Shingo Takagi vs. Tomihiro Ishii

New Japan Road February 20: Never Open Weight Championship

Takagi knocked Ishii off his feat first, but Ishii answered moments later to take Takagi off his feat with a shoulder tackle. Shingo hit the first big move at the five minute mark with a suplex.

At the twelve minute mark, Ishii attempted to suplex Shingo from the ring apron to the floor. When Takagi evaded the suplex, he used a Death Valley driver on the apron to assume control of the match. As Red Shoes made the count, Shingo grabbed his hand to prevent a count out.

Back in the ring, Shingo hit a noshigami , but Ishii evaded a clothesline to hit a powerslam. Takagi answered with a Northern Lights Suplex and then each man hit side suplexes. When Takagi went for a pumping bomber, Ishii again countered for another side suplex.

Both men traded clotheslines with Ishii getting the advantage and following up with a powerbomb for a two count. The next big move came when Ishii hit a superplex, but it wasn’t enough to put Takagi away.

At 26 minutes, Takagi hit a Pumping Bomber for a very near fall.

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