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Destruction was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) annually since 2007. In 2017, NJPW produced three events under the Destruction name; Destruction in Fukushima on September 10, Destruction in Hiroshima on September 16, and Destruction in Kobe on September 24. These were fifteen to seventeen events under the Destruction name.

Production[]

Background[]

The 2017 were the second consecutive year in which NJPW holds three events under the Destruction name. From 2007 to 2013, NJPW held one Destruction event per year, expanding to two shows in 2014 and 2015 and to three shows in 2016.[4][5][6]

Storylines[]

The Destruction shows featured professional wrestling matches, each of which involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.[7]

Destruction in Fukushima was headlined by Minoru Suzuki making his third defense of the NEVER Openweight Championship against Michael Elgin.[8] This match stems from the 2017 G1 Climax, where Elgin defeated Suzuki, challenging him to a title match afterwards.[8] On September 7, Suzuki and Elgin agreed to turn the match into a lumberjack deathmatch,[9] which was made official the following day.

The show also featured CHAOS' Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero and Toru Yano challenging Los Ingobernables de Japon's BUSHI, EVIL and SANADA for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.[10] The match marks IWGP Heavyweight Champion Okada's first-ever shot at the title and also serves as a prelude to EVIL challenging him for the Heavyweight title on October 9 at King of Pro-Wrestling.[8]

Destruction in Hiroshima was headlined by Hiroshi Tanahashi making his first defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Zack Sabre Jr.[11] During the 2017 G1 Climax, Sabre put himself in title contention by scoring two submission wins over Tanahashi, first in their opening tournament match on July 17 and again in a non-tournament six-man tag team match on August 13.[11][12] In the semi-main event, Sabre's Suzuki-gun stablemate El Desperado challenges KUSHIDA for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[11] El Desperado defeated KUSHIDA during the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors and on June 27, after KUSHIDA had successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against BUSHI, hit him with a guitar and challenged him to a title match.[11] While KUSHIDA was absent from the G1 Climax tour, El Desperado made repeated challenges towards him.[11] When the two finally met on August 12, El Desperado hit KUSHIDA with his own title belt, which he then proceeded to steal.[11] The show will also feature a third title match involving Suzuki-gun with Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru challenging Funky Future (Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.[11] In addition, the show will feature Roppongi Vice's final match together as a tag team.[10][11] After unsuccessfully challenging then IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) for the title on July 2, Roppongi Vice agreed to disband with Rocky Romero giving Beretta his blessing to move to the heavyweight division.[13]

Destruction in Kobe was headlined by Kenny Omega defending the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Juice Robinson.[14] This match also stems from the 2017 G1 Climax, where Robinson picked up a win over Omega,[14] asking for a shot at his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship in a post-match interview.[15] With Omega having won the tournament on July 2 to become the inaugural IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion,[16] this match marks the first-ever defense of the title.[17] Omega was scheduled to participate in the entire tour, but on September 6, it was announced that he had suffered a knee injury and was pulled from shows between September 7 and 22. He was replaced by the debuting Leo Tonga, the youngest brother of Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa.

In addition to these title matches, all three shows aalso featured a three-way tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship with War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) taking on Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) and Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa).[17] After successfully defending the title against Bullet Club's Cody and Hangman Page on August 13, War Machine were confronted and challenged to a title rematch by Guerrillas of Destiny. However, before they could respond, both teams were attacked by the Killer Elite Squad.[12] This marked a return for K.E.S., who had not been seen together since the previous February, when Archer was sidelined with a lumbar disc herniation.[18]

Reception[]

Destruction in Fukushima

Bryan Rose of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter wrote that Destruction in Fukushima was "one of the weaker cards New Japan has put out this year, topped by a main event that was one of the worst New Japan main events in I don't know how long".[19] Larry Csonka of 411Mania had similar sentiments, calling the show "extremely disappointing" and "possibly the laziest, most lifeless show the promotion has put on all year". He rated the main event a "dud", calling it "an embarrassment".[20]

Destruction in Hiroshima

The show was better received than its predecessor. Larry Csonka of 411Mania wrote that Destruction in Hiroshima "wasn't a great show, but it was closer to the company getting back to form" after the Fukushima show.[21] Bryan Rose of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter wrote that the Hiroshima show exceeded the Fukushima show "pretty much in every way".[22]

Destruction in Kobe

Bryan Rose of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter called the show "just there", deeming everything but the two title matches and the match between Beretta and Yujiro Takahashi "skippable". Rose praised the main event of the show as "fantastic".[23] Larry Csonka of 411Mania rated the show "good". While being down on the first three matches, he praised the main event as a "must see".[24]

Results[]

Destruction in Fukushima[]

# Matches[8][17] Stipulations Times
1 Hirai Kawato and Yuji Nagata defeated Manabu Nakanishi and Shota Umino Tag team match 5:47
2 CHAOS (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) defeated Katsuya Kitamura and Tomoyuki Oka Tag team match 7:35
3 Bullet Club (Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated CHAOS (Beretta and Jado) Tag team match 7:36
4 Taguchi Japan (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale and Leo Tonga) Tag team match 5:04
5 Taguchi Japan (Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi) and Togi Makabe defeated Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Taichi, Taka Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) Ten-man tag team match 10:40
6 War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) (c) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) and Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) Three-way tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship 11:09
7 Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito) defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and Will Ospreay) Tag team match 12:04
8 Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL and SANADA) (c) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero and Toru Yano) Six-man tag team match for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship 14:00
9 Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated Michael Elgin Singles match for the NEVER Openweight Championship 19:07
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • Videoicon – refers to the video of that match

Destruction in Hiroshima[]

# Matches[11][17] Stipulations Times
1 CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Jado and Yoshi-Hashi) defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask Six-man tag team match 07:20
3 Taguchi Japan (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale and Leo Tonga) Tag team match 04:32
4 Kota Ibushi, Michael Elgin and Togi Makabe defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taka Michinoku and Takashi Iizuka) Six-man tag team match 08:09
5 Funky Future (Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi) (c) defeated Suzuki-gun (Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) Tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 15:41
6 War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) (c) defeated Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) Three-way tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship 11:05
7 Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito) defeated CHAOS (Gedo, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and Will Ospreay) Ten-man tag team match 12:17
8 KUSHIDA (c) defeated El Desperado (with Taka Michinoku) Singles match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 16:56
9 Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (with Taka Michinoku) Singles match for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship 30:13
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • Videoicon – refers to the video of that match

Destruction in Kobe[]

# Matches[14][17] Stipulations Times
1 Hirai Kawato and Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Shota Umino and Tomoyuki Oka Tag team match 05:42
2 Jushin Thunder Liger, Ricochet, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask and Togi Makabe defeated Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Taichi, Taka Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) Ten-man tag team match 07:17
3 CHAOS (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens) Tag team match 05:41
4 Beretta defeated Yujiro Takahashi Singles match 13:21
5 Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) defeated War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) (c) and Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) Three-way tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship 13:34
6 Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin defeated David Finlay and Kota Ibushi Tag team match 12:01
7 CHAOS (Rocky Romero, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito) Six-man tag team match 11:56
8 CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL and Hiromu Takahashi) Tag team match 12:29
9 Kenny Omega (c) defeated Juice Robinson Singles match for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship 32:55
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • Videoicon – refers to the video of that match

References[]

  1. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DestructioninFukushima
  2. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DestructioninHiroshima
  3. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DestructioninKobe
  4. NJPW Destruction . Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  5. Namako, Jason 2014-09-23. 9/23 NJPW Results: Okayama, Japan (Okada/Anderson) . Wrestleview. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  6. Caldwell, James 2016-08-22. New Japan sets huge title matches post-G1 Climax – Okada vs. Marufuji, Omega's Tokyo Dome rights, new ROH World champ Adam Cole & more ROH stars in big title matches . Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on 2016-08-22. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  7. Grabianowski, Ed. How Pro Wrestling Works . HowStuffWorks, Inc.. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on 2013-11-18. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 ja:【9月10日(日)福島の全カード決定!】メインは、“NEVER無差別級戦”鈴木vsエルガン! Evil&Sanada&Bushの“6人タッグ王座”にオカダ&矢野&ロッキーが挑戦!IWGPタッグ3Way戦も実現! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2017-08-21). Archived from the original on 2017-08-21. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  9. Rose, Bryan 2017-09-07. NJPW Road to Destruction results: LIJ vs. Chaos battle in an elimination tag match . Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2017-09-07.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Johnson, Mike 2017-08-21. New Japan announces 'King of Pro Wrestling' main events, Destruction tour lineups . Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 ja:【9月16日(土)広島の全カード決定!】メインは、“インターコンチ選手権”棚橋vsザック! “IWGPジュニア戦”Kushidavsデスペラード!IWGPタッグ3Way、IWGPジュニアタッグも実現! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2017-08-21). Archived from the original on 2017-08-21. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Rose, Bryan 2017-08-12. NJPW G1 Climax 27 finals live results: Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega . Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  13. Trionfo, Richard 2017-07-03. Complete G1 Special in the USA night two report: a United States Champion is crowned, Young Bucks versus Roppongi Vice, Los Ingobernables de Japon, The Bullet Club, and more . Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 ja:【9月24日(日)神戸の全カード決定!】メインは、“USヘビー級選手権”ケニーvsジュース! オカダ&オスプレイvsEvil&ヒロム! IWGPタッグ3Way戦も実現! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2017-08-21). Archived from the original on 2017-08-21. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  15. ja:ジュースびっくり! オメガから大金星でUS王座挑戦要求 (in Japanese). Daily Sports Online. Kobe Shimbun (2017-08-06). Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  16. NJPW G1 Special live results: The first IWGP US Champion is crowned . Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2017-07-02). Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Rose, Bryan 2017-08-21. NJPW announces Destruction cards, King of Pro wrestling matches . Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  18. ja:新日本・アーチャー&スミスJr.復活!IWGPタッグ戦後に乱入し王座奪回宣言 (in Japanese). Daily Sports Online. Kobe Shimbun (2017-08-14). Retrieved on 2017-08-21.
  19. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DestructioninFukushimaWON
  20. Csonka, Larry 2017-09-10. Csonka's NJPW Destruction in Fukushima Review 9.10.17 . 411Mania. Retrieved on 2017-09-10.
  21. Csonka, Larry 2017-09-16. Csonka's NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima Review 9.16.17 . 411Mania. Retrieved on 2017-09-16.
  22. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DestructioninHiroshimaWON
  23. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DestructioninKobeWON
  24. Csonka, Larry 2017-09-24. Csonka's NJPW Destruction in Kobe Review 9.24.17 . 411Mania. Retrieved on 2017-09-24.

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