NJPW Power Struggle 2020 Results – Nov. 7, 2020 – EVIL vs. Tetsuya Naito

November 7, 2020
Osaka, Japan – Osaka Prefectural Gym
English Commentary: Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, & Rocky Romero
Results via Ethan Renner of F4WOnline.com

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Quick Match Results:

• King of Pro Wrestling Championship No Corner Pads match – Toru Yano (c) defeated Zack Sabre Jr. via Countout (12:11)
• NEVER Openweight Championship – Shingo Takagi defeated Minoru Suzuki (c) via Last of the Dragon (pinfall 18:56)
• Kazuchika Okada defeated Great-O-Khan via Money Clip (referee stoppage 12:58)
• IWGP United States Heavyweight Right to Challenge Contract – KENTA (rights holder) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi via Game Over (submission 19:57)
• IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Double Championship Right to Challenge Contract – Jay White defeated Kota Ibushi (rights holder) via Backslide Pin (pinfall 18:47)
• IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Double Championship – Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated EVIL via Destino (pinfall 33:08)

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King of Pro Wrestling Championship No Corner Pads Match
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Toru Yano (c)

I like Yano comedy more than the average person but this was no good. 

Sabre sent Yano into all four exposed buckles. Yano then tried to attach a corner pad. Yano then tried to use a pad as a weapon. They bralwed outside and Sabre got sent into the barricade. 

They did some comedy with Yano trying to attach another corner pad. Yano sprayed hand sanitizer in Sabre’s eyes and tried to steal a win by countout. Sabre made it back in. 

Sabre used a clutch hold and a cradle for near falls. They did a long submission tease off an ankle lock and heel hook from Sabre. 

Sabre tried to use a kneebar through the barricade. Yano tied Sabre’s shoelaces around the barricade. With Sabre trapped, Yano beat the count back inside and stole the win.

Winner: Toru Yano via Countout to retain the King of Pro Wrestling 2020 Championship.

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NEVER Openweight Championship
Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki (c)

This was great. They worked a crazy pace for almost 20 minutes. Suzuki put Shingo over in a way that he rarely does for anyone, selling the beating as he stumbled to the back after the match. 

They started throwing bombs at the opening bell. Suzuki backed Shingo into the corner and hit a series of headbutts. Shingo no-sold and hit some strikes in the corner. 

Suzuki came back with an armbar over the ropes. Suzuki kicked Shingo off the apron and sent him into the barricade. Back in, Suzuki went for a PK but Shingo caught the kick. Shingo hit a back suplex and a dragon elbow. 

They traded strikes. Suzuki teased a Gotch-style piledriver. Shingo escaped and tried a sliding lariat but missed. Suzuki got a choke. He again tried for a piledriver but Shingo powered him up into a DVD. Suzuki no-sold and landed a running boot. both men collapsed. This was a great sequence. 

Suzuki went after the taped area on Shingo’s lower back. Shingo hit a sliding lariat. He went for Made in Japan but the back gave out. Suzuki hit a big boot and went for a single-leg crab. Shingo made the ropes. 

Suzuki busted out a dropkick before locking on a Boston crab. Suzuki transitioned to a single-leg variation with a high angle. Shingo powered his way to the ropes for a break near the 15 minute call. 

Suzuki used a rear naked choke. Shingo fought off a Gotch piledriver but his back gave out again. They traded headbutts. Shingo hit a big shoulder tackle. 

Shingo hit three big lariats but Suzuki would not go down. They traded strikes. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber. Suzuki stumbled but did not completely go down. Shingo hit a stiff forearm to the back of the head and Suzuki sold as though he had been knocked loopy. 

Shingo hoisted Suzuki up for Last of the Dragon. After a struggle, he hit it, then covered for the pin.

Winner: Shingo Takagi via Pinfall to become the new NEVER Openweight Champion.

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Kazuchika Okada vs. Great-O-Khan

The weakest part of O-Khan’s game is his offense. He doesn’t have much aside from Mongolian chops. O-Khan was on offense for most of the match, so this wasn’t clicking. 

O-Khan used a Money Clip almost right away but Okada reached the ropes. 

O-Khan used a lot of Mongolian chops and a sliding dropkick in the corner in working Okada over. Okada got one hope spot with an air raid crash neckbreaker, but otherwise this was all O-Khan. 

Okada came back with a dropkick and a tombstone. Okada tried the Money Clip but O-Khan forced a break with an iron claw. O-Khan hit an inverted suplex. 

Okada escaped the claw and hit a spinning Rainmaker. Okada locked on the Money Clip. O-Khan tried to fight to the ropes. Okada hit a neckbreaker and locked the hold back on. The referee called for a stoppage as O-Khan passed out in the hold.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada via Referee Stoppage.

Ospreay cut a promo after the match. He said he used Okada to get more popular and it worked. He said he’s wearing an expensive suit, drinking expensive champagne and wearing an expensive watch. 

Ospreay said what could he do that would be even bigger than stabbing his big brother in the back? He said ending Okada’s career would be bigger. He tried to cut a 1986 Ric Flair promo, throwing his suit jacket, throwing his watch into the crowd. 

Ospreay challenged Okada at the Tokyo Dome. Okada accepted.

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BOSJ and Super J-Cup lineups were announced just before intermission.

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IWGP United States Heavyweight Right to Challenge Contract Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA (rights holder)

This was probably KENTA’s best match in NJPW so far. Just great professional wrestling. 

KENTA spent the first couple of minutes trying to mess up Tanahashi’s beautiful hair. Tanahashi hit a second rope crossbody and played air guitar. KENTA hit a boot to the head and played air bass. Tanahashi hit a plancha and played more air guitar. 

KENTA used a briefcase shot while the ref was distracted to take control of the match. Tanahashi came back with a dragon screw and somersault senton for a two count. 

Tanahashi went for a cloverleaf but KENTA reached the ropes. KENTA blocked a slingblade and rolled Tana up for a two count. KENTA hit a DDT over the top rope. He followed with a clothesline off the top for a near fall. 

KENTA went for Game Over. Tana forced a rope break before the hold could be applied. KENTA hit a powerslam for a pair of near falls. KENTA brought the briefcase into the ring. Tanahashi blocked a briefcase shot. KENTA got hit in the head with the case as the ref tried to take it away. They teased a possible DQ of Tanahashi. 

KENTA and Tana hit simultaneous clotheslines into a double down. They traded strikes as they got back to their feet. KENTA hit a draping DDT, a running kick and a Shibata dropkick. KENTA hit a double stomp off the top for a two count. 

KENTA called for GTS. Tana blocked and hit three twist and shouts and two slingblades for a near fall. 

Tana hit a standing High Fly Flow, then locked on a cloverleaf. KENTA reversed the cloverleaf into Game Over. Tanahashi almost reversed back into a cloverleaf. KENTA fought it off and went back to Game Over. 

KENTA re-applied the hold away from the ropes. Shockingly, Tana verbally submitted.

Winner: KENTA via Submission to retain the IWGP United States Heavyweight Right to Challenge briefcase.

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IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Double Championship Right to Challenge Contract Match
Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi (rights holder)

They had a heck of a match. I’m not sure about the finish unless they have White defend the briefcase against Ibushi on night one of Wrestle Kingdom. It really felt like it was Ibushi’s time to get a run with the IWGP title, but I have learned not to second-guess Gedo. 

White used the threat of a briefcase shot to distract Ibushi and hit the first move of the match with a kick. White dropped Ibushi twice on the apron, then worked on the abdomen with stomps. 

Ibushi no-sold some short kicks to the back. White whipped Ibushi into the buckle. Ibushi continued to sell his core. White hit a series of shoulders to the gut in the corner. 

White sent Ibushi into the barricade. Gedo tried to join in, but Ibushi sent him into the barricade instead. Back inside, Ibushi hit a dropkick that knocked White off the apron. Ibushi followed with a plancha. 

Ibushi teased a German but White blocked. Ibushi hit a powerslam. It looked as though they had some miscommunication on a moonsault. White tried to roll out of the way. Ibushi hit the move anyway but landed awkwardly. 

White hit a uranage for a near fall. White hit a Blade Buster for a two count. Ibushi came back with a snap rana. He teased a lawn dart into the buckle but White hit a chop. Ibushi hit a German. 

White hit a complete shot, then dumped Ibushi right on his head with a high angle German. White hit a uranage after ducking a lariat. 

Ibushi blocked a sleeper suplex. Instead, White hit a series of hard strikes to the abdomen. Ibushi spiked White with a bastard driver. White blocked a bomaye. Ibushi hit a snap German and a head kick. 

Ibushi hit a bomaye and a last ride for a near fall. White reversed a Kamigoye attempt into a Blade Runner attempt. Ibushi blocked. Ibushi landed on his feet out of a sleeper suplex attempt. 

Gedo jumped on the apron. Ibushi took him out. Ibushi hit a high kick. 

Ibushi went for a Kamigoye. White blocked and used a backslide with his feet on the ropes to steal the win and the briefcase.

Winner: Jay White via Pinfall to become the new holder of the IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Double Championship Right to Challenge briefcase.

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IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Double Championship
EVIL vs. Tetsuya Naito (c)

I think opinions on this are going to vary. They had a good first 20 minutes or so. Then the run-ins and ref bumps started to a silly degree. It got good again in the closing stretch. I think it was the best Naito/EVIL match this year, but that isn’t really high praise. 

They teased locking up for a while before they finally did. EVIL used a side headlock. Naito grounded EVIL with an arm drag and a low dropkick. Naito used a crucifix. EVIL escaped and went back to a headlock. 

Naito rolled outside. Togo provided a distraction and EVIL sent Naito into the barricade. The ring announcer/timekeeper Abe went flying. That’s a recurring spot now in EVIL’s matches. Togo exposed a buckle. 

Naito got whipped into the buckle. They went back outside and EVIL bumped Abe again. Togo jumped in and hit Naito with a chair. 

EVIL used a single-leg crab. Naito blocked a fisherman buster and a misdirection lariat. Naito hit a neckbreaker at the 10 minute call. 

Naito took out Togo with a baseball slide. Naito hit a rana and combinacion cabron on EVIL for a two count. Togo distracted Naito and EVIL kicked him off the apron. EVIL hit his two-chair baseball swing on Naito on the outside. 

Back in, EVIL hit a fisherman buster for a two count. Naito blocked Darkness Falls and hit a tornado DDT at the 15 minute call. 

Naito again got sent into the exposed buckle. EVIL hit a backbreaker into a double down. EVIL used the exposed buckle again. EVIL hit a top rope superplex to set up a scorpion deathlock. Naito fought to the ropes to force a break. EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a two count at the 20 miinute call. 

Naito blocked Everything is EVIL and hit a German suplex and a spinebuster. Naito hit a big top rope frankensteiner and Gloria for a near fall. 

EVIL blocked Destino and hit a German. Naito hit an enzuigiri and a flying forearm. Naito bumped Togo off the apron. Naito hit two Destinos. Togo pulled the referee out of the ring before the three count. 

Togo used a ligature on Naito. Yujiro Takahashi appeared and hit Naito with his cane. Yujiro hit Naito with Pimp Juice. SANADA ran in and hit Yujiro with a dropkick, then hit a double dropkick and double plancha to Togo and Yujiro. SANADA dragged Togo and Yujiro to the back. 

The referee rolled back in at the 25 minute call. The crowd really got into it here. 

Naito and EVIL traded strikes from their knees. Back standing, they continued to trade. EVIL raked Naito’s eyes. EVIL sent Naito into Red Shoes and the ref took another bump. EVIL hit a low blow. Naito hit a pop-up low blow. 

With both men down, Jay White made his way to the ring. White teased hitting a Blade Runner on EVIL. Instead, he hit a dragon suplex on Naito. Ibushi ran in and chased White off as he was preparing to hit Naito with a Blade Runner. 

It was back to Naito, EVIL and the referee at the 30 minute call. 

Naito hit a series of back elbows to EVIL’s neck. EVIL backed Naito into the exposed buckle. Naito returned the favor and ran EVIL into the buckle. Naito hit more back elbows. 

EVIL blocked Valentia. They teased another ref bump. EVIL hit a low blow and a lariat for a near fall. 

Naito blocked two attempts at Everything is EVIL and hit Valentia, then another Destino for the pin.

Winner: Tetsuya Naito via Pinfall to retain the IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Double Championship.

White returned to the ring after the match. He cut a promo. He said that Ibushi failed. He said that even with Jay’s help, EVIL failed.  

He said that on January 4, he’s doing nothing. He doesn’t care what Naito does on January 4, but on January 5, White is facing Naito for the titles. White said it’s his Destino and Naito’s Destino. 

Ibushi made his way to the ring and again chased White to the back. 

They are clearly teasing Ibushi/White in a rematch for the briefcase on January 4 with Naito defending against the winner on January 5. 

Naito then closed the show with a promo. He said this is his last match in Osaka this year, but he can’t wait to see everyone again in 2021. 

Naito did the LIJ roll call to end it and confetti fell from the ceiling.