Ren Narita & Shota Umino b. Yuya Uemera & Yota Ysuji when Umino pinned Tsuji with a Fisherman Suplex – A good Young Lions showcase opening match.
A Block Tag Matches
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, & Chase Owens) b. Los Ingobernables De Japon (EVIL, SANADA, & BUSHI) when Owens pinned BUSHI with a Package Piledriver – For once there was no attack before the bell. The heels had the decency to attack from behind after the bell rang. Bullet Club got the heat on Sanada until Evil got the tag. LIJ rallied and triple-teamed Owens. A brawl broke out and spilled to the floor while Owens hit the Package Piledriver on BUSHI.
Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, & Zack Sabre Jr.) b. KENTA, Clark Connors, & Karl Fredericks when Suzuki pinned Connors with a Gotch Piledriver – The heels attacked before the bell and singled out Fredericks. Kenta got the tag and rallied his team. The babyfaces triple teamed Suzuki, allowing Connors to try a Boston Crab. Sabre broke the submission and a brawl broke out. Suzuki used the Rear Naked Choke on Connors and finally pinned him with the Gotch Piledriver.
After the match, the heels punched out the referee and attacked Kenta’s shoulder.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & YOSHI-HASHI b. Kota Ibushi, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, & Toa Henare when YOSHI-HASHI pinned Henare with a Fisherman Buster – It is still a little surreal to see Tanahashi and Okada teaming. Okada and Ibushi began. Ibushi got cut off and worked over. He countered with a Double Stomp and tagged in Ospreay, who rallied back for his team. Henare and Hashi were left in the ring while everybody else brawled on the floor. Hashi used a Fisherman Buster to get the pin.
B Block Tournament Matches
Toru Yano (3-4, 6) b. Taichi w/ Miho Abe (3-4, 6) via countout – Taichi kept leaving the ring every time Yano tried to lock up. Eventually, Yano just turned and left. When Yano made it to the stage, he got attacked by Yoshinobu Kanemaru. As Taichi waited in the ring, Kanemaru wrapped Yano up in the ring apron like a mummy. Yano still made it in on a count of 18 and the referee helped him out of the wrap. Yano then removed the turnbuckle pad and threw it at Taichi. Taichi threw it right back and vice versa, like a game of Hot Potato. The match spilled outside of the ring where Yano hit both Taichi and Kanemaru with low blows and wrapped them together in the apron. He then climbed back in the ring and got the countout victory.
IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito (4-3, 8) p. Jeff Cobb (3-4, 6) with Destino – Naito got in a sumo like stance to mock Cobb. Naito got tossed around for the first few minutes before he halted Cobb’s momentum with kicks to the knees. Cobb caught Naito when he tried his corner combination and heaved him overhead with a belly to belly suplex. A delayed Superplex by Cobb got a near fall. Again Cobb went to the top, this time for a powerslam. Naito reversed and hit a reverse hurricanrana at the 15-minute mark. Cobb reversed a Destino into an F5. Naito managed to reverse a Tour Of The Islands into a Destino for a two count. Naito hit a second Destino and got the pin. That win eliminates Taichi.
Hirooki Goto (4-3, 8) p. IWGP US Champion Jon Moxley w/Shota Umino (5-2, 10) with a GTR – Goto offered a double fistbump which Moxley replied with a stiff one. The match quickly spilled to the floor where Moxley ran Goto into the barricade. They traded dueling strikes on the floor and almost got counted out. Both men dashed in at 19 and went right back to trading blows. Moxley hit a Regal Knee for a two count. Goto responded with several kicks. Moxley tried for a GTR, but Goto reversed at the last moment to a GTR and got the pin. What was impressive for Goto was this was about an eight minute match.
Jay White (4-3, 8) s. Juice Robinson (3-4, 6) with a TTO – Obviously these two have history dating back to last year’s US Title feud. Naturally, White would flee from the ring anytime Juice got any offense in just to attack from behind on the outside. He focused on Juice’s knee and dropped it across chairs. Juice kicked White to the floor at the ten-minute mark. White cut Juice off and took control back at 15:00 and back suplexed Juice to the floor. Smelling bloode, White quickly tossed Juice back in the ring and hit a uranage for a two-count. Juice made a brief comeback and used the Elevated Crab. White escaped and put Juice in the TTO. When Jucie made the rope break, White continued to work on the knee. At 20:00 Juice reversed a Blade Runner into a roll-up. White escaped Pulp Friction and tried to reverse into a Blade Runner. Juice countered with the Left Hand Of God and signaled for the Pulp Friction. Gedo distracted Red Shoes so White could low blow Juice. White also tossed White into Red Shoes for the ref bump. Juice tried a Pulp Friction on a chair but White escaped and used the chair on Juice’s leg. He put Jucie back into the TTO as Red Shoes was revived. Juice tapped out shortly afterward.
Shingo Takagi (2-5, 4) p. NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii (4-3, 8) with Last Of The Dragon – Takagi is already eliminated, but Ishii will still stand a chance should he get the victory. The two began by charging into each other like bulls. Neither man gained any sustained momentum in the opening minutes. They traded chops, strikes, headbutts, and just about everything else. Finally the two exchanged suplexes that ended in a double down. Takagi hit Noshigami and followed up with a sliding lariat for a two-count. Ishii also kicked out of Made In Japan and a Pumping Bomber. Ishii made a comeback and hit his own sliding lariat for a two-count. Ishii went for a brainbuster at 20:00 that Takagi reversed into a Jackhammer. Ishii next NO-SOLD A PUMPING BOMBER and hit his own that Takagi kicked out of at 1. Takagi hit another Pumping Bomber which only got a one-count. Then they hit each other simultaneously. And finally Takagi hit one more for a two-count. That’s like five Pumping Bombers. Takagi then finished off Ishii with Last Of The Dragon. An amazing physical match that will hopefully get a title shot for Takagi.
After the match, Takagi cut the traditional show-closing promo saying that Ishii isn’t human. Takagi added that while he cannot with the G1, he wanted suitable fights and got them.
B Block Standings
10 Hirooki Goto
10 Jay White
10 Jon Moxley
10 Tetsuya Naito
8 Tomohiro Ishii
6 Jeff Cobb
6 Juice Robinson
8 Toru Yano
6 Shingo Takagi
6 Taichi
