New Japan Pro Wrestling 10/9/2023 Destruction In Ryogoku 2023

New Japan Pro Wrestling 10/9/2023 Destruction In Ryogoku 2023

Here's what I saw:

House Of Torture (SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)  vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

 

YK = Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Yuya uemura is back from excursion and has joined J5G. The heels beat up the faces before the bell and Yujiro sends Yuya into the rails. Sho foot chokes Taichi. Taichi clears off the heels with kicks. Taichi sidekicks Sho and kicks him in the back. Taichi double stomps Sho. Sho dives at him and misses and ends up outside. Douki is pulled out by YK then slammed on the floor.

YK suplexes Douki for 2. Yuki elbow drops Douki several times. Douki sep up enzugiri's Sho. Yuya gets the hot tag in and hits armdrags and double chops. Yuya crossbodies Sho then is pushed off the top, landing his crotch onto Sho's knee. Yujiro fisherman busters Yuya for 2.

Taichi hits a double lariat on the heels and Douki hits an asai moonsault outside. Yuya flying dropkicks Yujiro in the face in the corner then top rope crossbodies him. Yuya swings Yujiro int oa front suplex and wins it.

Well, Yuya got the win on his return here and it was okay as a basic face vs heel match. Yuya was okay but didn't look amazing here or anything. And if you were looking for some big new spot or move, it didn't happen.

Best Of Seven Series Match #7 - Master Wato, Shota Umino & Yuji Nagata vs. Strong Style (El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki & Ren Narita)

In case you are wondering, they didn't air half of this best of seven series as they took place on unaired house shows.

Despy shoulders over Wato then takes an armdrag and dropkick. Despy avoids a plancha and Wato poses. Suzuki and Yuji trade forearms. Yuji facekicks him outside, sends him into the rails and then is facekicked. They trade more forearms outside and the ref tries to get them in. They trade kicks to the back and Suzuki PK's him. Yuji then does the same.

They trade slaps and then slap each other at the same time. They both go down and tag out. Ren facekicks Shota then Shota running forearms him. Shota is sent into the rails outside then facekicked over them. Suzuki teases hititng Yuji with a chair then just kicks him. Ren neckbreakers Shota then Shota basement dropkicks him in the face. Shota then hits a double dropkick.

Shota fisherman suplexes Ren then top rope dropkicks him. Shota lifting reverse ddt's him then Ren cobra twists him. Ren germans him for 2. Ren northern lights suplexes him then Ren hits a flying mcgillicutter. Shota tornado ddt's him then Suzuki hits forearms on Yuji. Suzuki puts Yuji in a sleeper then Yuji exploders him.

Despy spinebusters Wato then backdrops him. Wato buzzsaw kicks him, Despy forearms him and both go down. Ren enzugiri's Shota and Shota kind of sunset flips him into a death rider to win it.

Shota offers Ren a handshake after and Ren shakes his hand back. Yuji and Suzuki slap each other then shake hands and Despy/Wato shake too. Suzuki then slaps Yuji after and fist bumps him.

It was a good match with a lot of focus on Ren/Shota and Yuji/Suzuki, which is what you would want. Shota and Ren put out a real good effort here and both looked really good. I'm really looking forward to seeing Shota and Ren battle for years to come.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Title Match - BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd) (c) vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo)

The faces are jumped from behind to start by Gabe. ELP is thrown over the rails. Hiku's leg is banged off the post and then his leg gets worked on by Alex then Gabe works him over. Gabe takes a big back body drop. ELP gets in and then does a springboard twisting crossbody into a plancha and a springboard swanton. ELP then does an asai moonsault off of it.

Alex deadlifts ELP into a suplex and throws him over the top rope to the floor. ELP is beat up on and Gabe eye rakes him. Gabe is thrown out. ELP goes for the tag but Hiku is pulled off the apron. ELP pushes Alex into Gabe and gets Hiku in. Hiku hiptosses Gabe then hits snake eyes and a lariat on Alex.

Hiku lariats over both opponents. Hiku is stuck on the ropes and Alex germans him. Alex hits karelin's lift on Hiku then does a single leg crab. Hiku powerslams Alex then Alex takes a head kick into a ufo neckbreaker. Gabe hanging guillotines ELP then ELP takes a doomsday device for 2. ELP takes a double running muscle buster for 2.

Gabe nails his own partner on accident then Gabe slap flurries Hiku. Gabe spits on him then Hiku drops him with a slap. Alex takes a superkick then a chokeslam. ELP springboard splashes him and wins it.

It went a little long but I liked it. ELP and Hiku are a different team that kind of works and I'm big fans of Alex and Gabe. I don't really like Alex and Gabe losing here though. The match just had a nice mix of stuff with Hiku doing the power moves, ELP flying and the heels being heels.

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title Match - Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) & Josh Alexander

Tana and Alex trade wristlocks. They trade headlock takeovers and headscissors, before standing off. Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies Alex then Alex backs off.

Ishii and Josh trade forearms. Josho running facekicks him and misses but it is sold anyway then Josh ankle locks him. Ishii ankle locks him back. Sabin does a nice armdrag on Okada. Sabin euros him and top rope crossbodies him.

Okada is tripped into a bulldog then Ishii takes sandiwch lariats from the Guns. Okada is sat on the apron and Josh crossbodies his back. Shelly and Okada trade shots then Okada takes a double double chop from the Gunns. Okada over the back neckbreakers Josh on his knee.

Ishii shoulders over Josh then Ishii fights off a 2v1. Josh hits germans on Ishii then does a chaos theory german. Ishii and Josh trade strikes and Josh drops him with a punch. Josh then powerbombs him over the knee. Ishii back body drops Josh then headbutts him so hard he falls out of his headgear. Sabin top rope dropkicks Ishii then Ishii brainbusters him.

Tana flying forearms Sabin. Tana slams Sabin the 2nd rope swantons him. Tana takes double kicks in the corner. Tana's team gets the edge on their opponents. Alex takes a shot from all 3 then a triple lifting ddt for 2. Okada facekicks Josh then Okada takes a double team sequence from the Guns.

Josh nails Alexon accident. Ishii then hits a big lariat on Josh. Tana twisting neckbreakers Alex then slingblades him. Tana high fly flows Alex and wins it.

It was a fast paced tag. Not a lot of story, but a lot of fast paced sequences with the action never really slowing down. It was better than the gifs make it seem and I was entertained by it. It's probably the best use you can get of Tana in 2023.

NEVER Openweight Title Match - David Finlay (c) vs. Tama Tonga

 

DF = David Finlay

DF hits Tama with the belt before the match starts. The ref sees it and does nothing and Tama has to begin half out of it. DF spears him for 2. DF chairs Tama then pushes him through the rail door. Tama messes up a tonga twist on the floor. DF has his head banged off the apron hard and is sent into the rails.

Tama pounds and stomps on DF in the corner. Tama exploders DF then DF eye rakes him. DF is thrown out then Tama planchas him. DF is thrown into the rails. Tama is thrown head-first into the post then DF blue thunders him. DF lariats him then hits a running dominator for 2.

Tama armdrags him then flips him with a lariat. Tama rolling death valley drivers him. Tama is pushed off the top to the apron and floor. DF is back body dropped on the apron then Tama is sent into the post. DF powerbombs him through a table outside. DF powerbombs him in the ring then Tama reverses a suplex into a cutter.

They trade shots on their knees. DF slaps him and Tama enzugiri's his arm. Tama goes for an os cutter but DF blocks it. Tama hurricanrana's him for 2 then cutters him for 2. Tama hits knees and rolls him into a styles clash. Tama then hits a double underhook piledriver and wins it.

Some parts of htis were good but it ended up going on too long and I thought they did too much.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match - Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Mike Bailey vs. YOH

Hiromu won with a time bomb 2. It was what you would expect with people doing spots then coming in and out so only 2 people would be in. It had some hightlights but was a spotfest and not particularly special or good.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Lumberjack Match - SANADA (c) vs. EVIL

Yep, this is a lumberjack match.

Evil boots Sanada in the gut. Sanada back elbows him and Evil avoids a standing moonsault. Evil goes outside then is put in a paradise lock on the bottom rope. Sanada hits a running back elbow. Sanada is pulled over the top and stomped by HoT.

Sanada is thrown into the exposed buckle inside. Evil throws him out and his buddies thrown Sanada back in multiple times. Evil poses on Sanada. Sanada hits chest chops then backdrops him. Sanada hits a dropkick then kicks the ropes into the crotches of YK and Togo. He then puts both in paradise locks and dropkicks them in the butts out of it.

Sanada then plancha's various HoT members outside. Evil runs away into the stands and Just 5 Guys go retrieve him. Sanada russian legsweeps Evil. Sanada accidentally spinning forearms the ref then HoT beats Sanada up outside. J5G and HoT fight outside then HoT beats up Sanada in the ring. Togo 2nd rope chops Sanada in the nuts. The other ref is then thrown outside. Sanada takes a piledriver and ref #3 comes out. Evil fisherman suplexes him for 2.

Sanada springboard dropkicks him then TKO's him for 2. Sanada dragon sleepers him then Evil sharpshooters him. Evil hits darkness falls for 2. Sanada starts to power up and is lariated down. Sanada hits a bridging twisting neckbreaker and Evil moves on his top rope moonsault. Sanada does a shiranui into skull end. Sanada gives up the hold when one of his buddies get nailed outside and then the ref is hit again. Douki armdrags Togo in the ring then topes him.

Everyone's buddies fight. Yuya step up enzugiri's Evil into a Sanada shining wizard. Sanada top rope moonsaults Evil and then the ref is pulled out. Evil low blows Sanada when the seconds get in. Sanada takes a chair to the head then a magic killer. Evil goes for the pin and the ref flips him and Togo the bird. Sanada pushes Evil into Togo then bridges Evil for 2. Evil lariats Sanada. Evil does a neckbreaker for 2 then Sanada hits everything is evil on him. Sanada hits shining wizards to the back and front of the head. Sanada then does a blade runner style ddt and wins it.

It was a complete circus as expected with ref bumps, interference, constant cheating and so forth. It was awful and a total embarrassment.

Overall thoughts: I saw 7 of the 11 matches on this long show. The main and semi-main were exactly what you would expect and the main was total garbage. Tama/Finlay had some good parts to it but they went on too long and did too much. The two trios matches were good and I didn't think they got the most out of Yuya's return that they could have. I wouldn't recommend this one.