NJPW – Road to THE NEW BEGINNING
Event Date: February 4, 2020 (18:30 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
#njnbg
City: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Korakuen Hall
Attendance: 1,123
Tour: THE NEW BEGINNING
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Gino Gambino, Chris Charlton
Commentary (Japanese): Milano Collection AT, Haruo Murata, Togi Makabe (5 – 7)
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki (1 – 5), Makoto Abe (6 – 7)
Video
The opening video tells us about THE NEW BEGINNING tour and some of the big matches we’ll see along the way.
Match 1
Gabriel Kidd vs Ryusuke Taguchi
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Ryusuke Taguchi wins via submission with Oh My & Garankle
Time: 8:43
Match Thoughts
This was a fine opener. It felt a but like a coach testing out one of his students (which I’m pretty sure it actually was just that). Kidd had some nice moments and even got Taguchi in a Boston crab for a good amount of time, but Taguchi kept working on Kidd’s leg throughout the match. That set up a nice sequence where Taguchi built up to Oh My & Garankle.
Match 2
Yuya Uemura vs Taiji Ishimori
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Taiji Ishimori wins via submission with the Yes Lock
Time: 7:47
Match Thoughts
Good match. Ishimori antagonized Uemura before the bell, so Uemura started the match by dropkicking Ishimori and attacking him with a lot of anger and energy. Uemura’s anger and heart pushed him to give Ishimori a pretty good fight, and Uemura even had some very close near-falls after a few very nice bursts of offense. Ishimori’s experience and power were too much though, and Uemura was taught another tough lesson as a young lion.
Match 3
Yota Tsuji & Toa Henare vs Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Togi Makabe submits Yota Tsuji with a Boston crab
Time: 12:09
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Henare came in and out of the match a couple of times, but Tsuji spent the most time in the ring for his team. Tsuji got beat up a lot by both Makabe and Honma, but Tsuji managed to put together some sustained offense later in the match. Makabe had had enough though, and he shut Tsuji down fairly handily.
Match 4
Douki & Minoru Suzuki vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Manabu Nakanishi
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Hiroyoshi Tenzan submits Douki with an anaconda vice
Time: 9:01
Match Thoughts
This was fun to watch, largely because it looked like Nakanishi was having a fun time in the ring. Nakanishi and Suzuki had some great moments exchanging strikes, and it seemed clear to me that Suzuki has a lot of respect for Nakanishi. It’s rare to see Suzuki take damage like he did tonight. Tenzan and Douki finished the match, but the best bits were all about Nakanishi.
Match 5
Robbie Eagles & Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs Hiromu Takahashi (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ) & EVIL (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champ) & Shingo Takagi (NEVER Openweight & NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Hiromu Takashi pins Robbie Eagles with a small package
Time: 10:31
Match Thoughts
Good match. This one started fast and never really slowed down. LIJ dominated large portions of the match with powerful moves and strong teamwork. The Chaos team had a difficult time dealing with LIJ’s attack, but Robbie Eagles managed to get some good offense against Takahashi late in the match. That led to a fun finish that almost undid all the work LIJ had put in up to that point. Almost.
Match 6
El Phantasmo (RPW British Cruiserweight Champ) & Jay White w/ Gedo & KENTA vs BUSHI (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champ) & SANADA & Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC & Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: KENTA pins BUSHI after Go 2 Sleep
Time: 18:34
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Bullet Club tried to play some mind games with Jay White and KENTA messing around and refusing to lock up with their opponents, but LIJ didn’t really fall for anything. LIJ were patient and waited for their opportunities, and they capitalized on those opportunities much better than Bullet Club did. The main draw here, of course, was Naito versus KENTA. Those two men fought for a good while towards the end of the match, and Naito hit KENTA with some rough-looking kicks to the legs. This was a good match, and it was a good preview for the upcoming double-title match.
Match 7
Tag Team Elimination Match
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado & Zack Sabre Jr. (RPW British Heavyweight Champ) & Taichi vs Roppongi 3K (IWGP Jr. Tag Champs) & Will Ospreay & Kazuchika Okada
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Chaos wins (Will Ospreay is the sole survivor)
Time: 23:03
| Elimination Order | Wrestler Eliminated | Team | Eliminated By | Time Eliminated | Elimination Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazuchika Okada | Chaos | Taichi | 11:36 | Top Rope |
| 2 | Taichi | Suzuki Gun | Sho | 12:39 | Top Rope |
| 3 | Sho | Chaos | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | 13:36 | Top Rope |
| 4 | Yoshinobu Kanemaru | Suzuki Gun | Yoh | 14:44 | Top Rope |
| 5 | El Desperado | Suzuki Gun | Yoh | 17:14 | Top Rope |
| 6 | Yoh | Chaos | El Desperado | 17:16 | Top Rope |
| 7 | Zack Sabre Jr. | Suzuki Gun | Will Ospreay | 23:03 | Pinfall after Stormbreaker |
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was fun and fast-paced. It took a little while for the eliminations to begin, but once they did they never really slowed down. I liked that the final few minutes focused in on two of the competitors and allowed them to have a good mini-match at the end of it all. That definitely helped build up the excitement as the show neared its end.
Show Impressions
This was a fun show. It didn’t mean much in the bigger picture, but it did give us some nice previews of other matches coming up on the tour.
Match of the Night
Chaos vs Suzuki Gun (8-Man Tag Elimination)
I like a good elimination match, and this was a good one. So I liked it.
Official Results (Japanese): https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/222319?showResult=1