[I’m leaving the original post contents at the end so all the comments will still make sense.]
Daiki Nagai, Nick Wayne def Gedo, Taiji Ishimori — (4:51, double Stunner)
-
Nick Wayne has finally broken the pattern, wearing black for a second time in a row; I would assume to match with Nagai.
-
Wayne and Ishimori start off, but just have one brief sequence before tagging out.
-
Match ends with Wayne hitting a double Stunner on both Ishimori and Gedo. He actually covers Ishimori first, and the ref has to tell him that Gedo is the legal one (which looked very much like a work to me).
-
Post-match, Wayne and Nagai shake hands and bro hug.
-
Wayne vs Ishimori on the next show (22nd); and every undercard tag will be a preview for one or two of the Block matches on that night.
Katsuya Murashima, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi, YOH def Masatora Yasuda, Shoma Kato, MAO, El Desperado — (8:48, Boston Crab)
-
MAO comes out to his music but then waits at the top of the ramp for Despe’s music to hit. They put their arms around each other’s shoulders for a minute before heading to the ring.
-
Kato wants to start with Tiger, and he gets to do so.
-
Despe and MAO end up working together, to minimal success.
-
Taguchi vs MAO is their next block match, and it is only now that I realize the immense potential of that pairing. This preview is worth watching to get a taste of that, and MAO certainly got a taste of… something… here.
-
Post-match, YOH goes and gets forehead-to-forehead and title-to-title with Despe. MAO walks by in the background with his pants pulled down below his butt. His boxers are from street wear brand GALFY and have their dog logo printed on the rear.
Yota Tsuji Mascara Kantansu Tomato, Titan def Hartley Jackson, Robbie Eagles — (8:31, Gene Blaster)
-
Tsuji was scheduled to team with his former LIJ pareja, so the production plays his music, but instead Mascara Kantansu Tomato has taken his place to make his first appearance in quite a while.
-
Robbie and Titan start, albeit very briefly and ending in a stalemate.
-
We have a brief bit of MKT vs Big Jag (who is kinda tomato shaped) before Robbie comes back in. Eagles immediately begins and succeeds in unmasking Tomato; and for some reason that doesn’t result in an immediate DQ.
-
In Japanese Robbie proclaims that MKT was really Tsuji, which was in fact the case. Tomato and Tsuji know each other from Tsuji’s excursion in CMLL, so it makes sense that MCT would lend Tsuji his identity. wink, wink
-
Post-pin, Eagles and Titan have to be physically separated and continue a tense argument for a few moments.
Yujiro Takahashi, SANADA, SHO def Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kevin Knight — (7:43, DQ)
-
SANADA has a replacement guitar for the one that was finally completely destroyed during the Dogpound match.
-
The House wait until Kevin’s entrance announcement to jump Hontai and start the match. Yujro and SHO stay in the ring to beat down Knight while everyone else rolls outside.
-
229 days of Tanahashi left. During our first big outside brawl of the night, he’s the victim of SANADA’s Milano spot.
-
Yano Shenanigans level: Normal.
-
HoT Shenanigans level: Surprisingly low… until the end of the match when SANADA gets the guitar and Eddy Guerreros Yano for the DQ.
-
Post-match, Yano argues with the ref, showing him that the guitar doesn’t even have a scratch on it. Meanwhile SHO steals Knight’s jacket and shades, and Kevin chases him out of the arena (and leaps over a guardrail) trying to retrieve them. Tana apologies to Milano and does some fanservice before leaving.
BOSJ A Block: [point totals from before the results of the current match] Hiromu Takahashi (4) def Ninja Mack (4) — (10:37, D)
-
Mack offers a handshake pre-lockup, Hiromu accepts.
-
This was fine. Mack did a new variant of the Ninja Special spot.
-
Post-match, Hiromu offers a handshake and Mack accepts then raises Hiromu’s hand in victory. Hiromu swaps wrist control and raises Mack’s hand.
-
As he’s leaving Hiromu yells hype for himself, thanks to the crowd, and about the cuteness of every child fan he sees on his way up the ramp.
-
Next Matches (24th): Mack vs Clark, Hiromu vs Nobu
BOSJ A Block: Yoshinobu Kanemaru (4) def Kosei Fujita (6) — (9:45, Touch Out)
-
Nobu jumps Fujita while he’s posing on the turnbuckle.
-
The finish sees Fujita getting Nobu up for Thrill Ride, but SANADA, Yujiro, and SHO come out. SANADA (who’s gotten his guitar back) distracts the ref while Yuj and SHO get cheap shots in. The crowd chants for the Torturers to go home as Nobu hits Touch Out for the pin.
-
Next Matches (24th): Nobu vs Hiromu, Fujita vs Dia
BOSJ A Block: Clark Connors (4) def KUSHIDA (6) — (10:20, No Chaser)
-
During his entrance, Clark is a little slow, and when he gets in the ring and takes his shirt off his lower back is taped up; selling his match with Hiromu and the effects of the big Wheel-San bump.
-
Eventually we get to the outside brawl portion of a Clark Connors match. He goes under the ring and pulls out Wheel-san, but immediately flinches and drops him, staring him down while holding his back.
-
KUSHIDA uses the distraction to get the advantage, then goes to get Wheel-san and overhead throws him at Clark; who thankfully dodges it.
-
Clark gets the advantage again, then sees Wheel-san and stares at him, going through some inner turmoil. Then Clark picks him up and uses him to hit KUSHI, then Yasuda, then Kato, then Nagai; before letting out a triumphant cry of “Wheel-san!”
-
Clark then balances Wheel-san on Nagai’s corpse and forcibly stretches KUSHI on it. (This is a legit stretch and if you’ve watched the old LA Dojo doc you’ll recognize it being done on Wheel-san’s cousin, Tire.)
-
Clark takes Wheel-san with him as he leaves and gives him a little kiss. Friendship restored.
-
Next Matches (24th): Clark vs Mack, KUSHI vs Wato
BOSJ A Block: Francesco Akira[w/GOK] (4) def Dragon Dia (6) — (9:55, Ground Tarantula)
-
Great-O-Khan is from Gunma, where we are today, so has emerged from his cave of women, waifus, and pancakes in order to come support his UE bro.
-
Right at the bell Akira runs at Dia and hits him with a dropkick.
-
This was fun, but surprisingly short.
-
Post-match, Akira stops by English comms where Nick Wayne is a guest; asking if Wayne maybe “wants some of that” and saying he can bring it to him in AEW. Wayne says “alright, I’ll see you in the finals, yo, alright?”
-
Next Matches (24th): Akira vs X, Dia vs Fujita
BOSJ A Block: Master Wato (6) def Robbie X (6) — (17:13, Recientemente II)
-
Pre-lockup, there’s a handful of WD fans who start barking. Wato gets a “Wato” chant going in response.
-
After their first little sequence Robbie says “Master dickhead, lets fucking go” and I swear he sounded exactly like ZSJ. (I’m fully expecting one of you Brits to “well, actually” me in the comments about accents.)
-
This was perfectly acceptable. Robbie leant hard into the WD heel schtick. Closing stretch was fun.
-
Victory promo from Wato: “Wait a second, stay until the end here.” (Chris Charlton’s translation tried to make it seem that he was saying this to Robbie, but he wasn’t. Apparently there were some audience members who had already started leaving.)
“OK, I get it. Thank you for coming today, everyone. I’ll make this declaration to everyone who’s still here. I couldn't go back to back last year, but after one year off, I'll win this year. Along with this tag belt there's another thing I need. The IWGP Junior title that El Desperado has.” -
“I will win this tournament, use that as my chance and come for you. I will come here as champion, sellout this and every building on to the Tokyo Dome. It's us, the junior heavyweights that will make NJPW the best it's ever been, and it'll be me in the center of it all. I will be the Grand master!”
-
Wato takes the time to go around and also hands with the remaining fans before leaving. Somebody’s toddler son actually runs past the barricade (in one of the corner aisles where they have them, so wrestlers will know it isn’t an exit) and Shoma Kato has to go corral him.
-
Next Matches (24th): Wato vs KUSHI, X vs Akira
—Block Standings—
A Block:
Master Wato– 8 points (4-2) — (won: Akira, Dia, X, Mack – lost: Fujita, Clark)
KUSHIDA– 6 points (3-3) — (won: Fujita, Dia, Mack – lost: Hiromu, Clark, X)
Hiromu Takahashi– 6 points (3-3) — (won: KUSHI, Clark, Mack – lost: Fujita, Akira, Dia)
Kosei Fujita– 6 points (3-3) — (won: Wato, Hiromu, Akira– lost: KUSHI, X, Nobu)
Francesco Akira– 6 points (3-3) — (won: Hiromu, Dia, Mack – lost: Fujita, Nobu, Wato)
Clark Connors– 6 points (3-3) — (won: Wato, KUSHI, X – lost: Hiromu, Dia, Nobu)
Robbie X– 6 points (3-3) — (won: Fujita, KUSHI, Nobu – lost: Wato, Clark, Mack)
Yoshinobu Kanemaru– 6 points (3-3) — (won: Akira, Fujita, Clark – lost: Dia, X, Mack)
Dragon Dia– 6 points (3-3) — (won: Hiromu, Clark, Nobu – lost: Wato, Akira, KUSHI)
Ninja Mack– 4 points (2-4) — (won: X, Nobu – lost: Hiromu Akira, KUSHI, Wato)
B Block:
Nick Wayne– 8 points (4-1)
El Desperado– 6 points (3-2)
Ryusuke Taguchi– 6 points (3-2)
Titan– 6 points (3-2)
YOH– 4 points (2-3)
Kevin Knight– 4 points (2-3)
Robbie Eagles– 4 points (2-3)
Taiji Ishimori– 4 points (2-3)
SHO– 4 points (2-3)
MAO– 4 points (2-3)
———
OG Post text below:
[This was a link to NJPW’s English results page, which gets uploaded in somewhat real-time. Leaving it here would risk it messing up the spoiler hiding function on mobile.]
Doing this as a text post so I can maybe edit in the usual stuff when I catch up on the show tomorrow, because apparently some of y’all actually like reading it?
———
Reminder: If you see another basic full results post after this one (especially one from a website trying to shill their zero-effort content) it is considered a repost and should be reported as such. (This is literally the entire reason these posts came into existence, if you weren’t aware.)
Also please report any posts that are either direct links to pirated versions of recent NJPW shows, or that link to Abema blogs that exist solely to distribute pirated content. Breaks r/NJPW Rules” -> “Custom” -> write in the text box that it’s copyrighted content. We do not need TV Asahi on our butts.
by EffingKENTA