New Japan Pro Wrestling 5/1/2023 Road to Wrestling Dontaku Day 8

New Japan Pro Wrestling 5/1/2023 Road to Wrestling Dontaku Day 8

Oleg Boltin vs Oskar Leube

Oskar shoves him before this starts. He's fired up and ready to go.

They go for waistlocks then trade forearms. Oleg headlocks him  and they shoulder battle. Oskar knocks him over then pulls both of his arms back. Oskar stomps him and drops an elbow for 2. Oleg picks him up and slams him.

Oleg leglocks him on the mat and Oskar ropebreaks. Oleg stomps the knee then shoulders him over and single leg crabs him. Oskar hits a big boot then slams him. Oskar jumping leg drops him for 2 then crabs him. Oleg back body drops him then single leg crabs him. Oleg puts him in a full crab but the time limit expires.

It was wasn't bad for a young lions match. Oskar's obviously above doing that at this time, but he's gotta pay his dues. The two matched up well together and I have a eeling we will be seeing this many more times in the future.

Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA) & Ryohei Oiwa vs. United Empire (Aaron Henare, Francesco Akira & TJP)

Kushida shoulders over Akira early then Akira armdrags him. Akira hits a flying leg lariat and is thrown out. TJP takes arm wringers then Oiwa top rope double axe hanldes his arm. Knight does the same. Knight is legswept into a basement dropkick then Henare chest clubs him over the ropes.

TJP chinlocks Knight then ties his arm up as well. TJP indian deathlocks Knight then Akira and Knight trade shots. Knight tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Akira then Kushida gets in. Kushida hits shots on TJP and crossbodies him. TJP is hiptossed into a Kushida dropkick for 2. Akira slides out of a a double lariat, TJP double dropkicks Kushida and Knight then Akira is lifted into a dropkick on the two.

Oiwa hits forearms on Henare then Henare later fires back. Henare hits a nasty spinning superkick to the face then takes a corner attack from Knight and Kushida. Knight jumps over a double lariat then does a nice dropkick on TJP and springboard crossbodies Akira. Knight then plancha's Akira outside. Henare full nelson's Oiwa and wins it.

They didn't have a ton of time here and basically wasted the first half of this with real basic holds. Things picked up towards the end, but the first half brought this down.

Akira and Kushida point fingers at each other and Knight holds up his belt at TJP.

United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Kosei forearm flurries Khan to start then Khan drops him with a forearm. Kosei dropkicks him then does a big gutwrench suplex. Khan stomps Kosei then Cobb stands on Kosei's back. Kosei takes a PK and senton combo from Aussie Open then Kosei does a nice dropkick on Kyle. Everyone fights outside and Kyle is sent into the rails by Shane.

Zack puts Cobb's arm in the rails then kicks the rails. Zack stomps Kyle's arm back in the ring then Kosei joins Zack in stomping Kyle's arm. Mikey hammerlock slams Kyle's arm. Shane does a chop and uppercut combo to Kyle in the corner then Kyle takes a reverse 3D. Shane accidentally lariats his own partner and Kyle gets a move in. Zack guillotines Kyle then Kyle suplexes him.

Cobb corner spears Zack then throws Oiwa across the ring. Zack takes a running backdrop from Cobb then Cobb backdrops both of TMDK. cobb goes for a tour of the islands backdrop on Zack, but swings arund and gets onhis back. Zack hits a euro then Cobb hits a standing dropkick.

Kosei and Khan go at it and Kosei forearm flurries him. Khan chops Kosei's ear then Kosei hits a nice slam on him for 2. TMDK get lariated over the top then Kyle plancha's both outside. Kosei backslides Khan and rolling kimura's him. Cobb breaks that up then Kosei rolls him up for 2. Kosei slaps Khan hard then is put into a claw choke and cobra clutch for the Khan win.

It was fast paced and they kept the action moving. It wasn't bad at all. Mark Davis barely got in this one.

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) & Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) vs. Strong Style (El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki & Ren Narita) & Yuto Nakashima

Narita hits a euro on Okada then Okada forearms him hard. Narita running boots him then hits a spinning heel kick. Ishii accidentally forearms Okada then Narita underhook suplexes Okada. Narita and Suzuki double team Okada and Suzuki PK's Okada. Suzuki hits kicks to the chest then foot slaps Okada. Okada ddt's him.

Togi and Suzuki trade forearms. Togi corner lariats him then hits corner punches. Yuto and Suzuki stomp Togi then Togi lariats both. Honma shoulders over Suzuki and misses a headbutt. Suzuki kicks him then triangles him in the ropes. Suzuki pk's Honma from the apron.

Honma is driven into the rails and Suzuki punishes him in front of Tanahashi, who is doing commentary. Okada is thrown into the rails by Ren. Despy boots Honma and running back elbows him. Honma back elbows him and falling headbutts him. Ishii kicks Despy in the back then shoulders him and other opponents over. Ishii powerslams Despy and they trade forearms. Despy backdrops him then Ishii takes forearms from Suzuki and Ren.

Ishii takes a spine buster from Despy for 2 then Despy pumphandle drivers him for 2. Suzuki takes an over the knee neckbreaker from Okada then Okada dropkicks Ren. Ishii lariats Despy for 2 then Despy spears him. Yuto hits forearms on Ishii then is shouldered over. Yuto hits kicks and rolls up Ishii for 2. Ishii backdrops Yuto then crabs him for the win.

They had too many people here and not enough time. Everyone got a little section in but there wasn't much else. Honma looked pretty beaten up here but Ren looked good. 

Just 5 Guys (DOUKI and Taichi) vs Los Ingoernables de Japon (BUSHI and Shingo Takagi)

Shingo and Taichi start us off. Taichi face kicks him and they shove each other. Bushi gets in and takes a sidekick. Douki gets in and armdrags Bushi then springboard back elbows him. Douki then double stomps him for 2. Bushi 2nd rope hurricanrana's Douki and tags out. Shingo forearms and headbutts Douki then shoulders over Taichi. Shingo slams Douki into a senton then suplexes him.

Douki kicks Shingo in the gut then ddt's him. Taichi hits Kawada kicks on Shingo then Shingo hits a punch and lariat combo on him. Bushi top rope dropkicks Taichi then neckbreakers him. Taichi avoids a lariat in the corner then makes a comeback with a running STO on Bushi. Bushi high kicks Taichi.

Bushi takes enzugiris from both opponents then Douki 2nd rope double stomps him. Taichi then taps him out with the stretch plum.

This was rushed and too short.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) vs. Just 5 Guys (SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

Sanada and Hiromu start us off. Kanemaru hits Hiromu from behind then lifts up Kane to hurricanrana Sanada. Sanada takes a double team and is double basement dropkicked. Naito then wraps his legs around Sanada's neck and he ropebreaks. Naito is pulled outside byKanemaru and thrown into the rails as is Hiromu. Naito is sent into the post.

Back in the ring, Kanemaru works the knee then Naito has his legs split. Naito hits forearms on Kanemaru then atomic drops him into a neckbreaker. Hiromu flying huricanrana's Sanada then john woo's him. Hiromu then basement dropkicks him for 2. Sanada dropkicks his knee then dropkicks him out of the ring before hitting a plancha. Hiromu and Sanada trade forearms then Sanada backdrops him. Hiromu armdrags him then rolls him up out of the dragon sleeper. Hiromu takes a bridged twisting neckbreaker then Hiromu dragon screws Kanemaru when he gets in. Naito hits armdrags on Kanemaru then baseball slides his back. He hits his slingshot swinging corner dropkick.

Naito has his knee double teamed by his opponents and Kanemaru figure fours him. Sanada then dragon sleepers Hiromu at the same time. Naito's team ropebreaks then Naito makes a comeback. He hits a 2nd rope diamond dust on Kanemaru and they trade roll-ups. Kanemaru enzugiris him then is superkicked, enzugiri'd and running lariated. Naito rolls him up for 2 then Hiromu pushes Naito up into a tornado ddt on Kanemaru. Naito hits a destino and then wins it.

It was an okay main not really nothing too special.

Overall thoughts: I skipped two matches here but it was a house show. Nobody was going all out for this one and with most of the matches being 10 minute tags, there was only so much everyone could do anyway. I wouldn't go check this one out.