By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Hyper Battle ’22”
April 4, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
There was no English commentary available. Kevin Kelly was back in the United States (I still listen to the Japanese commentary, just for their reactions to certain moves).
1. Bad Luck Fale, Taiji Ishimori, and El Phantasmo defeated Master Wato, Ryohei Oiwa, and Ryusuke Taguchi at 9:54. The storyline here is that Taguchi and Master Wato have aligned with Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa against the Bullet Club, and that continued here. The great things about these matches are watching young lions like Oiwa get to face a talented pro like El Phantasmo with some great exchanges. Phantasmo hit a nice-looking lionsault on Oiwa for a nearfall, then he hit his modified Styles Clash on Oiwa for the pin. Decent opener.
2. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Douki defeated Shingo Takagi and Bushi at 7:39. No real storyline here, and I wish that Shingo was involved in a top-tier feud rather than battling mid-carders. Kanemaru hit a brainbuster on Bushi for the pin. Pointless match; not bad, just there.
3. Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jado at 7:55. Again, Tanahashi has aligned with Tonga & Loa in the feud against the Bullet Club. This was supposed to be Gedo teaming with Owens, but Fale was a ring-side substitution. This once again meant that Jado couldn’t get his hands on Gedo. They brawled at the start, with Gedo sitting at ringside, laughing. The heels spent most of the match beating up Jado. Owens hit a running knee to the chest on Jado for the pin; Tanahashi was barely in.
The heels were going to continue a post-match beat down, but Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa came out for the save.
4. Sho and Dick Togo defeated Taka Michinoku and El Desperado at 9:02. Sho and Desperado are feuding, and they brawled immediately to start the match. They brawled in the middle of the match; this is good action when they are both in. Late in the match, Sho nailed a spear on Taka, then a piledriver for a nearfall. While the ref was distracted, Sho got his wrench and hit Taka in the head. Sho applied a submission hold; Taka was knocked out so the ref stopped the match.
A video aired with Will Ospreay, who was playing with a lighter. He said he has a “brand new protege.” He handed the lighter to someone (we can’t see who it is), and that person burned a picture of Desperado. Interesting, and a cool video. Is this TJP? He’s been part of the United Empire in New Japan Strong here in the U.S. Or are we going in a different direction?
5. Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, and Aaron Henare defeated Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hoshi, Togi Makabe, and Yoh at 12:19. Again, this is advancing the feud of Cobb and O-Khan wanting a tag title shot from champions Goto and Yoshi-Hoshi. All eight men brawled at the start. The heels extensively worked over Makabe, with Cobb doing an extended vertical suplex. The faces then worked over Great-O-Khan for several minutes.
Ospreay got in and traded some really good offense with Yoh. All eight were in the ring again. Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow on Ospreay for a nearfall. The action really picked up with the heels beating up Yoh. Ospreay hit the Hidden Blade running back elbow to the face on Yoh for the pin. This was far better than anything so far on the show.
The heels continued the beatdown after the match. Great-O-Khan got on the mic and jawed at the babyfaces.
6. Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito defeated EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi at 12:58. EVIL attacked Hiromu as he walked to ringside, furthering their feud. (During the just-completed New Japan Cup tournament, Hiromu pinned EVIL, then taunted him for losing to a junior heavyweight.) EVIL and Hiromu fought in and out of the ring. Late in the match, Yujiro went for his cane, but Naito blocked it. Naito wound up getting a rollup to pin Yujiro. Just like Shingo, I can’t believe that Naito isn’t involved in a feud right now. Hiromu has grabbed EVIL’s belt. EVIL through a fit, tossing chairs into the ring, and Hiromu continued to taunt him, waving EVIL’s NEVER Openweight Championship belt at him.
7) Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi defeated Toru Yano and Kazuchika Okada at 19:26. Sabre walked to the ring carrying the oversized New Japan Cup. This match highlights two singles matches planned for the next big New Japan show on April 9. Okada and Sabre opened with tentative reversals.
Late in the match, Taichi ordered the ring ropes be removed, as he and Yano are going to have a sumo match. The heels beat up on Yano, with the ring ropes gone. Sabre hit a Michinoku Driver on Okada at 19:00. He then tied up both of Yano’s arms, and Yano submitted. Good match.
Sabre got on the mic. He said Okada had been on top for a very long time, but that time is done. For the last four years, Sabre has thought about winning the Cup four years ago, but wasn’t able to win the title afterward. He said Okada is the same wrestler he was then, but Sabre has improved. Good, intense promo to close a solid second half of the show. Taichi also spoke (in Japanese) and got a laugh from the crowd and applause.
Final Thoughts: This was a mediocre show, but most of the matches built toward their next big show on April 9 featuring Okada-Sabre, Desperado-Sho, EVIL-Hiromu and the tag title match. It was really a rough first half, though. With Sanada out injured, Kota Ibushi still out injured as well, and Tomohiro Ishii and Minoru Suzuki in the U.S., the roster feels a bit thin.
The biggest disappointment is that Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa returned after a huge face turn for them, and were thrown in a mid-card feud with Chase Owens, Gedo, and Bad Luck Fale. At the very least, I expected Tama Tonga to be co-headlining against EVIL. That hasn’t happened, and it really defines them down.
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