NJPW Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni live results: Junior Tag title match
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles are on the line tonight on night one of NJPW’s Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni.
SHO and YOH will attempt their first defense on this title reign against former champs El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
In the semi-main, Toru Yano will defend the provisional KOPW 2021 title against EVIL in a creation of darkness blindfold match.
The battles between Los Ingobernables de Japon and The United Empire will continue on the undercard, as Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI take on Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb and Aaron Henare. BUSHI and Shingo fell to Ospreay and Cobb in a tag match on Monday’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku show, while SANADA beat Henare and Naito defeated O-Khan in singles matches.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo will be the third match of the evening.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado will take place for the twelfth time on the current tour.
Tiger Mask & Gabriel Kidd will face Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura in the opener.
Our live coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.
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Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura defeated Tiger Mask & Gabriel Kidd (8:49)
This was a very good opener.
It was all Tiger and Kidd at the outset. Kidd quickly took over with some slams. Tiger tagged in and continued the assault with kicks. Tiger used a single-leg crab and a camel clutch. Uemura broke the clutch with a kick.
Tsuji came back with a slam on Tiger and tagged out. Uemura hit arm drags and dropkicks on both Tiger and an interfering Kidd. Uemura used a suplex and a cross armbreaker.
Kidd and Tsuji got tags. Kidd again dominated their exchanges. He hit a slam, a senton and a vertical suplex for a near fall. Kidd went for a Regal suplex, but Tsuji avoided it with a backdrop. After a striking battle, Tsuji hit a spear.
Tsuji used a Boston crab. Tiger tried to break the hold with kicks, but Uemura took him out with a dropkick. Tsuji used a giant swing, then went back to the crab and got the tapout.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI by DQ (7:53)
This was just a fight.
Bullet Club attacked Suzuki-gun as they made their entrance. They brawled around the ring. Jado used a kendo stick on DOUKI.
A match briefly broke out. Bullet Club remained in control. Tama worked over Taichi. Taichi managed a tag to Sabre. Loa tagged in as well. Sabre tagged DOUKI. Taichi introduced a ladder to the proceedings and was disqualified.
Suzuki-gun left Bullet Club laying. Sabre cut a promo after the match and said that G.O.D. has taken everything from them, but next week, Taichi gets his iron fingers back in a ladder match with Tama, then they’ll get their rightful Tag title shot.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo (9:36)
They opened with a lot of comedy, which was enjoyable. Tanahashi, Taguchi and Wato worked over Gedo by pulling on his beard. Bullet Club attacked Taguchi by biting his funky weapon.
Wato got a tag and ran wild with kicks and a springboard forearm. Ishimori cut him off with a Yes Lock and a handspring kick. Gedo tagged in and promptly got hit with a dreamcast.
Tana tagged in and hit Gedo with a flying forearm and a senton. Tana played some air guitar. He teased a Blade Runner on Gedo, but Yujiro saved. Taguchi saved for Tana. Tana and Taguchi hit stereo hip attacks to Gedo.
Taguchi and Wato hit stereo planchas to Yujiro and Ishimori. Tana then used a slingblade. He locked on the Texas cloverleaf and Gedo tapped out.
***** Intermission *****
Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (12:14)
I liked the Shingo & BUSHI vs. Ospreay and Cobb match on Monday more, but this was quite good as well.
United Empire pounced as LIJ attempted their pre-match fist bump and the brawl was on. O-Khan and Naito ended up the legal men, with O-Khan in control following the jumpstart. O-Khan hit Mongolian chops. Naito was cut off in Empire’s corner and they took turns working hm over.
Cobb hit a standing moonsault. Ospreay hit a double stomp to a draping Naito as Cobb held him. Naito came back with an elbow and a basement dropkick on O-Khan. Naito hit a flying forearm into a double down.
Shingo and Ospreay tagged in and picked up the pace. Cobb tried to interfere, but Shingo hit him with a vertical suplex. Shingo missed a sliding lariat to Ospreay. Ospreay hit a stunner. They had a rare misstep as Shingo slipped while trying to block a rana.
SANADA and Henare got tags. SANADA used the paradise lock. He broke the hold with a dropkick, then hit a plancha. Back inside, SANADA missed a springboard attack. Henare hit a vertical suplex. SANADA avoided Streets of Rage and hit a back suplex.
Cobb interfered. SANADA hit him with a rana, then tagged BUSHI. BUSHI hit a DDT and a missile dropkick. Cobb blocked a swinging neckbreaker and Empire wenr 4-on-1 against BUSHI. Cobb hit a spin cycle. LIJ jumped in to make the save.
Everyone jumped in for a big move. Ospreay and Shingo had another crazy sequence. The speed with which those guys execute is absurd.
BUSHI used a schoolboy for a two count, then hit a victory roll for another. Cobb caught BUSHI coming off the ropes and hit Tour of the Islands for the pin.
Creation of darkness blindfold match for the provisional KOPW 2021: Toru Yano defeated EVIL (w/Dick Togo) to retain (14:58)
This was an easy worst match of the year contender. It was endless. The comedy wasn’t funny. The work was clunky. The stipulation was beyond stupid. Everyone involved in the booking and execution of this should retire.
The rules were that you had to put a hood on the loser. If the hood was off, pinfalls, countouts and submissions were null and void.
They dueled with hoods right away. Yano used a schoolboy for a near fall. EVIL missed wth Everything is EVIL. Togo hit Yano with a corner pad. EVIL hit a baseball swing chair shot.
EVIL taped Yano’s wrists to the barricade for a countout tease. Yano shook the hood off at 18, so the count was stopped.
EVIL put a hood over the ring announcer, then bumped him. EVIL put a hood on Yano and tossed him back in for a two count. Togo assisted EVIL as he used a cobra twist. EVIL got a two count as Yano shook the hood off.
Togo and EVIL stomped Yano on the outside. EVIL rolled Yano under the ring. Yano beat the count back in. EVIL tried a lariat, but Yano had cut holes in the hood and ducked it.
Yano sent EVIL into the exposed buckle. Yano hit a belly-to-belly. Yano tried a low blow, but the ref stopped him. Yano put a hood on the ref, who then took a bump. Togo interfered. Yano put a hood on Togo. Yano hit a low blow on EVIL. Everyone was down. Togo walked to the back.
Yano hit a slingshot into the exposed buckle. He put a hood on EVIL. The lights went out. When they came back on, EVIL was choking out Yano with Togo’s ligature. EVIL hit a lariat. Yano kicked out.
EVIL used a scorpion deathlock. Yano removed his hood and this match must continue.
Yano avoided Everything is EVIL and bumped the ref. Togo ran back in. Yano avoided a Magic Killer and hit a double low blow. EVIL had a hood on and hit Togo with Everything is EVIL by mistake.
Yano hit another low blow and rolled EVIL up for the pin.
Yano spray painted his KOPW trophy gold again after the match.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: SHO & YOH defeated El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru to retain the titles (27:09)
This was very good. The time just flew by. These four could probably havea good match with each other in their sleep.
Kanemaru and YOH started with an exchange of holds. Kanemaru quickly went after YOH’s bad knee and cut him off. Desperado and Kanemaru went to work. They took the fight to the floor and sent YOH into the barricade. They teased a countout, but SHO urged YOH along and he got back in.
YOH managed a tag to SHO. SHO was quickly cut off by Desperado and Kanemaru. The first five minutes were spent working over YOH, the next five working over SHO. SHO finally came back with a kitchen sink and a double spear.
YOH got a tag and hit a missile dropkick to Kanemaru. Desperado got a tag and went for Pinche Loco, but YOH hit a backdrop to escape it. YOH hit a falcon arrow and a pumphandle driver for a two count.
YOH went for Direct Drive, but Desperado blocked. Kanemaru interfered with a well-timed dropkick to the bad knee. Desperado used Numero Dos. SHO broke free from Kanemaru on the outside to break up the submission attempt on YOH.
Desperado hit Guitarra de Angel for a near fall. After a double down, both tagged out. SHO tried for a power breaker, but Kanemaru grabbed the referee. SHO hit a spear for a near fall, then used a kimura for a near submission.
Kanemaru came back with a sattelite DDT. Kanemaru hit a slam and a moonsault for a near fall. Kanemaru teased Deep Impact. YOH jumped in to cut him off. Desperado got in and took out YOH.
SHO hit a series of German suplexes on Kanemaru. He used a cross armbreaker. Kanemaru forced a rope break. SHO and YOH hit Kanemaru with tandem offense. They set up for the 3K, but Kanemaru fought out of it.
SHO and YOH hit stereo knees, then hit the 3K. Desperado broke up the pin. YOH ducked a right hand from Desperado and hit a superkick and a tope con giro. It looked like a nasty landing on the floor.
Kanemaru caught SHO in two quick cradles for near falls. SHO hit a lariat. He used a Shock Arrow, but Kanemaru kicked out.
SHO and YOH hit the Strong X. SHO covered Kanemaru for the pin.
YOH is Desperado’s next challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, so they had a brief staredown after the match.
SHO and YOH addressed the crowd after the match.
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Here is the lineup for tomorrow’s show:
NJPW Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni night two, Thursday, April 29, 2 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
- Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare
- Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan
- Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo
- Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
- Tiger Mask, SHO & YOH vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- SANADA & BUSHI vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura