Cheering fans return in Korakuen
For the first time in over two and a half years, fans will be able to cheer in special limited capacity Korakuen Hall events this week. Monday September 5 will have a stacked lineup that the Suidobashi faithful will certainly bring the hype for!
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Main Event: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs TMDK (Shane Haste & JONAH)
As Kazuchika Okada and JONAH count down to their October 10 Ryogoku meeting, the Rainmaker recruits his dream team partner of Hiroshi Tanahashi to face the Top Dog and Shane Haste.
In Osaka’s EDION Arena during the G1 Climax, one of, if not the biggest vocal reactions of the pandemic era was heard as the Osaka crowd instinctively gasped in amazement at JONAH crashing down from the top rope with a Torpedo splash that crushed Okada and gave the Rainmaker his sole blemish of the tournament. With fans allowed to cheer to their heart’s content tonight, just how loud will the reaction be if the Top Dog delivers the same level of powerful statement?
7th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & SANADA) vs Suzuki-Gun (El Desperado, Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.)
While everyone on tonight’s card will be excited to hear the crowd raise their voices again, Tetsuya Naito will doubtless be ruing the fact he’ll be unable to close the main event with a rousing ‘de Ja Pon call’. One could assume he would be in this evening’s main event had he defeated Will Ospreay on August 17 to progress, and perhaps win G1 Climax 32. Yet Naito can claim some consolation by dint of eliminating Zack Sabre Jr. from the group winning in under two minutes in the Nippon Budokan. Naito sent Sabre into a wild fit of fury, and that temper may be brought forth tonight in six man action. With Dangerous Tekkers set to meet familiar rivals Naito and SANADA in Kobe on September 25, what happens tonight in Korakuen?
6th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI & Shingo Takagi) vs BULLET CLUB (El Phantasmo & KENTA)
After El Phantasmo’s win over Shingo Takagi in the G1, ELP will still be claiming to be the Dragon’s ‘daddy’ tonight, and might be able to lead chants to that same effect, adding to Tshirt designs specifically to further infuriate the KOPW 2022 holder. With tensions between the two continuing to grow, a singles clash surely seems to be the end point, but before such a match is made, this tag team bout will see plenty of potential for further provocation.
5th Match: KUSHIDA & Jado vs BULLET CLUB (Gedo & Taiji Ishimori)
When KUSHIDA departed NJPW for America in 2019, one of the last things on his mind was that on returning three and a half years later he would be teaming with fan favourite Jado opposite Gedo, but that’s exactly what’s happening in the fifth match of the evening. The Timesplitter made a significant statement at the Nippon Budokan by pinning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori, but a singles showdown is yet to be officially confirmed; the Bone Soldier’s hand may be forced if the KUSHIDA Jado duo pick up a W tonight.
4th Match: The DKC, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi vs United Empire (Francesco Akira, TJP & Aaron Henare)
As Team Six or Nine continue to prepare for their Kobe rematch over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships September 25, they join with the DKC tonight to face champions Francesco Akira and TJP along with Aaron Henare. The cheering crowd will be behind the future challengers tonight, but The DKC, hugely popular since his first trip to Japan from NJPW STRONG, might steal the spotlight!
3rd Match: United Empire (Gideon Grey, Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan) vs BULLET CLUB (Hikuleo, Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale)
Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan continue to head toward their Kobe showdown with Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale in Kobe September 25, joined by the huge Young Gun Hikuleo. Cobb and Great-O-Khan can certainly match their opposition for power, but can Gideon Grey?
2nd Match: CHAOS (Toru Yano, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)
The fans in the cheering sections of Korakuen Hall tonight will finally get their fill of something they’ve had pent up energy to do for two years- booing EVIL, Dick Togo and HOUSE OF TORTURE. One would suspect though that EVIL will feed off said energy as H.O.T move toward their NEVER Openweight 6 Man Championship match with CHAOS later in the tour.
1st Match: Bad Dude Tito vs Minoru Suzuki
It seems right that the first match on the first event with cheering fans back should have Korakuen sing ‘kaze ni nare’. Suidobashi hasn’t become the wind for over two and a half years, but will do so tonight as the King faces Bad Dude Tito. Tito lived up to his name all the way through the G1 series, but does he have enough to topple Suzuki?
