NJPW New Year Dash Review – January 5, 2024
Location: Tokyo Japan
Venue: Sumida City Gymnasium
Television Title Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
Hiroshi Tanahashi got Ryusuke Taguchi to run the ropes until he was winded then Tanahashi rolls him up for a near fall. Taguchi hits a corner plancha to the floor.
In the ring Taguchi hits some snap suplexes then a running butt bump for a near fall before the back of Taguchi’s pants have been pulled down so his red underwear is visible.
They traded rollups before he pulls down Tanahashi’s pants on a sunset flip attempt to expose Tanahashi’s underwear but Tanahashi ignored it & got a roll up for the win.
Winner & Still Television Champion: Hiroshi Tanahashi (5:40) (STILL CHAMPION!!!!)
Rate: 5
After the match arena went dark and a video played on a screen & its a car pulling up and we don’t initially see the man’s face. He finally gets out of the car, dressed in a suit & tie and it’s Matt Riddle. He challenged Tanahashi to a match. In the arena, Tanahashi grabs the mic and accepted. He added I have no idea who that guy is so I guess I need to go do my homework.
Tag Team Match
Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & Yoshi Hashi) vs. Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa
Yoshi Hashi & Ryohei Oiwa starts this match before Kaito Kiyomiya enters and hits some dropkicks.
Hirooki Goto hits a clothesline and they were both down before Bishamon hits Oiwa with Shoto for the win.
Winners: Bishamon (7:40)
Rate: 6
Non Title Match
Strong Openweight & IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas Of Density (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) vs. Young Blood (Yuto Nakashima & Oskar Leube)
Young Blood attacks Guerrillas Of Density then Yuto Nakashima puts El Phantasmo in a Boston Crab before Hikuleo & Oskar Leube enters and traded forearm strikes.
Hikuleo hits a suplex for a near fall then Leube hits an dropkick. Nakashima & ELP got back in and traded forearm strikes then they traded rollup attempts.
ELP hits an airplane spin for a near fall then Hikuleo hits Godsend on Leube then one on Nakashima as ELP hits Springboard Thunder Kiss 86 for the win.
Winners: Strong Openweight & IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas Of Density (8:06)
Rate: 6
After the match Chase Owens jumps in the ring and hits a Package Piledriver on El Phantasmo. He got on the mic and challenges them for the IWGP Tag Team Titles. He said his partner will be Kenta. Hikuleo grabs the mic and accepted.
12 Man Tag Team Match
El DespeWato (Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado & Master Wato), NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga & Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) & Shota Umino vs. House Of Torture (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, Dick Togo, Evil & Sho)
Both teams brawled at the bell then Master Wato hits a headscissors takedown as El Desperado fought with Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
House Of Torture began working over Tomoaki Honma before Togi Makabe made the hot tag and hits a series of punches in the corner on Evil.
Yujiro Takahashi hits a Helluva Kick on Makabe before Ren Narita & Shota Umino got in and fought each other with Umino hitting a basement dropkick for a near fall.
Umino hits elbow strikes to the side of Narita’s head then everyone started fighting in the ring again before Dick Togo got his wire and chokes Umino.
Tama Tonga hits Tongan Twist on Evil then Sho hits a spear on Desperado then Wato hits a top rope diving forearm on Sho.
Umino hits a pop up European uppercut on Togo then Death Rider for the win.
Winners: El DespeWato, NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga, Great Bash Heel & Shota Umino (9:02)
Rate: 4
After the match Narita hits Umino with the push-up bar again and House Of Torture beats up El DespeWato, Great Bash Heel, Tonga & Umino. Evil hit a low blow on Tonga then Everything Is Evil on Tonga. Evil handcuffs Tonga & pulls out scissors and cuts off a big chunk of Tonga’s hair then Evil held the NEVER Openweight Title and stood with 1 foot on Tonga’s chest.
10 Man Tag Team Match
United Empire (Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Francesco Akira & TJP, Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb & Henare) vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (Global Champion David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd)
United Empire attacks Bullet Club War Dogs as they walked to the ring & they brawled up the entrance ramp and toward the walls far from ringside then Francesco Akira climbs the wall and dove onto everyone below.
In the ring Will Ospreay hits a springboard forearm on David Finlay then Henare hits a double clothesline before Alex Coughlin hits an belly 2 belly suplex on Henare then Coughlin hits a gutwrench suplex on TJP .
The ref got bumped so Henare hits a spinning back fist that drops Coughlin then Clark Connors shoved the ref so the ref shoved him back so Connors got livid and spears the referee.
Gabriel Kidd hits a suplex on Jeff Cobb then bites Akira on the head and the new ref admonished him. Akira hits a hurricanrana on Finlay.
Bullet Club War Dogs began throwing chairs into the ring and ripping apart the guardrail as the ref throws the match out.
Winners: No One (No Contest) (5:10)
Rate: 6
After the match everyone kept brawling after the bell. Ospreay hits an OsCutter on Finlay before Gedo hits a low blow on Ospreay. TJP sprayed red mist into Finlay’s eyes. Ospreay tossed Gedo through a table set up in the corner. Ospreay got on the mic and said United Empire is still standing. Ospreay said his last match for NJPW is on Feb 11th and he will stand side by side with his brothers in a 10 Man Tag Team Match against Bullet Club War Dogs and he is letting Finlay pick the rules. Finlay got on the mic and said Ospreay must be really stupid for letting him pick the rules. Finlay said it would be fought in a Steel Cage.
10 Man Tag Team Match
Los Ingobernables De Japon (IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji & Bushi) vs. Just 5 Guys (Sanada, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, Douki & Taka Michinoku)
Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura starts this match and Tsuji hits a tilt a whirl backbreaker over his knee before Umeura hit an enzuigiri then Douki & Hiromu Takahashi enters and traded fast reversals.
Sanada enters and hit a dropkick on Tetsuya Naito & ties Tsuji in the Paradise Lock then he hit a swinging neckbreaker on Naito then Taichi hits a Helluva Kick on Shingo Takagi.
Takagi drops Taichi with a shoulder tackle before LIJ got Taka Michinoku in the ring and hits stereo basement dropkicks before Michinoku drills Bushi to the mat with Michinoku Driver II for the win.
Winners: Just 5 Guys (8:47)
Rate: 6
KOPW 2024 Title Fatal 4 Way 10 Min Scramble Match
Great O Khan vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. Toru Yano vs. Yoh
Yoh & Taiji Ishimori traded rollup attempts before Ishimori hits a Frankensteiner for a near fall before Yoh pins Yano at 3:20.
Great O Khan hits a Tombstone Piledriver on Yano for a near fall then O Khan hits Eliminator then goes for the cover but Yoh made the save.
O Khan hits Eliminator to pin Yoh at 8:05 then pins Yoh again for some reason then Ishimori hits a low blow then rolls up O Khan and pins him at 9:02.
O Khan chases Ishimori before he finally grabs Yano & rolls him in the ring and tried to pin him but Ishimori broke up the pinfall. O Khan again chased Ishimori but the time limit expired.
Winner & New KOPW 2024 Champion: Taiji Ishimori (10:00) (NEW CHAMPION!!!!)
Rate: 5
8 Man Tag Team Match
NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions Chaos (Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii) & Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson & Jon Moxley) vs. TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr, Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste & Kosei Fujita)
Bryan Danielson & Zack Sabre Jr starts this match with them traded quick mat reversals and had a standoff before they traded offense while tied in a knuckle lock including trading kicks to the thighs.
Kazuchika Okada & Mikey Nicholls enters & Chaos & Blackpool Combat Club turns kicking Nicholls in the corner then Shane Haste entera and hits some kicks on Okada.
ZSJ re enters and snaps Okada’s left arm then drags Okada to the TMDK corner and they took turns working over Okada. Kosei Fujita enters and hit a series of forearm strikes.
Okada hit a flapjack on Nicholls and he tags in Jon Moxley & Moxley rolls to the floor and whipped Fujita into the guardrail.
In the ring Okada backs Nicholls into a corner then punches him repeatedly and bites his forehead then hits a 2nd rope superplex. Haste & Nicholls hits a double team neckbreaker on Moxley.
Moxley hits a double DDT on them then tags in Tomohiro Ishii & hits a Saito Suplex on Haste for a near fall. They did a multi man sleeper spot before Danielson hits a flying knee off the apron to the floor on ZSJ.
Haste hits a back suplex on Ishii in the ring before Okada hits a dropkick on Fujita then a neckbreaker over his knee on Haste.
Haste hits a series of kicks on Ishii then a Falcon Arrow for a near fall before Moxley & Ishii hits stereo German suplexes. Okada hits a DDT on ZSJ.
Ishii hits a clothesline on Haste for a near fall as Fujita hits a flip dive to the floor on Okada as Haste & Nicholls hits Tankbuster on Ishii for the win.
Winners: TMDK (13:50)
Rate: 7
After the match ZSJ got on the mic and he said he wants another match with Bryan Danielson then Fujita spoke on the mic and he made the challenge for the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Titles. Okada shouted at him You are in no position to challenge me kid and he turns and leaves.
