New Japan Pro Wrestling 5/11/2024 NJPW Strong Resurgence 2024

New Japan Pro Wrestling 5/11/2024 NJPW Strong Resurgence 2024

I saw all but 2 matches here.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Title Match - TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) (c) vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo)

Mikey and ELP lock up. Mikey shoulders him over. They miss moves and hit their opponents on the apron. Mikey is corner splashed by Hiku. Hiku side slams him then ELP 2nd rope elbow drops him. Hiku takes a double elbow, is double tripped then takes a rolling senton + fist drop combo.

Shane chops Hiku and it doesn't bother him. Shane is then chopped down. ELP flips over Shane's back, Mikey trips ELP and Shane baseball slides ELP. Mikey bridging ddt's ELP on the floor. Shane neckbreakers ELP. ELP hits forearms then Shane dropkicks him. ELP gets out of a rock bottom + powerbomb combo and has to fight to make the tag to Hiku.

Hiku gets the hot tag in and shoulders over Shane. Hiku uppercuts Mikey. Hiku double lariats TMDK. Hiku and Mikey trade forearms. Hiku back elbows him and elbow drops him for 2. ELP top ropw swantons Mikey then asai moonsaults him for 2.

Hiku takes corner attacks then powers up. Hiku takes a reverse 3D. ELP takes a uranage + powerbomb combo for 2. Shane hits a stiff lariat on ELP then Mikey lariats ELP. ELP takes a jumping ddt + a drop for 2. Hiku boots Shane then powerslams Mikey. ELP superkicks Mikey.

Hiku uppercuts Shane then ELP topes Mikey. Hiku chokeslams Shane then ELP is rocket launched onto Shane. ELP picks up the win.

Thoughts: I thought they should have just ended it after Hiku and ELP made their comeback. They kept it going and it did go down some but the finish brought it up some. I would give it a thumbs up overall but they did over-complicate it when they didn't need to.

NJPW STRONG Women's Title Match - Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Alex Windsor

SV = Stephanie Vaquer

They lock up and roll. SV pulls on the fingers then Alex pulls her arms back. SV stranglehold chokes her and pulls back. Alex forearms her and headflips out of a wristlock. SV stomps Alex's arm into the mat and Alex shoulders her over. SV dropkicks her. SV is pulled off thebuckles and kicked.

Alex russian legsweeps her and cravates her. SV snapmares her and is superkicked. SV hits headbutts on her in the corner then suplexes her. SV headscissors her and bangs her head off the mat with the headscissors. SV legdrops her for 2.

They trade headbutts. SV superkicks her then is shouldered over. Alex ddt's SV over the middle rope then dropkicks her off the top rope for 2. SV hits a soul foot then backdrops her. 

Alex olympic slams her for 2 then sharpshooters her. SV superkicks her then Alex headbutters her in the chest. Alex spinning lariats her for 2. Alex is dragon screwed then SV corner meteora's her. SV package neckbreakers her on the knee and wins.

Thoughts: It was just an average match with no real story or anything. There were no sloppy moments or botches though. 

BULLET CLUB (David Finlay & KENTA) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji)

DF = David Finlay

They stall to start. Yota side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Yota hits a splash for 2 on DF. DF takes a double back elbow. Yota baseball slides DF then Naito does his pose in the ring. Naito's combiancion cabron is blocked and he is forearmed off the apron. Kenta sends Naito into the post. Kenta punches Naito outside.

DF snapmares and running euros Naito. DF boots Naito in the corner. Kenta rakes Naito's face then DF does as well. Naito's head is banged off of DF's foot. Kenta elbow drops Naito for 2. Naito hits punches on Kenta. He back elbows him and is facekicked. Naito atomic dropkicks him then neckbreakers him.

Yota and DF go at it. Yota face kicks him and flying headscissors him. Yota bangs DF's head off the mat with his feet. DF rolls up Yota then DF uranage backbreakers him. DF hits euros on Yota. Yota hits big chops on DF then DF bits him. DF spinning forearms him. Yota forearms and superkicks him back. DF clotheslines him. DF hits corner shots on Yota then Yota release suplexes him into the buckles. Naito gets in. He hits an armdrag > back elbow > baseball slide. Naito double boots him otu of the corner and DF does a standing blue thunder. Kenta gets 2 counts on Naito. Kenta ddt's Naito then diving lariats him off the top.

Kenta falcon arrows Naito for 2. Yota shoulders Kenta over then hits his curbstomp combo on DF. Kenta face kicks Yota and Naito tornado ddt's Kenta. Naito diamond dust's Kenta for 2. Yota pumping knees Kenta then Naito hits destino on Kenta. Naito wins.

Thoughts: It was an average match with the heels doing basic stuff against the faces here. Naito looked broken down here not being able to hit his finisher clean and failing to do combinacion cabron, which is becoming a daily occurrence.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Tana wristlocks him. Zack throws him down by the wrist then Tana armdrags him. Zack headscissors him and they stand off. Tana strangleholds him then Zack reverses it. Zack headscissors him while doing it. Zack cravates Tana and blocks a back elbow. Tana stomps Zack's foot then 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him.

Zack dropkicks Tana in the knee then twists Tana's foot. Zack kicks him in the back and does a reverse figure four. Tana ropebreaks. Zackand Tana trade euros for forearms. Zack running euros him then Tana flying forearms him.

Tana slams him and twists the neck with his feet. Tana 2nd rope swantons him for 2. Zack and Tana go for cobra twists then Tana dragon screws him. Zack triangles him and does various submissions. Tana ropebreaks on the STF.

Zack PK's Tana. Tana hits 3 twists and shouts then Tana slingblades him for 2. Tana hits a top rope crossbody and Zack rolls through. Zack PK's him and they roll each other up. Zack does a bridge pin for 2. Tana slaps him then Zack slingblades him for 2. Zack twists his neck with his feet then michinoku drivers him to win it.

Thoughts: This was one of Zack's submission exhibition style matches. He'd get a hold on, let go and move to the next one then repeat. It didn't make much sense for him to do it when he had him trapped so many times and it made the match kind of silly. Tana didn't get a ton in and it was not their best work. 

NJPW World Television Title Match - Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Lance Archer

Lance forearms him and Jeff hits a cool standing spanish fly. Jeff germans him and Lance goes out. Lance goes up and over in the corner then cannonballs him off the apron. Lance grabs a ring boy and slams him on Jeff. They trade shots outside and Lance chokeslams him on the apron. Jeff's head is banged off the rails.

Lance forearm flurries him while he's down then Lance goes after the ref. Lance crossbodies Jeff and Jeff suplexes him. they trade forearms on their knees then stand up and trade chops. They trade lariats and lariat battle. Jeff superkicks him then uranages him. Jeff hits a standing moonsault for 2.

Jeff blocks an iron claw then takes a ripcord black hole slam.  Lance step up knees him then hits a blackout for 2. Jeff crucifixes him off the pin attempt for 2. Lance corner splashes Jeff. Lance runs at him in the corner and takes a swinging backdrop for 2.

Lance footpresses him down off a big boot. Lance walks the top rope and is caught with a tour of the islands slam on his way down. Jeff then gets the win.

Thoughts: It was a fun heavyweight match here. They did some lariat battles here and Jeff's stuff looked extra impressive on Lance. It really couldn't have gone much better than it did.

Tomohiro Ishii comes in after and stares down Jeff.

Henare does a video promo. He said he was beaten bloody and left for dead. He says the Never Openweight Title is his destiny. He says he is back and is coming for whoever has that title.

NEVER Openweight Title Match - Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Yuya Uemura

They lock up. Yuya hammerlocks him and is tripped. Shingo goes for the side headlock but Yuya slips out and hammerlocks then side headlocks him. Yuya side headlocks him and is backdropped but holds on. Yuya shoulders him over then side headlocks him.

Shingo hits corner forearms then Yuya side headlock takeovers him. Shingo headscissors him then hits a big lariat and drops him. Yuya's head is banged off the apron then he is ddt'd on the floor. Shingo suplexes him inside for 2.

Shingo side headlock takeovers him. Yuya escapes a cravate and is backdropped. Yuya's neck is catapulted into the bottom rope. Shingo knees him on the ropes then Yuya suplexes him. Yuya hits armdrags and a nice dropkick. Yuya then kips up.  

Yuya corner crossbodies him and backdrops him for 2. They fight on the buckles then Yuya top rope crossbodies him for 2. Shingo armdrags him, back elbows him then ddt's him. Shingo does something like a pedigree without the arms then kneedrops the back of his neck. Shingo hits two lariats then slams him. Shingo top rope back elbow drops him then powerbombs him. Shingo then turns it into an stf.

Shingo superplexes him off the top and Yuya bounces. Yuya rolls out of a made in Japan. Shingo lariats him in the back of the neck then Yuya hits a pele kick to the side of the head. They trade headbutts on their knees and trade chops. Shingo hits punches to the face, rolls back with a chop then Yuya running chops him.

Yuya uranages him for 2. Yuya goes for a front suplex but is belly to belly suplexed. Yuya then is caught on a crossbody and death valley drivered. Shingo lariats Yuya, hits a botched made in Japan then hits a made in Japan for 2. Shingo twists Yuya's head with his feet. Shingo hits forearms, punches him, headbbutts him and sliding lariats him for a 1 count. Shingo hits a big running lariat then Yuyta front suplexes him for 2.

Yuya hits a top rope frogsplash here for 2. They trade headbutts then Yuya backrolls him with a bridge for 2. Yuya runs at him and is lariated then pinned.

Thoughts: The ending could have been better here as it was out of nowhere. It was a good match here. The two matched up pretty well and didn't overdo it. Yuya busted out new stuff here like the pele kick and the top rope frogsplash.

Shingo holds up Yuya's KOPW title after along with his own title. Yuya takes it from him.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Title No Rope Last Man Standing Match - Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Gabe Kidd

Gabe flying knees Eddie and they flurry each other with clubs and slaps. They trade forearms and chops. Gabe spits at him and is chopped in the face. Eddie mounts him and hits punches. Gabe rolls out and throws a chair at Eddie. Eddie ends up on the floor where Gabe throws another chair at him.

Gabe running boots him and Eddie is bleeding. Gabe throws a chair at him in the ring and lariats him with a chain. Gabe bites him on his cut and sticks the rope connector in Eddie's mouth. He then stabs Eddie with the edge of it. Gabe is then thrown into the post. Eddie punches Gabe with a chain then chokes him with it. Eddie then pulls on the chain.

Eddie hits him with a stop sign then a trash can lid. Gabe is hit in the head with a trash can and Eddie hits himself with it as well. Eddie chairs him and pokes him in the eye. Eddie takes a back body drop on a trash can.

Gabe stands on Eddie's neck and spends a bunch of time throwing chairs and ladders in. Eddie is hit with a chair edge in the back of the head. Gabe gets a barbed wire chair and piledrivers Eddie on it. Gabe slaps Eddie around and punches him. Eddie chop flurries him then sends him into chairs. Gabe is double stomped into a barbed wire chair. Eddie drops a ladder on Gabe's back then exploders him.

Eddie bridges a table n the rails. Eddie urakens Gabe then stops the ref from counting Gabe out. Eddie handcuffs Gabe to him. They slap and punch each other. Eddie headbutts him. Gabe suplexes him through the bridged table and Eddie bangs his leg off the guard rail. Eddie can't answer the 10 count outside and Gabe wins.

Thoughts: It was a long and slow match. Eddie oversold for the first half of this and the match really dragged. Gabe also spent a bunch of time looking for weapons here and threw the match off. It would have been a lot better with 5-10 minutes shaved off. Eddie also ended up injuring his leg off the final spot here.

The Young Bucks and Jack Perry jump Eddie after. Okada didn't come. The Bucks get on the mic after. They said Eddie is an idiot as he picked a fight on Wednesday and shows up in their home town. They say this was a great place to live when they were poor like the fans. They talk about being rich EVP's and say this NJPW/AEW relationship lets them beat up Eddie on two different shows. The Bucks talk about setting up a match at Forbidden Door where they will fight Eddie. Eddie then takes an EVP trigger.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match - Jon Moxley (c) vs. Shota Umino

Mox poses on the apron before he enters. Shota dropkicks him off of it then tope con hilos him. Mox is sent into the rails. Inside, Mox is sent into the buckles, booted and foot choked. Mox lariats him several times. Mox rakes his back then suplexes him on the ramp. They trade forearms.

Mox leg kicks him then Shota running forearms him. Shota neckbreakers him then running euros him in the corner. Shota perfectplexes him for 2. Shota hits a downward elbow flurry on Mox. Mox corner lariats him then hits chops. Shota chops him back then stands on his neck.

Mox punches him on the buckles and bites his head. Shota superkicks Mox's head into the buckles and bangs Mox's leg off the post. Mox is sent into the rails and Shot dropkicks him in the knee. Shota dropkicks him in the knee inside and kneebreakers him. Shota then does a leglock.

Shota is running forearmed off the apron then Mox topes him. Mox release suplexes him and sends his shoulder into the post outside. Mox kicks the arm/shoulder and sends the shoulder into the post again. Mox elbows and kicks the shoulder then does a nasty looking armlock on him. Mox splits the fingers.

They trade forearms. Mox kimura's him then armbars him. Mox superplexes him then piledrivers him for 2. Mox sets up a table outside. They trade forearms and chops. Mox hits headbutts then Shota dropkicks him. Mox is tripped into the bottom rope then Shota slingshots and bangs Mox's head off the apron.

Mox is put on a table and Shota top rope elbow drops him through it. Shota top rope dropkicks Mox as he slides in then exploders him. Shota pop-up knees him and hits ignition for 2.  Mox cutters him for 2. Mox bulldog chokes him then Shota stf's him. Shota hits a cross rhodes for 2 then stf's him again.

Shota traps Mox's arms and hits forearms to the back of the neck. They go up top and Shota rakes Mox's back. Shota 2nd rope double underhook suplexes him for 2. Mox ddt's Shota then takes a running euro. 

They trade forearms on their knees then get up and trade. Mox drops him with a forearm then does kicks to the body. He foot slaps him and slaps him with his hand. Shota drops him with a forearm then Shota does the slaps and foot slaps to him. They stand up and trade forearms. Shota pop up euros him. They trade suplexes. Mox lariats him, takes a shotgun dropkick then Mox lariats him again.

Mox death rider ddt's him for 2. Shota jumping ddt's him then tornado ddt's him. Shota running euros him then spinning death rider ddt's him for 2. Shota running euros the back of his neck. Mox curb stomps him then death rider ddt's him. Mox then wins it.

Thoughts: All of the limb work here by both guys went nowhere and hurt the match here. It's a shame because they had a good match otherwise with Shota trying to prove himself against Mox and bringing the fight to him. I really liked the last few minutes here. If they had just cut the limb work, this would have been a really good match. It won't be the last two match between these guys though and I'm sure they will run it again.

Overall thoughts:  NJPW put out a better card here then they put out for most of their own shows. On paper it looked like it would be really good but it didn't quite pan out. The top two matches had good and bad points to them. Shingo/Yuya was good, Cobb/Archer was about as good as it could be. Zack went into submission exhibition mode against Tana which hurt the match and the rest wasn't that good. It was a real long show here. I wouldn't recommend this one.