SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
RADICAN’S NJPW “INVASION ATTACK 2016” BLOG
APRIL 10, 2016
TOKYO, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPWWORLD.COM
Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino handled the English commentary for this show.
(1) Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Juice Robinson. Taguchi was doing Nakamura mannerisms all the way down the aisle during his entrance and then inside the ring. Takahashi ended up jumping him while he was hitting Nakamura’s signature entrance pose and the match was on. Robinson ended up taking the grenade from Fale at one point, but Taguchi ran into the ring to make the save at the very last second. Takahashi held off Taguchi from entering the ring and Fale finished off Robinson with the bad luck fall.
WINNERS: Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale – This was just a squash essentially.
Corino said he was glad to call the upcoming match with Kelly. He said he hadn’t called a match with Kelly in six months. Kelly said Corino had the longest suspension in professional wrestling. Funny stuff.
(2) Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata & Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. CHAOS (Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI & Kazushi Sakuraba) in a Six-Man Tag match. Yano acted like he was afraid of Liger during the early going and screamed for a break against the rope. The crowd chanted along with him, but Liger went on the attack. Yano cut him off by pulling him down by the hair and the action broke down. Yano undid one of the turnbuckle pads and sent Liger into it. Liger took a beating for a long period of time. Liger fired back on HASHI and hit a super hurricanrana, but Yano blocked him from making a hot tag. Liger overcame HASHI and Yano. He then made the hot tag to Kojima, who went at it with Sakuraba.
Kojima went to town on Sakuraba with machine gun-like chops in the corner. Nagata got a spotlight a short time later, as he lit up HASHI with some big kicks. He then wiped out Sakuraba with an enzuguri. Yano tried to jump him, but Nagata faked him out before nailing him with an enzuguri. HASHI fired back and hit a diving blockbuster off the ropes on Nagata for a 2 count. Nagata went for a backdrop driver, but HASHI countered it into a pinning combination for a near fall. Nagata managed to finish off HASHI after he ran into the exposed turnbuckle with a bridging backdrop driver.
WINNERS: Yuji Nagata & Jushin Liger & Satoshi Kojima – This was a fun back and forth contest. It wasn’t anything memorable, but the action was enjoyable while it lasted.
(3) Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & BUSHI) vs. CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & ROH TV champion Tomohiro Ishii). The announcers said BUSHI and EVIL’s mission was to take out two potential challengers to Naito should he beat Okada in the main event. The announcers mentioned that Okada had extended an offer to Goto to join Chaos and he eventually accepted. EVIL jumped Ishii from behind and went to town on him with BUSHI before Goto ran in to make the save. EVIL and Goto exchanged blows until the ref got Goto back to the apron. Goto got knocked off the apron and ran back into the ring and attacked EVIL, which drew boos from the crowd. EVIL fired back and wiped out Goto before going back after Ishii. Ishii took a beating for a long period of time.
The fans got behind EVIL as he worked over Ishii. Ishii finally cut off EVIL with a Saito suplex and the fans fired up. He made the tag to Goto, which got a mixed reaction. The fans then booed as he went to town on EVIL with elbows and then a big kick to the chest. Goto tossed EVIL to the floor and whipped him into the guardrail. Kelly compared Goto to the Buffalo Bills on commentary. LOL. They built up to a big exchange between EVIL and Goto. Goto finally dropped EVIL with a huge clothesline and both men were down on the mat. Ishii and BUSHI tagged in and went at it.
BUSHI hit a missile dropkick on Ishii and the fans fired up. He followed up with a sick kick a short time later for a 2 count. The action broke down and Ishii took a combination of moves, but managed to kick out at 2. Goto eventually caught BUSHI with a neck breaker over his knee and Ishii followed up with the sliding D for the win.
After the match, EVIL and Goto went at it on the floor before being separated. EVIL got back into the ring and went after Goto again, but the ringside attendants and young lions separated them.
WINNERS: Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii
Star rating: (***) – The match had an interesting dynamic, as a lot of fans have turned on Goto and on the flip side they’ve warmed up to Los Ingobernables. EVIL and BUSHI got some cheers during the match. It wasn’t an overly-long match, but it was good while it lasted and set the tone for EVIL vs. Goto down the line.
(4) IWGP Jr. Tag champions (Ricochet & Matt Sydal) vs. RPG Vice (Rocky Romero & Beretta). Both teams shook hands before kicking things off. Ricochet lit up Beretta with a flurry of maneuvers and then faked a dive, which popped the fans. Sydal ended up chasing Romero around the ring and he ran right into a clothesline from Beretta. Romero then began working over Sydal back inside the ring a short time later. Romero and Beretta tagged in and out to work over Sydal for a long period of time. Sydal wiped out RPG Vice and made the tag to Ricochet, who ran wild. Ricochet ended up hitting a big series of dives on opposite sides of the ring to wipe out Romero and then Beretta. Wow!
Sydal and Ricochet isolated Beretta and nailed him with a combination of moves, but he managed to kick out at 2. Sydal tried to mount a comeback, but ate a double knee strike to the face. Romero wiped out Ricochet with a running knee from the apron and RPG Vice went back after Sydal with another string of moves, but he managed to kick out at 2 once again! Ricochet got back into the ring and cut off Romero’s forever clotheslines. Romero fired back and began running back and forth across the ring to deliver a series of clothesline on Sydal and Ricochet. Ricochet finally ducked a clothesline and fired back with Sydal on Romero and Beretta.
Both teams went back and forth exchanging moves inside the ring. Romero ended a big sequence with an incredible running sliced bread and everyone was down! Wow! Ricochet and Sydal went after Beretta’s mid-section, but he managed to kick out. Sydal went up top for a SSP, but Beretta got out of the way and rolled him up for a near fall. He then caught Sydal with a dude buster for another near fall! Wow! Romero and Ricochet then exchanged blows in the middle of the ring.
Romero went for a jumping knee, but Ricochet caught him and went for the benadriller. Romero ducked the kick and nailed Ricochet for a clothesline! Romero went for a super hurricanrana, but Ricochet blocked it. Romero landed it on a second try, but Ricochet landed on his feet. Beretta then ran into the ring and they hit a double jumping knee strike on Ricochet. Romero then hit a sick dive through the ropes to wipe out Sydal on the floor. They then finished off Ricochet with strong zero! Wow!
WINNERS: Rocky Romero & RPG Vice to become the new IWGP Jr. Hvt. Tag Team champions.
Star rating: (****) – This was an awesome match. It was a little slow to start, but these four men put together some incredible athletic exchanges during the match, especially Ricochet, who was tremendous in this match. The finishing stretch here was unreal with Romero hitting a sick dive on Sydal through the ropes before they finished off Ricochet with strong zero. This is one worth going out of your way to see! Romero is now a six-time Jr. Hvt. Tag Team champion.
(5) IWGP Jr. Hvt. Champion KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay. The announcers talked about how Okada made the call to bring Ospreay into NJPW via CHAOS during the entrances. Ospreay was wearing tights in tribute to U.K. independent wrestler Kris Travis, who recently died. Kelly said KUSHIDA wants to be a global star and become the ROH World Champion. This is Ospreay’s NJPW debut.
They had a great fast-paced exchange during the early going and both men countered each other’s hurricanrana attempts with a cartwheel. The fans applauded after that fantastic sequence. Ospreay stayed one step ahead of KUSHIDA and kipped up when KUSHIDA went for a cartwheel dropkick and nailed him with a big dropkick of his own. The announcers said Ospreay had clearly scouted KUSHIDA. Ospreay went for a handspring against the ropes, but KUSHDIA nailed him with a dropkick to the arm and then followed up with a big flip dive off the top to the floor. KUSHIDA went after Ospreay’s arm.
Ospreay fired back and went for another handspring, but ended up collapsing to the mat in pain after hurting his arm in the process. Ospreay countered KUSHIDA and hit a nice enzuguri, but KUSHIDA grounded him by going right back after his arm. Ospreay went for a handspring on a third time and this time he hit a no hands springboard off the ropes into an enzuguri. Holy s—t! Ospreay ran wild on KUSHIDA and sent him to the floor. He then followed up with a huge dive to the floor and the fans applauded. Ospreay did the rainmaker pose behind KUSHIDA and he went for the rainmaker, but KUSHIDA countered it into the hover board lock. Ospreay quickly got to the ropes.
Ospreay fired back and sold his arm. KUSHIDA cut him off with a handspring kick when he went up top. KUSHIDA eventually got a flying arm bar off the top. Ospreay struggled, but eventually got to the ropes and the fans applauded. Wow! They went back and forth and eventually exchanged some bombs. KUSHIDA nailed Ospreay with several Kawada style kicks. Ospreay fired up and they began exchanging bombs in the middle of the ring. KUSHDIA finally hit Ospreay with a huge baseball punch, but he fired right back with the Essex destroyer for a near fall. OMG! That was bananas.
Ospreay went up top, but KUSHIDA cut him off. Ospreay slid under KUSHIDA and pulled his head down before nailing him with a superkick. He then went up top for a Phoenix splash, but KUSHIDA got his knees up and got a small package for a nearfall. Wow! KUSHIDA hit a huge running kick to Ospreay’s arm, but Ospreay shook him off and nailed him with a spinning kick. Ospreay went for a springboard, but KUSHIDA caught him in an arm bar. He transitioned to a triangle. Ospreay lifted KUSHIDA up with one arm and tried to drop him down, but KUSHIDA transitioned into the hover board lock. Ospreay tried to roll through, but KUSHIDA held on and Ospreay tapped.
After the match, Jushin Liger got into the ring and the fans applauded. A big chant for Liger broke out. He congratulated KUSHIDA, but KUSHIDA wouldn’t shake his hand. Liger said he wanted a shot at the title. The fans applauded. He said he wants to be a 12-time IWGP Jr. Hvt. Champion. KUSHIDA got on the mic and said yes. They then shook hands and the fans applauded.
KUSHIDA went down to ringside and told Kelly and Corino he wants to challenge for the ROH World Championship.
WINNER: KUSHIDA to retain the IWGP Jr. Hvt. Championship
Star rating: (****1/4) – This was a tremendous debut for Ospreay. The crowd took right to him and he was fantastic, as he made several spirited comebacks while selling his arm before eventually falling to KUSHIDA in his debut. This was a ton of fun to watch.
A video aired hyping the G1 Climax 26 tournament this summer.
(6) NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team champions The Elite (IWGP IC Champion Kenny Omega & Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin & Yoshitatsu. This was Yoshitatsu’s return to the ring after 18 months following neck surgery. The Elite surprised their opponents by jumping them after the intros. Omega set up for a Styles clash on Yoshitatsu, but he managed to get free. Elgin showed off his power hitting a double suplex on the Young Bucks a short time later. The fans fired up and chanted for Elgin. Yoshitatsu, Elgin, and Tanahasi then threw a triple crotch chop at The Elite. All six men battled near one of the entrance ways. Nick was on top of the entrance way and he wiped out everyone, including Cody Hall with a big swanton off the top of the entrance. Hall appeared to be hurt on the ground after taking the move from Nick. Hall was shown down on the floor, as Jay White checked on him.
Omega put Elgin on a cart with a trashcan over his head. He then rolled him into a superkick from The Young Bucks. Omega went for the Styles clash again on Yoshitatsu back inside the ring, but Tanahashi made the save. Tanahasi managed to fend off The Elite on his own until he ate a big jumping knee from The Young Bucks. The Elite then set up for their Terminator dive as they pounded the mat. The Young Bucks and Omega then hit a triple dive to the floor to wipe out all of their opponents. Wow! Kelly said they were getting a body board to take Hall out of the arena. Meanwhile, inside the ring, The Elite worked over Tanahashi for a long period of time. He finally fired back with a springboard cross-body on Matt, but the rest of The Elite wiped out his partners on the floor and he couldn’t tag out.
Tanahashi finally made the hot tag to Yoshitatsu, who ran wild on Matt. He lit up Matt with a series of big kicks to the chest, but only got a 2 count. The fans fired up and chanted for Yoshitatsu. Elgin came into the ring and lifted up both Young Bucks before tossing them over his head. Yoshitatsu got a leg submission, but Omega sprayed him and then his partners with his spray as Nick distracted the ref. Tatsu got isolated inside the ring and The Elite worked him over. He took a combination of moves, but Tanahashi ran into the ring and made the save.
Yoshitatsu then took a triple superkick. Omega set him up for the Styles clash, but Elgin and Tanahashi sprayed The Elite in the eyes. The camerawork in this match has been sub-par with a lot of missed spots. Elgin hit a double German on the YB. Elgin tried to slam Tanahashi onto Nick, but he got his knees up. Elgin ended up taking a double superkick from The YB. They then went for a Meltzer driver on Yoshitatsu, but Elgin caught Nick and powerbombed him onto Omega on the floor. Elgin then hit a dead lift falcon arrow on Nick, but Omega made the save. Elgin got Nick up top and hit a super Elgin bomb that was good for the win. Wow!
WINNERS: Michael Elgin & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yoshitatsu to become the new NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions.
Star rating: (***3/4) – The match had a bit of a slow start, but it picked up nicely during the second half. The story of Yoshitatsu getting revenge on Bullet Club here was great. Hall getting hurt was scary, but thankfully the news that he’s going to be all right has come out since this event took place.
After the match, Omega got in Elgin’s face and held up the IWGP IC Championship. Omega told Elgin that he’s next and he pointed an imaginary gun at Elgin and pulled the trigger. The crowd then broke out into an Elgin chant. Elgin pointed to Yoshitatsu and the fans chanted his name.
Elgin and Yoshitatsu left the ring. Bad Luck Fale then appeared at ringside and jumped Tanahashi. He eventually finished him off with a grenade. Elgin and Yoshitatsu ran down and Fale bailed.
(7) IWGP NEVER Openweight champion Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan. The announcers mentioned Shibata had beaten several members of the third generation. The fans were behind Tenzan after the opening bell rang. Masahiro Chono was shown on commentary with the Japanese announce team. Shibata went for a penalty during the early going, but Tenzan managed to get out of the way. Shibata went to work on Tenzan with a series of big kicks. He shoved the ref away and kept going to town on Shibata until he nailed him with a big dropkick in the corner. Tenzan fired back and hit his famous Mongolian chops from the mount and the fans applauded. Kelly mentioned that the fantastic Chris Charlton had helped them out with translating interviews.
Tenzan went on the attack and eventually locked in the anaconda vice. Shibata struggled for a long period of time. He eventually got to his feet and tripped Tenzan to break the hold. Shibata blocked a Mongolian chop and went for an arm bar. He got it, but Tenzan managed to get to the ropes to break it. Tenzan fired back and surprised Shibata with a rolling kick as he came off the ropes for a 2 count. Tenzan went up top, but Shibata cut him off and hit a powerbomb for a 1 count. Tenzan then blocked a running kick and hit a headbutt. Shibata went down and Tenzan was staggered after that sequence.
Shibata hit a headbutt of his own, but Tenzan no-sold it and sent him down with a headbutt of his own and both men were down as the crowd went nuts. Tenzan hit a headbutt from his knees and locked in the anaconda vice once again. Shibata began to fade. Wow! The fans fired up and Shibata continued to try to get to the ropes. He finally managed to get to the ropes and the fans gasped.
A chant for Tenzan broke out. Shibata counted Tenzan and dropped him right on his head with a modified slam for a 2 count. Shibata then locked in a sleeper hold. Tenzan got to the ropes, but Shibata nailed him with a big kick. He locked in a rear-naked choke a short time later. He then let go of the choke and hit a penalty kick for the win.
After the match, Shibata bowed at Tenzan and then nailed Nagata with a huge kick. Nagata took his shirt off and went face-to-face with Shibata as an attendant tried to hold him back. Corino said Shibata had downed Kojima and now Tenzan. Nagata pointed at the belt and went head-to-head with Shibata. They then backed away from each other.
WINNER: Katsuyori Shibata to retain the IWGP NEVER Championship
Star rating: (***1/4) – This was a good match. They had some good drama here with Shibata in danger. Tenzan got the anaconda vice a couple of times, but never seemed to be a real threat to win.
(8) IWGP Hvt. Tag Team champions Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) vs. G.O.D. (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa). Loa, the former Camacho in WWE, had face paint with similar colors, but a different pattern, compared to Tonga. Tonga ran in and joined his brother, as they got the upper hand on Makabe. Makabe and Honma fired back and cleared the ring. They then flexed before going to the floor to resume the fight. G.O.D. mounted a comeback on the floor. Once order was restored, Loa continued to work over Makabe inside the ring. The announcers mentioned that Tonga and Loa are brothers and their father is Haku.
Makabe fired up after taking several strikes from Tonga before finally catching him with a clothesline. He then made the hot tag to Honma, who ran wild. They went to a big sequence and Honma hit a lariat off the ropes, but Tonga got up and hit a spear and both men were down. Loa got the tag and began working over Honma. Honma eventually mounted a comeback and hit a kokeshi off the ropes. Makabe got the tag and went at it with Loa. He took him down with a clothesline and went on the attack. Makabe eventually blocked a gun stun from Tonga and hit a German. He then hit a German with a bridge on Loa a short time later for a 2 count. Makabe went up top for the King Kong knee drop, but Loa got out of the way. He then followed up with a powerslam and both men were down on the mat.
Both men tagged out. Honma and Tonga went back and forth until Tonga surprised Honma with a dropkick after they went back and forth off the ropes. Makabe mounted a comeback and woke up Honma with a big slap to the face. They hit a double clothesline on Tonga. Honma followed up with a kokeshi off the ropes after a DVD from Makabe on Tonga, but he managed to kick out at the last second. Honma and Makabe set up for a doomsday kokeshi, but Loa crotched Honma.
Tonga then wiped out Makabe to turn the tide back in their favor. G.O.D. went to work on Honma and nailed him with a flurry of offense, but Makabe. Makabe ran through the G.O.D. with a double clothesline and everyone was down and the fans fired up. A kokeshi chant rang out through Sumo Hall. Honma took a German from Tonga and no-sold it. He hit a leaping kokeshi off the ropes. He caught Tonga with another kokeshi off the turnbuckles. The fans fired up as Honma went up top for a big kokeshi, but Tonga moved at the very last second! Tonga and Honma went back and forth.
Loa helped Tonga turn the tide by interfering from the apron and Tonga managed to hit a neck breaker on Honma. Makabe ate a double team neck breaker from G.O.D. They then hit a tandem inverted magic killer on Honma, who kicked out at the last second! Wow! They isolated Honma once again and hit their version of the magic killer once again and it was good for the win.
WINNERS: Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga to become the new IWGP Hvt. Tag Team Champions
Star rating: (***1/2) – Very good tag match. It started a bit slow during the first half, but the crowd really got behind the back and forth action late in the match. The heavyweight tag division is in need of new teams and I enjoyed the paring of Loa & Tonga in their debut.
(8) IWGP Hvt. champion Kazuchika Okada (w/Gedo) vs. 2016 New Japan Cup winner Tetsuya Naito (w/BUSHI and EVIL). Kevin Kelly talked about the change in Naito after he went to CMLL in the middle of 2015 and came back with a new attitude. Naito wore a new skull mask and sauntered his way down to the ring slowly. Kelly said Naito never forgot losing the fan vote to main event Wrestle Kingdom 8 after he won G1 Climax. Okada offered a clean break and patted Naito on the chest. The fans began chanting for Naito. Naito returned the favor a short time later and the pace picked up. Naito knocked Okada off the apron and set up for a dive, but ended up simply lying down in the ring after hitting his HBK pose.
Naito stalled on the outside before getting back into the ring. He suckered Okada in and put the boots to him. Okada fired right back and nailed him with a sliding dropkick to the head. BUSHI ended up tripping Okada from the outside and that gave Naito the upper hand. Naito had the upper hand on the outside and he went after Gedo. He whipped Gedo into the guardrail and tossed him into the ring. Naito put the boots to Gedo. Evil was then shown on the outside working over Okada. He placed a chair over Okada’s neck and nailed him with a chair shot. Holy s—!
Naito worked over Okada in the ring. He then distracted the ref, which allowed BUSHI to choke him from the outside. Naito continued to dominate the action, as he focused on Okada’s head/neck area. The fans seemed to be in favor of Naito and Okada. Okada tried to mount a comeback. He eventually connected with a modified neckbreaker and both men were down on the mat.
Okada got up and caught Naito with a big boot that turned him inside out as he came off the ropes. He blocked a tornado DDT a short time later and placed Naito up top before connecting with his signature dropkick. The action spilled to the floor and Okada ducked EVIL, who went flying into the crowd. Okada then tossed BUSHI into Naito and EVIL, who were sitting on chairs. Okada then got a running start and hit a big cross-body over the barricade to wipe out Los Ingobernables de Japon. They ended up back in the ring a short time later and Naito hit a neckbreaker that left both men down. The fans chanted for Naito once again.
They went back and forth and Naito spit in Okada’s face. He then caught him with a tornado DDT. Okada fired back and caught him with a flap jack a short time later. Once again, both men were down. They traded blows and Okada hit a DDT and a running uppercut. The fans fired up as the pace quickened. Okada then rolled around Naito and got red ink. Naito struggled and EVIL got up on the apron so Okada let go of the hold. Gedo took BUSHI off the apron. The ref was distracted, so Naito hit a low blow and locked in a version of the Koji clutch. Okada struggled and appeared to begin to fade. The ref checked on Okada and appeared to be on the verge of stopping the match, but Okada fired up and got his foot on the ropes. The fans applauded and then chanted for Naito. Wow! That was a fantastic sequence.
Naito hit his signature slingshot dropkick in the corner a short time later. He then hit a super hurricanrana for a 2 count. Naito went for Destino and Okada blocked it. He hit a big spine buster on Okada and went for Destino again, but Okada countered it into neck breaker over his knee. The fans fired up huge with both men down on the mat. Okada got up and sent Naito flying into the corner with a shotgun dropkick. He then two sliding dropkicks for a 2 count. Okada hit a coast-to-coast missile dropkick, but Naito managed to kick out at 2 once again.
Okada set up for the Rainmaker a short time later, but Naito ducked it. He then shoved the ref right into a forearm from Okada, which was accidental. EVIL and BUSHI went after Okada. He fought them off. BUSHI blew mist at Okada, but he ducked it. Another man ran down and Okada hit a tombstone on Naito. He stood behind Okada and wore all black with a black skull mask. He grabbed Okada and nailed him with a TKO. He then unmasked and it was Sanada. Sanada hit a big moonsault on Okada and went to the outside. Gedo sold shock on the outside. Kelly and Corino said he doesn’t even wrestle for NJPW.
The ref was still down and Naito was shown smiling as he began to get back to his feet. Naito slowly limped over to Okada. He caught him with a big enzuguri. He then went for destino, but Okada fought out of it. They went back and forth and Okada hit a big German. Naito ducked a rainmaker attempt and hit Destino for the win. Wow!
WINNER: Tetsuya Naito to become the new IWGP Hvt. champion.
Star rating: (****1/4) – This was a really fantastic match. It was a bit slow during the first half, but it got really good during the second half, especially with Okada overcoming all of the interference from Los Ingobernables… until Sanada sealed it for Naito.
Post-match, the fans applauded as Naito was down inside the ring. Gedo tried to check on Okada, but was quickly wiped out by BUSHI and EVIL. EVIL, Sanada, and BUSHI then went to town on Okada. The bell rang over and over. Naito put on his Ingobernables hat inside the ring. Ishii and Goto finally ran down to the ring to make the save. Naito set up a chair for himself and sat down at ringside. Ishii yelled at Naito. Kelly said never before has NJPW had a champion like Naito.
Naito got up on the apron and went face-to-face with Ishii (setting up Naito’s first title defense at Wrestling Dontaku in May). He told him to back up and then opened the ropes for him to get out of the ring. Ishii took exception and Naito backed off. Okada was shown being helped to the back. Ishii went to get out of the ring and Naito just missed him with a light kick. The fans applauded and the title presentation began. Naito was finally presented with the title. He simply tossed the belt aside and nailed Red Shoes with a running dropkick. Kelly yelled about Naito not appreciating the title.
Naito got on the mic to cut a promo. The fans applauded at his words. He said there’s a new era of NJPW. Corino translated some of what he was saying. He thanked the fans for their support. The fans chanted for Naito, as Corino called his words disturbing. He said Los Ingobernables had taken over NJPW in one night. Naito concluded by saying it’s only the beginning. The fans chanted along as he hit the Los Ingobernables catchphrase. He then posed with the title as he crew surrounded him. Naito then tossed the belt up in the air and left the ring.
Overall Thoughts: (8.5) – This was a really strong show. Ospreay-KUSHIDA, RPG Vice vs. Ricochet & Sydal, and Okada-Naito were all very strong matches. It will be interesting to see what Naito does going forward as the new champion. He’s clearly getting a lot of cheers, which isn’t the goal of the angle NJPW is doing with him.
They appeared to set up matches down the line between Omega and Elgin and Ishii and Naito. This was a really strong show from start to finish. NJPW is lacking from star power thanks to WWE, but they are doing a credible job of filling the holes on the roster. Kelly and Corino did a fantastic job calling the show. Corino in-particular was great translating promos and adding to the action once he got settled in. Hopefully they bring Kelly and Corino back in the future for English commentary. Thumbs up!
NJPW’s “Invasion Attack 2016 PPV” is available with English and Japanese commentary at NJPWWorld.com with a regular monthly subscription to the service.
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