NJPW New Year Dash Recap (1/5): Huge Turn, Styles, Nakamura, Ricochet, Lethal, Haku, Bullet Club

Welcome to Wrestling Inc's coverage of New Japan Pro Wrestling's New Year's Dash! This is a completely blind card, as no matches have been announced. Coming off of several rumors and the giant Wrestle Kingdom show, this one should be interesting. This show has English commentary available from Matt Striker, Kevin Kelly and Yoshi Tatsu.

Cheeseburger, Tiger Mask, Yohei Komatsu, Fujiwara & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Sho Tanaka, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Tagichi, Yuji Nagata, & Shiro Koshinaka

Cheeseburger is super over, getting a chant from the crowd. Fujiwara starts off, but tags out to Liger who makes Koshinaka tag in. The two battle briefly, but Cheeseburger comes in and can't bodyslam Koshinaka or Nakanishi. Cheeseburger goes off and beats on Nakanishi, but it gets no sold and Cheeseburger gets atomic dropped. Cheeseburger is worked over in the corner, but finally tags Fujiwara, who applies his armbar to Nagata.

Things break down and Komatsu ends up getting worked over himself, but pulls out a huracanrana on Taguchi. Taguchi falls victim to the parade, which ends in him hip attacking Cheeseburger. He ends up getting another hip attack from Koshinaka, as does Komatsu. Taguchi gets the pin on Komatsu with Dodon.

Winners: Sho Tanaka, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Tagichi, Yuji Nagata, & Shiro Koshinaka via pinfall (Dodon)

It's really amazing how over Cheeseburger was in this match. Going to Japan was a good call for himself, ROH and New Japan. The team raise each others hands and shake hands after the match.

Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Jay White & David Finlay

Ricochet starts off with an insane series of athletic feats that end in a dropkick to Jay White. Sydal comes in and hits a split legdrop and a running clothesline, then tags in Ricochet who does a flying stomp and applies a submission I've only seen BxB Hulk do. White comes back with a big dropkick and makes the tag to David Finlay.

Finlay hits a big running European uppercut and a backbreaker, before getting a two on a German suplex attempt on Sydal. He gets double teamed by a Ricochet/Sydal standing star press and moonsault, but White breaks it up. Ricochet and Sydal aren't playing around and destroy both men with elbows and drop kicks. Stereo star presses get the win for Ricochet and Sydal.

Winners: Ricochet and Matt Sydal via pinfall (Stereo Star Press)

The crowd totally loved Ricochet in that match. The announcers were calling for a Ricochet & Sydal vs. Young Bucks.

Jay Lethal (w/ Truth Martini) vs. Juice Robinson

Robinson, interestingly enough, was trained by Juice Robinson. The two avoid each other with counters, but Robinson catches Lethal with a belly-to-belly suplex into the corner. Robinson follows up with a big flying body press for a two count. Truth Martini gets involved and Juice catches him in an airplane spin. Lethal Injection catches Robinson, and that's it.

Winner: Jay Lethal via pinfall (Lethal Injection)

Juice Robinson got a ton of offense in this match. Yoshi Tatsu seems super nice, but doesn't serve a purpose on commentary.

Bullet Club (Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Takahashi, Tama Tonga, & Haku w/Amber Gallows) vs. KUSHIDA, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe & Kojima

As mentioned on the site, Anderson and Gallows gave their notices this week, so this will be interesting. Bullet Club jump the faces. Some control is gained, and Haku is tagged in and beats up Kojima. He tags out to his son Tama Tonga, and they utilize a double team headbutt. Kojima finally drops Takahashi with a Gun Stun and tags out to KUSHIDA, who destroys Takahashi with dropkicks. Kushida then takes out the rest of the Bullet Club with handpring elbows and kicks.

KUSHIDA applies the Hoverboard lock on Takahashi, but it gets turned into a suplex. Things break down and Anderson hits Makabe with a Gun Stun, then on Honma. Magic Killer on Honma gets the win!

Winners: Bullet Club via pinfall (Magic Killer)

I'm not exactly an expert here, but that was king of surprising considering that Anderson and Gallows supposedly gave their notices this week.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Mascara Dorada & Michael Elgin, & vs. Los Ingobernables

Naito doesn't want any of Tanahashi and tags out to EVIL. When Tanahashi turns his attention, Naito attacks. Tanahashi fights back, taking down all of Los Ingobernables. Everything goes wild. Tables and chairs are brought out and this jabroni ref has zero control over anything. Tanahashi is sent into the post with a chair wrapped around his head.

Tanahashi's neck is worked over for several minutes until he drops EVIL with a falling reverse DDT. Elgin is tagged, and the crowd loves him as he kills EVIL with some of the biggest German suplexes ever. Elgin no-sells a clothesline and delivers one of his own before a dead-lift German. Elgin does a one-armed press slam on Bushi. Wow. Elgin then picks up Tanahashi and does an inverted Alabamaslam splash onto Bushi. Elgin then picks up both Bushi and Naito and hits a double fallaway slam for two.

EVIL gets a German suplex of his own on Elgin and both men are down. Dorada and Bushi get tagged in, and Dorada has his way with Bushi until he eats a boot on a moonsault attempt. Dorada is sat on the actual top rope, not the turnbuckle, and Bushi hits a jumping frankensteiner. Dorada goes for an airplane spin, but a ref bump happens and Bushi spits the mist and lands a super MX for the win.

Winners: Los Ingobernables via pinfall (Super MX)

Los Ingobernables pull Dorada's mask off after the match. Both Naito and Elgin got huge reactions. Los Ingobernables beat down Dorda, and KUSHIDA comes to the rescue. Bushi spits mist in his face. Bushi gets on the mic and says he wants KUSHIDA's title.

Shinsuke Nakamura & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Bullet Club (AJ Styles & Kenny Omega)

Sign me up for more Styles/Nakamura. I wonder if news of the departures was common knowledge in Japan. Styles and Nakamura start off, and the two have each other countered every step of the way, and it's magnificent. Both men tag out and Omega spits on YOSHI. HASHI hangs Omega upside down on the ropes and hits a running dropkick, but Omega distracts the ref and rakes the eyes of Hashi. Leapfrog Bulldog from Omega gets a two count on HASHI, and then YOSHI is beaten down in the Bullet Club corner.

Nakamura gets the hot tag and goes at it with Styles. Good Vibrations on Styles, then a running knee in the corner gets two for Nakamura. Nakamura gets a Boma Ye on Omega, but Styles breaks it up. Omega goes for a one man Bang For Your Buck and gets knees, but turns Nakamura inside out with a clothesline. Gutrench powerbomb from Omega, and YOSHI accidentally clotheslines Nakamura. Bloody Sunday on HASH from AJ Styles and Omega hits a running knee and Boma Ye on Nakamura, but Nakamura kicks out at 1!

Styles lands a flying forearm and Pele on Nakamura, allowing Omega to score a reverse Rana and One-Winged Angel for the pin on Nakamura! The crowd was shocked by this.

Winners: Bullet Club via pinfall (One-winged Angel)

So Nakamura is the only one of the four announced departures to leave. That was a big win for Omega. Wait! Omega hits a One-Winged Angel on AJ Styles! Woah! The Bucks come out and grab Omega while Cody Hall, Gallows and Anderson help up Styles. Triple superkicks on AJ by the Bucks and Omega! Everyone jumps Styles! Bullet Club turns on AJ Styles! It looks like Omega is the new leader of Bullet Club. I wonder what this has to do with.

Omega says that Styles had the big money and the big PPV matches while he starved being a super junior. He says that this beat down is Styles' severance package. Omega says he is not a junior and won't challenge KUSHIDA, he'll challenge Nakamura. Styles gets up after Bullet Club leaves and bows to the crowd. He gets a great ovation from the Japanese crowd.

ReDRagon, Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto vs. Roppongi Vice, Okada & Tomohiro Ishii

As is tradition, things break down outside before a semblance of control is gained. Okada body slams Fish and slingshot elbow drops him. Ishii continues the Bobby Fish beating, daring anyone to come help Fish. Okada does just that, allowing Fish to score a Samoan drop. Shibata follows up by forearming Ishii into CTE territory and hitting a corner dropkick.

Ishii clotheslines Shibata, but Shibata decides to boot him in the face three times. Ishii don't like people playin' on his phone and clotheslines Shibata out of his boots. Goto and Okada are in, and Okada DDTs Goto, then RPG hit a top rope stomp to a draped Goto, before a triple team move. Okada goes for a pin, but it gets broken up.

Goto comes back with a redirection clothesline and a Saito suplex for two. Goto locks on an armbar, but Romero breaks it up. Okada capitalizes and dropkicks Goto. Trent gets in the ring and hits a tornado DDT, but the pin is broken up. ReDRagon finally resurface after disappearing for like ten minutes and hit Trent with the Two Man Smash Machine. Ishii attacks, but he and Shibata take each other. Goto hits Ushigoroshi and applies Shoryu Kekkai on Trent for the submission win.

Winners: ReDRagon, Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto via submission (Shoryu Kekkai)

After the match Hirooki Goto tells Okada he's going to take the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Okada.

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships
Briscoes & Toru Yano (c) vs. Bullet Club (Young Bucks & Bad Luck Fale w/ Cody Hall)

The Briscoes start out strong against the Bucks, but Yano and Fale are then tagged in. Yano tries to expose the turnbuckle cover and succeeds. He then retreats to the ropes, but eats superkicks #1-2 from the Bucks while leaning out. Fale steps all over Yano. The Bucks throw 'suck its' out to everyone.

Fale tosses Yano into the exposed steel turnbuckle, then sits on Yano's back. Jay Briscoe gets tagged in and jabs the hell out of Nick Jackson before getting a two count on a neckbreaker attempt. The Briscoes headbutt Nick repeatedly, but Mark eats superkick #3. Cody Hall was holding Jay, but accidentally gets kicked. Mark then hits Nick with an outside Blockbuster, hitting a senton on Hall along the way. Fale breaks up a count on Matt inside the ring.

In an absolutely insane spot, the Briscoes hit Doomsday Device on Matt, but he lands on his feet, and the Briscoes get superkicks #4-6. Buckle Bomb Enziguri Cannonball on Jay Briscoe, followed by an assisted Swanton for two. Yano stops a Meltzer Driver, Jay Driller on Matt, Froggy Bow gets the pin!

Winners: The Briscoes & Toru Yano via pinfall (Froggy Bow) to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles