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Csonka’s NJPW Road to Destruction 9.09.17

September 9, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
NJPW Road to DESTRUCTION
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Csonka’s NJPW Road to Destruction 9.09.17  

Csonka’s NJPW Road to Destruction 9.09.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Yuji Nagata, Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka defeated Manabu Nakanishi, Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Umino @ 8:54 via pin [**¾]
– Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Baretta & Jado defeated Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa @ 9:43 via pin [**½]
– War Machine (Hanson & Rowe) & Togi Makabe defeated KES (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) & TAKA Michinoku @ 7:53 via pin [**¾]
– Will Ospreay & Rocky Romero defeated BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi @ 11:05 via pin [***½]
– Juice Robinson & David Finlay defeated Leo Tonga & Chase Owens @ 9:39 via pin [**½]
– Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano @ 11:10 via pin [***]
Elimination Match: Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet defeated Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi @ 25:17 via pin [***]


Yuji Nagata, Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Umino: It’s take your kids to work day to start off the show. The dads start things off, beating the shit out of each other. Kitamura tags in, eats leg kicks as Nagata sends Nakanishi to the floor. Kitamura and his insane tan try to kill poor Kawato, Umino tags in and gets on some cheap shots as Nakanishi knocks Nagata to the floor. Kawato hits the desperation dropkick on Kitamura, and Nagata gets the hot tag and runs wild. It breaks back down to he and Nakanishi, who does is little dance and hits a lariat for 2. Nagata escapes the torture rack and it breaks down as team Nagata works over Nakanishi. Umino gets the tag, he’s all fired up as he hits corner attacks and gets a near fall on Oka before locking in an arm bar. Nagata makes the save, allowing Oka to make his comeback until Kitamura and Kawato return. Bodies fly to the floor, Oka locks in the crab on Umino and he has to tap. Yuji Nagata, Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka defeated Manabu Nakanishi, Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Umino @ 8:54 via pin [**¾] They took the first two matches from the last show and combined them here; Nagata and Nakanishi are at the point in the year where they decide they hate each other and want to inflict death. They bring good fire and leadership to these matches. This was pretty good overall.

Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Baretta & Jado vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa: After some stalling, Tonga and HASHI start things off. CHAOS then clears Bullet Club to the floor and beats down Tonga, Bullet Club returns, clears the ring and takes the heat on HASHI. After a few minutes, HASHI teases a comeback with a dropkick and code breaker. He has to fight off Tonga, but gets the hot tag to Goto. Goto runs wild, taking out the Guerrillas all by himself. Loa fights of the ushigoroshi, and hits an Angle slam before tagging out to Yujiro. Yujiro almost immediately eats the ushigorshi. Trent tags in, looking for some revenge after Yujiro beat him on Thursday. The Guerrillas cut him off, Fale hits the big splash and Yujiro covers for 2. Trent fights off pimp juice, hits the tornado DDT but Yujiro cuts him off and it’s the fisherman buster. Trent locks in a standing figure for and bridges back into the pin and picks up the win. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Baretta & Jado defeated Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa @ 9:43 via pin [**½] This was a perfectly fine tag match, but it lacked heat and didn’t really do anything to make me care. It was fine, nothing more, nothing less.

– Post match, Bullet Cub kicks the shit out of Trent.

War Machine (Hanson & Rowe) & Togi Makabe vs. KES (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) & TAKA Michinoku: Togi Makabe is a good brother, following protocol and painting up with War Machine. Everyone brawls right away with the action spilling to the floor. Rowe and Archer work into he ring, and while Rowe fired up he got taken out with a POUNCE. KES work some double teams, and then TAKA tags in as they work the heat on Rowe; the Hart attack follows for 2. Rowe finally makes the tag, Hanson is in and tosses TAKA to the floor, and follows with forever clotheslines on KES. It breaks down a bit with KES & War Machine in until we get wholesale changes with Makabe & TAKA tagging in. TAKA is all kinds of fired up tonight, taking the fight to Makabe. Makabe hits the lariat for the near fall. Everyone in, War machine and KES fight to the floor and Makabe puts away TAKA with the king Kong knee drop. War Machine (Hanson & Rowe) & Togi Makabe defeated KES (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) & TAKA Michinoku @ 7:53 via pin [**¾] This was pretty good overall, with the War Machine vs. KES segments being good and also giving us a reason to care.

Will Ospreay & Rocky Romero vs. BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi: BUSHI and Takahashi have a new mashed up theme, signaling that they will be more of a regular team moving forward, which I am cool with; have them win the junior tag tourney. Romero is wearing his old Black Tiger mask to the ring while Ospreay has whiskers painted on his face. He and Takahashi have a weird thing going. They work a fun and fats paced opening stretch, Takahashi is mesmerized by cat Ospreay and tries to pet him. They brawl on the floor as BUSHI works over Romero in the ring. LIJ takes the heat, working over Romero with double teams and isolating him from Ospreay. Takahashi & BUSHI are already a really smooth team, and fun to watch. Romero hits the jumping knee and tags in Ospreay, he runs wild, hitting a missile dropkick and running shooting star press for 2. Romero & BUSHI tag back in, they trade strikes center ring and BUSHI cuts him off with the dropkick. Ospreay back in, they work double teams on BUSHI and pick up a near fall. BUSHI to the ropes, Romero avoids MX and it breaks down and BUSHI hits the code breaker for 2. Takahashi and Ospreay battle to the floor, Romero counters MX with the dropkick. Ospreay back in, hits the springboard forearm, cyclone kick and Sasuke special to the floor. Romero finishes BUSHI with a running knee strike. Will Ospreay & Rocky Romero defeated BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi @ 11:05 via pin [***½] This was a very good tag match, just a ton of fun, extremely easy to watch and worked at a great pace. I have no issue with Ospreay & Tanahashi being used in junior tags right now, they aren’t in the mix right now for the singles title, we need more junior teams and it’s much better than them burning through a bunch of singles matches for no reason. Those two are a title program down the line.

– We again get the crazy knife man promo, who I still expect to be the returning Jay White. I just hope it’s NOT Sami Callihan. I don’t dislike Callihan, but I also don’t see what he’d add to the product. I prefer Callihan’s act in Lucha Underground to his usual indie work.

Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Leo Tonga & Chase Owens: Finlay and Owens in to start, they wok some fun back and forth until Finlay takes control and starts working quick tags with Juice. Double teams follow, with Finlay covering for 2. They send Leo to the floor to keep control, until Owens trips Finlay off the top. Leo and Owens take the heat on Finlay, Leo is keeping it basic, working clean, and is showing more confidence. Finlay hits a desperation back breaker on Owens and we get tags to Juice and Leo. Juice hits the cannonball and jabs, but gets cut off with a lariat. It breaks down with Owens and Finlay back in, Leo and Owens double team Juice, but Finlay makes the save. Leo sends Finlay to the floor, Owens backs him off and tells Juice Kenny has a message for him. Owens fails to hit the one winged angel, Leo then kicks Owens by accident and Juice hits pulp friction for the win. Juice Robinson & David Finlay defeated Leo Tonga & Chase Owens @ 9:39 via pin [**½] This was another perfectly solid match, with Juice maintaining momentum ahead of his US Title shot. Leo is a project, but getting to work this tour for the injured Omega is going to do him a world of good. Romero also gets momentum ahead of tomorrow’s six-man tag title match. (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA vs. Romero, Yano, Okada)

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & SANADA: Okada and EVIL in to begin, with Okada quickly taking control and tagging in Yano. They work him over until Ishii tags in. LIJ rushes him and the big brawl begins, with SANADA tying up Yano in the paradise lock. Naito attacks the wrapped up knee of Ishii and locks in a figure four as EVIL and SANADA hold the ring, keeping Okada and Yano on the floor. Ishii escapes, Naito lays in forearms but Ishii fights off Naito and SANADA. The big lariat follows, Okada tags in and runs wild on EVIL. The flapjack connects, and Okada covers for 2. SANADA cuts him off, and EVIL attacks and hits the side slam. SANADA tags back in, continuing the attack on Okada. Okada avoids the springboard dropkick and follows with the neck breaker. Yano tags in, gets the buckle pad and eats a dropkick. Yano slams SANADA to the exposed buckle, gets another pad and SANADA grabs the hair. Yano grabs his hair, hilarity ensues, but it breaks down with Ishii & Naito battling back and forth. Okada and EVIL in, Okada hits the dropkick and yano gets sent to the exposed buckles. He catapults SANADA to the buckles, he and Yano play with the ref and SANADA hits the low blow and steals a win from Yano. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano @ 11:10 via pin [***] This was good overall, doing some solid work to keep the heat on Okada vs. EVIL & Naito vs. Ishii. This was also a nice teaser for tomorrow’s six-man tag title match. (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA vs. Romero, Yano, Okada).

Elimination Match: Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet vs. Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi: This is elimination rules, via pin, submission or over the top. Suzuki attacks at the bell, and works over Elgin, trying to rip his arm off. Taguchi sends in the troops, and they work rapid-fire corner attacks on Suzuki. They try to slam Suzuki into Taguchi’s ass, but he just stops and makes Suzuki faces at Taguchi, who looks like he’s about to shit his pants because Suzuki-gun is beating everyone else down. Elgin and Suzuki work each other over with chops and strikes, Tanahashi tags in and it breaks down as they try to toss him over the top. Tanahashi then tries to toss Suzuki, but Suzuki locks in a hanging arm bar to stop that. Desperado is kicking the shit out of KUSHIDA on the floor, meanwhile back in the ring, Suzuki is trying to take Tanahashi’s arm home with him. Taichi brings in the bell hammer as Iizuka tried to eat Tanahashi’s arm. Taichi drives the bell hammer up Tanahashi’s nose, as they work a long heat on Tanahashi. He finally hits a high cross onto Kanemaru and Taichi. Ricochet gets the hot tag, and he runs wild on Taichi & Kanemaru. He then works over desperado, sending him to the floor, and follows with suplexes on Kanemaru. Things break down, Taichi attacks with his mic stand, allowing Kanemaru to roll up Ricochet for the elimination. Taichi and Kanemaru work over Taguchi, but Taguchi ends up eliminating Kanemaru on a messed up roll up spot. Taichi attacks Taguchi’s ass with the bell hammer, and hits the prawn hold for the pin. KUSHIDA runs wild on Taguchi & Desperado, he and Taguchi to the apron where Kanemaru accidentally mists Taguchi, allowing KUSHIDA to eliminate him. KUSHIDA and Desperado work back and forth, Desperado locks in the stretch muffler, but KUSHIDA makes the ropes. KUSHIDA hits a DDT but Iizuka is in and uses the metal fingers on KUSHIDA, allowing Desperado to steal the pin. Tanahashi eliminates Desperado over the top and then Iizuka eliminates Tanahashi over the top. Kanemaru & Taichi return too help Suzuki work over Elgin, Iizuka chokes out Elgin with a rope, allowing Suzuki to lock in a sleeper. Elgin fights off Iizuka and hits the Elgin bomb for the elimination. We’re down to Suzuki vs. Elgin, with large Michael taking control. Suzuki battles back, hits the K, covering for 2. He locks in an arm bar, but Elgin powers out and hercs him up and to the ropes. Suzuki locks in a sleeper, looks for the Gotch piledriver but Elgin fights him off with strikes. Clotheslines follow until Suzuki drops to the mat. Suzuki shoves the ref into Elgin, everyone comes back in and brawls, Ricochet wipes out Desperado, Taichi, and Kanemaru with a dive. Suzuki & Elgin trade strikes center ring, and Elgin eliminates Suzuki over the top. Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet defeated Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi @ 25:17 via pin [***] This was good overall, doing nice work to build to KUSHIDA vs. Desperado, Taguchi & Ricochet vs. Taichi & Kanemaru and most importantly tomorrow’s Suzuki vs. Elgin clusterfuck lumberjack NEVER title match.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.8
The final score: review Average
The 411
Today’s NJPW Road to Destruction was a very solid, leaning towards good show to set up tomorrow’s DESTRUCTION in FUKUSHIMA event…
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