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NJPW Destruction in Kobe, September 23.
Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura - Time Limit Draw. This was the 15th ten minute draw between these two young lions. This was a very good match between two of NJPWs least experienced wrestlers. Tsuji is the bigger of the pair and went after a legal Uemura’s selling was great. As always with the young lions, they stuck to the basics and managed to put together a great match with just that. They both desperately tried for Boston Crab wins in the dying seconds, but Uemura held on as the bell rang.
YOH & SHO defeated Ren Narita & Shota Umino. Narita spent the first several minutes in the ring on the defensive. He got the tag to Umino and the tide turned. Narita pulled out a great belly to belly suplex and did his best to survive until he was caught with a super kick and a falcon arrow by YOH. It was fun for what it was.
Tiger Mask IV & Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado. The two veterans were jumped during their entrance. Tiger was then worked over until he got the tag to Liger. Liger unloaded until Tiger was tagged back in. Tiger tried to get the submission win with the reverse double armbar, but it was broken up. Kanemaru got a near fall with a moonsault. Then Tiger caught him with a crucifix to score a huge upset win over the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champions. This belts have barely been defended in months and the division is dead. At least the crowd will be in to the legends chasing the Suzuki-Gun team. Hopefully the upcoming Super Jr Tag Tournament will give the division some much needed life.
Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi defeated Ayato Yoshida, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi. This was a really fun match with these veterans. Kojima is in ridiculous shape since his return. The story with Honma is that he has been struggling to return to form since he got back in the ring. Nagata attacked Taguchi‘ funky weapon. Yoshida came in with a really fiery hot tag and took it to Nagata. It’s the most fire he has shown thus far in his short NJPW run. He nailed a stiff PK. Nagata ended up with a bloody mouth, but he pinned Yoshida with the Back Drop Hold.
Beretta & Chuck Taylor defeated Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. This was really good. It started with a brawl on the floor. Beretta hit a double stomp as Smith hung over the railing. Taylor and Archer both missed moonsault. This one didn’t slow down at all. Smith was laying in some heavy kicks on Taylor. He is one of the most technically sound wrestlers in the world. Taylor was taken out with a suplex on the floor, leaving Beretta on his own. He kicked out of an Archer chokeslam. KES hit the Killer Bomb, but Beretta was able to counter Archers pin and score the upset win.
Jay White, YOSHI-HASHI & Will Ospreay defeated Toa Henare, David Finlay & Juice Robinson. This match was all about the turmoil in CHAOS, being caused by Jay White, and YOSHI-HASHI contemplating leaving the group. Henare was a standout here. He muscled YOSHI up for a great deadlift vertical suplex. Ospreay and Finlay showed good chemistry together. Ospreay hit a double springboard dive to the floor, which was spectacular. Henare ran through White with a spear, but a miscue saw White accidentally hit YOSHI and almost cost them the match. White pinned Henare with Bladerunner. White and YOSHI argued after the match as Ospreay walked away.
EVIL, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito defeated TAKA Michinoku, Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. Suzuki-Gun got the jump before the bell. Naito was again tortured in a leg bar by Suzuki. There was some great stuff again between EVIL and Sabre, who have great chemistry together. SANADA put TAKA in the Paradise Lock, which is always amusing. All hell broke lose in the final few minutes. When it settled down it left EVIL to pin TAKA with the STO. The commentators were playing up that EVIL has his eyes set on Chris Jericho and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. That’s a match that will probably take place at King of Pro Wrestling.
IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semi Final: KUSHIDA defeated BUSHI. This was excellent. KUSHIDA went after the arm early, using some really slick, almost Lucha style holds. The match changed when BUSHI hit a back cracker on the apron. BUSHI was able to take control, but KUSHIDA would keep going back to the arm. These guys have always had great chemistry and this was no different. One of the moments of the match saw KUSHIDA catch a BUSHI suicide dive in an armbar. KUSHIDA locked in the Hoverboard Lock, but BUSHI pulled the ref and blinded KUSHIDA with a mouth full of black mist. KUSHIDA was still able to kick out of a back slide and counter an MX into Back to the Future. The Time Splitter held on and hit the move a second time to move on to the final at King of Pro Wrestling. There, he will meet the winner of Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll, who meet at Fighting Spirit Unleashed next weekend in Long Beach. This is all very repetitive for KUSHIDA, who has done everything in this division. The commentators said that he wants to win this tournament so that he’ll have something to show for his year, as he feels he hasn’t accomplished anything in 2018.
Tokyo Dome Championship Opportunity: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Kazuchika Okada. They ALWAYS deliver and this was one of the best of their entire rivalry. This was another jaw dropping classic to add to the greatest rivalry in modern pro wrestling. Tanahashi hurry his knee on a cross body to the floor, which became the target of Okada. A role reversal as Tanahashi usually goes after a knee. There was a great Figure Four sequence, which Tanahashi sold incredibly. Tanahashi made an amazing comeback with a Tombstone on the floor and a High Fly Flow to the floor, ending with a High Fly Flow, but Okada got his knees up. The counters were absolutely stunning. The main story was, just like at the G1, Okada was unable to hit the Rainmaker. Tanahashi had an answer for it every time. The most amazing of all the counters, was in the dying moments, just as you were sure Okada would hit it, Tanahashi hit a Dragon Suplex for one of the greatest near falls I’ve ever seen. Okada went for a Tombstone from the top, but after a long struggle, Tanahashi hit a breathtaking High Fly Flow, as Okada was falling from the top rope. He hit two more and pinned Okada for the first time in almost four years. This was incredible.
It was after the match that will make the headlines though. It was a stunning turn of events. Jay White attacked Tanahashi. White beat Tanahashi in the G1, so he will be next in line to challenge for the briefcase. He then attacked Okada, and Rocky Romero, who was on commentary. Their other CHAOS mate YOSHI ran to the ring to make the save, but in full Titus O’Neil fashion, he tripped and face planted. He hit his head on something and split himself wide opened. It was truly spectacular. Then we had the biggest shocker of them all. Gedo hit the ring, and nailed Okada from behind, aligning himself with Jay White. Gedo turning on his long time protégé, just a month after he stepped down as his manager. Now we have so many questions over the future of CHAOS.
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