Jushin Thunder Liger’s final Korakuen Hall match takes place this morning.
He will team with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi in the main event, taking on the CHAOS team of Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI and Rocky Romero. While Liger’s last match may be the focus, it will also continue the build between Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi as they are set to face off on January 4 for the IWGP Heavyweight title.
The co-main event will be a tag team match, pitting Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi against Chase Owens and Jay White. Naito and White will be the other blockbuster title match to take place on January 4.
The rest of the undercard will feature tag team matches that will continue the build to Wrestle Kingdom. Hiromu Takahashi and Will Ospreay will be on opposite sides of a tag team match that will continue their story.
Join us for live coverage starting at 4:30 a.m. EST.
**********
TOMOAKI HONMA, RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & YOTA TSUJI DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE, TIGER MASK & YUYA UEMURA
This was just your basic opener, but it had exceptional heat from the sellout crowd.
Tiger and Taguchi had a brief, crisp exchange at the outset. Tsuji and Makabe came in and Tsuji again went after Makabe with intensity. Tsuji got a knockdown off a shoulder tackle. Honma tagged in and got cut off after missing a kokeshi.
Uemura and Tsuji renewed their rivalry and traded spots. Taguchi tagged in and had a nice back-and-forth with Uemura.
Taguchi tried a Dodon, but Uemura turned it into a victory roll for a two count. Uemura then used a single-leg crab. Taguchi rolled through into an ankle lock. Taguchi then gave up the hold and hit Dodon for the pin.
SHO, YOH & ROBBIE EAGLES DEFEATED EL PHANTASMO, TAIJI ISHIMORI & GEDO BY DQ
This was more of an angle to further the Roppongi 3K vs. ELP and Ishimori bout at Wrestle Kingdom than an actual match.
SHO attacked ELP as Bullet Club posed in the ring before the opening bell. They brawled all around the arena. SHO, YOH and Eagles hit dives from the ring and Bullet CLub teased walking out on the match.
SHO, YOH and Eagles went after Bullet Club and they brawled near the entrance Gedo used an eye rake and that allowed Bullet Club to get the heat on SHO. SHO made a hot tag to YOH and 3K hit stereo knees.
Eagles tagged in and hit a 450 to Ishimori’s leg. He put him in the Ron Miller Special. Ishimori was about to tap when ELP pulled the referee out of the ring. ELP hit Eagles with a belt shot for the DQ.
After the match, SHO and YOH laid out ELP with a 3K, then reclaimed the Super Jr. Tag League trophies that Ishimori and ELP stole weeks ago.
BUSHI DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR.
Sabre was accompanied by Taichi, who was cosplaying as Masked Black Horse. Sabre took the ref and Taichi stomped on BUSHI on the floor. BUSHI tried a headscissors but Sabre tied up his legs on the mat.
BUSHI tried a dropkick, but Sabre blocked. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick, then hit a suicide dive on Taichi. BUSHI then hit a sick DDT on the apron. The finish came out of nowhere. They traded a couple of cradles, then BUSHI used a BUSHI roll for the flash pin.
After the match, Taichi beat up the referee. Sabre sold the upset big, kicking the turnbuckle pads.
KENTA, TAMA TONGA, TANGA LOA & BAD LUCK FALE DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO, JUICE ROBINSON, DAVID FINLAY & TOA HENARE
The babyfaces were ready for a Bullet Club attack before the bell and ran wild at the outset. Their fortunes changed when Finlay missed a plancha. Loa ducked a Left Hand of God from Juice and G.O.D. spent a couple of minutes working Juice over.
Juice managed a tag to Goto. KENTA tagged in as well. Goto hit a suplex. Fale tripped Goto from the floor, allowing KENTA to hit a draping DDT for a two count. KENTA hit a Shibata dropkick. Goto countered with an ushigoroshi.
Henare tagged in and peppered KENTA with strikes. Henare hit a Samoan drop for a near fall. KENTA used a distraction from Jado on the floor to hit a lariat on Henare. Goto jumped in and KENTA nailed him with a knee strike. KENTA then hit the G2S on Henare and pinned him.
After the bell, KENTA hit Goto with a G2S. Tonga hit a gun stun on Finlay. Loa hit Apeshit on Juice. Bullet Club stands tall heading into Wrestle Kingdom.
WILL OSPREAY & TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED HIROMU TAKAHASHI & EVIL
You need to watch this match.
This was the best tag match I’ve seen this month. All of these guys are beyond great. Ishii and Ospreay are a super fun team. Ishii is all banged up, limping around, has his left knee wrapped, and is still incredible.
I’m not sure which was more impressive in the first minute of the match, Ospreay and Hiromu’s opening sequence or Kevin Kelly’s call of the sequence. They did about three dozen moves and Kelly called all of them.
EVIL and Ishii tagged in and started brawling in the corner. Ishii hit a series of chops and forearm strikes to the throat. EVIL came back with hard slaps and Ishii went down. Hiromu and EVIL went after Ospreay and Ishii on the floor.
Ospreay got sent into the barricade, then thrown on top of the English announce desk. EVIL and Ishii took the fight back to the ring. Hiromu tagged in and hit some chops on Ishii. Ishii hit a powerslam and tagged Ospreay.
Hiromu teased a sunset bomb to the floor. Ospreay teased an apron bomb, then hit a flying headscissors on the floor. Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio off the barricade. This was an excellent sequence, but terrifying.
Back in the ring, Hiromu hit a clothesline. Ospreay missed a handspring kick, but landed on his feet out of a German. Hiromu hit a pop-up powerbomb. Both tagged out.
EVIL and Ishii traded strikes. Ishii had a bloody lip. They traded suplexes. EVIL hit a fisherman buster for a two count. Ospreay hit a kick from the apron. Ishii hit a German. Ospreay used Ishii as a springboard for a standing shooting star, then as a base for Pip Pip Cheerio. Ishii got a near fall.
Hiromu jumped in for a double team. EVIL and Hiromu hit superkicks. EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a near fall as Ospreay saved. Hiromu and Ospreay traded. Hiromu suplexed Ospreay into the buckle. EVIL hit Ishii with a lariat for a two count.
Ishii blocked Everything is EVIL. EVIL blocked a lariat. Ospreay hit a Sasuke Special on Hiromu. Ishii hit a sliding lariat on EVIL for a two count. Ishii then hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster and pinned EVIL.
TETSUYA NAITO & SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED JAY WHITE & CHASE OWENS
Naito and White went after each other at the opening bell. White still had his ring jacket on. Gedo grabbed Naito’s ankle allowing White to take over. White choked Naito with his ring jacket and threw him into the barricade.
Owens tagged in and missed a fist drop and an elbow drop. Naito hit a low dropkick and tagged out. Shingo hit a big vertical suplex. Owens used a hair pull and teased a package piledriver. Shingo teased a sliding lariat. Owens connected with a shining wizard, but not the shiniest wizard. Both tagged out.
Naito hit combinacion cabron in the corner on White. White hit a back elbow, then spiked Naito with a DDT. White hit a Blade Buster for a two count. Naito made his own comeback with a series of hard elbows, working on White’s arm, setting up Destino. Naito shoved the referee. White hit a snap suplex into a double down.
Owens tagged in and hit a dropkick. Naito hit a neckbreaker, then tagged Shingo. Shingo and Owens traded strikes. Shingo ended the exchange with a lariat.
White and Naito jumped in. Naito hit a swinging DDT on White, then an enziguri on Owens. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber on Owens, then hit Last of the Dragon for the pin.
After the match, White and Naito continued to fight on the floor. Naito sent White into the barricade, then threw him into the audience. Naito taunted White ahead of their Wrestle Kingdom bout.
KAZUCHIKA OKADA, YOSHI-HASHI & ROCKY ROMERO DEFEATED JUSHIN LIGER, HIROSHI TANAHASHI & KOTA IBUSHI
Liger wore his Black Liger gear.
Liger winning would have been the feel-good moment of the year, but there are bigger masters to serve with Wrestle Kingdom on the horizon. Knowing how NJPW tends to book retiring legends as well, this had to be the expected finish.
Ibushi and Okada began. They milked the crowd. Red Shoes did the bit where he judges the dueling chants.
Okada and Ibushi traded strikes. Ibushi hit a big mid kick. Okada missed a dropkick. Ibushi ducked a Rainmaker. Okada ducked a high kick. This was a good tease for January 4. Both tagged out.
Liger and Romero tagged in. They shook hands, then locked up. Liger hit a shoulder tackle. Romero missed a baseball slide. Liger hit a baseball slide, then used the Romero Special. Tana and YH got tags.
Tana and YH traded chops. YH hit his dropkick to the ack with Tana draped over the ropes. All six men brawled around ringside. YH sent Tana into the barricade. Okada rammed Ibushi’s head into the Wrestle Kingdom briefcase.
Back inside, YH worked over Tana in the corner. Okada tagged in for a slingshot senton. Romero tagged in and hit chops and forever clotheslines, then used a jumping knee strike for a near fall.
YH tagged back in. YH and Tana exchanged chops and forearms. Tana hit a slap, then a dragon screw, then tagged Ibushi. Ibushi hit a running mid kick, a series of slaps, then a standing corkscrew moonsault for a near fall.
YH came back with a low dropkick, then tagged Okada. Okada hit a back elbow. Ibushi hit some punches. Okada countered with a flapjack. He tried a tombstone, but Ibushi blocked, then hit a powerslam and a second rope moonsault for a near fall.
Ibushi hit a high kick. He teased Kamigoye, but Okada blocked and hit an armdag. Ibushi answered with a dropkick. Liger tagged in and hit YH with a shotei, Romero with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, a shotei to Okada, then hit a top rope brainbuster on Okada for a two count as YH saved.
Liger teased a Liger Bomb. Okada blocked. Liger used a sunset flip for a near fall. Liger ducked a Rainmaker, then hit a spinning shotei. Liger hit a Liger Bomb. He covered, but YH ran in for the save.
Ibsuhi and Tana hit stereo planchas. Liger blocked a Rainmaker and hit a slap to the face. Liger tried a brainbuster. Okada blocked, then hit a spinning tombstone. Okada then hit the Rainmaker and pinned Liger.
After the bell, Okada whispered something to Liger.
Liger was helped to the back. Tana went to the back along with Romero and YH, leaving Okada and Ibushi in the ring.
Okada and Ibushi went nose-to-nose and bumped chests. Okada posed on the buckle with his belt as indoor snow began to fall.
White ran in and attacked Ibushi and Okada. Naito ran in and attacked White. Gedo hit Naito with a chair. White laid out Naito with a suplex.
White hit a snap suplex on Ibushi. Gedo hit Okada from behind. White then laid out Okada with a snap suplex. Okada slipped out of a Blade Runner, then hit a dropkick.
Okada cut a promo. He said he’s the best there is. He said Ibushi better give him his all on January 4. Okada posed with his belt, with snow falling.
Okada then told the crowd he had three things to tell them. He thanked Liger, thanked everyone that came to see NJPW in 2019, and said he’ll see everyone at the sold-out Tokyo Dome on January 4 and January 5.
Comments are closed