By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “All Together Again”
June 9, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan at Sumo Hall
Streamed on New Japan World
“All Together Again” is a Japanese wrestling show with wrestlers from multiple promotions. Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton provided commentary. I know New Japan’s roster well, but admittedly very little of the others.
1. Yoh, Ryusuke Taguchi, Ryo Inoue, and Black Menso-re defeated Alejandro, Super Crazy, Seiki Yoshioka, and Atsushi Kotoge at 9:08. The younger guys started. Super Crazy and Taguchi entered at 1:30 and traded armdrags; Super Crazy is quite portly but in a short stretch he is fine. Alejandro (think Ultimo Dragon) got in and fought Black Menso-re. Yoh entered. Taguchi hit a running buttbump. Yoh hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 8:00. Yoh nailed the Direct Drive double-arm DDT for the pin. Good opener.
2. Tomohiro Ishii and “Bishamon” Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto defeated Yoshiki Inamura, Daiki Inaba, and Masa Kitamiya at 8:26. Goto and Masa started. Kelly and Charlton talked the history of the promotions, almost ignoring the action, which was disappointing, as I don’t know the other team at all. Ishii tagged in at 4:30 and he traded shoulder tackles with the big Inamura. Ishii hit a German Suplex on Inamura, then a delayed vertical suplex. Inamura hit his own vertical suplex on Ishii, doing a deep squat before standing back up and dropping Ishii. Bishamon hit their Shoto team slam, with Goto making the cover for the pin. No surprise that the best part of the match was when Ishii was in the ring.
3. Sean Legacy and Chris Ridgeway defeated “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Kosei Fujita at 11:21. Ridgeway is bald and covered in tattoos. Legacy is tall with a short haircut, like Dijek. Sabre and Ridgeway stood nose-to-nose before the bell, and they opened with intense mat holds. Legacy and Fujita brawled; Ridgeway made a blind tag that annoyed his partner, and it is quickly obvious they aren’t getting along. Fujita got an O’Connor Roll for a believable nearfall on Ridgeway. Ridgeway and Sabre traded chops and slaps. Legacy hit a top-rope missile dropkick, then a flip dive to the floor on Sabre at 10:30. In the ring, Ridgeway hit a German Suplex on Fujita and a running penalty kick for a believable nearfall. Ridgeway applied an anklelock, and Fujita tapped out.
4. Shota Umino defeated Yoshitatsu at 5:54. I haven’t seen Yoshitatsu (f/k/a Yoshi Tatsu), now age 45, wrestle since he left WWE in 2014. Shota hit a diving European Uppercut and a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Yoshitatsu hit some stiff kicks to the spine and Shota seemed annoyed. Shota hit a running neckbreaker, then a Death Rider double-arm DDT for the pin. Adequate; more of a squash than I expected.
5. Go Shiazaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Satoshi Kojima and Hokuto Omori at 9:12. I know Shiazaki best from his appearance at the ROH shows in Chicago over Wrestlemania 22 weekend in 2006. Kojima was trying to hold back his young tag partner. Omori and Nakajima immediately brawled on the floor. Kojima entered at 2:00 to face Shiazaki and the crowd popped as they locked up. Satoshi hit his rapid-fire chops in the corner. Shiazaki fired back with his own chops. Shiazaki hit a second-rope delayed vertical suplex at 5:00.
Omori tagged in and faced Nakajima again and they traded stiff forearm shots. Omori hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall, then a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall. Nakajima hit a brainbuster for the pin on Omori. Really good match. My first time seeing Omori, and he showed great fire against the veteran duo.
6. “Strong Style” Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Ren Narita defeated Naomichi Marufuji, Takashi Sugiura, and Junta Miyawaki at 10:06. Like Go Shiazaki, I know Marufuji best for his ROH appearances in the past. Desperado just returned to Japan after his hardcore matches in GCW last weekend. Marufuji and Suzuki opened with overhand chops and forearms. They avoided each other’s big moves and had standoff. Narita entered at 1:00 and battled Sugiura. Marufuji got back in and traded blows with Narita, and Naomichi’s team worked Ren over in their corner.
Minoru entered and traded STIFF forearms with Sugiura at 5:30; they hit simultaneous Mafia Kicks and were both down. Junta tagged in. Desperado finally entered at 7:00 and traded offense with Junta. Junta hit a corkscrew plancha to the floor. In the ring, he hit a missile dropkick on Desperado for a nearfall, then a tornado DDT. Desperado hit a spinebuster for a believable nearfall at 9:30. Desperado then hit his spinning Angel’s Wings faceplant to pin Junta. Good match.
7. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare, TJP, Francesco Akira, and Jeff Cobb defeated Jun Saito, Rei Saito, Ryuki Honda, Hikaru Sato, and Dan Tamura at 11:38. I don’t know any of the opponents for the UE. Akira started, but they all brawled to the floor. Henare and Cobb entered and sent the Saito brothers to the floor at 3:00. O-Khan entered and tied up an opponent on the mat. The heels kept Akira in their corner. TJP entered and hit a running Facewash in the corner at 7:30. Cobb entered and hit a spin cycle. TJP hit a Mamba Splash for a nearfall.
Henare hit his Rampage football tackle. Cobb hit a back suplex on a big man. Tamura hit a Samoan Drop for a nearfall on TJP. Tamura hit a Death Valley Driver on Akira for a nearfall. Akira hit the Fireball running knees to the back of the head to score the pin. That was good stuff, with everyone working fast to get offense in.
8. Yuma Anzai, Suwama, and Yuji Nagata defeated “Los Ingobernobles de Japon” Bushi, Shingo Takagi, and Tetsuya Naito (w/Yota Tsuji) at 8:29. Anzai hit a dropkick and a butterfly suplex on Naito in the opening seconds; Kelly and Charlton called Anzai a “super rookie” who is having a great year; he wore basic black young lion trunks. Naito was in control of the offense early on. Shingo tagged in at 4:00 to face Nagata. Nagata avoided a clothesline and he hit an Exploder Suplex.
Sawada entered and dropped Shingo with a clothesline at 6:00, and he applied a sleeperhold. Bushi entered and hit a top-rope missile dropkick on Sawada, then he dove through the ropes and barreled onto Sawada. “That’s a senior citizen!” Charlton said. In the ring, Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline but Sawada didn’t go down. Sawada and Yuji hit stereo back suplexes. Sawada held Bushi high over his head before nailing a powerbomb for the pin. Good stuff.
9. Jake Lee, Tadasuke, and Yo-Hey defeated “Just 5 Guys” Sanada, Taka Michinoku, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at 8:28. Lee is tall, and every time I see him, I think his outfit looks like Darth Vader’s. Taka and Yo-Hey started. Jake Lee entered at 3:00 to face Sanada. Lee tried to apply the Paradise Lock on Sanada! Sanada escaped and hit a dropkick, then a plancha to the floor. Taka got in and hit a running knee, and he applied a crossface on Lee at 7:30. Lee hit a running knee to the gut for a nearfall on Taka, then a Helluva Kick for the pin. Fine match.
10. Amakusa, Atsuki Aoyagi, and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Rising Hayato, Hayata, and Master Wato at 12:13. Hayato is effiminate and ’emo’. Master Wato carried his BoSJ trophy. Wato and Atsuki started, and Wato hit a stiff kick to the spine. Hiromu and Rising traded chops at 2:30. Hayata, wearing shiny purple and black pants, entered and fought Hiromu. Hiromu hit a Falcon Arrow at 6:00. Amakusa, wearing blue pants, hit a top-rope corkscrew press on Hayata for a nearfall.
Wato and Atsuki re-entered, with Atsuki hitting an enzuigiri at 8:30. Rising hit a piledriver move on Atsuki for a nearfall. Amakusa hit a twisting dive through the ropes. In the ring, Atsuki hit a superkick on Rising. Atsuki nailed a top-rope Spanish Fly on Rising for a believable nearfall, then a top-rope 450 Splash for the pin on Rising Hayato. That was fun.
11. Kazuchika Okada, Yuma Aoyagi, and Kenoh defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Kento Miyahara, and Hiroshi Tanahashi at 23:19. Kenoh carried two belts. This crowd was HOT as we opened with Tanahashi and Kenoh. Okada entered at 3:00 and faced Kento; Okada dropped him with a shoulder tackle, but Kento ducked a Rainmaker clothesline, and they had a standoff at 6:30. Kaito tagged in; Okada rolled to the floor, not tying up, which just frustrated Kaito. Kaito jumped to the floor and attacked Okada, and he whipped Okada into the guardrail. Okada then tossed Kaito into the rows of chairs.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Aoyagi was working over Tanahashi, and he mockingly played air guitar as he stood on Hiroshi’s chest. Okada got back in the ring and barked at Kenoh; Yuma had to play peacemaker in the middle. Kenoh tagged in at 10:30, continuing the beatdown of Hiroshi, hitting a stiff kick to the spine. Hiroshi hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip and he tagged in Kaito at 12:30. Kaito hit a second-rope flying forearm on Kenoh, then a missile dropkick on Kenoh for a nearfall.
Yuma made the hot tag and he hit a running forearm in the corner on Kaito, then a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall at 14:30. Okada got in and playfully kicked a beat-down Kento, all the while glaring at Kaito. Okada hit a neckbreaker over his knee at 16:30, then a top-rope elbow drop. Kento hit a kneestrike to Okada’s jaw.
This crowd is insanely loud, as Kento hit a running knee. Okada applied a Money Clip sleeperhold. Hiroshi entered and hit a flying forearm on Okada. Hiroshi’s team hit a triple dropkick on Okada at 19:30, and Hiroshi hit a Sling Blade clothesline for a nearfall; he went for the High Fly Flow frogsplash, but Okada got his knees up, and they were both down.
Okada and Hiroshi traded forearm shots (keep in mind, these two are six-man tag champs together!) Okada hit a Blue Thunder Bomb. Kaito jumped in and hit Okada. Okada hit a Death Valley Driver on Hiroshi. Yuma hit a top-rope elbowdrop on Hiroshi for a nearfall. Okada hit a dropkick on Hiroshi, then a bulldog powerslam, then a Rainmaker clothesline for the pin. Wow, what a spectacle.
* Several wrestlers from all the promotions got in the ring. Okada spoke and thanked them for coming. Then the confetti cannons covered them all with streamers.
Final Thoughts: What a stellar main event. The Kaito-Okada feud is still boiling, and I really hope their paths cross at G1 Climax. The juniors six-man tag with Hiromu Takahashi earns second place, with Minoru Suzuki’s six-man tag taking third place.
Overall, the show was good, and if I knew all the wrestlers and their intertwining history, like Chris Charlton obviously does, I am sure I would have enjoyed it even more.
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