The announcers had been speculating all night that there was a question about whether Claudio Castagnoli had made it to Japan. Shota Umino comes out first for his team, followed by Jon Moxley, and yes, Claudio. The champs make their way out to face them, with Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi entering as one unit. As the English announce team notes, there are titles at stake even though this match doesn’t need them.
The Ace and the Swiss Superman start things out for their respective teams. Claudio scores with a shoulder tackle and a European uppercut, but Tanahashi foils a second and plays the air guitar. That ticks off Mox, who ends up going toe to toe with Ishii. The champs all hit the ring and take down all their foes one by one.
Castagnoli trades shots with Tanahashi before hitting a sweet backbreaker and tagging in Umino. He wants Okada, and Tana gladly tags in the Rainmaker. That’s bad news for Umino, who gets sent over the barricade but fights off a DDT attempt and gives Okada his own taste of the steel. He also throws a table at Okada for good measure.
Moxley becomes the legal man for the first time and quickly hammers Okada with kicks. Claudio comes back in to deliver an impressive gutwrench suplex, forcing Okada to kick out at two.
A half crab by Moxley is cinched in, but Ishii hammers Moxley before getting nailed in turn by Umino. Everyone is knocked off the apron for a second, but Okada is stuck in the enemy corner and getting absolutely pummeled.
Umino pokes the bear a bit too much, leading to an Okada DDT. Both men are down and the fans are clapping, so Claudio and Tanahashi tag in. The Ace blasts Mox with a low dropkick and smashes Umino with a stiff slap. He dragon screws Claudio’s leg as well, then tags in Ishii. The Stone Pitbull prevails in a test of strength to suplex Castagnoli.
Claudio repays him in kind, tagging in Moxley to unleash corner clotheslines and punches before biting Ishii’s ear. Mox gets the Figure Four appplied until Okada breaks it up. Moxley’s double clothesline knocks down both members of Chaos, and a piledriver on Ishii forces Tana into a save.
Moxley rains down hammer and anvil elbows and hits a sliding lariat for another near fall. Ishii suplexes his way out of a bulldog choke and the two men exchange strikes until Mox hits a DDT.
A bloody Mox hits a Stomp only to see Okada make the save. A clothesline forces another kickout even as Moxley is clearly now bleeding. His cutter to Ishii is answered by a running lariat, and now both men are down on the mat.
Okada returns with a vengeance, cranking on Umino’s neck. He kicks Shota’s head repeatedly as well until a dropkick puts that to a halt. Claudio sends Okada for a big swing that goes 20+ revolutions. Umino nearly pins Okada afterward, but a save is made.
Umino’s around the world neckbreaker connects, but Okada wipes him out with a dropkick. Death Rider II hits, but Okada is still able to kick out at two.
A series of signature moves from different men follows, and Umino is hit by triple team offense and still somehow kicks out at two. A vicious Rainmaker ends a back and forth exchange between Okada and Umino, and that’s a move Shota isn’t kicking out of.
Moxley takes the microphone after the match and says they bring a message from the best wrestler in the world. It’s Bryan Danielson, and he says there’s no rain in the desert for the Rainmaker. Okada takes the mic in response and says he will share a ring with Bryan, because he can make it rain anywhere … and the Forbidden Door will be opened!
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