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KOTA IBUSHI VS. JAY WHITE, COBB VS. TAKAGI & MORE: COMPLETE NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING WRESTLE KINGDOM 15 NIGHT TWO COVERAGE

By Mike Johnson on 2021-01-05 07:00:00

Welcome to PWInsider.com's live, ongoing coverage of New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom Night 2!

Kevin Kelly, Chris Carlton and Rocky Romero are handling the English language commentary.

King of Pro Wrestling 2021 Four-Way: Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale vs. BUSHI vs. Chase Owens.

Fale did the finger poke of doom on Owens and covered him but Yano broke it up.  OOF.  He was dispatched.  BUSHI battled with the Bullet Club mates but Yano rolled him up.  Yano removed the turnbuckle pad but Owens grabbed it before he could use it.  Owens nailed Yano with it.    Fale and Owens snapped Yano's legs apart rudely.

They continued to work over Yano.   Owens went for the pin but BUSHI broke up the pinfall.  BUSHI pulled down the ropes and sent Fale over the top to the floor.  BUSHI nailed a tope suicida on Owens.  He snapped him in the ring and went for the pin but Yano broke it up.  Yano went for a slam on Fale but collapsed under his weight and was almost pinned.  Owens went for a kick on BUSHI and nailed Fale by accident.  BUSHI missed a kick on Owens but nailed the Rewind kick for a two count.  Owens clapped his ears and wernt for the package piledriver.  BUSHI escaped and used a forward roll for a two count.

Fale returned to lariat BUSHI as Owens held him for a back suplex.  Fale went for the pin, which Owens objected to and they argued.   They grabbed the referee and lifted him in the air.  Yano low blowed them both and pinned BUSHI for the pin.

Your winner and King of Pro Wrestling 2021, Toru Yano!

This was OK.  Yano is extremely likable and was so here.  Everyone played their role well.

They showed Jushin Liger at ringside doing commentary.  It's been a year since he retired and he is missed.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi

Wato went right after Desperado and stomped away at him.  He nailed several rights and whipped him into the ropes but was hit with a big boot.  Desperado chopped away at him but Wato kicked him out of the ring to the floor.  Wato hit a great looking twisting dive to the floor on Desperado.   Taguchi tagged in and began kicking away at Desperado.  Taguchi ran the ropes mocking Desperado but Kanemaru tripped him and pulled him to the floor, whipping him into the barricade.

The Champions worked over Taguchi for a long time, even drilling his leg into a chair while the referee was predisposed.   Kanemaru nailed a low dropkick to the leg and continued working him over.  Taguchi fired back and went for a hip attack but Kanemaru avoided it and there was no water in the pool.   The attack on Taguchi continued.  Wato finally made a tag and nailed a clothesline on Kanemura.  He nailed a springboard uppercut for another two count.

Kanemaru shoved the referee into the path of Wato and used that to attack and cut off his momentum.  Desperado went for a suplex but Wato escaped and laid him out with a kick to the mid-section.  Taguchi tagged in and used a head scissor to drive Desperado into well, his butt.  Taguchi nailed the Three Amigos, scoring another two count.  They battled back and forth until Desperado was nailed with a reverse powerslam.  Taguchi set up for a knee strike but was attacked from behind.  Desperado nailed a knee buster.  Kanemura dropkicked the knee.  Desperado locked in a stretch muffler, trying to force a submission but Wato broke up the attempt.

Taguchi went for an anklelock.  He elevated and drilled Desperado down over his knees.  Wato tagged in and ascended to the top but Kanemaru interfered  Everyone batted.  Desperado nailed a big right hand on Taguchi and scored the pin with a Jay-Driller.

Your winners and still IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru!

A solid, well worked and competitive match.  Wato really shined here.

NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi vs. Jeff Cobb

They began slugging it out at the bell  Shingo ducked a clothesline and tackled Cobb for a two count.  Cobb leapfrogged Shingo and nailed an insanely scary dropkick.   Shingo went to the floor, where Cobb whipped him into the barricade and chopped him hard.  Cobb sent him into the barricade again, then hit a monstrous overhead belly to belly suplex.

Cobb brought Shingo back into the ring and kicked away at him.  Cobb nailed a forearm to the back.   Takagi was worked over but finally came back with a big lariat.   He pulled Cobb up on the apron and went for a DVDR but Cobb shoved him away and nailed a clothesline from behind  Cobb set up for a Razor's Edge off the apron to the floor but Shingo slipped over the ropes back into the ring, smashed Cobb to the floor and hit a big flip dive to the floor.  This has been damn entertaining thus far.

Shingo nailed a flying elbow off the top for a two count.  Cobb nailed a spin cycle to cut him off.   Cobb nailed a charge in the corner and muscled Shingo with a pair of Gutwrench suplexes.  He went for a third but it was turned into a rana.  Cobb nailed a Black Tiger Bomb out of a Razor's Edge position for a two count.    They battled and Shingo caught Cobb with a DVDR out of nowhere.  Both men were down with the referee counting them out.  They each forced themselves back to their feet.  Takagi got the crowd clapping and rallying him.

Takagi nailed a superplex and then hit an impressive as hell wheelbarrow suplex.  Takagi was selling the back from the beating he endured over the course of the bout.  Cobb caught him and suplexed him across the ring and then followed up with another throw.  They met on the mat and began headbutting and slapping each other.  Cobb began peppering him with forearms but Takagi fired back  Takagi put together a hell of a lariat and strike combinations, then hit a German suplex but was too spent to make the cover.  Takagi went to the floor and was almost counted out but made it back to the ring at the last second.  Cobb nailed a powerbomb for another close two count.

Cobb went for Tour of the Islands but Shingo slipped out and drilled him with a clubbing blow to the back of the leg.  He nailed a Dragon Screw Legwhip.  He nailed Made in Japan and scored another close two count.  They battled back and forth until Cobb nailed Tour of the Islands, only to see his knee give out.  He spent a moment trying to recover then covered Shingo, only to see him get his foot atop the ropes.  Both men were spent.

They battled to the top.  Cobb went for Tour of the Islands but Shingo fought him off and slipped underneath, nailing a powerbomb out of the corner.  Cobb clubbed him with a lariats and went for Tour of the Islands.  Shingo blocked but was caught with a moonsault/powerslam combination.  They charged at each other with lariats.  They fired away with headbutts.  Shingo went for a slam but they just collapsed in violent fashion down to the mat.  The Dome was loving this and with great reason.

Takagi wiped out Cobb with a lariat, turning him inside out.  He nailed a sit-down bomb and scored the pin.

Your winner and still NEVER Openweight Champion, Shingo Takagi!

A HELL of a match.  They just took it to each other with unbridled physicality and beat the living hell out of each other.  This may have been my favorite match across Wrestle Kingdom thus far.  Just an amazing bout and it may have been the best bout either has ever had.  It was the type of physical war you'd seen in New Japan or All Japan in the 1990s and it was glorious.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom can be ordered via New Japan World and at www.FITE.TV!

Coverage continues on Page 2!


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