wrestling / TV Reports
Hamilton’s New Japan Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2021 – Night Eight 04.20.2021 Review
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Quick Results
Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado & MInoru Suzuki pinned SHO, YOH & Tomoaki Honma in 10:38 (***)
Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga & Jado pinned Zack Sabre Jr., DOUKI & Taichi in 12:33 (**½)
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano defeated Gedo & EVIL via disqualification in 6:34 (*¾)
Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb & Will Ospreay pinned BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi in 14:41 (**¾)
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI pinned Taiji Ishimori, KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi in 20:14 to retain the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship (***½)
— If you’re on Twitter, give me a follow over on @IanWrestling – and check out the GoFundMe that’s still open for Larry’s family.
Well, the crowd at Korakuen Hall yesterday barely scraped past 300 – for what was one of the better Road-to shows this year.
Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Minoru Suzuki) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) & Tomoaki Honma
We’re continuing to build for the junior tag title rematch next week between Roppongi 3K and Desperado/Kanemaru…
Of course we open with YOH and Desperado, but YOH manages to edge ahead until the match was taken outside, with SHO getting chucked into the guard rails as Kanemaru stomped away on YOH’s leg. All going to form so far. Numero Dos looks to force a submission, but YOH holds on as Kanemaru and Suzuki had their go on YOH’s bad knee. Gotta keep testing it out, you know?
A knee bar from Suzuki ends in the ropes, before YOH’s low dropkick found Suzuki’s knee, giving him time to tag in Honma, who lands a bulldog, but misses a Kokeshi. After an exchange of strikes, Suzuki reapplies a leg lock, but it ends in the ropes before SHO got the hot tag in to kick his way through Kanemaru.
Superkicks from SHO & YOH stop Desperado and Kanemaru before they bust out the Dominator/neckbreaker combo for a near-fall, following up with a back cracker and a diving kick, before Desperado pulled YOH out to stop a 3K. Instead, SHO comes back with a lariat, then looked to polish off Kanemaru with a Shock Arrow… only for Kanemaru to counter with a roll-up for the win. A pretty good opener this, with Roppongi 3K starting to look like their old selves before the finish. ***
Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI) vs. Bullet Club (Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) & Jado)
I get they’ve got a mini-feud going with DOUKI and Jado, but I’m starting to wonder who I’ve upset in a past life to keep getting this rerun.
We’ve a jump start from the Bullet Club team, with Tama Tonga choking away on Taichi while DOUKI jabbed Jado with his pipe. That’s not a DQ though, as Tama Tonga comes in and ends up taking some headscissors before Tabga Loa caught a crossbody and turned it into a swinging side slam.
On the outside, DOUKI is cracked in the ribs with a Kendo stick, then gets held in the ring as Jado chopped away. It remains one-way traffic for a spell, with a senton atomico from Tanga Loa landing for a two-count, before DOUKI looked to counter a spinebuster into a DDT. Taichi’s in on Tama Tonga, looking for a Dangerous backdrop driver, before settling for an Axe bomber. Choking follows, before Taichi went all sumo on us with a takedown on Jado, even grabbing his jeans like it were a mawashi.
Tama Tonga gets the upper hand briefly, but falls to an enziguiri as we get Sabre and Tanga Loa in. A front guillotine from Sabre’s almost countered, as Sabre instead goes to an arm twist. Tanga’s backdrop gets a two-count, as the ring then filled for the obligatory Parade of Moves… including Tama Tonga cracking Taichi with a tag title belt behind the ref’s back. DOUKI ducks a Kendo stick shot and takes Jado outside for a plancha, before Tanga Loa countered an Octopus stretch by muscling Sabre up into the Apeshit for the win. This got a little long in the tooth, but had a good finish to it. **½
Post-match, Tanga Loa told Sabre that if he could beat him fairly in a singles match, he’ll get the tag title shot. Oh goodie. Taichi takes a Magic Killer as he tries to charge in with a choke, as Tanga also suggested that if Sabre lost, they’d not be able to challenge again. I doubt that part very much.
Bullet Club (EVIL & Gedo) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano
I bet there’ll be more fun with blindfolds…
For once, the good guys jump their opponents to start, taking Gedo outside ahead of a double shoulder tackle to EVIL. Things head outside as EVIL wipes out the timekeeper in the opening minute, then choked Yano with his own chair. Back inside, Gedo distracts the referee so Dick Togo could help on an abdominal stretch, before Yano found enough time to undo a corner pad.
Gedo’s thrown into an exposed corner, while EVIL’s pulled down by the hair as Tanahashi tags in to clear house. A Dragon screw in the ropes stops Dick Togo’s interference, while Gedo’s dropped with a slam and a flip senton out of the corner. EVIL breaks up Tanahashi’s attempt at a Slingblade, but gets caught with a Dragon screw… there’s another one for Gedo too, before EVIL broke up a Cloverleaf and took Tanahashi to the exposed corner.
Togo distracts on the apron as Gedo grabs the brass knuckles. Tanahashi stops it as Togo’s blindfolded, before EVIL low blows Tanahashi… Yano low blows EVIL. We’re all left holding our nuts as Gedo punches out Tanahashi with the brass knuckles, while Togo interferes to make sure we get the DQ. At least they kept this short, but this was more a set-up for the angle afterwards as… *¾
Post-match, EVIL spray paints the KOPW trophy black. Just like Hulk Hogan in 1996. Yano cries.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI) vs. United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb)
The final (streamed) build for the two singles matches on Monday… and of course we’re still headed for Ospreay/Shingo next month…
Naito’s wearing the new O-Khan t-shirt for… reasons. Hope he gets a cut. Ospreay tries to spark a jump start, but the Empire’s taken outside as we quickly get the guard rail stuff, with both teams coming off worse for wear. The Empire take the upper hand, with Cobb steamrolling through BUSHI before a tag brought in Shingo to turn the tide single-handedly.
Ospreay’s in to take a suplex, then a bunch of chops in the corner before Henare came in to try and forge a way through. SANADA gets the tag in and worked over Henare, but the Empire get the upper hand before Henare got booted and taken into a Dragon Sleeper. He countered out and looked for a Streets of Rage, but ends up taking a Magic Screw instead from SANADA.
Naito and O-Khan’s in next, trading right hands until a single-leg dropkick from Naito found a way through for a two-count. Naito tries a knee bar, but Ospreay’s in to break it up… Shingo takes him to the outside as Naito starts to drag O-Khan by the braid… only to get pulled into a belly-to-belly takedown.
An enziguiri from Naito and a low dropkick keep him ahead, before BUSHI tagged back in to land a missile dropkick. BUSHI’s DDT spikes O-Khan for a two-count, before O-Khan returned with the standing vice submission… BUSHI escapes the Eliminator as a Parade of Moves breaks out, including Ospreay floating over a Pumping Bomber, and Cobb countering Naito’s swinging DDT into a Spin Cycle, before Cobb handed BUSHI off to O-Khan for an Eliminator for the win. **¾
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Bullet Club (KENTA, Yujiro Takahashi & Taiji Ishimori) vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (c)
The CHAOS trio have held these titles since last summer, but have been faltering recently – with Hirooki Goto seemingly being the weak link in the team, having lost falls twice to Taiji Ishimori in recent weeks.
KENTA powders outside at the bell so he can kiss YOSHI-HASHI’s bo staff, then returned to tag out to Ishimori. Goto tags in too and instantly goes after him, leading to a brief spell outside before Ishimori raked the eyes. Chops keep Goto in the corner, with KENTA coming in as Goto’s drummed on… and Goto’s kept isolated as KENTA proceeded to clear the opposite apron.
Things head outside as YOSHI-HASHI’s chucked into the railings… but it’s Ishimori and Goto who are legal, with Ishimori throwing Goto into an exposed corner, before Yujiro booted him in the ropes. Finally, a tag brings in Ishii to try and turn it around, but Yujiro bites away before he countered back with a reverse DDT, then a Fisherman buster for a two-count.
Ishii’s back with a German suplex, before tags got us to YOSHI-HASHI and KENTA, with the former pulling ahead. A neckbreaker’s good for a two-count, as the ring began to fill, then empty as Goto gets sandwiched between front kicks. KENTA follows up a back suplex/neckbreaker combo with a double stomp of the top to YOSHI-HASHI for a near-fall.
YOSHI-HASHI hits back with a superkick to help Goto’s ushigoroshi as the champions got back in it, with a Western lariat getting another two-count. KENTA’s DDT stops all that in its tracks, before Ishimori’s Cipher UTAKI dropped YOSHI-HASHI ahead of an aborted 450 splash.
Ishimori finds more luck with a handspring enziguiri to Goto, who manages to reply with a double clothesline as the match remained finely-poised. A superkick from YOSHI-HASHI looks to set up for a GYW, but it’s broken up as KENTA grabs the bo staff and clocked Ishii with it. Another shot drops Goto as Ishimori almost snatched another win with a roll-up, before YOSHI-HASHI finally retrieved his bo staff.
A tug of war breaks out as the wood changes hands, but YOSHI-HASHI ends up smashing it into KENTA’s head before Ishimori tried his luck with another roll-up. Ishimori keeps pushing his luck, coming close with a backslide before he went for a Yes Lock… but Goto fights free before it can be locked in. From there, Goto plants Ishimori with a GTW, before a GTR secured the win. This was pretty good, but never really hit the heights I was expecting, teasing hitting an upper gear but not quite getting there. All’s well that ends well for YOSHI-HASHI and his bo staff though… ***½
The tour continues – away from NJPW World – for stops in Osaka on Thursday, Kochi on Friday, and Kagawa on Saturday – before the stream resumes on Monday for night twelve of the tour from Hiroshima, featuring Tetsuya Naito vs. Great-O-Khan and Aaron Henare vs. SANADA in a double main event.
