The Best of the Super Juniors tag team tournament kicked off with a faction rivalry today. The main event saw the masked men of Los Ingobernables De Japon, Titan and BUSHI, taking on the House of Torture’s Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
Before the bell even rung Sho has something to say. He claimed to be embarrassed to be in the city of Saitama and that Titan and Bush are too which is why they are wearing masks. The crowd chanted ‘Sho, go home!’ in response.
As soon as the bell rung Sho and Kanemaru ripped at the masks of Titan and Bushi trying to tear them off. Titan fought back against Kanemaru with a shotgun drop kick off the second rope. Bushi tagged in dropping Kanemaru with a spinning neckbreaker for a one count. As Bushi bounced off the ropes Sho reached inside the ring from the floor yanking him out. Sho pounced on Bushi throwing him through several rows of chairs. Kanemaru rammed Titan’s head into a steel post.
Sho bends the rules just a little bit on the floor. Courtesy: NJPW.
Sho took a steel chair choking Bushi out with it. Back in the ring, Sho stomped the heck out of Bushi. As the official was distracted by Sho, Kanemaru draped Bushi over the apron and gave him a running kick to the head. Kanemaru attempted to rip Bush’s mask off again. Referee Red Shoes gave Kanemaru a warning.
Choking Bushi over the ropes Sho unlaced his mask. Bushi finally tagged out after sending Kanemaru across the ring with a hurricanrana. Titan made the hot tag taking it to Kanemaru with a swift combination of kicks and punches. Holding Sho’s hand Titan walked the top rope, leaped off drop kicking Kanemaru and throwing Sho out of the ring at the same time. Titan followed up by splashing both of them on the floor.
Sho shoved Titan into Red Shoes knocking him out. Sho took Titan’s mask off. House of Torture tried to double-team Bushi. Bushi ducked as Kanemaru spit his whiskey. It caught Sho in the face, eyes. Bushi spit his mist in Kanemaru’s eyes. Dick Togo, Evil and Yujiro Takahashi invaded the ring but Bushi battled back. He drop kicked Evil and bulldogged Yujiro at the same time. Titan splashed Evil, Yujiro and Togo on the floor. Titan pinned Sho with a spinning DDT and a his stomp from the top rope.
NJPW Super Junior Tag League Night One Results
Standings
Yuto Nakashima, Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs United Empire (Callum Newman, HENARE & Great-O-Khan)
Nakashima submits to Khan’s submission hold.
Winners: United Empire (Callum Newman, HENARE & Great-O-Khan)
Just Five Guys (SANADA & Yuya Uemura) vs Boltin Oleg & Oskar Leube
Uemura pins Oleg with a bridging suplex.
Winners: Just Five Guys (SANADA & Yuya Uemura)
Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi) vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori & Gedo)
Hiromu gives Naito an assist with his spike DDT. Ishimori confronts Hiromu after the match.
Winners: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi)
Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) vs Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira) – SUPER Jr. TAG LEAGUE 2023 TOURNAMENT MATCH
Eagles and Fujita take out Akira with a DDT. Akira rolls out of the ring. TJP fights out of a Thunder Mountain double-team by The Sweet Boys. Akira low-bridges Eagles out of the ring. Akira and TJP slam Fujita down hard. Akira leaps over the top rope onto Eagles on the floor to neutralize him. Fujita kicks out of Mamba Splash. 2/2 pins Fujita with their 2×2 finisher. Eagles and TJP share some unkind words and some blows after the match.
Winners: Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira)
Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA) vs Just Five Guys (DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku)
Take takes the match to the floor when Kushida gets thrown out of the ring. He slams him into a wall and puts him in a crossface submission to force a count-out. Taka blocks Kushida’s path back into the ring with guardrails before heading back himself. Diving under the barricade, Kushida makes it back to the ring with a second to spare. Knight crushes Douki with an amazing crossbody off the ropes. Kushida makes Taka submit to the Hoverboard Lock.
Winners: Just Five Guys (DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku)
DKC & Ryusuke Taguchi vs Master Wato & El Desperado
Wato clocks DKC with a spinning kick to the head and a bridging German Suplex.
Winners: Master Wato & El Desperado
YOH & MUSASHI vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors)
Connors dives into the ring pushing Musashi into Yoh to break-up a pinfall. Connors spears Yoh. Moloney and Connors pin Yoh with their suplex, spear off the top rope.
Winners: BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors)
Los Ingobernables De Japon (Titan & BUSHI) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Winners: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Titan & BUSHI)