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Wrestle Kingdom 17 From the Tokyo Dome, Tokyo Japan:
Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton and the returning Gino Gambino on English Commentary.
Pre-Show Matches:
1 - 3 Minute Exhibition: Ryohei Oiwa vs. Boltin Oleg
Oleg looks like a beast. This is his first match ever. Lots of amateur wrestling moves and take downs.
They wrestle to a draw.
Kevin Kelly mentions Oleg is being trained by Yuji Nagata.
Boltin Oleg looks good but needs a lot of work.
2 - KOPW 2023 - New Japan Rambo
A Royal Rumble style match. The last four men go to New Year’s Dash tomorrow for the KOPW Title Belt.
SHO comes to ring first. Hikuleo is next.
SHO escapes the ring and runs from Hikuleo. Hikuleo catches him and beats on him.
EVIL is next, with Dick Togo. Hikuleo throws SHO like a dart and hits a full nelson slam on EVIL.
Tomohiro Ishii is next.
They all triple team Hikuleo.
Great O-Khan is next.
Hikuleo and Ishii fight in the ring. Everyone else is stalling outside the ring.
DOUKI is next.
Rocky Romero is next.
EVIL is eliminated over the top.
KENTA is next. Ishii quickly attacks KENTA.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru is next.
Aaron Henare is next.
Ryusuke Taguchi is next.
Ishii is eliminated over the top.
Jeff Cobb is next.
DOUKI and Kanemaru are eliminated over the top.
Shane Haste is next.
Mikey Nichols is next.
Rocky is eliminated over the top.
Taguchi is pinned by Haste and eliminated.
Yujiro Takahashi is next.
Hikuleo is eliminated over the top.
Toru Yano is next.
Cobb, Haste and Nichols are eliminated over the top.
El Phantasmo is next.
Henare is eliminated over the top.
Taichi is next.
Everyone fights to the floor. Taichi and O-Khan go for a sumo match.
Shingo Takagi is the last man into the match.
Taichi and Takagi face off in the ring. Bullet Club picks up Taichi and eliminates him over the top rope.
Yujiro and KENTA get eliminated.
The last 5 men are El Phantasmo, Takagi, SHO, Yano and O-Khan
SHO eliminates El Phantasmo.
The winners are Shingo Takagi, Toru Yano, SHO and Great O-Khan. They will face each other tomorrow at New Year’s Dash.
This ends the pre show. Stay tuned for the main card!
Lots of images of the late Antonio Inoki on the video screens.
3 - Anotino Inoki Memorial 6 Man Tag Match: Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima and Togi Makabe vs. Tiger Mask, Minoru Suzuki and Tatsumi Fujinami
Tiger Hattori is the referee and he gets a massive pop.
Fujinami hit Dragon screws on his opponents. Impressive for his age. Tiger Mask goes for a Lucha move on Makabe but falls off his back.
Makabe pins Tiger Mask.
Minoru Suzuki gives the mic to Tatsumi Fujinami. He thanks everyone for coming and honors Antonio Inoki.
This match was an exhibition despite Suzuki and Nagata laying in some stiff shots. It was good for what it was supposed to be. The men who wrestled under the leadership of Inoki who could now honor his memory with this match.
They announced the production of an Antonio Inoki feature movie.
The main card begins. The start with a video package on Antonio Inoki.
4 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in the Match: Lio Rush and YOH vs. Francesco Akira and TJP
No Gideon Grey with Catch 22. YOH hits a plancha on TJP and Akira before the bell. They all fight to the floor. TJP elevates Rush and Akira catches him with a face plant on the entry ramp. YOH is fighting 2 on 1. Catch 22 double team YOH. Rush is bloodied and makes his way back to the ring. Rush hits a tope suicida on both men. Rush hits a twisting Tomikaze on Akira. Two count. Rush hits a Final Hour. Two count. TJP with a Detonation Kick on YOH. Two count. YOH and Rush hit 3K on TJP. Two count. Rush hits a Rush Hour on Akira. Two count. YOH goes for a Direct Drive but TJP turns it into a small package.
TJP pins YOH.
Good match. Too much action to recap. Big win for Akira and TJP.
5 - IWGP Women's Championship Match: Tam Nakano vs. KAIRI
Tam Nakano was a pop singer who transitioned into wrestling. Big theatrical entrance for KAIRI.
They both attack with strikes. KAIRI hits a spear. Nakano hits a splash to the floor. Nakano hits a German Suplex. Two count. Nakano hits a Violet Screwdriver. Damn!!!! KAIRI kicks out. KAIRI hits two Cutlass and follows with an Insane Elbow.
KAIRI pins Nakano.
Good stiff match, but too short. The Violet Screwdriver was awesome.
Music plays and Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) comes to the ring. Her hair is colored with blue and orange flames. She is dressed to wrestle. She drops KAIRI on her face.
She cuts a promo on KAIRI saying she is the CEO of this women’s division. She challenges KAIRI for the title in San Jose California at Battle in the Valley.
Good angle, but KAIRI and Nakano seems like an afterthought, which is a shame.
6 - IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood
Bishomon are dressed for battle. FTR look like super stars on the way to the ring.
They started grappling but they went to the floor. Cash hits a tope suicida. FTR hits a power plex. Two count. Pace picks up. They exchange double teams. FTR hits a Big Rig. Two count. Cash suplexes YOSHI-HASHI out of the ring. Dax hits a piledriver on YOSHI-HASHi then a spiked pikedriver. Goto breaks the count. Bishomon hits a Shoto on Dax.
Goto pins Dax.
New IWGP Tag Team Champions.
Fast paced match. Both teams looked good.
The show is moving fast. Some of these matches deserve more time. Which tells me more time will be given to the top matches.
7 - NJPW World TV Championship Tournament Final: Ren Narita vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
New blonde hairdo for Zack.
Both men go for grappling on the mat. Then to kicks and strikes. ZSJ goes after Narita’s left arm. Narita counters with suplexes and take downs. They trade kicks. Both men are tired. Narita with an exploder with a bridge. Two count. ZSJ continues to kick Narita. Narita kicks back. ZSJ goes for a cross arm breaker but Narita kicks him in the head. Narita drops him an open hand slap. Zack with a Euro Clutch. Two count. They exchange reversals. Zack grabs him a cross arm breaker.
Narita taps out.
Zack Sabre Jr. becomes the the first IWGP World Television Champion.
TMDK come to the ring. They give Zack a Team TMDK shirt. Zack has a new faction and new muscle to help protect his new title.
8 - NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Tama Tonga vs. Karl Anderson
Jado comes to the ring with Tama Tonga. No Doc Gallows with The Machine Gun.
Anderson hits Tama in the head with the belt before the bell. Anderson kicks him to the floor then drops him with a Fisherman Buster on the guardrail. He takes Tama up the ramp and hits a Bernard Driver on the ramp. Anderson goes for a Gun Stun but Tama blocks it. Back in the ring, they start throwing punches. Anderson with a kick and a TKO. Tama blocks a Gun Stun and hits an SRC. Tama pushes him off the top rope. Tama hits a Supreme Flow. Two count. They exchange reversals. Tama hits a Gun Stun off the second rope. Tama hits another Gun Stun.
Tama pins Anderson.
Tama Tonga wins the NEVER Openweight Championship.
The quick pace of the show is leading to some sloppy moments.
Coverage continues on Page 2!
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