After the success of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s New Beginning tour, there were high expectations for the first-ever Castle Attack show.
However, injuries and changes to the card threatened to ruin all of that. Matches had to be changed and substituted at the last minute.
Yet, even with all of that, there were still some stand-out performances from all the wrestlers! Here is a look at the top four matches from this year’s New Japan Castle Attack tour!
4. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru – IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Championship
Credit: NJPW1972
When Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI were unable to compete for the IWGP Jr tag titles, Bullet Club thought they had managed to skip a defence. However, the former champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru used it as their opportunity to get their rematch.
As expected from two heel teams, the match started with a jump start as the Suzuki Gun duo went after the champions. However, despite the staple heel tactics, it was a proficient wrestling match. There were four different wrestlers meshing their styles together. It was a game of one-upmanship whether it was who could cheat the most, who could hit the most, or who could hit the craziest moves.
Going into the bout ELP’s “Sudden Shock” should have been the best advantage for Bullet Club. In the end, it worked against him. As he went to hit Desperado with the boot, Kanemaru misdirected it to hit Ishimori before hitting ELP with a DDT. It then allowed Despy to get to his feet and hit the Pinche Loco for the win!
Despite the titles going to a team with a long history with the belts, it raises many questions. With so few teams, has the division become redundant? Is it fated to be passed between the same two teams? Will there ever be any sort of consistency with a division and a title with so much history? Maybe the Suzuki Gun duo can be that team to bring it back to life.
3. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi – IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Credit: NJPW1972
Whenever Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi wrestle each other, most people have a preconceived idea about what they are going to watch. Most of the time, they are correct. It usually consists of two crazy men throwing safety out of the window and finding any way to inflict pain on their opponent. However, their match for the Intercontinental title surprised many fans and gave them something new.
For the entire tour, both men had taken a methodical approach to their matches targeting a body part. It was surprising to see that this method was transferred into their title match. As soon as the bell rang, both men continued targeting each other’s knees with a series of strikes and submissions.
It wasn’t until much later in the match, that the wheels started to turn, and the pace quickened. Fans began to see shades of their previous bouts with Naito and Ibushi throwing caution to the wind and hitting high-risk offence. There were moonsaults, head-scissors and a throwback with Naito’s Diamond Dust.
As the match passed the 25-minute mark, neither man seemed to have the desire to slow down. However, with one final Kamigoye, Kota Ibushi retained both the IC title but his title of ‘God’. Despite the slower pace of the match, it was another great chapter to add to this duo’s trilogy. Hopefully, it will not be the last time these two will meet in a big match setting.
2. BUSHI vs. El Desperado vs. El Phantasmo – IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship
Credit: NJPW1972
In New Japan Pro Wrestling, triple threat matches are always met with caution and scepticism. Luckily, this IWGP Jr Heavyweight title proves that anything can work with the right people. Going into the match, it was a journey into the unknown. There were three men with different histories and things they had to prove!
From the minute the match started, it was full guns blazing. All three men sped across the ring and, rightly, tried to get the pin as quickly as possible. It was a battle of styles as El Phantasmo and BUSHI flew across the ring and El Desperado focused on his standard mat-based offence. However, with such high stakes, each wrestler went out of their comfort zone. El Desperado flew through the ropes whilst BUSHI and ELP varied their high-flying with strength and power.
What also stood out was the storytelling within the match. Very early in the match, El Phantasmo dealt with El Desperado by seriously injuring him on the rampway, taking his mask and then mocking him. Yet, when it seemed like it would be a singles match like expected, Despy came back with a new, more unhinged, mindset.
With three men willing to break the rules, the match was unpredictable, dynamic and nail-biting! Many times, Jr matches have been criticised for being flippy, but this proved that theory wrong and combined athleticism with storytelling. In the end, El Desperado worked as he hit ELP with a Pinche Loco to get his first IWGP Jr title reign in seven years.
1. Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Special Singles Match
Credit: NJPW1972
Unlike many of the special singles matches on night one, this bout had a lot more history. It dated back to Jay returning from excursion and joining CHAOS in 2018. There was also more on the line. Jay needed to get retribution against the man who ruined his chance at main-eventing Wrestle Kingdom 15.
Like many of his matches, Jay White started by playing mind games with Ishii avoiding getting in the ring at any cost. Very quickly, Jay found his target for Ishii after ramming him into the side of the ring and damaging the Stone Pitbull’s ribs. From here, it was a targeted attack. Jay threw punches, kicks and shoulder tackles into the injured area.
However, the Stone Pitbull has a lot of heart. Every time Jay seemed to beat him down, Ishii dug deep and found some way to keep fighting. There was even one moment where Jay punched Ishii and his face turned dark. It was like something clicked inside him that meant he felt no pain. Even with the dominance of the Switchblade during this bout, there were times were Ishii could have pulled out the win.
After a hard-hitting fight between two very different athletes, Jay White finally hit his Bladerunner for the win with the help of Gedo. Despite their differences, Jay and Ishii always manage to bring out the best and worst in each other. With the New Japan Cup coming up, they will no doubt meet again. Who knows what could happen depending on the state of Bullet Club in the future.
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