NJPW Destruction in Beppu live results: Naito vs. Suzuki

A big feud and a title match headline this morning’s second Destruction event in Beppu.

The main event will feature a special singles bout between Minoru Suzuki and Tetsuya Naito. In a rarity, there’s no title on the line — it’s a straight up singles match. The two have been feuding off and on over the summer, and look to culminate their feud tonight, possibly in a very brutal manner if Suzuki has anything to say about it.

Meanwhile, Hirooki Goto will square off against Taichi for the NEVER title. The title has revolved around Hirooki Goto, Michael Elgin and Taichi for most of 2018. Goto took care of Elgin in a singles match earlier this summer, but now looks to successfully defend against someone who has a knack of finding shortcuts and other ways to get ahead. Goto will have more than his hands full this morning trying to dispatch Taichi from title contention.

As usual, there will be a number of undercard matches as well, mostly tags. Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi will be on opposite sides of an eight man tag team bout ahead of the final Destruction card in Kobe on September 23. 

Join us for live action starting at 5 a.m. EDT. There will be English commentary.

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Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi and Yuya Uemura defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Yota Tsuji

Fine opener, Kojima and Tenzan mostly worked over Uemura. Tsuji came in and shone against Yuji Nagata. He’s clearly going to be a heavyweight prospect. Nagata took him down and soon submitted him with the crossface.

David Finlay and Ren Narita defeated Toa Henare and Shota Umino

Umino busted his nose during a spot with Narita. Same structure as the previous match. This time it was Finlay and Umino who had some good back and forth exchanges. Finlay eventually pinned him with the stunner.

Ayato Yoshida defeated Takashi Iizuka by DQ

Iizuka jumped Yoshida has he made his way to the ring. He tried to bite Yoshida but couldn’t because he had a mask on. Eventually he made Kevin Kelly unmask him. He then bit Yoshida in the boot then on the forehead. 

Yoshida catches Iizuka with a clothesline and a penalty kick. Iizuka cut him off and chokes him with a ring rope he had in his pants. He took out the steel fingers of doom and struck Yoshida with the fingers for the DQ. A pointless match.

KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask and Will Ospreay and Roppongi 3K

Liger’s team focused on YOH, who got cut off after getting the better of Taguchi. YOH ended up cutting Taguchi off by, well…poking him in a place that shouldn’t be poked in a wrestling match. A lot of of comedy here between Taguchi and Romero.

Ospreay and KUSHIDA traded some good looking offense. KUSHIDA escaped the stormbreaker and landed a pele kick. Tiger Mask and Romero were in next, with Tiger Mask hitting a spinning tombstone piledriver for the win. Good match, though the finish felt like it came out of nowhere.

SHO was sporting a nasty looking cut under his eye after the match. 

Killer Elite Squad defeated Best Friends

DBS Jr. got the heat on Beretta while Archer threw Chucky T into the barricade. Beretta tried to counter with a tornado DDT, but DBS blocked it and suplexed him instead. Chucky T made a brief hot tag, but DBS cut him off with multiple German suplexes.

Best Friends cut off Archer briefly but DBS comes back in to make the save. Chucky T took out DBS with a tope con hilo, but Archer cut off Beretta, who tried for a suicide dive, and chokeslammed Beretta on the apron. Chucky T makes the save for Beretta, but is taken out with a snap suplex to the floor by DBS.

Beretta tries to fight off KES, but gets caught in the killer bomb. Archer pins him for the win in a pretty good match. KES are likely the next contenders for the tag team titles after the tag title match in Long Beach.

Zack Sabre Jr., Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated EVIL, SANADA and BUSHI

SANADA works the early part of the match, taking on Sabre and Kanemaru before tagging in BUSHI. EVIL comes in but is tested by Sabre, who locks him in an octopus stretch. He manages to make it to the ropes by using his teeth.

EVIL looks to use the STO but Sabre counters with a backslide, scoring the win. This felt kinda short, but pretty good while it lasted. Seems like based on thse last two shows, they’re building a match between EVIL and Zack Sabre Jr..

Taichi defeated Hirooki Goto to win the NEVER Openweight title

Taichi stalled as the match started. Goto sat in the ring as nothing happened for a while. Finally Miho Abe distracted the referee, which allowed Kanemaru to jump Goto, putting Taichi in control. He walloped Goto with a steel chair and tried to powerbomb Goto on the stage, but he cut him off and suplexed him instead. When Kanemaru tried to jump him again, he met the same fate.

Goto cuts off Taichi with a kick and he looks to regain some momentum. He follows with a lariat, but Taichi cuts him off and lands a buzzsaw kick. Goto comes back with a sleeper, then goes for the GTR but Kanemaru just waltzes into the ring to interfere. Goto laid him out but then Desperado came in to interfere.

Roppongi 3K warded off Desperado and Kanemaru as Goto hit the ushigiroshi, then the shouten kai, but there was no referee, as Red Shoes was still out. Goto hit a PK then a reverse GTR but Taichi kicked out. Iizuka then runs in, and with the distraction Taichi low blows and hooks Goto in the Gedo clutch for a nearfall.

Taichi hits a superkick and the last ride but Goto still kicked out. An air raid crash followed, and this time Taichi gets the win. Overall this was fine but I really hate the idea of the 10,000 run ins when it was done to death in the G1. And you know it’ll be a thing in all of his title matches.

Tetsuya Natio defeated Minoru Suzuki

Match starts with a brawl outside the ring. Naito threw Suzuki into the guardrail, then into another. Suzuki blasts Naito with a boot and takes him into the English announcer’s table, then into the crowd where Naito is thrown into the chairs. They continue to brawl on the outside, with Suzuki landing a running dropkick on the outside.

Suzuki takes things back into the ring as he works over Naito’s hand. Naito fires back with punches and some more offense, but Suzuki takes him out back to the outside and throws him into the guardrail. He sets up a table as he grabs Naito and chokes him off his feet on the apron. He goes for a Gotch piledriver, but Naito blocks him and sends him through the table with a reverse neckbreaker.

Naito connects with Gloria and goes for the Destino but Suzuki blocked it multiple times, including stomping on Naito’s knee. Naito took him to the top rope but Suzuki starts to target the knee again. He applies a kneebar, torquing the knee. Naito finally makes it to the ropes, but is met with more offense by Suzuki once he gets up.

Suzuki tries for the Gotch piledriver, but out of nowhere Naito lands the Destino. They get back up exchange strikes, with Naito actually attempting a Gotch piledriver, but instead hit a powerbomb. He then hits a Destino for the three count. Thought this was a good main event, though the finish was kind of flat. I liked the work on the knee and the story the match told of Suzuki being utterly dominant right before the final moments of the match.

Naito cut a promo after the match, promising that the next time they’re in Beppu LIJ will be at 100%.