BULLET CLUB VS. RYUSUKI TAGUCHI & JUICE ROBINSON

The next match I'm going to look at featuring Japanese wrestlers introduces me to Bad Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi from the Bullet Club. Juice Robinson was made to look like everyone's bitch his NXT Takeover appearances, putting over Hideo Itami on his way out to NJPW. I'm fairly familiar with Ryusuki Taguchi's name and after some research see he was in Appollo 55 with Prince Devitt, the future Finn Balor.

BULLET CLUB VS. RYUSUKI TAGUCHI & JUICE ROBINSON

NJPW Invasion Attack (10^th April 2016)

Steve Corino and Kevin Kelly are on English commentary for this broadcast. The Bullet Club members enter, being Bad Luck Fale, a big man from New Zealand, and Yujiro Takahashi. Fale knocks the ring announcer out of his chair because why not? Ryusuki Taguchi and Juice Robinson enter. Juice Robinson was a jobber in the early days of NXT as CJ Parker. From what little I've seen Taguchi is a longtime Japanese comedy wrestler that attacks people with his arse. After that unnecessary burial I have to mention they get a good reaction and people are obviously different workers outside of the WWE/NXT bubble.

  Taguchi is known as the “Funky Weapon” apparently. That doesn't stop Takahashi attacking him during the introductions though. The gaijins exit the ring and Fale sends Robinson into the guard rail. Takahashi snapmares Taguichi over and holds him down with one foot whilst Takahashi gets ready. Corino says he got “Too Sweeted” by Fale. Both the commentators were afraid. Corino runs down tonight's card as Takahashi has Taguchi on the ropes. Taguchi gets sent across the ring but he connects with a flying hip attack, knocking Takahashi down, Taguchi gets more hip attacks, and catches Takahashi's boot. Takahashi rakes the eyes and hits a kick to the gut. Taguchi drops to the mat and gets to his knees, but Takahashi hits a short DDT. Takahashi picks up Taguchi for a fireman's carry, but Taguchi slips out the back. Corino tells us Takahashi used to team with Tetsya Naito who is in tonight's main event. Takahashi catches a kick but is caught with an enziguri. Leading to both men being down and getting simultanious tags.

Juice Robinson comes in with all the energy in the world but doesn't knock Fale down. Another running splash knocks Fale back. Fale's ready the first time but Robinson ducks a clothesline, and ducks a back elbow before hitting a big boot. Fale's knocked into the corner but Takahashi has entered the ring behind Robinson. Robinson blocks a right hand and hits some right jabs, before screaming “Fuck yeah” and hitting a hard left. Takahashi is sent out of the ring. Fale reverses an irish whip and changes direction on Juice Robinson, sending him over the top to the floor. Taguchi gets sent off the apron as quick as he is on it. Fale is a former IWGP Intercontinental champion and NEVER Openweight 6-man champion. Fale manhandles the referee over to Rysuke Taguchi as Takahashi levels Juice Robinson on the head with a chair on the other side of the ringside area. Juice Robinson is sent back in the ring and gets hit with the Bad Landing. (Chokeslam into a spike.) Fale covers. 1, 2, 2.999, Taguchi breaks it up!

Another Bad Luck Fale fact: He was trained by YujiNagata in the NJPW Dojo. This will become less frequent, I promise. Taguchi takes the fight to Fale with stomps and hip attacks. Taguchi runs across the ring for another hip attack but Takahashi hooks his ankles. Taguchi gets dragged out of the ring and sent into the guard rail as Corino talks about coming to this venue first in 2002. We cut back to the ring as Juice Robinson slides off Fale's shoulders and shoves him off. Fale avoids the turnbuckles but not a back elbow. Fale is still on his feet though and he comes back at Robinson with a spear! Takahashi keeps Taguchi at bay over by ringside as Fale picks Robinson up for the cruicifix powerbomb he calls the Bad Luck Fall. Fale covers and that's all she wrote.

WINNERS: THE BULLET CLUB (BAD LUCK FALE & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI)

This match was exactly what I expected it to be, so the challenge it had was holding my interest. I knew Bullet Club attacked early in matches, they timed it well in this one. Taguchi has a pose similar to that of Shinsuke Nakamura, so he was blindsided. Takahashi really picked his spots to get involved in the match, leaving most of the legwork to Fale, who definitely did more than his share. I felt that Corino mentioning Takahashi's link to Naito (in the main event that evening) was needed so he didn't become an after thought. Taguchi was basically arse attacks and a couple of kicks, so it doesn't make me over confident to check him out, but I won't avoid a match he's in either so I can hopefully see if there's more to him. Fale got to look like a badass only going off his feet like 5 times in the match, and I might be over exaggerating. Solid opening match getting some Bullet Club members an early victory, but giving some well-liked faces some shining time. – Rating: 4.6/10