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

8. All-Star Six-Man (Kind Of) Delivers

Hiroshi Tanahashi Hirooki Goto Kazuchika Okada
NJPW

Our pre-main event featured three New Japan Cup favourites (Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, and Tetsuya Naito), two dark horses (SANADA and EVIL), and one eternal bridesmaid (Hirooki Goto) in six-man action, as the Los Ingobernables de Japon heavyweights squared off against the babyfaces.

This bout could have flopped. These are big, big names, but there was every chance Tanahashi and co. could easily have mailed it in (Naito didn't even wear his entrance suit for the occasion), leaving the younger wrestlers to carry the load. These fears were blasted away by a fast-paced opening Naito/Okada salvo, though the fact that the LIJ leader wrestled in his t-shirt meant they didn't go away entirely.

What transpired was a solid match, but not a great one. Tanahashi sold his knee well. EVIL looked suitably brutish. An early-match banter spot saw the building jeer Goto for pulling out of a group pose. Okada, back to his crowd-pleasing best, dazzled whenever he was between the ropes. SANADA looked solid too, but ultimately fell to Goto, who tied him in knots for the match-deciding pinfall.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.