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