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6/2/21 Results from New Japan's Road to Dominion - Korakuen Hall, Tokyo Japan:
On New Japan World, they announced that Dominion would be postponed from June 6 to June 7.
1 - El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens and EVIL, with Dick Togo vs. Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, Tomoaki Honma and Hiroshi Tanahashi
Ishimori pins Uemura with a Bloody Cross.
Ishimori gets the pin on back-to-back nights. He may be re-entering the Jr. Title picture again soon.
2 - Ryusuke Taguchi, SHO and YOH vs. DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado
Suzuki-Gun layed out their opponents on the ring floor after they tried to sneak attack the heels. The timing was better in this match than last night, and much smoother.
YOH gets the submission win on DOUKI with a Star Gazer (Indian Death Lock).
3 - Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga and Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi
Gedo was substitute for an injured Jado.
No Miho Abe tonight. G.O.D. attacked immediately before the introductions.
ZSJ traps Gedo in an arm submission and Gedo gives up quickly.
Quick match, but Suzuki-Gun is re-establishing their dominance in New Japan. ZSJ tells the camera, "where is the next challenger?"
4 - Great O-Khan and Jeff Cobb vs. Kota Ibushi and Master Wato
Wato was bumping machine while Cobb and O-Khan threw him around the ring. Ibushi makes the hot tag and becomes the superhero who has to face both monsters of United Empire.
O-Khan hits the Eliminator on Wato for the pinfall win.
Cobb tells Ibushi in 5 days he will beat him. Ibushi slaps Cobb and they brawl in the ring. The referee and young lions rush in to separate them. Ibushi is held back. Cobb taunts him and Ibushi attacks him again. The young lions physically restrain Ibushi and take him back to the locker. Ibushi breaks free and attacks Cobb again. They are both grabbing at each other's faces. More officials come to drag Ibushi to the locker room.
5 - NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Championship: Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI and SANADA
As the match began, action was in the ring, but Naito and Ishii continued their battle inside and outside the ring. When Ishii and Naito were in the ring, they were laying some stiff shots. Fast paced match. Too much to recap here. Both teams kicked out after hitting their big moves.
YOSHI-HASHI locked BUSHI in a Butterfly Lock. Naito tried to make the save but Ishii locked him in a reverse figure four. SANADA tried to make the save but Goto held him in the corner.
BUSHI tapped out. CHAOS retains the NEVER Openweight 6-man Titles.
Really good match. This is CHAOS's fifth successful defense of these Titles.
Predictions for matches at Dominion on June 7:
The full card has yet to be determined but here are the top matches:
1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: YOH vs. El Desperado
YOH is already a IWGP Jr. Tag Champion. He should not have two belts. The Jr. Division suffered twice when Hiromu Takahashi was Champion and challenging for the Jr. Tag belts, then he got injured. Then, YOH vs. Desperado for the Jr. Championship was postponed in May due to COVID. New Japan could not have predicted this but having the same wrestler competing for multiple titles puts them at risk for more injury and an empty card. That is what happened to Hiromu. Desperado should retain here.
2. Special Singles Match: Kota Ibushi vs. Jeff Cobb
I am looking forward to this match. Over the past few months, Jeff Cobb has elevated his in-ring work by battling against Los Ingobernales de Japon. I expect both men to beat the crap out of each other. I see Cobb hitting all his big moves on Ibushi, but Ibushi hits a quick Kamigoye to get the win. Ibushi completes his return after losing the IWGP World Title on his first defense. Cobb is also elevated to a main event level in this process.
3. IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi
Under different circumstances, with proper build-up, this match would be worthy of closing Wrestle Kingdom. Due to Will Ospreay's injury and the postponement of Wrestle Grand Slam, this match was fast tracked. It should still be a good match. Takagi beat Okada in Round One of the New Japan Cup earlier this year. One would think that Okada will get his win back here. However, Takagi has been a consistent performer for New Japan for much of the past two years. He had an awesome match with Jeff Cobb at Wrestle Kingdom and made it to the Finals of the New Japan Cup before losing to Ospreay. I see Takagi winning the match and becoming the third man to hold the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. He would represent New Japan very well as the World Champion.
Soapbox Moment:
El Phantasmo mentioned on camera yesterday that he was in his hotel for 31 days, and he looked happy to be performing the past two nights. Tama Tonga mentioned on his podcast, Tama's Island, that during this current tour in Japan, he was well taken care of. These are only two of many wrestlers who travel thousands of miles to work for New Japan. I am sure at times they miss their families and friends, while they live in their hotel rooms having to wait and deal with COVID-19 restrictions. New Japan has done its best to handle wrestler injuries and illnesses to give fans the best shows possible, also while competing against other Japanese wrestling promotions for the fan's attention. With all the chaos that the country has to deal with, New Japan still takes care of their wrestlers. Tama Tonga said on his podcast that no matter what New Japan asks of him, he is willing to step up to help the company.
The releases announced today by WWE was very upsetting to me. This is why I will support New Japan and New Japan World. I encourage fans of wrestling to check out New Japan World or New Japan's Roku Channel, and give the product a chance. The language barrier is a limitation, but Kevin Kelly is there to provide English commentary. If you like what you see of the New Japan product, please support it, and know that the wrestlers are working for a company that sees them as important assets and treats them as such.
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