NJPW Road to The New Beginning results: Final build to Nagoya

By Ethan Renner
Published: 25 Jan 2021, 05:35

Recommended matches —

Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & SHO vs. SANADA, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi

Report —

Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask & Yota Tsuji defeated Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado (9:03)

This was a wild brawl to begin the show.

Bullet Club cut Tsuji off early and the bulk of the match was spent working him over. Jado used a kendo stick shot from the floor. ELP and Ishimori hit their comedy offense.

ELP hit a series of cartwheels and flips for no reason. He ultimately left the match and joined commentary.

Tiger Mask got a hot tag and cleaned house with kicks and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Ishimori blocked a Tiger Driver and hit a handspring kick. Gedo tagged in and got hit with the Tiger Driver instead.

Nagata got a tag. He hit Gedo with kicks. He teased an exploder, but Jado saved for Gedo. Jado used a kendo stick on Nagata. Gedo grabbed brass knuckles, but Tsuji speared him.

Nagata won by submission with the Nagata Lock.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima went to a no-contest with Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) (2:23)

Tenzan and Kojima came to the ring with chairs. Ospreay and O-Khan cleared out of the ring. Priestley ran in and hit low blows on Kojima and Tenzan.

Ospreay threw a table in the ring. Kojima hit Ospreay with a cutter. Kojima and Tenzan teased a cuter through the table, but O-Khan saved.

Ospreay challenged Kojima to a no-DQ match at The New Beginning in Nagoya on Saturday. Kojima appeared to accept, but the match was not officially announced.

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahahsi & Dick Togo (10:44)

Togo and Okada started the match. Goto tagged in and got tripped by EVIL from the floor and Bullet Club turned this into a brawl, as they proceeded to work virtually the identical match that they have every night of this tour.

Goto got cut off and worked over in the ring. Yujiro exposed a buckle, tagged in, then threw Goto into the buckle. Goto came back on EVIL with a whip into the buckle and a Saito suplex.

Okada tagged in and hit EVIL with strikes and a running back elbow. Okada hit an air raid crash neckbreaker for a near fall.

Okada went for the Money Clip, but Togo jumped on the apron for a distraction. EVIL hit a mid kick and used a Darkness Scorpion, but Okada forced a rope break.

Yujiro got a tag. Ishii tagged in and ran wild on Yujiro and Togo. Bullet Club jumped in to aid Yujiro. EVIL hit a fisherman buster. Yujiro hit a sliding dropkick for a two count.

Yujiro brought his pimp cane in while EVIL took the referee. Ishii ducked the cane, but Yujiro hit an Angle slam for a near fall. Ishii blocked Pimp Juice. Goto choked Yujiro from the apron. Okada nailed EVIL and Togo. Goto hit an ushigoroshi on Yujiro.

Ishii then connected with a sliding lariat and the vertical drop brainbuster for the pin.

Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI defeated Tomoaki Honma & Master Wato (13:11)

Naito took his time getting to the ring. He has been working for his own amusement on this tour.

Honma and Wato attacked just before the bell. Naito used a jackknife cover to try to steal a pin on Honma, the same hold he pinned him with yesterday, but Honma kicked out.

Wato and BUSHI got tags. Wato hit a series of kicks. Honma tagged in and began to work on BUSHI. BUSHI and Naito doubled up on Honma, then turned this into a brawl around ringside. Honma ended up being worked over in the LIJ corner.

Honma came back on Naito with a vertical suplex. Wato and BUSHI got tags and the pace quickened. Wato hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. BUSHI hit a dropkick to the leg and started working on Wato’s right knee. They traded strikes. Wato ducked a rewind kick and hit a high kick.

Honma tagged in and hit some chops. Honma missed a kokeshi. BUSHI tagged Naito. Naito hit a back elbow, a dropkick and a neckbreaker for a two count. Honma ducked a swing and hit a kokeshi. Honma and Wato doubled up on Naito. Honma hit a diving kokeshi for two as BUSHI saved.

Wato and BUSHI brawled to the floor. Honma hit a DDT and a lariat for a near fall. Honma teased a Michinoku Driver. Naito escaped. BUSHI jumped in. Wato caught Honma with a kick by mistake.

BUSHI hit a backstabber to Honma, then Naito used the jackknife cradle for the pin.

Naito held the cradle for more than a minute after the three count, adding insult to injury. Wato and BUSHI had a quick pull-apart after the match.

Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & SHO vs. SANADA, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi ended in a time limit draw (30:00)

This was a really good main event and easily the best thing on the show.

Tanahashi and Shingo started with a quick chain wrestling sequence. SHO and Hiromu tagged in and had a brief, intense battle. SANADA and Ibushi got tags and slowed things down. They worked some holds. SANADA teased a dragon screw. Ibushi hit a dropkick and gave his team the edge at the 5 minute call.

Tana tagged in and hit SANADA with a slam and an elbow drop. Tanahashi got a cobra twist applied. SHO tagged in and went after SANADA’s left arm. LIJ jumped in to save SANADA. After a brief brawl on the outside, SHO ended up cut off in the ring.

Hiromu hit a dropkick for a two count. Shingo tagged in and stomped at SHO’s left leg. Shingo teased a cloverleaf to SHO to taunt Tana. Shingo went after Tana on the apron. SANADA tagged in and used the paradise lock.

SHO hit a backstabber to Hiromu and a kitchen sink to SANADA. Tana tagged in and hit a dragon screw and somersault senton for a two count. Ibushi tagged in and hit a running mid kick and a standing moonsault. SANADA came back with a hurricanrana and a plancha for a near fall at the 15 minute call.

SANADA used an O’Connor roll to set up a Skull End attempt. Ibushi escaped and hit a dropkick. SHO got a tag and got hit with a back suplex. Hiromu tagged in for a sequence with SHO. SHO hit a series of kicks and got a two count.

SHO hit a vertical suplex. LIJ tripled up on SHO. Hiromu hit a Dynamite Plunger. Tana saved for SHO. Hiromu blocked a SHO spear. SHO hit a German suplex and a spear. SHO went for Shock Arrow, but Shingo and SANADA saved. Hiromu escaped another Shock Arrow attempt at the 20 minute call.

Hiromu and SHO traded strikes. SHO got a kimura applied. Hiromu rolled through and hit a DVD into the turnbuckle pad. SHO avoided Time Bomb. They traded lariats. Hiromu hit a belly-to-belly throw into the buckle.

Shingo and Tanahashi got tags and traded strikes. They continued to trade at the 25 minute call. Shingo blocked a slingblade. Tana hit twist and shout. Shingo blocked another slingblade and hit his own twist and shout. Shingo escaped a dragon screw and hit a sliding lariat.

Shingo hit a dragon screw. Shingo used a powerbomb and a single-leg crab. Ibushi saved. Ibushi and SANADA brawled to the floor. Tana hit two dragon screws and locked on a cloverleaf. Hiromu broke it up.

Shingo blocked another slingblade. Tana hit slingblade for a two count. Tana hit Ace’s High. Hiromu hit a shotgun dropkick to Tana. SHO hit a jumping knee to Hiromu. SANADA hit SHO with a dropkick to the knee. Ibushi hit a springboard dropkick to SANADA. Shingo hit a German on Ibushi.

Shingo and Tanahashi traded strikes. Tana hit a slingblade. Shingo hit a lariat for a near fall as Tanahashi kicked out at the 30 minute call.

All six guys were down in the ring at the finish.

Tanahashi and Shingo cut promos on each other after the match.