Will the House of Torture stack the deck again?

The Road to the New Beginning continues as Douki defends his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against El Desperado!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Young Lion Cup Semifinal: Shoma Kato VS Masatora Yasuda; Kato wins and advances.
• Young Lion Cup Semifinal: Katsuya Murashima VS Daiki Nagai; Murashima wins and advances.
• Shota Umino & Tatsuya Matsumoto VS OSKAR & Yuto-Ice; Oskar & Yuto win.
• 8 Man Tag: Hontai VS The House of Torture; Hontai wins.
• 10 Man Tag: Unbound Company VS The United Empire; The United Empire wins.
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Ichiban Sweet Boys VS SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru; Ichiban Sweet Boys win and retain the titles.
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: DOUKI VS El Desperado; Douki wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

10 Man Tag: Unbound Company VS The United Empire!

The first outing as this new unit didn’t go so well, and Shingo Takagi’s ribs are even taped up from the damage he took. But Takagi isn’t backing down from a fight, so neither will his friends. Can they turn things around before the break? Or will Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, Jakob Austin Young & Jake Lee simply break them?

The teams sort out, and after the Unbound fire up, Yota calls Jake right out. Jake steps to Yota, the bell rings, and then GENE TRIGGER! Yota BLASTS the Empire, then he CHOPS away on Jake! The fans fire up as Yota fires forearm after forearm, then digs his boots in! This is payback for that guillotine last night! Yota stops as the ref counts 4, then he whips Jake corner to corner. Yota runs in, GENE TRIGGER again! Snapmare and the fans fire up with Yota! Yota already takes aim, GENE- KITCHEN SINK KNEE! Jake then CURB STOMPS Yota! And GUILLOTINE! Yota endures, powers Jake to the corner, so Callum tags in.

The fans rally but Callum BLASTS the Unbound! Callum comes back to KICK Yota in the chest! The fans rally for Yota, Callum goes to a corner and runs, but Yota avoids Excalibur! Callum BODY BLOWS, runs, but into a scoop and BACKBREAKER! Both men are down, they crawl, hot tag to Gedo! The fans fire up as Gedo CHOKES Callum! The ref counts, Gedo stops at 4, then he CHOKES Callum again! The fans fire up while Callum flails, but the ref again reprimands and counts. Gedo stops, argues with the ref, then pushes past him to CHOKE Callum again! They go to a corner, the ref counts, but the fans cheer Gedo on!

Callum flails, sputters, even fades, but the ref backs Gedo off. Gedo argues with the ref again, but Callum BOOTS Gedo down! Then he BLASTS the Unbound corner, and even GAMANGIRIS Takagi! The Empire attacks them on the outside, but The Unbound fight back! Jakob SMACKS Taiji off the upper deck, Khan SMACKS Takagi off the apron, and then Khan makes sure the cameras are watching as he RIPS Takagi’s shirt away! IRON CLAW to the taped ribs! And then an APRON URENAGE! Takagi writhes but Khan laughs at his pain. Callum scuffs Takagi before he goes to Gedo. Callum drags Gedo up by his beard!

The fans rally for Gedo but Callum builds speed by running the ropes! But then Callum stops just to SPIT on Gedo! The fans boo, and then Callum PENALTY KICKS! Callum drags Gedo up, TOSSES him out, and he distracts the ref so that even Zane Jay can get in on mugging Gedo! The fans boo as the newest recruit puts Gedo in, and Francesco Akira mockingly asks, “Gedo-kun, are you okay?” Callum soaks up heat as he stands Gedo up, and he tags Jakob in. They mug Gedo with a BODY BLOW! Jakob mocks the fans cheering Gedo on, and he stands on Gedo’s head. Jakob mockingly cheers him on, then he uses the Gedo JABS!

Jakob winds up, but Gedo pokes him in the eyes! And then he UPPERCUTS Jakob down! The fans fire up as Gedo crawls, but Jake BOOTS Yota off the apron! The fans boo Jake but Jakob tags Akira. Akira holds Gedo’s hand out to mock Unbound Company, then he slaps Gedo around. But he blocks Gedo’s eye poke! And kicks Gedo low! Akira whips Gedo corner to corner, runs up, but Gedo dodges! Hot tag to Taiji! The fans fire up as Bone Soldier Reborn DECKS Akira, HANDSPRING KICKS Jakob, and fires off on Akira again! Taiji whips, Akira reverses, but Taiji handsprings, only for Akira to catch in a waistlock!

Taiji fights the lift and switches, but Akira switches back. Hiromu jumps in, Taiji ducks down, SUPERKICK on Akira! Akira wobbles, Taiji & Hiromu double whip, but Akira dodges the double lariat! Hiromu shoves Taiji into Akira, then pops Taiji up to RANA Akira! The fans fire up, but here comes Jakob! Taiji & Hiromu double kick, double whip, but Jakob avoids the double lariats! But now Taiji shoves Hiromu into Jakob, and then Taiji hoists Hiromu up for a RANA! The fans fire up, and now Taiji & Hiromu send Jakob and Akira at each other. Akira & Jakob reverse that, but Taiji & Hiromu dosido! Only for Akira to ENZIGIRI Hiromu!

Jakob slips around Taiji to back suplex! Taiji lands out, and he JUMP KNEES Jakob down! Akira blocks a kick, slips under, and POWERBOMBS! Both men are down and the fans rally up, Akira hot tags Khan! Khan storms over to Taiji and clamps on the IRON CLAW! Khan drags Taiji up to put him on the ropes. The ref reprimands and counts, Khan stops at 4 to shove the ref away. The fans boo but Khan whips Taiji. Taiji handsprings to RED DOT GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up while both men are down! Taiji crawls, and he hot tags Takagi! The fans fire up as the Rampaging Dragon runs up to LARIAT Khan!

Khan sputters, but even Takagi winces. Khan hits him in the bad ribs, but Takagi SWATS the lariat, BLINDSIDE LARIATS, and runs the ropes, but the ropes hurt those ribs! Takagi still CLUBS and KNEES away on Khan, then runs again, but Khan catches Takagi to a BEARHUG! Takagi endures as Khan squeezes and thrashes him around! The fans rally, Takagi fires elbows, and Khan lets him go. Takagi coughs and sputters, but he ELBOWS! JABS! And YUKON- NO, Khan ducks it to shove Takagi into a GAMANGIRI! Khan IRON RIGHT BODY BLOWS! Takagi drops to his knees but the fans rally up for him.

Callum KICKS Takagi in the ribs! Then he BLASTS Gedo and Hiromu off the apron! Khan kicks Takagi out of the ring, and he brings out a chair! The fans boo as Khan presses that chair down on top of Takagi. But then Khan takes a chair from the crowd!? CON-CHAIR-TO on the bad ribs!! The fans boo more but Khan just soaks it up. Khan then drags Takagi up, telling him to get in the ring. Khan shoves Takagi in, then he waits for Takagi to stand. But Yota rushes in! Yota fires hands but he gets mugged by Khan & Callum! Jake tags in, and while the others keep Yota down, Jake aims at Takagi! They make Yota watch as Takagi takes the FACE BREAK SHOT!!

Jake kneels on the cover, and the Empire wins!

Winners: The United Empire, by pinfall

Jake mocks Takagi’s pain while the mugging of Yota continues. Callum even TOSSES the ref aside! Then they set Yota up in the corner! Jake KNEES Taiji down, then he KNEES Hiromu! And a KNEE for Gedo, too! The fans boo the Empire, but Khan & Callum make sure Yota is watching as Jake takes the mic and Yota’s belts. Jake tells Yota, “I have beaten and torn through all of your friends. So next, it’s you. Put the belt on the line. I’ve returned from my hellish vacation, and now I would like you to be a part of the United Empire’s hellish legend.” Yota is set free while the belt is set on the ground. Yota picks up the belt, but what is his answer?

Yota grabs the mic to tell Jake, “KNOW YOUR PLACE! But I WILL put the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on the line. I cannot sit by and see you do this to my friends. But don’t get it confused: I am NOT a man like you, who does things half-assed. Jake, ARE YOU READY!? On February 11th, New Beginning in Osaka, you better bring it!” The Gene Blast has finally accepted the challenge after The Empire stooped to new lows. Will Yota humble the #SmartBastard for everything he’s done? Or will Jake use every trick in the book to become a Japanese Grand Slam Champion?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Ichiban Sweet Boys VS SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru!

Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita took these titles at WrestleKingdom 20, but the House of Torture will not let them get away with it! Will the Murder Machine & Heel Master lie, cheat, and steal their way to bringing these belts back to the House? Or will The Sniper of the Skies & The Japanese Young Punk prove The Mighty Don’t Kneel?

New Year, same House as they attack during TMDK’s entrance! The fans boo and the ref reprimands, but Kanemaru CLAWS Eagles’ eyes and Sho CHOKES Fujita by standing on him! Sho holds up the belts to say they’ll soon have these back. Sho then SMACKS Fujita off a chair while Kanemaru POSTS Eagles! Then Kanemaru sends Eagles into the barriers! And Sho CHOKES Fujita with a fan’s TMDK rally towel! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but this isn’t even a match yet! Kanemaru keeps after Eagles as they go around the back of the bleachers! The ref gets Sho to back off, and he checks on Fujita. Kanemaru returns to POST Eagles again!

Sho stands Fujita up while Kanemaru stomps Eagles. Sho puts Fujita in the ring, the bell finally sounds, and we’re finally on record as Sho CLAWS Fujita’s face! The ref reprimands, Sho argues with him, but also keeps him from seeing Sho untie the blue buckle pad. The fans rally for TMDK while Sho stomps Fujita. Sho drags Fujita up, whips him to the corner, but Fujita stops from hitting bare steel! Sho runs in, but he’s send into the steel! Fujita ENZIGIRIS and JUMPING NECKBREAKER! Both men are down, Fujita crawls, but Kanemaru YANKS Eagles down! Sho ROCKS Fujita while Kanemaru DDTS Eagles on the floor!

Sho whips Fujita into the bare buckles! The fans boo and the ref reprimands but Kanemaru tags in. Kanemaru scoop SLAMS Fujita on the floor! Kanemaru then scoops and SLAMS Fujita again! Sho goes out to bring Fujita up, just to RAM him into the apron! Sho snap suplexes Fujita, then puts Fujita in the ring. Kanemaru whips and BACKDROPS Fujita! Kanemaru stomps Fujita around, then has Sho clear out the corner. Kanemaru slides Fujita into the corner, then he and Sho bend Fujita against the post! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, and Fujita tries to fight back, but the House of Torture stop at 4. Kanemaru distracts the ref so Sho can scoop and RAM Fujita into the post!

Sho puts Fujita in for Kanemaru to cover, TWO! The fans cheer as Fujita stays in this, but Kanemaru kicks him around. Fujita fires a forearm, and another, and another, but Kanemaru RAMS him into the bare buckles! The ref reprimands, but Kanemaru tags Sho. Kanemaru then BLASTS Eagles off the corner while Sho RAMS Fujita into another corner. Sho RAMS Fujita again and again while Kanemaru goes after Eagles on the outside. Sho runs to then RAM Fujita in the corner! And then a BIG suplex! Cover, TWO! Fujita toughs it out and the fans cheer, but Sho turns Fujita over for a BOSTON CRAB! The fans rally while Fujita endures!

Kanemaru steps in so he can play defense, but Fujita fights up! The fans rally as he crawls forward, reaches out, and has the ROPEBREAK! Sho holds until the ref counts, then shifts into a HALF CRAB! The ref reprimands and Sho lets go of that leg, only to grab the other leg! HALF CRAB! The ref counts, Sho finally stops, and he tags Kanemaru. Kanemaru KNEES Fujita in the back, then brings him around to whip. Fujita reverses, but Kanemaru avoids the dropkick! Kanemaru says he’s too smart for that. Kanemaru stomps Fujita around, and Sho talks trash on him. Kanemaru whips Fujita into the bare buckles!

Fujita falls and writhes but the fans continue to rally behind him. Kanemaru tags Sho, and Sho stalks Fujita to stomp him down. Sho talks trash on Fujita, eggs him on, and kicks him around. Fujita rises up to fire a forearm! Sho eggs him on, so Fujita fires a flurry! Sho CLAWS the eyes, and he CLUBS Fujita on the back! Fujita falls again, and Sho talks more trash before he stands Fujita back up. Sho reels Fujita in, but Fujita fights the lift! Fujita lifts Sho, but Sho bends fingers! The ref reprimands, but Sho CLAWS Fujita’s eyes! Sho whips, Fujita reverses, and GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up while both men are down!

Fujita and Sho crawl, hot tag to Eagles! The fans fire up as Eagles BOOTS Sho, BOOTS Kanemaru, then RANAS Sho! And WHEEL KICK! Eagles kips up, the fans fire up, and Eagles throws off his shirt to run corner to corner. DOUBLE KENES! Eagles rolls back, but Sho BOOTS him! Eagles 619s the legs out! Sho sits down, Eagles runs back in, METEORA! The fans fire up again and Eagles drags Sho to center. High stack, TWO! The fans rally and Eagles starts up, “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” “OI OI OI!” “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” “OI OI OI!” “ROBBIE!” “OI!” “ROBBIE!” “OI!” “ROBBIE ROBBIE ROBBIE!” “OI OI OI!” KICK KICK KICK!

The fans fire up, and Eagles steps through, but Sho BOOTS him away. Eagles stands, Sho kicks low. Sho whips, Eagles reverses, and Eagles runs up, only to be put on the apron. Eagles KICKS the leg! Sho hobbles, the fans cheer, and Eagles springboards, but the ref is used as a shield! Sho SPEARS Eagles down! Hot tag to Kanemaru and he whips Eagles. Eagles reverses, scoops, but Kanemaru tilt-o-whirls to DDT! Cover, TWO! The fans rally but Kanemaru argues with the ref. Kanemaru drags Eagles up, whips him to a corner, then LARIATS! And then a scoop and BRIT- NO, Eagles victory rolls! TWO, and Eagles slips around to schoolboy with bridge! TWO!

Kanemaru kicks, Eagles dodges, SNAP SAIDO! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Eagles crawls, hot tag to Fujita! Fujita storms up on Kanemaru, kicks and whips, but Kanemaru reverses. Fujita rolls off Kanemaru’s back, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SHOTGUNS! Kanemaru rebounds, but into a scoop and SLAM! The fans fire up with Fujita and he goes to the apron. Fujita aims, springboards, and MISSILE DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Kanemaru survives but the fans rally behind Fujita. Fujita waistlocks and deadlifts Kanemaru, but Kanemaru fights with elbows. Fujita ducks, then CHOPS, but Kanemaru distracts the ref as Fujita runs into a CHAIR SHOT!

The fans boo Sho for that sneak attack, but Kanemaru capitalizes with a HEADSCISSOR TAKEDOWN! Cover, Eagles breaks it! Sho TOSSES Eagles out, then he drags Fujita up. Sho & Kanemaru send Fujita into the bare buckles! Then they hoist Fujita up top and climb the corners. Kanemaru hits a SUPERPLEX, then Sho is there to reel Fujita in! POWER BREAKER!! Kanemaru then has the BOSTON CRAB!! Fujita endures while Sho keeps Eagles on the outside! Kanemaru sits deep on the hold! Sho CHOKES Eagles in the background, but Fujita powers up! Fujita reaches out, but Kanemaru drags him from the ropes! Kanemaru sits deeper on the hold!

The fans are thunderous as they rally up, and Fujita keeps fighting towards the ropes! Fujita reaches out, flails, and he makes the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer while Kanemaru lets go in frustration. Kanemaru paces, then he drags Fujita up. The fans rally but Kanemaru scoops and SLAMS Fujita into the drop zone! Then MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO!! Fujita survives, but Kanemaru suplexes! BRAINBUSTER!! Cover, TWO!! Fujita survives again and the fans are thunderous! Kanemaru drags Fujita up again, suplexes, but Eagles makes the save! And then SOBAT, to ASAI DDT! Sho is back, but Eagles CHOPS him! And suplexes, but Sho slips free!

Eagles ELBOWS Sho, runs, but Sho JUMP KNEES! Sho calls his shot, he tucks Eagles in, SHOCK- NO, Eagles slips out of the Shock Arrow! Step over, but Sho LARIATS! Eagles staggers, rewinds, I’LL BE BACK ROUNDHOUSE! SUPERKICK! ENZIGIRI! All four men are down and the fans are thunderous! Sho and Eagles roll away while Kanemaru and Fujita crawl to corners. Kanemaru drags himself up with the ropes, but Fujita runs in first! Kanemaru BOOTS him, runs up, but Fujita pops him up! GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Fujita holds on, gets under, and torture racks! But Kanemaru grabs the ref!

Kanemaru escapes, but Fujita CHOPS! And CHOPS! Fujita runs, but Sho trips him up! Kanemaru BLASTS Eagles! Sho distracts the ref while Kanemaru grabs his whiskey! Kanemaru takes a swig, but Fujita SMACKS it outta him! Then he shoves Kanemaru into Sho, SNAP GERMAN! Eagles is back, he scoops, and SWEET BUSTER!! Cover, Sho YANKS the ref back! The fans boo again but Sho plays dumb. Eagles WRECKS Sho with a dropkick, then DIVES! Down goes Sho and the fans fire up! Fujita has Kanemaru in the torture rack! THRILL RIDE!! High stack, TMDK wins!

Winners: Ichiban Sweet Boys, by pinfall (still IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions)

The House of Torture tried to steal this one, but their tricks are getting a bit stale. Fujita & Eagles stay golden on this Road to the New Beginning, but who will be next to test The Mighty?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: DOUKI VS El Desperado!

Japones Del Mal is clinging to this title after what happened at WrestleKingdom, but now he has the Rogue Luchador coming back for revenge! Will Despy prove he is still The Best of the Super Juniors? Or will Douki hold onto the one bit of gold the House has left?

The House lets Despy enter undisturbed, but that’s because they’re all backing Douki up anyway. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see how high the House stacks the deck!

Despy points out that Douki having Evil, Dick Togo, Ren Narita, AND Yujiro Takahashi is a bit too much. The fans agree and chant for The House to go home. Douki claims this will be a fair 1v1 as the others back away. The bell rings and the fans rally strongly behind Despy. Despy and Douki circle, tie up, and are in a deadlock. The fans rally as Despy shifts to wrench and wristlock. Douki pokes Despy in the eye! Douki wrenches the arm, keeps Despy from the ropes, and puts pressure on the wristlock. But Despy reaches abck, wrenches through, and hammerlocks to headlock. Douki endures, then he pulls on Despy’s mask!

Th eref counts, Douki headlocks, but Despy powers up and out, only for Douki to CLAW the eyes through the mask! The fans boo and the ref counts, but Douki headlocks. Despy pulls hair! The fans cheer the payback, but the ref still reprimands. Despy stops at 4, then pulls hair again! Despy whips, Douki grabs the ropes to stop himself, then he BOOTS Despy away. Douki runs up to RUN Despy over, and the fans do applaud that. Things speed up, Despy hurdles over, but Douki leaps over. Despy keeps moving, and he steps on Douki’s dropdown! The fans cheer while Douki gets mad. Douki runs up but Despy TOSSES him out!

Despy builds speed, but Douki avoids the baseball slide. And he hides behind the House! The fans boo, but Evil defends they haven’t done anything yet. Despy pats them all on the cheek, then dares them to do something. Douki meanwhile slides into the ring, and he puts a banner over the ref’s face to blind him! The House attacks in the confusion! The fans boo as the House is already breaking their promise! Douki lets the ref go, Evil plays dumb, and Douki stands Despy up. Douki wrenches Despy to BOWL him into chairs! STRIKE as Despy tumbles into the wood bleachers! The fans still boo, but Douki drags Despy back up.

Douki brings Despy around the way, Death Pipe in hand! They go to the orange seats! Douki drags Despy up into the stands while the fans rally, but Despy SMACKS Douki! Douki JAMS Despy with the pipe! And he uses the pipe in the NECKBREAKER to the floor! The fans rally for Despy while he writhes, and Douki leaves Despy behind as he returns to ringside. The fans boo but Douki soaks up the heat while he goes to the ring. Despy slowly rises up while the ring count starts. The fans rally for Despy as he stands at 3 of 20, then hurries down the stairs. Despy returns to ringside by 8, then goes to the apron, but the House tries to stop him!

The ref reprimands and the ring count stops, but then Douki distracts the ref so Evil can YANK Despy out anyway! The House mugs Despy, then they put him back in. Douki covers, TWO! Despy survives and Douki is annoyed, but Douki drags Despy back up to put him in a corner. Douki whips corner to corner, then runs up to LARIAT! Douki snapmares, runs, and DOUBLE STOMPS! Despy sputters, Douki covers, TWO! The fans cheer as Despy toughs it out. Douki talks trash and scuffs Despy around. Despy sits up to CHOP, and CHOP, and CHOP again! But Douki mule kicks! Despy goes to a corner, but he BOOTS Douki back.

Despy runs, but he sees Evil there! Douki rolls Despy into the ITALIAN STRETCH #32! The fans rally and Despy fights around. Douki pulls on the hold and Despy fades! The fans rally harder and Despy kicks his way backwards to the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Douki lets go at 4, and the fans boo The House again. Douki paces, then he vows to end it now. Douki drags Despy up, Gory Especial, but Despy fights the lift! The fans rally harder as Despy and Douki fight for control! Despy fights his way forward, but Douki KNEES him low! Douki whips, Despy reverses, and Despy dropkicks the leg! Douki hobbles, and Despy dropkicks the leg again!

Douki falls and the fans rally up. Despy rises, goes for the legs, but Douki BOOTS him away. Douki runs up, FLAT- NO, Despy denies Douki his Complete Shot, and now has Douki’s leg for a GROUND DRAGON SCREW! The fans cheer while Douki flounders away to ropes. Despy storms up and KICKS the bad leg! Then he grabs the leg, but Douki fights off the lift! Despy still tries, but Douki CLAWS Despy’s eyes! Despy kicks the leg, whips Douki to ropes, but Douki reverses to send him at the ref! Despy stops short, but then Douki CLOBBERS Despy into the ref! The fans boo, because here comes The House!

The fans boo as the House all stomps away on Despy, then drag him up to throw hands. What does Ren have in his hand?! Dick & Yujiro set Despy up, but AARON WOLF rushes out here! And he CLOBBERS Ren! Then he SAYANAGIS Dick! Yujiro ROCKS Wolf, runs the ropes, but Wolf scoops him for a SLAM! The fans fire up, but then Ren CHOKES Wolf! But then MASTER WATO runs out here, and he springboards to FLYING UPPERCUT Ren down! The fans cheer, but then Evil JAMS Wato up with a chair! The fans boo again as Evil hooks Wato up, but Wato slips free of the STO! LOCO MONO on Evil! Wolf then TOSSES Evil out, and Wato builds speed to FLY! Wato brings down the House! The fans cheer Wato & Wolf as they headlock and drag The House to the back! Despy then aims at Douki, runs up and LARIATS in the corner!

Despy reels Douki in, BIG suplex! Despy then reels Douki back in, GUITARRA DEL ANGEL! Cover, TWO! Douki survives but the fans continue to rally for Despy. Despy drags Douki back up, underhooks, but Douki fights the lift! Despy KNEES Douki, tries again, but Douki wrenches out to CLAW the eyes! Douki then waistlocks, but Despy switches. Douki throws elbows, tries to run, but has to use the British Escape. But Despy ducks the enzigiri! Despy rolls to get the leg! STRETCH- NO, Douki throws Despy away and ENZIGIRIS! Then DDT, into ITALIAN STRETCH #32! The fans rally as Despy endures all over again!

Despy fights around as the fans rally up, but he’s fading again! Despy still drags Douki along as he fights around, only for SHO to show back up! Sho distracts from the ROPEBREAK! Douki rolls Despy away, but Despy slips through to have the STRETCH MUFFLER! The fans fire up as now we have NUMERO DOS!! Douki endures, fights with his free arm and leg, but Despy THRASHES Douki around! NUMERO DOS PLUS!! The ref sees Sho pushing the rope forward, so the ref KICKS Sho’s hand! The fans cheer Marty Asami for laying down the law! Despy THRASHES Douki around again, but Douki fights forward! ROPEBREAK!!

Despy lets go in frustration and exhaustion but the fans continue to rally. Despy reels Douki back in, underhooks, but Douki still fights the lift. Sho again distracts the ref, but Despy stops the low blow! Despy SHOVES Douki into Sho, then O’Conner Rolls! TWO, and Sho uses- NO, Despy blocks the Black Mirror! Despy snatches it away, Sho and Douki panic, but the ref reprimands. Despy SHOVES the ref away! Douki runs up, Despy DUMPS him to the apron, and Despy takes a swing! Douki blocks the Black Mirror now! They tug-o-war, and Douki SMACKS Despy!! Then he DAYBREAK onto the mirror!! Cover, TWO!?!?

Despy barely gets his arm up in time, and that shocks Douki! The fans are thunderous as Despy rises up. Douki storms over and eggs his old friend on. Despy fires body shots, but there’s not much there. Douki SLAPS Despy, but Despy CLUBS Douki’s leg, then ROCKS Douki! Douki falls into the ref, Marty falls, and Douki ENZIGIRIS! Douki hurries to LOW BLOW!! The fans boo as Despy drops to his knees! Douki then wheelbarrows, SUPLEX DE LA LUNA!! Bridging cover, DOUKI WINS!!

Winner: Douki, by pinfall (still IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion)

It was truly a stacked deck full of jokers, but Douki denies Desperado his revenge. Will Despy, or anyone, ever get a fair fight with the House of Torture?

As for Douki, he grabs the mic to tell Despy, “Too bad, huh? What? I don’t mind. Everyone, please don’t boo, because Desperado tried his hardest.” The fans boo Douki, but Douki says HE worked really hard, too. Everyone has days like this! Now, get out of here, you eyesore! The fans boo more, but Douki tells them, “You finally found out today, huh? I am the GOD of the Junior Heavyweight Division! And the House of Torture is the strongest in the world!” Douki drops the mic, having said his piece, and the fans boo again. Douki holds onto his precious, but will the House of Torture lie, cheat and steal back everything they’ve lost?

My Thoughts:

A great second night for Road to the New Beginning, but I should’ve figured the status quo would be kept. That was a great tag title match from Ichiban Sweet Boys VS Sho & Kanemaru, but clearly the House kept all their best tricks for main event, that’s partly why Sho & Kanemaru lost. Great main event for that matter, even with the overbooking. But with Sho not being out there to start, he was of course the ace up the sleeve to play later. A little surprised no one called Douki out after that main event, but perhaps that happens during the rest of Road to New Beginning in February.

The other thing of note was the story build through the 10 Man Tag rematch. Takagi’s bad ribs was established last night, so they used that as the weakness in the team so Empire could win again. While Bullet Club is no more, The United Empire has seemingly inherited the spirit of original Heel Bullet Club. Yota VS Jake being officially set, that’ll be a great match, but I would think Yota wins his first defense of THE IWGP Heavyweight Championship. I’m wondering when they’ll start building towards that double header though…

My Score: 8.9/10

The Road to New Beginning begins again!

As NJPW embarks on a new chapter, they also begin down the Road to the New Beginning in Osaka! But who will be headed for the IWGP Tag Team titles?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Young Lion Cup Opening Round: Masatora Yasuda VS Tatsuya Matsumoto; Yasuda wins and advances.
• Young Lion Cup Opening Round: Daiki Nagai VS Zane Jay; Daiki wins, by disqualification, and advances.
• 10 Man Tag: Hontai VS The House of Torture; Hontai wins.
• 10 Man Tag: Unbound Company VS The United Empire; The Empire wins.
• Kosei Fujita VS SHO; Sho wins, by disqualification.
• Robbie Eagles VS Yoshinobu Kanemaru; Kanemaru wins.
• NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: TMDK VS Boltin Oleg & Bishamon; Oleg & Bishamon win and become the new NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions.
• IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Match: Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii VS Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura; Shota & Yuya win and will challenge the Knock Out Brothers for the titles.

PLAY BY PLAY

During Young Lion Cup Opening Round: Daiki Nagai VS Zane Jay…

Just as the Unbound Young Lion has Zane stuck in a BOSTON CRAB, Callum Newman appears!? Callum taunts Daiki while Red Shoes reprimands and the fans boo. Daiki lets Zane go to hit Callum with a forearm! Callum SLAPS Red Shoes so he can DECK Daiki! The fans boo but Callum brings out a chair! He slides it to Zane?! Callum tells Zane to take the win with this, but Red Shoes is already back to his feet. Red Shoes reprimands Zane and the fans say don’t do it. But Zane wants to do it?! HEADSHOT!! Down goes Daiki, but he also wins!

Winner: Daiki Nagai, by disqualification (advances to the next round)

The fans boo but Callum applauds! Has Zane lost the Young Lion Cup to instead join the United Empire?! Zane tells the fans off, Callum tells Daiki this is what he gets for siding with Unbound Company. Zane then rains down fists! But speaking of, here comes Unbound Company! They run Callum & Zane off, and Callum mocks them with the Too Sweet. Will Yota Tsuji and the team make The Empire pay for this?

10 Man Tag: Unbound Company VS The United Empire!

Bullet Club and Unaffiliated are no more, as they announced the two have become one! And as if things weren’t heated before, Callum messing Daiki over like that only put fuel on the fire! Will Yota Tsuji lead Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo to victor? Or will The Prince, Crown of Fire, Dominator, #DangerousJAY and #SmartBastard show them the power of the Empire?

The teams sort out, and Callum tries to act all innocent from earlier. He tells Unbound to hurry up, and Unbound modify the LIJ fist bump a bit as they build up the energy. And break! Then they attack The Empire! The fans cheer as they TOSS Callum, Jake, Akira and Jakob out while Takagi fires KNEE after KNEE into Khan! The bell rings and Takagi DECKS Khan while the others whip The Empire into railing! The fans fire up, especially for Gedo, even as Takagi stomps Khan. Takagi HEADBUTTS Khan to a corner while things spill from ringside into the crowd. Takagi RAMS Khan while Yota CHOPS Jake!

The fans cheer as the lights come up in the orange seat segment. Takagi digs his knee into Khan but he backs off as the ref counts. Takagi fires the fans up, but Khan blocks a scoop. Khan CLUBS Takagi, kicks low, then Mongolian Chops! And Mongolian Chops! And Mongolian- NO, Takagi blocks to Mongolian Chop! And Mongolian Chop! The fans fire up with Takagi, but Khan CLAWS and BITES Takagi! The fans boo and the ref reprimands, but Takagi BITES Khan in return! The ref counts, Takagi stops at 4, and pretends Khan tasted terrible. Takagi runs up on Khan, blocks a boot, and LARIATS! The fans fire up with Takagi as he JABS, JABS, JABS!

Akira & Jakob run up to mug Takagi! They double whip, but Takagi grabs ropes to stop himself! Takagi CLOBBERS Akira, scoops SLAMS Jakob, but then Callum runs in! Takagi BACKDROPS Callum away! The fans cheer, but here comes Jake! Jake guzels Takagi, but Takagi CLUBS the arm! JAB! Takagi runs, but Jake KITCHEN SINK KNEES! Then Jake BLASTS the Unbound corner! Khan gets up while Jake mocks Unbound. Khan drags Takagi up but Takagi is clutching his arm. The ref wants to check Takagi, the fans rally behind him, and Takagi says he’s fine, just needs some air. Khan has the ref back off, and Khan tags Jake.

Jake swaggers around while Takagi sputters his way to the corner. Takagi snarls, rises up, and the fans cheer him on. Jake runs in, FACE BREAK- NO, Takagi dodges! Jake’s leg hits ropes! Hot tag to Yota! The ref still checks Takagi while Yota SLAPS Jake! The fans fire up for that! Jake and Yota go back and forth, forearm for forearm, then Yota ROCKS Jake! Yota fires a flurry, then BODY BLOWS! Yota whips, Jake reverses, but Yota ducks ‘n’ dodges to BOOT Jake! Jake rebounds, into a BODY BLOW! And KNEE LIFT! Jake tumbles away, Jakob kicks Yota! Jakob runs, but into a scoop and BACKBREAKER! Akira runs in, he gets a scoop BACKBREAKER!

Callum kicks Yota, whips him to ropes, but Yota reverses. Callum ducks ‘n’ dodges, but still runs into a FLAPJACK! The fans fire up as Yota then clinches, BACKBREAKER, FLATLINER, STOMP! The Gene Combination hits and the fans fire up again! Yota builds speed to DIVE onto Jake! Jake hits railing and Yota BOOTS Khan for good measure! The fans fire up even more as Yota drags Jake up. Yota puts Jake in the ring, then slingshots in for style points. Yota goes to a corner, runs up on Jake, STINGER SPLASH! Then a push and MARLOWE- NO, Jake dodges! Yota runs up, Jake dodges again, roll up, TWO!

Jake winds up, but Yota kicks first! Yota whips, but Jake reverses to KNEE and DDT! Both men are down while the fans rally up. Yota and Jake crawl, hot tags to Akira and Hiromu! Akira BOOTS Hiromu, Hiromu CHOPS back, and the CHOPS fly! The fans fire up with each CHOP, and Hiromu eggs Akira on! Akira rebounds to run and CHOP! Hiromu fires a flurry of CHOPS! The fans fire up as both men are already red in the chest! Akira winds up, but he mule kicks! The fans boo Akira hushes them. Akira whips, Hiromu grabs ropes, and Hiromu BOOTS back! Taiji springboards to SEATEDS SENTON! Hiromu covers, TWO!

Hiromu stays fired up so the fans do, too! Hiromu fireman’s carries, but Jakob attacks! Jakob CHOPS, he and Akira double whip, but Hiromu ducks the lariats! Hiromu shoves Jakob into Akira, then puts Jakob on Akira’s shoulders. Taiji dropkicks Akira’s legs out, making him POWERBOMB Jakob! Then Akira sits up into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! Cover, TWO! Akira survives but Hiromu coordinates with Taiji. They get Akira up, double suplex, but Akira knees free! Akira CLAWS Taiji’s eyes, ENZIGIRIS Hiromu, but Taiji JUMP KNEES Akira! Jakob DECKS Taiji! Jakob ELBOWS Hiromu, runs, but into a HIROMU-CHAM BOMBER!

Akira comes back, he slips around, but Hiromu fights the lift! Mule kick, front kick, and- NO, Akira ducks the superkick to ENZIGIRI! Akira whips, Hiromu reverses, POP-UP POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Hiromu and Akira are both down and the fans rally again. Hiromu crawls, hot tag to Gedo! The fans cheer as Gedo eggs Akira on. Gedo then JABS, JABS, and JABS! But Akira pulls the beard! The fans boo but Akira winds up! Only for Gedo to poke him in the eye! And then Gedo DECKS Akira! The fans fire up with Gedo as he drags Akira up. Gedo JAWBREAKERS, then winds up, SUPER- NO, Akira blocks!

Callum JUMP KNEES Gedo, GAMANGIRIS Taiji, and DECKS Yota! Jake is there to clamp a SLEEPER onto Yota! Callum drags Gedo up, and he makes sure the camera is watching! Callum suplexes Gedo, for OVERKILL!! A message to David Finlay for taking the move Jake Lee made famous, and now Akira hooks Gedo up! FIREBALL 2.0!! Cover, The Empire wins!

Winners: The United Empire, by pinfall

Akira wipes his feet on Gedo’s shirt like he’s a doormat. Jake taunts Unbound Company through the camera, and clearly Akira & Jakob are calling out Hiromu & Taiji. But Yota grabs the mic to tell Jake Lee to face him. The two step into the ring again, and Yota tells Jake that he has NOT accepted Jake’s challenge. But he knows something about Jake. Happy birthday! So, Jake, what would you like to say? Yota offers the mic, Jake takes it, to then kick Yota low! Jake reels Yota into a GUILLOTINE FACELOCK, the mic included so we can hear Yota sputtering for air! The fans boo, the Empire keeps the Unbound away, and Yota fades out!!

The fans boo, but Jake has just put the dual (World) Heavyweight & Global Heavyweight Champion OUT! Jake then carefully sets the titles over Yota like a funeral veil, and takes a bow. Jake has sent his message, he plans on sending Yota’s reign to the afterlife. Will Jake bring back his Madness Dark Side if it means becoming a world champion?

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships: TMDK VS Boltin Oleg & Bishamon!

The Tornado Ranbo was a wild way to start off WrestleKindom 20, and in the end, Zack Sabre Jr, Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson came out the NEW champions! They did so by pinning the big man from Kazakhstan, but now they’ll take Hontai head-on. Will it still be Zack, Roy & Jackson Number One? Or will Oleg, Goto & Hashi put TMDK behind BARS?

The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who is truly mighty!

The trios sort out and Hirooki Goto starts against Zack Sabre Jr. The fans rally as these former world champions circle. They feel things out, tie up collar ‘n’ elbow, and are in a deadlock. ZSJ powers Goto back a step, and another step, to the ropes. The ref counts, ZSJ lets off, but Goto ducks the roundhouse! Goto kicks low, headlocks, but ZSJ powers up and out. Goto RUNS ZSJ over, then ELBOW FLOPS as ZSJ moves! Goto avoids the Penalty Kick but ZSJ wrangles him with a wristlock. Goto avoids the stomp, but ZSJ BOOTS him down! The fans fire up while ZSJ waits on Goto. Goto stands and ZSJ UPPERCUTS him to the ropes.

ZSJ UPPERCUTS again and again, then whips. Goto grabs ropes, Hashi tags in, and Goto BOOTS ZSJ! Bishamon RUN ZSJ over, then intercept Oiwa with kicks! They DOUBLE SUPLEX Oiwa onto ZSJ! Hartley runs in, Bishamon intercepts again, and they call Oleg in! They all HAMMER away on Hartley, and Hartley falls on ZSJ! The fans cheer while Bishamon & Boltin flex. Hashi brings ZSJ around, whips him to a corner, then runs in for a CHOP! ZSJ slumps down but Hashi stands him up. Hashi turns ZSJ but ZSJ wrenches to PELE the arm! Oiwa runs in and BLASTS Goto! Hartley YANKS Oleg from the apron to RAM him into railing!

Oiwa hurries back and tags in. Oiwa wrenches Hashi, grinds that arm, but Hashi fires body shots. Hashi whips Oiwa to ropes, but Oiwa RUNS Hashi over! Hashi is right up, but Oiwa arm-drags! Oiwa grinds the arm but Hashi fights up. Hashi fires body shots but Oiwa grinds the arm more. Oiwa wrenches, Hashi fires body shots, and Hashi whips Oiwa away. Hashi then HIP TOSSES, but Oiwa drags Hashi down for the armlock! Oiwa drags Hashi over, tags Hartley, and Hartley stomps Hashi. Hartley drags Hashi up, wrenches and CLUBS the arm, then CHOPS Hashi down! Then he ELBOW DROPS! Cover, TWO!

Tag to ZSJ, he clamps onto Hashi, but Hashi fights off the armbar. ZSJ changes his angle for a DISARMER! Goto rushes in, but Oiwa intercepts and TOSSES him out. ZSJ then shifts to have a RINGS OF SATURN on Hashi, then CLARKY CAT! Hashi endures, even as ZSJ shifts around again to add a double wristlock to it! Hashi fights with his legs, then scrambles with an arm! Hartley tries to pull the rope back! The ref reprimands, but ZSJ drags Hashi around, only for Hashi to get the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer while ZSJ lets go. Tag to Hartley and he drags Hashi around, to then LEG DROP the arm!

Hartley stands Hashi up, CHOPS him, then tags Oiwa. Oiwa brings Hashi up to scoop and SLAM! Oiwa runs to SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Oiwa clamps onto Hashi’s arm again and grinds the shoulder. The fans rally, and Goto returns to attack Oiwa! The ref reprimands but Oiwa kicks Goto. Oiwa TOSSES Goto out again, tags Hartley back in, and Hartley CLUBS Hashi. Hashi fires body shots but Hartley CLUBS and whips Hashi. Hashi DROPKICKS the legs out! The fans fire up while both men are down! Hashi crawls, as does Hartley, but Hashi hot tags to Botlin! Oleg runs up and SPLASHES Hartley in a corner!

Oleg goes to gut wrench, but Hartley is too big! Harltey fires boxing elbows, then a CHOP! Hartley whips Oleg to the corner, runs in, and SPLASHES back! Then he short arm LARIATS! “Jackson Numbah One!” Th efans fire up as Hartley runs, but the senton FLOPS as Oleg moves! Oleg fires up, and he tries again?! Oleg gut wrenches Hartley to Shake, Shake, Shake! BOLTIN PLEX! And a kip up! The fans fire up and Oleg storms up on Hartley again. Fireman’s carry and- NO, Hartley slips free! DOUBLE LARIATS collide, but neither behemoth falls! DOUBLE LARIATS collide again, and again, and both men wobble!

Hartley CHOPS! Oleg CHOPS! And repeat! The fans rally up, Oleg runs, but Hartley CROSSBODIES! Then SENTONS! The fans fire up while both men are down! Hartley crawls to hot tag ZSJ! ZSJ sets Oleg up for the NECK TWIST! Cover, TWO! Oleg is toughing it out but ZSJ KICKS him while he’s down. And KICKS again! And again! Oleg snarls as he sits back up, but ZSJ PENALTY KICKS! Cover, ONE?!? ZSJ is sent flying into the ref! And then Oleg CHOPS ZSJ down! The fans fire up for that one, and Oleg stands ZSJ up again. Another CHOP and ZSJ staggers to the corner. Oleg swings, but ZSJ blocks this chop to UPPERCUT the arm!

ZSJ UPPERCUTS Oleg, UPPERCUTS again, then whips corner to corner. Oleg reverses to clinch and OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! The fans fire up, and Oleg storms over to ZSJ to scoop him. Oleg SLAMS ZSJ into the drop zone, then goes up the corner to VADER BOMB onto knees! Oiwa backslides for ZSJ to jackknife bridge, TWO! Oleg escapes and the fans fire up again. Oiwa joins ZSJ in bringing Oleg up. They double wrench, and double wrench, and double wrench again. Then they double whip corner to corner, and ZSJ runs up. Oleg dodges to CLOBBER Oiwa! ZSJ jumps on for a GUILLOTINE FACELOCK!

Oleg endures, and he powers up to suplex ZSJ up and over! The fans fire up again while Oleg rises. Oleg roars, he reels ZSJ in, and he lifts ZSJ to then shift to a firemen’s carry! But ZSJ slips free to trip leg, then jump and JAPANESE LEG ROLL CLUTCH! TWO!! Oleg escapes in time and the fans fire up! ZSJ basement DROPKICKS Oleg back down! The fans rally up and ZSJ goes to a corner. ZSJ Runs back up, PENALTY KICK! But Oleg uses that to roll to his feet! ZSJ jumps on, TRIANGLE HOLD! Oleg stays on his feet, and he deadlifts ZSJ up, but that bad arm struggles. Oleg powers through to POWERBOMB!

The fans fire up again while both men are down! Oleg and ZSJ both crawl, hot tags to Oiwa and Goto! They DOUBLE LARIAT! Oiwa wrenches to YANK the arm, then whip Goto. Goto reverses, Oiwa ducks ‘n’ dodges, only to get caught! URA GTR! Then a LARIAT! The fans fire up with the Fierce Warrior, and he BLASTS Hartley for good measure. Fireman’s carry, but Oiwa fights free. Oiwa waistlocks but Goto RAMS him into a corner! Hashi runs up, LARIAT! Feed to Goto, but Oiwa ROCKS him! Hashi mule kicks Oiwa! Goto suplexes, Hashi helps out, but ZSJ has Hashi in a SLEEPER! Oiwa suplexes Goto up and over!

Hartley BLASTS Oleg off the apron! Oiwa DECKS Hashi! Hartley drags Goto up to ROCK him! ZSJ UPPERCUTS! LARIAT ENZIGIRI SANDWICH! Then Hartley scoops Goto to SLAM him into the drop zone! Oiwa goes up, ZSJ is there, NECK TWIST SPLASH COMBO!! Cover, OLEG BREAKS IT! The fans fire up again, but Hartley TOSSES Oleg out while Oiwa stands Goto up. TENZAN PLEX! Cover, TWO!! Goto survives and the fans are thunderous! Oiwa drags Goto up, powers up, but Goto ducks The Grip! Goto waistlocks, Oiwa switches, but Hashi is in! HIDDEN GAP! Goto fireman’s carry, Hashi helps with the FIERCE FLASH!

Hashi BLASTS Hartley, and the fans rally behind Bishamon! They haul Oiwa up, Hashi has the legs, but ZSJ BOOTS him down! ZSJ UPPERCUTS Goto, UPPERCUTS Oleg, then UPPERCUTS again and again! But Oleg blocks one to then fireman’s carry! VERDICT!! Hartley is back, he clinches, but Oleg fights it! They fight for control, and Oleg hits the BELLY2BELLY! The fans fire up again as Oleg fireman’s carries Oiwa! KAMI- NO, Oiwa slips free and GERMAN SUPLEXES! Oleg staggers to his feet, Oiwa LARIATS him up and out! Then he runs up on Goto! DOUBLE LARIATS collide, then Oiwa SOUTHPAW LARIATS!!

The fans are thunderous as Oiwa gets Goto up, gut wrenches, and hits the DOCTOR BOMB!! Cover, TWO!! Goto survives and Korakuen is rocking! Oiwa stands Goto up, runs the ropes, THE- NO, Goto blocks The Grip, but Oiwa DISCUS LARIATS from the other side! Cover, TWO! Oiwa gets going again as Goto rises, for THE- NO, Goto ducks The Grip! Hashi puts Oiwa on ropes, Goto BLINDSIDE LARIATS! Hashi DRAGON SUPLEXES! Oiwa roars to his feet, but Oleg RAMS him into a corner! Goto LARIATS Oiwa, Hashi adds a LARIAT of his own, then feed to the fireman’s carry! FIERCE FLASH into the position!

Oleg runs, for a LIGHTS OUT CAVE-IN!! Oleg then intercepts Hartley while Goto stands Oiwa back up! Dragon sleeper, and G T R!!! Cover, BISHAMON & BOLTIN WIN!!

Winners: Boltin Oleg & Bishamon, by pinfall (NEW NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions)

Another wild ride, and another NEW championship team! If The Mighty Don’t Kneel, will they be the ones to #GetBackUp? On the flipside, Hontai has these belts back, and Oleg is now a TWO-TIME Never Openweight Six Man Champion! Will they make it to Osaka with this gold?

The Knock Out Brothers are here!

The fans cheer as THE IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, Oskar & Yuto, make their way out to join commentary to watch the main event in person.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Match: Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii VS Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura!

This isn’t just Hontai VS Hontai, it is a generational clash amidst NJPW’s New Beginning! The Holy Emperor & Stone Pitbull want those tag titles back, but the Roughneck & Heat Storm want to prove they’re not just the future, they’re the now! Do these old dogs still have some bite in them? Or will Shota’s Second Chapter finally start looking up?

Shota surprises everyone by having the tiny tights rather than full pants! The teams sort out, and Yuta starts against Ishii. The fans rally and duel right at the bell, “YU~YA!” “I-SHI-I!” The two tie up, are in a deadlock, but Ishii’s broader frame lets him push Yuya to the ropes. Ishii SLAPS Yuya, but Yuya SLAPS back! Yuya shoves Ishii, fires forearms, but Ishii eggs him on. Ishii ROCKS Yuya, Yuua ROCKS Ishii, then Yuya runs to RAM Ishii! Yuya arm-drags Ishii, but Ishii avoids the dropkick! Yuya avoids a lariat, Ishii avoids a lariat, but Yuya ELBOWS Ishii! Ishii ducks a lariat, but the DROPKICK hits this time!

The fans rally and duel again, and Yuta brings Ishii up. Ishii RAMS Yuya into the corner, but Yuya avoids the chop! Taichi tags in, the fans applaud, and Yuya backs away to tag Shota. Shota runs up but Taichi BOOTS him! Shota fires a forearm, and another, but Taichi RIDGE HANDS! Shota fires another forearm, Taichi fires another RIDGE HAND, and repeat. Taichi then KICKS while Shota fires forearms! They go back and forth, Shota fires a flurry, then UPPERCUTS! Shota runs and RAMS Taichi, but Taichi rebounds to BOOT Shota! Shota roars, runs, but into another BOOT! And runs into another BOOT! And another BOOT!

Taichi KICKS Shota, Shota rebounds and he RUNS Taichi over! The fans applaud, then Shota BLASTS- Well, no, Ishii stays on the apron! Shota fires hands, Ishii shrugs them all off, and the fans cheer more. Shota goes back to Ishii, ROCKS and CHOPS away in the corner, but Taichi just eggs him on! Shota CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS, then ROCKS and CHOPS again! Shota digs his knee in but the ref reprimands. Shota stops to stomp Taichi, then he brings Taichi up. Shota whips corner to corner, runs in, but Taichi ROUNDHOUSES Shota down! The fans fire up while Shota is in a daze! Taichi BOOTS Yuya for good measure!

Taichi paces around Shota, looms over him, then stomps him around. The ref checks Shota, the fans rally and duel, and Shota is still in this so Taichi pushes him to a cover. ONE, and Shota goes to the ropes. The fans rally again while Taichi drags Shota up by his hair. Taichi puts Shota in the corner, RIDGE HANDS, then he tags Ishii. Ishii CHOPS and that wakes Shota up. Ishii CHOPS again, Shota gets in his face, and repeat. The CHOPS keep going, then Shota CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! Ishii just steps into the chops and he backs Shota down. Ishii CHOPS Shota high, CHOPS again, and CHOPS again! Shota slumps down while the ref reprimands.

Taichi digs his boot into Shota while the ref is busy with Yuya. Ishii ROCKS Yuya, so Yuya storms in and fires off shots! Yuya CHOPS, Ishii CHOPS, then Ishii drags Yuya out of the ring. Ishii whips Yuya into railing! And then into more railing! Taichi does the same to Shota! Ishii whips Yuya into even more railing! Yuto-Ice yawns as Taichi tries to stare him down, and Taichi puts Shota in the ring. The fans rally as Ishii storms over to Shota and kicks him around. Shota sits up with a scowl while Ishii scuffs and kicks him again. Shota stands up, winds up, and CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS again! Ishii CHOPS Shota down!

The ref reprimands, that was so high it might as well have been an elbow shot! Taichi tags in, he kicks Shota around, but Shota pushes him. Taichi kicks Shota again, scuffs him, and eggs him on. Shota crawls, Taichi kicks him, and the fans duel. Taichi scuffs Shota, Shota rises on wobbly legs, but he winds up to fire a forearm. There wasn’t much to it and Taichi eggs Shota on again. Shota fires more shots, but Taichi kicks low! Taichi fires off Kawada Kicks! Taichi sits Shota up to KICK him in the chest! The fans rally, Taichi eggs Shota on, and Shota rises again. Taichi KICKS Shota, but Shota shakes his head as he stays up.

Taichi KICKS, Shota blocks, and the fans rally. Taichi fires RIDGE HAND after RIDGE HAND to get free, but Shota DROPKICKS him down! The fans rally up again while Shota and Taichi crawl. Hot tag to Yuya! The fans fir eup as Yuya goes up and DIVING AX HANDLES Taichi! Yuya ROCKS Ishii, scoop SLAMS Taichi, then runs to use Taichi as a step, FLYING FOREARM on Ishii! Taichi whips Yuya but Yuya reverses to arm-drag! Then he goes out to whip Ishii into railing! Then he whips Ishii into more railing! The fans fire up while Ishii drops to his knees and Yuya goes back into the ring. Yuya runs in at Taichi to SPLASH! Yuya then BULLDOGS, covers, TWO!

The fans rally while Yuya stays focused. Yuya goes drags Taichi up, Taichi headlocks and ELBOWS free. Yuya CHOPS and whips Taichi, but Taichi reverses to wrench and HOOK KICK! The fans rally while both men are down again. Taichi stands and the rallying grows stronger. Taichi aims, Yuya ducks the kick, and Yuya CHOPS! Yuya whips Taichi to a corner, runs up, but into a BOOT! Yuya comes back, but into a RIDGE HAND! Yuya still tries, but Taichi dodges to GAMANGIRI! Yuya flops down and the fans rally again. Taichi fires up, the fans are with him, and OFF COME THE PANTS! Taichi then aims from the corner, for TENSHO-

NO, Yuya dodges, then he wrenches to reel Taichi in, WRISTLOCK TAKEDOWN! Yuya has the armlock, Ishii KICKS Yuya, but Shota SHOTGUNS Ishii out! Yuya pushes on the arm, Taichi fights around, and the fans continue to rally. Taichi endures as Yuya puts on the pressure, and he rolls Taichi from ropes to pull on the arm! Taichi still fights, but Yuya pushes the arm again! Taichi kicks his way to the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer while Yuya lets go in frustration. Taichi clutches the arm while he sits up, and Yuya is back on him. Yuya wrenches, cording holds, and goes for the other arm. Taichi fights with a waistband grip!

Taichi SUMO THROWS Yuya away! Yuya runs back up, ROCKS Taichi, but Taichi GAMANGIRIS in return! Both men are down again and the fans rally back up! Taichi rises again as the fans duel, and Taichi brings Yuya up. Taichi reels Yuya in, DANGEROUS- NO, Yuya CROSSBODIES! Not the cleanest, but Yuya tumbles away to the corner. Taichi runs up on Yuya, but Yuya dodges! Shota ELBOWS Taichi, Yuya CHOPS, then feed to an ELBOW and CHOP! But Ishii saves Taichi from the double suplex! Shota ROCKS Ishii, Yuya waistlocks, but Ishii ducks to avoid the ENZIGIRI! Then Ishii sets Shota up, only for Shota to duck! Taichi’s BOOT hits Ishii!

Taichi whips, Shota reverses, and Shota TORNADO DDTS! All four men are down and the fans fire back up! Shota sees Taichi at the corner and brings him around. Shota whips Taichi to the corner, but Taichi barely makes it. Shota runs up to KNEE STRIKE! Shota then hoists Taichi up top. Shota climbs up to join Taichi, and they are on the very top! The fans rally for the SUPER DUPER PLEX!! Yuya is up top, FROG SPLASH!! Cover, Ishii breaks it! The Power & Glory hit, but no victory yet! Ishii fires forearms, then runs up, but into double wrenches! BIG DOUBLE BACK SUPLEX! Shota & Yuya fire up as they now focus on Taichi!

The fans rally as Yuya sets Taichi up and Shota runs, but Taichi BOOTS Shota away! Taichi ELBOWS Yuya away, then AX BOMBERS Shota! The fans fire up with Taichi, but Yuya slips around to GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Taichi survives but Yuya roars! Yuya wrenches Taichi to cording hold, but Taichi denies him the other arm! Taichi and Yuya fight for control in the clinch, but Taichi gets under to Alabama Lift! Yuya sunset flips, but Taichi sits deep on it! TWO!! Yuya escapes in time, then takes a swing! But into a DANGEROUS SAIDO!! Cover, TWO!! Yuya survives and the fans are thunderous as they duel!

Taichi and Yuya both rise slowly, and Taichi stands first! Taichi brings Yuya up, winds up, but Yuya ENZIGIRIS him down first! The fans continue to duel while both men are back down. Taichi and Yuya crawl, hot tags to Ishii and Shota! The fans fire up as the two DOUBLE LARIAT! And DOUBLE LARIAT! Shota runs, but Ishii ROCKS him! Ishii runs, but Shota ROCKS him! Shota runs, but Ishii blocks the boot to then DECK Shota! The fans fire up again while the ref checks on Shota. Shota is dazed again but Ishii is right on him. Ishii puts Shota up top, climbs up to join him, and stalling SUPERPLEXES! Shota writhes but the fans fire up!

Ishii stands, winds up, and the fans rally again. Ishii runs, but Shota SWATS the lariat! Shota ROCKS Ishii, ROLLING ELBOWS, and Ishii drops to his knees! Shota snarls as he reels Ishii in, but Ishii fights the lift! Ishii wrenches free, ROCKS Shota, and Shota goes to a corner. But Shota comes back to SHOTGUN! Ishii is right up to CLOBBER Shota! Shota is right up, but Ishii slips under! GERMAN SUPLEX! Both men are down again and the fans continue to rally! Shota goes to ropes while Ishii stands. Ishii waits as Shota rises up, and Ishii runs up to LARIAT! Ishii whips, Shota reverses, but Ishii BOOTS him!

Ishii runs, Shota bypasses, and Yuya joins in time for a DOUBLE DROPKICK! The fans fire up again, and Shota runs up on Ishii. Ishii dodges to ROCK Yuya! Ishii then spins Shota to suplex! Ishii ROCKS Yuya, runs up again, but Yuya slips around to underhook and BUTTERFLY SLAM! Taichi runs in, Yuya dodges, but the SOBAT hits! And so does the BUZZSAW! Shota ROCKS Taichi, Taichi SPINNING RIDGE HANDS, but Shota LARIATS! All four men are down again and the fans are thunderous! Taichi and Yuya roll out of the ring while Ishii sits up. Ishii has a bloody nose, and some busted skin on his chest, but he goes to a corner.

Shota goes to the other corner, and the fans duel again. Shota headbutts buckles to fire back up, then he runs up on Ishii! KNEE STRIKE- BLOCKED as Ishii gets underneath! Taichi GAMANGIRIS Shota for Ishii to POWERBOMB! High stack, Yuya breaks it! Taichi drags Yuya out to RIDGE HAND CHOP! Ishii roars, builds speed, and he LARIATS Shota! Cover, TWO!! Shota survives and the fans continue to rally. Ishii suplexes, but Shota COUNTER DDTS!! A hard landing but Ishii is able to stand. Shota runs up, into a LARIAT from Ishii!! Ishii stands Shota up, suplexes, but Yuya DROPKICKS Ishii! Yuya fires forearm after forearm!

Ishii HEADBUTTS Yuya, ROCKS him, but Yuya HEADBUTTS in return!! Yuya roars, the fans are with him, and he CHOPS Ishii! Shota STRIKE KNEES!! Yuya intercepts Taichi while Shota hits the LAST RIDE!! Cover, TAICHI CLOBBERS YUYA ONTO IT! The fans are electric as Yuya gets Taichi back out of the ring. Shota waits on Ishii, builds speed, ROUGHNECK- NO, Ishii SWATS the lariat, then HEADBUTTS Shota! But Shota winds up, only for Ishii to ROCK him! Shota spins to SOUTHPAW LARIAT, then RIGHT HAND LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!! Ishii survives, sputters, but Shota takes aim! STRIKE KNEE!!

Shota roars as he vows to end it! Shota hooks Ishii up, SESCOND- NO, Ishii fights free! Whip to Taichi’s FOREARM!! The fans are electric as Taichi takes aim! TENSHO JUJI- NO!! Shota blocks it! And ENZIGIRIS! But Taichi ROCKS Shota back! Then Taichi scoops and EMERALD FLOWSION! Then he sets Shota up for Ishii’s SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, YUYA BREAKS IT! Taichi drags Yuya back up, whips, but Yuta reverses! Taichi stops himself, then he DUMPS Yuya out! The fans rally as hard as they can, and Taichi mocks Yuto! Yuto laughs that off as Ishii lifts Shota up. Taichi PENALTY KICKS into the PILEDRIVER!! A modified KOB!?!

Ishii covers, TWO?!?! Shota survives and the fans are electric again! Taichi helps Ishii stand, and they vow to end it now! Taichi Alabama Lifts Shota, Ishii ELBOWS Shota, and then they BLACK MEPHISTO BRAIN- NO, Yuya stops Ishii and SHOVES him into Taichi! Yuya RANAS Ishii away, but Taichi shouts at Yuya! BRING IT! Yuya runs up, into a RIDGE HAND! And another RIDGE HAND! AX- NO, Yuya ducks, wrenches, and cording holds! But Taichi has the waistband! The fans are erupting as the two fight for control! Yuya HEADBUTTS again and again and again! Taichi sputters, drops to a knee, and Yuya powers up for the DEADBOLT PLEX!!

Ishii is up again, but Yuya DROPKICKS him down! Yuya shots to Shota and brings Ishii around. Ishii ENZIGIRIS Yuya! Then runs up, but into a full nelson! ROUGHNECK BOMBER DRAGON SUPLEX COMBO!! Shota gets moving again, ROUGHNECK BOMBER!! And then the SECOND CHAPTER!!! Cover, SHOTA & YUYA WIN!!

Winners: Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contenders to the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions)

An incredible battle to close the first night of this series! Taichi & Ishii tried to hold the future back, but the future is inevitable! Will The Holy Emperor & Stone Pitbull just have to fight that much harder to stay in the present and not the past?

As for Shota & Yuya, they show Taichi great respect, even shaking hands and hugging it out. Ishii already left, denying Shota & Yuya to show the same to him. Taichi then takes his leave, and Shota gets the mic first. Shota tells Taichi and Ishii, “Thank you so much.” Shota takes another bow to show respect and the fans applaud again. “Please lend us your expertise again.” Another bow, and the fans applaud again. Taichi nods, and Yuya grabs the mic to tell Taichi, “You always sulk after a loss. Cut that out already!” The fans applaud and even chuckle there. Yuya says, “A strong NJPW needs everyone! Taichi, Ishii, the young guys, and the veterans!” The fans cheer that!

Yuya continues by saying, “Next time, let’s light NJPW up again!” Taichi nods again and makes his exit. Shota takes the mic back to say, “Today, Umino & Uemura pulled it off. Next…! In Osaka… KOB… We’re your challengers!” The fans applaud while Shota stares down Yuto & Oskar. The champs slowly stand up from the desk, and Shota says, “Step into the ring and tell us how you feel.” Oskar & Yuto take their time going to the ring but the fans cheer all the same. The champions are now face to face with their challengers, and Yuto says these guys are feelin’ high. Did facing Ishii & Taichi make you stronger. Wanna get us high with you at your strongest? Don’t overthink it, just feel! Let’s Get High! Tch, tch, BIG UP!

The fans cheer that, and while Yuto stares down with Yuya, Oskar stares down with Shota. The champs then take their leave, set to prepare for Osaka in February. As for Shota & Yuya, Yuya takes the mic again to tell Shota, “Younger guys have surpassed us, and the fans have turned. Aren’t you ticked off?! You gotta be! Cuz I’m mad as hell!” Yuya is face to face with Shota for a moment, and says they shall take this adversity and turn it into motivation! They’ll make it happen themselves! The fans like that! Shota nods, and he says, “Getting passed by younger guys and getting booed, who could I NOT be ticked off?! I lose sleep over it! I’m filled with frustration! There’s no way I can keep on like this!”

The fans applaud, and Shota says, “I’ll take this frustration, this new anger, into Osaka with me. So let’s do this together.” The fans like the sound of that. The two shake hands, and Yuya says, “With this power we have… We can beat those guys.” The fans applaud again, and Shota tops it off with, “Again, thanks for sticking with us and thanks to those watching on World. I try to portray someone cool and tough, but the truth is… I’m a total loser. The laughing and the booing, I’m not cool at all. What makes you cool is grinding through the blood, sweat and tears. Don’t get it twisted. I’m not riding my father’s coattails. Since I got here, I haven’t used my father’s connections at all. That kind of thing doesn’t fly in pro-wrestling!

“My goal has been to become a pro-wrestler. I endured humiliation, debuted as a Young Lion, finally went overseas. When I returned home, it was to booing and ridicule, yet here I am today. But today marks the end of that lame version of me.” The fans cheer that! Shota says, “I’ve endured countless humiliations and showed everyone my inadequacies. No matter how loud the boos got, fans still followed me. At the signings, fans smile and ask me to come back again soon.” The fans applaud that, too. Shota says that he fights for them and all the fans here at Korakuen today. For all those who love pro-wrestling, that is why he does this! Shota says it is cuz of those hardships he’s endured that he can say this now: “Let’s all laugh and enjoy pro-wrestling!”

The fans cheer the mic drop, and Yuya shakes hands with Shota. The Heat Storm isn’t the only one fired up! Will they burn down the Knock Out Brothers and take those IWGP Tag Team Championships? Or will this Second Chapter have a tragic ending?

My Thoughts:

A great start to another Road to series, and I’m surprised even the Young Lion Cup is used for plot. Zane Jay ditching the win just to put the hurt on Daiki Nagai is wild, but Zane makes a great choice to join the Empire. Then we got a great 8 Man Tag, but with Gedo in there, Empire was of course winning. This gets momentum going for The Empire in all these matches they’re building, such as Yota VS Jake, Callum VS Finlay, and I presume at least Akira VS Hiromu for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship.

I skimmed Fujita VS Sho and Eagles VS Kanemaru, and Fujita purposefully getting disqualified so he could hit Sho with that “black mirror” was great. But then of course Kanemaru cheats to get his win, building momentum towards what could be a Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match. Awesome Six Man Tag title match, but I did not think TMDK was losing so soon. NJPW could really build the Six Man Tag Division if they hot potato the titles around and make it unpredictable.

And awesome main event, though it took a second to heat up. Shota & Yuya winning was the expected result, but I really liked the promo from Shota & Yuya to help work-shoot some things. Shota is of course aware of the reaction he gets, how could he not? And for him to address it in character is great, I was hoping he’d do something like this sooner. I still think he should change up his outfit beyond changing from pants into shorts, but maybe we see that for the title match.

My Score: 8.8/10