New Japan Pro Wrestling 9/24/2023 Destruction in Kobe 2023

New Japan Pro Wrestling 9/24/2023 Destruction in Kobe 2023

Here's what I saw: 

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Okada and Tito start us off. Okada trips him into an elbow drop. Ishii and Tito trade forearms then Tito shoulders him over. Zack euros Ishii then twists his neck with his feet. Tito slingshot sentons Ishii for 2. Tito hits chops and forearms on Ishii then short arm lariats him.

Zack headscissors Ishii then suplexes him. Okada running back elbows Tito and knocks Zack off the apron. Okada ddt's Tito for 2. Tito blockbusters Okada off the 2nd rope then germans Okada for 2. Okada facekicks Tito twice then Ishii shoulders over Zack. Zack stomps on Ishii's arm then facekicks him.

Zack cobra twists him then Ishii germans Zack. Tito enzugiri's Okada then death valley drivers him. Ishii takes an exploder then a sky high. Zack rolls and ties up both of Ishii's arm. Okada flapjacks Zack then dropkicks Tito. Zack is flipped off of Okada's back then euros him. Okada over the back neckbreakers Zack then Ishii sliding lariats Zack.

Zack rolls Ishii up for 2 then bridge pins him to win it.

It was a throwaway tag and it didn't have much of interest here.

NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling Title No Time Limit Seconds Handcuffed Match - Taichi (c) vs. SHO

Everyone in their factions are handcuffed to someone outside. Sho tries to do something with this outside and is thrown into the rails. Taichi kicks him in the back and throws him out. The House of Torture get some stomps in but Douki and Sanada stop them from doing more. Sho spears Taichi then Taichi throws him into the seats.  

Yujiro prevents Taichi from trying to get in and Douki struggles to get him off. Taichi is sent into the exposed buckle then lariats him. Taichi running facekicks him in the corner then hook kicks him. Evil is pushed into the rails and knocks over the announcer. Sho is back body dropped on his head.

Taichi takes his pants off. Taichi spin kicks him in the body then Sho eye rakes him. Taichi gamengiri's him and Evil is distracting the ref when Taichi goes for the pin. 10 minutes have passed and Taichi buzzsaw kicks him. A weapon is rolled in and the ref grabs it. Taichi is then pushed into the ref. Taichi has powder thrown in his eyes. Show low blows him then rams him into the exposed buckle.

Sho grabs a rench and Kanemaru comes out to take the wrench. Kanemaru threatens Sho with a bottle of alcohol then spits it in Taichi's face. Kanemaru tries to hit Taichi with the bottle but misses then Kanemaru joins House of Torture. Kanemaru brainbusters Taichi. Sho hits a shock arrow on Taichi and wins it.

This was garbage. Despite HoT being handcuffed, we still had the usual shenanigans which brought this down.

IWGP Tag Team Title Match - Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (c) vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste)

 

Mikey and Yoshi go at it. Yoshi gets a side headlock on. They shoulder battle and trade forearms. Mikey shoulders Yoshi over then Yoshi avoids a double team drop. Shane is double shouldered then Yoshi is hiptossed onto Shane. Mikey is then suplexed onto Shane. Shane takes double clubs to the back. Goto is tripped into a baseball slide then is thrown into the rails.

Goto takes a double back elbow then a fist drop + standing senton combo. Shane double underhook suplexes Goto. Mikey drops a knee on Goto then Goto double lariats his opponents. Goto hits a double bulldog. Shane is pulled over the top by Yoshi then Mikey is back body dropped onto him outside. Yoshi tope con hilos both opponents then Yoshi top rope blockbusters Shane.

Goto is pushed into his partner then Shane reverse slams him. Shane falcon arrows Yoshi. TMDK do a dumb spot where Mikey powerbombs Shane into a suplex on Yoshi. Yoshi double dropkicks both of his opponents in the knees. Yoshi takes a reverse 3D for 2 then Goto fights off the 2v1. Goto takes a blue thunder then a slam + jumping ddt combo.

Yoshi rolls up Mikey then superkicks him. Shane dropkicks Yoshi then Yoshi takes a double team neckbreaker for 2. Yoshi crucifix bombs Mikey and wins it.

It was a little slow early on then picked up with the seemingly endless double team moves. They might have went a little overboard with it but I ended up thinking it was okay.

Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan

Khan holds his shirt up at him to get him to join United Empire. Shingo doesn't want to then Khan hits shots on him. Shingo is thrown into the rails outside and they shoulder battle. Khan chairs him in full view of the ref, who could care less.

Khan shoulder throws him and they trade chops. Khan sits on his neck on the buckles. Shingo slips out then death valley drivers him. Shingo corner lariats him then hits a punch and lariat. Shingo superplexes him then Khan mongolian chops him. Shingo mongolian chops him back and Khan chops him in the throat. Shingo backdrops him and Khan no sells him just to pump kick him.

They pose at each other after a lariat then Shingo hits a made in Japan. Shingo lariats him then takes a claw + sleeper suplex. Khan racks him into a cutter for 2. Khan lariats him then does a brain claw chokeslam. Shingo ddt's him at 10 minutes and they butt heads on all fours. Shingo hits forearms and they put each other in the claw. Shingo headbutts him and takes a straight punch.

Shingo sliding D's him then lariats him over. Shingo then wins it with a last dragon.

I felt they worked this like a midcard match until later on, but by that point, it was too late. I just expected sitffness with these two and high impact moves and we just didn't get it until the end.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match - Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb 

 

Naito pulls Cobb over the top early then baseball slides him. Naito's tornado ddt is blocked then Cobb belly to belly suplexes him. Cobb hits corner lariats then does Naito's combinacion cabron. Cobb misses a standing moonsault then takes a baseball slide.

Naito back elbows him then baseball slides him. Naito hits combinacion cabron then neckbreakers him for 2. Cobb atomic drops him then dropkicks him. Cobb 2nd rope deadlift superplexes him then standing moonsaults him. Cobb is sat on the top rope then Naito hurricanrana's him from there.

Naito does a diamond dust off the 2nd rope. Naito goes for destino but is swinging backdropped then Cobb does a one-armed F-5. Naito hits back elbows and hits a poisonrana. Naito rolls him up for 2 then rolls him up off his own tornado ddt attempt. Naito step up enzugiri's him then is german suplexed. Cobb flips him with a lariat then Naito hits a reverse ddt. Naito hits destino and wins it.

I thought they did too much cute stuff early instead of just having Cobb beat up on Naito. Naito went too even with him and even in the last part of the match, they were will doing all kinds of cute reversals instead of just doing the match and hitting the moves. This just hurt the momentum.

IWGP United States Title Match - Will Ospreay (c) vs. Yota Tsuji

They trade basic holds to start. Yota shoulders him over and Will kips up. Will armdrags him, takes a headscissors then poses on his back. Yota monkey flips him but Will lands on his feet. Yota rotation armdrags him then topes him outside. Yota shoulders him over on the inside then bodyscissors him inside.

Yota sits up top and is chopped down to the floor. Will then plancha's him. Will is thrown into the rails but jumps over them then forearms him off the rails. Will backbreakers him for 2. Yota tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him at 10 minutes. Yota barely hits a headscissors on him then does a fosbury flop on the outside.

Yota does his kudo driver variation. Will handsprings into the ropes and does his corkscrew kick. Will springboard forearms him then hits Kawada kicks. Yota curbstomps him then drives his head into the mat. Will reverses a suplex with a cutter then running facekcicks him in the corner. Yota then does a sitout orange crush for 2.

Yota runs into a knee then spinning forearms him. Will flips off of him then runs at him with a spanish fly. They trade forearms and Yota knocks him down. Will hits chops to the back of the neck and a hook kick. Yota superkicks him and headbutts him. Will then os cutters him from the 2nd rope onto the floor, where Yota is standing.

Yota beats the count in and takes a springboard dropkick. Yota blocks an os cutter, does a knee to the face then a curb stomp. Will hits a top rope spanish fly for 2 then ligerbombs him for 2. Will does an os cutter for 2. Will goes for a stormbreaker then Yota reverses it into a cutter. Yota hits a big spear for 2.

Yota double jump double stomps him then does a stormbreaker for 2. Will hits a hidden blade then spears him. Will tiger drivers him for 2. Will hits another hidden blade and stormbreakers him to win it.

I wasn't a fan of this at all. It was very indy with all kinds of extra flips and no selling to be had whatsoever. They basically turned a top rope spanish fly into a mid-match move here. And it's a shame as the two do match up well together.

Overall thoughts: The main was overhyped and not that good. I somewhat liked the Bishamon vs TMDK tag but that's really it of what I saw. I don't recommend this.