RADICAN’S 9/16 NJPW Destruction in Kagoshima report: Birds of Prey vs. Bullet Club MOTY contender, Ibushi defends G1 Climax Briefcase vs. KENTA

RADICAN’S NJPW DESTRUCTION IN KAGOSHIMA REPORT
SEPT. 16, 2019
KAGOSHIMA, JAPAN
KAGOSHIMA ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD

Announcers: Kevin Kelly and Gino Gambino

YOUNG LIONS CUP RESULTS & ANALYSIS

(1) CLARK CONNORS (3-1) vs. YUYA UEMURA (0-4) IN A NJPW YOUNG LIONS CUP MATCH

Uemura is mathematically eliminated and looking to play the role of spoiler. Connors needs a win to keep pace with the top of the leaderboard. Kelly said this is Kota Ibushi’s hometown and he’s defending his G1 Climax briefcase against KENTA in the main event. Uemura worked over Connors on the mat with a headscissors during the early going. Connors escaped and they came to a stalemate. Both men traded some hard chops and the fans applauded. Uemura hit a HUGE chop and the fans gasped. Connors fired back with an uppercut. They went back and forth and Connors caught Uemura with a dropkick off the ropes. He went for a Boston Crab and got it. Uemura struggled, but wouldn’t tap. The fans tried to rally behind Uemura and he rose up and crawled to the ropes. The fans applauded when Uemura got to the ropes. Connors hit a flurry of strikes and Uemura shurgged them off. Both men swung at each other and went down to the mat. Connors got the upper hand and went off the ropes, but Uemura hit an armdrag and a double underhook suplex. Uemura then went for the Boston Crab and got it. The fans fired up and Connors tried to get to the ropes. Uemura pulled him back to the middle of the ring. Uemura yelled and wrenched back on the hold. Connors went for the ropes, but Uemura dragged him back to the middle of the ring and Connnors tapped. WOW!

Uemura blew off a handshake from Connors after the match.

WINNER: Yuya Uemura (1-4) in 9:30. (***¼)

(Radican’s Analysis: This was really good and the crowd was into it. It had a nice story with the rivalry between the Japan and LA Dojos. They had some good hard-hitting exchanges as well leading into the finish.)

(2) REN NARITA (3-1) vs. MICHAEL RICHARDS (1-3) IN A NJPW LIONS CUP MATCH

Richards is the only member of the Fale Dojo in the NJPW Young Lions Cup this year. Kelly mentioned that he met Richards years ago at a ROH tryout camp. Narita needs a win to keep pace with the leaders at 8 points. Narita had the advantage on the mat during the early going. Richards fired back with a nice suplex and the fans fired up. Richards hit a nice elbow to take Narita down. Richards went for a Boston Crab. Narita tried to kick out of it, so Richards got a half crab. Narita struggled, but got to the ropes. Both men went back and forth and Richards pushed Narita off and connected with a clothesline for a nearfall. Richards was shown bleeding from the mouth. He went to bounce off the ropes, but Narita caught him with a big dropkick. Narita Then hit a belly to belly off the ropes and got a briginging pin for the win.

WINNER: Ren Narita (4-1) in 7:20. (**½)

(Radican’s Analysis: Solid action here. The finishing sequence saw both men show some good fire.)

UNDERCARD RESULTS

(3) Alex Coughlin & Karl Fredericks & Toa Henara & Manuabu Nakanishi beat Yota Tsuji & Shota Umino & Yuji Nagata & Ryusuke Taguchi.

(4) SHO & YOH & Tomorhio Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI beat Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa.

(5) Jushin Liger & Tomoaki Honma & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Togi Makabe beat DOUKI & Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. Yoshinobu Kanemaru.

(6) Rocky Romero & Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada beat SANADA & BUSHI & Shingo Takagi.

(7) EVIL & Tetsuya Naito beat Jay White & Yujiro Takahashi.

BIG MATCH RESULTS & ANALYSIS

(8) IWGP JR. HVT. CHAMPIONS BULLET CLUB (ELP & TAIJI ISHIMORI) vs. BIRDS OF PREY (IWGP JR. HVT. CHAMPION WILL OSPREAY & ROBBIE EAGLES)

Ospreay overcame an early double team attempt. Eagles and Ospreay hit stereo slingshot splashes on opposite sides of the ring to the floor to take out BC. Eagles and Ospreay tagged in and out to work over Ishimori. Ishimori fired back with a breathtaking flurry of offense through the ropes and back into the ring to take out Eagles. ELP then tagged in and went to work on Eagles. Eagles took a long beating and at one point Bullet Club cleared Ospreay from the apron and then stood on Eagles’s groin in the corner while he was hung upside down. The fans tried to rally behind Eagles, who tried to mount a comeback. He went for sliced bread on ELP, but he blocked it. Eagles managed to hit an elbow to the back of ELP’s head a short time later before he tagged in Ospreay. Ospreay got the tag and ran wild. He hit a big satellite DDT on ELP and the fans fired up. He then hit Ishimori with a handspring kick. Ospreay hit Cheeky Nandos on ELP for a nearfall. Ospreay and ELP had a crazy exchange and ELP slapped Ospreay acorss the face. Ospreay walked the ropes and kicked Eagles before taking Ospreay down with a headscissors.

Ishinori got the tag and hit a sliding German on Ospreay for a two count. Ospreay was nearly pinned with a BME/lungblower combo from BC, but Eagles made the save. Eagles ran in and hit a crazy combination of moves on Ishimori. Ospreay hit a standing SSP on Ishimori and Eagles wiped out ELP with a dive through the ropes. Ospreay made the cover, but Ishimori kicked out at the last second! WOW! Ishomori blocked a Stormbreaker. Ospreay went for it again, but Ishinori countered. They went back and forth and Ishimori caught Ospreay with a big clothesline and both men were down. The action in this match has been fantastic so far! ELP had Ishimori on his back, but Osreay got out of the way and Eagles came off the top and took Eagles down with a jumpoing hurricanrana. Eagles and Ishimori ended up on the floor and Ospreay and Eagles hit stereo dives to the floor at the same time to wipe out BC! WOW!. Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio on Ishimori, but he managed to kick out. Eagles and Ospreay went for Red Wing on Ishimori, but ELP broke it up. He tried for a double powerbomb, but couldn’t land it. ELP then went for a double powerbomb off the top, but the Birds of Prey landed on their feet! Ospreay caught Eagels coming off the top and lifted him up for a powerbomb/super sliced bread combination. Ospreay tried to hold of ELP, but he pushed Ospreay into Eagles to break up the pin. WOW!

Ospreay and ELP went to the floor. Eagles went for sliced bread on Ishimori, but he blocked it and hit a poison rana. All four men were down with Ospreay and ELP on the outside and Eagles and Ishimori in the ring. Eagles and Ishimori tried to tag out, but nobody was home. Both men began trading blows. Ospsreay ran into the ring and held Ishimori’s leg on the apron and Eagles nailed it with a double stomp. Ospreay then hit Pip Pip Cheerio off the apron to the floor on ELP. Eagles hit a springboard kick to Ishirmori’s leg. He then applied the Ron Miller Special on Ishimori. Eagles let go and tried to apply the hold again. Ishimori tried to fight out, but Ospreay hit a springboard 450. Eagles got the Ron Miller Special again. Ospreay got ELP in the Octopus Hold, but he powered out and threw Ospreay onto Eagles and Ishimori to break up the submission! WOW! ELP taunted Eagles, but he pushed him into the corner and punched him in the face. Eagles hit several strikes in the corner. ELP went down and Eagles nailed him with kicks after ELP told him he’s not good enough for BC or CHAOS. ELP wiped out Ospreay off the apron with a dropkick. He then hit a moonsault on Eagles and wiped out Ospreay with a dive all in one dive. ELP then went to the top rope and hit an INSANE moonsault over the barricade to take out Ospreay. He went for a springboard splash on Eagles, but he got his knees up.

Eagles hit a flurry of kicks to ELP’s head. Eagles then hit sliced bread into a DDT for a nearfall! The fans fired up and Eagles went up top. ELP rolled away, but Eagles hit a 450 onto his legs. He went for the Ron Miller Special, but Eagles shoved him off right into a belt shot from Ishimori. ELP rolled Eagles up, but he kicked out at the last second. Ishimori hit a kick to Eagles’s head and ELP hit a huge torture rack into a neckbreaker, but Ospreay came out of nowhere to make the save. ELP blocked an Os-Cutter and handed him to Ishimori for an assisted Bloody Cross. BC hit a double superkick on Eagles. Ishimori hit the Bloody Cross and ELP hit the CR2 on Eagles for the win. What a match!

ELP got on commentary and promised to beat Ospreay for the IWGP Jr. Hvt. Championship.

WINNERS: ELP & Taiji Ishimori in 23:00 to retain the IWGP Jr. Hvt. Championship. (*****)

(Radican’s Analysis: Where do I begin? The high flying in this match was next level crazy and state of the art. ELP’s sequence where he hit a flurry of dives in and outside of the ring highlights by one of the highest and longest moonsaults I’ve ever seen off the middle rope and over the guardrail to the floor on Ospreay. The near falls down the stretch were tremendous. This is just about as good as it gets when it comes to tag team wrestling. Eagles and Ospreay have incredible chemistry. Their timing on double team manuevers and chaining sequences together reminds me of the early days of MCMG. Tremendous match. Eagles and ELP really shined here.)

KENTA nailed Ibushi with a kick as soon as he got into the ring. He then blasted Ibushi with the G1 briefcase. The fans booed. The bell didn’t ring for some reason even though it usually does in Japan. Kenta took the contract out of the briefcase and stomped on the briefcase. He got on the mic and said the case belongs to him now. He said he would make it into a Bullet Club version. The ref checked on Ibushi. KENTA tried to make the cover, but the ref would not count it. A doctor came down to check on Ibushi.

(9) G1 CLIMAX 29 WINNER KOTA IBUSHI vs. NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPION KENTA – TOKYO DOME RIGHT TO CHALLENGE CONTRACT MATCH

The bell rang after the doctor gave the okay and KENTA nailed Ibushi with the Busaiku Knee for a near fall. KENTA went with Ibushi to the floor and whipped him into the guardrail several times and the fans booed. KENTA sat on the top turnbuckle and mocked the fans clapping for Ibushi to beat the ref’s count. Ibushi got back into the ring, but KENTA sent him right back out. He sent Ibushi into the guardrail and then hit a running kick that sent KENTA over it. KENTA followed up with a big DDT on the floor. KENTA mocked the fans and clapped at ringside as they clapped for Ibushi. The fans booed as KENTA got back into the ring and continued to clap. KENTA worked over Ibushi inside the ring, but he finally got on track and hit a dropkick inside the ring. Ibushi hit a slingshot splash to the floor and the fans applauded. Ibushi came down at a weird angle as he held onto the top rope for too long, but thankfully both men were alright. KENTA hit a kick to Ibushi’s back, but Ibushi fired up and returned the favor.

They began trading forearms in the middle of the ring as the fans fired up. Ibushi and KENTA began trading kicks and slaps. They both hit kicks to the head at the same time as the 10 minute mark passed and both men were down. The fans fired up and chanted for Ibushi. Ibushi hit a jumping rana and KENTA rolled to the floor. The fans applauded and Ibushi went for the Golden Triangle, but KENTA cut him off. Ibushi got hung upside down and KENTA slammed his injured left leg into the ringpost. KENTA set Ibushi’s leg up on the barrier and nailed it with a kick. KENTA shoved the ref away and smashed Ibushi’s leg with a chair as it was wrapped around the guardrail. KENTA lifted Ibushi and dropped him knee first over the English commentary table. He played to the fans and drew some boos. KENTA clapped and mocked the fans as he worked over Ibushi back inside the ring. KENTA told Ibushi to hit him and Ibushi hit a few laps, but KENTA hit a dragon screw and went to work on his leg with a submission.

KENTA hit a running kick in the corner, but Ibushi surprised him with a running kick of his own. Ibushi hit a big Shibata style dropkick in the corner, but KENTA got a leg submission right away. Ibushi managed to quickly get to the ropes to break the hold. KENTA went up top and hit a double stomp for a two count. KENTA hit another dragon screw and got another leg submission. The 20 minute mark came and went and KENTA dragged Ibushi away from the ropes and transitioned into a figure four. Ibushi turned the hold over and then grabbed the bottom rope and the fans applauded. They had a big exchange and KENTA kicked Ibushi’s leg, but Ibushi fired right back with a lariat and both men were down. The fans fired up and chanted for Ibushi. Ibushi hit the Last Ride for a nearfall. Ibushi set up for the Boma Ye, but KENTA grabbed the ref. GOD ran down, but Ibushi wiped them out and hit a Boma Ye for a two count. GOD pulled the ref out and went after Ibushi. GOD hit the Magic Killer on Ibushi and the fans booed. GOD set up for a super powerbomb, but YOSHI-HASHI and Tomohiro Ishii ran into the ring. Ishii hit a Vertical Drop Brainbuster off the top. HASHI wiped out Tonga with a western lariat. They then brawled to the back with GOD. KENTA and Ibushi were left alone in the ring.

Both men went at it and KENTA caught Ibushi with a short right. He nailed Ibushi with a PK and the ref recovered and counted a nearfall. KENTA set up for the Kamigoye and connected, but Ibushi kicked out at the last second! KENTA took his knee pad down and went for GTS, but IBushi blocked it and hit a jumping knee! Ibushi then hit a Kamigoye, but KENTA kicked out! WOW! Ibushi pulled KENTA up and hit another Kamigoye for the win.

WINNER: Kota Ibushi in 26:20 to retain the Tokyo Dome Right To Challenge Contract. (****½)

(Radican’s Analysis: Every time the odds are stacked against Ibushi in 2019 since G1 began, he has overcome them. Ibushi survived a pre-match attack from KENTA and interference from GOD to retain his Tokyo Dome RIght to Challenge Contract. The crowd was really into the match given that this is Ibushi’s hometown. KENTA was great as a heel here and although it was a bit ridiculous that the ref let all of the interference go and the pre-match attack from KENTA was allowed, this was fantastic.)

After the match EVIL came down to the ring. He beat Ibushi during G1 and he told Ibushi he would beat him and takeTokyo Dome into the darkness. Ibushi got on the mic and thanked the fans after EVIL left. He told the fans that he wanted to say he’s home. The fans applauded. He said he promised to win the G1 and come back to Kagoshima. The next promise he made was to be a double champion. He said he wants to bring the IWGP Hvt. Championship and the IWGP IC Championship back to Kagoshima. The fans applauded. He closed by saying he would keep his promise to the fans to become a double champion to conclude the promo.

Contact Sean at radicansean@pwtorch.com. Follow Sean on Twitter at twitter.com/sr_torch.