Kizuna Road made its final stop in Sendai on June 25, with tensions high before the G1 and two title matches at the top of the card.
7th Match: Zack Sabre Junior defeated YOSHI-HASHI via submission to retain the Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship and entry to the G1 Climax.
The two exchanged holds on the mat to start, with YOSHI-HASHI telling ZSJ not to take him lightly as he nearly locked in the Butterfly lock early. The challenger fired up with strikes and slams to the champion, but Zack would respond by tying YOSHI-HASHI’s knees around the ropes and then punishing his opponent on the floor.
In ring, ZSJ continued to work over the legs and knees, making good on his promise not to target YOSHI-HASHI’s injured shoulder but instead tap him out by other means. As Zack mocked YH with some punishing kicks, though, a fired up challenger was able to create distance and landed a Bunkerbuster at the ten minute mark.
YOSHI-HASHI missed a follow up Swanton however, allowing the British Champion to punish his challenger with submission holds once more. When YOSHI-HASHI created some more distance, he landed a Headhunter neckbreaker from the top rope, but follow up holds were quickly countered. Thinking fast, YH landed a rare shoulder breaker, and then negotiated the Butterfly Lock.
Zack escaped, but damage was done, and he couldn’t hook a later STF as snugly as he would normally. Penalty Kicks though, now targeting the shoulder Zack promised he wouldn’t, were as snug as ever. Out of desperation, YOSHI-HASHI was able to use the Kinkoji hold that scored him victory over ZSJ at Dominion, but the result was only a two count. Victory was nonetheless within reach as YH tried for Karma, but Sabre countered. He would lock in a vicious arm bar and combine it with a cloverleaf on both legs to force a submission.
6th Match El Phantasmo defeated Ryusuke Taguchi via pinfall to retain the Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship.
The two started by appealing the crowd, who naturally preferred Taguchi in his home town. Taguchi had the upper hand with the crowd and on the mat in the early going, but got a bit overconfident when trying to walk the ropes.
That allowed ELP to crotch Taguchi on the ropes, and opened up a large cleft of rearward offense for Phantasmo on Taguchi. As much concerned with humiliating Taguchi as doing damage, ELP was relentless in picking apart the major asset to Taguchi’s arsenal.
The match wasn’t entirely on a bum note, as Taguchi was able to fire up, landing a Bummer Ye, Dodon to the Throne and then a dangerous ankle lock that ELP barely escaped from. Aware that a quick finish was needed before Phantasmo lost his championship gold, ELP ghit the CR2 and scooped the victory.
5th match: Tiger Mask, Jyushin Thunder Liger, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii & Kazuchika Okada defeated Suzuki-Gun (DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki) when Ishii pinned DOUKI.
It was Tiger Mask that bore the brunt of Suzuki-Gun wrath early, beaten down hard by the entire group. When Tiger Mask create dsome distance, he would tag in Okada and then Ishii, who went right after future G1 opponent Taichi. Ishii and Taichi traded in the ring, but Taichi would end up with the upper hand, even locking in Seitei Jujiro. The hold was broken up, but Ishii was in a tough spot being attacked in the corner by the Suzuki Gun side. Okada would break up the beatdown however, leaving DOUKI to fall to an Ishii lariat and vertical drop brainbuster.
4th match: BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori, Jay White, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated SHO, YOH, Toa Henare & Hiroshi Tanahashi when White pinned Henare.
SHO and YOH went after Ishimori early. BULLET CLUB took control on SHO, but Yujiro was cut off by a spear. With Tanahashi and White in ring, Ishimori tried to get control, but YOH and Tanahashi hit stereo Dragon Screws.
White had the upper hand on Tanahashi until a Bladerunner attempt was countered with Twist and Shout. That led to Henare in ring with White. Henare was fired up, landing huge strikes and headbutts on the former IWGP Champion. A Toa Bottom was countered into a snap sleeper suplex however, and Bladerunner followed.
Post match, White ran down the entire G1 Climax field, and especially Hirooki Goto, who White called a ‘failure’ for his loss to White in April and subsequent departure to train with Shibata. Goto then made a shocking appearance, laying out Goto and White!
Goto got on the microphone and told the two of them to get ready, because he’ll be back in the G1 and White is his first target.
3rd match: Mad Juice (Mikey Nicholls & Juice Robinson) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) when Nicholls pinned Tonga.
The match started wildly with a brawl out on the floor. After all four men fought outside the ring, they all fought inside together. Both teams showed off their double team ability until Juice was in danger isolated by GoD. With Nicholls in ring, momentum started to build, but he was cut off by a cane shot from Jado. Juice came back in to prevent another shot, however, and teed off on all three BULLET CLUB members.
Tonga would kill Juice’s momentum with a Gunstun, but Nicholls was the legal man. Another Gunstun attempt was countered into a backslide for the win. Post match Nicholls demanded that GoD put the IWGP Tag Team Championships on the line, possibley as soon as Melbourne on Saturday.
2nd match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) defeated Ren Narita, Shota Umino, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & Kota Ibushi when Takagi pinned Narita.
After EVIL declined to take part in the traditional LIJ fist bump, Umino showed fire wanting to start with Naito. He paid for his perceived impudence when Naito took him to the floor and flung him into ringside chairs.
Shingo Takagi would bear the brunt of the action. He would face off with Makabe in ring but didn’t back down an inch as he tested arms with the sweet gorilla. Eventually Takagi found himself in the ring with Narita. Narita came within a hair of pinning Shingo with a sunset flip but moments later was on the receiving end of a Pumping Bomber and then Noshigami.
1st match: Tencozy (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) defeated Yota Tsuji & Yuji Nagata when Tenzan submitted Tsuji.
Nagata and Tsuji started strong against Kojima before being struck with a pair of DDTs. Tsuji was isolated by the veteran tag team before he ducked a Kojima lariat and landed a dropkick. That brought Nagata in, and the two worked over Tenzan effectively. Tsuji even locked in a Boston Crab on Tenzan but was countered. That led to the finish as Tsuji ate a Tencozy Cutter and then was submitted by the Anaconda Vice.
