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NJPW WRESTLING DONTAKU – NIGHT 2 REPORT
MAY 4, 2024
FUKUOKA CONVENTION CENTER
FUKUOKA, JAPAM
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
Announcers: Chris Charlton and Jeff Cobb
(1) JUST FIVE GUYS (Douki & Yuuya Uemura) vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Francesco Akira & Great-O-Khan)
O-Khan had recently lost the KOPW provisional title to Uemura, and with Akira and Douki in the same block for Best of the Super Juniors this match served multiple masters.
It was a little surprising to see the junior heavyweights involved in the decision here, as Akira pinned Douki with the seatbelt hold, but it does set up an interesting first-round match.
WINNERS: United Empire via pinfall in 8:00. (**)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: Very often these preview tags are multiple matches stapled together. They don’t often feel like that, but this one blatantly did. I don’t think the heavyweights and juniors interacted at all, and there was barely any double-team work. That made the whole thing a little awkward. I did become more interested in the Douki-Akira match, but Uemura and O-Khan were largely inconsequential.)
(2) TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman)
New NJPW TV champion Jeff Cobb apparently campaigned to be part of Best of the Super Juniors. I would pay good money to see that.
It was somewhat interesting to see Fujita and Cobb start off this match, but it ended up being the least noteworthy thing about it. Fujita and Newman are both clearly being groomed for big things, and they worked well together. ZSJ and Cobb had little interaction but when they did face off, Cobb worked the ribs of ZSJ. Could they be showing that ZSJ has a weakness?
ZSJ picked up the pin on Newman after a Zack Driver.
WINNERS: TMDK via pinfall in 9:00. (**3/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: This worked from top to bottom. Newman has really come along well, and is starting to show a power element in his game. He is only just outside the junior heavyweight division, but there’s already some talk of him in the G1. Everyone in this match had chemistry with each other, a great little preview tag.)
(3) EL DESPERADO & SHOTA UMINO & EL PHANTASMO & HIKULEO vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Evil & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Sho & Yujiro Takahashi)
Oh good, House of Torture time. I did chuckle as Shota, ELP, and Hikuleo entered through the crowd while Depserado sauntered down the ramp. He wanted none of that foolishness. He also wanted none of the pre-match very high five, which was interrupted anyway by the traditional HoT attack pre-bell.
Umino predictably pinned Yujiro for the win. With Umino being the next challenger for the world title, there’s no way he was not walking away with the victory here.
WINNERS: Umino, Depserado, ELP and Hikuleo via pinfall in 8:30. (*1/2)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: It was basically a greatest hits match, with all the usual HoT Shenanigans (™) and the usual GoD tag team moves. Standard preview tag fare.)
(4) BOLTIN OLEG & HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. JUST FIVE GUYS (Taichi & Taka Michinoku)
It was so strange seeing a title belt on a guy still in Young Lion black, but Oleg has officially graduated so I guess I can live with it. It’s a shame he didn’t get to go on excursion first though.
The story being told here was that Oleg has the muscle and the surprising speed but he doesn’t have the dirty tricks playbook yet. With Taka and Taichi being experienced campaigners, the prevailing theme was that Oleg was being forcibly placed under the learning tree (not Chris Jericho).
Nonetheless, Oleg and Tanahashi got the win, with President Tana pinning Taka after a High Fly Flow.
WINNERS: Oleg and Tanahashi via pinfall at 8:30. (**1/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: The de-emphasizing of Taichi is really puzzling, but it follows a trend with the likes of O-Khan, Sanada, Shingo, and other former fan favourites being dropped unceremoniously down the card. Is this protection against an AEW raid, or a highly-dedicated youth effort? The match itself was nothing special, even with Oleg in there.)
Jeff Cobb joined Chris Charlton for commentary.
(5) LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON (Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji & Tetsuya Naito) vs. BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS (Gedo & Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors &Taiji Ishimori)
Five of the eight men in this match will be in BOSJ this year (Gedo, Tsuji, and Naito being the odd men out), so plenty of previewing to be done. Kind of a funny spot to start when Bullet Club War Dogs all barked at each other before their group high five, and LIJ mocked them.
Aside from a slightly impressive burst of offence from Hiromu, this was just filler. Naito got revenge for his shock loss to Moloney last week with a Destino and a pin.
WINNERS: LIJ via pinfall in 10:00 (*3/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: A nothing burger. I can’t even really call this a sampling menu for BOSJ because there wasn’t really any sustained periods of the contestants facing off.)
(6) BISHAMON (Yoshi-Hashi & Hirooki Goto)(c) vs. BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & Kenta) – IWGP Tag Team Championship match
The continued force-feeding of the Owens-Kenta team is still mind-boggling. They were not good in the two matches against GoD and they were not good in losing the titles to Bishamon in the first place.Kenta blamed that loss on landing in Japan half an hour before the match, which I suppose is fair.
As expected, Bullet Club got the upper hand right away by jumping Goto from behind. Owens lost that momentum quickly as Yoshi-Hashi came in and helped Goto hit a double shoulder tackle. Got hip tossed Yoshi-Hashi on to Owens, then suplexed Kenta on to Owens. Goto charged into the boot of Owens, who followed up with an STO and a senton. Owens and Kenta exchanged tags, beating on Goto in their corner. A backbreaker from Owens got three straight two-counts.
Kenta tagged in and leveled Goto with a back elbow. Goto came back with a clothesline and tagged in Yoshi-Hashi, who chopped and kicked both men. He hit a neckbreaker on Owens, and a corner lariat on Kenta. He followed up with a delayed vertical suplex for a two-count. Kenta escaped a power bomb attempt but got flattened with a clothesline. Both men were down.
Goto hit Owens with a spinning heel kick in the corner and a Saito suplex for a two-count. Owens escaped the Ushigoroshi attempt, and it was mid-ring slugfest time. Goto got the upper hand with a shoulder tackle. Kenta came in with a title belt and pretended he was going to use it, but it was of course a ruse to drop it and distract the ref so Owens could use it. The belt shot got a near fall as Yoshi-Hashi intervened.
Owens connected with Jewel Heist, but again Yoshi-Hashi was able to break up the cover. Owens tried multiple times for the package piledriver, Goto blocked each time and was finally able to flip Owens over with a back drop. Owens came back with a stiff C-Trigger into a jawbreaker-cutter combo for a near fall. He called for the end and planted a C-Trigger to the head of Goto. Another package piledriver attempt, Goto was able to fight it long enough for Yoshi-Hashi to come in and hit the Headhunter on Owens.
Kenta spiked Yoshi-Hashi with a DDT, then tried Go 2 Sleep on Goto. Goto blocked and hit ushigoroshi instead. Goto and Owens slugged it out mid-ring again, Goto blocked the C-Trigger and Yoshi-Hashi nailed a superkick. Bishamon went for Shoto but Owens fought it off and hit a C-Trigger on Goto at the ten-minute mark. Kenta hit Yoshi-Hashi in the back with a chair behind the ref’s back! Owens connected with an enzuigiri on Goto, and Kenta followed up with a big boot.
Goto ran through a double clothesline and connected with one of his own to level the challengers. Owens ran into a Yoshi-Hashi superkick, then got turned inside out by a Goto lariat. GTW by Goto! 1…2…no! They tried Shoto again, Kenta again distracted the ref while Owens fought out of the move and uppercut Goto right in the groinal region. Busaiku knee by Kenta! Jackknife cover by Owens! 1…2…3!
WINNERS: Owens & Kenta via pinfall in 13:00 to win the IWGP tag team championships. (**1/2)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: Oh for crying out loud. We have to see more of these two? Both men have lost so many steps that it’s hard to watch them now, especially Kenta. I feel particularly bad for Bishamon, who have nothing going on except this tag team and have been very good together. The booking makes no sense, a disturbingly common emerging trend in NJPW.)
After the match, TMDK and then GoD came down to get in the face of the new champs. Yoshi-Hashi tried to insert himself too. So, a four-way at Resurgence to once again have double champions?
(7) SHINGO TAKAGI (c) vs. GABE KIDD – Never Openweight Championship match
This should be physical. Kidd came out in a very Ospreay-esque ring jacket. Emblazoned on the back were the words Mad Man, which was news to me. Why has Kidd never told us he was a Mad Man…you know?
The two bulls ran right at each other and laid in forearms. Kidd whipped Shingo to the corner and followed him in with a clothesline. Shingo returned the favour in the opposite corner. The flurry of strikes ended when Kidd hit a suplex and then booted Shingo through the ropes to the floor.
On the outside, Kidd whipped Shingo hard into a barricade.He briefly strutted around ringside, which allowed Shingo to come back with some shots of his own. A stiff right hand starched Kidd, but he reversed a whip attempt and launched Shingo into the barricade so hard that the camera feed glitched. No joke.
Kidd tossed Shingo a chair and they jousted with chairs briefly. Kidd made Shingo drop his chair, then jabbed Shingo in the gut and waffled him over the head with a different chair. T-bone suplex on the floor (and possibly chairs) by Kidd! It was hard to tell from the camera angle, but Shingo might have landed awkwardly there.
Kidd returned to the ring while the ref counted. Shingo got back in at 19, only to be dropped with a brainbuster for a near fall. Kidd tried to whip Shingo to the corner, but he collapsed. While the ref checked on Shingo, Kidd went to the floor and for some reason picked a fight with El Desperado at the Japanese commentary table.
Back inside, Kidd toyed with Shingo. I am sure that will not end poorly. He invited Shingo to hit him, so of course Shingo obliged and sent Kidd reeling. That was the cue for the mid-ring chop exchange. It was stiffer and longer than normal, and ended when Kidd bit the forehead of Shingo and then got flattened by a Pumping Bomber. Shingo hit a knee lift and a DDT, then a suplex for a two-count.
Shingo told us that it was in fact his time, then called to the crowd who got behind him. Kidd popped up and bit Shingo again, but this time Shingo also chowed down on Kidd’s forehead. Kidd ducked under a lariat and hit a Saito suplex at the ten minute mark, leaving both men down. Kidd recovered first but now it was Shingo’s turn to duck a lariat and hit a Saito suplex. Kidd came back with one of his own! Shingo tried a second one, Kidd blocked, and Shingo backed into the ropes to get the momentum to execute. What a spot!
Shingo charged Kidd in the corner with a clothesline, then positioned him on the top rope. Kidd tried to fight out with headbutts, then applied a hanging guillotine while sitting on the top! Shingo slumped hard, Kidd followed him down and nailed another brainbuster! 1…2…Kidd pulled Shingo’s shoulder up!??!! Kidd perched Shingo on the top, went up with him, and hit a superplex. Shingo popped right up! Made in Japan! 1…2…no!!!
Shingo went for Last of the Dragon, but Kidd was able to break it up. Both men crawled to opposite corners, then charged into each other repeatedly with clotheslines. Shingo held on to the wrist of Kidd and peppered him with knifehand chops. They exchanged clubbing clotheslines, with Kidd winning the exchange decisively. Shingo did find a burst of energy as the strike exchange continued and picked up pace. Kidd dropped Shingo with a left-arm lariat, but only got a one-count. Pumping Bomber by Shingo! A second one turned Kidd inside out! Last of the COUNTERED into a piledriver by Kidd! Shingo shrugged it off and “hit” a sliding forearm shiver (he slipped and missed by a fair distance)! Again both men were down.
Both men exchanged slaps to the face from their knees. Shingo dropped Kidd with a headbutt. Shingo laid in a series of forearms, Kidd did the same. Kidd taunted Shingo and got dropped with a single shot. Last of the Dragon again…Kidd escaped again! Ripcord face slap! Headbutt by Kidd, into a piledriver! Kidd could not cover, having knocked himself goofy with the heabutt. He made the cover and only got a two-count.
Kidd continued to stumble around as we passed 20 minutes. He tried for a piledriver again but Shingo fought it off. One more piledriver attempt…countered into a huracanrana! Shingo connected with another string of shots and a sliding lariat. Kidd again shook it off, they ran the ropes and Shingo leveled Kidd with a lariat. Shingo set for…CR4? OH MY HEAVENS he dropped him straight on his fool head with the GD98! 1…2…no!!!!
Shingo screamed at the crowd. Kidd spit in his face, but it was for nought as Shingo connected with Last of the Dragon for the win.
WINNER: Shingo Takagi via pinfall in 21:00 to retain the Never Openweight championship. (****1/2)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: Good grief. Again, Shingo shows that he can do physical like nobody else. This man has nothing but four-star-plus classics. The match story of Gabe’s lack of focus costing him was a good one, and they have been building on it for a while. I hope the payoff is that he learns to focus and then wins a title, maybe next weekend in California, The only thing keeping this match from a full boat was that it felt like they went back to the same well a few too many times. I would normally complain about the challenger pulling up the shoulder of the champ, but it actually works for Kidd’s character. Genius all around.)
(8) NIC NEMETH (c) vs. DAVID FINLAY – IWGP Global Championship match
This was a great choice to follow the previous match, because it was never going to be anything like that.
Finlay charged up the ramp to intercept Nemeth during the champ’s entrance. They fought to ringside where Nemeth backdropped Finlay on the floor, then threw him into a barricade. Finlay fought back with a kick to the gut, and both men made it into the ring. Nemeth ran Finlay’s head along the top rope, which has to suck. He choked Finlay over the middle rope, then continued to pound away in the corner. Finlay stopped the onslaught with a stun gun in the corner.
Finlay mounted Nemeth and pummeled him with right hands. He rolled Nemeth to the floor and followed him out, whereupon he ran Nemeth into the barricade a couple of times. Back inside, Finlay lackadaisically covered for a one-count. He whipped Nemeth chest-first into the corner and covered for another two-count. A suplex slam from Finlay launched Nemeth halfway across the ring. He charged into the corner with a forearm and tried for a uranage, but Nemeth countered with an Angle Slam.
Nemeth blitzed Finlay with right hands. He gouged Finlay’s eyes in the corner, hit a short-range Stinger splash and then a neckbreaker. Nemeth dropped a series of elbows and a leaping elbow drop for a two-count. He went to the top and hit a top-rope elbow for a near fall. Finlay countered an Irish whip and speared Nemeth between the ropes to the floor. On the outside Finlay lifted Nemeth for a fireman’s carry and just launched him into the corner post.
Finlay did a lap around the ring, picking up speed…and Nemeth moved! Finlay went crashing through the barricade at high speed. The ref started his count with both men down on the outside. Both men scrambled inside at 19. They exchanged shots from their knees, and got to their feet still wildly swinging at each other. Finlay won the exchange with a lariat for a two count. Into Oblivion! 1…2…no!
Finlay went for a powerbomb, but Nemeth slid out the back and locked in a sleeper. Finlay crawled to the corner with Nemeth on his back, then went to the second rope STILL carrying Nemeth! He fell backwards onto Nemeth to break the hold. Finlay went for another powerbomb, Nemeth reversed it into a Fameasser! It was only enough for a near fall. Nemeth grasped at his inner thigh as both men recovered. Finlay blocked Danger Zone but ran right into a superkick for another near fall. Danger Zone…blocked again! Finlay caught Nemeth and hit a modified buckle bomb, then a pair of jackknife powerbombs. Overkill connected! New champion!
WINNER: David Finlay via pinfall in 15:33 to win the IWGP Global championship. (***1/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: Last time they fought, Finlay had the excuse of having wrestled that grueling 60-plus minute cage match a few nights prior. Now it was Nemeth’s turn to come in after a match, this time one night after defending against Tanahashi. I’m not sure what purpose the initial title change served, except maybe shock value? Nemeth wouldn’t seem to have much of a reason to stick around now, unless they do the rubber match. He did come up short against Moose in TNA as well, maybe that’s a story. A decent match that would have come across better in a company less focused on wrestling. As it stands, it was just pretty good.)
(9) JON MOXLEY (c) vs. REN NARITA – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match
While Moxley made his usual entrance through the crowd, He got jumped by Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Umino came running out to make the save, but Kanemaru sprayed whiskey in his face to cut that off. Narita choked Moxley with a chair while Sho and Kanemaru put handcuffs on Umino on the ramp. Sho bopped Umino on the head with an unprotected chair shot, then all three men attacked Moxley in the ring. Moxley ducked a double attack and took down Sho and Kanemaru with his own double clothesline. He kicked Narita in the gut and threw the chair into his face, then called for the bell.
Moxley went to the floor to retrieve Narita. He took him on a tour of the barricades, then into the crowd. Moxley dropped Narita butt-first on the barricade, then rolled him back into the ring. He pounded on Narita in the corner as two Young Lions carried an unconscious Umino to the back. Moxley attempted a piledriver on the apron, but Sho was still at ringside and he grabbed Moxley’s foot. The distraction was enough to allow Narita to kick Moxley to the floor and hit a guillotine knee off the apron to a standing Moxley on the floor.
Narita detached a segment of barricade and jabbed Moxley with it, and back to the ring they went. Narita went to the eyes and raked Moxley’s face along the top rope. He chopped Moxley several times, but Moxley absorbed the shots and turned it around. He pulled up Narita’s shirt to lay in his chops, but Narita reversed a whip to the corner and followed him in with a knee that did not quite work.
Narita connected with a brainbuster for a two-count. They went back to the floor and into the crowd, whereupon Narita threw Moxley into some chairs. Narita then grabbed a chair and smacked Moxley with it twice. They went back to ringside, Narita distracting the ref while Sho and Kanemaru choked Moxley. Narita made the cover and the ref refused to count. Narita continued his assault, Moxley firing back with strikes of his own. Moxley sidestepped a charging Narita, sending him to the floor. Narita slid back in the ring and ate canvas as Moxley hit a curb stomp. Narita rolled to the outside while Moxley recovered.
Moxley dove through the ropes with a tope, sending Narita over the barricade and into the timekeeper. As we passed the ten-minute mark, Moxley slowly erected two tables at ringside. He retrieved Narita and deposited him on the tables, then tried to go to the top to dive onto the challenger. Kanemaru distracted the ref again, allowing Sho to impede Moxley long enough for Narita to recover. They battled back and forth on the apron, with Moxley getting the upper hand and hitting a uranage off the apron and through the tables! The referee counted Narita out, but Moxley stopped him and went to retrieve Narita again, He rolled Narita back inside as the crowd applauded.
Back inside, Narita was sporting a nasty slice in his back from the tables. Moxley charged him in the corner, but ran into the boot of Narita. Moxley tried again and connected, then went back for a third time. Narita followed him though with a high boot in the corner, but in turn he ran into a Moxley lariat. Both men were down. Moxley got up first and hit a release suplex for a near fall. Moxley stomped on Narita’s face repeatedly as the 15-minute call was announced.
Moxley waited too long to follow up, and Narita just flat-out choked him with both hands. He grabbed his push-up bar from ringside, which the referee did see and try to take away, Narita pushed him and swung wildly at Moxley, who ducked and clamped on a sleeper. Narita backed Moxley into the ref in the corner and…yes, it was time for HoT Shenanigans (™). Desperado left the commentary table for the save! He waffled Sho with a fragment of the table, and took both Sho and Kanemaru up the ramp.
Back in the ring, Narita had the push-up bar again and cleaned Moxley’s clock with it. He rolled the ref back into the ring, but it was only enough for a near fall. Moxley hit a cutter out of nowhere! Both men staggered to their feet and slugged it out mid-ring. Moxley missed a clothesline and Narita locked on a rear naked choke. He transitioned into the cobra twist, but Moxley made the ropes at the 20-minute mark.
Narita hit a bridging German suplex for two. He followed with a northern lights for another near fall. Moxley beckoned him on, and Narita kicked him in the head. Narita went to the top, but Moxley intercepted and hit a superplex. He crawled over slowly for the cover but only got a two-count. Moxley pounded away with 12-6 elbows, Narita tried to run him into the ref again but the ref escaped. Bulldog choke applied by Moxley! Oh for crying out loud, the lights went out.
Oh what a surprise. The lights came up, the ref was down, and Evil and Dick Togo were beating down Moxley. Magic Killer connected for the interlopers. Who could have seen this coming, aside from everyone? Togo choked out Moxley with the garotte while Evil grabbed a chair and jabbed Moxley in the gut. Shota Umino came running down the ramp! He cleaned house of Evil and Togo! Desperado came out with him to even the odds. Narita once again tried to use the push-up bar, but Umino avoided it and pushed Narita into a Moxley DDT! Death Rider! 1…2…3!
WINNER: Jon Moxley via pinfall in 25:00 to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight championship. (***1/2)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: Well that was better than I feared, but not as good as it should have been. Umino and Desperado might have saved the day, but not before the match itself got ruined with ridiculous interference. We saw glimpses of how good the match COULD have been before the lights went out, and that depresses me. Still, the right person won, and the match at Resurgence should be a classic.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: There was of course one amazing standout match on this card, but sadly the other two semi-mains just did not deliver to the degree the Kidd-Shingo war deserved. New Japan’s booking continues to struggle, and at this point I really hope they have a long-term plan for this. I have a feeling Resurgence will play into Forbidden Door with some sort of NJPW invasion of AEW, possibly spearheaded by Gabe Kidd. However, there is significant repair work to be done and it needs to start soon.
You can contact me at lansdellicious@gmail.com or on Twitter @lansdellicious. Join us tomorrow as Sean Radican covers the final. Thanks for joining us!
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