NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

NEWS

DEC.2.2022

#TOPICS

Mixed Naito for Australians after Osaka battles

TMDK join Aussie Open on the top of the table

Osaka would see both World and Super Junior Tag League action on December 2, with the heavyweights pushing into the second half with night five. 

Watch the replay now!

 

The main event of the evening would see Los Ingobernables De Japon looking to recover from big losses in recent bouts against league leaders Aussie Open. After some discussion, Mark Davis would start in a battle speed and power with SANADA. There was no clear upper hand in the opening seconds, but when Tetsuya Naito got in Kyle Fletcher’s head with repeated teases of a test of strength, Davis would come in with a massive senton to put the match in the hands of the Aussies. 

At the five minute mark, a basement dropkick from Naito put SANADA in the ring, and Fletcher in the Paradise Lock. Australian power overcoming Japanese ingenuity, a back to back meeting of SANADA and Naito would be brought about by Fletcher and Davis, who kept Cold Skull in place until a Cold Skull suplex brought in a now much more focused and determined Naito. With his trademark assault on the neck of Fletcher, Naito was ruthless, but forced an effective desperation suplex counter from the Aussie Arrow to bring Davis back inside.

Relief was fleeting for Aussie Open as a duo, and for Gideon Grey at ringside as he encouraged his charges. A swinging DDT would see Davis in just as much trouble as Fletcher was, but as the match passed half time, the double team offense came out of Aussie Open. SANADA wold go back to the neck of Flewtcher in response, a Dragon Sleeper scoring big, but a Tombstone came in response from the Aussie Arrow. As the league leaders sought to close with the sandwich elbows that lead to Corealis, SANADA had the presence for a last minute counter, and to make a much needed tag.

Naito landed Esperanza on Davis and set for a running Destino, but would be blasted by an enzuigiri from Dunkzilla instead. Now with Naito in their sights, the sandwich elbows connected, but Corealis was countered with a desperation Destino; as SANADA took Davis to the floor, Fletcher and Naito went blow for vicious blow until SANADA re-entered for an assisted swinging DDT, and the full Destino landed to give Aussie Open their first loss with ten minutes left on the clock. 

Suzuki-Gun’s battle with TMDK was rather on the opposite end of the time spectrum. As the match got off to a furious start, Minoru Suzuki would quickly go for the Gotch Style Piledriver, and then a rear naked choke on Shane Haste when the move was denied. Haste leveraged a takedown and scored a fast flash pin in just  86 seconds. 

Having already made the difference in bringing SHO and Dick Togo to victory over YOH and Lio Rush, EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi stayed at ringside to put a speedy early beating to Aaron Henare and Great-O-Khan. The Ultimate Weapon would be suppressed but not effectively enough to prevent a tag to O-Khan; the Dominator would fight for a head and arm choke, and then prevented EVIL’s hold to hit his own STO, but a predictable SHO distraction from the floor led to O-Khan being shoved into an exposed corner.

Interference from the floor would also impact Henare’s forward momentum when tagged back in, but a Berserker Bomb would find its mark, and the Ultima would put HOUSE OF TORTURE into more trouble, the H.O.T playbook calling for a fallen referee and low blows all round. Finding admirable courage, Gideon Grey would strike the H.O.T side low, and Henare would also fight low blow with low blow, Streets of Rage connecting on Yujiro for the final win. 

As Chase Owens’ return to the States necessitated he and Bad Luck Fale’s withdrawal from the league, scheduled opponents Bishamon would come away with an automatic two points via forfeit, while the Be-Bop Tag Team of Toru Yano and Hiroshi Tanahashi kicked off against Gabriel Kidd and Alex Coughlin. The winless LA Dojo members were facing de facto elimination, and their subsequent over eagerness to score offense would carry a cost as well as dividends. Coughlin would ring himself off a corner exposed by Yano, but came back with a double suplex to both partners, as Kidd later followed up with a brainbuster on Tanahashi for two. The veterans were too much for the young prospects though, and a Demon Killer powerbomb followed by High Fly Flow gave the Be-Bop team their third straight win.  

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