It's the night many of us never thought we'd see: An invasion of Madison Square Garden by another wrestling promotion. Tonight, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor co-promote a supershow from "The World's Most Famous Arena." Can both companies make the most of this situation on WrestleMania 35 weekend and with the upcoming arrival of All Elite Wrestling at the end of next month? Let's find out?
NJPW/ROH G1 Supershow
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York
4/6/19
Pre-Show
HONOR RUMBLE
30 Men Rumble ala Royal Rumble
Entrant #1- Kenny King
- Kenny demanded to be #1 apparently.
Entrant #2- MINORU SUZUKI!!!!
Kenny King vs. The King. (For some reason, Suzuki's theme is edited out!)
Entrant #3- Cheeseburger
Cheeseburger goes after both Suzuki and King. Suzuki grabs the hair and delivers one hell of a forearm.
Entrant #4- Beer City Bruiser
(The production of this show looks awesome. It looks almost WWE-esque.)
Beer City Bruiser delivers some jabs and goes to bite Cheeseburger. He can't really bite anyone. He has no teeth.
Entrant #5- SHO!
Entrant #6- Shingo Takagi
No one has been eliminated yet. Shingo is trying hard though on Sho.
Entrant #7- BUSHI
Bushi and Shingo team up on SHO
Entrant #8- YOH
Yoh fights off Bushi and Shingo from his partner.
Entrant #9- Shaheem Ali (Coast 2 Coast)
The Beer City Bruiser is eliminated.
Entrant #10- Rhett Titus
Rhett poses in the ring and keeps everyone from stopping him.
Entrant #11- LSG (Coast 2 Coast)
Entrant #12- TAGUCHI
Hip attacks go around.
Entrant #13- Will Ferrara
Rhett Titus hugs Will Ferrera in the ring. Ferrera gets whipped into some opponents.
Entrant #14- Chase Owens
He counters a Hip Attack into an Atomic Drop. Great counter.
Entrant #15- Rocky Romero
Forever Clotheslines for many of the competitors in this match.
So far, I think only Bruiser has been eliminated. Baseball attacks with many wrestlers rounding the base to clothesline Bushi in the corner.
Bushi is eliminated by Rocky Romero.
Entrant #16- Brian Milonas
Milonas catches Coast 2 Coast. He eliminates them both.
Entrant #17- BAD LUCK FALE!!!!
Roppongi 3K is GONE! Fale eliminated them both!
Entrant #18- Jonathan Gresham
CHEESEBURGER IS THROWN ON THE SHADOW SQUAD! FALE PULLS THEM IN AND ELIMINATES THEM JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT! BUT BURGER IS STILL IN!
RHETT TITUS is gone!
Shingo is eliminated by Kenny King.
Entrant #19- Tracy Williams
Williams and Suzuki go at it.
Entrant #20- YOSHI-HASHI
(I know I've been hard on YOSHI-HASHI in the past. But I'm genuinely happy to see him on this show.)
Taguchi is eliminated as Hashi gets into the ring.
Entrant #21- PJ Black
Will Ferrara dumped out by Suzuki.
Chase Owens is eliminated.
Entrant #22- JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER!
The crowd is losing it! WHAT A POP! Shoteis going around. Thunderous LIGER chants! Liger dumps Milonas out!
Entrant #23- TK O'Ryan
Entrant #24- Vinny Marseglia (I'm proud of myself. I got the last name right without the graphics on the TV)
Tracy Williams is gone.
Entrant #25- DELIRIOUS
Delirious laps the ring several times.
Entrant #26- ISHII
OK! This changes everything! Here comes The Stone Pitbull! Ishii goes after anyone in his way. Ishii eliminates PJ Black
Entrant #27- TORU YANO!
Yano runs out and tells COLT TO TAKE HIS PLACE!!! YANO IS ON COMMENTARY!
Entrant #27- COLT CABANA! LOL!
Yano is yelling BOOM to Colt's elbows! Yano: "GOOD GOOD GOOD!"
Kelly: Why don't you want to compete?
Yano: I Don't Know!
Entrant #28- HIROOKI GOTO!
Yoshi-Hashi has been eliminated.
Everyone is ganging up on Fale. Fale is GONE!
Entrant #29- HAKU!!!! OH MY GOD!
LET'S GET A HAKU VS. SUZUKI FACEOFF!!!!
Colt goes after Haku! TONGAN DEATH GRIP!!!!
Entrant #30- THE GREAT MUTA!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH MY GOD!!!!!
Entrant #31- Yano is officially in the match.
Muta enters the ring and eliminates Delirious. Colt goes after Suzuki, but Suzuki dumps out both Colt and Yano. Gresham is gone. Goto and Suzuki go at it on the apron. Goto is gone. Cheeseburger is in the corner. ISHII AND SUZUKI ARE FOREARMING EACH OTHER! This is awesome! The crowd is loving this. Ishii picks up Suzuki in a GSP position and tries to dump him. Suzuki goes for the armbar over the ropes, but Ishii dumps out Suzuki. Cheeseburger fights off O'Ryan and Marseglia. House of a Thousand Corpses to Burger. He's eliminated. Haku goes after The Kingdom. Double Dropkick to Haku. Haku gets dumped out by The Kingdom. Ishii goes after them. Ishii is eliminated.
We're down to O'Ryan, Marseglia, Muta, and Liger. Marseglia and O'Ryan are eliminated. OH MY GOD! It's MUTA VS. LIGER!!!! OH MY FREAKING GOD!
The crowd erupts! Shotei to Muta in the corner. Dragon Screw to Liger. Elbow to the chest by Muta. Kenny King comes out and dumps out both Muta and Liger. WHAT?! The officials are saying King was never eliminated. MIST TO THE EYES OF KING! Muta walks off and lets Liger take his final bows in front of the live crowd. A LOUD THANK YOU LIGER for Liger as he walks to the back.
Winner: Kenny King
Match Grade: B+. This was a lot of fun for a Battle Royal. Despite the screwball finish (seriously. King was not on the screen for a long time), this was awesome. Almost everyone got a moment to stand out by doing something in the match. The mind-blowing moments of having Suzuki, Haku, Liger, and Muta in the Rumble were awesome. And I love anytime Ishii and Suzuki trade shots. The production values of this show look great as well, even though the themes being edited out annoyed the hell out of me.
Main Show
A video shows ROH and NJPW talent talking about tonight's show at The Garden
Fireworks go off at the entrance ramp. Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni, and Kevin Kelly are on commentary and run down the big matches on the card.
Match #1
Winner Takes All
Championship vs. Championship
ROH TV Championship vs. NEVER Openweight Championship
Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Will Ospreay (c)
The bell rings. Cobb bulldozes Ospreay down in the ring. Outside the ring, Ospreay hits a Springboard Forearm and does a Sasuke Special to Cobb. Cobb catches him though, but Ospreay reverses into a DDT. Back in the ring, Cobb and Ospreay continue to play cat and mouse. Cobb catches Ospreay on the corner and hits a DEADLIFT DELAYED SUPLEX OFF THE CORNER! (He held him up for 10 seconds). But he only gets a 2 count. Ospreay continues to be the victim of Jeff Cobb's size for the next few minutes, with one spot being a Leg Scissors Takedown reversed into a Bear Hug. Handspring Back Kick by Ospreay breaks the momentum. Ospreay then starts gets a 619 in. Another Phenomenal Forearm in the ring by Ospreay gets a 2. Ospreay goes for Stormbreaker, but Cobb is too big. Big Fall-Away Slam by Cobb. Corner Uppercut by Cobb. Cobb hits a Standing Moonsault on Ospreay for a 2 count.
Ospreay and Cobb start going back at it in the middle of the ring. Ospreay goes for a lariat, but Cobb does not budge. The kicks work though. Cobb hits Ospreay with a superkick! SPANISH FLY BY OSPREAY! (COBB is a beast for being able to do that move with Ospreay. So much respect for both these guys.) Ospreay is back up on the top rope. Missile Dropkick to the shoulder on Cobb. Ospreay goes for the Forearm Shot to the back of the head. Tour of the Islands avoided.. Cobb gets caught in a powerbomb. 2 count. Oscutter caught. BIG LARIAT BY COBB! Cobb climbs up to the top rope! FROG SPLASH MISSES! Robinson Special kick to the back of the head connects for Ospreay. Oscutter.... is stopped again. Ospreay GETS IT IN ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT! 1-2-COBB KICKS OUT AT 2.99!!!! Ospreay goes for Hidden Blade. He goes for the kick to the back of the head instead. Stormbreaker is avoided as Cobb gets to the corner. Ospreay kicks Cobb's face. Ospreay climbs up with Cobb, but Cobb hits SUPER TOUR OF THE ISLANDS OFF THE CORNER! ANOTHER ONE IN THE CENTER OF THE RING! 1-2-3!
Winner: Jeff Cobb (STILL ROH TV CHAMPION; NEW NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A. Excellent match to start off the show here. Cobb and Ospreay just amazed with what they were able to both do in this. Ospreay will likely regain the championship at Dominion in June.
Match #2
Rush vs. Dalton Castle
Castle has a big entrance with confetti and a lot of "boys" to go down to the ring with him.
Rush hits Castle with three running dropkicks into the corner! 1-2-3!!!!
HOLY CRAP!
Winner: Rush
Match Grade: N/A (A for awesomeness). If you want to put over a talent, you have someone beat a former World Champion like this. That's awesome. I know that's going to go bad for some fans, but Rush just made an impact. And this company wants to put some money on its investment.
Castle is stunned in the ring. He doesn't know what to think. The Boys check on him, but Castle doesn't want any help. Castle starts beating up The Boys! HEEL TURN! BANG-A-RANG!
(And finally, just like that, Castle just took back some heat and went in a new fresh direction.)
A commercial for G1 Climax 29 starting on July 6th from Dallas, TX.
Juice Robinson has been attacked backstage. We see someone running off, but we can't tell who it was.
Match #3
WOH Championship
Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Kelly Klein
Iwatani and Klein take it to the mat early on with Klein taking an early advantage. Iwatani gets a chinlock on Klein, but Klein stands up and rams her into the corner. She catches Iwatani diving off the ropes and slams her down on the mat. Klein is sent on the floor. Crossbody off the top rope onto Klein on the floor! Klein is being counted out as Iwatani is back into the ring. Klein takes back the advantage. Poison Rana by Iwatani gets a 2. Klein took that awkwardly, but she got down in position for the roll-up at least. Iwatani is dumped on her head in a German Suplex, and she gets knocked down with a lariat. Dragon Suplex by Iwatani, but Klein gets her foot on the ropes due to the move. A moonsault misses. Klein hits a big lariat and covers for 2. Powerbomb in the middle of the ring. 2 count only. (I was hoping that would be a 3.) K-Power. A second one. 1-2-3!
Winner: Kelly Klein (NEW WOH Champion)
Match Grade: C-. That match was sloppy, and you could feel the crowd just wanting it to be over. They had some moments in the match, but that wasn't a great match by any stretch of the imagination. The Women of Honor division need help.
After the match, Iwatani and Klein embrace in the ring. Klein poses for the crowd emotionally. THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ARE HERE!!!!! ANGELINA LOVE AND VELVET SKY!!!! YES!!!! Mandy Leon (who was on commentary during the match) attacks Klein from behind. Other women from the division run down and get knocked down. The new group take a video selfie in the ring and mark Klein's face with lipstick. I guess they are The Mean Girls now. No. They are The Allure. They pose on the screen, and their logo pops up on the screen. (They put their A logo on Klein's face with the makeup.)
(FINALLY, something that can put some eyes and attention on the WOH division. They needed this to now get some heat on the talent. Now, you want to see Kelly Klein face off with these women and get revenge. THIS gets eyes on the screen.)
Kevin Kelly tells us that Juice is not being allowed to compete tonight.
Caprice Coleman joins the announce team.
We get a rap performance from the guy who put together the theme for tonight: "Going to the Garden." Mega Ran. The crowd starts booing. Here comes Bully Ray. A loud "ECW" chant from the crowd, including "We Want Tables." Mega Ran wants to leave the ring peacefully. He says he's from Philly. The crowd boos even more. Mega Ran mentions D-Von. The fans want Bully to (bleep) up Mega Ran. Bully tells Mega Ran that the crowd wants him to get out. Bully pushes down Mega Ran. Ran mans up to Bully, but he gets pushed back down and hits with a chain.
Bully talks about what happened to Juice. The Open Invitation for The NY Street Fight is On.
IT'S FLIP GORDON!
Match #4
New York Street Fight
Flip Gordon vs. Bully Ray
Flip has gained some muscle mass. SUPERKICK to Bully! Springboard Spear! Flip jumps off the top rope, but he gets hit with a 3D by Bully! Bully goes under the ring and gets the table. Bully opens it up in the ring. Bully gets superkicked by Flip. Flip has a Kendo Stick, but Silas Young and Shane Taylor jump Flip in the ring. They hold Flip up on the table while Bully goes for the kendo shot. Here comes Lifeblood. Juice Robinson and Mark Haskins come out with weapons. Juice tells the crowd that it is now a 6-Man Street Fight. Todd Sinclair approves it.
Match #4
New York Street Fight
Bully Ray, Silas Young, and Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon, Juice Robinson, and Mark Haskins
Juice runs in the ring and does the Juice jabs. Rake to the eyes by Bully. Bully jabs. Juice jabs right back. LEFT HAND FROM GOD! Silas hits Juice with the chair across the back. Silas hits The Plunge on Juice and a chair. But Haskins comes in and beats down Silas. Taylor beats down Haskins, and Flip takes him down. Flip and Haskins dive out to the floor on Young and Taylor. Bully attacks the faces with the kendo stick. Silas, Taylor, and Bully have Kendo Sticks. with Flip all alone in the ring. Flip gives the back to Silas. He takes it. He does the same for Taylor, but he gets back up after the hit. H wants Bully to do it. He's literally bleeding from the back. He slaps Bully, who WAFFLES him with the stick. All 6 men now have Kendo Sticks! Silas takes the assault as does Taylor. Bully is left alone with the faces. Bully runs for it. Juice runs out and throws Bully back in. Bully begs off. Bully admits to hitting Juice. Low blow to Juice. Flip hits a dropkick to Bully. Bully is put on the corner. Pele Kick on Silas. But Flip dives off the ropes into Taylor who has a Trash Can. Bully is still on the corner. A table is brought in. Uh-oh.
Silas and Taylor set up the table. Bully is on the corner. They put Flip on Bully's shoulders. FLIP goes down through the table tahnks to Bully. Juice and Haskins split Bully's legs against the ring post. "MY BALLS!" Bully yells. Haskins and Silas are going at it in the ring. Anarchist Suplex on a chair by Silas. Silas puts Haskins on the corner. Chairs are set up below on the mat. Young gets put on the chairs. DOUBLE STOMP OFF THE CORNER BY HASKINS TO SILAS! GREETINGS FROM 216 by Taylor to Haskins.
Taylor goes back out and gets a wood pallet!!!! He brings it into the ring and places it in the corner. Juice hits Taylor putting him into that corner. CANNONBALL TO TAYLOR INTO THE PALLET! Bully is triple teamed by the faces. Bully is set up for WHAT'S UP!!!! HASKINS DOES THE DAMAGE!!!! Spinebuster! 450! 1-2-3!
Winners: Juice, Haskins, and Flip!
Match Grade: A-. That was a fun series of events here. Flip wrestling was a great surprise as it didn't seem that he was going to be available for this show. I enjoyed this for the fun brawl that it was supposed to be.
Match #5
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Bandido vs. Dragon L
Well, this is going to be impossible to call for me. I'll just hit the highlights.
Bandido flies onto Dragon Lee on the floor about 30 seconds into the match. Dragon Lee answers back by hitting a running Hurricanrana to Bandido to the floor. Isihimori hits a running moonsault off the corner, not to be undone. Combination Cabron to Ishimori in the corner by Dragon Lee. The action is too fast and awesome to adequately call. Tiger Driver by Dragon Lee gets a 2 count only as Ishimori kicks out. These guys are 5 minutes into the match, and they've damn near killed each other. Bloody Cross to Dragon Lee. 1-2-Kickout. These three men continue to go back and forth in rapid movement. Dragon Lee and Ishimori fight on the corner. Bandido climbs up with them. A DOUBLE MOONSAULT SLAM OFF THE CORNER ON ISHIMORI AND LEE!!!!
THIS IS AWESOME! I agree with the crowd. REVERSE RANA ON BANDIDO BY LEE! Running Knee to Ishimori. Dragon Lee hits a Suplex into a Powerbomb! 1-2-3!!!!
Winner: Dragon Lee
Match Grade: A+. I couldn't call all of the action going on in this match. That was incredible. Move for move for move, these three just blew the roof off of MSG with that match. Each one of them just set the pace for what this show should be.
Bandido and Dragon Lee shake hands after the match. Bandido puts the belt on Dragon Lee.
Match #6
Tag Title Winner Takes All
IWGP and ROH Tag Team Championships
Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. PCO/Brody King (c) vs. The Briscoes vs. Evil/Sanada
PCO is on an electric chair and gets brought to life by a car battery and Destro. Oh God. Chaos breaks out quickly as Mark Briscoe gets flipped over the ropes. PCO hits a Somersault Suicide Dive on Mark in the ring. G.O.D. and King/PCO face off in the ring. The Briscoes pull out PCO/King. Evil and Sanada run in to take their spot. Paradise Lock is put on Tanga Loa. The Briscoes get in the ring and take advantage on Sanada. This is a war. No tags. Just violence.
Brody King takes out The Briscoes. Loa and King go at it. A Hurricanrana by King. KING TAKES OUT G.O.D. and his own partner WITH A SUICIDE DIVE! Tonga and Mark Briscoe are in the ring. The Briscoes double-team Tonga.2 count. Tama Tonga dropkicks Jay out of the ring. Evil goes swinging with the chairs around Tonga's neck. Jay Driller and Froggy Bow on Sanada, but the pin gets broken up. King sets up Briscoe on the apron. PCO HITS THE TOP ROPE SENTON! GONZO BOMB TO MARK BRISCOE! PCO HITS THE MOONSAULT! 1-2-G.O.D. Breaks it Up! Loa spears down King. PCO goes nuts chopping Tonga. PCO GETS POWERBOMBED OUT OF THE RING BY G.O.D. ONTO THE FLOOR!!!! PCO SITS UP!!!! King blocks Gun Stun. King Lariats Loa. JADO WITH THE CANE! GUN STUN!!!! SUPER POWERBOMB! G.O.D. HAVE DONE IT!!!!!
Winners: G.O.D. (NEW ROH TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS; STILL IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS)
Match Grade: B+. A bit of a cluster, but this was a fun match. G.O.D. are working America apparently. That's awesome. Bullet Club should be international.
Yano is coming out, and he's got the IWGP Tag Team Championships. He's running off with the belts!
The crowd is booing about something. Apparently, there's some sort of confrontation going .
Match #7
British Heavyweight Championship
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Tanahashi comes out to a thunderous ovation from the crowd. The Ace has come to The Garden.
(According to Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet, Enzo and Cass invaded the show trying to get attention. But they've been chased out of the arena. Deservedly so. Bombarding someone's show to make a name for yourself is low-rent at this point, especially for two guys who lost their jobs because they couldn't handle their business, act right, and behave like professionals. Another guy said that they jumped the rails and tried to hijack the show. Seriously, just go away. Or to Impact. Same deal.)
Taka Michinoku is out with Zack Sabre Jr. WELCOME TO ZACK SABRE TIME! Taka does the introductions in English. This is awesome!
The bell rings. Tanahashi and Sabre go back and forth. Sabre catches Tanahashi with an armbar, but Tanahashi gets to the ropes. Tricep Stomp by Sabre. Tanahashi no sells some kicks and starts getting hyped up. Tanahashi can't "skin the cat," and Sabre works the arm as a result in the ropes. 5 minutes have passed. More Tricep attacks by Sabre, but Tanahashi answers back with a dropkick to the knee. Tanahashi starts fighting back, but Sabre gets a Cobra Twist in. Tanahashi reverses it. But Sabre gets out and continues to attack the arm in the ropes. Dragon Screw LegWhip by Tanahashi on the ropes to Sabre. But Sabre reverses into a Triangle Choke on Tanahashi. Tanahashi reverses that back into the Cloverleaf. Sabre gets to the ropes.
(And now I'm reading that Bret Hart was attacked at the HOF by some crazed fan. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON TONIGHT?! Seriously.)
Tanahashi has Sabre down. He goes up to the top rope, but Sabre stops him from diving off. Sabre jumps up and puts on a Kimura Lock on the corner. Tanahashi's arm is twisted onto the ropes and again in the middle of the ring. Sabre goes for the PK, but Tanahashi grabs it. European Roll-Up almost gets the win. PK by Sabre likewise almost gets the pin. O'Connor Roll by Tanahashi for a 2. Inverted Dragon Screw by The Ace. Sabre almost gets Tanahashi again with a roll-up. TWIST AND SHOUT! Another one! A 3rd one! SLING BLADE!!! Sabre kicks out at 2.
Dragon Suplex blocked. Tarantula by Sabre on Tanahashi. The Ace is bleeding from the mouth. Sabre transitions into another deep submission!!!!! Tanahashi can't get into the ropes. His arms are behind his torso!!!! TANAHASHI SUBMITS!!!!
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
Match Grade: A-. Sabre just got another huge victory in his career, and this could arguably be the biggest. He just beat Tanahashi in Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people in front of the biggest crowd ever. I loved the psychology of this match with it being hold for hold. I am surprised by the outcome, but I'm happy that Sabre gets this type of win. It helps elevate him that much more.
Match #8
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
Naito takes his good old time getting ready for the match. He finally takes off the ring gear.
The bell rings. A loud "Holy (bleep" chant breaks out. Naito looks around like "We haven't done anything yet." Naito side steps a confrontation with Ibushi a couple times. Naito does not give clean breaks to Ibushi. The war is on. Both men transition from move to move. Tranquilo Pose by Naito stops the offense. Snap Rana by Ibushi puts Naito down. Naito goes to the floor. Golden Triangle avoided. Naito dropkicks Ibushi to the floor. Naito whips Ibushi all over ringside. He whips Ibushi so hard that he flips into the front row. The fans help Ibushi over the rail back to ringside. Ibushi gets back into the ring.
Combinacion Cabron by Naito (Corner Leg Sweep/Dropkick). 2 count after a neckbreaker. Naito continues the assault in the ring with a neck twist hold on Ibushi. Ibushi gets a dropkick on Naito. Ibushi gets his classic kicks and strikes in. A standing moonsault only gets a 2. Ibushi gets dropped onto the top turnbuckle and hit with a one legged dropkick. 2 count only. Naito drops Ibushi's back of the head on his knee a couple times. Dropkick to that area only gets a 2 count. Ibushi is placed on the corner. Naito climbs up. Naito is set up and gets kicked down to the floor by Ibushi. Ibushi sets up Naito for the sickening Deadlift German Suplex off the ropes. Naito avoids it. They are fighting on the apron. IBUSHI HURRICANRANAS NAITO OFF THE APRON ONTO THE FLOOR! WOW!
SPRINGBOARD DOUBLE STOMP in the ring! 1-2-NAITO kicks out! Rolling Kick by Naito TORNADO DDT! 1-2-KICKOUT! This is indeed awesome as the crowd says. SUPER HURRICANRANA OFF THE CORNER BY NAITO! GLORIA! 1-2-KICKOUT! Naito calls for Destino. Ibushi fights off Destino. Fast paced offensive flurry by both men with Ibushi getting a lariat on Naito.
Naito is on the apron. Ibushi sets him up. He climbs the ropes. DEADLIFT GERMAN SUPLEX DUMPS NAITO ON HIS HEAD!!!! 1-2-KICKOUT! 15 minutes have passed. Ibushi exposes his knee for the Kamigoye. He sets up Naito for something else. Straight Jacket German. 1-2-Kickout. Ibushi holds on. Naito and Ibushi reverse moves until Ibushi gets dumped on his head. 1-2-Kickout by Ibushi. This is a war. They start trading forearms and punches. Naito spits in Ibushi's face and kicks him in the face. Ibushi is getting ticked. HARD SLAP! Reverse Rana to Ibushi! DESTINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 1-2-KICKOUT BY IBUSHI! This crowd explodes! DESTIN- NO! Ibushi kicks Naito's head. "THIS IS AWESOME!"- The crowd and me.
BOMAYE!!!! IBUSHI grabs Naito! Another BOMAYE! 1-2-KICKOUT! 20 minutes have passed. Ibushi picks up Naito. Last Ride! KAMIGOYE! 1-2-3!!!
WINNER: KOTA IBUSHI (NEW IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A+. This show just keeps getting better. Ibushi and Naito brought NJPW level awesomeness to this show. These guys always have great chemistry, and this was no different. Just an absolute classic between these two from beginning to end Ibushi getting the strap is an awesome moment as he now matches Tanahashi and Nakamura in having the title.
Main Event #1
Ladder Match
ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs. Matt Taven vs. Marty Scurll
I have a bad feeling Taven is winning this. He gets an intro with a piano playing him to the ring.
The bell rings. Scurll tries to bring a ladder into the ring, but Lethal cuts him off. Taven dives over the ropes and jumps onto both men and the ladder. Moments later, Lethal sets up a ladder on two chairs spanning the width of the aisleway. Tornado DDT on Taven by Scurll on the floor. Marty gets a ladder in the ring. He sets up one ladder in the corner and then one in another. Taven gets smacked repeatedly into the ladders. But Lethal backdrops Scurll into the ladder. Lethal drops a ladder down on the back of Taven on the floor below. Lethal now sets up a ladder in a corner laying on the bottom rope. Marty puts Lethal in a Tree of Woe with his head between the rungs of the ladder across that rope. He takes a steel chair and smacks the ladder with it repeatedly!!!!! Marty gets another ladder out. He climbs it with his umbrella, but Taven superkicks him down. Taven climbs the ladder. The crowd just boos. Lethal stops the climb.
Taven hits "Just The Tip" to Lethal with his head sandwiched in between a ladder. Taven starts climbing a ladder, but Scurll stops him. Scurll starts climbing, but Lethal grabs the legs and does a FIGURE FOUR ON SCURLL USING THE LADDER! Taven climbs up the other side of the ladder. Lethal lets go and attacks Taven. Scurll gets hit with a Cutter on the apron. Scurll grabs the knee, still selling the Figure Four. Taven gets Lethal and POWERBOMBS HIM ON THE LADDER SET UP ACROSS THE AISLE!
Taven stops Scurll from getting a Chickenwing and gets a DDT in. "(Bleep) You Taven" chants. Taven's fingers get stomped on in the ladder, but Scurll gets hit with a neckbreaker on the ladder. Scurll and Taven fight on top of a ladder! SUPERPLEX OFF THE LADDER BY SCURLL!!!! Moments later, Scurll and Lethal go at it blocking each other's moves. Lethal climbs up to get the belt, but Chickenwing by Scurll!!!! Where's Taven? Scurll tosses Lethal down. Taven is climbing up the other end of the ladder. Scurll grabs the fingers and breaks them. He does that to the other hand too! Lethal hits Scurll. Taven climbs up, but he falls of from the pain of his fingers.
Lethal Combination to Taven into the ladder, knocking it over. An X is formed by two ladders in the ring. Taven gets sent into the X torso first. LETHAL INJECTION TO SCURLL! Lethal throws the X out of the ring, but it goes into the crowd by accident. "That's a lawsuit!" chant from the crowd. The referee is checking on the people who got hit by that X. Scurll hits a brainbuster on the floor. But no one cares. Everyone is still caring about the fans in the front row. It looks like everything is ok. Scurll has set up a table on the floor. Lethal and Scurll fight on the apron, but Taven spears Scurll through the table. Taven may have smashed into the table coming down on that move. Taven gets another ladder into the ring. Another table is brought out by Lethal. Lethal sets up Taven on the table. Now, Lethal shows a SUPER large ladder. Lethal sets it up and starts climbing with Taven still on the table. HAIL TO THE KING! Elbow Drop CONNECTS!
Scurll crawls into the ring and has a ladder. The crowd is chanting for Marty. Lethal is in the ring. Taven comes back in with a purple ladder. And it's humongous. It's big enough for him to get to the belt. Taven climbs up, but Lethal drags him back down. Scurll hits Lethal with the belt. He climbs up the purple ladder. Lethal brings in another ladder. A platform is set up with two ladders connected to the purple ladder. Scurll crashes on one ladder. Matt Taven puts Lethal on another ladder and climbs up the purple ladder. Lethal climbs up to fight off Taven. Taven hits Lethal with the belt. Lethal falls to the ladder below. Taven unhooks the belt.
Winner: Matt Taven (NEW ROH World Champion)
Match Grade: A. This was a hard-hitting match. And as much as I hate The Kingdom gimmick, there's no doubt that Taven pulled his weight in this match and then some. He took a lot of hard shots in this match as did the other men in this match. I still don't think Taven does anything to add eyes to ROH, but that's their decision. It doesn't take away from what was a memorable ladder match.
Main Event #2
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
The crowd seems to be very Pro-Okada and anti-White based on the entrances. Red Shoes is more over than Jay White. Lol.
The bell rings. The crowd cheers for Okada, and White rolls to the floor to further rile up the crowd. White gets in the ring and gets the advantage after a distraction by Gedo. Gedo gets booed by the crowd with some obscenities. A side headlock on Okada. Okada fights out and gets a big boot on White. White dodges more attacks by Okada in the ring, choosing to roll to the floor. Okada goes out after him. White catches Okada on the floor and attacks him. Gedo distracts Okada, and White wheelbarrows Okada into the guard rail. White goes into the ring to bask in the boos from the crowd.
White takes advantage when Okada comes back in the ring and spends the next few minutes working over Okada. Chops, Back Suplex, and a DDT among other moves are used by White. Reverse STF/Muta Lock by White. 10 minutes have passed. Okada gets to the ropes. Okada gets a Flapjack on White. Okada starts firing back with more high octane that awakens the crowd. DDT by Okada. Okada climbs up the top rope, but White avoids an attack from the corner. Okada gets kicked in the face several times by White, but Okada dropkicks him off the corner to the floor. "Okada" chants. White gets rammed into the guard rail, and he gets kicked into the fans. Gedo gets thrown over as well. OKADA DOES THE RAIL DIVE IN MSG ON BOTH WHITE AND GEDO! "Okada" chants from the crowd.
15 minutes have passed. White gets a Snap Saito Suplex in the ring on Okada. White hits a Twisting Brainbuster. 2 count only. Blade Runner avoided. Neckbreaker on the knee by Okada. White backs up into the corner to avoid another strike by Okada. White avoids a Tombstone Piledriver, but he can't avoid the SHOTGUN DROPKICK! Okada climbs up and hits another dropkick off the corner. 1-2-Kickout. Okada slams White and climbs up. Elbow Drop connects. RAINMAKER POSE! The crowd erupts. White collapses to avoid Rainmaker. Okada boots him down. 20 minutes have passed. Flatliner by White followed by the Deadlift German Suplex. White gets up. He signals for the Blade Runner, but Okada avoids it. Suplex into the corner by White. Urinage by White. 1-2-Kickout. Snap Saito Suplex to Okada sending The Rainmaker to the floor. White goes out after Okada and throws him back in. Kiwi Crusher. 1-2-2.999999. Okada kicks out. Okada looks dazed as White signals for the end. White gets caught and gets Tombstoned! Okada cannot capitalize immediately.
Okada climbs back to his feet in the corner. Boot to White's head. Hard chop by White. We're getting the exchange of blows here from both men. White avoids the dropkick. Chops to the chest by White. White runs into the dropkick. 25 minutes have passed. Gedo gets on the apron. Another dropkick by Okada to White! Sleeper Suplex by White to Okada. White does the throat slit. Okada fights off White. Another dropkick by Okada. SPINNING RAINMAKER! ANOTHER RAINMAKER!!!!WHITE KICKS OUT!!!! Okada is stunned as is the crowd! BLADE RUNNER!!!!!!!!!!!! White cannot capitalize!
Both men struggle to get up. The crowd is clapping to get both men back up. Jay White and Okada are trading shots on their knees trying to get to their feet. They get to their feet and continue the exchange. 30 minutes have passed. Gedo gets back on the apron. LOW BLOW by White! Gedo has worked his magic! Red Shoes throws Gedo out of the ringside area. White pulls Okada back up. GERMAN SUPLEX BY OKADA! Rainmaker avoided! Blade Runner Avoided! Dropkick! White avoids Rainmaker! RAINMAKER! Okada holds on to the wrist! ANOTHER ONE! He pulls White back up! SPINNING TOMBSTONE! RAINMAKER!!!!!!!! 1-2-3!!!!!
Winner: KAZUCHIKA OKADA (NEW IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A+. I need oxygen. Okada does it again. White is another legend in the making. His performance in this match was awesome as well. 30 minutes of greatness.
Okada gets the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the 5th Time.
Overall Show: A+. Congratulations to ROH and NJPW. They did it. This was a grand slam of a show in terms of match quality and great moments. They had to deliver, and they did it. New champions, big shocking moments, great matches, and an excellent production in terms of lighting and screens. There were a couple scary moments involving fans in the front rows. And other than the Big Cass and Enzo garbage, this was a mostly great show. (Ok. That WOH match wasn't great either, but the after-match story made me forget that it actually happened.
Dare I say this: I enjoyed this more than I did TakeOver last night.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
NJPW/ROH G1 Supershow
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York
4/6/19
Pre-Show
HONOR RUMBLE
30 Men Rumble ala Royal Rumble
Entrant #1- Kenny King
- Kenny demanded to be #1 apparently.
Entrant #2- MINORU SUZUKI!!!!
Kenny King vs. The King. (For some reason, Suzuki's theme is edited out!)
Entrant #3- Cheeseburger
Cheeseburger goes after both Suzuki and King. Suzuki grabs the hair and delivers one hell of a forearm.
Entrant #4- Beer City Bruiser
(The production of this show looks awesome. It looks almost WWE-esque.)
Beer City Bruiser delivers some jabs and goes to bite Cheeseburger. He can't really bite anyone. He has no teeth.
Entrant #5- SHO!
Entrant #6- Shingo Takagi
No one has been eliminated yet. Shingo is trying hard though on Sho.
Entrant #7- BUSHI
Bushi and Shingo team up on SHO
Entrant #8- YOH
Yoh fights off Bushi and Shingo from his partner.
Entrant #9- Shaheem Ali (Coast 2 Coast)
The Beer City Bruiser is eliminated.
Entrant #10- Rhett Titus
Rhett poses in the ring and keeps everyone from stopping him.
Entrant #11- LSG (Coast 2 Coast)
Entrant #12- TAGUCHI
Hip attacks go around.
Entrant #13- Will Ferrara
Rhett Titus hugs Will Ferrera in the ring. Ferrera gets whipped into some opponents.
Entrant #14- Chase Owens
He counters a Hip Attack into an Atomic Drop. Great counter.
Entrant #15- Rocky Romero
Forever Clotheslines for many of the competitors in this match.
So far, I think only Bruiser has been eliminated. Baseball attacks with many wrestlers rounding the base to clothesline Bushi in the corner.
Bushi is eliminated by Rocky Romero.
Entrant #16- Brian Milonas
Milonas catches Coast 2 Coast. He eliminates them both.
Entrant #17- BAD LUCK FALE!!!!
Roppongi 3K is GONE! Fale eliminated them both!
Entrant #18- Jonathan Gresham
CHEESEBURGER IS THROWN ON THE SHADOW SQUAD! FALE PULLS THEM IN AND ELIMINATES THEM JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT! BUT BURGER IS STILL IN!
RHETT TITUS is gone!
Shingo is eliminated by Kenny King.
Entrant #19- Tracy Williams
Williams and Suzuki go at it.
Entrant #20- YOSHI-HASHI
(I know I've been hard on YOSHI-HASHI in the past. But I'm genuinely happy to see him on this show.)
Taguchi is eliminated as Hashi gets into the ring.
Entrant #21- PJ Black
Will Ferrara dumped out by Suzuki.
Chase Owens is eliminated.
Entrant #22- JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER!
The crowd is losing it! WHAT A POP! Shoteis going around. Thunderous LIGER chants! Liger dumps Milonas out!
Entrant #23- TK O'Ryan
Entrant #24- Vinny Marseglia (I'm proud of myself. I got the last name right without the graphics on the TV)
Tracy Williams is gone.
Entrant #25- DELIRIOUS
Delirious laps the ring several times.
Entrant #26- ISHII
OK! This changes everything! Here comes The Stone Pitbull! Ishii goes after anyone in his way. Ishii eliminates PJ Black
Entrant #27- TORU YANO!
Yano runs out and tells COLT TO TAKE HIS PLACE!!! YANO IS ON COMMENTARY!
Entrant #27- COLT CABANA! LOL!
Yano is yelling BOOM to Colt's elbows! Yano: "GOOD GOOD GOOD!"
Kelly: Why don't you want to compete?
Yano: I Don't Know!
Entrant #28- HIROOKI GOTO!
Yoshi-Hashi has been eliminated.
Everyone is ganging up on Fale. Fale is GONE!
Entrant #29- HAKU!!!! OH MY GOD!
LET'S GET A HAKU VS. SUZUKI FACEOFF!!!!
Colt goes after Haku! TONGAN DEATH GRIP!!!!
Entrant #30- THE GREAT MUTA!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH MY GOD!!!!!
Entrant #31- Yano is officially in the match.
Muta enters the ring and eliminates Delirious. Colt goes after Suzuki, but Suzuki dumps out both Colt and Yano. Gresham is gone. Goto and Suzuki go at it on the apron. Goto is gone. Cheeseburger is in the corner. ISHII AND SUZUKI ARE FOREARMING EACH OTHER! This is awesome! The crowd is loving this. Ishii picks up Suzuki in a GSP position and tries to dump him. Suzuki goes for the armbar over the ropes, but Ishii dumps out Suzuki. Cheeseburger fights off O'Ryan and Marseglia. House of a Thousand Corpses to Burger. He's eliminated. Haku goes after The Kingdom. Double Dropkick to Haku. Haku gets dumped out by The Kingdom. Ishii goes after them. Ishii is eliminated.
We're down to O'Ryan, Marseglia, Muta, and Liger. Marseglia and O'Ryan are eliminated. OH MY GOD! It's MUTA VS. LIGER!!!! OH MY FREAKING GOD!
The crowd erupts! Shotei to Muta in the corner. Dragon Screw to Liger. Elbow to the chest by Muta. Kenny King comes out and dumps out both Muta and Liger. WHAT?! The officials are saying King was never eliminated. MIST TO THE EYES OF KING! Muta walks off and lets Liger take his final bows in front of the live crowd. A LOUD THANK YOU LIGER for Liger as he walks to the back.
Winner: Kenny King
Match Grade: B+. This was a lot of fun for a Battle Royal. Despite the screwball finish (seriously. King was not on the screen for a long time), this was awesome. Almost everyone got a moment to stand out by doing something in the match. The mind-blowing moments of having Suzuki, Haku, Liger, and Muta in the Rumble were awesome. And I love anytime Ishii and Suzuki trade shots. The production values of this show look great as well, even though the themes being edited out annoyed the hell out of me.
Main Show
A video shows ROH and NJPW talent talking about tonight's show at The Garden
Fireworks go off at the entrance ramp. Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni, and Kevin Kelly are on commentary and run down the big matches on the card.
Match #1
Winner Takes All
Championship vs. Championship
ROH TV Championship vs. NEVER Openweight Championship
Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Will Ospreay (c)
The bell rings. Cobb bulldozes Ospreay down in the ring. Outside the ring, Ospreay hits a Springboard Forearm and does a Sasuke Special to Cobb. Cobb catches him though, but Ospreay reverses into a DDT. Back in the ring, Cobb and Ospreay continue to play cat and mouse. Cobb catches Ospreay on the corner and hits a DEADLIFT DELAYED SUPLEX OFF THE CORNER! (He held him up for 10 seconds). But he only gets a 2 count. Ospreay continues to be the victim of Jeff Cobb's size for the next few minutes, with one spot being a Leg Scissors Takedown reversed into a Bear Hug. Handspring Back Kick by Ospreay breaks the momentum. Ospreay then starts gets a 619 in. Another Phenomenal Forearm in the ring by Ospreay gets a 2. Ospreay goes for Stormbreaker, but Cobb is too big. Big Fall-Away Slam by Cobb. Corner Uppercut by Cobb. Cobb hits a Standing Moonsault on Ospreay for a 2 count.
Ospreay and Cobb start going back at it in the middle of the ring. Ospreay goes for a lariat, but Cobb does not budge. The kicks work though. Cobb hits Ospreay with a superkick! SPANISH FLY BY OSPREAY! (COBB is a beast for being able to do that move with Ospreay. So much respect for both these guys.) Ospreay is back up on the top rope. Missile Dropkick to the shoulder on Cobb. Ospreay goes for the Forearm Shot to the back of the head. Tour of the Islands avoided.. Cobb gets caught in a powerbomb. 2 count. Oscutter caught. BIG LARIAT BY COBB! Cobb climbs up to the top rope! FROG SPLASH MISSES! Robinson Special kick to the back of the head connects for Ospreay. Oscutter.... is stopped again. Ospreay GETS IT IN ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT! 1-2-COBB KICKS OUT AT 2.99!!!! Ospreay goes for Hidden Blade. He goes for the kick to the back of the head instead. Stormbreaker is avoided as Cobb gets to the corner. Ospreay kicks Cobb's face. Ospreay climbs up with Cobb, but Cobb hits SUPER TOUR OF THE ISLANDS OFF THE CORNER! ANOTHER ONE IN THE CENTER OF THE RING! 1-2-3!
Winner: Jeff Cobb (STILL ROH TV CHAMPION; NEW NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A. Excellent match to start off the show here. Cobb and Ospreay just amazed with what they were able to both do in this. Ospreay will likely regain the championship at Dominion in June.
Match #2
Rush vs. Dalton Castle
Castle has a big entrance with confetti and a lot of "boys" to go down to the ring with him.
Rush hits Castle with three running dropkicks into the corner! 1-2-3!!!!
HOLY CRAP!
Winner: Rush
Match Grade: N/A (A for awesomeness). If you want to put over a talent, you have someone beat a former World Champion like this. That's awesome. I know that's going to go bad for some fans, but Rush just made an impact. And this company wants to put some money on its investment.
Castle is stunned in the ring. He doesn't know what to think. The Boys check on him, but Castle doesn't want any help. Castle starts beating up The Boys! HEEL TURN! BANG-A-RANG!
(And finally, just like that, Castle just took back some heat and went in a new fresh direction.)
A commercial for G1 Climax 29 starting on July 6th from Dallas, TX.
Juice Robinson has been attacked backstage. We see someone running off, but we can't tell who it was.
Match #3
WOH Championship
Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Kelly Klein
Iwatani and Klein take it to the mat early on with Klein taking an early advantage. Iwatani gets a chinlock on Klein, but Klein stands up and rams her into the corner. She catches Iwatani diving off the ropes and slams her down on the mat. Klein is sent on the floor. Crossbody off the top rope onto Klein on the floor! Klein is being counted out as Iwatani is back into the ring. Klein takes back the advantage. Poison Rana by Iwatani gets a 2. Klein took that awkwardly, but she got down in position for the roll-up at least. Iwatani is dumped on her head in a German Suplex, and she gets knocked down with a lariat. Dragon Suplex by Iwatani, but Klein gets her foot on the ropes due to the move. A moonsault misses. Klein hits a big lariat and covers for 2. Powerbomb in the middle of the ring. 2 count only. (I was hoping that would be a 3.) K-Power. A second one. 1-2-3!
Winner: Kelly Klein (NEW WOH Champion)
Match Grade: C-. That match was sloppy, and you could feel the crowd just wanting it to be over. They had some moments in the match, but that wasn't a great match by any stretch of the imagination. The Women of Honor division need help.
After the match, Iwatani and Klein embrace in the ring. Klein poses for the crowd emotionally. THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ARE HERE!!!!! ANGELINA LOVE AND VELVET SKY!!!! YES!!!! Mandy Leon (who was on commentary during the match) attacks Klein from behind. Other women from the division run down and get knocked down. The new group take a video selfie in the ring and mark Klein's face with lipstick. I guess they are The Mean Girls now. No. They are The Allure. They pose on the screen, and their logo pops up on the screen. (They put their A logo on Klein's face with the makeup.)
(FINALLY, something that can put some eyes and attention on the WOH division. They needed this to now get some heat on the talent. Now, you want to see Kelly Klein face off with these women and get revenge. THIS gets eyes on the screen.)
Kevin Kelly tells us that Juice is not being allowed to compete tonight.
Caprice Coleman joins the announce team.
We get a rap performance from the guy who put together the theme for tonight: "Going to the Garden." Mega Ran. The crowd starts booing. Here comes Bully Ray. A loud "ECW" chant from the crowd, including "We Want Tables." Mega Ran wants to leave the ring peacefully. He says he's from Philly. The crowd boos even more. Mega Ran mentions D-Von. The fans want Bully to (bleep) up Mega Ran. Bully tells Mega Ran that the crowd wants him to get out. Bully pushes down Mega Ran. Ran mans up to Bully, but he gets pushed back down and hits with a chain.
Bully talks about what happened to Juice. The Open Invitation for The NY Street Fight is On.
IT'S FLIP GORDON!
Match #4
New York Street Fight
Flip Gordon vs. Bully Ray
Flip has gained some muscle mass. SUPERKICK to Bully! Springboard Spear! Flip jumps off the top rope, but he gets hit with a 3D by Bully! Bully goes under the ring and gets the table. Bully opens it up in the ring. Bully gets superkicked by Flip. Flip has a Kendo Stick, but Silas Young and Shane Taylor jump Flip in the ring. They hold Flip up on the table while Bully goes for the kendo shot. Here comes Lifeblood. Juice Robinson and Mark Haskins come out with weapons. Juice tells the crowd that it is now a 6-Man Street Fight. Todd Sinclair approves it.
Match #4
New York Street Fight
Bully Ray, Silas Young, and Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon, Juice Robinson, and Mark Haskins
Juice runs in the ring and does the Juice jabs. Rake to the eyes by Bully. Bully jabs. Juice jabs right back. LEFT HAND FROM GOD! Silas hits Juice with the chair across the back. Silas hits The Plunge on Juice and a chair. But Haskins comes in and beats down Silas. Taylor beats down Haskins, and Flip takes him down. Flip and Haskins dive out to the floor on Young and Taylor. Bully attacks the faces with the kendo stick. Silas, Taylor, and Bully have Kendo Sticks. with Flip all alone in the ring. Flip gives the back to Silas. He takes it. He does the same for Taylor, but he gets back up after the hit. H wants Bully to do it. He's literally bleeding from the back. He slaps Bully, who WAFFLES him with the stick. All 6 men now have Kendo Sticks! Silas takes the assault as does Taylor. Bully is left alone with the faces. Bully runs for it. Juice runs out and throws Bully back in. Bully begs off. Bully admits to hitting Juice. Low blow to Juice. Flip hits a dropkick to Bully. Bully is put on the corner. Pele Kick on Silas. But Flip dives off the ropes into Taylor who has a Trash Can. Bully is still on the corner. A table is brought in. Uh-oh.
Silas and Taylor set up the table. Bully is on the corner. They put Flip on Bully's shoulders. FLIP goes down through the table tahnks to Bully. Juice and Haskins split Bully's legs against the ring post. "MY BALLS!" Bully yells. Haskins and Silas are going at it in the ring. Anarchist Suplex on a chair by Silas. Silas puts Haskins on the corner. Chairs are set up below on the mat. Young gets put on the chairs. DOUBLE STOMP OFF THE CORNER BY HASKINS TO SILAS! GREETINGS FROM 216 by Taylor to Haskins.
Taylor goes back out and gets a wood pallet!!!! He brings it into the ring and places it in the corner. Juice hits Taylor putting him into that corner. CANNONBALL TO TAYLOR INTO THE PALLET! Bully is triple teamed by the faces. Bully is set up for WHAT'S UP!!!! HASKINS DOES THE DAMAGE!!!! Spinebuster! 450! 1-2-3!
Winners: Juice, Haskins, and Flip!
Match Grade: A-. That was a fun series of events here. Flip wrestling was a great surprise as it didn't seem that he was going to be available for this show. I enjoyed this for the fun brawl that it was supposed to be.
Match #5
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Bandido vs. Dragon L
Well, this is going to be impossible to call for me. I'll just hit the highlights.
Bandido flies onto Dragon Lee on the floor about 30 seconds into the match. Dragon Lee answers back by hitting a running Hurricanrana to Bandido to the floor. Isihimori hits a running moonsault off the corner, not to be undone. Combination Cabron to Ishimori in the corner by Dragon Lee. The action is too fast and awesome to adequately call. Tiger Driver by Dragon Lee gets a 2 count only as Ishimori kicks out. These guys are 5 minutes into the match, and they've damn near killed each other. Bloody Cross to Dragon Lee. 1-2-Kickout. These three men continue to go back and forth in rapid movement. Dragon Lee and Ishimori fight on the corner. Bandido climbs up with them. A DOUBLE MOONSAULT SLAM OFF THE CORNER ON ISHIMORI AND LEE!!!!
THIS IS AWESOME! I agree with the crowd. REVERSE RANA ON BANDIDO BY LEE! Running Knee to Ishimori. Dragon Lee hits a Suplex into a Powerbomb! 1-2-3!!!!
Winner: Dragon Lee
Match Grade: A+. I couldn't call all of the action going on in this match. That was incredible. Move for move for move, these three just blew the roof off of MSG with that match. Each one of them just set the pace for what this show should be.
Bandido and Dragon Lee shake hands after the match. Bandido puts the belt on Dragon Lee.
Match #6
Tag Title Winner Takes All
IWGP and ROH Tag Team Championships
Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. PCO/Brody King (c) vs. The Briscoes vs. Evil/Sanada
PCO is on an electric chair and gets brought to life by a car battery and Destro. Oh God. Chaos breaks out quickly as Mark Briscoe gets flipped over the ropes. PCO hits a Somersault Suicide Dive on Mark in the ring. G.O.D. and King/PCO face off in the ring. The Briscoes pull out PCO/King. Evil and Sanada run in to take their spot. Paradise Lock is put on Tanga Loa. The Briscoes get in the ring and take advantage on Sanada. This is a war. No tags. Just violence.
Brody King takes out The Briscoes. Loa and King go at it. A Hurricanrana by King. KING TAKES OUT G.O.D. and his own partner WITH A SUICIDE DIVE! Tonga and Mark Briscoe are in the ring. The Briscoes double-team Tonga.2 count. Tama Tonga dropkicks Jay out of the ring. Evil goes swinging with the chairs around Tonga's neck. Jay Driller and Froggy Bow on Sanada, but the pin gets broken up. King sets up Briscoe on the apron. PCO HITS THE TOP ROPE SENTON! GONZO BOMB TO MARK BRISCOE! PCO HITS THE MOONSAULT! 1-2-G.O.D. Breaks it Up! Loa spears down King. PCO goes nuts chopping Tonga. PCO GETS POWERBOMBED OUT OF THE RING BY G.O.D. ONTO THE FLOOR!!!! PCO SITS UP!!!! King blocks Gun Stun. King Lariats Loa. JADO WITH THE CANE! GUN STUN!!!! SUPER POWERBOMB! G.O.D. HAVE DONE IT!!!!!
Winners: G.O.D. (NEW ROH TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS; STILL IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS)
Match Grade: B+. A bit of a cluster, but this was a fun match. G.O.D. are working America apparently. That's awesome. Bullet Club should be international.
Yano is coming out, and he's got the IWGP Tag Team Championships. He's running off with the belts!
The crowd is booing about something. Apparently, there's some sort of confrontation going .
Match #7
British Heavyweight Championship
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Tanahashi comes out to a thunderous ovation from the crowd. The Ace has come to The Garden.
(According to Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet, Enzo and Cass invaded the show trying to get attention. But they've been chased out of the arena. Deservedly so. Bombarding someone's show to make a name for yourself is low-rent at this point, especially for two guys who lost their jobs because they couldn't handle their business, act right, and behave like professionals. Another guy said that they jumped the rails and tried to hijack the show. Seriously, just go away. Or to Impact. Same deal.)
Taka Michinoku is out with Zack Sabre Jr. WELCOME TO ZACK SABRE TIME! Taka does the introductions in English. This is awesome!
The bell rings. Tanahashi and Sabre go back and forth. Sabre catches Tanahashi with an armbar, but Tanahashi gets to the ropes. Tricep Stomp by Sabre. Tanahashi no sells some kicks and starts getting hyped up. Tanahashi can't "skin the cat," and Sabre works the arm as a result in the ropes. 5 minutes have passed. More Tricep attacks by Sabre, but Tanahashi answers back with a dropkick to the knee. Tanahashi starts fighting back, but Sabre gets a Cobra Twist in. Tanahashi reverses it. But Sabre gets out and continues to attack the arm in the ropes. Dragon Screw LegWhip by Tanahashi on the ropes to Sabre. But Sabre reverses into a Triangle Choke on Tanahashi. Tanahashi reverses that back into the Cloverleaf. Sabre gets to the ropes.
(And now I'm reading that Bret Hart was attacked at the HOF by some crazed fan. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON TONIGHT?! Seriously.)
Tanahashi has Sabre down. He goes up to the top rope, but Sabre stops him from diving off. Sabre jumps up and puts on a Kimura Lock on the corner. Tanahashi's arm is twisted onto the ropes and again in the middle of the ring. Sabre goes for the PK, but Tanahashi grabs it. European Roll-Up almost gets the win. PK by Sabre likewise almost gets the pin. O'Connor Roll by Tanahashi for a 2. Inverted Dragon Screw by The Ace. Sabre almost gets Tanahashi again with a roll-up. TWIST AND SHOUT! Another one! A 3rd one! SLING BLADE!!! Sabre kicks out at 2.
Dragon Suplex blocked. Tarantula by Sabre on Tanahashi. The Ace is bleeding from the mouth. Sabre transitions into another deep submission!!!!! Tanahashi can't get into the ropes. His arms are behind his torso!!!! TANAHASHI SUBMITS!!!!
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
Match Grade: A-. Sabre just got another huge victory in his career, and this could arguably be the biggest. He just beat Tanahashi in Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people in front of the biggest crowd ever. I loved the psychology of this match with it being hold for hold. I am surprised by the outcome, but I'm happy that Sabre gets this type of win. It helps elevate him that much more.
Match #8
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
Naito takes his good old time getting ready for the match. He finally takes off the ring gear.
The bell rings. A loud "Holy (bleep" chant breaks out. Naito looks around like "We haven't done anything yet." Naito side steps a confrontation with Ibushi a couple times. Naito does not give clean breaks to Ibushi. The war is on. Both men transition from move to move. Tranquilo Pose by Naito stops the offense. Snap Rana by Ibushi puts Naito down. Naito goes to the floor. Golden Triangle avoided. Naito dropkicks Ibushi to the floor. Naito whips Ibushi all over ringside. He whips Ibushi so hard that he flips into the front row. The fans help Ibushi over the rail back to ringside. Ibushi gets back into the ring.
Combinacion Cabron by Naito (Corner Leg Sweep/Dropkick). 2 count after a neckbreaker. Naito continues the assault in the ring with a neck twist hold on Ibushi. Ibushi gets a dropkick on Naito. Ibushi gets his classic kicks and strikes in. A standing moonsault only gets a 2. Ibushi gets dropped onto the top turnbuckle and hit with a one legged dropkick. 2 count only. Naito drops Ibushi's back of the head on his knee a couple times. Dropkick to that area only gets a 2 count. Ibushi is placed on the corner. Naito climbs up. Naito is set up and gets kicked down to the floor by Ibushi. Ibushi sets up Naito for the sickening Deadlift German Suplex off the ropes. Naito avoids it. They are fighting on the apron. IBUSHI HURRICANRANAS NAITO OFF THE APRON ONTO THE FLOOR! WOW!
SPRINGBOARD DOUBLE STOMP in the ring! 1-2-NAITO kicks out! Rolling Kick by Naito TORNADO DDT! 1-2-KICKOUT! This is indeed awesome as the crowd says. SUPER HURRICANRANA OFF THE CORNER BY NAITO! GLORIA! 1-2-KICKOUT! Naito calls for Destino. Ibushi fights off Destino. Fast paced offensive flurry by both men with Ibushi getting a lariat on Naito.
Naito is on the apron. Ibushi sets him up. He climbs the ropes. DEADLIFT GERMAN SUPLEX DUMPS NAITO ON HIS HEAD!!!! 1-2-KICKOUT! 15 minutes have passed. Ibushi exposes his knee for the Kamigoye. He sets up Naito for something else. Straight Jacket German. 1-2-Kickout. Ibushi holds on. Naito and Ibushi reverse moves until Ibushi gets dumped on his head. 1-2-Kickout by Ibushi. This is a war. They start trading forearms and punches. Naito spits in Ibushi's face and kicks him in the face. Ibushi is getting ticked. HARD SLAP! Reverse Rana to Ibushi! DESTINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 1-2-KICKOUT BY IBUSHI! This crowd explodes! DESTIN- NO! Ibushi kicks Naito's head. "THIS IS AWESOME!"- The crowd and me.
BOMAYE!!!! IBUSHI grabs Naito! Another BOMAYE! 1-2-KICKOUT! 20 minutes have passed. Ibushi picks up Naito. Last Ride! KAMIGOYE! 1-2-3!!!
WINNER: KOTA IBUSHI (NEW IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A+. This show just keeps getting better. Ibushi and Naito brought NJPW level awesomeness to this show. These guys always have great chemistry, and this was no different. Just an absolute classic between these two from beginning to end Ibushi getting the strap is an awesome moment as he now matches Tanahashi and Nakamura in having the title.
Main Event #1
Ladder Match
ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs. Matt Taven vs. Marty Scurll
I have a bad feeling Taven is winning this. He gets an intro with a piano playing him to the ring.
The bell rings. Scurll tries to bring a ladder into the ring, but Lethal cuts him off. Taven dives over the ropes and jumps onto both men and the ladder. Moments later, Lethal sets up a ladder on two chairs spanning the width of the aisleway. Tornado DDT on Taven by Scurll on the floor. Marty gets a ladder in the ring. He sets up one ladder in the corner and then one in another. Taven gets smacked repeatedly into the ladders. But Lethal backdrops Scurll into the ladder. Lethal drops a ladder down on the back of Taven on the floor below. Lethal now sets up a ladder in a corner laying on the bottom rope. Marty puts Lethal in a Tree of Woe with his head between the rungs of the ladder across that rope. He takes a steel chair and smacks the ladder with it repeatedly!!!!! Marty gets another ladder out. He climbs it with his umbrella, but Taven superkicks him down. Taven climbs the ladder. The crowd just boos. Lethal stops the climb.
Taven hits "Just The Tip" to Lethal with his head sandwiched in between a ladder. Taven starts climbing a ladder, but Scurll stops him. Scurll starts climbing, but Lethal grabs the legs and does a FIGURE FOUR ON SCURLL USING THE LADDER! Taven climbs up the other side of the ladder. Lethal lets go and attacks Taven. Scurll gets hit with a Cutter on the apron. Scurll grabs the knee, still selling the Figure Four. Taven gets Lethal and POWERBOMBS HIM ON THE LADDER SET UP ACROSS THE AISLE!
Taven stops Scurll from getting a Chickenwing and gets a DDT in. "(Bleep) You Taven" chants. Taven's fingers get stomped on in the ladder, but Scurll gets hit with a neckbreaker on the ladder. Scurll and Taven fight on top of a ladder! SUPERPLEX OFF THE LADDER BY SCURLL!!!! Moments later, Scurll and Lethal go at it blocking each other's moves. Lethal climbs up to get the belt, but Chickenwing by Scurll!!!! Where's Taven? Scurll tosses Lethal down. Taven is climbing up the other end of the ladder. Scurll grabs the fingers and breaks them. He does that to the other hand too! Lethal hits Scurll. Taven climbs up, but he falls of from the pain of his fingers.
Lethal Combination to Taven into the ladder, knocking it over. An X is formed by two ladders in the ring. Taven gets sent into the X torso first. LETHAL INJECTION TO SCURLL! Lethal throws the X out of the ring, but it goes into the crowd by accident. "That's a lawsuit!" chant from the crowd. The referee is checking on the people who got hit by that X. Scurll hits a brainbuster on the floor. But no one cares. Everyone is still caring about the fans in the front row. It looks like everything is ok. Scurll has set up a table on the floor. Lethal and Scurll fight on the apron, but Taven spears Scurll through the table. Taven may have smashed into the table coming down on that move. Taven gets another ladder into the ring. Another table is brought out by Lethal. Lethal sets up Taven on the table. Now, Lethal shows a SUPER large ladder. Lethal sets it up and starts climbing with Taven still on the table. HAIL TO THE KING! Elbow Drop CONNECTS!
Scurll crawls into the ring and has a ladder. The crowd is chanting for Marty. Lethal is in the ring. Taven comes back in with a purple ladder. And it's humongous. It's big enough for him to get to the belt. Taven climbs up, but Lethal drags him back down. Scurll hits Lethal with the belt. He climbs up the purple ladder. Lethal brings in another ladder. A platform is set up with two ladders connected to the purple ladder. Scurll crashes on one ladder. Matt Taven puts Lethal on another ladder and climbs up the purple ladder. Lethal climbs up to fight off Taven. Taven hits Lethal with the belt. Lethal falls to the ladder below. Taven unhooks the belt.
Winner: Matt Taven (NEW ROH World Champion)
Match Grade: A. This was a hard-hitting match. And as much as I hate The Kingdom gimmick, there's no doubt that Taven pulled his weight in this match and then some. He took a lot of hard shots in this match as did the other men in this match. I still don't think Taven does anything to add eyes to ROH, but that's their decision. It doesn't take away from what was a memorable ladder match.
Main Event #2
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
The crowd seems to be very Pro-Okada and anti-White based on the entrances. Red Shoes is more over than Jay White. Lol.
The bell rings. The crowd cheers for Okada, and White rolls to the floor to further rile up the crowd. White gets in the ring and gets the advantage after a distraction by Gedo. Gedo gets booed by the crowd with some obscenities. A side headlock on Okada. Okada fights out and gets a big boot on White. White dodges more attacks by Okada in the ring, choosing to roll to the floor. Okada goes out after him. White catches Okada on the floor and attacks him. Gedo distracts Okada, and White wheelbarrows Okada into the guard rail. White goes into the ring to bask in the boos from the crowd.
White takes advantage when Okada comes back in the ring and spends the next few minutes working over Okada. Chops, Back Suplex, and a DDT among other moves are used by White. Reverse STF/Muta Lock by White. 10 minutes have passed. Okada gets to the ropes. Okada gets a Flapjack on White. Okada starts firing back with more high octane that awakens the crowd. DDT by Okada. Okada climbs up the top rope, but White avoids an attack from the corner. Okada gets kicked in the face several times by White, but Okada dropkicks him off the corner to the floor. "Okada" chants. White gets rammed into the guard rail, and he gets kicked into the fans. Gedo gets thrown over as well. OKADA DOES THE RAIL DIVE IN MSG ON BOTH WHITE AND GEDO! "Okada" chants from the crowd.
15 minutes have passed. White gets a Snap Saito Suplex in the ring on Okada. White hits a Twisting Brainbuster. 2 count only. Blade Runner avoided. Neckbreaker on the knee by Okada. White backs up into the corner to avoid another strike by Okada. White avoids a Tombstone Piledriver, but he can't avoid the SHOTGUN DROPKICK! Okada climbs up and hits another dropkick off the corner. 1-2-Kickout. Okada slams White and climbs up. Elbow Drop connects. RAINMAKER POSE! The crowd erupts. White collapses to avoid Rainmaker. Okada boots him down. 20 minutes have passed. Flatliner by White followed by the Deadlift German Suplex. White gets up. He signals for the Blade Runner, but Okada avoids it. Suplex into the corner by White. Urinage by White. 1-2-Kickout. Snap Saito Suplex to Okada sending The Rainmaker to the floor. White goes out after Okada and throws him back in. Kiwi Crusher. 1-2-2.999999. Okada kicks out. Okada looks dazed as White signals for the end. White gets caught and gets Tombstoned! Okada cannot capitalize immediately.
Okada climbs back to his feet in the corner. Boot to White's head. Hard chop by White. We're getting the exchange of blows here from both men. White avoids the dropkick. Chops to the chest by White. White runs into the dropkick. 25 minutes have passed. Gedo gets on the apron. Another dropkick by Okada to White! Sleeper Suplex by White to Okada. White does the throat slit. Okada fights off White. Another dropkick by Okada. SPINNING RAINMAKER! ANOTHER RAINMAKER!!!!WHITE KICKS OUT!!!! Okada is stunned as is the crowd! BLADE RUNNER!!!!!!!!!!!! White cannot capitalize!
Both men struggle to get up. The crowd is clapping to get both men back up. Jay White and Okada are trading shots on their knees trying to get to their feet. They get to their feet and continue the exchange. 30 minutes have passed. Gedo gets back on the apron. LOW BLOW by White! Gedo has worked his magic! Red Shoes throws Gedo out of the ringside area. White pulls Okada back up. GERMAN SUPLEX BY OKADA! Rainmaker avoided! Blade Runner Avoided! Dropkick! White avoids Rainmaker! RAINMAKER! Okada holds on to the wrist! ANOTHER ONE! He pulls White back up! SPINNING TOMBSTONE! RAINMAKER!!!!!!!! 1-2-3!!!!!
Winner: KAZUCHIKA OKADA (NEW IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A+. I need oxygen. Okada does it again. White is another legend in the making. His performance in this match was awesome as well. 30 minutes of greatness.
Okada gets the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the 5th Time.
Overall Show: A+. Congratulations to ROH and NJPW. They did it. This was a grand slam of a show in terms of match quality and great moments. They had to deliver, and they did it. New champions, big shocking moments, great matches, and an excellent production in terms of lighting and screens. There were a couple scary moments involving fans in the front rows. And other than the Big Cass and Enzo garbage, this was a mostly great show. (Ok. That WOH match wasn't great either, but the after-match story made me forget that it actually happened.
Dare I say this: I enjoyed this more than I did TakeOver last night.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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