocky Romero, Beretta, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Mascara Dorada, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe
This was great. RPG Vice & Dorada tore it up when they were in the ring together. Honma and Ishii chopped the hell out of each other as usual. Ishii & Makabe went at each other like two bulls. As played out as is, their battles are always as entertaining as hell. Dorada was sensational here. He hit the most amazing corkscrew dive over the top. In the end Romero pinned Dorada after the Strong Zero from RPG Vice.
Matt Sydal, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Kenny Omega, Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson
This was another great tag match designed to build towards Omega vs Sydal for the IWGP Jr heavyweight championship. Sydal was incredible here, with him and Omega doing some fantastic stuff together. Everyone else played their part with Anderson doing his usual mockery. Bullet Club pulled out the triple team on Sydal as Omega carried Gallows on his back with Anderson jumping on them to have all three land on Sydal. The last few minutes between Sydal & Omega are worth watching this for alone. Omega blocked a reverse hurricanrana and tried to hit the One Winged Angel, but Sydal escaped and hit a running reverse rana and followed up with a Shooting Star Press to pick up a huge win over the junior champion. Sydal has had the most incredible comeback year in 2015. He looked delighted to be on NJPW and will most likely challenge Omega at King of Pro Wrestling on October 12th.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Katsuyori Shibata
There was an awesome video package before this to highlight the transformation of Naito over the summer and his association with Los Ingobernables. Naito's entrance was spectacular because he took forever to get to the ring. Shibata was having none of Naito's messing around and booted him off the apron straight away, but immediately Naito turned it around on the outside and took control of the match. Shibata eventually made the comeback and delivered all sorts of brutal kicks and strikes. He ran Naito from corner to corner with boot and hit a flurry of face washes. He locked Naito in submissions with Naito doing his best to weasel his way out by delivering slaps. The finish came when Naito hit a low blow behind the refs back, a slap and Destino to score the win. This was awesome and exactly how Naito should have won the match. Every single thing Naito did was perfect, from tossing the referee away, to beating up Jay White after the match. He attacked the camera man on the ramp and went back for more, but Naito made the save and beat Naito all the way to the back. This feud might not be over.
Kazushi Sakuraba, Toru Yano & Kazuchika Okada defeated Cody Hall, Tama Tonga & AJ Styles
This was yet another fun tag match. There seems to be an endless amount of twists and spins on the things Okada & Styles can do together. Their sequences are beyond incredible. There was lots of goofiness with Yano vs Hall & Tonga. They spent the whole match trying to out trick each other. Yano would do his YTR taunt and Hall & Tonga would try and attack him from behind. Yano had eyes on the back of his head and kept moving out of the way. Sakuraba's time in the ring was short, but he looked fine when he was in. He and Hall did some good stuff together. Sakuraba made Hall submit to a Kimura Lock.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly (ReDRagon) defeated Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA (Time Splitters)
This was absolutely spectacular. Just an awesome awesome tag team match. There were so many cool sequences wether it be double team, counters, submissions or whatever else, it's impossible to list. Go out of your way to see this match. Alex Shelley has been fired up since he came back and has shown a more physical and aggressive side to himself. He was fantastic here. There were so many times where it looked like they were heading towards a finish and then they would take it off in a whole other direction. ReDRagon put Shelley away after hitting Chasing The Dragon to retain the gold. My words won't do this justice, so go and watch it. It was great to see ReDRagon retain and not drop the titles straight away. It was also nice to see the junior title match be a big part of the show and not just an opening match car crash. This match proved that they can be a huge part of a New Japan card.
After the match RPG Vice attacked all four guys and dropped Kyle with the Strong Zero onto one of the belts. RPG Vice will be the next title challengers.
Tokyo Dome IWGP Championship Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Bad Luck Fale
This was another great match and one of the best performances Fale has ever had. He usually looks like he is being carried to a match, but he looked really good here. The Bad Luck Fall has been put over so well that every time Fale even attempts it the place goes nuts for it. Tanahashi escaped it several times. He even managed to lock Fale into a Texas Cloverleaf at one stage. There were lots of nice counters and false finishes. Fale caught Tanahashi coming in for a High Fly Flow and hit a Grenade for a really good near fall. Fale went up top for the splash that he beat Tanahashi with in the G1, but Tanahashi cut him off and hit a superplex, a body slam (He had attempted it several times) and a High Fly Flow to win the match. Tanahashi got his won back after losing to Fale the last two years in the G1.
After the match Tanahashi called Naito, who sat on the ramp and listened to Tanahashi, Naito beat Tanahashi, so it looks like Naito will be challenging for the briefcase next.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto
This match was beyond awesome and completely blew me away with how good it was. Every match between these two has been better than the last, but this was a step above the rest. Goto went after the bad arm of Nakamura when he locked in a double armbar. Nakamura got back into it with a devastating Boma Ye to the back of the head and from there it was off to the races with some spectacular reversals and false finishes. Goto hit the Code Red off the top. He countered a diving Boma Ye into an Ushikiroshi. He then hit an Ushikiroshi from the top, but Nakamura still kicked out. Nakamura hit several Boma Ye variations, but couldn't put Goto away. Goto hit a couple of his headbutts that usually lead to the finish, but just as Goto went for a lariat, Nakamura countered into an armbar. Before he locked it in, Goto countered into an armbar, but even after dropping his leg across the face of Nakamura several times, Nakamura wouldn't release his grip. He then attempted the double armbar again, but he wouldn't let Goto lock it in. It was pro wrestling drama at its absolute finest as the crowd went crazy. Nakamura got out of it with a knee to the face and a Boma Ye. The false finish of the match came when Goto blocked the Boma Ye, just as he did to win the title, but Nakamura escaped and hit a Boma Ye to get the win and once again become IWGP Intercontinental champion. This was incredible and one of the best matches either man has ever had.
After the match Karl Anderson hit the ring and challenged Nakamura for the title. Anderson beat both Goto & Nakamura in the G1, so the challenge was accepted.
This show was awesome. The Jr tag title match was incredible and the IC title match was even better. Everything else was really good. The show is on demand now at NJPW World.
King of Pro Wrestling on October 12th is shaping up to be Sydal/Omega, ReDRagon/RPG Vice, Ishii/Makabe, Tanahashi/Naito, Nakamura/Anderson & Styles Okada. If all of those matches are on the card, it will be the show of the year.
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