Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito, and Sanada vs. Taiji Ishimori, Kenta, and Jay White

New Beginning February 2

This match previews the IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match on February 9th between Kenta and Tetsuya Naito and the special singles match between White and Sanada on the same day.

Bullet Club attacked prior to the bell. When things settled down, Bullet Club had the advantage over Hiromu Takahashi. Kenta slid to the outside and threw Naito into the barricade. Back in the ring, Kenta  and Jay White tagged back and forth continuing the beatdown on Takahashi. Eventually Takahashi got a tag to Naito making him legal with Kenta. Naito had the advantage for several moments with no big moves, but Kenta found an opening and hit a draping DDT and a Powerslam. Kenta hit two corner dropkicks and a double stomp from the top rope for a near fall.

Sanada and White got tagged, but White rolled to the outside and Sanada put Ishimori in the paradise lock. With White back in the ring, Sanada hit a high angle side suplex. Ishimori came in the ring, prevented Sanada from making a tag, and hit several high impact moves. Sanada would evade a clothesline in the corner bringing in LIJ for a triple dropkick on Ishimori. Moments later, Sanada locked in Skull end for the submission 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