[Results]NJPW “WRESTLING DONTAKU 2009″, 5/3/09

New Japan returned to the Fukuoka International Center for the first time since the ill-fated show headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. Giant Bernard, and the revival continued with a terrific crowd of 5,500 in a territory that has been very cold for pro wrestling for quite a few years now. Keiji Muto, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kurt Angle, and now Hirooki Goto have all fallen to IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi, in what is turning out to be the biggest year of the New Japan ace’s career so far. Tanahashi went 3-0 over Goto in another exciting match between the two today, in doing so successfully defending his title for the third time. Goto showed his continuing growth though, pushing Tana further than ever before succumbing to the High Fly Flow. Tanahashi said after the match that he intended to make a shock V4 defense in just three days time against Manabu Nakanishi at Korakuen Hall. Given that Nakanishi lost to Goto on the last tour, this is a little surprising, but the big man always seems credible enough to challenge for the title he has never won at any time. Will he defy the odds and finally do it at Korakuen or will it be another chapter into the tragic tale of Nakanishi’s underachieving singles career?
TenKoji reunited with Tenzan returning from a lengthy injury but they fell to on-fire gaijin team, Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson, who also upset Nakanishi & Omori at the last Sumo Hall show to earn this match. Tenzan, suffering from ring rust, was pinned by Anderson who with pinfalls over respected veterans Tenzan and Omori now, seems to be climbing the ranks quickly. This sets up a shot for the New Japan-based American tandem against Team 3D for the IWGP Tag Team Title, possibly at next month’s Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium big show. There were signs that TenKoji could dissolve after the match but instead they smiled at each other, embraced, and swore a full revival. When Tenzan is back to full health, the 2008 G1 Tag League and Real World Tag League winners are likely to pick up where they left off. Revenge is sweet and Yuji Nagata found it by knocking out Takashi Iizuka in their second Chain Death Match of the year, avenging his Sumo Hall loss to CHAOS’ dangerous hitman. The two were wore collars, linked to each other by chains, and fought a bloody, grueling match before Nagata handed Iizuka his first decisive defeat in about 10 months.
DRAGON GATE superstar CIMA made his first appearance in New Japan for about nine years, teaming with sworn friend Jushin Thunder Liger to defeat Tiger Mask & Kanemoto, Liger reviving his CTB finisher to pin Kanemoto. CHAOS leaders Nakamura & Yano scored a clear victory over the two abandoned by what was GBH, Makabe & Honma, as Nakamura pinned Honma, the latter’s weakness a major problem for Makabe as he tries to get even with the two men out to end his career. Nakanishi perhaps earned his title shot against Tanahashi when he and Omori continued their comeback by beating the Legend team of Choshu & Chono, Nakanishi lifting Choshu into an Argentine backbreaker for the submission win.