NJPW New Japan Road Results (6/18) LIJ Faces Bullet Club In Main Event, Okada In Action
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Kosei Fujita vs. TAKA Michinoku
Michinoku outwrestles Fujita to start. Fujita comes back with some hard strikes and a bodyslam, but TAKA regains control soundly, and keeps Fujita grounded with submission holds.
TAKA continues to tenderize Fujita with stomps and a Penalty Kick. Fujita comes back once again, slamming TAKA and locking in a Boston Crab but TAKA fights to the ropes. TAKA hits a bicycle kick and a corner Shining Wizard for a nearfall and is met with a hug slap from Fujita, who rolls him up again. Fujita gets another nearfall off of a big suplex but TAKA locks in Just Face Lock for the submission in 8:15.
Winner: TAKA Michinoku
Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask vs. Clark Connors & Yuto Nakashima
Connors and Honma started the match to get a feel for each other before tomorrow's AEW All Atlantic Championship Eliminator Match. Honma initially stood up to Connors strength but a series of shoulder tackles weakened him.
Tiger Mask and Nakashima tagged in and Tiger Mask seemingly had a response for all of Nakashima's fire, keeping the Young Lion at bay. Nakashima finally broke free and tagged in Connors, who attacked Tiger Mask with serious fury, tossing him around the ring. Honma tagged in and made Connors pay with a face wash in the corner.
Connors came back from the fight against Honma to tag in Nakashima. Nakashima battered and stretched Honma. All four men exchanged moves in the ring. Tiger Mask cleared Connors out of the ring, leaving Nakashima alone with Honma. Honma batted Nakashima around, body slammed him, and hit him with a 2nd Rope Kokeshi for the pinfall in 10:12.
Winners: Tomaki Honma & Tiger Mask
-After the match, Tiger Mask addressed the crowd, seemingly hyping up Honma and his upcoming match against Clark Connors.
Tomohiro Ishii & Ryoehi Oiwa vs. Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Minoru Suzuki)
Ishii and Kanemaru took some shots at each other to prepare for tomorrow's Eliminator match on the 20th, but a lot of the match was Suzuki-gun torturing Ryohei Oiwa. Suzuki nearly ripped the kid's arms off at one point.
Ishii and Kanemaru both tagged back in and Ishii dominated Kanemaru with strikes. Kanemaru eventually fought back by taking out Ishii's legs. Ishii came back and fought off a 2-on-1 assault from Suzuki-gun. Oiwa tagged in an brought a fiery assault to Minoru Suzuki, even hitting a gutwrench suplex and locking in an unsuccessful Boston Crab. Suzuki trapped Oiwa in an armbar but Oiwa fought to the ropes. Oiwa came back with one last futile flurry of strikes but Suzuki caught him in a Half Crab for the submission in 11:00.
Winners: Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
-After the match, Kanemaru continued his assault on Ishii's legs, looking to disable Ishii before the two can wrestle on June 20th.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & YOH) vs. Bullet Club (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo & Gedo)
The match started with Bullet Club cornering and toying with Goto. Goto was completely overtaken by the 4 men but found a way out and tagged in Toru Yano, who turned the tables on the nefarious crew.
Yano turned a number of shenanigans against them, clearing the way for YOH to tag in, who was not quite as wily. YOH got outsmarted for a little but came back and took out Gedo with a Superkick for the pinfall in 8:55.
Winners: CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & YOH)
-After the match, Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH made it clear they were coming after House of Torture's NEVER 6-Man Tag Championships.
-There is a brief intermission.
Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato & Jado vs. United Empire (Francesco Akira, TJP & Aaron Henare)
United Empire jumped the Main Unit trio from behind to start. As the match settled in, Wato and Akira did their best to one-up each other, with Akira resorting to underhanded tactics and TJP's help. TJP tagged in and got a nearfall on Wato from a tandem assault with Akira.
TJP stretched Wato, and then tagged in the brute Henare, who completely battered Wato. TJP tagged back in and Wato found his footing, taking out him out with a flurry of kicks. Taguchi tagged in and put his ass to work -literally- hitting a series of hip attacks and then taking out TJP with Bum-A-Ye for a nearfall. Akira and TJP tried to bring back their double team moves but Taguchi outsmarted them and drilled them with a double DDT.
Jado tagged in. Henare tagged in. Eventually all three men batter Henare. United Empire fought out of a trio of submissions. Henare leveled Jado with a series of body punches and locked in the Full Nelson for the submission in 7:57.
Winners: United Empire (Francesco Akira, TJP & Aaron Henare)
Kazuchika Okada, Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & SANADA)
Naito convinced Tenzan to start the match by taunting him like a bullfighter. Takagi tended to pair off with Makabe, Naito with Tenzan, leaving Kazuchika Okada and SANADA to battle, ahead of both men competing in the upcoming G1 Climax.
LIJ seemed to dominate Makabe and Tenzan but Okada proved to be a much more difficult task. The faction did their best to keep Okada out of the ring, but Okada couldn't be stopped. SANADA was Okada's main opponent but he also traded some shots with his old rival Naito.
Makabe tagged in and found enough footing to make a dent in Takagi. Takagi tried to drop Makabe with a Pumping Bomber but was unsuccessful. Takagi lifted Makabe and drilled him with Last of the Dragon for the pinfall in 13:25.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & SANADA)
-After the match, LIJ posed and flexed for the crowd.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) vs. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & SHO)
SHO got on the microphone and taunted hometown favorite Hiromu Takahashi, leading to a brawl on the outside to start the match. BUSHI got the Bullet Club tandem back in the ring and took them out with a double huracanrana. BUSHI then dominated SHO until Ishimori sneakily helped his partner.
With the tables turned, SHO stripped BUSHI of his shirt. Bullet Club choked LIJ with torn shirt pieces. Ishimori tagged in and continued the assault on BUSHI. BUSHI finally took out Ishimori's knee and tagged in Hiromu.
Hiromu brought fire and fury to his opponents on the outside. Ishimori and Hiromu blistered each other with fiery strikes, both looking to send a message to the other ahead of their June 21st match for Ishimori's title. SHO tagged in, and stopped Hiromu from tagging out. Hiromu fought out and tagged in BUSHI.
BUSHI got a nearfall on SHO after outpacing him and brutalizing him with strikes. BUSHI hits a huge backcracker as well as a back suplex, crumpling SHO. SHO dodged the MX, leading to everyone rushing the ring and fighting it out. BUSHI and SHO went back and forth with their momentum. Hiromu tagged in and knocked Ishimori off the apron.
Hiromu drills SHO into the turnbuckle. SHO sent Hiromu into the referee, and then grabbed his trusty wrench. Hiromu dodges the wrench shot and takes out SHO with a beautiful assisted suplex. After another flurry of nearfalls, Hiromu hit SHO with Time Bomb for the pinfall in 14:56.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi)
-After the match, Hiromu and Ishimori compared trophies to titles, while trash talking each other. Hiromu then cut an impassioned promo in front of his hometown crowd.