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SEP.9.2020

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Finalists set in IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship League

Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru to face off Friday night in Korakuen Hall

 

On September 9, Sendai saw the final matches of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship League, after which the top points scorers are scheduled to wrestle in a championship deciding match Friday in Korakuen Hall. 

Master Wato and Taguchi were in control of their own destiny heading into Sendai, a win meaning they were assured of being in the final reckoning. The newcomer and veteran connected well in the early going as well, Wato sending in kicks to Gedo while Taguchi assisted to the delight of his hometown crowd. It wasn’t long though, until Gedo had Taguchi on the outside of the ring, and made effective use of his leather belt. 

In the ring, Ishimori took control on Wato, and with turnbuckle pad removed out of sight to the referee, heavy damage was done to the head and neck of the young Grand Master. For Taguchi though, frustration eventually boiled over, and he fought off both BULLET CLUB members with effective towel whipping tactics at ringside, shooting in B-Triggers to both men off the tag. 

Taguchi managed to find Oh My and Garankle on Gedo, but an atomic drop and some stiff knuckles to the face opened the door to a tag to Ishimori at the ten minute mark. A rested Wato me in with speed and precision though, a Tornillo finding the mark on the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. Recientemente would almost give Wato the three but for a Gedo save; Taguchi took Gedo out to the floor, but Ishimori would navigate Wato into the Yes Lock and then the Bone Lock for a submission win that kept BULLET CLUB hopes alive. 

The league then, came down to the main event, and Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI against the Suzuki-Gun combo of El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. A Suzuki-Gun win would mean a direct rematch with the titles at stake Friday, while an LIJ win would mean a three way tie in second place. 

Hiromu played mind games with his opponents in the early going, teasing locking up with Kanemaru only to fly at rival Desperado and send him crashing into the barricades. A low bridge by Kanemaru in the ring however, and Desperado was ready with violent receipts, sending Hiromu barreling off the ringside steel.

Back inside, the Suzuki-Gun duo set to work on BUSHI, tearing at his mask, and working over his knee. A combination dropkick and facecrusher though, brought the masked man enough time to tag out, and bring Hiromu in with trademark energy. A DDT from Kanemaru brought Desperado in, but Hiromu was able to send his masked opponent into the corner at an oblique angle with an overhead belly to belly, BUSHI following with a diving rana on the floor. 

With a hard spinebuster in the ring, momentum once again swung in Suzuki-Gun’s corner, Guitarra Del Angel getting two for Desperado on BUSHI. Hiromu would come to his partner’s aid as the match broke down, and although Kanemaru was in to prevent LAT, Desperado seem to have nothing left to combat BUSHI. A Canadian Destroyer for BUSHI almost sealed the deal with Hiromu laid out from a British Fall on the floor, but Desperado was able to kick out and evade a follow-up MX attempt. Kanemaru hit the ring to draw the referee, long enough for a low blow and El Es Clero, giving the win to Suzuki-Gun. 

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