NJPW began celebrating their 50th anniversary this year with the launch of the Golden Series of events tonight.
In the main event of the evening, veteran Yuji Nagata and Shingo Takagi were the odd men out stuck in the middle of pair of Chaos and Los Ingobernables de Japon feuds. Sanada will face Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship at the February 19th, New Years Golden Series event while Tetsuya Naito will challenge IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada for the title at the February 20th, New Years Golden Series event. Tonight, Nagata was teamed with Tanahashi and Okada versus Naito, Sanada and Shingo Takagi.
Naito pulled out the win for Los Ingobernables de Japon by pinning Yuji Nagata (Who else?) with a Destino. Unlike the other feuds spotlighted earlier in the evening nothing much happened between Sanada, Naito and Tanahashi and Okada. They had a stare down following their tag match and that was it.
The match between Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma versus Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and TAKA Michinoku) pushed the KOPW feud between Yano and current champion Suzuki. Suzuki-gun attacked the faces before the bell rang. Suzuki labeled Yano with shots to the body on the floor and choked him with his own spray bottle ramming it into his throat. Later, Yano untied one of the turnbuckles. Suzuki confronted Yano slinging him into the exposed turnbuckle and hitting him with a running boot to the face. Yano made the mistake of rolling to the floor. Suzuki whipped him into the ringside barricade, slammed his head into the apron and wrapped his arm around the barricade.
Suzuki attacks Yano on the floor. Courtesy: NJPW.
Kojima ended up winning the match for his side with a Lariat on Taka. Yano further ticked off an already irate Suzuki by handcuffing him to the middle rope. Yano needled Suzuki as he fought to free himself.
A fire was lit under Master Wato’s challenge to El Desperado and his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship as the two got into a shoving match after their tag team bout. Tenzan, Taguchi and Suzuki-Gun worked to pry the two men apart. Desperado and Wato will face-off for the championship at the February 11th, New Years Golden Series event.
New Years Golden Series Night One Results
Yuto Nakashima vs Great-O-Khan
Yuto puts up a great fight against Khan but…he submits to a leg lock.
Winner: Great-O-Khan
Ryohei Oiwa vs Hiromu Takahashi
Takahashi is wearing a lucha libre mask for the entire bout and leaves an envelope of money on the time keeper’s desk. I think the gist of things is that Takahashi is offering a reward for anyone who can unmask him? Anyway, he forces Oiwa to submit to a Boston Crab.
Winners: Hiromu Takahashi
Tiger Mask and Togi Makabe vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori and Jado)
Tiger Mask stretches Jado. Courtesy: NJPW.
Tiger Mask forces Jado to submit to a modified Rings of Saturn. Mask taunts Ishimori with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship belt.
Winners: Tiger Mask and Togi Makabe
Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma vs Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)
Winners: Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs Suzuki-Gun (DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado)
Master Wato made Douki submit to his Vendaval submission finisher.
Winners: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
CHAOS (YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (SHO, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo)
Ishii puts Togo away with his Brainbuster. The two sides share some heated words as Chaos continues to thrash Togo not letting the House of Torture into the ring to collect their battered ally. Eventually, Ishii throws Togo out of the ring and he lands at the House of Torture’s feet.
Winners: CHAOS (YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii)
Yuji Nagata, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi)
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi)
