NJPW New Year Dash 2020: Results, Highlights, and Grades

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI, Will Ospreay, & Robbie Eagles) vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, & Taichi)

Before the match started, Taichi got in Okada’s face, while Ospreay grabbed at the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship. I like little hints like this.

Ospreay and Sabre started the match, each man exchanging a great amount of fast paced technical wrestling with Ospreay throwing in the occasional high-flying move. Ospreay hit a hurricanrana and tagged out to Eagles. Eagles and Ospreay hit a double team kick on ZSJ, and Eagles continued the assault with several kicks.

Eagles hit the ropes, but Suzuki baited him into an armbar over the ropes, and then pulled him to the outside and beat him into the crowd. Meanwhile, ZSJ had Ospreay in a submission in the crowd. Suzuki ripped apart the guardrail and threw it in Eagles, destroying him. Taichi threw Okada, who has tape all over his neck, into the ring post.

ZSJ grabbed the mic at the English announce table and said “Ospreay is a Tory” which is hilarious if you know Commonwealth politics. Suzuki locked on an arm wringer and then keylock on Eagles, who made his way to the ropes. Taichi tagged in, but Suzuki threw Eagles outside and Taichi threw Eagles into the guardrail.

Suzuki wrapped Eagles arm around the ring post and tried to break the arm while Taichi kept the ref away. Lance Archer tagged in and invited Eagles to hit him, but Archer murdered him after a few shots.

Archer hit the Derailer on Eagles, and then slammed him in the middle of the ring. Suzuki and ZSJ locked on double submissions on Eagles. Suzuki then begged Eagles to hit him, and Eagles did, but Suzuki hit him harder and murdered him with a forearm smash.

Suzuki locked on a leglock, but Eagles eventually made the ropes. Suzuki was killing him, but he did mange to tag out to YOSHI-HASHI, who hit a Headhunter on Archer and a rana on Taichi. YOSHI-HASHI tried to suplex Archer but was unable to.

YOSHI-HASHI hit a clothesline and went for another, but Archer responded with one of his own and tagged out to Taichi. Taichi mocked YOSHI-HASHI and choked him, but YOSHI-HASHI hit a stepping kick and tagged out to Okada.

Okada got in there with Taichi and hit a running elbow. Okada immediately grabbed his neck, selling the injuries from the main events of the last weekend. Taichi decided to hit a Saito suplex, dropping Okada on his head. Taichi kicked Okada in the head for a two count. Taichi took off his pants, but Eagles hit a dropkick that sent him to the floor.

Suzuki put Eagles in a sleeper, but Ospreay hit a hook kick. ZSJ took out Ospreay. YOSHI-HASHI took out ZSJ. Archer took out YOSHI-HASHI, and then Okada hit a dropkick on Archer! Taichi, in this chaos, grabbed the iron fingers that Iizuka used to use, and he hit Okada with them right in front of the referee, so he promptly DQ’d Suzuki-gun.

Result: CHAOS via DQ

Rating: ***1/4 (3.25 stars)

Taichi was setting up Okada to attack him, but Jon Moxley’s music hit! Moxley made his way down to the ring and chased off Taichi and came face to face with Suzuki! Both men exchanged strikes, and Moxley slapped the crap out of Suzuki. Both men started exchanging slaps, but Moxley nailed Suzuki with the Death Rider!

Suzuki left Moxley laying at the Tokyo Dome, so Moxley left him laying this time, saying “Don’t step on my territory again!” Suzuki was left laying on the mat, but as the camera focused on him after Moxley left, he just started smiling.

Suzuki loves a fight. Suzuki left the building laughing and staggering out in pain at the same time. This was awesome. NJPW will deliver on a match we all want to see. I am so glad the rumours of Suzuki leaving NJPW turned out to be nothing.

NJPW rarely does DQ finishes, so I didn’t mind seeing one here, especially as it advances the story of Okada. NJPW only does something like this when it serves the story being told, and this was a prime example of it.

It also laid the path for Moxley to come out and make the save. However, you probably could have achieved the same effect with having Suzuki beat Eagles, but it does mean more that Moxley saved Okada rather than Eagles.