NJPW Strong: Ep. 49 The Good Brothers are back

Here we are at Tag Team Turbulence. The first-ever NJPW Strong tag-team tournament to crown the very first tag team champions. Tonight is going to be special, with four matches instead of the usual three. All these matches will be first-round tournament bouts. NJPW prides itself in its tag teams, with a vast majority of their matches being four-man or six-man tags. Let’s see if the tag team hype translates to the United States.

Right of the bat, we have The Good Brothers making their debut on Strong. It’s weird that they are not in the main event. They are superbly popular on Impact and one of the core members of the Bullet Club. The only reason they are not in the main event is because NJPW Strong has an actual storyline to resolve in that spot.

NJPW Strong: The Good Brothers vs. Clark Connors and TJP

The Good Brothers strong-arm Connors and TJP through most of the match, knocking them down with various lariats. Gallows hits a massive side kick that looked impressive for a man that size. Clark and TJP nailed a lung blower, a bulldog, a mini spear, but Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson refused to stay down. After two Magic Killer finishers, The Good Brothers seal the win.

Winner: The Good Brothers

Best Effort: The Good Brothers had a better look and feel in the ring. Clark and TJP were holding back to honor their guests. The Good Brothers kinda remind me of The Harris Brothers from WCW 2000. Luckily, they wrestle better than them.

Gallows says, “we are back, b*****,” as he is leaving the ring.

NJPW Strong: Fred Yehi and Wheeler Yuta vs. Yuji Nagata and Ren Narita (Blue Justice)

What do you get when you put four submission-heavy wrestlers against each other? A submission match. It takes five minutes before anyone threw a punch or a kick. Finally, in the last two minutes of the match, Ren Narita realizes that he has some impressive moves. He hits a German and follows it up with a belly-to-belly. He finally hits a strong bridge suplex for the 3-count.

I notice in AEW and NJPW that the German suplex is like the Gangnam Style of the wrestling world. Sure, it’s a crowd-pleaser, but that doesn’t mean you should include at least three in every match.

Winner: Yuji Nagata and Ren Narita

Best Effort: Ren Narita finally snaps and hits some of the finest suplexes in the show. He definitely has a great move set that should not be locked away in a submission heavy match.

NJPW Strong: The DKC and Kevin Knight vs. Royce Isaacs  and Jorel Nelson (West Coast Wrecking Crew)

This is my favorite match of the evening and I actually like how brutal Royce Isaacs is with his throws. Knight and DKC actually impressed me with their lightning-fast Japanese armdrags. Isaacs burst onto the scene with a satisfying fisherman exploder and a creative pumphandle twist slam. Because DKC and Knight are wearing the wrestling tights of jobber (aka black plain tights), they were never going to win. The Wrecking Crew finished them off with a fireman’s carry to a double knee backbreaker.

Winner: West Coast Wrecking Crew

Best Effort: I honestly did not think Royce Isaacs had such creative grapples and throws. Everyone had some great back and forth, but he looked the best.

NJPW Strong: Brody King and Chris Dickinson (Violence Unlimited) vs. Danny Limelight and JR Kratos

There’s a huge supply and demand for tag teams with the name violent or violence in them: Violent by Design, Violence is Forever, and Violence Unlimited to name a few. In this match, Chris Dickinson will finally get justice for Danny Limelight giving him the low blow of betrayal. The heat in this match is venomous, as Dickinson screams “f*** you,” while Danny is beating him in the corner. After a flurry of lariats, shoulder tackles, and corner splashes, Dickinson gets Limelight alone in the ring. He goes for the low blow, but Dickinson catches it. Dickinson hits a brutal running slam and 3-count, finally getting his revenge.

Winner: Violence Unlimited

Best Effort: At the very end, Dickinson started upping his game. He pulled out a spinning DDT and a spinning heel kick. I say he worked the hardest in the match.

Next Week: Filthy Tom Lawlor vs. Satoshi Kojima for the Strong Open Weight Title