Could Strong Style retain the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship against a star-studded team of challengers?
The English commentary team notes that much of this has to do with the beef between Ren Narita and Kzuchika Okada. There’s a question about whether the Chaos + Tanahashi team will coexist, though the champions are an unlikely trio in their own right. Kevin Kelly also notes that Tanahashi is just returning from a rib injury but looks good, and he starts out against Minoru Suzuki.
The two veterans work to a standstill on the mat before Desperado tags in. The masked man continues Suzuki’s work on the Ace’s left arm, something Narita is happy to do as well, knocking both of Tanahashi’s teammates off the apron as he goes.
Tanahashi tags in Okada for the first time, and he shows his temper immediately as he battles to the floor with Narita. Ren takes a body slam on the floor and gets tossed back into the ring.
Okada locks in the Money Clip but gets bum rushed by Narita’s teammates, and suddenly all six men are brawling. The champs get the best of that and go to work on Ishii, who finally has enough and dishes out shoulder tackles. Okada and Narita finally get the ring to themselves, with Okada scoring a two count with a DDT.
Tanahashi tags in and trades strikes with Narita before taking a Sling Blade that leaves both men down. Suzuki returns and pounds Tanahashi to the mat in the corner, then again before smacking Okada as well. A running kick to the face connects, but Tanahashi launches a rally that ends with a jumping forearm shot.
A body slam has Tanahashi going up top, but Suzuki rolls away and motions his foe in. Here come the forearm shots, bringing up memories of their past classics. A mean body shot crumples Tanahashi as Suzuki looks to take advantage of his foe’s weakness with an abdominal stretch.
Ishii finally saves Tanahashi though he’s not thrilled about having to do it. The Ace buys some time with dragon screws and tags in Ishii, who has no time for Deperado’s strikes and suplexes him. The masked man answers with an impressive suplex, then taunts the Stone Pitbull until he shoots to his feet.
Desperado pulls off another suplex and looks fired up, but the return of Okada and Narita put an end to that. After a chaotic sequence, Desperado hits a spinebuster and Tanahashi accidentally slaps Ishii. Desperado tries for a rollup but only get a two count.
A spear by Desperado leads to Guitarra de Angel, but Okada breaks up the pin. Desperado is still feeling it, but a headbutt from Ishii leaves both men flat on their backs.
Fittingly, Narita and Okada both tag back in, with Narita flinging the ref away as he tries to simply bash his way past the Rainmaker in and out of the ring. Okada eats the barricade twice on the outside during the rampage and is thrown back inside.
A fisherman’s suplex leads to a near fall by Narita, who switches to an attempt at a rear naked choke. He tries for an abdominal strtech but gets hip tossed and has to reply with a jumping back elbow.
Strong Styles takes turns charging Okada in the corner, who takes another suplex from Narita but kicks out again at two. There’s another one too before Narita locks in a submission and Ishii needs to hustle to break it up.
Okada’s spinning lariat is countered, but Tanahashi returns for a Sling Blade and suddenly the challengers have Narita in trouble, three-on-one style. A nasty neckbreaker by Okada forces saves from both of Narita’s temmates.
A signature Okada dropkick scores, leading to a Landslide and the Rainmaker. Okada covers and gets the three, giving the Rainmaker a championship he’s never won.
After the match, Shota Umino comes to the ring to say that if he wants to create a new paradigm, he needs to take out Okada. He’ll even get help from someone who hasn’t been in New Japan for a while: Jon Moxley, who says he’ll return at Dominion.
Okada mocks Umino for calling on his “babysitter” and offers an f-bomb as his last word.
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