Photo by New Japan Pro-Wrestling/Getty Images

New Japan Need To Watch (9/7) Road To Destruction *No Spoilers*

New Japan Need To Watch (9/7) Road To Destruction *No Spoilers*
Photo by New Japan Pro-Wrestling/Getty Images

FIRST MATCH: Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. Bullet Club Elite (Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)

Solid opener. Umino and Narita are starting to show some serious fire. Owens and Takahashi are a delight as always.

Need To Watch Rating: (3.0)

SECOND MATCH: Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Michael Elgin & Ayato Yoshida vs. Bullet Club OGs (Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale & Taiji Ishimori)

Ayato Yoshida remains a standout. Bullet Club OGs really gel as a team, considering how brief Ishimori’s time with them has been. Solid but inessential.

Need To Watch Rating: (2.0)

THIRD MATCH: Toa Henare vs. Beretta

A fun and surprisingly brutal bout. Henare is being primed and tested for 2019. Beretta, after getting his heavyweight debut delayed by a bicep injury, is trying to show off his Big Greg Energy. Fun match. Recommended viewing.

Need To Watch Rating: (7.0)

FOURTH MATCH: CHAOS (Gedo & Hirooki Goto) vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)

Pretty standard tag bout. Goto and Taichi are always a fun combo. Nothing really stands out from this match.

Need To Watch Rating: (2.5)

FIFTH MATCH: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito) vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado & Takashi Iizuka)

LIJ vs. Suzuki-gun is never bad. LIJ vs. Suzuki-gun is always good.

Need To Watch Rating: (7.0)

SIXTH MATCH: Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)

Solid match for what it was. Okada and Tanahashi are teasing another banger of a match. GBH is thrilled to be back together. Yano is up to his classic Yano tricks after a G1 of “fair play.” YOSHI-HASHI is also in this match.

Need To Watch Rating: (4.5)

MAIN EVENT: CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Will Ospreay) vs. The Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)

A blistering, breathless main event. Ospreay is desperate to prove himself as a possible heavyweight. Ishii & Omega continue to tease a great match on 9/15. Ibushi & Ospreay’s exchanges are utterly sublime. A solid match that ramps up dramatically in the closing stretches. Low stakes but high intensity hidden gem.

Need To Watch Rating: (8.7)

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