NJPW “Historic X-Over II” results (11/17): Vetter’s review of Zack Sabre Jr. and Maika vs. El Desperado and Starlight Kid, Mayu Iwatani vs. Momo Watanabe for the IWGP Women’s Title

By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)

New Japan Pro Wrestling “Historic X-Over II”
November 17, 2024 in Osaka, Japan at Edion Arena Osaka
Streamed live on New Japan World

The venue is a small arena. Even with the lights low, I can see the upper deck is fairly full, and the crowd is 2,000 or more. Chris Charlton, Walker Stewart, a woman named Xena, and Thom Fain provided commentary; yes four people in the booth. This show features a LOT of Stardom talent that I admittedly don’t know. Tom is the Stardom commentator. Xena is a wrestler who is apparently injured.

1. Ranna Yagami and Sayaka Kurara vs. Hanako and Aya Sakura. Ranna wore yellow, Sayaka wore pink, Aya wore blue and Hanako wore black. Hanako is MUCH taller and an on-screen graphic says she is 75 kg (165 pounds); and I saw her on a few of her U.S. tour dates earlier this year with matches in New Japan, MLW, and New Texas Pro. Hanako’s team worked over Kurara early on. Ranna entered and hit some roundhouse kicks on Aya. She hit a stiff kick to Kurara’s face and a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall at 8:30. Sayaka got some rollups. Hanako put Sayaka on her shoulders and hit a swinging faceplant for the pin. Hanako just stands out because she must be 5’10” and everyone else here was closer to 5’2″.

Hanako and Ayo Sakura defeated Ranna Yagami and Sayaka Kurara at 9:56.

2. Tomoka Inaba and Syuri vs. Tam Nakano and Saori Anou. Inaba has longer hair and wore white, while Syuri has a shorter cut, like Asuka. I am struggling to keep these four apart as two women wore nearly identical white gear but are not teammates. (Anou is the other woman in white). Inaba hit a pop-up kneestrike and a Michinoku Driver for a believable nearfall on Nakano. Tam hit a German Suplex with a high bridge for a believable nearfall. She hit a Shining Wizard on Inaba for a believable nearfall. Nakano hit a spike Michinoku Driver-style move to pin Inaba. Good action.

Tam Nakano and Saori Anou defeated Tomoka Inaba and Syuri at 10:11.

3. AZM, Mei Seira, and Miyu Amasaki vs. “HATE” RIna, Ruaka, and Konami. Ruaka has long white hair. AZM (Az eh mee) and her team are bubbly and colorful; the HATE team are dark and mean. Unsurprisingly, the HATE team attacked at the bell and all six brawled. Miyu Amasaki is really thin with long brown hair and she unloaded a series of forearm strikes, but the HATE team worked Miyu over. Miyu hit an X-Factor faceplant at 3:00. Ruaka hit a hard clothesline on the smaller Seira. AZM got a hot tag at 5:00 but the heels quickly worked her over too. Rina hit a double knee drop to the stomach on AZM for a nearfall at 6:30, and she tied up AZM on the mat.

AZM hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall on Rina, and they traded rollups. Ruaka hit AZM over the head with a big box and that led to a believable nearfall. AZM and Rina traded rollups. AZM’s team hit stereo kicks in the corner. Miyu hit an X-Factor faceplant on Rina, and AZM hit another dropkick and scored the pin. Good fast-paced action.

AZM, Mei Seira, and Miyu Amasaki defeated RIna, Ruaka, and Konami at 10:45.

4. Tiger Mask, Boltin Oleg, and Toru Yano vs. “United Empire” Jeff Cobb, Callum Newman, and Francesco Akira. The big guys, Oleg and Cobb, traded shoulder tackles at the bell, then forearm strikes. Tiger Mask tagged in but he couldn’t lift Cobb for a bodyslam. Yano entered but also couldn’t lift Cobb. Cobb easily bodyslammed Yano at 2:00. The UE began working over Yano. Cobb hit a standing moonsault. Oleg got a hot tag and hit a shoulder tackle that sent Callum flying, causing the commentators to laugh. Oleg flipped Newman around in his arms. Newman hit a spin kick to Oleg’s head at 5:30 and they were both down.

Akira entered and faced TM, and Tiger Mask hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee, then a Tiger Bomb for a nearfall. Newman hit a plancha to the floor. Tiger Mask got a crucifix on Akira for a nearfall. Akira nailed the Fireball running double knees to the back of the head and pinned Tiger Mask. Entertaining match with some comedy built around how no one could budge Cobb.

Francesco Akira, Callum Newman, and Jeff Cobb defeated Tiger Mask, Toru Yano, and Boltin Oleg at 8:02.

5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Hanan, and Saya Iida vs. Saya Kamitani, Natsuko Toura, and “Bullet Club War Dogs” Drilla Moloney and Gabe Kidd in a mixed tag match. I don’t think I’ve seen Toura; she has a buzzcut and makes me think of a young Aja Kong. Kamitani looks like death personified, dressed in all black. (The female version of NJPW’s EVIL?) I think Taguchi has a cardboard title over his shoulder. Iida is really short with long dark hair, while Hanan has long blonde hair and wore yellow. Just to be clear, a mixed tag match means men only fight men. However, Toura got in Tanahashi’s face before the bell, and Walker Stewart joked that the rules should just be thrown out. Taguchi was transfixed with Kamitani. “That’s a lawsuit he can’t handle,” Charlton quipped. Hanan and Kamitani opened. Drilla and Taguchi entered at 1:00.

The tiny Iida hit a series of chops on Drilla, who just stood there and took it; he chopped her and dropped her to the mat! (The ref apparently missed it.) Kamitani dragged Taguchi to the floor and whipped him onto rows of empty chairs at 3:30. In the ring, Toura hit a snap suplex on Iida. Tanahashi tagged in at 5:30 and faced Moloney. He hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Toura! (The ref is letting the rules slide!) Tanahashi hit a somersault senton on Moloney, then a Dragonscew Legwhip. Hanan demanded a tag, so Tanahashi tagged her in. However, Drilla caught her and hit a backbreaker over his knee! Hanan hit an axe kick to the back of Toura’s head for a nearfall at 8:00, but she couldn’t lift the bigger Toura.

Toura hit a double cannonball on the female babyfaces. Kamitani hit a springboard crossbody block to the floor on the men. In the ring, Toura missed a Swanton Bomb. Hanan hit a flying leg lariat on Toura, then a back suplex at 10:00. Kidd and Taguchi tagged back in, and Taguchi hit his mid-ring flying buttbump and some snap suplexes, then a springboard flying knee. Taguchi applied an ankle lock but Kidd escaped. Kidd peeled down his knee pad. He grabbed Hanan by her hair and dragged her in the ring and was LOUDLY booed. Iida tried to make the save by hitting blows to Kidd’s back. Moloney grabbed Iida by her hair! The BCWD set up for piledrivers on the women, but Tanahashi made the save. Taguchi set up for a move but Toura jumped in the ring to block him. Toura spat in Tanahashi’s face; I think it was supposed to be mist, and he fell out of the ring. Kamitani hit a low blow uppercut on Taguchi. Kidd hit a piledriver and pinned Taguchi. That had no right being that fun.

Saya Kamitani, Natsuko Toura, Drilla Moloney, and Gabe Kidd defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Hanan, and Saya Iida at 13:56.

* Kidd beat up Tanahashi on the floor. Toura stood over Kidd, got on the mic, and said she “wants you one more time,” according to Charlton’s translation!

6. Great-O-Khan vs. Suzu Suzuki in an intergender match for the KOPW Title. Charlton said O-Khan let Suzu pick the stipulations, and she made this a hardcore match. She hit some forearm strikes with littl effect; he dropped he with one forearm. Stewart said O-Khan has no experience fighting women. He stomped on her; she is so much smaller than him, and of course, he was loudly booed. She finally got a chair and cracked him on his butt at 6:30. She got some plastic silverware and rammed them in his mouth, then hit a running knee to the face to kick them out. She stapled a piece of paper to her OWN face at 8:00, apparently to show how hardcore she is. “What the hell is she thinking?” Charlton said. She used the stapler to attach a piece of paper to the top of O-Khan’s head at 10:00, and she hit more chairshots on him.

They went into the front row. She grabbed another plastic fork and stabbed him repeatedly on the top of his head. She put a trash can over his head and struck it with a chair. They got back into the ring and he tied her up on the mat, and he jabbed a thumb near her butt at 15:00, then he licked his thumb. She grabbed the staple gun and used it on his groin. She hit a twisting sideslam onto a pile of chairs for a nearfall at 17:00. She hit a German Suplex onto the chairs for a nearfall. A fork-covered board was slid into the ring! A ladder was set up in the ring and they climbed it. He shoved her backwards onto the fork-covered board! He spun her along his back, slammed her to the mat, and got a nearfall at the 20:00 call. He chokeslammed her onto a garbage can on top of a horizontal ladder and pinned her. Certainly watchable.

Great-O-Khan defeated Suzu Suzuki at 21:10. 

7. Taichi and Natsupoi vs. Thekla and Clark Connors. Natsupoi is dressed in all white as a fairy princess. Thekla is blonde and has a chain that crosses over her chest. The heels attacked Taichi and Natsupoi. There were so many women at ringside that this looks like a lumberjill match. The bell rang at 0:45 and the men traded blows. The women got in and traded quicker reversals, and Natsupoi hit a shotgun dropkick at 3:00. All four brawled on the floor, where the heels whipped Taichi and Natsupoi into rows of chairs at 4:30. Back in the ring, Natsupoi unloaded a series of forearm strikes on Thekla. Thekla tied her up on the mat and pulled on Natsupoi’s mouth.

Connors hit a Pounce on Taichi at 11:30 and they were both down. Taichi hit a hard clothesline on Connors for a nearfall. Connors set up for the No Chaser spike DDT but Taichi avoided it. Connors hit a powerslam; Taichi hit a back suplex, and they were both down at 15:30. The women tagged back in. They fought on the top rope and Thekla hit a LOUD slap to the face, then a Spider German Suplex, tossing Natsupoi to the mat at 17:30. Natsupoi hit a running flipping neckbreaker, and she switched to a cross-armbreaker, but Thekla reached the ropes. Natsupoi missed a top-rope twisting splash; Thekla immediately nailed a gore for a believable nearfall, and they were both down t 19:30. Connors struck Natsupoi and she fell to the mat. She hit a series of kicks on Connors! Natsupoi hit her twisting frogsplash on Thekla for the pin. Fun match.

Natsupoi and Taichi defeated Thekla and Clark Connors at 23:22.

8. Mayu Iwatani vs. Momo Watanabe for the IWGP Women’s Title. Iwatani had a baseball and baseball glove, and she tossed the ball into the crowd; she is in white and silver and this is her eighth title defense. Momo has more gold in her gear. The HATE team beat up Iwatani on the floor. Momo hit some hard kicks on the floor and tossed Mayu back into the ring and got a nearfall at 4:00. Momo hit a shotgun dropkick. All the women at ringside brawled some more. Ruaka accidentally hit Momo over the head. Mayu dove through the opes onto all of them at 6:30. In the ring, Mayu hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip and was in charge. Momo hit a series of stiff kicks in the corner, then some rolling suplexes. They fought on the apron and crashed to the floor at 12:00; they both rolled back in at the 17-count.

Mayu hit a top-rope missile dropkick at 14:30, then a top-rope frogsplash for a nearfall. Momo hit a running double knees to the chin, then a top-rope Meteora. Mayu hit a Dragon Suplex with a high bridge or a believable nearfall at 18:30, and she was shocked she didn’t win there. She missed a top-rope moonsault, but she hit a piledriver. She hit the top-rope moonsault for what was going to be a pin but the ref was dragged from the ring at the two-count! Momo nailed a spin kick to the head. Momo grabbed a bat! However, she tossed it aside and hit more kicks on Mayu. Thom said Momo was showing she still had honor. Momo tied Mayu in the Tree of Woe and hit a hard kick to the head! Momo hit a suplex and got a believable nearfall at 21:30. She hit a Dragon Suplex for a believable nearfall. Mayu hit a double-jump Poison Rana and a spin kick to the head for a believable nearfall! Momo hit a pumphandle powerbomb for a believable nearfall at 23:30; Charlton and Stewart were shocked at the kickout. Mayu hit another Dragon Suplex with a bridge for the pin. WOW that was good.

Mayu Iwatani defeated Momo Watanabe to retain the IWGP Women’s Title at 24:12.

* AZM rolled into the ring and challenged Mayu to a match on Jan. 4 at the Tokyo Dome. Mayu agreed and they shook hands.

9. Zack Sabre Jr. and Maika vs. El Desperado and Starlight Kid. This is El Desperado’s in-ring return after recovering from an injury, and he’s facing a former Suzuki-gun teammate. Maika wore mostly red; I know she’s considered top 10 women today but I haven’t seen much of her. Sabre came out last. Sabre and Desperado opened with standing switches and a feeling-out process as Walker and Stewart talked about Desperado’s knee and recovery. The women got in, and SK hit a basement dropkick at 4:30. SK and Desperado did a team Stretch Muffler on Sabre! Starlight Kid worked over Maika. Maika hit a powerslam at 7:30, and the men tagged back in. Sabre hit some European Uppercuts; Desperado hit some chops. Sabre snapped Despe’s neck between his ankles, and he applied an Octopus Stretch, then a Pele Kick to the left shoulder.

Desperado nailed the Angel’s Wings for a nearfall at 10:00. Starlight Kid jumped in and kicked at Sabre to break up a submission hold. Sabre hit some stiff Yes Kicks to Despe’s chest. Desperado nailed a spinebuster at 12:30 but couldn’t hit a second Angel’s Wings! The women got back in and Starlight Kid hit a standing moonsault. Maika hit a back suplex at 14:00, then a release fallaway slam! Starlight Kid hit an assisted Sliced Bread. She hit an Asai Moonsault to the floor on Sabre! Suddenly Maika and Desperado were fighting! She hit a suplex on Despe! Starlight Kid hit a basement dropkick on Maika, then a top-rope moonsault onto Maika fo a nearfall at 16:00. Maika hit a second-rope superplex, then three more suplexes, for a nearfall at 17:30.

Despe held Maika, allowing SK to kick Maika. Desperado and Starlight Kid applied simultaneous Stretch Mufflers. Sabre hit a running European Uppercut in the corner on Desperado at 20:00. SK hit several blows to Sabre’s chest, then she hit him in the face. Maika hit a discus clothesline on Desperado! Sabre nailed a Zack Driver on Desperado, but Despe rolled to the floor. Maika hit a Michinoku Driver and pinned Starlight Kid. That was really entertaining.

Zack Sabre Jr. and Maika defeated Starlight Kid and El Desperado at 21:17.

Final Thoughts: A strong show; a LONG show at more than four hours. Iwatani-Watanabe was easily best of the show. I admittedly don’t follow Stardom closely so I felt either woman could have won. The main event was really good and takes second. I enjoyed the Taguchi mixed tag match a lot and I’ll give that third. Thekla and Natsupoi really looked good here, too. There was a lot to like here.