NJPW Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni live results: Kota Ibushi returns
NJPW’s Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni continues with night two of the event today in Kagoshima. This will serve as the go-home show for both nights of Wrestling Dontaku on May 3 and May 4.
Kota Ibushi returns to action on this show, teaming with Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event. They will face United Empire’s Jeff Cobb and Aaron Henare. Ibushi has not wrestled since losing the IWGP World Heavyweight title to Will Ospreay on April 4.
Ospreay and Great-O-Khan will take Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito in the semi-main. Naito beat O-Khan in a singles match earlier this week, while Shingo challenges Ospreay for the IWGP World title next week at Wrestling Dontaku.
Here is the remainder of the undercard:
- 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
Our live coverage begins at 2 a.m. Eastern time.
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SANADA & BUSHI defeated Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura (8:28)
This was a solid technical opener.
SANADA and Uemura began with some chain wrestling, then some basc tackle and drop down spots. Uemura got the upper hand with arm drags. Tsuji tagged in and lost the advantage. SANADA and BUSHI began working over Tsuji’s left leg. Tsuji’s selling was excellent.
Tsuji managed a tag. SANADA tagged BUSHI. Uemura got a cool near submission on BUSHI, with Tsuj spearing an interfering SANADA to add to the drama.
BUSHI hit Terrible and pinned Uemura.
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Tiger Mask, SHO & YOH (9:14)
This was another match with some really good technical wrestling.
Suzuki-gun used a jumpstart before the bell.
SHO and Kanemaru started off as the legal men. SHO got some shine with kicks. Suzuki used an armbar over the ropes to interfere, so we were back to brawling on the outside. When the dust settled, Suzuki-gun was in the driver’s seat on SHO, working him over in the ring.
Suzuki and SHO had a great little sequence. Suzuki blocked a spear with a front facelock. SHO countered out with a vertical suplex that Suzuki sold big.
YOH and Desperado got tags. YOH hit a missile dropkick for a near fall. YOH went after Desperado’s right leg, so look for that in their title match next week. YOH used a falcon arrow for two. Desperado hit a spinebuster. YOH managed a tag before Desperado did.
Tiger tagged in for a high cross and a near fall on Desperado after preventing a tag to Suzuki. Tiger hit a Tiger Driver for a near fall. Desperado went for Pinche Loco, but YOH saved with a superkick. Tiger used an armbar, but Desperado made the ropes.
Desperado hit a knee crusher to Tiger. Kanemaru hopped in for a dropkick to the leg. Desperado used Numero Dos, trapping Tiger’s arms as well. The ref called for the stoppage.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI went to a no contest with Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
The match never officially began.
Taichi’s entrance music played, but both teams spilled out to the stage and began brawling with weapons. DOUKI had a pipe, Jado a kendo stick, Taichi and Tama had ladders.
Sabre and Loa made their way to the ring and did a few spots, but threw the ref outside. After he was revived, Tama and Taichi bumped the ref with their ladders.
Can we get these guys some safer ladders? These things look painful and not structurally sound.
The ref revived a second time and officially called for the no contest.
Gedo and Kanemaru came out to try to hold their respective factions back. Sabre and Loa fought to the back in a comical ankle lock spot.
***** Intermission *****
Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo (10:12)
This started off decent enough. Tenzan and Yujiro were the legal men. Tenzan used Mongolian chops. Wato tagged in and continued working on Taguchi. Yujiro turned the tide after a basement dropkick. Bullet Club went to work on Wato.
The match started to drag, as they worked Wato over for quite a while. Wato finally hit EVIL with a Dreamcast and tagged Taguchi. Taguchi hit his usual hip attack cavalcade. He missed one on EVIL, then hit Three Amigos and a bumaye for a near fall.
Taguchi went for Dodon on EVIL. EVIL grabbed the ref. The match pretty much fell apart from there. Togo hit Taguchi with a corner pad. Yano tagged in. EVIL put a hood on Yano. Togo and Yano started doing spots. EVIL took the ref. Togo choked Yano with a ligature. Yano hit low blows on EVIL and Togo, then used a schoolboy to pin Togo.
Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito defeated Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (21:52)
This was very good work from all four guys.
LIJ controlled the first five minutes of the bout. Ospreay and Shingo began with a slower sequence than we’re used to seeng from them, but it was good. Both tagged out. Naito took over on O-Khan after grabbing his hair.
Shingo tagged back in and was cut off after a high kick from Ospreay on the apron. Naito and O-Khan tagged back in for a lengthy sequence. Naito was cut off. O-Khan worked him over with his wacky offense and chops. Naito came back with a top rope frankensteiner and a one-legged dropkick.
Shingo and Ospreay tagged in. Most of their exchanges on this tour have been built on their speed, but they were throwing bombs tonight, hitting each other really hard. Ospreay hit a Shibata dropkick and a bloody sunday DDT.
Shingo avoided a powerbomb. Ospreay avoided a sliding lariat. Ospreay landed on his feet off a German suplex attempt. Ospreay hit a rolling elbow and tagged O-Khan. O-Khan hit a judo throw and used a head and arm choke on Shingo, but Naito saved.
O-Khan and Ospreay hit double pump kicks to Shingo. Ospreay and Naito brawled to the floor. O-Khan went back to the choke on Shingo. Naito saved. Ospreay hit pip pip cheerio to Naito. Shingo finally hit on a sliding lariat to Ospreay after not connecting with one all tour.
O-Khan went for the Eliminator on Shingo. Naito saved with a dropkick. Ospreay teased a springboard attack, but Shingo sent him to the floor with a lariat.
Naito and Shingo doubled up on O-Khan. Shingo hit a pumping bomber and a Last of the Dragon to pin O-Khan.
After the match, Ospreay hit a rolling elbow to Shingo. He went for a Stormbreaker, but Shingo reversed and hit him with Last of the Dragon. Shingo briefly posed with Ospreay’s title belt.
Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare (17:04)
This was great pro wrestling.
Cobb laid out Ibushi with a Tour of the Islands the last time they were in the ring together, so it made sense that they started off together here. They hit a ton of simultaneous forearm strikes to get the crowd into it right away. Ibushi connected on a flying mid kick to briefly establish the edge.
Tanahashi tagged in for a diving elbow drop and some air guitar. Cobb came back with some powerful forearm shots. Henare took Tanahashi to the floor and beat him down with strikes. Cobb worked on Ibushi in the ring. Henare tagged in and was promptly hit with a flying mid kick.
Tana tagged in and hit a flying forearm to Henare. He hit Cobb with a dragon screw in the ropes for good measure. Tana hit a somersault senton on Henare for a two count. Henare came back with a snake eyes in the corner, then hit a vertical suplex for a two count. Cobb beat down Ibushi on the outside.
Henare mounted Tana and hit a series of strikes, then used a heel hook. Tana fought to the ropes to force a break. Henare continued to attack Tana’s left leg wth stomps, then went back to the heel hook. Tana forced another rope break. Henare hit a dragon screw.
Cobb tagged in and hit a series of headbutts. Tana hit a dropkick to the left leg and looked for a tag, but Henare knocked Ibushi off the apron. Tana reversed a suplex attempt into twist and shout, then tagged out.
Ibushi hit a double overhead kick to Cobb and Henare. He followed with a standing moonsault on Cobb for a near fall. He teased Kamigoye, but missed. Cobb hit a release belly-to-belly, European uppercut and a running back suplex for a near fall.
Cobb tried a spin cycle, but Ibushi blocked and hit a high kick into a double down. Tana tagged in and went for a slingblade, but Cobb blocked and hit a spin cycle. Henare tagged in for a step-up knee in the corner, then hit two stiff PKs for a near fall.
Henare hit a rugby tackle for another two count. He went for Streets of Rage, but Tana reversed into a slingblade at the 15 minute call.
Ibushi tagged in and hit a striking combination to Henare. He went for a Kamigoye, but Cobb saved Henare with a lariat. Cobb lifted both Ibushi and Tana on his shoulders. Ibushi sent Cobb to the apron, then kicked him off.
Henare took on both Tana and Ibushi with strikes. Ibushi hit a v-trigger to Henare. Tana followed with a slingblade. Tana hit a standing High Fly Flow. Ibushi followed with a Kamigoye and pinned Henare.
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Ibushi and Cobb had an intense staredown after the match. Cobb pulled up a chair and sat ringside as Ibushi cut a promo. Ibushi put Cobb over, then challenged him. Cobb said “F*** yeah.” Expect that match to be made official shortly.
Tanahashi then addressed the crowd. Ibushi closed the show on the mic.