A fun opening match. It did what it needed to do\nwhich was to hype up the crowd and you can never go wrong with that with all\nsix wrestlers involved. Shota Umino was the standout of the match for me, other\nthan being great as usual, the chants of “Shooter” from the crowd\nmust feel pretty good for him. SHO wins it for his team by pinning Narita with\na Power Breaker Slam at the 8 minute and 19 second mark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Match\n#2 – Kota Ibushi & Juice Robinson def. Yujiro Takahashi & Hikuleo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Surprisingly enough a tag-team consisting of Ibushi\nand Juice works perfectly! They really play off each other’s charismas and\noverall just fun to watch together. Hikuleo is currently having his excursion\nin RevPro and it’s cool to see him grow as a performer too, both literally and finally\ngaining some attitude. Yujiro does Yujiro things not much else needed to be\nsaid. Again, just another quick 8 minute matchup to add to the G1 Champion’s\nmomentum and for Juice’s upcoming US Title re-match against Mox at the\nDestruction tour. A Kamigoye to Hikuleo gets the Bullet Club duo a defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match\n#3 – Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles def. El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A revenge match between members of CHAOS: Will\nOspreay and Robbie Eagles against the reigning IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Champions:\nPhantasmo and Ishimori of Bullet Club. As one would expect, it was a very\nfast-paced action considering the four individuals involved. Ospreay pins\nIshimori with the Red Wing, earning them a shot for the junior tag belts at the\nDestruction tour. This rivalry is far from over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match\n#4 – Tetsuya Naito & SANADA def. Jay White & Chase Owens<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another tag match extravaganza this time an LIJ duo\nof Naito and SANADA went up against BC’s Jay White and Chase Owens. The pop for\nNaito during his entrance is pretty outstanding. I already know he is one of\nthe most over wrestlers in the world right now but man, it really tells you\nsomething when even outside the borders of Japan, he continues to get such loud\ncheers and deservingly so. Him and Jay White have a little rivalry going on\never since Switchblade ended Naito’s hopes on winning this year’s G1. This is a\nbuildup to their re-match as well in Destruction for the IWGP Intercontinental\nChampionship. Decent match but nothing out of the ordinary which is fine. Chase\nsubmits to a Skull End at the 12 minute and 59 second mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match\n#5 – Guerrillas of Destiny def. Aussie Open for the IWGP Tag-Team Championships<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So far representatives of Bullet Club have been\ntaking loss after loss but that all changes with this match. GoD successfully\ndefended the IWGP Tag-Team titles against Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher of\nAussie Open. They won the RevPro Road to Royal Quest Tournament to become No. 1\nContenders for the belts. It is my favorite match of GoD so far as it is a fresh\nmatchup. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a match of them but this really\ndid it for me. Aussie Open are over with the UK crowd and they gave the Tongan\nbrothers a run for their money with this solid 12 minute match. However a Super\nPowerbomb was enough to pin down Fletcher. GoD still remains the heavyweight\ntag champs and are looking to be so until Wrestle Kingdom. We’ll have to wait\nand see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match\n#6 – KENTA def. Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Championship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another grudge match here for ya’ll. KENTA of course\nturned heel at the G1 Finals at the cost of Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI. Now these\ntwo fought each other for the first time. Very action-packed especially when it\nwas just down between the two of them. The sit down slap fest is such reminiscent\nof the old school strong style matches of the past but one would always wonder\nwhat if KENTA in his prime fought Ishii now? Man this would’ve been a lot\nbetter but with saying that, it was still a good match. The GoD interferences\nwere fine, I didn’t mind them. It is what BC is all about anyways and it adds\nmore heat to them as a group, especially to KENTA beating Ishii through dirty\nmeans. A Go To Sleep makes him NEVER Openweight Championship, capturing his\nfirst title in his New Japan run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match\n#7 – Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Zack Sabre Jr. for the RevPro British Heavyweight\nChampionship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The boys have done it again! Hiroshi Tanahashi and\nZack Sabre Jr. had another fantastic match showcasing technical wrestling and\nquite fitting with the place they are at too. The crowd was very loud for both\nmen but it is obvious that while Zack has the home country advantage,\neveryone’s hearts believed in The Ace of the Universe. From the early going\nZack dominated and bent Tana as usual but it wouldn’t take long before the\nunderdog makes his chase and comebacks which eventually leads to a victory. The\nfans in the Copper Box went wild as soon as Tana pins ZSJ clean with the High\nFly Flow at the 17 minute and 39 second mark. RevPro aren’t afraid in giving\ntheir belt to established New Japan talent and what better way to add prestige\nto your title’s lineage than by giving it to arguably the greatest ever in NJPW\nhistory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match\n#8 – Kazuchika Okada def. Minoru Suzuki for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Last but not the least, the main event between Kazuchika Okada and Minoru Suzuki. Through the years we’ve seen this combo of the young top champion against the veteran master and they’ve always had great matches, this time is no different. Right from the entrances the crowd were still hot and man I really gotta give the UK fans their props for making this show a whole lot better, it wouldn’t be an event in the UK if it isn’t for such a loud and active crowd. Kind of a breath of fresh air from the usual quiet and respectful Japanese fans. But anyway, this might’ve also contained the loudest and in my opinion, greatest Kazi ni Nare chant ever! Once again the match was fantastic, very technical-focused but also some brawling here and there. Okada can have a good match against seemingly anyone and Suzuki despite his age, could still go with the best of them so it was a great way to conclude the first ever show of New Japan in the UK. The Rainmaker gains the victory after a solid 33 minute bout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n The Young Lion Cup is an infrequent round robin\ntournament held by NJPW for its trainees which are called “Young\nLions” based after New Japan’s logo of a lion. This year’s cup will take\nplace throughout the Destruction tour including the “Road To” shows.\nThere have been 11 young lion cups in the past and we’ll go through a short\nhistory of the winners before previewing this year’s set of competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1985:\nShunji Kosugi<\/strong> – Possibly the most forgotten out of\nall the winners. He didn’t have a long career in pro wrestling, retiring early\ndue to back injuries. Winning the inaugural Young Lion Cup was his biggest\naccomplishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1986:\nKeiichi Yamada<\/strong> – You may know him now as the legendary\nJushin “Thunder” Liger. I think that speaks enough for itself on what\nwent on about his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1987:\nMasahiro Chono<\/strong> – One of the most popular wrestlers in\nJapan during the 90’s and early 2000’s. Chono is also a legend in his own\nright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1993:\nHiroyoshi Yamamoto<\/strong> – Now better known as Hiroyoshi Tenzan.\nGained multiple championships in his ongoing three decade career both as a\nsingles and tag-team wrestler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1994:\nSatoshi Kojima<\/strong> – Pretty cool that TenCozy are only one\nyear apart from each other. Their careers are really intertwined a lot. Kojima\nis also a respected veteran, having win titles in different promotions across\nJapan and even in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1995:\nManabu Nakanishi<\/strong> – His journey on finally becoming IWGP\nHeavyweight Champion is one of the most memorable. Still charismatic as ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1996:\nTokimitsu Ishizawa<\/strong> – Would go on to become Kendo Kashin.\nBecoming IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2000:\nKenzo Suzuki<\/strong> – Perhaps best known for his run with\nthe WWE, winning the World Tag-Team titles with Rene Dupree of all people. He\nhas then since returned to Japan and primarily wrestles for AJPW nowadays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2004:\nRyusuke Taguchi<\/strong> – The Coach! One of the best and most\naccomplished junior heavyweights today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2005:\nHirooki Goto<\/strong> – Regarded as one of the best wrestlers\ntoday, Goto has won many titles and tournaments but is yet to win the big one.\nWill he ever?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2017:\nKatsuya Kitamura<\/strong> – Former bodybuilder turned pro\nwrestler, Kitamura had a lot of potential but ever since getting injured, he\nhasn’t returned to New Japan or wrestling in general and has seems to have\nquietly retired from the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now let us meet the field of wrestlers that could\npotentially add their name to the aforementioned list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shota\nUmino<\/strong> – The top prospect out of this batch of young\nlions. He is the son of referee Red Shoes Unno and recently gained popularity\nfor being Jon Moxley’s trusted tag-team partner during the G1 Tour, earning the\nnickname “Shooter.” Shota has already been on a big stage before,\nfacing Tanahashi earlier this year in the first round of the New Japan Cup,\nthis time though he is the fan favorite out of everyone else to win it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ren\nNarita<\/strong> – Quite the underrated one, Narita has competed in\nthis year’s Best of the Super Juniors replacing Flip Gordon due to visa issues.\nHe hasn’t won a single match but the experience he gained there will surely\nhelp him throughout this tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yota\nTsuji<\/strong> – In my opinion, Tsuji has the potential to become\na top heel in New Japan one day. With his looks and moveset, I think an\nAkitoshi Saito or Great Kabuki-esque character would fit him one day. But right\nnow, he still has a lot to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yuya\nUemura<\/strong> – I often compare him to a young Tatsumi Fujinami\nespecially with his appearance. Uemura also has tons of potential but similar\nto his dojo mate Tsuji, is yet to find that “it” that makes him stand\nout from the rest. Maybe he’ll do so in this tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Karl\nFredericks<\/strong> – My personal favorite of the LA Dojo\nrepresentatives, Fredericks has “superstar” written all over him\nsomeday! He’s a big man and a pretty agile one at that. In my opinion, he has\nthe most potential out of all the LA Dojo boys. Really impressed me throughout\nthe G1 tour as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clark\nConnors<\/strong> – A solid wrestler as well who could go on to\nbecome a big deal in the junior heavyweight division one day. He already\nparticipated in this year’s Super J Cup and toured for the whole G1 with\nFredericks, adding more to his resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alex\nCoughlin<\/strong> – Another product of the LA Dojo, Coughlin is still\na young wrestler having only made his debut a year ago. Joining this tournament\nwill definitely help him grow as a competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael Richards<\/strong> – The sole representative of the Fale Dojo. The Kiwi native first made his New Japan match debut at the Southern Showdown Australian tour, teaming up with his fellow Fale Dojo trainees: Mark Tui and Andrew Villalobos. Richards was the standout amongst them and is now going to tour Japan for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Destruction\nin Beppu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Date: September 15, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n From: Beppu B-Con Plaza (Beppu-shi, Oita, Japan)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #1: Yota Tsuji vs. Karl Fredericks – Young\nLion Cup<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #2: Shota Umino vs. Alex Coughlin – Young Lion\nCup<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #3: Nagata, Taguchi, Narita, & Uemura vs.\nNakanishi, Henare, Connors, & Richards<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #4: Liger, SHO, & YOH vs. Suzuki,\nKanemaru, & DOUKI<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #5: Ibushi, Makabe, Honma, Ospreay, &\nEagles vs. KENTA, Fale, Yujiro, Ishimori, & Phantasmo<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #6: Okada, Goto, & Rocky vs. SANADA,\nShingo, & BUSHI<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #7: Tetsuya Naito & EVIL vs. Jay White\n& Chase Owens<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match\n#8: Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Guerrillas of Destiny<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #9: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. for the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Destruction\nin Kagoshima<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Date: September 16, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n From: Kagoshima Arena<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #1: Yuya Uemura vs. Clark Connors – Young Lion\nCup<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #2: Ren Narita vs. Michael Richards – Young\nLion Cup<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #3: Nagata, Taguchi, Umino, & Tsuji vs.\nNakanishi, Henare, Fredericks, & Coughllin<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #4: Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, SHO, & YOH vs.\nGoD, Fale, & Chase<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #5: Tanahashi, Makabe, Honma, & Liger vs.\nZSJ, Suzuki, Kanemaru, & DOUKI<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #6: Okada, Goto, & Rocky vs. SANADA,\nShingo, & BUSHI<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #7: Tetsuya Naito & EVIL vs. Jay White\n& Yujiro Takahashi<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #8: El\nPhantasmo & Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles for the\nIWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #9: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. KENTA for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship Contract Match<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Destruction\nin Kobe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Date: September 22, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n From: Kobe World Hall<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #1: Nagata, Tsuji, & Uemura vs. Nakanishi,\nCoughlin, & Richards<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #2: Shota Umino vs. Karl Fredericks – Young\nLion Cup<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #3: Ren Narita vs. Clark Connors – Young Lion\nCup<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #4: Makabe, Honma, & Henare vs. Fale,\nYujiro, & Chase<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #5: Tanahashi, Liger, Tiger, & Rocky vs.\nZSJ, Suzuki, Kanemaru, & DOUKI<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #6: Ibushi, Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, Ospreay, &\nEagles vs. KENTA, GoD, Ishimori, & Phantasmo<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #7: Okada, SHO, & YOH vs. SANADA, EVIL,\n& BUSHI<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #8: Shingo\nTakagi vs. Hirooki Goto – Special Singles Match<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Match #9: Tetsuya\nNaito vs. Jay White for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This article will cover my review of NJPW Royal Quest and previews for the upcoming 2019 Young Lion Cup and Destruction Tour this month. Match #1 – Roppongi 3K def. 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