There aren’t many stops between the G1 Climax & Wrestle Kingdom this year, and none bigger than Power Struggle. With five championship matches, the name is more true than ever. Tonight is a chance to likely enter 2022 with gold, being one of the men to lead NJPW into a new year. The power is with the victors, but who would come out on top in this show?
Three Low Stakes Opening Tags Get Crowd Warmed Up
Kicking off the show, we got another look at the Young Lion talent, as Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa took on Suzuki-Gun members DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. They lost in under 5 minutes, but showed good babyface fire and technique. Next up, a trio from BULLET CLUB in Gedo, Jado & Tanga Loa would take on Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask IV. This was another short match, with Loa dropping Honma with Apeshit in 5:07.
One more low stakes match before the real action begins, with Los Ingobernables de Japon members BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & SANADA taking on Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yuji Nagata. This was the best of the low stakes matches, with SANADA & Nagata having some great wrestling, and Takahashi & Taguchi showing their always excellent chemistry. SANADA closed things out with a European Clutch in 7:05.
New NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Crowned
Our first of five championship matches would come next, as CHAOS members Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI looked to extend their 454 day reign as NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions. However, House of Torture would play their cards perfectly all match. CHAOS showed some amazing fire in this match, and had things won – but Dick Togo was the key to victory.
He pulled the referee out of the ring, low blows were hit, wrenches were used, and EVIL dropped YOSHI-HASHI with an STO to win the belts in 13:46. After the bell, YOH would explode into the ring to help his factionmates, and beat down former tag team partner SHO, finally showing some life and fire ahead of Best of The Super Juniors.
Toru Yano Out Grapples Great-O-Khan, KENTA & El Desperado Claim Gold
After a quick intermission, we were back to action with an Amateur Rules match over the King of Pro Wrestling 2021 Championship. Toru Yano & Great-O-Khan both have storied careers in the Amatuer Wrestling scene, and will show them tonight. Yuji Nagata would be the one overseeing the match, and led the crowd in a quick demonstration of how the match would work. It was a fun little 6 minute grappling session, with Toru Yano winning 6-5 thanks to a last minute rush of points. After the match, Aaron Henare & Great O-Khan beat Yano down, getting the last laugh.
Up next was the defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, with Robbie Eagles defending against El Desperado. Carrying that belt into Best of The Super Juniors is extra pressure, but both men thrive under pressure – meaning this was a fast paced match to ensure they got the honors of being top dog. The pace started fast, and only slowed after a 450 Splash from Eagles to Desperado was countered with double knees. They would trade strikes and finisher attempts, before Desperado fully caught Eagles in Numero Dos for a verbal submission in 18:20.
Another title defense was next, as Hiroshi Tanahashi defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against KENTA. KENTA has coveted that title since 2020, but has never called it his own. After some early antics from KENTA, including stealing the belt to sucker Tanahashi to the outside for a powerslam, things got serious. A table was set up at ringside, and Tanahashi used a High Fly Flow to crush KENTA through it. KENTA countered a second in the ring, and nailed Go To Sleep to claim his prize.
Tama Tonga Is One Match Away From Tokyo Dome Dreams
Despite winning the G1 Climax, Kazuchika Okada is not uncontested in the right to challenge at Tokyo Dome. He dropped one match, and Tama Tonga wouldn’t let a second chance fall by the wayside. Tonight was higher stakes, but Okada was more ready for the new and improved Tama Tonga. Despite Okada being ready, Tama got the early edge with some fast striking, before being dropped with a sky high flapjack.
He’d be set up on the top rope for a huge dropkick to the floor, and Okada followed up with a DDT. Tama would fire back with the Tongan Twist on the ramp, but needed the GunStun or Tiger Driver ‘97 for the win. Instead, Okada was able to get him into the Money Clip, nearly forcing a submission. A rope break got Tama free, and he’d nail a huge Death Valley Bomb and Supreme Flow for a two count.
Not giving up, he’d counter the Rainmaker into Bloody Sunday, but again this Bullet Club staple only got a two count. GunStun would be blocked once again, before Okada got a near fall off a flash pinfall. One more GunStun attempt countered, the Landslide into Rainmaker combo got Okada the win.
Shingo Takagi & Zack Sabre Jr. Show Just What The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Is Worth
During the G1, Zack Sabre Jr. made Shingo Takagi tap out to an armbar, and now gets a championship match because of it. A grappling heavy start favoured the challenger to start, with Shingo having to carefully pick spots to overpower ZSJ. He’d fend off a kneebar and attempt a crossface, but ZSJ rolled to the ropes.
Shingo followed him to the apron, only for ZSJ to slip away and apply a sleeper hold, sending Shingo collapsing to the floor. He’d rise just to take a PK, and to be tied up in another submission in the ring. It seemed like escaping holds just always led to another, until he’d change the pace to trade suplexes and strikes with ZSJ. One huge Pumping Bomber landed so hard, ZSJ almost flew from the middle of the ring to the outside upon impact.
ZSJ would take Shingo up to the top rope to come down into a flying armbar attempt, and got the full extension – but Shingo got the ropes to break the hold. He’d also endure a crazy combo of a stomp to the elbow, a PK and a spinning Zack Driver, kicking out at 2.9, but it’s still not 3. Shingo would counter a triangle up into Last of the Dragon, but was unable to make the pin. One last near fall came for ZSJ with a European Clutch, before a definitive end came with Last of The Dragon at 30:27.
Can Shingo Takagi continue his reign past Kazuchika Okada on January 4th in Tokyo Dome? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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