NJPW Road to The New Beginning results: Tanahashi & Wato vs. LIJ

Recommended matches —

• Hiroshi Tanahashi & Master Wato vs. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI 

Report —

Just like last night, this show ran just under two hours, including a long opening video package and a brief intermission. They announced an attendance of 694 for Sunday’s show. No number has been announced yet for today’s show, but the building looked much more empty. 

The show itself was very much like last night’s, but with a few minor tweaks to the lineup. 

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Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Satoshi Kojima & Yuya Uemura (9:13)

A solid opener. 

United Empire attacked before the opening bell. Kojima and Ospreay fought outside while O-Khan and Uemura began as the legal men. Kojima recovered and helped Uemura double suplex O-Khan for a two count. 

Uemura quickly found himself cut off and being worked over in Empire’s corner. He made a comeback with palm strikes to the chest and a dropkick. O-Khan and Uemura tagged out. 

Kojima lit up both Ospreay and O-Khan with strikes. Kojima took the Flair press slam bump off the top rope from O-Khan, who stopped him from hitting an elbow. Kojima answered with DDTs to both. Ospreay teased a Storm Breaker. Kojima blocked and hit a cutter into a double down. 

Uemura tagged in and hit Ospreay with a flying forearm. He went for a double overhook suplex, but Ospreay blocked by biting his ear. Ospreay then hit a back suplex and tagged out. 

Ospreay and O-Khan double-teamed Uemura. Kojima broke up a pinfall after a what-a-maneuver by O-Khan. Ospreay took out Kojima with a hook kick. 

Uemura used two quick cradles for near falls. He teased a running forearm, but O-Khan hit a pump kick and Dominator for the pin. 

O-Khan did his United Empire roll call promo after the match. 

Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI defeated Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado (9:48)

Suzuki-gun made their intentions clear as soon as they stepped through the curtain — They were mad about losing last night to ELP’s loaded boot and they were here for revenge. 

They attacked as soon as they got into the ring and cut Gedo off. Jado used a kendo stick shot on DOUKI to turn the momentum in Bullet Club’s favor. A bad match ensued. 

Jado couldn’t get DOUKI up for a suplex then took a bad-looking bump on a DDT. Desperado, Kanemaru, Ishimori and ELP did their best to save the bout with a nice exchange. Gedo tagged in and immediately tried to drag the match quality back down. 

Desperado used a spinebuster on Gedo for a near fall, then used Numero Dos for the submission. 

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo (13:05)

This was a fun house show six-man. 

EVIL and Togo began the match with an illegal double team on Okada. Yujiro tagged in and got nailed by an Okada elbow drop. Okada tagged out to YH. YH hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Togo kicked YH from the apron. 

YH fell victim to a hot shot across the top rope from Yujiro. Bullet Club turned the bout into a brawl around ringside. EVIL used a chair on Okada. Back inside, YH was isolated in Bullet Club’s half of the ring. Togo, EVIL and Yujiro used quick tags in working him over. 

YH hit a vertical suplex to Yujiro and tagged Ishii. Ishii ran wild briefly, before Yujiro used a face rake and a low dropkick to stop his momentum. Yujiro bit Ishii’s hand. Ishii hit a stiff forearm shot. Yujiro countered with an inverted DDT. 

EVIL tagged in and sent Ishii into an exposed turnbuckle. Ishii charged out of the corner and dropped EVIL with a lariat. Okada tagged in and hit a flapjack. Okada applied the Money Clip. EVIL broke the hold, by ramming Okada into the corner, then used his Darkness Scorpion. Okada forced a rope break. 

Togo tripped Okada from the floor, then raced to tag himself in. Bullet Club tripled up on Okada. EVIL hit a fisherman buster.Togo covered for a near fall. 

Everyone jumped in for a big move near the finish. Togo raked Okada’s eyes, but then ran right into a dropkick. Okada locked on the Money Clip and Togo submitted. 

SANADA, Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi defeated Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma & SHO (12:27)

This was a fine little match, but nothing you need to go out of your way to see. 

SHO and Hiromu began with a striking exchange. SHO got the upper hand. Naito intervened and hit an inverted atomic drop. The LIJ rout was on from there. 

SHO came back with a double spear to Naito and Hiromu. Ibushi and SANADA got tags. Ibushi hit a flying mid kick and a standing moonsault for a near fall. Ibushi tried his best to engage the small crowd. 

SANADA turned a standing moonsault attempt of his own into a dropkick in a cool spot. Ibushi fought off a paradise lock attempt. SANADA fought off a paradise lock attempt by Ibushi, but then ran into an Ibushi dropkick. 

Honma tagged in. He hit a kokeshi on SANADA for a near fall. SANADA raked Honma’s face. Honma avoided a dropkick and hit a diving kokeshi. Hiromu broke up the pin, then hit a pop-up powerbomb on SHO. 

LIJ triple teamed Honma and hit a triple dropkick. SANADA teased Skull end, but Honma cradled him for a two count. SANADA hit a magic screw for a near fall. 

For the finish, SANADA locked on Skull End with a body scissors and Honma tapped out. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Master Wato defeated Shingo Takagi & BUSHI (14:06)

This has to be the first sub-fifteen minute NJPW main event in some time. 

Master Wato and BUSHI started out. Wato got a little bit of momentum going with some kicks, but Shingo tripped him from the outside and this quickly became a one-sided affair. BUSHI and Shingo worked on Wato. 

Shingo would take some shots at Tana on the apron when he was in working on Wato. Wato hit a jumping kick to Shingo, allowing Tanahashi to get his first crack at Shingo. 

Tana went for a cloverleaf on Shingo, but BUSHI broke it up. Tana took BUSHI out with a dragon screw, then hit a senton on Shingo. Shingo came back with a back suplex, then tagged out. 

BUSHI hit a missile dropkick. Tanahashi hit a second rope crossbody and tagged Wato back in.  Wato hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a series of kicks. Wato hit a dreamcast and recientemente for a near fall. BUSHI answered with a rewind kick and a backstabber. Both made tags. 

Shingo and Tana traded strikes, then traded twist and shouts. They are going to tear the house down in their singles match, they have great chemistry. 

Tana and Shingo traded more strikes, then traded slaps. Shingo went for a pumping bomber. Tana turned it into a slingblade. Shingo popped right back up and hit a lariat into a double down. 

BUSHI and Shingo doubled up on Tana. Shingo assisted in a BUSHI backstabber for a near fall as Wato saved. Tana blocked a swinging neckbreaker and hit a dragon screw, then used a cloverleaf. Shingo broke that up with a lariat. 

Shingo hit Tana with strikes. He tried a pumping bomber, but Tana ducked and Wato hit a springboard attack and a tornillo dive on Shingo. 

Tana then hit a slingblade and a High Fly Flow on BUSHI for the pin. A great main event. 

Tanahashi and Shingo had a brief face-off after the match. Tana then closed the show with a promo and an air guitar duet with Master Wato.