New Japan Pro Wrestling 4/27/2023 Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2023 Day 6

New Japan Pro Wrestling 4/27/2023 Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2023 Day 6

I saw 4 matches here:

United Empire (Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan) vs. Oleg Boltin & Oskar Leube

Oleg and Khan try to take each other down. Khan snapmares him  then Oleg hits an armdrag. Oleg slams him then Khan rolling kneebars him. Henare knocks Oskar off the apron as this happens. Henare gets in and hits leg kicks on Oleg then leg locks him. Khan kicks Oleg in the knee then Oleg picks him up and does a nice takedown.

Oskar gets in and trades shoulders and forearms with Henare. Henare hits a big forearm then Oskar hits hard chops and chest slaps. Oskar does a nice running facekick then legdrops Henare for 2. Oskar goes for a crab but Khan breaks it up. Oleg belly to belly suplexes Khan.

Henare nails Oskar in the gut then chest headbutts him. Henare full nelsons Oskar and wins via submission.

It was short but a good rookies vs vets match. Oskar and Oleg are being allowed to do more than young lions usually are and they looked very good here.

Tetsuya Naito vs DOUKI

Douki somehow knocks Naito out before it starts then he topes him into the rail. Douki double stomps him for 2 then double armbars him, but Naito hits the ropes. Naito neckbreakers him and then Naito finally gets out of his entrance attire. Douki is thrown into the rails.

Douki nearly is counted out then he gets in and takes a hiptoss over the knee. Douki gets his eye raked then does his slingshot swinging dropkick in the corner. Naito puts him a submission and Douki ropebreaks. They trade forearms then Douki flying headbutts him then hurricanrana's him. Douki then does a reverse tope and a ddt. Douki top rope double stomps him for 2.

Naito pop-up spinebusters him then diamond dusts him off the 2nd rope. Douki armdrags and dropkicks him. they go outside, Douki handspring headstands off the apron and ddt's Naito on the floor. Naito botches a tornado ddt attempt then enzugiri's him. Douki double armbars him again then they try pin attempts. Douki slingshot ddt's him for 2. 

Douki enzugiri's him and puts him on his shoulders and Naito swinging reverse ddt's him out of it. Douki takes a nasty brainbuster on his head then Naito hits destino and wins it.

It started off well, but slowed down and went too long and it brought it down. They just didn't sell me on Douki putting Naito into a triangle to win well enough. They also had some sloppy momnents here.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match - Catch 22 (Francesco Akira & TJP) (c) (w/Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan) vs. Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA)

TJP and Kushida start us off. TJP hits a headstand headscissors then handstands out of a headscissors. Kevin and Akira get in. Akira armdrags him then Kevin does it back. Akira headscissors him but Kevin cartwheels out. Kevin goes for a leapfrog but ends up taking a flying dropkick to the nuts.

Kevin and TJP trade forearms then Kevin is sandwich dropkicked over the middle rope. Kevin is thrown into the rails but jumps over them. Kevin then jumps off the rails and crossbodies Akira and TJP. Kushida hits chops on TJP then Kushida and Kevin take turns putting arm wringers on TJP. TJP then has knees dropped onto his arms.

Kevin takes a double team hiptoss into a powerbomb and cutter. Akira walks the buckles with TJP's help then tope con hilos on his opponents outside. Kushida takes a double atomic drop then a flying cross chop into a russian legsweep. Akira puts the spider on Kushida on the ropes. Akira gets on TJP's shoulders and is tossed into a senton on Kushida. TJP yanks Kushida's leg back then facewashes him in the corner. Kushida hiptosses TJP into a dropkick. TJP sunset flips Kushida then takes a flatliner into the buckles.

Kevin gets the hot tag in and superkicks TJP. He slams Akira then standing leapfrogs him. Kevin springboard crossbodies Akira then hits a nice dropkick on TJP. Kevin plancha's TJP then dropkicks Akira while he is on Kushida's shoulders for 2. Kevin takes a 3D variation for 2 then takes a slice + double stomp combo for 2. TJP superkicks Kevin then Kevin tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Akira. Kushida top rope chopes TJP then hits kicks and a crossbody. Kushida pele kicks him.

TJP ankle locks Kushida then Kushida rolls him up and hammerlocks him. Kushida and TJP lariat each other. TJP is on the top rope and Kevin tries to hurricanrana him, but TJP holds on him. TJP top rope frogsplashes him then Kevin takes sandwich meteoras for 2. Kevin powers back up and hits a hurricanrana to Akira on the top then Kevin rolls off Kushida's shoulders into a ddt on Akira for the win.

It was okay for the first half but it just kept going and lost me.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title - Hiromu Takahashi vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Hiromu got the win here. I didn't like this one. They did leg work on both guys early, forgot about it for half the match then went back to the leg work during the end, then it didn't play a role in the finish. It also went too long at 31 minutes.