Welcome to Fightful.com's live coverage & discussion for NJPW Honor Rising 2018 Day 1. We'll be bringing you full, match by match coverage of every bout on the card. You can also send in your feedback on our Disqus boards below!
IWGP NEVER Openweight Title Match
Hirooki Goto def. The Beer City Bruiser to retain the title
Special 6 Man Tag Team Match
Bullet Club (Cody, Marty Scurll & Hangman Page) def. Chase Owens & The Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi)
Special 6 Man Tag Team Match
Chaos (Jay White, Beretta & Chuckie T) def. Dalton Castle, Jay Lethal & Ryusuke Taguchi
Special 3 Way Match
Flip Gordon def. Kushida & Hiromu Takahashi
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) def. David Finlay & Juice Robinson
Cheeseburger, Delirious & Jushin “Thunder” Liger def. Bullet Club (Hikuleo, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa)
Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale) def. Katsuya Kitamura & Toa Henare
Katsuya Kitamura & Toa Henare vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale)
The match begins with Takahashi and Kitamura getting into a shoving contest, Takahashi and Kitamura also exchange shoulder tackles until Takahashi goes down. Fale tags in and Kitamura attacks him with shoulder tackles, Fale gets angry and he drops Kitamura with a series of strikes. Bullet Club would then brawl with their opponents on the arena floor, Kitamura and Henare are both thrown into the barricades by their opponents. Takahashi tags in and he works over Kitamura in the ring, Kitamura fights back and Takahashi rakes his eyes before landing a leg drop. Fale tags in and he slams Kitamura before sitting on him for a near fall, Takahashi tags in and he nails Kitamura with more strikes.
Takahashi traps Kitamura in the ropes before kicking him in the face, Kitamure recover and he drops Takahashi with a suplex. Henare tags in and he immediately cleans house on the opposing team, Henare catches Takahashi with a top rope shoulder tackle for a near fall. Takahashi recovers and he bites the hand of Henare, Takahashi trips up Henare before landing a basement drop kick. Fale tags in and Kitamura gets the tag a short time later, Kitamura and Henare attack Fale with some double team moves for a near fall. Henare then catches an interfering Takahashi with a spine buster before battling him outside of the ring, Fale catches Kitamura with a lariat followed by the Grenade for a three count.
Winners: Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale)
Cheeseburger, Delirious & Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Bullet Club (Hikuleo, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa)
The match begins with Cheeseburger and Liger both attacks Hikuleo until Hikuleo takes them both out, Liger stays in the ring and Hikuleo destroys him with strikes in the corner. Loa tags in and he mauls Liger with some more strikes, Hikuleo drags Liger out of the ring before attacking him with more strikes. Tama works over Liger in the corner until Hikuleo tags back in to choke Liger in the corner, Tama tags back in and Liger shoves him into Loa. Liger then causes Tama to hit Hikuleo before dropping him with a palm strike, Cheeseburger tags in and he cleans house on the opposing team.
Cheeseburger then hits Tama with a tornado DDT for a near fall, Tama recovers and he nails Cheeseburger with a Tongan Twist. Hikuleo tags in and Cheeseburger escapes a choke slam attempt to tag Delirious in, Delirious attacks Hikuleo with a clothesline. Hikuleo quickly recovers to hit Delirious with a reverse uranage for a near fall, Delirious catches Hikuleo with a sunset flip following a Cheeseburger palm strike for the three count.
Winners: Cheeseburger, Delirious & Jushin “Thunder” Liger
David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
The match begins with Nick dropping Finlay with a shoulder block, Finlay fights back and Nick catches him with a drop kick. Matt tags in and the Bucks nail Finlay with some double team moves, Robinson hits the ring and the Bucks take him out as well. Matt then attacks Finlay with a plethora of strikes in the corner, Nick tags back in and the Bucks nail Finlay with a double drop kick. Nick keeps Finlay down by holding him in a front headlock, Nick looks for a slingshot move and Finlay counters with an inverted atomic drop. Matt hits the ring and Finlay takes him out before tagging Robinson in, Robinson quickly cleans house on the opposing team.
Robinson catches Matt with an overhead belly to belly suplex, Nick hits the ring and Robinson nails him with a belly to belly suplex as well. Robinson then corners both Bucks before taking them out with cannonballs, Finlay tags in and he assaults Matt with European uppercuts. Robinson tags back in and he nails Matt with a delayed verticle suplex, Robinson then catches Matt with a senton for a near fall. Finlay tags back in and he nails the injured back of Matt with a few strikes, Finlay would then corner Matt before kicking away at him. Robinson tags in and Matt drops him with a series of strikes, Matt then hits Finlay with a drop kick before tagging Nick in.
Nick hits the ring and he cleans house against the opposing team, Nick knocks both opponents to the arena floor before nailing them with a suicide dive. The Bucks get Robinson in the ring and Nick locks him in the sharp shooter, Finlay hits the ring and Matt gets him in a sharp shooter. Matt tags in and Robinson catches him with a full nelson slam, Finlay tags in and he nails both Bucks with running European uppercuts. The Bucks eventually catch Finlay with a buckle bomb into a double drop kick/enzaguri, Finlay avoids a Meltzer Driver to cause Nick to then hit Matt with a super kick. Nick eventually knocks Finlay out of the ring with a super kick, Robinson hits the ring and he attacks both Bucks.
Robinson then lays out both Bucks with his patented jabs, the Bucks recover to nail Robinson with a double super kick. Finlay goes to the top rope and Nick gets him off, Matt nails Finlay with a super kick followed by a knee strike from Nick for a near fall. The Bucks hit Finlay with a Meltzer Driver for the three count.
Winners: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
Special 3 Way Match: Kushida vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Flip Gordon
The match begins with Gordon throwing Kushida into Takahashi, Gordon goes for a handstand and he gets nailed with a double drop kick by both opponents. Kushida and Takahashi get into a striking exchange, Kushida with then drop Takahashi before nailing him with a drop kick. Gordon returns and Kushida nails him with a DDT for a near fall, Kushida would then attack Gordon with some chops. Kushida drops Gordon before nailing him with a basement drop kick, Takahashi tries getting back in the ring and Kushida knocks him back to the arena floor. Kushida would then nails Gordon with a drop kick to the arm, Kushida would then nail Gordon with an atomic drop to the leg before applying a modified figure four leg lock.
Takahashi breaks everything up before knocking Kushida to the arena floor, Takahashi traps Gordon in the corner before landing a bunch of strikes. Takahashi keeps Kushida out of the ring before nailing Gordon with a drop kick, Takahashi then hits a swinging Gordon with a dragon screw leg whip. Kushida gets back in the ring and Takahashi throws him right back out, Gordon recovers and he nails Takahashi with an enzaguri followed by a penalty kick. Gordon then hits Takahashi with a standing moonsault for a near fall, Gordon would then catch Kushida with a moonsault on the arena floor. Takahashi returns and he nails Gordon with a shotgun drop kick into the barricade, Takahashi would then attack Kushida with strikes inside of the ring.
Kushida fails to apply the Hoverboard Lock to both of his opponents, Gordon then propels Takahashi to the arena floor. Gordon then gets Kushida on the top rope before taking him down with a hurricarana, Gordon then takes out Takahashi with a suicide dive. Gordon then catches Kushida with an inverted Finlay roll followed by a running shooting star press for a near fall, Gordon and Takahashi would then exchange strikes while climbing the ropes. Kushida would then nail both with a handstand kick to the head, Kushida applies an arm bar to Takahashi until Gordon breaks it all up with a splash. All three competitors would then have a striking exchange in the middle of the ring, Kushida catches Takahashi with a kick before applying the Hoverboard Lock to Gordon, Takahashi returns to take out Kushida with a German suplex.
Takahashi would then propel a charging Kushida into a cornered Gordon, Gordon recovers to hit both opponents with springboard ace crushers. Gordon knocks Kushida out of the ring before nailing v with a 450 splash for the three count.
Winner: Flip Gordon
Special 6 Man Tag Team Match: Dalton Castle, Jay Lethal & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Chaos (Jay White, Beretta & Chuckie T)
The match begins with Castle momentarily backing Beretta into the corner, Beretta would then apply a headlock to Castle. Castle gets free and he goes through a series of reversals with Beretta, T and Taguchi get tagged in by their respective partners. T goes for a sunset flip and Taguchi catches him with a butt drop, Taguchi and teammates would then triple team T would then recover to catch Taguchi with a drop kick to the behind, White tags in and he catches Taguchi with chops followed by a running back elbow strike for a near fall. White would then nail a swinging Taguchi with a Saito Suplex before tagging T into the match, Beretta tags in and he nails Taguchi with a top rope axe handle drop to the back.
T tags back in and he double teams Taguchi alongside Beretta, T would then slam Taguchi before missing a moonsault attempt. Taguchi would then fail at a hip attack attempt before nailing T with a second attempt, Lethal tags in and he cleans house on the opposing team. Lethal catches Beretta with a spear before nailing T with a drop kick, Lethal then hits T with a suicide dive. Lethal then hits White with a Lethal Combination before going to the top rope, White avoids the top rope elbow drop and Lethal applies a figure four until T breaks it up. Castle hits the ring and Beretta nails him with a tornado DDT, Lethal then knocks Beretta out of the ring with a side kick. Taguchi tags in and he dives onto a downed Beretta, T hits the ring and Taguchi nails him with a springboard hip attack.
Taguchi then hits White with a running hip attack for a near fall, Taguchi and White exchange roll ups until Taguchi applies the ankle lock. White gets free and he drops Taguchi with a series of strikes, White nails Taguchi with Blade Runner for the three count.
Winners: Chaos (Jay White, Beretta & Chuckie T)
IWGP NEVER Openweight Title Match: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. The Beer City Bruiser
The match begins with Bruiser and Goto exchanging shoulder tackles until Goto goes down, Bruiser then attacks a downed Goto with elbow strikes. Bruiser knocks Goto out of the ring before taking him out with a dive off the ring apron, Bruiser gets Goto up and he shoves him into the ringside edge. Bruiser would then attack Goto with a series of chops, Bruiser gets Goto back in the ring for a near fall on a pin attempt. Bruiser slows things down further by wrenching away on the head of Goto, Bruiser waits for Goto to get to a seated position before landing a drop kick. Bruiser grabs a beer can and he nails Goto with it, Bruiser would then apply the nerve hold to a downed Goto.
Goto gets free and he attacks Bruiser with a series of strikes, Goto would then drop Bruiser with a series of clotheslines. Goto would then follow that up by nailing Bruiser with a spin kick in the corner, Goto then drops Bruiser with a Saito Suplex for a near fall. Goto tries getting Bruiser up and Bruiser blocks it before crushing Goto with an avalanche in the corner, Bruiser then hits Goto with a cannonball. Bruiser goes to the middle rope to land a Vader Bomb for a near fall, Goto escapes the clutches of Bruiser to apply the sleeper hold. Goto then goes for a penalty kick and Bruiser blocks it to land a sit out power bomb for a near fall, Bruiser goes to the top rope and Goto meets him up there.
Goto gets Bruiser off the ropes by landing a modified back breaker for a near fall, Bruiser recovers and he catches Goto with a side slam for a near fall. Bruiser misses a frog splash and Goto nails him with a falling clothesline, Bruiser and Goto exchange clotheslines until Goto goes down. Goto recovers to nail Bruiser with a headbutt followed by the GTR for the three count.
Winner: Hirooki Goto, still the IWGP NEVER Openweight Champion
Special 6 Man Tag Team Match: Chase Owens & The Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Bullet Club (Cody, Marty Scurll & Hangman Page)
The match begins with Page backing Ibushi into the ropes before taunting him, Page would then apply a headlock to Ibushi before dropping him with a shoulder tackle. Ibushi then hits a charging Page with a drop kick, Owens tags in and he applies the headlock to Page before tagging Omega in. Omega and Owens perform the wishbone on Page while exchanging more tags, Owens stays in the ring and he double teams Page alongside Omega. Omega tags in and Cody hits the ring to attack Ibushi, the distraction allows Scurll to tag in after Page attacks Omega. Omega and Scurll do some chain wrestling until Scurll comes out on top with a headlock, Omega gets free and more chain wrestling takes place with Scurll.
Omega applies a headlock to Scurll before dropping him with a shoulder tackle, Cody and Page distract Omega so Scurll can get the upper hand. Scurll gets kicked in the back by Ibushi after debating as to break the fingers of Omega, Owens tags in and Scurll gets triple teamed for a near fall. Bullet Club hits the ring and they all triple team Owens, Scurll then stomps on the awkwardly bent arm of Owens. Cody tags in and he nails Owens in the arm with a top rope axe handle drop, Cody flips off his opponents before kicking Owens in the shoulder. Scurll tags in and he pulls back on the injured arm of Owens, Owens tries fighting back and Scurll crotches him on the top rope. Scurll then hits Owens with a superplex before tagging Cody in, Cody tosses Owens out of the ring before he and Page attack their opponents with suicide dives.
Scurll goes to the ring apron before nailing Owens with a super kick, a brawl breaks out between both teams on the arena floor. Cody gets Owens in the ring and he plants him with a front suplex, Owens fights back and he eventually propels a charging Cody across the ring. Cody would then attack Owens to prevent a tag, Owens recovers and he nails Cody with a rope assisted back breaker. Ibushi and Scurll get tagged in by their respective partners, Ibushi quickly cleans house on the opposing team. The Golden Lovers then clean house on the opposing team together, Golden Lovers then hit Bullet Club with stereo Golden Triangles. The Golden Lovers then hit Scurll with a power bomb into a German suplex for a near fall, Cody interferes and he drags Ibushi out of the ring.
Members of both teams hit the ring and they all take turns taking each other out, Omega then attacks Cody with a plethora of strikes. Cody fights back and Omega nails him with a V Trigger followed by a snap dragon suplex, Page nails Omega with a clothesline to prevent another V Trigger to Cody. Cody goes for the Cross Rhodes and Ibushi interferes to take him out with a springboard drop kick, Scurll hits the ring to apply the chicken wing to Ibushi. Page then takes out members of the opposing team with a shooting star press dive to the arena floor, Ibushi gets free and Scurll blocks a standing moonsault. Scurll and Cody nail Ibushi with a springboard drop kick Doomsday Device for a near fall, Page tags in and Ibushi kicks him right in the head.
Owens tags in and he catches Page with a short arm clothesline for a near fall, Owens goes for the package pile driver and Page escapes. Owens crushes Page with a lariat after a striking exchange, Page catches Owens with the Rite Of Passage from out of nowhere for the three count.
Winners: Bullet Club (Cody, Marty Scurll & Hangman Page)
After the match, Cody and Kenny Omega brawl until the members of Bullet Club separate them.
