Match two of best of 7 series highights Fukuoka card
After a series of non televised live events on the road to Destruction, the series heads to Fukuoka on September 17. After a typhoon cancelled a date at the Fukuoka Island City Forum last year, the pent up excitement is real for this seventh night of the series, which sees the second match in our trios best of seven series as well as key previews of Kobe and Ryogoku to come.
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Main event: Just Five Guys (SANADA, Taichi, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo)
Just Five Guys continue to reel from the despicable tactics of HOUSE OF TORTURE, and with the absence of Yoshinobu Kanemaru due to knee injury, putting Taichi and SANADA especially on the back foot as they head into KOPW and IWGP World Heavyweight Championship action September 24 in Kobe and October 9 in Ryogoku respectively. After a series of straight losses, the rightful champions have to right the record tonight against the men who still (illegally) possess the gold.
6th Match: Best of Seven Series Match 2- Shota Umino, Yuji Nagata & Master Wato vs Strong Style (Ren Narita, Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado)
BO7 standing: 0-0-1
The second match in our Best of Seven trios series pits Yuji Nagata, Shota Umino and Master Wato against Strong Style once more. When the series kicked off in Togane this week, things were as chaotic as expected, but what wasn’t expected was the result- a time limit draw after 30 minutes expired. Nagata certainly wasn’t satisfied as he was unable to pick up the W for his team in front of his home crowd, and now he’ll be looking to ensure that the first result of the series goes to his side.
5th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji & BUSHI) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb, HENARE, Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman)
After victories for the United Empire to kick off the Road to Destruction, Jeff Cobb has made it very clear that he’s wrestling Tetsuya Naito on September 24 with the main event January 4 at Wrestle Kingdom 18 in mind. Tetsuya Naito might not have a high budget briefcase, (or a ‘contract’ that isn’t scrawled in permanent marker), but El Ingobernable is happy to raise the stakes against the Imperial Unit as the road to the Tokyo Dome continues.
Meanwhile, Great-O-Khan and SHingo Takagi have been pushing one another’s buttons for weeks. As Shingo Takagi has taunted O-Khan about his record through 2023, so the Eliminator has been driven to prove his superiority over the Dragon, via forcing Takagi to kiss his foot and even offering Shingo a United Empire Tshirt Sunday in Chiba. The LIJ side will be working to bounce back tonight, and as Will Ospreeay stays back in Tokyo to face Naomichi Marufuji in Pro-Wrestling NOAH, Yota Tsuji wants to stamp his authority over this match in his Kobe opponent’s absence.
4th Match: CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada) vs TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Bad Dude Tito)
With time ticking down before Bishamon defend the IWGP Tag Team Championships against Shane Haste and Bad Dude Tito, CHAOS and TMDK lock horns once again in Fukuoka. This past Sunday, Zack Sabre Jr. picked up a victory over Tomohiro Ishii in eight man action, a move that might open up NEVER 6 Man opportunities to come for the side. Yet with the IWGP Tag ttitles on the line in Kobe, Hiroshi Tanahashi nominating a side from IMPACT for the current champion’s next challenge, and ZSJ set to face Bryan Danielson October 1 in Seattle for AEW, everyone’s schedules certainly seem to be busy enough already.
3rd Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & YOH vs Tiger Mask, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi
After tagging with one another to start the tour, YOH and Ryusuke Taguchi will be on opposite sides in Fukuoka. As they tackle this six man contest, one still has to question just how YOH might react when reunited with his regular tag partner Lio Rush, new attitude and all, in one week’s time in Kobe- time will tell.
2nd Match: Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) vs Boltin Oleg & Oskar Leube
Tag team action will see the return of Boltin Oleg alongside Oskar Leube. After an unfortunate infection, Boltin will be desperate to get back in the hunt for his NJPW World TV Championship shot against Zack Sabre Jr. First though, he and Leube have to overcome former IWGP Tag Team Champions who have some harsh points to prove.
1st Match: Hiromu Takahashi vs Yuto Nakashima
Singles record: 1-0 Takahashi
The action in Fukuokakicks off with a singles match between Hiromu Takahashi and Yuto Nakashima. Hiromu shut down Nakashima in 7:49 back last January; with the benefit of another year and a half experience under his belt, can Nakashima last longer against the Time Bomb here tonight?
