Coverage
Mitchell’s NJPW World Tag League Results & Report! (12/8/24)
And the trophies go to…!
Will heads for the Tokyo Dome?
Gabe Kidd & Sanada won A Block handedly while Naito & Hiromu came out of B Block’s chaotic finale, but only one team can win World Tag League!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Tiger Mask VS Daiki Nagai; Tiger Mask wins.
- Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls VS Shoma Kato & Katsuya Mursahima; Shane & Mikey win.
- Bishamon VS The Filip Brothers; Bishamon wins.
- Six Man Tag: The United Empire VS Taichi, Taka Michinoku & DOUKI; Taichi, Taka & Douki win.
- Six Man Tag: Los Ingobernables de Japon VS Bullet Club; LIJ wins.
- 10 Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, Tomoaki Honma & Jado VS The House of Torture; The Houes of Torture wins, by disqualification.
- Six Man Tag: TMDK VS Shota Umino, Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi; TMDK wins.
- 2024 World Tag League Finals: Gabe Kidd & SANADA VS Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi; Naito & Hiromu win.
PLAY BY PLAY
10 Man Tag: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, Tomoaki Honma & Jado VS The House of Torture!
The Ace, The Joker & The Rook are joined by a couple knights of NJPW to stand against The King of Darkness and his army of scumbags! With WrestleKingdom on the horizon, which side of this war wins this crucial battle?
But as The House makes their entrance, Team Ace turns the tables by going after them first! The fans cheer as Tanahashi goes right after Evil and The House panics! Yano brawls with Narita, Oleg and Jado take care of Kanemaru and Yujiro, and Tanahashi headlocks Evil. Tanahashi brings Evil to ringside to POST him! Evil falls but Tanahashi drags him back up to wrench and whip into railing! The fans cheer more and Tanahashi CLUBS Evil. Tanahashi whips Evil at more railing, and Evil hits so hard that he tumbles up and over! The rest of the team keeps The House down all around ringside while Tanahashi fetches Evil.
Tanahashi brings Evil into the ring, then follows, and finally the bell rings! The fans cheer as Tanahashi stalks Evil to a corner. Tanahashi stomps Evil, throws forearms, and the ref counts. Tanahashi shoves the ref! The President is getting really rough with his employees, but he stalks Evil. Tanahashi drags Evil up to fire a BODY BLOW! And another! Tanahashi whips, Evil reverses, and then Evil gets in the ref’s face so Dick Togo can trip Tanahashi up! Then the House rushes in and BLASTS Team Ace off the apron! The ref reprimands everyone but Evil CHOKES Tanahashi with the tag rope!
The fans boo but The House beats up on Team Ace, and then Evil throws away the evidence of his crime. Dick passes the mic to Evil, and Evil grabs it so he can shout in Tanahashi’s face about just giving up now and sparing himself the embarrassment at WrestleKingdom! Tanahashi tells Evil he’ll never surrender, and the ref reprimands Evil. Evil stops choking Tanahashi and throws the mic away. Evil tags Narita and the Souled Out Son of Strong Style stomps away on Tanahashi’s legs! Narita then clamps on a KNEEBAR! Evil and Yano shout at each other, but Tanahashi fights his way to the ROPEBREAK!
The ref counts and Narita lets go at 4. Narita stomps Tanahashi more, then he tags Tokyo Pimp. Narita & Yujiro have the legs, and they split the wishbone! Yujiro then drops an elbow on the bad leg! Yujiro taunts Tanahashi, then ROCKS him with a forearm! Tanahashi ends up on ropes, so Yujiro ROCKS him, then CHOPS him! Yujiro stands Tanahashi up, Narita & Sho anchor Tanahashi in place, and Yujiro BOOTS him! The ref reprimands everyone but Yujiro snapmares for a cover! TWO, the fans rally, but Kanemaru tags in. The Heel Master YANKS the leg, then whisp Tanahashi to ropes. Kanemaru dropkicks the leg out!
Kanemaru hurries to step through, FIGURE FOUR! The House BLASTS Team Ace again! The ref reprimands and the fans rally up while Tanahashi endures. Honma clears Evil out, and he runs to FALLING KOKESHI on Kanemaru! The fans cheer as Tanahashi is saved, but Narita goes after Honma! The fans boo as Narita TOSSES Honma, but Kanemaru tags Sho. Sho stomps the leg, then DDTS the foot! The fans rally for Tanahashi but Sho scuffs him around. Tanahashi stands up and he fires forearms! Sho CLAWS Tanahashi’s eyes, but Tanahashi CLAWS Sho’s eyes! The ref reprimands them both, but Tanahashi blocks a kick! DRAGON SCREW!
The fans fire up as Tanahashi crawls over, hot tag to Oleg! The fans fire up as BARS CLOBBERS Sho! Evil gets away before Oleg can get him, and Yujiro attacks from behind! Yujiro & Narita double whip, but Oleg CLOBBERS them both! Kanemaru kicks and whips, but Oleg reverses to scoop Kanemaru! Oleg SMACKS Sho using Kanemaru! Then Oleg SLAMS Kanemaru, and gut wrenches! The fans fire up for the Shake, Shake, Shake! GUT WRENCH PLEX! Oleg kips up and the fans fire up! Oleg then deadlifts Sho for the gut wrench. But Sho bends fingers and wrenches free! Sho runs, SPEARS, but he bounces right off of Oleg!
The fans fire up and Oleg deadlifts Sho again! Shake, Shake, Shake! GUT WRENCH PLEX! And another kip up! The fans fire up with Oleg and he runs to BODY PRESS! Cover, TWO! Oleg drags Sho right up into his arms, then pops him to a fireman’s carry! But Sho CLAWS Oleg’s eyes! Sho slips free, but Oleg kicks Sho! Sho runs to dropkick Oleg’s legs! Sho whips, and TADA! Bare buckles! Oleg suffers The House Special, and Evil DROPKICKS Tanahashi! Sho & Evil double whip Oleg into the bare buckles! Oleg hobbles forward, into a DOUBLE- NO! Oleg fights to DOUBLE SUPLEX them first! The fans fire up and Oleg crawls, and Tanahashi is adamant about getting in!
Oleg isn’t sure about it, but he tags Tanahashi back! Tanahashi fires a strike fest on Evil, and goes an extra round before the SHOTEI! Tanahashi runs to SLINGBLADE! The fans fire up while Tanahashi stalks Evil to a corner. Tanahashi stomps a mudhole into Evil but the ref counts. Tanahashi is not stopping! He SHOVES the ref away! Tanahashi’s rage is getting the better of him as he UPPERCUTS Evil! Tanahashi goes corner to corner, runs back in, but Evil sends him into the ref! And then The House attacks again! Dick stomps away on Tanahashi while Evil recovers! The fans boo and tell Dick to go away!
Narita brings in chairs! Dick stomps Tanahashi more, and the House has all their favorite items! Dick has his Spoiler Choker, Narita with his pushup bar, Sho with the “Torture Tool,” Yujiro with the pimp cane, and Kanemaru with his whiskey bottle. The fans boo as Evil stands on Tanahashi’s face and The House closes in. Evil drags Tanahashi up, and Dick clamps on the SPOILER CHOKER! And then The House CLOBBERS Team Ace with all their weapons! Evil takes aim, but Tanahashi BOOTS him first! Tanahashi THROWS Dick away, but Evil JAMS him up! Tanahashi blocks the chair shot! Tanahashi kicks low, and he SMACKS away on Evil!
The fans fire up as Tanahashi breaks the chair on Evil’s back! Narita runs up, Tanahashi JAMS him first! And then he JAMS Yujiro! And he JAMS Kanemaru! And he JAMS Sho! Then Tanahashi uses the frame to SMACK Evil! The ref is back, he tells Tanahashi to stop, but Tanahashi shoves the ref again! Tanahashi’s rage explodes as he beats Evil down with the chair! Team Ace is DISQUALIFIED!!
Winners: The House of Torture, by disqualification
Tanahashi keeps beating Evil to serve justice, but Young Lions rush in and stop him! Evil writhes, but Tanahashi gets a new chair! Tanahashi SMACKS Evil again and again! His team isn’t even sure what to do, so they let him just BASH away on Evil! Tanahashi tells Evil this is what he gets! One more chair shot! AND THEN ANOTHER! Evil scrambles out of the ring, and Young Lions have to get in Tanahashi’s way to stop the beating! Tanahashi drops the chair to grab the mic, and he shouts, “EVIL, YOU BASTARD! Shut up about my retirement! Oi, oi, you want me to leave so badly? I get it. You want it a year earlier, huh?
“Then in our match on January 4th, I’ll put my career on the line right then!!” The fans are shocked, but Evil says good! And there’s no going back now that he said it! But Tanahashi adds that Evil won’t be able to rely on his goons! It will be a LUMBERJACK MATCH! Now YOU remember that!! Team Ace and The House will wage war once again in the Tokyo Dome! And given Evil only won tonight because Tanahashi lost his cool, will Tanahashi dish out his final justice?
Six Man Tag: TMDK VS Shota Umino, Alex Zayne & Ryusuke Taguchi!
Zack Sabre Jr. took the pin when he and Ryohei Oiwa faced Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma in the tournament, so an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match is set for WrestleKingdom! Will the Roughneck burn The Front Man again with the help of Funky Sauce? Or will we see even now that The Mighty Don’t Kneel?
The teams sort out and after Shota stares at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and his paper replica to compare, he steps up to the champ. The bell rings and the fans cheer as we get this WK19 preview. Shota and ZSJ stare down, the fans rally up, and it sounds pretty even between “SHOTA! SHOTA!” and “ZAKU! ZAKU!” Shota and ZSJ get their fans even more fired up, and then the two circle. They feel things out, knuckle lock, but then ZSJ rolls to wrench. Shota wrenches back and he WRINGS ZSJ out! ZSJ UPKICKS, and the two reset. The fans cheer and the two circle again. Shota avoids a leg pick but ZSJ avoids an enzigiri!
Shota avoids the Penalty Kick, then spins ZSJ to underhook! ZSJ flips that but Shota fights the scoop! ZSJ avoids the uppercut but Shota blocks the uppercut! Shota wants the backslide but ZSJ spins that around, only for Shota to arm-drag! But ZSJ headscissors! Shota kips free and the fans cheer the standoff! Shota dares ZSJ to take the leg, but ZSJ just pushes the foot away. The two reset and feel things out again. They knuckle lock, go forehead to forehead, but then each man kicks a knuckle lock apart. ZSJ and Shota back off, and ZSJ dares Shota to bring it. Shota steps back up, they go forehead to forehead, and then ZSJ offers a free shot.
Shota says no, the champ should take the free shot. ZSJ decides to tag in Oiwa instead. Shota says fine, and he tags Taguchi. The fans rally as Taguchi and Oiwa circle. They tie up, Oiwa headlocks, but Taguchi pries the hold. Oiwa clamps on tighter but Taguchi fires body shots. Taguchi powers up and out, but Oiwa runs him over! Things speed up, Taguchi hurdles and DROPKICKS Oiwa down! Cover, TWO! Fujita slides in but Zayne intercepts! Zayne kicks the Japanese Young Punk and then throws him out! Funky Sauce double whip Oiwa to then BULLDOG and BASEMENT DROPKICK! The fans cheer and Taguchi stalks Oiwa.
Taguchi HIP DROPS Oiwa again and again, then uses the ropes to go up, out, and slingshot back in, but he hip drops onto Oiwa’s knees! Taguchi hobbles away and Oiwa storms up to whip. Taguchi reverses, runs up, but Oiwa pops him up onto the top rope! Taguchi is stuck right on the Funky Weapon! The ref checks but Oiwa SHAKES the ropes! Taguchi suffer, then he slowly tilts to one side! Oiwa gut wrenches Taguchi off the ropes! Tag to ZSJ and ZSJ UPPERCUTS the butt! Then he UPPERCUTS the butt again! And again! Taguchi falls over and ZSJ tags Fujita. Taguchi backstrokes towards his corner, but Fujita stomps him down!
Fujita drags Taguchi up, CHOPS him, then whips him to a corner. Fujita runs up and CHOPS again! Fujita snapmares Taguchi to PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Taguchi stays in this and the fans rally up. Fujita drags Taguchi up, but Taguchi CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Fujita CHOPS back! Fujita runs, Taguchi jumps, but Fujita CHOPS the hip attack! Taguchi hobbles away while Fujita says he’s too smart for that. Fujita runs, but Taguchi somersaults to HIP ATTACK! Hot tag to Zayne and he fires forearms on Fujita! Zayne whips, hip tosses, then STANDING MARIPOSAS! The fans fire up while Zayne brings Fujita up.
Zayne fires more elbows, then a mule kick! Zayne runs to ROLLING AX KICK! Fujita goes to a corner, Zayne runs in, but Fujita BOOTS him away! Fujita hops up but Zayne comes back to JUMPING DRAGON RANA! The fans fire up and Zayne storms over to Fujita. Zayne scoops and B AJA BLASTS! Cover, TWO! Fujita survives but the fans rally behind Zayne. Zayne brings Fujita up, straitjackets, but Fujita fights free to CHOP! Zayne BOOTS! Fujita kicks but Zayne ducks! Fujita rolls off Zayne’s back and runs to GAMANGIRI! The fans fire up while both men are down! Fujita and Zayne crawl, hot tags to ZSJ and Shota!
The fans fire up as ZSJ BOOTS Shota, and Shota ROCKS ZSJ! Shota eggs ZSJ on so ZSJ UPPERCUTS! Shota UPPERCUTS in return! They UPPERCUT back and forth, harder and harder! The fans rally as they now go faster and faster! ZSJ gets the edge with UPPERCUT after UPPERCUT, but Shota roars! Shota UPPERCUTS again and again, ZSJ roars, but Shota UPPERCUTS him down! Shota hurries to FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect but Shota stays fired up! Shota clinches ZSJ but ZSJ fights the lift! ZSJ goes for the arm but Shota waistlocks. ZSJ spins around to FACELOCK GUILLOTINE!
Shota endures and stays on his feet, even as ZSJ has the body scissors! The fans duel as ZSJ thrashes, but Shota powers through to suplex ZSJ up and over! Both men are down and the fans fire up again. Shota rises, then he brings ZSJ up to dragon sleeper. ZSJ spins and PELES the arm! But Shota blocks a roundhouse to PELE! But ZSJ PENALTY KICKS! Both men are down again and the fans rally more! ZSJ and Shota crawl, but ZSJ tags in Oiwa! Oiwa runs in at the corner to DROPKICK! Oiwa has the single leg but Shota fights off the suplex! Oiwa swings but Shota clinches, so now Oiwa fights free!
Shota ROCKS Oiwa, spins, but Oiwa ROCKS Shota! Oiwa runs, into a clinch! EXPLODER! The fans fire up while both men are down! The fans rally, Shota and Oiwa crawl, hot tag to Taguchi! Taguchi calls to Zayne and then BLASTS Fujita! Funky Sauce whips Oiwa to a corner, then Zayne sends Taguchi in. HIP ATTACK! Taguchi goes up, Zayne RANAS Oiwa into the butt! Backslide, roll through, KETSUYE! Cover, TWO! Oiwa survives but Taguchi signals for that. Taguchi and Zayne use the power of Strong Style, and then “ITADAKIMAAAS~!” Oiwa stands, into a DOUBLE HIP ATTACK SANDWICH! Cover, Fujita breaks it!
Zayne ROCKS Fujita, he and Taguchi double whip, but Fujita ducks the lariats to shove Zayne into Taguchi! Zayne blocks a kick but not the DRAGON WHIP! Shota dropkicks Fujita’s legs! ZSJ BOOTS Shota! Shota roars, but ZSJ BOOTS him again! ZSJ whips, Shota reverses and TORNADO DDTS! ZSJ flounders away and the fans fire up with Shota! Shota tells Taguchi to finish it off, and Taguchi runs at Oiwa! And he sliding kicks! Oiwa tumbles, Taguchi grabs the leg to OH MY GAH ANKLE!! Oiwa endures, reaches out, but Taguchi drags him back! Oiwa gets up to LARIAT! Both men are down and the fans fire up!
Oiwa fires up and he brings Taguchi around. Oiwa whips, then clamps on a SLEEPER! But Taguchi slips right out! Taguchi has the headlock, but Oiwa slips out to hit a BIG atomic drop! Taguchi hobbles and Oiwa clamps on the SLEEPER! Taguchi flails but he’s fading already! The fans rally and Oiwa spins Taguchi, for THE GRIP!! Cover, TMDK wins!
Winners: TMDK, by pinfall
The Mullet gets the better of The Funky Weapon, but Shota still dares ZSJ to go for the leg. ZSJ ignores Shota’s bait and just gives him the paper belt. “This is the closest you’ll get to the effin’ title.” ZSJ SLAPS Shota with it! Shota says don’t be rude to the kids! A fan made that for him. Shota dusts off the paper belt, and claims that he’s gonna get the real deal soon enough. ZSJ says yeah, sure. ZSJ will make Shota a real nice toy belt himself so he can keep dreaming. ZSJ mockingly puts something together using his old wrist tape! Shota says wow, thanks. With not even a month left, who will win out when the real belt is on the line?
2024 World Tag League Finals: Gabe Kidd & SANADA VS Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi!
It’s the moment of truth as The Mad Man & Cold Blooded take on The Uncontrollable Charisma & Ticking Timebomb. There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the tag titles given Henare’s knee injury, but for right now, it’s time to answer one question: Who will be the 2024 World Tag League Champions?
As Naito enters the ring, Gabe stays right at the center, but Naito completely ignores him. Then Naito takes his time with his entrance attire, as always, but Gabe and Sanada both stay calm. Gabe paces but Sanada keeps his eyes closed. Hiromu fires up Kumamoto and Naito finally does away with the pants. The teams finally sort out, and Gabe eggs on “the Junior.” Hiromu grins, then he fist bumps Naito, and yes, it seems Hiromu and the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion will start! The bell rings and both men run in! They DOUBLE LARIAT, but it’s Hiromu who falls! Hiromu gets up to CHOP, but Gabe CHOPS!
The fans fire up as the CHOPS go back and forth already! Hiromu backs down, but for only a moment! Hiromu CHOPS again, so Gabe CHOPS again! The CHOPS go back and forth, but Hiromu backs down again. Gabe eggs him on so Hiromu CHOPS! Gabe CHOPS again! Hiromu clutches his chest but he CHOPS again! Gabe CHOPS again, then braces himself. The CHOPS keep going, then they get forehead to forehead. Gabe winds up to CHOP! Hiromu drops back, and Gabe kicks at him. Gabe eggs Hiromu on so Hiromu CHOPS, CHOPS and CHOPS! Gabe spins to CHOP! Hiromu backs down, but runs up to LARIAT!
Gabe stays up, so he and Hiromu both run, but to take out Naito and Sanada! Then Hiromu runs up to kick Gabe low! Hiromu CLUBS Gabe, CHOPS, and Gabe feels that one. Hiromu whips, Gabe reverses, and Sanada gets a cheap shot in! The fans boo and Red Shoes reprimands, but the War Dogs double whip. Hiromu grabs ropes to stop, and Naito runs in! Naito CLOBBERS Sanada and Hiromu kicks Gabe! LIJ mugs Gabe then double whips, to DOUBLE CHOP! Then they DOUBLE BASEMENT DROPKICK! Gabe flounders away while the fans cheer. Hiromu tags Naito and Naito storms up on Gabe.
Naito CLUBS Gabe again and again, then snapmares for a chinlock. Gabe endures the knee in his back, even as Naito digs it in deeper. Naito then shifts to have a headscissors! Naito pushes up to put on the pressure, but Gabe still endures. Naito lets Gabe go and Hiromu sits in the ropes. Hiromu assures Red Shoes it isn’t what he thinks, but then Naito bumps Gabe off Hiromu’s boots! It WAS what it looked like! The fans cheer but Red Shoes reprimands, and Naito tags in Hiromu. Hiromu CHOPS Gabe to a corner, then CHOPS again! Naito joins in and they double whip Gabe corner to corner. Gabe comes back, Naito drops down and Hiromu CROSBODIES!
Sanada storms in but Hiromu CROSSBODIES! Hiromu goes out and chases down Gabe, CROSSBODY! Hiromu keeps moving, and Naito sets Sanada up for the CROSSBODY! The fans fire up with Hiromu as he goes back to the ring. Gabe storms around in frustration, then pushes his way to No Man’s Land. He eggs Hiromu on, so here he comes! But Sanada was lurking! He attacks first, then sends Hiromu into chairs! Naito and Gabe brawl, and Naito CLUBS Gabe around. Fans are told to move aside, and Naito whips. Gabe reverses and he BOWLS Naito into chairs! Not quite a strike but Gabe just flips off the fans.
Sanada is beating Hiromu down somewhere in the upper deck, and Gabe drags Naito back up. Gabe UPPERCUTS Naito, but Hiromu fights back against Sanada! Sanada CLAWS Hiromu’s face! Hiromu stops the suplex, then suplexes Sanada! Sanada fights that, and he CLAWS Hiromu’s face again! As for Gabe, he BITES Naito’s forehead, then SMACKS him down! At least they’re at ringside. But then Gabe looks under the ring, and he brings out a table! Gabe sets the table up, but Naito fires forearms on Gabe! Gabe SMACKS Naito again! Gabe hauls Naito up to POWERBOMB through the table!!
The fans go wild as Gabe looms over Naito. Gabe slides in and mocks Naito’s pose! The fans are torn but most boo. Red Shoes reprimands Gabe, and it seems Sanada has retuned to ringside, with Hiromu somewhere in the crowd. A ring count starts, but Gabe SPITS at Naito! The count is 7 of 20 and the spotlight shows Hiromu is still so far away! We pass 10, then 12! Hiromu hobbles at 15 and he’s finally in the aisle! Hiromu runs and slides in safe at 19! The fans cheer but Gabe drags Hiromu up. Gabe CHOPS Hiromu in the corner, then CHOPS again! And then JABS! Tag to Sanada and he CLAWS Hiromu’s back while Gabe talks trash on Naito.
The fans rally for Hiromu but Sanada stomps him in a corner. Sanada digs his boot in, but he stops as Red Shoes counts. Sanada drags Hiromu up, TOSSES him out, and Gabe quickly runs Hiromu back to the back of the crowd and up the bleachers! Gabe ROCKS Hiromu with a straight right hand! Then SMACKS him again! Hiromu flops over and Gabe leaves him behind again. The ring count returns while Hiromu sputters. The fans cheer Hiromu on as he’s up, but he’s still so far away at 10! Then 15! Hiromu returns at 18 to slide in at 19.5!! Sanada is on Hiromu, but Hiromu dropkicks the legs out! But Naito isn’t at the corner!
Sanada tags Gabe and he stomps away on Hiromu in the corner! Red Shoes reprimands but Gabe drags Hiromu up. The fans rally for Hiromu, but Gabe whips him hard into the corner! Gabe eggs Hiromu on, saying he’s not “Despy” or Douki. Hiromu rises up to CHOP! Gabe snarls but Hiromu CHOPS again! Hiromu roars and he CHOPS! Gabe finally wobbles, but he keeps Hiromu from Naito! Gabe throws Hiromu down by his hair, then he WRECKS Naito with a dropkick! Gabe mocks the tranquilo and the fans boo. Gabe tags Sanada and the War Dogs bring Hiromu up. The fans rally but the War Dogs double whip, only for Hiromu to DOUBLE CROSSBODY!
Hiromu crawls, reaches out, but Sanada keeps him from Naito! Hiromu breaks free, blocks a kick, and a punch! Sanada CLAWS Hiromu’s eyes! Sanada runs but Hiromu bolts for the corner! Hot tag to Naito! Naito kicks and fires off on Sanada, but Gabe CLUBS him! The War Dogs double whip, but Naito reverses to send Sanada away! Then he sends Gabe into Sanada! Gabe falls, Naito dodges Sanada to arm-drag! And ELBOW! Naito keeps moving, basement DROPKICK! Gabe ROCKS Naito! Gabe whips, Naito reverses and runs up to ELBOW him down! Sanada runs up but is sent into the corner! Naito blocks boots to put Sanada in ropes, DRAPING NECKBREAKER!
Naito hurries to stand Sanada up, turn him, and stall for the NECKBREAKER! The fans fire up as Naito does the pose himself. Cover, TWO! Sanada is tougher than that but Naito drags him up. Naito dragon sleepers for another NECKBREAKER, and then it’s the LEG HOOK NELSON! Sanada endures as Naito puts on the pressure, and Sanada kicks around. Naito puts on more pressure, but Sanada has the ROPEBREAK! But of course Naito claims he needs a little help. Red Shoes counts, Naito lets the hold go, and he brings Sanada to a corner. Naito drags Sanada up, reel shim in, but Sanada stops Esperanza! So Naito BOOTS him!
Naito whips corner to corner but Sanada goes up and out, and even to the floor! Naito slides out but Sanada goes to the apron. Naito hurries back up, but Sanada KICKS ropes to jam Naito up! The fans boo and Red Shoes reprimands but Sanada tags Gabe. Gabe drags Naito up, has him in a corner, and CHOPS! HEADBUTTS! Repeat! Gabe wobbles a bit, but he rolls back and returns to LARIAT! Then SAIDO! Naito gets flung, Gabe hurries to cover, TWO! The fans fire up but Gabe drags Naito right up to suplex and BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Naito survives but Gabe seethes. The fans rally for Naito as hard as they can, which annoys Gabe.
Gabe drags Naito up, reels him in, but Naito fights the lift! Gabe CLUBS Naito but still Naito fights! Gabe DOUBLE CHOPS Naito’s back, then powers through! But Naito powers out and throws those heavy back elbows! Gabe SPITS at Naito! Naito SLAPS Gabe! Gabe rebounds, Naito dodges, tilt-o-whirl CRADLE! TWO!! Gabe SMACKS Naito, reels him in, “I’m a MAD MAN, y’know!” But Hiromu SUPERKICKS him first! Sanada DROPKICKS Hiromu! Naito dropkicks Sanada’s legs! But Gabe KNEES Naito down! Hiromu fireman’s carries Gabe! TIMEBOMB 1.5! Sanada runs up, into a wrench and FACLON ARROW!
Sanada flounders out and Hiromu brings Gabe over to Naito! BOOSTED TORNADO DDT! The fans fire up and Naito brings Gabe back up! Wrench and tilt-o-whirl, DESTINO!! Cover, SANADA YANKS RED SHOES OUT!! The fans boo Sanada but he just soaks up the heat. Hiromu goes to the apron and he CROSSBODIES Sanada down! Hiromu helps Red Shoes up, Naito wrenches Gabe again, DESTIN- NO! TOMBSTONE!! Gabe and Naito are down and the fans rally even harder! There is some dueling in here, but the “GABU! GABU!” is still overwhelmed by the “NA-I-TO! NA-I-TO!” Both men stir while Red Shoes returns.
Gabe clutches his neck while rolling away from Naito. Naito changes course and rolls for his corner, hot tags to Sanada and Hiromu! Hiromu dodges Sanada’s boot but Sanada blocks the lariat! Dragon sleeper, but Hiromu spins that around! Sanada fights the suplex so Hiromu dropkicks a leg out! Hiromu KICKS and fireman’s carries, and flips Sanada into the dragon sleeper! Sanada spins that around, but Hiromu fights a suplex! Hiromu suplexes but Sanada slips free to dragon sleeper! SKULL END! Hiromu endures but Sanada drops back into the body scissors! The fans rally and Hiromu fights around!
Sanada squeezes as tight as he can and Hiromu is fading! Red Shoes checks, Hiromu faintly comes back to life, but Sanada goes to his old ways! Sanada goes up and up to ROUNDING BODY PRESS, but onto knees!! Hiromu saves himself and the fans rally up! Hiromu feeds off the energy to fire back up. Hiromu runs to HIROMU- NO, Sanada dodges the lariat, but the HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER still finds him! Fireman’s carry, TIMEBOMB 1.5!! Cover, TWO!! Sanada survives and Hiromu grows frustrated. The fans rally up behind him and Hiromu drags Sanada up. Hiromu fireman’s carries but Sanada slips free.
Sanada waistlocks but Hiromu switches. Sanada grabs at Red Shoes, Red Shoes gets away, and Hiromu avoids the low blow kick! Hiromu SUPERKICKS Sanada, then runs, but Sanada slips around! Sanada shoves Hiromu at Red Shoes and Red Shoes almost ends up falling out of the ring! Sanada whips Hiromu to POP-UP LOW BLOW! And then O’CONNER BRIDGE!! Cover, NAITO YANKS RED SHOES OUT!! Naito returns the favor and grins at Sanada. Gabe storms in with a chair! Naito runs and shoves Hiromu out of harm’s way! Naito then dodges Gabe to POP-UP LOW BLOW!! Another bit of returning the favor!
The fans are thunderous as Gabe writhes and rolls out of the ring. Naito drags Sanada up, Hiromu helps, BOOSTED TORNADO- NO! Sanada slips free, but Naito sends him into a SUPERKICK! ENZIGIRI! HIROMU-CHAN BOMBER!! The fans fire up with Hiromu as he fireman’s carries Sanada, for the OG TIMEBOMB!! Cover, TWO?!?! Sanada survives and shocks everyone! Hiromu roars and the fans are with him! Hiromu clinches in a dragon sleeper, but Gabe BITES Hiromu’s face! Gabe DECKS Naito, then he drags Hiromu up. Hiromu CHOPS, CHOPS , and CHOPS! Gabe just UPPERCUTS!
Gabe scoops and SLAMS Hiromu, then goes up the corner! MAD MAN MOONSAULT! Gabe calls to Sanada to get Hiromu, and Sanada goes up! ROUNDING BODY PRESS!! Cover, TWO!!! Hiromu survives and Sanada is furious!! Red Shoes defends his count and the fans are electric for Hiromu! Gabe reels Hiromu in, PILEDRIVER!! Feed to the DEAD- NO, Naito CLUBS Sanada! Naito dodges Gabe, comes back, DESTINO!!! SHINING WIZARD from Sanada!! Sanada hauls Hiromu up but Hiromu pump-handles! HIROMU-CHAN CRA- NO! SHINING WIZARD!! Sanada roars, fans are torn, but he drags Hiromu up.
Sanada clinches, DEAD- NO, Hiromu slips free, wrenches, pump handle, HIROMU-CHAN CRADLE!!! LIJ WINS!!!!
Winners: Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi, by pinfall (World Tag League 2024 Champions)
Sanada cannot believe it, but Kumamoto absolutely loves it!! The War Dogs tore through A Block, but it was the team that survived the extra Triple Threat match that takes the whole thing! What does this mean for the combination of Gabe and Sanada in the future? Is there a future for them?
As for LIJ, Naito drags himself into the ring, crawls over to Hiromu, and master and student hug it out! Red Shoes brings them the trophies, and LIJ sets them side by side before they stand back up. Naito gets his hat back on while Hiromu rests on the mat again. And after a little water to refresh themselves, Naito gets the mic. “Buenas noches, KUMAMOTOOOO~!” The fans cheer, and Naito says, “The way things work, it should be Hiromu, the main event winner, on the mic right now. But it looks like he took some damage. In that case, I’ll say my part first.” The fans applaud that.
Naito thanks all the fans that came out to the Grand Messe Kumamoto for the WTL Finals. “Gracias, amigos.” The fans cheer that, and Naito adds that he won the main event here back in April of 2018. He sent a message to all the fans here that night. Does anyone remember what he said about “having the courage to take that step?” The fans applaud as it seems they do. Naito says, “Make no mistake, we won the World Tag League thanks to Hiromu.” The fans applaud again, and even chant for “HI-RO-MU! HI-RO-MU!” Naito says that Hiromu’s refusal to give up under any circumstance made Naito feel he had to take that step, too.
“And that step brings me to that singles match we were set to have before the pandemic.” Fans are intrigued hearing that. Naito says how about doing it January 4th in the Tokyo Dome? The fans cheer for Hiromu in support of that idea. Hiromu takes the mic now and asks if it takes Naito that long to take a step. The fans chuckle, and Hiromu stands. Hiromu says thanks to that, they were able to enter WTL and win it all. Hiromu thanks Naito for that, both arigato and gracias. The fans applaud, and Hiromu reviews the idea: January 4th, WrestleKingdom, Naito VS Hiromu. “The answer is, of course…! Let’s do it.”
The fans cheer as the match is now set! Hiromu thanks Naito for letting him know this is how he felt! “It’s important to say what we feel, isn’t it? Everyone, do you have something you want to say as well? It could to a friend, a lover, a parent, a teacher, a senpai, a kouhai! I’m reminded once again how important it is to share what we are feeling. Naito-san, do you mind if I tell you something, too?” The fans are again intrigued. “Naito-san, thank you for teaching me how to be a wrestler!” Hiromu bows and the fans applaud. Hiromu then says January 4th can’t come soon enough! “Everyone, we only live once, so enjoy it to the fullest!”
First, think of the life you wanna live, and then enjoy it to the fullest! And during that time, if pro-wrestling can bring you even a bit of joy, Hiromu will be satisfied! So then, let’s have more… The fans echo back, “Moto!” Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! Moto! MOTO fun in life enjoying pro-wrestling together~! The confetti goes off as the WTL winners must take a different route for WrestleKingdom. Will it be teacher or student who proves themselves the better man in the Tokyo Dome?
My Thoughts:
An awesome finale to WTL 2024, even with a lot of the other matches just kind of filler since there weren’t tag titles to be defended here and a lot of WrestleKingdom 19 stuff to be set up. I made sure to do the 10 Man Tag because it of course fed Tanahashi VS Evil, but I certainly didn’t see it happening that way. Tanahashi going wild because of all the frustration he has with Evil was some great stuff, and a Lumberjack match is a great move so that Tanahashi’s allies, aka all of The House of Torture’s enemies, are gonna be ringside with them. But moving up the retirement stipulation is a shock. Was saying 2026 would be when Tanahashi retires just a smokescreen so this would be more shocking? Or is this the smokescreen to put more drama on a match we’re pretty sure Tanahashi still wins?
The Six Man Tag of TMDK VS Shota & Funky Sauce was really good, and a really good win for Oiwa there. This was all still just secondary to building heat on Shota and ZSJ, but it was rather funny for Shota to have that paper (and I think soft foam?) belt and ZSJ mocking him with the wrist tape. If Shota ends up winning, I think NJPW is guilty of making him their “Super Cena,” their “Cena Wins LOL” guy, and that’s a disservice to Shota and especially Zack. Zack needs to make it through a WK with that belt, let Shota fight his way back up through the New Japan Cup or something.
And awesome, incredible main event with the WTL finals. I figured Naito & Hiromu were winning, just because Gabe’s got his NJPW Strong title and the Kenny Omega match for that Tokyo Dome weekend. Not sure what it means for Sanada, but I don’t think he’s leaving War Dogs already (as funny as that would be). And I suppose with Henare’s knee in question, they’re just going to leave the Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match for another time. Naito VS Hiromu, the World Champ VS Junior Heavyweight Champ match we never got four years ago for the anniversary show, is a great move for WK19. There’s no place better than WK for a match like that, and they can’t wait on this match with Naito having said he’s getting closer and closer to retiring.
That said, maybe Hiromu wins to put him over and get him into that next level where he’s going for big titles. Granted, NJPW is literal about the “heavyweight” part of the World Heavyweight Championship, and I don’t know if Hiromu’s going to be able to pull off a 205+ frame. He’s already ~195, he’s already 35, but hey, maybe he can get a short reign in just so he can say he was on top of both weight classes in his career.
My Score: 9/10
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Coverage
Andrew’s LIVE TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 1.23.25
NXTNA kicks off the post-Genesis TV with a Live show! Fraxiom defend the NXT Tag Titles on TNA television against The Rascalz!
So we’re gonna be getting Live action for iMPACT for the first time in 8 years! NXTNA should bring some interesting layers with this episode. Fraxion is facing The Rascalz. We could see some stuff with 23 pay off, we could maybe get a Cora Jade appearance and who knows what else we’ve got. Genesis could’ve been the beginning of something big, but at least we make sure Hendry Mania can run wild as the TNA World Champ!
We're kicking off the night with NEW TNA World Champion @joehendry!
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/EkIqqcvwIi pic.twitter.com/jORQS6swtu
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 24, 2025
Ratings:
- Rosemary, Heather & Ash by Elegance vs Masha Slamovich & Spitfire: Ash wins via Victory Roll – ** 1/2
- JDC & Moose w/Alisha Edwards vs The Hardyz: Jeff wins via Swanton Bomb – ***
- NXT Tag Team Championships: Fraxiom (c) vs The Rascalz: Fraxiom retain via Spanish Phoenix – *** 1/4
- TNA World Championship: Joe Hendry (c) vs Matt Cardona: Hendry retains via Standing Ovation – *** 1/4
Results:
Oh look, Joe Hendry comes out to kick off the Live episode. Hendry says he’ll be a fighting champion and face anyone at anytime, so Santino’s music hits and we may get a surprise very soon. Oh nevermind, it’s Matt Cardona. If this was supposed to be a big reveal I don’t think it came over well.
Rosemary, Heather & Ash by Elegance vs Masha Slamovich & Spitfire
Jody and Ash start, Ash gets in a cocky slap but then a few strikes and a T-Bone suplex lead to tagging in Dani and a few assisted Slam moves and we see a near fall. Ash retreats to her corner, tags in Heather, Heather is afraid of Dani so she blind tags Rosemary. Spitfire do some tandem stuff on Rosemary and the Demon Assassin finally slips a move from Jody, shoves Jody into her corner, Heather tries to blind tag but Rosemary grabs Heather, Ash calls a timeout to explain to Rosemary that they’re a team and tags herself in. A few shortcuts that the ref conveniently can’t see and Ash tags in Rosemary cleanly. Rosemary throws Jody around, Exploder Suplex for two, and Ash tags in, hits a Snap Suplex, tries to go after Dani and Masha but Masha pops her and Jody hits a Codebreaker to tag in Masha.
Masha comes out hot and beats the hell out of Heather and Rosemary. Masha tried Requiem on Heather, but Rosemary hits the Scorpion Deathdrop, Dani Shotgun kicks Rosemary, Satellite DDT from Ash takes out Dani, Jody takes out Ash, Heather hits a John Woo Dropkick to send Jody crashing to the outside. After the signature spam, Dani gets back on the apron, Masha tags her in and Dani is taking Ash to Suplex City. Cora Jade’s music hits in the middle of the match and she hands a folder to Masha with her picture in it, like Masha used to do. Ash takes advantage of the Cora distraction and Victory Rolls Dani for the flash win. Cora makes her intentions known and the match was fine.
Northern Useless Armoury comes out to look pathetic and Josh talks. Sinner and Saint are about as impressive as a wet fart running down your legs in the middle of summer. They are pathetic and that makes this whole heel turn look worthless. Jabroni squad says Josh can’t leave and attack him. EY hits the ring to make a save, and cut an obvious promo to make a tag match. The crowd is mostly comatose, Sinner and Saint look stupid, have done nothing, and have terrible names.
JDC & Moose w/Alisha Edwards vs The Hardyz
System attacks immediately, the bell just rings, but the Hardyz reverse the Irish Whip spot, stack em in the corner and Poetry in Motion while still wearing the belt so he does the Splash version. Matt does the Delete Corner Face Smashes to JDC and turns it into the pull out of the corner Powerbomb. Extreme Elbow from Matt, Matt goes for the Twist, but JDC shoves off, Lish paws at the ankle and Moose attacks him while the ref is trying to figure out who to look at. Moose tags himself in, beats on Matt and then a few quick tags keep Matt isolated in the corner. JDC with a nice Strong Whip and Splash, tags back in Moose and Moose goes for the Camel Clutch to try and keep the pressure on but Matt starts to fight back. Moose doesn’t lose too much momentum, takes out Jeff, rocks Matt with an Uppercut into Senton and JDC tries Down and Dirty but misses! Simultaneous tags and classic Jeff Hardy offense gets a near fall that JDC has to break up.
Jeff dispatches with JDC, Moose misses Lights Out, Twist of Fate, goes for the Swanton but JDC cuts him off, Matt Twist of Fates JDC, Moose tries to pull Jeff off but gets Headbutt down and Swanton Bomb on Moose for the win! Jeff gonna go for the X Division Title now?
Twenty Three stuff happens on the tron before a commercial break, coming back Sami hits the ring calling out 23. Steph De Lander comes out to show she’s 23 because she won the Digital Media Title in the Divorce. But Sami can meet her new boyfriend, Mance Warner!
NXT Tag Team Championships: Fraxiom (c) vs The Rascalz
Axiom with a bit of World of Sport counters to the Arm Wringer, kicks Trey in the teeth, tags in Frazer and he rips across the ropes and kick Trey again, but Trey does turn things around. ACS Rush from The Rascalz. Quick tandem offense from Fraxiom with interwoven Forearm Shivers and a near fall. Axiom locks in a Sleeper and tries to ground Trey. Trey tries to fight back up but eats a Back Elbow. Tandem offense again, Double Superkicks from Fraxiom forces Wentz to break things up a little. Trey has been isolated for a while and Axiom is just keeping a solid Armbar but Trey fights up, manages to get away and hits a Rebound Switch Suplex.
Simultaneous tag and Wentz and Frazer go back and forth. Wentz has the early advantage, Knee Lift into the Rolling Snapmare Shining Wizard then the Running Corkscrew Moonsault. Axiom breaks up the Wentz offense, Fraxiom double teams Trey and takes him out with an Avalanche Total Elimination. More tandem spots from Fraxiom which end with a Brainbuster and Superkick combo but only two! Trey manages to get Frazer out of the ring, Wentz with the Back Handspring Knee Lift but everyone is down and a little gassed. Axiom tries a German, Wentz shrugs him off, Axiom Kips Up into a Superkick, Wentz goes for the UFO Cutter but eats the Superkick. Rascalz tandem Superkicking people out of the Sky, STREET SWEEPER for two! Cheeky Nandos, but Wes Lee hits the ring to distract the ref, Tyson and Tyriek attack, Spanish Fly into Phoenix Splash finish and Fraxion retain!
Solid match that hopefully leads to more stuff. Santana comes down to cut a typical man of the people babyface promo. But the biggest pop of the night (not counting the Hardyz) is when Mustafa Ali’s music hits! Ali is back! He says he signed with TNA.
Tessa comes out to cut a promo, Tully is in the crowd and cuts a decent anti-San Antonio promo. Not as good as Charles Barkley, until she mentions fat women. She’s getting a visceral negative reaction, and it’s pretty great. She basked in the heat and decent promo.
TNA World Championship: Joe Hendry (c) vs Matt Cardona
Slow start, shove from Joe so Matt powders and then they go into Arm Wringer World of Sport stuff, but still mostly posturing. At least the crowd is engaged. Cardona feints the Test of Strength, kicks Hendry and shoves him into the corner with Chops, but Joe no sells and lights up Cardona until Cardona sells to a different corner to hit a sneaky Forearm. Rope Run, Leapfrog spot which ends with Hendry hitting a Knee Lift into the Stalling Suplex. Cardona side steps Hendry after the Suplex and then hits a Wrecking Ball Dropkick before using his ripped t-shirt to choke Hendry and just gets yelled at a little. Cardona Crossbody from the steps, but Hendry catches him, throws him on his shoulders and Attitude Adjustment on the apron. Joe goes for another but Matt claws the eyes and whips Hendry into the steps.
Commercial happens and as soon as we’re back, Hendry hits a Sunset Flip into Locomotion Cradle spots before Cardona hits the Diving Polish Hammer to stall Hendry. Cardona locks in a Guillotine, but Hendry powers up and Vertical Suplexes out of it! A few right hands, Lariat, Sack of Shit into the Kip Up and the turn to the camera! Standing Ovation is being called, Cardona fights it off and hits the Flashback for a near fall. Reboot connects from Cardona, he tries another and gets caught, goes for a Powerbomb but Cardona Throat Chop, Missile Dropkick, Snap DDT for a near fall! Radio Silence attempts from Cardona, Hendry ducks it, Running Boot kills the referee, and Hendry hits a Pop Up Powerbomb for what would’ve been the win, but no ref. Cardona hits the Low Blow and then wanders over to the title, very slowly, looks to use it but OH MAH GAHD MAGGLE ITS JBLS! Clothesline from Hell hits Cardona and Hendry stares down JBL. Cardona recovers enough to hit Hendry with the title as Hendry was distracted by JBL existing.
Cardona tries the title again, Standing Ovation, 1-2-3.
Overall Score: 6.5/10
The effort to make this show special was apparent. Wes Lee, Tyriek and Tyson interfering, Cora Jade costing the faces a match, Mance Warner, JBL on a Live TNA, Mustafa Ali returning and Hendry bookending the show is good stuff. Lapsed viewers or WWE fans got to see a lot of people they recognize, sure Steph De Lander’s whole explanation was moronic, Cardona was a fart in church and JDC not eating the pinfall seems silly unless it truly does lead to a Jeff Hardy X Division challenge. But the effort was all there.
There were no real production hiccups or audio problems, the crowd was receptive to the important things, Tessa got booed out of the building but steered into it and embraced the hate. Now she just needs to walk out with a Real American Beer or have Hulk and Tully escort her out for Slammiversary or BFG, and it will truly just steer so hard into the skid people might pop for the acknowledgement.
But it was a fun show, yes the Josh stuff is stupid. The Knockouts aren’t in a great spot (but the NXT help will bolster that), and JBL is still confusing…but the show was entertaining.
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Honor Club hits a new landmark!
ROH on Honor Club hits Episode 100! And to make this big deal a bigger deal, QT Marshall challenges Komander for the ROH World TV Championship! Will QT bring the DOOM~?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- ROH World Television Championship: Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes VS QT Marshall; Komander wins and retains the title.
- Leila Grey VS Marti Belle; Leila wins.
- The Outrunners VS Jon Cruz & Rosario Grillo; The Outrunners win.
- The Beast Mortos VS Lord Crewe; Mortos wins.
- ROH Rewind – ROH World Tag Team Championships: Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal VS CIMA & Shingo Takagi; Daniels & Sydal win and retain the titles.
- Taya Valkyrie w/ Deonna Purrazzo VS Lady Frost; Taya wins.
- The Gates of Agony VS Jay Lucas & Terry Yaki; Gates of Agony win.
- Katsuyori Shibata VS Shane Taylor w/ Shane Taylor Promotions; Shibata wins.
PLAY BY PLAY
Mark Briscoe speaks.
“Mark Briscoe here, ROH pioneer, one half of #DemBoys, the baddest tag team of all time, baby! Former 13-time ROH Tag Team Champions. Hey, here we are, ROH episode 100. Here’s to 100 more, and then 100 more, and then 100 more, and then 100 more! HAAAH!” The Sussex County Chicken has the right idea. What will be in store for ROH after making it to this milestone?
ROH World Television Championship: Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes VS QT Marshall!
If we’re talking Episode 100 of ROH TV here on Honor Club, then of course this title needs to be defended! Though if you were to ask “Big Doom QT,” he’d say he’s the reason this episode is a big deal. Will QT at least back up that ego with actions? Or will the Commander of the Skies continue to command respect?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is the Face of ROH TV!
The fans chant “QT SUCKS! QT SUCKS!” QT gets on the corner to show off with a backflip, but the fans say, “You Still Suck!” QT skips the Code of Honor, the bell rings, and QT circles with Komander. They tie up, QT waistlocks, and he SLAMS Komander! The fans boo but QT flips Komander, only for Komander to do a 360. QT is annoyed, he just wanted 180. QT flips Komander over again, but Komander kips up and arm-drags hard! The fans fire up as Komander has the double wristlock. QT is annoyed again and he fights up. QT powers out, but Komander slips under the lariat! Komander UP KICKS, then he KICKS away on QT’s leg!
QT ROCKS Komander with a forearm! Komander goes to a corner, the fans boo, but QT whips. Komander goes up, headscissors, but QT puts Komander on the apron. Komander feints high to RAM QT low, then he slingshots up and over. Komander ducks ‘n’ dodges, wheelbarrows, but QT counters with a back suplex. Komander lands out, waistlocks, and he shoves QT to ropes. QT bucks the O’Conner, but then Komander slips around the lariat to sunset flip! QT flails to stay up, and he grabs Komander with both hands! QT YANKS Komander up, but Komander RANAS QT away! The fans fire up and Komander runs in, but only gets buckles!
QT runs up, but into a SUPERKICK! Komander goes up to CROSSBODY, but QT catches him! QT shakes his head, swings Komander around, BACKBREAKER to FLATLINER! Did QT just copy the Lethal Combination? The fans boo while Komander is dazed, but QT drags Komander up to TOSS him out. QT goes out to then bring Komander to railing, and he CHOPS! Komander is stinging but the fans rally up. QT brings Komander around, pushes him to the apron, then has him against a corner. Komander ducks and the CHOP hits POST! QT clutches that hand, but he still CHOPS Komander! QT puts Komander in the ring, then storms up to the apron.
QT steps in for a springboard ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Komander is still in this and the fans rally up. Abrahantes coaches Komander and he rallies the fans. QT drags Komander up but Komander RAMS him in the ropes, then fires body shots! Komander CHOPS, then whips. QT reverses and POP-UP FOREARMS! Komander staggers, QT brings him around, and QT suplexes. FALCON ARROW, then a LIONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Komander survives and QT is furious! QT clamps on with a chinlock, but he claws at the mask! The ref reprimands and the fans boo, but QT stops at 4. QT brings Komander to a corner and hoists him up.
The fans rally again while QT climbs up after Komander. QT CLAWS the mask again! Komander fires elbows, QT steps back, but then QT pulls Komander back. QT CHOPS Komander into the Tree of Woe! The fans boo but QT runs up, only for Komander to BOOT him while upside-down! QT staggers, but he comes back, only for Komander to sit up! QT POSTS himself, then falls to the floor! Komander runs, goes up and up, ESCALARA MOONSAULT! Direct hit and the fans fire up! Komander puts QT in the ring, aims again, springboard and CROSSBODY! Komander keeps moving, he ducks ‘n’ dodges to roll and FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO!
QT survives and Komander grows frustrated, but Abrahantes coaches him. The fans rally up, and Komander has QT in the drop zone. Komander goes corner to corner, goes up and up, MOONSAULT but into BOOTS! QT takes Komander out of the skies, and he calls for DDP’s inheritance! DIAMOND- NO, Komander backslides QT! TWO!! QT escapes, Komander dodges, and Komander springboards, into a DIAMOND CUTTER!! Cover, TWO!! Komander survives and QT is shocked! The fans fire up and sing “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~!” QT goes out and he talks trash on Cincinnati. QT grabs the belt! The fans boo but QT goes to the apron!
The ref stops QT, and Abrahantes snatches the belt back! QT is pissed, but Komander springboards! RAN- NO! QT stops that, and he pops Komander up, only for Komander to SUNSET BOMB!! Cover, TWO!! QT survives but Komander hurries to the apron! The fans fire up again as Komander climbs. Komander tightrope walks, but Komander rolls out to the ramp! Komander just changes course, 450- NO, QT moves again! Komander rolls through the splash, but QT runs up to BOOT him! The fans boo but QT looms over Komander. QT brings Komander up and reels him in. QT lifts to a Canadian Rack, but Abrahantes says don’t do it!
The ref also says stop, so QT drops Komander. QT BODY BLOWS Abrahantes! The fans boo more, that was uncalled for! QT just grins and soaks up the heat. But Komander uses Abrahantes as a step to MEXICAN DESTROYER on the ramp!! Komander hurries to go up, up, and FLYING DESTROYER!! QT is back in the drop zone and Komander climbs! The fans are thunderous for CIELITO LINDO!! Cover, Komander wins!
Winner: Komander, by pinfall (still ROH World Television Champion)
QT tried to bring The Doom, but he got a bit full of himself. Well, what else is new? But wait, Lee Johnson walks out here. Big Shotty applauds Komander’s win, but says he’s got next. Komander says he’s game. When and where will we see these two fight for the spotlight here on Honor Club?
Athena speaks.
“Hello, Minions. Now I know you weren’t about to celebrate my show, the 100th episode of ROH on Honor Club without me, the most important part. The Fallen Goddess, the Minion Overlord, the American Joshi, the inspiration to every division, the ROH Gatekeeper, but most importantly, the Forever ROH Women’s World Champion. Now, I know I’ve been away on business, the Athena World~ Tour~! I know it was amazing, it was beautiful, and still your Forever Champion, Athena, So very soon, I will be back to show the world why I am the most dominant champion in all of pro-wrestling, and why it is my show! HAHAHAHA! See you soon.”
ROH Rewind – ROH World Tag Team Championships: Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal VS CIMA & Shingo Takagi!
To honor the Fallen Angel retiring from in-ring action, we flashback to December 22, 2006, and the ROH International Challenge! Daniels & Sydal took on the Dragon Gate duo, did things get Crazy MAX? Or did Daniels & Sydal defend their titles as well as homefield?
The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who wins the International Challenge!
The Code of Honor is upheld, the teams sort out, and Daniels starts against Shingo. The fans rally up and the two circle. Daniels and Shingo feel things out, tie up, then Shingo powers Daniels to a corner. The ref counts, Shingo lets off slowly, but Daniels keeps cool. They reset and feel things out again. They knuckle lock, break, then tie up again. Shingo waistlocks, and Shingo SLAMS Daniels down. Shingo facelocks but Daniels slips out to wrench the arm. Shingo rolls, Daniels keeps on the arm, but Shingo rolls again. Shingo trips Daniels, steps through and has the toehold. Daniels endures and the fans rally up.
Daniels moves around, turns over, and he trips Shingo to then get the headlock. Shingo fights up, powers out, but Daniels RAMS shoulders! Shingo roars and the fans fire up! Daniels runs, he RAMS Shingo again, but Shingo rebounds to RUN Daniels over! Things keep moving, and Shingo RUNS Daniels over again! Daniels stays low, then hurdles, but Shingo still RUNS him over! The fans are torn while Shingo flexes. Shingo drags Daniels up, reels him in, but Daniels fights the suplex. Shingo fires body shots, suplexes, but Daniels lands out! Daniels ducks ‘n’ dodges, then he flying SHOULDER TACKLES! Down goes Shingo!
Daniels wrenches an arm, tags Sydal, and they mug Shingo. Sydal wrenches to wristlock, then he slips around to arm-drag! Sydal has the armlock but Shingo endures. Shingo fights up, powers Sydal to ropes, but the ref counts. Shingo lets off, and he CHOPS! The fans fire up, Shingo whips, but Sydla reverses. Sydal leaps, but into Shingo’s arms! Sydal fights free, then arm-drags! Sydal RAMS Shingo, Shingo rebounds, but into a WHEEL KICK! Shingo tags in Cima! The fans fire up and Cima circles with Sydal. They tie up, Sydal waistlocks but Cima switches. Sydal switches, nelsons, and hip tosses!
Sydal rolls to bring Cima up but Cima arm-drags, RAMS, and then he avoids the dropkick! Sydal avoids the elbow drop! Tag to Daniels and Cima gets to his feet! The fans rally up as Cima and Daniels circle. They tie up but Cima trips Daniels. Things speed up, Daniels hurdles but Cima leaps over. Daniels arm-drags! Cima arm-drags! Daniels arm-drags again! Then Daniels avoids Cima! The fans fire up and Daniels cheers himself on. But then he turns around into an arm-drag! The fans fire up as Cima arm-drags, then he blocks a kick! Cima spins Daniels, throws him down, and SCRAPES Daniels’ face! Then DOUBLE STOMPS him in the chest!
The fans fire up and Cima looms over Daniels. NECK TWIST! Tag to Shingo and Shingo stomps Daniels around. Shingo snapmares Daniels and clamps on a chinbar with a chicken wing. Daniels endures, so Shingo ELBOWS him in the shoulder! Shingo stomps Daniels more, then drags him onto ropes. Shingo CHOKES Daniels, stops as the ref counts, and he CHOPS Daniels on the back! Shingo scoops and SLAMS, then covers, ONE!! Daniels is tough but Shingo brings him to the corner. Tag to Cima, they mug Daniels, then double whip. They DOUBLE SHOULDER, and double flex! The fans fire up and Cima stomps Daniels.
Cima keeps Daniels from Sydal with a chinlock, and then shifts to a chinbar and chicken wing. Cima throws down elbow after elbow, then he stands Daniels up. Daniels fires body shots, but Cima CLAWS the eyes! Daniels flounders to the ropes but Cima stalks him. Cima stomps Daniels while the fans duel, but Daniels fires body shots! Cima CLUBS Daniels down! Cima SLAPS Daniels on the top of his head! Cima stands Daniels up again but Daniels fires shots, Cima whips, Daniels reverses, but Cima ducks ‘n’ dodges, only to run into a tilt-o-whirl BACKBREAKER! Tag to Sydal, he and Daniels mug Cima!
Sylda stomps Cima, snapmares him, and has the motorcycle stretch. Cima endures as Sydal pulls those arms back. Shingo storms in but the ref stops him from going after Sydal. Cima fights up but Sydal snapmares him back down. Sydal drags Cima back with chicken wings, and Daniels tags in. The champs mug Cima more, and then they double scoop SLAM! Daniels scoops Sydal to SLAM him into Cima! Cover, TWO! Daniels brings Cima up, ROCKS him, then whips. CALF KICK! Cover, Shingo breaks it! The fans are torn but Daniels tags Sydal. Daniels lifts Cima, Sydal springboards, ELBOW DROP BACK SUPLEX COMBO! Cover, Shingo breaks it again!
The ref reprimands but the fans rally up. Sydal stomps Cima, drags him up, and then scoops. Sydal SLAMS Cima, goes up a corner, and calls his shot! CANNONBALL, but Cima moves! Sydal crashes hard, and then Cima adds DOUBLE STOMPS! The fans fire up while Cima keeps Sydal from Daniels. Tag to Shingo, and Cima feeds Sydal to a BOOT! Sydal flops to the apron but Shingo drags him in. Shingo stands on Sydal at the ropes, steps off as the ref counts, but then stands on Sydal again! Shingo steps off again, CLUBS Sydal, then whips Sydal to ropes. Fireman’s carry into a SWINGING SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO!
Shingo keeps Sydal down with a HALF CRAB! Sydal endures, but Shingo drags him back for the stepover! Shingo has the toehold, and then he pulls on Sydal’s hair! The ref reprimands, Sydal finds the ROPEBREAK, and Shingo lets go. Shingo drags Sydal up to CLUB him! Sydal hobbles, Shingo CHOPS him! Shingo tags Cima and Cima brings Sydal around to RAM into the ropes! Cima holds Sydal up, Shingo runs, LEAP FROG ATTACK! Now Shingo holds Sydal up and Cima climbs, DRAPING DOUBLE STOMPS! The fans fire up while Sydal flounders out of the ring. Shingo drags Sydal up to RAM him into the railing!
Shingo brings Sydal around, puts him in, and Cima covers, TWO! Sydal survives but he flounders for his corner. Cima clamps onto Sydal with a full nelson! Sydal endures, the fans rally, and Sydal fights up. Cima powers Sydal to the corner, Shingo holds him against the buckles, and Cima lets go to run and DROPKICK Sydal in the butt! The fans fire up while Sydal falls in a heap! Cima drags Sydal out to YANK the leg! Sydal clutches that knee, rolls for his corner, but Cima stays in his way! Cima digs his knee into the knee, and he pulls on that leg! Sydal endures this modified Calf Killer, but then Cima BITES that leg!
The ref reprimands, Cima stops biting so he can stomp Sydal. The fans rally up, but Cima grabs the bad leg to GROUND DRAGON SCREW! Sydal hobbles up to CHOP! Cima KICKS the bad leg! Cima mocks the pain while Shingo gets cheap shots in. Cima STOMPS the bad leg! Cima again mocks Sydal, then stomps the leg again. Cima says they are the new champions! The fans fire up but Sydal is headed for his corner! Cima drags Sydal back, tags Shingo, and Shingo suplexes high and hard! Cover, TWO! Shingo clamps onto Sydal with a chinlock. Sydal endures, fights up, and he fires body shots!
Sydal is free, he runs, but into a SLEEPER! Shingo SWINGS Sydal to then SLAM him down! The fans fire up and Shingo drags Sydal up. Tag to Cima, and Cima BLASTS Daniels! Shingo ROCKS Sydal, the ref keeps Daniels out, and Blood Generation double whip, to DOUBLE SPINEBUSTER, and then they wheelbarrow Sydal for a CODE BREAKER! Shingo hauls Sydal back up, Cima hits a CUTTER! Shingo covers, but Daniels breaks it! The fans fire up but Shingo stands on Sydal’s leg. Sydal fires body shots but Shingo CLUBS Sydal! Sydal CHOPS, Shingo fires a forearm, repeat! Shingo fires a flurry, then waistlocks.
Sydal fights the German Suplex, and makes it a DDT! Cima goes up, leaps, but into a DROPKICK! Hot tag to Daniels! Daniels rallies on CIma and Shingo with elbows and LARIATS! Daniels sends Cima into Shingo, then STO DDT COMBO!! The fans fire up and Daniels climbs! CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO!! Daniels whips, Shingo reverses, but Daniels dodges to CLUB and TOSS Shingo! Daniels goes to the apron but Shingo YANKS him down! Shingo goes up, but Sydal BLASTS Shingo! Sydal builds speed but Cima trips him! Slingshot SENTON for Sydal, and a DIVE for Daniels! The fans fire up, but now Sydal is climbing!
Sydal aims to ARIHARA MOONSAULT them all! The fans are thunderous for “ROH! ROH!” in Hartford! Sydal rises and he puts Cima in. Sydal O’Conner Rolls, TWO! Cima shoves Sydal, but Sydal slips around, SLICE! Cover, TWO! Cima survives, and Shingo hauls Sydal up! Shingo CHOPS, then whips. Sydal reverses, runs in, but into a BOOT! Shingo goes up, but Sydal jumps! Shingo blocks the Super Steiner!! And he holds Sydal upside-down for Cima to BASEMENT DROPKICK! The fans are thunderous again as Shingo hauls Sydal up. Shingo scoops but Sydal fights free! Sydal puts Shingo in a corner, runs up, but Shingo dodges!
Sydal goes up and SUNSET FLIPS! Shingo rolls through, high stacks, and deadlifts, BUCKLE BOMB! Cima goes after Daniels while Shingo GUT WRENCH POWERBOMBS!! Cover, Daniels breaks it! Daniels kicks Cima, runs, but Cima drop toeholds Daniels into a DEATH LOCK! Cima SNAPS the lock again and again! Sydal runs in, but Cima catches him! SNAP SUPLEX SNAP LOCK COMBO!! The fans are thunderous again as Cima stalks Daniels. Cima whips Daniels to a corner, runs up, but Daniels dodges the knees! ENZIGIRI! But Shingo whips Daniels! Daniels rolls off Shingo’s back, CODE BREAKER!
Daniels fireman’s carries Shingo, and throws him into the dragon sleeper! Sydal goes up, CROSSBODY DDT COMBO! Cover, TWO!! Shingo survives and Cima attacks Sydal! Daniels ROCKS Cima and puts him up top! SHOTEI! Daniels wrenches Cima but Cima breaks free! Cima flying sunset flips, rolls through, and he puts Daniels up top! SHOTEI, and then ICONOCLASM! The fans fire up as Cima hooks a leg! AOI SHODO! Cover, TWO!! Daniels survives but Cima goes to the apron. Cima springboards, but Daniels fireman’s carries! DEATH VALLEY DRIVER! Shingo runs up, but into a FLATLINER! KOJI KLUTCH!!
Shingo endures, Cima is up top! FROG SPLASH onto Daniels! Sydal DEEP IMPACT DDTS Cima!! Shingo PUMPING BOMBERS Sydal!! The fans are electric as all four men are down! Shingo rises, runs, “This is Awesome!” as Shingo LARIATS Sydal out! LARIAT for Daniels! Cima goes up, Shingo Electric Chair Lifts! CROSSBODY DOOMSDAY! Shingo hauls Daniels up again, STAY DREAM!! Cover, SYDAL BREAKS IT! Cima stomps Sydal out of the ring and Shingo drags Daniels up! Another pump handle, but Daniels slips free! They trade waistlock for waistlock, Cima aims! Daniels ducks and the SUPERKICK hits Shingo!!
Sydal TOSSES Cima! URENAGE for Shingo! BEST MOONSAULT EVER, and the SHOOTING STAR PRESS!! Cover, Daniels & Sydal win!!
Winners: Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal, by pinfall (still ROH World Tag Team Champions)
Their first defense was an instant classic, and this reign of Daniels & Sydal would continue until February 24, 2007, losing to Mark & Jay Briscoe. With The Fallen Angel now leaving the boots in the ring, we can all say #ThankYouDaniels for a career full of honor.
Backstage interview with Leila Grey.
Lexy Nair is with the Top Flight Attendant and congratulates her on her first win of 2025. How is Leila going to keep this momentum going? Leila is all fired up, and she said that New Year, New Me. She is coming out guns blazing, and expects many more wins this year. Including some championship gold. And speaking of gold, she thinks it is time to challenge for something real. You know what she wants? The ROH Women’s Television Championship! Red Velvet, we see you holding that. But it is time for a real baddie to take the stand. So what does Red say? Next week, Red VS Grey for the Women’s TV Championship.
And “spoiler alert,” Leila’s taking that title. Get it? Got it? Good. Leila is ready to reach that next level, but will The Chef already cook up a fresh L for Leila?
Jacked Jameson is backstage.
The Iron Savages’ front man says he’s jacked, he’s stoked, this is gonna be sweet! His “homies” are over here, he’ll start a new group, it’ll be so sweet! Jameson walks over to Preston Vance, Griff Garrison & Cole Karter and says wassup, dudes! Uh, yeah… Well, alright, they’re looking shredded! Jacked to the gills! Check that chest! Vance is huge! So anyway, Jameson’s starting up a new group, it’s gonna be sweet! It’ll be a fraternity. No, wait, it’ll be THE Fraternity! There’ll be chicks, parties, it’ll be sweet, dude. Okay, they do dig chicks… And they are pretty jacked. No high-fives, bro. Jameson puts his hand down.
But see, Vance and the guys already get a lot of chicks, and already go to a lot of parties, so… Okay, okay, fair enough. But that’s just part of it. A very important part, but there’s more to it. The three of them have been a bit lost in the shuffle, and what they’re missing is discipline and focus. Jameson can be the guy to get them there. But hey, it’ll be awesome. Chicks, parties, titles, money! It’ll be so sweet! The Fraternity! The four of them will be unstoppable. Uh, sure… Just give them some time to think about it. Okay, bros! No, they’re not bros. Jameson goes off to the side, and the trio talks it out.
Griff votes they kick Jameson’s ass. Karter says that’s a good option, and Vance agrees. Jameson is a total idiot, but hey, they could at least hear him out. And then they can kick his ass! Vance calls Jameson back over, and Jameson’s all pumped. Vance says they considered his offer, and they will… think about it. See you around. Yeah, sure, bro! Chicks, money, parties- Yeah, yeah, they know, they know. Okay, okay. Do they want him to hang out? He can take his shirt off like them. No, no, that’s not needed. Okay, okay. Are there chicks coming? Y-Yeah, for them. With an Uber. Oh, okay, so they’re headed out? Alright.
Jameson still offers a high-five but no one is taking. Well, okay, next week! It’ll be awesome! The Fraternity! Jameson heads out and Karter says they should just kick his ass. Vance says yeah, that’s definitely the plan. But will Vance, Karter & Griff steal that idea and become the frat boys of ROH?
Chris Jericho speaks.
“Hi, guys~! Who can believe it? The 100th episode of ROH, available now at WatchROH.com. Think about this: 100 episodes of ROH, with 100 great moments from Chris Jericho, your ROH World Champion. And when I think of all of my favorite ROH moments, I mean there’s that one. And this one, and so many moments, who can even decide? You guys should form your own playlist: The Top Ten Moments of Chris Jericho in ROH! What’s it gonna be? I wanna know. Think of all the great ROH champions that have had the chance to influence and be with. All the great ROH champions in ROH history!
“From Chris Jericho to Samoa Joe, to The Learning Tree, to Bryan Danielson, to The King of New York, to Mark Briscoe, to The Nueve, to my personal favorite, Jay Briscoe, and so many more. So congratulations, ROH, on your 100th episode, El Ciento, from El Neuve. That’s me. Thanks, guys!” Jericho taking more credit than he deserves aside, what moments will we see be made across the next 100 episodes of ROH on Honor Club?
Katsuyori Shibata VS Shane Taylor w/ Shane Taylor Promotions!
Episode 100 ends with a huge match-up between the former ROH Pure Champion and the former ROH World Television Champion! Will The Wrestler look to win his way to a new title opportunity? Or will Big Bad Shaney T. show Shibata how to rumble, bad man, rumble?
The Code of Honor is skipped, the bell rings, and the fans fire up. The fans chant “SHI-BA-TA!” but The Infantry adds “SUCKS!” Shibata and Shane tie up, are in a deadlock, but Shane finds a point of leverage with his heigh and size. The ref counts, Shane lets off slowly, and he says, “They said you were a Japanese legend. All I see is a little Japanese b*tch!” The fans boo but Shibata SLAPS Shane! The fans fire up, Shane takes a swing, but Shibata dodges! Shibata CHOPS, then he eggs Shane on. Shane CHOPS, Shibata CHOPS, repeat! Neither man is backing down so the CHOPS keep going! Shibata even leans into the shots!
Shibata then ROCKS Shibata with a forearm! Shibata fires a flurry in the corner, then runs. But Shane is up to UPPERCUT! Shane shakes off the shots from Shibata while Shibata goes to the apron. Shibata stands, and Shane LARIATS him down! The fans boo but The Infantry talks smack. Shane storms out, drags Shibata up, and whips him into the railing! Shibata falls in a heap and Shane talks smack on the fans. Shane goes into the ring, he argues with the ref, but that lets The Infantry whips Shibata into the railing! Carlie Bravo mocks Shibata, “I bet that really hurt!” Shane goes out to fetch Shibata and HEADBUTTS him!
Shane puts Shibata on the apron, then CLUBS him in the chest! Shane goes up to the apron, then lines up a shot. GUILLOTINE LEG DROP! Shibata sputters and Shawn Dean says THIS is a man right here! Bravo says that hurts so bad! Shane tells Shibata to send this message back to NJPW. Shibata flops to the floor but Shane stands him up. Shane ROCKS Shibata! Shibata falls again and Shane stands on him. Shane talks trash, but the fans rally up for Shibata. Shane brings Shibata around but Shibata fires body shots. Shane ROCKS Shibata again! Shane puts Shibata in, then storms back up for a cover, TWO!
Shibata shows his toughness but Shane clamps onto him with a chinlock. The fans rally as Shibata endures. Shibata fights up, fires body shots, and he fires forearms! Shibata runs, ducks ‘n’ dodges, but the SOUTHPAW finds him! Cover, ONE!! Shibata survives but Shane seethes. Shane talks smack on the fans, then he storms up on Shibata. Shibata stands so Shane gets in his face. Shane BODY BLOWS, but Shibata growls! Shane BODY BLOWS again, but Shibata steps to him! Shane fires forearm after forearm, then he goes corner to corner. But Shibata dodges! Shane hits buckles, Shibata BOOTS him!
Shibata CHOPS! And CHOPS! MACHINE GUN CHOPS! Shibata stands Shane up for more MACHINE GUN CHOPS! Shibata then goes corner to corner, HYDRAULIC DROPKICK! The fans fire up as Shibata stands Shane up, SNAP HALF HATCH! Cover, TWO! Shane shows that toughness but Shibata stays close. STP coaches Shane on but Shibata fires hands! Shibata runs, but into a BODY BLOW! Shibata kicks, Shane blocks, and Shane KNEES! Shibata roars, Shane ROCKS him! Shane tucks Shibata in, MARCUS GARVEY DRIVER!! Cover, TWO?!?! Shane is shocked that Shibata survives, but Cincy is all fired up!
STP tells Shane to hit him with the deal! Shane scoops Shibata, but Shibata slips free! Shibata CHOPS, and has the SLEEPER!! Shane flails but he’s caught! Shane reaches out, but Shibata slips under to SAIDO!! And back to the SLEEPER!! Shane fights up, but Shibata squeezes tight! Shane fades, and Shibata sits him down! Shibata runs to PENALTY KICK!! Cover, Shibata wins!
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata, by pinfall
Shane put up a fight worthy of Strong Style, but Shibata epitomizes Strong Style! Will Shibata keep this momentum going until he also epitomizes ROH? Wait, Bravo slips in, and then Dean and Moriarty step up. They mug Shibata! The fans boo but STP keeps on The Wrestler 3v1! Shane winds up, and he DECKS Shibata! Then Moriarty hands Shane a chair! The Infantry stomp Shibata while Shane sets the chair down. Shane tells Shibata they’ll end his career! Shane winds up, but DANIEL GARCIA is here! The TNT Champion is an ally to The Wrestler, he will not stand for this! But that’s a 4v1 situation.
WAIT WHAT!? The Undisputed Kingdom is here!? Adam Cole, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly, all former ROH World Champions, stand with Red Death, and they storm into the ring! STP goes into a tactical retreat, but clearly the battlelines have been drawn! Will ROH belong to Shane Taylor Promotions? Or will it once again be undisputed?
Don Callis speaks.
Scummy Callis is with his Alpha, Konosuke Takeshita, and says that was a great win for Shibata. Very impressive! Shibata is a former ROH Pure Champion, has been champion all over the world, and is one of the best Japanese wrestlers of all time. But you know who you’re not greater than? THE ALPHA! Konosuke Takeshita is THE greatest product to come out of Japan! Bigger than Rikidozan! Bigger than Inoki! Bigger than Baba! Bigger than Kobashi! And yeah, bigger than Shibata. So if Shibata has the guts to test himself against the AEW International Champion, show up at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, the home of AEW, this Saturday!
And if he does, they’ll send him home in a body bag! Tell ’em, Take-san! Konosuke tells Shibata that this Saturday, he will show Shibata who is THE ALPHA! Shobu da, konoyaro! Callis is fired up for this one, but will The Wrestler become a champion in AEW for Homecoming?
My Thoughts:
A very good episode for ROH being that this is episode 100, but it isn’t exactly what I was hoping for given it’s episode 100, either. For one, we got only one (new) title match and it wasn’t even the main event. QT VS Komander was still a lot of fun, and that was still a great win for Komander. Lee Johnson stepping up for the next shot is cool, he was aiming for this title for most of 2024 and always falling short. I don’t know if he actually takes that title from Komander, but maybe now that he’s a Heel, he has EJ Nduka help him cheat that title off Komander. And then we only got promos from Jericho and Athena, not even real appearances, but I suppose that’s to bide time while contenders are built.
The only other title match we got was a replay from way back when Daniels & Sydal were a team and Shingo Takagi was a young Muscle Hawk in Dragon Gate. That was a great match, but even that can be seen as filler like the rest of the matches tonight. Still good wins for everyone, and Leila calling out Red Velvet is some good stuff. I would think Red Velvet wins again because we’re waiting on Velvet VS LEGIT Leyla Hirsch. Jacked Jameson wanting a new faction out of nowhere seems disappointing. There was a time when The Iron Savages could’ve become something more than comedic hosses, but TK dropped the ball there. That said, Vance, Griff & Karter is a good trio, I hope they become what Iron Savages (and other trios out there really) could’ve been.
Shibata VS Shane was a great main event, and Shibata winning is like a 51-49 surprising, if only because Shane and STP are being built up to try and take over ROH. However, I do appreciate we’re getting crossover between AEW and ROH again as Garcia and The Undisputed Kingdom show up to save Shibata. We could get a great 8 man Tag of Garcia & Kingdom VS STP that then sets up a lot of other matches. Callis & Konosuke having the last word was an interesting move, but word did come out before this episode aired (another fumble) that we were getting Konosuke VS Shibata for the International Championship, so it works that this promo makes it official. Konosuke VS Shibata could steal the show on Saturday, but I would think Konosuke wins.
My Score: 8.6/10
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