Csonka’s NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4.13.19

Csonka’s NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4.13.19 Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura @ 9:15 via submission [**½]
– Toa Henare defeated Ren Narita @ 6:40 via pin [**¾]
– Suzuki-gun defeated Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, & Shota Umino @ 11:20 via pin [***]
– Bullet Club defeated Togi Makabe, Toru Yano, & Tomoaki Honma @ 9:10 via pin [**]
– Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson, Mikey Nicholls, & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, & Hikuleo @ 11:40 via pin [**½]
– Kota Ibushi, YOSHI-HASHI, & Jushin Liger defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & Taka Michinoku @ 10:20 via pin [**¾]
– LIJ defeated CHAOS @ 15:35 via pin [***½]

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– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– Tenzan & Tanahashi are off the tour due to injuries.

Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura: Uemura looks to work the arm early, controlling until they break. They lock up, with Tsuji working his power game. They work into counters, and Uemura gets the takedown. Tsuji quickly counters into a head scissors, but Uemura counters out, working the legs now. He lays the boots to Tsuji, and goes back to the legs. They trade grounded strikes, and Tsuji makes the ropes. Uemura lays in strikes, Tsuji answers back, and follows with a shoulder tackle. Tsuji follows with a corner forearm and covers for 2. Uemura fights off the crab, making the ropes. Tsuji now lays in chops, but Uemura hits a dropkick to cut him off. Strikes and a slam follow for 2. Uemura goes back to the leg, locking on a knee bar. Tsuji makes the ropes. They trade strikes, and Tsuji hits a backdrop. The powerslam follows for 2. He locks on the crab, Uemura fights, but Tsuji sits back. Uemura taps. Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura @ 9:15 via submission [**½] This was a solid opener, with Tsuji picking up the win and breaking their deadlock of ties, which was at 24.

Toa Henare vs. Ren Narita: They work into a grappling exchange, and make the ropes. Henare then grounds things, and they work into a stand off. Narita lays in chops, they trade and Henare fires up until Narita hits a shoulder tackle. Narita follows with strikes and kicks, but Henare cuts him off with chops. Henare talks shit, hits the corner clothesline and Samoan drop for 2. Narita fights off the full nelson once, but Henare locks it in the second time. Narita escapes, hits a shoulder tackle, and suplex for 2. Henare they stops the suplex attempt, they trade strikes, and Henare takes him down. Narita keeps firing back but runs into a lariat for 2. Narita counters the urange into a cradle for 2. Head butt by Henare, and the uranage connects for 3. Toa Henare defeated Ren Narita @ 6:40 via pin [**¾] This was pretty good with a nice sense of urgency and Henare picking up a much-needed win.

Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, & Shota Umino vs. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & Desperado: In an act of surprise and complete lack of sportsmanship, Suzuki-gun attacks before the bell and they brawl. Umino works over Despy, but Suzuki cuts off the young lion and pulls him to the floor for some punishment. Everyone works to the floor as Suzuki-gun controls. Umino makes it back in, fighting for his life, and simply angering Suzuki. Suzuki just fucks his day up with strikes, lays the boots to him and humbles him with a camel clutch. The half crab follows, as Suzuki almost bends him in half. Kanemaru then works over Umino on the floor, and then Suzuki slaps him around. Umino fires up and lays in chops and strikes, but that’s quickly ended. He manages a desperation dropkick and tags in Nagata. Blue Justice runs wild with kicks, XPLODERS and the Nagata lock. Despy makes the save, and hits the spear. Kojima & Suzuki tag in and Kojima lays in machinegun chops. Suzuki cuts off the elbow drop and locks on a sleeper. Kojima cuts off the Gotch with a cutter and tags Umino in. Suzuki fires up, smiling, but Umino takes him down as the faces run wild on him. Umino hits the missile dropkick, and it breaks down. Suzuki pulls an arm bar and Umino fights, but Suzuki adds in the other arm and Umino makes the ropes. He picks up near falls, but Suzuki gets the sleeper, Gotch, and Umino is done. Suzuki-gun defeated Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, & Shota Umino @ 11:20 via pin [***] This was good stuff, with Suzuki killing people and looking generally annoyed at all times.

Togi Makabe, Toru Yano, & Tomoaki Honma vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, & Taiji Ishimori: Jado is at ringside. They start off with a floor brawl, with Bullet Club taking early control. They eventually roll Yano in and isolate him. Yano goes for the buckle pad, gets cut off and Tonga hits a slam. He chokes him out, tags in Loa and he follows with strikes. Loa now hits the running powerslam, and Ishimori tags in and grounds things. Tonga tags back in, whips Yano to the exposed buckle and then lays the boots to him. Yano fights back, but Loa tags in and slams him to the corner. Ishimori hits the back handspring kick, but Yano cuts him off using the hair. Tag to Makabe, he runs wild and clears the ring to work over Tonga. The northern lights gets 2. Tonga cuts him off with a spear, Loa tags in and runs into a lariat. Honma tags in and lays in chops. The bulldog follows, and then the falling kokeshi connects. The faces triple team Loa, diving kokeshi by Honma gets 2. We break down into floor brawling, Honma lays in strikes but gets hit by Jado and the kendo. Ape shit finishes Honma. Bullet Club defeated Togi Makabe, Toru Yano, & Tomoaki Honma @ 9:10 via pin [**] This was ok, but rather uninteresting.

– Yano again steals the IWGP belts post match, and leaves the ROH titles behind.

Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson, Mikey Nicholls, & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, & Hikuleo: Gedo is at ringside. Owens & Nicholls begin. They lock up, and Nicholls lays in chops. He follows with arm drags and grounds things. Taguchi tags in, hits an ass attack and then calls the plays as they isolate Owens. They continue to attack and pose, but Bullet Club rushes the ring and drags them to the floor for some brawling. They then isolate Taguchi, with White taking control. He lays in chops to the ass of Taguchi, and Fale tags in and takes over. He and Hikuleo work the Tongan massage parlor, and the powerslam gets 2 for Hikuleo. White back in and literally kicks Taguchi in the ass before grounding him. Taguchi hits a desperation ass attack, and tags in Goto. Goto runs wild on Bullet Club, hits ushigoroshi, and the Saito suplex for 2 on White. White fights back with a snap Saito, Hikuleo tags in and runs over Goto. Goto counters back, and hits the lariat. Tag to Juice and he works over Hikuleo with corner attacks and then the cannonball. He heads up top and the high cross follows for 2. It breaks down, Fale cuts Juice off but Juice hits the left hand of God and dumps him. Left hand of God and pulp friction finishes Hikuleo. Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson, Mikey Nicholls, & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, & Hikuleo @ 11:40 via pin [**½] This was a perfectly solid match that did a good job of adding to the build for upcoming matches on the tour.

Kota Ibushi, YOSHI-HASHI, & Jushin Liger vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & Taka Michinoku: Taich and HASHI begin. Taichi stalls, annoying Liger. Suzuki-gun attacks HASHI and lays the boots to him, clearing his partners to the floor. HASHI battles back, hits a RANA, and then chops to Taichi. Taichi fires back with kicks, but HASHI cuts him off with the blockbuster. Liger tags in but Sabre cuts him off and then attacks Ibushi. They all brawl to the floor, fighting around the ring and into the crowd. Back in and they isolate Liger, working him over in their corner. The heels work quick tags, as Taichi looks to unmask Liger. Taka tags in and lays the boots to Liger, but Liger cuts him off and hits a superplex. Ibushi tags in and battles with Sabre, and scoring with the standing moonsault for 2. Ibushi follows with a RANA, but Sabre quickly grounds things. He follows with uppercuts, but Ibushi cuts him off with kicks and both men are down. HASHI tags in, Sabre cuts him off and Taka tags in. The heels triple team him, the pants are off but Liger makes the save with shoteis. Ibushi takes out Sabre; the lariat and Kumagoroshi by HASHI finish Taka. Kota Ibushi, YOSHI-HASHI, & Jushin Liger defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & Taka Michinoku @ 10:20 via pin [**¾] This was pretty good and even fun at times, but felt as if was missing something.

– Sabre lays out Ibushi post match with the Zack driver.

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero, Sho, & Yoh vs. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI, & Shingo: SANADA & Okada begin. They lock up, working for position, and then into counters. They end in a stalemate. Okada tags in Ishii, and he wants EVIL and gets him. They trade shoulder tackles, strikes, and EVIL finally takes him down. Ishii fights off a sharpshooter, and Shino tags in. Ishii cuts them off, tagging in Yoh. Yoh & Shingo brawl, Yoh hits the flying forearm and 3k then triple team Shingo and Romero dumps BUSHI. Shingo dumps Yoh and LIJ rush the ring to take control. Shingo isolates Yoh, hitting suplexes, and covering for 2. Naito tags in, and lays in strikes on Yoh in the corner. The corner dropkick combo follows, and EVIL tags in. He maintains control, grounding Yoh. He then cuts off Ishii, and BUSHI hits the missile dropkick on Yoh. Yoh makes the comeback, hits a dragon screw and tags in Sho. Sho runs wild, clearing the ring of LIJ and then spearing Shingo. He works over BUSHI, but BUSHI battles back with kicks and they work into a double down. Tags to Okada & SANADA, and Okada fights off the paradise lock. SANADA counters the tombstone, and gets skull end. Okada escapes but runs into a dropkick. Tag to Naito, but he runs into a flapjack. Romero tags in, runs wild and hits a RANA on Shingo. Forever clotheslines follow as he works over Naito. 3k then triple team him until Shingo makes the save. Naito cuts off sliced bread and LIJ runs wild on Romero. Destino follows and Romero is done. LIJ defeated CHAOS @ 15:35 via pin [***½] Like most LIJ vs. CHAOS tags, this was very good, and had a nice sense of urgency as they build to future matches on the tour.

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 10. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka is joined by long time friend and podcasting partner Jeremy Lambert Jr III to share some Raw & Smackdown thoughts and then break down Impact United We Stand & The ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard events. The show is approximately 145 minutes long.

* Intro
* Raw & Smackdown Thoughts: 4:00
* Impact United We Stand Review: 27:45
* G1 Supercard Review: 64:15

You can subscribe and listen to the 411 on Wrestling Podcast via the
above player on Transistor, or on the following platforms:

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6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

This was a very average show, offering nothing must-see in the ring. The good news was that they did a fine job with the booking to build to upcoming big matches on the tour. It was a serviceable event but felt like a night off for the majority of the roster.