NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8 - Spoilers

For those that like Japanese wrestling they had their equivalent of Wrestlemania last night

Dark Eight Man Tag Team Match

BUSHI, Captain New Japan, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tomoaki Honma defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, Manabu Nakanishi, Super Strong Machine & Tiger Mask when Hiroyoshi Tezan got the victory for his team in a match that was fast and frenzied from start to finish.

-There is a beautiful music sequence going on to officially open the show with giant drums as the ten matches for tonight are being announced in Japanese and English. The ring announcing is being done in both languages as well.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Four Way Match

The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (c) defeated Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero), Suzuki-gun (Taichi & TAKA Michinoku), and Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA).

-Shelly and Kushida came to the ring in Doc Brown’s DeLorean from the Back to the Future films while Taichi and TAKA Michinoku came to the ring with an entourage of pretty ladies.

- Alex Koslov attempted to sing the Russian National Anthem but he and Rock Romero received a pair superkicks from behind from The Young Bucks and the bell officially rings. Taichi and TAKA Michinoku jump on commentary and put their feet to watch the match. They eventually jump in when it looks like Koslov is going to put Shelly away after delivering some stiff kicks to the head. There was an awesome quadruple suplex spot involving all four teams that popped the crowd.

Shelly and KUSHIDA hit Romero with a double team frog splash and standing moonsault and followed up with a moonsault neckbreaker combo.

- This was one hell of an athletic contest to kick things off. You couldn’t ask for more from an opener.

- The finish came when Matt Jackson pinned Taichi after delivering a ridiculously high moonsault.

IWGP Tag Team Title Match

BULLET CLUB (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) defeated The Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) to become the 64th team to hold the IWGP Tag Team Championship.

- The Bullet Club came to the ring wearing camo gearing as Anderson carried a machine gun while Gallows carried a rocket launcher. They are also accompanied by Tama Tonga. DBS and Archer rode out on motorcycles.

NWA World Heavyweight Title Match

Satoshi Kojima defeats Rob Conway to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

- The legendary Harley Race was brought into the ring with some fanfare to honor the rich history of the NWA title.

- Hiroyoshi Tenzan is in Satoshi Kojima’s corner.

- Conway’s NWA Tag Team championship partner Jax Dane is in his corner along with NWA president Bruce Tharpe

- Tharpe got into it with Harley Race before the bell rang and got a right hand in the mouth for his troubles.

- The crowd has been hot all night and they do not want Conway to win. They booed every move he made and cheered every time he was knocked down.

- Kojima unloads with some Kobashi chops in the corner.

- Jax Dane jumps on the apron and applies a sleeper hold on Kojima until Tenzan breaks it up as they brawl on the floor.

- The end came when Kojima clotheslines Conway in the back of the head from the apron and came back in the ring to deliver a stiff clothesline that turned the ‘Iron man’ inside out for the 1-2-3. The place erupted when Kojima got the pin.

Tag Team Match

Kazushi Sakuraba & Yuji Nagata defeat Daniel Gracie & Rolles Gracie via disqualification.

-PRIDE FC lives on as the Gracie Family looks to get revenge on Kazushi Sakuraba for all the times he beat them in years past. The Gracie’s are sporting the Gi.

- Rolles goes for an early standing arm triangle choke but Sakuraba escapes. There is an MMA feel to this match as the chain wrestling transitions into guard passes and triangle chokes.

- Yuji Nagata opens up on Daniel Gracie with some vicious kicks until Gracie gets behind him and applies a rear naked choke that almost puts Nagata out. Gracie gets the mount and delivers some open palm strikes. Nagata escapes and tags Sakuraba who opens up with strikes on Gracie until he is picked up by the waist and thrown into the corner.

- They are definitely playing up the striking disadvantage that the Gracie’s have in their MMA fights.

-Daniel Gracie counters an exploder suplex attempt from Nagata with a sweep and chokes him with his Gi. The referee’s warnings to break the hold are ignored and calls for the DQ. The Gracies thought they won until the announcement was made and there was some back and forth between the two teams on the microphone.

- I don’t think the MMA/Pro Wrestling blend would get over in America but the Gracies had some good heel heat.

Tag Team Match

The Great Muta & Toru Yano defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Shelton Benjamin)

- Green mist form Muta pops the crowd as always.

- Things break down quickly in this one as mat wrestling instantly turns into a brawl on the floor involving chairs and outside interference from Taichi on behalf of Benjamin and Suzuki.

- Shelton Benjamin is a lot more aggressive in his personality and ring work than he was in the WWE.

- Toru Yano removes the pad coverings to expose the steel in the corner.

- Suzuki avoids the red mist from Muta and nearly gets choked out for his troubles. Yano breaks it up, pushes Muta in anger. Muta attempts to spray him with some green mist but Yano ducks and it all gets in Suzuki’s eyes. Muta leaves and walks to the back as Yano rolls up a blinded Suzuki for the pin.

- The match was more spectacle than sport but it was entertaining. God bless Muta for still being able to move on those knees after all these years.

***Intermission***

- New Japan’s 2014 line up is being announced including Best of the Super Juniors and G-1 Climax in August.

I’m digging the half time feeling as the commentary team breaks down the show thus far and whats to come. Everything is about the matches on the show. Now the band is playing.

- Role playing games must be insanely popular in Japan as several commercials for card based games have aired.

King Of Destroyer Match (NO DQ)

Togi Makabe defeated Bad Luck Fale

-Fale and Makabe trade lots of stiff forearms until Makabe gets the better of the exchanges as Fale falls to the floor. Fale turns things around in a hurry and delivers a big body slam to the floor and chokes Makabe with his trademark chain.

- The story of this match is a lot of punches and a lot of clotheslines as both men want the other to stay down for the count.

- Makabe misses a frog splash and Fale comes back with a big boot and attempts to hit Makabe with the chain until things turn against him and Makabe hits him with the chain and whacks him with a table. Yes, whacks him with a table.

- WOW, Makabe beats the ten count after receiving two choke slams and an elevated razor’s edge.

- After taking too much time to gloat, Fale gets his own plan turned against him and gets power bombed through a table.

- Makabe gets him back in the ring where he hits Fale with a King Kong Knee Drop to the back of the head and off the top rope and another to the chest. Fale is not moving a muscle as the referee counts down to ten and Makabe is your winner.

Singles Match

Hirooki Goto defeated Katsuyori Shibata via pinfall.

- I don’t follow New Japan on a regular basis but their is a big fight feeling being presented here and the match hasn’t even started.

- These two are exchanging very stiff kicks and forearms with neither man willing to go down.

- Goto finally gets Shibata down with a clothesline for a close near fall and follows up with a side suplex.

- Now they are taking turns exchanging side suplexes.

- Shibata delivers a DVD onto his knee and follows up with a running kick to Goto’s chest for a two count.

- Goto comes back with a Dominator on his own knee.

-The finish came when Goto delivered vertical suplex slam for the pinfall. Shibata shook Goto’s hand after the match and helped him back to the locker room. They will both feel the effects of this match in the morning.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match

Kota Ibushi defeats Prince Devitt to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title.

- These two have had amazing matches with each other for years.

- Devitt popped out of a casket wearing face paint and is walking to the ring as if he is a zombie in an attempt to intimidate Ibushi.

- The entire Bullet Club is at ring side in support of Devitt.

- Gallows pulls Ibushi out of the ring and he and The Young Bucks put the boots to him.

- Devitt gets Ibushi in the tree of woe and The Bullet Club chokes him to a course of boos from the crowd. Devitt goes for the pin but the referee won’t make the count due to the interference.

- Karl Anderson just power bombed Ibushi on the apron. Ibushi comes back and takes them all out with a corkscrew asai moonsault.

- Ibushi gains control and goes to the top rope until Gallows holds his leg and Devitt pushes him off and into the steel barricade. The interference is just too much as a wave of officials come out and eject The Bullet Club from ringside.

- Ibushi kicks out of the double stomp from the top rope and the Bloody Sunday and the fans in the Dome are eating this up. Ibushi comes back with a pele kick and hits a picture perfect Phoenix Splash to capture the title.

- Post Match activity saw a man wearing a suit and a white mask open a gangster style guitar case and give Ibushi a huge bouquet of black roses.

IWGP Heavyweight Title Match

Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship

- They showed a video of past IWGP title holders to highlight the importance of this title bout.

-This is Kazuchika Okada’s second run as world champion while Tetsuya Naito has never held the title.

- Naito counters a tombstone attempt and hits a tornado DDT on the floor.

- Okada swiftly puts Naito on the top turnbuckle and delivers a dropkick that sends him to the floor and follows it up with a hangman’s DDT from the apron to the floor.

- This match is a good blend of Japanese and American styles of pro wrestling. Lots of strong stiff moves with the right amount of emotion at the right time.

- The finish came when Okada hit Naito with two consecutive tombstones and followed up with a Rainmaker clothesline for the pin fall victory.

IWGP Intercontinental Title Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to become the new IWGP Intercontinental Champion

- This is the second time these two have main evented the Tokyo Dome show against each other.

- Both wrestlers received elaborate entrances with Tanahashi coming out with Marty Friedman of Megadeath.

- Stan Hansen was brought out to the ring before the match.

- This had personal written all over it.

- Nakamura’s knees and stylish and deadly at the same time.

- Tanahashi applied a Texas Cloverleaf and turned it into a Styles Clash as Nakamura tried to escape.

- The finish came when Tanahashi hit Nakamura with a High Fly Flow as Nakamura was on his knees, then quickly climbed to the top rope and delivered a second High Fly Flow for the 1-2-3.