Tsuji and Uemura wrestle big name competition in last Young Lion matches.
August 1’s Summer Struggle in Korakuen Hall started off with Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura having their last matches as Young Lions, competing against Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada in a pair of dream matches for the young prospects.
Uemura and Okada were first to hit the ring on the night, Uemura waiting right by the ropes to greet the Rainmaker as soon as he hit the ring. Shooting in at the bell, Uemura came up with a hammerlock on Okada, who soon countered by taking the leg and wrenching the left knee. Transitioning to the head, Okada wrenched in a side headlock that Uemura had to work hard to free himself from, but did so and followed with a crisp dropkick and mounted strikes.
Trying to push the advantage, Uemura got a series of one counts with grounded strikes, and found a double wrist lock, but Okada was quick to the bottom rope. Not fazed by Okada’s counter, Uemura charged at his opponent in the corner with a dropkick and side suplex, and locked in a Bostin Crab, but again Okada showed how easily he could escape to the bottom strand.
Having had enough of the impetuous Uemura, Okada absorbed forearms from the Young Lion and connected with a pair of big boots to shift the match in his favour. The CHAOS leader followed by testing Uemura’s wind and resolve, with a series of snapmares and slams designed to wear Uemura down, and waiting, hands on hips, for the young man to find his feet.
Okada dared Uemura to bring all he had, and the Young Lion responded with a huge dropkick and the Deadbolt Suplex for two. Uemura roared as he set up for a second, but was hit with a pair of short arm lariats and then the Money Clip for the Okada submission win. Okada raised Uemura’s hand in congratulation after the bout, but only to shoot the now graduated Young Lion into the ropes for one more dropkick.
Yota Tsuji headed to the ring for the second bout, one the Yokohama native had long requested against Tetsuya Naito. After taking his time to disrobe from his full singles match regalia and suit, Naito took a big tackle from Tsuji at the bell, before a high pace sequence ended with a Tsuji tijeras that saw Naito swept to the outside.
Tsuji followed Naito out for more offense, before both men came back in to trade chops, Tsuji even coming up with the upper hand in the stinging exchange as El Ingobernable tried to get out of the blocks. This he did with a Manhattan Drop and neckbreaker before getting violent revenge for Tsuji’s earlier offense on the floor, a bodyslam seeing Tsuji thud onto the ringside mats.
Tsuji rolled back inside at the referee’s count of 19, only to receive more slams. Yet Tsuji would find a big dropkick to put Naito down as the crowd fired up behind the Young Lion. A flipping senton and flying body sausage followed for two, but Naito landed heavy elbows to the neck. A back elbow followed, but Tsuji managed to summon a spear that put El Ingobernable to the canvas.
Tsuji found a suplex to follow, but Naito was going to allow no more offense from the former American football player. A signature flying forearm was followed by a tortuous Boston Crab that saw Tsuji just barely reach the bottom rope. With desperate dedfiance, Tsuji rattled off palm strikes to Naito and tried to catch him with a rollup, but was caught with a vicious gamen giri and then a Liontamer like hold, Tsuji passing out as the referee put a stop to his last bout in black tights.
