More Korakuen action as Summer Struggle continues
A lot of hot action is coming to Korakuen Hall over the coming weeks as the Summer Struggle series continues in Tokyo. Six more matches bring the fireworks on July 27 as we continue on the road to Jingu Stadium on August 29.
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Main event: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & SANADA) vs BULLET CLUB (EVIL, Dick Togo & Taiji Ishimori)
Another six man main event tonight sees an unchanged BULLET CLUB squad of EVIL, Dick Togo and Taiji Ishimori take on an LIJ team that sees BUSHI substituted out for SANADA. Naito has EVIL in his sights, while Taiji Ishimori made his feelings very about Hiromu Takahashi very clear Sunday.
At the Korakuen Hall series opener, Ishimori laid out Takahashi with Bloody Cross after the bell before declaring that he would be challenging for the junior gold. In response, Hiromu would state backstage that while he hated the way Ishimori made the challenge, he’d be more than happy to accept. Still, whether either championship affair becomes official, much ground needs to be laid by prospective challengers. Meanwhile, SANADA should have some very interesting interactions with EVIL in this match. EVIL’s shocking defection to BULLET CLUB destroyed their two time IWGP Tag Championship team, and Cold Skull will wants answers of his own from the King of Darkness.
5th Match: CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & SHO) vs BULLET CLUB (Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo)
In a rematch from Sunday, SHO teams up with Kazuchika Okada to take on Yujiro Takahashi and Gedo. Okada has mysterious plans in mind for the future to move onto, but the question is whether Yujiro and Gedo will let him. Yujiro has pledged that he ‘will not give up’ when it comes to getting jealous revenge; what does he have in store?
4th Match: Master Wato, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi vs Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI, Taichi & Zack Sabre Junior)
More eight man tag action for Suzuki-Gun sees them make a slight change in the lineup as DOUKI comes in for El Desperado to take on Wato, Tenzan, Tanahashi and Ibushi. Sunday, it was Suzuki-Gun standing tall as Tenzan was forced to submit to a vicious armbar. Can Golden☆Ace rally tonight and stake a strong claim for the IWGP Tag Team Championships?
3rd Match: Yuji Nagata & Yuya Uemura vs Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado)
El Desperado moves from eight man tag action on July 25 to teaming with The King in Korakuen on the 26th. Despe will look to take hard hitting frustration out on Young Lion Uemura here while Nagata and Suzuki will no doubt have their hands full with one another as they seem inseparable en route to a singles contest at some point in the near future.
2nd Match: CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) vs Los Ingobernabels De Japon (BUSHI & Shingo Takagi)
Shingo Takagi again butts heads with CHAOS and YOSHI-HASHI tonight, albeit this time with Toru Yano in the Headhunter’s corner as Shingo teams with BUSHI. What’s next for Takagi and the NEVER Openweight Championship? Could his next challenger come from his opponents tonight? Or perhaps even his junior heavyweight teammate?
1st Match: Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima & Togi Makabe vs Gabriel Kidd, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii
The trio of Taguchi, Kojima and Makabe stick together for the third night running in our opener, as they face Gabriel Kidd, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto, in this match while Toru Yano teams with YOSHI-HASHI in the second. Kidd and Goto worked extremely well together in their tag bout at Dominion, and effective teamwork could make the difference when it comes to Kidd impressing his veteran opponents, and Togi Makabe in particular, into a potential singles contest.
