NJPW’s Road to the New Beginning continued today in Osaka, with the participants from the top four matches on Monday’s tour-closer taking part in a 10-man tag main event.
No titles were on the line on today’s event, which was more of a glorified house show than anything. The undercard was lackluster, largely due to having a lot of talent stacked in the last match.
With a pair of title matches, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White and Taiji Ishimori vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, plus Kazuchika Okada in singles action against Bad Luck Fale, Monday’s show should be significantly better.
Full results and match recaps from today’s show are below:
SHOTA UMINO & AYATO YOSHIDA DEFEATED HIROYOSHI TENZAN & YOTA TSUJI (9:49)
A decent opener, but nothing special, and not as good as some of the openers on this tour.
Tenzan and Tsuji used tandem tackles on Umino, who tagged out. Yoshida entered and took over on Tsuji with strikes. Umino tagged back in and used a slam for a near fall.
Umino and Yoshida worked over Tsuji. Yoshida kicked Tenzan off the apron, then used a chinlock on Tsuji. Tsuji reached the ropes, forcing a break. Tsuji got a slam on Yoshida and tagged Tenzan.
Tenzan hit Mongolian chops, a corner lariat, and hit a brainbuster for a two count. Yoshida and Tenzan exchanged strikes. Tenzan hit a mountain bomb for a two count. Yoshida hit a sit-out lariat and tagged Umino.
Umino ate a spin kick from Tenzan. Tenzan hit a corner lariat, and Tsuji hit a dropkick. Tsuji used a crab, but Yoshida broke it up. Umino used a dropkick off the second rope on Tsuji, then applied a crab. Tenzan broke up the hold.
Yoshida took Tenzan to the floor, and Umino hit a fisherman suplex on Tsuji for the pin.
YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED REN NARITA (9:59)
YOSHI-HASHI didn’t look good here. Narita is much better than he is already.
Narita jumped YH before the bell, looking to gain the early advantage. He briefly scored some offense, before YH took control. YH used a chinlock, then a seated crossface, but Narita reached the ropes.
YH hit a slam for a near fall. He draped Narita over the ropes, then connected with a dropkick to the back for a near fall. Narita hit a dropkick to YH’s taped shoulder. Narita hit a back elbow and a shoulder tackle for a near fall.
Narita hit a vertical suplex for a two count, then applied a crab. YH reached the ropes. They traded chops. YH hit a superkick for a near fall, then applied a half crab. YH transitioned to a full crab, but Narita reached the ropes.
Narita picked up two quick near falls. YH used a neckbreaker for a near fall, then applied the butterfly lock. Narita fought it, but he had no choice but to tap out.
YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED TOMOAKI HONMA & TOA HENARE (11:38)
I can’t remember the last time I saw a match like this on a New Japan show. Mediocre work, no heat, and it went forever.
Honma and Owens grappled to a stalemate. Yujiro and Henare tagged in and Yujiro used some rule-breaking tactics to take over. Yujiro and Owens worked over Henare. Henare finally tagged Honma. Honma missed a Kokeshi.
Yujiro worked over Honma. Honma made his own comeback and tagged Henare. Henare hit a flying tackle on Owens. Yujiro jumped in for the illegal double team, but Henare hit him with a Samoan drop. Honma came in and hit a Kokeshi, and Henare hit a diving chop for a near fall.
Henare used a tackle on Owens for a near fall, as Yujiro jumped in to break up the pinfall. Owens went for a package piledriver, but Henare escaped. Owens tried again, and got it this time for the pin.
EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, YOSHINOBU KANEMARU & EL DESPERADO (12:02)
This was fun, and it was excellent when Suzuki and SANADA were in together.
They brawled before the bell, then after. They brawled in the ring, they brawled around ringside. Suzuki-gun finally gained the advantage when Suzuki used an armbar on BUSHI, first over the ropes, then on the apron.
The Suzuki-gun team went to work on BUSHI, focusing on the left arm. BUSHI used a swinging neckbreaker on Desperado, then managed a tag to SANADA. SANADA put Kanemaru in the Paradise Lock, then focused his attack on Suzuki.
Business really picked up when SANADA and Suzuki were in together. They did a really nice sequence of counters based off their singles match last week. Suzuki went for the Gotch piledriver, but SANADA backdropped out of it and hit a dropkick.
EVIL got a tag. Suzuki did a misdirection spot, allowing his team to triple up on EVIL. Suzuki hit a PK, and Kanemaru covered for a near fall. Kanemaru hit Deep Impact on EVIL, but SANADA broke up the pinfall.
LIJ then triple-teamed Kanemaru. BUSHI hit a suicide dive to Desperado. EVIL and SANADA hit Kanemaru with the Magic Killer for the pin.
TETSUYA NAITO & SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED TAICHI & TAKA MICHINOKU (12:42)
Naito had both knees taped, and his left arm taped. TAKA and Shingo worked most of the match. TAKA looked good considering his age, and Shingo always looks good.
Naito and TAKA started off. Naito wanted Taichi, so TAKA obliged. Taichi tagged in, he and Naito both hit tranquilo poses, then tagged out.
TAKA poked Shingo in the eyes. Shingo made his own comeback. Naito jumped in for the double team, then rolled outside. Taichi attacked Naito with his microphone stand on the floor, then jumped in and attacked Shingo with it while TAKA took the ref.
Taichi sent Naito over the barricade, attacking him with a chair on the outside. Taichi then sent Shingo into the barricade, before again focusing his attack on Naito.
TAKA worked on Shingo with stomps and simple strikes in the ring. TAKA then used a crossface, a running knee in the corner, a running knee strike, and another crossface. TAKA used a chinlock, but Shingo reached the ropes. Shingo and TAKA tagged out.
Naito hit a dropkick, a neckbreaker, and the combinacion de cabron for a near fall. Taichi hit a buzzsaw kick for a near fall. Taichi took his pants off. Naito hit a running kick into a double down. Naito made a tag.
Shingo missed with a pumping bomber, and Taichi hit an enzuigiri. TAKA used another eye poke, then hit a superkick for a two count. Shingo hit a brainbuster. Naito ran Taichi into the barricade, then jumped in to double up on TAKA.
Naito hit a dropkick, and Shingo used a pop-up spinebuster. Naito hit an atomic drop, and Shingo hit a pumping bomber. Shingo used Last of the Dragon to pick up the pinfall on TAKA.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI, KAZUCHIKA OKADA, TOGI MAKABE, TORU YANO & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI DEFEATED JAY WHITE, BAD LUCK FALE, TAMA TONGA, TANGA LOA & TAIJI ISHIMORI (29:33)
This was an elimination match. Eliminations could take place via pinfall, submission, or over the top rope with both feet hitting the floor.
Tanahashi and White started off. Tana tried for the quick over the top elimination, and his teammates helped, but Bullet Club made the save. White went to work on Tana’s bad knee with kicks. He went for an elimination, but Okada saved, then jumped in for a double-team back elbow. Tana and Okada posed.
Taguchi and Tonga tagged in. They did some comedy. Tonga tagged Ishimori. Taguchi hit a hip attack and danced. Taguchi used a roll-up, but then got hit with Jado’s kendo stick from the floor. Bullet Club used the distraction to beat down the babyfaces around ringside.
With his teammates down on the floor, Taguchi fell victim to an attack from Ishimori and White in the ring. White used dragon screws, then a chinlock. Loa got a tag, and hit a suplex for a two count. Tonga tagged in and hit a dropkick for a two count.
Ishimori tagged in. He hit a handspring, but jumped right into a hip attack. Taguchi tagged Makabe. Makabe hit a powerslam on Ishimori, then ten punches on Loa. Makabe hit three lariats. Loa hit a powerslam. Makabe hit a lariat. He went to the top for the knee drop, but Fale threw him off the top into the ring. Loa dumped Makabe over the top for the first elimination. (Loa eliminates Makabe)
Yano came in. Jado tossed Tonga a kendo stick, but he refused to use it, allowing Yano to use a schoolboy on Loa for the second elimination. (Yano eliminates Loa)
Tonga then snapped and used the kendo stick on Yano for the disqualification. (Tonga eliminated by DQ)
White hit the Blade Runner on Yano for the pinfall elimination. (White eliminates Yano)
Tana entered, going to work on White’s legs. Tana used a dragon screw and a dropkick to the leg. He went for a second rope senton, but White rolled out of the way. They went to the outside, where White sent Tana into the barricade. White got a near fall back inside.
Ishimori tagged in, and attacked Tana’s knees. Fale entered and did the same. White tagged back in. Tana managed a crossbody off the second, then tagged Okada. Okada ran wild on White and an interfering Ishimori. Okada hit a DDT for a near fall on White.
White came back with a Saito suplex, then tagged Fale. Okada went for a slam, but Fale escaped. Okada tried again, and slammed Fale. Fale hit a tackle and a splash for a two count. Okada blocked a grenade twice. Okada and Fale fought near the ropes, and Fale went to the floor for the elimination. Fale then pulled Okada to the floor and eliminated him. (Okada eliminates Fale, Fale eliminates Okada)
Taguchi and Ishimori fought on the apron. Taguchi hit a hip attack, and both he and Ishimori fell to the floor, eliminated. (Taguchi eliminates Ishimori, Taguchi eliminates himself)
The match came down to Tanahashi and White. They traded strikes. Tana hit a slingblade for a two count. Tana hit a slam, then went to the top. Gedo pushed him off the top, but Tana skinned the cat and made it back inside.
White went for a Blade Runner, but Tana fought it off. White hit a uranage. White hit a DVD for a two count. Tana reversed a Blade Runner into twist and shout. Tana hit a rope-assisted dragon screw on White, as White rolled to the apron.
They fought on the apron. Tana hit slingblade, and White fell to the floor, eliminated. (Tanahashi eliminates White)
White went after Tanahashi’s bad knee after the match, and promised to take his title on Monday. Tana went after White, but he was held back by the Young Lions. Tana broke free and chased White backstage, and that’s how the show ended.