{"id":59411,"date":"2018-05-04T23:52:07","date_gmt":"2018-05-05T04:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=59411"},"modified":"2018-05-07T13:00:21","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T18:00:21","slug":"5-4-wwe-in-fukuoka-japan-okada-vs-tanahashi-and-ospreay-vs-kushida-are-two-must-match-moty-contenders-plus-big-surprise-return-angle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/05\/04\/5-4-wwe-in-fukuoka-japan-okada-vs-tanahashi-and-ospreay-vs-kushida-are-two-must-match-moty-contenders-plus-big-surprise-return-angle\/","title":{"rendered":"5\/4 WWE in Fukuoka, Japan: Okada vs. Tanahashi and Ospreay vs. Kushida are two must-match MOTY contenders, plus big surprise return angle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3328476310\" 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><b>NJPW Wrestling Dontaku (Day 2)<br \/>\n<\/b><b>May 4, 2018<br \/>\n<\/b><b>Fukuoka, Japan at Fukuoka Kokusai Center<br \/>\n<\/b><b>Streaming Live on NJPWWORLD<br \/>\nBy Ursin DeRoche, PWTorch contributor<br \/>\n<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Announcers: Kevin Kelly and Don Callis<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A video package opened the show and highlighted Will Ospreay vs. Kushida for the IWGP JR Heavyweight Championship, Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>(1) Young Lions Shota Umino &amp; Ren Narita &amp; Yuya Uemura vs. Ryusuke Taguchi &amp; Tiger Mask IV &amp; Jushin Liger<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Young Lions attacked before the bell and tossed Liger into the corner then followed up with back elbow strikes. \u00a0Liger made the tag to Tiger Mask and The Young Lions took it to him as well with a double shoulder tackle and bodyslam for a one count. \u00a0The Young Lions stomped on Tiger Mask and stopped Taguchi from making the save. Tiger mask and Uemura were in the ring as Tiger Mask fought back with kicks to the chest and back of Uemura and was able to tag in Taguchi. \u00a0Taguchi delivered two hip attacks and slaps to the head of Uemura that got a two count before the other Young Lions were in the ring to break up the pin. Taguchi tagged Liger. Taguchi then tossed Uemura to the floor. Liger tossed Uemura\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">into the railing. \u00a0Liger chopped Uemura on the outside and then tossed him into the ring and applied the Romero Special but Narita made the save. \u00a0Liger tagged Tiger Mask who hit a double underhook suplex for a two count that was broken up by the other Young Lions. Tiger Mask hit a dropkick and then slapped Uemura hard in the face five times before tagging in Liger. \u00a0Liger tried for the Shotei but Uemura fought back with a dropkick. Uemura managed to tag Umino who cleared the apron of his opponents but ended up eating a Shotei palmstrike from Liger. Liger tagged in Taguchi who hit a couple hip attacks and a kick before\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Umino fought back with a suplex. \u00a0Narita was tagged in. He cleared Tiger Mask and Liger off of the apron then landed a shoulder block on Taguchi for a two count. \u00a0Narita put Taguchi in the Scorpion Deathlock. Tiger Mask and Liger tried to make the save but were tossed outside by The Young Lions. \u00a0Taguchi nailed a hip attack on Narita for a two count. Taguchi applied an anklelock to Narita for the submission victory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: \u00a0Taguchi &amp; Tiger Mask &amp; Liger at 6:43.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin&#8217;s Analysis: \u00a0Great start to the show. \u00a0Taguchi picks up the submission win for his team after also picking up the win for his team during Day 1 as he continues to build momentum heading into Best Of The Super Juniors. (**)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(2) Chase Owens &amp; Yujiro Takahashi vs. Yuji Nagata &amp; Tomoyuki Oka<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Owens started off with Oka but Yujiro quickly ran in and helped Owens put the boots to Oka. \u00a0Nagata ran in and he and Oka hit a double shoulder tackle that took out Yujiro. They then double teamed Owens. \u00a0Oka hit a belly to belly suplex on Owens for a two count. Yujiro made his way back into the ring to help Owens double team Oka. \u00a0Owens hit a drop toe hold on Nagata followed up by the low angle dropkick from Yujiro. Owens worked over Oka with forearms and chops. \u00a0Owens tagged in Yujiro who\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">landed a leg drop on Oka for a two count. \u00a0Oka fired up and hit a modified slingblade after several kicks from Yujiro. \u00a0Nagata was tagged in and hit some stiff kicks on Yujiro before an overhead throw that got a two count. \u00a0Yujiro cut off Nagata with a fisherman buster and tagged in Owens. Nagata locked in his armbar submission on Owens but Yujiro was in to break it up. \u00a0Yujiro was dumped to the outside as Oka screamed to be tagged in by Nagata. Owens hit the Jewel Heist but only received a two count before Nagata broke up the pin. \u00a0Yujiro ran in to dump Nagata and Owens hit the package piledriver on Oka for the pin.<\/span><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2679352287\" 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><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: \u00a0Chase Owens &amp; Yujiro Takahashi at 6:20<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin&#8217;s Analysis: \u00a0This was perfectly fine for where it was on the card. \u00a0Building momentum for the show. Owens and Yujiro get their second win in as many days as a tag team. \u00a0I really enjoy watching them. This is their spot on the shows and they always make it work and can do more if asked. (**)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(3) Sho &amp; Yoh &amp; Rocky Romero vs. Taka Michinoku &amp; Iizuka &amp; Taichi<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taka, Iizuka, and Taichi attacked before the bell and the action spilled out to the floor. \u00a0Iizuka and Taichi used a chair on Sho and Yoh. Iizuka went into a spot where he took turns repeatedly biting Sho, Yoh, and Rocky Romero before chasing the ref out of the ring. \u00a0Iizuka tagged in Taichi. Iizuka stayed in the ring biting Sho on the head and the arm as the ref continued to try and get him to stop. Taichi teased Sho with boot slaps to the head. \u00a0Sho tried to fight back with weak chops only to be met with a kick and clothesline for a two count. Taichi tagged in Taka Michinoku. Taka continued to tease Sho with boot slaps to the head and back then a superkick for a two count that was broken up by Yoh. \u00a0The match broke down and Iizuka tossed Yoh into the referee and the ref was down. Taichi had his mic stand out and gave a shot to Yoh and then one to Romero. Sho fired up but was cut off by an inverted atomic drop from Iizuka and then a knee to the head from Taka and a kick from Taichi. \u00a0Iizuka\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">got the iron glove out but Sho fought it off. \u00a0Romero flew in with a dropkick that took out Iizuka. \u00a0A thrust kick from Yoh followed by a tope from Romero got rid of Taichi. \u00a0Yoh and Sho hit the 3K on Taka for the pin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: \u00a0Sho &amp; Yoh &amp; Rocky Romero at 6:13.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin&#8217;s Analysis: \u00a0This was better than the Day 1 RPG3K match, but that&#8217;s not saying much considering their Day 1 match was two minutes. \u00a0The silliness from Iizuka really hurt this one. (*)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(4) Tomohiro Ishii &amp; Toru Yano vs. Toa Henare &amp; Togi Makabe<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Henare started off blasting Ishii with forearms. \u00a0They traded strikes until Henare hit a clothesline in the corner. \u00a0Ishii slapped Henare and Henare fought back with a series of headbutts but he was taken down by a shoulder tackle. \u00a0Yano removed the turnbuckle pad while Henare and Ishii continued to exchange blows, a battle finally won by Ishii who tagged\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in Yano. \u00a0Yano whipped Henare into the exposed turnbuckle. \u00a0Yano tried the same move a second time but Henare reversed it and sent Yano into the exposed turnbuckle and then took Yano down with a flying shoulder tackle. \u00a0Henare is bleeding from the mouth after his earlier battle with Ishii. Henare tagged in Makabe who worked over Yano. Ishii tried to make a save but got a few shots of his own from Makabe. \u00a0Yano tries to fight back by raking Makabe&#8217;s eyes but gets blasted by a lariat for a two count. Yano tried to avoid Makabe but was hit by another lariat and Makabe tagged Henare. Henare took Yano down with a flying shoulder\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tackle and then knocked Ishii off the apron with a boot. \u00a0Henare hit a top rope flying shoulder tackle on Yano that got two. \u00a0Yano was able to pull down Henare by the hair and tag in Ishii. Henare and Ishii traded clotheslines before Ishii hit a german suplex. \u00a0Makabe ran in to help which allowed Henare to hit a Samoan Drop on Ishii. Henare speared Ishii for two which was broken up by Yano. Makabe was dumped to the outside by Yano who hit an inverted atomic drop on Henare and then a slingshot into the exposed turnbuckle. \u00a0Ishii hit a Saito suplex for a two count. Henare hit a big spear on Ishii for two. Henare ate a lariat from Ishii and then the vertical drop brainbuster got Ishii the pin.<\/span><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2973339937\" 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><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: \u00a0Ishii &amp; Yano at 7:35.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin&#8217;s Analysis: \u00a0Henare looked good in the minimal time he was given on Day 1. \u00a0He looked even better with more time here. Ishii is so fun to watch and Henare is great as the young kid trying to pin the veteran. \u00a0The blood in Henare&#8217;s mouth told the story of this short but hard hitting bout. (**1\/2)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(5) \u00a0David Finlay &amp; Juice Robinson &amp; Michael Elgin vs. Hirooki Goto &amp; Jay White &amp; Yoshi-Hashi<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jay White had his own solo entrance as he did on Day 1 during a multi-man tag match. \u00a0The match started off with Elgin and Goto exchanging blows. Elgin got the better of the exchange. \u00a0Goto tagged out to Jay White. White and Goto took down Elgin with a double shoulder block. Elgin dropped White with a hard chop and then tagged out to Juice who came in with a double axe handle to White&#8217;s arm. \u00a0Juice and Finlay double team White with a double bulldog. Jay White tagged out to Yoshi-Hashi. Finlay and Juice double team Yoshi with a double dropkick. Juice unloaded on Yoshi with punches. Yoshi tried to fight back with\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a \u00a0chop. \u00a0Jay White pulled down the top rope and dumped Juice to the floor. \u00a0Jay White picked up Juice and crotched him against the ring post. Everyone brawled outside the ring. \u00a0Yoshi-Hashi tagged in Goto who grounded Juice with a chinlock. Goto tagged<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yoshi-Hashi. \u00a0Goto, White, and Yoshi triple teamed Juice. \u00a0Goto and Yoshi posed in the ring but White wasn\u2019t having it and rolled to the outside. \u00a0Yoshi tagged in Jay White who hit a Saito suplex on Juice for a two count. Juice fired up on White and then made the tag to Elgin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elgin hit White with a flurry of offense and a double boot dropkick from the second rope. \u00a0Elgin hit White with two hard clotheslines in the corner and then went back to the top rope but was cut off by Goto who ate a backbreaker. \u00a0Elgin hit White with a pump handle Death Valley Driver for two. White fought back with chops and a Saito suplex. Elgin tagged out to Finlay and White tagged out to Yoshi-Hashi. \u00a0Finlay, Juice, and Elgin triple teamed Yoshi-Hashi and the match broke down with everyone brawling on the floor. Finlay hit a Uranage Backbreaker on Yoshi in the ring for a two count. \u00a0Yoshi fired back with a Western Lariat on Finlay for two. Yoshi-Hashi then hit Karma on Finlay for the pin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: \u00a0Goto &amp; White &amp; Yoshi at 11:05<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post Match &#8211; Taichi attacked Goto and Elgin with the mic stand. \u00a0Jay White tried to hit the Switchblade on Juice but Juice\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">slipped out of it and White went back to the locker room.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin&#8217;s Analysis: \u00a0Well worked six-an tag match which set up some action for the future. \u00a0Great to see Yoshi-Hashi pin someone on PPV. Nothing wrong here but also nothing spectacular. \u00a0(**)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A video package plays announcing Wrestling Dontaku 2019 for May 3rd and 4th in Fukuoka<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>(6) \u00a0Hiromu Takahashi &amp; Bushi &amp; Evil &amp; Sanada &amp; Tetsuya Naito vs. El Desperado &amp; Kanemura &amp; Lance Archer &amp; Davey Boy Smith Jr &amp; Minoru Suzuki<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suzuki-Gun attacked LIJ in the isle before the bell as all men brawled on the floor. \u00a0Suzuki went after Naito&#8217;s knee. Lance Archer chokeslammed Takahashi over the top rope and onto his LIJ teammates. \u00a0Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr, and Suzuki took turns tagging in\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and taking it to Bushi. \u00a0Naito made the save. Naito and Suzuki traded forearms before Suzuki went back to the kneebar. \u00a0Kanemura in the ring put his boot into Bushi&#8217;s throat. El Desperado was in delivering more abuse to Bushi who eventually fought back with an\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">enziguri and made the hot tag to Takahashi. \u00a0Takahashi cleared the apron of his opponents and then took down Desperado with a flying head scissors. \u00a0Kanemaru came in to help Desperado double team Takahashi but Takahashi hit a double dropkick. Takahashi\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hit a basement dropkick on Desperado for a two count. \u00a0Desperado used the ref as a shield to block Takahashi&#8217;s offense and then Desperado speared Takahashi and made the tag to Kanemaru. \u00a0The Suzuki Gun team all came into the ring and delivered multi man offense to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Takahashi. \u00a0Kanemaru went for a cover but Naito made the save. \u00a0Kanemaru and Takahashi are in the ring alone. Takahashi hit a thrust kick and both men were down as the other men fought outside. \u00a0Takahashi tagged in Naito who hit the corner slingshot kick to Kanemaru.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naito went for Destino on Kanemaru but Suzuki was in and broke it up. \u00a0Sanada came up from behind Suzuki and applied the Dragon Sleeper. KSE grabbed Sanada and attempted Magic Killer but Evil made the save. \u00a0Naito and Evil double teamed Kanemaru before Nait hit\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Destino for the pin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: \u00a0LIJ at 8:30<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin&#8217;s Analysis: \u00a0This match was an all out brawl. \u00a0By the time Naito made the pin it felt like, well, someone eventually had to do it. \u00a0(**)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the match, the members of LIJ walked back to the locker room as Naito stood in the ring alone to &#8220;Naito&#8221; chants from the live crowd.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Naito was making his way up the isle, a masked fan jumped over the barricade and began attacking Naito. \u00a0Kevin Kelly and Don Callis called for security. The masked fan grabbed a piece of the guardrail and slammed it onto Naito. \u00a0Naito was dragged to the ring where the fan revealed himself to be Chris Jericho. Jericho hit Naito with a Codebreaker in the ring. \u00a0Jericho repeatedly punched and kicked Naito as the refs and Young Lions tried to back him away. Jericho attacks all of the Young Lions and dumped them. \u00a0Jericho\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">went outside and retrieved the ring bell. \u00a0Naito is in the ring surrounded by the refs who are waving off Jericho. \u00a0Jericho nailed Naito with the ring bell. Naito was busted open and bleeding onto the mat. \u00a0Sanada, Evil, Bushi, and Takahashi came from the locker room to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">carry Naito to the back. \u00a0Jericho attacked Naito again but was chased away by LIJ, the Young Lions, and referees. \u00a0Naito refused to be stretchered out and threw the stretcher out of the ring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin&#8217;s Analysis: \u00a0Utterly brilliant segment. \u00a0So extremely effective. If you have a chance to watch this you should. \u00a0I would imagine Jericho vs. Naito is placed on the card for the Cow Palace show to help ticket sales for that 10,000 seat venue.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(7) Tanga Loa &amp; Tama Tonga &amp; Bad Luck Fale &amp; Kota Ibushi &amp; Kenny Omega vs. Cody &amp; Adam Page &amp; Marty Scurll &amp; The Young Bucks<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scurll started off with Fale and tried to slam him. \u00a0Fale slammed Scurll and Scurll tagged out to Cody. Cody spit on Omega then ran from Fale and tagged out to Nick Jackson. \u00a0Fale tagged out to Tonga. Nick and Tonga worked slides, reversals, and headlocks that ended in a double dropkick stand-off. \u00a0Matt Jackson tagged in and the Bucks looked to double team Tonga but Loa was in to cut that off and it ended in a stand-off between both teams. \u00a0Cody and Ibushi are tagged in. Ibushi hit a shoulder tackle. Cody tripped Ibushi and then took time to pose in the ring. Ibushi hit a flurry of strikes and then a standing corkscrew moonsault for a two count. \u00a0Page tags in and delivered some body shots to Ibushi that took him down. Page tagged in Matt Jackson but Matt tagged out to Marty Scurll as Matt did not want to hurt Ibushi. Scurll slammed Ibushi. Scurll tagged in Cody. \u00a0Cody and Page entered the ring and nailed Ibushi with a double back elbow and then cleared the apron of their opponents. Ibushi fought back with a dropkick and was able to tag in Omega as Cody tagged in Scurll. Ibushi hit Cody with a snap rana and then joined Omega in double teaming Scurll. \u00a0Omega tagged in Ibushi and they went for Cross Slash but the Bucks came in to stop it and talk things out. Cody and Paged pulled Omega and Ibushi out to the floor. Ibushi hit a Golden Triangle on Cody and The Young Bucks after tagging in Fale. Fale teases a dive to the outside onto The Bucks, Cody, and Page. \u00a0Scurll tried to attack Fale from behind with the umbrella but Fale saw it and grabbed Scurll. Fale attempted the Bad Luck Fall to Scurll but The Bucks made the save. The Bucks superkicked Fale. Scurll attempted to slam Fale but he fell backward with Fale on top of him for the pin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: Tanga Loa &amp; Tama Tonga &amp; Bad Luck Fale &amp; Kota Ibushi &amp; Kenny Omega<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin\u2019s Analysis: \u00a0Nothing special here as we only furthered the layers of division and questions of loyalty inside Bullet Club. (**)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the match, Omega chased Cody to the back. \u00a0Yujiro and Chase Owens appeared in the ring and everyone raised up a Too Sweet as Ibushi made his way backstage. \u00a0It appears everything really is fine with Bullet Club and that they will leave the bickering to Kenny and Cody.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>(8) IWGP JR Heavyweight Championship Will Ospreay (c) vs. Kushida<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They locked up in the center of the ring but moved into the ropes and gave a clean break. \u00a0Kushida went to work on the arm taking Ospreay to the mat. Ospreay got to his feet and tried a reversal but Kushida went back to the arm and put Ospreay down on the mat again. \u00a0This exchange happened for a third time to applause from the live crowd who seem to be behind Kushida in this one. They traded reversals a fourth time and again Kusida grounded Ospreay to applause from the audience. \u00a0Ospreay came up to his feet but Kushida took him down and into a headlock. A series of fast reversals and near misses occurred ending with Kushida throwing Ospreay\u2019s legs onto the shoulders of Red Shoes and kicking Ospreay in the face. \u00a0Ospreay took a powder so Kushida followed. Kushida moved a camerman out of the way and then ate a kick from Ospreay. Ospreay did a springboard off the barricade but Kushida caught him in an armbar. Kushida broke the armbar and tossed Ospreay back into the ring. \u00a0Kushida continued to attack the arm and had Ospreay grounded. Ospreay tried to fight back with forearms but Kushida lawn darted him into the turnbuckle pad. Ospreay was selling the arm and now the neck as he rolled around on the mat and desperately kicked at Kushida. \u00a0Kushida started to work on the neck with a crossface and then a rear chinlock. Ospreay tried to fight out of the chinlock but he couldn\u2019t. Kushida did a headstand applying even more pressure. Ospreay fought out and hit a back handspring Pele kick. Both men were down. \u00a0Kushida rolled to the outside. Ospreay hit Kushida with a cartwheel over the top rope suicide moonsault Both men were down on the floor. Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio in the ring for a two count. Ospreay hit a flying dropkick to a seated Kushida in the corner. Ospreay hit a standing shooting star press for two. \u00a0Ospreay tried the Storm Breaker but Kushida slipped out and hit a Pele Kick. After a series of counters Ospreay hit a release German suplex. Both men were down but Ospreay sat up first. He had a conversation with Red Shoes about continuing. Ospreay said he couldn\u2019t feel his fingers. Ospreay used his good arm to pull himself to his feet. \u00a0Ospreay tried to hammer and kick Kushida but it had no effect and Kushida hit a double heel kick and both men were down on the apron. They traded forearms on the apron. Ospreay attempted a Spanish Fly but Kushida grabbed the rope. Kushida was on the floor and Ospreay was on the apron. Kusida hit a DDT to the floor. Both men were down outside the ring. \u00a0The announcers began to talk about a ref stoppage. Both men were back in the ring before the 20-count. Kushida hit a springboard hurricanrana for a two count. Kushida went back to work viciously kicking Ospreay and twisting his neck and striking with knees. Ospreay hit Cheeky Nandos kick 7 times on Kushida. Ospreay hit the Imploding 450 splash from the top rope but Kushida was too close to the ropes for a pin. \u00a0Ospreay hit the Robinson Special. Ospreay went for the OsCutter but Kushida caught him in the Hoverboard Lock. Ospreay fought out of the Hoverboard Lock and hit a Spanish Fly. Both men were down. They traded forearms. They traded kicks then back to forearms. Ospreay went off the ropes and Kushida took him down with a closed right hand. Kushida repeatedly kicked Ospreay in the neck. The crowd started to boo. Kushida pulled Ospreay up to the top rope but Ospreay fought out and hit the OsCutter. \u00a0Ospreay then hit The Storm Breaker for the pin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNER: Will Ospreay at 23:45.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the match, Bone Soldier attacked Ospreay. \u00a0Tama Tonga cut a promo revealing Bone Soldier to be Taiji Ishimori. \u00a0Tonga said that Ishimori is the newest member of Bullet Club and was brought in to capture the IWGP JR Heavyweight Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin\u2019s Analysis: \u00a0This match was simply incredible. \u00a0Sure, there were high spots. But Kushida worked the arm and the neck of Ospreay. \u00a0Ospreay\u2019s selling was fantastic. Everything looked crisp and tight. This was not the type of match I think people expected from these two. \u00a0It was better than I expected. And my hopes were very high. These guys are all world and they proved it. Find this one and watch it if you missed it. Fantastic. \u00a0(*****)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>(9) IWGP Heavyweight Championship Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bell rang to a loud \u201cTanahashi\u201d chant from the live crowd. \u00a0They locked up and worked their way to the ropes where Okada gave a clean break. \u00a0Tanahashi worked the arm. Okada tried to reverse but couldn\u2019t. Tanahashi then threw a headlock to try and ground Okada. \u00a0Okada tried to escape the headlock but Tanahashi continued to hang on. Okada eventually powered out and threw a headlock of his own. \u00a0Tanahashi shot Okada into the ropes but Okada took Tanahashi down with a shoulder block. Okada tried for a Rainmaker but it was countered. \u00a0After a series of counters they were at a stand off to applause from the audience. Okada threw some forearms and an elbow but Tanahashi took him down with a chop block. \u00a0Okada tried for a Tombstone but Tanahashi rolled out and delivered a dropkick to the knee of Okada. Okada put Tanahashi on the top rope and dropkicked him down. Tanahashi tried to skin the cat but Okada was there to try for a Tombstone. \u00a0Okada couldn\u2019t get the Tombstone so he instead delivered a top rope draping DDT. Okada hit another draping DDT on the floor. Tanahashi made it inside the ring before the 20 count. Okada hit a snap mare takedown and then a basement dropkick. \u00a0Okada puts his boot on Tanahashi\u2019s chest but Red Shoes refuses to count such a nonchalant pin in an IWGP Heavyweight title match. The crowd boos Okada. Tanahashi fired back with forearms but was taken down by an uppercut. Okada rammed Tanahashi\u2019s head into the top of the turnbuckle pad and then threw some forearms. \u00a0Okada told Tanahashi to hit him. Tanahashi fought back with forearm shots but Okada cut him off and put Tanahashi in a front facelock. Okada tried to hit a neckbreaker but Tanahashi reversed it into a neckbreaker of his own. Tanahashi fired up with forearms and then hit a flying forearm that took Okada down to applause from the audience. \u00a0Tanahashi hit a stiff dropkick in the corner. Okada came out of the corner but Tanahashi dropkicked his knee again sending him flipping in the air and down to the mat. Tanahashi went for slingblade but Okada cut it off with a back elbow. Okada hit a DDT for a two count. Okada slammed Tanahashi and went for the elbow from the top rope but Tanahashi got up so Okada opted for a neckbreaker instead. \u00a0Okada tried a second time for the elbow from the top rope and hit it. Okada then gave the Rainmaker pose but Tanahashi jumped up and got in Okada\u2019s face as Okada smiled. Okada tried for a kick but Tanahashi hit a Dragonscrew lep whip. Okada rolled to the floor. Tanahashi went to the top rope and hit a high cross on Okada out on the floor. Tanahashi ran at Okada and was caught in a Tombstone on the floor. \u00a0Camera pans to a grown woman crying in the second row. Okada rolled into the ring and Tanahashi barely beats the 20-count. They were on their knees and traded stiff forearms in the ring. They got to their feet and continued to trade forearm strikes. Tanahashi ate three uppercuts that put him down. Okada dared Tanahashi to get back up as he taunted him with boots to the head. Tanahashi fires up and they stood toe to toe trading forearms and Okada almost falls twice. \u00a0Okada was finally taken down with an uppercut. Tanahashi countered Okada\u2019s dropkick attempt with Twist and Shout and then Slingblade got a two count. He went for High Fly Flow but Okada moved out of the way. Okada hit a couple dropkicks but The Rainmaker is countered by Slingblade from Tanahashi. The crowd loudly chanted \u201cTanahashi\u201d (and loudly cheered Tanahashi on through most of this match). After Tombstone reversals that didn\u2019t connect, both men crashed out in exhaustion. \u00a0Okada then hit a shotgun dropkick that leveled Tanahashi. Tanahashi hit a Tombstone and then High Fly Flow. Tanahashi went for another High Fly Flow but Okada got his knees up. Okada went for a Rainmaker but Tanahashi ducked it. Okada hit a bridging German for a one count. Okada went for The Rainmaker again but Tanahashi ducked it and hit a Dragon Suplex. Okada hit a dropkick but Tanahashi was up and hit Slingblade and both men were down. Tanahashi went to the top rope for a high cross but Okada countered with a dropkick in mid air. \u00a0Okada tried for The Rainmaker but it was ducked by Tanahashi. Tanahashi hit a Rainmaker of his own for a one count. Tanahashi slapped the holy hell out of Okada. Tanahashi repeatedly slapped Okada until Okada was down. Okada went for The Rainmaker but Tanahashi slapped him. However, Okada maintained wrist control. Okada went for The Rainmaker again but Tanahashi slapped him again as Okada continued to hold on to Tanahashi\u2019s wrist. Tanahashi slapped Okada and this time Okada lost wrist control and went down. Tanahashi went to go off the ropes but Okada grabbed him by the tights and pulled him into The Rainmaker for the pin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNER: Kazuchika Okada at 34:02<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ursin\u2019s Analysis: \u00a0A war. (*****)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the match, Okada challenged Omega for Dominion. \u00a0Okada said they had to break their 1-1-1 tie. Okada wanted no time limit. \u00a0Omega wanted best 2 out of 3 falls. Okada agreed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall Analysis: \u00a0This show started fine but felt sluggish in the middle before really cranking it up at the end with Jericho and two five-star matches. \u00a0Okada vs. Tanahashi is amazing. It\u2019s why you watch professional wrestling. I have seen all of their matches and I don\u2019t know where this one will be placed but it should be near the top. \u00a0It was a war of attrition. Okada\u2019s face was bruised. Women were crying. Unbelievable. Kevin Kelly and Don Callis were amazing on commentary and need to be applauded for adding to this the way they did. \u00a0Okada and Tanahashi are simply a pleasure to watch and I want to thank the PWTorch for letting me cover such a classic and amazing match that will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the all time great IWGP Heavyweight title defenses. \u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hit me up on Twitter @UrsinDeroche and let\u2019s talk all things NJPW, ROH, and professional wrestling past, present, and future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT MY REPORT ON THE PREVIOUS EVENT:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/05\/03\/5-3-new-japan-in-fukuoka-japan-omega-vs-page-cody-vs-iibushi-plus-elgin-zabre-jr-young-bucks-bullet-club-young-lions\/\">5\/3 New Japan in Fukuoka, Japan: Omega vs. Page, Cody vs. Iibushi, plus Elgin, Zabre Jr., Young Bucks, Bullet Club, Young Lions<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2040687542\"><div id=\"pwtor-157193173\"><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>NJPW Wrestling Dontaku (Day 2) May 4, 2018 Fukuoka, Japan at Fukuoka Kokusai Center Streaming Live on NJPWWORLD By Ursin DeRoche, PWTorch contributor Announcers: Kevin Kelly and Don Callis A video package opened the show <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/05\/04\/5-4-wwe-in-fukuoka-japan-okada-vs-tanahashi-and-ospreay-vs-kushida-are-two-must-match-moty-contenders-plus-big-surprise-return-angle\/\" title=\"5\/4 WWE in Fukuoka, Japan: Okada vs. Tanahashi and Ospreay vs. Kushida are two must-match MOTY contenders, plus big surprise return angle\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1228,"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":[46,9,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-results","category-results_japanliveevents"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NJPWdark_3x2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59411","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=59411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59415,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59411\/revisions\/59415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}