NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

NEWS

APR.26.2021

#TOPICS

Naito gets adopted home town win as Destino calls

Tetsuya Naito victorious in Hiroshima main event

The main event on the Road to Dontaku on April 26 saw Tetsuya Naito take on the Great-O-Khan in singles action. In contrast to Aaron Henare’s fast start with SANADA just prior, O-Khan and Naito waited for anticipation to build among the fans in attendance in Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall before engaging, Henare looking to shoot in as Naito kept him at bay. 

After a back to back standoff showed both men’s disdain for the other, a snug lockup finally saw O-Khan push Naito to the ropes, before inviting Naito to the mat. Sucked into O-Khan’s wheelhouse, the MMA expert worked for a cross kneebar, before finally getting the knee straight, driving Naito to the ropes, but sending a clear message of where offense would remain for the United Empire member as the match passed five minutes. 

O-Khan would try and make Naito run, but not enough damage had been done as El Ingobernable responded with a head scissor whip before using O-Khan’s braided hair as a weapon against him. Naito used the hair to wrench O-Khan’s head against the ring post, but a shot into the guardrail was reversed, and O-Khan had his opening with a body slam that sent Naito’s body thudding into the ringside mats. 

O-Khan piled on the pressure and humiliated Naito as he took a seat in the corner, the LIJ member trying in vain to get back into the match which was at this point under full Great-O-Khan control. With a neckbreaker, Naito finally gained a moment of respite, and with blood finally flowing to his legs, Naito scored with some signature offense. 

Rolling O-Khan into his leg laced Full Nelson, Naito began to build his own offense around the neck. The break was short lived, a lariat in the corner and a Mongolian Chop putting Naito in the Tree of Woe where a pair of O-Khan boots met his face, and after Naito attempted to rally with a Frankensteiner off the top rope, a facebuster and a long delayed reverse suplex put O-Khan back in the driver’s seat. 

Naito needed something big to change the flow of the match, and found it with a phenomenal swinging DDT that spiked O-Khan on his head. Feeling momentum build at the 20 minute mark, Back elbows struck at O-Khan’s neck, which was further damaged with Esperanza and a running Destino for two. The full version was denied, a lariat rocking Naito, and though the strike took much out of the Dominator, O-Khan was able to catch a flying Naito and dump him with a slam before a front kick got him two. 

O-Khan tried to squeeze the life from Naito with the Sheep Killer hold, El Ingobernable fading fast as the 25 minute call went up. The Tenzan Tombstone Driver would follow, Naito barely escaping at two; O-Khan would go for the Eliminator kill, but was countered with a Destino; this time the full version would follow up and Naito was victorious. Post match, Naito vowed to use this ‘home win’ to kickstart his return to the top in 2021; who will be his next target?

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