The road to NJPW Destruction continues today with the final night of the Battle Line Hokkaido tour featuring two championship matches.
El Desperado defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against YOH in today’s main event. YOH has won three out of four against Desperado in their singles encounters, but the one loss was in an IWGP Junior title match back in 2021.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles are on the line in the semi-main event with House of Torture’s DOUKI and SHO defending against the Ichiban Sweet Boys (Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita).
A Hiroshi Tanahashi singles match kicks off the main card, with Tana taking on Master Wato in singles competition for the first and likely last time in his career.
A series of multi-man tag bouts fills out the remainder of the undercard.
The pre-show match with two teams of Young Lions squaring off begins at 5 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World.
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Main Card
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Master Wato
(Quick and simple. Nothing more than it needed to be, but Wato was in good form there. A brief story of a hungry younger man working to succeed over a legend.)
Tanahashi countered Wato’s hold, driving him down to the mat with a headlock. Soon, Wato targeted Tanahashi’s knee with a dropkick. Tanahashi writhed his way through Wato’s headscissor leglock. A Slingblade and senton freed the Ace from Wato’s momentum.
Sleeper Slam courtesy of Wato halted another Slingblade. He followed this with a springboard European uppercut from the top rope. Tanahashi’s Twist’n’Shout quelled Wato’s control of the match. Wato struggled to unleash a German suplex, but inevitably he dropped Tanahashi with it. This lent him opportunity for a dive, but the Ace countered it with a Slingblade.
Another Slingblade by Tanahashi, giving way to two High Fly Flow for the pinfall.
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