NJPW Super Jr Tag League Night 1 Review and Results
from njpw1972.com
Taiji Ishimori & Robbie Eagles vs Jyushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask
Ishimori and Liger begin and lock up. Ishimori is the superior athlete but his opponent is savvy enough to hang. JTL attempts a variety of submissions but Ishimori makes it to the ropes and Tiger Mask and Eagles get tags.
Eagles does some fancy stuff, but the man with the tiger face stops him with the tiltawhirl backbreaker. Tag back to Liger and he follows up with a dropkick through the ropes. Romero Special attempt but Ishimori cuts it off. The Bullet Club team trade tags and go to work on Liger’s legs for a while. JTL fights back and tags out of the match.
Ishimori sets up Tiger Mask for a dropkick from Eagles, but the legend dodges it and the Bone Soldier takes out his teammate instead. Armbar attempt on Ishi, but he gets out as Eagles gathers himself. Tag, and Robbie and Liger are in the ring as their teammates fight on the outside. A pair of near falls for Liger, but Ishimori comes to the rescue with a seated senton. Corner double knees from Eagles and he finishes it with a 450 and an inverted figure four.
One match in, and it’s already clear- Robbie Eagles is perfect for this role. He took quite of bit of punishment throughout the match and sold well, then got his big moment at the end, showing killer instinct and submitting Liger.
He and Ishimori are both extremely exciting high flyers, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can keep getting heat or if they’ll accidentally get over. Either way, I’m looking forward to the rest of their run in this tournament.
On the other side of things, Liger and Tiger Mask were as great as ever here. They worked together well and really played up that they had to use their veteran instincts to have a chance against their young, athletic opponents. Also, I appreciated how Liger took so long to tap at the end. The crowd ate it up and it really made Robbie Eagles’ first NJPW victory feel earned.