FanSided was in attendance at New Japan Fighting Spirit Unleashed in Boston. Here is our recap of the event.
Karl Fredericks vs. Alex Coughlin
Karl Fredericks and Alex Coughlin put on a solid grappling exhibition that showcased both men’s strengths to a T.
The match was very even with the momentum floating back and forth between both Young Lions, with echoing chops and vicious strikes peppered throughout.
Fredericks picked up the win with a nasty looking single-leg Boston crab.
Lance Archer vs. Ren Narita
A match that could have been a squash ended up being a very fun David vs. Goliath contest.
Lance Archer came out of the gate like a juggernaut and ending up controlling most of the match but Ren Narita used his agility and ingenuity to throw “The American Psycho” off his game. Narita’s quickness wasn’t enough to topple the big man, though.
Archer won with a claw submission pin.
Juice Robinson & Mikey Nicholls vs. TJP & Clark Connors
This seemed like two strange pairings but they both gelled well and helped create a solid, dynamic match.
The rabid Boston crowd cheered openly for Juice but had some trouble getting behind Mikey Nicholls, even with Nicholls’ “heelish” character and unique offense. TJP was showered with a mix of cheers and boos as he ran through his basic offensive maneuvers.
Clark Conners was a healthy addition to the match as he even convinced the crowd at one point that he was about to submit Nicholls to the patented Young Lion Boston crab. Juice’s flamboyant attitude and Nicholls’ gritty offense was enough to take out the team of TJP and Connors.
Nicholls won the match after hitting a blue thunder bomb on Conners.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Chase Owens & Jado
This match looked rough on paper but ended up being a solid tag contest.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express came out to a rabid ovation and they lived up to the hype with youthful maneuvers like hurricanranas and suicide dives. Chase Owens ended up being the workhorse of the match as Jado heeled it up for the aggressive fans. The Express continued to fight back against all odds but eventually fell to the underhanded tactics of The Bullet Club.
Owens won the match with a package piledriver.
Tomohiro Ishii & Amazing Red vs. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI
A dream match on paper that definitely delivered.
Shingo ran wild on Amazing Red until Ishii exploded in and matched “The Dragon” shot for shot. BUSHI was able to keep up with Red’s aerial offense while Ishii attempted to slow down Shingo.
Red took out Shingo with a suicide dive and Ishii delivered a wicked brainbuster to BUSHI for a solid win.
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Rocky Romero vs. Jay White, KENTA & Gedo
This match revolved around the Bullet Club attempting to keep Hirooki Goto out of the ring while YOSHI-HASHI took the brunt of the offense.
KENTA and Gedo heeled it up in front of the frenzied crowd who ended up putting their support behind YOSHI-HASHI in spades.
YOSHI-HASHI eventually tapped out Gedo to secure the victory for CHAOS.
Guerrillas of Destiny vs. Roppongi 3K
While this seemed like a mismatch on paper, it ended up being a close as a contest can get.
G.O.D jumped R3K to start the contest but R3K were not to be deterred from fighting back. The match swayed back and forth until G.O.D hit an explosive Magic Killer which almost secured them the victory.
R3K looked to win the match with their signature double-team finisher but Tama Tonga reversed the move and hit his patented Gun Stun for the win.
Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA, EVIL & Tetsuya Naito
The main event of the Boston leg of this tour delivered in spades.
The match revolved around three pairings: Sanada facing off with Okada, EVIL facing off with Ibushi and Naito with Tanahashi. The match was mostly a preview of the upcoming King of Pro-Wrestling marquee matches with everyone getting in their signature moves and being showered with love from the crowd.
In a shocking ending, Naito was rolled up by Tanahashi giving the Okada, Tanahashi, Ibushi trio the win.