NJPW Power Struggle ’16 Results: Two Title Changes & The 2016 Junior Tag Team Tournament Finals Cap An Amazing Event
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You can see the full card below.
IWGP Intercontinental Title Match
Tetsuya Naito def. Jay Lethal to retain the title
Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Sanada
IWGP NEVER Openweight Title Match
Evil def. Katsuyori Shibata to win the title
Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) def. Chaos (Gedo, Will Ospreay, Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match
Kushida def. Bushi to win the championship
NJPW 2016 Junior Tag Team Tournament Finals
RPG Vice (Trent Berretta & Rocky Romero) def. ACH & Taiji Ishimori
IWGP Tag Team Title Match
Guerillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tonga Roa) (c) def. Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi
Bullet Club (Bone Soldier, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi) def. Yoshi Tatsu & Global Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Toamoki Homna)
David Finlay, Ricochet, Tiger Mask IV & Jushin “Thunder” Liger def. Fuego, Titan, Angel De Oro & Ryusuke Taguchi
Match By Match Recap
David Finlay, Ricochet, Tiger Mask IV & Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Fuego, Titan, Angel De Oro & Ryusuke Taguchi
The match begins with Liger overpowering Titan into the ropes before taunting him, Titan is knocked to the ring apron before he hits Liger with an enzaguri followed by a springboard drop kick. Ricochet and De Oro get the tags from their respective partners, Ricochet takes De Oro down with a head scissors takedown after a series of reversals, everyone eventually hits the ring and Taguchi takes out the entire opposition with a series of hip attacks. Taguchi is eventually hit in the behind with a triple drop kick to take him out, Mask IV puts Taguchi on the top rope and that backfires as Taguchi catches him with a middle rope hip attack.
Fuego comes in and he nails Mask IV with a springboard arm drag, Fuego goes to the top rope and Mask IV catches him with an arm drag from there. Ricochet tags in and he catches Fuego with a Northern Lights Suplex into a regular suplex, everybody hits the ring again and they all take each other out at some point. Fuego gets a near fall with a roll up on Finlay, Finlay nails Fuego with the Finlay roll and Ricochet catches him with a shooting star press for the three count.
Winners: David Finlay, Ricochet, Tiger Mask IV & Jushin “Thunder” Liger
Yoshi Tatsu & Global Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Toamoki Homna) vs. Bullet Club (Bone Soldier, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)
This bout kicks off with a brawl breaking out between all six competitors in the match, Homna takes out Soldier and Owens with clotheslines in the ring. Homna focuses his attack on Owens by nailing him with a few chops and a bulldog, Takahashi interferes and prevents Homna from landing a headbutt. Makabe comes into take out both Takahashi and Owens with a double clothesline, Homna then lands the headbutt on Owens. Soldier interferes and that allows Owens to catch Homna with a knee strike from behind, Soldier brings Homna out of the ring to throw him into the barricade. Homna is tossed back into the ring so all three members of Bullet Club can stomp on him, Soldier chokes Homna as the referee gives him the business.
Takahashi tags in and he nails a seated Homna with a running boot to the face, Owens tags in and he misses a headbutt attempt on Homna. Homna then cracks Owens with a leaping headbutt before tagging Makabe in, Makabe mounts Owens in the corner before nailing him with multiple punches. Makabe nails Owens with a Northern Lights Suplex for the near fall, Takahashi interferes and Makabe eliminates him with a forearm strike. Owens then hits a distracted Makabe with a super kick, Tatsu and Soldier get the tags for them to go at it legally. Tatsu catches an eye raking Soldier with a series of kicks for the near fall, Tatsu goes for the Pedigree and Soldier blocks it to hit him with a uranage. All three members of Bullet Club nail Tatsu with moves for the near fall, Takahashi looks for his DDT and Tatsu counters with a knee strike.
Tatsu looks for the Pedigree again and Owens super kicks him, Soldier hits Tatsu with a uranage and Takahashi follows up with a DDT to get the three count.
Winners: Bullet Club (Bone Soldier, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)
After the match, Soldier chokes Tatsu with his belt until Global Bash Heel makes the save.
IWGP Tag Team Title Match: Guerillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tonga Roa) (Champions) vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi
The match kicks off with Ishii unable to drop Roa with his shoulder tackle attempts, Roa is able to drop Ishii with his shoulder tackle. Ishii recovers and he attacks Roa with a few chops, Yoshi-Hashi tags in and he teams with Ishii to hit an interfering Tama with some double team maneuvers. Yoshi-Hashi and Roa take turns exchanging some forearm strikes, Roa drops Yoshi-Hashi before knocking Ishii off the ring apron. Roa works over Yoshi-Hashi before tagging Tama into the match, Tama takes a few shots at the eyes of Yoshi-Hashi. Yoshi-Hashi tries fighting back before Tama drops him with a drop kick, Tama then cracks Yoshi-Hashi with a headbutt before tagging Roa back into the match.
Roa brings Yoshi-Hashi to the corner before assaulting him with a bunch of headbutts, Tama and Roa nail Yoshi-Hashi with a series of double team moves before taking Ishii out as well. Roa stays in the ring so he can drop Yoshi-Hashi with a few forearm strikes and get the near fall, Yoshi-Hashi fights back by nailing Roa with a low drop kick that is followed by a DDT. Ishii gets the tag and he clears house on both of his opponents, Roa tries slowing him down and he eats a suplex for his efforts. Roa drops Ishii with a snap mare before landing the running power slam for a near fall, Tama tags in and he exchanges some headbutts with Ishii. Ishii eats a drop kick before he drops Tama with a shoulder tackle, Yoshi-Hashi tags in and he catches Tama with a rolling neck breaker.
Yoshi-Hashi places Tama along the top rope before catching him with a drop kick for the near fall, Tama recovers as Roa interferes and attacks Yoshi-Hashi. Tama then cracks Yoshi-Hashi with a flap jack to get the near fall, Ishii returns to the ring and he breaks up the double team moves coming from the opposition. Ishii then hits Tama with a buckle bomb and Yoshi-Hashi follows up with a super kick on him, Yoshi-Hashi hits Tama with the double knees for the near fall. Yoshi-Hashi goes to the top rope and he catches Tama with a swanton bomb for another near fall, Yoshi-Hashi locks Tama in a submission hold while Ishii locks Roa in the sleeper hold. Roa is finally able to break everything up to save his partner, Roa and Tama take out Ishii with a series of holds in the corner. Roa takes out Yoshi-Hashi with a clothesline and Ishii does the same to him, Yoshi-Hashi and Tama have a forearm strike exchange that ends with tama delivering a spear to him.
Tama and Roa both hit Yoshi-Hashi with diving headbutts from the top rope for a near fall, Tama and Roa hit Yoshi-Hashi with a reverse DDT power bomb for another near fall. Yoshi-Hashi escapes the next move from the team as Ishii nails Roa with a clothesline, Tama then drop kicks Ishii out of the ring. Yoshi-Hashi cracks Tama with a spinning heel kick after avoiding the stun gun for the near fall, Tama nails Yoshi-Hashi with a stun gun from out of nowhere. Tama and Roa nail Yoshi-Hashi with the elevated DDT to get the three count.
Winners: Guerillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tonga Roa), still your IWGP Tag Team Champions
More action will be taking place on Page Two…
NJPW 2016 Junior Tag Team Tournament Finals: RPG Vice (Trent Berretta & Rocky Romero) vs. ACH & Taiji Ishimori
This bout kicks off with Romero working over the arm of Ishimori, Ishimori breaks free and he takes Romero down with a hurricarana. Berretta tags in and Ishimori attacks him while ACH fights Romero on the arena floor, Berretta drops Ishimori with an overhead release suplex. ACH hits the ring and he attacks Berretta with a bunch of chops, Romero hits the ring and he drops ACH with a flying knee strike. Berretta takes out both members of the opposing team with a suicide dive, Ishimori is tossed back into the ring and ACH interferes to prevent Berretta from doing any further damage. Berretta is then tossed into the barricade by both opponents, ACH smashes the back of Berretta into the ringside edge a few times. Ishimori gets Berretta back into the ring and he focuses his attack on the back of Berretta, ACH tags in and he holds Berretta in a single leg Boston crab. Berretta gets to the ropes to break the hold while Ishimori and Romero battle on the arena floor, ACH brings Berretta into the corner to attacks him with some chops. Berretta is able to drops the high flying ACH before tagging Romero in, Romero takes out ACH and Ishimori.
Romero nails a charging Ishimori with a clotheslines and neck breaker for the near fall, Ishimori recovers to catch Romero with a handspring enzaguri. Romero recovers to place Ishimori on the top rope before Berretta hits the ring to attack Ishimori as well, ACH hits the ring and he catches Berretta with a springboard flat liner. ACH and Ishimori nail the opposition with German suplexes for the near fall, ACH and Ishimori both go to the top rope and RPG Vice rolls out of the ring. Berretta nails ACH with a super kick as Ishimori takes out Romero with a dive, Ishimori brings Romero into the ring to get a two count on the pin attempt. ACH and Ishimori hit Romero with a double team maneuver for the near fall, ACH then hits Berretta with a back breaker. ACH is then sent out of the ring and Berretta takes him out with a suicide dive, Ishimori takes out Romero with a moonsault for the two count. ACH and Ishimori double team a defiant Romero in the corner, Romero eventually tosses ACH into Ishimori so he can get some recovery time. RPG Vice then hit a leaping ACH with a double knee strike, Ishimori blocks a Dude Buster attempt from Berretta before placing Romero on the top rope. Ishimori follows Romero to the top rope and Berretta gets him off, RPG Vice hits Ishimori with a double stomp burning hammer for the near fall.
ACH tags in and Berretta catches him with a few chops, ACH follows that up by nailing Berretta with the Lumbar Check. Romero gets back into the match and he nails AC with a kick to the head, Romero then hits ACH with a series of running clotheslines in the corner until he gets dropped with a clothesline. ACH then hits both members of RPG Vice with a suicide dive, ACH and Ishimori both get their stereo 450 splashes blocked by RPG Vice. ACH and Romero then get into a forearm striking exchange, Romero gets pissed and he cracks ACH with a leaping knee strike to the face. Romero charges at ACH and he eats a boot to the face and a brain buster for the near fall, ACH goes to the top rope and Berretta takes him out with a release German suplex. Romero then decides to take out Romero with a suicide dive, RPG Vice hits ACH with the Dude Buster to get the three count.
Winners: RPG Vice (Trent Berretta & Rocky Romero)
After the match, Rocky Romero renames RPG Vice before challenging the Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Tag Team Titles and that brings the champions to the ring. Romero says that they will be seeing the champions at Wrestlekingdom in the Tokyo Dome, the champions accept.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: Bushi (Champion) vs. Kushida
The bout begins with Kushida nailing Bushi with a drop kick as the bell rings, the wrestlers quickly get into a forearm strike exchange. Kushida knocks Bushi out of the ring before tossing him into the barricade, Kushida nails Bushi with a pile driver on the arena floor. Kushida tosses Bushi back into the ring and he misses the follow up charge into the corner, Bushi then hits Kushida with a rope assisted lung blower. Bushi traps Kushida in the ropes before nailing him with a modified DDT, Kushida rolls out of the ring to recover from his injuries. Kushida rolls back into the ring and Bushi chokes him with his shirt, Bushi locks Kushida in the guillotine choke until Kushida gets to the ropes and breaks the hold.
Kushida tries fighting back after Bushi ripped the tape off of his injured shoulder, Bushi drops Kushida with a double knee strike to the injured shoulder. Kushida fights back and he drives the head of Bushi into the turnbuckle pad, Bushi escapes to the top rope and Kushida kicks him in the head before meeting him up there. Kushida takes Bushi off the top rope and he lands while holding the arm bar, Bushi breaks the hold by getting to the ropes. Kushida starts focusing his attack on the arm of Bushi, the two wrestlers have another forearm strike exchange in the middle of the ring. Bushi eventually knocks Kushida out of the ring before catching him with a suicide dive, Bushi brings Kushida back into the ring before catching him with a missile drop kick for the near fall.
Bushi catches Kushida with a kick to the face, Bushi sets up for the Code Breaker and Kushida counters into the Hoverboard Lock. Bushi quickly counters that into the guillotine choke, Kushida gets to the ropes and Bushi nails him with another Code Breaker for the near fall. Bushi nails Kushida with a middle rope Code Breaker for another near fall, Bushi misses a top rope dive and Kushida cracks him in the back of the head afterwards. Kushida tries removing the mask of Bushi before getting into another forearm strike exchange, Bushi then hits Kushida with a flip pile driver for a near fall. Kushida then hits a diving Bushi with a Code Breaker to get a near fall of his own, Kushida backs up and then he kicks Bushi right in the face. Kushida applies the Hoverboard Lock and Bushi eventually taps out after a long struggle.
Winner: Kushida, your brand new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
The Time Bomb goes off and a video plays on the big screen, it is eventually revealed that the person behind the Time Bomb was Kaimatchi. Kaimatchi cuts a promo before licking the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, Kushida is challenged to a title match at Wrestlekingdom and the champion accepts.
Chaos (Gedo, Will Ospreay, Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada) vs. Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
The match begins with Ospreay doing a little work on the arm of Nick, Nick tries fighting back and Ospreay takes him down with an arm drag. Ospreay eventually drops Nick with a drop kick after a series of reversals, Ospreay eventually knocks bot Young Bucks to the arena floor before faking a suicide dive attempt. Omega gets the tag and Ospreay is quick to tag Okada in, but Omega messes with Okada by tagging Cole into the match. Omega jumps Okada from behind as Cole takes out the rest of the opposition, Okada recovers and drops Cole before nailing him with a rope assisted swanton bomb. Goto comes in to nail Cole with a double shoulder tackle as Okada assists, Gedo gets the tag and he teams with Goto to work on the back of Cole.
Nick interferes and it does not help much as Gedo kicks Cole in the midsection, both Young Bucks interferes and they take out all four members of the opposing team. All four members of Bullet Club take out the opposition with suicide dives, Cole brings Gedo back into the ring and Nick gets the tag in. Nick hits Gedo with a running knee strike to get a near fall, Omega tags in and he nails Gedo with a middle rope axe handle drop. Nick tags back in and he nails Gedo with a top rope axe handle drop, Matt tags in and he catches Gedo with a double stomp from the top rope. Cole tags back in and he holds Gedo in the chin lock, Cole tries mocking his opponents and Okada clobbers him with a clothesline. Gedo makes the tag to Goto after hitting Omega with a DDT.
Goto cleans house on the opposition before hitting Cole with a suplex for a two count, Goto then catches a running Cole with a clothesline. Young Bucks hit the ring and they hit Goto with a double superkick, Ospreay takes out the Bucks with a springboard kick and then a suicide dive. Goto then cracks Cole with a modified neck breaker before tagging Okada in, Omega gets the tag as well and Okada boots him in the face. Omega tries fighting back and Okada nails him with a modified kryptonite crunch, Okada goes to the top rope and the Bucks knock him off. Everybody starts taking everybody else out with a plethora of different holds, Ospreay takes out a few members of the opposition with a suicide dive. The Bucks nail Okada with a double superkick as Omega hits him with a German suplex, Okada is then hit with a quadruple superkick for the near fall.
The Bullet Club then hit a defiant Gedo with a quadruple super kick, Okada then catches a charging Omega with a drop kick. Omega blocks the Rain Maker by hitting Okada with a knee strike, Omega follows up with a running knee strike and the One Winged Angel to get the three count.
Winners: Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
The rest of the card will be covered on Page Three…
IWGP NEVER Openweight Title Match: Katsuyori Shibata (Champion) vs. Evil
The bout begins with Shibata working the go behind until Evil gets to the ropes, Shibata then catches Evil with a few forearm strikes. Shibata drops Evil with a snap mare before kicking him right in the spine, Shibata drops down and he holds Evil in the head scissors until Evil gets to the ropes. Evil rolls to the ring apron and Shibata kicks him off and into the barricade as he stands up, Shibata throw Evil into the ring and he eats a clothesline as he attempts to return to the ring. Evil brings Shibata out of the ring and he throws him into the barricade, Evil then smashes the arm of Shibata into the barricade as well. Evil wraps a chair around the arm of Shibata and he throws him into the barricade, Shibata gets back in the ring and Evil starts wrenching his arm in the ropes. Evil brings Shibata into the center of the ring to hit him with a curb stomp,
Evil gets the near fall on Shibata before wrenching away on his arm. Evil kicks away at the arm of Shibata as Shibata taunts him, Shibata gets up and he levels Evil with a forearm strike. Shibata follows that up by nailing Evil with some running boots to the face, Shibata drops Evil before nailing him with a running drop kick and a suplex for the near fall. Shibata slows things down a little bit by locking Evil in the abdominal stretch, Evil breaks free and he nails Shibata with a discus clothesline. Shibata gets up and he levels Evil with a few hard strikes before eating a few forearm strikes, the wrestlers then exchange boots to the face. Evil drops a charging Shibata with a clothesline before nailing him with a back suplex, Evil hits Shibata with a pair of forearm strikes and a boot to the face for the near fall.
Evil then hits Shibata with a modified tiger driver for another near fall, Evil goes for the STF and Shibata counters with an STF of his own. The wrestlers get into a striking exchange while they are on their knees, the wrestlers stand up and continue the striking exchange. Shibata locks Evil in the sleeper hold and he nails him with a sleeper hold suplex afterwards, Evil rolls out of the ring and Shibata throws him right back in. Evil rolls back out of the ring and he nails him with the title belt when Shibata goes after him, Evil brings Shibata back into the ring and he wraps his head in a chair. Evil then hits Shibata with a second chair, Evil hits Shibata with a fisherman buster suplex on a chair for a near fall. Evil then hits Shibata with the STF to get the three count.
Winner: Evil, your new IWGP NEVER Openweight Champion
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Sanada
The match begins with Tanahashi and Sanada going through a series of reversals, Sanada starts going to work on the arm of Tanahashi. Sanada catches a kick from Tanahashi and he puts him in the corner, Tanahashi nails a charging Sanada with a back elbow stroke and a high cross body. Tanahashi then hits Sanada with a few drop kicks until he retreats to the arena floor, Sanada returns to the ring and he knocks Tanahashi out of it with a drop kick. Sanada then catches Tanahashi with a suicide dive on the arena floor, Sanada brings Tanahashi up the entrance ramp before catching him with a hurricarana. Tanahashi beats the count back into the ring and Sanada nails him with a slam, Sanada then catches Tanahashi with a drop kick to the back.
Tanahashi tries fighting back and he goes for a dragon screw leg whip, Sanada counters the hold by locking Tanahashi in a modified arm bar. Tanahashi breaks the hold and he attacks Sanada with some forearm strikes, Sanada gets mad and he attacks Tanahashi with some forearm strikes of his own. The two wrestlers get into a wild striking exchange in the corner of the ring, Tanahashi hits a charging Sanada with a flying forearm strike. Tanahashi hits Sanada with a senton bomb to get a near fall, Tanahashi goes to the top rope and Sanada gets him down before he is propelled to the ring apron. Tanahashi catches Sanada with a dragon screw leg whip in the ropes, Tanahashi follows that up by catching Sanada with a sling blade on the ring apron.
Tanahashi goes to the top rope and he catches Sanada with a high cross body to the arena floor, Tanahashi brings Sanada back into the ring before missing the avalanche. Sanada then cracks Tanahashi with a springboard drop kick, Tanahashi goes for a German suplex and Sanada counters with a TKO for the two count. Sanada follows up with a double under hook supelx for another near fall, Sanada locks in the dragon sleeper. Sanada releases the hold and he misses the follow up moonsault, Tanahashi goes to the top rope and he misses a frog splash attempt. Sanada goes back up and he goes for another moonsault, but he winds up hurting his knee instead. Tanahashi starts attacking the injured leg of Sanada with a dragon screw leg whip and then he applies the Texas cloverleaf.
Tanahashi releases the hold and he nails Sanada with some more dragon screw leg whips, Tanahashi goes for the frog splash and Sanada gets his knees up to block it. The wrestlers have another forearm strike exchange while they are on their knees, they get to their feet and have another striking exchange. Sanada goes for the dragon sleeper and Tanahashi counters with a few roll ups for near falls, Tanahashi counters more dragon sleepers by hitting Sanada with a rolling neck breaker and a sling blade. Tanahashi then hits Sanada with a dragon suplex for the near fall, Tanahashi goes for the frog splash and he lands two of them to get the three count.
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP Intercontinental Title Match: Tetsuya Naito (Champion) vs. Jay Lethal
The main event begins with Lethal quickly knocking Naito out of the ring and nailing him with a series of suicide dives, Lethal brings Naito in the ring to get the near fall. Lethal then hits Naito with a neck breaker to get another two count, Lethal then cracks Naito with a hip toss into a drop kick for another near fall. Naito eventually crotches a charging Lethal on the top rope, Naito then knocks Lethal off the ropes and onto the arena floor. Naito attacks Lethal on the arena floor with a few strikes, Naito then takes Lethal and he propels him into the barricades. Lethal gets back in the ring and Naito focuses his attack on the back of Lethal, Lethal tries fighting back and he clobbers Naito with an enzaguri.
Naito goes after the eyes of Lethal to halt his momentum in the match, Naito then drops Lethal before catching him with a drop kick. Naito slows things down further by holding Lethal in the chin lock, Lethal breaks free of that hold and he drops Naito with an ace crusher. Lethal then drops Naito a few times with back elbow strikes and a spine buster, Naito catches a charging Lethal with an atomic drop before catching him with a series of drop kicks. Naito places Lethal on the top rope to set up for a hurricarana, but Lethal escapes and Naito puts him in the Muta Lock instead. Lethal gets to the ropes to break the hold and he catches Naito with the Lethal Combination, Lethal goes for a suplex and Naito blocks the attempts.
Lethal eventually transitions into a death valley driver for the near fall, Lethal then catches a dazed Naito with a few back suplexes. Lethal eventually places Naito on the top rope, Lethal follows Naito up there and Naito knocks him to the mat below. Lethal quickly recovers and drop kicks Naito as he remains on the top rope, Lethal then hits Naito with a superplex from the top rope for a near fall. Lethal goes for the Lethal Injection and Naito counters with a tornado DDT, Naito goes back to the top rope and he nails Lethal with a missile drop kick. Naito then puts Lethal back on the top rope to hit him with a hurricarana. Naito then catches Lethal with a side suplex for the near fall, Lethal and Naito exchange strikes until they both go down.
The wrestlers get back up and they have another striking exchange in the center of the ring, Naito eventually regains control by nailing Lethal with a suplex. Lethal gets up and he surprises Naito with an inverted Finlay roll into a crossface submission, Naito eventually gets to the ropes to break the submission hold. Naito rolls to the ring apron and Lethal follows him out there, Lethal then hits Naito with a suplex onto the ring apron. Lethal goes up to the top rope and he catches Naito with a top rope elbow drop for a two count, Lethal then hits Naito with the buckle bomb into a sit out power bomb for another near fall. Lethal goes for the Lethal Injection and Naito counters with the enzaguri, Lethal responds and counters Destino with an enzaguri of his own. Naito catches Lethal with the second Destino attempt to get the three count.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito, still your IWGP Intercontinental Champion
After the match, Hiroshi Tanahashi hits the ring and he challenges Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Title at Wrestlekingdom, the champion accepts the challenge.
