{"id":4961,"date":"2017-10-21T12:46:47","date_gmt":"2017-10-21T11:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/?p=4961"},"modified":"2017-10-21T12:46:47","modified_gmt":"2017-10-21T11:46:47","slug":"njpw-road-to-power-struggle-night-three-blue-justice-vii-october-21-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/reviews\/njpw-road-to-power-struggle-night-three-blue-justice-vii-october-21-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"NJPW Road to Power Struggle – Night Three (“Blue Justice VII”) (October 21, 2017)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The third night of New Japan\u2019s latest Road tour show contained a special surprise – a main event to celebrate the 25th wrestling anniversaries of Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi!<\/p>\n

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We opened up in the city of Togane, with the man himself coming to the ring for a ceremony. I\u2019m a big fan of the ring announcer not only dying his hair blue, but wearing a t-shirt over his usual gear. Apparently today is the first time Nagata will have had a singles match in his home town\u2026 it took everyone long enough! A video package of talking heads runs through Nagata\u2019s career, and hey, Manabu Nakanishi gets some time too!<\/p>\n

Monster Rage (Katsuya Kitamura & Tomoyuki Oka) vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Leo Tonga)<\/strong>
\nCommentary are flat-out calling Oka and Kitamura \u201cMonster Rage\u201d, so I guess it\u2019s all but official now. Kitamura and Tonga try to overpower each other, but a battering of shoulder tackles has no effect\u2026 so Leo throws a lariat instead.<\/p>\n

The Bullet Club pair keep on top of Kitamura for a spell, with Yujiro coming close from a sliding dropkick, only for Kitamura to suplex his way back into it. Leo tries to get involved, but that gets him a spear as Oka gets a tag in\u2026 and it\u2019s not long before Yujiro\u2019s biting away at the Young Lion.<\/p>\n

Oka\u2019s got to kick out from a Fisherman\u2019s buster, but he can\u2019t do anything from the Pimp Juice short DDT, as Tonga had Kitamura held at bay outside to prevent the save. Pretty decent opener, and as someone who watches the Lion\u2019s Gate shows, I like how the new stuff those guys are trying there aren\u2019t even being tried here. Basic, but everything went as expected. **\u00bc<\/p>\n

Shota Umino, Tetsuhiro Yagi & Ren Narita vs. Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & El Desperado)<\/strong>
\nOh dear. These Young Lions really are being thrown to the wolves. None of these guys can buy a win, even against themselves these day! Of course, it\u2019s close to Hallowe\u2019en, so Taichi\u2019s nymph\u2019s sporting devil\u2019s horns and a pitchfork. Go home, Taichi.<\/p>\n

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The Young Lions jump their Suzuki-gun opponents at the bell and start to double-team Taichi. Because why not? It doesn\u2019t last though, as Taichi just kicks away on Yagi, before he takes a slam on the outside from Kanemaru. Back inside, Desperado jabs a pen into his eyes during a simple headlock as the Lions eventually make their comeback.<\/p>\n

Umino gets the tag, and starts battering Kanemaru with elbows in the corner, and despite a blip, the Young Lions nearly get the win after a double-team dropkick on Desperado. From there, they try for their standard issue Boston Crab submission, but Despy gets the ropes and replies with a spinebuster. Form the kick-out he turns it into a Stretch Muffler, and the ending\u2019s predictable from there. A valiant effort, but this trio of Lions come up short yet again. **\u00bd<\/p>\n

KUSHIDA, Hirai Kawato, Ryusuke Taguchi & ACH vs. Jushin \u201cThunder\u201d Liger, Tiger Mask, Dragon Lee & Titan<\/strong>
\nWe\u2019ve got half of the field for the upcoming Super Junior tag team tournament here, so this should be fast-paced. ACH has his name on sticky tape over Taguchi\u2019s on his Taguchi Japan tee\u2026 I guess they didn\u2019t have enough time to make his own tee after Ricochet left?<\/p>\n

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Hold on, commentary\u2019s just called this Taguchi Japan vs. Liger Japan. I kinda like that\u2026 KUSHIDA demands to start against Titan, and I\u2019m getting glorious flashbacks to their stunner of a match in London on the ROH tour. Some fluid stuff leads to KUSHIDA getting headscissored to the outside, before Titan fakes out a dive and does a Sabu pose. Must be the mutual chest-scar appreciation society.<\/p>\n

Tiger Mask and Taguchi come in next, and yep, it\u2019s hip attack time. ACH tries to call a play like he\u2019s Taguchi, but Tiger Mask nonchalantly kicks away another hip attack. ACH\u2019s bad. Tiger Mask stomps on Taguchi\u2019s arse for a bit, and now in comes Liger to pull him into a Romero special as \u201cLiger Japan\u201d go to town on his rear end. Not like that. Poor Taguchi.<\/p>\n

Finally a tag comes ACH\u2019s way, and \u201cSuper\u201d ACH lands a massive springboard back elbow to Liger for a near-fall. A superplex gets rid of those two as we go to Dragon Lee and Hirai Kawato\u2026 who brought all the fire! Kawato flipped out of a snapmare and brought in a \u2018rana\u2026 that Lee cartwheels out of before wrecking Kawato with a dropkick.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an awkward spot as Kawato tried to roll out of a Phoenixplex, almost landing on his head, before Dragon Lee decided to forget all that and just plant him with the Desnucadora (vertical suplex powerbomb) instead for the win. Enjoyable stuff, but I\u2019ll be damned if that Kawato stuff at the end wasn\u2019t scary. ***\u00bc<\/p>\n

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Oh gosh #njpst<\/a> #NJPW<\/a> #NJPWWORLD<\/a> @Maffewgregg<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ekv9Mwxhhl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Italo Santana (@BulletClubItal) October 21, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n