IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada performed for Melbourne City Wrestling today in the main event of #MCWRain.
Okada defeated ‘The Business’ Slex in front of a sold out Thornbury Theatre in what was MCW’s biggest event to date.
During his time in Australia the ‘Rainmaker’ made some promises that will be massively beneficial to the Australian independent scene going forward, namely that he will be bringing in fellow New Japan Pro Wrestling stars Tanahashi, Naito and Kenny Omega to MCW “as soon as possible.”
Make of that what you will but this is a very exciting time for the Australian wrestling scene and it looks to keep getting bigger and bigger as time rolls on.
Are you based in Australia? Did you Okada in MCW today? Let us know in the comments…
Revolution Pro and New Japan Pro Wrestling are hosting two nights of international action in London this week. Night 1 of ‘Global Wars’ took place last night and the event is now available to purchase via Rev Pro’s On Demand service.
Here are the results from Night 1:
Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship Match: “All Day Star” Ryan Smile b. Josh Bodom & Bushi – Smile took the pinfall win to become the new Cruiserweight champion
Toru Yano & Gedo b. Lord Gideon Grey & No Fun Dunne
“Super King Of Bros” Matt Riddle b. El Desperado
“The Villain” Marty Scurll b. Tetsuya Naito – after the match Naito attacked the ring announcer and referee for the bout
A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has detailed the timeline of events leading up to Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega being signed for WrestleKingdom.
According to the report, Jericho was influenced by the build-up to Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather and wanted to do something similar. A match with Omega, he felt, would feel similar in that it is something fans thought they’d never see.
Jericho ended up pitching the idea to NJPW commentator, Don Callis, who then pitched the idea to Omega. All 3 men involved are from Winnipeg and Callis’ podcast with Lance Storm is on Jericho’s podcast network.
Omega then pitched the idea to Gedo. In August, Jericho and NJPW officials arranged a secret meeting in New York. The deal wasn’t finalized until October, however, with Jericho’s videotaped challenge to Omega being filmed shortly after.
Kenny Omega recently took part in an interview with Tokyo Sports. During the course of the interview, he addressed the rumors that his rivalry with Chris Jericho will lead to him going to WWE.
Interestingly, the article also states Chris Jericho is still a WWE contracted star. Current speculation is Jericho is a free agent and did not inform WWE of his decision to perform at WrestleKingdom.
We’ve used Google Translate to decipher Omega’s comments below. Translation from Japanese to English can be difficult but the general point of his comments still comes through.
Omega on if his rivalry with Jericho will lead to him going to WWE:
“I denied the possibility that this round will be a priming call for WWE transfer, “I am absolutely here, I will tell you that the new Japan is a place where players can keep fighting on their real self, I’d like to say that it is a wonderful place”
Tokyo Sports on WWE’s Interest in Kenny Omega:
“There is no doubt that WWE has keen interest in Kenny as success of Shinsuke Nakamura (37) and other newcomers professional wrestlers continues. It is said that there was an offer even after 1.4 dome this year.”
Omega on receiving a WWE offer after WrestleKingdom last year:
“I do not know why they are here (WWE Superstars) because they do not go there and I have to come here, as I have refused to contact WWE many times, have you come to crush me?”
Tokyo Sports Comments on Chris Jericho’s WWE Contract Status:
“The two (Omega and Jericho) have been controversy on Twitter since October, but this factor alone is not sweet enough to make the entry into war. A related official said, “Although Jericho is not full-time, he still has a deal with WWE, so of course Vince (President McMahon) is also giving permission for this entry, although the real intention is not certain, WWE ‘s attention to Kenny got particularly high this year, it is revealed that it is realized only because the opponent is Kenny.”
New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 show on January 4th 2018 just got launched into the stratosphere. As well as announcing some high profile title bouts we now have the unbelievable treat of seeing Chris Jericho perform outside of a WWE ring for the first time in decades.
When Jericho appeared in a pre-taped promo video during Sunday’s Power Struggle it ignited the world of pro wrestling, and many fans were left wondering how this will play out. Here are the three questions that we have following the blockbuster announcement:
Is Chris Jericho Done with WWE?
As mentioned previously, Y2J has not performed outside of the WWE umbrella for an extremely long period of time, he has himself mentioned that he didn’t ever intend to wrestle for anyone other than Vince McMahon before he retired. The announcement of the ‘Alpha’ vs Omega has blown this right out of the water…
There have been multiple reports over the past few months of unrest within the WWE locker room, now while much can be attributed to hyperbole it cannot be understated how there’s no smoke without fire. There is a very good chance that we will see Jericho inside a WWE ring once again, remember that it isn’t unprecedented to see someone perform at a Wrestle Kingdom and then appear in WWE as early as the Royal Rumble, AJ Styles performed this feat last year.
This could easily be Jericho just wanting to test himself against one of the best in the world, but there could be deeper issues at play here.
Will This Be The First and Only Match Between These Two?
You may or may not be aware of the upcoming ‘Jericruise.’ Chris Jericho sent out the following Survey Monkey gauging interest for a Rock n’ Wrestling themed cruise and he recently announced that The Young Bucks would be part of the festivities.
The Bucks are very good friends with their fellow ‘Elite’ stablemate…Kenny Omega. There’s a very good chance that after the January 4th bout Jericho and Omega will face off once again in 2018 as part of this off shore event.
Did Jericho want Kenny as part of the cruise and New Japan would only agree if he took part at Wrestle Kingdom? There’s a very good chance of it.
How Will This Impact NJPW’s Global Expansion?
Whether you’re already a fan of New Japan or not, you have to admit that this is the most high profile bout in recent company history. Yes, Omega had one of the most incredible trilogies in wrestling against Kazuchika Okada, but this is a multiple time WWE champion making the jump back to one of his former stomping grounds.
If promoted correctly, the NJPWWorld site could see a huge influx of fans across the United States, Europe and beyond subscribing to see some of the most dynamic in ring work on the planet, even beyond this dream bout.
Are you looking forward to this mega matchup? Let us know in the comments.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has been making some big moves recently, most notably with the signing of Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega for January 4th’s Tokyo Dome show.
NJPW has now also announced some of the teams heading into their upcoming World Tag League event starting on November 18th, the event will be shown live and for FREE on Njpwworld.com.
Former NXT star Sami Callihan will be making his NJPW debut when he joins forces with Juice Robinson. Callihan had previously been rumored to debut as part of the ‘Switchblade’ promo packages leading up to the Power Struggle event this past Sunday. Jay White was eventually revealed as ‘Switchblade’ after much speculation.
Lucha Underground star Jeff Cobb will also be making his way to New Japan for the World Tag League. Cobb had previously been slated to join forces with Matt Riddle, however his confirmed partner for the tournament has been unveiled as NJPW standout Michael Elgin.
During a weekend press conference to promote New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event on January 4th, IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega spoke about competing against Chris Jericho at the show.
Omega spoke about a ceiling that exists in pro wrestling regarding how popular the athletes can become. “There’s a ceiling here. You can only get so famous. Pro wrestling can only get so popular. My dream is to break that ceiling. It always has been,” he said.
“Are we only big in Japan now? No. Everyone knows who we are. Everyone knows New Japan, but there’s still that ceiling. There’s still the image that we can never compete. Watch me compete.”
Omega was asked about WWE and stated that there’s not a single wrestler on the WWE roster that compares to what he can do in the ring.
“WWE, in general — you can quote me on this I don’t care — everyone there is so below me. No one can put together a performance like me from there. Anyone that’s copying anyone is copying me. I’m the trend right now. I don’t need to search anyone as an opponent. I don’t need the need to take on anyone from there to prove anything.”
The card for New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event on January 4, 2018 is starting to take shape. New Japan announced on Monday that ROH World Champion Cody Rhodes will defend his title against Kota Ibushi.
Chris Jericho will be returning to Japan when he faces Kenny Omega at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event on January 4, 2018 from the Tokyo Dome.
After weeks of back and forth trash talking on Twitter, this weekend’s NJPW Power Struggle show featured a video of package of Jericho challenging Omega (Video). Jericho said, “Let’s see who’s really the best, b*tch”
Since Jericho wrapped up his most recent run with WWE, Jericho has been touring with his metal band Fozzy and announced his Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager cruise, which will feature appearances by The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Diamond Dallas Page, Mick Foley, Rey Mysterio and matches featuring talent from Ring of Honor.
At this time it appears that Jericho is working as a free agent and it’s unclear what (if any) involvement WWE had with this appearance for the number two wrestling promotion in the world.
Jericho wrestled in Japan early in his career and competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling back in 1997-1998 when WCW had a working relationship with the promotion.
Chris Jericho posted the following on Instagram hyping the dream match:
A new match has been announced for NJPW’s (New Japan Pro Wrestling) Power Struggle event.
Trent Barreta will challenge for Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States Title. The match was officially announced after Barreta challenged Omega at Sunday’s Road to Power Struggle show. This marks the third time that Omega will defend his title since winning it in Long Beach this summer.
Four title matches are set to be featured on the card. The event is slated to take place at the Edion Arena in Osaka this Sunday. Here is the updated card: — IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defending against Kota Ibushi
— IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay defending against Marty Scurll
— IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega defending against Trent Barreta
— NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defending against Toru Yano in a bullrope match
— Sho & Yoh vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & ACH in the finals of the Super Junior Tag Team Tournament
— Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Cody, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
— Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, El Desperado & Taka Michinoku
It looks as though the Bullet Club want some more Cease & Desist letters….
Marty Scurll, Kenny Omega and Chase Owens dressed up as part of a New Japan ‘Halloween Spectacular’ during a recent Road to Power Struggle event and…well you can see the video below for the full Aladdin themed entrance.
Former UFC star Matt Riddle had been rumored for a potential debut in New Japan’s annual World Tag League event later this year. The company had planned on unveiling both Riddle and EVOLVE/Lucha Underground star Jeff Cobb as a way of pushing the often under hyped series.
The deal confirming Riddle’s part on the tour was all but sealed according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however it is believed that NJPW’s parent company Bushiroad had discovered Riddle’s UFC test failures for marijuana.
Japanese culture takes a strong stance against marijuana, a case in point being Matt Sydal’s expulsion from New Japan following his arrest by Japanese officials back in 2016. It is not clear at this time if Riddle and New Japan are still in talks or if this deal is indeed completely off the table, Cobb is still slated to debut as part of the World Tag League tour.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest event of the year is just around the corner. The annual January 4th Tokyo Dome show is the highlight of many fan’s wrestling calendar and 2018’s iteration looks set to be one of the biggest in company history.
Tickets for Wrestle Kingdom 12 were released for sale this week to Overseas fans and the demand has been staggering. Tickets from the English Language site have now officially sold out and NJPW will be looking to establish more availability going forward.
New Japan released the following press release for the Overseas ticket site:
January 4, 2018 where will you be?! “Wrestle Kingdom 12” tickets now on sale! Check out the English info site for info on how to attend the most exciting pro-wrestling event of the year!
“Wrestle Kingdom 12” general admission tickets are now on sale! New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s biggest event of the year is now easier than ever to see live for international fans! We’ve partnered with e-plus to provide ticket purchasing in English for fans. Purchase here
And fans can also purchase ticket packages with HIS, with convenient hotel accommodations included with Wrestle Kingdom 12 ticket options. 30 lucky fans will also receive a signed postcard from Kenny Omega! More details here:
We invite fans across the world to experience pro-wrestling’s foremost spectacle, live at the Tokyo Dome! We will soon open the official English Wrestle Kingdom 12 site!
IWGP United States Champion and 2016 G1 Climax winner Kenny Omega recently took to Twitter to respond to fans following his online exchange with Chris Jericho.
One fan claimed that comparing Jericho and Omega is “like saying hes the best minor league hockey player of all time, but did he make it to the nhl? No he was just boss in minors…”
Omega took umbrage with this comment and tweeted the following:
Bad comparison. The best wrestler(s) aren’t in your idea of “the majors” but the best hockey talent is overwhelmingly in NHL. https://t.co/OqZ7dcBoaj
Do you agree with Omega? Do you think that he could one day be described as one of the greatest ever, or do you need to have been in WWE to gain this accolade?
While Jericho’s tweet may have been in humour it certainly doesn’t appear to have been taken that way by New Japan’s IWGP US Champion. Following the recent issues between WWE and The Young Bucks as well as Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns it seems only likely that the bad blood between the two camps will not go away anytime soon.
What do you make of Jericho’s comments? Let us know in the comments.
New Japan Pro Wresting employee George W Carroll recently revealed that NJPW will be making a “major announcement” as part of their Power Struggle presentation on November 5th.
The nature of this announcement is not yet known however several rumors are beginning to surface including the in-ring return of Katsuyori Shibata, another round of United States based television tapings and the reveal of the ‘Switchblade’ character.
We’ll keep you updated as soon as more details come to light.
Ring of Honor announced on Thursday that IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega has signed on to compete at Supercard of Honor XII, which takes place from New Orleans during WrestleMania 34 weekend.
Reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi is also confirmed for the show.
Tickets are now on sale for Supercard of Honor XII, which takes place Saturday night, April 7th and goes head-to-head with NXT Takeover.
“The Cleaner” Kenny Omega was victorious in the main event of Sunday night’s Global Wars: Chicago pay-per-view. That show wrapped up a 4-night sellout tour for ROH.
He’s advertised for ROH’s upcoming shows from Ft. Lauderdale, FL (11/11) and Lakeland, FL (11/12).
Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega have had arguably one of the greatest trilogies in wrestling history this year, and now their third match from this year’s G1 Climax tournament will be aired on AXS TV this Friday night.
As always commentary will be provided by Jim Ross and Josh Barnett, if you have not yet seen this bout then I urge you to check this out on Friday night.
New Japan has unveiled the full card for their upcoming Road To Power Struggle event that takes place this Saturday from Togane-shi, Chiba.
NJPW has also confirmed that a special attraction match will be taking place between Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debuts. New Japan released the following press release on the historic bout: With careers that have seen them compete all over the world, in pro-wrestling’s greatest competitions, Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi are set to face off in a special singles match commemorating the 25 year anniversary since their debut! While Nagata and Nakanishi have faced off against each other numerous times in tag battles, it’s in singles competition where their rivalry truly burns white hot.
Here is the rest of the card:
Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitmura vs Yujiro Takahashi & Leo Tonga
Shota Umino, Tetsuhiro Yagi & Ren Narita vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & El Desperado
Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Tiger Mask, Dragon Lee & Titan vs Ryusuke Taguchi, ACH, KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato
Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka & TAKA Michinoku
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs Kota Ibushi, Juice Robinson & David Finlay
Causal Wrestling fans only know MVP for his stint with WWE but the former United States Champion has worked for many famous wrestling companies in his career so far including TNA, Lucha Underground and more.
The former WWE Star who is currently working for NJPW recently had an interview with The Roman Show where he talked about a variety of wrestling related topics. Below are some of the highlights from his interview:
Pitching New Japan World to The NJPW President in 2011:
“I remember having a meeting with President Naoki Sugabayashi in 2011 and I pitched New Japan World back then because there is a huge English speaking audience that wanted access to the product,” MVP recalled. “I guess it was just matter of timing.”
Mismanagement of TNA:
“I don’t know what to say about them it’s constant mismanagement. Some of the greatest talent came from there, guys like Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Bobby Roode. You have all these guys that aren’t there anymore. TNA was must successful under Jeff Jarrett’s leadership. Under Dixie Carter, it spiraled under. I was hoping Jeff Jarrett would raise it, but I don’t know, it remains to be seen.”
If TNA should shut down:
“Our industry needs TNA. I never understood fans that hoped TNA goes out of business. We need a strong solid company for guys to continue to work that can make money and do well. That’s just stupid to me. I don’t like orange soda, but I don’t wish Sunkist goes out of business. I just don’t drink it.”
His favorite wrestling company:
“New Japan is my personal favorite wrestling company. Working there was my dream. It was my dream to wrestle in the Tokyo Dome. I am happy the WWE Universe is being exposed, in my opinion, to the best wrestling on the planet.”
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada will be appearing for Australia’s Melbourne City Wrestling on November 11th.
New Japan star Will Ospreay recently stated that he plans to put Australian wrestling “on the map” and that he may be bringing some friends with him…well it looks like MCW fans have got their wish with Ospreay’s CHAOS stablemate heading to the promotion.
Are you an MCW regular? Will you be heading to #MCWRain on November 11th? Let us know in the comments.
New Japan Pro Wrestling are now building up to their biggest show, January’s Wrestle Kingdom from the Tokyo Dome.
One of the stops on the way to Wrestle Kingdom is Power Struggle, and this year’s iteration already has some intriguing titles matches set up:
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs Kota Ibushi – Kota Ibushi spent a good amount of time away from the company, performing on the UK independent scene as well as the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. Tanahashi has been a fine Intercontinental Champion, however he has not elevated the belt in the same way that former champion Shinsuke Nakamura managed and there’s a good chance that Kota wins here to setup a match against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs Marty Scurll – Ospreay became the first ever British born IWGP Junior champion when he defeated KUSHIDA at King of Pro Wrestling, Marty Scurll has the opportunity here to become the second ever. This is a rivalry that has transcended companies and the New Japan faithful are in for a real treat.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki (c) vs Toru Yano – The most lopsided match on the card? You’d think so but Yano has this uncanny ability to beat Minoru Suzuki at will. Low blows and roll ups seem to be the order of the day when it comes to this match-up however I expect Suzuki to finally overcome Yano and show his dominance heading into the Tokyo Dome on January 4th.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada spoke with NJPW’s official website. Here are the highlights:
Calling Los Ingobernables “too soft”:
“Well, they’re certainly popular, there’s no doubt about that. You see LIJ shirts at all the venues, and even outside of wrestling on the street there are LIJ shirts and caps. They’re super popular. But as an actual team … I think they’re still a little too soft.” “Well, generally speaking, they’re a young team. They should be really representing what the present and future of wrestling is, but I’m not sure that’s something they’re getting across to the fans. CHAOS aren’t as young as them, maybe we don’t beat them in terms of speed, but we have a lot more up our sleeves. That’s what makes us a great team.”
Younger wrestlers wanting to challenge him: “I think whatever field you’re in, you always need something new, always need change. That’s how something everyone loves and that’s what’s inspirational. I don’t want fans in the future to say ‘Okada was cool, but after that…’”
Wrestle Kingdom is New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual January 4th Tokyo Dome show, it is regarded as one of the premier events in all of wrestling and now the main event for the 2018 event has been confirmed: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada will be defending against Tetsuya Naito .
Naito won the right to challenge Okada after winning this year’s G1 Climax tournament, although he had to defend his ‘contract’ for the match against Tomohiro Ishii at this past Monday’s King of Pro Wrestling event.
Okada also confirmed his participation in the Tokyo Dome main event after defeating Los Ingobernables member EVIL in the main event of King of Pro Wrestling.
This is looking like a match for the ages, who do you think will win?
New Japan released a teaser video earlier this year for a potential new signing. The ‘Switchblade’ video heavily hinted at former NXT superstar Sami Callihan’s impending debut for New Japan.
The company has released a further video confirming the debut of ‘Switchblade’ at the Power Struggle event on November 5th.
Who do you think will be debuting? Let us know in the comments.
