SHO turns on YOH at NJPW Summer Struggle

A major angle closed today’s NJPW Summer Struggle event in Korakuen Hall. 

Roppongi 3K split in the midst of losing their Super Junior Tag League match to El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru when SHO turned on YOH. 

The Roppongi 3K duo have been on a losing streak, now losing all four of their Super Jr. Tag League matches. The two worked as a unit for the bulk of the match, but Desperado and Kanemaru worked over YOH’s left knee. YOH missed a year of action due to a torn ACL in the knee. 

SHO entered the match to perform a tandem move on Desperado. As YOH ran the ropes, his knee buckled. 

From that point on, SHO gave up on the match. 

Desperado put YOH in his Numero Dos stretch muffler submission hold. SHO jumped in as if to save, but then backed away and allowed Desperado to continue using the hold. YOH fought for a rope break, but then fell to Desperado’s Pinche Loco finisher. 

After the bout, SHO hit YOH with his Shock Arrow cross-armed piledriver to cement the turn on his tag partner. 

SHO cut a brief promo post-match. NJPW’s Chris Charlton and the NJPW Global Twitter account translated the promos: 

“YOH, you’re done. Quit. Retire!”

“YOH, you’re no more use to me. We’re done.”

SHO and YOH both joined the NJPW Dojo in 2012. They were opponents and tag partners as Young Lions, eventually forming something of a permanent unit in 2014. 

The duo were sent to CMLL and ROH for their international excursion in 2016 at the conclusion of the NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania tour. They worked as The Tempura Boyz in ROH. 

They returned to the main NJPW roster in October 2017 with the Roppongi 3K name, managed by Rocky Romero. They defeated Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi to claim the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship at King of Pro Wrestling in their first match back in Japan.

Roppongi 3K are one of the most decorated junior heavyweight teams in NJPW history, with five IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship reigns and three Super Jr. Tag tournament wins. Only three teams have more combined days as IWGP Jr. Tag champs. Only The Young Bucks have more IWGP Jr. Tag title reigns as a unit.