It is time for the final event for New Japan in 2018.
The same video package covering the year of 2018 played from the previous day.
Shota Umino & Ayato Yoshida d. Ren Narita & Teruaki Kanemitsu at 15 minutes. The time limit expired when Umino had Kanemitsu in a Boston Crab, the standard Young Lion submission hold. This was another showcase of the Young Lions. Umino & Yoshida competed in the World Tag Leauge, but did not win a single match. Though to be fair, Young Lions rarely, if ever, defeat established talent. Kanemitsu is returning from a career threatening injury in November of 2016. This was also 15 minutes as opposed to the usual 10 minute time limit for Young Lions matches. After the match, Kanemitsu bowed for the crowd.
Roppongi 3K (Sho, Yoh, & Rocky Romero) b. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, & Toa Henare when Yoh pinned Tiger following a 3K. This was a great faced paced match with a lot of high flying, with Henare in the power man role. He used Yoh as a battering ram against the other Roppongi 3K members. Tiger Mask tried to pin Sho with a Cruciffix, but Yoh broke the pin. Sho & Yoh hit the 3K (3D) on Tiger Mask to get the pin. The announcers speculated if the team of Liger, Tiger, & Henare might be part of the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Gauntlet match. It’s worth noting that The Guerrillas Of Destiny and Taiji Ishimori are teh current Six Man Champions. Unless something happens, that means all three men will wrestle twice.
After the match everybody shook hands in a show of sportsmanship.
Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto b. Minoru Suzuki & Takeshi Iizuka when Ishii pinned Iizuka with a Brainbuster. Of course, the match immediately spilled to the outside in the opening minutes. It’s a wonderful display of carnage when Ishii and Suzuki are in the ring. Just two scary dudes pummeling each other. As expected a four way brawl broke out, but Ishii managed to land the Brainbuster to get the pin on Iizuka. Ishii will be facing Zack Sabre Jr. at WrestleKingdom.
After the match, Suzuki grabbed a few of the Young Lions at ringside and beat on them.
EVIL & SANADA b. Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens when Sanada pinned Owens after a Magic Killer. I still say SANADA has one of the simplest but coolest theme songs right now. Owens tried to tie up Sanada in the Paradise Lock, but apparently didnt do it right, as Sanada was able to stand right back up. Sanada then returned the favor and properly tied up Owens in a real Paradise Lock. In a poetic move, EVIL and SANADA hit an Indytaker on Takahashi, and a Magic Killer on Owens to get the win.
Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI) b. Suzuki-Gun (Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & El Desperado) when Naito pinned Kanemaru with Destino. Like the last Suzuki-Gun match, this spilled outside right off the bat. Desperado clobbered Takagi with a bottle, busting him open and nearly causing a countout. Once Naito got in, LIJ faired much better. Desperado broke up a pin atempt on Kanemaru. However that proved to be for naught because Takagi disposed of Desperado, and Naito hit Destino on Kanemaru to win the match.
Jericho’s music hit. As LIJ waited for him to appear, he ran out from behind and leveled all the LIJ members with a chair. He then proceeded to walk through the crowd and berate anybody to their faces wearing LIJ merchandise. After Jericho left, LIJ licked their wounds and made their way backstage.
Bullet Club (Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, & Taiji Ishimori) b. Kazuchika Okada, IWGP Junior Heavyweight KUSHIDA, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, & Toru Yano when Loa pinned Honma with his Over The Shoulder Piledriver (the actual name is vulgar). This time, the babyfaces jumped the heels. Okada and White fought on the outside while the match began in the ring. Soon everybody was brawling on the outside. The heels got the heat on Kushida. Each time Kushida tried to tag out, Bullet Club would knock the teammates down to prevent it. Okada finally got the hot tag and ran wild. During the obligatory multi-man brawl, Loa managed to hit Honma with his Over The Shoulder Piledriver to win the match.
Bullet Club stood tall in the ring. Okada, perhaps foolishly, hit the ring alone. Bullet Club quickly beat him down and left him laying.
The Golden Lovers (IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega & NEVER Openweight Champion Kota Ibushi) b. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay when Omega pinned Ospreay following a Golden Trigger. This match was made due to Ospreay challenging Ibushi for the NEVER Openweight Championship, and Tanahashi challenging Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. A back and forth match with neither team truly playing heel. Ospreay took the beating, which lead to Tanahashi getting the hot tag and scoring several near falls on Omega. The Lovers dropped Ospreay to the outside. Omega tried the You Can’t Escape, only for Ospreay to known him off the turnbuckle. Ospreay and Ibushi tagged in and exchanged some big moves and near falls. Omega tagged in and knocked Tanahashi off the apron to prevent a tag, leaving Ospreay to fend for himself. Ibushi tried to hurracanra Ospreay off the top turnbuckle. In an incredible exchange, Ospreay managed to flip to his feet. Double tag out to Omega and Tanahashi. Omega started to heel it up, hitting Tanahashi with a Slingblade. This effetively made Omega the heel for the match. Omega and Ibushi both went to the top, presumably to go for a Golden Shower (Of course it’s the name of the move. Why are you looiking at me like that). Ospreay sprang to his feet and hit both men witha Spanish Fly. Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow, followed with Ospreay hitting a Shooting Star. It most assuredly would have been the finish had Ibushi not broken the pin. All four men were down. Ospreay fired up and tried a Stormbreaker on Omega, which Omega dodged and hit a reverse hurricanrana. Ospreay escaped a One Winged Angel and almost got the pin with his own hurricanrana. Ibushi caught Osreay trying to go for the Oscutter. The Lovers hit an Indytaker for a near fall. After Ospreay kicked out, he got hit with the Golden Trigger, which got teh pinfall for Omega. Excellent match!
After the match, The Golden Lovers posed with their title belts in the ring. Omega cut a promo in Japanese saying “It’s not about age, it’s about experience”, but he still doesn’t like Tanahashi. He then sang White Christmas as snow fell in the ring. Ibushi said he and Ospreay will have a great match at WrestleKingdom, and he looks forward to teaming with Omega again.
And that leaves us to wait for WrestleKingdom, a little less than three weeks away.
