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Following two successful shows in Hiroshima and Beppu as part of this year's Destruction Tour, New Japan Pro Wrestling arrived at the legendary World Memorial Hall in Kobe in order to close out the final chapter for this year's Destruction Tour.
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With arch-rivals Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada going head-to-head in the main event for the rights to headline next year's Wrestle Kingdom 13 show, it was almost certain that fans were once again in for yet another instant classic between two of NJPW's finest superstars.
Elsewhere on the card, former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champions Bushi and Kushida battled it out in the co-main event of the evening, with the winner being guaranteed of a shot at the vacant IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title at King of Pro Wrestling later this year.
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Members from Suzuki Gun, Los Ingobernables de Japon, and CHAOS were also in action on a night full of surprises in Kobe.
#1 Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura
The night started off with a fun singles match between two of NJPW's promising young lions as Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura started off proceedings with a time-limit draw after a fun back-and-forth contest between each other.
Despite a resilient effort from Tsuji, who at the closing stages of the match was seemingly on the verge of a massive win after applying a Full Crab but couldn't capitalize as the clock ran out.
Results: Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura wrestled each other to a time limit draw.
#2 Roppongi 3K vs Ren Narita and Shota Umino
A really fun contest between former two-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and two of the most promising young lions in the form of Narita and Umino.
As expected, the young lions did their best to put away the dynamic duo of Yoh and Sho but weren't able to contain with RPG 3K, as Yoh eventually pinned Narita with a Falcon Arrow for the three-count and the win.
Results: Roppongi 3K def. Ren Narita and Shota Umino
#3 Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask vs Suzuki Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado)
Despite battling each other to a short seven-minute contest, both teams definitely did pull all the stops and did a lot throughout the entirety of the match, with the veteran team of Liger and Tiger Mask pulling off the upset win.
Despite jumping Liger and Tiger Mask from the back on the entrance ramp, the Suzuki Gun duo of Desperado and Kanemaru weren't able to capitalize, as Tiger Mask caught Kanemaru with a Crucifix into a pinfall at the closing stages of the match to pull off the upset win, which the crowd were totally invested into.
Following the match, Liger and Tiger posed with the Jr. Tag Team Championships and challenged Kanemaru and Desperado to a championship match at a later date.
Results: Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask def. Suzuki Gun
#4 Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Yuji Nagata, and Manabu Nakanishi vs Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Ayato Yoshida
There were plenty of notable veterans on show for this eight-man tag team match, as both teams had their fair share of moments throughout the match. Lots of action throughout the match, Makabe hit Nagata with a powerslam in the closing stages and then tagged in Yoshida.
A charged-up Yoshida managed to connect with two PKs on Nagata and had a near fall at two-count, however, the veteran Blue Justice eventually managed to hit a running knee in the corner and followed it up with a High Angle Suplex for the pin on Yoshida.
Result: Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Yuji Nagata, and Manabu Nakanishi def. Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Ayato Yoshida
#5 Best Friends (Chuckie T and Beretta) vs Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer)
Having already faced-off against each other at Destruction in Hiroshima, The Best Friends and Killer Elite Squad once again went at it, in what was an absolutely intense match. Both teams started off real fast, with The Best Friends once again proving why they're currently one of the finest tag teams in the business.
K.E.S, meanwhile, showed their immense power and took control of the match in the early stages. After a while, Chuck Taylor started showing his dropkick skills, before eventually being cut-off by Smith, who initially attempted The Hart Attack, but wasn't able to execute it.
However, later in the match, it was Beretta who eventually fell victim to a Hart Attack, as Chuckie T came into the rescue and broke things up at a two count. Archer and Smith then hit the Killer Bomb on Beretta and just when it looked it like K.E.S was once again on the verge of picking up another win over Best Friends, the former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion turned Lance Archer's pinfall attempt into a crucifix and eventually stole the win.
Result: Best Friends def. Killer Elite Squad
#6 CHAOS (Jay White, Yoshi-Hashi, and Will Ospreay) vs Juice Robinson, David Finlay, and Toa Henare
The on-going dissension between CHAOS has been hard to contain with so far, all thanks to 'Switchblade' Jay White, who has heated up things between Yoshi-Hashi and leader Kazuchika Okada. And despite not being able to stay on the same page for this one, this six-man tag bout is definitely worth your time.
Finlay and Juice's chemistry as a tag team is definitely one to watch out for, as the two men throughout the match mostly worked on Yoshi-Hashi and his left arm, also with a little assistance from the very talented young lion Toa Henare. There were several quick tags between Juice and Finlay, as Henare once again came close to pinning Jay White after connecting with a wicked Spear.
However, full credits to Jay White for eventually completing the turnaround and eventually getting the win for his team, after pinning Henare following a Blade Runner.
After the match, the CHAOS members kept arguing with each other and teased a dissension within the faction.
Result: CHAOS def. Juice Robinson, David Finlay, and Toa Henare
#7 Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Evil, and Sanada) vs Suzuki Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., and Taka Michinoku
Following a gruesome singles match between Naito and Suzuki in the last show, LIJ and Suzuki Gun continued their heated rivalry here, putting together another simple, nothing over the top six-man tag team match.
Suzuki Gun, as usual, tried to jump LIJ, but eventually paid the price for it. As the match officially began, Taka and ZSJ started working on Naito's left arm, with Suzuki doing further damage to the leader of LIJ.
After a short exchange between the two faction leaders, Evil and ZSJ started going at it once again, in what seems like to be another developing rivalry in NJPW. Shortly afterward, however, things quickly broke down into a wild six-man brawl as Evil picked up the win for LIJ after connecting with Everything is Evil on Michinoku.
Result: Los Ingobernables de Japon def. Suzuki Gun
#8 Kushida vs Bushi- IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title Tournament semi-final
A solid encounter between two former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champions, as Kushida and Bushi battled each other to an exciting bout. After initially starting off things in a slow manner, the pace of the match eventually picked up, as both men traded some solid shots against each other, with Kushida gaining the upper hand in the early stages of the bout.
However, the LIJ outfit slowly made his way back into the match and subsequently caught the Time Splitter with some big moves such as the Codebreaker and even the Canadian Destroyer for a two-count. After attempting the MX, both men accidentally knocked out referee Red Shoes, as Bushi sprayed Kushida with the mist and rolled him up for a close two-count.
A half-blind Kushida, however, was resilient enough and hit two back-to-back Back to the Futures for the three-count and the win.
Result: Kushida def. Bushi to advance to the finals
#9 Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada- For the rights to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 13
As expected, these two once again had yet another classic encounter!
The match started off with both Okada and Tanahashi not literally locking horns for the first minute, as they looked to heat up the crowd in the arena before quickly locking in. Throughout the match, both men worked mostly on each other's bodies and as you would expect there was a lot of groundwork for both me, with Okada mostly working on The Ace's previously injured knee.
Both men traded move for move, with Okada coming close to a huge victory on several occasions after successfully connecting with The Rainmaker. However, a determined Hiroshi Tanahashi did not quit and kept on fighting back and countering almost every single offense Okada had in his arsenal.
In the closing stages of the bout, Okada went for a Rainmaker and eventually hit one, after a series of counters, but before the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion could connect with another devastating Rainmaker, Tanahashi would fight him off and subsequently connect with a High Fly Flow.
The Ace then hit another High Fly Flow, followed up by yet another and eventually picked up the pinfall and retained his G1 Climax 28 contract.
After the match, however, Jay White ran down to the ring and hit a Blade Runner on Tana and started assaulting Okada, before Yoshi-Hashi would run down the ramp (and fall flat on his face) to make the save. However, White would absolutely dismantle Hashi and fellow CHAOS member Rocky Romero, as well, before Okada's long-term manager Gedo made his way out and in a shocking turn of events, turned his back on The Rainmaker.
Result: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Kazuchika Okada
