Washington, D.C. – 8.30.2024

Commentary is provided by Walker Stewart & Veda Scott.

Kickoff Match
Matt Vandagriff vs. Allan Breeze

This match is billed as a “STRONG Survivor Match”, pitting prospects from the NJPW Academy against one another on a bigger, more visible stage. This is the sixth STRONG Survivor Match, and Vandagriff has won the previous five. Breeze tried to score a surprise pin on Vandagriff early on, but Vandagriff shut him down with a Hot Shot and a neckbreaker. Breeze lands running chops in opposite corners. Vandagriff surprises him with a trip and slams his sternum into the ring apron twice. Vandagriff then knee strikes Breeze in the back, sending his chest into the ring post. Breeze kicks out of a double stomp out of a tree of woe and a cannonball senton in the corner. Breeze waistlocks rolls Vandagriff up into a facebuster and then a Doctor Bomb for two. Vandagriff slips out of his grasp and delivers a German suplex. Vandagriff follows up two kicks with a front facelock brainbuster (Bloody Sunday) for the pin at 6:23. Vandagriff’s “darker” persona has only made him look more generic. In fact, he looks like a bootleg Chase Owens now. These matches get no hype or importance and have done nothing for those involved. Maybe that will change if Vandagriff goes one year of being undefeated in November. I have doubts. Breeze was charismatic and connected with the crowd, so I hope this isn’t the last we see of him. **

Kickoff Match
Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO & Mina Shirakawa) vs. Trish Adora & Viva Van

As expected, Shirakawa is beloved by the crowd. Her playful nature baited Van into a springboard crescent kick to the head. Van took some continued damage until she caught Shirakawa with a Koppu Kick. Adora then overpowered Shirakawa with her size, which Shirakawa’s even larger partner HANAKO took umbrage with, breaking up Adora’s double arm stretch to free her partner. HANAKO blocked Adora’s Lariat Tubman attempt and delivered a suplex for two. Adora then ducked a big boot while she was kneeling and German suplexed HANAKO from her kneeling position. HANAKO takes down Van with a slam and also slams Shirakawa onto her. Van butterflies Shirakawa into a lung blower for a close two count. When she looks to follow up, Shirakawa cuts her off with a rolling elbow and a backfist. Shirakawa puts Van in a figure four leg lock while HANAKO holds off Adora in an Argentine Backbreaker. Van verbally submits at 6:56. It was definitely a fun treat to see Shirakawa on the card, and HANAKO and Adora had really good chemistry with one another. It’s a shame that no matter where she goes, Van seems to be the designated fall wrestler, because she’s definitely improving and could be a solid contributor to any women’s division. If this leads to a Shirakawa STRONG title match I’d be pumped. **¼

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship #1 Contendership Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Robbie Eagles) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson)

This is GYV’s NJPW debut. Although they are quick to attack Tanahashi and Ishii before the bell, they find themselves taken down at the hands of both teams at the start of the match as well. GYV recuperate and use their tandem offense to take out Tanahashi in the corner. Eagles’ succumbs to the same teamwork. Drake dropkicks Tito off of the apron and knocks Ishii off the apron as well in the hopes of maintaining control of the ring. Eagles attacks Gibson’s left leg, but when he goes for the Ron Miller Special, Gibson kicks Eagles to the corner where Ishii tags himself in. Ishii takes out GYV with shoulder blocks, Eagles with a corner clothesline, and Tito with a brainbuster. He also makes sure Gibson got chopped up in the corner, waistlocking him so he could not escape to the floor. Tanahashi though had to save Ishii from being pinned by a tandem Shiranui from GYV. Tito is left standing with Ishii after he takes out GYV with a double clothesline. Tito drops him with a Death Valley Driver for two, and then he and Ishii wipe each other out with headbutts. Tanahashi gets two on Tito with a somersault senton. GYV take out Tanahashi, but soon after are sent to the outside by Eagles. Eagles then fallaway kicks Tanahashi into a Blue Thunder Bomb from Tito, and then tumbleweeds onto GYV on the floor. Tanahashi kicks out of Tito’s pin right before a three count. Ishiii then surprises Tito with a lariat. Ishii and Tanahashi take out Eagles and GYV by their knees. Tanahashi dragonscrew leg whips Tito. He delivers the Sling Blade, with Ishii following that up with a Sliding D. Tanahashi’s High Fly Flow then pins Tito at 10:59. It was clear the first time TMDK pairing were doomed, but they still felt like significant players in the contest, especially Tito. GYV made a good first impression, both taking a solid beating but also showcasing their team prowess. Tanahashi and Ishii are a good tandem to challenge for the STRONG tag titles, no matter the champions. A fun, energetic bout to kick off the show. ***

CHAOS (Rocky Romero & YOSHI-HASHI) & Kevin Knight vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney)

YOSHI-HASHI pinned White in a six man tag during the final night of the G1 Climax, earning a shot at his Global title at Destruction in Kobe on 9/24. Connors and Moloney are the current IWGP Junior tag champions. Connors Pounces former tag champion Romero and the War Dogs pick him apart in their corner. A rewind kick frees him from their grasp, and YOSHI-HASHI takes out Finlay with a front flip neckbreaker. Finlay rolls out of a pump-handle and delivers the Irish Curse, hurting his own knee in doing so. Knight hops over Moloney and Connors’ double clothesline attempt and takes them down with a double Pele kick. Knight also leaps from the mat and brings down Moloney with a super Frankensteiner for two. Connors saves Moloney from a delayed DDT. They wipe out Knight with a Gore/Chop Block combo, and both YOSHI-HASHI and Romero make the save. YOSHI-HASHI then takes Finlay to the floor while Romero unleashes forever clotheslines on the Junior tag champs. Moloney however counters Romero’s Shiranui into the Drilla Killa. Knight then escapes the Full Clip and spikes Connors with a satellite DDT. When Moloney tries the Drilla Killa, Knight instead lands on his feet and jackknife pins Moloney for the victory at 11:52. After the match, the War Dogs lay out their opponents, including Moloney and Connors taking out Knight with the Full Clip. On the surface, this match was a preview for Finlay vs. YOSHI-HASHI, but it was a sneaky way for Knight to earn a future Junior tag title match (which he and KUSHIDA would get and win at King of Pro Wrestling.) Knight really got the chance to show out and by the end of the match, the D.C. crowd was happy to see him pick up the W for his team. Another fun, exciting match. ***¼

Street Fight
Dirty Work (Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor) vs. The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)

The two teams come out from the back brawling with each other. Lawlor and Rosser get the better of the WCWC of the initial brawl and begin to look under the ring for more weaponry. Lawlor misses a facewash kick to Nelson into the guardrail. Nelson then pounces Rosser off of the ring apron and into the barricades, while Isaacs tackles Lawlor into another part of the guardrail from the floor. Nelson gets a door from under the ring and props it up between the ring apron and the guardrail. Rosser drops Isaacs with a backbreaker on the ring apron after recovering, and also slams Nelson out of a running torture rack position. Lawlor holds Isaacs in a Camel Clutch and Rosser dropkicks a chair into his face. Nelson pulls Rosser out to stop the pin. WCWC pummel Lawlor with chairs while he has a trashcan on his head. They then turn to Rosser, who is recovering in the ring, and a door has been placed in the corner. Isaacs piledrives him onto a chair. Lawlor comes to the rescue with his own chair. He also pulls Nelson off of the middle turnbuckle and through the table propped up between the guardrail and ring with a Side Russian leg sweep. Rosser puts Isaacs through the door in the corner with a Death Valley Driver for the pin at 12:05. When I saw this in person, it felt more more epic than it did here on film. The intensity and teases to the door spots weren’t conveyed as well as they were sitting in the stands. At the time it seemed like a logical, clear ending to the feud, and I was confused when they announced a 2 out of 3 falls rematch for November. Watching it back, and realizing that the teams are now 1-1 against each other, I understand why they went this direction. This was a solid brawl with some innovative chair use, but nothing too crazy. ***

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Titán

Sabre won the G1 Climax tournament twelve days earlier, earning an IWGP World Heavyweight Title match. The current champion is Tetsuya Naito, Titán’s stablemate. Titán ends up getting a mental advantage, turning Sabre’s leg submission into one of his own, and then out pacing him on the mat, resulting in Titán standing above Sabre as Sabre is seated against the ropes. Sabre shows a change in attitude after this, but Titán shows no fear, immediately striking him with a sole butt kick. Sabre ends his stride when he slams Titán out of a wheelbarrow position and uses his feet to twist his neck. Sabre has his own fun, goading in Titán by allowing Titán to throw overhand chops and then knocking him down with a big boot. Titán makes Sabre pay by superkicking him to the outside and sending him crashing into the guardrails with a suicide dive. Titán aggressively applies the Trailer Hitch before bending Sabre behind his back with a leg lock neck crank. Sabre rolls to the ropes to escape. Titán follows Sabre to the ropes, surprising him with a tornado DDT. Titán drops Sabre out of Gourd Buster and superkicks him before pulling himself up to the top turnbuckle. Sabre catches Titán’s double stomp. He puts on an ankle lock which Titán rolls free from and into a Magistral cradle for two. When he uses Sabre’s own British cradle against him, Sabre pulls him into a sleeper hold which Titán uses the ropes to escape. Titán superkicks Sabre after Sabre avoids being locked in his leg submission again. He Northern clotheslines Sabre into the corner and successfully lands a top rope double stomp for two. When he tries the Muta Lock, Sabre instead pulls Titán into a knee bar, and then horse collars his other leg until Titán gives up at 14:53. I really love that this was not wrestled as a styles clash, but rather Titán proving he can be a threat on the mat against the king of submission wrestling. He showed no fear going up against the G1 Climax winner, and most certainly had Sabre off guard at a few moments in the match. If you saw his match with Wato at last year’s BOSJ, you know just how good Titán is, and this was another great, yet totally different match from the man. This would be a killer match in the New Japan Cup. ****

Tetsuya Naito vs. TJP

“T-shirt Naito” is a pejorative fans have made for Naito when keeps his t-shirt on all match long. It’s less about the shirt and more of what it stands for – that half-hearted effort he will be putting into a match in which he wears the start. TJP more or less did all of the work until it was time for Naito to make a comeback. In person, this was interminable. On tape it was a bit better, but still not good, especially following a really excellent Heavy vs. Junior match. The crowd was maybe a bit tired going into this, and neither of these guys did much to wake them up. In fact, they were irritated when a nearfall occurred because it meant the match wasn’t over. I appreciate that TJP had a small flirtation with the heavyweights in the G1 qualifier tournament a couple of months ago, but people weren’t buying him being presented at the level of the World Heavyweight champion in this match. He kicked out of the Destino, and Naito kicked out of his “Aswang mist” and Mamba Splash, and that all seemed so unnecessary for a one-off bout. Everything about this match made me wonder why it happened in the first place. It was a bad case of matchmaking. Naito turned a Destino into a small package to pin TJP at 14:54. *½

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship
TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) vs. Hechicero & Virus

TMDK have been champions since 6.9.2024 and this is their first defense. Hechicero & Virus challenged Haste and Nicholls to this match after defeating TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr. and Bad Dude Tito last month. As Virus is attacking Haste’s leg, Nicholls jumps in and breaks it up. Hechicero knocks down Nicholls to even the odds, sending him to the floor, but what that does is allow for Nicholls to trip Virus when he hits the ropes. Haste then hesitation dropkicks Virus in the side of the head, and Nicholls slams his sternum into the ring frame. Nicholls keeps Hechicero at bay as he and Haste wear down the smaller Virus in their half of the ring. Virus ducks a double clothesline and lands a back elbow, and then ducks a big boot from Haste that strikes Nicholls, giving him the opening to tag in Hechicero. Hechicero outpaces and takes down the champions. TMDK momentarily get him out of the ring when Nicholls saves Haste from a grounded submission. Hechicero not only saves Virus from being attacked on the top turnbuckle, but gives him the opportunity to send Haste to the floor with a flying headscissors. Nicholls clotheslines Virus when he looks for a follow up dive, and Haste pins Hechicero with the Power Bottom for two. Nicholls has to save Haste once again after Hechicero takes down Haste with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Hechicero holds onto Nicholls in the ropes so that Virus can dropkick him to the floor. Virus slingshot splashes onto Haste for two. The CMLL duo pull off an elevated DDT combo, as well as a parachute stretch/neckbreaker combo on Haste, and once again Nicholls saves his partner. Nicholls surprises Hechicero with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Hatse crotches Virus on the top turnbuckle, and Haste pulls him down into the Tank Buster for the pin at 13:34. This was a beat weaker than last month’s TMDK vs. CMLL match only because the no pairing here was strong as Hechicero and Sabre. The match played out in such a way that the crowd was upset to see the CMLL team lose, and I credit Nicholls’ continuous spoiling of their advantage as a big reason for that. If it wasn’t for his meddling ways, the CMLL tandem would’ve walked away with the titles. This was a perfectly cromulent title match but a minor disappointment when compared to last month’s effort. ***

After the match, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii make their way to the ring. Tanahashi says they want to challenge TMDK for the STRONG Tag Titles at Royal Quest IV in October. Haste accepts. That should be good.

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Mustafa Ali

This is a rematch from “Windy City Riot.” Buff Daryl is back in Takahashi’s corner. When the match goes to the floor, Takahashi reverses a whip and sends Ali face first into the ring post. Ali interrupts Takahashi’s celebration with Daryl. He then headstands off the apron into a DDT to Hiromu. Ali then shoves Daryl off of the apron to the crowd’s horror. Ali further damages Takahashi’s neck with a roll-up neckbreaker and a rolling neckbreaker. Takahashi outmaneuvers Ali on the floor and drops him with a German suplex, following up quickly with a DDT. Takahashi is incensed when he sees Daryl’s Lucha mask on the floor. Although Ali is able to avoid the Time Bomb at first, Takahashi converts into a Falcon Arrow for two. Ali cuts off Takahashi with a drop toe hold onto the bottom rope. He dropkicks Takahashi in the side of the head, and when he goes for a second, Takahashi turns Ali inside out with a clothesline while still laying on the bottom rope. Ali snaps Takahashi’s neck across the barricade. Ali then suicide dives onto Takahashi in the front row as Takahashi gets to his feet. In the ring, Ali misses a 450 Splash and gets overhead suplexed into the corner. Their strike exchange ends with Takahashi on top after turning Ali inside out with a clothesline once more. Ali however trips Takahashi into a STF. Even though Takahashi escapes, Ali is able to dropkick his neck into the middle turnbuckle and then give him a Complete Shot out of a Gory Special. Takahashi impressively gets his shoulder up from Ali’s pin, resulting in Ali looking for a piledriver. Takahashi weaves his way free and backslides Ali into a Tiger Driver ‘98. Ali pushes his way out of the pin. He also pushes Takahashi to the corner and spikes him with a reverse Frankensteiner. Ali goes for the 450 Splash again. This time, Takahashi gets his knees up, rolls Ali up to his feet, and plants him with Time Bomb II for the pin at 17:20. At this point the crowd was getting a bit restless, and it showed from their reactions. Daryl got the biggest reactions by far. Ali’s neck work on Takahashi was a terrific callback to their first match, but I would be surprised if more than a handful of people in the crowd caught that. Takahashi continuously looking for Time Bomb was a good connective tissue for his offense. Overall it was a good match, just a bit too long and a little late in the show for this crowd. ***¼

NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship
Gabe Kidd vs. Lio Rush

Kidd has been champion since 5.11.2024 and this is his second defense. Rush is a D.C. native, and the crowd is fully behind him. Rush fires off a couple of suicide dives early on, but Kidd shuts him down with a back suplex and Last Ride on the ring frame. Kidd further wears down Rush’s back inside of the ring with multiple belly-to-belly suplexes. Rush counters one of them into a sleeper hold and then uses Kidd’s momentum for his own belly-to-belly suplex. Kidd blocks the The Come Up with a german suplex, but Rush lands on his feet and lands a roundhouse kick. When he tries the Come Up again, Kidd successfully counters into a Saito suplex for two. Kidd attempts a super Doctor Bomb which Rush counters mid-air into a super Frankensteiner. Rush finally nails the Come Up for two. Kidd stops Rush on the top turnbuckle and brings him down with a super belly-to-belly suplex. When Rush kicks out of the subsequent pin, Kidd decides to bring a chair into the ring. It backfires as the chair bounces off the top rope and hits him in the head when he attempts to hit Rush with it. Rush then connects with the Final Hour for two. Kidd uses misdirection to turn Rush inside out with a lariat. Rush is bloeeding from his eyelid as he slowly gets up to his feet and is met with a busaiku knee. He then drops Rush with a brainbuster and the crowd explodes when Rush gets his shoulder up. Kidd piledrives Rush and once again the D.C. native finds the strength to fight out of the pin. Rush counters a second piledriver with a jackknife pin. Kidd rolls forward, stuffs Rush with a piledriver, and then muscles him up into a sit-out Doctor Bomb for the pin at 17:57. There’s fewer antagonists in wrestling today better than Kidd, and when you pair him with a hometown hero, it’s at a whole ‘nother level. Every time Rush got a moment of comeuppance, it hit with the crowd. It reached its zenith with him kicking out of the piledriver and then the match ended right after that – no wasted time, and no needlessly milking what they had created. I appreciate that dearly. Kidd was relishing in being the person the crowd loved to hate which made it all the better. Another strong title match (pun intended) for the Mad Man. ***¾

NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship
Mercedes Moné vs. Momo Watanabe

Moné has been champion since 6.30.2024 and this is her first defense. Momo Watanabe is a founding member of the newest STARDOM faction H.A.T.E., and is one-half of Goddesses of Stardom Champions with Thekla. While each competitor shows poise in their opening exchange, it’s Moné who scores big first with a Statement Maker and double knees against the ropes. Watanabe grabs a chair to distract the referee when she grabs her baseball bat. Moné thwarts it at first, but when she dives off of the second rope, Watanabe cracks Moné in the ribs with it. Watanabae enjoys mocking Moné as she kicks away at and digs her knee into Moné’s back. Moné uses a chin breaker to escape a sleeper hold and gives Watanabe a back cracker out of headscissors. Watanabe counters a suplex from Moné, putting the CEO in a tree of woe. Watanabe peppers Moné with swipes to the face while Moné is upside down. Moné baits her into a headscissors into the corner. She then lands Meteora for two. Watanabe escapes the Moné Maker, but when she goes for a running Meteora, Moné rolls her into a Boston Crab. Watanabe gets the ropes to escape. Watanabe ends a strike exchange by catching Moné’s headscissors and planting her with the B Driver for two. Watanabe follows up with the Peach Sunrise and Diving Somato (running Meteora) for another two count. Watananbe attempts the Three Amigos on Moné, only for Moné to halt the third suplex. Watanabe does the same to Moné and pull off the third suplex as well. Moné stops Watanabe on the top turnbuckle and brings her down with a superplex for two. Watanabe blocks the Moné Maker once again and kicks Moné in the chest. Moné rolls through Peach Thunder and reapplies the Statement Maker. Watanabe surreptitiously grabs her baseball bat when she slips under the ropes to break the hold. Moné and Watanabe get into a tug of war over the bat, resulting in the referee being knocked down. Moné blocks Watananbe from using the bat on her. She uses the corner to flip over Watanabe and drop her with the Moné Maker. Moné locks the Statement Baker back on and Watanabe taps out at 19:56. I don’t know if it’s the atmosphere, how good Momo is, but this smoked every match Moné has had in AEW to date. She’s naturally hated in AEW so it would be tough for her to pull it off there, but part of me thinks that maybe these days she does a better job in the good guy role. This match serves as some evidence to that. For going into the fourth hour of this show, these two had no problem getting the crowd into the action, and while most of what they did was simple, it was very effective and good. Momo rocks. ****

Four hours is too long for these shows. Most of it was good, but there was certainly fat that could have been trimmed.