Cero Reviews NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022

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Cero Reviews NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022

Post by cero2k » May 2nd, '22, 11:11

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022
May 1st, 2022
Fukuoka Dome, Fukuoka, Japan

Suzuki-gun (Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Shingo Takagi) & Shiro Koshinaka - 5.5/10
The reveal of X ended up being Shiro Koshinaka. With the main focus being Taichi and Shingo continuing their rivalry for the KOPW trophy, it left Koshinaka and BUSHI open for spots and heat, but at the end, it came down to Taichi pinning Shingo with a roll up. Match was ok, nothing special.

Post-match - Taichi challenged Shingo to another shot, Shingo reluctantly accepted.

Hiromu Takahashi vs. YOH - 8/10
Really good back and forth match. With neither guy really having anything to defend other than wanting to enter the BOSJ with some momentum, either could have taken the win, and while the smart bet will always go to Hiromu, it still added some curiosity to the match.

Match was action packed, lots of chops, some dives, and a lot of counters towards the end before Hiromu dropped YOH with a lariat and the TimeBomb 1 & 2 combo for the win.

Post-match - After carrying it to the ring for months, Hiromu finally left the BOSJ trophy in the ring, as the tournament is soon to begin.

Yujiro Takahashi (w/Pieter) vs. Tanga Loa (w/Jado) - 6/10
This was all over the place, but in a way that helped the match. Let's face it, Loa versus Yujiro in the ring is not the most appealing thing, but with them brawling into the ramp, Loa overcoming SHO who ran out for the interference, and eventually making a comeback, kicking out of Pimp Juice, and winning with Apeshit, it all at the end turned the match into something that I was somewhat emotionally attentive of.

Post-match - Loa hinted that he wants a shot at the NEVER 6-person titles.

Side note: Utami Hayashishita and Saya Kamitani were shown at ringside watching the show.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match
Six Or Nine (Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi) (c) vs. Suzuki-gun (DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) - 7/10
Good short match, but I think the finish will polarize the fanbase. Match was mostly back and forth action, revolving around Taguchi's hurt leg, but before SZKG could capitalize, Taguchi reversed Kanemaru into a pin with his bare butt and won.

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match
United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb) (c) vs. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) - 7/10
The match had tornado tag rules, so it was all action. The babyface in peril and comeback stuff wasn't as strongly built because of it, but it still allowed all teams to trade momentum. Arguably the big spot they built was Fale and Cobb coming face-to-face for the big scoop slam, and later on the Bishamon comeback. Eventually Cobb and Goto took each other out, but Fale and Owens jumped in, took out Cobb, and then pinned Goto after a grenade and a top rope elbow.

2022 and Fale still managed to get some gold and Owens got his first proper title.

Post-match - United Empire got face-to-face with the Bullet Club. They're coming for their titles.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match
EVIL (c) (w/Dick Togo) vs. Tama Tonga (w/Jado) - 7.5/10
This was similar than Yujiro vs Loa, but more restricted to the ring, better wrestling, and a far better build up to the comeback and win. The big spot of the match was when Tama Tonga locked in the sharpshooter, and in order to break it, Togo stole the bell and hammer and rung the finish, making Tama think he had won, instead it allowed EVIL to recoup a bit before the referee got things under control. Eventually, Tama Tonga took Togo, kicked out from a Darkness Falls, reversed and countered everything EVIL tossed at him at the end, and hit the Gunstun for the win.

Post-match - Right after the win, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows made their return to NJPW, attacked Jado and Tama Tonga, teased a magic killer until Tanga Loa ran in for the save. They took out Loa, but instead of the Magic Killer, Anderson hit a Gunstun on Tama Tonga and made it clear that he wants the NEVER title.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
El Desperado (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori - 7.5/10
I liked the match, but I was really disappointed by the result. Ishimori has been incredibly meh for a long while, and having him of all people not only end Desperado's great reign, but then go into the BOSJ as the champion feels really underwhelming.

Match revolved around Ishimori working the arm, while Despy worked the leg, both men building towards their respective submissions, which at the end, became the back and forth reversal battle between Numero Dos and the Bone Lock, ending with Despy tapping out.

Vacant IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii - 9.25/10
This is not a singles match that happens often now a days. Story of the match was that Tanahashi initially tried to play Ishii's game and got his ass kicked for it, but then started to resort more on his own arsenal and gain the momentum needed to win. This pair up yielded a couple of great spots because a lot of Tanahashi's current arsenal can be nicely countered by Ishii straight up punching through it, or absorbing the pain, and for that matter, Tanahashi had some trouble taking in so many lariats by Ishii.

The end was crazy full of energy and near falls that had the crowd vocally reacting to it, especially when Tanahashi managed to kick out of a Brainbuster, Ishii kicked out of the High Fly Flow, and when Ishii hit a Slingblade of his own. Finish saw Tanahashi land 3rd and 4th High Fly Flow to finally put down Ishii. This may had been my favorite Tanahashi match in a long time.

Post-match - Chase Owens came out to confront Tana. He congratulated him, but claimed that he never got his title shot from last year's G1. Suddenly, a masked man from Ace's & Eights attacked Tanahashi from behind, hit a Pulp Friction and unmasked to reveal it was Juice Robinson, turned heel. He took the US title and left with it.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito - 9/10
Good match, but between Golden Series and the New Japan Cup, this felt like the weaker of the three. It may be the combination that we've seen this match three times to close to each other, and they were following a banger with Tana and Ishii. The match was still great, with great wrestling, and a good story of both men working each other's heads and Naito seemingly showing that he had improved his game with the confidence of the NJC win. I shouldn't have to even mention that the match had a master level ending sequence with Okada kicking out of Destino, dodging the Stardust Press, and at the end, hitting the Rainmaker to retain.

Post-match - Okada cut his winner's promo thanking the crowd and all. Once it was over and the fireworks blasted, Jay White made his return to NJPW since last year. The way they cut Okada's music and then White's hit was beautiful, just kinda wish that Okada had sold it a bit more, but I guess he's not impressed by White anymore, after kicking his ass before.

Okada didn't even allowed White to talk, instead took the mic away and posed with the title. Gedo and White attacked, and Okada managed to hold on for a bit until White hit the Bladerunner. White took the mic nonetheless to run down his usual promo as the Bullet Club came down to the ring and joined White. House of Torture is once again not around with the proper Bullet Club.

Anderson closed the show re-introducing the current membership of the Bullet Club, including "Rock Hard" Juice Robinson, those who returned, the new champions, and the future IWGP World Champion Jay White, who just happened to hit another Bladerunner for good measure.

While I expected this years, White should win the G1, I think I rather see him win at Dominion and carry it all the way to Wrestle Kingdom.

OVERALL THOUGHTS
Welp, it was a Bullet Club night, one that felt like the older days of the Bullet Club, and a proper way to celebrate their 9th anniversary. While I'm really happy to see White and the Brothers back, and I'm curious about Robinson's turn, I was most definitely underwhelmed by guys like Fale, Owens, and Ishimori ending title reigns that had to much potential.

What I can't complain about is that while not the best show in the last years, this show definitely felt like it was pre-pandemic, with so many foreigners coming in, the BOSJ announcement, and just strong back-to-back title matches to end the show.
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