Honma’s Homecoming Sees a Title Match at Short Notice
In a surprise turn of events, the semi main event of New Japan Road in Yamagata on November 17 featured a championship match. Tomoaki Honma, Ren Narita, and Ryusuke Taguchi faced off against Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi. Despite the initial plan for the match to be non-title, Narita’s direct appeal to the champions and the audience led to the match being upgraded.
The match started with a determined Honma facing off against Okada. Okada showed no signs of being intimidated by his opponent’s strikes and even took a walk before rejoining the action. Okada then tagged in Tanahashi and Ishii to face Narita. Ishii’s hard forearm shot put Narita in danger and allowed the champions to take control.
However, with the support of the Yamagata crowd, Narita fought back with a spinning wheel kick and tagged in Taguchi. The Coach unleashed a barrage of hip attacks, but the champion team managed to stop his momentum. Taguchi countered Ishii’s German suplex attempt with his signature moves, “Oh My” and “Garankle.”
Taguchi continued to dominate, even against a fired-up Okada. Honma joined the action for the challengers, but the champions’ teamwork put him in a precarious position. Honma showed resilience by kicking out of a triple team DDT. He then avoided a dropkick from Okada and hit him with a devastating Kokeshi rocket. The challengers executed a triple team move, and Honma followed up with another Kokeshi, hoping to finish the match with a lariat and super Kokeshi. However, Okada quickly got back on his feet.
Okada landed a dropkick on Honma and set him up for his finishing move, the Rainmaker. To everyone’s surprise, Honma countered with a Kokeshi Rocket, leading to tags for Tanahashi and Narita. Narita unleashed his strong style, delivering a half-hatch suplex to Tanahashi and transitioning into a figure four Boston Crab. The match continued past the twenty-minute mark, with Narita attempting a Cobra Twist. Tanahashi managed to make it to the ropes, but Narita pulled him back to the center of the ring.
Narita then transitioned into a German suplex as Tanahashi approached the ropes, inching closer to his second NEVER Six-Man title. However, Okada made a last-minute save by pitching in with a German suplex on Narita. Tanahashi capitalized on the opportunity and hit a Straightjacket German, but his High Fly Flow missed its mark, leading to chaos in the ring.
In the midst of the chaos, Honma landed a super Kokeshi, followed by a Narita exploder. The near fall at the 25-minute mark had everyone on the edge of their seats. Narita attempted to deliver a killing blow, but a quick inside cradle from Tanahashi secured a flash desperation win.
This unexpected turn of events made Honma’s homecoming even more memorable. The match showcased the determination and resilience of all the competitors involved. Fans who missed the action can watch the replay now to witness the thrilling championship match.
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