Csonka’s NJPW New Japan Road 2.21.20 Review

Csonka’s NJPW New Japan Road 2.21.20 Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Tiger Mask & Gabriel Kidd defeated Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura @ 8:35 via submission [**½]
– Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Sho, & Yoh defeated Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, El Desperado, & Kanemaru @ 10:50 via pin [***]
– Big Tom Ishii, Hirooki Goto, & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, & Toa Henare @ 11:55 via submission [***]
– Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, & Yuji Nagata defeated Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Gedo, & Jado @ 13:00 via submission [**]
– Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, & Rocky Romero @ 12:34 via pin [***¼]
– NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Title Match: Champions Shingo, EVIL, & BUSHI vs. Toru Yano, Colt Cabana, & Ryusuke Taguchi @ 14:30 via pin [**¾]
– IWGP Tag Team Title Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi defeated Champions The Guerrillas of Destiny @ 20:10 via pin [***½]

---

– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

Tiger Mask & Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura: Yota and Kid d begin, locking up and working to thee ropes as Kidd slaps him. They work into counters and Yota takes him down. They trade shoulder tackles, Kidd takes him down but Yota powers back and slams him down. Yuya tags in and keeps the heat on Kidd, and grounds things with a head scissors. Yota tags back in and follows with chops and a hip toss. Kidd finally counters back into a dropkick and Tiger tags and with kicks until Yota cuts him off with the dropkick. Yuya tags in and follows with back elbows and the lions double team Tiger until Kidd makes the save, but he’s quickly cut off. Double dropkick to Tiger and Yuya follows with the crab until Tiger makes the ropes. The cradle follows for 2. Backslide by Tiger gets 2. Yuya follows with strikes, gets cut off and Tiger follows with kicks, and covers for 2. The arm bar follows and Yuya taps. Tiger Mask & Gabriel Kidd defeated Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura @ 8:35 via submission [**½] This was your typical NJPW opener where the lions took the bulk of the match and Kidd finally finds himself on the winning side of things.

Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Sho, & Yoh vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, El Desperado, & Kanemaru: Hey, Suzuki-gun attacked before the bell in shocking fashion. 3JK quickly cuts off Despy and but Kanemaru cuts them off and we get brawling on the floor. Suzuki has decided that Juice must die and beats him down with chair shots. Back in and Kanemaru works over Yoh, Taichi tags in and continues to isolate Yoh. He follows with clotheslines and covers for 2. Yoh finally battles back, enzigueris Suzuki and tags in Juice. He runs wild on Suzuki and follows with jabs, spinebuster on Taichi and Suzuki then cuts him off. They trade and Suzuki just laughs and fucks up Juice’s day with big strikes. Juice fires back, Suzuki laughs and eats the left hand of God. Finlay tags in and follows with uppercuts on Suzuki, but Suzuki gets the sleeper as Suzuki-gun rushes the ring. They run wild on Finlay and Kanemaru covers for 2. The moonsault misses, he runs into the flapjack and the left hand of god, and sliced bread finishes it. Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Sho, & Yoh defeated Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, El Desperado, & Kanemaru @ 10:50 via pin [***] This was a good tag with Fin-Juice picking up the win.

Big Tom Ishii, Hirooki Goto, & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, & Toa Henare: Honma and Goto begin, locking up and they work into a standoff. Goto follows with strikes, kicks and body shots. Honma fires back, hits a hip toss and slam. The kokeshi misses and Ishii tags in as Henare joins him. They trade and Ishii starts mauling him and follows with the shoulder tackle. Henare fights back hits a shoulder tackle and they brawl to the floor. Ishii whips him to the barricades, and back in, HASHI tags in. He trades with Henare, and follows with the draping dropkick and covers for 2. Goto in and the suplex gets 2. He lays the boots to Henare, follows with strikes and kicks but Henare fires back and then suplexes Ishii. Makabe tags in and follows with clotheslines, strikes and the northern lights for 2. Goto fights back, they trade clotheslines and Goto then takes him down. HASHI tags in and follows with chops but Makabe cuts him off with the lariat. Honma tags in and hits the bulldog, misses the kokeshi and HASHI takes out the knee, it breaks down and CHAOS isolates Honma as HASHI covers for 2 off the blockbuster. Henare & Makabe attack and they now triple team HASHI, and the kokeshi follows for 2. Lariat by HASHI to Honma and that gets 2. The butterfly lock finishes it. Big Tom Ishii, Hirooki Goto, & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, & Toa Henare @ 11:55 via submission [***] This was good, with HASHI picking up a pre-New Japan Cup win to try and make you think he’s worthy of a run in the tournament.

Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, & Yuji Nagata vs. Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Gedo, & Jado: Jay talks shit, slaps Nakanishi and fails at shoulder tackles. He follows with strikes. Nakanishi cuts him off and Kojima rushes in as he and Tenzan work double teams and chops on Jay as double team follows for 2. head butt by Tenzan, Nagata tag in and follows with kicks on Jay. Gedo attacks, Nakanishi takes him out, the dads dance and clotheslines follow until Fale & Jado join in and the action spills to the floor. Back in and Fale takes the heat on Nagata, hits the slam and the Tongan massage parlor follows. Jado tags in and rakes the eyes of Nagata. Gedo in and keeps Nagata grounded. Fale in and follows with body shots until Nagata takes out the knee and tags n Nakanishi who strolls mildly. Nakanishi whips Jado & Gedo into him and takes down Jay until Fale attacks. Spear by Nakanishi and he gets the backbreaker for a moment until Jay breaks it up. They dump Nakanishi and Jay works him over on the floor. He follows with chair shots and back in, Fale covers for 2. Gedo in with the superkick and covers for 2. Bullet Club takes everyone else out, isolating Nakanishi and Fale hits the splash as Jay covers for 2. Blade runner is stopped by Nakanishi as he hits a clothesline. The tag is cut off, Gedo gets the knux but Nakanishi cuts him off with the backbreaker, kendo shot by Jado and Nakanishi tosses Gedo on to Jado. It beaks down, TenKoji cutter on Jay and Fale is dumped. Nakanishi up top and the big chop follows The Argentine backbreaker finishes Gedo. Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, & Yuji Nagata defeated Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Gedo, & Jado @ 13:00 via submission [**] This was ok, but really lethargic. They are giving Nak the big happy farewell as he and the Gen 3 dads run wild one last time as a unit.

Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, & Rocky Romero vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, & Hiromu Takahashi: Will and Naito begin, Naito attacks with kicks and after counters Will hits the RANA. They work into a fun series of counters as Will hits the running shooting star for 2. Rocky in and double teams follow for 2. Okada tags in and follows with elbow strikes. The slam and senton atomico follows, but LIJ rushes in and cut Okada off as Naito takes control. Hiromu tags in and follows with chops. The basement dropkick then gets 2. Naito back in off the stiff tag, neck breaker by Naito as he grounds things. Okada makes the ropes, SANADA tags in and the running back elbow gets 2. Okada fires back, hits the flapjack and Will tags in and follows with the springboard forearm. The back handspring kick then follows for 2. SANADA counters back, and the rolling cradle follows for 2. Will sells the dizziness and ends up in the paradise lock. SANADA frees him, Will fires back and SANADA dropkicks the knee. Hiromu tags in and they work into counters, enziguri by Will and Rocky tags in hits forever clotheslines on Hiromu and Okada takes out SANADA. They double team Hiromu and the sliced bread follows for 2. Hiromu counters back, and the popup powerbomb follows for 2. LIJ then take control with triple teams, clearing the ring as Hiromu hits the Blu-ray on Rocky. Big lariat by Hiromu and that gets 2. The time bomb finishes it. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, & Rocky Romero @ 12:34 via pin [*** ] LIJ vs. CHAOS, it was good as always. Nothing ground breaking or great, but good and fun.

– Will & Naito have some words post match, teasing that future match up. Hiromu and Naito have some interaction post match as well as they continue to set up the anniversary show match.

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shingo, EVIL, & BUSHI defending against Toru Yano, Colt Cabana, & Ryusuke Taguchi: The champions attack as Yano hasn’t given the titles back yet. The challengers spill to the floor and pull the titles from under the ring and tease leaving. They reluctantly give the belts back to Red Shoes and LIJ beat down Taguchi. Shingo now takes control, choking him out and counters the ass attack until Taguchi hits the second. Shingo then works over Yano, Yano removes buckle pad, another and they battle with the pads until Shingo cuts him off. They brawl on the floor, LIJ takes control and post Colt. Back in and Shingo send Yano to the exposed buckle and the clothesline follows for 2. BUSHI follows with the missile dropkick and grounds Yano. EVIL in and dumps Colt. Yano pulls him down by the hair and Colt tags in and follows with jabs, the flip flop and fly and takes out BUSHI until EVIL cuts him off. Colt battles back with the moonsault press and EVIL cuts him off. LIJ takes control and whip Colt to the exposed buckle and Yano hits EVIL with the buckle pad as Colt hits the superman pin for 2. Magic killer follows and EVIL follows with clotheslines and takes Colt up top. Colt fires back and elbows EVIL to the mat but EVIL counters the superman pin and tags in BUSHI. Taguchi runs wild with B triggers and the springboard bums away for 2. Bum a ye connects and that gets 2 The ankle lock follows and the rest brawl on the floor as BUSHI makes the ropes. Bum a ye is countered, LIJ run wild and BUSHI covers for 2. BUSHI misses MX, it breaks down and Shingo cuts off Colt. Taguchi cuts off BUSHI, MIST by BUSHI and the BUSHI roll finishes it. Champions Shingo, EVIL, & BUSHI vs. Toru Yano, Colt Cabana, & Ryusuke Taguchi @ 14:30 via pin [**¾] I wouldn’t call it a good match, but at the very least, it was entertaining.

IWGP Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa defending against Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi: Jado is at ringside. Loa and Tanahashi begin. They lockup and work to the ropes, as Tanahashi breaks clean. Lockup and Tanahashi looks to ground things. Loa battles back, pulls the hair and they separate. Tama tags in and Ibushi joins him. They lockup and Tama follows with a shoulder tackle, but Ibushi pops back up and connects with a flying kick. He delivers strikes, Tama cuts him off as Loa takes Tanahashi to the floor. Slam by Tama and the suplex follows, Loa tags in and works over Ibushi in the corner. He chokes him out and Ibushi fires back and hits a dropkick. Tanahashi tags in and takes out Jado, follows with dragon screws on the champions and follows with the slam and senton for 2. Kendo shot by Jado and Loa dumps Tanahashi. They all brawl on the floor, and back in, Loa isolates Tanahashi as senton atomicos follow for 2. Tama follows with head butts, Tanahashi fires back and follows with the high cross. Ibushi tags in and the missile dropkick follows. RANA to Tama and Ibushi follows wit a flurry of strikes and kicks as the standing moonsault gets 2. Tama cuts him off with the complete shot, Loa tags in and double teams follow for 2. Ibushi has a cut over his left eye, but counters into a German on Loa. Tanahashi tags in and follows with strikes, takes out Loa’s knee but gets cut off with a spear. Tag to Tama and Tanahashi cuts him off with the flying forearm, Tama cuts him off as Loa joins in. They double team Tanahashi and Tama covers for 2. Tanahashi fights off magic killer, but gets cut off by Guerrilla warfare as Ibushi makes the save. They dump Ibushi and the magic killer follows on Tanahashi. They calls for the super bomb, but Ibushi cuts it off with a RANA on Loa, gun stun by Tama, and the champions want the super bomb on Tanahashi. They set him up and Tanahashi fights them off, hits twist and shout and another. Sling blade follows and that gets 2. Tanahashi up top, high fly flow connects and Jado pulls out the ref. Loa grabs a title and nails Tanahashi. They beat down Ibushi, but Tama accidentally hits Loa with the belt, head kick and kamigoye by Ibushi follows on Tama, no ref. Ibushi follows with he plancha, and Tanahashi heads up top. The high fly flow connects and we have new champions. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi defeated Champions The Guerrillas of Destiny @ 20:10 via pin [***½] This ended up being a very good main event, the champions tried their usual bullshit but the babyfaces overcame, and they told a fun story as the Golden Aces win the championships.

– Following the post match speech by Tanahashi, The dangerous Tekkers (Sabre &Taichi) attack and lay out the new champions to set up our next tag title program. They target Tanahshi’s knee as Sabre tries to rip off his leg while Taichi talks shit and follows with Black Mephisto.

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 92. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka & Steve Cook review NXT vs. AEW from 2.19.20, hit a news roundup on Tito Ortiz, new WWE Hall of Famers, & much more. Finally, Larry previews Impact Sacrifice 2020. The show is approximately 101-minutes long.

* Intro
* News Roundup (Tito to WWE?, Bulldog to WWE Hall of Fame, WWE vs. MLW, More): 2:35
* AEW Dynamite (2.19.20) Review: 18:45
* NXT (2.19.20) Review: 52:15
* The Head to Head Comparison: 1:18:55
* Impact Sacrifice 2020 Preview: 1:26:18

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

– Thanks for reading.

– End scene.

6.5

The final score: review Average

The 411

Today’s NJPW New Japan Road event was a solid and overall fun show, but lacked the highs of yesterday’s event. We did get a title change, new challengers, and while nothing was bad but there was also nothing must-see.