Narita’s war with Juice sees him set for homecoming, while Lawlor targets Homicide
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This week’s edition of NJPW STRONG was highlighted by a bloody war between Juice Robinson and Ren Narita, one that saw the LA Dojo exchange student victorious and ready for a Ryogoku homecoming this Monday night.
It didn’t appear as such at the start of the bout. Jumping Narita from behind, Juice dragged Narita to ringside where he was levelled by the ring bell. Narita was left a bloody mess from the attack which drew a DQ, but in response to Robinson’s mockery on the microphone, Narita insisted that the match be restarted as a no DQ bout.
Narita landed flurries of offense, but would be cut off with cane shots from the unforgiving Juice. Still the young man refused to quit, and dropkicked a chair into the face of Robinson before sending his foe crashing into another chair wedged into the corner. Narita seemed to build momentum at last, and wanted the coup de grace with a shot to the head of Juice, but the Rock Hard BULLET CLUB member blasted Narita with a low blow; a piledriver on the chair followed, as did a powerbomb through a ringside table.
Robinson was incensed that Narita was still kicking out, and wanted to finish Narita for good with a superplex through a second table, but was countered into an agonising hold from the corner. Narita would apply the Paco Special submission that bowed Juice’s arms behind his back at an oblique angle, Juice verbally submitting for a huge Narita win.
The main event of the evening would see Homicide and Wheeler Yuta take on Jay White and Karl Anderson of BULLET CLUB. A surprisingly scientific opening to the match between Homicide and Anderson started the bout, while it was Jay White that was quickest to angry blows after Yuta inadvertently opened up a scratch near the IWGP World Champion’s eye.
It was Homicide and Anderson that went to the outside though, and after Homicide bumped into Tom Lawlor at guest commentary ringside, an angry former STRONG champion through his drink in the face of the Notorious 187, leading to a fracas on the outside. BULLET CLUB would take advantage of the confusion, and Homicide was in trouble before a hot tag saw Wheeler Yuta explode into the ring.
Yuta would make White pay for his overconfidence, with suplexes that had the world champ in trouble. Homicide set White for the Cop Killer, but Lawlor would again get involved, getting on the apron and cracking Homicide to set him up for the Bladerunner. White was victorious, but Lawlor still wasn’t finished.
Post match, the West Coast Wrecking Crew would hit the ring, and Lawlor continued to put the boots to Homicide. At least a loose alliance seems to be forming between Team Filthy and BULLET CLUB,
Starting the night were QT Marshall and Shota Umino. Marshall tried to take the young man to task in the opening moments, but would soon find himself dropped with some dynamic offence by ‘Shooter’. Marshall would respond with a veteran’s ring awareness and sadism, working over the neck before blocking the Death Rider and connecting with a pop up elbow and powerbomb. Yet Umino showed his grit, and didn’t back down until the Death Rider scored for the three.
