If his words and actions at NJPW Red Zone are any indication it seems like the legendary Tiger Mask wants to go out in style.
Tiger will have his retirement match on July 7th at Korakuen Hall. It is the date and place he debuted as the character.
Under the mask is Yoshihiro Yamazaki. He is the fourth iteration of Tiger Mask and has been the Tiger Mask persona since 1995, the longest portrayal of the character in its history.
Tonight, it was Boltin Oleg, Aaron Wolf, Tiger Mask and Togi Makabe against The House of Torture (Ren Narita, Don Fale, DOUKI and Dick Togo).
Tiger Mask unleashed a fury and a fire that we haven’t seen in some time against Douki. He hauls back and just punches him in the face a bunch of times. Douki takes off out of the ring. Tiger follows him outside and continues the onslaught. Douki is rolled back into the ring but rolls out to the other side. He walks up the entrance way. Toru Yano appears dragging him back to the ring. Tiger just hammers on Douki again. Things break down into a brawl between the two sides. The match is eventually thrown out.
Douki and all of his House pals stomp Tiger. Douki kicks Tiger in the “lower abdomen” and rips his mask off! Young Lions enter the ring, ripping off their shirts so Tiger Mask can cover his face. Yoh, Wato and Umino crash the ring chasing Douki off. Douki still has Tiger’s mask.
Standing with a hoodie draped over his face. A furious Tiger addresses Douki. He challenges him to a Lumberjack Match for the IWJP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Do the right thing, NJPW. Let him go out a champion.
All manner of tag team gold was on the line too as Unbound Co. (Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori) (c) put their titles on the line against TMDK (Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles) in an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match and The Knockout Bros. (OSKAR and Yuto-Ice) defended the IWGP Tag Team Championship against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI).
It was a great night for The Knockout Brothers but not so for Unbound Co.
The Knockout Brothers took out Goto with the double-team KOB finisher. Hashi put up a valiant fight on his own but eventually he went down to a KOB as well. Knockout Brothers retain.
Unbound Co. wasn’t so lucky. Eagles and Fujita stunned Ishimori with a double kick to the head and did the same to X knocking him off the apron. Fujita then leaped off the top rope onto Ishimori on the floor. In the ring, Eagles splashed Ishimori’s knee from the top rope and put him in the Ron Miller Special for the submission. TMDK are your new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
NJPW Wrestling Redzone Results
Shota Umino, Toru Yano, YOH and Master Wato versus HOUSE OF TORTURE (Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
As Chase Owens has the official’s attention Yujiro head butts Yano in the “lower abdomen”. Yano’s team makes the save. The official is drawn to Kanemaru who attempts to bring his whiskey into the match. Yano dodges Yujiro’s cane. Kanemaru kicks Yano in the head. Yoh prevents Kanemaru from spitting whiskey in Yano’s face. Yano rolls up Yujiro for the victory.
Winners: Shota Umino, Toru Yano, YOH and Master Wato
Taichi, Ryusuke Taguchi and Masatora Yasuda versus The United Empire (HENARE, Great-O-Khan and Francesco Akira)
And of course, the Young Lion eats the pin. Yasuda submits to Akira’s Tarantula.
Winners: The United Empire (HENARE, Great-O-Khan and Francesco Akira)
Boltin Oleg, Aaron Wolf, Tiger Mask and Togi Makabe vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita, Don Fale, DOUKI and Dick Togo)
Winners: No Contest
Yuya Uemura and Tomoaki Honma versus TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson)
Poor Honma. He is pinned by Jackson’s Jagged Edge. Uemura gets in Oiwa’s face.
Winners: TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson)
Unbound Co. (Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Gedo and Daiki Nagai) versus The United Empire (Callum Newman, Jake Lee, Jakob Austin Young and Zane Jay)
Newman takes care of Nagai with a clothesline and his version of Made in Japan. Lee pins Nagai with his Another One Bites The Dust finisher.
Winners: The United Empire (Callum Newman, Jake Lee, Jakob Austin Young and Zane Jay)
Unbound Co. (Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori) (c) vs TMDK (Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles) – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match
Winners: …and new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, TMDK (Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles).
The Knockout Bros. (OSKAR and Yuto-Ice) (c) versus Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI)
Winners: …and still IWGP Tag Team Champions, The Knockout Brothers.
