Destruction rolls into Beppu with, at least on paper, the weakest main event of the tour. The last time Suzuki and Naito faced off, it wasn’t great, but two guys that talented can’t muck it up again, can they?
I’ve been going back and forth on reviewing this show as it is headlined by someone I believe to be scum. However, there is a solid undercard to blab about, so I’ve decided to go ahead with it. Just don’t expect me to focus on the piece of shit.
In a lot of ways, this card is a mirror image of the one from the night before. While the matches have had a few tweaks, they’re hitting the same storyline beats, and in reality, it’s all about the main event – or at least it was. Because then they only went and added Ishii vs Henare. I’ve been calling for that since Tag League, suddenly, I’m quite excited.
Quick note: I’m going to change things up slightly and replace the pictures with NJPW’s post-match interviews. They’re an important part of the company’s storytelling, so it seems fitting.
After a short break, New Japan is back with a long old tour. With business being up, those in charge have realised that rather than selling out one super card, they can instead sell out multiple decent ones. That’s how we end up with the Junior Tag Titles main eventing. Not that we should complain too much, we all love wrestling, right? More of it can only be a good thing.
It’s New Japan’s 46th Anniversary and to celebrate the occasion, they’ve put together a sexy little card for us. The main event leaps off the page as Okada and Ospreay go face to face for the first time since the RevPro fight that played a part in getting Ospreay signed. Throw in Makabe challenging for the Intercontinental Title, a Junior tag three-way and a handful of other singles matches (although one does include Taichi), and we look set for fun. Let’s dish out some stars.
When you get down to it, the final taped Road To show for New Beginning was a remix of the one from the day before. However, it’s topped off with a big main event as Goto and Okada go after the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles. This was what Sanada and Evil had to put up to get a shot at their belts, and it creates an exciting dynamic a few days before those matches. Let’s dish out some stars.
You can usually skip past Road To… events without worrying too much about it. However, New Japan has gone all out with this show and the one that followed. We’re getting singles matches and an English commentary team! Guess we better see if it’s worth tuning in. Let’s dish out some stars.
Having delivered with a solid undercard and a fantastic main event on the first night of New Beginning, NJPW returned to the same arena for round two. It’s a sign off how hot the company is that they went ahead with that, as neither card was packed with big matches. Let’s dish out some stars.
Sadly, New Beginning doesn’t feature flying cavemen or drunk drones. It’s the New Japan equivalent of the Bat Signal. It’s time to put that silliness behind us and get back to business. Which we’re doing by having a battle of the legends as Tanahashi takes on Suzuki. Not a bad way to start the year by anyone’s measure. Let’s dish out some stars.
It’s the night after Wrestle Kingdom and all through Korakeun Hall, new stories are stirring and I’ve got nothing more.
That will be my last Christmas themed intro I promise.
If you’re getting into New Japan for the first time, look at New Year Dash as being their Raw after WrestleMania. It’s when NJPW hit the reset button and set up the storylines that are going to take them into the New Year. Which makes it pretty damn exciting. Let’s dish out some stars.