The New Japan house shows carried on this morning with a Wrestle Kingdom rematch in the main event.
However, as this show began Jeff Cobb was doing a signing since he was removed from the show due to injury. As the signing concluded he was attacked from behind by the Bullet Club War Dogs and they left him struggling to walk using his power.
Finlay attacks Cobb. Credit: NJPW
Regarding the main event, Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors defeated Catch 2/2 to get back their tag titles.
Catch 2/2, TJP and Francesco Akira won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships from Moloney and Connors at Wrestle Kingdom.
Today’s match began as soon as all four men were in the ring, Akira and TJP hit both War Dogs with a dropkick before springboarding into them on the floor. As the match spilled outside, Connors hit TJP with a chair before sitting him on the chair and spearing him off it. Akira then came to TJP’s defence throwing Connors into the barricade. He and TJP then dropped Connors onto the chair with an alley-oop.
Catch 2/2 now took Moloney into the ring to hit him with a combination of strikes and they then tried to put him through a table, but Connors intervened. Connors attempted to spear Akira through the table, but it did not break and Akira’s body bounced off the wood. Moloney threw salt into TJP’s eyes and Connors launched Akira’s body into the table, this time breaking it.
Moloney was now focused on TJP, delivering strikes and headbutts before tagging in Connors. He Irish whipped TJP so hard he flew over the turnbuckles and onto the floor, he followed that with a suplex and chin lock. TJP battled back to break the hold, but Connors came right back with a half-half suplex. The War Dogs maintained control until TJP caught Connors with a side suplex and tagged in Akira.
The War Dogs stand tall. Credit: NJPW
Akira flew into the ring hitting Connors with a hurricanrana, a clothesline and a back elbow. He then launched Connors into Moloney sending them both to the floor and he dove through the air onto both men. Once he got Connors back in the ring he dove from the top rope with a crossbody. However, his offence didn’t last much longer as Connors caught him with a pounce.
Moloney and TJP were both tagged in, TJP dove into the ring with a forearm and followed that with his signature face wash in the corner. TJP then hung Moloney in a tree of woe position and dove down onto his chest with a double stomp. Connors now tried to get involved, but he was hit with a superkick. Akira then tried to leap off TJP’s back to attack Connors, but Connors turned into a power slam to Akira.
Moloney at the same time hit TJP with a spine buster and double stomp before he and Connors hit TJP with the Hit and Run. Akira broke up the pin attempt only to be dropped with a Drilla Killa from Moloney. It was now time for the Full Clip, but as Connors dove TJP sprayed his red mist into Connor’s eyes stopping the attack. Connors tried to keep fighting and went for a spear, but TJP put Moloney in line for it so Connors speared his teammate.
Catch 2/2 now hit Moloney with a double stomp-reverse DDT combination and Akira dove onto Connors with a suicide dive. They then hit Moloney with the War Dog’s own Hit and Run maneuver before trying to also hit the Full Clip. However, as TJP lifted Moloney, Connors hit him with a spear. Akira responded with a missile dropkick to Connors and Moloney then hit Akira with a clothesline. TJP was then hit with a flurry of superkicks before the War Dogs hit him with Catch 2/2’s signature 2×2.
The Full Clip was next, however, TJP battled out of it and Akira ran to the top rope to deliver an avalanche frankensteiner to Connors. TJP then hit Moloney with a tornado DDT, before Catch 2/2 delivered an alley-oop to Connors. They were now going for 2×2, but Moloney grabbed TJP so Akira hit him with a knee and TJP hit Connors with a knee. Connors was now lifted for a Leaning Tower, but Moloney went after Akira with a fork. Akira got flashbacks from New Year Dash and backed up quickly, so Connors spiked TJP with a DDT.
Akira tried to springboard into the ring only to be caught in mid-air with a spear. The War Dogs then hit him with a Hit and Run followed by The Full Clip to get the victory and regain the titles.
Finlay plants Akira into the steel chairs. Credit: NJPW
Following the match, David Finlay joined them in the ring to celebrate and continue attacking his opponents. United Empire tried to make the save, but the War Dogs dropped them all. Finlay hit Jeff Cobb in his injured leg with the shillelagh and Great-O-Khan in the head with it. He then grabbed a microphone to tell Will Ospreay that next week in the steel cage he wants his War Dogs to destroy Ospreay’s Empire. Once Ospreay sees that all his friends all helpless and destroyed because of Finlay, then Ospreay will be allowed to leave NJPW.
NJPW Road to the New Beginning 02.04.24 Results
Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI, Togi Makabe, El Desperado & Shota Umino vs. House of Torture (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, SHO & EVIL)
EVIL secured the victory for his team by defeating Makabe with the Everything is Evil. Following the match, EVIL decided to personalize his NEVER Openweight Championship by spray-painting it black and smashing it against the ring post.
Winners: House of Torture (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, SHO & EVIL)
Tomoaki Honma & Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) vs. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA)
Owens defeated Honma by hitting him with a title and the package piledriver.
Winners: Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA)
YOH, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomohiro Ishii & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Sabre Jr. forced Taguchi to submit with an interesting submission, he had his legs trapped and also had him in a sleeper at the same time.
Winners: TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Niato) vs. Just 5 Guys (TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Yuya Uemura, Taichi & SANADA)
Uemura surprisingly made Tsuji submit with a frankensteiner into an arm-bar, the hold came out of nowhere and Tsuji tapped instantly.
Winners: (TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Yuya Uemura, Taichi & SANADA)
Great-O-Khan vs. Alex Coughlin
In the first United Empire and Bullet Club War Dog clash of the night, Great-O-Khan defeated Coughlin with the Eliminator.
Winner: Great-O-Khan
HENARE vs. Gabe Kidd
A double knockout. Credit: NJPW
Both men were out in the ring looking to hurt each other, they were trading some violent strikes to one another. After a long exchange of shots, HENARE drilled Kidd with a headbutt and both men were out cold on the mat. Neither of them made it back to their feet and the match was called a double knockout draw.
Winner: Knock out draw
Callum Newman vs. David Finlay
This was the biggest match of Newman’s career and despite putting up a good fight he was no match for Finlay. He continued to attack Newman and chose not to end the match until after hitting a defenceless Newman with the Overkill.
