Tama Tonga never takes his eyes off Shingo Takagi as the champ is introduced, staring him down before the bell rings. They go right to the center of the ring to trade shots, with Tonga finally emerging with the upper hand thanks to a dropkick.
Tama charges into the corner with a lariat and bounces right back from a suplex to execute one of his own. Another one tosses Shingo overhead, and the challenger covers for a near fall.
Shingo finally halts his opponent’s momentum with a series of head shots, bouncing his own head off the top of the turnbuckle pad to fire himself up. That works until he misses a standing senton, but Shingo is able to send Tonga to the floor and hit him with a tope con hilo. A high angle suplex back in the ring gets a two count for the champion, and he makes his famous exclamation to the camera.
Both men ascend briefly, but it’s Tama who hits a neckbreaker off the middle rope. They trade forearm shots and right hands, with Tonga emerging from the scuffle to look for Supreme Flow only to be met in the corner by the champ.
Shingo climbs to drop Tonga down with a big superplex. He looks for Made in Japan but is countered by a Tongan Twist. The Supreme Flow is on target, but Shingo kicks at two.
Tonga pounds the mat, perhaps signaling for the Gun Stun. The Dragon has counters ready for everything, and he powerbombs Tama and stacks him to get very close to a win.
A running lariat sends Tama back down as the champ gets the fans fired up. But Tonga is able to pull off a pretty impressive counter Gun Stun, leaving both men on the canvas.
A big right hand is answered by Bloody Sunday, but Shingo pops out of the cover at one. Tonga is unfazed and smashes home a running lariat, but his double underhooks are reversed into a bridging near fall.
After Tonga hits a forearm shot, Shingo surprises him with a Gun Stun, a clothesline and Made in Japan … and somehow that doesn’t win it. Made in Japan again? He has to settle for forearms and clotheslines, sending Tama to his knees.
Shingo gets his foe lifted, finally, but Tama counters with a Styles Clash and Gun Stun. Except now it’s his time to be shocked it doesn’t finish the match.
You know what will? A DSD, and that indeed does the trick to make Tama a champion again.
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