EVIL emerges from wild main event
The Road to Castle Attack kicked off on February 14, with an elimination match between CHAOS and BULLET CLUB headlining the Valentine’s event. As expected, the match got off to a hot start, with CHAOS hitting the ring fast and brawling with their BULLET CLUB opponents.
Chase Owens took over on Toru Yano on the floor and attached himself to the KOPW 2021 holder with a leather strap; Owens is campaigning for a Texas Strap Match with Yano on February 27. After a preview of what could be on night one of Castle Attack, Owens cut off Yano and threw him over the top rope to get the first elimination of the match. The two men were still tied together however, and Yano yanked on the strap to send Owens out as well.
With the scores at four on four, Tomohiro Ishii took over on EVIL in the CHAOS corner. Kazuchika Okada finally got his hands on the King of Darkness center ring, but not for long, as the Guerrillas of Destiny entered the ring unbidden. As all eight men in the match fought on the floor, Jay White choked Ishii out with YOSHI-HASHI’s pipe, while EVIL punished Okada before bringing him back inside.
Okada received more than his fair share of punishment from all four remaining BULLET CLUB members before a big boot to White brought Ishii back in. Jaytried to hoist Ishii over the top rope, but Ishii’s CHAOS cohorts prevented the elimination, and the Stone Pitbull exploded out of the corner with a massive tackle.
The expert counterpuncher White landed a DDT to Ishii and a Bladebuster, before another melee broke out at the 15 minute mark; in the confusion, Ishii hoisted White over the top rope and knocked him off the apron, but White was saved from elimination with a well timed catch by Tanga Loa. Ishii would join White in a precarious position on the apron; Ishii directed a charging Loa into White to eliminate the Switchblade, but could not get back inside before his feet were yanked from under him from the apron to the floor.
CHAOS and BULLET CLUB now tied at three on three, YOSHI-HASHI hit the ring for CHAOS, and managed to fight off both Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa before he and Hirooki Goto connected with an assisted Ushigoroshi. GYR proved elusive however, and when the Headhunter found himself on the apron, he was eliminated by a Jado cane swing that went undetected by the referee.
Hirooki Goto would lariat Tanga Loa out of contention, but Jado again got involved, hanging on to Goto’s ankle and allowing for a Tama Tonga Gunstun to send him out. Now in a 1 vs 2 handicap position, Okada elevated Tonga over the top rope and sent EVIL crashing into his team mate, leaving the match a de facto singles affair.
A dropkick from Okada, and the Rainmaker locked EVIL in Money Clip. As EVIL faded, Dick Togo came onto the apron right on schedule, and with the assist from The Spoiler, EVIL would win the match via the final over the top rope elimination. Post match, Okada was furious at the result, and charged in to try and take a shot at EVIL to no avail as BULLET CLUB beat a hasty retreat. Much remains unsettled as Okada and EVIL are set to face off on February 27 in Osaka Jo Hall.
