New Japan Pro Wrestling 4/14/2024 Wrestling World 2024 in Taiwan

New Japan Pro Wrestling 4/14/2024 Wrestling World 2024 in Taiwan

I skipped one match:

Axe Wang vs Touyuu

Axe is put in a headscissors then he side headlocks Tou. Axe slingshots and flips over him then Tou flying headscissors him. They trade forearms. Axe eye rakes him and running back elbows him. Axe hits mounted punches and eye rakes him. Axe rakes his eyes with his feet then chinlocks him. Axe dropkicks him for 2.

Tou spin kicks him in the gut then low dropkicks him. Tou armdrags, superkicks and cutters him for 2. Axe enzugiri's him from the apron then double jump crossbodies him for 2.  Tou step up enzugiri's him then Axe hits a chaos theory german. Axe slams him then misses a top rope elbow. Tou hits a strike combo then Axe step up enzugiri's him. Tou hits an air raid crash and wins it.

I didn't really like this as an opener as it was slower paced and went longer than it should have. I didn't think the match was anything special. 

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final Match - Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Great-O-Khan)

Tana and CN start us off. Tana backs him up into the ropes off the lock up. Tana side headlocks him. Tana back elbows him out of the corner then does a twisting crossbody off the 2nd rope. Yano gets in and takes off the turnbuckle pad. Akira tries to take it then pushes him into the buckles. Akira hits basement dropkicks.

Oleg gets in and is double teamed. Oleg shoulders Khan and Akira over then fireman's carry takedowns Khan. Oleg really flips CN off a shoulder. Khan belly to belly suplexes Oleg then hits a mongolian chop. Oleg takes shots in the corner then CN dropkicks him. Akira is flipped onto Oleg for 2.

Oleg forearms Khan then sits on his neck. Khan hiptosses Oleg. Oleg dropkicks Khan. Tana gets in and flying forearms Khan. Tana dragon screws all 3 opponents. Khan tries to throw Tana out but Tana skins the cat.

Khan elbow slice drops Tana then CN gets in. Tana twists and shouts CN then Yano gets in. CN running face kicks Yano off the ropes then corner dropkicks him. CN hits a PK. Yano takes corner lariats then is double stomped on the back by CN. CN misses a to prope SSP then Tana knee dropkicks him. Oleg blocks a flying hurricanrana then whips him around. He is stopped before he suplexes him. Tana slaps CN then Yano rolls up CN to win it.

It was a shorter opener. We didn't really see a lot of anyone and it wasn't great or anything. It was just a very basic match here.

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final Match - Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

YK = Yoshinobu Kanemaru

The faces get jumped before the bell starts. Evil hits Shingo outside then steps on his belt. Yota lariats YK over then splashes him for 2. Yota hits forearms on YK then YK eye rakes him. Yota is thrown into the exposed buckle then thrown out.

Yota is stopped by 2people outside and Shingo is nearly irish whipped off the stage. Sho eye rakes Yota and throws him out. Yota takes a shot to the gut with a chair outside. Yota takes a double knee drop then YK knees him in the gut for 2.

YK stomps on Yota. Yota hits forearms then YK eye rakes Yota. Evil chokes Yota with a towel. Yota drives Evil's head into the mat with his feet. Shingo shoulders and slams Evil then misses a senton. Shingo double lariats Sho and YK. He then hits a punch and lariat combo on Evil. Shingo suplexes Evil for 2.

Shingo hits downward elbows on Evil. Evil hides behind the ref then kicks Shingo in the inner leg. Sho hits kicks on Shingo then gets ddt'd. Bushi hits forearms on Sho then Bushi does a double hurricanrana. Bushi ddt's Sho for 2. Sho takes corner attacks then takes a backcracker from Bushi for 2. Everyone comes in to get a move in. Yota and Shingo both go into the exposed buckle. Bushi dropkicks Sho in the knee then does a figure four variation. Sho taps out, the ref odesn't see and YK spits whiskey in Bushi's eyes. Sho hits Bushi with a wrench then hits a shock arrow. Sho then gets the win.

It was the usual HoT match with various shenanigans and little of quality.

HANAKO vs Starlight Kid

Hana has almost a foot on her in size. Kid stomps Hana's foot then Hana blocks an armdrag. Kid gets a side slam off a failed spinning headscissors then Kid is shouldered over. Kid bangs Hana's head off the apron then Kid uses the apron outside to tornado ddt her on the floor.

Kid pulls on Hana's leg on the ropes then Kid dropkicks her in the knee. Kid knee drops Hana's knee. Kid is caught on a springboard crossbody then takes a corner splash. Hana slams her for 2 then torture racks her. Kid is popped up and dropkicks Hana.

Kid top rope crossbodies Hana. Kid standing moonsaults her for 2. Kid then stretch mufflers her. Hana rope breaks and they trade chest forearms. Kid running forearms her over then Kid dropkicks her knee. Kid hits forearms and wind-up chops her. Hana goes for a slam and is rolled up into a stretch muffler. Kid 180 splashes her off the top for 2 then misses a top rope moonsault. Hana face kicks her.

Hana misses a corner charge then Kid is lariated on the apron. Hana suplexes Kid in for 2. Hana puts her on her shoulder and drops her back, kind of like an electric chair. Kid rolls up Hana for 2 then Hana splashes her on the ropes. Kid hits a momo latch and wins it.

It was a decent match here with Kid working the leg and using her smaller size against Hana. Hana stuck to bigger girl moves here and the match made sense.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match - DOUKI vs. Kosei Fujita

KF dropkicks him off the apron then tope con hilos him. KF springboard swantons him then PK's him. KF is pulled out then Douki topes him. Both are down outside then KF is sent into the post.

Douki hits elbows to the back of the neck and neckbreakers him for 2. Douki chinlocks him and KF ropebreaks. KF hits forearms to the chest then is ddt'd. KF spinning heel kicks him, hits chops and springboard dropkicks him for 2.  KF suplexes him and running boots him for 2.

Douki does a double armbar and KF ropebreaks. KF armdrags him then blocks Doui's slingshot. KF rolls him into a stretch and Douki ropebreaks. Douki rolls him up out of a german then puts him over the back, spins him and drops him. Doubki does a double armbar and KF ropebreaks.

Douki hits a daybreak slingshot ddt for 2. KF germans him.  They trade enzugiri's and Douki lariats him. KF does a flying kick then leg lariats him on the ropes. KF deadlift germans him for 2. Douki rolls him into a gori special drop for 2. Douki wheelbarrow dragon suplexes him and wins it.

It was an average back and forth match.  

Sho attacks Douki after. Douki avoids getting hit with the junior heavyweight title then drops him on his shoulder. Douki then holds up the belt over top him and takes it with him.

IWGP Tag Team Title Match - Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (c) vs. Just 5 Guys (SANADA & Yuya Uemura)

Yuya wristlocks Yoshi then Yoshi reverses it. Yoshi trips him then Yuya hammerlocks him. They stand off and Yuya side headlocks him. They shoulder battle and Yuya hiptosses and armdrags him. Yuya hits a dropkick and knocks Goto off the apron as well.

Yuya takes a double shoulder. Yoshi is hiptossed onto Yuya then Sanada gets his back double clubbed on. Sanada and Yuya hit stereo dropkicks then stereo planchas. The four men fight outside and Yuya drops Yoshi with a chop. Yuya hits corner chops on Yoshi then Sanada clubs on Yoshi.

Sanada stomps Yoshi and knees him in the gut. Sanada puts Yoshi in the paradise lock then dropkicks him out of it. Yoshi headhunters Sanada then Yoshi kicks Yuya off. Goto aovids a corner move then suplexes Yuya onto Sanada. Sanada flips over Goto out of the corner then back elbows him. Goto avoids a standing moonsault but takes a basement dropkick into the back of the neck.

Yuya backdrops Goto for 2. Goto back body drops him off then hits a big lariat off the ropes. Yoshi chops down Yuya and superkicks him in the gut. Yuya flying forearms Yoshi and kips up. Yuya armdrags Yoshi then Yoshi takes a double dropkick. Yoshi then takes a double boot for 2.
Yuya takes a superkick + ushigoroshi combo.

Sanada runs into a Yoshi superkick then he fights off double teams. Sanada magic killers Goto while using the ropes to hold him. Yuya enzugiri's and double chops Yoshi then Sanada shining wizards Yoshi. Yuya does a tiger driver for 2.

Yuya top rope crossbodies Yoshi for 2. Yoshi chops Yuya then Yuya pele kicks him. Yuya goes for a front suplex but is lariated. The two trade shots on their knees then stand up and trade. Yoshi double chops him then Yuya double chops him. Sanada dropkicks Goto. Yuya is thrown into Sanada then Yoshi superkicks Yuya. Yuya is held and lariated on the ropes. Yoshi then rolls up Yuya and wins it.

The finish was a bit weak here. It was an okay tag otherwise. It wasn't anything great and they most certainly did not go for a classic here but it got enough time and the work was okay.  

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title Tournament Final Match - Hiroshi Tanahashi, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

The faces get nailed as soon as they get in. Sho uses a chair on Taka and YK hits Oleg with a whiskey bottle. Yano gets stomped outside then has his legs and hands tied up with tape. Tana is stomped by 3 people inside then Tana gets his legs split. Tana tries to fight off the 3v1 but is kicked and stomped.

YK works Tana's leg then Tana's legs are split again. Evil works on Tana's leg then poses on him on the ropes. HoT ring the bell, pretending to have won the match when they didn't. Tana wants a tag but all of his partners are down. Sho ddt's Tana's leg into the mat then bangs his knee on the mat. Tana hits forearms on YK then dragon screws him.

Yano is tagged in. He takes off a turnbuckle pad, hands it to YK then hits him while the ref tries to take it. YK goes into the exposed buckle and is rolled up. YK and Yano eye rake each other. Evil pulls Yano out and eye rakes him. Sho chokes Yano with a chair then Evil chokes Yano with tape.

Sho works Yano's fingers and armbreakers him. YK yanks on Yank's arm then stomps it. Yano takes a double axe handle on the arm then Sho wraps Yano's arm around the turnbuckle connector. Yano is thrown out and has a chair pressed into him. Yano is then sent into the post.

Yano pulls Evil down by the hair. Oleg is tagged in then shoulders and slams Evil. He splashes him then double suplexes the heels. Oleg karelin's lifts Sho then does it to YK. Evil eye rakes Oleg and Oleg belly to belly suplexes him for 2.

Evil low blows Oleg behind the ref. Oleg takes corner lariats then a 2nd rope chop to the crotch. Oleg shoulders over Evil. Tana gets tagged in and flying forearms Evil. Tana 2nd rope flipping swantons him for 2. Tana is sent into the exposed buckle. Tana takes a dropkick to the knee then has his knees banged off the mat. Sho leglocks Tana.

Sho grabs a wrench and Tana gets whiskey in the eyes. Yano pushes the heels into each other and hits double low blows. Tana slaps Sho then slingblades him. Oleg finlay rolls Sho then Tana hits a high fly flow to win it.

It was your usual HoT trios match shenanigans. The faces were beat up on almost the whole time until getting their win at the end. It wasn't as unbelievable or bad as the usual HoT offerings, but it was still really basic stuff that was no more exciting the second time around tonight than the first. This is Oleg's first title win. The faces put suit jackets on after.

Overall thoughts: Just an eh card from NJPW. Nothing must see here and the House of Torture brought down two tournament matches with their shenanigans. The tag title match was the best thing on the show but was not great.