New Japan Pro Wrestling 9/8/2024 Road to Destruction 2024 Day 2

New Japan Pro Wrestling 9/8/2024 Road to Destruction 2024 Day 2

Daiki Nagai vs. Masatora Yasuda

DN side headlocks Yasuda then headlock takeovers him. Yasuda headscissors him and side headlocks him. Yasuda hammerlocks him and DN trips him. DN armlocks him. Yasuda grabs the leg and DN side headlocks him. Yasudia is snapmared and hammerlocks DN.

Yasuda wristlocks andhammerlocks him. Yasuda ties up DN's legs then toe holds him. Yasuda elbow drops the leg then leg locks him. Yasuda stomps on him then bangs his knee off the mat. Yasuda leglocks him twice and DN ropebreaks. DN slaps him around then dropkicks him. DN hits another dropkick then slams him. DN crabs him and the time limit runs out.

Thoughts: It was similar to yesterday but not as good. It felt obvious that it would be a draw and again I'm not sure what they are going for with it.

Katsuya Murashima, Shoma Kato & Tiger Mask vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)

KM = Katsuya Murashima, CN = Callum Newman

KM's team hits dropkicks before the bell rings. Khan is tripped and gets stomped on. Khan takes a double shoulderblock then KM hiptosses him. Khan belly to belly suplexes him then hits mongolian chops. KM tries to block it and takes an uppercut. Khan then sits on his neck on the buckles.

CN gets shots in on KM then running facekicks him. KM hits a nice dropkick on him. Tiger hits chest kicks on CN then high kicks him. Tiger crucifixes CN for 2 then does a grounded octopus. CN sweeps tiger into a double stomp on the back. Tiger hits a tiger driver on CN.

Kato gets in and hits shots on Young. Young leg lariats him. KM helps out Kato then Young takes a double hiptoss. KM dropkicks Young for 2. Young enzugiri's him then hits a shiranui for the win.

Thoughts: It was a standard opener. The young guys had a few highlights but there wasn't a lot else going on here. Young got the win in his Korakuen debut. 

Tiger and CN fight after and got to the back.

Jado & Shota Umino vs. House Of Torture (Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

Shota and YK go at it. Shota is immediately hit from behind and double teamed. YK is sent into Ren, slammed and swanton'd on. YK takes a chop and a baseball slide from his opponents. Jado chops YK then takes a dropkick to the knee. Shota is sent into the rails outside then YK dropkicks Jado in the knee. YK bangs Jado's knee off the mat then Ren stomps Jado's knee. Ren butt drops Jado's knee.

Ren chokes Jado with his knee then Jado has his legs split. YK hits more shots to the knee then leglocks Jado. Ren hits forearms on Jado. Jado powers up and shoulders him over. Shota is tagged in. He knocks Yk out of the ring then running forearms Ren. Shota running euros and fisherman suplexes Ren for 2.

Ren footchokes Shota then chokes him. Ren eye rakes him then Shota hits a dropkick. Ren takes a neckbreaker + lariat combo. YK stomps on Jado and is thrown out. YK spits whiskey in Jado's eyes. Ren hits Jado in the knee with his push-up bar and taps him out with a leglock.

Thoughts: It was a short waste of time as expected with HoT cheating to win. It wasn't any good and Jado losing was obvious.

Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Mad Bastards (Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee)

The faces are pulled out to start. Ishii is sent into the rails then he trades forearms with Gabe outside. Gabe is sent into the rails and Honma bangs Jake's head off the sign in the stands. Gabe bites Ishii and they fight in the stands. Honma and Jake also fight in the stands.

Gabe rips up Ishii's shirt and flosses himself with it. Gabe footslaps Ishii. Ishii hits a chop and forearm combo on him. Ishii corner lariats him then Gabe does Ishii's chop and forearm combo to him. Gabe footchokes him in the corner then slaps him down. Gabe suplexes him and Ishii no sells it. Ishii suplexes him and both end up falling over off of it.

Honma and Jake trade. Honma suplexes him then hits a falling headbutt drop. Honma misses a flying headbutt then Jake suplexes him for 2. Jake backdrops him for 2. Honma headbutts Gabe over then Jake headkicks Honma for 2. Jake corner facekicks Honma for 2. Jake suplexes Honma and pins him.

Thoughts: It was alright for what it was with Gabe and Ishii doing a bunch of strike trades here and Jake's limits being covered up with outside brawling.

Ishii gets beaten up by the heels after.

Be-Bop Tag Team (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano), Oleg Boltin & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)

The faces get hit before it starts and everyone goes outside to fight. The heels remove a turnbuckle pad and stomp it. Yano comes to the pad's rescue for some reason and is stomped on Ishii pulls 2 heels down by the hair and atomic drops Togo. Tana gets in and hits multiple dragon screws. Evil dragon screws Tana then Evil and Togo split Tana's legs.

Togo elbow drops Tana then hits knees to the back. Tana gets hit with a chair on the outside and Yano is sent into the rails. Tana is sent into the exposed buckle by Yujiro then takes a corner lariat. Tana hits forearms on Yujiro and Yujiro eye rakes him.

Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Oleg gets in and shoulders over Yujiro. He then splashes him and gets his suplex blocked by Togo. Togo boots him out of the corner and is caught off the ropes with a karelin's lift. Yujiro reverse ddt's Oleg.

Oleg takes corner attacks from the heels then takes a 2nd rope double axe handle to the nuts for 2. Sho tries to karelin's lift Oleg but can't lift him. Sho then takes a pounce.

Taguchi comes in and hip attacks Sho. Taguchi hip attacks him off the 2nd rope. Taguchi hits sledgehammer shots on Sho. Taguchi swings around the turnbuckle pad for some reason then enzuigir's Sho. Sho grabs the ref and Yujiro sticks his cane up Taguchi's butt. Sho then cradles Taguchi and wins.

Thoughts: It was a goofy multi-person tag with the heels cheating as usual. This was nothing of note.

The heels pose over the faces with the trios titles after.

BULLET CLUB (Gedo & Taiji Ishimori) vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku)

We saw this yesterday and it wasn't good. I doubt anything will change. Douki trips TI then legsweeps him. Douki snapmares him and hiptosses him. TI blocks an armdrag then hits a springboard la silla. Gedo and Taka get in. Taka eye pokes him then TI and Gedo eye poke Taka.

Douki and Taka are sent into the rails. Gedo eye rakes Taka. Gedo chokes Taka then TI chokes Taka with a shirt. Taka is sent chest first into the exposed buckle. Gedo hits shots on Taka then Taka pump kicks him from the side. Taka almost tags in TI on accident then gets Douki in. Douki armdrags Gedo off the hiptoss attempt then does a headlock + headscissors takeover.

Douki does a springboard double back elbow on the heels then Gedo eye rakes Douki. Douki does the dokey chokey and TI breaks it. TI jumping double knees Douki in the corner then flips him by the arm. TI shouldebreakers Douki. Douki uppercuts TI then ddt's him. Taka hits knees and kicks on TI then facelocks him.

TI handsprings into a corksrew kick on Taka. TI hits a la mistica into a border city stretch/choke and wins.

Thoughts: It wasn't any better than yesterday's match and had a lot of eye rakes. 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito) vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Zack and Naito get in and Zack is hit from behind by Bushi. Zck fights the two off and facekicks Naito. Kosei chops Naito then flying headscissors him out. Kosei PK's him off the apron. Kosei takes a unset flip into a leg kick from Naito.

Bushi works on Kosei then Naito figure fours Kosei. Kosei flying kicks Naito. Zack twists Naito's neck with his feet and basement dropkicks him in the back of the neck. Naito baseball slides him in the back of the neck then neckbreakers him. Naito misses a step up enzugiri then Zack hits a bridge and a PK. Naito tornado ddt's him.

Bushi dropkicks Zack and Kosei in the knee. He then topes Zack into the rail outside. Zack grounded guillotines Bushi. Kosei srpingboard dropkicks Naito. Zack counters a Bushi submission with his own STF variation and wins.

Thoughts: It was too short and a waste of time here. We got little except a Naito vs Zack preview.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi) vs. United Empire (Francesco Akira & HENARE)

Henare and Hiromu collide. They trade chops for forearms. Henare hits kicks to the chest then Hiromu dragon screws him. Shingo hits boots and chops on Henare then corner lariats him. Shingo suplexes and elbow drops him.

Shingo shoulders Henare over. Henare throws down Hiromu and sentons him. Akira and Hiromu chest chop each other. Hiromu is put in tree of woe and takes a baseball slide. Henare samoan drops Hiromu. Hiromu superkicks him then ddt's him off a spear attempt. Hiromu flatliners him off the casadora.

Akira and Shingo get in. Akira hits a step up enzugiri and corner attacks. Akira flying headscissors Shingo then planchas him outside. Akira hits a top rope crossbody on Shingo for 2. Shingo hits a ddt on Akira. Akira takes corner attacks then Shingo running lariats him. Hiromu shotgun dropkicks Henare. Akira rolls Shingo into a double stomp then sunset bombs him for 2. Akira hits high kicks then Shingo pop-up death valley drivers him. Shingo lariats him for 2. Shingo hits made in Japan for the win.

Thoughts: It was a faster paced match. I don't love Hiromu trying to square off with the much bigger Henare. It was acceptable but nothing noteworthy.

NJPW World Television Title Match - Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Yota Tsuji

Yota flying headscissors Cobb and misses a splash. Cobb 2nd rope diving headscissors him. Yota topes Cobb into the front row. Yota does a satellite armdrag and shoulders him over. Yota forearms Cobb then Cobb throws him on a slam. Cobb does like a downward lariat on Yota then Yota hits forearms. Cobb goes for a spin cycle and Yota armdrags him.

Cobb misses a dropkick. Yota gets out of a backslide then Cobb hits a nice dropkick. Cobb stands on Yota's back outside. Yota is laid on the top rope and Cobb headbutts him there. Cobb 2nd rope karelin's lifts him. Cobb headbutts him then stands on his chest. 

Yota and Cobb trade forearms. Yota's curbstomp combo is blocked and he basement dropkicks Cobb. Yota suplexes Cobb for 2. They go up on the buckles and Yota hurricanrana's him. Yota pumping knees him then does a drop for 2. Cobb blocks a marlow crash and spin cycle backdrops Yota. Cobb then hits his own marlow crash for 2. Cobb hits a big spear for 2. Cobb cradles him off a powerslam attempt then Cobb lariats him. Cobb F-5's Yota and the time runs out when he goes for the pin.

Thoughts: They only got 15 minutes here. It wasn't enough time but they did a good job with it. It was a good power vs power match with some nice throws. The two matched up well.

Ren Narita flying kneepresses Cobb after then hits Yota with a push-up bar. He then gets on the mic after. Cobb wishes Yota happy birthday and says he will crush Ren.

Overall thoughts: Like yesterday, it was a one match show. Cobb/Yota was good but not great and I would not recommend this.