New Japan Road results: Junior Tag Team title tournament continues

By Ethan Renner
Published: 6 Sep 2020, 01:30

Recommended matches —

Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI

Report —

Makuhari Messe International Conference Hall 3 in Chiba was the venue for today’s show.

Yuji Nagata defeated Yuya Uemura (8:46)

This was a very good, technically sound opener.

Nagata used a headlock takeover. Uemura used a headscissors escape. Nagata went to work on Uemura’s left arm, setting him up for a Nagata Lock later. Nagata hit some big kicks.

Uemura made a comeback with strikes and a double underhook belly-to-belly. Uemura hit a hard slap to the neck and a series of slaps to the face. Nagata fired up after the slaps.

Nagata hit a big mid kick, an exploder, then used the Nagata Lock II for the submission.

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Gabriel Kidd defeated Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, SHO & Yota Tsuji (11:35)

Ishii and SHO began with an awesome exchange. They were the highlight of the match. I would liken the rest of this to a fun house show match.

SHO called in his teammates and they went after Ishii. Yano exposed a buckle and did some comedy spots. Ishii tagged Kidd who got cut off. Kidd did some spots with Okada. Okada hit a slingshot senton.

Kidd managed to tag Goto. Goto and Okada had a sequence that ended with a lariat from Goto. YH tagged in and hit Okada with a running chop, a thrust kick and a headhunter. Okada hit an air raid crash and tagged Tsuji.

Tsuji and YH were in for the finish. Tsuji got a near fall off a spear. YH used a bunker buster for a two count, then locked on the butterfly lock for the submission.

**********

Ishii and SHO went after each other after the match. The traded forearms. Okada broke it up and went after Ishii.

Kidd tried to jump in and Ishii knocked him down with forearms. Clearly SHO and Ishii is a future direction.

**********

Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma (14:05)

Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell. Tanahashi was quickly cut off and Suzuki-gun took turns working him over for the first several minutes.

Tanahashi hit a twist and shout on Taichi and tagged Ibushi. Ibushi cleared the Suzuki-gun apron and hit a high kick and standing moonsault for a two count. Ibushi and Taichi traded kicks. They hit simultaneous high kicks into a double down.

Kojima and Sabre got tags. Kojima hit machine gun chops. Sabre cut him off before he could hit a top rope elbow and used a kimura. Sabre continued to attack Kojima’s left arm. Sabre hit a northern lights suplex and transitioned to an armbar on landing. Kojima forced a break. Kojima hit a cutter into a double down.

Honma and Sabre did battle. Honma fought off a double team from DOUKI and used a brainbuster on Sabre for a two count. Honma missed a kokeshi. Sabre locked on a triangle. Ibushi made the save. Taichi took out Ibushi.

It was still Sabre and Honma in for the finish. Honma hit a headbutt. Tana jumped in for a slingblade. Honma used a diving kokeshi for a two count. Sabre blocked a brainbuster and used an octopus hold for the submission.

Poor DOUKI. As Sabre had Honma in the octopus, DOUKI went for a dive off the post onto the other four guys and the match and Kidd who was serving as a ringside attendant. DOUKI missed everyone and landed right on his butt on the floor. No one ever catches that guy.

*****Intermission*****

Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & SANADA defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Jado (8:48)

The less said about this the better.

Bullet Club attacked LIJ as they made their way into the ring. Jado stole Naito’s ring jacket.

Naito managed a tag to Shingo. Naito and Shingo doubled up on EVIL. Naito and SANADA then double-teamed EVIL. SANADA hit a dropkick for a two count.

EVIL grabbed the ref. Jado hit SANADA with a kendo stick from the floor. Yujiro and Jado double-teamed SANADA.

Jado hit a lariat and a draping DDT. The list of people I would take a draping DDT from would not include Jado at this point in his career.

EVIL exposed a buckle and sent Naito into it. Shingo hit EVIL with a lariat. Yujiro threw Shingo outside. Yujiro took the ref. Jado tried a kendo stick shot but SANADA blocked and used an O’Connor roll into a bridge for the pin.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag title tournament match: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Taiji Ishimori & Gedo (16:49)

I find heel vs. heel brawls oddly satisfying as a change of pace, maybe because we see them so rarely and I enjoy the comedy. The match was too long but entertaining.

These two teams of horrible characters used every trick in the book to cheat and broke every rule in the book in an effort to get their two points.

Bullet Club exposed a buckle in their corner and sent Desperado into it. Ishimori and Gedo worked Desperado over with eye gouging, belt whips and every heel trick imaginable.

Desperado managed a tag and Kanemaru entered. Kanemaru went after Gedo’s left knee. Kanemaru tried Deep Impact but Gedo got his foot up so Kanemaru jumped off the second rope into a low blow.

The timekeeper was confused by the low blow and rang the bell soon after but the match continued.

Ishimori and Desperado tagged in. Desperado escaped a Yes Lock and blocked a Bloody Cross attempt. Gedo got a tag and hit Despy with a thrust kick for a two count.

Desperado twice grabbed the ref and tried to low blow Gedo but Gedo blocked both times. Everyone hit a lariat. Desperado was the last man standing. Gedo blocked a Pinche Loco attempt. Desperado hit a spinebuster for a two count.

Desperado used a stretch muffler. Ishimori broke it up and bumped the ref.

Gedo avoided a whiskey bottle shot from Kanemaru and hit a low blow on Desperado. Ishimori sent Kanemaru outside after a seated senton.

Desperado hit a right hand to Gedo. Kanemaru jumped back in and used the whiskey bottle on both Gedo and Ishimori. Desperado then hit Pinche Loco for the pin.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag title tournament match: Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato (w/Hiroyoshi Tenzan) (18:03)

A very good main event.

Wato and Hiromu began. These two could have great matches together. They started off hot with a leapfrog spot and a misdirection spot. Wato hit spinning kicks off both spots.

Wato avoided a BUSHI distraction and went after Hiromu’s left leg. BUSHI jumped in for the illegal double team to cut Wato off, then went outside to send Taguchi into the barricade.

Hiromu hammered Wato with chops. He threw in some Mongolian chops to taunt Tenzan. Hiromu used a camel clutch. Taguchi entered and broke it up with Mongolian chops.

BUSHI got a tag and continued working on Wato. He used a neckbreaker for a near fall and hit some kicks. Hiromu tagged back in and hit some vicious palm strikes to the chest. They continued to use quick tags. Taguchi tried to save with a hip attack but he missed.

One thing I like about Wato’s selling is that he makes sure to work in some hope spots. That’s a lost art when guys are selling today.

BUSHI used an STF but Wato forced a rope break. Wato hit a rana on Hiromu and a dropkick on BUSHI before Taguchi got a tag.

Taguchi hit a double DDT and a series of hip attacks. Taguchi hit a springboard hip attack for a near fall on BUSHI. BUSHI blocked three amigos. Taguchi ducked a rewind kick and used an ankle lock. Hiromu interfered to break it up but Wato sent him outside and hit a tornillo.

Taguchi hit a Bomaye on BUSHI for a two count. He went back to the ankle lock. He gave up the hold and went for Dodon. BUSHI blocked. They traded enzuigiris into a double down.

BUSHI sold the damage from the ankle lock as Wato tagged in and peppered him with kicks. BUSHI hit a DDT and tagged out.

Hiromu hit a huge shotgun dropkick on Wato. Wato avoided a DVD into the buckle. Hiromu recovered and hit a dropkick and a falcon arrow for a near fall. Taguchi and BUSHI brawled to the floor.

Hiromu hit a DVD into the buckle. Wato blocked Time Bomb. Taguchi hit Hiromu with a hip attack. BUSHI hit an atomic drop on Taguchi. Everyone was in and everyone was down.

Taguchi hit a hip attack and a plancha to BUSHI. Taguchi and Wato hit a tandem facebuster off the top on Hiromu but Hiromu kicked out. Wato went up top but BUSHI stopped his momentum. Taguchi hit a hip attack on the apron and he and BUSHI crashed to the floor.

Wato missed an RPP. Hiromu hit a corner lariat. Wato hit a corner dropkick. BUSHI and Hiromu hit tandem dropkicks. Taguchi broke up a pin. BUSHI hit a tope suicida to Taguchi.

Hiromu and BUSHI hit tandem superkicks and a tandem powerbomb for a two count. They followed up with their LAT tandem finish and Hiromu pinned Wato.

Hiromu closed the show with a promo.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag title tournament standings —

Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI 2-0 (4 points)
Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato 1-1 (2 points)
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado 1-1 (2 points)
Taiji Ishimori & Gedo 0-2 (0 points)