King of Darkness retains double IWGP gold after thriller with Hiromu Takahashi; Naito declares ‘IWGP rental time’ over
EVIL and Hiromu Takahashi would headline a stacked card in Nagoya’s Dolphins Arena on July 25, as Sengoku Lord saw the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion challenge the holder of the Intercontinental and Heavyweight Championships. It was only the third time in history a junior heavyweight would challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight title, and the first for a junior to challenge the Intercontinental champion, but Takahashi had much more personal motivations heading into the bout.
That passion brought Hiromu exploding out the gate with a pair of dropkicks sending EVIL to the floor, before another pair of shotgun blows followed off the apron. Dick Togo’s presence at ringside was always going to be felt however, and a tug of the heel was followed by a distraction of the ref as EVIL struck with signature steel chairs around the head.
EVIL set to work on the head and neck of Takahashi, but the Time Bomb was able to fire back with a tijeras, and then managed a Sunset Bomb, flinging EVIL into Dick Togo and removing EVIL’s ‘spoiler’ from the action for a while at least. The junior heavyweight champion showed his strength with a Falcon Arrow, but a Time Bomb attempt proved much too ambitious, as EVIL elbowed out.
The double champion tried to follow up on the apron, but Hiromu delivered a Death Valley Driver on the steel, and plunged from the top rope onto EVIL, Young Lions, and the floor below at the 15 minute mark. Despite EVIL’s claims of the opposite, it appeared as if Takahashi saw through EVIL’s tricks, as he blocked a one man Magic Killer, but a suplex into the corner and a second all the way from the top swung the match definitively in the champion’s corner.
Still the fire and the heart of the champion wouldn’t be extinguished. Overhead release German Suplexes sent Takahashi rebounding to his feet, slowed but not stopped each time until at last there wasn’t an immediate answer from the fourth. Still, EVIL wouldn’t let up with a fifth, sixth and seventh release overhead. The damage apparently done, EVIL went to finish Hiromu, but an instinctual drive into the exposed buckle was followed with a D attempt, EVIL’s attempt to power out itself countered with a faceplant at the 20 minute mark.
Takahashi’s new move Victory Royal followed for two, and Hiromu was one move away from victory, until EVIL was able to direct his challenger into referee Red Shoes Unno. That was the cue for Dick Togo to his the ring, a Magic Killer connecting, and Togo looking for a senton until Hiromu sent EVIL east into the ropes and Togo went south crotch first into the corner. Takahashi struck his own version of EVIL at 30 minutes, and followed with a Time Bomb, only landing two.
Time Bomb 2 connected for what would be a sure fire victory, but Togo again got involved, yanking Hiromu from the ring before choking the challenger. Having given all he had, Hiromu had no answer to Darkness Falls, EVIL, or the three count.
Post match, Taiji Ishimori came in to pick the bones of the challenger, landing a Bloody Cross to the man who remains IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. Tetsuya Naito came to the ring next, heading off BULLET CLUB, but more significantly going nose to nose with EVIL. Saying that ‘the rental period is over’ for the double gold, Naito made plans to challenge very clear, EVIL responding ‘don’t make me laugh; I’ll beat you at your own game’. It’s clear Naito wants a rematch, but will EVIL accept?
