By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to Sakura Genesis”
April 3, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
Chris Charlton provided solo commentary; he said early in the show that Taiwan just experienced an earthquake.
This is my first NJPW show since Yota Tsuji won the New Japan Cup. Notably, David Finlay is not on this tour; I don’t know if that was planned, or his medical situation has caused him to miss out. Compared to the last tour, Clark Connors, Kushida and Kevin Knight are back in action; Jack Perry is not.
1. “House of Torture” EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Shoma Kato and Katsuya Morishima at 6:30. The Young Lions attacked to open. Yujiro hit a fisherman’s brainbuster for a nearfall at 5:00, but he pulled Kato up before the three-count. Yujiro then applied a Boston Crab. He hit a hard clothesline on Morishima for a nearfall, then the Pimp Juice leaping DDT for the pin. Okay action and what you would expect here.
2. “Just 5 Guys” Sanada, Douki, Taka Michinoku, Yuya Uemura, and Taichi defeated Boltin Oleg, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Toru Yano at 10:23. Taichi and Taguchi opened. Taka tagged in; Boltin tagged in. Taka went to his corner to tag out and all his teammates hopped off the ring apron. I don’t know why I always find this funny but the crowd laughed, too. Taka tried some shoulder tackles that had no effect. Oleg tossed Taka around like a rag doll in his arms, then hit a gut-wrench suplex at 3:00. Douki and Tenzan entered and traded offense. Sanada entered and hit some dropkicks at 5:30.
Taguchi tried to tie Sanada in the Paradise Lock, but of course, he couldn’t figure it out. Sanada tied Taguchi in the Paradise Lock. Yano got in, but Sanada tied him up and rolled him around on the mat and got a nearfall. Tiger Mask and Yuya entered, with TM applying a Rings of Saturn double armbar, but Yuya reached the ropes at 8:30. TM hit a Tiger Driver for a nearfall. Tiger Mask got a Crucifix Driver for a nearfall. Yuya hit a back suplex for a nearfall, then a top-rope crossbody block on Tiger Mask for the pin. Solid action.
3. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Chase Owens and Taiji Ishimori defeated Yoshi-Hashi and El Desperado at 10:49. They brawled at the bell, and Yoshi-Hashi whipped Chase into the guardrail. In the ring, Desperado and Ishimori battled and traded intense mat holds. Yoshi-Hashi hit a standing neckbreaker on Owens for a nearfall at 6:30. Owens hit a senton. Desperado hit a back suplex. Ishimori hit a Divorce Court armbreaker on Desperado at 8:30. Desperado fired back with a Spinebuster, and they were both down, with Desperado selling the pain in his arm. Desperado hit a swinging sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Ishimori popped up Desperado, hit a low blow mule kick, then rolled up Desperado for the cheap pin.
* Rather than head to the back, Chase Owens sat down and joined Chris Charlton on commentary!
4. Kushida, Kevin Knight, and Tomohiro Ishii defeated TJP, Francescko Akira, and Callum Newman at 10:41. Knight has cut off most of his hair and it’s a very different look for him. Akira and Knight opened and immediately traded forearm strikes. Akira hit a running stunner. TJP got in and hit his Facewash kicks at 2:30. Kushida got in and hit a flying crossbody block on TJP for a nearfall, and he snapped TJP’s arm across his shoulder. Knight hit an impressive dropkick. Knight got tied in the Tree of Woe, and TJP hit a top-rope stomp to his chest for a nearfall at 5:00.
Ishii and Newman tagged in and they immediately traded forearm strikes as Charlton reminded us they had a great match right before Wrestle Kingdom; Callum hit a spear that knocked Ishii down, then a punk kick to the chest for a nearfall at 6:30. Ishii hit a German Suplex, then a second one. Newman hit some superkicks and a clothesline for a nearfall. Newman missed a Shooting Star Press and Knight immediately hit a dropkick on him. Ishii hit a headbutt on Callum, then a sliding clothesline for a nearfall at 9:00. Newman went for a springboard stunner but Ishii blocked it. Ishii hit a clothesline for a nearfall. This crowd was HOT and Charlton shouted “this might as well be our main event.” Ishii hit a brainbuster for the pin. That was a stellar mid-card match.
* Drilla Moloney, Gedo and Clark Connors ran to the ring for the next match, as this was a three-team gauntlet.
5. Kushida, Kevin Knight, and Tomohiro Ishii defeated “Bullet Club War Dogs” Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, and Gedo at 7:22. The BC immediately began working over Ishii in their corner. Drilla and Ishii traded punches. Gedo choked Ishii. Ishii finally hit a suplex on Gedo at 5:00. Knight made the hot tag and he hit bodyslams on Gedo and Connors, then a Sky High powerbomb on Drilla. Kushida hit a double Pele Kick. Knight and Kushida hit Planchas to the floor. In the ring, Knight hit a spike DDT to pin Gedo.
* The dates and locations for the 19-show G1 Climax 34 tournament were announced.
6. Shingo Takagi defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru via DQ at 12:52. Kanemaru attacked Shingo on the floor and whipped him into the guardrail. I start my stopwatch at first contact; Charlton noted we haven’t had a bell yet. It rang just under a minute of brawling, as they entered the ring. Kanemaru applied a hammerlock and kept Shingo grounded. They went back to the floor with Kanemaru still working the left arm. Charlton said Kanemaru’s mission is to damage Shingo ahead of his match against EVIL. Back in the ring, Kanemaru snapped Shingo’s arm across his shoulder.
Shingo fired up and hit a series of chops in the corner at 7:30. Kanemaru hit a Tornado DDT and they were both down. Shingo hit a sliding clothesline at 10:00, then a Death Valley Driver. Kanemaru accidentally hit an enzuigiri on the referee! He got his whiskey and sprayed it into Shingo’s eyes. The House of Torture hit the ring and began stomping on Shingo. Dick Togo hit his knife-edge chop to Shingo’s groin. A new referee entered and counted a nearfall, so Kanemaru intentionally hit the referee, who called for the bell. Kanemaru ripped off the referee’s shirt and choked Shingo with it. EVIL jumped in the ring and hit the Everything is Evil uranage; Kanemaru (now wearing the ref shirt) counted to three.
* EVIL got on the mic and announced that Kanemaru will be the special guest referee on Saturday in his match against Shingo! Charlton was perplexed, wondering how that happened.
7. Shota Umino and Yoh defeated “House of Torture” Sho and Ren Narita at 16:02. Yoh got on the mic and said he’s looking forward to facing Sho for the Juniors title, but he wants Sho to say it will be a ‘clean’ match. Sho attacked Yoh to start. Yoh and Umino worked over Sho early on in their corner. They all brawled to the floor, and Ren whipped Shota into a guardrail at 3:00. In the ring, the heels worked over Yoh. Ren applied a Boston Crab at 6:00. Yoh hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Sho. Shota made the hot tag at 8:00 and hit some deep armdrags and dropkicks. He hit a DDT on the ring apron, then a top-rope missile dropkick and a fisherman’s suplex on Ren for a nearfall.
Ren hit a leaping knee to Shota’s chest at 10:30 and he hit a Northern Lights Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. Yoh hit a swinging neckbreaker and a suplex on Sho for a nearfall at 12:30. Sho set up for the Shock Arrow piledriver but Yoh blocked it. Sho got his wrench but the ref saw it. It allowed Yoh to hit a superkick and a Falcon Arrow for a believable nearfall at 14:30. Sho hit a low blow uppercut as Ren held onto the ref so he couldn’t see the cheating. Shota hit a tornado DDT on Ren. Yoh nailed the Direct Drive double-arm DDT to cleanly pin Sho! Good action.
* Yoh got on the mic and told Sho he will fight ‘fair and square’ in their singles match.
8. Bushi and Yota Tsuji defeated Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito at 14:26. This is intriguing as the LIJ members are on opposite sides of this match. Of course, Yota won the New Japan Cup (which he carried to ringside) to earn a title shot against Naito. They opened against each other, with some stalling and neither man able to land blows. Bushi and Hiromu tagged in at 2:30, and Bushi hit a huracanrana. They all brawled to the floor. Naito and Hiromu whipped Yota into the guardrail. In the ring, Naito and Hiromu began working over Bushi in their corner. This really is surreal to see these two LIJ teams fighting. Bushi hit a Lungblower on Naito at 7:00.
Yota tagged in and hit some forearm strikes on Naito and a running Mafia Kick on Naito, then one on Hiromu, too. He hit a shoulder tackle on Naito and was fired up. Hiromu tagged in and hit some chops on Shingo, but Shingo hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee and they were both down at 10:30. Bushi hit a missile dropkick on Hiromu, then a dive through the ropes onto Hiromu. In the ring, Bushi hit a basement dropkick on Hiromu’s knee, then he slammed the knee into the mat, and he grapevined the leg. They all hit finishers and all four men were down at 13:00, and the crowd was hot! Hiromu hit a Dynamite Plunger/modified Death Valley Driver on Bushi. Naito hit a tornado DDT. Bushi got a backslide on Hiromu and pinned him!
* Yota and Naito glared at each other across the ring, with Yota smirking at him. Bushi and Yota spoke on the mic. Yota asked Naito if he “enjoyed tangling with me for the first time since I was a Young Lion?”
Final Thoughts: A fun LIJ battle. No one lost their cool, and I didn’t expect Shingo or Naito to pin one another, so nothing has been decided. The six-man tag featuring TJP was best match of the night, ahead of the main event. The Umino/Yoh tag match takes third, and I’m not sure how Yoh is going to ‘force’ Sho to have a clean match without any cheating.
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