By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Burning Spirit Tour”
September 6, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
Streamed live on New Japan World
* Just like a day earlier, Hiroshi Tanahashi hit the ring to fire up the crowd. Fans here are now allowed to chant/cheer/boo with their voice; they are still wearing masks and are spread out, but it is bringing energy to these last two shows that has been missing. Clapping and stomping can’t match the sound of fans vocally getting into a match.
1. Minoru Suzuki, Taka Michinoku, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, and Yuto Nakanishi at 9:20. The heels took it to the Young Lion trio. Nakanishi, the tallest and thickest of the them, traded good offense with Suzuki. However, Suzuki applied a rear-naked choke to knock out Yuto. Solid match.
2. EVIL, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, and Dick Togo defeated Yosh-Hoshi, Yoh, Hirooki Goto, and The DKC at 10:29. All eight brawled at the bell. Yoh and Sho traded nice offense. DKC tied up EVIL on the mat. However, EVIL hit the Everything is Evil uranage on DKC for the pin.
3. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, and Hikuleo defeated Great-O-Khan, Gideon Grey, and Jeff Cobb at 4:32. Hikuleo and O-Khan started; they had a great exchange a day earlier here. O-Khan is bigger than most people realize, but Hikuleo still towers over him. Cobb entered and bodyslammed Hikuleo, then he bodyslammed teammate Grey onto Hikuleo for a nearfall at 3:00. Grey tried a crossbody block on Hikuleo but bounced off. Funny. Hikuleo picked up Grey for a chokeslam, but Grey verbally submitted before Hikuleo could hit it. Weak finish.
4. TJP, Francesco Akira, and Aaron Henare defeated Jado, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Master Wato at 11:52. They all brawled early. TJP hit a running Facewash on Wato at 4:00. Akira launched off TJP’s shoulders and hit a senton for a nearfall. Henare hit an airplane spin for a nearfall. Taguchi finally made the hot tag at 7:00 and hit his running butt bumps on the United Empire. Jado tagged in and clotheslined Henare. Wato hit a flip dive to the floor. Henare hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Jado, then he applied the Full Nelson lock for the win. Basic.
5. Kushida and Tomoaki Honma defeated Taiji Ishimori and Gedo at 7:56. Kushida and Ishimori opened and traded mat reversals. Gedo and Honma squared off at 2:00. The heels worked over Honma. Kushida made the hot tag at 7:00 and hit a handspring-back-double elbow on the heels. Honma hit the Kokeshi/falling headbutt on Gedo, and Kushida immediately nailed the hammerlock suplex for the pin.
6. Taichi, Zach Sabre Jr., and El Desperado defeated Tetsuya Naito, Bushi, and Sanada at 11:22. Sanada and Taichi started, and these two have been locked in a feud of late. Sabre got in at 4:00 and immediately tied up Naito in an anklelock, and they brawled to the floor. They got in the ring, with Sabre hitting his European Uppercuts, and applying a front guillotine choke. Desperado entered at 7:00 and traded good offense with Naito, hitting a missile dropkick on Naito, then a dive through the ropes on Bushi.
In the ring, Desperado nailed a spear on Bushi. Taichi tagged in at 10:00 and hit a series of kicks on Bushi, then he tied him up in a pretzel. Taichi hit a Saito Suplex on Bushi, then he nailed a superkick for the pin. Best match of the night so far. Sabre put Naito in a headlock on the mat and they continued to fight after the bell.
7. Jonah, Bad Dude Tito, and Shane Haste defeated Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, and Hiroshi Tanahashi at 10:55. This is the same match as the main event of night one of this current tour. Okada and Jonah started with an intense lockup and neither taking a bump. Yano and Haste squared off at 2:00. Tanahashi dropkicked Haste’s left knee. Tito entered and nailed some hard chops on Tanahashi. Jonah splashed Hiroshi in the corner, and the heels began working him over. Haste hit a high belly-to-back suplex for a nearfall at 5:00.
Okada made the hot tag and hit a DDT on Tito for a nearfall, then he applied the Money Clip sleeperhold. Tito fired back with a Blockbuster. Jonah tagged in and hit a running Stinger Splash at 8:00, then a second one, on Okada. Okada hit a shotgun dropkick, sending Jonah crashing into the corner. Yano tagged in at 9:00, but he immediately began removing a corner pad. Yano couldn’t bodyslam Jonah. Jonah bodyslammed Yano. Yano got a schoolboy rollup for a nearfall. Jonah nailed his Torpedo suplex to pin Yano. Fun, and Okada-Jonah is still hot and really clicking for me.
8. El Phantasmo and Kenta defeated Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi at 11:29. ELP and Shingo have been locked in a feud, and they attacked each other at the bell and traded quick offense. Hiromu and Shingo worked together to work over Phantasmo’s left arm. Kenta threw Hiromu into the guardrail at 4:00, while ELP and Shingo also fought on the floor. Phantasmo hit an impressive top-rope moonsault to the floor on Shingo. In the ring, Kenta hit some hard kicks to Hiromu’s spine and celebrated.
The heels now began working over Hiromu. Shingo tagged in at 8:00 and hit a senton on Phantasmo. He nailed a double clothesline on his opponents. Shingo nailed a Pumping Bomber clothesline on Phantasmo for a believable nearfall, then he hit the Made In Japan/pumphandle sit-out powerbomb, but Kenta broke up the pin by distracting the ref with his book. ELP hit a low blow, got the rollup, and once again pinned Shingo! ELP and Shingo continued to fight after the match.
* In a rare move, the losing team spoke on the mic, with Shingo addressing the crowd.
Final Thoughts: An alright show. New Japan is continuing to advance the key storylines: Shingo-Phantasmo, Naito-Sabre, Okada-Jonah, Hiromu-Kenta.
I noted this in my last review, but I’m loving how angry and embarrassed Sabre is after losing so quickly to Naito in the final night of Block action during the G1 Climax, and he’s on a revenge tour.
The downside is I just don’t care about the Wato/Taguchi team, and the House of Torture (EVIL’s squad) vs. Goto/Yoshi-Hoshi/Sho is ice cold. Gideon Grey has added nothing good to the red-hot United Empire, and he’s hurting their cool factor.
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