00:00I think we saw a lot of links unfamiliar to both Bolton and Hartley-Jackson in that one.
00:21So I might well be surprised all night long here in Corcoran Hall, but I think that now it's time for something completely different from Zack Sabre Jr. and Yossi Ashi.
00:51Former IWGP champion Zack Sabre Jr.
00:58And currently, most recently, one of the former Denver Oakweight six-man champion, takes on a familiar foe in Yossi Ashi.
01:15It was Yossi Ashi that demanded this matchup.
01:22They're here tonight in Corcoran Hall.
01:25This will be the fifth time Yossi Ashi and Zack Sabre Jr. have gone head-to-head, going back to Turner in action in 2017.
01:40Four singles meetings, Yossi Ashi has never been able to crack the code of Zack Sabre Jr.
01:48Often to painful defeat, when Yossi Ashi bet his potential spot in the G1 Climax in 2019, lost to Zack Sabre Jr.
02:00over the British Heavyweight Championship, and lost his spot in that tournament.
02:05When Yossi Ashi stepped up in place of Yossi Ashi and carried all of Goto's hopes, while Goto was on the shelf last summer.
02:14Bishamon, 180cm, 102kg. Yossi Ashi!
02:20It seemed then like the stars would align in his final block matchup to get revenge for his Bishamon partner and to get a big closing victory in his G1 campaign, but such was not the case.
02:36You can take your time, Yossi Ashi, add another fucking two and a half minutes onto your team, so fuck me.
02:53All right, so we're on the way in a semi-main event.
03:09He's the 39th singles match for Zack Sabre Jr. in the last 365 days.
03:1629-8-1, the record.
03:20An awesome record.
03:23Which includes a reign, of course, with the IWGP World
03:27Tableweight Championship last year, which was ended at the hands
03:32of Konosuke Takeshita last October.
03:34For Yoshihashi, 10 singles matches in the last 365 days,
03:39a losing record, four and six.
03:41Okay.
03:42Okay.
03:43Green break.
03:44And by and large, certainly in a singles environment,
03:47tag team's a different story.
03:50Yoshihashi loses more than he wins.
03:55But that does not mean that he's not a dangerous competitor.
03:58If at any point you let your guard down.
04:00Yoshihashi had an incredible start to his G1 campaign last summer.
04:06He really took a lot of people by surprise, and even Zack Sabre Jr.
04:12can be taken by surprise by Yoshihashi.
04:14Yoshihashi has been very vocal about the fact that it took him a long time,
04:22a long, long time, to finally win his first championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
04:27And much like Harley Jackson, much like Yohei Oiwe, it was the never 0.6-man title.
04:32That's why those titles mean so much to the headhunter Yoshihashi.
04:36And after that, Yoshihashi, one-third the best never 0.6-man tag team champions of all time,
04:47in my opinion, Yoshihashi and Hiroki Goto multiple World Tag League victories,
04:54multiple IWGP Tag Team Championships.
04:58But one thing has always eluded Yoshihashi in this career,
05:01that is a singles championship in professional wrestling.
05:07And Yoshihashi sees the best way to catapult himself into that conversation,
05:13is to beat a former champion of the stature, Zack Sabre Jr.
05:18Already, Zack has his chest reddened by the chops of Yoshihashi,
05:24and so Sabre is going to target that chopping arm, the right arm, of the headhunter.
05:30No, no, no, no!
05:35That's been nice, Suzuki-esque, and then that is Zack Sabre Jr. all over.
05:40They twist up to the top there.
05:43The junior 23-19-1 here in Corcoran Hall singles matches that
05:48compared to another losing record, 11-16, Kuyoshi Hashi.
05:53One, two!
05:56One, two!
05:59One, two!
06:01One, two!
06:03One, two!
06:05One, two!
06:07One, two!
06:09One, two!
06:11One, two!
06:13No, no, no!
06:14Really over that 23-19-1, again, most of them victories for Zack Sabre Jr.
06:19Really a who's who in professional wrestling.
06:21Zack Sabre Jr. actually made his Corcoran Hall debut for Pro Wrestling Noah
06:25back in the day, opposite Taiji Ishimori.
06:27He was a junior heavyweight.
06:30He won in the 23-19-1 with his Corcoran Hall singles record,
06:36and here's a trivia answer for you.
06:38Super crazy.
06:40Super crazy.
06:42Super crazy, especially if you have any
06:43Tries.
06:44Gravity!
06:45A lot of ground covered since.
06:50Into New Japan Pro Wrestling.
06:53And the IWGP Tag Team Championships.
06:56The World Television Championship.
06:59The IWGP Championship.
07:03and right now playing with his food here is that Sabre Jr. as he's all got two limbs tied up
07:14really Sabre fully in the driver's seat here as Yoshihashi is trying to find and think of
07:22some way out of this predicament that he's in it's a very very painful predicament
07:27and it's one Yoshihashi has found some reprieve from
07:50now you can hear the question from Marty Osamia asking Yoshihashi whether he has any power
07:56or any strength in the arms here Isami doing his job here to really check on the
08:01safety of the competitors Yoshihashi will certainly say as many pro wrestlers would
08:07in this position that they are okay to continue and the match does indeed continue
08:19much too potentially Yoshihashi's detriment
08:26so
08:37Yoshihashi's trying to make something happen with the chops and Zack Sabre Jr. saying no
08:42chops for you today not anymore so Yoshihashi says how about the headhunter instead
08:48that right arm that right arm close in Yoshihashi a great deal of torment here
09:10this is a semi-main event here in Croquan Hall
09:12the last stop for the number eight six man champions in challenges
09:19to show who has the upper hand ahead of February the 11th in Osaka
09:24Bolton Oleg getting the win in the first of this series
09:29Zack Sabre Jr. and Yoshihashi battling it out
09:32Yoshihashi has never beaten Zack Sabre Jr. 1-1 in his career
09:35and it works a best-of-three situation
09:45if Yoshihashi was to do this for the first time to make lightning
09:51they're caught in that bottle
09:54and then Hontai and the champions will have the advantage on this night
09:59and Yoshihashi clearing the decks
10:01Zack Sabre Jr. going to be taking his skull into him no it's Yoshihashi instead
10:19uh-oh well again this time though oh no
10:24oh
10:29they went one way or the other
10:32Sabre stopped the first suplex
10:35and then Yoshihashi running the extra little
10:39grim and vigor with that net breaker that was a hard splat
10:43this Sabre on the floor of Croquan here
10:45and
10:51the
10:52the
10:54the
10:54the
10:56the
10:58the
11:00the
11:02the
11:04the
11:06the
11:08the
11:12the
11:13Britain inside
11:15Can this be the fifth time lucky for Yoshihashi?
11:27Sontai's will run in with a chop this time.
11:32The Lariat thanks to the damaged arm, but that is gonna be a damaged neck.
11:36No doubt about it, what a DDT that was.
11:40Saber ricocheted, my goodness we'll apologize for that remark.
11:49But you have to understand the sentiment and
11:54the feeling for Zack Saber Jr.
11:56Perhaps the lack of it right now going down his left arm.
12:00That was, yeah, and Saber trying to keep Yoshihashi off with his neck.
12:04That was ugly, that DDT was ugly.
12:10And here's a position where, well, Yoshihashi, one of the most admirable,
12:16one of the nicest competitors in the business, needs to not be such a nice guy
12:22if he wants that first win over Zack Saber Jr.
12:25Gotta punish that neck more.
12:26Remember, a lot of Yoshihashi's offense neck focused.
12:30And now, a wounded animal backed into a corner.
12:40And this anaconda, Zack Saber Jr., has come up with something here.
12:47I thought the Saber's neck had been bitten in a bleak angle by that DDT for Yoshihashi.
12:54That submission hold, just as if not more devastating to the neck of the head.
13:03Yes.
13:04Yes.
13:05Yes.
13:06Yes.
13:07Yes.
13:08And apparently a neck for a neck here in this one.
13:15Not so many spines feeling fine here in Kroken Hall.
13:22Kroken Hall, penalty kick absorbed by the save.
13:29Second time.
13:30Fully off the rebound, drives Yashi hasi down.
13:31And this might be it.
13:32Zack Driver.
13:33No.
13:34Reverse DDT.
13:35Okay.
13:36Okay, let's go.
13:37Okay, let's go.
13:38Let's go.
13:42Good.
13:43Good.
13:44Good.
13:45Good.
13:46Good.
13:47Good.
13:48Good.
13:49Good.
13:50Good.
13:51Good.
13:52Good.
13:53Good.
13:54Good.
13:55Good.
13:56Good.
13:57Good.
13:58Good.
13:59Good.
14:00I'm not sure quite how clean it was on Yoshihashi's part,
14:05but it was an instinctive counter for survival for Yoshihashi.
14:11Stop the Zack Driver.
14:13One more spike on that neck, it would have been over.
14:16And instead it's Saber's cervical spine
14:20that takes another pound in here.
14:24The pins and needles going down both arms.
14:27The TNDK front man.
14:31Come on Tetsuya!
14:34Let's go, Tetsuya!
14:36Yeah, yeah.
14:39Tetsuya!
14:41When did Tetsuya!
14:47Here, Tetsuya!
14:50Here!
14:50Here, Tetsuya!
14:54Reto Revolutionary on is Tetsuya Matsumoto getting the crowd here at Colquhane,
14:57fired up for Yoshi Ashi who has uncault,
15:00who has uncorked alone in the corner, and who is taking a rare step upstairs.
15:07And, well,
15:13occasional but not a go-to for Yosihashi, and
15:17punished for a lack of speed by Sabre.
15:23Oh, no.
15:25And it's an illegal hold and
15:31it'll have to release, but in the meantime, a lot of pain being dealt.
15:36And the follow up, here I think is that Sabre, the Sabre driver off the top.
15:46Yosihashi doing all he can to avoid it and
15:50to turn this situation to his advantage.
15:53Yes, powerball, jackknife, cover is there, and it gets two, and Amadi Osama.
16:04In a very, very different way to Hartley-Jackson and Bolton-Oleg, this has turned into a vicious
16:21war of attrition for Yosihashi and Zack Sabre Jr.
16:25Now she on the run.
16:27Let's go!
16:28Uh-oh.
16:29No!
16:30Yosihashi knew that counter was there, but he didn't know that counter was.
16:35Zack tried with it, but he can't make the follow-up.
16:48Zack couldn't make the follow-up.
16:51He's now giving him a world of trouble, but it's gotten Yosihashi off his back.
16:56Scaredivo appears to be where he still looks at.
16:59If you've got the wrong
17:01Yosihashi!
17:07Yosihashi!
17:08Yosihashi!!!
17:09Yosihashi!
17:14Yosihashi!
17:18Rpurr businesses!
17:19Crosses the leg.
17:23Try to tango Yoshihashi.
17:28It takes two for that.
17:30Karma was inbound until it wasn't.
17:39And who will keep wrist control?
17:49What a right.
18:02What a right.
18:07Wait, but he got caught, he got caught.
18:12Karma, karma, karma, karma.
18:15No, no.
18:17It was there.
18:22The lightning was in the bullet for a second.
18:25It still might be there.
18:26Can Yoshihashi get the three?
18:29No, he can't.
18:30No, he can't.
18:37His fingertips were on that most elusive win over Zack Sabre Jr.
18:44Most recent of the four victories for Zack Sabre Jr.
18:49will be Yoshihashi win their respective last block matches.
18:54in last summer's G1 Climax.
18:57And this is a G1 level singles affair here.
19:03Korokren Hall.
19:05Korokren Hall.
19:18No.
19:21He was just trying to pour away Yosihashi at this point, punch drunk on both men.
19:40Hair of the dog for Zack Sabre Jr.
19:45They'll do one of two things.
20:04They'll either wake you up or they'll send you down and keep you there.
20:09Seems to be the latter right now for Yosihashi.
20:14The adrenaline coming through the pain.
20:19You can see the tape on the elbow underneath that wrap on the right arm.
20:24Sabre has worked away at that right arm through this matchup.
20:29And maybe thanks to that has the distance now.
20:31Now he's away. Now he's firing back.
20:34So is Yosihashi. Dragon suplex right onto that neck.
20:38He's gonna try it again.
20:40Oh, the backstabber. Oh, the punishment on that spine.
20:49Hook him up tight.
20:50Kumagoroshi.
20:52And the cover, surely it's not.
20:57It is not.
20:59So any number of ways, Yosihashi, offensive innovator, there are a lot of ways that he can meet you.
21:15But there's a whole library of ways Sabre can't.
21:20Oh, my lord.
21:22A full 360 degrees.
21:24Sabre almost landed on his feet.
21:28But instead lands into karma.
21:30No.
21:31No.
21:32Got it, got it.
21:33No.
21:35Instead he's got this.
21:38Yosihashi, you gotta block it.
21:40Don't let him break that grip.
21:43No.
21:44The triangle choke and now the point of the elbow, right to the top of the skull.
21:56Sabre's body in between Yosihashi and the ribs.
22:02And you can see now, that sleeve, and Yosihashi's chopping arm, fully pulled away.
22:09You see the tape underneath.
22:15It's gonna need more than tape when Yosihashi's shoulder, shoulder.
22:18He's nearly got it.
22:19Nearly got it, but it got him out of this predicament for just a moment.
22:25Oh, but a moment might be all it takes.
22:29Yes, yeah, what hilarious.
22:32Karma again, and again, and again, and again.
22:45Sabre has an escape, but I'm not sure he has enough to get a hold in that neck.
22:53He's right there, he's right there, he's right there, he's right there.
22:58Starting with that DDT drop table right on his head earlier on in this matchup.
23:03And we're past the 20 minute mark.
23:06Oh, good lord.
23:08Good lord, he's gonna break his arm.
23:10He's gonna break his arm, he's gonna break his neck.
23:13A verbal submission.
23:18Yosihashi had no choice.
23:37Let's just admit, Zack Sabre Jr. had no choice.
23:41Let's apply that hold that he had in the moment.
23:46And the scoreline does indeed say.
23:55Hontai won, TMDK won on the night.
24:01Zack Sabre Jr. 5, Yosihashi 0 in their careers.
24:06What a battle it was.
24:09Who had not done the final matchup.
24:15The special single matchup.
24:18The final matchup is 24 minutes.
24:20Zack Sabre Jr. is the champion.
24:22Shorley.
24:24We have to say, at this point...
24:28There have to be some concerns.
24:31and we'll see if there are medical updates for Yoshi Ashi
24:34on the status, I think, of that right arm specifically.
24:42I think anybody's going to be 100% heading into
24:45the Never 0.6 Man Championship match in nine days' time.
24:50And for now we are tied up, one apiece, in our previews for the
25:05Never 0.6 Man Championship between the champions and the challengers.
25:20One more to go, it'll be our main event,
25:23Hiroki Oto, and it's coming up next.
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