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1 - Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. Taisei Nakahara.
Matsumoto gets the win with a Boston Crab.
2 - Jakob Austin Young and Francesco Akira vs. Dick Togo and SHO
SHO and DOUKI won the Super Jr. Tag League last year. Why not keep them as a team to defend as prior winners?
Young was more heelish than Akira. Togo dropped his piano wire and Young tried to choke out Togo with it. Akira stopped him from cheating and he tagged himself in. Akira fought off both SHO and Togo. Akira set up the Fireball on Togo. Young tagged himself in. Akira hits the Fireball on Togo and goes for the pin. The referee is telling Akira that Young is the legal man. Young jumps in the ring and pins Togo.
United Empire have 2 points.
SHO and Dick Togo have 0 points.
Now they are teasing dissension within the Junior members of United Empire. It will be Will Ospreay's team vs. Callum Newman's crew. I hope this storyline with United Empire leads to something important down the line, more specifically in New Japan. This has been going on for too long and the audience will lose interest.
3 - Nick Wayne and KUSHIDA vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI
House of Torture attacks KUSHIDA and Wayne during their ring entrance. KUSHIDA and Wayne battle back. KUSHIDA puts DOUKI on his shoulders and Wayne was about to hit a move off the top rope, but Kanemaru spits whiskey in Wayne's face, and DOUKI rolls KUSHIDA into a Victory Roll. DOUKI pins KUSHIDA.
DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru have 2 points.
KUSHIDA and Nick Wayne have 0 points.
4 - Daiki Nagai and Titan vs. Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles
Good match. Nagai looked solid among these veterans. Eagles hits Hyperion on Nagai and gets the pin.
TMDK have 2 points.
Titan and Daiki Nagai have 0 ponts.
5 - Kazuma Sumi and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori
Kazuma Sumi is a wrestler out of the DDT promotion in Japan.
Robbie X hits the X Express on Sumi and gets the pin.
Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori have 2 points.
Kazuma Sumi and Ryusuke Taguchi have 0 points.
6 - Hyo and YOH vs. Lee Johnson and Blake Christian
Johnson picks up Hyo. Christian hits a double stomp and Johnson drops Hyo with a Spicoli Driver.
Johnson pins Hyo.
Lee Johnson and Blake Christian have 2 points.
Hyo and YOH have 0 points.
7 - Mistico and Masatora Yasuda vs. KUUKAI and Master Wato
Wato pins Yasuda with a Tsutenkaku German.
KUUKAI and Master Wato have 2 points.
Mistico and Masatora Yasuda have 0 points.
Mistico assisted to his feet. Mistico congratulated Wato and KUUKAI and they all posed to the crowd.
Wato gets the mic and puts over Mistico.
Desperado's withdrawal was a major hit to this tournament because he is a big draw and the current IWGP Jr. Tag Champion. Yasuda took the pin, but does that mean Wato and KUUKAI deserve a title shot? This will be a problem for setting up future challengers, because with a young lion as a replacement, Yasuda will take the pin in every match. Any plans to set up a new challenger for the tag belts will have to be adjusted and it is anyone's guess when Desperado will return for a future title defense.
Thank you for reading.
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