Will Swerve’s House rumble, bad man, rumble?

While Swerve Strickland has Death Riders and Hangman Page on the brain, he has Shane Taylor in the ring! Will Swerve still be AEW’s Most Dangerous?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Jon Moxley w/ Marina Shafir VS AR Fox; wins.
• Swerve Strickland w/ Prince Nana VS Shane Taylor w/ Shane Taylor Promotions; wins.
• 8 Woman Tag: Thunder Rosa, Queen Aminata & TayJay VS Athena, Thekla, Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford; win.
• 8 Man Tag: Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Daniel Garcia & Bandido VS Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita & FTR; win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Stokely Hathaway, FTR & #ProtoShita speak.

#BigStoke says after what happened on Wednesday was a complete and utter embarrassment, and they all vowed to never let it happen again. Now that Cash Wheeler is back, FTR is complete, and they have #ProtoShita with them! Tonight, they will win! Stokely clearly has confidence enough for all five of them, but will it really go their way? Or will Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Daniel Garcia & Bandido make sure tonight happens just like it did in Mexico City?

The Ace VS Everybody’s Kokeshi, for the final time!

Hiroshi Tanahashi’s farewell tour continues on, and his New Japan Soul will shine bright against fellow icon, Tomoaki Honma!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Tatsuya Matsumoto VS Zane Jay; Time Limit Draw.
• 8 Man Tag: Toru Yano, YOH, Master Wato & Daiki Nagai VS The House of Torture; The House of Torture wins.
• 8 Man Tag: YOSHI-HASHI, Jado, Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima VS The House of Torture; The House of Torture wins.
• Six Man Tag: Tomohiro Ishii, Togi Makabe & Tiger Mask VS Bullet Club; Bullet Club wins.
• Six Man Tag: Taichi, Yuya Uemura & Ryusuke Taguchi VS The United Empire; Taichi, Yuya & Taguchi win.
• Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Tomoaki Honma; Tanahashi wins.
• Six Man Tag: Hirooki Goto, Boltin Oleg & Shota Umino VS TMDK; Goto, Oleg & Shota win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Tomoaki Honma!

The year is half over, meaning we’re that much closer to The Ace reaching the end of his Final Road. One way or another, he checks off another name on the list, but will the Ace be high? Or will Everyone’s Kokeshi be like a roadblock up ahead?

Both men take off their coats and the fans cheer the muscularity. The bell rings and the fans rally up, with a lot of “HONMA! HONMA!” coming out! Tanahashi nods in respect, and the two circle. They tie up, Tanahashi waistlocks, but Honma switches. Tanahashi switches back, but Honma wrenches free. Tanahashi wrenches in return, but then so does Honma. Honma has the wristlock, but Tanahashi drops down for a leg pick, then he floats to the headlock. Honma fights up but Tanahashi hits the takeover. Honma headscissors, Tanahashi kips free, and the fans cheer the standoff. The two reset and circle again.

The fans rally, and while Tanahashi tries, the Honma fans are still louder. The two tie up collar ‘n’ elbow and are in a deadlock. Honma digs in his heels and he starts pushing Tanahashi back. Honma puts Tanahashi on the ropes, the ref counts, and Honma lets go. But then Tanahashi turns things around! The ref counts and Tanahashi slowly lets off of Honma. The fans applaud, but then Tanahashi takes a swing! Honma dodges to CHOP, CHOP, and CHOP! The fans rally, Honma whips Tanahashi to a corner, but Tanahashi ELBOWS him! Tanahashi goes up and CROSSBODIES! Direct hit and the fans cheer the air guitar.

Tanahashi storms up on Honma, brings him up and fires forearms. Tanahashi whips, Honma reverses, and Honma ELBOWS Tanahashi down! Fans fire up as Honma runs, but Tanahashi avoids the Kokeshi! The fans are torn but Tanahashi brings Honma up to whip. Honma grabs ropes to stop himself, then he runs to RUN Tanahashi over! Honma runs again, but Tanahashi again avoids the Kokeshi! The fans boo but Tanahashi doesn’t let that get him down. Tanahashi stomps Honma’s legs, Honma crawls away, but Tanahashi brings him up. Tanahashi bumps Honma off buckles, then bumps him off buckles again!

The fans rally as Tanahashi dribbles Honma off the buckles! Honma stops to throw hands on Tanahashi! And now Honma puts Tanahashi in the corner. But Tanahashi turns things around! Tanahashi puts Honma’s leg in the ropes but the ref reprimands. Tanahashi assures the ref he won’t do anything, but then he DROPKICKS the leg after all! The fans are torn, and Honma falls to the mat. The fans rally up for Honma, Tanahashi drags him by his leg, and then drops an ELBOW on the knee! Tanahashi has the toehold but Honma grabs at Tanahashi’s hair. Tanahashi elbows Honma then pulls on the leg.

Tanahashi shifts and has the DEATHLOCK! Tanahashi pushes on the legs but Honma endures. Honma CHOPS but Tanahashi eggs him on. Honma CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! Tanahashi HEADBUTTS Honma! But that was double-edged and Tanahashi feels dizzy! Tanahashi lets the leglock go, and he drags Honma back to center. Tanahashi pulls on the bad leg but Honma kicks him with the good leg! Tanahashi eggs Honma on, so Honma BOOTS him! Tanahashi stomps Honma again and again, the fans rally up, and Honma eggs Tanahashi on now! The fans rally behind Honma while Tanahashi keeps kicking!

Honma blocks a kick, fires a forearm, but Tanahashi fires back! Tanahashi eggs Honma on and the forearms keep going! Tanahashi fires his strike combo! Honma wobbles, but he still blocks a kick, and DRAGON SCREWS! The fans cheer as Honma gives Tanahashi a taste of his own medicine! The fans rally as Honma crawls away to the ropes. Tanahashi stirs and rises up, and Honma runs up to RUN Tanahashi over! And he ELBOWS Tanahashi down! Then he scoops and SLAMS Tanahashi! The fans fire up while Honma brings Tanahashi around. Honma CHOPS, and CHOPS, and he CHOPS Tanahashi into the corner!

Honma whips corner to corner, runs in, and ELBOWS Tanahashi again! Honma then runs to BULLDOG Tanahashi down! The fans fire up as Honma goes for it again! KOKESHI FLOPS as Tanahashi avoids it once more! That was a close call, though. Tanahashi runs and he FLYING FOREARMS Honma down! The fans rally while Honma goes to a corner. Tanahashi kicks Honma, fires forearms, and fires up. The fans rally as Tanahashi goes corner to corner, but he blocks a boot! Tanahashi holds on as Honma tries to kick free. DRAGON SCREW! Honma is down and the fans rally up. Tanahashi brings Honma back up to scoop and SLAM!

Tanahashi has Honma in the drop zone, adds an ELBOW, then he climbs! SUNSET SENTON! A solid one at that! The fans fire up and Tanahashi goes back up! But Honma hits Tanahashi first! Honma climbs, CLUBS Tanahashi, and the fans rally as he brings Tanahashi to the top. Tanahashi fires body shots and a forearm, but Honma holds onto the ropes to stay up! Tanahashi fires more shots, and Honma falls! But he rises again to trip Tanahashi! Honma CLUBS Tanahashi, climbs back up, and the fans rally again! Tanahashi fires hands, and another HEADBUTT! Honma staggers back, but then RISING KOKESHIS!

Honma climbs, he brings Tanahashi up again, and hits the SUPERPLEX! The fans fire up for that heavy landing! Honma rises as the fans cheer him on, and he hits a KOKESHI ROCKET! Cover, TWO!! Tanahashi survives and the fans fire up again. Honma brings Tanahashi back up, throws some heavy back elbows, but Tanahashi eggs him on. Honma has Tanahashi down, then gets both wrists! KAMI-GOYE KOKESHI!! Cover, TWO!! But Honma doesn’t fret, he just goes up top! The fans fire up for the FALLING KOKESHI, but Tanahashi moves! Another crash landing for Honma and the fans can’t believe it!

The fans rally as hard as they can for Honma and he rises up. Honma goes to a corner, he and Tanahashi run at each other, and Honma LARIATS first! Then KOKESHI!! It finally hits!! Cover, TWO!! Tanahashi survives but Honma powers up again! The fans rally as Honma brings Tanahashi back up. Honma suplexes but Tanahashi blocks! Tanahashi fires elbows, fights free, but Honma roars! Tanahashi DRAGON PALMS! Honma HEADBUTTS! Honma runs, but Tanahashi dodges, only for Honma to SWAT the Slingblade! Honma runs, but into a TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! Tanahashi runs as Honma rises, SLINGBLADE! Cover, TWO!!

The fans are thunderous but now Tanahashi goes up top! HIGH FLY FLOW!! Cover, Tanahashi wins!

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi, by pinfall

In their final showdown, The Ace and The Kokeshi fought like there was no tomorrow! But in the end, Tanahashi comes out on top! He shows his friend respect, and the fans applaud. The Final Road still has many stops left, but who will be next?

Six Man Tag: Hirooki Goto, Boltin Oleg & Shota Umino VS TMDK!

After Dominion, The Fierce Warrior is still IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and BARS is now NEVER Openweight Champion! The Roughneck still wants to prove himself worthy, will he and Team Hontai be rolling towards the G1 Climax? Or can Zack Sabre Jr, Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson remind us that The Mighty Don’t Kneel?

The trios sort out and Oiwa starts against Oleg. The fans rally as they circle, tie up, and Oiwa headlocks. Oiwa spins to hammerlock, but Oleg switches that onto Oiwa. Oiwa switches, Oleg switches back then headlocks. Oiwa wrenches the hold open, the two fight for control, and Oleg powers Oiwa down with the top wristlock. But then Oiwa headscissors! Oleg kips free, headlocks, and he grinds the hold. Oiwa fights up, Oleg wrenches and fireman’s carries for a takeover! And another takeover! And another! Oiwa headscissors but Oleg kips free and the fans cheer the standoff. The two reset again and tie back up.

Oiwa headlocks but Oleg powers up, only for Oiwa to hold on tight. Oleg fires body shots, powers up again, but Oiwa still holds tight! Oiwa grinds the hold but Oleg fires body shots. Oleg lifts, but Oiwa hits a flying takeover! The fans rally, Oleg fights up again, and he fires body shots. Oleg powers up and out, Oiwa whips, then Oiwa drops down to DROPKICK! The fans fire up and Oiwa hits a headlock takeover! Oiwa hooks a leg for a cover, TWO! Oiwa keeps the headlock but Oleg fights up. Oleg powers up, powers out this time, then Oleg hurdles to HIP TOSS! The fans fire up and Oleg runs, runs, and SPLASHES DOWN! Cover, TWO!

The fans applaud as Oiwa stays in this. Oleg stomps Oiwa, brings him up, and wrenches an arm. Oleg CLUBS Oiwa, then tags in Shota. Shota takes the handoff to wrench and wrench and wrench again. Goto then tags in and he takes the handoff. Goto wrenches to YANK the arm, CLUB the arm, and then wrench again. Tag back to Oleg and Oleg takes the handoff to wrench and wristlock. Oleg tags Shota back in and Shota CLUBS the arm. Shota stares down ZSJ, he and Oleg stomp Oiwa, then they double whip. They DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE, and ZSJ runs in! Shota sends him into Oleg’s CHOP, and Goto RUNS ZSJ over!

Goto BLASTS Hartley, then brings Oiwa up. Goto has the others join in on BEATING THE DRUM! The fans cheer as Hontai learns to play the Chaos classics. Shota then brings Oiwa up for an UPPERCUT! Shota UPPERCUTS again, and UPPERCUTS again, then whips Oiwa to ropes. Shota ELBOWS Oiwa down, runs and basement DROPKICKS! Oiwa hurries to FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect but Oiwa keeps cool. The fans rally up and Shota brings Oiwa around. Shota reels Oiwa in, Oiwa resists the lift, so Shota fires KNEE after KNEE! Oiwa sputters, and then Shota CHOPS him to a corner.

Shota whips corner to corner but Oiwa comes back. Shota dodges the lariat, but Oiwa blocks Shota’s to underhook and BUTTERFLY SUPLEX! Both men are down, so TMDK BLASTS Goto & Oleg! ZSJ goes out to UPPERCUT Goto down, and Hartley tags in. Hartley CHOPS Shota down, then suplexes him! Cover, TWO! Tag to ZSJ and the fans cheer as The Front Man UPPERCUTS Shota! ZSJ UPPERCUTS Shota again, and again, and again! The fans rally as the UPPERCUTS just keep going, until Shota falls over! Tag back to Hartley and he drags Shota. ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up and Hartley stomps Shota.

Hartley drags Shota over, tags ZSJ, and ZSJ RAMS Shota! ZSJ UPPERCUTS Shota, shoves, RAMS low, then UPPERCUTS again! ZSJ cravats for the neck wrench but Shota endures. The fans rally, Shota fights up, and Shota powers up and out with a throw. Shota then sunset flips, TWO! ZSJ prawn holds, TWO! Shota sunsets again, TWO! ZSJ high stacks, TWO! Shota sunsets again, TWO! Shota avoids the Penalty Kick to arm-drag, but ZSJ headscissors and NECK TWISTS! ZSJ drags Shota over, tags Oiwa, and Oiwa uses a STRAIGHT ARMBAR! Shota endures, so Oiwa drags him out and drops a LEG on the arm!

Shota endures the modified arm scissors, and he kicks around to the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Oiwa lets go, and Oiwa stomps Shota’s arm. Oiwa kicks Shota, eggs him on, then stands him up. Shota ROCKS Oiwa! Oiwa shakes that off, comes back and kicks low! But Shota fires more forearms! Oiwa kicks low, runs up, but Shota dodges to wrench and TORNADO- NO, Oiwa powers out, slips around, but Shota fights the high crotch suplex! Shota CLUBS Oiwa, Oiwa runs up, but Shota ELBOWS and- NO, Oiwa ducks the Pele! Oiwa whips, Shota reverses, TORNADO DDT! Both men are down and the fans fire up!

The fans rally while Shota and Oiwa crawl, hot tag to Goto! The Fierce Warrior runs over The Mullet, then he BLASTS TMDK! Oiwa kicks low, runs, but Goto follows and LARIATS! Hartley runs in but Goto kicks low! Hartley blocks Goto’s suplex to suplex Goto, but Goto fights that! Goto then suplexes Hartley onto Oiwa! The fans fire up while Oiwa sputters. Goto stands Oiwa up, whips him to a corner, then runs in for MURAMASA! Then the SAIDO! Cover, TWO! Oiwa survives but Goto is right on him. Oiwa fights the fireman’s carry and CLUBS away! Then ROLLING ELBOW! Oiwa runs, Goto follows, but Oiwa ducks!

Oiwa wrenches Goto and hits a DDT! The fans fire up and Oiwa hot tags ZSJ! ZSJ runs to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up and ZSJ brings Goto up. Goto fights the scoop, fires body shots, but ZSJ UPPERCUTS! Goto fires a forearm, ZSJ UPPERCUTS again, and repeat! ZSJ UPPERCUTS again and again and again, but Goto fires more forearms! ZSJ wrenches an arm to PELE! ZSJ whips, Goto reverses and fireman’s carries! ZSJ slips free, Goto ELBOWS him, then Goto blocks a kick! But ZSJ uses that for an ARMBAR TAKEDOWN! Goto endures but TMDK YANK Oleg and Shota off the apron!

Oleg is sent into railing, Oiwa keeps Shota down with an armlock, and ZSJ breaks Goto’s grip to have the ARMBAR!! And then the LEGLOCK on top!! Goto flails, reaches out, ROPEBREAK!! The fans cheer, ZSJ lets go, but now Hontai is sent into railing again! ZSJ grabs Goto’s hand and bends the fingers! And he STOMPS the arm! Goto writhes but ZSJ stomps him more. ZSJ runs up and BOOTS Goto, but Goto stays up! ZSJ tries again but Goto blocks the boot to DECK ZSJ! The fans fire up and Goto roars, but he runs into a BOOT! ZSJ scoops, Goto slips free, but ZSJ PELES! And PENALTY KICKS! But Goto is up to LARIAT!

Both men are down and the fans fire up! Goto and ZSJ crawl, reach out, hot tags to Oleg and Hartley! The fans fire up as the big men DOUBLE LARIAT! And DOUBLE LARIAT! And DOUBLE LARIAT again! Then they start throwing CHOPS! Oleg DOUBLE CHOPS, runs, but Hartley CROSSBODIES! The fans fire up, Hartley BLASTS Shota off the apron, and he aims from the corner. Hartley runs in, Oleg dodges, and then Oleg comes back! Oleg SPLASHES, then gut wrenches! But Hartley’s too big! Hartley breaks free, fires boxing elbows, and an UPPERCUT! Hartley reels Oleg in, suplexes, but Oleg fights it! They fight for control, and Hartley suplexes Oleg!

The fans fire up and Hartley rises. Hartley runs but Oleg avoids the senton! Oleg drags Hartley up, scoops and SLAMS! The fans fire up as Oleg goes up, up, and VADER BOMBS! Cover, TWO! Hartley stays in this and the fans rally up. Oleg brings Hartley around to gut wrench! Shake, Rattle & THROW! Oleg kips up and the fans fire up! Oleg brings Hartley up again, fireman’s carries, but Oiwa kicks low! Shota kicks Oiwa, UPPERCUTS him, then whips. Oiwa reverses and UPPERCUTS Shota! Oiwa then gets around Oleg to HIGH CROTCH PLEX! ZSJ adds a NECK TWIST! Hartley adds the SENTON! Cover, Goto breaks it! The fans fire up while ZSJ goes after Goto!

ZSJ fires forearm after forearm, but Goto fireman’s carries! USHIGOROSHI! Oiwa runs up, Goto sends him into Shota’s LARIAT! Shota stands Hartley up, he and Goto double whip, but Hartley breaks the lariats! Shota sends Hartley into Goto’s FOREARM! Shota ENZIGIRIS! Goto hits URA GTR, and Shota adds a LARIAT!! The fans fire up and Oleg has Hartley up! Fireman’s carry for the KAMIKAZE!! Cover, Hontai wins!

Winners: Hirooki Goto, Boltin Oleg & Shota Umino, by pinfall

The Mighty Don’t Kneel, but they can still fall! Oleg brings down big bad Hartley, can TMDK rise back up before the G1 begins?

As for Hontai, Oleg scored the fall so he gets to speak! Oleg says good evening to Yamagata and the fans cheer. Oleg knows he only just became NEVER Champion, but he promises to work even harder and become an even greater wrestler, so please continue to support him. The fans applaud, and then Oleg asks who wants to speak next. Goto lets Shota go next, and the fans cheer Shota on. Shota thanks the fans for the great energy all the way through the show tonight, then he takes a bow. The fans applaud, and Shota adds that Yamagata is both hot and amazing. This New Japan Soul series is important, but so is the upcoming G1 Climax.

Goto is going to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against ZSJ in Nagoya before the tournament begins, and regardless of who wins that, Shota vows to win the G1 and challenge the champion. Shota tells Goto that he hopes to face him again with the title on the line. The fans applaud and Goto nods. Shota says naturally, the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion will now close us out. The fans applaud again and Goto is handed the mic. The fans cheer Goto on, and he also thanks everyone for coming out tonight. Goto knows it took a long time, but he is proud to finally return to Yamagata as world champion.

The fans cheer, and Goto adds that he wants to make it through his next defense to then take this title into the G1. The Goto Revolution is far from over! Be sure to follow him until the end! The fans cheer that, and Goto says that lastly, he of course wishes to talk about Goto’s G. The fans applaud, and Goto realizes, there’s a G in Yamagata, too. So then, the G in Yamagata and IWGP stand for Goto! The fans cheer and the Fierce Warrior is ready! Will he thwart ZSJ’s efforts in one more rematch? Will he make the G in G1 also stand for Goto?

My Thoughts:

A very good night for NJPW as part of their New Japan Soul series. While I skimmed the other matches, I do like how Sho is wearing a mask like he’s a luchador now and it isn’t obvious it’s just him. The House of Torture wins their matches to keep momentum going, and the other matches were about building towards the G1 Climax qualifiers. Tanahashi VS Honma was good, and I like that the fans cheered Honma. Truth be told, we know Tanahashi is going to win most of these Final Road matches, so that is probably why the fans hope for the opponents to do well. And with the G1 coming up, maybe Tanahashi gets one last good run to try for the finals.

Very good Six Man Tag main event, but it works for Hontai to win. Goto is the top champion, Oleg just became a champion, and NJPW wants Shota to build up given he’s one of the Reiwa Musketeers. Goto VS ZSJ will be a very good match but I feel like Goto’s going to win to bring the title along and add drama to his G1. ZSJ can still have his own great showing in the G1 and maybe makes a case for himself to be the winner again.

My Score: 8.8/10