Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Good morning to everyone awake following along with coverage and good day to everyone else!
KUSHIDA & David Finlay vs. Silas Young & Jado
This was to be a six man tag originally but Henare is out with an injury.
Young took the mic and said he realizes there might be a bit of a language barrier but when you have met like themselves, you should have respect for them and should stand for them. He said there instead it's another night of disrespect, so you get this and they attacked Finlay and KUSHIDA. Young worked over KUSHIDA and told him he "ain't sh**" but KUSHIDA unloaded with kicks, culminating with a cartwheel kick. KUSHIDA hit a dive over the top onto Jado.
KUSHIDA drilled Jado with a series of chops but was cut off. Jado ripped off his sweatshirt and mocked it. KUSHIDA was sent hard into the corner. Young and Jado double teamed him. Jado went for a splash off the top but KUSHIDA got his foot up and kicked him. Jado was woozy but recovered and tagged in Young. Young raked KUSHIDA across the back and sent him back into the corner. The crowd chanted for KUSHIDA. The announcers noted KUSHIDA wanted to be a champion in ROH. I'd be shocked if that didn't happen this year.
KUSHIDA was worked over until he came back with double springboard elbows and tagged in Finlay, who nailed a series of charges into hip attacks into the corner and came off the ropes with an elbow for a two count. Finlay went for a back suplex but was caught with an elbo to the face. Undaunted, he caught Young with a stiff uranage for a two count. Jado clotheslined him but was nailed with a clothesline by KUSHIDA. Young and Finlay went back and forth with some nice looking offense. Young nailed an awesome rolling Samoan Drop into a great double jump moonsault for a two count.
Jado attacked KUSHIDA and sent him over the guard rail into the crowd. Finlay and Young exchanged blows. Finlay screwamed as he psyched himself up but was caught with Misery by Young and pinned.
Your winners, Silas Young and Jado!
Real solid opening match. Young seemed very much at home with the physical style of NJPW and showed some good charisma as the brash cursing veteran. He showed some nice chemistry with Finlay. He fit in perfectly with NJPW.
The crowd chanted "Thank you Silas" after the match.
Delirious & Dalton Castle & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tetsuya Naito& SANADA & EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Taguci came out wearing an outfit like Dalton Castle's and did his entrance and mannerisms. The crowd loved that. Castle loved it too and thrust his pelvis at Taguchi. No matter how many times I hear Jushin Liger's theme, it never fails to make me smile. I know he's at the tail end of his career, but I love me some Liger and as someone who used to have to talk himself into underground Japanese video stores in NYC 20 years ago to find and rent tapes of New Japan, I love that I can sit here and watch the shows live as they are happening.
The announcers noted Delirious was cut yesterday and doctors had to cut his mask in order to treat him, so he's wearing a new mask today.
Delirious & Dalton Castle & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. IWGP Intercontinental champion Tetsuya Naito & SANADA & EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Taguci came out wearing an outfit like Dalton Castle's and did his entrance and mannerisms. The crowd loved that. Castle loved it too and thrust his pelvis at Taguchi. No matter how many times I hear Jushin Liger's theme, it never fails to make me smile. I know he's at the tail end of his career, but I love me some Liger and as someone who used to have to talk himself into underground Japanese video stores in NYC 20 years ago to find and rent tapes of New Japan, I love that I can sit here and watch the shows live as they are happening.
The announcers noted Delirious was cut yesterday and doctors had to cut his mask in order to treat him, so he's wearing a new mask today.
Naito got in announcer Rocky Romero's face as he made his way to the ring and they almost came to blows. Tagucho and Takahashi went nose to nose in the ring. Delirious went nuts when the bell rang.
Castle and SANADA started and went back and forth. Castle got the best of the exchange and tagged in Tiger Mask. BUSHI tagged in but was backdropped over. Tiger drilled him with some kicks in the corner. BUSHI avoided him but was caught in a tiltowhirl backbreaker. Liger tagged in and went to powerbomb BUSHI as part of a double team move with Tiger but EVIL knocked Tiger off the top rope and BUSHI was able to turn it into a rana. Naito and his cronies attacked. They tied Delirious by his mask to the railing. BISHU tried to rip off Tiger's mask but Tiger was able to stop it and went after BUSHI's mask but was stopped by outside interference.
EVIL tagged in and nailed a pair of back senton splashes on Tiger Mask. Naito tagged in and drilled him with kicks. Takahashi unloaded with chops on Tiger and placed him on the top. Tiger slipped underneath him and nailed Takahashi. Tiger drilled him with a Tiger Driver and tagged in Taguchi, who drilled everyone on the opposing side with hip attacks and strikes. He nailed Takahashi with a series of hip attacks after whips in the corner. Takashashi nailed a diving sunset flip but Taguchi rolled through and went for an ankle lock. Takahashi tried to slide through and lock on his own but Taguchi prevented it. Takahashi caught him with a nasty looking suplex into the corner. Takahashi has no regard for his own body.
Castle and EVIL tagged in. Castle drilled him over and over with strikes and chops. EVIL fired back with elbows and nailed a big back suplex. Delirious, now freed, shoved Liger out of the way to tag himself in and took down EVIL with a big clotheslines after rebounding off the ropes to get a lot of momentum. Everyone brawled all around ringside. Delirious grabbed a chair but Tiger Hatori pulled it away. EVIL was almost pinned several times with different combination attempts. Delirious went for a backslide but EVIL bridged up. Naito interfered and EVIL nailed a lariat, but Delirious was able to kick out. EVIL wiped him out with another big lariat and scored the pin.
Your winners, IWGP Intercontinental champion Tetsuya Naito & SANADA & EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI!
The chaos continued after the bell as Takashashi and Taguchi kept brawling and they ripped off Tiger Mask's mask, setting the stage for Naito to toss it into the crowd. They knocked down Hatori after the match.
Good back and forth bout.
War Machine (Ray Rowe & Warbeard Hanson) vs. The Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa)
Rowe started off with Tonga started off. They faced off. Tonga attacked Hanson, who was on the apron, and knocked him off. Rowe whipped him to the ropes and he slid under to the apron. Rowe grabbed him with a German suplex, dead lifting him over the ropes into a suplex. Hanson and Rowe workd over Tonga. Hanson raked his beard across Tonga's face. That seems lovely.
Rowe tagged in and worked over Tonga until Tama was able to avoid him and nail a dropkick. Roa tagged in and nailed a splash with authority in the corner. He nailed a big spinebuster on Rowe for a two count. He's come a long way from his time in TNA and WWE developmental. He choked Rowe against the ropes and worked him over his strikes. Rowe fired back but was knocked down to the mat. The GOD double teamed Rowe with a series of double team maneuvers. Tonga peppered him with right hands. Rowe fired back with a stiff right elbow and finally tagged Hanson.
Hanson fought off Tonga and Roa at the same time, setting up a series of clotheslines in the opposite corners, over and over. He whipped Tonga into Roa and they collapsed in a corner, setting the stage for a big Bronco Buster on them. War Machine went for Decapition but Tongo rolled through with a forward roll on Rowe for a two count. Everyone brawled in the ring until War Machine caught Tonga with a pop-up powerslam. That looked awesome! Hanson hit a dive to the outside on Roa. Tonga kicked up at the last second.
War Machine set up for Fallout but Roa knocked Hanson off the top. The G.O.D. attacked Rowe. Roa nailed a big headbutt off the top folloed by a Tonga splash off the top for a two count....and the stream crashed. I just checked with a friend watching in California and it went out for him as well.
If the stream doesn't return in a timely fashion, I'll continue coverage later today via the VOD version.
The stream returned during ring entrances for the next match. We are tols War Machine won and then declared they wanted the IWGP Tag Team championship.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson & Jay Lethal vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page.
They muted the Lethal theme music even though they used it last night. That's odd.
Page and Lethal started out. Page sent Lethal into the ropes following a side headlock but Lethal rebounded and nailed a neckbreaker and dropkick. He grabbed an armwringer and tagged in Robinson, who came off the top with a double axehandle. Page ripped at his nose, which was busted open last night and tagged in Fale. Fale went for a big powerslam but Juice landed on his feet and nailed several big shoulderblocks to no avail. He went for another but Yujiro drilled him in the back as he rebounded. Fale wiped him out with a big clothesline. Juice was tossed to the floor by Yujiro and sent hard into the guard rail by Fale.
Everyone battled all over ringside. Juice was tossed back into the ring, where Yujiro ripped at his face in the corner. Robinson was nailed with a big boot and slid down in the corner. Page and Yujiro worked over Robinson, dropping him down with a double back suplex. Page covered Robinson for a two count. Yujiro tagged in and continued to work over Robinson, slapping him. Juice nailed a right hand to take Yujiro down and went to make the tag but Page attacked him. Robinson ducked a double clothesline and hit a hell of a lariat on Page followed by a spinebuster on Yujiro.
The feed died again as Robinson made the tag.
Lethal and Tanahashi cleaned house. Everyone brawled. They tossed Fale to the outside. Page was left in the ring with Team Tanahashi. Lethal was whipped into the corner but Page kicked him off. Lethal drilled him back and went for the Lethal Injection but was tripped up. Page nailed an awesome slingshot lariat and scored the pin.
Your winners, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page!
From what I saw, a damn good six man tag. Page getting the win was a big deal and was a nice way to continue to elevate him. He's really earned his stripes since coming over here. Not a lot of work from Tanahashi tonight, which may have been a strategic move to rest his body. Robinson looked good. Page looked great. All of the work across the board was very good.
The Bullet Club worked over Robinson after the match and stood over him, celebrating their win.
It's a Shame NJPW is having so many technical issues, especially since they rarely do.
The first half of the show was solid to very good wrestling across the board.
Coverage continues on Page 3!
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
