NJPW “Road to Destruction” results (9/5): Vetter’s review of Unbound Co. vs. Hirooki Goto, Yoh, Boltin Oleg, and Master Wato, Jeff Cobb and Shingo Takagi vs. Callum Newman and Zane Jay

By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)

New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to Destruction”
September 5, 2026, in Tochigi, Japan, at Light Cube Utsunomiya
Streamed live on New Japan World

This is the first NJPW show since the conclusion of the G1 Climax tournament. This venue is a large room with a high ceiling. The crowd of 900 is entirely seated on the floor. This show has Japanese-only commentary. It didn’t even have on-screen graphics! Luckily, I know all the names on the roster.

* The most newsworthy item in the lineup is the return of Shota Umino. Shota suffered a concussion in Chicago on July 17, forfeited his final nine tournament matches, and hasn’t wrestled since. SO, it’s good to see he’s cleared and back in action.

1. Masatora Yasuda vs. Taisei Nakahara. Yasuda has been a Young Lion longer, so in theory, he wins here. He kept Taisei grounded in a headlock. He hit a back-body drop at 4:00 and went for a Boston Crab, but Nakahara scrambled to the ropes. Taisei hit a bodyslam for a nearfall at 5:30, and he was fired up. He applied a Boston Crab. Nakahara escaped, but moments later, Yasuda re-applied the hold. This time, Nakahara tapped out.

Masatora Yasuda defeated Taisei Nakahara at 7:29.

2. “House of Torture” Sho, Douki, and Dick Togo vs. Gedo, El Desperado, and Ryusuke Taguchi. Taguchi wore a metallic blue leisure suit; where do you find that? He recently won a title in a different promotion, and he wore that belt, too. If it wasn’t for the fact that I haven’t seen NJPW in three weeks, I’d probably skip this one. Sho spoke on the mic, then the HoT attacked, and everyone brawled to the floor. In the ring, Togo battled Taguchi. The HoT worked over Taguchi in their corner.

Douki and Sho ‘wish-boned’ Taguchi’s legs at 4:00 so he could make his exaggerated facial expressions. Taguchi hit a double DDT. Desperado entered and hit some forearm strikes on Togo, then a back suplex on Sho for a nearfall. Douki tagged in at 6:00 and battled Desperado. Despe hit a spear. Jado tagged in for the first time, and he clotheslined Douki. Jado and Sho traded forearm strikes. The babyfaces all applied submission holds. Dick Togo choked Jado with a wire. Douki applied the Darkness Stretch (a.k.a. the Douki Chokey), and Jado tapped out. Okay.

“House of Torture” Sho, Douki, and Dick Togo defeated Gedo, El Desperado, and Ryusuke Taguchi at 8:52.

3. Shota Umino, Yoshi-Hashi, and Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Henare, and Jakob Austin Young. Shota’s back! He got a nice pop. He opened against O-Khan, but O-Khan tagged out before locking up. The UE jumped on Shota and stomped on him. Henare hit some chops and kept Umino grounded. On the floor, O-Khan whipped Yoshi-Hashi into rows of chairs at 2:30. Jakob cranked on Umino’s neck on the mat. O-Khan made a cocky, one-footed cover for a nearfall.

Henare got back in and traded forearm strikes. Shota hit a basement dropkick. Yoshi-Hashi finally tagged in at 5:30 and he traded forearm strikes with Henare. He hit a standing neckbreaker on Henare for a nearfall. They hit stereo clotheslines and were both down. Matsumoto tagged in for the first time at 7:30 and battled Young, and Tatsuya hit a dropkick. He hit his version of an Orange Cassidy Beach Break, and he applied a Boston Crab.

O-Khan hit a back-body drop on Matsumoto. Shota jumped back in and hit a tornado DDT on O-Khan. Matsumoto finally made it to his corner to tag in Umino. Shota hit a running knee. He hit a clothesline on Jakob, then a Final Chapter (Snow Plow driver) for the pin on Young. Solid match, and it was really good to see a healthy Shota Umino back.

Shota Umino, Yoshi-Hashi, and Tatsuya Matsumoto defeated “United Empire” Great-O-Khan, Henare, and Jakob Austin Young at 10:48.

4. “The Unbound Co.” Jeff Cobb and Shingo Takagi vs. “United Empire” Callum Newman and Zane Jay. It’s great to see Cobb back in NJPW, too. The UE attacked, and we’re underway! Cobb hit some shoulder blocks. From the apron, Callum hit an enzuigiri on Shingo at 1:30. Callum whipped Cobb into the guardrails. In the ring, Zane worked over Shingo. Newman went for his running Mafia Kick, but Shingo caught the leg and hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 3:30. Cobb hit a flying back elbow in the corner.

Cobb hit a standing moonsault. Shingo backed Zane into a corner and hit a series of chops and jab punches. Zane hit a dropkick at 6:00. Shingo hit a suplex on Zane for a nearfall. Cobb entered and hit a flying shoulder tackle on Newman. Zane hit a clothesline on Shingo. Cobb hit a Spin Cycle on Zane. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline on Zane, then Last of the Dragon (modified DVD) on Jay for the pin. Good action; by far the best match of the show so far.

“The Unbound Co.” Jeff Cobb and Shingo Takagi defeated “United Empire” Callum Newman and Zane Jay at 8:16.

5. “The Unbound Co.” Oskar, Yuto-Ice, and Gedo vs. Satoshi Kojima, Togi Makabe, and Toru Yano. Yuto-Ice and Makabe started a feud at the end of the G1, and that continued here, as they immediately brawled. Kojima backed Gedo into a corner and hit his rapid-fire chops. Oskar dropped Kojima with a hard blow at 2:00. Oskar and Yuto-Ice worked over Satoshi in their corner. On the floor, Yuto-Ice held back Kojima’s arms, allowing Oskar to hit a loud chop. They rolled Kojima into the ring, where Gedo got a nearfall at 4:00.

Gedo kept Kojima grounded in a headlock. Togi tagged back in at 6:00, and he traded punches and forearm strikes with Yuto-Ice. Makabe hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Yuto-Ice nailed his running knee in the corner and got a nearfall at 8:00. Togi hit a double clothesline. Yano tagged in for the first time at 9:00, and he slapped Oskar on the back of the head. Oskar knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Yano hit a low blow and rolled up Oskar for a believable nearfall. Gedo re-entered and hit some jab punches on Yano, but Toru grabbed Gedo’s beard and tugged it. Yano pushed Gedo into an exposed corner, then rolled Gedo up for the pin.

Satoshi Kojima, Togi Makabe, and Toru Yano defeated “The Unbound Co.” Oskar, Yuto-Ice, and Gedo at 10:20.

6. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, and Hartley Jackson vs. Yuya Uemura, Taichi, and Aaron Wolf. Yuya and Oiwa, who had the classic in the G1 finale, opened with a feeling-out process. They traded armdrags. Fujita and Wolf entered, and Aaron hit an elbow drop. Taichi jumped on Fujita for a nearfall at 4:30. Taichi applied an abdominal stretch. Fujita and Taichi traded forearm strikes. Hartley tagged in at 6:00 and knocked Taichi down with a shoulder tackle.

Yuya got back in and dropped Hartley with a dropkick. He hit a splash in the corner and a double-underhook suplex for a nearfall. Hartley hit a running crossbody block on Yuya. Hartley and Oiwa hit a team suplex on Yuya, then Hartley hit his big senton for a nearfall at 8:30. Oiwa and Taichi traded clotheslines. Wolf hit a twisting uranage on Hartley. Yuya hit a top-rope crossbody block to pin Hartley. (FUN FACT: Hartley’s team was undefeated throughout the G1 Climax in all his undercard matches.) Good action.

Yuya Uemura, Taichi, and Aaron Wolf defeated “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, and Hartley Jackson at 9:42.

7. Hirooki Goto, Yoh, Boltin Oleg, and Master Wato vs. “The Unbound Co.” Daiki Nagai, Yota Tsuji, Taiji Ishimori, and Robbie X. Ishimori and Yoh traded some fast-paced reversals at the bell. Suddenly the other six jumped in, and everyone brawled so Goto’s team could hit blows to the back and pose. Wato tagged in at 1:30 and battled Ishimori. Robbie X entered and hit a slingshot senton on Wato. Wato tried a chop on Yota that had no effect; Tsuji dropped Wato with a hard chop at 4:30. Goto hit a swinging leg lariat on Tsuji, then a back suplex for a nearfall.

Tsuji stomped on Goto’s head, but he missed the Marlowe Crash. Goto hit a clothesline, and they were both down. Oleg tagged in for the first time at 6:30, and he bodyslammed Tsuji. He hit a splash to the mat on Yota for a nearfall. Yota hit a superkick on Oleg, then a Flatliner. Nagai tagged in for the first time, and he hit a hesitation dropkick in the corner on Oleg for a nearfall. Oleg hit a gutwrench suplex on Nagai, then a shoulder tackle. He nailed the Vader Bomb for a nearfall at 9:00.

Yoh and Ishimori got back in. Yota hit a backbreaker over his knee on Yoh. Goto hit his neckbreaker over his knee on Yota. Robbie knocked Wato off the apron to the floor. Robbie hit a corner moonsault onto Yoh and Wato on the floor at 10:30. In the ring, Nagai hit a tornado DDT on Oleg for a nearfall. Oleg hit a standing powerbomb on Nagai, then a second one, and scored the pin. Good action.

Hirooki Goto, Yoh, Boltin Oleg, and Master Wato defeated “The Unbound Co.” Daiki Nagai, Yota Tsuji, Taiji Ishimori, and Robbie X at 11:19. 

Final Thoughts: Matches four, six, and seven were pretty good and well worth checking out. It was nice to get the bulk of the roster back together after a lengthy break. The fear is that NJPW “cooled off” Uemura and Oiwa by taking the long break. But the crowd was engaged, and the action was entertaining, even if I can’t say there was a noteworthy, must-see match. Again, the returns of Shota Umino and Jeff Cobb really boost this roster. The Unbound Co. sure feels like a powerhouse with Cobb joining the faction that already includes Takagi, Tsuji, the Knockout Brothers, and Ishimori.