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From Korakuen Hall, Tokyo Japan:
The announcer told the crowd that Hiromu Takahashi suffered an injury to his left shoulder and would be unable to compete tonight.
Tetsuya Naito came to the ring to address the crowd.
1 - Jeff Cobb, The Great O-Khan and Will Ospreay, with Bea Priestley vs. Gabriel Kidd, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Hiroshi Tanahashi
Cobb pinned Kidd with a Tour of the Island.
O-Khan attacked Tanahashi on the outside of the ring with leg submissions.
2 - Chase Owens, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Jado vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, and SHO
Jado tapped out to YOSHI-HASHI's Butterfly Lock.
The cameras did not catch it, but Chase Owens broke Yano's KOPW trophy again. Yano was upset.
3 - Shingo Takagi and BUSHI vs. El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori
ELP came to the ring looking despondent. He pouted and said "Hiromu is hurt, what am I going to do?" Bullet Club attacked LIJ before the bell.
Good match! ELP hit BUSHI with Sudden Death, then took out Takagi on the apron with Sudden Death. Ishimori pins BUSHI for the win.
Both LIJ members were selling the effects of Sudden Death.
El Phantasmo took the mic and asked where is Hiromu? He said "Oh thats right. He is in the hospital getting surgery." He said they have no opponents for their titles.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado hit the ring. Desperado punches Ishimori in the face. ELP tries for Sudden Death on Desperado but blocks it. Kanemaru hits a brainbuster on ELP.
Looks like Suzuki-Gun will get a rematch for their IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles at Castle Attack in Osaka.
4 - Tomoaki Honma vs. SANADA
Honma taps out to SANADA's Skull End.
5 - Tomohiro Ishii and Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White, with Gedo, and EVIL, with Dick Togo
EVIL pins Okada with Everything is Evil, after Dick Togo choked him out.
Tomohiro Ishii got mad at the referee and pushed him out of the ring. Ishii got a towel to choke Jay White. White was able to get the towel away from him and choke out Ishii. Gedo laughed in his face while White was choking the life out of Ishii.
Comments:
1. On 2/25/21 in Korakuen Hall, Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo will defend the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles against Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado. This will be a rematch and Bullet Club's first defense since beating Suzuki-Gun for the titles.
(My prediction: Bullet Club should retain. Suzuki-Gun were replacements for BUSHI and Hiromu, till Hiromu hurt his shoulder. Too early to take the belts from Ishimori and ELP yet.)
2. The last two events on the Castle Attack Tour are on 2/27/21 and 2/28/21 in Osaka. As advertised on njpw1972.com, Night One will be headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White. No Title Matches on Night One unless you count the KOPW Trophy Match between Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens, which should be a comedy match.
3. On Night Two, these will be the following Title Matches:
a. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito
(My prediction: Naito should win here. The DOUBLE Championship idea devalues both titles. Ibushi cannot go all year at the top of the card defending both titles. Either Title could headline a tour. Splitting them up will allow New Japan more flexibility with event scheduling and giving wrestlers time to recover.)
b. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo
(My prediction: If Hiromu is ready to go, then he should retain. Now that Suzuki-Gun has declared themselves contenders for the Jr. Tag Titles, that will keep ELP and Ishimori busy. Hiromu holding both Jr. Division belts would be the same issue as Ibushi. Too many eggs in one basket. Also, as I mentioned in previous reports, Hiromu was going to get hurt with this schedule. Now he is hurt and events are being changed, which creates fan disappointment. If Hiromu is draw, then New Japan needs to keep him healthy.)
c. NEVER Openweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. The Great O-Khan
(My prediction: The Great O-Khan should win here. This will give The United Empire the signature win they needed at Wrestle Kingdom. Tanahashi is a made man and losing the title will not hurt him at all.)
d. IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa vs. YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto
(My prediction: Guerillas of Destiny should win this match. YOSHI-HASHI and Goto also hold the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Titles and I will use the same logic. One team should not hold two belts. With the New Japan Cup coming up in March, YOSHI-HASHI and Goto will probably be entered as singles competitors. Tag teams will take a break till April. G.O.D. will return to the United States for some R&R.)
The above card could change if Hiromu or others are unable to compete.
Stay tuned for the final two nights of Castle Attack in Osaka.
Thank you for reading.
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