New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/5/2024 New Japan Soul 2024 Day 7

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/5/2024 New Japan Soul 2024 Day 7

BULLET CLUB (Gedo & KENTA) vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)

TMDK get jumped during intros. Zack is thrown out and Gedo chokes Kosei. Zack hits forearms on Taka outside. Gedo stomps on Kosei and chokes him. Kenta knees and neckbreakers Kosei. 

Kosei hits chops then flying kicks Kenta. Kenta facekicks Zack and Zack facekicks him after. They trade forearms and Zack facekicks him down. Zack twists and pulls on Gedo's beard and suplexes Kenta for 2. Zack rolling armbars Kenta then Kenta armbars him. Zack rolls him up for 2 then Zack pele kicks the arm. They high kick each other at the same time and both go down.

Gedo eye rakes Kosei then jawbreakers him. Kosei slaps him then springboard dropkicks him for 2. Kosei chops Gedo and Zack twists Gedo's neck with his feet. Kosei PK's Gedo. Kosei lifts Gedo for a suplex and drops him with a cutter to win.

Thoughts: It was as you would expect with Gedo doing little but cheating before being put down quick at 6 and a half minutes.

United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP) vs. Just 5 Guys (SANADA, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

Yuya and Khan go at it. They try to take down each other. they criss cross and Yuya hiptosses him. Yuya armdrags and armlocks him. Khan goes for the sheep killer then dragon screws him. Khan leglocks him then ties up his legs. Khan sits on Yuya's neck in the corner.

Akira chops Yuya then 2nd rope diving hurricanrana's him. Akira rolls him into a double stomp. TJP slingshot swantons Yuya then facewash kicks him. Yuya rolls him up and hits a big chop. Sanada gets in and his dropkicks. He then plancha's Khan. Sanada stops TJP's paradise lock then puts him in one of his own. He then trips Akira into TJP.

They trad dragon sleepers and TJP final cuts him. Taka eye pokes Akira then Akira flying headscisosrs him. Akira top rope crossbodies Taka. Taka pump kicks Akira then running knees him. Taka then puts him in just facelock.

Akira backslides Taka then meteora's him in the back of the head. Akira then wins.

Thoughts: It was a short waste of time. They didn't have much time to work with so everyone got a section and then the match ended.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma & Yuji Nagata vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

RT gets jumped to start things. Sho rakes his eyes with his foot and boots him. RT hits chops then is eye raked. RT hip attacks Sho. Tiger gets in and hits kicks on Sho. YK nails Tiger from the apron. Tiger escapes a double team then tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Sho. YK is tripped and trampled on by Tiger. Tana hits shots on YK then 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Tana misses a corner splash and goes into the buckles.

A bunch of people go outside to fight. Sho chokes RK with the rail and Evil knocks the time keeper over by throwing Yuji into him. Tana takes a double knee drop from Yujiro and and YK. Yujiro leg drops, elbow drops, headbutt drops and splashes Tana.

Tana gets his legs split then Evil fisherman suplexe him for 2. HoT rings the bell pre-maturely to trick the faces. RT is sent into the rails outside. Tna bits forearms on Ren then Ren eye rakes him. Ren rubs Tana's eyes on the ropes.

Ren eye rakes Tana then Tana dragon screws him. Yuji gets in and gets some shots in on the heels. He belly to belly overhead suplexes Sho then hit chest kicks on Ren. Yuji running facekicks Ren in the corner then crossfaces him. Ren chokes Yuji then Ren exploders him.

Yuji exploders Ren. Honma and Evil fight. Honma bulldogs him then misses a headbutt drop. Honma takes corner attacks then Togo 2nd rope chops Honma in the nuts. RT and Evil fight. RT hits shots to the gut then he hip attacks him. Tana, RT and Yuji put submissions on the heels. Honma flying headbutts Evil then headbutt drops him for 2.

Togo distracts the ref and Honma is hit with the push-up board. Evil hits everything is evil on Honma and wins.

Thoughts: It was your usual HoT match with cheating and various shenanigans. It wasn't as offensive as other matches they have had. It's clear to me that someone in the back told them to cut out some of their usual schtick as we haven't seen some of the overdone tricks lately.

G1 Climax 34 Block A Qualifier Tournament Final Round Match - YOSHI-HASHI vs. Callum Newman

They lock up. CN takes him down and pulls on his arm. Yoshi side headlocks him and shoulders him over. CN running facekicks him then hits euros. Yoshi facekicks him on the ropes then trips him. Yoshi is sent into the rails outside and he shoulders CN over.

CN is laid on the ropes and Yoshi baseball slides him. CN hits a forearm flurry then Yoshi spinning chops him. Yoshi double chops him. CN trips him then double double stomps his back. CN corner dropkicks him. CN PK's him and standing moonsaults him for 2.

Yoshi hits a nice headhunter. Yoshi corner lariats him then hits a top rope blockbuster for 2. Yoshi hits a forearm then CN standing spanish flies him for 2. CN facekicks him and Yoshi blocks his os cutter. Yoshi dragon suplexes him. They trade strikes. CN enzugiri's him and is superkicked. Yoshi hits a fisherman's buster for 2.

Yoshi does an unusual neckbreaker over the knee then meteora's him for 2. Yoshi running lariats him for 2. Yoshi goes for made in japan and CN cutters him out of it to win.

Thoughts: The ending as a bit sudden which hurt this a little. I thought the finishing stretch should have been given more time to really put this one over. It was a decent match as expected. Yoshi not being in the G1 is another loss though CN deserved to be in it too.

G1 Climax 34 Block B Qualifier Tournament Final Round Match - Taichi vs. Oleg Boltin

They lock up and Oleg clean breaks him. They do leg kicks for forearms. Taichi running facekicks him twice and knocks him down. Oleg shoulders him over. Taichi enzugiri's him. Oleg is thrown into the rails and the seats.

Taichi hits boots and chest kicks Oleg. Taichi footslaps him and Oleg hits forearms. Taichi side kicks him for 2. Oleg catches him and slams him. Oleg corner splashes him and shoulders him over. Oleg splashes him for 2. Oleg does karelin's lift, throwing Taichi all around. He then kips up after.

Taichi headkicks him. Taichi puts him in stretch plum. Taichi buzzsaw kicks him. Oleg dropkicks him, catches a superkick and finlay rolls him for 2. Oleg corner splashes him then Taichi puts him in stretch plum again. Oleg samoan drops him and Taichi gets a 2 count off a pin attempt. Taichi facekicks him and backdrops him for 2.

Taichi running lariats him then Oleg does a running knee to the gut for 2. Oleg hits an F-5 then finlay rolls him to win.

Thoughts: Definitely an upset here with Oleg getting the G-1 berth off of it, but Oleg needed to be in it. Taichi not being in it a loss though. It was an okay match not but it was not great.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Titan & Yota Tsuji)

Titan and Bushi start us off. They lock up and roll on the ropes. Titan poses and Bushi goes for a basement dropkick. Titan goes up and over out of the corner then takes a 2nd rope diving headscissors. Bushi ducks kicks. Yota and Shingo get in.

They shoulder battle and trade forearms. They shoulder battle more and both get knocked over. HT and Naito get in. HT hits a surprise shotgun dropkick and they throw each other into the rails outside. Naito rolls out of a kick and poses then HT poses and does Naito's pose. HT is ssnset flipped into a basement dropkick.

Shingo double axe handles HT's back then elbow drops him. HT gets his legs split and Bushi chinlocks him. Naito eye rakes HT. Yota corner splashes Naito then Naito takes a triple basement dropkick. HT back elbows and headscissors Naito. Yota hits corner spears on Naito. He ties up Naito's legs and sits on his neck.

Titan 2nd rope dropkicks Naito then legdrops him. HT stomp flurries Naito then pulls on his leg. Yota bangs Naito's knee off the mat then half-crabs him. Naito takes kicks from his opponents. Titan lariats Naito through the ropes in the conrer and Yota splashes Naito.

Naito atomic drops and enzugiri's Yota. Shingo gets in. He pop-up drops Titan then lariats HT over the top. Shingo suplexes Yota. Yota flatliners him but misses the curb stomp. Yota hits forearms on Shingo. Shingo forearms him then takes a standing blue thunder. Yota knees him in the face.

Titan gets in and springboard splashes Shingo. Shingo back elbows him and Titan headflips out of a ddt. Titan limbos out of a lariat and is powerslammed by Shingo. Bushi gets in and running back elbows Titan. Titan dropkicks him then tope con hilos him.

Bushi dropkicks Titan in the knee then bangs his knee off the mat. Bushi does a figue four variation on Titan while Shingo and Naito put submissions on. Titan hits strikes ending with a spin kick on Bushi. Titan top rope double stomps Bushi.

Bushi backcrackers Titan. HT and Naito go at it. HT shotgun dropkicks him then falcon arrows him for 2. Naito reverse ddt's HT while he's on the 2nd rope and Naito bridging neckbreakers HT. Naito hits diamond dust on HT. HT lifts him for a suplex but just drops him chest first in what they call "victory royal".

HT superkicks Naito. HT lariats him in the back of the neck and then does a normal lariat for 2. Yota pumping knees Naito and everyone gets a move in. HT superkicks Bushi then Naito hits destino on HT. Naito hits back elbows on HT then Naito hits a nortern lights bomb on him. HT hits an emerald flowsion. Naito goes for a pin as the time limit expires.

Thoughts: They telegraphed that this would go the distance as the announcers made special mentions of the elapsed time. It was a fun trios match but not a classic. They didn't go all out here but maybe did a little more than usual. It was fun to see a different matchup for a change.

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

Douki headscissors him and Douki ties up the legs and lays on him. Douki flying snapmares him. Douki cravates him. Despy tries to roll out but Douki holds on. Despy dropkicks him in the knee then Douki flying headscissors him. Douki springboard armdrags him.

Despy dropkicks his leg while he's between the ropes. Douki handstands on the apron outside, handsprings and tornado ddt's Despy on the floor. Douki slingshots in and is caught in a double knee drop. 

Despy butt drops Douki's leg. Douki sells it then Douki's leg is banged off the mat. Douki chops him and gets forearmed. Douki's leg is banged off the post. Despy pulls on the leg. Douki flying headbutts Despy then springboard back elbows him. Douki is pulled off the ropes then Despy backdrops him. Despy suplexes him.

Douki misses a dropkick and Despy bangs his knee off the mat. Despy does a mean stretch muffler. Despy tornado ddt's him. Douki topes him into a ddt on the floor. Douki slingshot ddt's him then does the douki chokey. Douki goes for the douki chokey again but Despy does a scissors crab. Despy does a stretch muffler again.

Douki hits forearms. Despy forearms him back and germans him. Douki lariats him. Despy hits forearms then Douki dragon suplexes him. Douki dragon suplexes him again and wins.

Thoughts: It was just an average match. Douki's leg was worked on some here but didn't really play a role in the finish. Douki used the douki chokey on him and they each hit some suplexes before Douki got the win. 

Douki talks on the mic after but surprisingly, no one comes out to challenge him.

Overall thoughts: It was above a normal house show, but it was still a house show type of card. They had a main and semi-main that got a lot of time plus singles matches but nobody did anything too crazy here and no one went all out. So we got the time, but not quite the epic work to make for great matches. It was a good show but not what it would have been at a big arena.