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NJPW STRONG REPORT; TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT BEGINS, AND MORE

Your announcers are Ian Riccaboni and Alex Koslov (in English) and Shigeki Kiyono and Katsuyori Shibata. (in Japanese)

We begin with Ian Riccaboni with Christopher Daniels. Ian brings up that Daniels’ partner Karl Fredericks is not able to participate in the tournament. Ian asks Daniels what is next for him. Daniels says that he tries to be the smartest man in the room. The logic dictates that you should step aside to let an established team take their spot. After 29 years, these opportunities don’t come every day. If I want to try to win, I need to find a partner with the same passion and drive as Karl Fredericks. I went to the LA Dojo and I found the partner I needed. That man is Yuya Uemura. Daniels tells Uemura to trust him. He says they can surprise everyone and become the tag team champions.

Match Number One: Christopher Daniels and Yuya Uemura versus Nick Comoroto and Aaron Solo in a First Round Match in the New Japan Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship Tournament

Solo and Daniels start things off. Solo with a kick and side head lock. Solo with a shoulder tackle. Daniels with a series of arm drags into an arm bar. Uemura tags in and he slams Solo and Daniels with a drop kick. Uemura gets a near fall. Uemura with a side head lock and take down. Solo tries for a head scissors but Uemura avoids it. Solo gets the head scissors. Comoroto tags in and he pie faces Uemura.

Uemura pushes Comoroto and he tries for a shoulder tackle but Comoroto stays on his feet. Uemura tries again with the same result. Comoroto with a shoulder tackle. Uemura with forearm and drop kicks. Comoroto with a knee and shoulder tackle. Daniels tags in and goes up top and hits a missile drop kick. Solo tags in and chops Daniels and follows with forearms. Daniels with a leg lariat and forearm. Daniels with a hard Iris whip and elbows to the back of the head. Comoroto holds Daniels but Solo hits Comoroto when Daniels moves. Solo with an elbow and Comoroto pulls Daniels to the floor when Solo talks to the referee. Comoroto with a forearm on the floor. Solo with kicks and he chokes Daniels.

Comoroto chokes Daniels while the referee has to deal with Uemura. Comoroto tags in and connects with an elbow and punch. Comoroto with an Irish whip and slam. Solo tags in and he hits a drop kick while Comoroto goes for a suplex and Solo gets a near fall. Daniels with elbows and Solo with a knee. Daniels with a Death Valley Driver and he tags in Uemura. Uemura knocks Comoroto off the apron and hits a flying forearm on Solo. Uemura with a forearm into the corner followed by a bulldog. Solo blocks a Saito suplex. Uemura with an uppercut and elbow followed by a Saito suplex for a near fall. Comoroto with a Death Valley Driver onto his knee. Solo with a springboard double stomp for a near fall. Solo with a front face lock.

Uemura lands on his feet on a belly-to-back suplex attempt. Daniels tags in and hits an enzuigiri and then he drops Comoroto on the top rope. Daniels with a kick and STO to Solo. Comoroto with a clothesline to Daniels. Uemura with a forearm to Comoroto and they go back and forth. Daniels with an uppercut to Comoroto and Uemura with a forearm. Comoroto with a double clothesline and then Comoroto goes over the top rope to the floor. Uemura with a pescado. Daniels with a urnage and the BME for the three count.

Winners: Christopher Daniels and Yuya Uemura (advance to face winner of TMDK versus WCWC)

Match Number Two: Taylor Rust versus Jonah

Rust with a kick to the leg but Jonah blocks it. Rust with more kicks to the leg before they lock up and Jonah sends Rust to the mat. Rust with a waist lock but Jonah sends him to the mat. Rust with a hammer lock into a side head lock and drop toe hold. Rust poses. Rust with a waist lock and he cannot get Jonah up. Rust with a series of kick but Jonah with a running body block. Jonah with punches and Rust with a single leg crab. Rust with kicks to the hamstring but Jonah sends Rust away. Rust with chops and he connects with uppercuts to the leg. Jonah with a buckle bomb.

Rust rolls to the floor and Jonah follows. Jonah with a chop against the guardrails. Jonah with another chop and Rust with chops. Jonah with a forearm and he knocks Rust onto a ringside worker. Jonah with kicks to Rust. Jonah with a forearm to the back and a back elbow. Jonah with a head butt to the back of the head. Rust tries for a slam but fails. Jonah with a forearm and kick. Jonah with a waist lock. Rust gets to his feet but Jonah takes Rust back to the mat. Rust gets back to his feet and Jonah pulls Rust to the mat by the hair. Rust with elbows and forearms to Jonah but Jonah with a slam. Jonah misses a splash when Rust moves. Rust avoids a splash in the corner and Rust with a series of running forearms. Rust floats over on an Irish whip by Jonah and Rust with a scissors kick. Rust runs into a thrust kick. Jonah sends Rust chest first to the mat and Jonah goes to the turnbuckles. Rust with a Yakuza kick and chops to Jonah on the turnbuckles.

Rust gets Jonah on his shoulders and hits a Samoan drop for a near fall. Rust with a leg drop for a near fall. Rust wit a rolling elbow and boot followed by a rollup for a near fall. Rust goes up top and he hits a swanton for a near fall. Rust with a seated abdominal stretch and forearms to the ribs. Rust with boots to the ribs and he goes for an arm submission. Jonah gets to the ropes to force a break. Rust and Jonah exchange chops and forearms. Rust with kicks and a forearm but Jonah with forearms. Jonah with a clothesline and back senton for a near fall. Jonah with a spear and a frog splash for the three count.

Winner: Jonah

Match Number Three: Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls versus Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson in a First Round Match in the New Japan Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship Tournament

Nelson and Nicholls start things off and they lock up. Nelson misses a punch and Nicholls with a wrist lock. Nelson with a side head lock. Nelson with a shoulder tackle and Nicholls stays on his feet. Nelson stays on his feet on a shoulder tackle by Nicholls. Nelson with a back elbow and Nicholls with a shoulder tackle. Nicholls with a wrist lock and he tags Haste into the match.

Nicholls and Haste with a double back elbow and Haste with a first drop for a near fall. Haste with kicks and Nelson with forearms and uppercuts. Haste with a rana and he tries for a suplex but Isaacs tags in and connects with a dragon screw. Nelson with a drop kick to Haste and then he hits a suicide dive. Isaacs with a delayed vertical suplex to Haste. Isaacs and Nelson pose because they can. Isaacs with a kick and some more posing. Isaacs with a forearm and kicks in the corner. The referee pulls Isaacs out of the corner and Nelson rakes the eyes while the referee is not looking. Nelson tags in.

Nelson stomps on the ankle and he gets a near fall. Isaacs tags back in and Haste with chops out of the corner but Isaacs with a boot to Haste. Nelson tags in and hits a running double knee splash in the corner. Isaacs with a back breaker and Nelson gets a near fall. Nelson with a reverse chin lock and punches. Haste with slaps to Nelson and Nelson with a jumping knee to stop Haste. Nelson goes up top and Haste stops Nelson and hits a superplex. Both men are down. Nicholls and Isaacs tag in and Nicholls with elbows and a double clothesline to Isaacs and Nelson. Nichoolls with Irish whips and clotheslines. Nicholls with a snap mare and clothesline for a near fall. Nicholls tries to get Isaacs up and Isaacs with elbows. Nicholls misses a splash into the corner and Nelson with a spear. Nelson and Isaacs with a Michinoku Driver and power bomb combination for a near fall.

Nelson with a waist lock and Nicholls with a back elbow and DDT. Haste with a drop kick to Nelson and a running uppercut. Haste with a knee into the corner and Nicholls with a power slam to Isaacs while Haste hits a cannonball off Nicholls shoulders. They hit an elevated DDT combination on Nelson for a near fall. Haste goes up top and Nelson sends Nicholls into Haste. Isaacs and Nelson hit an assisted Dominator. Oisaacs with a power slam off the turnbuckles and Nelson with an elbow drop off the turnbuckles to Haste for a near fall.

Isaacs tags in and Nicholls trips Nelson. Haste with a kick and then they get Isaacs up for a double choke slam and the three count.

Winners: Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls (advance to face Christopher Daniels and Yuya Uemura)

We go to credits.

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