Destruction in Hiroshima

Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall

September 15th 2018

Kushida/Jushin Thunder Liger/Tiger Mask def Roppongi 3k/Rocky Romero in 7:15

Ropppongi 3k start the match working over Liger, Kushida tags in and hits a nice cartwheel dropkick to Sho before Sho hits a gut-wrench reverse powerslam. Tiger Mask tags in and gets triple teamed, Sho and Yoh go for the 3K but Tiger Mask escapes. Romero hits his forever clotheslines on Tiger Mask before he reverses and hits a Tiger Bomb for a two count followed by a Tiger Suplex for the 3.

Verdict: The ending seemed a little abrupt but this was a fun opening match that showed off Roppongi 3k well before the probable upcoming Junior Tag titles match.  ★★★

Bad Luck Fale def Toa Henare in 2:54 

Henare attacks before the bell but Fale blocks attempted shoulder charges. Henare works over the legs before hitting a top rope flying shoulder block for a 2 count. Fale hits an avalanche splash into the corner before attempting a Bad Luck Fall, Henare escapes but is hit with the Grenade for the 3. 

Verdict: Henare showed a decent connection with the crowd in the short time he had. Fale had nothing to do but still seemed slow doing that. Seems that this is setting up for a third match with Henare slowly working out how to beat the Kiwi. ★★1/2 

Killer Elite Squad def Michael Elgin/Ayato Yoshida in 9:00

Young Lion Yoshida insists he starts the match, he and Elgin work over Smith before Archer takes Elgin out with a clothesline to the outside. Smith hits a suplex to Yoshida and works over his back, tag to Archer who hits a lariat and a splash to the corner, Smith back in with a delayed vertical suplex for a 2 count. KES double team slam Yoshida for another 2 before Elgin breaks up the pin and finally tags in. 

Elgin hits an enziguri to Archer followed by a second rope dropkick, Archer goes for a chokeslam but Elgin escapes and delivers a German suplex then a Falcon Arrow for a 2 count. Elgin hits a discus forearm before Archer catches him with a slam. Both tag out and Yoshida tries a sleeper but Smith escapes and misses a leg drop, Yoshida hits a PK for a 1 count followed by another for a 2. Smith headbutt to Yoshidas abdomen followed up by a running powerslam, Elgin breaks pin up and takes a running powerslam himself. Yoshida rolls Smith up for a 2 count but Archer hits the Young Lion with a chokeslam followed by a Magic Killer for the win. 

Verdict: A strong return for KES to put them in the Tag Team title picture. Yoshida put up a great show in defeat with a couple of good hope spots and Elgin giving him plenty of time to shine ★★★1/4

Best Friends/Will Ospreay def Yujiro Takahashi/Chase Owens/Kota Ibushi in 9:55

Chuckie T and Yujiro start the match, neckbreaker by Taylor who then clears the apron before a triple team on Yujiro where Ospreay lands a corkscrew moonsault off Taylors back! Owens and Ibushi back in to clear the ring and isolate Taylor, Ibushi refuses to join in with a triple attack. Quick tags in the corner before Ibuhsi hits a standing moonsault for a 2 count. Beretta and Owens tag in, tornado DDT by Beretta who attempts the Dudebuster before it is broken up by Ibushi. Owens hits a backbreaker for a 2 count, Ospreay executes a handspring somersault to the outside to take out Takahashi and Ibushi. Best Friends hit a combination Dudebuster on Owens for the win.

Verdict: This match was a good showcase for Best Friends before they take on KES in what will probably be a number 1 contenders match. Takahashi involvement was kept to a minimum and after the match Ibushi and Ospreay teased a potential future match. Give me all of that!! ★★★1/2

Tama Tonga/Tanga Loa/Taiji Ishimori def Juice Robinson/David Finlay/Taguchi in 11:20

Ishimori and Taguchi start the match, Taguchi works hip attacks in the corner. Juice and Loa in, Juice hits double axe-handle from the top before a cannonball to the corner. Triple team by the Tongans on Juice but Finlay uses Taguchis head (complete with rugby skull cap) as a battering ram to clear the ring but accidentally hits Juice to let Loa take charge. Quick tags, Ishimori hits his leg-twisting neckbreaker while Loa cleans the apron. Tama tags in and just stands there for what feels like an eternity before Taguchi tags in and misses a hip attack, there is more helmet based comedy before Tama takes it off and hits the Gun Stun. Finlay hits Tama with a stunner but Loa gives him the Ape Shit for the win. 

Verdict: Somebody needs to tell Tama Tonga that standing with an indifferent/smug face does not make you a charismatic heel, he was terrible in this match whereas Tanga Loa was better than I usually find him. I would have liked to see more of Ishimori and Taguchi to build a possible singles match but Junior singles matches are hard to come by. ★★3/4

Tetsuya Naito/EVIL/SANADA/BUSHI def Minoru Suzuki/Zack Sabre Jr/Taka Michinoku/El Desperado in 12:30

Suzuki Gun jump LIJ before the bell, SANADA and Desperado start the match, SANADA puts an interfering Taka into the Paradise Lock. Quick tags by LIJ until Suzuki traps BUSHI in an armlock over the top rope. Naito and Suzuki brawl to the ramp where the LIJ man eats a PK, not much of the action in the ring is been shown as BUSHI and Desperado brawl on the outside. When the action finally gets back inside Naito breaks up an armbar by spitting on Suzuki. The two faction leaders exchange strikes, Naito tries the Slingshot dropkick in the corner but Suzuki catches it, both end up out on the apron, Suzuki attempts a Gotch Piledriver but eventually puts Naito in a sleeper with the LIJ mans legs dangling above the ground. ZSJ works over BUSHI's leg in the ring before reversing a Rana attempt into an anklelock. EVIL tags in and clears the ring before taking a PK from ZSJ, attempted Octopus hold by the Englishman but EVIL reaches the ropes. All 4 Suzuki Gun members work over EVIL, Naito breaks a crossface on his stablemate before Suzuki chokes him out. Buhsi hits a codebreaker on Taka to set him up for a Magic Killer from EVIL and SANADA for the win.

Verdict: A fast paced match that built up the singles match between Naito and Suzuki very well. Bushi looked good before his Junior title semi final against Kushida. Zack Sabre Jr squared up to EVIL after the match which I would welcome as an IC title match if the LIJ man takes it from Jericho. ★★★1/2

Tomoaki Honma/Hiroshi Tanahashi/Toge Makabe def Jay White/Kazuchika Okada/Yoshi-Hashi in 12:28

Tanahashi and Okada want to start the match but White makes the blind tag and tells Okada to leave the ring. Tanahashi hits a second rope crossbody and tags in Honma before White throws him into the guardrail outside. Hashi works over Honma in the ring, Okada tags in and hits a slingshot senton before White takes his place in the ring again. Honma hits a flying Kokeshi before tagging Makabein, this leads to Switchblade making a blind tag to Okada. Lariat by Makabe for a 2 count, Okada tries a tombstone but Makabe escapes and tags in Tanahashi who clears White off the apron and hits a Twist and Shout followed by a Slingblade for a 2 count that is broken up by Yoshi Hashi. Tanahshi goes to the top but eats a beautiful dropkick from Okada. Yoshi Hashi tags in and White tries to make him use a steel chair, while distracted Hashi is hit with a Dragonscrew by Tanahashi who goes to the top rope but is pushed off by White. Okada accidentally hits Hashi with a big boot which costs his team the match when Tanahashi pins him for the win. White demands to know what happened and blames Okada for the loss when Yoshi Hashi walks out on his Chaos teammates.

Verdict: The story of the collapse of Chaos continues at a pace but rather than building up the match between Tanahashi and Okada it felt as though more time was dedicated to Jay White. It seems likely that he costs Okada his shot at the briefcase before challenging Tanahashi himself with all roads leading to White v Okada at the Dome. ★★★1/2

IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
Kenny Omega def Tomohiro Ishii in 30:50

Kota Ibushi is on commentary for the match which starts quickly with Ishii nicely blocking an early V-Trigger attempt. Strike exchange which Omega stops with a DDT. Neckbreaker by the champion for a 2 count before transitioning into a crossface. Clear early work on the Ishii neck which seems a strange tactic against a man who looks like a snowman made out of muscle. Ishii battles back with strikes before been sent to the outside where Omega lands an over the top somersault to take him down. Chops exchanged on the outside before Omega lays Ishii on the commentary table and hits a double stomp from the top turnbuckle to the outside! The table didn't break which almost made the impact on Ishiis chest look even worse.

Ishii breaks the refs count at 18, another neckbreaker by Omega before a missed V-Trigger into a Saito suplex by Ishii. Omega spits in Ishiis face and earns a chop to the throat for it. Snapdragon suplex by Omega followed by a V-Trigger. Attempt for a One-Winged Angel but Ishiii escapes and walks into a Brainbuster for a 2 count. Knee strikes and a V-Trigger to the back of Ishii, Omega attempts a Snapdragon from the top rope but is blocked and hits another V-Trigger. Ishii battles back and hits a top rope Hurricane Rana! Headbutt to Omega followed by a V-Trigger from Ishii and a lariat for the 2 count. Headbutt again to Omega, both men hit a lariat and try their finishing moves before Omega hits another Snapdragon and V-Trigger for a 2. One-Winged Angel attempt but Ishii works loose so Omega instead executes a German suplex followed by another V-Trigger, Ishii lands a last ditch lariat to buy some time before he hits two sliding lariats. Omega hits a piledriver and removes the kneepad for a last V-Trigger which Ishii kicks out of at 1. Another piledriver only gets a 2 count. V-Trigger and a One-Winged Angel finally put Ishii down for the 3.

Verdict: Not the best match these two have had but the best match on the card by a long way. It's not hard to see why people love Ishii so much with efforts like this and the touch of him hanging on to Omegas boot after the bell had rang will only endear him to people even more. Omega had to dig deep once again to get the better of the Stone Pitbull and it's a real shame we will almost certainly never see him win the big prize. ★★★★1/4