Shingo Takagi claims elimination victory in tour opener.

Headlining night one of the Road to Wrestling Dontaku in Yokohama were the United Empire, headed up by IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, opposite Los Ingobernables De Japon, with number one contender and Dontaku challenger to Ospreay Shingo Takagi being the most prominent member. 

As United Empire struck en masse at the bell, it was new transfer Aaron Henare starting the match legal against his April 26 Hiroshima opponent SANADA, Cold Skull scoring with a dropkick to the ‘Ultimate Weapon’ before LIJ took early control. When Henare blocked a BUSHI sunset flip however, he was able to dominate in the mount, and brought BUSHI to the United Empire’s corner. 

With Cobb’s power and Ospreay’s athleticism taking point, BUSHI stayed in the wrong part of the ring until eight minutes deep in the match, where a double Frankensteiner from the masked man brought in a fired up Takagi. The Dontaku challenger delivered a suplex to the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but Ospreay responded with speed and sharp strikes, before evading a Ryukon lariat and hitting a handspring kick. 

Tetsuya Naito and Great-O-Khan received tags in their respective corners, and Naito would try and play mind games with his Hiroshima opponent as he invited an O-Khan elbow, before finding himself on the wrong end of a series of blows from the Dominator. Quickening the pace however, Naito would find success in taking down his opponent before going for the long extended braid of O-Khan and leading him around the ring. O-Khan was persistent however, and his ‘Sheep Killer’ hold would have Naito struggling. 

Trademark LIJ teamwork would swing the balance of momentum back their way, as a double hiptoss and basement dropkick from SANADA opened the offensive door. Naito would look for a top rope Frankensteiner, blocked by O-Khan as both spilled to the apron; as the two men exchanged strikes, O-Khan would catch Naito with his face claw and looked for the Eliminator, before a pump kick would send El Ingobernable to the floor. 

O-Khan took pride in his achievement, but paid for his ego, SANADA dropkicking the Dominator to the floor and bringing the match to three on three. Henare would be legal opposite SANADA and got two from a Berserker Bomb, but couldn’t land Streets of Rage, SANADA instead working free and charging at his opponent, both being simultaneously eliminated with a flipping clothesline. 

Down to BUSHI and Takagi against Ospreay and Cobb, the match continued with the LIJ junior heavyweight against the United Empire’s imperial unit. A Tour of the Islands was emphatically hit for Cobb, eliminating BUSHI and leaving a two on one situation for the Dragon against tough competition.  

The two men took vicious advantage of the handicap, tearing into Shingo, who hung on with all he had. A back body drop to Ospreay and a Ryukon lariat to Cobb scored for Shingo, who stopped an OsCutter, but Cobb was there with a thunderous lariat to the Dragon. Fighting on instinct, Takagi was able to elevate Cobb over the top and connected with a lariat to send him to the floor; now it was down to a preview of our May 4 Dontaku main event. 

As the match passed the 20 minute mark, Takagi countered a powerbomb attempt from Ospreay to score with an incredible lariat. Driven to destroy Ospreay, Shingo connected with a long series of elbows and went for the Pumping Bomber but was countered with a Spanish Fly, but when Ospreay went for an Os Cutter he was shoved over the top rope to the apron. Takagi joined him in the dangerous spot on the edge of the ring, and delivered a powerful headbutt; both men exchanged hard hits in a precarious position, before Takagi finally tossed Ospreay to the floor from a pop-up Death Valley position to take victory. 

Post match, Shingo would take exception to Ospreay’s post Sakura Genesis defence talk of ‘first Shingo, next Okada’. Stating ‘you don’t need to worry about Okada, there is no ‘next”, Takagi promised to show that the United Empire are indeed on ‘another level’ below LIJ for the rest of this tour.