The Road to DONTAKU was a great show that continued to develop
rivalries between the wrestlers on the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster, while
building excitement toward the next big shows. Along with Dontaku on May 3rd,
Wrestling hinokuni (Fire Country) will take place on April 29, also available to watch live on the
NJPW World live stream. It will feature matches that help to build toward
Dontaku, along with a main event that is a destination long built to in itself:
Togi Makabe challenging for the Openweight Never title held by CHAOS’ Tomohiro
Ishii.
The matches on this show were presented in a logical order, with
the rookies getting a chance to show their progress in the opening matches,
followed by action involving the smaller Junior heavyweights. This was followed
by the players in the main event picture taking each other on after the
intermission. It was no lo-fi production either, with full commentary,
backstage interviews, and varied camera work in effect.
Here’s how the show went down.
Tiger Mask VS Sho Tanaka
During the Match: Sho hit serious chops
and slaps to the chest of the veteran Tiger Mask, who was against the ropes.
Tiger Mask would catch Sho mid-run with a rough kick to the gut. Sho would fire
back with a Gut Wrench Suplex.
Tanaka locked in a Boston Crab but Tiger Mask got out of it.
Tiger Mask hit a sidekick to Tanaka's head for a near fall. Tiger Mask ended
the match by hooking in the Double Underhook Suplex Bomb for the pinfall
victory.
After the Match: Tiger Mask thumps his
chest and gives a show approval for the rookie who has been working his way
onto the card.
Macara Dorada and Ryohei Komatsu VS Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero
and Beretta)
Before the Match: Dorada’s robe is
sparkling, showing off some eye catching gold tones. Komatsu comes in and
shoves Berretta. The entrance music for Dorada is pretty memorable.
During the Match: Dorada is thrown
towards the corner and executes a very fluid walk across the second rope into a
dropkick from the second rope to Romero's head. Beretta works in some Young
Bucks-like hijinks, rolling back-and-forth along the ropes to tease a bit move,
Then he slingshots over the ropes into a Leg Drop spot but but merely lands on
his feet and stomps Komatsu’s head.
Komatsu hits his flying forearem off the ropes on Beretta. He
locks in a Double Leg Boston Crab. Romero breaks it up, but only after three effortful
kicks to Komatsu’s chest. Romero catches himself in between the top and
middle rope to gloat, but Dorado Drop Kicks him to the floor. Dorada misses
with a Tope. RPG hit the Strong Zero double team finisher on Komatsu for the 3
count and win.
Yuji Nagata and
Ryusuke Taguchi vs Manabu Nakanishi and Captain New Japan
During the match: Nagata and Nakanishi
start off. After an even exchange, Taguchi and the Captain get in the ring to
face each other. Taguchi mocks champion Kenny Omega’s video game referencing
Time Stopper. Captain New Japan then successfully applies the Time Stopper on
Taguchi and Nagata but Nagata breaks the spell with a kick. Captain New Japan landed
punches to Taguchi's ass, threatening to weaken his ‘funky weapon’ attacks. Nakanishi
hits Taguchi with his own ‘Funky Weapon.’ The words ‘hip replacement’ immediately
comes to mind seeing the older wrestler thrust like this.
Nakanishi gets Nagata into the Torture Rack. Taguchi goes to
break it up with his rear thrust but Nakanishi counters it with an Atomic Drop. Taguchi
thrusts his ‘Funky Weapon’ on Captain New Japan followed by Nagata hitting his
Backdrop Hold (a bridging Bely-to-Belly Suplex) for the 3 count.
Tencozy (Satoshi
Kojima and Hiroyuki Tenzan) and KUSHIDA VS Kenny Omega, Cody Hall, and Yujiro
Takahashi (no Mao)
Before the Match: As the Bullet Club comes out, Yujiro is not accompanied by Mao, perhaps suggesting representation by Paul Heyman; she only works the big shows.
During the Match: KUSHIDA starts against
Omega. The Junior Heavyweight Champion offers the handshake to the partner of
his opponent at Dontaku. KUSHIDA agrees but Omega pulls his hand away
mockingly. At one point, Cody threw KUSHIDA way up in the air to land
disturbingly on the back of his head. Omega attempted a brain buster on KUSHIDA,
hoisting him into a vertical position, not once but twice before KUSHIDA
escaped. Tenzan tries to take down Cody with the Mongolian Chops but can't
bring the towering Bullet Club rookie down. He runs at Hall and is greeted by big
boot to the head. Kojima escapes the Hall’s attempt at the Razor’s Edge. Then KUSHIDA
lands a dropkick from the top rope on Hall. A Ten-Koji Cutter is used on Yujiro.
Kojima hits one of his massive lariats on Cody hall to pick up the 123.
-------------------------------------Intermission------------------------------------
Yuji Nagata is a guest on commentary. He’s wearing a new t-shirt
featuring the white letters NGT and TNG against a lblue background. Nice clear
and bold propaganda. There are interviews with both Makabe and Ishii who calmly
discusses their upcoming Never title match at Wrestling Fire Country. It leads one to
wonder how long that calm will last, with the two on opposing sides of a big 5
on 5 tag team match in the main evwent of the night.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tetsuya Naito and Tomoaki
Honma VS Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows
Before the Match: Anderson comes out
with a conventional look, thinking well-groomed may be the way to Maria’s
heart, while Gallows rocks a blackened skull face mask and a metal military
style helmet with a bullet club sticker on the side. Along with the army
greens, his look eschews mechanized Nazi zombie chic.
During the Match: Gallows rains punches
down on Honma and uppercuts him in the corner, while on the outside Anderson takes
it to Naito all the way up in the stands. Naito hits Gallows with a reverse DDT
from a crouching position, and attempts the Corner Leg Sweep & Slingshot
Dropkick in the corner but Gallows catches him in a choke and pushes him to the
opposite corner.
Anderson mocks Naito’s ‘Stardust Genius eye’ motion and hits
repeated uppercuts to him against the ropes. Naito recovers from this with a
big Tornado DDT. Anderson hits a bicycle kick on Honma, and he and Gallows
attempt the Magic Killer but Honma kicks out. Fans are crying for the
Kokeshi (Head Butt). He sets up for the falling Kokeshi off the top turnbuckle but
Anderson pops up and catches it, turning it into the Gun Stun in an amazing
looking spot. The Bullet Club’s Heavyweight Tag Team champs hit the Magic
Killer finisher on Honma for the win.
After the match: Anderson professes
more love for Maria, which gallows protests. Gallows even brandishes his fist
exclaminig that he will kill Maria.
Kazuchika Okada and
Gedo VS 'Bad Luck' Fale and Toma Tonga
During the match: Fans are cheering for
Okada right from the get-go.
Gedo gets the better of Tonga with punches until Fale grabs him
in a chokehold from the ring apron, allowing Tonga to get the upper hand. Falet
lifts Gedo way up in the air with a choke in both hands, throws him down and
goes for a halfhearted pin by just standing on him with 1 foot. He continues demeaning
Gedo by sitting down on his back, thus completely immobilizing Okada's advocate
and CHAOS associate.
Later, Okada nips up after hitting Falet with the DDT, and then
lifts the big Samoan up for a Body Slam. He attempts a move from the top turnbuckle
but it's interrupted by Tonga. Falet attempts a choke slam on both Okada and
Gedo but they fight out of it and sidestep Tonga who knocks his Bullet Club
associate off the ropes. Okada hits the Rainmaker on Tonga for his team's
victory.
Hiroki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi,
Togi Makabe, Katsuyori Shibata, Kota Ibushi VS Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii,
Toru Yano, Kazushi Sakuraba, YOSHI-HASI
Before the Match: Entrances our
exchange with members of both teams taking turns entering the ring to their
individual entrance themes. When Kazushi Sakuraba came out, we are shown a big
fan in similar looking ring gear and a mask holding up what looked to be a
homemade title. Unlike WWE officials, nobody forced him to change out of his
costume due to having too much fun. There is a lengthy stare down between Ishii
and Makabe as Goto’s entrance music hits. He comes to the ring before the final
participant Shinsuke Nakamura heads to the ring holding his Intercontinental
Championship belt.
During the match: This is a fast-paced
and, aptly enough, chaotic match. Difficult to recall in order so I will just
mention some of the highlights.
- Things started with Nakamura mocking Goto, giving him the
binocular eyes, what I like to call ‘I
can’t see you.’ As he walks toward his corner, Goto attacks him from
behind. His offense is evaded by Shinsuke who plays it cool and jokey. An
irritated Goto gets him into his team’s corner and hits a downpour of forearms
till Ibushi tags himself in, urging his partner to calm down.
- Yano avoids Tanahashi, and decided to tag in…the referee, ‘red
shoes’! who teases mixing it up with Tanahashi before tagging Yano back in.
- Nakamura and Goto once again tease an insanely dangerous
looking Suplex spot with each vying for control outside the ring by the fans.
This could play out with big pay off when they face each other in the main
event of Dontaku.
- Ishii and Makabe exchanged forearms and headbutts. At one
point Ishii hit a huge brain buster off the top turnbuckle onto the challenger
to his title.
- Shibata pulled Sakuraba’s shirt up over his head, making him
indeed resemble tomodachi (The
Friend) of 20th Century Boys as opposed to sadakiyo, who his varied masked entrances usually call to mind.
After Shibata landed several kicks, Sakuraba got the upper hand and, without
bothering to fix his shirt, locked in the Kimura Armbar. Goto broke up the hold
but had to land several kicks before Sakuraba even considered letting go of the
hold.
- Shinsuke was ready to take out Goto with a bomaye but
Tanahashi jumped in and interrupted with a Sling Blade.
- Goto had YOSHI-HASHI alone in the ring, and you can pretty
much call the youngest CHAOS member the sacrificial lamb being marched up to
the slaughter at this point. But, Goto tagged in an eager Kota Ibushi. Ibushi
and YOSHI-HASHI went back and forth. At one point, a pin attempt by the
fledgling CHAOS member was interrupted by an explosion of bodies flying around
the ring. After the melee cleared, Ibushi was able to hit his Phoenix Splash on
YOSHI-HASHI for his team to take the win.
After the Match: Goto fired verbal shots
at Nakamura once again, whose binoculars turned into a monocle as he held his
intercontinental title belt over his shoulder with his other hand. He then
backed up the ramp, still playing at not taking Goto seriously as a threat. Makabe
took the mic next and made his intentions to take the Never title from Ishii
clear as the reigning champ walked back up the ramp.
Rarely would one consider a 5 on 5 match at a main event level,
but these wrestlers worked amazingly well together to put on a great show
mixing comedy, athletic displays and HEAT between enemies. The match did
exactly what it set out to do: give a preview of the conflicts that will take
place at Wrestling Fire and Dontaku, which have been brewing in various forms
for some time. Things will not exceed a certain level of intensity but the
excitement will come pretty close and create plenty of anticipation for the
upcoming big shows.
--------------------------------
In the back, the members of the winning team each entered the
interview area to cut promos on their rivals from team CHAOS. It was orderly,
as if each were waiting in line to get their school picture taken.
Nagata and the commentary team reflect on the evening as, one of
my favorite elements of the New Japan World broadcasts, the fan interaction
with the camera unfolds. Surely informed by some savvy world subscribers who
realize their chance to insert themselves into digitally captured history, fans
have been doing a number of their own charmingly polite shows behind the
broadcasters. One adorably happy go lucky pro wrestling fan couple pulled off
every signature gesture, from Shinsuke’s guns blazing to the Rainmaker pose to
Yano’s shrug, finally ending in Nagata’s salute as he did likewise in the
forground.
Stay tuned for a combined preshow of Wrestling Fire Country (hinokuni) and Dontaku,
as well as reports following both shows.
Twitter: @mondocurryMARK
Facebook: MondoProWrestling
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