Will the Unbound Company overthrow the United Empire?

Before they battle for THE IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Yota Tsuji and Callum Newman lead their factions into a 10 Man Tag battle!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Masatora Yasuda VS Tatsuya Matsumoto; Yasuda wins.
• KUSHIDA VS Taisei Nakahara; Kushida wins.
• Six Man Tag: Yuya Uemura, Taichi & El Desperado VS Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask; Yuya, Taichi & Desperado win.
• 8 Man Tag: Hontai VS House of Torture; Hontai wins.
• 8 Man Tag: Hontai VS House of Torture; Hontai wins.
• Six Man Tag: OSKAR, Yuto-Ice & Gedo VS TMDK; TMDK wins.
• 10 Man Tag: The Unbound Company VS The United Empire; Unbound Company wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Six Man Tag: OSKAR, Yuto-Ice & Gedo VS TMDK!

While the New Japan Cup slipped through their fingers, these teams are still going to fight over the prize of IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships at Sakura Genesis. But will the Knock Out Brothers and Blacksmith win this first round? Or will Ryohei Oiwa, Zack Sabre Jr. & Hartley Jackson prove that The Mighty Don’t Kneel?

The teams sort out and Yuto gets right in Oiwa’s face! The ref tells them to break it up, and the two back off to tell their teams they’re starting. The fans applaud as Yuto and Oiwa indeed start. The bell rings, the two run up, but Oiwa avoids the boot to wrench and wrench and wrench Yuto’s arm! Oiwa YANKS the arm, whips Yuto to ropes, but Yuto BOOTS Oiwa down! The fans cheer while Yuto swaggers around. Yuto goes back to Oiwa, but he blocks the up kick! Yuto stomps away on Oiwa, then digs his boot in! Oiwa has the ROPEBREAK, the ref backs Yuto off, and Yuto argues with the ref. Yuto then rushes Oiwa but Oiwa slips around to waistlock.

They go to ropes, Yuto bucks the O’Conner, but then Oiwa blocks the boot. Yuto ROCKS Oiwa first! Yuto KICKS Oiwa to a corner, SOBATS him down, then gets gangsta already. “BOMBACLAT!” Yuto runs up, but Oiwa RUNS him over! Then SENTONS down! The fans fire up with Oiwa, he tags ZSJ, and ZSJ drags Yuto up to wrench, wrench, and top wristlock! ZSJ wrangles Yuto, then STOMPS the arm! Yuto goes to ropes but ZSJ tags Hartley. Hartley CHOPS Yuto, wrenches, then snapmares, and ELBOW DROPS! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up while Hartley brings Yuto around. Tag to Oiwa and he wrenches again.

Yuto ROCKS Oiwa, but Oiwa wrenches again! Yuto ROCKS Oiwa again, but Oiwa YANKS the arm! Yuto ROCKS, Oiwa YANKS, and then Oiwa eggs Yuto on! The forearm and the wrench continue, then Oiwa CLUBS Yuto down. Tag to ZSJ and he takes the handoff. ZSJ wrenches the arm while Oiwa BLASTS Gedo down! ZSJ hits an ELBOW BREAKER, then he wrenches again, for another ELBOW BREAKER! And another wrench, another wrench, and another ELBOW BREAKER! The fans fire up while Yuto reaches out for Oskar, but ZSJ tags Hartley in. Hartley stands Yuto up to ROCK and whip him to the corner.

Hartley runs up and SPLASHES, then short arm LARIATS! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer, Hartley fireman’s carries, but Yuto fights free! Yuto mule kicks, KNEE LIFTS, and down goes Hartley! The fans rally as Yuto crawls for his corner, but so does Hartley. Hot tags to Oskar and ZSJ! The fans fire up while ZSJ eggs Oskar on, and Oskar RUNS him over! Then Oskar scoops Oiwa, but Oiwa slips free! Oiwa KICKS away on a leg, then grabs it so he can UPPERCUT it! Oskar hobbles, but he takes a swing! Oiwa ducks ‘n’ dodges, comes back, but into a scoop and SLAM! The fans fire up for Oskar, and he goes back to ZSJ.

Oskar whips ZSJ to a corner, but ZSJ goes up, comes back, and jumps on for a GUILLOTINE! But Oskar RAMS ZSJ into the corner! Oskar runs up but ZSJ dodges, and ZSJ UPPERCUTS! The fans fire up for ZSJ as he runs in again, but into a BOOT! ZSJ tumbles all the way to the other corner! Oskar runs in and ELBOWS ZSJ down! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer as ZSJ survives, but Oskar snarls as he drags ZSJ up again. Oskar uses both hands, but ZSJ pops free to PELE the arm! Oskar shakes out the arm but ZSJ UPPERCUTS! And UPPERCUTS! ZSJ ducks the backhand to KICK, KICK, and KICK! But Oskar blocks to then scoop!

ZSJ fights free to the apron, and has the HANGING TRIANGLE HOLD! The ref counts, ZSJ lets go at 4, and Oskar sputters. ZSJ hurries to tag Oiwa, and Oiwa wrenches Oskar. ZSJ joins in and they double wrench again and again before they double whip. They DOUBLE ELBOW, but Oskar stays up! Oiwa gets around, puts Oskar in a corner, ZSJ GAMANGIRIS! Oiwa holds on for the O’Conner Roll and CHAOS- NO, Yuto CLUBS Oiwa to stop the rest! ZSJ BOOTS Yuto, then runs, but into a Kitchen Sink KNEE! Yuto then drags Oiwa up, bobs ‘n’ weaves, ROCKS Oiwa, then ducks again to DECK Oiwa! The Knock Out Brothers call for the end!

Yuto feeds Oiwa to Oskar, but Oiwa slips around to SHOVE Oskar into Yuto! Then Oiwa dodges a boot, but Oskar blocks the Grip! Only for the DISCUS LARIAT to hit from the right side! Oiwa drags Oskar up, but Oskar’s too big to suplex! Oiwa still tries, and he gets Oskar up! But Oskar still fights free, and he SHOVES Oiwa away. Oiwa rebounds into Oskar’s BACKDROP! The fans fire up while both men are down! Oiwa and Oskar crawl, hot tag to Gedo! Gedo eggs Oiwa on, then he JABS! JABS! JABS! Then he winds up, but Oiwa dropkicks the legs out! Oiwa SMASHES Gedo’s knee on the mat! And then clinches for a SHIN BREAKER!

Gedo flounders, but Oiwa SMA- NO, Gedo flips that to a victory roll, TWO!! Gedo pokes Oiwa in the eyes, then cradles, TWO!! Oiwa is up, kicks, but Gedo blocks to DRAGON SCREW! Gedo steps through, FIGURE FOUR! Gedo shows he’s still got it, but Oiwa endures and reaches out. Gedo puts on the pressure, but Hartley steps in and flips things over! The fans cheer, but then Yuto KICKS Oiwa and flips it back! Hartley and Yuto fire forearms back and forth, then Hartley UPPERCUTS! Hartley runs up but Yuto DUMPS him out! Oiwa still endures the hold as Yuto goes after Hartley. Oiwa makes it to the ROPEBREAK!

The fans cheer as Gedo lets go of the hold. Gedo drags Oiwa up, JAWBREAKER! Then he winds up, but Oiwa blocks the superkick to a DRAGON SCREW! And then the step-over INVERTED HALF CRAB! Gedo TAPS, TMDK wins!

Winners: TMDK, by submission

The #TMClutch is clutch in the game for TMDK, and now The Mullet has momentum for him and The Chin. Will “Roy” and Zack take these titles at Sakura Genesis? Or will it be very different when it’s just 2v2?

10 Man Tag: The Unbound Company VS The United Empire!

Yota Tsuji has Shingo Takagi, Taiji Ishimori, Robbie X & Daiki Nagai while Callum Newman has Jake Lee, Jakob Austin Young, Francesco Akira & Zane Jay. The Gene Blast has a lot of gold, but will his Unbound Company be unstoppable? Or will the Prince and his army conquer this Road to Sakura Genesis?

The teams sort out and it seems Yota is ready to face Callum. The fans cheer as the Unbound Company winds up and does their fist bump. The bell rings and the fans rally, but then Callum bails out. The Prince is trolling already but Yota stays patient. He does wonder why the Empire is following this guy, but Callum slowly returns to the ring. Callum then steps back out the moment Yota steps forward. Callum has Red Shoes keep Yota back, but then Yota tags Taiji in. Callum acts like Yota’s the one avoiding a fight now, and he tags out to Akira. Akira runs up and ties up with Taiji. Taiji headlocks, Akira powers up and out, but Taiji RUNS Akira over! Cover, ONE!

Akira headlocks now but Taiji powers up and out, only for Akira to pull hair and reel Taiji back in! Taiji fires body shots, powers up and out, then drops down. Akira rolls, comes back, but Taiji sidesteps. But Jakob trips him up! The fans boo and Red Shoes reprimands, but Jakob & Akira stomp Taiji. Akira & Jakob mug Taiji with CHOPS, then bring him around to double whip. Taiji grabs ropes, BOOTS Akira, then sends Jakob to Robbie’s GAMANGIRI! Robbie steps in now and the new Junior Heavyweight Tag champs double whip to DOUBLE ELBOW! Then ASSISTED STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO!

Robbie taunts Callum, then drags Akira up. Robbie CHOPS Akira, then has him in the corner. Daiki gets a shot in, then he tags in. Daiki stomps Akira, Red Shoes counts, but Daiki stops at 4. Takagi joins in and they double whip Akira to DOUBLE SHOULDER TACKLE! The fans cheer, and Takagi ELBOW DROPS! Daiki SPLASHES, covers, TWO! Daiki drags Akira up, CHOPS him, then fires off forearms in the corner! Daiki sits Akira down then stomps again. Daiki goes corner to corner, but Zane anchors him! Jakob CHOPS Daiki, puts him up top, and Callum GAMANGIRIS Daiki into the Tree of Woe for Akira to DROPKICK!

Brawling breaks out on the outside and Red Shoes reprimands everyone. Callum still CLAWS Yota’s eyes! Jake steps in, and he has the black glove on! The Silent Jester gives Daiki his dental check! Daiki flops out of the Tree, Akira drags him to the Empire’s corner, and he tags Jakob in. Jakob stomps Daiki, stands him up, but Daiki fires forearms! Jakob CLAWS Daiki’s eyes, snapmares him, then basement DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Jakob argues the count but the fans cheer Daiki on. Jakob drags Daiki up, bumps him off buckles, then tags Callum. Jakob stomps Daiki down while Callum has Red Shoes watch Unbound Company.

Callum SMOTHERS Daiki, Daiki tries to swipe at Jake Lee as he taunts Daiki, but Callum ELBOWS Daiki down. Callum then sets up and PENALTY KICKS! Daiki writhes but Callum taunts Yota while he covers, TWO! Callum STOMPS Daiki down, then tags Jake in. Yota avoids Callum’s cheap shot while Jake stalks Daiki. Daiki fires forearms on Jake but Jake pretends to wobble around before he says BOO! Then he kicks, scoops, and SLAMS Daiki! Jake gets the legs, turns Daiki over, BOSTON CRAB! Jake stares down the Unbound Company while Daiki endures, but Daiki fights his way around! ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer while Jake lets Daiki go.

Jake swaggers around, mocks Takagi’s fist raise, then hits a BIG back suplex, only for Daiki to land out! Daiki DROPKICKS Jake down! The fans cheer as Daiki hot tags Takagi! The Rampaging Dragon RUNS Jake over, scoop SLAMS Jakob, then scoop SLAMS Akira! Takagi BLASTS Zane, but Callum CLAWS Takagi’s eyes! Callum whips but Takagi reverses to BACKDROP! The fans fire up as Takagi runs at Jake, but Jake BOOTS him! Jake runs up, but Takagi catches him, wrenches, and DDTS! Cover, TWO! Takagi tells the fans, “TOKI GA KITA!” The fans fire up as the time has come! “OI! OI! OI!” echoes out as Takagi powers up!

Takagi brings Jake up, suplexes, but Jake fights it! Jake shouts as he tries to suplex, then he CLUBS Takagi. Takagi fights free with elbows, then takes a swing, but Jake uses a clinch and leg sweep to throw Takagi down! Then he KICKS, but Takagi blocks! Jake ENZIGIRIS, then whips, but Takagi reverses, only for a LEG LARIAT to knock him down! Jake runs, fakes the Penalty Kick, and he SPITS at Takagi! Jake slaps Takagi around, jokes around, but Takagi just stands up with a frown. Takagi fires off forearms on Jake, but Jake feints high to BODY BLOW! But Takagi ELBOWS, JABS, and feints the lariat!

Takagi facelocks, but Jake wrenches free of the DDT! But Takagi blocks the kick to DRAGON SCREW! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Hot tags to Yota and Callum! The fans fire up as we finally get these two throwing hands! Callum fires KNEE after KNEE, then he runs, but into a BODY BLOW! Yota whips, Callum ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Yota sidesteps and FLAPJACKS! Then BOOTS! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up with Yota and he brings Callum up. Callum swings but into clinch! BACKBREAKER, FLATLINER, but Callum avoids the stomp! Callum blocks a lariat to ROCK and ROLLING ELBOW! Then Callum fireman’s carries!

Yota slips free, shoves, but Callum sweeps the leg! Yota avoids Excalibur, then he scoops and BACKBREAKERS! The fans fire up while both men are down! Yota catches his breath, powers up in the corner, and takes aim at Callum. Callum rises, Yota runs in, GENE- NO, Callum fights it off to PRINCE’S- NO! Yota fights free of the Curse to GENE TRIGGER! Callum HEEL KICKS! Yota ROCKS Callum! Callum roars, Yota HEADBUTTS! Yota roars, Callum LARIATS! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! Callum flounders but he crawls for the corner, hot tag to Zane! Zane springboards to CROSSBODY!

Zane BLASTS the Unbound corner, then brings Yota up. Zane fireman’s carries, but Yota fights free. Yota waistlocks, Zane switches, then he jumps for a THROWBACK STUNNER! Zane brings Yota up to scoop and FALL AWAY SLAM! The fans cheer the impressive strength while Zane goes for the cover, TWO! Zane taunts the champion, brings him up, and fireman’s carries again. But Yota slips free again, for the BACKBREAKER! FLATLINER! STOMP! The fans cheer the Gene Combination, and Yota suplexes, only for Zane to fight free! Jake ROUNDHOUSES Yota, but Takagi CLOBBERS Jake! Akira waistlocks, Jakob runs in, but Takagi BOOTS Jakob!

Takagi ELBOWS Akira, sends Jakob into him, but they block the double Pumping Bomber to ENZIGIRI SUPERKICK COMBO! Taiji runs up, he BOOTS Jakob, but Akira victory rolls for STOMP 182! But Robbie springboards for a MISSILE DROPKICK! Robbie handsprings up, then NO HAND HANDSPRINGS to hit Callum! Then Robbie goes up, up, and ARIHARA MOONSAULTS onto The Empire! The fans are thunderous, and then Yota has Zane for a suplex! Zane slips free, shoves, and LARIATS! Zane fires up, but Yota is right up! GERMAN SUPLEX! Zane flounders, Yota roars, and the fans cheer! GENE- NO, Zane hurdles over!

Zane O’Conner Rolls, with tights! TWO!! Zane DROPKICKS Yota, but Yota rebounds! GENE BLASTER!! Cover, Unbound Company wins!

Winners: The Unbound Company, by pinfall

Zane showed a lot of promise here, but he’s still not at the top level yet. Meanwhile, the brawling again breaks out on the outside! Robbie & Taiji put Akira & Jakob in their place, given their upcoming IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match. But will those titles still be #SuperExtreme? Or will the Crown of Fire & #DangerousJAY finally bring those titles back to the Empire?

As for Yota, he politely helps bring the New Japan Cup trophy over to Callum while also fetching his IWGP Heavyweight & Global Championships. Yota then grabs the mic to tell Callum he should stand in front of the main camera as they talk. Callum says shut up, but fine, he’ll go to the front. Yota does congratulate Callum on winning this year’s New Japan Cup. The fans applaud, and Yota tells him that there’s one thing still bothering him. It looks like Callum did it with some tricks up his sleeve. On April 4th, what cards will Callum try to play? Yota looks forward to what will happen in Ryogoku, and he wants to make sure, ARE YOU READY?!

The fans cheer again, but Callum just leaves. Yota says he is the man who will carry the IWGP titles AND NJPW on his shoulders. With that, Yota drops the mic and the fans cheer. Will the Gene Blast be more than ready for whatever Callum tries? Or will he still be made to kiss the crown?

My Thoughts:

A very good start to the Road to Sakura Genesis, though it seems NJPW isn’t going to televise that many of the dates. That aside, good stuff in these tune-up matches, and very good stuff in the Six Man Tag of KOB & Gedo VS TMDK. TMDK getting the win here is good for the momentum going into the tag title match, but it makes me think KOB will find a way to win out at Sakura Genesis. Really good 10 Man Tag, there was constant motion with the team members working together. Unbound Company winning here makes sense, they all have momentum for their different title matches and Yota got to give his closing promo.

My Score: 8.8/10