New Japan Pro Wrestling 12/21/2023 Road to Tokyo Dome 2023 Day 1

New Japan Pro Wrestling 12/21/2023 Road to Tokyo Dome 2023 Day 1

 Tiger Mask & Toru Yano vs. Masked Boltin (Oleg Boltin) & Masked Horse

Boltin's in a mask here for some reason. Tiger is dropkicked to start then Yano takes a double shoulder. Yano hits Horse in the back of the head and throws him a turnbuckle pad. Yano takes off another turnbuckle pad and they argue over the sponsors on the pads. Horse dropkicks Yano then Oleg gets in. Oleg slams Yano and Karelin's lifts him.

Oleg forearms Yano then takes an atomic drop. Yano sends him into the exposed buckle then Oleg shoulders him over. Horse hip attacks Tiger and Yano. Tiger tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Horse then double underhook suplexes him. Tiger hits a tiger driver for 2. Oleg slams Tiger then splashes him. Horse hip attacks Tiger. Tiger rolls him up but is reversed and pinned.

It was a short, not so serious opener with Horse and Yano screwing around.

Young Blood (Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima) vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Oskar and Yuto's team name is new. Oskar shoves Zack and Zack puts his title in his face. Kosei and Yuto shove each other. Kosie and Yuto trade forearms. The freezes a little and I have to move ahed. Kosei is stomped in the corner by both opponents. Yuto hiptosses Kosei then Oskar elbow drops him.

Zack takes a 2v1 then a double shoulder. Kosei takes boots in the corner and Yuto slams Kosei. Yuto kicks him in the back and Zack kicks him from the apron. Zack pulls down Yuto's arm over the ropes and Kosei drops the arm on his knees. Kosei dropkicks Oskar out.

Zack brings down Yuto by the arm and stomps it. Yuto hits foreaarms on Zack then trade chops with Kosei. Kosei takes a big back body drop. Oskar is tagged in then boots Kosei in the face. Oskar spinning slams Kosei then Yuto PK's him for 2. Zakc and Oskar trade forearms then Yuto forearms Zack from behind. Zack is sandwich kicked. Kosei germans Yuto on his head.

Oskar knees Zack in the gut then hiptosses him. Oskar power slams Zack the nmisses a legdrop. Zack PK's him then Oskar blocks it. Oskar forearms him down. Zack gets on his back with a sleeper. Zack then dragon sleepers him and wins it.

It was a decent midcard match with Oskar looking good.

United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & TJP) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney & Gedo)

Bullet Club brings out a casket. Drilla says he's going to bury one of his opponents in it. They fight outside to start. Clark takes a kick combo from TJP and Arira. Drilla takes a hiptoss and a PK. Newman and Drilla trade shots and Drilla spits at him. They slap each other then Newman dropkicks him in mid-air. Drilla trips Newman and sends him into the rails. TJP is sent into the rails and Gedo chokes Newman.

Clark chops Newman then Gedo holds Newman for a shot from Clark.  Gedo chokes Newman. Newman avoids a spinning strike then flying dropkicks Drilla. Akira shotgun dropkicks Drilla then corner lariats him. Akira rolls him up hinto a double stomp for 2. Akira avoid a double team then TJP crossbodies 2 opponents at once. TJP trips Clark into Drilla then facewashes both. Clark powerslams TJP.

TJP elbow slices Gedo then Gedo takes a sandwich basement dropkick. TJP wins it.

It was a short juniors match and wasn't anything too special. They kept it moving here.

Drilla and Clark beat up their opponents after then hit a high/low on Newman.

Master Wato, Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita & SHO)

The faces get beat up on to start and 4 of the 6 go outside. Ren sends Shota into the rails. Wato flying headscissors Sho then bulldogs him. Sho throws Wato into the exposed buckle then Evil hits Shota with the exposed buckle. Sho hits kicks on Wato then Wato is thrown out and stomped by HoT.

Wato leg lariats Ren then Shota get in. Shota forearm flurries Ren then euro flurries him. Shota then boots him and foot chokes him. Shota shotgun dropkicks Ren then exploders Evil. Shota fisherman suplexes Ren for 2. Ren rakes Shota's face and throws him into the exposed buckles.

Evil rakes Shota's face then Shota tornado ddt's him. Evil takes shots from all 3 opponents then Wato springboard euros him. Honma falling headbutts Evil for 2. Honma and Evil lariat each other and Honma flying headbutts him for 2. Honma headbutts Evil. The video freezes and Ren cheats somehow to help out Evil. Evil hits everything is evil on Honma to win.

It wasn't anything special and Ren vs Shota was the only real noteworthy thing here.

HoT stomp Shota after then Oiwa and Kaito make the save. Shota hits a big dropkick on Ren and Ren gets out before taking a death rider ddt.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA & Yuya Uemura)

 

Yota and Yuya start us off. Yuya armdrags him three times to start. Yuya chops Yota in the corner. Yota takes a double back elbow and a Douki stomp for 2. Naito atomic drops Douki then Yota shoulders Douki over. Yuya and Sanada are thrown into the rails outside and Bushi pounds on Douki.

Naito snapmares Douki then pulls him by the hair and mask. Douki cartwheel back elbows Naito. Sanada gets in and dropkicks all 3 opponents. Naito is pulled over the top then Sanada planchas him. Naito and Sanada chop each other then Naito hiptosses Sanada's neck onto his knee.

Yota knocks Yuya off the apron. Sanada hits a nice hurricanrana on Yota. Yuya chops Yota then bulldogs him. Yuya double chops Yota. Yota rolls up Yuya then Yuya rolls him into a pin attempt for 2. Yota curbstomps Yuya. Bushi comes in and top rope dropkicks Yuya.

Naito sliding kicks Yuya on a Bushi sunset flip then Douki flying single leg dropkicks Bushi. Bushi topes Yota then Sanada puts Naito in the paradise lock. Yuya top rope crossbodies Bushi then front suplexes him to win it.

It was a short multi-man tag. We didn't get to see much of anymore here and Bushi was barely in it. 

NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling Title Whiskey Bottle Ladder Match - Taichi (c) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru

YK = Yoshinobu Kanemaru

YK throws Taichi into the rails then sets up the ladder. They each try to go up the ladder and Taichi's head is banged off of it. YK rams Taichi with the ladder then removes the turnbuckle pad. Taichi's leg is banged off the ladder then off the apron. YK is driven into the exposed buckle with the ladder going into his gut.

Taichi climbs a ladder and YK hits him with a ladder. YK climbs the ladder and grabs the whiskey bottle. He drinks from it and spits it at Taichi. YK tries to hit him with it off the ladder but Taichi hits him in the gut. YK pours the whiskey into Taichi's mouth and Taichi rolls out. Taichi is thrown into the rails then has his knee banged off the floor.

YK dropkicks Taichi in the knee then boston rabs him. YK stomps the knee then eye rakes him. Taichi side kicks him. YK face kicks him and Taichi gamengiri's him. Taichi pulls his pants off then YK figure fours him. YK dropkicks him in the knee then pours whiskey in his mouth. Taichi spits the whiskey in YK's face.

Taichi enzugiri's him in the corner then backdrops him. The lights go out and House of Torture get in. Taichi is beatne up and sent into the ladder. Togo jumps off the ladder and chops Taichi in the crotch. Taichi's head is poured into a bucket with whiskey. Just 5 Guys come out to help after a few minutes of the beatdown. Taichin running lariats YK then backrops him for 2.

YK pushes Taichi into the exposed buckle then rolls him up. YK low blows Taichi then brainbusters him. YK top rope moonsaults him on a ladder for 2. YK jumps off the ladder and takes a boot to the crotch. YK reverse ddt's Taichi for 2. Taichi kicks the whiskey bucket in YK's face then superkicks him. Taichi hits a schwein and wins it.

It was long and stupid with the whiskey stuff, the interference and need to climb the ladder to get the whiskey. The logic to this didn't make a lot of sense and it was not good at all.

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title Match - CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) & Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb)

 

Tana = Tanahashi

Okada and Cobb lock up. Cobb clean breaks him and poses. Okada clean breaks him then Cobb shoulders him over. Okada jumps up then is caught and suplexed. Cobb holds him and plays air guitar at Tana using Okada's body. Cobb takes dropkicks to the knee then is shouldered over. Tana abdominal stretches Cobb and plays air guitar on him.

Ishii hits forearms on Cobb and shoulder battles with him. Cobb short arm lariats him then drops down on him with a lariat. Khan mongolian chops Ishii then sits on his neck in the corner. Cobb hits forearms on Ishii but Ishii leans into them. Cobb drops him with a forearm then Ishii suplexes him.

Tana comes in and flying forearms Cobb. Tana dragon screws Cobb and Henare. Cobb takes a euro then tour of the islands backdrops Tana. Khan ties up Tana's legs and Tana hits a twist and shout on him. Okada runs the ropes fast and back elbows Khan. Okada ddt's Khan then flapjacks Henare. Khan does a nice shoulder throw on Okada then belly to belly suplexes him for 2.

Okada takes corner attacks then a Khan suplex for 2. Ishii takes a triple boot then Tana is held for a Cobb standing moonsault. Khan does an over the back claw then Ishii blindside lariats Khan. Okada dropkicks Henare then Khan takes a triple ddt. Okada top rope elbow drops Khan. Khan over the back spinning claw slams Okada then Okada spinning lariats him.

Khan karelin's lifts Ishii then Henare berzerker bombs Ishii. Ishii backdrops Henare. Ishii takes a pop-up samoan drop then tackles him over hard. Henare spinning heel kicks him. Henare spinning back elbows Tana then Cobb dropkicks Tana. Okada dropkicks Cobb then is punched by Khan. Ishii germans Khan then dragon suplexes Henare.

Henare elbows Ishii in the head then Ishii catches his step up kknee and powerbombs him. Ishii enzugiri's Henare then lariats him hard. Ishii is thrown into a triple powerbomb. Khan knees his partner on accident then Ishii dragn screws him. Tana slaps Ishii on accident then Khan backdrops Tana. Henare uranages Ishii then step up knees him. Okada face kicks Henare then tombstones him. Ishii flips Henare with a lariat. They trade spinning strikes and Henare uranages him. Henare PK's him and Ishii running headbutts him over. Ishii sliding lariats him for 2. Ishii brainbusters him and finally wins it.

It was long but good. Many nearfalls here and lots of highlights with a hot crowd. The last part of this was pretty much all Ishii and Henare here. This was pretty much what you would want out of it and lived up to all expectations.

Overall thoughts: The main was good and lived up to expectations. The semi-main sucked and the rest of it was a bunch of 10 minute multi-man matches. I don't recommend this one.