How do you know your latest tour isn’t generating the excitement it needs to? When a tournament roster reveal is almost more interesting than any of the bouts you are staging.
NJPW revealed the participants for the always exciting, always best bout producing annual Best of the Super Jr. tournament and there were a few surprises.
Titan from CMLL, Flip Gordon, Marty Scurll, Jonathan Gresham and Bandido from RoH and journeyman wrestler Robbie Eagles will all participate.
Canadian Riley Vigier, known as El Phantasmo, is also entered in the tournament.
Other entrants include: Ryusuku Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Rocky Romero, Sho, Yoh, Will Ospreay, Taiji Ishimori, El Desperado, Taka Michinoku, Yoshinbu Kanemaru, Bushi, Dragon Lee and Shingo Takagi.
The current feud between Chaos and Los Ingobernables de Japon was the theme of a double main event of sorts for night five of the Road to Dontaku tour.
Los Ingobernables de Japon leader Tetsuya Naito led his team of Shingo Takagi and Evil to victory against Chaos’ Sho, Tomohiro Ishii and Kota Ibushi by spiking Sho with a Destino.
It took a group of Young Lions to stop Evil and Ishii from beating the crap out of each other as took their battle into the crowd at Korakuen Hall. Ibushi taunted Naito with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
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Ibushi baits Naito with the gold. Photo: NJPW.
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The rest of LIJ, Bushi and Sanada, weren’t so lucky against Chaos’ leader and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and Yoh. Okada squeezed the life out of Bushi with a Cobra Clutch that Sergeant Slaughter would be proud of. Okada followed that with the Rainmaker Clothesline for the win.
At Wrestling Dontaku 2019 on May 4th, Tomohiro Ishii will face Evil and Kazuchika Okada will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Sanada.
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The champ doesn’t impress Sanada. Photo: NJPW.
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In other matches:
Toa Henare, Yuji Nagata and Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji and Shota Umino. Henare notched the win for his team with a Rock Bottom.
Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Minoru Suzuki) beat Ren Narita, Tiger Mask and Jyushin Thunder Liger. El Desperado pinned Ren Narita with Pinche Loco. Suzuki once again focused his attacks on Liger.
Suzuki-gun (Taka Michinoku, Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated Rocky Romero, Yoshi-Hashi and Tomoaki Honma. Romero tapped out to Taichi’s Stretch Plumb.
Mikey Nicholls, Juice Robinson, Toru Yano and Togi Makabe defeated Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale, Tana Loa and Tama Tonga). Nicolls put Owens away with a Mikey Bomb after Robinson clobbered Owens with the Left Hand of God.
Dragon Lee, Ryusuke Taguchi and Hirooki Goto beat Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Hikuleo and Jay White). Goto pinned Hikluleo with a GTR.