New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) are back again and we’re headed on the road to Wrestle Kingdom 13 now that the G1 Climax 28 is in our rear view, folks. Seeing as it’s September, we’re coming up on New Japan’s now-standard trifecta of Destruction shows, starting with Destruction in Hiroshima last Saturday (Sept. 15), then Destruction in Beppu last Monday, (Sept. 17) and finishing up with Destruction in Kobe today. Like all of New Japan’s other major events, these shows will be broadcast worldwide on New Japan's streaming service, NJPW World.
We'll have the standard match recommendation post later for those of us who can’t be up in the wee hours watching wrestling, but if you can, why not watch along with the best pro wrestling community on the internet?
Today’s action takes place in Hyogo’s Kobe World Hall, kicking off at a ripe 3AM Eastern / 12AM Pacific, and features a main event of Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada. It’ll be their thirteenth singles match and Tanahashi is putting his G1 Climax 28 winner’s contract for an IWGP Heavyweight Championship title match on the line against the Rainmaker.
Plus KUSHIDA and BUSHI meet in a first-round match in the tournament to crown a new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and the junior dads tag team of Jushin Liger and Tiger Mask IV get a special non-title challenge match against IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura went a 10:00 time limit draw.
Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) over Ren Narita & Shota Umino by pinfall with a Falcon Arrow from YOH on Umino.
Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV over Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) by pinfall with a crucifix pin from Tiger Dad on Kanemaru.
Post-match, the dads hold the titles up and Liger makes the challenge, they’re coming for the belts!
Manabu Nakanishi, TenCozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima), & Yuji Nagata over Ayato Yoshida, Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma), & Ryusuke Taguchi by pinfall with a back suplex from Nagata on Yoshida.
Best Friends (Beretta & Chuckie T) over Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Lance Archer) by pinfall with a crucifix pin from Beretta on Archer.
Chaos (“Switchblade” Jay White, Will Ospreay, & YOSHI-HASHI) over David Finlay, Juice Robinson, & Toa Henare by pinfall with Blade Runner from White on Henare.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA, & Tetsuya Naito) over Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku, & Zack Sabre, Jr.) by pinfall with EVIL from EVIL on Sabre.
KUSHIDA over BUSHI by pinfall after hitting Back to the Future twice. (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinal Match)
Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) over Kazuchika Okada by pinfall with three consecutive High Fly Flows to retain the G1 Climax 28 Winner’s Contract.
Post-match, “Switchblade” Jay White runs in and hits Blade Runner on Tanahashi! He then assaults Rocky Romero at the English commentary desk and takes his chair... YOSHI-HASHI MAKES THE SAVE! White fends him off (not hurt by the way Tacos tripped at the bottom of the ramp, being honest), but Gedo comes down and takes the chair... GEDO WALLOPED OKADA WITH THE CHAIR! HE’S WITH SWITCHBLADE!
Gedo cuts a promo in Japanese and then in English exhorts us to breathe with the Switchblade and promises a new era coming soon!
Enjoy the show!