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Welcome to the New Japan on AXS TV report for Week Four of Wrestle Kingdom 17!
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Francesco Akira & TJP vs. Lio Rush & YOH.
Good action early. Lio gets taken out on the ramp so Akira and TJP work over YOH. Nice spot where Akira dives off TJP's shouler to wipe out YOH on the floor. Rush was bleeding when he retjrned to the ring. He made a comeback and nailed some nice kicks on YOH. He nailed some NICE topes. He's a long way from being Lashley's mouthpiece. They really kicked things into high gear with some fun near falls. It continued until TJP used an inside cradle to pin YOH. Good action. Lio was wrestling his a** off and competed like he was trying to prove to the world he belonged and looked great in the process.
NEVER Openweight Champion Karl Anderson vs. Tama Tonga.
Here we go with WWE vs. New Japan. No Gallows with Anderson. Anderson attacked before the bell and suplexed Tama across the ring barrier. He pulled Tama to the entrance ramp and nailed the Burner Driver, which looked brutal. Anderson walked away but thought better of it and was going for the Gun Stun on the entrance but was tossed off and took a rough bump on the ramp. Tama followed him back to the ring and attacked him on the apron. Tama went for the Gun Stun but was shoved off and hit with a great running boot. Anderson worked him over but Tama came back with a big lariat out of the corner and exploded with offense. Anderson took him down but Tama kicked out. Tama came back with the SRC and went to the top. They battled over a superplex. Tonga nailed Supreme Flow, his Superfly Splash, for a close two count. Tonga has looked great here. They battled until Tonga nailed the Gun Stun while leaping off the ropes and nailed another for the pin. New Champ. Anderson worked his ass off on the way out and Tonga was there with him. At times it was not pretty, but it felt like a fight.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado vs. Master Wato.
Ishimori ducked out letting the other three fight early. They battled to the apron, where Ishimori ended up taking everyone out. They all fought to get back to the ring but Ishimori hit them with a moonsault from the top. They were almost counted out. Ishimori began unloading in Desperado. Hiromu hit a big sitdown splash on everyone on the floor. Late in the bout, Watto had the match won but the referee was pulled out of the ring. Ishimori nailed Wato with a chair but Wato still almost beat him before Hiromu broke it up. Wato nailed a big German suplex on Hiromu but Takahashi kicked oiut at the last second. Hiromu nailed the sidebar and scored the pin on Wato, winning the Junior title. This was OK. They had way too many things going on to ever get any sort of consistency going but they all worked super hard.
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