The bad blood between Los Ingobernables de Japon and Just Five Guys continued to flow on the first night of the Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour tonight. In the main event, Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito took on Douki, Taichi, Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Hiromu got under the skin of the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion knocking Sanada off the ringside apron over and over while taking on Kanemaru. When Sanada did jump into the fray Hiromu stacked up him and Kanemaru in a corner hitting them both with a shotgun drop kick.
Los Ingobernables de Japon cut Kanemaru off from his team for a large part of the match. The match ended up on the floor with Sanada whipping Hiromu so hard into a barricade that it fell over into the people in the first row. Taichi rammed Shingo into a steel post. Five Guys turned things around by keeping Hiromu in their corner. After a long while, Hiromu tagged in Shingo who ran through everyone.
Eventually, it was Douki and Naito left to sort things out. I have no idea why they are pairing Naito with Douki lately unless they are trying to bring Douki up to Naito’s level somehow. Douki hit Daybreak on Naito but Naito turned a Suplex de La Luna into a roll-up for the win. An enraged Douki jumped on Naito choking him out.
As Hiromu raised the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship making fun of Sanada, Kanemaru struck from behind attacking Hiromu’s left knee. Hiromu fought back drop kicking Kanemaru. Sanada will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Hiromu at Wrestling Dontaku 2023. Shingo then shared some words with Taichi perhaps reigniting their feud over the KOPW 2023 Championship.
Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2023 Night One Results
Ryohei Oiwa vs Boltin Oleg
Oiwa submits to Oleg’s Boston Crab.
Winner: Boltin Oleg
Yuto Nakashima, Yoh, Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto versus House of Torture (Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi and Evil)
Evil gets creative. BTW: MOS Burger stands for Mountain Ocean Sun Burger. Courtesy: NJPW.
House of Torture attacks before the bell ring. Big surprise there. Goto loses it. He whips Evil with his shirt. Everyone on the face team takes their turn swarming Evil and Yujiro. They then all pound on Togo. The fight goes to the floor where Evil clobbers Hashi with a turnbuckle pad. House of Torture cuts off Hashi from his partners. Yujiro shoves the official so he can kick Yuto in the “lower abdomen”. Yujiro pins him with Pimp Juice. Evil sends Yoh to the dressing room with a parting gift: a shot to the back with the turnbuckle pad.
Winners: House of Torture (Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi and Evil)
Kevin Knight, Kushida and Hiroyoshi Tenzan versus The United Empire (TJP, Aaron Henare and Francesco Akira)
Henare makes Tenzen submit to his Ultima full nelson lock. Kushida and Knight get in the faces of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, TJP and Akira. Things break down and both teams start swinging and kicking at one another. Kushida and Knight fight off all of The United Empire members while Tenzan stands on the floor and does nothing but watch. TJP and Akira are DDTed into Dreamland by Knight. Kushida and Knight pose with the tag belts before leaving the ring.
Winners: The United Empire (TJP, Aaron Henare and Francesco Akira)
TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls and Zack Sabre Jr.) versus The United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis)
A really decent match. Cobb absorbs all of Fujita’s stiff shots to the chest and face. Fujita picks up Cobb but the weight is too much and Cobb falls on him for a two count. One Tour of the Islands later and Fujita is pinned.
Winners: The United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis)
Jado, Master Wato, Hikuleo and Tama Tonga versus Bullet Club (Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Kenta and David Finlay)
No surprise here as Bullet Club attacks before the bell can sound. For much of the match the talent who are not the legal men in the ring are brawling on the floor. All of the faces have all of the heels in submission moves. Gedo submits to Master Wato. Hikuleo stands over Kenta taunting him with his own Strong Openweight Championship belt. Finlay tells Tonga will be beat him for the NEVER Openweight Championship sooner rather than later. “There is no chance of you getting this! This belongs to me!” says Tonga.
Winners: Jado, Master Wato, Hikuleo and Tama Tonga
Tomoaki Honma, Yano, Togi Makabe, Tomohiro Ishii and Kazuchika Okada versus Tiger Mask, Shota Umino, Ren Narita, El Deperado and Minoru Suzuki
Ren cranks down on poor Honma. Courtesy: NJPW.
Not a very long match. A waste of a bout, really. Narita makes Honma submit. After the match, Desperado and Ishii throw hands as Young Lions try to separate them on the floor. After a brief intermission, the battle begins again with Desperado rubbing his NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship in Ishii’s face. Desperado lays him out with a one punch though. Ishii has to be assisted to the back.
Winners: Tiger Mask, Shota Umino, Ren Narita, El Desperado and Minoru Suzuki
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito) versus Just Five Guys (Douki, Taichi, Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito)
