NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome 2021 Results – Sept. 5, 2021 – Takagi vs. EVIL

Sep 5, 2021

September 5, 2021
Saitama, Japan – MetLife Dome
English Commentary – Kevin Kelly & Chris Charlton
Results via Ethan Renner of F4WOnline.com

Quick Match Results

Pre-show: Stardom Special match – Syuri & Giulia defeated Saya Kamitani & Momo Watanabe via Byakko (submission 11:31)
United Empire defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Kazuchika Okada via Eliminator (pinfall 12:45)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship – Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado defeated El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori (c) via Pinche Loco (pinfall 20:28)
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 3-Way match – Dangerous Tekkers defeated SANADA & Tetsuya Naito and YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto via Black Mephisto (pinfall 26:43)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship – Robbie Eagles (c) defeated Hiromu Takahashi via Ron Miller Special (submission 24:07)
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship – Shingo Takagi defeated EVIL via Last of the Dragon (pinfall 30:20)

Pre-show Stardom Special Match
Syuri & Giulia vs. Saya Kamitani & Momo Watanabe

This was a more complex match than last night’s STARDOM showcase. I think last night’s was just slightly better, but this had more star power and was very good as well.

Giulia and Momo began with a brief bit of chain wrestling, then quickly tagged out. Same pattern as the match last night. Syuri and Kamitani tagged in. Kamitani was quickly cut off.

Syuri and Giulia used quick tags and went to work on Kamitani. Momo jumped in for an illegal double team save. Kamitani connected with a one-legged dropkick to Giulia. Momo then got a tag and continued working on Giulia.

Giulia made her own comeback and hit a missile dropkick. Syuri tagged in for a shotgun dropkick and a near fall on Momo. Momo hit a uranage for a two count, then tagged Kamitani.

Kamitani and Syuri traded strikes. Kamitani hit a pump kick for a two count. Syuri and Giulia doubled up on Kamitani. Syuri used a shining wizard for a two count. Kamitani hit a frankensteiner and a springboard crossody from the top rope to the floor.

Kamitani hit a northern lights suplex for a two count, then hit Star Crusher. She went to the top for a phoenix splash, but Giulia cut her off from the apron.

Syuri used an arm capture superplex for a near fall, then used a kimura to set up a stretch muffler. Momo saved, but Giulia hit her with a northern lights bomb to clear the deck for Syuri and Kamitani.

Syuri hit a series of kicks. Kamitani hit a poison rana. Syuri hit a high kick for a two count. Giulia and Syuri hit a tandem slam.

Syuri then used a Byakko stretch muffler to submit Kamitani.

Winner: Syuri & Giulia via Submission.

Tomohiro Ishii & Kazuchika Okada vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb)

This was a solid opener with some impressive work from Cobb and some cool dropkicks from Okada.

This quickly broke down into a brawl around ringside. Cobb hit Okada with a release belly-to-belly on the floor. Cobb and O-Khan worked Okada over in the ring. Okada came back with an air raid crash neckbreaker to Cobb and tagged out.

Cobb and Ishii traded power moves. Ishii hit a vertical suplex. Cobb then hit Ishii with a release belly-to-belly. Ishii was cut off and isolated in United Empire’s half of the ring. Okada entered to even the odds and hit a flapjack to Cobb.

Ishii and O-Khan traded strikes in the ring as Cobb and Okada rolled to the floor. Cobb and O-Khan used tandem offense on Ishii, but Okada broke up a pin attempt. Cobb plucked Okada out of the air as he jumped for a dropkick. Okada escaped a Tour of the Islands and hit dropkicks to both Cobb and O-Khan.

Ishii escaped an Eliminator from O-Khan, but O-Khan got it on his second attempt and pinned Ishii as Cobb held Okada on the floor.

Winner: Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb via Pinfall.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado vs. El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori (c)

This division really needs some new blood. These guys have traded the titles and almost exclusively wrestled each other for a year now. This was good but they have had a few better matches this year.

Bullet Club overcame a Suzuki-gun jumpstart before the bell. ELP used a springboard crossbody and a quebrada on Kanemaru. Kanemaru came back with kicks to ELP’s left leg. ELP took a bump on his head off a dropkick to the knee.

Kanemaru and Desperado went to work on ELP’s left leg. Desperado used an Indian deathlock. ELP and Ishimori came back on Desperado and used their comedy back rake offense and crotch stomps in the corner with Desperado in the tree of woe. Kanemaru tried to save and ended up getting crotch stomped as well.

Desperado hit a spinebuster to ELP, but Ishimori pulled Kanemaru off the apron to prevent a tag. Ishimori hit a sliding German to Desperado for a near fall. Desperado managed a tag. Kanemaru cradled Ishimori for a two count. ELP hit a senton to Kanemaru out of an Ishimori codebreaker.

Kanemaru caught ELP in a figure four. ELP forced a rope break. Kanemaru and Desperado continued to attack ELP’s left leg. Desperado used Numero Dos on ELP while Kanemaru used a camel clutch on Ishimori. ELP forced another rope break.

ELP rolled up Desperado while holding the tights for a near fall. ELP and Desperado traded strikes. ELP loaded his boot and hit Desperado with two kicks. ELP hit Desperado with his own Pinche Loco for a two count.

Ishimori hit the Cipher Utaki to Desperado. ELP followed with Thunder Kiss 86 for a near fall with Kanemaru saving. Ishimori hit a moonsault to the floor to take out Kanemaru. ELP took off his loaded boot. Desperado ducked the boot. Ishimori bumped the referee.

Kanemaru hit Ishimori with a whiskey bottle. Desperado hit ELP with the loaded boot. Desperado then hit Pinche Loco and pinned ELP.

Winner: Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado via Pinfall to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 3-Way Match
SANADA & Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs. Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) (c)

This was a lot of fun.

The rules for the match were that only two guys could be legal at a time. This proved to be more of a suggestion than a rule as this was pure chaos. It was nearly impossible to tell who was legal at any given time. Just move, move, move, move, move.

SANADA used a paradise lock. Sabre used a Euro clutch for a near fall. Naito used a jackknife cradle for a near fall. YH hit a powerbomb for a near fall. Taichi hit an axe bomber. SANADA used an O’Connor roll for a near fall.

It appeared to come down to SANADA and YH. Goto hit a plancha to both Sabre and Taichi to take them out. YH hit a meteora to SANADA for a near fall. SANADA avoided Kharma. YH avoided Skull End and hit a lariat.

SANADA blocked a butterfly lock attempt from YH. Naito saved. SANADA hit a TKO to YH for a near fall with Goto saving. SANADA hit a back suplex to YH for a near fall. Sabre and Taichi got back in. Naito hit a swing DDT and took out both Sabre and Taichi.

YH broke out of Skull End and cradled SANADA for two. YH broke the hold again and used another cradle for two. SANADA used Skull End with a body scissors. He gave up the hold to try a moonsault, but Taichi blind-tagged himself in.

Sabre caught Naito in an octopus as he tried to save YH. Taichi then hit Black Mephisto and pinned YH.

Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi via Pinfall to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

Intermission: G1 Climax 2021 A & B Blocks Announcement

G1 Climax 31 announcement —

Block finals will be on October 20, with A Block and B Block winners facing off on October 21. Here is the field of 20:

A Block

Kota Ibushi
Tetsuya Naito
Shingo Takagi
Zack Sabre Jr.
Toru Yano
Tomohiro Ishii
Yujiro Takahashi
Tanga Loa
KENTA
Great-O-Khan

B Block

SANADA
Taichi
YOSHI-HASHI
Hirooki Goto
Jeff Cobb
EVIL
Tama Tonga
Chase Owens
Kazuchika Okada
Hiroshi Tanahashi

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Robbie Eagles (c)

This was excellent. The leg work from last night’s tag match came into play, so you were rewarded for paying attention. This is easily the biggest win of Robbie’s career and Hiromu is such a star that he wasn’t hurt by the loss.

It should not come as a shock to you that they began with a lightning-quick series of counters and reversals. Eagles hit a stomp to Hiromu’s left leg to soften it up for the Ron Miller Special. Eagles hit a flip dive to the floor and they crashed into the barricade.

Eagles brought the action back inside the ring at the five minute mark. He stomped at both of Hiromu’s legs. Hiromu got a brief flurry of offense, but Eagles went back after the legs. He hit a 619 to the legs and a springboard dropkick to the left leg.

Eagles used the Ron Miller Special. Hiromu crawled to the ropes to force a break. Hiromu blocked turbo backpack and hit a DVD into the buckle. Hiromu followed up with a sunset bomb.

Eagles beat the count back in after the sunset bomb at 19. Hiromu hit a lariat for a near fall just past 15 minutes. Eagles blocked a pop-up powerbomb, but Hiromu hit two thrust kicks and victory royale for a two count.

Eagles grabbed two quick cradles for near falls. Hiromu hit Dynamite Plunger for a near fall. Hiromu was bleeding from the mouth. Hiromu hit a lariat, then an inverted DDT. They fought to the top rope. Eagles escaped the corner and hit a dropkick to Hiromu’s left leg as he was prone on the top rope.

Eagles hit turbo backpack off the top rope, but only got a two count. Eagles hit two thrust kicks and a 450 splash to the legs. Eagles used the Ron Miller Special again. This time it was enough, as Hiromu tapped out.

Winner: Robbie Eagles via Submission to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Desperado came to the ring after the match He said he wants a rematch, but not just a rematch, a rematch with the Junior Tag titles on the line as well.

I’m not sure if this is a pair of matches with Desperado and Kanemaru against Eagles and Tiger Mask, or if they’re talking about a singles match.

Hopefully we’ll get some clarity when the match is officially announced.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
EVIL vs. Shingo Takagi (c)

The Bullet Club interference and ref bumps are beyond parody at this point. This was a mess of interference, ref bumps, run-ins, ejections, returns after ejections, weapon shots, ring announcer bumps and everything else.

SHO jumped on the apron with a chair right off the bat. Shingo was distracted, allowing EVIL to attack. Shingo grabbed a side headlock, but EVIL powered him down. They traded chops. Shingo hit a shoulder tackle.

Shingo hit a suplex for a near fall. EVIL rolled outside. Shingo whipped him into the barricade. Togo provided a distraction. EVIL bumped Shingo into the barricade and the ring announcer. They did the spot again and the ring announcer went flying.

EVIL hit a baseball swing chair shot. Yujiro exposed a buckle. EVIL whipped Shingo into the exposed steel. EVIL threw Shingo outside. EVIL took the ref as Togo, Yujiro and SHO tripled up on Shingo on the floor. Red Shoes refused to count the pin as Shingo was thrown back inside.

EVIL used an abdominal stretch. Togo interfered to provide more leverage. SHO and Yujiro got involved as well. Red Shoes kicked at EVIL’s arm to break up the human centipede.

EVIL hit a vertical suplex for two. Shingo made a comeback with a series of chops and a DDT. Yujiro, SHO and Togo interfered again on the floor. They took the referee. Shingo set EVIL and Togo up at the ring announcer’s table, then bumped SHO and Yujiro into them.

Red Shoes finally ejected Togo, Yujiro and SHO.

Shingo hit noshigami, a wheelbarrow suplex and a sliding lariat. EVIL used Red Shoes for a Magic Killer. EVIL hit a top rope superplex. EVIL used a scorpion deathlock, but Shingo forced a rope break.

EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a two count. Shingo blocked two Everything is EVIL attempts and got shot into the exposed buckle. Shingo flew out of the corner for a lariat into a double down.

Togo made his way back to the ring. Shingo hit Made in Japan, but Togo pulled Red Shoes out of the ring before the three count. Togo choked Shingo with his ligature. Shingo broke free, but Yujiro ran back in and hit Shingo with Pimp Juice. EVIL made a cover, but Shingo kicked out and threw EVIL into Red Shoes for yet another ref bump.

Togo choked Shingo again. BUSHI ran in for the save. SHO hit a German to BUSHI. SHO hit a chair shot to Shingo’s head. SHO went for Shock Arrow, but Naito and SANADA ran in for the save.

Togo apparently bladed somewhere here, as he popped up with a bloody face and hit a belt shot to Naito. EVIL hit Shingo with a low blow. Shingo and EVI fought over the belt. The referee came to just as Shingo was about to use the belt.

Shingo blocked a low blow and hit a lariat to EVIL. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber at 30 minutes, then connected with Last of the Dragon and got the pin.

Winner: Shino Takagi via Pinfall to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Hiromu limped to the ring after the match. Shingo cut a promo and talked about having COVID and his tough last few weeks. He put over Hiromu and put over his LIJ teammates.

LIJ celebrated in the ring to close the show.