Pre-show Masatora Yasuda versus Taisei Nakahara ** Thumbs Up The pair grappled to start the night. Yasuda suplexed Nakahara and applied a Boston Crab. Nakahara submitted to the hold. Main Card Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Chase Owens for the NJPW World Television Championship *** Thumbs Up Owens jumped Takeshita before the bell; fortunately for the champ, he subverted this with a DDT on the floor. The challenger recovered by kicking his opponent into the blue steel guardra

Toru Yano, YOH, & Master Wato defeated Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Taisei Nakahara *3/4 Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Down Yano battled his way out of Nakahara and Taguchi’s early plot, dodging their every move. Wato bounced Taguchi’s rather sensitive region and poked him on the shoulder to slowly fall to the mat. Taguchi waddled out of Wato’s Funky Weapon and a charging YOH. Nkaahara stomped and chopped at Wato, who swung a comeback by way of a dropkick. With but an upper

El Phantasmo defeated Hartly Jackson for the NJPW World Television Championship *** Thumbs Up Phantasmo struggled to attain any momentum against the girthy Jackson. The thick Aussie dragged his Canadian opponent onto the entrance, but the champion rebounded by catapulting him into the barricade. Jackson recovered with a Jagged Edge onto the hard floor. Hoping to leverage his larger opponent for a vertical suplex, Phantasmo instead gasped for breath after being flipped onto th

Oleg Boltin, Shoma Kato, & Tatsuya Matsumoto defeated Katsuya Murashima, Masatora Yasuda, & Zane Jay *** Thumbs Up (I was hoping for Boltin and Murashima to have a beefy exchange, but hilariously, Boltin got the better of it, which makes sense; Boltin isn’t a Young Lion and he has experience.) Jay and Matsumoto began the match, grappling to a stalemate. Kato eliminated Murashima and Jay so he and Matsumoto could work on a vulnerable Yasuda. Much to Yasuda’s misfortune, Boltin

Syuri defeated Sareee (c) for the IWGP Women’s Championship *** Thumbs Up (The exact brutal offense one would expect from joshi wrestling with some nasty, nasty headbutts. Close near calls with Sareee, but undoubtedly a big moment for the championship and Stardom. Perfect choice to rile up the crowd and start the show. History was made here, as Syuri became the first two-time winner of the IWGP Women’s Championship.) Syuri held control in the beginning lock-ups, one of which

Pre-show Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato defeated Daiki Nagai & Masatora Yasuda **1/4 Thumbs Up Murashima sunk in a deep Boston Crab on Nagai to near success. Yasuda valiantly fought out of an Avalanche Powerslam, but fell to another. Murashima kept him in the center of the ring in an unrelenting Boston Crab that tapped young Yasuda out. These four Young Lions were already good, but they’re putting their own respective feels together so finely. They’re worth keeping an eye on,