NJPW New Year Dash!!
Event Date: January 5, 2019 (18:30 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Korakuen Hall
Attendance: 1,730
Commentary: Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, Rocky Romero (3 – 7)
Commentary (Japanese): Koki Yamazaki (1, 3, 6), Yusuke Okamoto (1 – 7), Milano Collection AT (1 – 7), Kazuki Kusanagi (2, 5), Hiroki Mikami (4, 7)
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki (1 – 4), Makoto Abe (5 – 7)
Ring Area
Kimihiko Ozaki announces tonight’s matches.
Match 1
Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer & Takashi Iizuka vs Sho & Yoh & Rocky Romero
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Yoh pins Takashi Iizuka with a roll-up
Time: 8:34
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a fun opener. The Suzuki Gun team dominated early with their strength and ferocity, but Roppongi 3K weathered the early storm and made the match competitive with their speed. RPG3K had much better teamwork, and that led to a fun and sudden finish.
Match 2
Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi w/ Pieter vs Toa Henare & Tomoaki Honma
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Chase Owens pins Toa Henare after a package piledriver
Time: 9:24
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. It went back and forth for a while with neither team really dominating for an extended period, but overall Owens and Takahashi seemed to get the better of most situations. This was fine.
Match 3
Chuckie T & Beretta vs David Finlay & Juice Robinson (IWGP US Champ)
(referee: Chris Roberts)
Result: Finlay & Robinson win via DQ when Chuckie T attacks Finlay with a chair
Time: 9:02
Match Thoughts
Good match. The story here was definitely Beretta versus Robinson. They looked very good against each other, and I look forward to their inevitable title match. The sub-story in the match was the erratic behavior of Chuckie T. Chuckie T seemed angry the whole time, and that led to a less than satisfying finish. I think this match was good for multiple story lines going forward though, and that was really the point of the match.
Ring Area
After the match, Juice Robinson tries to take the chair away from Chuckie T. Beretta comes in to have some words with Robinson, so Chuckie T uses the distraction to throw a chair at Robinson’s head. Beretta walks Chuckie T away from the ring, but Chuckie T runs back into the ring and piledrives Finlay on a chair. Finally, Chuckie T slowly walks away from the ring.
Match 4
KUSHIDA & Jeff Cobb & Yuji Nagata vs Will Ospreay (NEVER Openweight Champ) & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii
(referee: Chris Roberts)
Result: Will Ospreay pins KUSHIDA after the Stormbreaker
Time: 14:09
Match Thoughts
Very good match. All six men seemed to pair off, and all of the matchups were fun. Ospreay fought KUSHIDA, Ishii fought Nagata, and Goto fought Cobb, and I enjoyed those matchups in that order. This was a ton of fun to watch, and I look forward to the multiple singles matches that will hopefully come out of this.
Match 5
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Title Match
Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs Taiji Ishimori (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ) & Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Champs) w/ Jado
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Tanga Loa pins Togi Makabe after Apeshit (and a package piledriver from Chase Owens)
Time: 11:33
Match Thoughts
Good match. Of course it got silly at times with Taguchi and Yano in the ring, but the main story here was the interference from Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi. It seems that Owens and Takahashi are back in the Bullet Club, and I’m okay with that. I think this was a good showing for this version of the Bullet Club.
Match 6
El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (Rev Pro British Heavyweight Champ) & Minoru Suzuki w/ TAKA Michinoku vs Shingo Takagi & BUSHI (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Champs) & SANADA & EVIL (IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champs) & Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Taichi pins Tetsuya Naito after Black Mephisto
Time: 14:45
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Taichi took control of this match immediately by breaking a chair over Naito’s head before the opening bell. The match started while everyone was fighting out of the ring, and the match continued in chaos pretty much the entire time. Naito could never regain his senses. Even when Naito did tag in late in the match, Taichi entered the ring and dominated him. Sabre also had some impressive moments against EVIL, and overall, Suzuki Gun showed extreme dominance over LIJ. Taichi definitely made the biggest statement though.
Match 7
Gedo & Bad Luck Fale & Jay White vs YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Jay White pins YOSHI-HASHI after Bladerunner
Time: 15:16
Match Thoughts
Good match. Jay White made a big statement in this match, ruining the return of YOSHI-HASHI and going after Tanahashi throughout the match. White seemed to be the most in-control in this match, and even though Okada and Tanahashi looked good as usual, White took advantage of everything he could in order to dominate the match.
Ring Area
After the match, Jay White tells Tanahashi that he wants the IWGP Heavyweight Title. He says this is the Switchblade Era, and that is his belt. White repeatedly calls Tanahashi an “old man,” prompting Tanahashi to enter the ring. Gedo attacks Tanahashi from behind, and Bullet Club pounces. Okada returns to the ring, but he is quickly taken down by Bullet Club.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. There were no real surprises, but I did like the statements that were made and the potential matches that will come out of this. I think this show made it pretty clear that The Elite are gone, and that includes Kenny Omega. Even with them gone though, the matches they built on tonight are all quite intriguing to varying degrees.
Match of the Night
KUSHIDA & Jeff Cobb & Yuji Nagata vs Will Ospreay & Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii
I think I enjoyed this match the most. It was e most competitive, and the pace kept it highly entertaining throughout. Other matches, such as LIJ versus Suzuki Gun, were good, but a lot of them were heavy on story and feud building. This six man match did some of that, but I think it felt like a more straightforward match than the last few matches of the night.
Official Results: https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/167218?showResult=1