Coverage
Andrew’s IMPACT Victory Road Results & Match Ratings: 9.23.2022
Victory Road is the last speed bump before Bound for Glory! Main Event promises to be a bloody mess with Barbed Wire Massacre!
Victory Road is here and we’ve got an interesting card on the docket. Delirious challenges Mike Bailey for the X Division Championship, Triple Threat Revolver number one contender match for the X Division, Barbed Wire Massacre and a few higher profile bouts without a huge gimmick.
Mickie James takes on her first real opponent, Gisele Shaw, during this “Last Rodeo” tour she’s doing. Killer Kelly also gets a somewhat legit opponent in Tasha Steelz. We also get Masha’s choice in the Pick Your Poison angle. Max the Impaler will take on Jordynne Grace, as a way to soften up the champion for Masha before Bound for Glory.
So let’s see how this show shakes out!
Results:
- Tasha Steelz w/Savannah Evans vs Killer Kelly: No Contest? – **
- X Division Championship: Speedball Mike Bailey (c) vs Delirious: Bailey retains via Flamingo Driver – ***
- Honor No More (PCO & Vincent) vs Motor City Machine Guns: MCMG wins via Dirt Bomb – *** 1/4
- Mickie James vs Gisele Shaw: Mickie wins via Mick-DT – ***
- X Division Triple Threat Revolver Match: Mia Yim vs Trey Miguel vs Laredo Kid vs Alex Zayne vs Kenny King vs Yuya Uemura vs Frankie Kazarian vs Black Taurus : Kaz wins via Slingshot Cutter – *** 1/4
- Honor No More (Eddie Edwards & OGK w/Maria Kanellis) vs Heath, Josh Alexander & Rich Swann: Eddie wins via Die Hard Flowsion – *** 1/4
- Max the Impaler w/James Mitchell vs Jordynne Grace: Jordynne wins via Grace Driver – *** 1/2
- Barbed Wire Massacre Match: Moose vs Sami Callihan vs Steve Maclin: Maclin wins via KIA – **** 1/4
Results:
Tasha Steelz w/Savannah Evans vs Killer Kelly
Tasha has had this gimmick of coming down with Disney influenced attire. Mad Hatter, Scar from the Lion King…and today, Ursula.
Kelly tries to bait in Tasha to come in and choke her, Tasha takes the bait and then they start swinging. Kelly gets the best of the slugfest when she starts incorporating her legs, which she swings them in an interesting way. She even throws a Pump Kick that looks more like a Split that just connected with Tasha’s chin.
Tasha does manage to trip up Kelly on the apron, so she gets a small burst of offense; all while Kelly smiles. Kelly crawling around on the ground and maintaining eye contact even when she’s technically underneath in the match. This definitely screams of a style that probably unlocked a few people’s kinks while watching.
Tasha lands a Shiranui, forward roll Dropkick, into a Rings of Saturn. Kelly powers through (with a little bit of a stumble), sets Tasha in the corner, Fisherman’s Buster into Knees to Face and a German Suplex that Tasha tries to fend off. Kelly trips up Tasha as she tries to charge the corner, Hesitation Dropkick from Kelly and Savannah interrupts the match a little. Tasha with a desperate Stratusfaction, but only 2, Savannah attacks again this time with a chain, Kelly Stun Guns Savannah and locks in her Killer Klutch with the chain. The referee is going to disqualify her, so she puts the Referee to sleep and Impact officials come out to pull her off.
Sooo…no contest?
X Division Championship: Speedball Mike Bailey (c) vs Delirious
Delirious pushes the pace early in his…unique way, but Speedball eventually takes over with more controlled striking and precision attacks. However, Delirious catches him with his awkward offense and strings together quit a bit, even tying up his wrists and then just throwing him down into the mat. Indelicate offense…but effective.
A Triangle Head and Arm choke has Bailey fading a little, but he manages to get to the ropes and fire back, punctuating his short comeback with the Twisting Shooting Star Press that he does. Delirious counters Bailey, they powder out, Delirious focuses on some big strikes to the back and body. Bailey tries the Flamingo Driver, but the back gives out, Delirious with a Cobra Stretch Backbreaker. Tornado Kicks get countered, Delirious hits a Running Knee of his own, Shadows Over Hell for 2! Strike exchange, Backfists from Delirious, Kicks from Bailey. Standing Moonsault Knees from Bailey, Buzzsaw, no! Cobra Stretch attempt into a Suplex from Delirious. Superkick from Bailey, Flamingo Driver is good and Bailey retains!
That is now 9 defenses for Bailey. You have to think his reign is coming to an end soon, either from his Bound for Glory opponent or Option C.
Honor No More (PCO & Vincent) vs Motor City Machine Guns
Vinnie and PCO are told to go soften up the number 1 contenders for OGK’s tag gold. You all should know that unless the Steiner Brothers reunite, I won’t ever cheer against The Guns. So…I’m biased here.
Early on nothing crazy, PCO and Sabin start, they tussle a little, Vinnie and Shelley go back and forth but then MCMG tandem attacks begin. Vinnie starts fighting back once PCO hits the apron to distract Shelley. Satellite Russian Leg Sweep and some tandem work for the Honor No More duo. Vinnie and PCO have a lot of dysfunction, Vinnie clocks PCO a few times accidentally and it looks like we’re heading towards PCO exiting Honor No More.
Sabin starts working over Vinnie, Cradle Shock attempt but Vinnie slips it, fluid Guns action. Stormbreaker style maneuver from Sabin for 2. Double Yakuza on Vinnie, looking for Skull and Bones but Vinnie breaks up the teamwork. Backdrop and both men are down. Vinnie slowly gets to PCO, PCO comes in and murders Sabin in the corner with a hung Codebreaker and a Draping DDT into a nasty Guillotine Leg Drop. Reverse DDT from PCO, tag to Vinnie, Redrum – and Shelley makes the save!
PCO works over Shelley, but Shelley hits the side step and PCO flies to the outside. High Speed Dirt on Vinnie, Double Sole Butts…Dirt Bomb? I think they called their Double Driver Dirt Bomb, its been a little bit since I’ve seen them do it.
Mickie James vs Gisele Shaw
Top wristlock, chain wrestling start. So it’s slow, but showing that Mickie is trying to prove a point and be very methodical. Gisele Shaw eventually breaks out of the Wristlock with an Escalera, into a Rope Walk, Corkscrew, Arm Drag. It’s a little sloppy looking, but never dangerous, just took a beat or two longer than it should have. Mickie however responds by wrestling Gisele down, licking her hand and spanking her.
As I’ve noticed (and many of us as well), Mickie really steers into more of the sexual pop spots. Gisele hits a few strikes and then a Final Cut for 2. Cravat keeps Mickie mostly grounded until she rallies out. Mickie fights out, tries to catch Gisele with a Frakensteiner, Gisele fights her off and dumps her outside. Gisele acts like she’s okay with the count out…charges for a Baseball Slide but Mickie captures her in the ring skirt.
Mickie hits her own sliding attack and starts laying it to Gisele. As soon as they start heading back in, Gisele grabs Mickie during the entrances and flings her into the post. Mickie is still on the outside and Gisele hits a Tornillo. Raining Elbows, into the Cravat again. Gisele really shines when she focuses on her striking ability with a small flair of Lucha. Gisele goes for the Knee, Mickie blocks and forces her into a Split, kicks her while she’s still mid split and hits Knees of her own for 2. A quick few strikes and a neckbreaker give Mickie another near fall.
Full Nelson Backbreaker from Gisele, into a high intensity Flatliner from being bent over her knee. Only 2, Shaw misses with the Spin kick, single like Flapjack from Mickie, Avalanche Thesz Press, kick out by Gisele. Mick-D – NOPE! Enzuigiri from Gisele for 2, so she Exposes her knee to add impact on that V-Trigger style of attack she does. Mickie dodges, counters, Mick-DT and she wins!
The finish definitely looked goofy, but the match in general was solid.
X Division Triple Threat Revolver Match: Mia Yim vs Trey Miguel vs Laredo Kid vs Alex Zayne vs Kenny King vs Yuya Uemura vs Frankie Kazarian vs Black Taurus
Things start quick, Laredo Kid hits a lot of early high flying offense to take early momentum. Stacks both Mia and Trey together, hits a 450 Splash, tries to pin both of them individually and only gets 2. Trey eventually counters some of Laredo’s offense, Cheeky Nandos, into the Tiger Feint in the corner. Mia counters him and hits a few big spots, Eat DeFeat on Laredo Kid, and Kid is the first out. Big oof for Laredo Kid.
Alex Zayne is next up. Mia tries to attack him before he comes down to the ramp, he catches her and slams her on the ramp. Trey tries to do something, Zayne stops him, flips back in, and pulls of a combo move of Uranage’ing Mia into Trey only for near falls though. Again Mia takes advantage of being on the top rope, hits both men, tries to follow it up after they powder, but they hit her with the Double Gamengiri. Trey hits the reverse Rana on Zayne, Mia kicks Trey in the back of the head, Crucifix Bomb from Mia to Zayne, and Zayne is eliminated!
Kenny King is next up. This works towards a few weeks ago when Yuya debuted, Mia interrupted the match which cost Kenny the match. So Mia and Kenny have heat, and Kenny tries to leverage the triple threat aspect to his favor. Mia and Trey do start arguing like idiots on who’s gonna fight Kenny. Reverse Powerbomb across the top rope from Kenny, then he hits the Spinebuster on Mia; and Kenny is rolling. Trey and Mia do finally start working together, Mia hits Pay Dirt on Kenny, but he kicks at two and then powders. Mia is too focused on Kenny, Trey and her start to go back and forth, so Kenny Rolls her Up with tights for the elimination.
Yuya Uemura is who we have now. Missile Dropkick entry on Trey, a few quick Crossbodies help him roll pretty fast. Dragon Suplex from Kenny takes the barely upgraded Young Lion down, but only a near fall. Double Overhook Belly to Belly from Yuya gives the young wrestler a chance to fire off one on one with Trey. Trey lights him up with a few kicks, misses the Stomp, Jacky Bryant Snap Kick, Tilt-a-Whirl Argentine Driver gives Trey the pinfall.
KAZ is next! Kenny looks like he’s gonna have Trey and Kaz fight themselves, but tries to shanghai some offense. Kaz doesn’t fall for it, and controls both men for a couple minutes hitting classic Kaz offense, Springboard Guillotine, Running Russian Leg Sweep, just good Kaz stuff. Pile up in the corner, Trey hits a desperation Meteora, but overshoots the landing so all 3 men are down for a breather. Trey tries to get some fluid action against Kenny, but Kaz plucks him out of the air and chokes him out.
Black Taurus is the final entrant. So next pinfall or submission wins. Taurus dominates early since he’s the fresh man, but then we see Kenny and Kaz pick a few spots to try and keep their chances alive. Taurus has a couple close calls with a few of his bigger spots, Kaz gets a Victory Roll on Taurus, then a Bridging Suplex on Kenny for a double pin, but they kick out. Taurus powders, slingshot Cutter to King and Kaz wins!
Little vignette with Rosemary, Taya, JesSICKa and VXT. Then Bobby Fish shows up. Fish is poking fun at how much heat he’s had lately. So I’d take this, and the rumours about CM Punk not coming back to AEW, as having some weight. Fish’s promo does drag a little, but it stops exactly when it starts to feel too long. He says he’s here to pick a fight and then Raj Singh and Shera show up.
The crowd trips up Raj during his promo and Bobby pulls the “who are you” angle, and that saves the promo. Shera being turned into a Gatekeeping midcarder is sad, but not unexpected. Raj however is worthless. Rohit Raju was the only talented on from the Desi Hit Squad.
Honor No More (Eddie Edwards & OGK w/Maria Kanellis) vs Heath, Josh Alexander & Rich Swann
Team IMPACT is flowing early. The only tag that HNM makes early with when Eddie decides to duck Josh in the beginning. Aside from that, Mike Bennet is getting worn out like barn shoes for a good five minutes.
Of course, eventually Honor No More grab a foot, cause some trips, take shortcuts and get back to a level of parity. Nothing about this match as really stuck out beyond usual 6 man stuff. OGK manages to rip Heath and Josh off the apron to keep Rich isolated, but again, nothing really mind shattering. As things start to break down and Josh gets in with Eddie, there’s heavy moves that connect. Blue Thunder Bomb, Back Breakers, its just more of the Kings Road style of match. In which the slow build through the match is part of the story telling and we’re getting to wrinkles. Eddie hits a Tiger Driver after OGK hit a few running spots, only 2. Another Tiger Driver + Just the Tip, and Rich breaks up the pin.
Rich was on the apron, had the chance to tag Josh, but decides to Senton into the pile of Honor No More. Maria and Taven get involved while Rich and Heath are down on the outside, Die Hard Flowsion, and Honor No More wins!
The take away of course is the fact that Rich chose to attack the pile instead of backing up Josh. So the whole conspiracy theory concept will probably continue for Josh. He’s gonna go full DTA at this point, unless Ethan Page returns.
Max the Impaler w/James Mitchell vs Jordynne Grace
One of the few times I can type the sentence, Jordynne is losing the power game here. Max just ragdolls Jordynne, forcing Jordynne to try and be the agile one. Jordynne chops, and Max doesn’t move. Jordynne tries to lift, and there’s no give. Forearms and rope assisted offense finally starts to rock Max a little, but they get up quickly. Jordynne dives, and Max just whips her down into the apron.
Max literally has Jordynne pinned against the ringpost as they lift her up off her feet by the neck. Max slides in occasionally to break the counts, but just continues to impose their will on Jordynne. Jordynne barely maanges to counter a Powerbomb into a Back Body Dorp, and Jordynne finally isn’t getting beat on. She tries to do something to Max, but Max drives her into the post and then misses a Spear.
Jordynne goes for a bunch of slaps and the Aja Kong style backfist, before a Hip Attack into a Vader Bomb, for 2. A quick burst of offense has really been the first time in a while that Jordynne had any forward momentum here. Max tries to lift Jordynne for a Death Valley, Jodynne fights off, hits the ropes and then eats a Spear from Max for a 2 count.
Sunset Bomb from Jordynne gives her some determination, snap Grace Driver and Jordynne wins!
Jordynne names her Pick Your Poison choice. Allie Katch in a Monster’s Ball Match. I mean…I like Allie Katch, but she’s not nearly the obstacle that Max was. So it really fell flat.
.@theraveneffect is the NEWEST MEMBER of the @IMPACTWRESTLING Hall Of Fame!#VictoryRoad pic.twitter.com/7uC2tRqPAo
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) September 24, 2022
Barbed Wire Massacre Match: Moose vs Sami Callihan vs Steve Maclin
Maclin coming out in the Punisher paint is pretty cool, while Sami comes out with some flannel looking like Cactus Jack.
After a small stall, Sami incites both men. Sami ducks Moose and Moose ends up Pouncing Maclin through a door. Then Sami hits the Piledriver on Moose, but just starts looking around since he doesn’t want this to end early. Moose goes for a rope run, but stops since he forgot about the barbed wire, Sami tries to take advantage but Moose shoves him into it, and Sami just laughs and screams “I like it!”. Sami tosses Moose and Moose turns it into a Tope con Hilo onto Maclin. Now they brawl on the outside.
Sami slams Moose into the guardrail and clocks Maclin for good measure. Maclin has literally not been able to get out of the gates. Sami goes after Maclin a little and that just ends up pissing him off. So when Sami gets distracted with his theater of pain, Maclin starts to lay into Sami, using the barbed wire, stairs, Sami counters and we start getting to some big haymakers. Lariats, Suplexes, just going for a few different home run shots until they all slowly rise for the Fighting Spirit spot.
Maclin and Moose team up a little on Sami, Moose throws Sami into one side of the ring, then he drapes Maclin over the top of another barbed wire covered rope, Sami pops up and Suplexes Moose into the barbed wire. Sami grabs a barbed wire chair, Maclin and Sami jockey for positioning, but Sami Suplexes Maclin onto the chair. Sami also pulls out a Barbed Wire N64 Controller. See unlike the pen from yesterday, this one is actually a little clever.
Sami puts Maclin in a Crossface with the N64 wire, Maclin fights out, Skuds Moose, Busaiku Knee to Sami, Moose pulls out Maclin and Powerbombs him onto the apron. Chokeslam directly onto the barebed wire, but Sami kicks out. Lights Out attempt, but Maclin hits him with the chair and hits KIA. Sami breaks it up with the barbed wire ball. Sami looks to be setting up a barbed wire table with designs on sending Moose through it. Sami plays to the crowd, Maclin comes up from behind him and locks in a Sleeper. Sami slumps down, then climbs up to the top rope with the barbed wire chair and jumps at Moose. The table doesn’t break, but that’s almost worse since Maclin just buries Moose against the guardrail.
Barbed Wire Bat versus Barbed Wire Trash Can Lid when Maclin gets back in. Sami and the bat win, as he even does the sit out bat drop with the “Bang Bang” flourish for the obvious Foley reference. Slap fight, and then Sami Powerbombs Steve through another door. Cactus Driver ’97 and…Maclin kicks out! Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Maclin Uppercuts the balls and hits KIA on the piece of Door left in the middle of the ring! MACLIN WINS!
Overall Score: 7.25/10
So fun takeaways here is that Maclin got the big win, so he should be in line for a well deserved push. Josh Alexander should start a becoming an island, which plays into Honor No More’s hands. Bobby Fish showing up could lead to some fun matches and you can’t be mad at Frankie Kazarian being in an X Division Championship match for the first time in like 8 years.
Also I do appreciate that Raven is the Hall of Fame nominee this year. He’s a blast from the past, who wasn’t really active on the roster when they got inducted. So it’s just a little refreshing.
I’m not gonna sit here like the event was super important since none of the matches were really worth going out to find, except for the main event. Nothing was bad, we moved along a lot of storylines and even got a debut I wasn’t expecting. So it’s a decent show. Must see? Nope. But if you’ve got the time and like the product; you won’t be mad.
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Will The Man be the Last Woman Standing?
Becky Lynch and Nia Jax want to finally put this to an end, so tonight on Raw, it will be a Big Time Last Woman Standing match! Will the Irresistible Force force the WrestleMania 40 match to change?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers; DIY wins and advances to WrestleMania.
- Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance; Candice & Indi win.
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The New Day VS The Alpha Academy; wins and advance to WrestleMania.
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: The Awesome Truth VS Indus Sher; win(s) and advance to WrestleMania.
- Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch VS Nia Jax; wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Jey Uso is here!
North Carolina State University fires up and bounces along with Main Event Jey, and Pat McAfee plays a dangerous game standing on the armchairs! From Bret VS Owen to Matt VS Jeff, we’re about to get Jey VS Jimmy in the third-ever Brother VS Brother WrestleMania grudge match! Jey gets the mic as fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” Jey welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, and wants us to check this out. He knows his brothers are somewhere in the building. He knows The Bloodline’s in the building. He knows how the Bloodline rolls! SO Big Brother Jimmy, where you at?! Where you at, Uce!?
Jey waits for someone to show up somewhere, and the crowd spots them first! Fans boo as Jimmy & Solo make their way from the back of the stands. Jimmy gets a mic and goes to the apron while Solo paces around the outside. Fans chant “YEET! YEET! YEET!” again as Jey puts the sunglasses aside. The Usos stare each other down, the fans now chant “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey wants to say something, hesitates, but then says these two would always get to it but they always knew how to shake right back to this. But now it’s different. Regardless of what happened, the bad blood between them, Jey misses his brother. He does.
Jey knows Jimmy will say what he wants, but Jey doesn’t talk to him no more, doesn’t ride with him no more, doesn’t even see him no more! Jimmy can just come back. Jimmy says he never left! He protected Jey! Jey’s so dumb, he can’t see it! Jimmy is protecting Jey! It was Jey’s idea to leave The Bloodline, but Jimmy helped because he is Jey’s brother. So yeah, Jey leaves, and what happens? Lil’ Bro becomes the BIGGEST star on the Raw roster! Lil’ Bro becomes the top merch seller! Lil’ Bro goes off to become a tag team champion without Jimmy, but with CODY RHODES!? Who left who, Uce?
Jey forgot Jimmy! Everything Jey did that was big was cuz of Big Bro Jimmy! Everything! So listen loud and clear. The biggest moment in Jey’s career, the BIGGEST moment, is because of Jimmy! Jimmy stares Jey down, but Jey says no. Jey’s biggest moment in his career is going to be his dream match at WrestleMania 40: Jey VS Jimmy, and Jey knocks the yeet out Jimmy’s ass! Jey DECKS Jimmy, DECKS Solo off the apron, but then Jimmy SUPERKICKS Jey down! The fans boo but now Solo storms in and looms over Jey. Solo drags Jey up so Jimmy can look him in the face and tell him that Jey needs to get it right! JIMMY made Jey!
But here comes Cody Rhodes! The fans fire up as Cody DECKS Jimmy, then gets in to springboard and CODY CUTTER Solo!! The American Nightmare said he was gonna be a Bloodline Hunter, and he made sure they didn’t take out Jey! Cody tells The Bloodline it is only a matter of time before they lose it all at WrestleMania! Will Jey prove that younger or older doesn’t matter when he is the BETTER brother?
Adam Pearce is on the phone.
He’s telling Nick Aldis to stop being a hypocrite, telling Pearce to keep his roster in check when this is happening. But then Paul Heyman walks over and Pearce says he’ll call Aldis back. Pearce then asks Heyman what was all that, and Heyman says he owes Pearce an apology. He is sorry. That was not authorized by The Final Boss nor The Tribal Chief, and certainly not by Heyman. Jimmy & Solo went into business for themselves so Heyman apologizes. But listen, Pearce knows that there have been flight delays all day. Even private jets like theirs. Heyman is barely even dressed for TV, let alone has his make-up!
Pearce says those two were ready. Yeah, well, they got in on a different flight. But Roman Reigns is a chief of his word. Those two are already gone, out of the arena, and Pearce has Roman’s word. Call his bluff, put out a search party. Pearce knows Heyman is here on official business, which Heyman will handle, and then be gone. That is it. But when Heyman does his official business… everyone will be caught off guard. “And Mr. Pearce, sir, that’s not a prediction. That’s a spoiler.” The Wise Man heads out and calls Roman, but just what is Heyman teasing?
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: #DIY VS The Creed Brothers!
Unlike SmackDown’s mini-tournament, Raw and Adam Pearce say it’s win and you’re in! Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano want one more shot at Judgment Day, but so do Julius & Brutus! Will the Sicilian Psycho & Johnny Wrestling prove that when it comes to Mania Moments, you gotta do it yourself? Or will the Creeds be bringing golden tickets to the Diamond Mine?
Raw returns as The Creeds make their entrance. The teams fist bump to show respect, then the teams sort out. Julius starts against Ciampa, they circle and tie up. They’re in a deadlock, Ciampa goes for a waistlock but Julius facelocks. Julius wrangles Ciampa to the mat, flips him over, ONE, and Ciampa keeps moving. They trade facelocks, gator roll, and Julius gets another lateral press. ONE, but Julius gator rolls Ciampa around. Ciampa fights up, puts Julius on ropes, and the ref counts. Ciampa lets off, then CHOPS! Julius shoots in for the takedown! Julius has a leg, Ciampa fights but Julius turns him for the ANKLE LOCK!
Ciampa scrambles to the ROPEBREAK, and Julius lets off cleanly. Ciampa bails out, shakes it off, and he gets back in. They go again, Julius hits a fireman’s carry takeover! Tag to Brutus, and Julius feeds Ciampa to another fireman’s carry takeover! Brutus cording holds but Ciampa endures. Ciampa fights up, but Brutus facelocks. The fans rally as Brutus switches and rolls Ciampa. Ciampa fights up, headlocks, then ROCKS Brutus! Brutus DECKS Ciampa, then whips him to ropes. Ciampa ducks ‘n’ dodges, tag to Gargano! Ciampa slides, CHOPS, Gargano LARIATS and Ciampa JAWBREAKERS! Wrench and LARIAT!
Julius runs in, Gargano kicks and Ciampa gives him the boost for SLICED BREAD! The Creeds bail out, but DIY DOUBLE PLANCHA! Down go the Creeds, and DIY applaud and pat themselves on the back. The fans fire up and Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Ciampa has Julius in a chinlock. The fans rally, Julius fights up to throw body shots, but Ciampa hits a back suplex! Julius lands out of it, but Ciampa elbows him away. Ciampa drop toeholds Julius, gets legs, but Julius BOOTS Ciampa away! Hot tags to Gargano and Brutus! Brutus rallies on DIY, TOSSES Gargano, then blocks Ciampa’s kick to get under and POWERBOMB him! Brutus sees DIY regroup, then he runs in to SPLASH them both! O’Conner on Ciampa, but Gargano runs up! NORTHERN LIGHTS! Brutus has a DOUBLE BRIDGE, TWO!! Tag to Julius and he gut wrench SLAMS Brutus on Ciampa!
Brutus helps Julius flip up and over to SPLASH onto Ciampa! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up as Julius drags Ciampa up. Ciampa throat chops! A bit dirty but Ciampa wants that win! Ciampa storms up on Julius, but Julius basement stalling suplexes!! The fans are thunderous, Gargano runs in, but Brutus intercepts! Brutus suplexes Gargano now, stalls, and then the Creeds SLAM and kip up! Then they both STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Ciampa stays in this for DIY but the Creeds keep cool. Julius stomps Ciampa, tags Brutus, and they KNEE Ciampa around! Then they DOUBLE GUTBUSTER! Ciampa sputters but Brutus tags Julius in.
Julius drags Ciampa up, tags Brutus back in, and Brutus climbs. Julius Electric Chair Lifts, but Gargano makes the save! Gargano ROCKS Julius, Brutus ROCKS Gargano! Ciampa BOOTS Brutus, Gargano swings on Julius but is sent into Ciampa! Ciampa pushes Gargano back so he can ELBOW Julius! DIY set up again but Brutus stops the Sliced Bread! Julius DECKS Ciampa, KNEE into the WIDOWMAKER! Julius scrapes Gargano out, Brutus POUNCES Ciampa over the desk! Pat fires up with Brutus and so do the fans! The Creeds say they run this now, and then Brutus drags Ciampa up while Raw goes to break.
Raw returns again and Julius has Ciampa in a chinlock. Ciampa fights up, and he JAWBREAKERS free! Ciampa ELBOWS Brutus down, BOOTS Julius, then runs up, only for Julius to catch him and toss him back! But then Ciampa catches Julius for a REVERSE DDT! The fans fire up while both men are down and crawling! Hot tag to Gargano! Gargano slingshots to KICK Julius, then he CLOBBERS Brutus! ENZIGIRI for Julius, then he runs to DOUBLE KNEE Brutus! BULLDOG LARIAT COMBO! The fans fire up with Gargano while Julius ends up in another corner. Gargano runs in but is put on the apron!
Gargano GAMANGIRIS Julius, SUPERKICKS Brutus, then SLINGSHOT SPEARS Julius! Cover, TWO! Julius survives but Gargano puts him in a corner. Gargano CHOPS, then hoists Julius up top. Tag to Ciampa, Ciampa CHOPS Julius while Gargano DIVES onto Brutus! Ciampa CHOPS Julius again, goes up top, and fireman’s carries! Ciampa then tucks Julius in for the SUPER AIR RAID CRASH! Cover, TWO!! Julius survives again and shocks Ciampa! The fans are just as stunned, but Ciampa and Julius sit up. Ciampa stands, and he CHOPS! And CHOPS! Julius sits back up as Ciampa puts some stank on the CHOP!
Julius brings the straps down! Julius fires a forearm, Ciampa hits back, and the fans fire up as the shots keep going! They go faster and faster, harder and harder, meaner and meaner! The fans fire up as this just turns into a brawl of haymakers and SLAPS! Ciampa then gets around, ripcord and HAYMAKER! ROLLING- TACKLE from Julius! And then the ANKLE LOCK!! Ciampa reaches out, moves around, but Gargano runs up! Julius kicks him, then gets him up with one arm to POWERBOMB! Then it’s back to the ANKLE LOCK on Ciampa! Brutus gets in to get Gargano for an ANKLE LOCK of his own!
The fans are thunderous as DIY endures! Ciampa and Gargano fight, turn things over, SICILIAN CROSSFACE and GargaNO Escape!! The fans are thunderous as The Creeds power up and lift both DIY! They fireman’s carry, then TOSS DIY into each other!! The fans are thunderous as Julius goes up to MOONSAULT onto Ciampa! Brutus MOONSAULTS, too! Cover, TWO?!?! Ciampa survives and the fans are loving this! Julius tags back in, Brutus climbs up! “This is Awesome!” as Julius Electric Chair Lifts Ciampa! But Ciampa VICTORY ROLLS to get under the Brutus Ball!! Cover, Brutus tips it! Gargano TOSSES Brutus then SUPERKICKS Julius!! Ciampa has the cover, DIY WINS!!
Winners: DIY, by pinfall (advance to WrestleMania)
Julius can’t believe it! He kicked out at 3.1, but a loss is a loss! And for the first time ever, DIY is going to Mania! Will Philadelphia soon be historic for a DIY championship victory?
Judgment Day meets backstage.
Rhea Ripley is with Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh, but also Andrade. Dom says he’s always liked Andrade’s style, but things have changed since the last time he was in the WWE. The Judgment Day runs Raw now. Rhea says yeah, and they don’t extend invitations to just anyone. Judgment Day is very exclusive. JD says very exclusive. But if Andrade continues to impress them, they’ll see about making things happen. And Finn says he just heard that Andrade has a match next week, so the Judgment Day will be watching him. Sounds good. See you next week. But then in steps Damian Priest.
The Punisher says hello to El Idolo, and El Idolo says hello to Senor Dinero. Andrade heads out, will he quite literally win his way into the club? But as for Priest, Finn asks him what he was up to. Priest was getting a closer look at that DIY VS Creeds match. DIY won, but whatever, they can handle those guys. But JD, they thought he could handle Ricochet last week, and run the gauntlet, and then go to WrestleMania to bring even more gold back to Judgment Day. JD says he did he belonged in there. But also, he battered Ricochet, who got lucky at the end there. Right, Finn? Finn hesitates, and Rhea says Priest is right on this one.
Ricochet made a fool out of JD! A fool? Yes. A fool? Yes. That’s why tonight, Dom will make it right. Right, Dom? Yeah, Mami. Let’s go talk to Pearce to make it official. Dom & JD head out, and the others are confident Dom’s got this. But does he, though? Or will the One and Only have two wins over Judgment Day in as many weeks?
Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance!
The Poison Pixie certainly lived up to that name last week when she bullied Maxxine Dupri as part of beating her and Ivy Nile last week. Will Candice’s toxic tongue strike again? Or will the party not be stopped by her harsh vibes?
The teams sort out and Candice starts against Kayden. Candice rushes up, Kayden gets around and O’Conner Rolls, TWO! Kayden springboards to basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Kayden stalks Candice, Candice ELBOWS her away then tags Indi. Kayden dodges Candice to SUPERKICK, but Indi BOOTS Kayden! Cover, TWO! Indi drags Kayden up, tags Candice back in, and they mug Kayden. Candice CLUBS away on Kayden, fires off furious fists, then covers. TWO, and Candice grows frustrated already. The fans rally, Candice steps up but Kayden avoids the senton! Tags to Katana and Indi! Katana blasts past Indi, comes back and BULLDOGS!
Katana keeps moving, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SHOTGUNS Indi to a corner! The fans fire up as Katana stomps away on Indi! Indi shoves Katana, Katana runs corner to corner to A-LIST LARIAT! Katana shoves Indi down, runs up, but into a back suplex! Katana lands out, but her leg jams! The ref and Kayden check, then the ref keeps Indi back. Indi says okay, and she stays by Candice. But Candice tags in to WRECK Kayden! And she SLAMS Katana’s leg into the post!! HALF CRAB and DEEP! Katana taps, Candice & Indi win!
Winners: Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, by submission
Candice smiles and celebrates with Indi, but Indi doesn’t want to. Candice says a win is a win, but just what is going on in her toxic mind?
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
We’re just one step away from the Cup!
Cold Skull faces The Fierce Warrior, and Gene Blast faces The King of Darkness, and when the smoke clears, we will have our New Japan Cup finalists!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato VS Zack Sabre Jr. & Mikey Nicholls; ZSJ & Mikey win.
- Six Man Tag: El Desperado, Tomohiro Ishii & Togi Makabe VS Just5Guys; Just5Guys win.
- Tanga Loa & Ryusuke Taguchi VS Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman; Loa & Taguchi win.
- Six Man Tag: YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & Hiroyoshi Tenzan VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
- 8 Man Tag: Shota Umino, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & YOH VS The House of Torture; Shota, ELP, Leo & Yoh win.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS The United Empire; LIJ wins.
- 2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: Yota Tsuji VS EVIL; Tsuji wins and advances to the finals.
- 2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto; Goto wins and advances to the finals.
PLAY BY PLAY
2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: Yota Tsuji VS EVIL w/ Dick Togo!
The Gene Blast overcame the tricks Ren Narita tried, but that’s because the House of Torture was saving all the good stuff so they could slay the Rampaging Dragon. Will the deck be even more stacked to make sure Everything is Evil’s? Or will Yota be one step away from LIJ VS LIJ at Sakura Genesis?
Well, Dick is making his way out here, but where is Evil? Oh, there he is. No tricks just yet it seems. But then Yota DIVES onto Evil! The fans fire up but Dick attacks Yota! Dick whips, Yota stops himself, and then scoops Dick for a BACKBREAKER! The fans fire up and Yota wants the bell. The ref says yes, ring the bell, and this is on the record! Yota stomps and CLUBS Evil, then whips, but Evil reverses! Yota hits railing, and then Evil whips him into more railing! Evil CHOKES Yota against the railing, Yota fights back, but the ref gets knocked aside! Evil puts Yota in so he and Dick can stomp away!
The fans boo but here comes the rest of the House already! Narita, Yujiro, Kanemaru and Jack all stomp away on Yota, but here come Bushi & Hiromu! It’s a replay of yesterday as LIJ fights off the House, but the numbers are still against them! The ref rushes in to tell everyone to stop! Evil shoves the ref out of the ring, Yota fires off on him, but Evil CLAWS Yota’s eyes! The House CHOKES LIJ, but the ref says stop! The bell rings, but what is the decision!? NO CONTEST!?
No Contest
What does this mean!? Someone has to advance, right? The finals aren’t until the 20th, how can there be a no contest? The House started this, where’re the consequences?! Yota gets up but Evil TOSSES him back out! LIJ regroups and Yota asks for a mic. Yota tells Evil that he’s sick and tired of this! They ARE gonna finish this match! The fans like the sound of that! All the refs come out, including Red Shoes, to discuss how this will be handled. For starters, they tell all the extras to get outta here! LIJ is cool with that, and Hiromu tells the House to come along. Evil says fine, and Jack, Kanemaru, Narita, Yujiro and even Dick reluctantly exit.
The announcement is officially made, and the bell rings! Yota and Evil rush in, Evil kicks low but Yota CLUBS away on Evil! Evil CLAWS the eyes! Evil kicks, runs, RAMS, but Yota rebounds to run Evil over! Then run and SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Yota fires up and the fans are with him! Evil bails out but the fans rally for Yota. Evil wants Yota to stay back, then he slides in, only to slide right out! Yota runs out after Evil, but Evil kicks him! Evil RAMS Yota into the timekeeper! Abe-san and his table go flying! Evil gets the mic to tell Yota that this is what he gets! The fans boo but Evil tells them off, too! Evil stomps Yota then soaks up the heat.
Evil unties the blue buckle pad himself, then waits in the ring. The ref checks Yota and the fans rally up again. The Young Lions help Abe-san while Yota drags himself up. Yota slides in, the fans cheer, but Evil pulls on Yota’s hair! Evil wrenches the hair, then wrenches it again! And again! Evil CLUBS the hair! The ref reprimands but Evil just dusts off his hands. Evil covers, but the ref refuses to count! Evil is furious but he’s the one up to no good! The ref still says no, so Evil stands on Yota’s head. The fans rally up, Yota rises, and he grins as he winds up to ROCK Evil with a forearm! And ROCK him with another!
Yota ROCKS Evil again, but Evil whips him into the bare buckles! Yota falls and the ref reprimands about the missing buckle pad. Evil stomps Yota, covers, TWO! The fans cheer but Evil is annoyed. Evil scuffs Yota, taunts him, and drags him up. Evil CHOPS, Yota drops to his knees, but Evil stands him back up. Evil CHOPS again and Yota grits his teeth as he drops to his knees! Evil stands Yota up again, to fake the chop to CLAW the eyes! The ref reprimands, Evil lets off, and then Evil stands on Yota in a corner. The ref counts, Evil lets go of the ropes but that’s not the problem! Evil steps away, drags Yota up but claims he’s dead weight.
The ref checks, Evil stands Yota up and wrenches an arm. Evil whips Yota into a corner, runs in, but into a BOOT! Evil runs in again, blocks the boot, but Yota brings Evil in for the STOMP! The fans fire up while Yota rests on the mat. The fans rally up and Yota rises again. Evil’s in the corner, runs out, but into the BACKBREAKER! COMPLETE SHOT! STOMP! The fans fire up again as Yota stands back up. Yota runs, to CURB STOMP!! Yota roars and the fans fire up again! Evil flounders while Yota aims. Yota runs in, but the ref is used as a shield! Evil kicks Yota low, then uses the ref in MAGIC KILLER!
All three men are down while the fans rally up again. Evil stands, he brings Yota up, and the ref also rises. Evil whips Yota into the bare buckles, then clotheslines him in! Then FISHERMAN BUSTER! Cover, but Evil lets off?! Evil wants to torture Yota but it’s hard to say if Yota is still even in this. Yota opens his eyes, rises up, but Evil fireman’s carries! DARKNESS FALLS! Cover, TWO!! Yota survives, the fans fire up, but Evil is furious! Evil slashes his throat and vows to end this now! Evil drags Yota up, spins him around, but Yota fights the STO with elbows! Evil kicks low, whips again, but Yota stops from hitting buckles!
Evil runs in, Yota dodges and Evil hits the buckles! SUPERKICK!! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! We’re only ten minutes into this new match but this is on top of the madness from earlier. Evil drags Yota up, but Yota ROCKS Evil! Evil fights Yota’s fireman’s carry and CLUBS him, but both men wobble. Evil LARIATS, but Yota stays up! The fans fire up but Evil swings to LARIAT again! Yota drops to a knee, but he grins through the pain! Evil says alright, and he throws off his elbow pad. Evil runs to LARIAT! Yota grits his teeth to stay up! V-TRIGGER! Yota brings Evil in, suplexes, ORANGE CRUSH! Cover, TWO!!
Evil is still in this but the fans rally behind Yota again. Yota rises, drags Evil up, and then goes to the corner. Yota goes up and up and Evil moves the ref into the way! The ref takes the FLYING CURB STOMP!!! And now the House returns! The fans boo as Kanemaru, Dick, Yujiro, Narita & Jack all stomp away on Yota again! The fans tell them to go home, again, but these guys don’t care! They just put one out on Yota. They whip Yota to a corner, then DIck runs in to ELBOW! Kanemaru ELBOWS! Yujiro BOOTS! Jack SPLASHES! Narita ELBOWS! Then they snapmare and set Yota up! Dick climbs for the DICK CHOP!!
The fans boo but the House applauds their own dirtiness. But here come Bushi & Hiromu again! But they just get mugged again! They set Hiromu up for the DICK CHOP, while Bushi gets a JACK CHOP! The House then slithers away before a replacement ref rushes out here. Evil drags Yota up, winds up and runs, to LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!!! Yota survives and the fans are thunderous! Evil is at a loss for words, but he slashes his throat! He vows to end it for real, and he reels Yota in. EVERYTHING IS- Yota flips through!? And HEADBUTTS!! The fans fire up as Yota reels Evil in for a fireman’s carry! 70 CROSS!! Cover, TWO!!
Evil survives the swinging spinebuster and the House cheers! Yota drags himself to a corner, drags himself up with the ropes, and roars as he takes aim! Evil rises, but Yujiro distracts! Dick runs in, but gets a V-TRIGGER! The ref sees Dick, but misses the LOW BLOW! Then Evil RAMS Yota into the ref! That’s the second ref this match! Narita gets his push-up bar! The others set Yota up, but here comes SHINGO TAKAGI! The Rampaging Dragon has seen enough, and he’s still pissed from yesterday as it is! He dodges Narita to PUMPING BOMBER! Kanemaru & Yujiro kick Takagi, double whip, but he DOUBLE PUMPING BOMBERS!!
Jack gets in, but he gets ELBOW, JAB and YUKON LARIAT! Evil runs up but Takagi SWATS Evil’s lariat to JAB! Then feed to Hiromu’s SUPERKICK! Hiromu & Takagi set Evil up for Bushi’s BLACK MIST!! Evil can’t see, the PUMPING BOMBER turns him inside-out!! The fans are thunderous as LIJ helps Yota up! Red Shoes hurries out here, and Yota aims at Evil! GENE BLASTER!!! Cover, Yota wins!!!
Winner: Yota Tsuji, by pinfall (advances to the finals)
The House of Torture ran out of tricks, and now there is light at the end of the tournament! Will Yota do LIJ proud and bring home the Cup?
2024 New Japan Cup Semifinals: SANADA VS Hirooki Goto!
One down, one to go. Yota Tsuji has made it through, now we see who joins him in the finals! Will the Cold Skull or Fierce Warrior be the one that steps closer to former glory?
The bell rings and the fans duel between “GO-TO-O!” and “SA-NA-DA!” Red Shoes measures the levels, and it seems to slightly favor Goto. Goto and Sanada circle, tie up, and are in a deadlock. Goto gets some leverage to put Sanada against ropes, but he lets off slowly. Goto pats Sanada on the shoulders and the fans cheer. The two reset, circle again, and tie up again. It’s another deadlock, but again Goto finds a way to put Sanada on ropes. Sanada turns things around, lets off slowly, and also pats Goto on the shoulders. The fans applaud and the two reset again. They feel things out, knuckle lock, then move to a clinch.
They fight for control, Sanada starts pushing Goto towards a corner but Goto slips away. They feel things out, knuckle lock again, then break. They tie up collar ‘n’ elbow, Goto waistlocks, but Sanada wrenches to wristlock. Goto rolls, wrenches, wristlocks, but Sanada spins, wrenches, only for Goto to roll! Goto gets a leg to trip Sanada up, and he has a toehold. Sanada fights back with a chinlock but Goto pulls on the leg. Sanada uses his free leg to hook Goto into an ARMBAR, but Goto clasps hands! Goto moves around, pops free, then headlocks. Sanada fights up, Goto grinds the headlock, but Sanada throws body shots.
Sanada powers up and out, but Goto runs him over! The fans rally as things speed up, and Goto counters hip toss with hip toss! Goto runs and he clotheslines Sanada up and out! The fans fire up and Goto slides out after Sanada. Goto stomps Sanada, drags him up, then CLUBS him on the neck! Sanada staggers, Goto CHOPS him, then kicks him, then CLUBS him! Goto whips but Sanada stops himself from hitting railing! Goto runs in but Sanada drop toeholds him into the railing! Goto goes down in a heap, but Sanada opens the gate. Sanada brings Goto through, then to the crowd! PILEDRIVER to the bare floor!
The fans are stunned but Red Shoes reprimands. Sanada leaves Goto behind and slides into the ring. The fans rally for Goto as the ring count begins. Goto crawls at 5 of 20, finds his way to ringside at 10, but still hobbles and crawls. He stands at 17 to slide in! The fans cheer, but Sanada stomps Goto. Sanada drags Goto up, CLUBS him on the neck, then brings him back up to CLUB him again. Goto CHOPS! And CHOPS! Sanada eggs Goto on so Goto CHOPS again! Goto whips, Sanada reverses to RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Cover, TWO! Sanada keeps cool and sits Goto up into a chinlock. Goto endures and the fans rally again.
Goto kicks forward, reaches out, but Sanada cranks on the hold! Goto keeps fighting, and has the ROPEBREAK! Sanada lets go cleanly, but then he stomps Goto while he’s down. Sanada then stands Goto up to CLUB him on the neck. Goto CHOPS in return! And CHOPS, and CHOPS, and has Sanada in a corner! Goto CHOPS again, then whips corner to corner. Goto runs in, but Sanada BOOTS first! Sanada runs, Goto follows, and Goto LARIATS Sanada down! The fans fire up and Goto rises, clutching his neck. Goto stands Sanada up to fire off forearms, then he whips corner to corner. Goto runs in, MURAMASA!
Sanada wobbles, into the SAIDO! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up while Goto grits his teeth. Goto drags Sanada up, fireman’s carries, but Sanada fights free! Sanada waistlocks, Goto throws elbows, then runs. Sanada hurdles, hurdles, and DROPKICKS! Goto tumbles out of the ring, Sanada PLANCHAS him down! The fans fire up and Sanada encourages them to get louder. The fans get louder and Sanada appreciates it. Sanada then goes back for Goto, brings him up and puts him in the ring. Sanada fireman’s carries but Goto throws elbows! Sanada turns around into Goto’s fireman’s carry, but then slips out into the dragon sleeper!
But Goto arm-drags free! Sanada kicks low, runs, but Goto follows! Sanada dodges this time, runs again, but Goto still follows! Sanada sidesteps this time, but Goto holds ropes to avoid the hurdle! Goto runs in, but Sanada fireman’s carries! T K O! Cover, TWO! Goto is still in this and the fans rally up! Sanada goes up the corner, ROUNDING BODY- NO, Sanada has to land out as Goto moves! Sanada runs in, but into the fireman’s carry! USHIGOROSHI! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! They cheer on “GO-TO-O!” but the “SA-NA-DA!” chants are still there. Red Shoes checks them both, and both men slowly rise.
The two crawl towards each other, and Goto fires a forearm! Sanada shakes his head, eggs Goto on, so Goto throws another! Goto eggs Sanada on, so Sanada fires a forearm! Goto fires a forearm back, and the two stand. Sanada UPPERCUTS! Goto comes back to forearm! Sanada UPPERCUTS again, and Goto drops back to a knee! The fans rally, Goto stands again, and he forearms! UPPERCUT, forearm, repeat! Goto growls, fires a flurry of forearms, and he ROCKS Sanada! Sanada drops to his hand and knees but Goto powers up! Goto KICKS but Sanada blocks! Goto fires more forearms, then waistlocks, but Sandaa fights free!
Sanada runs, but Goto fireman’s carries! And he throws Sanada into the dragon sleeper! But Sanada turns around and suplexes, for MAGIC SCREW! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! Sanada roars as he rises up, and he aims from a corner. Sanada wants Goto to get up, and Goto sits up, into the SHINING WIZARD! Sanada then dragon sleepers, for the SKULL END!! Goto endures, flails, reaches out, but he’s caught in the body scissors! Goto fights around but he’s fading! The fans rally, Goto’s hand drops! Sanada lets him go to then climb! ROUNDING BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO!!
The fans fire up as Goto survives but Sanada storms around. Sanada drags Goto up, reels him in and clinches, but Goto slips free to shove Sanada away! Sanada forearms, ROLLING- HEADBUTT from Goto! The fans fire up and duel, and Goto drags Sanada up. But Sanada breaks free! Goto HEADBUTTS again! Sanada falls back down and Goto steadies himself. Goto roars, the fans are with him, and Goto sits Sanada up. Goto runs to PENALTY KICK! Shoutout to Shibata and the fans fire up more! Sanada grits his teeth as he sits back up but Goto takes aim! BUZZSAW! And then he hauls Sanada up to dragon sleeper! G T- BACKSLIDE COUNTER! TWO!!!
Sanada and Goto hurry up, Sanada dodges to O’Conner BRIDGE!! TWO?!!? Goto escapes and shocks everyone! Sanada resets, runs in, SHINING WIZARD!! The fans are thunderous as Sanada roars and drags Goto back up! Clinch and DEAD- NO, Goto slips around to ripcord and fireman’s carry! G T W!! Cover, TWO?!?!? Sanada survives but Goto is all fired up! The fans are thunderous as Goto dragon sleepers for G T R!!! Cover, GOTO WINS!!!
Winner: Hirooki Goto, by pinfall (advances to the finals)
Don’t call it a comeback, Goto’s been here for years! Sanada’s hopes of being IWGP World Heavyweight Champion again have been delayed, how long must he wait for another chance?
As for Goto, he’s going back to the New Japan Cup Finals for the first time since 2016, and his seventh overall! But before he can get the mic to speak, Yota makes his way back out here. Yota steps into the ring and he gets the mic first. Yota tells Goto, “In order to open the door to a new era, we must do this.” The fans applaud that, and Yota continues by asking Goto, “Are you ready?!” Yota drops the mic at Goto’s feet, and Goto stands up to speak. “I also have something I want to show you. As a three-time New Japan Cup Champion, I will show you my strength.” The fans like the sound of that!
The Fierce Warrior stares down with Gene Blast, a true generational showdown on the horizon! Will Goto return not juts to former glory, but finally ascend to top of NJPW? Or will Yota make it LIJ VS LIJ for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship?
My Thoughts:
A great semifinal round for this tournament, with quite a surprising main event. Sanada VS Goto was great stuff, and while I felt Sanada wasn’t winning the Cup, I didn’t think he’d be out this round. Yota VS Evil was rather creatively put together, too. I did not think the House would get so involved that at first it was a No Contest but then they restart under a ringside ban. Takagi making sure Yota won was good stuff, too, maybe we can get Takagi VS Evil for the NEVER Openweight Championship if they’re not gonna circle back to more Shota Umino VS House of Torture stuff.
Goto VS Yota is going to be great stuff, and Goto is clearly a top utility guy. He’s had so many New Japan Cup finals appearances, certainly among the most ever, but I don’t think he gets a fourth Cup win against Yota, one of the “new era Musketeers” that NJPW clearly loves. Yota VS Naito is definitely the title match for Sakura Genesis.
My Score: 8.9/10
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!