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Welcome to the New Japan on AXS TV report!
We are at Battle Autumn in Osaka, Japan!
IWGP World Tag Team Championship: Great O-Khan and Jeff Cobb vs. FTR, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood
Watching FTR coming to the ring with the IWGP Tag Titles in a Japanese ring was awesome. Lots of goosebumps. I hope it was a special moment for them.
Cash starts with Cobb. They exchange headlock take downs. Cash takes Cobb down with a hurricanrana. Dax and O-Khan tag in. They exchange chops. Dax with a snap suplex. FTR hits quick double team moves. Cobb catches Dax on the floor and United Empire gets the advantage. Cobb goes for an arm bar on Dax. Dax counters with a Dragon Screw. Cobb knocks Cash off the apron to prevent a tag. O-Khan tags in and works over Dax’s arm. Dax hits a DDT on O-Khan. Cash gets the hot tag. He hits a lariat on O-Khan. He hits a German suplex on Cobb. Damn! Cobb rallies and tries for a deadlift suplex on Cash off the ropes. Dax saves him and Cash puts Cobb on his shoulders. Dax comes off the top rope with a Bulldog. O-Khan breaks the count. O-Khan tosses Cash across the ring with an Exploder. O-Khan drags Cobb to their corner so he can legally tag in.
O-Khan and Dax trade elbows and lariats. O-Khan takes Dax down with an STO. Cash stomps on O-Khan. Cobb charges at Cash who sidesteps him and Cobb goes to the floor. Cash goes for a plancha but Cobb catches him and drops him on the guardrails. Cobb charges at Cash but he dodges and Cobb goes over the rail to the concrete. Cash tags Dax. Dax hits a Superplex and Cash hits a splash. Cobb breaks up the count. Cobb picks up Cash for a Tour of the Islands. Dax chop blocks Cobb, while Cash hits a DDT. FTR sets up O-Khan for a Big Rig, but O-Khan fights out of it. O-Khan hits a TTD (Tenzan Tomstone Driver) on Cash. Two count. O-Khan goes for an Eliminator. Cash reverses out. Tags in Dax. O-Khan whips Cash to the ropes. Cash slides under his legs. Dax picks up O-Khan and FTR hits the Big Rig.
Dax pins O-Khan.
FTR retain the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles!
FTR held the belts high and thanked the Osaka audience. They applauded with respect. O-Khan sold the effect of Big Rig on his way to the locker room. Cobb was selling the chop block. Cash checks on Cobb as he limps away. Dax gave a big kiss to the IWGP Belt showing his respect for the Title. Dax shakes Hiroshi Tanahashi’s hand who was at ringside for commentary. FTR shakes hands with fans at ringside on the way back to the locker room.
Phenomenal match. FTR performed so well in this match. They are a complete throwback to what tag team wrestling and having rules is supposed to be. When you compare the earlier tag matches on this show, often there were few or no tags just so the action keeps going, which is common of New Japan tag matches. I give credit to Cobb and O-Khan. They sold and they kept to the rules of tag team wrestling. O-Khan dragged Cobb to his corner so he could legally tag. The cameras made sure to catch the tags as they happened. United Empire wrestled to FTR’s style of match, rather than just punch and kick strong style match. United Empire lost the Tag Titles in 3-way matches. Now that FTR beat them in a straight on tag match with no interference, United Empire cannot make that excuse anymore.
I was afraid that FTR would be squashed. But they got the rub and respect from Cobb, O-Khan and New Japan, that they are one of, if not the best tag team in the world. At this one event, I think FTR got more from New Japan than Tony Khan has ever gave them.
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