Since January 4’s Wrestling Kingdom show, New Japan have been forced to undergo a few changes, thanks to the high-profile exists of four top stars. In spite of the losses of Messrs Styles, Nakamura, Gallows and Anderson, New Japan have kept rolling on, with Tetsuya Naito’s capture of the IWGP Heavyweight title sending the company in a new direction.
The weeks building up to Wrestling Dontaku have centred around two feuds – CHAOS vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (mostly Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii), and the old guard vs. the new guard, highlighted by KUSHIDA vs. Jushin Liger and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata. It’s led to a rather tasty ten-match card for this event – so let’s get going!
Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson
Not much of anything really; this match went about five minutes, with Bad Luck Fale killing the Captain with the Grenade. **
Kazushi Sakuraba, Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo vs. David Finlay, Jay White, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask
Will Ospreay makes it back onto the New Japan cards after coming close against KUSHIDA last time out – and this time, the New Japan captioners get his name right!
Again, fairly basic stuff to start us off with, and it takes YOSHI-HASHI to take things to the floor before things pick up, as Jay White gets triple-teamed by the guard rails. Taguchi does his usual Nakamura tribute spots after a load of hip attacks to Gedo and YOSHI-HASHI. Ospreay’s involvement was fairly limited, but he wowed the crowd with a handspring plancha to the floor, before dropping David Finlay with a springboard Ace crusher for the win. It’s hard for anyone to stick out in these matches, but Ospreay getting the fall has to be a sign of things to come. **¾
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Roppongi Vice (Beretta & Rocky Romero) (c)
They go outside the ring really early on, with Romero throwing Ricochet into the floor seats, leading Sydal all alone against the champions. Romero wore down Sydal with a seated octopus hold in the ring, but once Ricochet made the hot tag, he cleared house on Roppongi Vice.
The challengers scored a near-fall following stereo standing moonsaults, but Beretta’s effort at blocking a tornado DDT failed, as it only delayed the inevitable, with Ricochet scoring a near-fall. Ricochet then missed a 630 Splash, but Sydal’s interference prevented Beretta from capitalising. Beretta scored a near-fall with the Dudebuster (belly-to-back piledriver) after Ricochet had successfully hit a 630 Splash.
Sydal took out Beretta with a reverse ‘rana after a failed Dudebuster attempt, before the challengers hit stereo shooting star presses to once again become IWGP Junior tag team champions. I guess that kills the Ricochet-to-WWE rumours for a little while. Good match – given plenty of time, and really should have been the opener of this show ***½
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Championship: Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yoshitatsu (c)
A seemingly late addition, after Kenny Omega’s Intercontinental title win over Michael Elgin last time out meant that Omega’s new nemesis (for now) is Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The first big spot of the match came as the champions hit three simultaneous suplexes on their Elite opponents, before Yoshitatsu and Michael Elgin double-teamed Omega for a spell. Matt Jackson interfered to prevent a High Fly Flow from Tanahashi, and that led to a trio of topes from the Elite as the momentum swung towards the challengers.
Nick Jackson pounded on Yoshitatsu in the corner for a while, before Michael Elgin came in and flattened both of the Young Bucks with clotheslines… then literally, by catching a sling-shotting Matt and hauling him into a Falcon Arrow for a near-fall. The Young Bucks then teased the Meltzer Driver on Tanahashi, but he was able to fight free, dishing out a Dragon Screw to Kenny Omega before going for a Texas Cloverleaf… a hold which then transitioned to Matt Jackson after his interference.
Enter the freeze spray as Omega blinded Tanahashi… he then tried it again, only to blind referee Tiger Hattori as Tanahashi ducked the spray, before Omega delivered a low blow to the ref. The Elite then set up a table and a ladder, and of course, it meant that they took it, with Nick Jackson being powerbombed into the ladder by Elgin. Elgin eventually took a sunset flip powerbomb through the table courtesy of Omega, with a little help from the Bucks, who then got wiped out with a ladder-assisted dropkick.
Yoshitatsu then went all Triple H on the elite with knee strikes, but was superkicked out of a Pedigree attempt, and then fell to Kenny Omega’s One Winged Angel as the Elite regained the six-man titles. Good match, even with the Elite’s weapons-laden spots. ***½
Post-match, Yoshitatsu looked to be set up for a Meltzer Driver with the Young Bucks coming off the ladder, but he was saved by Tanahashi who bodyslammed Omega onto a ladder who then rolled to safety as Tanahashi looked to hit the High Fly Flow. Can anyone else say “ladder match”? Tanahashi got the crowd to chant “say yes” as he challenged Omega, and of course, Omega refused again… unless it was a ladder match. There we go! And I’ll be making myself look dumb, but I guess this is going to be the first ladder match in New Japan?
IWGP Tag Team Championship: Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (c)
Usual stuff here, with a Bullet Club jump start and brawling outside the ring in the early going. Inside the ring, Honma finally connected with a staggering Kokeshi headbutt, but Makabe wound up falling to a spinebuster as Tanga Loa scored a near-fall.
Honma came back in and ran riot on Tonga with (you guessed it) a Kokeshi, before they played run-the-ropes, ending with a lariat flooring Tonga. Honma and Makabe caught Tonga with a Doomsday Device, then looked to follow up, but Loa used a chain to knock down both of the challengers. The end came when Tonga drilled Honma with a Gun Stun, before Loa came in to assist with the double-team elevated DDT, as Tonga made the cover to retain the titles.
This was another decent match, but it felt like it was missing something. For me, the Guerrillas of Destiny (or Distiny, for the New Japan graphics guys) just aren’t clicking. **¾
They then announced the competitor’s for this year’s Best of Super Juniors tournament… In block A: KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi, Kyle O’Reilly, Matt Sydal, Rocky Romero, Gedo, BUSHI and Matt Jackson. In block B: Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Tiger Mask, Bobby Fish, Beretta, Nick Jackson, Ricochet, Volador Jr, and Will Ospreay. That’s going to be one hell of a tournament, running between May 21 and June 6.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuyori Shibata (c)
After disposing of Hiroyoshi Tenzan at Invasion Attack, Shibata turns his sights towards another of New Japan’s elders, in the form of Yuji Nagata. They grappled early on, with both men trying for a heel hook, before going for the typical Strong Style strikes.
Shibata locked in a Figure Four, which Nagata eventually fought to reverse, before flooring Shibata with a running knee to the midsection. Nagata went for an armbar, but Shibata flipped out into the same sleeperhold that Nagata went loopy in several weeks ago, only for the veteran Nagata to make the ropes.
Nagata knocked Shibata to the mat with a variety of stiff kicks and knees, following up with a brainbuster for a near-fall. Shibata replied with a bridging German suplex for a near-fall, but Nagata caught a kick and dumped the champion on his head with a backdrop driver for another two-count. Nagata kept up the pressure, and after a running kick to the chest, he dropped Shibata with a backdrop driver, holding on for the pin to become the new NEVER Openweight champion.
This was exactly what I expected – a stiff, brutal, hard hitting match that I suspect was a lot more fun to watch than to be a part of. Unless you were Shinpei Nogami on commentary screaming “Blue Justice!” over and over, and coming close to nirvana as a result of this match! ****
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. KUSHIDA (c)
Hey, Liger’s got his proper “Ikari no Jushin” theme song – no dubbing for him today! Liger starts off by grounding KUSHIDA, with armdrags and headscissors, before catching him in a seated surfboard and the pendulum swing. A more traditional surfboard follows, as Liger looks to catch a few waves.
KUSHIDA gets a break and looks to work on Liger’s arm, preparing for an attempt at the Hoverboard lock, but Liger ends up outside and drops KUSHIDA with a suplex on the floor. KUSHIDA beats the count to return to the ring, but takes a running Liger bomb for a near-fall, followed by a huracanrana out of the corner, but KUSHIDA rolls through into a sunset flip for another two-count.
KUSHIDA keeps up the pressure with a handspring elbow and a standing moonsault on Liger for a near-fall, but a top-rope moonsault sees KUSHIDA get nothing but knees as Liger tries for a Hoverboard lock of his own. Liger loses it, and gets caught in a cross armbreaker, only to break free and trap KUSHIDA in an ankle lock.
KUSHIDA was forced to kick out of a brainbuster at two, as Liger started to prepare for a Shotei palm strike, but KUSHIDA ducked and hit a roaring elbow, then rolled through into a Hoverboard lock as Liger eventually tapped. Good match, but a shade below the prior old vs. young match ***¾
EVIL vs. Hirooki Goto
EVIL meets Goto in the aisle, but gets planted into the ringpost as they switch things up by starting with the fight-on-the-floor spots. EVIL waffled Goto with a chair, and went for the “wear a chair” spot, except EVIL smashed another chair into the one around Goto’s neck.
Goto beat the count to get back in, where he absorbed some more punishment, before mounting a comeback, drilling EVIL in the corner with a spinning wheel kick. EVIL replied with a swinging neckbreaker, but was able to squirm out of a ushigorishi attempt… but fell to the move at the second try for a near-fall.
Goto and EVIL traded off with stiff clotheslines, before EVIL dropped Goto with a fireman’s carry into a powerbomb for a near-fall, followed by an STO for the win. That seemed to come out of nowhere, but it capped off another solid, hard-hitting affair between these two ***¼
SANADA vs. Kazuchika Okada
The second of three CHAOS vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon matches here, as Okada looks to get revenge on SANADA after his interference cost him the IWGP Heavyweight title at Invasion Attack. This is also a match we can definitely file under “TNA had both of these guys, and did nothing with them”
A very tentative start from both guys quickly ended with SANADA refused a clean break at the ropes and started laying into Okada, hitting an impressive leapfrog, rewind leapfrog then a dropkick before taking the action outside. SANADA gave Okada a piledriver on the floor at the count of 14, but both men beat the 20 count to get back into the ring – which kinda kills that move, if you think about it.
Back on the floor, Okada drops SANADA with an elevated DDT off the crowd barrier – which was sold more than that piledriver; they made it back into the ring briefly, but SANADA sent Okada back to the outside with a springboard dropkick, following up with a plancha to the floor. SANADA found himself taken out with a reverse neckbreaker drop from Okada, who couldn’t make the cover, but a series of diving dropkicks put Okada on top for a while as things went back and forth. A missed Rainmaker ended up with SANADA catching him in the scissored Dragon sleeper, but the former champion fought free, only to be dropped with a TKO for a near-fall.
SANADA missed a top rope moonsault as the match headed into the final stretch, as Okada twice tried for a tombstone piledriver, but finally hit it after avoiding the Dragon Sleeper, then nailed a Rainmaker to seal the win ***¾
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito (c)
Ishii was accompanied to the ring by Gedo and Kazuchika Okada, in an effort to neutralise the expected interference from the rest of Los Ingobernables de Japon. SANADA didn’t make the journey to ringside, with only BUSHI and EVIL accompanying Naito.
As soon as the bell rang, the Fukuoka crowd were loudly behind Naito, whose decision to break from the ropes with Ishii with a spit probably wasn’t for the best, as Ishii retaliated with stiff headbutts and strikes.
They went back to the floor again, with EVIL delivering his second chair-around-the-throat spot of the evening, this time with Ishii being the victim. Inside the ring, Naito worked over Ishii in the corner, before using some headscissors to keep the challenger grounded. Ishii returned the favour with a low dropkick, as he started to work over Naito’s right knee, with elbows and a Dragon screw sending the champion to the mat. Ishii grounded Naito with a heel hook, then went up for a superplex, only for Naito to headbutt himself free and connect with a missile dropkick that was… no-sold by Ishii.
Naito tried to follow up with a German suplex, but ended up shoving Ishii into the referee, and then giving a drop-toe hold into the ropes so EVIL could wallop him with a chair. With the referee back on his feet, Naito went for the Koji clutch, then finally drilled Ishii with a German suplex for a near-fall. Ishii elbowed his way out of a Gloria, then continued the assault on Naito’s knee with a knee crusher, and a shoulder kneebreaker.
Ishii thought he’d won it with a folding powerbomb, but Naito’s kick-out saw him go straight into a heel hook as Gedo and Okada held back the rest of Los Ingobernables de Japon. Ishii cinched in the hold even more as Naito looked to be close to tapping, but he ended up catching the referee in the eyes, as BUSHI and EVIL made it into the ring to assault Ishii. Where’s SANADA?!
Ishii avoided an STO and pushed EVIL into the path of an Okada dropkick as the pair of them wandered down the aisle and to the back. In the ring, Ishii flattened Naito with a lariat for a near-fall, before Naito used his knee to avoid an Ishii driller (suplex into a piledriver). A second attempt at the driller saw Naito counter into a DDT, then connect with a missile dropkick to the back of Ishii’s head, before scoring another two-count from a super hurricanrana.
Ishii kicked out at two after a Gloria, but avoided a Destino from Naito… only to be planted with a spinebuster, and turn another Destino attempt into a inverted brainbuster at the last second. Naito responded with a brainbuster of his own, with a Dragon suplex giving us yet another near-fall, before finally connecting with Destino to retain the title! What a match! ****¼
The audience watching in Japan via TV Asahi – New Japan’s current broadcast partner – didn’t see the end of this one, as in a WCW-like move, the company exceeded their four hour timeslot for the event. Whoops!
Well, that blew last month’s WrestleMania out of the water – with only one truly bad match on the card (and it being where you’d expect it), Wrestling Dontaku well and truly delivered. Both of the young vs. old matches were stellar, as were all three CHAOS vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon matches. New Japan may be having some other issues, as witnessed by the low crowd for last week’s show at Hataka Star Lanes, but in the ring, their product is exceeding even their own lofty expectations.