When it comes to the history of Great-O-Khan since returning from his young lion excursion – one man has had his number. Toru Yano has been able to find his way under the skin of O-Khan on numerous occasions, forcing him to cut his braid in matches, and even beating him in an amateur wrestling style match. Tonight, O-Khan has fifteen minutes to solve the Toru Yano problem – as they meet in the first round of the NJPW World Television Championship. Yano is the type to take a match like this to fifteen minutes and trust a coin flip to the next round, or to end the match in the opening moments with some dirty tactics – meaning O-Khan will need to be ready for anything tonight.
Gideon Grey Supports Great-O-Khan…
Gideon Grey was here to support his United Empire ally in Great-O-Khan, and would serve as the ring announcer for his part of the introductions. Grey didn’t opt to try and handle the always growing ring introduction of Yano, as few men can remember everything that needs to be said for Yano. He’s supporting the bears in Hokkaido, promoting his camping DVD with CHAOS, has Line stamps, and many more things that need mentioning.
The clock would start with the bell, as O-Khan slipped to the outside, opting to play mind games with Yano. Yano would go after a corner pad, and O-Khan used this as an opening to look for a takedown. Head & Arm Choke would be applied on the mat, before O-Khan grabbed the leg of Yano and titled it into a pinfall attempt while maintaining the hold.
Yano would already be fading, but wouldn’t give up this match so early – and found the bottom rope to get to freedom. O-Khan would whip Yano into the barricade at ringside, before having his braid yanked and taped to the barricade. This previously forced O-Khan to cut his braid, but this time, Gideon Grey was there to help him free.
Yano threw a corner pad down at O-Khan when he got free, nearly forcing the count out victory. Back in the ring, Yano kept working the braid before O-Khan would use it to choke Yano. The referee refused to count the pinfall after this, but O-Khan remained on the offensive.
…But The Great Muta Assists Toru Yano!
Yano would be forced into the corner he previously exposed, with O-Khan opting to sit on him and stretch the arms back. Mongolian Chops would fly, with Yano down for a two count after them, before O-Khan would nail a body slam. Yano would be able to fire back with a Belly to Belly Suplex, before luring O-Khan into the exposed corner for a roll up.
O-Khan would kick out and get the Fisherman’s Suplex, before Yano would execute two swift roll up attempts. O-Khan was able to kick out of both, before nailing the pump kick. Iron Claw would be attempted, with Yano looking for a low blow as a counter. He’d miss, but was able to hit the Manhattan Drop before catapulting O-Khan into the exposed corner before a roll up for two.
O-Khan would be able to nail a spear, before applying the Sheep Killer in the middle of the ring. He’d turn it into a standing elbow drop for a two count, and it was about time for The Eliminator to land. Someone would turn the lights out, and when they came back on – The Great Muta was here! O-Khan was hit with the green mist, allowing Yano to get the pinfall victory.
After the bell, Yano & Muta would shake hands. No one expected Muta to show up here as part of his retirement tour, but Yano isn’t complaining. Will Yano be involved in Muta’s final match in 2023? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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