By Colin McGuire, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@McGMondays)
NJPW Strong
Taped September 11, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Sam’s Town Live
Streamed October 8, 2022 on New Japan World
Ian Riccaboni checked in on commentary with Alex Koslov to run down the card. This is the Autumn Action tour. We are on the first week of it…
1. Shota Umino vs. QT Marshall. Umino had the Death Rider jacket. Marshall gained control with a wrist-lock, but Umino came right back and attacked Marshall, but Marshall hit a forearm. Umino landed a shoulder-block and stomped a mud hole in Marshall in a corner. Umino slammed Marshall and hit a European Uppercut and that sent Marshall to the outside. Back in the ring, Marshall landed a neck-breaker to take back control. Marshall put Umino down and played to the crowd.
Marshall hit an elbow and then stepped over Umino’s face. Marshall landed a very good-looking drop-kick for a two-count. Marshall sank in a chin-lock. Umino fought his way out and then landed a basement dropkick. Umino hit a kick to the head and followed that up with a fisherman’s suplex for a two-count. Marshall came right back and hit a big power-bomb for a good near-fall.
Marshall lifted Umino and the two traded tombstone attempts. Umino ultimately landed it for a two-count. Umino yelled at Marshall as Marshal kept hitting Umino. From there, the two traded forearms. Umino went for the Death Rider, but Marshall countered into a pin attempt for a two-count. Marshall went for the Diamond Cutter, but Umino blocked it and hit a sort-of Cross-Rhodes. Umino slammed Marshall and got a two-count. From there, Umino landed the Death Rider for the win.
Shota Umino defeated QT Marshall via pinfall in 10:12.
McGuire’s Musings: One can only think this is the blowoff between the two, who worked a short-lived program, and with that said, everyone played their part very well. For that matter, can we stop with the QT Marshall hate? The guy can work and he was step-for-step alongside Umino, who is one of the more promising young prospects in New Japan. I’ve said it before; I’ll say it now: QT doesn’t get the credit he deserves and if he’s being brought in on Strong to essentially be a pest heel that never gets a win, he’s playing that role awfully well. This match worked on a few different levels and I’m curious to see if QT sticks around Strong. Then again, every time I say that, he pops up the next week. And, for that matter, New Japan Strong is better for it.
Team Filthy – as in Danny Limelight and JR Kratos – walked to the ring. Limelight told everyone to shut up and played on how everyone likes to smoke cigarettes. Limelight called out Aussie Open and wondered why he and Kratos were left out of the tag-team title tournament. Kratos said they’ve been there since day one and then jawed at the crowd. Kratos said Team Filthy carried the company. Kratos told Aussie Open to come out right now. Aussie Open appeared. Aussie Open essentially accepted the challenge and walked to the back.
2. Ren Narita vs. Juice Robinson. As Narita made his way to the ring, Robinson attacked him and slammed him on the stage. Juice threw Narita down the stairs to the ring. The bell rang and Juice threw Narita to the outside. On the outside, Robinson hit Narita in the head with the ring bell and Narita bled. Juice hit a referee. Things broke down and the match was thrown out.
Ren Narita and Juice Robinson fought to a no-contest in 1:32.
3. Ren Narita vs. Juice Robinson in a no DQ match. Narita yelled and insisted he fight. Robinson grabbed a mic and said Narita shouldn’t have called him out on the internet. Juice said he’s rock hard. Narita was covered in blood and Robinson said he’d fight if they made it no-DQ and started right away. They did just that. From there, in the ring, Narita sank in a figure-four. Juice got his way out of it with some nasty kendo stick strikes. The action spilled outside.
Juice grabbed a table from under the ring and Narita kept bleeding. The two fought and rolled back into the ring, where Juice hit Narita’s head right where he was bleeding profusely. The crowd chanted “You sick f—.” Robinson took off his belt and whipped Narita with it. Robinson punched Narita with the belt around his fist and got a good near-fall. Robinson went to hit Narita with a chair, but Narita ducked and ultimately landed a Van Dam-inator before stomping the hell out of Juice.
Juice took the pad off a corner turnbuckle. Juice put a chair between the second and third rope, but Narita countered and threw Robinson into the chair. Narita set up a chair in the middle of the ring and suplexed Juice onto the chair. Narita grabbed the chair and hit Juice in the back. Narita lifted the chair again, but Juice low-blowed Narita. Robinson hit a pile-driver onto a chair and got a two-count out of it.
The action spilled outside and Juice power-bombed Narita through a table. Back in the ring, Juice got only a two-count. Juice went back under the ring to look for something, but he couldn’t find it. As a result Juice grabbed the time-keeper’s table and threw it into the ring. Back in the ring, Juice placed Narita on the top rope and lifted him, but Narita fought out and choked Robinson. Juice went to the ropes, but there was no break because it was a no-DQ match. Narita stretched Robinson to the point where Juice actually taped out.
Ren Narita defeated Juice Robinson via submission in 14:44.
McGuire’s Musings: It’s not that Ren Narita needed another star-making performance, but this was very much a star-making performance for Ren Narita. And Juice did a great job making Narita feel like a big deal. I have to say it, but the blood helped and it came right from the Wheeler Yuta playbook if we are looking at recent history and how affecting color can be for a young guy who needs an extra boost. I loved it and I loved it because this stayed true to the old-school pro-wrestling playbook. There wasn’t much to it. Just blood, brawling and only even a little bit of furniture. I’m not sure about how long Juice might be sticking around New Japan, but if this was his goodbye, I can’t think of a better way to do it.
3. Homicide and Wheeler Yuta vs. Jay White and Karl Anderson. Filthy Tom Lawlor sat in on commentary. Homicide and Anderson started the match. The two went for cutters but neither worked out. Anderson worked a side head-lock. Homicide eventually got to his feet and backed Anderson into a corner before punching him. Homicide worked a chin-lock of his own, but Anderson worked out of it and asked Homicide to tag in Yuta. As such, Yuta tagged in. White tagged in and the two locked up. White went for a chop, but Yuta moved and chopped White. Yuta sunk in a side head-lock until White, who was busted open somehow, backed Yuta into a corner and beat the hell out of him. Yuta came back with a seton and got a one-count.
White kneed Yuta and tagged in Anderson, who was the victim of another senton. Homicide tagged in and worked over Anderson with punches. Anderson fought back, but Homicide bit Anderson’s hand. As a result, White tried to interfere and the action spilled outside. Gallows hit Homicide to give the heels an edge. Back in the ring, Anderson landed a spine-buster for a two-count. White tagged in and pounded on Homicide. Anderson tagged in and landed some European Uppercuts. Anderson clotheslined Homicide and posed. White tagged in and stepped on Homicide’s hands before chopping him.
White jawed at Homicide, but that fired Homicide up and Homicide bit White. White came back with a body-slam and went right into a chin-lock. Homicide got out of it with a jaw-breaker and tagged in Yuta. Anderson also tagged in, but Yuta had a bunch of momentum and landed a Samoan Drop for a two-count. Yuta lifted Anderson, but Anderson countered with a back-breaker. White tagged in and put his boot on Yuta’s throat. Yuta rolled White up for a two-count and then chopped White before tagging in Homicide, who hit a series of inverted atomic drops. Homicide locked in an STF on White, but Anderson broke it up.
Homicide landed a clothesline on White, but Anderson attacked Homicide. Yuta ran in and hit a German Suplex on White before diving onto Anderson, who was on the outside. Inside the ring, Homicide landed a cutter on White for a good near-fall. Homicide flipped off Gallows and Gallows distracted the ref while Anderson pushed Yuta off the top-rope and Lawlor distracted Homicide. When Homicide turned around, he turned into the Bladerunner and White got the win.
Jay White and Karl Anderson defeated Wheeler Yuta and Homicide via pinfall in 14:30.
After the match, White trapped Homicide and Lawlor came into the ring to choke Homicide. Yuta tried to come in for the save, but the West Coast Wrecking Crew stomped on Yuta. Umino ran down to help Yuta, but Lawlor went for the rear-naked choke on Umino. Homicide got back to his feet and busted out the fork, but the WCWC stopped all that. Team Filthy and the Bullet Club stomped on everybody.
Lawlor choked out Homicide and White grabbed a microphone. White asked Lawlor if he could take the trash out of the ring and then White got into the ring. White said Jon Moxley wasn’t going to show up and then White called out Eddie Kingston. White said he’s 1-0 against Moxley. White went back to Kingston and said Eddie gave up on a chance of a lifetime to get in the ring with White.
White called himself the single biggest Japanese wrestling legend of all time. White ran down his credentials and said he might come to Kingston in New York City. White gave Lawlor the mic and Team Filthy clapped as the Bullet Club left the ring. Lawlor reminded everyone Vegas is the hometown of Team Filthy. Lawlor said Team Filthy has carried New Japan Strong. Lawlor led the crowd in a New Japan Strong chant to close out the show.
McGuire’s Musings: I’m all types of here for a Bullet Club/Team Filthy union, even if this appeared to happen only because the show was in Vegas and you can’t run a show in Vegas and not give Lawlor and his guys a prominent spot. Either way, I thought the heels looked good together, even if it did make me flash on the possibility of a White/Lawlor feud, which would is too good to be true and the definition of wishful thinking at this point.
Yuta continues to look just a little more comfortable each time he steps in a ring and this match was no exception. That’s not to say he hasn’t already spent a bunch of time in a wrestling ring – duh – it’s just to say that since joining the Blackpool Combat Club, he’s come into his own and he’s done it in a way that’s taken him to a higher level. Poor Homicide. Being a legend and all is good, but anytime he pops up on New Japan Strong, it feels like he’s destined to take the L. Either way, this was a good main event that showcased some of the brand’s biggest stars.
Speaking of stars, let’s reiterate: Ren Narita is That Guy. This was reportedly the final match of his excursion, and there isn’t a chance he could have found a better way to end this stint in America. Conversely, as I said earlier, if this is part of Juice’s swan-song in NJPW, he couldn’t have found a better way to close his chapter, either. If you watch one match all week – and God knows there’s been a lot of matches this week – my vote is that. Robinson/Narita bout. It’s a star-making performance from a young wrestler who’s just getting started and has all the potential in the world. Plus, he bled like a Wheeler Yuta on a Rampage. I’ll have more to say, including a lot more praise for the middle match this week, in my audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
Be the first to comment