{"id":37698,"date":"2017-01-17T16:40:25","date_gmt":"2017-01-17T22:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=37698"},"modified":"2017-01-17T16:40:25","modified_gmt":"2017-01-17T22:40:25","slug":"15-new-japans-new-years-dash-tokyo-takahashi-nakanishi-kushida-ricochet-oreilly-finlay-cole-elgin-young-bucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/01\/17\/15-new-japans-new-years-dash-tokyo-takahashi-nakanishi-kushida-ricochet-oreilly-finlay-cole-elgin-young-bucks\/","title":{"rendered":"1\/5 New Japan&#8217;s New Year&#8217;s Dash from Tokyo: Takahashi, Nakanishi, KUSHIDA, Ricochet, O&#8217;Reilly, Finlay, Cole, Elgin, Young Bucks,"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1051176272\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING &#8211; NEW YEAR&#8217;S DASH REVIEW<br \/>\nJANUARY 15, 2017<br \/>\n<b><\/b><b>TOKYO, JAPAN AT\u00a0KORAKUEN HALL<br \/>\nAIRED ON NEW JAPAN WORLD STREAMING SERVICE<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a little late, but cut me some slack.\u00a0 Hot off the heels of one of the best events I\u2019ve ever seen, we travel down the jam packed streets of Tokyo amidst the glittering lights of a bustling downtown to make our way to Korakuen Hall for New Year\u2019s Dash.\u00a0 Let me touch briefly on the Wrestle Kingdom after party for a moment.\u00a0 It was an absolute pleasure seeing \u201cChopper\u201d Nick Jones &#8211; the eye in the sky overseeing this review series &#8211; looking dapper as F- in his tux!\u00a0 Hey Chopper, thanks for the head\u2019s up on Kamaitachi vs. Dragon Lee.\u00a0 Good lord they can have a great match together!\u00a0 And a big hello to TJ Spyke, who stopped by to show off two buxom ladies cradled in the nook of his arms.\u00a0 And how can I forget the smartest man in the room.\u00a0 As you all know, Sean Radican is a wealth of knowledge with an impeccable record of reporting.\u00a0 Not only that, but he is just a downright nice guy.\u00a0 Seriously, I can sing his praises all review.\u00a0 Now granted, my melodic tone isn\u2019t what you would call classically trained, but I think we can all agree that the lyrics would be gospel.\u00a0 And while we\u2019re at it, give a follow to @Benfromdapoint, @imexdanny, and @JPAO_KLIQ12.\u00a0 They were nice enough to read through countless pages of me dipping my undercarriage in Wrestle Kingdom 11 and said, \u201cYou know what?\u00a0 The sauce wasn\u2019t THAT bad.\u201d\u00a0 I appreciate all of you guys and thank you for dropping so much wisdom on me.\u00a0 Did I go overboard with the ball washing yet?\u00a0 Well the love swings back around like a @DynamicBattle retweet.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re joined in Korakuen Hall by my new buddies, Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino.\u00a0 Corino informs us that they are stationed waaaay up in the balcony so they can get a feel for the building and the action contained within its walls.\u00a0 So we\u2019re basically joined by Statler and Waldorf on commentary for this one.\u00a0 I know I\u2019ve said this before, but I absolutely love the atmosphere in Korakuen Hall with its tight quarters and dim hue dispersed throughout the crowd.\u00a0 You really get to press the glass to the wall and hear so much of what\u2019s going on in the stands and see the faces responsible for said ambience.<\/p>\n<p><b>(1)\u00a0Ricochet &amp; David Finlay &amp; Kyle O\u2019Reilly vs. Jushin Thunder Liger &amp; Tiger Mask &amp; Henare<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><\/b>Two thoughts right off the bat.\u00a0 1) What the hell have I gotten myself into?\u00a0 Seriously.\u00a0 Every match on the card is a tag match AND most will not be of the traditional variety.\u00a0 Upon realizing this I tried to run the other way, but TORCH Tower\u2019s J. Jonah got on the horn and growled, \u201cYou get your ass back in there before I personally fly to your house and burn your next paycheck right in front of you with my Cuban!\u201d\u00a0 Fair enough. \u00a0((2) Having NJPW World is so rewarding.\u00a0 I thought that getting to see Liger would be a once in a blue moon type of deal, but here he is!\u00a0 I kind of feel that way about everyone to be honest.\u00a0 This is my home team now and I\u2019m thrilled that NJPW World has welcomed me in with open arms.\u00a0 Well, for a price of course, but it\u2019s worth it ten times over.<\/p>\n<p>Since Korakuen Hall is so cramped in comparison to the Tokyo Dome, it takes each team mere seconds to get into the ring.\u00a0 The first few tones that played over the speakers when the Liger team came out took me aback.\u00a0 It sounded JUST like the opening of the old WrestleMania\/Linda McMahon theme.\u00a0 What a strange moment upon initial listen.\u00a0 My portfolio is expanding quite nicely with Henare being the lone stranger to me.\u00a0 He\u2019s traveling in good company with Liger.\u00a0 Tiger Mask?\u00a0 I suppose.<\/p>\n<p>Liger and Ricochet start out the match.\u00a0 Take away the New Japan Rumble and I\u2019ve seen some great matchups from Liger &#8211; with KUSHIDA a few weeks ago on AXS and Ricochet on this card.\u00a0 That ain\u2019t bad!\u00a0 Liger moves in for a collar and elbow tie-up, but Ricochet stuffs his boot into the legend\u2019s abdomen.\u00a0 Ricochet goes for an early shoulder tackle, met by an immovable Liger.\u00a0 Liger and Ricochet trade reversals on an Irish Whip, ending with Liger hitting a shoulder tackle with Ricochet kipping up seconds later.\u00a0 He poses, soaking in the fan\u2019s applause, which leaves his midsection exposed for Liger\u2019s boot.\u00a0 Liger gets sent to the corner, quickly shuffling sidesaddle to a charging Ricochet, who in turn wall-runs the turnbuckle padding for a twisting backflip.\u00a0 Liger shoots in and gets tripped up, burying his face in the padding as Ricochet spins between the ropes for a double knee to the face and a diving clothesline on his way back into the ring.<\/p>\n<p>Liger rolls outside, piquing the crowd\u2019s interest as Ricochet hits the ropes and comes back with a leap over the top for a twisting backflip that connects.\u00a0 It\u2019s Jedi offense fueled by Metachlorians.\u00a0 Ricochet makes it look so effortless, even extending out his arms to give the visual of soaring through the air.\u00a0 Could you imagine one of us trying that?\u00a0 Take a moment to give yourself an honest assessment of your chances.\u00a0 Not a pretty sight, is it?<\/p>\n<p>Ricochet rolls Liger back in and carries him towards the corner so Finlay can receive the tag.\u00a0 Ricochet knocks Tiger Mask and Henare off the apron as O\u2019Reilly hops in the ring.\u00a0 It\u2019s three against one, which is not a good look for Liger who is stranded in the corner.\u00a0 Finlay hits a spinning uppercut on him, followed by a high knee by O\u2019Reilly, then a jumping double-knee to the face by Ricochet.\u00a0 O\u2019Reilly and Ricochet slam Liger\u2019s back to the mat with a double suplex before Finlay dives down to connect with a spinning uppercut.\u00a0 O\u2019Reilly officially becomes legal, holding Liger in a tight clutch to bang his knee against Liger\u2019s ribcage.\u00a0 Liger counters with a big boot and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to create enough space so he can tag in Tiger Mask and get the hell out of there.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3749028475\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Tiger Mask comes in theatrically, scoring with a crossbody before Finlay comes in and grabs him.\u00a0 Tiger Mask flips away, kicking Finlay in the face to break free.\u00a0 He tries for a crucifix pin on O\u2019Reilly, smartly remembering who is legal, but Finlay breaks it up.\u00a0 Henare darts into the ring, shoves Finlay outside, and darts back out.\u00a0 So far he\u2019s left the same impression on me as Yoshi-Hashi, but the match is still young.\u00a0 O\u2019Reilly hits a belly-to-back suplex on Tiger Mask, transitioned smoothly into a kneebar that Tiger Mask frantically boots out of.\u00a0 The two exchange forearms and kicks until Tiger Mask hits a Tiger Driver and tags in Henare as Finlay gets the tag for his side.<\/p>\n<p>Henare hits a flying shoulder-tackle for two and immediately slaps on a Boston Crab.\u00a0 Ricochet\u2019s got Finlay\u2019s back, planting the sole of his boot flush with Henare\u2019s cheek to break the hold.\u00a0 But Henare holds on, eliciting \u201cOooooohs\u201d from the crowd.\u00a0 Ricochet frames up Henare\u2019s face with his hands and delivers another shot.\u00a0 Henare refuses to break the hold!\u00a0 Ricochet is equally as determined to break it, hitting the ropes as Liger trips him up and bends him in a Gory Special.\u00a0 O\u2019Reilly jumps in, finding himself strapped in an Octopus Hold by Tiger Mask.\u00a0 Finlay finally reaches the ropes, causing a chain reaction where all the holds are broken.\u00a0 As the illegal men fight outside, Henare and Finlay play a mini-Batsu game where Henare shows some surprising zip to his shots.\u00a0 After the Batsu, Ricochet and O\u2019Reilly slide back in to kick Henare into exhaustion.\u00a0 Finlay hoists him up for a fireman\u2019s carry pickup and tosses him back-first for Ricochet to meet him on the way down with a Lumbar Check.\u00a0 Amazing timing.\u00a0 Finlay lifts Henare up again in a fireman\u2019s carry, runs to the corner where Ricochet is climbing up top, and completes the MORE section of a More Bang For Your Buck as Ricochet takes flight and semi-hits a shooting star press for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS:\u00a0Ricochet, David Finlay &amp; Kyle O\u2019Reilly<\/p>\n<p>After the match, the teams shake hands and hugs as the crowd gives them a nice round of applause.\u00a0 Corino says that he has it on good authority that Liger was caught trying to pick up one of Takahashi\u2019s escorts from the Tokyo Dome.\u00a0 It\u2019s Liger, so I\u2019m fairly certain he got it wet.\u00a0 The camera zooms out to catch Finlay running up the stands to give his mom a hug.\u00a0 That\u2019s so nice compared to what I just typed a sentence ago.\u00a0 You get it all in these reviews, Guys!<\/p>\n<p><i>(Andrews\u2019 Analysis:\u00a0 Pretty dull.\u00a0 I get it though.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t imagine working a double shift of what these guys have to do for living and seeing how I\u2019d perform on the back nine.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure what to make of Henare based on this match.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really get the opportunity to show much, but the way he throws a forearm should impress at the Combine for his NEVER Openweight prospects.)<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(2)\u00a0Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi &amp; Hangman Page) vs. Bullet Club Hunters (Yoshi-Tatsu &amp; Bill Gunn)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This is terrible right off the bat as Yoshi-Tatsu does the HHH shtick and Gunn does the stripper shtick.\u00a0 I will say this though, Gunn came out and was having a ball stroking people\u2019s hair and muscling up on a Young Boy.\u00a0 That\u2019s the Gunn I want to see!\u00a0 Just havin\u2019 a good time.\u00a0 Kelly tells us a cool story about Gunn challenging the Rock in a 40 yard dash, to which not only did Gunn beat The Rock, but he did so running the last ten yards backwards.\u00a0 Stories like that are making me backpedal juuuust a hair on my dislike for Gunn.\u00a0 It\u2019s not \u201cI want my country back\u201d levels of apology, but it\u2019s an apology nonetheless.<\/p>\n<p>Yoshi-Tatsu and Takahashi start out exchanging headlocks, shoulder-tackles and arm drags.\u00a0 Page and Takahashi take the fight outside, with Takahashi whipping Gunn into the guardrail while whatever Page did to Yoshi-Tatsu left him damn near motionless on the mat when he\u2019s rolled back in.\u00a0 Page gets the tag, cutting off Yoshi-Tatsu\u2019s tag with some well-placed chops.\u00a0 Page hits a dropkick, followed by a slingshot between the first and second ropes.\u00a0 Page hops in for a double-team legdrop before Takahashi smacks Yoshi-Tatsu with a low dropkick for two.\u00a0 Yoshi-Tatsu counters Takahashi\u2019s plan of attack, coming off the ropes with a sweeping kick to the chest so he can scamper away and Gunn.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2467308750\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Gunn lights up Takahashi with clotheslines, his emotions spiked from whatever is flowing in those veins by shouting \u201cF- YOU!\u201d when Takahashi tries to kick him back.\u00a0 God damn it, Bill!\u00a0 He grabs Takahashi and says \u201cgo this way\u201d, before pushing Takahashi into the corner.\u00a0 Inside voice, Bill.\u00a0 Page jumps in and is thrown right back out.\u00a0 Gunn points to his crotch and screams \u201cSuck this!\u201d at Takahashi, carefully staying untangled in the trademark law\u2019s web.\u00a0 Takahashi refuses to do so, tripping up Gunn before landing a sliding dropkick to the back of the head.\u00a0 Gunn counters a second Takahashi rush with a powerslam before they separate and tag in their partners.<\/p>\n<p>Yoshi-Tatsu slings some vicious kicks at Page, followed by a spinning heel kick.\u00a0 Ever the helpful partner, Takahashi drags Yoshi-Tatsu outside and plants him down with a DDT.\u00a0 Off camera, Gunn yells \u201cSuck this!\u201d, but when the camera focuses on the ring Page has a handful of Gunn\u2019s genitals, squeezing them tight in his grip as both scream at one another.\u00a0 With that out of the way, Gunn sends Page to the apron, but Page flips back inside and nails Gunn with a lariat that turns Gunn inside-out.\u00a0 Takahashi rolls Yoshi-Tatsu back in where Page hits the Right of Passage for three.\u00a0 Oh that\u2019s right!\u00a0 Yoshi-Tatsu was the legal man this whole time and the ref never started the count.\u00a0 Who in the hell decides when you count and when you don\u2019t?<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Yujiro Takahashi &amp; Hangman Page<\/p>\n<p>After the match, Gunn has a stare-down with the Young Boy from earlier.\u00a0 Go home and get you\u2019re f***in\u2019 shinebox, Kid.\u00a0 Is this going to be Gunn\u2019s storyline in NJPW?\u00a0 If they are going with a reverse Legend Killer role where Gunn takes out all the young boys then I\u2019m all for it.\u00a0 It\u2019ll give Gunn something fun to do and help the young guys in the ring at the same time.\u00a0 Here\u2019s hoping.<\/p>\n<p><i>(Andrews\u2019 Analysis:\u00a0 Another meh match.\u00a0 Gunn was the only highlight \u2013 calling spots for the building to hear, swearing at a more family-oriented show, and giving some young boy the business.\u00a0 I hope he keeps showing up because he\u2019s becoming entertaining as hell.)<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(3)\u00a0Bullet Club subdivision Superkliq (Adam Cole &amp; The Young Bucks) vs. CHOAS (RPG Vice &amp; Yoshi-Hashi)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Ok, this is my chance.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen two Yoshi-Hashi matches and have witnessed nothing of his in-ring work.\u00a0 My third match watching him HAS to be the one.\u00a0 Hell, Kelly even calls the man a \u201csuperstar on the rise\u201d.\u00a0 Please, Yoshi-Hashi, do something this match so I can join the masses that just went nuts when you posed on the turnbuckle.\u00a0 And yes, I\u2019m aware that I can watch any number of his matches on The World, but dammit I want to see it as I\u2019m reviewing it.\u00a0 The match is being reffed by ROH Senior Official Todd Sinclair, who I enjoyed during the Cole\/O\u2019Reilly match due to that booming voice that carried straight through 25,000 fans to nearly break my speakers.\u00a0 He can also ref his ass off, constantly on the move yet staying out of the way until it\u2019s absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Yoshi-Hashi and Cole start out, tying up in the middle of the ring.\u00a0 Yoshi-Hashi gets backed into the corner as Cole steps backs to scream his own name, Babay.\u00a0 The two run the ropes, ending with Yoshi-Hashi feigning a duck-under on a leapfrog to chop Cole in the chest.\u00a0 He brings Cole to his corner, where Beretta tags in, followed quickly inside by Romero.\u00a0 They whip Cole into the corner, with Romero hitting a running hip attack before being carried back by Beretta for a double knee.\u00a0 Matt Jackson gets punched in the gut as he tries to sneak in from the top rope.\u00a0 Nick tries to get in, trips, and gets double-clotheslined out.<\/p>\n<p>The Young Bucks walk alllll the way to the other side of the ring, setting up Beretta to take off.\u00a0 But Romero stops him!\u00a0 Thank f****ng God for that.\u00a0 The man needs a night off after the spill he took at Wrestle Kingdom.\u00a0 Nevermind.\u00a0 Beretta shoves his own partner to the mat and takes off for the ropes.\u00a0 Cole does what Romero was probably thinking after the shove and trips Beretta up before dragging him outside.\u00a0 It\u2019s much safer that way.\u00a0 Romero dives through the ropes and plows Cole into the guardrail so he can get him some more of Beretta.\u00a0 RPG Vice get into a shoving match outside as Yoshi-Hashi looks on, no doubt seeing the potential prize money for tonight slip right out of his grasp.\u00a0 RPG decides to high-five instead of going to blows, which earns them a diving dropkick from Matt Jackson.<\/p>\n<p>Matt skins the cat, stalling with his legs akimbo for Yoshi-Hashi to dropkick him in the stomach.\u00a0 Nick superkicks Yoshi-Hashi, who rolls outside with the rest of the masses as Nick hikes up the turnbuckles to flip onto everyone.\u00a0 That includes Matt, who is holding his jaw and yelling, \u201cYou got me too!\u201d\u00a0 Beretta is rolled in with Cole, with the ROH Champion whipping him into the corner and catching him with a lumbar check on the rebound.\u00a0 Cole covers for two, which Sinclair makes sure everyone knows with that megaphone voice-box of his.\u00a0 Cole tags in Matt, which brings in Nick as well, and they hit the ropes on a continuous loop while Cole sits back on a Camel Clutch applied to Beretta.\u00a0 Corino says that a superkick is coming as The Young Bucks stop, flank Beretta\u2019s face, and scream in his ears as the crowd laughs.<\/p>\n<p>Matt sends Beretta into the corner, but Beretta fights his way out, hollering \u201cF- you!\u201d seconds before he tries a tornado DDT that Matt just throws him out of.\u00a0 Matt heads to the second rope, puts two finger-guns to his face and screams.\u00a0 His attempt on a second-rope legdrop is missed, or deleted if I\u2019m not too late to the party.\u00a0 Trust me, I probably am.\u00a0 Beretta drags himself across the mat to reach for a tag, but Nick and Cole pull Romero and Yoshi-Hashi off the apron.\u00a0 As Matt whips Beretta to the opposing corner &#8211; who does half a Flair roll-up &#8211; Nick and Cole race back and superkick his temples.\u00a0 Beretta slumps right into a tombstone as Nick steadies himself on the apron for the Meltzer Driver.\u00a0 Romero catches Nick\u2019s ankles and slams him down, smacking Nick\u2019s chin against the apron.\u00a0 Matt is still holding Beretta, turning to Cole who is at the ready on the apron.\u00a0 Nope, Yoshi-Hashi ensures that Cole meets the same fate as Nick.\u00a0 Beretta reverses the tombstone, leaping up to jam Matt\u2019s spine with a tombstone of his own.\u00a0 Romero and Nick get tagged in, blazing a trail on the mat as they run the ropes and Romero hits a hurricanranna.\u00a0 Cole hops inside, met by a straight right by Romero that shuffles him into the corner opposite Nick.\u00a0 Oh great, Romero does the forever clotheslines.\u00a0 Sorry, still not a fan.\u00a0 But I am a fan of Nick and Cole ducking multiple double-forever clothesline attempts to superkick the s- out of Romero\u2019s skull.<\/p>\n<p>Romero gets dropped by The Last Shot and takes a chaser from Nick via running knee for two.\u00a0 Cole steps outside for about two seconds, just long enough for Nick to tag him in legally.\u00a0 Romero flips out of another Last Shot, which gets the ire of Cole who retaliates by shooting a snot rocket at him.\u00a0 Continuing the trend from Wrestle Kingdom 11, code of honor my ass.\u00a0 Cole hits the ropes right as Beretta sneaks in to help Romero deliver stereo jumping knees.\u00a0 Yoshi-Hashi gets the tag, dumps the Young Bucks off the apron and heads up top to &#8211; I have no idea.\u00a0 The damn cameraman pulled focus and when it came back Cole is in a sit-up position for Beretta to dive down with a kick to the face.\u00a0 Yoshi-Hashi, finally showing offense, hits a wicked looking angled senton.\u00a0 The Young Bucks break up the pinfall attempt and go for a double superkick on Romero, who is laid up in the ropes.\u00a0 Romero moves and the Young Bucks roll outside, but Cole is still aware enough to superkick Romero.<\/p>\n<p>Beretta gets a superkick to the knee and a destroyer while Yoshi-Hashi recovers and lands a leaping neckbreaker\/caress-of-the-back that sends Cole outside.\u00a0 Nick superkicks Yoshi-Hashi, but is upended by a defending clothesline.\u00a0 Yoshi-Hashi eats a superkick from Cole, a double superkick from Cole and Matt Jackson, but manages to reverse a Last Shot attempt into a small package for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: RPG Vice &amp; Yoshi-Hashi<\/p>\n<p>After the match, as Corino and Kelly talk about Yoshi-Hashi pinning the ROH champion, he and RPG get jumped by the losing team.\u00a0 Cole picks up Yoshi-Hashi for the Last Shot, calling him a joke while doing so, and the Young Bucks double-superkick him before his neck is driven down on Cole\u2019s knee.<\/p>\n<p><i>(Andrews\u2019 Analysis: If this match was used to set up Yoshi-Hashi, it didn\u2019t work.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really do much in the match\u2026AGAIN.\u00a0 That\u2019s it!\u00a0 I\u2019m going to have to dig into the core of The World to see what this guy is all about.\u00a0 That being said, The Young Bucks were tremendous as always and Cole continues to impress.)<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(4)\u00a0Team 2000 (Scott Norton, Hiro Saito &amp;\u00a0Hirotoshi\u00a0Tenzan &amp; Satoshi Kojima &amp; Cheeseburger) vs. Bullet Club (Bone Soldier &amp; Kenny Omega &amp; Tama Tonga &amp; Tanga Roa &amp; Bad Luck Fale)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Tiger Hattori, my favorite Pat Morita look-alike is out to ref the next match.\u00a0 I dig this guy, and not just because of his look.\u00a0 He stays out of the way for the most part, but when the time comes to show the stripes he\u2019s not afraid to do so.\u00a0 Kudos to that man.\u00a0 Before the match, Team 2000 take a moment to pose together for a group picture, but Tiger Hattori pulls Cheeseburger out of the shot.\u00a0 It\u2019s all good fun, as Cheeseburger and Tiger have a laugh about it.\u00a0 Everyone gives a Wolfpac touch, signaling that they were once in the NWO.<\/p>\n<p>Yeesh.\u00a0 A ten-man tag featuring Bad Luck Fale!?\u00a0 Actually, hang on.\u00a0 I\u2019m ready to embrace this guy.\u00a0 I\u2019m going with the New Year\u2019s motif, determined to start anew.\u00a0 THIS is going to be Fale\u2019s match.\u00a0 Right here!\u00a0 He\u2019s going to turn on the jets and dazzle us, which would be a fine time to start considering Omega should be doing nothing more than eating popcorn on the apron after that unparalleled performance he put on at Wrestle Kingdom 11.\u00a0 During the entrances, Fale chases the ring announcer out of his ring, but the announcer gets one over on him by STILL finishing his announcements.\u00a0 Good for him!\u00a0 Fale actually mopes about it, which doesn\u2019t bode well for my prior statements.\u00a0 By the way, while all of this is going on, Tama Tonga frisked Hattori before Hattori could frisk him.<\/p>\n<p>Somehow Omega draws the short straw and has to start the match against Norton of all people.\u00a0 Omega offers Norton a position in the Bullet Club, but it\u2019s rebuked.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know, I think I\u2019d join.\u00a0 Gimmick tables, decent run in the company, possibly plucked away by HHH and Vince.\u00a0 He should have rethought that one.\u00a0 Norton, the delicious half of the defunct Vicious &amp; Delicious tag team, cleans house until\u2026Bad Luck Fale steps in!\u00a0 Bad Luck Fale is going to fight???\u00a0 Bad Luck Fale is going to fight!!!\u00a0 I really hope you guys got that reference.\u00a0 Fale gets chopped and clotheslined before rolling out of the ring.\u00a0 Just a warmup.\u00a0 Cheeseburger comes in to congratulate Norton, which gets him press-slam-tossed onto the Bullet Club outside.\u00a0 Cheeseburger is caught and tossed right back to Norton.\u00a0 Norton\u2019s a little more sympathetic this time, ushering Cheeseburger back to the corner with a really hard shove.\u00a0 Hey, it\u2019s better than getting passed around like a joint.<\/p>\n<p>Norton tags in Tenzan as Roa slides in.\u00a0 Roa gets Mongolian chopped by Tenzan, then Kojima jumps in to hit one of his own.\u00a0 Tenzan tags in Cheeseburger, who hits a big splash on Roa for two.\u00a0 After the kickout, Cheeseburger finds himself trapped between Roa and the Bullet Club corner.\u00a0 He gets desperate, diving with his hand outstretched for a tag but is ultimately caught and rammed back to the Bullet Club corner.\u00a0 Tonga tags in and headbutts Cheeseburger.\u00a0 Cheeseburger mounts a comeback, drawing an \u201care you kidding me?\u201d from Tonga who headbutts him right back.\u00a0 Cheeseburger escapes with his life after hitting a hurricanranna and tags in Tenzan.\u00a0 Tenzan gets Tonga up for a vertical suplex, crashing him to the mat before talking gobs of s- to the Bullet Club.\u00a0 Tonga tags to Roa, who hits a scoop slam and tags in Omega.\u00a0 Omega\u2019s face is wallowing in exhaustion, but he has enough spring in his step to strike with a Great Muta-esque driving elbow.\u00a0 Omega gets a breather, tagging in Bone Soldier, the bottom bitch of the Bullet Club.<\/p>\n<p>Bone Solider keeps Tenzan in the corner with reasonable looking strikes.\u00a0 And here comes Fale!\u00a0 He stuffs Tenzan\u2019s head into the padding and cocks back to blast him in the ribs with a haymaker hook.\u00a0 Another sweeping, ribcage-rattling hook!\u00a0 Fale, driven solely on the will to impress the masses, sprints from one corner to the next to crush Tenzan in the corner, but Tenzan escapes at the last possible second to tag in Kojima.\u00a0 Fale regroups, tagging in Bone Soldier before smartly rolling outside to clear his head.\u00a0 Kojima chops Bone Solider in the corner, then Omega, but Tonga breaks it up.\u00a0 Saito blindsides Tonga, tossing him into the opposite corner to drive his boot into Tonga\u2019s gut.\u00a0 Norton is in, as is Cheeseburger, and everyone lands chops.\u00a0 Cheeseburger\u2019s chops on Fale are fought off heroically, with Fale coming back to life to toss Cheeseburger to the mat.\u00a0 Fale rifles Kojima with a clothesline, setting up the Bullet Club to rush the turnbuckle with a varied attack.\u00a0 Bone Soldier misses a splash and gets sentoned for the error.\u00a0 Chaos breaks loose in and out of the ring, with Fale fighting off legions of attackers on the outside as Kojima hits a lariat on Bone Solider inside.\u00a0 He gets the three as \u201cThe music is altered due to musical rights\u201d plays.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Team 2000<\/p>\n<p><i>(Andrews\u2019 Analysis:\u00a0 It was a comedy match, with Cheeseburger being the focus of most of it.\u00a0 Omega thankfully got the night off, appearing only in very short bursts.\u00a0 Fale tried his best and that\u2019s all I could ask for.\u00a0 Overall bad, yet harmless.)<\/i><\/p>\n<p>After the match we get an intermission.\u00a0 The hard camera shows a young boy running the ropes while the fans get up to stretch the old legs.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be honest with you, I kind of liked it.\u00a0 It makes you part of the event.\u00a0 You want to visit the restroom?\u00a0 Go for it!\u00a0 Maybe stroll into the kitchen for a sandwich?\u00a0 Hey, be our guest!\u00a0 Are you into people watching?\u00a0 Lock and load!\u00a0 I know you can forward through the break, but you know what, I used my time wisely and grabbed a snack.\u00a0 Alright fine.\u00a0 I filled up my old-fashioned glass as well.<\/p>\n<p><b>(5)\u00a0KUSHIDA &amp; Michael Elgin vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito &amp; Hiromu Takahashi)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Ahh, Naito.\u00a0 The mocker of white picket worlds.\u00a0 How great is this guy?\u00a0 He and Takahashi come out to his Mega Man track, with Naito making some masked kids\u2019 year by giving him a fist bump.\u00a0 KUSHIDA has his championship McFly vest on, which is acceptable considering it was the next day.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t expecting to lose, so why pack his Color Rush KUSHIDA gear?\u00a0 Naito scares the piss out of the ringside announcers by lunging at them, then lobs his title in the ring before slowly making his way inside while making a gesture towards Elgin about breaking his orbital bone.\u00a0 The balls on that guy.\u00a0 His cup is overfloweth with panache!<\/p>\n<p>Elgin and Naito start us out, giving the junior heavyweights a few extra seconds to rest after what they put themselves through the night before.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t seen their match, do so.\u00a0 You won\u2019t be disappointed.\u00a0 The crowd breaks out a \u201cNaito!\u201d chant as Naito paws at Elgin before leisurely walking to Takahashi for a tag.\u00a0 I just realized that Marty is the ref, only noticing after Corino says \u201cI hope Naito beats up Marty.\u201d\u00a0 Corino is great.\u00a0 I\u2019ll say it right now, he\u2019s better than Michael Cole\u2019s ass!\u00a0 As is Kevin Kelly!\u00a0 Disagree all you want.\u00a0 It\u2019s one man\u2019s opinion, and my opinion is that Michael Cole is probably a nice guy but the sound of his voice makes me turn the channel, as evidenced by my failed attempt to watch RAW in 2014.\u00a0 Not that he was the only reason, but it didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n<p>Elgin and Takahashi lock up, but Elgin is strong.\u00a0 Takahashi is tossed into the corner, reverses waistlocks with Elgin, and hits the ropes to find himself lifted and held hiiiigh in the air for a press slam.\u00a0 As Elgin zips forth for a running forearm, Naito kicks him in the back for the apron.\u00a0 But Elgin is strong!\u00a0 He brushes Naito\u2019s kick off like it was nothing and belts him with a forearm.\u00a0 And Takahashi.\u00a0 Elgin forces a \u201cGwah!\u201d out of Takahashi as his ridge-hand nearly bursts the poor guys\u2019 pepperonis right off his chest.\u00a0 Takahashi throws Elgin into the ropes, which is turned into a diving dropkick to Naito.\u00a0 Elgin is nimble!\u00a0 Takahashi tries to ambush him, but Elgin shows off his quicks and gets back inside as KUSHIDA hits a springboard heel kick to send Takahashi out with Naito.\u00a0 Elgin presses KUSHIDA and lobs him outside onto Naito and Takahashi!\u00a0 It was a horrible game plan as KUSHIDA takes the worst of it as his face and arm slam onto the floor.\u00a0 He\u2019s in real pain, shuffling away from the wreckage with his arm in a self-sling.\u00a0 There might have been a real issue here, as Elgin hurriedly sticks his hand outside the ring to high-five KUSHIDA as to say sorry.<\/p>\n<p>Takahashi is rolled back in and into Elgin\u2019s stalling suplex.\u00a0 Naito boots Elgin in the stomach, but Elgin CONTINUES to hold Takahashi skyward before Naito can pull his partner back.\u00a0 Naito hits a reverse atomic drop on Elgin, drops him down a level with a kick to the knee as Takahashi hits a low dropkick followed by one from Naito that strikes Elgin in the eye.\u00a0 Kelly says that it was the same move that injured Elgin in the first place, so now I have an image of what happened to him.\u00a0 Naito can be seen in the background with KUSHIDA while Takahashi stays on Elgin inside the ring.\u00a0 Naito roughs up KUSHIDA\u2019s injury by sending him shoulder-first to the ring post.\u00a0 Takahashi chops Elgin thrice in the chest, met by a \u201ccome on\u201d hand gesture from Elgin before that big ass ridge-hand swings towards Takahashi to try and break open his chest cavity.\u00a0 It was loud, making the crowd \u201cOoooh\u201d while Corino chuckled.<\/p>\n<p>Naito is back in, digging his fingers into Elgin\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 Takahashi stays on Elgin with rakes to the eyes while Naito makes Corino\u2019s night by shoving Marty to the mat.\u00a0 He then strolls to the ropes and slaps his hands together to let Takahashi back in.\u00a0 I love that for some reason.\u00a0 Elgin was still out of it and Marty was making his way back to his feet and looking right at Naito, but Naito did the fake tag anyways.\u00a0 More eye offense by Takahashi before getting caught rushing Elgin in the corner.\u00a0 Elgin ragdolls him with a release belly-to-back.<\/p>\n<p>KUSHIDA gets the tag, hitting a springboard back elbow on Takahashi and a cartwheeled low dropkick on Naito.\u00a0 Night after night he refuses to lay off the accelerator.\u00a0 Takahashi attempts a sunset flip, but his arm is snatched up and spun for The Hoverboard Lock, forcing the newly crowned champ to scurry to the ropes.\u00a0 KUSHIDA tries to punt Takahashi\u2019s arm, but gets his knee twisted up in a Dragon Screw Legwhip reversal.\u00a0 Naito is in, eyeing up Elgin before dazzling me once again with the kick in the face to the outside\/heel trip\/rope-assisted dropkick back inside to KUSHIDA.\u00a0 He follows that up by spitting at Elgin and telling him \u201cTranquilo\u201d.\u00a0 Naito hits an enzuigiri on KUSHIDA, whose body goes into auto-pilot to counter with a Pele kick in return.<\/p>\n<p>Elgin is in, darting corner to corner to unleash two big clotheslines on Naito.\u00a0 Naito knees his way out of a stalling vertical suplex and takes Elgin with him towards the ropes for a tornado DDT.\u00a0 But Elgin stops the momentum cold!\u00a0 He holds up his finger to the crowd before powering Naito up for a beautiful Falcon Arrow for two.\u00a0 Takahashi runs in and gets German suplexed IMMEDIATELY &#8211; his body folded up tight and compact on the mat!\u00a0 Elgin hits a rope-assisted enzuigiri on Naito, snatching him back up to hit a release German Suplex into the turnbuckles!\u00a0 Takahashi is barely back on his feet before he\u2019s packed up and given a running Death Valley Driver into Naito!\u00a0 Jesus!\u00a0 Naito rolls outside to the apron, but Elgin climbs up to the second rope and drops his hand down like he\u2019s noodling to corral Naito.\u00a0 Elgin powers him up and over the ropes for a SUPER falcon arrow!\u00a0 Holy s- this guy!\u00a0 Takahashi dives into the camera shot to break up the pin attempt.<\/p>\n<p>While Naito lies motionless on the mat, Elgin spins that big ass of his 360 to deliver a nasty discus-chop!\u00a0 Oooh, you vicious son of a bitch!\u00a0 Takahashi is scooped up for a powerbomb, saved at the last second by Naito\u2019s low dropkick to Elgin\u2019s right knee.\u00a0 KUSHIDA tries to enter, but Naito grabs Marty by the belt and collar and chucks him straight at him.\u00a0 Naito hits a Dragon Screw Low Blow to KUSHIDA.\u00a0 Then a Dragon Screw Low Blow to Elgin.\u00a0 Out of nowhere Dragon Lee, as foreseen by Chopper Jones\u2019 timely reference, slides into the ring and hits a beautiful German Suplex on Naito!\u00a0 He sprints to the ropes, dumping Takahashi outside with a dropkick before leaping over the top ropes and flipping onto him!\u00a0 Back inside, Elgin cracks Naito with a lariat and a\u2026holy s-\u2026Burning Hammer by Elgin!\u00a0 1, 2, 3!!!<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Michael Elgin &amp; KUSHIDA<\/p>\n<p>After the match, Takahashi rolls back into the ring, followed closely by Dragon Lee.\u00a0 Dragon Lee flips Takahashi end over end in the air, catching him for a sit-out powerbomb that was far prettier than anything I could ever describe.\u00a0 He grabs the Junior Heavyweight title as Kelly references Dragon Lee and Kamaitachi (Takahashi) battling it out just a year ago in Korakuen Hall.\u00a0 Elgin grabs the IC title, raising it in the air as Dragon Lee raises the Junior Heavyweight title.\u00a0 KUSHIDA slowly gets back into the ring and has words with Lee as the crowd oohs and ahhs.<\/p>\n<p><i>(Andrews Analysis:\u00a0 No night off for Naito and Takahashi.\u00a0 They worked their assess off in this match, with both taking equal shares of Elgin\u2019s offense.\u00a0 I\u2019m not entirely sure how fair this was considering Elgin got to fart around with Bill Gunn and Nagata in the Rumble while the other guys went through hell the night before.\u00a0 Either way, this was an awesome match.\u00a0 Seeing that Burning Hammer reminded me of Brain Kendrick hitting Kota Ibushi with it during the CWC as Daniel Bryan screamed, \u201cBurning Hammer!\u00a0 Pin him, Brian!!\u00a0 Do it now!!!\u201d\u00a0 I love that call.\u00a0 The inclusion of Dragon Lee at the end has piqued my interest for the immediate future of the Junior Heavyweight title, and you better believe I\u2019m more than excited for Elgin vs. Naito.\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait to see how their two very different styles gel in a longer format singles match.)<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(6)\u00a0Katsuyoui\u00a0Shibata \u00a0Tomoaki Honma &amp; Yuji Nagata &amp; Juice Robinson &amp; Togi Makabe vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada (w\/Gedo) &amp; Tomohiro Ishii &amp; Toru Yano &amp; Will Ospreay &amp; Hirooki Goto)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Holy s- its Shibata!\u00a0 BOTH Goto and Ishii stare him down when they enter the ring before the bell.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a cop who winds up in prison and is surrounded by those who he put away.\u00a0 Which I guess makes Nagata Cash to Shibata\u2019s Tango &#8211; the reluctant partner who eventually ends up sleeping with Shibata\u2019s sister after the match is over.\u00a0 Okada heads up the turnbuckles before the bell rings and calls for rain, but all that cascades through the air is some old woman\u2019s glowering stare.\u00a0 It was an amusing visual \u2013 some old biddy scowling with arms folded while awash in fans smiling and cheering Okada on.<\/p>\n<p>Red Shoes gets the call for this match, working himself light-headed with the amount of times he has to bend over to frisk a guys\u2019 boots before standing back up to check the next guy- repeating the whole process over and over again.\u00a0 Ospreay jumps to the front of the line and points to Shibata\u2019s Rev Pro title, jawing to an unimpressed face staring back at him.\u00a0 Jesus.\u00a0 Usually guys step up to Shibata with a cyanide capsule clenched between their teeth just in case.\u00a0 Not Ospreay.\u00a0 He\u2019s into it!<\/p>\n<p>We get a taste as Shibata and Ospreay usher their teammates to the apron so they can work.\u00a0 They launch into mat wrestling, reversing each other expertly until they manage to get back to a standing base and Ospreay is released clean at the ropes.\u00a0 So far so good.\u00a0 As Shibata backs up, Ospreay delivers a lightning quick boot to Shibata\u2019s face.\u00a0 Ospreay is kneed in the gut, drug to the corner, and Shibata unloads on him with some stiff forearms.\u00a0 Shibata takes off to the opposite corner, possibly thinking of the floating dropkick, but Ospreay races towards the middle of the ring and flings his body feet-first for a dropkick that sends Shibata rolling outside.\u00a0 Ospreay charges the ropes, springboarding away as Shibata braces for impact, and backflips into a pose.\u00a0 Shibata is PISSED!\u00a0 He races back inside and takes a sweeping cut that singes Ospreay\u2019s hairline as he narrowly ducks out of the way.\u00a0 The crowd pollinates the hall with applause as Shibata rests his hands on his hips.\u00a0 Deciding that the taste test was a success, he and Ospreay tag out to bring in Nagata and Yano.<\/p>\n<p>The fans bust out a \u201cYano\u201d chant, which infuriates Nagata, so he rolls outside to ice-grill the crowd.\u00a0 The crowd IMMEDIATELY switch allegiances and start a Nagata chant.\u00a0 Simple yet effective.\u00a0 Nagata, pleased with the support, climbs back in and kicks Yano repeatedly in the thigh.\u00a0 He misses a standing enzuigiri and gets smacked in the head.\u00a0 Nagata shoots right back up to his feet, stomping towards Yano who backs himself between the ropes and screams, \u201cbreak, break, break!\u201d\u00a0 Red Shoes obliges and turns Nagata away.\u00a0 Nagata gets that enzuigiri after all and tags in Honma.\u00a0 They hit a double shoulder-block before Nagata takes his leave.<\/p>\n<p>Honma scoop-slams Yano and lands his falling timber headbutt.\u00a0 As Honma takes off for the ropes, Yano tries to pulls his hair, but Honma\u2019s haircut is too close to the wood for Yano to grab ahold of.\u00a0 It was a god bit.\u00a0 Very subtle.\u00a0 CHAOS storms the ring and battles the other team in their corner as Yano removes the turnbuckle padding.\u00a0 Yano slings Honma into said corner as the fight spills into the crowd.\u00a0 Ishii throws Makabe\u2019s head into a sign that reads \u201cWest\u201d, which is hardly enough cushion against the concrete slab behind it.\u00a0 Inside the ring, Yano tags in Okada, who just appeared out of nowhere.\u00a0 Seriously.\u00a0 He was damn near in the crowd a moment ago.\u00a0 Okada hits the springboard senton onto Honma and takes a second to wipe the oil basted on Honma\u2019s torso off his hands.<\/p>\n<p>Goto gets tagged in, booting Honma in the back upon entry.\u00a0 He\u2019s in and out like the wind, tagging in Ospreay.\u00a0 Ospreay rocks Honma with a stiff forearm as Ishii tags himself in.\u00a0 A BIG chop knocks Honma to his knees.\u00a0 Honma smacks Ishii\u2019s chest repeatedly to back him off, but Ishii just growls and chops him in return.\u00a0 He follows up with a clothesline in the corner, the collision providing Honma with a major whiplash effect.\u00a0 Ishii and Honma battle for leverage on a suplex, ending with Honma getting the vertical hoist.\u00a0 Yano tries to break up Honma\u2019s attempt to tag out, getting planted skull-first to the mat with a DDT.\u00a0 Makabe gets the tag, clearing the ring like he cocked back a street sweeper.\u00a0 He\u2019s got a set of Forever Clotheslines of his own, taking a roundtrip between Ishii and Yano.\u00a0 Makabe controls Ishii on a Northern Lights Suplex, pressing him to the mat for two.<\/p>\n<p>Ishii backdrops out of a Makabe piledriver and clotheslines his arm.\u00a0 Ow!\u00a0 They exchange stiff clotheslines, the last one rocking Ishii back on his heels.\u00a0 Ishii shoots back, decking Makabe with a swinging lariat.\u00a0 Ishii roars to the crowd, his mouth covered in blood from the gush flowing down from his nostrils.\u00a0 Okada tags in, hits a European Uppercut, but pays dearly with a heavy clothesline from Makabe that bounces the back of Okada\u2019s head off the mat.<\/p>\n<p>Juice Robinson gets the tag, who I admittedly forgot was even in the match.\u00a0 He screams \u201cOKADA!\u201d before clotheslining him in the corner, swiftly followed by a cannonball.\u00a0 Okada punches his way out of a powerbomb attempt, shooting a wad of Juice Robinson\u2019s spit into the air after lighting him up with a European Uppercut.\u00a0 Okada rushes Juice, who counters with a Solarplexes Check!\u00a0 Really well done, Juice!\u00a0 Robinson gets to cover the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, netting a 2 \u00be!\u00a0 Hey, THAT\u2019S something!\u00a0 I\u2019m excited for him!\u00a0 Okada\u2019s had enough screwing around, booting Juice in the face before hitting his package neckbreaker to the knee.\u00a0 Okada tags in Goto, who hits Juice with a spinning heel kick in the corner, followed by a suplex.\u00a0 Juice tries to fight back, hitting Goto with alternating jabs and chops, but gets leveled by a NEVER Openweight-caliber lariat.\u00a0 Welcome to the division, Juice.\u00a0 Shibata gets into the action, punting Goto in the back to break up a possible three-count.\u00a0 Ospreay gets in, going straight for Shibata.\u00a0 Ospreay tosses Shibata outside and sticks him in the guardrail with a suicide dive.<\/p>\n<p>Goto tries for the GTR on Robinson, but Nagata storms the ring and kicks Goto in the face.\u00a0 He\u2019s wrecked instantly by an Ishii clothesline.\u00a0 Ishii and Yano get the same treatment from Makabe\u2019s double-clothesline.\u00a0 Honma hits the falling timber headbutt on Ishii, who was already rolling out of the ring, and Okada comes in to dropkick Honma.\u00a0 Okada screams at Goto to finish the match before rolling outside.\u00a0 Goto and Robinson collide into one another with clotheslines, knocking both of them backwards.\u00a0 They do it again, this time Robinson falling to his knees.\u00a0 Goto hits the ropes for the kill shot, but Robinson springs back up and lariats the hell out of Goto!\u00a0 Robinson\u2019s got some fight in him!<\/p>\n<p>Ospreay flies into the ring to knock Robinson out of the way.\u00a0 Shibata enters right behind him, hitting a big boot to Ospreay\u2019s face.\u00a0 PK to Goto!\u00a0 Shibata chases after Ospreay, running him through with a baseball slide outside!\u00a0 Robinson is back up, hitting Goto with am Unprettier for the win!\u00a0 Robinson buries his face in his hands, stunned that he just pinned the NEVER Openweight champion!\u00a0 After it sinks in, Juice jumps to his feet and hugs Nagata as the rest of the team, minus Shibata, enters to celebrate Juice\u2019s accomplishment.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Shibata &amp; Honma &amp; Makable &amp; Nagata &amp; Juice Robinson<\/p>\n<p>After the match, CHAOS enters the ring as Robinson grabs Goto\u2019s title and puts it around his waist.\u00a0 The crowd explodes as the camera is zoomed in tight on Goto.\u00a0 Kelly and Corino begin yelling about whatever is happening off camera.\u00a0 Men decked out in black and white tracksuits hit the ring and attack everyone.\u00a0 Kelly screams down their names: Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Desperado, Taichi, Taka Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka, Kanemaru, and Suzuki!\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re back!\u00a0 They\u2019re back!\u201d\u00a0 They lay waste to everyone in a full-on beatdown.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKiller Elite Squad!\u201d Kelly burns through the lining of his esophagus as Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer hit the Hart Attack on Ishii.\u00a0 They hit a double-powerbomb on Yano.\u00a0 RPG Vice come out to get burned in the wreckage.\u00a0 Even Gedo gets his ass kicked!\u00a0 Okada rolls into the ring and tries to fight off the swarm, but Suzuki locks him in a chokehold as the crowd screams.\u00a0 Suzuki releases the hold and hits Okada with a \u201cGotch-style piledriver\u201d.\u00a0 Holy s-!\u00a0 He actually leapt into the air before coming down with Okada\u2019s head!\u00a0 Grizzly!\u00a0 The turncoat fans begin chanting for the group, completely forgetting that only one night ago they were chanting for CHOAS.\u00a0 Suzuki grabs the mic and chuckles.\u00a0 He tells the fans to shut up and challenges Okada, who in all honestly can probably only hear the ringing of his own ears after that piledriver.\u00a0 Suzuki says that he will rule the NJPW ring again and makes fun of the NJPW fans.\u00a0 He promises that all of the belts will be theirs.\u00a0 \u201cSuzuki-Gun, ichiban.\u201d\u00a0 As Suzuki makes his way to the back, the attack continues until everyone is flat on their backs.\u00a0 Somehow Yano has a title belt positioned perfectly on his waist.\u00a0 \u201cI think we\u2019ve found CHOAS\u2019 next challengers,\u201d screams Kelly.\u00a0 In one of the biggest examples of insult to injury, the crowd sings along to Suzuki-Gun\u2019s theme as CHAOS gets carried to the back.\u00a0 Heartless, heartless pricks.<\/p>\n<p><i>(Andrews\u2019 Analysis:\u00a0 For a ten-man match it was pretty entertaining.\u00a0 I loved that Shibata and Ospreay went at it from minute one, separated only by tag rules until Red Shoes gave up all hope and it all went to hell.\u00a0 The moment where Ospreay leapt inside, followed closely by Shibata still looking for a fight, was brilliant.\u00a0 We need to see these two go at it.\u00a0 We deserve to see these two go at it.\u00a0 I honestly thought that Shibata was getting that promotion since he was heavily featured by the cameraman coming into the ring, but Suzuki-Gun saw fit to reinforce that glass ceiling.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Obviously I have no idea who \u00be of that team even is, but hearing Suzuki\u2019s name caught my attention immediately.\u00a0 I know the name, but have never seen him wrestle.\u00a0 I had no idea that he was a major figure in pro wrestling circles in 2017.\u00a0 None whatsoever.\u00a0 Furthermore, Taka Michinoku!\u00a0 What a welcomed sight!\u00a0 From incredible matches in ECW and Calgary Stampede, to Kaientai, to being a player in a major faction about to take NJPW by storm, I am so happy for that guy. And Davey Boy Smith Jr.?\u00a0 Obviously I know the name, but am clueless on his in-ring ability.\u00a0 My hopes are high though.\u00a0 Also, the moment his name was called the first thing that popped in my mind &#8211; and maybe yours too if you\u2019re down with the co-chairmen &#8211; was one name: Mr. Hitman.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s in reference to his late father, but every time I see this guy going forward, THAT is going to pop in my head and put a smile on my face.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>And how can I forget Juice Robinson and Goto?\u00a0 Robinson traded shots with Goto and made me want to see them feud for the NEVER Openweight title.\u00a0 It\u2019s half morbid curiosity to see if Juice can hang and half honest excitement for a new NEVER Openweight feud.\u00a0 Assuming they have something else lined up for Shibata that is.)<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(7)\u00a0Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANDA &amp; EVIL &amp; BUSHI) (c) vs. Hiroshi\u00a0Takahashi &amp; Ryusuke Taguchi &amp; Manabu Nakanishi) &#8211;\u00a0<\/b><b>NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Title Match<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The crowd was silent when Tanahashi\u2019s new music hit.\u00a0 Its either an indictment of his new music not being quite up to snuff, or more likely, most of the fans in attendance didn\u2019t go the Wrestle Kingdom and were wondering who in the hell was coming out.\u00a0 I want that old music back please!\u00a0 EVIL comes out pointing green faux-gamma rays from his fingertips.\u00a0 I love EVIL the wrestler, but EVIL the showman wouldn\u2019t make it a day on the haunted hayride circuit.\u00a0 Aha!\u00a0 Corino says that SANADA is his pick for breakout star of 2017.\u00a0 You\u2019re stock keeps rising Steve Corino.<\/p>\n<p>Although Nakanishi starts the match against a shirted SANADA, the crowd serenades the ring with a \u201cTanahashi\u201d chant.\u00a0 \u201cThat SANADA is put together,\u201d Corino swoons as EVIL blindsides Nakanishi.\u00a0 While he and SANADA work him over, Red Shoes is just fiddle-f****ng around and not doing a thing about it.\u00a0 Neither is Taguchi and Tanahashi by the way, both making half-assed attempts to get in the ring.\u00a0 What kind of slapdash team is this?\u00a0 SANADA and EVIL try to get Nakanishi up for a double suplex, but the big bastard hits a DOUBLE release Northern Lights suplex on both of them.\u00a0 That was Incredible.\u00a0 The crowd, especially the girls, squeal as Nakanishi tags in Tanahashi.\u00a0 The Ace wrenches SANADA in a side-headlock and a throws him at Taguchi\u2019s awaiting rear end.\u00a0 The Funky Weapon gets the tag and tries for a running hip attack, but it\u2019s countered with an atomic drop.\u00a0 Great catch and reversal by SANADA.\u00a0 BUSHI gets the tag, running the ropes for an eternity as Taguchi keeps dropping down.\u00a0 He finally wises up on the last lap and hits a low dropkick to the side of Taguchi\u2019s head.\u00a0 Taguchi finally gets his running hip attack, which forces BUSHI outside.\u00a0 Taguchi gets ambitious, snapping off the ropes to build up steam for another hip attack, but gets himself caught in the ropes as EVIL swings a chair at his cheeks.<\/p>\n<p>EVIL pulls Tanahashi off the apron and lobs him into the guardrail, repeatedly smacking him in the leg with a chair afterwards \u2013 most of which occurring off-camera.\u00a0 While BUSHI strangles Taguchi inside with his t-shirt, a throaty voice shouts \u201cEverything is EEEEVIL\u201d.\u00a0 Red Shoes tries to count BUSHI off of Taguchi when he reaches the ropes, nevermind the god damn shirt leeched around his neck like a MIntz-Platz c- wrap.\u00a0 He counts AGAIN, finally realizing that the t-shirt practically melded to Taguchi\u2019s throat shouldn\u2019t be there.\u00a0 THIS is why Naito bullies his ass!\u00a0 Not only is Red Shoes a narc, but he\u2019s an absent-minded narc at that.\u00a0 BUSHI tags in SANADA, who sidesteps a flying hip attack and tags in EVIL.\u00a0 They double-team Taguchi \u2013 SANADA hitting a back elbow and EVIL dropping some serious weight down with a senton.\u00a0 EVIL covers, but only gets a two.<\/p>\n<p>EVIL is on fire, stunting Taguchi\u2019s comeback attempt with a wicked double-chop to the chest before dashing over to the corner to drop Nakanishi\u2019s neck across the top rope.\u00a0 Taguchi hits a hip attack on EVIL, snatching him up for a dragon sleeper as BUSHI runs in.\u00a0 He boots BUSHI, grabs him as well, and drops down for a traditional AND reverse DDT!\u00a0 That is so much better than a hip attack!\u00a0 Tanahashi recovers just in time to get the tag from Taguchi, limping his way through a hot tag that sees him fighting all three members of Los Ingobernables until only he and EVIL remain.\u00a0 He scoop-slams EVIL in the corner and heads to the second rope for a front flip Swanton for two.\u00a0 Kelly\u2019s stock begins to rise with the revelation that Tanahashi\u2019s new theme song needs to grow on him.<\/p>\n<p>EVIL chopblocks Tanahashi and tags in SANADA.\u00a0 He misses a dropkick to Tanahashi\u2019s knee and gets pelted by one from Tanahashi in return.\u00a0 It was a lightning quick comeback and looked terrific.\u00a0 Tanahashi scoots across the mat and tags in Nakanishi, a man full of all types of piss and vinegar as he screams at SANADA before burying forearms deep into his gut.\u00a0 He drops SANADA with a clothesline and takes out the rest of Los Ingobernables with double axe-handles.\u00a0 He does the Hacksaw \u201cHoooo!\u201d to the crowd\u2019s delight and lariats SANADA for two.\u00a0 SANADA flips out of a release German, joining EVIL for a double belly-to-back suplex for two.\u00a0 Everyone jumps into the ring\u2026and just like that the fight goes outside, leaving only SANADA and Nakanishi in the ring.<\/p>\n<p>SANADA hits a springboard dropkick and takes off his shirt.\u00a0 Corino: \u201cWow, Kevin Kelly just lost his breath on that one.\u201d\u00a0 Nakanishi reverses out of Shirtless SANADA\u2019s dragon sleeper, who in turn reverses out of Nakanishi\u2019s Hercules cutter.\u00a0 That reversal gets Nakanishi trapped in the dragon sleeper, but Tanahashi dives back into the ring to hit a dragon screw neck whip on SANADA to break it up.\u00a0 And yes, I know it\u2019s a neckbreaker, but I like putting dragon screw in front of moves.\u00a0 Tanahashi walks to the corner and steps outside, only to lean back in to receive a tag.\u00a0 F****ng pro.\u00a0 Nakanishi lunges for the tag, but EVIL trips Tanahashi to the floor before their hands could connect.\u00a0 Lovely stuff.<\/p>\n<p>BUSHI hits a missile dropkick on Nakanishi, nearly gets caught in a Hercules cutter a moment later, and counters with a kick to the undercarriage.\u00a0 His heart must have been racing when Nakanishi snatched him up!\u00a0 BUSHI hits a much safer double-knee drop to the chest of Nakanishi that Ricochet only wished he could have received the night before.\u00a0 EVIL jumps Nakanishi, but Tanahashi gets back in to dragon screw leg whip him outside.\u00a0 SANADA runs in, catching Tanahashi\u2019s kick to the gut and turning it into a dragon screw leg whip.\u00a0 Corino again: \u201cThey are so much alike.\u201d\u00a0 Taguchi runs in, hitting ANOTHER hip attack on SANADA before trading sick enzuigiris with BUSHI that he gets the better of.\u00a0 Tanahashi catches BUSHI napping, driving the back of his head to the mat with a Slingblade.\u00a0 Both he and Taguchi dive onto EVIL and SANADA outside as Nakanishi racks up BUSHI before hitting the Hercules Cutter.\u00a0 And god damn!\u00a0 It\u2019s good for the win, ending Los Ingobernables reign in less than 24 hours!<\/p>\n<p>Winners: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi &amp; Manabu Nakanishi to win the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Titles<\/p>\n<p>After the match EVIL grabs BUSHI and the ex-champs hit the bricks.\u00a0 While the new champs help each other strap on the titles, Corino and Kelly mention that it hasn\u2019t been a good night for Los Ingobernables de Japon as well as the Bullet Club.\u00a0 They run down a list of shows that they\/I will be covering, and it is far more events than I ever anticipated.\u00a0 I\u2019m up for the challenge, though you guys may not be.\u00a0 Hey, you guys wyHeyHhave made it this far, why not hang in there for a few more?\u00a0 Seriously.\u00a0 Hang in there.\u00a0 The BSD will literally pickle my nuts in a mason jar if I cost the Torch anymore loyal readers.<\/p>\n<p><i>(Andrews Analysis:\u00a0 After the match Corino said that Tanahashi, Taguchi, and Nakanishi are the tenth champions in 367 days.\u00a0 That\u2019s a terrible average reign, bordering on making the titles useless.\u00a0 YES, six man tags are useless in general, but those titles exist for a reason.\u00a0 Please, New Japan, at least make them mean something.\u00a0 A hot potato title, or titles, is not a good thing.\u00a0 Just ask the old hardcore champions of yore.\u00a0 The match itself was\u2026oh who the hell are we kidding?\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t very good.\u00a0 Take out the Tanahashi and SANADA segments and it didn\u2019t amount to anything more than a butt hitting contest and only one man was competing.\u00a0 As far as Los Ingobernables\u2019 six-man reign goes, it might be for the best.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t it seem like BUSHI would be best served consistently being in the mix for the Junior Heavyweight title?\u00a0 Or EVIL in the NEVER Openweight division?\u00a0 OR SANADA possibly, maybe, hopefully sneaking his way in the IC title picture once Naito gets back into the Heavyweight title picture?\u00a0 I understand giving the faction work in front of a crowd interested in them, but the six-man title is such a waste of their time.\u00a0 The same goes for Tanahashi, which I am a little confused as to where they are going with him.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019s been tasked with giving those titles meaning.\u00a0 Then again, maybe he\u2019s \u201crewarded\u201d with being a title holder in order to take a short respite before going back into the IC title scene fulltime to put on those amazing thirty-plus minute wars.\u00a0 Of course, I\u2019m the new guy in all of this, so I\u2019m sure the keener eye knows better.)<\/i><\/p>\n<h3>OVERALL THOUGHTS<\/h3>\n<p>Factions, factions, and more factions.\u00a0 That\u2019s what is going on here.\u00a0 Jump into a faction now before it\u2019s too late.\u00a0 Suzuki is coming after Okada and Killer Elite Squad have probably bullied their way into a tag title shot, but what about everyone else?\u00a0 Hell, Los Ingobernables, the most interesting faction in the company are protecting one title and it seems to be in good hands.\u00a0 We know that Naito has Elgin waiting in the wings, but who is coming after the winner?\u00a0 CHAOS?\u00a0 Suzuki-Gun?\u00a0 And what about the Bullet Club?\u00a0 I started watching long after the heyday of Prince Devitt and Styles, but it seems to me as if The Bullet Club still has legs as long as they have a competent leader, most notably Kenny Omega as long as he sticks around.\u00a0 If he doesn\u2019t, does Cody RHODES take over just on the basis that he has a big enough name?\u00a0 Do they seek out the services of someone signed to the company full-time?\u00a0 Not to get all JR about it, but those shirts can\u2019t move themselves.\u00a0 Or, and I hope this isn\u2019t the case, does the group just get disbanded if Omega leaves?\u00a0 Then there\u2019s the Junior Heavyweight and NEVER Openweight titles.\u00a0 I\u2019m definitely looking forward to Goto\/Robinson and the stand-off between Takahashi\/KUSHIDA\/Lee.\u00a0 But more than anything else, what the hell is going to happen to Shibata?\u00a0 THAT\u2019s the question!<\/p>\n<p>As always, thank you for reading, even if you only surfed the whitewash.\u00a0 I appreciate you guys stopping by and welcome any feedback that comes with it.\u00a0 Positive or negative, I thoroughly enjoy all of it.\u00a0 I even joined twitter, @RWAndrews0, so feel free to ring the doorbell and leave a flaming bag on the doorstep.\u00a0 Kick a little ass this week why don\u2019t ya.\u00a0 Just be gentle with mine.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3195600571\"><div id=\"pwtor-3560967470\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING &#8211; NEW YEAR&#8217;S DASH REVIEW JANUARY 15, 2017 TOKYO, JAPAN AT\u00a0KORAKUEN HALL AIRED ON NEW JAPAN WORLD STREAMING SERVICE &nbsp; It\u2019s a little late, but cut me some slack.\u00a0 Hot off <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/01\/17\/15-new-japans-new-years-dash-tokyo-takahashi-nakanishi-kushida-ricochet-oreilly-finlay-cole-elgin-young-bucks\/\" title=\"1\/5 New Japan&#8217;s New Year&#8217;s Dash from Tokyo: Takahashi, Nakanishi, KUSHIDA, Ricochet, O&#8217;Reilly, Finlay, Cole, Elgin, Young Bucks,\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,14],"tags":[4595,404],"class_list":["post-37698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-results","category-results_japanliveevents","tag-new-years-dash","tag-njpw"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/12\/NJPW_AXS_logo.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37700,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37698\/revisions\/37700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}