It was yet another shot at gold for Tiger Mask (Yoshihiro Yamazaki) before he hangs up his boots for good on July 7th at Korakuen Hall ending a 31-year wrestling career.
In his career, Yamazaki has held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship six times, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship twice with Jushin Thunder Liger as his partner and then Robbie Eagles. He has also won the Best of the Super Juniors twice.
The only one who stood in Mask’s way of perhaps retiring with yet another IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship reign was the current champ, Douki. Tonight their meeting at Wrestling Hizen no Kuni wasn’t just a regular match though. It was contested under Lumberjack rules.
Mask came to the ring without anyone at his side and to a big ovation as his familiar theme song played. Douki naturally came to the ring with his all of his House of Torture buddies.
Before the match could begin both teams of lumberjacks stared at each other from across the ring.
Douki kept backing away from Tiger Mask taking refuge with his lumberjacks to start things off. When Douki finally end his stalling Tiger just punches him right in the face. Douki backpedaled out of the ring only to be tossed back in by the lumberjacks. Douki flees the ring again after being arm dragged by Tiger. Before the lumberjacks can grab hold of him he rolls back into the ring.
Douki, standing on the apron argues with Shota Umino. Tiger puts Douki in a sleeping hold from behind. Tiger drags him over the top rope back into the ring. Douki is on the floor again but this time he exits on his team’s side so they surround him and let him take a breather. While it looks like the two teams of lumberjacks are going to square off, Yoshinobu Kanemaru pulls Tiger onto the floor and starts battering him. Kanemaru sends Tiger back into the ring for Douki.
Tiger Mask is thrown out to the House of Torture who just pummel him until the faces fight them off. Douki whips Tiger into an exposed turnbuckle. Douki attempts to rip Tiger’s mask off. Red Shoes admonishes Douki. Douki places Tiger on the top rope in a corner and with his back to the official tries to take off the mask again. Tiger is tossed out to the House side of the ring and Narita hits him in the stomach with a steel chair.
Tiger fights his way out of a Camel Clutch and dumps Douki right over the top rope taking out some of his allies there. Tiger dives through the ropes at the House knocking several of them back down again. Douki attempts to flee to the backstage area. Aaron Wolf and Boltin Oleg carry him back to the ring. Tiger hammers Douki with punches and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two.
Douki shoves Tiger into Red Shoes knocking him right out of the ring. House of Torture gets inside the ring first fighting off the faces. As Tiger is in a corner, each member of The House rushes in nailing him with clotheslines, elbow smashes, etc. Don Fale is the last and he gives Mask an avalanche. Togo hit his chop to the crotch from the top rope. Red Shoes is rolled back into the ring as the House clears out. Douki gets a two count.
Douki climbs to the top rope. Tiger crotches him on the top rope. Tiger drives Douki off the top rope with a double underhook suplex. Tiger goes for a super kick. Douki pulls in the official who get taken out again. The lumberjacks swarm the ring and start battling each other. Tiger has Douki pinned with a Tiger Bomber but a dazed Red Shoes is a bit slow with the count.
Tiger has Douki in a Cobra Clutch like submission. Togo throws Wato into the ring to distract the official. Douki taps out. Yujiro Takahashi hits Mask in the head with his cane. Mask is out in the Douki’s Triangle Submission but escapes. Tiger puts Douki in an arm lock. It looks like Douki is going to submit but The House Of Torture floods the ring.
NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi has seen enough. He bans all the lumberjacks from ringside effectively ending the lumberjack stipulation. Sho is hiding at the commentary both though and he comes in and interferes just as Douki tapped out to Mask’s submission. The official, busy with Sho, doesn’t see the tap. One slap from Mask knocks Sho out of the ring. Tiger blocks a low-blow from Douki. Mask hits the Tombstone Piledriver. Mask is about to set up Douki for his Tiger Suplex but Sho pulls the official out of the ring. Sho counts two for Mask and then just laughs.
Sho stomps the hell out of Tiger. Yoh super kicks Sho before he can hit the Shock Arrow on Tiger. Tiger lifts up Douki for the Tiger Suplex again. Douki kicks the official in the face. Low-blow and Darkness Stretch is locked in. Tiger makes it to the ropes but Douki puts it on again. Sho hits Yoh and Tiger Mask with the black mirror to the head. Tiger’s lights go out. Douki retains.
A shame as NJPW could have had Tiger Mask be the champion and drop the title to the Best of the Super Jr. winner in his last match but that takes brains, right?
Wrestling Hizen no Kuni Results
HOUSE OF TORTURE (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens) versus Taisei Nakahara, Master Wato, YOH and Shota Umino
Young Lion Nakahara eats the pin as he is speared and put into the Boston Crab submission by Sho.
Winners: HOUSE OF TORTURE (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens)
Toru Yano and Tomoaki Honma versus Knockout Bros. (OSKAR and Yuto-Ice)
Honma tries to pin the man mountain that is Oskar but Oskar kicks out. Oskar gives Honma a massive back suplex for a two count. Honma is pinned by a KOB. Does poor Honma ever win a match.
Winners: Knockout Bros. (OSKAR and Yuto-Ice)
TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Hartley Jackson and Ryohei Oiwa) versus Masatora Yasuda, Ryusuke Taguchi, Taichi and Yuya Uemura
Fujita puts the sort-of Young Lion Yasuda with a chop to the chest and a German Suplex.
Winners: TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Robbie Eagles, Hartley Jackson and Ryohei Oiwa)
United Empire (Jakob Austin Young, Great-O-Khan and HENARE) versus Tatsuya Matsumoto, YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto
Geeze. Yet another Young Lion take the ‘L’. Young pins Matsumoto with Another One Bites The Dust.
In post-match shenanigans, Khan has Hashi in an ankle lock and Henare chokes out Goto.
Winners: United Empire (Jakob Austin Young, Great-O-Khan and HENARE)
Místico, Aaron Wolf and Oleg Boltin versus HOUSE OF TORTURE (Dick Togo, Don Fale and Ren Narita)
Mistco takes out Togo with a dive to the floor. He dives off the top rope tossing Togo across the ring. He makes Togo submit to his La Mistico submission.
Winners: Místico, Aaron Wolf and Oleg Boltin
United Empire (Zane Jay, Francesco Akira, Jake Lee and Callum Newman) versus Unbound Company (Robbie X, Taiji Ishimori, Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi)
Newman rolls out of the way avoiding Robbie X’s finisher. He nails him with a Pele Kick though. As X attempts his cutter off the ropes Neman pulls the official in the way. X stops himself before he spikes the official. Kiss The Crown. Made in Essex. X is pinned. In more post match shenanigans, Newman shoves the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the face of his future challenger, Shingo Takagi. Takagi punches, kicks Newman. Newman super kicks Takagi in the face and drops him with an OsCutter. Newman then posed over Takagi with the title.
Winners: United Empire (Zane Jay, Francesco Akira, Jake Lee and Callum Newman)
Tiger Mask versus DOUKI – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Lumberjack Match
Winner: …and still IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Douki.
