New Japan Pro Wrestling presents NJPW New Year’s Dash, LIVE from Korakuen Hall.
The show is set to begin at 4:30am EST on njpwworld.com…
FIRST MATCH: Ren Narita, Tetsuhiro Yagi, Syota Umino & Tomoyuki Oka vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Young Lions rush Tenzan. Oka bodyslams Tenzan and the Lions drop all kinds of elbows. Nakanishi tags in and focuses on Yagi. Kojima tags in and gets some offense and then tags in Nagata. Nagata uses swift, sharp kicks to ground Yagi but Yagi comes back with a dropkick. Oka tags in and clears everyone off the apron. Nagata and Oka exchange strikes.
Belly to Belly on Nagata gets a nearfall but Nagata hits an Enziguri. Nagata throws Oka with an Exploder Suplex and then tags in Kojima, who works over Oka in the corner. Kojima heads to the top rope but Oka knocks him off. Umino tags in and all of the Young Lions hit corner elbows on Kojima. Umino locks in a Boston Crab. Umino attempts a German Suplex but Kojima elbows out. Umino hits a dropkick and then a German Suplex gets a near fall. Kojima hits a Western Lariat and gets the pinfall.
WINNERS: Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
SECOND MATCH: Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Takashi Iizuka) vs. Hirai Kawato, Tiger Mask, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Toa Henare & Togi Makabe.
An all encompassing brawl starts the match. Suzuki-gun treats their opponents like playthings. The referee begins a count. TAKA rolls Henare into the ring.
Henare tries to get the better of TAKA but Kanemaru ran in and the two double teamed Henare. Desperado distracts the referee and TAKA takes control. TAKA keeps Henare grounded.
El Desperado and Kanemaru beat on Henare on the outside of the ring, as the other members of Suzuki-gun keep Henare’s team at bay. Iizuka distracts the ref as Taichi hits Henare with the ring hammer. TAKA chokes Henare while the ref isn’t looking. Iizuka tags in and bites Henare’s head. Henare tries to fight back but Iizuka bites his fingers. Henare dodges a corner splash and a clothesline, hits a tackle and tags in Makabe.
Iizuka chokes Makabe in the corner but Makabe fights back with a lariat, and then hits mounted punches on Iizuka AND his partners. Makabe hits a lariat for a nearfall.
Makabe goes for another lariat but gets hit with an inverted Atomic Drop. Iizuka covers but Tiger Mask & Liger break up the pin and stomp away on Iizuka. Iizuka hits a powerslam on Makabe. Makabe tags Kawato, as Iizuka tags El Desperado. Kawato dominates Desperado and then clears the apron. Tiger and Liger come in. Tiger Bomb from Tiger Mask, Liger Bomb from Liger, Enziguri from Kawato, but the following pinfall gets broken up.
Kawato climbs to the top rope and hits a springboard missile dropkick. Suzuki-gun storms Kawato and Desperado hits the Butterfly Piledriver for the pinfall.
WINNERS: Suzuki-gun.
After the match, Iizuka hit Kawato with the steel glove, seemingly injuring Hirai.
