New Japan Pro-Wrestling's road toward King of Pro-Wrestling officially began Tuesday at Korakuen Hall, and apparently the Knockout Brothers weren't interested in waiting until Ryogoku to shake things up.
Because we already have new champions.
OSKAR and Yuto-Ice defeated Great-O-Khan and HENARE in Tuesday's main event to capture the IWGP Tag Team Championships, beginning their second reign with the titles.
And they weren't finished.
Following the match, the Knockout Brothers revealed Jeff Cobb as the third member of their team challenging for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship at King of Pro-Wrestling.
That certainly changes things.
Cobb teaming with OSKAR and Yuto-Ice means the newly crowned champions aren't simply walking toward October 12 carrying more gold.
They're walking toward Ryogoku looking for even more of it.
And I love when wrestling does this.
A title change should create movement. It should alter relationships, change someone's trajectory and make the next show feel different than it did before the bell rang.
This one did.
Knockout Brothers Regain the IWGP Tag Team Championships
The night's biggest development came in the main event as OSKAR and Yuto-Ice defeated Great-O-Khan and HENARE to reclaim the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
It begins the Knockout Brothers' second reign.
And they certainly had to earn it.
United Empire repeatedly targeted OSKAR's damaged knee, with Great-O-Khan even removing his knee brace and using a steel chair while the referee was down.
At one point, Yuto-Ice actually threw his own body over OSKAR's injured leg to protect his partner from another chair attack.
That's the kind of detail I love in tag-team wrestling.
You can tell me two wrestlers are partners all night long.
Show me one of them willing to take the punishment meant for the other?
Now I believe you.
The Knockout Brothers survived the Imperial Drop and eventually regained control before hitting the K.O.B. on Great-O-Khan for the victory after more than 34 minutes.
New champions.
From a wrestler's perspective, there's also something I appreciate about putting a consequential match at the end of a "Road To" show.
Tour events can sometimes become connective tissue between the shows everyone is waiting for.
Put a championship in the main event and suddenly everybody has a reason to pay attention.
Then actually change the championship?
Now the road matters.
Jeff Cobb Joins the Knockout Brothers
The bigger story coming out of the finish may ultimately be what happened afterward.
OSKAR and Yuto-Ice revealed Jeff Cobb as their third man for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match at King of Pro-Wrestling.
Cobb will join the Knockout Brothers against Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan and HENARE on October 12.
And look at the situation HENARE and O-Khan are walking into now.
They've just lost their tag championships to two-thirds of the team they're about to face for another set of championships.
That's not just a loss.
That's leverage.
OSKAR and Yuto-Ice now know they can beat them when gold is on the line.
TMDK Builds Momentum
Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr. and Robbie Eagles defeated Aaron Wolf, Hechicero and Masatora Yasuda.
Fujita, who recently returned to action, continues moving toward his NEVER Openweight Championship opportunity against Wolf at King of Pro-Wrestling.
Keeping Fujita moving forward ahead of that match was the important part.
Unbound Co. Have a Very Good Night
It wasn't merely the Knockout Brothers representing Unbound Co. successfully.
Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori defeated YOH and Tatsuya Matsumoto, while Jeff Cobb and Daiki Nagai defeated United Empire's Callum Newman and Zane Jay.
Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi also defeated TMDK's Ryohei Oiwa and Hartley Jackson.
With King of Pro-Wrestling approaching, every one of these interactions matters a little more.
Any time wrestlers headed toward major matches are sharing a ring this close to the event, I'm watching the interaction as much as I'm watching the result.
HOUSE OF TORTURE Picks Up Two Wins
HOUSE OF TORTURE had a successful night as well.
SANADA, Yujiro Takahashi, DOUKI, SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Yuya Uemura, Boltin Oleg, Taichi, El Desperado and Taisei Nakahara.
Later, Ren Narita, Shun Skywalker and Dick Togo defeated Shota Umino, Toru Yano and Master Wato.
Not every match on a Road To show needs to reinvent the wheel.
Some of them exist to move rivalries forward, keep wrestlers connected and give the upcoming major card a little more texture.
That's exactly what the undercard accomplished here.
NJPW Road to King of Pro-Wrestling — Quick Results
HOUSE OF TORTURE (SANADA, Yujiro Takahashi, DOUKI, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) def. Yuya Uemura, Boltin Oleg, Taichi, El Desperado & Taisei Nakahara
Unbound Co. (Robbie X & Taiji Ishimori) def. YOH & Tatsuya Matsumoto
HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita, Shun Skywalker & Dick Togo) def. Shota Umino, Toru Yano & Master Wato
Unbound Co. (Jeff Cobb & Daiki Nagai) def. United Empire (Callum Newman & Zane Jay)
TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Zack Sabre Jr. & Robbie Eagles) def. Aaron Wolf, Hechicero & Masatora Yasuda
Unbound Co. (Yota Tsuji & Shingo Takagi) def. TMDK (Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson)
IWGP Tag Team Championship: Knockout Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) def. Great-O-Khan & HENARE (c) — NEW CHAMPIONS
Final Thoughts
This is exactly what a Road To show should accomplish.
King of Pro-Wrestling was already carrying several consequential championship matches.
Now NJPW has added something that can't be manufactured by another promo or staredown:
Proof.
OSKAR and Yuto-Ice just beat Great-O-Khan and HENARE when championships were at stake.
Now they're taking Jeff Cobb with them into another championship fight against O-Khan, HENARE and Will Ospreay.
That's momentum you don't have to explain.
You can just point at the belts.