Category: NJPW

  • NJPW Announces Free NJPW Strong Christmas Special

    NJPW Announces Free NJPW Strong Christmas Special

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling has revealed there will be a special episode of NJPW Strong released on Christmas Day. This episode, entitled “Best of Strong 2020,” will feature the best matches and moments from throughout the past year.

    The matches included with this special episode have been curated by NJPW wrestlers and broadcasters. It is described as being “a perfect introduction” for curious fans interested in watching NJPW Strong on Friday nights. Additionally, “Best of Strong 2020” will be free to watch on NJPW World, FITE, and YouTube.

    Fans can tune in live and participate in the live chat with Rocky Romero. He will be reportedly be joined by several special guests, though no additional names are known at the time of writing.

    Looking to entice fans to NJPW Strong, the promotion will be asking for fan opinions across next week to determine the Strong Match of the Year. Fans can submit their picks via Twitter. Doing so will put them in line to win one of five limited edition “I Love NJPW ver.2” t-shirts.

    NJPW Strong airs Friday nights on NJPW World. It debuted earlier this year on August 7th, following a press conference reveal in July. The show has so far hosted the New Japan Cup USA tournament, Fighting Spirit Unleashed, and Lion’s Break Crown to name a few.

    “Best of NJPW 2020” airs on December 25th.

  • More Matches Announced for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15

    More Matches Announced for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15

    Following the events of the combined World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors tour, and the Super J-Cup, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced more matches for their upcoming biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom. For the second consecutive time, Wrestle Kingdom will be a two-day event, taking place on Monday, January 4, and Tuesday, January 5, 2021.

    In the conclusion of Best of the Super Juniors, Hiromu Takahashi came out on top in an emotional tournament final against El Desperado. After his victory, he stated that he was interested in fighting the winner of the Super J-Cup, scheduled to take place in the United States. El Phantasmo defeated ACH to win the eight-man Super J-Cup 2020. NJPW has determined that these two will face off on Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1, and the winner of their match will challenge Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship the following day.

    Meanwhile, the Guerrillas of Destiny, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa, obtained their first World Tag League victory over Juice Robinson and David Finlay, with a little bit of aid from Bullet Club stablemate KENTA. Nevertheless, their names are now penciled in to face the IWGP Tag Team Champions from Suzuki-gun. Heated confrontations between Shingo Takagi and Jeff Cobb, SANADA and EVIL, and Hiroshi Tanahashi and Great O-Khan have resulted in them facing off at Wrestle Kingdom as well.

    These are not the full cards for the event.

    Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1 (January 4, 2021)

    • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Great O-Khan
    • Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
    • Best of the Super Juniors Winner vs. Super J-Cup Winner: Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo
    • IWGP Tag Team Championship: Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) (c) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
    • IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

    Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1 (January 4, 2021)

    • SANADA vs. EVIL
    • NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Jeff Cobb
    • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. the winner of the previous day’s match between Hiromu Takahashi and El Phantasmo
    • IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: the winner of the previous day’s match between Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White
  • Rocky Romero Refutes AEW-NJPW Rumors

    Rocky Romero Refutes AEW-NJPW Rumors

    Earlier this week, it was reported that Tony Khan was still beating down NJPW’s door in the hopes of developing a working agreement between the two promotions. It was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that Khan was speaking with NJPW’s Rocky Romero regularly to get something done.

    “Khan has been speaking to Rocky Romero regularly of late to try and open doors to New Japan, feeling the odds are better to do something with Harold Meij gone,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

    Romero refuted these reports recently on an episode of Talk N Shop with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. According to Romero, he hasn’t talked to Tony Khan in over a month.

    “I guess Meltzer’s reporting that me and Tony Khan are having calls all the time, like every week, which is not true at all,” Romero said on the show.

    “I’m not talking to Tony weekly, no. I mean, I’ve talked to Tony in the past, of course,” Romero continued. He was then asked about the last time he spoke with the AEW President.

    “I’ve talked to Tony probably a month ago, maybe more,” Romero continued.

    “(Meltzer) is not completely lying but he’s making it seem… he’s selling something and trying to make it seem something… He’s trying to get clicks,” Romero continued. He would later refer to the report as “misleading.”

    Shortly after this, the subject of what exactly Rocky Romero’s role with NJPW is concerning American talent. Although unofficial, Romero has long been thought of as NJPW’s point person for American and English-speaking talent.

    “I’ve never said that,” Romero said when the Good Brothers referred to him as working for talent relations in NJPW. Gallows wasn’t convinced, however.

    “I’m saying that, it might not be your actual title,” he said. “Your pay cheque says differently. They don’t just pay you to talk guys out.”

    “Yes, they are!” Romero responded.

    The full Talk N Shop episode can be listed to here.

  • Update On AEW’s Efforts To Work With NJPW

    Update On AEW’s Efforts To Work With NJPW

    AEW’s Winter is Coming show ended with Impact Wrestling executive Don Callis telling fans to tune into his show Tuesday night on AXS TV. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW is open to working with all wrestling companies right now and is still hoping to create a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    “Khan has been speaking to Rocky Romero regularly of late to try and open doors to New Japan, feeling the odds are better to do something with Harold Meij gone,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

    Earlier reports stated that Tony Khan was cautiously optimistic about what Harold Meij leaving NJPW would do for a potential working relationship.

    “I’m not sure yet,” was Tony Khan’s reaction to Meij’s departure in the Wrestling Observer in October. “But my initial gut feeling is it could be good.”

    Khan also spoke about wanting a relationship with New Japan during a media scrum after AEW Revolution.

    “We all definitely watch a lot of New Japan in this room. I think they are a great company and a lot of my people have worked shows there and I have no problem with guys – as long as its not interfering on a regular basis with what we do on Wednesdays and with our PPVs, guys working there. That’s some of the flexibility we have. Can’t have it all the time but I think it’s been fine for me, it doesn’t really bother me.”

  • KENTA Continues ‘Wednesday’ Teases Ahead of Winter Is Coming

    KENTA Continues ‘Wednesday’ Teases Ahead of Winter Is Coming

    New Japan Pro Wrestling star KENTA continues to drop hints about Wednesday nights. Ahead of tonight’s AEW Winter is Coming event, he tweeted:

    KENTA has been calling out AEW World Champion Jon Moxley in recent weeks. In addition to holding AEW’s top prize, Moxley is also the reigning IWGP United States Champion. KENTA wants that title and is tired of waiting for Jon Moxley’s return to Japan.

    NJPW’s biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom, is just over one month away. Unfortunately for KENTA, AEW President Tony Khan stated this week that Jon Moxley won’t be there. This puts KENTA in a predicament and it sounds like he’s getting fed up waiting around for his title shot. He recently noted that he’s busy Wednesday nights and also does not care for the Khan family’s Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team.

    Opinion: Tony Khan has expressed interest in working with NJPW. He’s teased a few big surprises still to come in 2020 – the proverbial “aces up his sleeve.”

    Will KENTA walk through the “forbidden door” tonight at Winter is Coming? His teases are getting a little heavy-handed at this point. However, if he does show up, it will be a shocking moment that delivers on AEW’s hype that Winter is Coming will be the biggest Dynamite in history.

  • Kenny Omega Talks About Potential AEW/NJPW Relationship: ‘Maybe Down The Road’

    Kenny Omega Talks About Potential AEW/NJPW Relationship: ‘Maybe Down The Road’

    Kenny Omega recently discussed the possibility of a working relationship between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. According to Omega, it could become a reality somewhere “down the road.”

    Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Omega opened up about the current state of the world. He touched on how COVID-19 has created understandable restrictions in pro wrestling.

    Omega noted how the world is collectively struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic. He added how it’s a perfect opportunity to “make lemonade out of lemons by putting forth our best efforts for a collaborative effort.”

    He believes the great thing about pro wrestling is how so many people in the industry “love making people happy.”

    “There are a lot of us in wrestling right now that want nothing more than to make fans happy,” Omega explained. “We get lost in our own fantasy booking talking about how cool it would be to team up, and there are restrictions in the world right now, but maybe down the road.”

    NJPW’s Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, recently made an appearance on AEW programming. He recorded a congratulatory video for Chris Jericho’s 30th Anniversary Celebration.

    Kenny Omega is set to face off against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley in a championship bout. The two compete on this Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Winter is Coming.

  • Tama Tonga Talks Why Bullet Club Has Endured and Resonated with Fans

    Tama Tonga Talks Why Bullet Club Has Endured and Resonated with Fans

    New Japan Pro Wrestling star and Bullet Club member Tama Tonga recently discussed what has made BC such a lasting force in pro wrestling. Tonga commented on the long running stable during the latest episode of his Tama’s Island podcast.

    The group was initially formed back in 2013, with Prince Devitt/Finn Balor, Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale becoming the nucleus and initial core group of foreign talent to call themselves Bullet Club.

    Bullet Club would add (and then later throw out) some of the biggest names in pro wrestling. AJ Styles, Adam Cole, Kenny Omega and Adam ‘Hangman’ Page are all alumni of the prestigious group.

    Tama Tonga on Bullet Club

    “It was the foreigners doing it big in Japan” Tama Tonga would state on the podcast, saying why the group began to gain momentum. “When Americans could see like these Americans doing it so big in Japan? I think that was something they gravitated to, it was awesome.”

    Tama Tonga would then heavily praise the ‘second wave’ of members who joined the group. Most notably, The Young Bucks Matt and Nick Jackson. “Another thing was The Bucks” Tonga stated. “The Buck were red hot and on the indie scenes. They brought over a lot of fans to watch us [in NJPW].”

    Tonga would finish by saying that the way the group utilized social media was also a massive part of their growth and enduring nature. “It was just some of our like social media things that we were doing up there. It was this against the grain type attitude, It was just cool, it was. We’re just cool.”

    Do you think that Bullet Club will continue to rise into the next decade? Let us know in the comments

  • Latest On AEW & NJPW Possible Working Relationship

    Latest On AEW & NJPW Possible Working Relationship

    There is renewed interest regarding a potential working relationship between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    Harold Meij stepped down as President of NJPW on October 23rd. AEW President Tony Khan spoke to Dave Meltzer last month about the departure. When asked if he thinks Meij’s departure could improve relations between the promotions, Khan said he was not sure yet, but “my initial gut feeling is it could be good.”

    Since then, Hiroshi Tanahashi made a cameo appearance on AEW Dynamite at the Chris Jericho 30th anniversary special, Tama Tonga saying he wants to work with FTR and the Lucha Bros and more comments from Tony Khan about the situation.

    Earlier this week, Tony Khan told TSN that a talent exchange has been been somewhat one-sided so far. “We’ve sent people there and I haven’t really had people from New Japan show up on my TV yet. I’d like to see more of a two-sided relationship there because I’m honestly one of the easiest people to work with in wrestling. We’ve worked with NWA, we’ve worked with AAA and we’ve sent people to New Japan. I think with Harold being gone, I don’t know if it’s going to be easier, but I have a feeling it might be.”

    Dave Meltzer noted in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that NJPW talent is interested in working with AEW. However, management still has bad feelings about AEW taking so many of their top stars like Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.

    As of this writing, there are no AEW wrestlers scheduled to compete at Wrestle Kingdom in January. Things could change over the next month, but a full-blown partnership remains elusive. Both companies stand to benefit from working together, so hopefully whatever differences exist can be put aside in order to deliver some historic moments for wrestling fans in 2021.

  • Tama Tonga Teases AEW Match Amid NJPW Partnership Rumors

    Tama Tonga Teases AEW Match Amid NJPW Partnership Rumors

    New Japan Pro Wrestling and Bullet Club star Tama Tonga recently discussed his ‘dream’ tag team matches on the Tama’s Island podcast.

    “I don’t want to name just one team, I’m gonna name three” Tonga began on the podcast. “From WWE? Probably The Usos. Then the other two would be FTR and Lucha Bros.”

    Tama Tonga on Dream Matches

    Tonga would go on to say why he chose those specific teams. “That would be the three just because of their unique styles. They all represent a style. I feel that my brother (Tonga Loa) and I can mesh with each one of those styles. We’ve been to Mexico, we’ve done the Lucha style. We do the ground and pound and we kind of have like an old school style mixed in our in our repertoire, that I feel like FTR would be into that style.”

    Tama Tonga would then hype a potential match with FTR even further. There has recently been rumors of a potential AEW and NJPW partnership, so these could be some very telling comments. “Just even the promos battle with them” Tonga stated. “Because I just feel…like even on social media? The things that we would do? I watched their social media and I think they’re very good at trash talking.”

    Tonga would finish by saying “we would try to match them, not only in the ring? But all the outside shenanigans you know? The social media crap.”

    Would you like to see GOD vs FTR in AEW or New Japan? Are there any other AEW vs NJPW matches you want to see? Let us know in the comments

    Tama Tonga
  • First Matches Signed for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15

    First Matches Signed for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15

    Following the events of NJPW Power Struggle 2020, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has begun announcing matches for Wrestle Kingdom 15, their largest event of the calendar year. Wrestle Kingdom 15 will kick off NJPW’s 2021, taking place as a two-day event on Monday, January 4th, and Tuesday, January 5th.

    At the post-Power Struggle press conference, Jay White repeated his intentions to take Wrestle Kingdom day 1 off, then challenge Tetsuya Naito for the double championships on day 2.

    In addition, Tetsuya Naito stated that he still wanted to fight Kota Ibushi, especially since Ibushi was the first person in over a decade to win two consecutive G1 Climax tournaments. He stated that he might boycott Wrestle Kingdom if he was not given a match Kota Ibushi. NJPW has since caved to his demands.

    Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

    January 4, 2021

    • IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito defends vs. Kota Ibushi
    • Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay

    Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2

    January 5, 2021

    • IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Championship Match: Winner of Naito-Ibushi vs. Jay White
    https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1325619754350993408
  • NJPW Announces Super J-Cup 2020 Lineup

    NJPW Announces Super J-Cup 2020 Lineup

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling recently announced that they would be holding their Super J-Cup, a sporadically held junior heavyweight tournament, in the United States. This tournament will include both NJPW wrestlers who are unable to travel to Japan due to COVID-19 restrictions, and non-NJPW-affiliated wrestlers.

    This eight-man tournament will take place over a single day on December 12, 2020, and will be streamed live, with English commentary, on NJPW World. The first round matches are as follows. See the bracket structure in the featured image.

    • Clark Connors vs. Chris Bey [IMPACT Wrestling]
    • ACH vs. TJP
    • Rey Horus vs. Blake Christian [Game Changer Wrestling]
    • El Phantasmo vs. Lio Rush
  • NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 27 Cards Announced

    NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 27 Cards Announced

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced the cards for their upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Normally taking place in the springtime, this Best of the Super Juniors will take place in the Fall as a result of schedule changes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Best of the Super Juniors is a round-robin tournament exclusive to junior heavyweight wrestlers. This year’s format will be that of a single block with 10 entrants. Each entrant will wrestle each other over the course of nine block days, with the tenth and final day of the tournament being a rematch of the two top wrestlers in terms of points after the first nine days. The point scheme is as follows: 2 points gained for a victory, 1 point gained for a draw, 0 points gained or lost for a defeat.

    NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 27 Schedule

    November 15 (Day 1) – Combined day with World Tag League

    • Hiromu Takahashi vs Taiji Ishimori
    • Master Wato vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs El Desperado
    • SHO vs BUSHI
    • Robbie Eagles vs DOUKI

    November 18 (Day 2)

    • Hiromu Takahashi vs El Desperado
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs Taiji Ishimori
    • Master Wato vs Robbie Eagles
    • SHO vs DOUKI
    • BUSHI vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru

    November 20 (Day 3)

    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs Master Wato
    • SHO vs Robbie Eagles
    • Hiromu Takahashi vs BUSHI
    • El Desperado vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru
    • Taiji Ishimori vs DOUKI

    November 23 (Day 4)

    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs SHO
    • Master Wato vs El Desperado
    • Robbie Eagles vs BUSHI
    • Hiromu Takahashi vs DOUKI
    • Taiji Ishimori vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru

    November 25 (Day 5)

    • Robbie Eagles vs Taiji Ishimori
    • Master Wato vs DOUKI
    • Hiromu Takahashi vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru
    • SHO vs El Desperado
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs BUSHI

    November 29 (Day 6)

    • Robbie Eagles vs Hiromu Takahashi
    • Master Wato vs SHO
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru
    • BUSHI vs Taiji Ishimori
    • El Despeardo vs DOUKI

    December 2 (Day 7)

    • Taiji Ishimori vs El Desperado
    • SHO vs Hiromu Takahashi
    • Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs DOUKI
    • Master Wato vs BUSHI
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs Robbie Eagles

    December 5 (Day 8)

    • Master Wato vs Taiji Ishimori
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs Hiromu Takahashi
    • BUSHI vs DOUKI
    • Robbie Eagles vs El Desperado
    • SHO vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru

    December 6 (Day 9) – Combined day with World Tag League

    • SHO vs Taiji Ishimori
    • Master Wato vs Hiromu Takahashi
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs DOUKI
    • BUSHI vs El Desperado
    • Robbie Eagles vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru

    December 11 (Day 10) – Combined day with World Tag League Final

    • Final Match: Top two points leaders face off again to determine the tournament winner
  • Results: NJPW Power Struggle 2020

    Results: NJPW Power Struggle 2020

    Watch live on NJPW World with a paid subscription. English and Japanese commentary are available! This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

    Start Times:
    November 7, 12AM Pacific Time
    November 7, 3AM Eastern Time
    November 7, 8AM UK Time
    November 7, 5PM Japan Time
    November 7, 7PM East Australia Time

    NJPW World Video (English Commentary)
    NJPW World Video (Japanese Commentary)

    NJPW Power Struggle 2020 Results

    KOPW 2020 Championship, Exposed Turnbuckles Match: Toru Yano (c) def. Zack Sabre Jr. (12:11)
    The young lions removed the four turnbuckle pads before the match began. Zack repeatedly whipped Yano into the exposed turnbuckles, and Yano was forced to retreat to ringside. When doing so, he pulled one of the four turnbuckle pads out from under the ring and tried to put it back, but Zack would stop him. Yano lured Zack out of the ring and sprayed him with sanitizing fluid, causing Zack to be disoriented enough to almost lose the match by countout. In the meantime, Yano again affixed a turnbuckle pad to the corner with duct tape. When Zack reentered the ring, Yano Irish-whipped ZSJ into the only corner with a pad, and seemed surprised when Zack was not at all hurt. Yano tried to roll Zack up multiple times, but Zack kicked out every time, and then immobilized Yano with a knee bar. Yano was able to make a rope escape, and fled to the outside. Zack caught him and reapplied the kneebar with their legs between the gaps of a guardrail. However, Yano tied Zack’s boot laces together, and Zack was unable to free himself. Toru Yano wins by countout.

    NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi def. Minoru Suzuki (c) (18:56)
    After an exchange of elbows and headbutts, Suzuki took the early advantage, wearing down the bigger, stronger Shingo with a single-leg Boston crab, forcibly arching Shingo’s taped lower back. Shingo broke the hold and stood up before trading with Suzuki the loudest elbow strikes they could muster. There was no decisive winner, but Suzuki tried to lock in the sleeper hold and attempt a Gotch-style piledriver too early. He couldn’t lift Shingo, but Shingo lifted him into a Death Valley driver. With a manic expression, Suzuki quickly rose to his feet, ate a Pumping Bomber, and rose to his feet again. Suzuki blocked Shingo’s attempt at a Made in Japan, and he responded to Shingo coming off the ropes for another lariat with a gorgeous single-leg dropkick. Suzuki began choking Shingo out with a standing sleeper hold, and tried again for the Gotch-style piledriver. Shingo struggled and struggled, and stopped Suzuki from picking him up. He buffeted Suzuki with heavy lariats until Suzuki’s body went stiff and he fell to the mat. The Last of the Dragon would put Suzuki away and crown Shingo Takagi a two-time NEVER Openweight Champion.

    Kazuchika Okada def. The Great O-Khan (12:58)
    This is O-Khan’s first singles match since his return from excursion. His music is nice, it’s very mystical-sounding and unique. I don’t love his pants, though; they look like pajamas. Will Ospreay was ringside, wearing a three-piece suit and carrying a bottle of champagne. O-Khan “dominated” the beginning of the match with Mongolian chops and knee lifts. After O-Khan’s basement dropkick, Okada slowed his roll with a reverse neckbreaker, and attempted a tombstone piledriver, but O-Khan resisted it and could not be lifted. O-Khan landed a lifting facebuster, and tried for a reverse brainbuster, but Okada was able to fight it off with clubbing blows. Okada hit a standing dropkick and applied the Money Clip, but O-Khan got to his feet and attempted the Iron Claw Slam. He did not hit it, but Okada was forced to break the hold. O-Khan planted Okada with a revesre brainbuster and went for the Iron Claw Slam, but Okada blocked it and hit a discus lariat, and then tried for the Money Clip again. O-Khan was able to stand up and reach for the ropes, but Okada brought him back with a backbreaker. This time, O-Khan could not break free from the Money Clip and passed out.

    Will Ospreay got on the microphone and congratulated Okada on passing his “test”. He said he used Okada the whole time to become more popular, but he can never be the best wrestler while standing in Okada’s shadow. Ospreay said that the only way to be the best would be to end Okada’s career at Wrestle Kingdom.

    IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match: KENTA def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (19:57)
    The IWGP US Heavyweight Championship is currently held by Jon Moxley, who has not been seen in NJPW since February due to COVID-19. Due to his inability to defend the Championship being out of his control, he has not been stripped of it. KENTA attacked Tanahashi’s head and neck, keeping him on the mat with headscissors holds, to increase the effectiveness of an eventual Go 2 Sleep. He tried to attack Tanahashi with the #1 contender’s briefcase, but it backfired on him, and ended up with Tanahashi hitting KENTA with it. KENTA was not out, though, and fired back up with spinning backfists and a rope-hung DDT. He followed up with a corner dropkick and a top rope diving foot stomp, then lifted Tanahashi for the Go 2 Sleep. Tanahashi stuffed the attempt, but would be brought to his knees with a Busaiku Knee Kick. Again, KENTA tried for the killing blow, but Tanahashi reversed the Go 2 Sleep with a Sling Blade. He landed another Sling Blade, then climbed to the top rope to land a frog splash crossbody. The Ace locked in the Texas cloverleaf, which ended KENTA in their G1 match, but KENTA was able to slip out of it this time and apply the Game Over. This match evolved into a submission battle, as both men were able to get out of each other’s holds to apply their own, but Tanahashi was not able to escape the second Game Over. KENTA wins by submission and is still the #1 contender for Jon Moxley’s IWGP US Heavyweight Championship.

    Wrestle Kingdom 15 Right to Challenge Contract Match: Jay White def. Kota Ibushi (c) (18:47)
    Despite Ibushi being one of only three people in history two win two G1 Climaxes in a row, Jay White was getting the better of im in the early going. Still, Gedo felt compelled to assist Jay White whenever possible, but would usually be easily fought off by Ibushi. After landing a plancha on Jay White, Ibushi’s rally began. He tried for a top rope moonsault on a prone White, but White turned so that Ibushi would land on his side, getting the worse of the impact. Jay White capitalized with the Bladebuster for a near fall. Ibushi fired back up with kicks, but the Switchblade would cut him off soon enough with the Complete Shot, followed by a uranage. White deftly attacked Ibushi from the front and the back, landing punches and knee lifts to the lower back and abdomen. That is, until Ibushi caught White’s knee and lifted him into a leg-trap piledriver! Ibushi continued the pressure, dumping White with a half-nelson suplex and a head kick. He then tried for the Kamigoye, but Jay stopped it with a headbutt to the midsection. This did not stop Ibushi, as he nearly got the three-count with a sitout elevated powerbomb. He tried for the Kamigoye once more, but Jay White pushed him into the ropes, and then pinned Kota Ibushi, using his foot on the ropes for leverage! Jay White now has the Wrestle Kingdom briefcase, and Kota Ibushi is now the first person to lose it after winning the G1 Climax.

    IWGP Heayvweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) def. EVIL (33:08)
    This is Naito and EVIL’s fourth match in the last six months, since EVIL betrayed Los Ingobernables de Japon to join Bullet Club. At this point, Naito knows nearly all of EVIL’s tricks. With a simple necklock, Naito was able to distress EVIL so much that he bailed out of the ring. This may have been a ruse, though, as when Naito followed him, EVIL whipped Naito into the timekeeper’s table, causing the ring announcer to take a tumble. EVIL did it more than once, adding insult to injury. As EVIL was taunting the ring announcer, Naito rolled into the ring, only to get hit with a chair from Dick Togo. EVIL sent Naito crashing down with a superplex, and then applied the scorpion deathlock. EVIL had it in deep, but Naito barely managed to grab the bottom rope and force EVIL off. EVIL was still in control, though, and he hit the Darkness Falls powerbomb for a near fall. A spinebuster, followed by a top-rope Frankensteiner, finally granted Naito a reprieve, and Gloria granted Naito a two-count. Naito hit a flying forearm followed by the running Destino to get EVIL down for another two count, and then another Destino, but Dick Togo pulled the referee out of the ring! Yujiro Takahashi came out and double-teamed Naito with Dick Togo, but then SANADA came out and laid waste to the two of them! He then carried Dick Togo out of the building on his shoulders while holding Yujiro in a headlock, leaving only Naito and EVIL left to fight. Fight they did, until EVIL pushed Naito into the referee and hit a low blow. However, this did not put Naito down, and he gave EVIL a pop-up low blow of his own. Then, Jay White came out and hit Naito with a sleeper suplex, but Kota Ibushi ran in to make the save! EVIL hit another low blow in the commotion, but Naito blocked the EVIL STO, hit a big slap to the face, and landed the Destino for the victory.

    Jay White entered and said that, now that he has the Wrestle Kingdom 15 briefcase, he will do nothing on January 4th, but he will win the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. Then, Kota Ibushi came out and started chasing Jay White, despite Jay’s repeatedly insisting that Ibushi has no claim to fight him. Either not understanding, or not caring, Ibushi just kept following Jay until they both left the building.

  • NJPW Star Talks COVID-19 Restrictions ‘Easing’ In Japan

    NJPW Star Talks COVID-19 Restrictions ‘Easing’ In Japan

    New Japan Pro Wrestling star Rocky Romero recently discussed the pandemic situation in Japan. The CHAOS member discussed COVID-19 on the Talk’n Shop podcast, which he co-hosts along with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

    “We’ve got a big show on November 7” Romero began on the podcast. November 7th is when New Japan hosts Power Struggle in Osaka. That show will be headlined by Tetsuya Naito vs EVIL for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.

    The show will also feature Kota Ibushi vs Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Double Championships Right To Challenge Contract.

    Rocky Romero on Japan ‘opening up’

    “Borders are starting to open up a little bit” Rocky Romero continued. “So guys are still having to go in there [Japan] and quarantine for two weeks before. So that kind of sucks, but things are starting to move along and we’re starting to see some of the talent going to be going back and forth [between the UK, US and Japan].”

    Romero would finish by confirming that Japanese venues are currently allowed to have 40% capacity for venues. This would include the Tokyo Dome, where New Japan will be running Wrestle Kingdom on January 4th and 5th.

    “That’s kind of exciting. About, I think, 40% open is the capacity of each arena. So that’s kind of cool, so things are moving along in the right direction.”

    Are you looking forward to Wrestle Kingdom in January? Let us know in the comments

    rocky romero
  • NJPW Announces Participants For Super J-Cup & BOSJ Tournaments

    NJPW Announces Participants For Super J-Cup & BOSJ Tournaments

    New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that it will hold a one-night Super J-Cup tournament in the United States on December 12th, 2020. The show will be held in the company’s Los Angeles Dojo and air on New Japan World.

    The following participants have been announced for the Super J-Cup tournament:

    • TJP
    • ACH
    • Lio Rush
    • Chris Bey
    • Rey Horus
    • Blake Christian
    • Clark Connors
    • El Phantasmo

    El Phantasmo defeated Dragon Lee in the finals of the 2019 tournament.

    NJPW has also announced the participants for the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament. The tournament will run from November 15th to December 11th in Japan. This year’s version will consist of 10 wrestlers in 1 block. The ten wrestlers entered are as follows:

    • Ryusuke Taguchi
    • Master Wato
    • SHO
    • Robbie Eagles
    • Hiromu Takahashi
    • BUSHI
    • El Desperado
    • Yoshinobu Kanemaru
    • DOUKI
    • Taiji Ishimori

    Will Ospreay defeated Shingo Takagi in the finals of last year’s tournament.

    NJPW’s next big show will be Power Struggle on November 7th. The following matches are confirmed for that show:

    • KOPW Trophy
      Toru Yano (c) vs Zack Sabre Jr.
    • NEVER Openweight Championship
      Minoru Suzuki (c) vs Shingo Takagi
    • Kazuchika Okada vs Great O-Khan
    • US Title Shot Briefcase
      Kenta (holder) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
    • IWGP Title Shot Briefcase
      Kota Ibushi (holder) vs Jay White
    • IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Championships
      Tetsuya Naito (c) vs EVIL
  • NJPW Power Struggle Card Announced For Nov. 7th

    NJPW Power Struggle Card Announced For Nov. 7th

    Following the ending of the G1 Climax 30 tournament yesterday, NJPW is moving forward with the Power Struggle tour. The live-streamed events for this tour on NJPW World will October 23, November 1, November 2, and the major event to end the tour on November 7th.

    It was also announced that the Wrestle Kingdom 15 contract will allow its holder to challenge for both the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at Wrestle Kingdom.

    NJPW Power Struggle 2020 Card

    New Japan has announced the full card for the upcoming Power Struggle event on November 7th. Six singles matches are signed:

    • King of Pro-Wrestling 2020 Championship: Toru Yano (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
    • NEVER Openweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki (c) vs. Shingo Takagi
    • Kazuchika Okada vs. Great O-Khan
    • IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match: KENTA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
    • Wrestle Kingdom 15 Contract Match: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Jay White
    • IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: Tetsuya Naito vs. EVIL
  • NJPW Confirms That Wrestle Kingdom 15 Will Be a Two Night Event

    NJPW Confirms That Wrestle Kingdom 15 Will Be a Two Night Event

    New Japan Pro Wrestling confirmed at the G1 Climax final that next year’s Wrestle Kingdom will be a two night event.

    This year’s event was the first time that the 2-night WK format was used. That was presumably due to the fact that January 4th (the traditional date for WK) was a Saturday and January 5th a Sunday. The 2021 shows do not fall on a weekend, so this announcement was somewhat unexpected.

    New Japan managed to draw over 70,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom 14 over the two nights earlier this year.

    Kota Ibushi will once again be in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom, having won the G1 Climax tournament this weekend. His opponent will likely be IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito, however that is not yet confirmed.

    Check out the full results from the G1 Climax finals here.

    Wrestle Kingdom 14
    NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 from the Tokyo Dome (January 4th & 5th, 2020)
  • Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Final

    Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Final

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s thirtieth G1 Climax tournament is almost over! Who will be the victor in the main event and etch their name in G1 Climax history: Kota Ibushi or SANADA?

    Watch live on NJPW World with a paid subscription. English and Japanese commentary are available! This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

    Start Times:
    October 16, 11PM Pacific Time
    October 17, 2AM Eastern Time
    October 17, 7AM UK Time
    October 17, 3PM Japan Time
    October 17, 5PM East Australia Time

    NJPW World Video (English Commentary)
    NJPW World Video (Japanese Commentary)

    G1 Climax 30 Final Results

    Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & DOUKI) def. CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) (10:34)
    Although part of me is disappointed that the young lions were not booked for this card despite having performed impressively for the whole tour, I have missed all the wrestlers who were not part of the tour due to the truncated card structure. Zack Sabre Jr. was the star of this match, as it showed both the vicious technician he is, in the way he stretched Hirooki Goto by his bad shoulder, but also played the straight man to the chaotic Toru Yano. He tried to stop Yano’s cheating by repeatedly re-tying the turnbuckle pad, showing that he might have the most respect for fair play of anyone in Suzuki-gun.
    Finish: Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi hit YOSHI-HASHI with Zack Mephisto, then allowed DOUKI to pin YOSHI-HASHI

    Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi) def. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (11:54)
    At first, this tag team match was more like a tale of two singles matches. Shingo Takagi and Minoru Suzuki wanted each other’s blood, and were brawling with each other before the bell. Meanwhile, Hiromu Takahashi was trying to burn off some stored up energy, as a result of not having wrestled in a whole month. Eventually, these two paths converged, and Suzuki-gun used their greater propensity for taking advantage of numbers.  The both of Kanemaru and Suzuki teamed up on the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. With a pop-up Death Valley bomb on Kanemaru, Shingo was able to even the odds. Kanemaru, suddenly thirsty, tried to take his whiskey that he normally spits in his opponents’ faces, but Hiromu superkicked it out of his hand, and Kanemaru’s largest threat was neutralized.
    Finish: Hiromu Takahashi over Yoshinobu Kanemaru by pinfall with the Time Bomb

    Suzuki and Shingo continued jaw-jacking after the match, and Suzuki held the NEVER Openweight Championship with his teeth as he stared menacingly at Shingo. At the same time, Hiromu Takahashi was speaking to the commentators, saying that he wanted him and BUSHI to challenge El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb & Master Wato def. Bullet Club (Jay White, KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo) (9:12)
    Coming off of his loss against Tomohiro Ishii, when even a draw would have sent him to the Final, he was seriously sulking, but he seemed more willing to fight and rely less on Gedo than usual.Ultimately, this match was less a structured eight man tag team bout and moreso a chaotic burst of action. Most everyone got their moment to shine, especially Jeff Cobb, who ran roughshod to help set up his team’s comebacks against the less-than-sportsmanlike Bullet Club, especially when he tossed Taiji Ishimori like he weighed nothing into Bullet Club.
    Finish: Hiroshi Tanahashi tapped out Gedo with the Texas Cloverleaf.

    Before the intermission, NJPW announced that Wrestle Kingdom 15 will be held next year at the Tokyo Dome. As with last year, it will be a two-day event, on January 4th and 5th, 2021.

    The Empire (Will Ospreay & Great O-Khan) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & SHO) (12:36)
    Bea Priestley entered with Ospreay and O-Khan while wearing her wrestling gear and carrying her SWA World Championship from STARDOM. Okada attacked Ospreay before the bell, rightfully frustrated at having someone who he invited into NJPW, and took under his wing, turn on him with seemingly no warning. Ospreay was noticeably avoiding actually wrestling Okada, and left The Great O-Khan to do most of the work in the ring until the end. O-Khan has seemingly kept the look that he had cultivated during his time wrestling in England, with some very comfy-looking red and yellow pants. The new Ospreay, as previously evidenced by his match against Okada on Friday, seems to have no qualms with accepting help to achieve victory, as Bea Priestley delivered a dragon-screw to SHO from the apron, which led into the ending.
    Finish: Will Ospreay submitted SHO with an elevated Figure-Four Leglock.

    Bullet Club (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI) (14:14)
    Amusingly, the tag team that LIJ would be facing tonight consists of two people who were both partners of Tetsuya Naito at some point and, obviously, would both eventually join Bullet Club. Los Ingobernables de Japon were working from underneath, even with the lowest-performing G1 entrant Yujiro as one of their opponents, thanks to the aid of the well-dressed Dick Togo. BUSHI, especially, was taking seemingly one continuous beating at the hands of EVIL and Yujiro, but the crowd was with him all the way.
    Finish: EVIL submitted BUSHI with the Scorpion Deathlock.

    G1 Climax 30 Final Match: Kota Ibushi def. SANADA (35:12)
    This is Ibushi’s third consecutive G1 Final, and he won the whole tournament last year, while this is SANADA’s first time making it this far. Kota Ibushi’s left leg was heavily wrapped due to his celebration of kicks against Taichi on Friday. As any student of Keiji Mutoh well should, SANADA saw the leg as a weakness and didn’t take long to begin dismantling it wherever possible. Ibushi, of course, still had one good leg and two good arms, but SANADA was making life difficult for him, applying a figure four leglock that Ibushi could not escape without a rope break. Ibushi tried his best to continue with high-flying offense on one bad leg, but the pain that would follow often stopped him from capitalizing on it. Ibushi landed a powerslam and went for a top rope phoenix splash, but SANADA moved out of the way and used the opportunity to perform a top rope moonsault, but that move missed as well. Ibushi tried to throw strikes, but SANADA kept going back to his leg, and Ibushi’s desperation was palpable. He hit a sitout powerbomb on SANADA and called for the Kamigoye, but would receive a low dropkick to the knees for his troubles. SANADA put the pressure on with a bridging Tiger Suplex, and then a giant swing into the Skull End. He would let go to try and land a top rope moonsault, but Ibushi would roll out of the way again. Suddenly, he rearranged SANADA’s jaw with a head kick followed by the Boma Ye, but when he went for the Kamigoye, SANADA turned it against him with a pop-up TKO! He followed it with a top rope moonsault, and then went for another, but Ibushi blocked it with his knees! SANADA managed to rise to his feet and apply the dragon sleeper, but Ibushi turned it into a leg-hook tombstone piledriver to nearly put SANADA away. SANADA rolled Ibushi into the Japanese leg roll clutch but Ibushi would barely kick out before three, which would make the crowd break the rules and vocally pop. Ibushi landed flush with a jumping knee strike and followed it with a Kamigoye, but SANADA kicked out! Ibushi was unfazed, and struck with one more Kamigoye to win the G1 Climax!

    Kota Ibushi is now a two-time G1 Climax winner. Not only that, but he is the third wrestler ever, after Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, to win the G1 Climax two years in a row.

  • Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 18 (B-Block Playoffs)

    Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 18 (B-Block Playoffs)

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

    Watch live on NJPW World with a paid subscription. English and Japanese commentary are available! This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

    Start Times:

    • Pacific: 10/17 1AM
    • Eastern: 10/17 4AM
    • UK: 10/17 9AM
    • Japan: 10/17 5PM
    • East Australia: 10/17 7PM

    NJPW World Video (English Commentary)

    NJPW World Video (Japanese Commentary)

    G1 Climax 30 Day 18 Results

    Gabriel Kidd def. Yuya Uemura (8:16)
    Based on the math, Yota Tsuji has already clinched his place as the winner of the unofficial “C-Block” between these three young lions. Neverthe less, Uemura and Kidd did not give off the impression that they were any less motivated to fight their hardest. Both men jockeyed for position, trying to attack each other’s arm to set up for their finishing arm-trap suplex, before the match devolved into an energetic slugfest. Gabriel Kidd’s standing dropkick followed by the double underhook suplex sealed the deal for Uemura. This would put Kidd, unofficially, in second place, and Uemura in last.

    B Block: YOSHI-HASHI def. Toru Yano (6:10)
    Yano spent all of fifteen seconds calling for a “clean fight” before he attempted to remove a turnbuckle pad. As it turned out, YOSHI-HASHI had hidden a roll of tape in his own trunks that the referee did not find before the match. He used them to tape his staff to Yano’s wrist between the bars of the guardrail on the outside. Yano was barely able to find a way to get his hand free and make it back in the ring before being counted out. From there, he tried to roll YOSHI up repeatedly, and even hit a low blow from behind. As he did, YOSHI-HASHI caught Yano’s arm between his own legs, and used that to roll into an arm-trap cradle for the pinfall victory over his CHAOS stablemate. He has truly performed well above his station and I’m glad he ended his tournament on a happy note.
    YOSHI-HASHI finishes with 4 points (2 wins, 7 losses).
    Toru Yano finishes with 6 points (3 wins, 6 losses).

    B Block: Juice Robinson def. Hirooki Goto (12:07)
    Both Goto and Juice have ended up with fairly unfavorable G1 records after starting off strong. Goto in particular, his story the whole tournament has been his hurt arm, which KENTA caused by targeting it relentlessly in their match together, and has dragged his performance down since. At first, Juice went to targeting the hurt arm as well, before switching gears to trying to prove that he could brawl with a weakened Goto. Juice won a battle of lariats, but Goto caught the running Juice with an Ushigoroshi. Still, Juice had the werewithal to catch Juice’s kick and rise to his feet, then rock Goto with a right-handed punch. He called for Pulp Friction, but as he was setting it up, Goto applied a sleeper hold and tried to transition it into a pinning combination, but only achieved a near fall. Out of nowhere, Juice landed a big left-handed punch, then one more, and finally the Pulp Friction to end his G1 with a win.
    Hirooki Goto finishes with 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses)
    Juice Robinson finishes with 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses)

    B Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Zack Sabre Jr. (12:01)
    I wonder if Zack Sabre Jr. spins a wheel with different names of body parts to decide what he’s going to focus on for his match on any given day. Today, it would be Tanahashi’s neck. With locks and cranks, Zack did his best to immobilize the Ace with neck work. Tanahashi, being technically-versed in his own right, was never at Zack’s mercy for too long. He turned a headscissors neck lock into a modified cloverleaf. Tanahashi used all his bursts of momentum to attack the leg, as he usually does, and it was a battle of who could be clever and creative enough to take control long enough to steal the win. Suddenly, Tanahashi was able to hit a Sling Blade, then immediately went for the High Fly Flow. He managed to land it on a standing Zack, but Zack rolled through it to apply an armbar. Thinking quickly, Tanahashi got to his feet and, with his arm-still trapped, rolled Zack into a lateral press cradle for the victory! He even kept pinning Zack after the three had been counted, because he’s just that cool.
    Hiroshi Tanahashi finishes with 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses).
    Zack Sabre Jr. finishes with 10 points (5 wins, 4 losses).

    B Block: KENTA def. Tetsuya Naito (21:06)
    No one who knew what KENTA was like before entering NJPW would have thought that this match with Tetsuya Naito would be a battle of mischevious personalities. At first, KENTA tried to provoke Naito by repeatedly bailing from the ring, but he had a clever plan in mind. As KENTA left the ring again, Naito followed him, but KENTA picked up his IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 contender briefcase and hit Naito with it as he leaned over the ropes, making a loud smacking sound. He was trained on Naito’s neck in much the same way that Zack just was against Tanahashi, hoping to hurt it before finishing with the Go 2 Sleep. After landing the Shibata-style corner dropkick into the diving foot stomp, Naito was really struggling to find any breathing room for himself. However, as KENTA lifted Naito onto his shoulders, Naito sat up and hit a reverse frankensteiner, and then went after KENTA with repeated elbows to the back of the neck. He pressed his new advantage with a super frankensteiner and the Gloria slam for a near fall. He tried for the Destino, but KENTA elbowed him away easily, and then lifted Naito’s feet onto the second rope for a DDT. He tried again for the Go 2 Sleep, but Naito would turn it into a counter Destino! He followed up with Valentia and went for the arm-trap Destino, but before he could lock it in, KENTA turned it into an inside cradle roll up for the flash pinfall victory on Naito. KENTA can’t win the G1, but now Naito is out.
    KENTA finishes with 10 points (5 wins, 4 losses).
    Tetsuya Naito finishes with 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses).

    B Block: SANADA def. EVIL (27:01)
    EVIL left the ring immediately upon the first bell and offered a too-sweet to Hiromu Takahashi, who was a guest commentator at ringside. Hiromu just gave him a goofy grin and a thumbs-up. SANADA eventually got tired of waiting for EVIL to fight him, and chased him, but this gave EVIL the opportunity to suplex him on a pile of chairs that he had taken out on the outside. The hurt SANADA was a sitting duck for EVIL’s offense, and a smattering of well-timed aid from Dick Togo. SANADA finally rose up and delivered a standing dropkick and plancha to EVIL to take him out. He then brought Dick Togo into the ring and put him in the Paradise Lock, and would do the same to EVIL upon his recovery. He followed up with a springboard dropkick and a bridging tiger suplex for a near fall on the former double champion. SANADA then landed the giant swing into the Skull End, but released it too soon to hit the moonsault and EVIL was able to move out of the way. EVIL would rise to his feet first to deliver a superplex before applying the scorpion deathlock, and held it for a good long time before SANADA finally managed to grab the bottom rope to force the rope break. Still reeling, he barely managed to kick out of Darkness Falls as it was announced that the time limit would come in 10 minutes. EVIL tried for the EVIL (STO), but SANADA blocked it and locked in the Skull End with bodyscissors once again. SANADA stood up and landed two top rope moonsaults on EVIL, but Dick Togo pulled the referee out of the ring and started hitting SANADA with a chair. The two of them landed the Magic Killer on SANADA, but Hiromu, having seen enough, got out of the commentary chair and laid Togo out with a superkick, but EVIL would hit a low blow on Hiromu. Togo and EVIL then hit the Magic Killer on Hiromu as well. EVIL picked up SANADA and threw him back down with a running lariat, and then Dick Togo started choking SANADA. Hiromu came back again to hit another superkick on Togo. But, finally, SANADA pushed EVIL into Dick Togo, and then pinned him with the Japanese leg roll clutch!
    EVIL finishes with 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses).
    SANADA finishes with 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses).

    Due to his victories over both other men who have 12 points, Tetsuya Naito and EVIL, SANADA is the winner of the B Block. He will face Kota Ibushi and one of them will leave tomorrow the 30th G1 Climax winner!

    G1 Climax 30 Final Standings

    A Block:
    14 points – Kota Ibushi (Block winner)
    12 points – Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay
    8 points – Jeff Cobb, Taichi, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii
    6 points – Minoru Suzuki
    2 points – Yujiro Takahashi

    B Block:
    12 points – SANADA (Block winner), Tetsuya Naito, EVIL
    10 points – Zack Sabre Jr., KENTA
    8 points – Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson, Hiroshi Tanahashi
    6 points – Toru Yano
    4 points – YOSHI-HASHI

  • Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 17 (A Block Playoffs)

    Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 17 (A Block Playoffs)

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

    Watch live on NJPW World with a paid subscription. English and Japanese commentary are available! This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

    Start Times:

    • Pacific: 10/16 2:30AM
    • Eastern: 10/16 5:30AM
    • UK: 10/16 10:30AM
    • Japan: 10/16 6:30PM
    • East Australia: 10/16 8:30PM

    NJPW World Live Stream (English Commentary)

    NJPW World Live Stream (Japanese Commentary)

    G1 Climax 30 Day 17 Results

    Yota Tsuji def. Gabriel Kidd (6:52)
    It feels good being back in Sumo Hall for the first time since late last year. It’s a hopeful atmosphere, and pro-wrestling desperately needs more of those these days. Yota Tsuji and Gabriel Kidd did not practice any formalities in this match, throwing bombs and loud strikes at each other from the bell. Gabriel Kidd took the early advantage, but he got cocky and started talking trash to Tsuji, in Japanese, about how he represents the LA Dojo. Tsuji replied with a mighty spear, followed by a giant swing into the Boston crab to submit Gabriel Kidd.

    A Block: Yujiro Takahashi def. Jeff Cobb (10:30)
    The match began as predictably as possible, with Jeff Cobb being too strong to be vulnerable to anything that Yujiro could do. Yujiro, smartly, fled for his life, but upon Cobb following him, Yujiro planted him with a DDT on the outside mats, and he was able to methodically work over the dazed Cobb for that point forward. Jeff Cobb’s comebacks were explosive but short-lived until a powerful lariat put Yujiro on the back foot once more. Cobb landed the Athletic-Plex but Yujiro managed to slip out of the Tour of the Islands. He hit Cobb with his cane after pushing the referee and hit an olympic slam followed by Miami Shine for a two-count, and then the Pimp Juice DDT to put Cobb away. Yujiro avoids the fate of being the first winless G1 Climax participant since Tomoaki Honma in 2014.
    Yujiro Takahashi’s final score is 2 points (1 win, 8 losses)
    Jeff Cobb’s final score is 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses)

    A Block: Shingo Takagi vs. Minoru Suzuki
    Their championship match at Summer Struggle told us what a match between Minoru Suzuki and Shingo Takagi will be: a battle of wills and hard heads. Shingo took control and perhaps pushed his luck, rubbing his boot against Suzuki’s head repeatedly. The angered Suzuki caught Shingo in a sleeper hold and tried early for the Gotch-style piledriver, but Shingo wiggled his legs to force Suzuki to put him down, and then hit a fireman’s carry bomb to get the edge back again. He came off the ropes for a Pumping Bomber but Suzuki caught him in an armbar! Shingo tried to stand up and powerbomb Suzuki with his trapped arm, but he could barely lift Suzuki off the mat. The complexion of this match changed as Suzuki continued wrenching on Shingo’s right arm with a Fujiwara armbar. Shingo was able to crawl and get his foot to the bottom rope to force Suzuki off of him, but he was still in trouble. However, as Shingo applied a chokehold yet again, Shingo wrested Suzuki off of him and hit a big punch with the force his hurt right arm could still produce, and then hit Last of the Dragon for the pinfall victory.
    Minoru Suzuki’s final score is 6 points (3 wins, 6 losses)
    Shingo Takagi’s final score is 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses)

    A Block: Will Ospreay def. Kazuchika Okada (17:04)
    Will Ospreay’s performance at the start of this match was the dictionary definition of “guns-blazing.” He hit a Sasuke Special in the first fifteen seconds. Out of overconfidence, or perhaps desperation, he tried for the Oscutter and the Stormbreaker soon after, but couldn’t make either of them stick. A great athlete in his own right, Okada understood that he would not be able to keep up with Ospreay’s speed, and tried his best to keep him grounded, with limited success. Ospreay lifted Okada to the top turnbuckle, then dropkicked him to the floor, mimicking a pattern that Okada often does. He followed that with a mental plancha over the corner post to Okada, then brought him back in the ring and tried again for the Stormbreaker, to no avail. Okada applied the Money Clip, but Ospreay was able to get the rope break before being worn down sufficiently. He felt Okada taking control and went for the kill, hitting a reverse frankensteiner followed by the Oscutter, but Ospreay would avoid the Stormbreaker once more and then try again for the Money Clip. We saw Bea Priestley, Will Ospreay’s girlfriend, show up at ringside and cheer Ospreay on. Okada persisted with the Money Clip, but then Bea entered the ring and got in the referee’s face. With the referee’s back turned, a large man entered the ring and chokeslammed Okada. This man was Tomoyuki Oka, AKA The Great O-Kharn, who had been on excursion in England with Revolution Pro-Wrestling. Until now, apparently. Will Ospreay acted surprised, but lifted Okada and finally hit the Stormbreaker for the win nonetheless.
    Kazuchika Okada’s final score is 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses)
    Will Ospreay’s final score is 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses)

    Ospreay kissed his girlfriend after the match. He then entered the ring and hit the Hidden Blade on the fallen Okada. He told Okada that he was holding Ospreay back, and that he hoped Okada would be in pain tomorrow.

    A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Taichi (17:12)
    Whether as parts of tag teams or not, Kota Ibushi and Taichi have been at each other’s throats all summer. At this point, they had more to prove than just who could win. Japanese wrestlers will frequently let themselves be hit to show both their opponents and the fans just how much they can endure, but this was that taken to another level. For the first five minutes, all they did was kick the soul out of each other, and they even sat down and took turns letting themselves be kicked. The first other move was a backdrop driver from Taichi, which Ibushi dramatically backflipped out of to land on his feet. Their kicks became more ferocious after that, until gradually becoming more feeble. They were visibly getting both worn down and exhausted. Ibushi finally hit a high kick that put Taichi on his back, then called for the Kamigoye, but Taichi kicked his legs out from under him, and both men struggled to their feet. Ibushi caught Taichi’s leg as he tried for a buzzsaw kick, then stood up and kicked his leg to bring him to his knees, then hit a buzzsaw kick of his own. The Kamigoye sealed Taichi’s fate.
    Kota Ibushi’s final score is 14 points (7 wins, 2 losses)
    Taichi’s final score is 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses)

    A Block: Tomohiro Ishii def. Jay White (24:35)
    Jay White masterfully pushed Tomohiro Ishii’s buttons, testing his patience and challenging his hubris. Ishii is plenty a match for Jay White, and he’s defeated Jay White before. However, Jay White’s ego is bigger than Ishii’s neck is short, and he was hyperfocused on toying with his prey as much as possible, to make Ishii furious before defeating him and gloating. Eventually, Gedo called for Jay to finish Ishii off, and he suplexed Ishii into the turnbuckle pad. Turnabout is fair play, though, and Ishii made it to his feet and delivered his own German suplex into the pad. Finally taking Ishii as seriously as he deserved, Jay pivoted to attacking Ishii’s bandaged right knee, using the TTO submission and dragonscrew leg whips. Ishii barely made it to the ropes to break the TTO, but when he did, he decided to retaliate in much the same way. As Ishii wrenched on Jay’s knee, Gedo came in and Jay pushed Ishii into Gedo and the referee. However, Ishii was not out. He caught Gedo’s kick and pushed him into Jay, and then suplexed Jay for a near fall. He tried for the vertical drop brainbuster, but White dropped down out of it and hit Ishii with a low blow. Jay White tried multiple times for the Blade Runner, but couldn’t make one stick. Ishii hit a vertical suplex cutter, lariated Gedo inside out when he tried to interfere again, and hit a sliding lariat for a near fall! Finally, Jay White went up for the vertical drop brainbuster, and then came crashing down. Tomohiro Ishii wins, and with that, Jay White is out. Kota Ibushi is your G1 Climax 30 A Block Finalist!
    Tomohiro Ishii’s final score is 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses)
    Jay White’s final score is 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses)

    G1 Climax 30 Standings

    A Block:
    14 points – Kota Ibushi (Block winner)
    12 points – Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay
    8 points – Jeff Cobb, Taichi, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii
    6 points – Minoru Suzuki
    2 points – Yujiro Takahashi

    B Block:
    12 points – Tetsuya Naito, EVIL
    10 points – SANADA, Zack Sabre Jr.
    8 points – Hirooki Goto, KENTA
    6 points – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson
    2 points – YOSHI-HASHI

  • Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 16

    Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 16

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

    Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

    Start Times:

    • Pacific: 10/14 2:30AM
    • Eastern: 10/14 5:30AM
    • UK: 10/14 10:30AM
    • Japan: 10/14 6:30PM
    • East Australia: 10/14 8:30PM

    NJPW World Video (Japanese Commentary)

    G1 Climax 30 Day 16 Results

    Yota Tsuji def. Yuya Uemura (7:56)
    Once more, the classic and always compelling dynamic of technique versus power was on display between Uemura and Tsuji. Uemura took advantage early with a keylock to weaken Tsuji’s arms in preparation for his “deadbolt” double arm suplex. Tsuji showed that he’s not all brute force as well, when he rolled through Uemura’s hold to get on top and apply a single leg Boston crab. Uemura was able to break the hold, but Tsuji landed a spear followed by a giant swing, then the Boston crab for the submission victory.

    B Block: KENTA def. YOSHI-HASHI
    Soon into the match, KENTA left the ring and started playing with the staff that YOSHI-HASHI carries to the ring. Perturbed by this, YOSHI-HASHI would follow him to the outside, but be thrown head-first into the ring post. From there, KENTA went about systematically dismantling YOSHI’s left arm. YOSHI’s comebacks were short-lived, and KENTA hit a diving foot stomp and went for the Go 2 Sleep. YOSHI-HASHI managed to avoid it and hit a spin kick to grant himself some reprieve. He hit a running powerbomb and tried to apply the Butterfly Lock even with one bad arm. KENTA did not tap, and YOSHI broke the hold to hit a running double knee attack, but KENTA got out of the way and punished YOSHI-HASHI with heavy kicks. He attempted the Go 2 Sleep again but YOSHI would reverse it into a DDT to the crowd’s pleasure. He hit the Kumagoroshi for a near fall and went for Karma, but KENTA avoided it and applied the Game Over facelock. YOSHI-HASHI nearly earned a rope break, but KENTA rolled him back into the center of the ring and YOSHI-HASHI submitted.
    KENTA goes to 8 points

    B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Juice Robinson
    To the surprise of likely everyone, the match began with Juice Robinson grinding Zack Sabre Jr. down on the mat, using his weight advantage to keep the spindly submission artist beneath him. All the skill and leverage in the world won’t help if you can’t move. Eventually, Juice stood up and started trying to lift Zack for power moves, at which point Zack was able to mount a comeback, targeting Juice’s left arm to weaken the left handed punch that often signals the end for his opponent. Juice still had one good arm and was able to put up a fight, but Zack would repeatedly interrupt his comebacks with guillotine chokes and bodyscissors attacks. He kept going back to the left arm, and when Juice tried to powerbomb him out of an armbar, he needed two tries to do so. Juice hit a big right-handed punch and went for the Pulp Friction, but Zack dropped out of it and rolled him into the European Clutch for the three-count.
    Zack Sabre Jr. goes to 10 points

    B Block: Tetsuya Naito def. Toru Yano (8:04)
    Tetsuya Naito was walking especially slowly to the ring as he entered, which made Yano get restless. Of course, when the bell rang, Yano was not actually interested in wrestling Naito, and spent a long time going in and out of the ring to delay the inevitable. Soon, though, he had pushed both Yota Tsuji at ringside and Tetsuya Naito down and taped their wrists together between the guardrail, but they were able to make it back in the ring before before Naito was counted out. Naito offered Tsuji a fist bump after they had delivered a double clothesline to Yano and freed themselves from the tape. Tsuji was going to accept it, but it was just a fake out; Naito kicked Tsuji and body-slammed him on top of Yano. Yano hit a sneak low blow on Naito and tried to roll him up, but Naito kicked out. Naito retaliated with a pop-up kick to the groin and a jackknife pin to defeat the Sublime Master Thief.
    Tetsuya Naito goes to 12 points

    B Block: EVIL def. Hirooki Goto (15:33)
    With Naito now at 12 points, Goto is ostensibly out of the running, while EVIL has the best chances of defeating him since he has the tiebreaker victory. If Goto does win, it will be a matter of honor and sportsmanship conquering… evil. With the aid of Dick Togo at ringside, EVIL dominated Goto in the early stages of the match. Goto fired back up to lift the running EVIL and hit the Ushigoroshi, but Togo’s distraction enabled EVIL to stop Goto as he climbed to the top rope to capitalize on his first bit of momentum. EVIL hit a heavy lariat followed by Darkness Falls only for Goto to kick out, and attempted the EVIL STO, but EVIL avoided it. He forced EVIL out of the ring and hit a plancha on both EVIL and Togo! Goto hit a headbutt and a reverse GTR on EVIL for a near fall. He tried for the regular GTR, but EVIL dodged it. He attempted a discus lariat and EVIL caught his shoulder to transition into the STO finish. The G in G1 does not stand for Goto this year.
    EVIL goes to 12 points

    B Block: SANADA def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (28:25)
    Matches between Hiroshi Tanahashi and SANADA are always interesting because a trained eye can spot all the ways that they wrestle like each other. Being both proteges of Keiji Mutoh, their offense, largely based on attacking the neck and knees to make them more susceptible to both submissions and bursts of high-speed offense. Tanahashi exemplified this, as he caught SANADA with his first dragonscrew, sending him reeling to the outside, and then landed on him with a High Fly Flow crossbody. He brought SANADA back and continued attacking his legs with Dragonscrews, but SANADA was able to make it to the ropes to break Tanahashi’s Texas Cloverleaf. SANADA was able to make it to his feet and fight back with a rope-hung Magic Screw and a springboard dropkick. SANADA went for the top rope moonsault, and he could see that Tanahashi had moved while he was in flight. When he landed on his feet, he felt it in his knees, and his stumble allowed Tanahashi to hit a Sling Blade. He followed up with a bridging full nelson suplex for a near fall, and looked to capitalize with the High Fly Flow. SANADA lifted his knees to block the move, but it hurt him just as much as Tanahashi. He managed to trap Tanahashi in the Skull End and soon went for the top rope moonsault again, but Tanahashi got his knees up! Feeling the pressure, SANADA tried for a hurricanrana, but Tanahashi caught his legs in midair and twisted SANADA into the Texas cloverleaf again! SANADA scratched and clawed and made it to the ropes. Tanahashi hit another Sling Blade and tried for the High Fly Flow, but SANADA hit him with a cutter in midair! With two top rope moonsaults, he stays in G1 contention.
    SANADA goes to 10 points

    G1 Climax 30 Standings

    A Block:
    12 points – Kota Ibushi, Jay White, Kazuchika Okada
    10 points – Will Ospreay
    8 points – Jeff Cobb, Taichi
    6 points – Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi
    0 points – Yujiro Takahashi

    B Block:
    12 points – Tetsuya Naito, EVIL
    10 points – SANADA, Zack Sabre Jr.
    8 points – Hirooki Goto, KENTA
    6 points – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson
    2 points – YOSHI-HASHI

  • Tama Tonga Reveals He Learnt About Harold Meij Leaving NJPW Online

    Tama Tonga Reveals He Learnt About Harold Meij Leaving NJPW Online

    New Japan Pro Wrestling star Tama Tonga recently discussed Harold Meij leaving the company. Harold Meij was previously New Japan’s President before stepping down from his position over the next month. Meij had been in the role since May of 2018.

    There’s been some controversy regarding Meij and the former members of the Elite group, who ventured out to create the All Elite Wrestling brand in the States.

    Tony Khan recently spoke to Dave Meltzer for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and said he thinks Meij’s departure could be a positive development towards a working relationship between AEW and New Japan. “I’m not sure yet,” was Tony Khan’s reaction to the Wrestling Observer. “But my initial gut feeling is it could be good.”

    Tama Tonga on Harold Meij

    Tama Tonga would admit on his Tama’s Island podcast that he didn’t know about the departure until he read it online. “I haven’t heard much, I’ve just been keeping up with the news [online]. Whenever they’ve been putting up on the news site, on the website for New Japan. I’ve been really trying to keep up with them but other than that it’s just [nothing]…you know?”

    Tonga then praised Meij after stating that it’s just another departure in a long line of NJPW Presidents. “Since my time in New Japan? I’ve gone through so many presidents, you know? The changes happen and we keep moving forward. But Meij has been great with us, great president, great to deal with and work with. And all that but best of luck to whatever he’s got going on next.”

    Tama Tonga
  • Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 15

    Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 15

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

    Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

    Start Times:

    • Pacific: 10/13 2:30AM
    • Eastern: 10/13 5:30AM
    • UK: 10/13 10:30AM
    • Japan: 10/13 6:30PM
    • East Australia: 10/13 8:30PM

    NJPW World Video

    G1 Climax 30 Day 15 Results

    Yuya Uemura def. Gabriel Kidd
    The whole theme of this match was both men trying to wear down each other’s arms so that there could be no resistance for their double arm suplexes. While Kidd employed a more grounded style befitting his British origins, Uemura employed a classic American underdog’s energy, throwing arm drags that would make Ricky Steamboat smile to set up his holds. Kidd hit a standing dropkick and tried for the double underhook suplex, but Uemura stuffed it and hit another arm drag followed by the double overhook suplex, which he has taken to calling the Kannuki (deadbolt) suplex. The results of these young lion matches has been quite even so far, but Uemura pulls ahead with only a few shows left.

    A Block: Jeff Cobb def. Will Ospreay
    This was the most obvious speed versus power match of the tournament, and it was entertaining watching Cobb creatively use his strength to stop or catch Ospreay’s high-energy offense. Cobb and Ospreay don’t have a lot in common in the way they wrestle, but they both tend to show off, and it has costed them matches. Ospreay tried for the Stormbreaker prematurely and Cobb simply threw him off. He was soon able to catch a running Cobb with a spanish fly followed by a springboard 450 splash for near fall. Cobb responded by catching Ospreay as he tried for the Oscutter, but Ospreay jumped to the corner to do it again and he caught Cobb off guard, landing it this time. He tried for the Stormbreaker once more, but again Cobb got out of it. He lifted Ospreay onto his shoulders and then dropped him into a German suplex. Cobb finished Ospreay off with the Tour of the Islands.
    Jeff Cobb goes to 8 points

    A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Yujiro Takahashi
    Yujiro Takahashi’s performance in this tournament has been underwhelming to say the least. On paper, no one would buy him as a threat to the man who won the whole thing last year either. It’s true, most of the match was Ibushi simply physically dominating Yujiro, but Yujiro had some clever moments. He caught a running Ibushi and gave him a flapjack on the ropes, or grabbed his legs to stop a plancha. These moments enabled him to come closer than the physical mismatch would suggest. Yujiro was able to hit Ibushi with Miami Shine for a near fall, and he lifted Ibushi to the top rope for a super Fisherman’s suplex! Another Fisherman’s suplex granted Yujiro yet another near fall on last year’s G1 winner. However, it could only get him so far. Yujiro tried for the Pimp Juice DDT, but Ibushi pushed him away and hit a jumping knee strike followed by the Kamigoye. With this victory, Ospreay and Okada’s paths to the final become increasingly difficult.
    Kota Ibushi goes to 12 points

    A Block: Taichi def. Shingo Takagi (16:21)
    Both Takagi and Taichi are all but out of contention from the Final at this point, so this match is a matter of pride more than anything else. Nevertheless, Taichi still found the chaotic energy within him to cheat. He stole the bell hammer from ringside and spent some time trying to choke Shingo with it. They really should have that thing hidden. After nearly receiving a backdrop driver from Taichi, Shingo, feeling cheeky, hit Taichi with a backdrop driver of his own. The match evolved into a wild festival of violence, as both athletes tried for their hardest strikes they could. After hitting an explosive gamengiri kick, Taichi gesticulated to the audience by imitating Shingo, grunting and flexing his muscles. The imitations of their opponents continued as the match progressed, with Shingo attempting Taichi’s Gedo Clutch and Taichi poorly attempting Shingo’s Last of the Dragon. Sure enough, neither man could imitate the other’s moves well enough to win. It would be Taichi’s thrust kick and Black Mephisto that would put Shingo Takagi down for the three count.

    A Block: Jay White def. Minoru Suzuki (20:30)
    Jay White spent the early going fleeing from Minoru Suzuki, and when he did finally find it within himself to face Suzuki, it was with a condescending attitude that only served to make Suzuki angry. He tried to throw hands with Suzuki, only to be leveled with ease. When he sneakily tried to use a chair, Suzuki grabbed it out of his hands and went to town on him. Jay White pivoted to attacking Suzuki’s vertical base, damaging his legs with modified dragonscrews. He tried for a snap sleeper suplex, but Suzuki caught his arm and slapped him in the face to send him running. Suzuki trapped Jay in a modified ankle lock, but Jay would crawl feebly to the ropes to break the hold, only to be pummeled yet again by Suzuki’s strikes. Gedo peeked his head into the ring, which got Suzuki’s attention and allowed Jay to capitalize with a chop block and the bladebuster. Jay called for the Blade Runner, but Suzuki somehow countered it into an armbar. He was tapping out but Gedo was distracting the referee again. Jay tried to sneak in the Blade Runner, but Suzuki grabbed his hair to stop him, then applied the sleeper hold. As he went for the Gotch-style piledriver, Gedo was pulling on the referee’s leg, and Jay was able to shift his weight to avoid the piledriver and hit a low blow. He followed up with the Blade Runner.
    Jay White goes to 12 points

    A Block: Kazuchika Okada def. Tomohiro Ishii (26:13)
    Tomohiro Ishii is out of the running for the G1 Final at this point. Kazuchika Okada is on the bubble as well, though, with both entrants at 12 points having defeated him. To make it to the Final, he will have to win both today and against Ospreay on Friday and hope both Jay White and Kota Ibushi lose. Despite these odds, his hubris was on display here, as he tried to show that he could throw strikes with Ishii and not regret it. For the most part, he failed. Ishii battered him with strikes and made him squirm with a superplex. However, as he came off the ropes for a lariat, Okada hit a standing dropkick followed by a Tombstone piledriver, then applied the Money Clip, but Ishii put his foot on the bottom rope to break the hold with relative ease. Okada managed to avoid Ishii’s sliding lariat and grab the arm to try for the Money Clip again, but Ishii dropped him with a DDT and applied an armbar. Okada received the rope break as well, but the Stone Pitbull was still in control. Okada lifted Ishii to the top rope and dropkicked him, but Ishii just endured it, then performed a diving knee drop! Ishii lifted Okada for the vertical brainbuster, but Okada got out of it and hit a spinning tombstone piledriver! He tried yet again for the Money Clip, but Ishii broke it with a codebreaker! Okada’s standing dropkick granted him the opportunity to try for the Money Clip for the umpteenth time. Ishii was starting to fight out of it, but Okada transitioned into a backbreaker and reapplied the hold for the referee stoppage victory.
    Kazuchika Okada goes to 12 points

    G1 Climax 30 Standings

    A Block:
    12 points – Kota Ibushi, Jay White, Kazuchika Okada
    10 points – Will Ospreay
    8 points – Jeff Cobb, Taichi
    6 points – Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi
    0 points – Yujiro Takahashi

    B Block:
    10 points – Tetsuya Naito, EVIL
    8 points – SANADA, Hirooki Goto, Zack Sabre Jr.
    6 points – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson, KENTA
    2 points – YOSHI-HASHI

  • Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 14

    Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 14

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

    Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

    Start Times:

    • Pacific: 10/11 2AM
    • Eastern: 10/11 5AM
    • UK: 10/11 10AM
    • Japan: 10/11 6PM
    • East Australia: 10/11 8PM

    NJPW World Video (Japanese Commentary)

    G1 Climax 30 Day 14 Results

    Gabriel Kidd def. Yota Tsuji (7:09)
    The longer this tournament lasts, the less patient and the mroe aggressive the young lions are getting with each other. It’s as if they are losing their inhibitions and becoming more willing to wrestle all-out, whether they win or lose. Also, you see both Uemura and Kidd gunning for Tsuji as he proves himself the favorite. Kidd, in particular, has been showing his LA Dojo training more and more, using body language while throwing elbow strikes that even commentary mentioned as being patterned after Katsuyori Shibata. Kidd landed a dropkick and double underhook suplex for the three-count.

    B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. def. YOSHI-HASHI (13:34)
    In the early going, Zack went after YOSHI-HASHI’s left arm, controlling the pace and forcing the first-time champion to rely on rope breaks to escape his holds. With strikes from his good arm, YOSHI-HASHI was able to fight back, taking advantage of Zack’s lack of durability. Zack clung to his game plan, throwing kicks to the bad arm and applying an Octopus hold, but YOSHI was able to reverse it into a cobra twist, and he transitioned into the Butterfly Lock. Zack was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold and land more stomps to the left arm, but YOSHI’s thrust kick sent him flopping to the mat again. YOSHI tried for Karma, but Zack was not having it, and he continued trying to rip YOSHI’s left arm out of its socket. YOSHI-HASHI was trapped, and did not have the mental capacity to give up, but the referee made that decision for him.
    Zack Sabre Jr. goes to 8 points

    B Block: KENTA def. Toru Yano (8:56)
    KENTA and Yano spent a good few minutes yelling at each other to put away the foreign objects that they brought to the ring: Yano’s red steel chair and KENTA’s IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender briefcase. It was ruled that neither object was allowed. Finally having touched after nearly five minutes, Yano threw KENTA into the guardrail, sprayed sanitizing fluid in his face, then threw a turnbuckle pad at him, but KENTA was able to make it back into the ring in time. KENTA worked over Yano and then pulled him, along with the briefcase, to the entrance stage. He hit  Yano in the head with the briefcase, causing it to open, and countless rolls of tape to spill out. KENTA taped Yano’s arm to the truss of the entranceway and left him to be counted out.
    KENTA goes to 6 points

    B Block: SANADA def. Juice Robinson (15:06)
    Both Juice and SANADA’s ability to factor into the finals of this tournament are largely dependent on the result of this match. Surprisingly, only a few days after SANADA’s victory over Tetsuya Naito, Juice was getting the better of him, while delivering some prime banter.  Between calling SANADA “Cold Stone” and telling the referee that he has until five in Japanese, showing his personality is where Juice shines. SANADA was finally able to create some momentum for himself after he dodged Juice’s cannonball splash and hit a dropkick and plancha. SANADA’s comeback did not last long, though, as Juice caught him with a full nelson slam, then hit a superplex and jackhammer to press the advantage. SANADA was still able to dodge Juice’s Left Hand of God and block his attempts at Pulp Friction. SANADA tried multiple times at the Skull End, but Juice avoided it in creative ways multiple times. Finally, SANADA was able to hit the dragon sleeper giant swing into the Skull End, followed by the top rope moonsault to put Juice away and stay alive.
    SANADA goes to 8 points

    B Block: Hirooki Goto def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (13:38)
    Another match with both men on the bubble of elimination. Tanahashi, as he is apt to do, targeted Goto’s knees with laserlike focus. Goto was already worn down by this tournament, having a wrapped right shoulder since his second match, and now his base was being removed from him as well. Tanahashi tried early for the Texas cloverleaf, but Goto got out of it without too much difficulty and hit the Ushigoroshi to finally inflict some offense. He tried for the Shouten Kai, but Tanahashi sandbagged it and hit Twist and Shout, followed by a counter Sling Blade. He perched on the top rope for the High Fly Flow, but Goto climbed up with him and slowed his roll with multiple headbutts. He lifted Tanahashi on his shoulders and dropped him to the mat with a nasty looking Ushigoroshi, but this also hurt his own knees in the process. Goto followed up with the reverse GTR, and Tanahashi desperately tried to apply a flash pin, but Goto kicked out of it. He hit the normal GTR and put the Ace down for the three count. Goto is still in; Tanahashi is out.
    Hirooki Goto goes to 8 points

    B Block: EVIL def. Tetsuya Naito (23:57)
    After wrestling two main event title matches, Naito and the new EVIL are well-acquainted with each other. However, even though Naito definitively won at Summer Struggle, his animosity for EVIL, the man who betrayed Los Ingobernables de Japon, was more evident than ever. He smiled as he cranked EVIL’s neck in holds and refused to break them, even when he was told to by the referee. However, this did not mean he was immune to EVIL’s nefarious deeds, or those of his new right-hand man, Dick Togo. Togo was still there to distract the referee at times, or even be the aggressor, but Naito was smarter about avoiding their tactics this time. Nevertheless, Naito was on the back foot for most of this match. He got out of EVIL’s Scorpion Deathlock and retaliated with a rolling kick and Gloria for a near fall. EVIL pushed Naito into an exposed turnbuckle and used this opportunity to take control again. EVIL got Naito up for Darkness Falls but received a counter Destino for it. EVIL tried for his self-named finish but Naito avoided it, only to be hit by Darkness Falls this time. EVIL kept trying for EVIL, but Naito kept foiling his attempts. Dick Togo got in the ring yet again, and Naito disposed of him easily, but EVIL had the opportunity to hit a low blow on Naito in the meantime. This did not deter Naito, who hit a flying forearm on EVIL, followed by a running Destino for a near fall. He tried for one more Destino, but EVIL countered it into his self-named finish hold for the victory.
    EVIL goes to 10 points

    G1 Climax 30 Standings

    A Block:
    10 points – Jay White, Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada
    6 points – Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, Jeff Cobb
    0 points – Yujiro Takahashi

    B Block:
    10 points – Tetsuya Naito
    8 points – EVIL, SANADA, Hirooki Goto, Zack Sabre Jr.
    6 points – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson, KENTA
    2 points – YOSHI-HASHI

  • Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 13

    Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 13

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

    Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

    Start Times:

    • Pacific: 10/10 1AM
    • Eastern: 10/10 4AM
    • UK: 10/10 9AM
    • Japan: 10/10 5PM
    • East Australia: 10/10 6PM

    NJPW World Video

    G1 Climax 30 Day 13 Results

    Yuya Uemura def. Yota Tsuji (9:03)
    If you’re keeping score at home, Yota Tsuji so far has won the most matches in this three-man young lion round robin. With this in mind, Yuya Uemura aggressively and relentlessly attacked Tsuji’s arms to weaken them so that he would be unable to resist the double arm suplex. Tsuji had to rely on his strength and agility to get out of Uemura’s holds and take advantage whenever possible. Tsuji came off the ropes for a spear, but Uemura hit a beautiful arm drag and applied the bridging double arm suplex for the pinfall victory.

    A Block: Jeff Cobb def. Tomohiro Ishii (14:57)
    The consensus on Jeff Cobb is that, even if he doesn’t have the points to show for it yet, he’s been performing much more confidently in his second G1 than his first. He had no trouble asserting his will on the smaller but still heavy Tomohiro Ishii, tossing him like a sack of potatoes repeatedly. However, when it came to striking, Ishii may have had the edge on Cobb, sending him tumbling with a loud elbow to the face. With Ishii starting to take control, Cobb became desperate. A sickening flying headbutt and a flying lariat put Ishii on the back foot, but he avoided Cobb’s try at Tour of the Islands. He evened the odds with a full nelson suplex and a lariat, but Cobb kicked out. Nevertheless, he was seeing stars. Cobb was able to stuff Ishii’s brainbuster attempt and land the Athletic-Plex, but Ishii was not out yet. They traded headbutts again and neither man won, but Ishii rose to his feet first. Ishii charged at Cobb, but Cobb caught him with a pop-up powerbomb followed by the Tour of the Islands!
    Jeff Cobb goes to 6 points

    A Block: Jay White def. Yujiro Takahashi (3:42)
    Jay White entered wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants, clearly not expecting to actually wrestle a match here. He told Yujiro to lay down to be pinned, as any Bullet Club member should. However, Yujiro kicked out of Jay’s pin. The unprepared White faced an onslaught of offense from the Tokyo Pimp, who would not go down without a fight. IYujiro hit an Olympic slam and Miami Shine for near falls, but Jay avoided the Pimp Juice DDT, then hit a low blow on Yujiro when Gedo distracted the referee. Finally, he hit the Blade Runner for the one-move win. He was furious with Yujiro and tried to get a chair to hit him after the match, but Gedo told him to calm down, and he reluctantly did.
    Jay White goes to 10 points

    A Block: Will Ospreay def. Taichi (16:26)
    Will Ospreay was very vocal, goading Taichi to try his best and to give him more effort. Taichi gave effort in his own way, sneakily stealing the ring bell and luring Ospreay to the outside to choke him with it. Taichi dragged him back in the ring and gave him multiple choking pins, but a dropkick and Sasuke Special put the match firmly into Ospreay’s control. Feeling the pressure of Ospreay’s high-flying offense, Taichi fired back up with kicks and his first “dangerous” backdrop driver. Taichi lifted Ospreay to the top rope for an attempt at an avalanche Black Mephisto, but Ospreay was able to make it out of harm’s way. Ospreay tried for a top rope 450 splash, but Taichi got his knees up, and then hit an Axe Bomber to the back of Ospreay’s neck, clearly inspired by Ospreay’s Hidden Blade. Ospreay hit a superkick to slow Taichi down, but he went for the Oscutter he ate a superkick of his own. Taichi went for Black Mephisto, but Ospreay blocked it, and hit the Oscutter for a near fall. He followed up with the Hidden Blade and the Stormbreaker to put Taichi away.
    Will Ospreay goes to 10 points

    A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Minoru Suzuki (16:58)
    Both men approached each other with a shoot-inspired striking style, throwing slaps and kicks before Suzuki caught Ibushi with a takedown and applied a leglock. Ibushi finally managed to fight Suzuki off and kick him out of the ring, but Suzuki walked to the top of the entrance ramp and taunted Ibushi to follow him. Ibushi could have just waited for Suzuki to be counted out, but his hubris got the better of him, and he followed Suzuki to the outside, only to be knocked him down by Suzuki’s elbow. He went back to the ring to let Ibushi be counted out, but Ibushi made it back in time. Suzuki, always with a point to prove, endured Ibushi’s soccer kicks instead of fighting back, before eventually popping up and sending Ibushi to the mat with one elbow. Both men got to their feet and started wildly striking with each other with no abandon. Suzuki hit a palm strike that made Ibushi’s sweat fly, then tried for the Gotch-style piledriver, but Ibushi avoided it. Ibushi saw an opportunity for the Kamigoye, but Suzuki reversed it into a high-angle Boston crab. Ibushi was able to make it back to his feet and hit a Kamigoye on a standing Suzuki, then a normal Kamigoye. Suzuki was down for the three count, but was still smiling as he stumbled away.
    Kota Ibushi goes to 10 points

    A Block: Kazuchika Okada def. Shingo Takagi (27:45)
    Okada and Shingo have a mutual connection in the form of being trained by people with relation to the Dragon System. Okada was primarily trained by Ultimo Dragon before joining the NJPW Dojo, while Shingo was entirely brought up within Dragon Gate. The early part of the match was spent with Shingo taking the lead, being indignant about Okada’s performance lately. A once dominant-champion was now ekeing out wins via flash pins, and all but abandoning the finish hold that made him famous. Okada’s dropkick sent Shingo tumbling out of the ring, and Okada capitalized with a hangman’s DDT on the apron. Okada brought Shingo back into the ring and tried to apply the Money Clip, but he couldn’t lock it in, so Shingo picked him up and put him down with the Noshigami, followed by a wheelbarrow German suplex. He came off the ropes but Okada was able to make his feet and hit a standing dropkick. Okada climbed to the top rope, only for Shingo to make him pay for it with a superplex. Okada tried for a Tombstone piledriver, but Shingo got out of it and tried to lift Okada for the Last of the Dragon. However, Okada avoided it and tried to put Takagi away with the rana pin he’s been winning matches with lately, but Shingo kicked out. Okada hit a spinning Tombstone piledriver and applied the Money Clip again, but Shingo was able to make it to his feet. He hit Okada with a Rainmaker and Made in Japan for a near fall! He hit a gnarly Pumping Bomber for yet another near fall. Okada wriggled out of Shingo’s Last of the Dragon and hit a rolling lariat, followed by a backbreaker into the Money Clip. Seeing Shingo losing consciousness from the hold, the referee stopped the match in Okada’s favor.
    Kazuchika Okada goes to 10 points

    G1 Climax 30 Standings

    A Block:
    10 points – Jay White, Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada
    6 points – Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, Jeff Cobb
    0 points – Yujiro Takahashi

    B Block:
    10 points – Tetsuya Naito
    8 points – EVIL
    6 points – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson, Hirooki Goto, Zack Sabre Jr., SANADA
    4 points – KENTA
    2 points – YOSHI-HASHI