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From Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan:
1 - Katsuya Murashima and Ninja Mack vs. Koroku Yuya and MAO
Koroku Yuya and MAO are from the DDT Japanese wrestling company.
MAO has charisma and got a pop from the Korakuen crowd. Commentators put over both Koroku and MAO.
MAO pins Murashima after a thrust kick.
MAO takes the mic and introduces himself and Koroku to the crowd. He teases them being in the Super J Cup in May.
2 - Final Road: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
Tanahashi pins Taguchi after a High Fly Flow.
Both men bow to each other in the ring. Tanahashi takes his time to high five the fans around ringside.
3 - BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito vs. Jakob Austin Young, Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb
BUSHI went for a Monkey Flip on Cobb. Cobb blocks it, tosses BUSHI in the air and hits Tour of the Islands.
Cobb pins BUSHI
4 - Shingo Takagi and Yota Tsuji vs. Dick Togo and EVIL
EVIL's music plays, but does not come out. EVIL and Togo appear attacking Takagi and Tsuji and they brawl from the entryway to the the ring. EVIL hits Tsuji with the ring bell hammer, and applies the Darkness Scorpion. EVIL and Togo pull out all their tricks.
Takagi applies a rear naked choke on Togo and pins him with a cradle.
5 - Master Wato, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Gedo, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd and David Finlay
Kidd and Moloney enter the ringside and walk into the crowd and posing with fans of the War Dogs, just like babyfaces. Finlay is in heel mode.
There was a split chant for "Goto" and for "Finlay".
Wato hits a sunset flip on Gedo but transitions into Vendeval.
Gedo taps out.
6 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles vs. Taiji Ishimori and Robbie X
Solid match. Ishimori attacks the left arm and shoulder of Fujita. Lots of flying moves by both teams. Too much action to recap. Robbie X hits a Poisonrana and a Cutter on Eagles. Two count. Robbie X hits the X Express on Eagles. Two count. More reversals. Eagles hits a running kick to Robbie X.
Eagles pins Robbie X.
TMDK retain the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
After the match, Master Wato and YOH come out to declare themselves the next challengers. Eagles says that this was the second time that he cannot even get a breath until the next challengers come out. But he and Fujita accept the challenge.
Ring attendants set up the ring for the next match with trash cans, kendo sticks and other weapons.
7 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship (Hardcore Match): El Desperado vs. Clark Conners
Drilla Moloney, David Finlay, Gabe Kidd and Stardom wrestler, Thekla, accompany Conners to ringside.
They exchange strikes. They battle with chairs. Conners hits Desperado with a trash can. Conners hits a Jeep Flip which sends Desperado into the first few rows of chairs. They fight into the upper deck of Korakuen Hall. Conners fell down the bleachers and rolled into more chairs. Desperado throws Conners into the chairs and bleachers. Conners whipped Desperado into the steel post. Conners tries to hit Desperado with a steel chair, but Desperado ducks and the chair explodes on the steel post. Shards of the chair went flying hitting some ringside officials.
They fought into the crowd and started swinging kendo sticks. Both took shots to the head. (This was stupid and dangerous. They were swinging full force with the crowd very close to the fight.) At this point, a child started screaming at Conners. Conners actually grabbed the kid and young lions had to step in to separate them. (This was stupid too. Conners should not be grabbing a child.)
Conners used his belt and tied Desperado to the ring post. He beat Desperado's back with the kendo stick. Conners poured whiskey in the wounds on Desperado's back. The referee released Desperado's hands. Conners hit him in the gut with the kendo stick and throws him in the steel post.
Conners wraps his whiskey bottle in a Desperado towel he grabbed from a fan at ringside. He smashes the bottle against the steel post. Glass and whiskey goes everywhere. (STUPID!) Conners holds the bottle like a knife and holds it in the air and tries to stab Desperado. Desperado fights him off and grabs the bottle. Desperado asks him if he wants to give up. Conners told him "f**k you". Desperado rubs the bottle in Conners' head. Conners is now bleeding from the head. They throw each other into the turnbuckles. Desperado sets up chairs in the ring. Desperado tries to suplex Conners into the chairs. Conners reverses and powerbombs Desperado into the chairs. Desperado hits a suplex. Desperado grabs a chair wrapped in barbed wire from under the ring. UGH!
As Desperado gets in the ring, Conners hits a Gore into the chair which hits Desperado in the chest. Conners is grabbing his shoulder and Desperado grabbing his gut, both writhing in pain. Both men rip off pieces of barb wire off the chair. They wrap their fists in the wire. They start punching each other in the head. Conners slams Desperado on the chair. He hits Desperado in the back with the chair then drives his head into the chair. Two count. Desperado hits a back suplex on the chair. Two count. Desperado hits Pinche Loco. Conners kicks out. Desperado with another Pinche Loco. Conners with a Trophy Kill and a lariat. Two count. They fight to the top rope. Desperado hits a Spinebuster off the top rope to the floor through two tables. Insane bump by both men. They roll in the ring. Desperado makes a cover. Two count.
Desperado hits a piledriver, holds on, then hits a Pinche Loco.
Desperado pins Conners.
El Desperado retains the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.
After the match, Desperado cracks beers with Conners and they toast each other and salute each other with a middle finger.
Desperado likes to participate in "death matches" , which this was on a smaller scale. He still has scars on his back from going through glass from a match last month. This match did not need a hardcore stipulation. Conners made the challenge a month ago. The violence in this match would be to end a long feud, not a short one. The fans were put at risk in the match with flying glass and broken pieces from chairs, which was so stupid. Super J Cup is a month away. Both men should recover by then, but what if they really got hurt? The violence was unnecessary and it endangered fans.
Desperado takes the mic to address the fans. A video plays of Templario, a CMLL wrestler, who makes the United Empire crown. Templario is targeting El Desperado and the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.
Tomorrow is Sakura Genesis 2025, highlighted by Hirooki Goto vs. David Finlay.
Thank you for reading.
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