By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to Destruction”
September 9, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is the second consecutive night here. Chris Charlton provided commentary.
1. Sentoin N and Sentoin Y vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Yuji Nagata. These Sentoin characters wore black-and-white gear that are essentially cheesy skeleton costumes. They are scrawny and I presume youngsters. It gave Taguchi and Nagata two guys to beat up on. Taguchi got one to tap out to an ankle lock.
Ryusuke Taguchi and Yuji Nagata defeated Sentoin N and Sentoin Y at 7:52.
2. Jakob Austin Young vs. Shoma Kato. Kato hit some dropkicks early on, and he applied a Boston Crab at 4:00. Young hit an enzuigiri and a Sliced Bread out of the corner for the pin. Okay.
Jakob Austin Young defeated Shoma Kato at 4:57.
3. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Kosei Fujita vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Katsuya Murashima. Sabre is still carrying his G1 trophy, which I really like. He opened against Tenzan. Tenzan hit his Mongolian Chops. Sabre snapped his neck between his ankles. Kosei and Katsuya entered and traded offense. Tenzan re-entered and stomped on Sabre and hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. Sabre applied a crossarm breaker but Tenzan escaped and he applied a sleeper hold on the mat. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Sabre hit his Pele Kick to the shoulder. Kosei put Katsuya in a Fujiwara Armbar, and Murashima tapped out.
“The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Kosei Fujita defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Katsuya Murashima at 7:52.
4. Shota Umino and Jado vs. “House of Torture” Sho and Ren Narita. Umino and Jado entered through the crowd at the landing halfway up the seating in Korakuen Hall and were attacked from behind and they brawled on the floor. (I always start my stopwatch at first contact or the bell, whichever is first.) They got in the ring and we got a bell at 1:15, with the heels stomping on Shota. Shot hit a chop block on Jado at 3:30 and he twisted Jado’s knee around the ring post. Shota got the hot tag and hit a nice dropkick to Ren’s face at 6:00. Ren hit an Exploder Suplex for a nearfall on Shota. Shota hit his own Exploder Suplex and they were both down. Sho and Jado re-entered, and Jado applied a Crossface on the mat. Ren struck Jado with his push-up bar. Sho applied a grapevine leglock, and Jado tapped out.
“House of Torture” Sho and Ren Narita defeated Jado and Shota Umino at 10:10/official time is about 8:55.
5. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Jake Lee and Gabe Kidd vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Tomoaki Honma. Lee and Ishii opened with an intense lockup. Kidd entered and clotheslined Ishii in the corner at 2:30. Honma entered and missed a Kokeshi on Kidd. Moments later, Honma hit the Kokeshi and got a nearfall at 6:00. He hit a second-rope Kokeshi for a nearfall, but Lee made the save. Kidd immediately hit a brainbuster for a nearfall. Lee hit a back suplex on Ishii, sending him to the floor. Honma headbutted each opponent. Kidd pulled down his kneepad and hit a running knee on Honma for the pin. Solid. Ishii and Lee continued to brawl after the bell.
“Bullet Club War Dogs” Jake Lee and Gabe Kidd defeated Tomohiro Ishii and Tomoaki Honma at 8:51.
6. Tiger Mask, Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. “House of Torture” EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Oleg and Togo opened, with Oleg tossing him around. The HoT began working over Oleg in their corner. Tanahashi entered at 6:00 and hit a basement dropkick on EVIL’s knee, then a crossbody block and a Dragonscrew Legwhip. Tiger Mask entered and hit a Tiger Driver on Kanemaru at 10:00. Togo choked TM with his wire. Kanemaru tied Tiger Mask in a Figure Four Leglock, and TM submitted. Blah.
“House of Torture” EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Tiger Mask, Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano, and Hiroshi Tanahashi at 10:47.
7. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gedo and Taiji Ishimori vs. “Just 5 Guys” Taka Michinoku and Douki. Douki and Ishimori opened with basic offense. Douki hit a DDT at 3:00 and they were both down. Taka and Gedo entered and traded rollups. Douki put Ishimori in the Douki Chokey. Meanwhile, Taka cranked back on Gedo’s head, and Gedo tapped out! Surprisingly short, and I don’t mind that at all.
Taka Michinoku and Douki defeated Gedo and Taiji Ishimori at 4:18.
8. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Tetsuya Naito, Bushi, Shingo Takagi, and Yota Tsuji vs. “United Empire” Francesco Akira, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, and Callum Newman. All eight brawled at the bell. Cobb hit a dropkick on Yota. Akira hit a running leg lariat on Yota. Yota hit a backbreaker over his knee on Akira at 2:00. Naito and O-Khan brawled on the floor, with Naito tugging on O-Khan’s long braid. LIJ worked over Akira in the ring. Naito hit a standing neckbreaker at 3:30 and mocked O-Khan’s body gestures. Akira tagged in Newman at 5:30, who hit his sprinting Mafia Kick on Shingo, then an enzuigiri. (We need a Shingo-Newman rematch after Callum’s shocking win in G1!) Callum went for a standing moonsault, but Shingo got his knees up. Shingo hit a DDT. Callum went for an OsCutter (how he won the G1 match!) but this time Shingo blocked it. Nice callback.
O-Khan and Naito finally tagged in for their respective teams at 7:00. (O-Khan beat Naito on the final day of the G1 round-robin to take the final playoff spot.) O-Khan hit a Mafia Kick, and they were both down. O-Khan hit a belly-to-belly suplex. Bushi tagged in for the first time at 9:30 and hit a missile dropkick on O-Khan. Cobb hit a Spin Cycle on Yota. Shingo hit a decapitating clothesline on Cobb. Bushi hit his rewind kick on O-Khan; O-Khan hit a straight punch that dropped Bushi, then he hit a Flatliner! O-Khan hit a Claw Slam to Bushi’s head, driving him to the mat, and scored the pin. That was a really good undercard match that had many little stories going on.
Francesco Akira, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, and Callum Newman defeated Tetsuya Naito, Bushi, Shingo Takagi, and Yota Tsuji at 11:15.
9. Henare vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the NEVER Openweight Title. Hiromu tried a shoulder tackle but bounced off Henare, so Hiromu rolled to the floor to regroup. Henare followed and they took turns whipping each other into the guardrails and they briefly went into the crowd. Henare sold being annoyed by the crowd support for Hiromu. They got back into the ring at 3:30 and traded chops. Hiromu hit a head-scissors takedown at 6:00, and he applied a modified Tarantula in the ropes, then a running Shotgun Dropkick from the apron onto Henare on the floor. In the ring, Henare hit a Samoan Drop at 9:00 and they were both down.
Henare went for a Full Nelson, but Hiromu blocked it. Hiromu hit a Flatliner and they were both down at 10:30. Henare hit a stiff roundhouse kick to the chest. Hiromu hit some chops. Henare hit more roundhouse kicks, and this was intense, as this exchange continued. Henare hit a running penalty kick for a nearfall at 15:00. Hiromu hit a running powerbomb for a nearfall. Henare hit a clothesline. Hiromu hit a superkick and a belly-to-belly suplex. Henare hit a stiff clothesline for a nearfall at 18:30. He got the Full Nelson locked in; Hiromu fell to his knees but got back to his feet, but then fell back to the mat, and was on the verge of passing out. Henare released the hold, hit a uranage, and got a nearfall at 20:30.
Hiromu got a Crucifix Driver for a nearfall and they were both down. Henare hit a Berzerker Bomb, then a running knee in the corner. Hiromu got a rollup for a believable nearfall. Henare hit the Rampage football tackle for a believable nearfall at 22:30 and they were both down again. Hiromu hit a clothesline, then the Time Bomb side slam for a believable nearfall. Henare hit a stiff headbutt, then his Streets of Rage fisherman’s brainbuster for the pin. That was really good; it may have been longer than needed, but it was good. Hiromu’s LIJ teammates came to the ring to help him to the back. Henare and Shingo had a stare-off, and Henare held his title in the air. (Not sure we need another chapter in that feud again this soon.)
Henare defeated Hiromu Takahashi to retain the NEVER Openweight Title at 25:02.
Final Thoughts: In back-to-back days, Naito has seen the two guys gunning for him. He fought G1 Climax winner Sabre on Sunday, and here he battled O-Khan, who beat him and kept him out of the G1 playoffs. So, I like that Naito is facing opponents on different fronts. I also really liked the Newman-Shingo exchange, and I do hope we get a singles rematch there.
A very good main event, but as I noted, I don’t know if they needed to go 25 minutes to tell that story, either. But those were two good top matches. The undercard matches haven’t really clicked the past three days. The highlight has definitely been the Jake Lee-Tomohiro Ishii interaction, and hopefully we get that singles match soon, too.
Be the first to comment