All star main event in Hollywood this week

Headlining NJPW STRONG this week, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship made its first Saturday night appearance, as Jay White joined Hikuleo and Chase Owens to take on Hiroshi Tanahashi, STRONG Openweight Champion Fred Rosser and Kevin Knight. 

Tanahashi started opposite Owens, and connected with Rosser for some effective double team work. Knight would keep pace with his senior partners. The LA Dojo Young Lion put Owens in a Boston Crab, and then came one for Jay White, but Hikuleo would break the hold up with a brutal chop and BULLET CLUB took control of the young man. 

Knight was tortured by the opposition trio, but the famed rocket boots would take off and strike Chase with a signature dropkick. Tanahashi was the waiting recipient of the tag and thrilled the crowd with some signature offense; White would react with a Dragon Screw and the Badebuster but Rosser, Knight and the Ace teamed up to take down Hikuleo and then lock in a trio of submissions. Owens would fight out of a Texas Cloverleaf first and power into Hikuleo and knight to break up the hold, and Hikuleo would quickly land a brutal powerslam and the Chokeslam for three.

In the semi main on STRONG, Aussie Open booked their place in the finals of the STRONG Openweight Tag team Championship tournament with a win over Barrett Brown and Misterioso of the Stray Dog Army. After early offense from Brown and Misterioso, a springboard quebrada was met with a midair kick from Kyle Fletcher as he and Mark Davis took control. 

A handspring double back elbow would see Misterioso make the tag to Brown, who tore into his opposition, and landed a tope suicida, before Misterioso connected with a tope con giro of his own. As the match broke down though, Davis and Fletcher kept their composure and steamrolled both members of the Stray Dog Army and landed Corealis for the win. They will now face Christopher Daniels and Yuya Uemura in the final bout to determine STRONG’s first tag champions.

With a loss to Fred Yehi, Bateman sealed an unfortunate evening for the Stray Dog Army. The twisted Bateman was aggressive as ever with hard strikes and submission work, but it would be Yehi prevailed with a backfist and the Koji Clutch for the tapout win. 

Jordan Clearwater started the night’s action against Jeff Cobb. The Golden Child tried to mount offense with a high knee and neckbreaker, but Cobb’s signature power and speed saw an easy Tour of the Islands to kick off the evening.