{"id":13382,"date":"2019-09-17T14:09:45","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T13:09:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/?p=13382"},"modified":"2019-09-17T14:09:53","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T13:09:53","slug":"njpw-destruction-in-beppu-and-kagoshima-results-and-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/17\/njpw-destruction-in-beppu-and-kagoshima-results-and-review\/","title":{"rendered":"NJPW: Destruction in Beppu and Kagoshima Results and Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Destruction in Beppu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Date: 9\/15\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From: Beppu B-con Plaza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #1 – Young Lion Cup Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karl\nFredericks def. Yota Tsuji<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 12th Annual Young Lion Cup continues with Karl\nFredericks defeating Yota Tsuji. Fredericks is now on top of the board along with\nShota Umino with this victory. A pretty good hard hitting action from both men,\nTsuji continues to improve as a performer but clearly New Japan also sees\nFredericks as a big potential future top gaijin. Fredericks makes Tsuji taps\nwith a half elevated Boston Crab at the 7 minute and 32 second mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #2 – Young Lion Cup Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shota\nUmino def. Alex Coughlin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the things I’ve grown to like throughout this\nwhole tour is Alex Coughlin and his chops. They ain’t no ordinary chops either,\nthey are Kenta Kobashi level kind of deadly chops! As expected him and Shota\nhad a strike fest and it turned out to be one of my favorite matches of the\nentire tournament so far. Coughlin is a good wrestler, especially for someone\nwho just made their pro debut the previous year. Shota is of course the fan\nfavorite to win this whole thing so it only makes sense for him to take the W\nin this one. Umino wins with a Fisherman’s Buster Suplex at the 8 minute and 14\nsecond mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #3 – 8 Man Tag Team Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nagata,\nTaguchi, Narita, & Uemura def. Nakanishi, Henare, Connors, & Richards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is just another one of those 8 men tags that\nprovide as a preview for the upcoming Young Lions Cup matches. This time, a\nlittle taste for Uemura vs. Connors and Narita vs. Richards. Now instead of\nTenCozy being the veterans of each corners, they’ve got Nakanishi and Nagata.\nAlong with Taguchi, former YL Cup winner himself, and the recently graduated\nToa Henare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not much went on here other than the usual, we’ll\ntalk more about the aforementioned Young Lions in their match later. For now,\nNakanishi’s team takes the L with Fale Dojo’s Michael Richards tapped to\nTaguchi’s Ankle Lock at the 11 minute and 18 second mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #4 – 6 Man Tag Team Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jushin\nLiger, SHO, & YOH def. Suzuki, Kanemaru, & DOUKI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This 6 man tag serves to add more fuel to the\nalready heated rivalry between legends: Minoru Suzuki and Jushin\n“Thunder” Liger, the latter whom will be having his retirement match\nat Wrestle Kingdom next year. Anyways, in other news DOUKI is back as well and\nis now a full pledged Suzuki-Gun member after replacing an injured El Desperado\nin the BOSJ Tournament earlier this year. SHO & YOH got the win here,\nhtting DOUKI with their 3K Tag Finisher. After the match, Suzuki continued to\nattack Liger with the latter challenging him to an impromptu match right there and\nthen, but The King refused for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #5 – 10 Man Tag Team Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KENTA,\nFale, Yujiro, Ishimori, & Phantasmo def. Ibushi, Makabe, Honma, Ospreay,\n& Eagles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this next match we got the Bullet Club crew\ntaking on the interesting dynamic team of Kota Ibushi along with members of\nboth GBH and CHAOS. This only serves as a preview for the Ibushi vs. KENTA and\nIshimori & ELP vs. Opsreay & Eagles matches the next night. This is\nKENTA’s first match back since his infamous bout against Ishii in Royal Quest\nwhere he captured the NEVER Openweight Championship whilst also suffering a\nconcussion. Fortunately, he looked good in this match and seemed like he never\nlost a step. He got the win for his team by hitting Tomoaki Honma with the most\nawkward Go To Sleep ever but it’s understandable knowing the case of poor old\nKokeshi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #6 – 6 Man Tag Team Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SANADA,\nShingo, & BUSHI def. Okada, Goto, & Rocky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not much to talk about here. Previews for Okada vs.\nSANADA in KOPW for another bout at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, then at\nthe latter part of the Destruction tour we’re going to have a special singles\nmatch with Shingo and Goto. Rocky and BUSHI have also a long standing rivalry\nso they are there to provide support for their stable mates. Didn’t take long,\njust a standard multi men tag like we’ve always seen. SANADA taps out Rocky\nwith the Skull End at the 10 minute and 40 second mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #7 – Tag Team Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naito\n& EVIL def. Switchblade & Chase<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last of the previews for this night, this time for Destruction\nat Kobe with the main event being Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White for the IWGP\nIntercontinental Championship. EVIL and Chase Owens served as their tag-team\npartners for their respective stable leaders. Again, nothing really noteworthy\nat least for me. It was a standard tag match and dare I say better than the\nfollowing match. Naito hits Chase with the Destino at exactly the 11:11 mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #8 – IWGP Tag-Team Championships:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guerrillas of Destiny def. Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Semi Main Event of the night we got the Guerrillas\nof Destiny, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa defeating the team of Tomohiro Ishii and\nYOSHI-HASHI representing CHAOS. This is their 6th defense of their 5th reign\nand have been successful. It all started at the G1 Finals when KENTA betrayed\nIshii and YOSHI-HASHI at a 6 man tag in favor of Bullet Club and then at Royal\nQuest, GoD interfered at Ishii’s expense of the NEVER Openweight title with\nKENTA earning the victory. As for this match itself however, I thought it was a\nmess. GoD vs. Briscoes at ROH were better matches, I also can’t believe I am\nnot praising an Ishii match but here we are, even though he is the best part of\nthe entire bout, he has seen better matches. I’m also just not a fan of this\nCHAOS duo in general, I would’ve preferred Ishii and Yano but you know what New\nJapan why not give us what we really want? Ishii and Goto for World Tag League\nplease! Just to freshen up the heavyweight tag-team division a bit wouldn’t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway like I said, this was worked in a sloppy\nmanner. YOSHI-HASHI forgot how to sell the Gun Stun properly, Tanga Loa\nforgetting how to sell entirely and couldn’t get a Road Warrior pop to save his\nlife for it. GoD retains, this time with KENTA giving back the favor by\ndistracting YOSHI-HASHI and Tama getting the schoolboy pin at the 21 minute and\n35 seconds. What a trainwreck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #9 – RevPro British Heavyweight Championship:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zack Sabre Jr. def. Hiroshi Tanahashi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For the main event at Beppu we got another ZSJ vs.\nTanahashi match for the RevPro British Heavyweight Title. The previous match\nwas a disappointment but that exactly won’t be the case every time these two\nmeet each other in the ring. This is a re-match at their Royal Quest match\nwhere Tanahashi defeated ZSJ for the belt but a mere 15 days later, would lose\nit right back for the Windy Man’s fourth reign with the belt. This make\nTanahashi the shortest reigning British Heavyweight Champion, with Ishii at 86\ndays at second place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As expected, we got another wonderful technical affair. Even though the result was kinda obvious, there were moments where you would think Tana might actually win it and have a strong run with the belt, but alas that wasn’t the case. But that’s how great workers should make you feel and they’ve accomplished that well. Hopefully though this would be the last time for now we will see them each other in the ring for a singles bout, while they are always good, I think having too much of it would kill the heat, at least for me.  Zack wins with the Ground Cobra Twist at the 26 minute and 43 second mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Destruction\nin Kagoshima<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Date: 9\/16\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From: Kagoshima Arena<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #1 – Young Lion Cup Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuya\nUemura def. Clark Connors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To officially kick things off at Kagoshima we got a\njunior heavyweight young lion cup match with Yuya Uemura of the New Japan Dojo\nagainst Clark Connors of the LA Dojo. Uemura entered this match with not a\nsingle win in the tour so far, Connors has his fair share but is far from the\nlead. Anyways, this was a good match as expected from both men. A few years\nfrom now, when both men would have their own characters\/gimmicks, I think we\ncould see a future BOSJ main event in our hands! As for now, Uemura finally\nscored his first victory of the tournament at the 9 minute and 31 second mark\nwith a Boston Crab. He may be mathematically eliminated now, but this was still\na big moment for him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #2 – Young Lion Cup Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ren\nNarita def. Michael Richards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alright I’ll be frank from the get go, I wasn’t a\nfan of this match probably because I’m not that big of a fan of Michael\nRichards. He is the most generic looking wrestler ever and I know he is still a\nyoung lion and that’s kinda the purpose of that but he doesn’t have any\nredeeming qualities that makes him stand out. Hopefully he does find it in the\nfuture along with a decent moveset. Narita did well but we all know that now\nespecially after his performance at this year’s BOSJ. A quick match at the 7 minute\nand 18 second mark ending with a Narita Special #4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #3 – 10 Man Tag Team Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nakanishi,\nHenare, Fredericks, & Coughlin def. Nagata, Taguchi, Umino, & Tsuji<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similar to the match earlier on, only rotating the\nYoung Lions involved. Henare gets the win for his team, hitting Tsuji with the\nTOA Bottom. Yep that’s what it’s called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #4 – 8 Man Tag Team Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishii,\nYOSHI-HASHI, & Roppongi 3K def. GoD, Fale, & Chase<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another BC vs. CHAOS match up. Fresh from the\ntag-team title match from the previous night between GoD and Ishii &\nYOSHI-HASHI. Just your standard multi men tag, the only intriguing part was\nthat YOH got the surprise win over Tama Tonga at the 6 minute mark with an\nInside Cradle pin! Could we see Roppongi 3K challenge for the Heavyweight Tag\nTitles later on? After all we’ve already seen what these two teams are capable\nin the ring with the opening of the G1 in Dallas. Should be interesting if this\ngoes anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match #5 – 8 Man Tag Team Match:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liger, Tanahashi, Honma, & Makabe def. Suzuki, ZSJ, Kanemaru, & DOUKI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n