A rematch of one of the most memorable bouts of the year takes place this morning in Hiroshima.
The first of three Destruction events will take place this morning as Kenny Omega will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii. The two had a tremendous match during the G1, with Ishii scoring the win. He looks to continue his momentum by winning the IWGP title for the first time.
This morning’s undercard will feature a number of tag team matches hyping future bouts for the other two events. There will also be a NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title match as new champions Guerillas of Destiny & Taiji Ishimori will defend their titles against Ryusuke Taguchi, David Finlay & Juice Robinson. There will also be a singles match with Bad Luck Fale taking on Toa Henare.
Action begins at 5:00 a.m. Eastern time on New Japan World. There will be English commentary.
**********
JUSHIN LIGER, TIGER MASK, & KUSHIDA DEFEATED ROPPONGI 3K (7:15)
Not bad, but this didn’t have enough time to get out of second gear.
Liger and YOH kicked things off. Liger hit a tackle, but YOH kipped up and hit a dropkick. Liger sent YOH to the floor, and hit a baseball slide. Liger hit a backbreaker and used a surfboard, but Romero broke it up.
3K triple-teamed Liger, before he was finally able to make a tag to KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA slapped an armbar on SHO, but SHO escaped. He went for a deadlift german, but KUSHIDA transitioned to a hoverboard lock. SHO escaped.
Tiger got a tag and hit a series of mid kicks on Romero and SHO, but Roppongi used triple knee strikes. Tiger hit a tiger driver on Romero for a nearfall, then followed with a tiger suplex for the pin.
BAD LUCK FALE DEFEATED TOA HENARE (2:47)
Henare got a little more offense than in their last encounter, which was pretty much a squash match.
Henare jumped Fale before the bell, and hammered away with forearms, dropping him to a knee. Henare ducked a pair of lariats, and hit a top rope shoulder tackle for a nearfall. Henare hit the ropes for a diving chop, and earned another two count.
Fale hit an avalanche, and went for the bad luck fall, but Henare slid out. Fale hit a lariat, then hit the grenade, and got the quick pin.
KILLER ELITE SQUAD DEFEATED MICHAEL ELGIN & AYATO YOSHIDA (8:53)
This was okay. Smith and Archer are a great team, and Yoshida is going to be a superstar.
Smith and Archer had new gear. Smith tried to jump Yoshida, but Elgin made the save. Yoshida hit a nice running knee in the corner. Archer and Elgin brawled to the outside, while Smith worked over Yoshida in the ring.
Archer got a tag, and hit a series of back elbows in the corner. Smith tagged in and used a delayed vertical suplex. He made a cover, but Elgin broke up the pinfall. Smith and Archer used a cool double team move for a nearfall.
Archer went for a chokeslam, but Yoshida slipped to a guillotine. Archer popped out, but ran right into a dropkick, allowing Yoshida to tag Elgin. Elgin hit a middle rope dropkick, and peppered Archer with forearms. Elgin hit a release german, and a falcon arrow for a nearfall on Archer.
Elgin teased an Elgin bomb, but Archer hit a boss man slam, forcing a tag to Yoshida. Archer tagged Smith, and Yoshida hit him with a series of penalty kicks. Smith used a running powerslam for a two count, then hit Elgin with another.
Yoshida used a schoolboy for a nearfall, but then ate a killer bomb, and Killer Elite got the win.
BERETTA, CHUCKIE T & WILL OSPREAY DEFEATED KOTA IBUSHI, YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & CHASE OWENS (9:50)
A good match. Ibushi and Ospreay did plenty, but they are saving their best stuff for down the road.
Taylor and Beretta worked over Takahashi, then tagged Ospreay. Ospreay jumped off Taylor’s back and hit a corkscrew moonsault on Yujiro. The CHAOS team used a series of quick tags, and Yujiro was able to make a comeback. The Bullet Club team isolated Taylor in their corner, and used quick tags of their own, while working him over.
Ospreay and Ibushi got tags, and Ospreay hit a standing shooting star for a nearfall. These two are going to tear the house down when they have their singles match here. They traded a series of moves and teases, saving their big stuff for that future meeting.
Beretta and Owens got tags. Beretta took the Ray Stevens corner, but flipped out into a lariat. The match broke down, and everyone hit a series of big moves. Ospreay hit a Sasuke special on Ibushi and Yujiro. In the ring, Taylor and Beretta hit a tag team dudebuster on Owens, and pinned him.
TAMA TONGA, TANGA LOA & TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON, DAVID FINLAY & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI TO RETAIN THE NEVER OPENWEIGHT 6-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (11:27)
Both teams did what they do very well, but this was a bit of a style clash.
Taguchi and Ishimori started off. Taguchi had his working boots on, and they had a nice opening sequence. Juice and Loa got tags, and Juice hit his series of jabs. Juice hit a cannonball.
Taguchi put on a rugby helmet, and Finlay used him as a battering ram. Tonga jumped in and cut them off, and the OGs took over. Loa slammed Juice on the floor, and the Firing Squad triple-teamed him.
Tonga hit a stinger splash, but Juice was able to tag Taguchi. Taguchi hit a series of hip attacks on all of the OGs, and the Taguchi Japan team hit the clothesline train spot on Loa. The OGs broke up a pinfall, and side-stepped Juice and Taguchi planchas.
Tonga ripped off Taguchi’s helmet, and hit the gun stun. Finlay hit Tonga with a stunner. Finlay went for another stunner on Loa, but Loa caught him, and hit apeshit for the pin.
HIROOKI GOTO, TORU YANO & GEDO DEFEATED TAICHI, TAKASHI IIZUKA & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU (7:43)
This was more of a prolonged angle than a match.
Taichi jumped Goto and choked him with the mic stand before the bell rang. The CHAOS team briefly recovered, but Suzuki-gun quickly turned it into a brawl that spilled all over the arena. Back in the ring, Suzuki-gun worked over Gedo. Taichi grabbed Goto’s title belt and teased using it as a weapon, but tossed it on the floor instead.
They removed Iizuka’s muzzle, and he bit everyone. He used a rope from his tights to choke Gedo, but Gedo got hold of the rope, and used it on Iizuka. Goto and Taichi got tags. Goto ran wild on Taichi, hitting a Saito suplex. He went for an ushigoroshi, but Taichi escaped, and hit a step-up enziguri, leading to a double down. Goto was bleeding from the forehead.
Suzuki-gun worked over Goto. Taichi did the pants spot. Goto made his own comeback, and hit an ushigoroshi on Kanemaru. He made a cover, but Taichi broke up the pin with the mic stand. He tossed the referee to the floor, and continued attacking Goto for the DQ.
Taichi hit a last ride and got a visual pinfall on Goto after the bell, and posed with the NEVER title.
TETSUYA NAITO, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, ZACK SABRE JR., TAKA MICHINOKU & EL DESPERADO (12:12)
This was a fine little brawl, but the match was secondary to the angle that set up Naito and Suzuki’s match on Monday.
Suzuki-gun jumped LIJ before the bell, but LIJ survived the attack, and took control of the match. Naito sent Suzuki chest-first into the security fence. In the ring, Naito and BUSHI worked over Desperado. BUSHI hit a middle rope dropkick.
Suzuki cut BUSHI off with a kick from the apron, and grabbed Naito. They brawled to the entrance way, and Suzuki hit a running penalty kick on Naito on the ramp. Suzuki used a chair on Naito, then sat on the chair and posed.
Back inside, TAKA and Sabre worked over BUSHI. Naito ran in for the save, but Suzuki got a hold of him. He teased using the Gotch on Naito on the apron, but after a reversal, Suzuki used a hangman’s choke, and Naito dropped to the floor.
BUSHI tagged EVIL, and EVIL ran wild on Sabre and Desperado. Sabre came back and hit a pk, then used a wristlock on EVIL. EVIL recovered and hit a corner lariat, but Sabre applied an octopus allowing his team to go four-on-one on EVIL.
TAKA got a nearfall, then applied an STF, but Naito broke it up. Suzuki jumped in and used a rear naked on Naito, and they spilled to the floor. The other LIJ members went three-on-two against TAKA and Desperado. BUSHI hit a codebreaker and a suicide dive, taking out Sabre and Desperado.
EVIL and SANADA hit the magic killer on TAKA for the pin, but Suzuki continued to attack Naito on the floor.
The Young Lions were finally able to wrestle Suzuki away, but Naito was out on the floor. They brought out a back board, but Naito refused the stretcher job, and stumbled off with BUSHI’s help.
TOMOAKI HONMA, TOGI MAKABE & HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA, SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE & YOSHI-HASHI (12:15)
Again, this was a match where the focus was more on furthering storylines than having a blow away bout.
Okada and Tanahashi wanted to start off against each other, but White tagged himself in. Tana hit a second rope crossbody, then tagged Honma. Honma hit some chops and a slam on White, but missed a kokeshi, allowing White to take over. Okada asked for a tag, but White tagged YOSHI-HASHI, as they continue to tease dissension in CHAOS.
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey
YH hit some chops, then tagged Okada. Okada hit a slingshot senton, then tagged White,who blistered Honma with chops. Honma hit a lunging headbutt, and tagged Makabe. Makabe hit a corner lariat, but White slid out of the corner and tagged Okada.
Okada took Makabe’s ten punches in the corner, and Makabe hit a lariat for a nearfall. Okada recovered and hit a back elbow and a DDT for a nearfall. He went for a tombstone, but Makabe escaped and hit a lariat, before tagging Tana.
Tana hit twist and shout and a slingblade for a two count. Tana went up top for a high fly flow, but Okada dropkicked him. Tana hit the ropes, but ran right into another dropkick. YH tagged in and hit a headhunter for two. White tried to get him to use a chair, but he refused.
Tana made a comeback, and Honma hit a kokeshi on YH. Tana went up top, but White shoved him off. Okada went for a kick on Tana, but Tana ducked, and Okada accidentally kicked YH. Tana rolled up YH for the pin.
YH got mad at Okada after the match, and left on his own, leaving White and Okada to argue in the ring.
KENNY OMEGA DEFEATED TOMOHIRO ISHII TO RETAIN THE IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (30:56)
A great match. This was not worked at the level or the pace of their G1 match, probably because they went about ten minutes longer. The last ten minutes were crazy, though, and this was an excellent world title match main event.
They started off with an intense staredown, followed by a lockup. Omega hit a pair of shoulder tackles, but Ishii didn’t move. Omega raked the eyes and went for a third, but Ishii hit one of his own, dropping Omega. Ishii blocked a v-trigger, and escaped a low dropkick, and Omega sold frustration.
They traded palm strikes to the chest, and Omega planted Ishii with a DDT. Omega hit a neckbreaker, got a nearfall, then worked a chinlock. Omega’s focus was clearly on targeting Ishii’s neck. Omega hit the ropes, but Ishii hit him with a powerslam.
Omega went for you can’t escape, but Ishii rolled out of the way of the moonsault attempt. Omega hit a snap rana, and Ishii rolled to the floor. Omega hit a beautiful terminator dive. Back inside, he hit a kotaro krusher. Omega hit a big boot, but Ishii popped up and sent Omega to the floor with a clothesline over the top.
They brawled on the floor, all around ringside. Omega cleared off an announce table, but Ishii hit a snap vertical suplex. Omega recovered and placed Ishii on the table, behind the security fence. Omega went back to the ring, and hit a springboard foot stomp from the top rope, over the fence, through the table. Ishii beat the count back inside at 18.
Omega hit a neckbreaker over the knee, but Ishii side-stepped a v-trigger, and hit a Saito suplex. Ishii hit a series of chops to the throat in the corner, then hit Omega with a pounce. Ishii hit a powerbomb and made a jackknife cover, but Omega kicked out.
Ishii missed with a sliding lariat, and Omega went to the top rope. Ishii initially cut him off, but then ate a series of kicks. Ishii hit a headbutt, then a superplex, picking up a two count. Omega side-stepped a lariat, and they traded germans.
Omega stood up out of another german, and hit a v-trigger. Omega hit a series of forearms, then a snap dragon suplex. He hit a v-trigger, then a brainbuster for a two count. Omega hit a pair of v-triggers. He went for a third, and after Ishii first collapsed, he hit it. Omega hit a fourth to the back, and put Ishii on the top rope.
Ishii headbutted out of a top rope dragon attempt, then a top rope jay driller attempt, but Omega hit another v-trigger. Ishii countered with a reverse rana off the top. Ishii hit a headbutt to the chest, and made a belt motion around his waist.
Ishii hit a v-trigger, then a lariat, and picked up a nearfall. Ishii teased a brainbuster, but Omega escaped and hit a lariat. Omega hit a standing reverse rana, and they did a double down.
They exchanged slaps and short forearms. Omega hit a snap dragon, and a v-trigger. He covered, but Ishii kicked out at two. Omega teased a one-winged angel, but instead went with a german. Omega hit a v-trigger, but Ishii hit a lariat out of nowhere. He followed with a sliding lariat for a two count.
Omega hit a v-trigger, but Ishii no-sold and hit a pair of lariats. Omega hit a tombstone, and picked up a nearfall. Omega pulled down his knee pad and hit a v-trigger, spilling over the top to the floor. He jumped back inside and hit another, but only got a one count.
Omega hit another v-trigger, then hit a jay driller for a two count. He hit another v-trigger in the ropes, then hit the one-winged angel for the pin.