Kicking off tonight’s main card action in Tokyo Dome is a three way battle for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask IV enter as champions, and have two top teams to worry about. Former champions Taiji Ishimorih & El Phantasmo, and the veteran duo of Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero. Any of these teams could leave with the gold here, in what should be a fast paced encounter.
ELP Did Have A Loaded Boot, Flying Tiger Retain The Tag Team Championships
Eagles started this fight going right after ELP, who wore a jacket with an LED board that said “ROBBIE EAGLES SUCKS LOL”. Mega Coaches would hit some hip attacks to take advantage, with Romero kicking off the ass of Taguchi for a tornado DDT. According to commentary, Tiger Mask IV took Sudden Death before the bell, and was all but out of the match.
A big kick to the mid section from the right foot of ELP dropped Eagles over, before a super back rake. ELP took Ishimori on his shoulders for reasons known to only them, and Romero used this to hit a Doomsday Device. Some stomps to the hand of Taguchi from the loaded boot would set up the Old School rope walk, but Eagles took him down with a hurricanrana.
Tiger Mask was finally up, and he’d hit a top rope Double Underhook suplex, Tiger Driver, and some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. Eagles would apply the Ron Miller Special on Romero, but Ishimori saved the match. Mega Coaches nailed Black Hole Vacation, but again the match was saved by Bullet Club’s Cutest Tag Team.
They’d hit a knee drop into a UFO drop on Tiger Mask IV, before ELP soared across the ring with Thunder Kiss ‘86 but only got a two count! Everyone ganged up on ELP, and Eagles ordered everyone to hold him down as they took his boot off and revealed a hunk of metal! ELP is finally exposed, and PHANTASMO & ISHIMORI ARE REMOVED BY FORCE!
Flying Tiger & Mega Coaches would keep this match going, now a normal tag team match. Tiger Mask nailed the kangaroo kick and a suicide dive to the outside, before Eagles hit turbo backpack in the ring before applying Ron Miller Special for the submission!
Stardom Takes Center Stage In Tokyo Dome
For the first time in two decades, female wrestlers are on the main card of a NJPW show. BUSHI Road doesn’t just own NJPW, but also Stardom. This has led to some highlight tag team matches on preshows, but tonight they are front and center in Tokyo Dome.
All four factions of Stardom are represented tonight, as Mayu Iwatani & Starlight Kid take on Saya Kamatina & Tam Nakano. Saya Kamatina represented Queen Quest, Tam Nakano represented Cosmic Angels, Starlight Kid represented Oedo-Tai and Mayu Iwatani represented Stars! They’re going to show why Stardom is #1.
SLK would rush Saya to start this match, taking her down with a flying headscissor before a dropkick. Mayu tagged in, and a double 619 landed before a double moonsault got a two count! Saya took a kick to the back, and came back with a spinning wheel kick before tagging on Tam. Tam dodged a dropkick and crab crawled into a roll up. They’d trade heavy forearm blows, before Tam was rolled into a dropkick to the head. Mayu hit the Crucifix Bomb for a two count, before SLK & Saya hit the ring.
Stealing The Show Early
Saya hit a big dropkick, before a springboard missed it’s mark. Tam came to the aid of her partner before a big double arm drag from Mayu, and an Asai Moonsault from SLK followed. SLK came off the top onto Saya, but only got a two count. Mayu allowed SLK on her shoulders on the top rope for a huge crossbody splash, before SLK applied the Texas Cloverleaf.
Tam made the save, and dove onto the mass of bodies at ringside soon after. Back in the ring, Saya hit a suplex with a nice bridge for a two count, before looking for Starcrusher. SLK got the counter into an inside cradle, before another cradle got a two count. Saya would hit a School Boy suplex but only got two.
Tam would nail Mayu with a huge tiger suplex, but Saya & SLK were legal. Starcrusher landed, and Saya went up top for the Phoenix Splash. She’d crash down and get the big win for her team!
Should NJPW have more Stardom matches? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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