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Csonka’s NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4.24.19

April 24, 2019 | Posted by Larry Csonka
NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4.24.19
7.5
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Csonka’s NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4.24.19  

Csonka’s NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4.24.19 Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Ren Narita, Shota Umino, & Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, & Yuji Nagata @ 10:55 via pin [***]
– Taichi, Taka, Zack Sabre Jr defeated Rocky Romero, YOSHI-HASHI, & Tomoaki Honma @ 10:40 via pin [***]
– Minoru Suzuki, Desperado, Kanemaru defeated Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, & Taguchi @ 9:50 via pin [***]
– Dragon Lee, Juice Robinson, & Mikey Nicholls defeated Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, & Taiji Ishimori @ 10:10 via pin [**¾]
– Henare, Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, & Hirooki Goto defeated Jay White, Hikuleo, Tama Tonga, & Tanga Loa @ 10:50 via pin [***]
– LIJ defeated Yoh, Kota Ibushi, & Big Tom Ishii @ 13:05 via submission [****]
– SANADA & Shingo defeated Sho & Kazuchika Okada @ 19:20 via submission [****]


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Ren Narita, Shota Umino, & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, & Yuji Nagata: Today is Nagata’s 51st birthday. Narita & Uemura kick things off. They work into grappling exchanges, and break. Umino & Tsuji tag in. Tsuji attacks Kojima and Umino then takes him down, but Tsuji takes control. Umino fights to his feet but Tsuji mows him down and then takes down Kojima. He follows with strikes on Umino, but Umino cuts him off and tags in Narita. They double team Tsuji and Narita covers for 2. The cravat follows, and Narita grounds things. Tsuji makes the ropes, Kojima tags in and beats the shit out of Tsuji. Machinegun chops follow, but Tsuji fires back until he runs into a DDT. Tag to Umino, knocking Nagata to the floor, and then laying the boots to Tsuji. Uppercuts follow, and then forearms. Tsuji hits the desperation dropkick and tags in Nagata. He runs wild, laying in kicks, and trades with Umino. Nagata gets pissed and lights him up but Umino hits the missile dropkick. Kojima tags in, and machinegun chops follow. He hits the corner forearm, but Nagata cuts him off only for Kojima to hit the cutter. XPLODER by Nagata, and Narita & Uemura tag in. It breaks down, as team Nagata works over Narita in the corner. Uemura follows with the crab as the rest brawl on the floor. Uemura sits back, but Narita makes the ropes. Uemura follows with a suplex, Umino makes the save, and Nagata dumps him. Bridging suplex by Narita and Uemura is done. Ren Narita, Shota Umino, & Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, & Yuji Nagata @ 10:55 via pin [***] This was a good opener, with a great energy and a hot crowd.

Taichi, Taka, Zack Sabre Jr vs. Rocky Romero, YOSHI-HASHI, & Tomoaki Honma: Taka and Honma begin. Taka attacks with kicks, they trade shoulder tackles and Honma takes him down. He follows with chops, and a slam. The falling kokeshi misses. Suzuki-gun pulls the others to the floor and they all brawl now. Taichi works over Romero in the crowd, and back in they isolate Honma. Taichi follows with kicks, and Sabre tags in. He levels Honma with uppercuts, and locks on the cobra twist. Honma escapes, hits a head butt and tags in HASHI. HASHI clears the ring but Sabre cuts him off with kicks. HASHI cuts him off with a spin kick and follows with the draping dropkick for 2. Sabre grounds things, attacking the arm. HASHI fights and makes the ropes. Sabre lays in kicks, but runs into a lariat. Honma & Romero hit double kokeshis, but Sabre targets the arm of HASHI again. Tags to Taichi & Romero, and Romero hits a RANA. One for Taka as well. He follows with rights and forever clotheslines, but gets cut off and triple teamed. The pants are off and the Taichi kick follows for 2. The stretch plum follows, and HASHI makes the save. The others brawl to the floor, and Romero gets the backslide for 2. The Gedo clutch follows for 2. Taichi cuts off sliced bread and hits a lariat and enziguri. The last ride finishes it. Taichi, Taka, Zack Sabre Jr defeated Rocky Romero, YOSHI-HASHI, & Tomoaki Honma @ 10:40 via pin [***] This was another good match with good energy and a fun closing stretch.

– Suzuki cuts a promo, reminding Liger of their Pancrase match, and accuses Liger of being scared of a rematch. Suzuki has MMA gloves and they brawl.

Minoru Suzuki, Desperado, Kanemaru vs. Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, & Taguchi: The faces run wild as Taguchi calls the plays, and they triple dropkick Suzuki. Suzuki fights back, dumps Taguchi and attacks Liger on the floor. They all brawl on the floor; Suzuki uses chairs and then attacks the arm. Suzuki rolls back in and Liger follows. Suzuki works over Taguchi with strikes, Despy tags in and continues the attack. Liger & Suzuki argue on the floor as Kanemaru beats down Taguchi on the floor. Tiger is in and Despy dumps him. Double teams on Taguchi follow, and back in, Suzuki covers for 2. Suzuki lays the boots to him, Taguchi tries to fire back, and hits a desperation ass attack. Liger tags in and immediately brawls with Suzuki. Suzuki smiles and Liger double legs him and stomps the shit out of him. Liger shoves the ref away, Suzuki smiles and double legs Liger and pummels him with strikes. It completely breaks down, Suzuki shoves the ref and then Despy. Rolling kick from Liger, and tags in Tiger. He and Kanemaru trade, Tiger takes him up top and hits the big arm drag. Ass attack from Taguchi, and Kanemaru fights off the Tiger suplex, but the Tiger driver follows as Despy takes the ref. Suzuki chokes out Liger as they roll to the floor. Whisky mist and the roll up finishes Tiger. Minoru Suzuki, Desperado, Kanemaru defeated Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, & Taguchi @ 9:50 via pin [***] I am here all day for Liger vs. Suzuki. Their interactions were great here and this was another good match with good heat.

– Post match, Liger is pissed at Suzuki for his young lion attacks. The ring is sacred, and if you want to fight, do it in the ring. They get chairs and chair fight. They brawl but get separated. Liger says if you can’t fight in the ring, then leave New Japan.

Dragon Lee, Juice Robinson, & Mikey Nicholls vs. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, & Taiji Ishimori: Juice & Owens begin, and work into the test of strength. Owens controls, but Juice powers up and they work into counters. Jabs by Juice follow, Owens cuts him off with kicks, but Juice hits a lariat. Owens begs off and Fale and Ishimori attack. Juice fights back and hits the cannonball. He takes out Fale, but Owens hits a superkick. He starts attacking the back of Juice, and then Fale works him over on the floor. Back in and Owens covers for 1. Fale tags in and the Tonga massage parlor follows. Fale slows things, working a nerve pinch. Ishimori tags in and starts pulling at Juice’s hair. Juice tries to power up, but Ishimori flies in, gets caught, and hits a fall away slam. Tag to Lee and the cradle gets 2. The corner dropkick combo follows and then the bull’s horns connects. Lee cuts off a RANA, they trade strikes, and then knee strikes. The snap German and a lariat by Lee follows, and both men are down. Owens and Nicholls tag in, Nicholls lays in clotheslines, and then the spinebuster for 2. Owens counters the Mikey bomb, Fale in and Bullet Club triple teams Nicholls. Owens follows with a knee strike for 2. Owens looks to finish things off, but Nicholls counters the package piledriver and cradles him for 2. They work into counters and the Mikey bomb finishes Owens. Dragon Lee, Juice Robinson, & Mikey Nicholls defeated Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, & Taiji Ishimori @ 10:10 via pin [**¾] This was a pretty good match that built to the upcoming matches well.

Henare, Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, & Hirooki Goto vs. Jay White, Hikuleo, Tama Tonga, & Tanga Loa: Jado & Gedo are at ringside. Bullet Club attacks before the bell and they all brawl to the floor. Goto & White immediately pair off, wile GOD target their upcoming challengers. Henare and Hikuleo in the ring and Hikuleo takes control with strikes. Henare cuts him off with a Samoan drop and follow with strikes. Jado gets in the cheap shot with the kendo, allowing Hikuleo to take control back as the others brawl on the floor. Tonga tags in and hits a suplex for 2. Loa tags in and double teams follow. They then attack Makabe, and just as Makabe fires up Jado gets involved again. Loa works over Henare, and Hikuleo follows with chops. White then covers for 2. White grounds things, Henare slowly fights to his feet but White lays in chops. Henare hits a desperation suplex and tags in Goto. He lays in kicks and strikes on White, follows with a clothesline and then a Saito suplex. Goto lays in kicks, but White lays in chops until Goto levels him with a lariat for 2. White fights off ushigoroshi, and follows with a uranage. Tags to Yano & Hikuleo. Yano undoes the buckle pad, but gets cut off. Bullet Club clears out the rest and works over Yano. Makabe makes the save, hits double lariats, and White dumps him. Goto levels White and follows with a plancha. Jado takes the ref, low blow and cradle and Yano pins Hikuleo. Henare, Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, & Hirooki Goto defeated Jay White, Hikuleo, Tama Tonga, & Tanga Loa @ 10:50 via pin [***] This was good, with nice attention paid to the future match ups, and everyone working with energy.

Yoh, Kota Ibushi, & Big Tom Ishii vs. BUSHI, Naito, & EVIL: Yoh & BUSHI begin. They trade strikes, and Yoh follows with a flying forearm. Tag to Ishii and EVIL tags in. They start colliding and trying to kill each other. They work into counters and keep colliding and EVIL finally takes him down. Naito & BUSHI take out the others, while EVIL follows with chops. Naito & Ibushi brawl up into the entranceway, as EVIL controls and tags in Naito as he and BUSHI lay the boots to Ishii. Naito follows with a neck breaker and dropkick. BUSHI tags back in and chokes out Ishii with his shirt. The neck breaker follows for 2. EVIL is back in and Ishii fires back, but EVIL quickly cuts him off. Ishii fights off the sharp shooter, they fight over a suplex, and Ishii hits a German. Tags to Naito and Ibushi, and Ibushi follows with a dropkick and plancha to the floor. Back in and Ibushi lays in a flurry of strikes and the standing corkscrew moonsault gets 2. Naito cuts him off, and hits the tornado DDT. Ibushi counters the German, hits the head kick and both men are down. Tags to Yoh & BUSHI, and Yoh follows with dropkicks. BUSHI rakes the eyes, but Yoh does the deal with a falcon arrow for 2. BUSHI scores with the enziguri and neck breaker, and Ishii & EVIL tag in. EVIL dumps Ishii and hits darkness falls for 2 on Yoh. Ishii makes the save, but EVIL hits the lariat. It breaks down into he big move buffet, and Yoh hits the final cut for 2. BUSHI attacks, and EVIL turns him inside out with a lariat for 2. Suicide dive by BUSHI, and EVIL taps Yoh with the sharpshooter. LIJ defeated Yoh, Kota Ibushi, & Big Tom Ishii @ 13:05 via submission [****] This was a great match with really good pacing and all the feuds clicking in their interactions.

Sho & Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA & Shingo: Okada and SANADA begin. They lock up, working into counters, and Okada grounds things. SANADA counters out and they work into a stand off. Sho and Shingo tag in. Shingo attacks, they trade shoulder tackles, and Shingo then misses the senton. Sho follows with a shoulder tackle, and lays in kicks. Shingo is not amused and Sho keeps firing away at him. He follows with strikes, but Shingo cuts him off with a lariat as SANADA takes Okada to the floor. Shingo takes Sho to the floor and whips him to the barricade. Back in and Shingo hits the slam and tags in SANADA. He hits a slam, tag back to Shingo and he hits another slam. SANADA in and hits another. Shingo follows with a suplex for 2. Shingo follows with chops, hits a clothesline and Sho fires back with chops. Shingo cuts him off, stops the spear and Sho counters and hits a dropkick and then the spear. Tag to Okada and he runs wild on Shingo, knocks SANADA to the floor, and hits the DDT on Shingo for 2. Shingo fires back, they trade and Shingo hits the DDT. Tag to SANADA, but Okada fights off the paradise lock but gets it the second time. He breaks it and covers for 2. Okada hits the flapjack, but SANADA fights off the tombstone and gets skull end. Okada escapes, and hits the air raid neck breaker. Tags to Sho & Shingo, dropkick by Sho and he follows with clotheslines. They trade strikes, throwing bombs now, and Shingo follows with a flurry. They trade clotheslines, and Sho follows with a knee strike. The lariat finally takes Shingo down. He hits another and covers for 2. He looks for the arm bar and gets it until SANADA makes the save. Okada dumps him and Shingo connects with a lariat. Tag to SANADA, and he covers for 2. Skull end follows, but Sho powers out and into a suplex. The German follows for 2. He calls for shock arrow, but Shingo makes the save until Sho hits the lariat, Okada dropkicks SANADA, and Sho looks for shock arrow, but SANADA fights him off and locks on skull end and Okada makes the save. Missile dropkick by SANADA, and the tombstone on Sho follows and then skull end. Sho is done. SANADA & Shingo defeated Sho & Kazuchika Okada @ 19:20 via submission [****] This was another great match, with the boys from LIJ & CHAOS delivering once again. So and Shingo got a lot of time to shine here and were really the stars of the match, although everyone was great.

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 13. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka is joined by the returning Steven Jefferson Douglas Cook. On the show, the guys will discuss Bully Ray gaining power in ROH, the fickle fan reaction to the controversial AEW TV reports, WWE talent wanting out of the company, remembering Rick Rude and much more. The show is approximately 85 minutes long.

* Intro
* Bully Ray Gaining Power in ROH: 2:00
* AEW TV Controversy & Fickle Fan Reaction: 15:00
* Dolph Ziggler Last Wrestled at The Royal Rumble, Do You Miss Him?: 27:20
* Dark Side of The Ring: 34:50
* Remembering Rick Rude: 50:20
* If WWE Talents Want Out, Let Them Go: 63:00

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

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

7.5
The final score: review Good
The 411
The return to Korakuen Hall hosted today’s best show of the Dontaku tour. It was a consistently good wrestling show, with an invested crowd, and great work building to future matches.
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