NJPW Destruction took place in Kobe this morning and it was a loaded card that showcased the culmination of many feuds.
Hirooki Goto defeated Gabe Kidd in a no disqualification match, DOUKI retained his Junior Heavyweight title, Shingo Takagi is the new NEVER Openweight Champion and David Finlay beat YOSHI-HASHI.
The main event saw Tetsuya Naito retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Great-O-Khan.
The match began with some chain wrestling and both men were showcasing their technical skills. This continued until Naito caught Khan with an atomic drop, but Khan came right back with a dropkick to Naito’s knee. He then turned his focus to Naito’s knee as he wrapped it around the bottom rope and stomped on it. Khan continued with a knee bar and an innovative attack on the knee using his limbs to hurt Naito.
Khan now used his striking with double slaps and an uppercut before sitting on Naito’s head in the corner. He followed that with a gut-wrench suplex and then went right back after Naito’s knee. Naito broke up that submission as well by getting to the ropes and he then hit Khan with a dropkick to his knee. Naito continued the attack with an arm drag and dropkick to Khan’s head. He then hung Khan on the ropes before delivering a reverse DDT onto his knee and a neckbreaker right after that.
Naito gets aggressive. Credit: NJPW
Naito was really after Khan’s neck as he continued his attack by completing that same combination a second time. He now drilled Khan in the head with elbows, but he then ran into a hip toss from Khan. Khan tossed Naito around the ring with a double under-hook suplex and then locked in another knee bar. The hold was broken and Khan kicked at Naito’s knee, but he then ran into a tornado DDT from Naito.
The match now spilled to the floor where Naito launched Khan into and over the steel barricade. He began delivering elbows to Khan on the entrance ramp before dropping him with a neckbreaker on that ramp. They now returned to the ring and Naito delivered more elbows before locking in a head scissors choke hold. Khan broke the hold by getting to the ropes and Naito then hit the Esperanza. Naito wanted the Destino, but Khan grappled him to the floor to lock in the knee bar once again.
Naito gets the victory. Credit: NJPW
Against the odds, Naito somehow made it to the bottom rope and Khan then hit him with a pump kick and a stiff right punch. Khan now took the match to the top rope to attempt an avalanche Eliminator, but Naito blocked and sent Khan flying with an avalanche hurricanrana. Naito then caught Khan with the Destino, but he made the mistake of going for a second and Khan hit him with an STO. Khan then lifted Naito for the Eliminator, but Naito reversed it into another Destino before hitting a third Destino to retain the title.
NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2024 Results
Dragon Dia, Ryusuke Taguchi & Shota Umino vs. Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma & Yuji Nagata
Umino defeated Honma with a Death Rider.
Winners: Dragon Dia, Ryusuke Taguchi & Shota Umino
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Jeff Cobb)
Takahashi tortured Akira into submission with a standing figure-four leg lock.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji)
No Disqualification Match: Gabe Kidd vs. Hirooki Goto
This match initially ended in a double countout, so the match was restarted under no disqualification rules. Goto would come out on top of the no-DQ match after hitting Kidd with a brutal GTR.
Winner: Hirooki Goto
TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa) vs. Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)
Before this match began, we were introduced to the newest member of TMDK, Ryohei Oiwa! The new member won for his team by drilling Michinoku with a discus lariat.
Winners: TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa)
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano (c) vs. House of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)
Ren Narita interfered in this match for House of Torture, so out from the back came El Phantasmo to even the odds. He dropped Takahashi with the CR2 and set him up for Tanahashi to fly from the top with the High Fly Flow and retain the titles.
Winners: Still NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: DOUKI (c) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Kanemaru attacked DOUKI’s knee the entire match and there were points where DOUKI could barely even walk. However, the champion refused to stay down and he battled to hit Kanemaru with the Suplex de la Luna and retain his title.
Winner: Still IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, DOUKI
NEVER Openweight Championship Match: HENARE (c) vs. Shingo Takagi
Shingo is the new champ. Credit: NJPW
Takagi turned HENARE inside-out with a devastating Pumping Bomber and he followed that with the Last of the Dragon dropping HENARE on his skull to win the championship.
Winner: NEW NEVER Openweight Champion, Shingo Takagi
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship Match: David Finlay (c) vs. YOSHI-HASHI
HASHI battled to the very end, but it was not enough. Finlay hit him with Into Oblivion, a buckle bomb, two powerbomb and the Overkill for the victory.