New Japan Pro Wrestling 9/17/2023 Road to Destruction 2023 Day 7

New Japan Pro Wrestling 9/17/2023 Road to Destruction 2023 Day 7

I saw 6 of the 7 matches:

Hiromu Takahashi vs Yuto Nakashima

HT = Hiromu Takahashi

They shoulder battle to start and then knock each other over. Yuto does a running shoulder to him and hits forearms. Yuto slams him. HT headscissor chokes him over the top rope then throws him into rails outside. HT suplexes him on the floor then hits chops.

They trade forearms and HT half-crabs him. Yuto running forearms him then hits corner forearms. Yuto hiptosses him then crabs him. HT hits a decent lariat then Yuto rolls him up for 2. HT falcon arrows him for 2 then crabs him. HT then wins it.

It was a short vet vs young lions match. It didn't do much for either guy and wasn't that interesting.

Oleg Boltin & Oskar Leube vs. Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma)

Oskar and Togi push each other then Oleg breaks it up. Oleg fireman's carries Honma and headlocks him. Oleg shoulders Honma over then splashes him. Oskar gets in and wants Togi. They trade forearms and Oskar hits a big chop. Oskar is pulled over the top and takes a big bump for it. Oskar is then thrown into the rail hard. Oskar held his knee when he went out and is still holding it inside.

Honma kicks Oskar in the knee then Oskar shoulders him over. Oleg shoulders over both opponents and slams both. Honma nearly breaks Oleg's neck on a botched ddt as he lets go when Oleg lands. Honma bulldogs Oleg then misses a falling headbutt. Honma jumping headbutts Oleg then Oskar knocks down Togi with forearms.

Oskar boots Togi in the face then elbow drops him. Oskar crabs Togi then Honma forearms him while he does it. Oskar takes a sandwich lariat then Togi lariats him. Honma falling headbutts him then Oleg slams Togi. Togi takes a double hiptoss then Oskar slams Togi.

Togi lariats Oskar, then hits a top rope kneedrop. Togi then wins it.

It was short and your usual young lions match. Not a lot of highlights here and Oleg's lucky he didn't get crippled off the botched ddt.

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito, Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Shane and Goto start us off. They shoulder battle and Shane dropkicks him in the back of the neck. Shane takes a double shoulder then Goto hiptosses Yoshi onto him then suplexes Mikey onto him. Zack takes a 4-man club on the back. Shane and Ishii trade forearms then Ishii is tripped into a baseball slide. Zack twists Ishii's neck with his feet then Tito slingshot sentons Ishii.

Ishii takes a double back elbow then Zack puts him in a cobra twist. Ishii backdrops Zack. Okada gets in and hits back elbows on Tito then hits ddt's on Mikey, Shane and Tito. Okada facekicks Tito then Tito spinning enzugiri's him. Tito sky highs Okada. Haste is lariated over the top and takes a big bump for it then Okada neckbreakers Mikey over the back on the knee.

Yoshi hits a headhunter on Mikey for 2. Ishii suplexes Zack then Okada dropkicks Tito. Mikey takes a superkick into a neckbreaker. Yoshi and Goto lift Mikey for a double team cutter then Shane boots Yoshi hard in the head from the side. Goto takes a double team ddt from TMDK then Yoshi tries to fight off TMDK 1v2. Yoshi superkicks Shane then Yoshi takes a double team underhook suplex and Mikey gets the pin.

It was a lot of people coming in and then going out. They did try here and we got to see TMDK do some of their double teams that they usually don't do. It was okay for being a throwaway midcard match.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb)

 

Shingo and Khan start us off. Shingo side headlocks him and they shoulder battle. They trade forearms and Khan mongolian chops him. Shingo blocks one then hits his own. Khan uppercuts him then is shouldered over. Yota puts Khan in a nudo and poses on him. Yota chokes Khan with something he's wearing. Bushi gets in and takes forearms from Khan.

Cobb pulls Naito out during a 2v1 and sends him into the rails then Khan goes for an armbar on Bushi. Cobb stands on Naito's back on the floor. Henare gets in and snapmares Bushi then sentons him. Henare spinning heel kicks Bushi then Cobb walks on Bushi's back. Cobb one slam slams him then does a standing moonsault.

Khan sits on Bushi's neck on the buckles then Bushi flying hurricanrana's him. Shingo gets in and corner lariats Khan then avoids a 2v1. Shingo ddt's Khan. Khan throws Naito in the ropes, knocking Yota off the apron then hits a big karelin's lift on him. Cobb blocks Naito's tornado ddt then Naito rolls Cobb up for 2. Naito step up enzugiri's Cobb then Cobb blocks a tornado ddt, hitting his own tour of the islands backdrop off of it.

Naito ddt's Cobb at 10 minutes. Newman and Yota go at it. Newman runs the ropes fast then pump kicks him. Newman basement dropkicks him then springboard lariats him for 2. Newman tries to tiger suplex Yota and Yota is supposed to flip out of it but just ends putting himself in a drop. Yota electric chair drops Newman then Bushi topes Henare.

Newman rolls up Yota then rebound hook kicks him. Newman tiger suplexes Yota. Newman goes for a spin kick then Yota spears him in mid-air. Yota then spears Newman and wins it.

It was okay. They put some effort in here. Yota and Newman's section was kind of messy but they tried to do some cool stuff at least.

Six Man Tag Team Best Of Seven Series Match #2 - Master Wato, Shota Umino & Yuji Nagata vs. Strong Style (El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki & Ren Narita)

 

Despy = El Desperado

Despy takes down Wato then Wato kips up and armdrags him. Despy walks over his back and shoulders him over. Wato shoulders him over then Despy slides out. Shota and Ren go at it. They trade forearms for over 30 seconds then Shota euros him. Ren flying neckbreakers him then Shota basement dropkicks him.

Yuji kneelifts him. Suzuki walks over to the other corner outside to help out then Yuji sends him into the rails. Despy pulls Wato out and Despy is sent into the rails. Yuji drops Ren with a chest kick then Ren spinning heel kicks him. Suzuki running facekicks Yuji then PK's him. Yuji rises up after it and is kicked in the back.

Yuji chest kicks Suzuki then running facekicks him. Yuji and Suzuki trade forearms then Suzuki sleepers him. Yuji backdrops Suzuki then exploders him after taking slaps. Suzuki sleepers Yuji. Despy backdrops and suplexes Wato then Wato springboard euros Despy then sunset flips him into a double arm and neck hold.

Wato spin kicks Despy then does a driver on him. Shota is sent into the rails outside then Despy spinebusters Wato. Despy does a stretch muffler with an armhold on Wato and Yuji breaks it. Suzuki sleepers Yuji. Despy hits an angels wings on Wato and wins it.

It wasn't anything special. Shota and Ren tried to bring some excitement into it. We got little of Yuji and Suzuki and it was over before it really got cooking.

House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)

Sho takes issue with the announcer for some reason and tries to bully him. The heels attack before the bell as usual and Douki armdrags Yujiro. Douki springboard back elbows Yujiro then Yujiro is held for a Taka basement dropkick. Sanada suplexes Yujiro for 2 then Douki knees Yujiro. Yujiro bites his fingers and stun guns him. The heels clear off their opponents and fight with them outside. Evil chokes Sanada with a stick and Taichi is sent into chairs. Evil hits Sanada with the stick.

Yujiro chokes Douki then Douki and Togo get shots in on each other. Togo pops up Douki into a gut punch and Evil chokes Douki with a shirt. The ref is put in the corner and Togo chokes Sanada with a weapon. Sho eye rakes Douki and DOuki flying headbutts him. Taichi gets in and hits Kawada kicks on Sho. Taichi spin kicks and facekicks him. Taichi then goes for the stretch plum but Togo breaks it up. Taichi side kicks Sho and Sho puts the ref in his way before spearing him.

Sho hits kicks on Taichi and eye rakes him. Evil then pulls the turnbuckle pad off, causing Taichi to go into the exposed buckle at 10 minutes. Taichi makes a comeback with lariats on Sho and Evil then Taka gets in. Taka pump kicks Evil and drops his knee on his knee. Taka then figure fours him.

Taka takes corner attacks then is put on his head so Togo can chop him in the nuts. Taichi gets double teamed as people come in and out and then he takes a double fisherman suplex. Taka leg lariats Evil then Sanada throws Evil out. Evil is thrown into the rails then Sho is as well. Sanada has his leg given to the ref then Evil kicks him in the nuts. Sanada charges at Evil and the ref is put in the way. Yujiro hits Sanada in the head with a cane and Sanada is stomped by 4 men.

Taichi comes in and mists people then Douki headscissors him. Douki hits a tope outside and Taka holds up Togo for a Sanada shining wizard. Sanada top rope moonsaults Togo and wins it.

Sanada pounds on Evil outside after and throws him into chairs. Evil eye rakes Sanada then runs away with his title.

This was just as it looked on paper - a basic and by the numbers main event. The HoT did their usual bad cheating and ref shenanigans and were defeated in the end. It was pretty weak stuff and if you watch NJPW, you've seen this a million times already.

Overall thoughts: It looked like a weak house show on paper and it proved to be one. The main was by the numbers and they tried some in the LIJ and United Empire tags, but certainly not enough to warrant watching this.