New Japan Pro Wrestling continued their Kizuna Road Tour on Monday. Since the show began at 5:30am EDT, here’s a spoiler-free match listing for the non-nite-owl New Japan fans. Each match has been given a Need To Watch Rating of 0.0-10.0.
First Match: Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura
These two Young Lions continue to be the highlight of the undercard. Each match sees the two men learn from the match before. Uemura is far more impactful than the night previous. Definitely a rivalry to watch in 2018.
Need To Watch Rating: (7.5)
Second Match: Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Taiji Ishimori)
Ren Narita keeps poking Taiji Ishimori and it is not going to end well for him. A fun tag match that saw Umino & Narita gel as a tag team. While not necessarily essential, definitely a crisp, solid tag bout.
Need To Watch Rating: (3.4)
Third Match: Tomoyuki Oka & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata.
Celebrate Father’s Day with the Dads of NJPW. Oka continues his rivalry with Nagata. Inessential but fun.
Need To Watch Rating: (2.1)
Fourth Match: Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi, Toa Henare, David Finlay & Togi Makabe) vs. CHAOS (SHO, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano)
It’s a match that features Makabe, Finlay, Henare & Yano. I think you know what to expect.
Need To Watch Rating: (1.9)
Fifth Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI) vs. Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & Takashi Iizuka)
The LIJ vs. Suzuki-gun war continues. A solid chapter, but definitely not a barnburner.
Need To Watch Rating: (4.0)
Sixth Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, Jeff Cobb, Juice Robinson & KUSHIDA vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo)
Plenty of G1 teases in this match. CHAOS has been decidedly heel lately, and it works. Jay White is starting to show a truly brutal side to him. Definitely a solid match.
Need To Watch Rating: (6.6)
Main Event: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. El Desperado
It is impossible for these two to have a bad match. A tad bit overbooked, but ultimately a thrilling ride. Hard to go full 10.0 on it, as the rivalry still doesn’t feel finished (and it likely never will) but it’s definitely a worthy watch.
Need To Watch Rating: (9.9)
