NJPW Road to Destruction results: Blue Justice IX
NJPW was in Chiba this morning for the latest Road to Destruction event. The theme of the show was Yuji Nagata’s ninth annual Blue Justice event, celebrating 35 years of Nagata as a wrestler. The show was headlined by Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi and Jushin Thunder Liger teaming up to take on the Bullet Club team of the Guerrillas of Destiny, Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale and Jado.
Young Lion Cup: Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura
They start things off with some basic chain wrestling. Tsuji wraps Uemura’s head in a headscissors, but Uemura counters, eventually transitioning into a headlock. Tsuji took Uemura to the corner and slapped the hell out of his chest, but Uemura returned in kind.
Uemura went for a charge in the corner but Tsuji took him down, bodyslammed him and went for the Boston crab but Uemura grabbed the ropes. He cut off Tsuji with a dropkick and applies a Boston crab, but Tsuji reaches the ropes as well.
The two trade forearms until Uemura unleashes a big chop. He hits the ropes, but Tsuji takes him down with a spear. He went for another Boston crab, and when Uemura tried to get to the ropes again Tsuji responded by grabbing him and whirling him around in a giant swing. That woke the crowd (and the announcers) up.
Tsuji got Uemura back in the middle of the ring then submitted him. Good basic match with a great ending.
Young Lion Cup: Shota Umino defeated Ren Narita
Umino starts things off early in control, taking Narita to the corner and stomping on him. Umino applies a Boston crab but Narita makes it to the ropes. Narita tries to mount some offense, but Umino no sells, only for Narita to hit a back body drop as Umino hit the ropes.
Narita hit a vertical suplex then hit a wonderful-looking belly-to-belly for a two count. He tried for another, but Umino blocked it. Umino cut him off with a forearm but Narita immediately replied with a belly to belly that took Umino down again.
Narita went for a submission maneuver and rolled around but Umino hooked his leg and got a nearfall. Umino hit a dropkick and tried for a fisherman’s suplex but Narita countered into a small package.
Umino hit a spinebuster then connected with a big shotgun dropkick off the top rope and pinned Narita with a German suplex. Better than the opener, a really good match. Umino’s probably been ready for an excursion for a while.
YOUNG LION CUP STANDINGS —
- Alex Coughlin: 4
- Ren Narita: 2
- Karl Fredericks: 2
- Clark Connors: 2
- Michael Richards: 2
- Shota Umino: 2
- Yota Tsuji: 2
- Yuya Uemura: 0
Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HSAHI, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma defeated Alex Coughlin, Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors and Michael Richards
At one point Coughlin attacked Ishii as he was on the apron. That was a mistake, as he tagged himself in and worked over Coughlin with chops. Everyone got to work on Coughlin. He finally took down Honma with a chop and tagged in Fredericks, who hit a big dropkick.
Honma hit the kokeshi on Fredericks and tagged in YOSHI-HASHI. Fredericks hit another dropkick and tagged in Richards. The Young Lions beat up YOSHI-HASHI as Richards hit a suplex on YOSHI-HASHI. YH eventually took down Richards and submitted him with the butterfly lock. This was a fine match, nothing beyond that.
Chase Owens, El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori defeated Will Ospreay, Robbie Eagles and Toa Henare
Ospreay and Eagles started off hot, taking out Ishimori and Phantasmo with stereo planchas. Heels got the heat on Loa as Phantasmo and Owens beat up Ospreay and Eagles on the outside.
Ospreay and Eagles came back and got heat on Phantasmo, but Phantasmo grabbed Eagles and hit a neckbreaker, allowing Owens. He and Henare went at it. Henare missed something off the top rope and Owens countered with a package for a two count. Owens cut off Henare with a knee then pinned him with a package piledriver for the win.
This was a good highlight reel for Eagles and Ospreay as a team — their chemistry immediately stood out and that helped the match.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, SHO and YOH defeated Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
In somewhat of a surprise, the babyfaces started off attacking Suzuki-gun. It’s usually vice versa. They all attacked Kanemaru. Eventually Suzuki-gun came back in and attacked everyone, taking them into the crowd.
Suzuki and Sabre picked apart YOH as DOUKI distracted the referee. He comes alive and takes out DOUKI so he can tag in Tanahashi, who runs wild. SHO tags in and goes after Sabre, hitting a spear. It breaks down, with Sabre and Suzuki working over SHO.
SHO grabbed Sabre as he went for a PK but and countered with a German suplex. Sabre grabbed SHO as he was lifting Sabre up and took him to the floor, applying his submission finish and getting the win. Fine stuff.
SANADA, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto and Rocky Romero
Okada and SANADA, the participants for the next IWGP Heavyweight title match, wrestled for a few minutes before tagging out. Everyone went outside to brawl.
A solid match, with everyone working with their rival. Okada and SANADA worked each other again, with Okada getting the better of things and tagging in Romero. He hit the running elbows in the corner and rolled up SANADA for a nearfall. He went for the sliced bread but SANADA and the rest of LIJ took him out.
SANADA went for the cold skull but Hirooki Goto got involved. Tagaki broke things up as Okada whipped SANADA and went for a dropkick but was taken out by a suicide dive by BUSHI. SANADA grabbed Romero from behind and locked in the cold skull for the submission.
Naito and White started things off, but EVIL was quickly tagged in, taking control over White early. Gedo ended up with control over EVIL and choked him on the outside, then brought him in the ring. White tagged back in and worked on EVIL for a bit before he tagged in Naito.
Naito was worked over a bit before EVIL and Gedo were back in the ring. Gedo superkicked EVIL for a nearfall. White handed Gedo something in the ring as he entered with a steel chair. Naito came in and handled things, dispatching White as EVIL took down Gedo and submitted him with a sharpshooter. Decent, mostly just build for the upcoming Intercontinental title match.
Yuji Nagata, Jushin Thunder Liger, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Manabu Nakanishi defeated The Guerrillas of Destiny, Jado, Yujiro Takahashi and Bad Luck Fale
Jado cut a promo before the match saying he wanted to wrestle fairly. There was a clean break. Jado then went for the handshake. They stalled a while teasing a handshake until there was finally a handshake. There was even a hug! Of course, like every New Japan babyface ever, he fell for it as the Bullet Club attacked from behind and everyone brawled on the outside. Jado even cut a promo calling them morons. That was deserved.
Everyone worked on Liger until Kojima was tagged in, and he too was worked over by the Guerrillas of Destiny. Fale worked over Kojima a bit until Nakanishi was tagged in, and they had a big guy battle, with Nakanishi taking down Fale with a spear. He put Fale in the torture rack, but it was immediately broken up.
Nagata got the tag and helped Nakanishi attack Fale. Nagata was getting the better of him, but a kendo stick shot by Jado gave the heels an opening. Tenzan took away the kendo as the rest of his team beat up Jado, including a shotei by Liger. Nagata went for a side suplex, but Tama Tonga broke it up.
Nagata took down Jado with a crossface and ended up submitting him for the win. This was fine, but nothing to write home about. It was a nice match for the third generation New Japan group, who aren’t on as many tours as they used to be.
Nagata closed the show by thanking the crowd for coming. He says this was the ninth time he and his company promoted the event and he hopes to do it in his hometown of Chiba next year for a tenth.