Hiroki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, and Kazuchika Okada vs. Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan

New Japan Road February 22: Manabu Nakanishi Final Match

Okada went for the Rainmaker early, but Nakanishi hit him with a thrust chop to the throat before tagging out fo the match. Okada sent Nakanishi to the outside and into the barricade. Back in the ring, Tanahashi hit several Mongolian chops on Tenzan to a chorus of boos from the crowd.

Kojima called for the clothesline, but Goto countered into a Ushigoroshi.

Nakanishi and Tanahashi found themselves in the ring calling back to a title match back in 2009. Yuji Nagata accidentally hit Nakanishi, which caused Nakanishi to pick up Nagata and throw him at the opponents.

Tanahashi climbed to the top rope for the High Fly Flow, but Nakanishi sat up, went to the top, and hit Tanahashi with a superpex. Nakanishi then climbed to the top rope and hit a high cross body for a near fall. Nakanishi’s team tied up everyone in submissions as Nakanishi transitioned into a Hercules cutter for another near fall.

Okada hit the ring and nailed Nakanishi with a dropkick followed by Tanahashi hitting a sling blade. Goto hit a GTR, Ibushi hit the Same Goye, Okada hit the Rainmaker, and Tanahashi hit the high fly flow for the pinfall victory.

Match Ratings

Six dimensions combine to make up the overall rating. Matches score ratings of 1-10 only if the match lasts for a minimum of 5 minutes.

1. Match Quality– Was the match well wrestled or sloppy?
2. Audience Engagement– Did the live audience care about the match?
3. Competitiveness– Was the match competitive or one-sided?
4. Stakes – Did the match matter?
5. Finish– Did the match end in a satisfying manner?
6. Performance: (1) Poor (2) Below Average (3) Average (4) Above Average (5) Excellent