For the first time in 21 years, New Japan returned to Jingu Stadium to conclude their Summer Struggle Tour. Fans saw five title matches and, even with the temperature peaking at 34°, the show managed to deliver.
With so many different matches, they were all of a high calibre. However, some stood out more than the others. As such, here are all the matches from Summer Struggle in Jingu reviewed and ranked.
6. Master Wato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
The first show on the card was never going to steal the show. However, Master Wato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru was the perfect way to start Summer Struggle in Jingu. It was your classic babyface vs. heel. One wrestler was out to prove himself and the other wanted to crush that dream.
Both Wato and Kanemaru are firmly within the Jr Heavyweight division. This meant that the evening started with some spectacular high-flying moves. This kind of singles match can showcase how good a wrestler is. In Wato’s case, just how much he has improved since his excursion to Mexico with his Japanese/Mexican hybrid style. However, with the Heel Master, it was never going to be pure throughout.
Kanemaru embraced his Suzuki Gun style trying to find any way to get a quick win whether it was distracting the referee or using his Satori Surprise. That didn’t mean it was all dirty tactics. This match showed why the Heel Master is such a veteran in Jr Heavyweight wrestling.
In the end, the match ended with Kanemaru rolling Wato up for the pin which was probably the best way to end it. This way, it didn’t damage either man because Kanemaru showed why he has been in the game for so long and Wato didn’t lose clean giving him room to grow.
5. King of Pro Wrestling Final – Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA vs. Toru Yano vs. El Desperado
For a few fans online, many saw the King of Pro Wrestling final match as a blip in an almost perfect New Japan show. However, I believe that it was a match that did what it said on the label.
Going into the match, these four competitors are as different as any wrestlers can be. There were four men representing different divisions, different factions and different ideologies. Because of this, we got some uncommon interactions throughout between the wrestlers. We even got to see a battle between Okada and Yano where CHAOS loyalties were tested and thrown out of the window.
After only 7 minutes, when it seemed like Okada was going to submit El Desperado, the Master Spoiler came in. With the referee’s attention diverted, Yano hit Okada with a low blow and rolled him up for the pin. New Japan’s most unpredictable title was won by one of the company’s most unpredictable wrestlers in Toru Yano.
It shouldn’t have been any other way. Overall, the match was fun and short which gave us a snippet of what the title’s future would be and not overwhelming fans.
4. Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & TAICHI) vs. Golden Ace (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi) – IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles
Even though many New Japan fans have seen this match up a lot recently, it didn’t stop it from being a great bout between two very different teams. The teams of Dangerous Tekkers and Golden Ace have this special in-ring chemistry despite their hatred for each other.
Straight away, Dangerous Tekkers knew that the best way to win this match was to target Tanahashi who is seen as the weak link of Golden Ace. They targeted the damaged knee and tried to isolate Tanahashi in their corner avoiding the Golden Star by any means possible.
Despite this, for most of the match, Tanahashi and Ibushi seemed to be on the offence managing to counter whatever trouble ZSJ and Taichi were causing. The Golden duo worked perfectly in sync with each other with their Jr Heavyweight style and even took a few submission tricks from ZSJ’s book.
However, the heroes cannot always win. After a beautiful Zack Mephisto to Tanahashi, ZSJ got the win for Dangerous Tekkers in a surprisingly clean match. With the G1 coming up, this was the right call with Golden Ace taking time to focus on singles action and the Suzuki Gun duo ready to cause chaos in the tag division.
3. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori – IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title
After their 5.5* match during the 2018 Best of Super Jr final, fans were treated to another fast-paced bout between Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori.
From the second the bell rang, the match was intense. Hiromu tried to get the advantage quickly with his erratic and unpredictable style. However, the Bone Soldier had a plan targeting Hiromu’s shoulder that he’d injured earlier in the tour with a La Mistica. From here, it was the common theme throughout with some very dangerous moves that made you flinch. The outcome almost seemed inevitable.
Yet, it didn’t stop the match from being a spectacle. These two wrestlers are the epitome of what the New Japan Jr Heavyweight Division is all about. There was the pure high-flying style of Hiromu combined Ishimori’s more hybrid style combining risk-taking and submission-based wrestling. There was one breathtaking spot where Hiromu went to powerbomb Ishimori off the apron, but the Bone Soldier just backflipped onto his feet to avoid it.
In the end, at just over 13 minutes, it all became too much for Hiromu’s shoulder. Ishimori trapped the Ticking Time Bomb in the Bone Lock for the win and his second IWGP Jr Heavyweight title reign.
Chris Charlton perfectly described this match as gorgeous but brutal. If the match was longer and showcased more of what these two men have to offer, it may have been higher on the list. However, with the focus Hiromu’s injury and Ishimori’s ability to capitalise on this, it instead perfectly blended style with storytelling.
2. Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki – NEVER Openweight Title
Although this match was in the first half of Summer Struggle in Jingu, the battle between Shingo Takagi and Minoru Suzuki for the NEVER Openweight title was one of the best of the night. Even in the lead-up, there was a lot of anticipation for a previously disregarded title.
Was it any surprise that it was one of the matches of the night?
With Shingo’s emphasis on his strength and Suzuki’s submission style, many were surprised at how fast-paced the match was from the start to end. There was speed, strength and continuous action that almost resembled a Jr Heavyweight match at times.
However, at the essence, this match was a fight and a brutal one at that. There was what seemed like hundreds of strikes thrown in the form of forearms, kicks or clotheslines. There was even a moment where Suzuki was continuously headbutting Shingo Takagi. Yet, no matter what was thrown either men’s way, they refused to stay down showing their heart and determination.
Despite the heart and strength of the Dragon, Minoru Suzuki isn’t the King of Pro-Wrestling for nothing. In a match that lasted just under 15 minutes, Suzuki managed to hit Shingo with a Gotch Style Piledriver for the win.
1. EVIL vs. Tetsuya Naito – IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Double Title
Fans across the world were shocked when EVIL betrayed Los Ingobernables de Japon in July in favour of Bullet Club. Many were more heartbroken when he went on to take the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental title from his former leader Tetsuya Naito. So, this rematch had more at stake than just titles, it was for retribution.
At the start, the match seemed to be going similarly to their other meeting with EVIL using every trick in the book to win. He used chairs, distracted the referee and utilised Dick Togo in every way possible.
However, by using these tactics so often, you can only get away with it so often. At one point, Naito almost predicted Dick Togo’s presence and, rather than going for EVIL, went straight to the other side of the ring and kicked him out of the way. Also, for the first time during this feud, we saw LIJ members BUSHI and SANADA get involved. When Gedo came out and tried to cause even more trouble with Togo, the duo came out to get rid of the rubbish.
Finally, the two were on an even playing field with a battle between strength and athleticism. We then got a match that most people would’ve loved to have seen at Dominion. It was time to see who the better wrestler was and the results came just after the 25-minute mark. Naito hit his patented Destino to win back the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental title.
As the sky turned to night and fireworks erupted throughout the stadium, it was the perfect fairytale ending for Tetsuya Naito and a match deserving of a Jingu Stadium main event.
What was your favourite match from Summer Struggle in Jingu? Let us know on Twitter!
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