Pro Wrestling NOAH is constantly gaining steam here in 2022, and Bumper Crop in Sendai showed this perfectly. Despite having a chunk of their roster taken down after being exposed to COVID-19, they ran a solid three hour show – with some men running double duty. Add in a huge defense of the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Katsuhiko Nakajima, and it was a show worth seeking out.
Hao Leaves KONGO, Daisuke Harada Works Back To Back Matches
The undercard of this card was highlighted by two great performances from Daisuke Harada. Having won the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship for the fifth time recently, Harada is carrying the torch for the division. After a fast paced non-title match against Seiki Yoshioka, he’d be approached by Hao.
Earlier in the night, Hao was on the losing side of a six man tag team match alongside Kongo – and he’d leave the faction to join the NOAH Junior Army. Aleja & Nio would attack, forcing an impromptu tag team match. With Hao taking the fight to his now former brothers, Harada would claim his second win in back to back fashion.
Keiji Muto & Naomichi Marufuji Survive Against KONGO
We’d get two main event worthy matches on this card. The GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championships would first be defended, as Keiji Muto & Naomichi Marufuji would take on the KONGO duo of Kenou & Manabu Soya. Soya was a star here, bringing some heavy blows and aggression to the table. He’d really shine here, and seemed keen on winning the belts without help.
Marufuji & Kenoh had a brilliant and fast paced strike display, with Kenoh able to outspeed the wrestling genius himself. Muto was able to remain steady in this match, using his decades of experience to keep pace with younger competition once again. A rare miscue from Marufuji & Muto would almost cost them the match, but Muto would stop a rampaging Soya with a frankensteiner for the win.
Katsuhiko Nakajima Stands Tall In Thrilling Main Event
In the final match of the night, Katsuhiko Nakajima would clash with one of his biggest rivals. Masa Kitamiya was the victor of a brutal steel cage match in 2021, which led to Nakajima having his head shaved. Now, Kitamiya has a chance to take more than Nakajima’s hair. It was a downright brutal fight, which is exactly what fans wanted.
It started off slow, with neither man wanting to make the first mistake. After a brawl on the outside saw Kitamiya gain the edge, before Nakajima would get the pace back into his corner. Once this match settled in, the strikes were stiff, the drops were taken on the neck, and the crowd was invested.
The kicks of Nakajima are the hardest in wrestling today, but Kitamiya took them like a pro. However, few can survive a vertical drop brainbuster – and that’d take Kitamiya out for the three count. This is defense #4 for Nakajima, and likely won’t be the last. After the match, former 3x IWGP Heavyweight Champion – Kazuyuki Fujita would step up, and seemingly is the next challenge.
Will Kazuyuki Fujita be able to defeat Nakajima to claim the GHC Heavyweight Championship? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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