NJPW Road to Destruction results: LIJ vs. White & Fale
NJPW continued their Road to Destruction tour today in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall, the second of three straight nights in the building.
The show featured two Young Lion Cup tournament bouts, along with a collection of tag matches previewing the key matches on the Destruction shows later in the tour.
Here are full results and match recaps:
YOUNG LION CUP MATCH: MICHAEL RICHARDS DEFEATED YUYA UEMURA
Richards used a side headlock takeover, but Uemura made it back to his feet quickly. Uemura worked a wristlock from mount position, but Richards slipped back to the side headlock.
Richards got a knockdown off a shoulder tackle. He hit a chop, then a clothesline in the corner for a nearfall. They traded strikes. Uemura hit a couple of dropkicks, then used a series of stomps in the corner.
Uemura hit a scoop slam, then applied a full crab. Richards showed good fire as he crawled to the ropes for a break. Uemura hit a series of forearm shots, but Richards cut him off with a lariat.
Richards used a vertical suplex for a two count. He tried for a crab of his own. Uemura fought him off with slaps, but Richards got the hold applied. Uemura fought his way to the ropes, forcing a break.
Richards got the hold re-applied, and Uemura tapped out.
YOUNG LION CUP MATCH: REN NARITA DEFEATED KARL FREDERICKS
This followed the same pattern as the night before, with the opening bout focusing on technical wrestling and the second match feeling more like a brawl.
They exchanged hard palm strikes to the chest. Fredericks hit a scoop slam for a nearfall, then hit some stomps. Fredericks used a chinlock, then hit a back elbow. Fredericks hit a splash in the corner, then used an elbow drop for a nearfall.
Fredericks missed on a charge into the corner, and Narita followed up with a shotgun dropkick. Narita hit a back elbow, then used a vertical suplex for a two count.
Narita tried for an overhead belly-to-belly, but Fredericks fought it off and hit a spinebuster. Fredericks applied a single-leg crab, but Narita reached the ropes.
Fredericks hit the ropes, but ran into an overhead belly-to-belly. Narita got a single-leg crab applied. Fredericks reached the ropes, but Narita kept the hold applied on the break. Narita rolled through into a Narita Special, a modified sharpshooter. Fredericks tapped out. Very solid work from both guys.
SATOSHI KOJIMA, CLARK CONNORS & ALEX COUGHLIN DEFEATED HIROYOSHI TENZAN, SHOTA UMINO & YOTA TSUJI
Tenzan and Kojima began, trading chops. Umino and Connors tagged in for a nice exchange, with both hitting shoulder tackles.
Coughlin and Tsuji got tags. They traded some chops. Coughlin used a scoop slam to get the advantage, then his team used a series of quick tags, working over Tsuji. Coughlin used an Indian deathlock, but Tenzan broke it up.
Coughlin then worked a chinlock, but Tsuji reached the ropes. Coughlin hit stomps and chops, but Tsuji came back with a dropkick, then tagged Tenzan. Tenzan hit Mongolian chops on Coughlin, then hit a brainbuster for a nearfall.
Tenzan hit some headbutts. Coughlin fired back with chops. Tenzan hit a right hand for a nearfall. Coughlin hit a dropkick, and both tagged out.
Umino and Connors got tags. Umino went crazy with elbow strikes and a dropkick. He hit a vertical suplex for a nearfall. Umino went for a fisherman buster, but Connors blocked it. Connors hit a spear. This exchange was the highlight of the match.
Kojima and Tsuji got tags. Kojima hit machine gun chops in the corner. He teased a top rope elbow, but Tsuji cut him off. Umino and Tenzan cleared the apron, then jumped in for a triple team. Tsuji covered Kojima, but Connors and Coughlin saved.
Kojima hit a Koji Cutter for a nearfall, then connected with a lariat for the pin.
Umino and Coughlin continued fighting on the floor after the bell.
TOMOHIRO ISHII, YOSHI-HASHI & TOA HENARE DEFEATED TAMA TONGA, TANGA LOA & CHASE OWENS
Bullet Club attacked before the opening bell. Loa and Tonga doubled up on YH in the ring, and Jado hit him with a kendo stick from the floor for good measure. Ishii came in for the save, and Ishii and YH cleaned house.
Order was restored, and Henare and Owens tagged in. Henare hit a shoulder tackle. Owens sent Henare to the floor, then hit a dropkick through the ropes. Loa tagged in and hit a vertical suplex. Tonga tagged in and hit a slingshot senton.
Ishii entered illegally, and Tonga hit him with a dropkick. Henare hit a Samoan drop off the distraction, then tagged YH. YH hit a bunker buster. He hit a dropkick as Tonga was draped over the ropes, picking up a two count.
Ishii tagged in for a double team. Loa jumped in to even things up. Bullet Club triple-teamed Ishii. Henare jumped in. Owens hit him with a Jewel Heist.
Ishii and Owens ended up being the legal men. Owens used a cradle for a nearfall, then hit a running knee strike for another. He tried for a package piledriver, but YH cut him off with a lariat. Ishii hit a brainbuster and pinned Owens.
EL PHANTASMO, TAIJI ISHIMORI & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI DEFEATED WILL OSPREAY, ROBBIE EAGLES & TOMOAKI HONMA
We’ve only gotten glimpses of what Ospreay and Eagles can do as a team, and I can’t wait to see them unleashed in a two-on-two situation.
Ospreay and ELP began with a great sequence. ELP flipped out of a hurricanrana, then hit a springboard rana. Ospreay hit a shoulder tackle. Eagles got a tag and hit a double stomp off the top to ELP’s left arm as Ospreay held it.
Honma got a tag. He hit a scoop slam, then connected on a kokeshi. Yujiro cut him off from the apron with a kick, then pulled him outside. Yujiro used his cane as a weapon, choking Honma. Back inside, Ishimori and ELP worked over Honma’s neck.
ELP used a back rake. Ishimori and ELP then hit a tandem back rake off the top rope. Honma came back with a brainbuster on Ishimori. Eagles got a tag. He hit Ishimori with a springboard dropkick to the leg.
ELP came in for an illegal double team, but Eagles hit him with a wall flip kick. Ospreay came in, and Eagles and Ospreay hit stereo kicks in the corner. Ospreay hit an enzuigiri on Ishimori. While ELP and Eagles brawled to the floor, Ishimori hit Ospreay with a poison rana.
Honma and Yujiro tagged in. Honma hit a bulldog, a kokeshi, then hit a lariat for a nearfall.
Eagles and Ospreay sent Ishimori and ELP to the floor, then jumped in to triple up on Yujiro. Eagles hit a dive, but the camera missed it.
Honma went for a kokeshi off the middle rope, but he missed. He tried a diving kokeshi, but he missed again. Yujiro hit a fisherman buster for a nearfall, then used Pimp Juice for the pin.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI, RYUSUKE TAGUCHI, SHO & YOH DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, ZACK SABRE JR., YOSHINOBU KANEMARU & DOUKI
This was a lot of fun. An all-action match.
Suzuki-gun attacked before the bell. Suzuki and Taguchi stayed in the ring. Suzuki tried for a PK, but Taguchi caught the kick and hit a hip attack. SHO, YOH and Tanahashi jumped in for the four-on-one clothesline spot in the corner.
They teased sending Suzuki head-first into Taguchi’s butt as Taguchi stood on the buckle. The rest of Suzuki-gun made the save for Suzuki. Taguchi tried to offer Suzuki his rugby helmet, but Suzuki declined and they fought into the crowd.
Suzuki used a chair on YOH, then hit Taguchi with the chair. Sabre used an armbar on Tanahashi’s left arm then stomped on it. They teased a countout, but Taguchi made it back in at 19.
Suzuki used a kneebar. SHO jumped in and forced him to give up the hold, but Suzuki-gun retained the advantage. Suzuki tried to kneebar the referee. Sabre tagged in and used an armbar on Taguchi.
DOUKI got a tag and continued the beatdown on Taguchi. Kanemaru tagged in and hit a dropkick for a nearfall. Kanemaru hit an atomic drop, but Taguchi came back with a hip attack.
Sabre and Tanahashi got tags. Tanahashi hit a crossbody off the second. YOH and Kanemaru jumped in, and Tana and YOH hit tandem dragon screws.
Sabre got a triangle choke applied, but Tanahashi reversed it into a cloverleaf. He transitioned to an armbar, but Sabre forced a rope break. SHO tagged in and Sabre immediately cut him off with a wristlock. DOUKI got a tag, and DOUKI and SHO exchanged strikes.
SHO hit a spear. He went for a deadlift German, but Suzuki, Sabre, and Kanemaru all jumped in to block him. Sabre hit a PK, while DOUKI hit a double stomp off the top rope for a nearfall.
While the other six men brawled outside, DOUKI used a jawbreaker for a nearfall. Taguchi broke up the pin, then went back to brawling on the floor.
DOUKI went for Suplex de la Luna, but Taguchi saved. Everyone jumped in and hit a move. SHO hit a backstabber on DOUKI, and YOH hit him with a one-legged dropkick. DOUKI used a schoolboy on SHO for a nearfall.
SHO and YOH hit the 3K on DOUKI, and SHO got the pin. Tanahashi and Taguchi played air guitar on their belts after the match.
KAZUCHIKA OKADA, HIROOKI GOTO & ROCKY ROMERO DEFEATED SANADA, SHINGO TAKAGI & BUSHI
This was another good all-action bout.
Okada hit a shoulder tackle. He teased a Rainmaker, but SANADA countered into a Skull End tease. Okada fought it off, then hit a dropkick. Romero got a tag and hit forever clotheslines in the corner.
BUSHI jumped in, and Romero sent him outside with a hurricanrana. He tried for a rana on Shingo, but Shingo caught him and SANADA nailed him with a dropkick. Okada jumped in for the save, but SANADA put him in the Paradise Lock. SANADA sent Okada to the floor with a dropkick, and BUSHI and SANADA continued working over Romero.
Shingo tagged in and hit a vertical suplex. Romero came back with a hurricanrana, then tagged Goto. Goto hit a wheel kick and a Saito suplex on Shingo for a two count. Shingo hit his own Saito suplex. Goto ducked a Pumping Bomber, and Shingo and Goto hit simultaneous lariats, into a double down.
After a tag, BUSHI hit a missile dropkick, and SANADA cleared the apron. LIJ went three-on-one on Goto. SANADA and BUSHI hit tandem dropkicks. BUSHI went for an MX, but Goto avoided it. Romero hit BUSHI with a lariat. SANADA hit a dropkick to Romero. Okada ate a dragon screw from Shingo and rolled outside.
Goto and BUSHI were left the legal men. Goto hit an ushigoroshi, then hit a GTR for the pin.
TETSUYA NAITO & EVIL DEFEATED JAY WHITE & BAD LUCK FALE
This was sloppy in spots and didn’t have the heat of a really good Korakuen Hall main event.
LIJ got the early advantage. Naito sent White outside with a hurricanrana, then teased a dive, but he hit his Tranquilo pose instead. Naito tried for a combinacion on White in the corner, but Fale cut him off from the floor and the match turned into a ringside brawl.
Fale sent EVIL and Naito into the barricade, while White mocked Naito’s pose in the ring. They teased a countout, but Naito made it back in at 18. Fale got a tag and stomped on Naito, then stood on his back.
White got a tag and tossed Naito outside. He sent him into the barricade and the ring frame. Fale and White traded tags, working over Naito. Fale missed an elbow drop, and Naito hit a dropkick to Fale’s legs, allowing him to tag out.
EVIL hit Fale with lariats. He tried for a slam, but White came in for the illegal double team. Fale missed a charge into the corner. EVIL hit White with a lariat, then hit a bulldog on Fale. Fale cut him off with a shoulder tackle.
White got a tag and hit a Saito suplex, then used a Blade Buster for a two count. White went for a DVD, but EVIL blocked it. EVIL hit a ref-assisted mid kick, then tagged out.
Naito hit White with strikes, a rana, then a dropkick. Naito hit a neckbreaker, then used a crucifix hold. Fale broke it up, but Naito remained in control. Naito teased a top rope frankensteiner, but White crotched him on the top.
Naito missed on a flying forearm, and White hit him with a uranage. Fale got a tag. He hit a splash in the corner, then used a big splash on the mat for a two count.
Fale teased a Grenade, but EVIL saved. White jumped in, and EVIL hit him with Darkness Falls. Naito hit a tornado DDT on Fale. Fale sent Naito into the referee. Gedo jumped in with brass knuckles, but Naito ducked them.
White came in with a chair, but EVIL fought him off with his own chair. EVIL hit a con-chair-to on Fale. Naito hit Destino on Fale for the pin.
Naito cut a promo after the match, teasing the idea of a double title match at the Tokyo Dome. He mentioned Ibushi and said that they both want to be a double champion. Ibushi would have to win the title first, but it’s an interesting possibility.