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In Mutoh's final NJPW match, Keiji Mutoh & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shota Umino vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA & BUSHI.
I'm calling it now. WWE inducting Mutoh in the Hall of Fame this April.
HUGE ovation for Mutoh when he was announced. This should be a lot of fun. They showed Masahiro Chono, Jushin Liger and Tatsumi Fujinami announcing. SANADA and Mutoh started out. Makes sense given SANADA was his protege. SANADA nailed a Great Muta-like moonsault early for a near fall. I liked that. Mutoh caught him with a shining wizard. He teased going for a moonsault. Yeah. that wasn't going to happen!
LIJ controlled the ring and worked over Tanahashi. They went into a triple submission with Team Mutoh in control. BUSHI was caught in a series of Tanahashi maneuvers. Naito got involved, allowing BUSHI to drill him with a kick. Mutoh returned and nailed the shining wizard on BUSHI, allowing Umino to drill and pin him with the Death Rider, Nice touch to let the youngest member of the team to get the shine with the win.
The match was OK. Really, it was about Mutoh getting the big pop for his entrance more than anything else.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado vs. Master Wato.
Ishimori ducked out letting the other three fight early. They battled to the apron, where Ishimori ended up taking everyone out. They all fought to get back to the ring but Ishimori hit them with a moonsault from the top. They were almost counted out. Ishimori began unloading in Desperado. Hiromu hit a big sitdown splash on everyone on the floor. Late in the bout, Watto had the match won but the referee was pulled out of the ring. Ishimori nailed Wato with a chair but Wato still almost beat him before Hiromu broke it up. Wato nailed a big German suplex on Hiromu but Takahashi kicked oiut at the last second. Hiromu nailed the sidebar and scored the pin on Wato, winning the Junior title. This was OK. They had way too many things going on to ever get any sort of consistency going but they all worked super hard.
They stated there was an incident backstage with Tetsuya Naito. Stay tuned.
*IWGP United States Champion Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega.
Omega had an entrance inspired by the old Playstation 1 Final Fantasy game. Thanks to Steven Wright.
Ospreay was at Omega's throat at the press conference for the show, so they should come out of the gate hot.
Out hot they did with a lot of athletic stuff from Ospreay until Omega caught and drilled him off the apron, slamming him backwards into the barrier at ringside. Omega began attacking the lower back and neck. He was in control for a long time. Ospreay finally made a comeback but when he went for the Ozcutter outside, Omega held onto the ropes and he crashed and burned. Omega pulled out a table and slammed it on Ospreay. He double stomped the table onto Ospreay. Omega missed a move, allowing Ospreay to nail a twisting moonsault to the floor.
They battled back into the ring. Ospreay escaped a Dragon suplex off the top and nailed the Ozcutter. Omega blocked him while they were on the top and nailed a DDT onto the top turnbuckle while they were standing on the top. United Empire all checked Ospreay, who was busted open. Omega smashed his head through the table over and over. The announcers teased the match could be stopped. Ospreay refused. Omega kept scoring two counts. Ospreay battled back but again, Omega smashed him into the top turnbuckles. They are really putting a ton of sympathy on Ospreay.
Omega nailed the V-Trigger and went for One-Winged Angel off the top. Ospreay was pulled up so he could eat another V-Trigger. Then, another, and another. Ospreay finally grabs the boiot and blocks. He went for a series of Kawada kicks. Omega nailed a lariat but Osreay flipped and landed on his feet and snatched Omega in a sit-out powerbomb for another near fall. Ospreay nailed some big strikes and a leaping Ozcutter for a near fall. The crowd was super behind Ospreay at this point..
Omega escaped the Stormbreaker but was caught with a Styles Clash. The battle of attrition went back and forth as they abused each other with hard strikes and shots until one more fatal V-Trigger and a One-Winged Angel led to Ospreay being pinned. Omega is the new Champ.
This was very much the Omega in NJPW formula from years ago with a lot of time and moves and strikes. If you are a fan of either competitor, you'll really enjoy this. I expect a lot of raves for this one. It was the best Omega performance since his match with Hangman Page. He was absolutely unbridled and violent as a heel, which made Ospreay have to really fight back.
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada.
Lots of damn good wrestling here as they told a long, methodical story with White being the aggressive, cruel heel champion and Okada trying to fight the good fight. Okada finally had enough of White's sh** and kept absorbing the chops and firing back. He went for the Rainmaker but White blocked it. Okada locked on a Cobra Clutch and Jay's mouth was foaming but he made it to the ropes to break and went to the floor.
Gedo blocked Okada's attempt at a dive, so he got punched out. Okada hit a flip dive off the top onto the pair on the floor. The crowd loved that and chanted for Okada. He pulled White in for the Rainmaker but White dropped to his rear end to block. White's facial expressions were out of this world great. Okada just pulled him up an smashed him in the face witn a forearm. Gedo entered the ring to distract the referee. White was going to go for a low blow but Okada smashed him in the face again.
White regained control and nailed a suplex over the top to the floor, then a sleeper suplex. He nailed an inverted Perfectplex for another two count. He followed up with Bloody Sunday and called for the Blade Runner but Okada blocked and nailed a suplex. Okada nailed a pair of lariats out of a backslide attempt. Okada drilled him with a dropkick and a lifted tombstone. White turned a Rainmaker attempt into a Blade Runner for a close two count. Okada tried to fight his way out of another Blade Runner but was smashed with a pair of Rainmakers.
Okada ducked a Blade Runner attempt and nailed a Rainmaker out of nowhere for another close near fall. They continued to batter each other. White began losing it, telling Okada he wasn't going to take this from him. Okada finally nailed a Blade Runner of his own and a big lariat for the pin, winning the title. An incredbly hard fought and crafted bout. A despondent and out of it White showed respect to Okada before stumbling out of the ring.
Shingo Takagi hit the ring and said he lost the belt a year ago to Okada and challenged him. Okada told him to leave and paid tribute to the fans, thanking them.
Two excellent matches to close the show.
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