NJPW – Together Project Special
Event Date: June 15, 2020 (19:00 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Tokyo, Japan
Venue: ?
Attendance: empty arena
Commentary (Japanese): Milano Collection AT, Jushin Thunder Liger, Shinpei Nogami (1, 5), Shinji Yoshino (2, 6), Hiroki Mikami (3), Koki Yamazaki (4)
Ring Announcer: Makoto Abe (1 – 3), Kimihiko Ozaki (4 – 6)
Video
The staff and wrestlers in NJPW have been working together with the fans to keep hope alive during the pandemic. Now, 110 days after the last event NJPW is back!
Ring Area
Makoto Abe is in the ring, and he introduces some of the NJPW wrestlers as they head to the ring. Hiroshi Tanahashi thanks the fans for waiting for their return. He says tonight’s show can only be viewed through a screen, but he looks forward to the day when he can see the fans in person.
Match 1
Gabriel Kidd vs Yota Tsuji
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Yota Tsuji wins via submission with a Boston crab
Time: 8:43
Match Thoughts
Good match. Tsuji used his size and strength to best Kidd whenever they came face to face, but Kidd had some really nice counters throughout the match. Kidd showed a lot of heart, but Tsuji was determined tonight. I liked this quite a lot. It was a very good way to start the first show in over three months.
Match 2
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado vs Yuya Uemura & Tomohiro Ishii
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: El Desperado submits Yuya Uemura with Numero Dos
Time: 12:57
Match Thoughts
Good match. Uemura started things quickly by attacking El Desperado and Kanemaru right as he entered the ring, and Uemura had a strong opening segment of the match. Uemura started to get overwhelmed by the teamwork of the Suzuki Gun team, so Ishii tagged in to turn things back around. Ishii started to fall to the teamwork of El Desperado and Kanemaru as well, so Uemura came back in to finish the match against El Desperado. Suzuki Gun definitely worked better as a team in the match, and that proved to be a huge factor.
Match 3
Jado & Gedo & Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi vs Tomoaki Honma & YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano & Hirooki Goto
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Yujiro Takahashi pins Tomoaki Honma after Pimp Juice
Time: 13:20
Match Thoughts
Good match. This match was mostly made up of a series of one on one encounters until Bullet Club started working well as a team late in the match. Jado and Yano had a really fun segment against each other, then YOSHI-HASHI ended up getting isolated for a long time. YOSHI-HASHI’s time in the ring allowed Bullet Club to start working and cheating better, and they began to dominate as the match went on. This was fun.
Video
“Way to the Grand Master” is coming soon.
Intermission
The commentators talk as the ring is sanitized during a brief intermission.
Match 4
BUSHI (NEVER 6-Man Champ) & SANADA & EVIL (NEVER 6-Man Champ) vs Ryusuke Taguchi & Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Ryusuke Taguchi submits BUSHI with Oh My & Garankle
Time: 13:33
Match Thoughts
Good match. So far tonight, this one had the most exciting and fast-paced finish. Taguchi started the match against SANADA, and they had a nice mixture of skill and comedy going on. After that, Taguchi kind of took a break on the apron while Tencozy (Tenzan & Kojima) worked together for a large part of the match. Taguchi ended up back in the ring against BUSHI to end the match. They had a really good segment, and everyone coming in and out of the ring made the finish really fun.
Match 5
Douki & Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi vs Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata & Kota Ibushi (IWGP Tag Champ) & Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP Tag Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Togi Makabe pins Douki after the King Kong Knee Drop
Time: 13:04
Match Thoughts
Very good match. There was a lot of chaos in this fight, but there was also an ongoing narrative of ZSJ and Taichi trying to get at Ibushi and Tanahashi. The fight was all over the place, but I liked that the IWGP Tag titles took a central role. That gave the match a good focus, even if the finish didn’t really have anything to do with any upcoming tag title match. I also particularly enjoyed the segment where Nagata and Suzuki fought each other early in the match. This was a whole lot of fun all around.
Match 6
Roppongi 3K (IWGP Jr. Tag Champs) & Kazuchika Okada vs Hiromu Takahashi (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ) & Shingo Takagi (NEVER Openweight & 6-Man Champ) & Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC & Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Tetsuya Naito pins Yoh after Destino
Time: 14:17
Match Thoughts
Very good match. I feel like this was a very good preview for the New Japan Cup. The NJP is openweight this year, and this match had a nice mix of heavyweights and juniors. And of course, with these guys in the match, it was a whole lot of fun to watch. This match, probably more than any other match tonight, makes me excited for what’s coming up in the next few weeks from NJPW! Also, Naito debuted a new move against Yoh, a kind of over-the-shoulder cutter. To me, if felt kind of like an inverse of Destino. It was cool, and it pretty much ended any chance Yoh had tonight.
Ring Area
After the match, Naito gets on the mic and echoes Tanahashi’s words from earlier when he says he is looking forward to the time when the fans can be there in person. For now, he hopes everyone enjoys the New Japan Cup.
As Naito’s music plays, Takahashi picks up Naito’s title belts and says he’s going to win the New Japan Cup. Takahashi laughs and walks away, but when Naito puts his fist in the air, Takashi runs back to the ring and salutes with Naito. Takagi looks at Takahashi and Naito, but he doesn’t salute with them. Instead, Takagi walks away on his own.
Show Impressions
This was a fun show. It felt like a good warm-up and preview for what’s to come over the next few weeks. Nothing particularly surprising or important happened on the show, but I think this was just about welcoming everyone back to the NJPW ring.
Match of the Night
Chaos vs LIJ (main event)
This was easiy the most fun match of the night.
Official Results (Japanese): https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/248161?showResult=1