We’re back at Korakuen Hall for the start of another mini-sprint, opening today with an elimination match in the main event.
Quick Results
Yota Tsuji submitted Gabriel Kidd in 7:25 (**¾)
Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito pinned Master Wato, SHO, Kota Ibushi & Tomoaki Honma in 15:14 (***)
Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Kazuchika Okada pinned Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL & Dick Togo in 10:25 (**¾)
Jado was the last man standing in an elimination match at 23:59 (**¾)
Yup, that’s a four-match card folks. On a show where tickets were priced at a flat £60/$80. Still, we’ve got some fresh faces on the card, with the United Empire out, replaced by Suzuki-gun vs. Bullet Club ahead of their tag title match later this month. Kevin Kelly’s flying solo once more.
Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji
It’s a welcome-back to in ring action for Gabriel Kidd for the first time since New Year Dash.
After taking Tsuji to the corner early on, the pair went back-and-forth over a wristlock, with Kidd getting taken down. He used headscissors to free himself, but Kidd keeps him there until Tsuji did a headstand… but he’s caught right back in those headscissors. Tsuji gets free and grapevines the legs, but Kidd gets up and heads to the ropes, breaking with a chop before he took Tsuji down in an armbar.
Tsuji gets free and works a leglock, but Kidd tries to break it up with a cross armbar, forcing to give up the hold as Tsuji rolled him up. Kidd snaps back on the arm before stomping away on Tsuji, before a chinlock gave Tsuji something new to fight out of. He does so with elbows, but needed two goes on a slam after Kidd fought free.
Taking Kidd to the corner, Tsuji leaps in with a splash before hiptossing him out of the corner, as a splash gets a two-count. Elbows knock Kidd into the ropes, but Kidd returns with a dropkick as a suplex followed for a two-count. A butterfly suplex looks to follow, but Kidd lets go and instead hits a sunset flip for a two-count. Chops sting, but Tsuji cuts off Kidd with a spear as a slam almost got the win, before a Boston crab flipped Kidd over… eventually forcing the submission. A solid enough Young Lion opener, with Tsuji stretching his win-loss record over the Nottingham native. **¾
Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI) vs. Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma, SHO & Master Wato
We’re building up to Hiroshima next week, with three matches on tap. Yeah, we’ve been here before!
Ibushi and SANADA start things off, sweeping around the mat as they looked for a hold. Ibushi grabs a wristlock, but it’s reversed as SANADA’s hammerlock is quickly countered out of, as we reached a stand-off. Tags switch us to BUSHI and Wato, with Wato charging in as the pair trade chops, until Wato hits a leapfrog, a back elbow… then cartwheeled away from BUSHI.
A leaping back kick has BUSHI down, before Wato’s elbows knocked BUSHI into the corner. SHO tags in to calm Wato down… but he just goes to knock Hiromu off the apron before focusing on BUSHI’s left arm. An overhead wristlock and a trip takes BUSHI down for a two-count, before Honma came in and shoved BUSHI into Naito on the apron.
A hiptoss from Honma leaves BUSHI down… but he misses a Kokeshi as LIJ flood the ring and take over. SHO’s hurtled into the guard rails, before LIJ put a stomping onto Honma in the middle of the ring. BUSHI gets a two-count from a lackadaisical cover, as Hiromu came in and chopped Honma into the corner. Hiromu keeps it going with a clothesline and a low dropkick for a two-count, before Honma got cornered for another mugging.
Naito’s in for a low dropkick in the corner, before a back elbow and a second low dropkick left Honma prone for a neckbreaker… but instead of getting the cover, Naito just throws him into the corner as LIJ ran wild once more, leading to a stumbling inverted atomic drop and a roll-through pin that SHO barely broke up.
Honma stops Naito with a headbutt and a DDT, buying him time as tags bring in SANADA and Ibushi as they go back-and-forth, leading to a low dropkick that caught out Ibushi. A plancha followed for a near-fall. Back inside, Ibushi hits a PK, but they both miss standing moonsaults before Ibushi edged ahead with a springboard missile dropkick. Tags give us SHO and Hiromu to up the ante, but SHO’s spear is caught as Hiromu chopped him into the corner. SHO kicks away Hiromu’s leg as kicks leave him laying, only for Hiromu to return with a tied-up Dragon screw. Lifted onto the apron, Hiromu leaps over a leg sweep then returned to the ring, blocking an O’Connor roll before getting punted in the back. Some more back-and-forth leads to a thrust kick from Hiromu, then a lariat from SHO as both men were left laying
Master Wato tags in and clears the apron as Hiromu’s isolated and cornered, eventually getting thrown into a spinning roundhouse from Wato for a near-fall. Hiromu blocks Recientemente as the ring began to fill for a Parade of Moves, including almost a V-Trigger from Ibushi to SANADA, before Wato blocked Hiromu and BUSHI’s double-team. Instead he eats a pair of superkicks, before a BUSHI lungblower and a Timebomb 2 from Hiromu got the win. This was fine, but Korakuen being emptier than usual meant that the energy just simply wasn’t there for folks to feed off of as they trundle towards Hiroshima. ***
Bullet Club (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo) vs. Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
So we’re going 3-and-1 in terms of the show format… just as well really, as going to interval after 35 minutes might not have been a great idea!
The Bullet Club lads jump before the bell, as we’re left with EVIL and Togo cornering Yano to start with. Yano bops Togo on the head, then shoved EVIL into Okada’s boot before the CHAOS lads clubbed away on Togo. Yano goes to undo a turnbuckle, but Dick Togo beats him to it, bopping him with his corner’s pad before throwing Yano into the exposed corner.
On the outside, EVIL chucks Okada into the time keeper’s table, as we’d not had that for a while, while Yano ate a fist drop from Togo back inside for a two-count. Yujiro’s in to stomp away on Yano, then throw him into that exposed corner, where an eye rake from Togo was waiting for him. EVIL’s in next with an arm wringer, before Yano again ate the exposed corner… eventually coming back with a hair pull as Yano finally tagged in Okada.
Okada goes right for EVIL, landing a back elbow off the ropes before a DDT landed for a two-count. A slam followed as Okada looked for a senton atomico, but EVIL’s up quickly as he instead got caught in the corner by Togo as EVIL charged in and followed up with a Fisherman buster for a near-fall.
Yujiro’s back in to try for a leg sweep, but instead runs into a flapjack as Ishii came in and swung for Yujiro, eventually charging him down off the ropes. Dick Togo tries to sneak in, but he’s thrown into the exposed corner. EVIL tries the same, but has no luck as Yujiro eventually hot shots Ishii into the ropes. A Fisherman buster from Yujiro’s countered, but he bites his way free as Yano made a save… and got cracked by Togo in the ropes before getting clotheslined.
The ring continues to fill as Ishii’s left laying, leading to Yujiro grabbing his pimp cane as the referee was distracted. Ishii eats a pair of cane shots before an Incolle slam gets a two-count with Okada breaking it up. From there, Yujiro looks for Pimp Juice, but Yano bakes the save, then kicked the middle rope into Togo and EVIL’s groins as Yujiro got battered. Okada neckbreaker slam, Ishii sliding lariat, then a sheer drop brainbuster, and that’s all folks. Exactly what you’d expect here, with the shenanigans at the start, and Keystone Cops-like stuff from EVIL and Togo at the end. **¾
HEY! We have a happening! After the match, Jay White runs out and attacked Tomohiro Ishii, laying him out with a Blade Runner.
Elimination: Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI) vs. Bullet Club (Guerillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa), Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado)
As always here, eliminations come via pinfall, submission, count-out, DQ or being thrown over the top. I guess TKO too if you’re being picky…
There’s some kerfuffle before the bell as Taichi’s wondering where Tama Tonga’s got his Iron Fingers, and all hell breaks loose as Tama poked the bear a little too much. At least it’s lively. Taichi throws Tama into the corner and throttles him, before Tama tried to throw him out over the top… but the rest of Suzuki-gun made a save as they proceeded to all choke on Tama in the corner with their boots.
Sabre comes in to twist Tama’s head between his leds, and things don’t get much better either as DOUKI came in to keep forcing the issue. He stops himself as Jado waited with a Kendo stick, but the distraction allows Tama to get up… but he’s low bridged by DOUKI and sails over the top to the outside, but the referee misses it. Cue more bedlam on the outside as Jado cracks DOUKI in the back with the Kendo stick, before a back body drop back inside from Tama Tonga keeps DOUKI on the deck.
Jado ties up DOUKI with a cravat, then entices the Suzuki-gun crew into the ring. We go old school with some rope raking to DOUKI’s eyes. ELP’s in to cartwheel around as DOUKI’s continually worn down. There’s a senton atomico from Tanga Loa… then Tama… and Jado? He eschews the senton, instead keeping his feet on the ground as DOUKI tried to swat a fly in the form of a chop.
A back suplex from Jado gets a two-count on DOUKI, before a chinlock’s elbowed out of. DOUKI kicks away a back body drop, then hits a low dropkick before tags got us to Taichi and Tanga Loa. There we go! Taichi throttles Loa into the corner, then goes after Tama before Ishimori got the same treatment. A back rake from ELP earns him a goozle too, before ELP and Ishimori ate Axe bombers.
ZSJ comes in to help with a PK to Tanga Loa, before they teased Zack Mephisto… but Tama mades a save, so Sabre instead went for a Zack Driver, only for that to get stopped. Head kicks from Taichi earn him a clothesline from Tanga, before tags got us to ELP and Kanemaru, with the latter face planting the Canadian on a low dropkick. Kanemaru’s scooping reverse DDT almost gets the elimination, but ELP’s back with a Quebrada for a near-fall, before he teed up his boot. Kanemaru catches Sudden Death then looked to throw ELP over the top, doing so before Ishimori knocked ELP off the apron by accident. They ring the bell to eliminate ELP at 15:30 despite his feet decidedly not being on the floor. I guess that’s just a Royal Rumble thing, eh?
Ishimori blocks a satellite DDT by Kanemaru, before those two ended up on the apron… Ishimori’s knocked onto ELP’s shoulders, making the save, but a second slap from Desperado knocked Ishimori to the floor at 16:50 as ELP was too busy celebrating to help. DOUKI trips Tama Tonga as the Bullet Club were having to deal with a 5-3 deficit, before a running stomp from DOUKI almost led to an elimination by El Desperado. Desperado’s tossed at 18:00 as commentary loses track of Kanemaru. I didn’t hear a bell, as DOUKI tries to put Tama Tonga down with a tornado DDT. That gets a near-fall, so DOUKI hits the apron in search of Daybreak, but Tama counters with a spear, then rolled DOUKI into a Scorpion deathlock as we get a submission at 19:26.
Sabre runs in to break the hold up, then counter Tama’s elbow drop into a cross armbar… switching it into a triangle for good measure. Tama broke it up by hoisting up Sabre, but ZSJ ‘ranas Tama to the outside at 20:40 for an elimination, before dragging Tanga Loa over the top with a leg lock, pulling him onto the apron as Tanga Loa kicks his way free to eliminate Sabre at 21:10.
Taichi’s in next to try and capitalise, knocking Tanga off the apron with a gamengiri at 21:36. Our final two are Jado and Taichi apparently, but Jado wants to forfeit things. Instead, Taichi offers a free shot, before catching Jado with a clothesline in the corner, then a head kick… off come the trousers as Tama Tonga ran in to distract. Tanga Loa does too, as Jado tries to hide a Kendo stick… the ref’s distracted as Taichi ducks a shot, then hit a thrust kick.
Tama Tonga sneaks in with the Iron Fingers, decking Taichi before dragging Jado onto the lifeless body… and there’s your win. Jado is the sole survivor in what has to be a rib. This started off real good in terms of aggression, cratered a little in the middle, then picked up by the end in time for the rib. **¾
We’re back tomorrow for more of the same, with the elimination match main event being a do-over of the EVIL/Okada scuffle that’s run through this tour. Thank God I didn’t pay £60 for this. Save for the thirty-or-so seconds that Jay White was back for his Owen Hart-ish hit and run return, this was a very flat show with little to write home about. I’m always going to rate shorter cards (unless they’re TV shows) harshly, and I’m afraid this was one for the ages. Not awful, but just “there”.