Show is available at NJPWWorld.com.
FIRST MATCH: Juice Robinson, Tomoaki Honma & Yuya Uemura vs. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Bad Luck Fale & HIKULEO)
Quick and simple tag match to start. Ishimori and Uemura have some seriously excellent exchanges. Hopefully they get to do more of that in the weeks, months, and years to come.
Need To Watch Rating: (4.0)
SECOND MATCH: Togi Makabe & Ten-cozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) vs. Yuji Nagata, Toa Henare & Manabu Nakanishi
Your opinion of this match is going to entirely depend on your opinion of Toa Henare. It seemed to be some kind of exam for the former-Young Lion.
Need To Watch Rating: (3.0)
THIRD MATCH: Michael Elgin, Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
Shingo Takagi suplexes Michael Elgin in this match, so I am all but convinced Takagi’s Jr. Heavyweight status is a work, a con, a fugazi!
Need To Watch Rating: (3.5)
FOURTH MATCH: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & EVIL) vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)
This is a quick match, filled with your usual Suzuki-gun shenanigans.
Need To Watch Rating: (2.9)
FIFTH MATCH: Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay & Hirooki Goto vs. Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer & TAKA Michinoku)
Solid round 2 preview, as well as the usual Suzuki-gun antics. Goto is probably one of the most tragic figures in NJPW today. He’s so good. He wins when it doesn’t matter. He loses when it matters. I could weep.
Need To Watch Rating: (5.0)
SIXTH MATCH: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. Colt Cabana, Mikey Nicholls & Ryusuke Taguchi
This series keeps getting better. These matches have done spectacular work of elevating Cabana, Nicholls & Taguchi on the NJPW platform. They’re also damn fun matches to watch.
Need To Watch Rating: (7.0)
SEVENTH MATCH: New Japan Second Round Match: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Chase Owens
Both of these men are starved for respect, and they finally earn it here. Go watch this phenomenal match. Owens is a despicable heel. YOSHI-HASHI has found his fighting spirit.
Need To Watch Rating: (9.7)
MAIN EVENT: New Japan Second Round Match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi
Ishii and Taichi are both solidified main eventers, that never seem to win the big one. Seeing them face off in a main event match like this was thrilling. Taichi brought out his hardest hitting side to date, and Ishii responded in kind. It’s a marathon of punishment and required viewing for anyone keeping up with The Cup.
Need To Watch Rating: (10.0)
