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IWGP World Hvt. Champion KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. IWGP Global Hvt. Champion YOTA TSUJI – Winner Takes All match
These two are 1-1 in NJPW matches. The match was slow paced during the early going. Tsuji backed Takeshita into the ropes and slapped him in the face. Takeshita eventually hit a brainbuster on Tsuji and he began to favor his neck.
Tsuji eventually ducked a running knee in the corner and looked to have an opportunity to get back on track, but Takeshita caught him with a jumping hurricanrana. Tsuji went to the floor and Takeshita wiped him out with a big flip dive.
Tsuji fired back and sent Takeshita to the floor. He then connected with a Fosbury Flop to the floor. Tsuji hit a double stomp off the top to Takeshita’s ribs. He screamed in pain, but managed to kick out at two. They traded counters and Tsuji hit a suplex, but Takeshita got right up and hit the Alpha Blaster for a near fall. The fans fired up as both men regrouped.
They traded bows and Takeshita went down when Tsuji went after his mid-section once again to set up the Gene Blaster. They traded blows again and this time Tsuji went to a knee favoring his neck. Tsuji countered a Last Ride attempt and hit code red! Tsuji missed a Gene Blast and went into the corner right into a German. Tsuji got right up and hit a Gene Blast into the corner and both men were down! The fans cheered once again with both men down on the mat.
Takeshita struggled but hit Raging Fire. Tsuji managed to get his foot on the bottom rope at the last second. They traded big moved and eventually Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Powerbomb off the top for a near fall and then a Power Drive knee for another near fall, but Tsuji kicked out!
Takeshita went for another Powerdrive Knee, but Tsuji caught him with a headbutt to the chest and smiled wide. Takeshita fired up and screamed as they went head to head. They went to opposite corners and Takeshita went for a Powerdrive Knee and at the same time Tsuji went for a Gene Blaster and connected! Tsuji then locked in a Boston Crab. He cinched back on the hold and Takeshita was forced to tap.
WINNER: Yota Tsuji in 29:00 to become the new IWGP World Hvt. Champion and retain the IWGP Global Hvt. championship. (****1/2)
Tsuji got on the mic and told Takeshita he knew when he wrestled him today he found a rival he could not bear to lose to. He said he grew up in this ring and it was because of the fans he was here tonight. Tsuji was then attacked from behind by Jake Lee. Lee dropped the title on him before leaving.
(Radicans Analysis: This match got off to a slow start, but it was quite good once it got going. They told a good story with Takeshita softening up Tsuji’s neck and Tsuji going after Takeshita’s mid-section.
The story being told had to do with Tsuji taking the title off Takeshita, who is an outsider to NJPW and bringing the title back home to NJPW. He ended up winning with a Boston Crab, which was the ultimate sign of disrespect to Takeshita who was rejected from the NJPW Dojo.
I’ll be interested to see how they handle the Lee vs. Tsuji program. I have not been a big fan of what I’ve seen out of Lee in the past. Tsuji was very good in the ring and carried himself well, but outside of the smile as he tried to draw fire out of Takeshita late in the match, his body language didn’t match the narrative being told.)
Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow him on X: @SR_Torch and Bluesky @SeanRadican.
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