Results: NJPW Power Struggle 2020
NJPW Power Struggle 2020 Results
KOPW 2020 Championship, Exposed Turnbuckles Match: Toru Yano (c) def. Zack Sabre Jr. (12:11)
The young lions removed the four turnbuckle pads before the match began. Zack repeatedly whipped Yano into the exposed turnbuckles, and Yano was forced to retreat to ringside. When doing so, he pulled one of the four turnbuckle pads out from under the ring and tried to put it back, but Zack would stop him. Yano lured Zack out of the ring and sprayed him with sanitizing fluid, causing Zack to be disoriented enough to almost lose the match by countout. In the meantime, Yano again affixed a turnbuckle pad to the corner with duct tape. When Zack reentered the ring, Yano Irish-whipped ZSJ into the only corner with a pad, and seemed surprised when Zack was not at all hurt. Yano tried to roll Zack up multiple times, but Zack kicked out every time, and then immobilized Yano with a knee bar. Yano was able to make a rope escape, and fled to the outside. Zack caught him and reapplied the kneebar with their legs between the gaps of a guardrail. However, Yano tied Zack’s boot laces together, and Zack was unable to free himself. Toru Yano wins by countout.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi def. Minoru Suzuki (c) (18:56)
After an exchange of elbows and headbutts, Suzuki took the early advantage, wearing down the bigger, stronger Shingo with a single-leg Boston crab, forcibly arching Shingo’s taped lower back. Shingo broke the hold and stood up before trading with Suzuki the loudest elbow strikes they could muster. There was no decisive winner, but Suzuki tried to lock in the sleeper hold and attempt a Gotch-style piledriver too early. He couldn’t lift Shingo, but Shingo lifted him into a Death Valley driver. With a manic expression, Suzuki quickly rose to his feet, ate a Pumping Bomber, and rose to his feet again. Suzuki blocked Shingo’s attempt at a Made in Japan, and he responded to Shingo coming off the ropes for another lariat with a gorgeous single-leg dropkick. Suzuki began choking Shingo out with a standing sleeper hold, and tried again for the Gotch-style piledriver. Shingo struggled and struggled, and stopped Suzuki from picking him up. He buffeted Suzuki with heavy lariats until Suzuki’s body went stiff and he fell to the mat. The Last of the Dragon would put Suzuki away and crown Shingo Takagi a two-time NEVER Openweight Champion.
Kazuchika Okada def. The Great O-Khan (12:58)
This is O-Khan’s first singles match since his return from excursion. His music is nice, it’s very mystical-sounding and unique. I don’t love his pants, though; they look like pajamas. Will Ospreay was ringside, wearing a three-piece suit and carrying a bottle of champagne. O-Khan “dominated” the beginning of the match with Mongolian chops and knee lifts. After O-Khan’s basement dropkick, Okada slowed his roll with a reverse neckbreaker, and attempted a tombstone piledriver, but O-Khan resisted it and could not be lifted. O-Khan landed a lifting facebuster, and tried for a reverse brainbuster, but Okada was able to fight it off with clubbing blows. Okada hit a standing dropkick and applied the Money Clip, but O-Khan got to his feet and attempted the Iron Claw Slam. He did not hit it, but Okada was forced to break the hold. O-Khan planted Okada with a revesre brainbuster and went for the Iron Claw Slam, but Okada blocked it and hit a discus lariat, and then tried for the Money Clip again. O-Khan was able to stand up and reach for the ropes, but Okada brought him back with a backbreaker. This time, O-Khan could not break free from the Money Clip and passed out.
Will Ospreay got on the microphone and congratulated Okada on passing his “test”. He said he used Okada the whole time to become more popular, but he can never be the best wrestler while standing in Okada’s shadow. Ospreay said that the only way to be the best would be to end Okada’s career at Wrestle Kingdom.
IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match: KENTA def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (19:57)
The IWGP US Heavyweight Championship is currently held by Jon Moxley, who has not been seen in NJPW since February due to COVID-19. Due to his inability to defend the Championship being out of his control, he has not been stripped of it. KENTA attacked Tanahashi’s head and neck, keeping him on the mat with headscissors holds, to increase the effectiveness of an eventual Go 2 Sleep. He tried to attack Tanahashi with the #1 contender’s briefcase, but it backfired on him, and ended up with Tanahashi hitting KENTA with it. KENTA was not out, though, and fired back up with spinning backfists and a rope-hung DDT. He followed up with a corner dropkick and a top rope diving foot stomp, then lifted Tanahashi for the Go 2 Sleep. Tanahashi stuffed the attempt, but would be brought to his knees with a Busaiku Knee Kick. Again, KENTA tried for the killing blow, but Tanahashi reversed the Go 2 Sleep with a Sling Blade. He landed another Sling Blade, then climbed to the top rope to land a frog splash crossbody. The Ace locked in the Texas cloverleaf, which ended KENTA in their G1 match, but KENTA was able to slip out of it this time and apply the Game Over. This match evolved into a submission battle, as both men were able to get out of each other’s holds to apply their own, but Tanahashi was not able to escape the second Game Over. KENTA wins by submission and is still the #1 contender for Jon Moxley’s IWGP US Heavyweight Championship.
Wrestle Kingdom 15 Right to Challenge Contract Match: Jay White def. Kota Ibushi (c) (18:47)
Despite Ibushi being one of only three people in history two win two G1 Climaxes in a row, Jay White was getting the better of im in the early going. Still, Gedo felt compelled to assist Jay White whenever possible, but would usually be easily fought off by Ibushi. After landing a plancha on Jay White, Ibushi’s rally began. He tried for a top rope moonsault on a prone White, but White turned so that Ibushi would land on his side, getting the worse of the impact. Jay White capitalized with the Bladebuster for a near fall. Ibushi fired back up with kicks, but the Switchblade would cut him off soon enough with the Complete Shot, followed by a uranage. White deftly attacked Ibushi from the front and the back, landing punches and knee lifts to the lower back and abdomen. That is, until Ibushi caught White’s knee and lifted him into a leg-trap piledriver! Ibushi continued the pressure, dumping White with a half-nelson suplex and a head kick. He then tried for the Kamigoye, but Jay stopped it with a headbutt to the midsection. This did not stop Ibushi, as he nearly got the three-count with a sitout elevated powerbomb. He tried for the Kamigoye once more, but Jay White pushed him into the ropes, and then pinned Kota Ibushi, using his foot on the ropes for leverage! Jay White now has the Wrestle Kingdom briefcase, and Kota Ibushi is now the first person to lose it after winning the G1 Climax.
IWGP Heayvweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) def. EVIL (33:08)
This is Naito and EVIL’s fourth match in the last six months, since EVIL betrayed Los Ingobernables de Japon to join Bullet Club. At this point, Naito knows nearly all of EVIL’s tricks. With a simple necklock, Naito was able to distress EVIL so much that he bailed out of the ring. This may have been a ruse, though, as when Naito followed him, EVIL whipped Naito into the timekeeper’s table, causing the ring announcer to take a tumble. EVIL did it more than once, adding insult to injury. As EVIL was taunting the ring announcer, Naito rolled into the ring, only to get hit with a chair from Dick Togo. EVIL sent Naito crashing down with a superplex, and then applied the scorpion deathlock. EVIL had it in deep, but Naito barely managed to grab the bottom rope and force EVIL off. EVIL was still in control, though, and he hit the Darkness Falls powerbomb for a near fall. A spinebuster, followed by a top-rope Frankensteiner, finally granted Naito a reprieve, and Gloria granted Naito a two-count. Naito hit a flying forearm followed by the running Destino to get EVIL down for another two count, and then another Destino, but Dick Togo pulled the referee out of the ring! Yujiro Takahashi came out and double-teamed Naito with Dick Togo, but then SANADA came out and laid waste to the two of them! He then carried Dick Togo out of the building on his shoulders while holding Yujiro in a headlock, leaving only Naito and EVIL left to fight. Fight they did, until EVIL pushed Naito into the referee and hit a low blow. However, this did not put Naito down, and he gave EVIL a pop-up low blow of his own. Then, Jay White came out and hit Naito with a sleeper suplex, but Kota Ibushi ran in to make the save! EVIL hit another low blow in the commotion, but Naito blocked the EVIL STO, hit a big slap to the face, and landed the Destino for the victory.
Jay White entered and said that, now that he has the Wrestle Kingdom 15 briefcase, he will do nothing on January 4th, but he will win the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. Then, Kota Ibushi came out and started chasing Jay White, despite Jay’s repeatedly insisting that Ibushi has no claim to fight him. Either not understanding, or not caring, Ibushi just kept following Jay until they both left the building.
