New Japan Pro Wrestling 2/23/2024 The New Beginning in Sapporo 2024 Day 1

New Japan Pro Wrestling 2/23/2024 The New Beginning in Sapporo 2024 Day 1

Here's what I saw:

Zack Sabre Jr. vs Yuji Nagata

Zack escapes an armbreaker and an armbar. Zack rides his back and takes kicks. Zack pele kicks the arm then rolls him into a pin attempt with the arms. Yuji forearms him then hits a bridging twisting neckbreaker. Yuji face kicks him then double underhook suplexes him.

They trade shots and Yuji russian legsweeps him. Yuji does a Nagata lock variation. Zack hits euros then kicks to the arm. Zack face kicks him then takes a rolling koppo kick. Zack guillotine chokes him then turns it into a triangle. Yuji does a crossface then armbars him. Yuji rolls him into a pin attempt and Zack tries one as well. Zack armbars him and taps him out to win.

It was an okay submission based match. It only got 7-8 minutes which wasn't enough as these guys could have gone 20. 

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb)

 

They did Okada's entrance again where his jacket colors got painted on by a machine.

Okada and Khan start us off. Khan hits him on the ropes then sheep killers him. Okada armdrags and flapjacks him. Newman hits Okada from the apron then Khan takes a double shoulder and double elbow drop. Khan is laid over the top rope and dropkicked. Khan forearms Yoh then shoulder throws him. Akira flying headscissors Yoh then corner lariats him.

Akira top rope crossbodies him for 2 then superkicks him in the body. Yoh flips out of a running move and nekcbreakers him. Akira superkicks him then takes a falcon arrow. Ishii and Cobb shoulder battle then Ishii knocks him over. Ishii shoulders Khan and Newman over as well. Cobb powerslams him and standing moonsaults him.

Cobb overhead belly to belly suplexes Ishii. Ishii suplexes him. Okada gets in and knocks his opponents off the apron. Cobb dropkicks Okada. Newman runs the ropes fast and pump kicks Okada. Newman corner dropkicks Okada then PK's him for 2. Newman high kicks Okada then hits an os cutter.

Everyone hits a move. Ishii germans Cobb then Okada hits a nice dropkick. Okada dropkicks Newman then hits a rainmaker on him to win it.

I'm not going to lie. I thought Okada was done with NJPW already. Twice. I don't get him picking up the win here when he's on his way out, especially over Newman. This was your usual throwaway multi-man tag with everyone getting a segment before the finish.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

Everyone fights to start and 8 of them go out and fight. Bushi flying headscissors Taka then Taka pump kicks him. Naito and Sanada fight with Naito doing an eye rake on him. Sanada blocks combinacion cabron in the corner then Naito baseball slides him in the back of the head.

Hiromu and Douki go at it. Hiromu hits forearms and Douki flips out of his flying headscissors. Douki flying headbutts him then Hiromu low dropkicks him. Douki springboard back elbows him. Yuya and Yota get in. Yuya armdrags him and leapfrogs out of a spear. Yuya then crabs him.

Yuya backdrops him then Yota boots himn in the head. Yuya enzugiri's him then takes a pump kick and superkick. Yuya pele kicks him. Shingo corner lariats and punches Taichi. Taichi corner lariats him then hits Kawada kicks. Shingo shoulders him over and is face kicked.

They trade chops to the head. They lariat each other and Taichi knocks him over with it. Taka running knees Shingo then step up knees him. Taka superkicks him. Taka takes running corner lariats then a Shingo lariat for 2. Bushi topes Taichi thyen Shingo lariats Taka to win it.

It was your usual multi-man tag with these guys. Everyone got their section in, got out and then we did the finishing stretch.

Yuta and Yuya pull each other by the hair after.

IWGP Women's Title Match - Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Mina Shirakawa

They start off fast and Mayu flying back elbows her. Mina dropkicks her in the knee then bangs the knee off the mat. Mina drops her on her knees. Mayu rolls her up into a basement dropkick then dropkicks her against the bottom rope. Mayu then hits a neat water wheel drop suplex.

Mina slaps Mayu up top then dragon screws he from the buckles. Mina bridging suplexes her then Mayu poisonrana's her. They trade forearms and Mina hits a big slap. Mayu slaps her back then Mina slap combos her. Mayu kicks her in the back. Mayu dragon suplexes her and superkicks her. Mayu then hits a frogsplash for 2.

Mina hits a step up enzugiri then does an electric chair kneebreaker. Mina figure fours her. Mina spinning forearms her an dspinning bacfkists her. Mina lifting ddt's her for 2. Mayu tomstones her then buzzsaw kicks her. Mayu top rope dropkicks her then top rope double stomps her. Mayu top rope moonsaults her for 2. Mayu superkicks her and dragon suplexes her. Mayu then does her 2-step dragon suplex and wins it.

I thought it went on too long and they did too much. Mina worked the knee for a while then both of them forgot about it. Mayu did a bunch of top rope stuff after and didn't seem real bothered by it. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match - El Desperado (c) vs. SHO

Despy walks out with Sho in a headlock. Despy roughs him up on the ramp and bangs his head off the apron. Despy backdrops him and goes for the stretch muffler. Sho tries to go under the ring but is stopped. Sho hits Despy with a title belt. Sho triangles him then powerbombs him on his knees. Despy spinebusters him then goes for the stretch muffler. The lights then go out.

Yoshinobu Kanemaru then comes in and beats up Despy. Ryusuke Taguchi makes the save and pulls Kanemaru to the back. Sho is sent into the post then his knee is banged off of it. Despy b-drivers him. Despy is sent into the ref and low blowed. Despy stops a title belt shot then is chaired on a dive attempt.

Sho chairs Despy and pushes the ref. Despy low blows him and hits him with a chair while his head is on a chair. The ref starts counting both goes out and Sho sleepers Despy outside. The ref doesn't see it and Despy is counted out.

This was awful. The shenanigans started before the match even did and the match was filled with it. Refs got hit, weapons were used and nobody got DQ'd, yet someone got counted out. 

NEVER Openweight Title Match - EVIL (c) vs. Shota Umino

Shota has shorter hair here. I don't know why they didn't make an angle out of that. He hits forearms on Evil. Shota drops him on his chest then Dick Togo tries to interefere. Evil lariats Shota in the ring. Shota is then sent into the rails, knocking over the timekeeper.

Evil hits chops and eye rakes him. Shota goes into the exposed buckle. Shota baseball slides Gedo then hits a big dropkick. Shota fisherman suplexes him then Evil hits him from behind. Evil fisherman suplexes him then Shota slingshot ddt's him on the apron. Shota dropkicks him offthe top then pop-up knees him. Shota then hits a mcgillicutter for 2. Shota then stf's him.

Yujiro rings the bell and Shota lets go of the hold. Evil sends Shota into the ref then House of Torture beat up on Shota. Togo 2nd rope chops Shota in the nuts. Yujiro ddt's Shota. Shot shotgun dropkicks him then is lariated with the ref. Shota fights them off and another ref comes down.

Shota cutters Evil for 2. Shota euros him in the back of the head then Evil lariats him. Evil seated fireman's carry slams him. Evil hits everything is evil and wins it.

This was just like you thought it would be - an unimpressive affair filled with House of Torture shenanigans. There was nothing of note here at all and this helped no one.

NJPW World Television Title Match - Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Matt Riddle

Matt takes him down and they mat wrestle. They grab each other by the hair and Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Matt turns it into an armbar. Tana rams Matt's back into the post then plancha's him. Tana misses a 2nd rope swanton then Matt running knees him for 2. Matt kicks him while he's down then bodyscissors him over the top. Matt PK's him from the apron then corkscrew moonsaults him from the 2nd rope outside.

Matt sentons him then Tana gets his knees up on a corkscrew moonsault. Tana hits a twist and shout then slingblades him. Matt is dragon screwed over the middle rope. Tana goes for a top rope crossbody but Matt gets his knees up. They roll each other up and Matt hits kicks to the body. Tana slaps him then Matt flying knees him. Matt cradle tombstones him and wins it.

10 years ago, this might have been a classic. This was an 8 minute affair. Obviously, with that amount of time, it wasn't going to be anything memorable. They covered up Tana's mobility issues well and Matt looked good here, but it was essentially a midcard match in the semi-main event. I think they could have given us more than what we got. 

IWGP Global Heavyweight Title Match - David Finlay (c) vs. Nic Nemeth

DF jumps Nic during his entrance. Nic is sent into the rails then he superkicks DF in the ring. DF's head is banged off the rails and post. DF spears him through the guard rail door. DF hits mounted punches and sends him into the buckles chest first. DF suplexes him and headlocks him.

Nic backdrops him, corner splashes him and neckbreakers him. Nic hits elbow drops and goes with him on a lariat over the top. DF hits a shilelagh shot inside then ddt's his leg. DF butt drops the leg then slams him. Nic sunset flips him and crucifixes him. DF then hits an Angle slam at 10 minutes.

Nic goes for a corner splash but just gets the exposed buckle. Nic is sent into the post then takes a uranage backbreaker. Nic back body drops him then is thrown over the top into the rails off a ddt attempt. DF spears him back in the ring then running dominators him for 2. DF then figure fours him. Nic ropebreaks.

DF tells him to tell him he's the man. Nic spits at him then takes a spinning forearm. Nic rolls him up then is lariated down. Nic goes down due to knee pain and is powerbombed for 2. DF hits crossface shots then Nic sends DF into the exposed buckle. Nic hits a jumping ddt and a fameasser for 2. DF hits oblivion for 2. They trade punches/forearms on their knees and trade standing up. They hockey fight and headbutt each other. Nic superkicks him then hits a zig zag/danger zone for the win.

It didn't look like it would be a great one and it wasn't. DF worked the leg for a bit but that went nowhere. I liked Nic's bump to the outside but it was really just an average match otherwise with the focus being on DF's heel work. I'd call it disappointing, but it was what I expected.

Overall thoughts: I'd call the show disappointing, but I didn't expect much. The 5 big singles matches weren't any good here and the midcard wasn't anything special either.