Rarely do opening matches in NJPW end up this good, but tonight we basically get a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom as Bishamon takes on Dangerous Tekkers. Granted, Master Wato & TAKA Michinoku have also joined the fray to make it a six man tag team match, but Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. could set up a backup plan by defeating Hirooki Goto or YOSHI-HASHI tonight, incase their plans in the New Japan Cup go off the rails.
Bishamon Once Again Wreck Dangerous Tekkers
Taichi & Goto would start this match, with both men testing each other’s balance with shoulder tackles. YOSHI-HASHI would slip in and help Goto drop Taichi, before ZSJ & Michinoku would get beaten down. Wato would tag in and hit some slick kicks, before being caught by the throat and levelled with a kick.
Suzuki-Gun would corner Wato, and was able put some damage on him – before YOSHI-HASHI got the tag. ZSJ would be taken over with a vertical suplex, and tagged in Michinoku. A poke to the eye would stun YOSHI-HASHI, before Wato dove into the ring with a dive, before sending the Dangerous Tekkers to the floor for a dive. Bishamon would set up Shoto for the easy victory.
SHO Could Have Just Asked For A Title Shot… But Instead Chose Violence
SHO took a step towards becoming the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion last night, when he attacked El Desperado following a eight man tag team match. Desperado has grown to become a very proud champion, and is expected to accept this challenge – but tonight brings DOUKI alongside to meet SHO & Yujiro Takahashi in tag team action.
Before SHO & Takahashi even hit the ring, Desperado & DOUKI would rush them from behind. He could have asked for a title shot, but instead chose violence against a member of Suzuki-Gun and was already paying for it. Into the ring, SHO was choked with his ring jacket, before taking a double elbow strike.
He’d flee the ring to lure Desperado into a lariat from Takahashi, finally giving a chance for House of Torture to gain some ground in this match. Takahashi would hit a series of strikes on the mat, before nearly getting beat with an inside cradle. SHO & Desperado would get tags, and a back suplex nearly ended things.
Desperado would end up in the Kimura Lock, but was able to get his foot under the bottom rope to force the break. Spinebuster would land, and Desperado & SHO both tagged out. DOUKI would show some speed with his strikes before looking for DOUKI-CHOKEY.
SHO would help to free Takahashi, before DOUKI set up the Daybreak DDT. Instead, Takahashi blocked into Big Juice for the victory.
United Empire Crushes BULLET CLUB
As the second round of the New Japan Cup comes to a close, only one member of The United Empire has been eliminated – that being Aaron Henare. Tonight, Henare teams up with Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Will Ospreay to take on the BULLET CLUB team of Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Bad Luck Fale & El Phantasmo. Tensions are still high after Great-O-Khan & Ospreay defeated ELP & Ishimori last night – so this one could get interesting.
BULLET CLUB would hit before the bell, with Gedo sticking around in the ring with Henare and regretting this once the hard strikes started flowing. Ospreay & Cobb would work over the beard of Gedo, picking up where Tetsuya Naito left off in their New Japan Cup match. ELP would get Ospreay on the outside with some strikes, before sending him to the Tongan Massage Parlour – as all of his opponents piled up on his lower back.
ELP would hit a super back rake in the ring, before taking a pop-up forearm. He’d stagger into a tag from Fale, but Cobb was able to get into the ring and match the power of Fale. Grenade was blocked by a dropkick, before Ishomori got the tag and was dropped with a backbreaker.
Great-O-Khan hit the ring and picked up where he left off with Ishimori, before Gedo got the tag. Alongside ELP he’d chop Great-O-Khan down, before Ospreay took them down. Fale ran in, but was taken down by Cobb & Henare. Finally, Gedo was dropped by Great-O-Khan to end this match.
Will a member of The United Empire win the New Japan Cup? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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