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2/15 NJPW GOLDEN SERIES REPORT FROM TOKYO, JAPAN

2/15/22 Results from New Japan's Golden Series - From Korakuen Hall, Tokyo:

Kosei Fujita vs. Great O-Khan

O-Khan taps out Fujita with a wicked looking leg lock.

 El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori and Jado vs. Robbie Eagles, Tiger Mask and Satoshi Kojima

Ishimori comes to the ring with Tiger Mask's mask that he stole earlier in the week.

Kojima pins Jado after a lariat.

BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi and SANADA vs. Ryohei Oiwa, Tomoaki Honma and Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hiromu forces Oiwa to tap out to a Boston Crab.

SHO and Yujiro Takahashi vs. YOH and YOSHI-HASHI

YOH trapped SHO in a Stargazer, but EVIL and Dick Togo hit the ring and stomp on YOH.

House of Torture is disqualified.

EVIL and Togo beat up YOH and YOSHI-HASHI, but Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto make the save.

Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL and Dick Togo

Goto rolls Togo into an arm submission.  Togo taps out.

This was a cluster of two matches.  They are trying to build towards the title defenses of the Tag Titles and 6-man Tag Titles this weekend. This feud between House of Torture and CHAOS is getting old and tired, and takes up three title pictures.  This could be the result of COVID with a lack of talent.  However, we are seeing the same matches with the same men, with the same in-match shenanigans.  It is repetitive.

Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi vs. Togi Makabe and Kazuchika Okada

Takagi pins Makabe with the Last of the Dragon.

After the match, Naito grabbed a neck submission on Okada on the floor.  Official come to break it up.  Okada lay on the floor for a while and needed assistance to the locker room.

 Elimination Match:  Master Wato, Rysuke Taguchi, Yuji Nagata and Toru Yano vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi and Minoru Suzuki

Suzuki and Yano pull out handcuffs.  Suzuki handcuffs himself to Yano.  They hit each other with elbows.  They push the referee across the ring and he bumps hard. 

Suzuki and Yano are disqualified.  Both are eliminated.  Somehow Yano unlocks himself and escapes the ring.  He screams at Suzuki calling him "stupid".  Suzuki chases him to the locker room

Match continues.

Taichi eliminates Nagata over the top rope.

Taguchi eliminates Taichi over the top rope. 

Desperado eliminates Taguchi over the top.

Wato eliminates Desperado over the top.

Kanemaru rolls up and pins Wato.

Suzuki-Gun wins the match.

Kanemaru gets the mic and tells the crowd that he and Desperado will take the Jr. Tag Titles on Saturday.

Kazuchika Okada will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Title against Tetsuya Naito on February 20.  This should be the match of the weekend.  However, with all the canceled shows in January and February, the build for the top matches has been lackluster, at best.  The company and wrestlers are doing what they can with the ring time available.  I am not excited for these matches due to the poor build, the lack of talent available and the rehashing of the same feuds over and over again.  Coming off of Wrestle Kingdom into their 50th Anniversary on March 1, New Japan is not living up to the hype, in my opinion.   However, the New Japan Cup is coming soon, and the brackets and wrestlers should be announced as well.  This tournament could be the start of good story lines that will occur throughout 2022.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

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