Multiple Titles Change Hands At NJPW Summer Struggle
An eventful night in Tokyo...
A total of four championships changed hands at New Japan's Summer Struggle event, inside Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Stadium on Saturday.
The most notable change was Tetsuya Naito regaining both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles from EVIL, winning the belts for the third and sixth times, respectively.
Much like the July 12 match that saw Naito drop both titles to EVIL, there were ref bumps and outside interference galore. This time, however, Naito prevailed following the Destino.
Also changing hands was the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, as Taiji Ishimori ended the 238 day reign of Hiromu Takahashi. Takahashi had gone for his Time Bomb finish, but Ishimori countered out, and eventually drew the submission win with the Crossface.
Lastly, Minoru Suzuki defeated Shingo Takagi to win the NEVER Openweight title, polishing Takagi off with the Gotch piledriver.
Both Ishimori and Suzuki are beginning their second reigns with their respective titles.
In addition, Toru Yano became the first winner of the KOPW trophy, winning the title in a four-way match after pinning Kazuchika Okada following a low blow and roll-up.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.