Hello friends, and welcome to the final show of 2017 and the final show before Wrestle Kingdom 12. Got some big matches including, as I understand it, a big match announcement for Wrestle Kingdom.
This show emanates from Oaska at the Edion Arena.
Katsuya Kitamura vs. David Finlay
Winner: David Finlay at 5:32. Finlay wins with the Prima Nocta.
Onto the actual show.
The Young Bucks vs. Dragon Lee and Titan
Winners: The Young Bucks at 7:18. The Bucks win with a new submission finisher called, “The Cease and Desist” it’s a combination sharpshooter and cross face. Opening match was fun, lots of big spots and action. Hope to see more of Lee and Titan as a tag team.
Taka Michinoku, El Desperado, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirai Kawato, Kushida, Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Juice Robinson
Winners: Hirai Kawato, Kushida, Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Juice Robinson at 5:19. Kushida taps out Taka with the Hoverboard Lock.
Yujiro Takahashi with Tokyo Latina and Yuki (I believe that’s her name), Chase Owens, and Cody vs. Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Togi Makabe
Winners: Kojima, Tenzan, and Makabe at 8:11. Kojima pins Ownens after a Cozy Lariat. After the match, Cody seemed to be mad at his teammates saying, “The women were a distraction.”
2017 Super Junior Tag Tournament Finals
Super 69 (ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi) vs. Roppongo 3K with Rockey Romero
Match started out fun with Taguchi charging opposite corners to clothesline both members of 3K and pretending to get blown up but then getting a burst of enrgy to hit a few more.
Roppongi 3K take over with tandem dives to the outside. They then isolate ACH and go after his taped up ribs. Later on in the match ACH misses a frog splash, further injuring the ribs. Taguchi evens things up with some hip attacks. ACH is able to hit the Midnight Star but the pin is broken up. The finish comes when Roppongi 3K hits the 3K to ACH.
Winners: Roppongi 3K at 15:51. After the match the Young Bucks come out and say this is where we point at you and you point at us. The Bucks then issue a challenge to Roppongi 3K for the Junior Tag Team Titles. They didn’t where it would take place but let’s face it, we all know it will be at Wrestle Kingdom.
Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, Sanada, Evil, and Tetsuya Naito vs. Gedo, Yoshi-Hashi, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and Kazuchika Okada
Winners: Chaos at 12:07. Okada pins Bushi with the Rain Maker. Before the Rain Maker, Okada hit Naito with a tombstone and as he was pinning Bushi, he did the round eye pose looking right at Naito.
Bullrope Death Match for the NEVER Openweight Championship
Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki (c) with Desperado and Kanemura
Yano comes out with his hair dyed a shade of orange which is what his hair color was back when he was a heel. Yano attacks Suzuki before the match starts and it’s only Suzuki who’s strapped to the rope. Yano takes out the Suzuki-gun goons but Suzuki holds down Yano so that the rope can be applied to Yano’s wrist.
The match starts out on the floor and moves up to the entrance ramp. It should be noted, to win you have to pin or submit your opponent, no touching all four corners. Back in the ring Suzuki continues to punish Yano including hanging him over the top rope as Desperado and Kanemaru stomp away on Yano. Goto runs in and makes the save to neutralize the Suzuki-gun thugs.
Yano goes after the eyes of Suzuki and takes off the corner pad but and manages to thrice send Suzuki into the exposed steel. Yano then manages to hang Suzuki over the top rope but as he is Iizuka makes his way down the entrance. Yano is distracted and Suzuki takes over. Suzuki has a chair but the ref takes it from him but Yano manages to get the chair, nails Suzuki with it, hits a power bomb for 2 as Taichi runs in to pull the ref out. Yano takes out Taichi but Iizuka runs in and hits Yano with the chair.
Yano avoids an iron glove shot and gives a double low blow to Iizuka and Suzuki. Yano charges Suzuki into the corner but Suzuki moves and Yano hits the exposed corner, Suzuki pulls Yano back into the corner and then hits the Gotch-style piledriver for the win.
Winner: Minoru Suzuki at 15:21.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay (c)
Marty takes over early on. Ospreay tries to springboard off the guardrail but Marty kicks the rail and Ospreay falls gut first on the railing. Marty then tosses Ospreay into a bunch of chairs. Back in the ring Ospreay comes back and hits a one man Spanish fly. The two men face off, exchange some swear words, then slap the hell out of each other.
Ospreay goes for a shooting star press but Scurll gets the knees up and follows up with a modified GTS for 2. Scurll then breaks Ospreay’s fingers. Scurll then hits a a flipping DDT for 2. Scurll goes for the chicken wing, Ospreay counters by draping Scurll over the top rope. Ospreay then hits a shooting star press on Scrull who is still draped over the top rope. Ospreay goes for the OsCutter but Scurll counters with the chicken wing. Ospreay rolls out of it into a pin, Scurll kicks out and rolls up Ospreay for the 3.
Winner and new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion: Marty Scurll at 17:28.
After the match Ospreay complains to the ref about his shoulder being up, it didn’t appear to be. Kushida comes out and tells Ospreay to stop complaining, then challenges Scurll to a match for the title. Ospreay tells Kushida to hop in his DeLorean and travel back to the end of the line. Out comes Takahashi wearing a groin protector, puts on a sparring helmet, then boxing gloves (a great call back to getting punched out or his fingers broken when he tried to previously challenge for the belt) he then puts his name in the mix for a title match. Scrull says he’ll face all three of them at the same time.
IWGP United States Championship Match
Beretta vs. Kenny Omega (c) with the Young Bucks
Beretta gets the advantage early on with a suicide dive to Omega on the outside. Beretta is distracted by the Bucks a Kenny pulls out a table. Kenny then turns the table upside down and suplexes Beretta on it, Beretta landed on the bars underneath the table. Kenny then puts the table on top of Beretta and hits a double stomp through the table. Kenny then poses with his face in the hole of the table saying, “Here’s Kenny.”
Don Callis explains that when Kenny doesn’t have quality competition he gets mean and just has fun in his matches, which is what we’re seeing now. They bring up his Twitter feud with Chris Jericho, wish they didn’t do that. Then mention Kenny said he could go to NY and do what they do but but nobody there could come over here and do what I do. I disagree, I think there’s a huge list of guys who could.
Kenny Omega continues to dominate Beretta but Beretta comes back with a tornado DDT. Beretta then places Omega on the middle rope, in a sitting position, and runs at Omega and hits a German suplex, it looked weird but also effective. Omega comes back countering a piledriver on the apron with a back body drop.
Omega hits a double underhook piledriver but only a 2. Omega goes up top but Beretta charges and hits a top rope German suplex sending Omega to his stomach. Beretta hits a piledriver but only a 2. Beretta then hits a piledriver on the apron. Omega rolls over onto the broken table which is leaned up against the guardrail. Beretta hits a sommersault dive over the top but Omega moves and Omega is sent crashing into the table.
Beretta breaks the 20 count but his back is cut open. Omega hits a Dr. Wiley bomb but only a 2. Omega hits a V Trigger, goes for the One Winged Angel but Beretta escapes. Beretta tries a Dude Buster but his back is too weak to get Omega up. Omega charges for a V Trigger but Beretta counters with a Dude Buster using the added momentum of Omega charging him to help get him up, but it was only a 2.
The two men are up and exchange forearm shots. Omega drills Beretta in the back with a few roundhouse kicks. Beretta comes back but runs into a V Trigger then a reverse rana for 2. V Trigger then a One Winged Angel for the 3.
Winner: Kenny Omega at 21:45.
Don Callis says there’s nobody left for Omega to beat and he’s the best wrestler in the world, if I didn’t know what was about to happen the set up for this has been really good, minus the mention during the match. Omega gets on the mic and says it was a good effort by Beretta. Omega says this is the time where whoever wants to challenge him comes out and introduces themselves. He asks for someone to come out and nobody does. Omega says nobody has the guts and there’s nobody left, in Japanese. Omega keeps saying, “Anyone?” in Japanese, then says goodbye and goodnight as the lights go out. The big screen has a countdown with scenes New York similar to his WWE entrance video as, “Judas” plays. On the video it’s Chris Jericho and says a lot of people claim to be the best in the world, Shawn Michaels, Edge, CM Punk, but they’re all gone and he’s still left. Jericho then tears up a picture of Omega. Jericho then challenges Omega to a match at Wrestle Kingdom to see who the best in the world is. I knew it was coming and I still got goosebumps. Omega gets on the mic and accepts.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match
Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c)
The match is very back and forth early on. Ibushi manages to get Tanahashi onto the floor, goes for a Golden Triangle but Tanahashi moves and kicks Ibushi’s legs so Ibushi crashes to the apron. Tanahashi goes for an Indian Deathlock and is targeting the knee of Ibushi.
Later on in the match Ibushi manages to get Tanahashi to the floor and hits the Golden Triangle. But when Ibushi tries to get back in, Tanahashi hits a dragon screw to the bead knee. Tanahashi then locks in a clover leaf. Ibushi gets out of it but Tanahashi with another dragon screw over the ring rope.
Tanahashi hits a High Fly Flow cross body to the outside. Back in the ring Tanahashi hits a sling blade for 2. Ibushi comes back with a top rope hurricanrana then lawn darts Tanahashi into the turnbuckle. Tanahashi rolls to the apron and Ibushi dead lifts Tanahashi into the ring from the second rope, only a 2.
Ibushi goes for a Phoenix splash but Tanahashi moves. Tanahashi goes for a High Fly Flow but Ibushi moves. Both men are up and exchange slaps to the side of the head. Ibushi pulls off the Last Ride popwer bomb but only a 2 count. Ibushi tries again but his knee gives out.
Tanahashi hits two rolling DDTs but Ibushi is back up with a super kick. Ibushi goes for the Kamigoye but Tanahashi moves and counters with the sling blade followed by two High Fly Flows for the win.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi at 29:26.
After the match Tanahashi cuts a promo and does an encore with some air guitar. Then the lights go out and we cut to the video of the mystery man with the knife who is coming to NJPW. The man in the video is cutting up pictures with a switchblade. Then the man’s face is shown and it’s Jay White.
White comes out with his hair dyed black in a black leather duster. White challenges Tanahashi for the title and Tanahashi seems to accept. The two men then come to blows in the middle of the ring with all the streamers. White then hits a Shellshock and exits the ring.
It should be mentioned it was announced New Japan would be returning to Long Beach, CA on March 25 at the Walter Pyramid. It’s a bigger venue than last year but not by much, maybe 1,000 to 1,500 seats, but it’s a pyramid, so that’s neat. But we got plenty of huge matches for Wrestle Kingdom announced, let’s recap.
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match
“Switchblade” Jay White vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP United States Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
Will Ospreay vs. Kushida vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Marty Scurll
IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship Match
The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi 3K
Needless to say this is shaping up to be a huge card with matches still unannounced for War Machine, Minoru Suzuki, Los Ingobernables de Japon, Cody, and Kota Ibushi.
Well, I’ll see you guys on January 4th. Probably sooner for a preview once all the matches are announced. In the mean time, follow me on Twitter at Eddyc85 and or PIWShow. Thanks for reading.