13 Ups & 1 Down From NJPW's 47th Anniversary Show

12. Suzuki Vs. Kojima Is Going To Be Mint

Suzuki-gun brawl Satoshi Kojima
NJPW

Our trawl through the undercard continued with a Suzuki-gun fivesome battling Dragon Lee, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, and Satoshi Kojima.

It was of a similar standard to the opener, but came off stronger because Suzuki-gun are more skilled when it comes to heel f*ckery. Yes, they start almost every bout by jumping the opposition (including this one), and yes, matches like this aren't built to collect star ratings, but Minoru Suzuki's ragtag bunch of misfits are fun to watch if you're into watching gangs of irredeemable sh*thouses working the dark arts.

Highlights included El Desperado going after Tiger Mask's mask, Satoshi Kojima busting Suzuki's chest open with chops, Taichi teasing the retired Takashi Iizuka's iron glove, and shouts to an old, forgotten feud. It got really hot towards the end, too, with TAKA Michinoku and Taguchi doing battle, with the recent IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title contender scoring the victory while Suzuki and Kojima brawled on the outside.

A fun undercard scrap that didn't set the world alight, but did build hype for Suzuki and Kojima's New Japan Cup showdown, this over-delivered.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.