NJPW fans experienced an unexpected low key start to NJPW’s Summer Struggle tour. It was a decent night of wrestling with no real high points or low points. The event just kinda happened. Night one was composed of all tag team matches highlighted with the current Bullet Club and Los Ingobernables de Japon feud in the main event with Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori and Evil taking on Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito.
Naito takes Evil to the floor immediately smashing him into the ringside barrier. Back in the ring, Naito pulled around by his hair handing him off to Bushi. Bushi choked out Ishimori with his shirt.
Ishimori focused his aggression on Hiromu, who he wants to challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. He made that abundantly clear at yesterday’s Sengoku Lord show.
As Ishimori ties up referee Red Shoes, Evil kicks Naito in the “lower abdomen” and plants him with Darkness Falls. Ishimori pins Bushi with the Bloody Cross.
Ishimori lays into Hiromu. Courtesy: NJPW.
In extracurricular match activity Ishimori gives Hiromu a Bloody Cross too and then talked some trash to him.
Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima and Togi Makabe versus Gabriel Kidd, Yano and Tomohiro Ishii
Ishii doesn’t know what to make of Taguchi. Courtesy: NJPW.
Kidd challenges Makabe to start the match. Kidd does shoulder block Makabe to the canvass. Kojima tags in and things go south for Kidd in a hurry. Taguchi tags in demanding to fight Ishii. Taguchi dances around. Ishii is not amused by his nonsense. One forearm has Taguchi down to his knees. Forearms to the butt of Funky Weapon do nothing though. Taguchi gives everyone on the opposite side of the ring a Funky Weapon attack. Kojima pins Kidd with his Lariat.
Winners: Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima and Togi Makabe
Chaos (Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto) versus Los Ingobernables de Japon (Sanada and Shingo Takagi)
Goto carries his team here as Yoshi is battered and bruised early on. A worn out Yoshi is pinned by a Pumping Bomber and Made in Japan by Shingo.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA and Shingo Takagi)
Suzuki-gun (Douki and Minoru Suzuki) versus Yuya Uemura and Yuji Nagata
Suzuki enjoys his work…a little too much. Courtesy: NJPW.
The awesome Nagata and Suzuki feud which has reignited Nagata’s career continues on. Nagata and Suzuki blitz each other with forearms before the bell even rings. When Uemura tags in, Nagata and Suzuki cannot stop brawling. They fight to the floor where Nagata rams Suzuki into the steel ring barricade and Suzuki chokes Nagata with a microphone cable. Nagata has a Young Lion on his side though so you know what that means. Suzuki gets the 1-2-3 on Uemura with the Gotch Piledriver. Nagata and Suzuki share some pleasant greetings before heading back to the dressing room.
Winners: Suzuki-gun (DOUKI and Minoru Suzuki)
Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi) versus Master Wato, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi
Tanahashi does his best Alex Lifeson. Courtesy: NJPW.
Tanahashi wants to start the match. Suzuki-gun bails from the ring. Tanahashi taunts them with some air guitar as the crowd cheers him on. Taichi finally answers the call but he won’t fight Tanahashi. He wants Ibushi instead. The two teams get into a shoving match setting up the Suzuki-gun sneak attack. Master Wato gets his clock cleaned by Suzuki-gun who cut him off from his partners. Wato keeps on fighting though. Tenzen is quadruple teamed – Yes, I just made that a thing. Kanemaru hits him with his whiskey bottle and Sabre Jr. makes him submit to one of his electrifying holds.
Winners: Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi)
Bullet Club (Gedo and Yujiro Takahashi) versus Chaos (Sho and Kazuchika Okada)
A quick match with Okada making weak link Gedo submit to the Cobra Clutch.
Winners: Chaos (SHO and Kazuchika Okada)
Bullet Club (Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori and Evil) versus Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito)
Winners: Bullet Club (Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori and Evil)