The most important shows in NJPW’s global expansion plan take place July 1st and July 2nd in Los Angeles.
With yesterday’s Dominion show concluded, the promotion announced the full lineup for Night 1 and a partial lineup for Night 2 of the short American tour.
NJPW July 1st 2017 Lineup
the Briscoes, Will Ospreay, & Roppongi Vice (CHAOS) vs. Bad Luck Fale, the Young Bucks, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll (Bullet Club)
Jushin Liger, Volador Jr., Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Sanada, Evil, Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables)
IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kushida, Jay White & David Finlay vs. Billy Gunn, Yoshi Tatsu, Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll appeared on Sam Robert’s Wrestling Podcast and challenged former WWE Champion CM Punk. The newest member of the Bullet Club made the following comments during the show:
“CM Punk, I’d like to bring CM Punk out of retirement and wrestle him for sure. I don’t know if CM Punk listens to this show, but if he [does]…CM Punk, if you’re watching, come out of retirement. We can cause quite a bother of a wrestling match. What do you say? And that’d be fun, right? Yeah, that’s one for the headlines!”
Do you think that CM Punk will ever come out of retirement? If so who would you like to see him face and in which promotion? Let us know in the comments.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual Dominion show took place today inside the historic Osaka-Jo Hall. The main event of the card was the much anticipated rematch between Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. Here are the full results from the sold out event:
David Finlay, Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino b. Hirai Kawato, Katsuya Kitamura & Tetsuhiro Yagi – Finlay hit the Prima Nocta on Yagi to secure the win for his team
Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask W & Tiger Mask IV b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger – Makabe hit the King Kong Knee Drop on Nakanishi to secure the win for his team.
NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Championship Gauntlet Match – SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b.
Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson & Ricochet
Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI
Bad Luck Fale, Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi
Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Daichi
BUSHI secured the win in this 6 man gauntlet match by hitting the MX on Taguchi in the final round, this was Los Ingobernables’ first defence of the titles
IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match – The Young Bucks b.Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero & Barreta) – The Young Bucks regain their Junior Tag Team Titles after Nick Jackson submitted Rocky Romero with a Sharpshooter
IWGP Tag Championship Match – Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa b. War Machine Raymond (Rowe & Hanson) – Tonga & Loa regained their Tag Team Titles after Tonga hit the Guerrilla Warfare. This was War Machine’s second defence of the belts
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA b. Hiromu Takahashi – Best of the Super Juniors winner KUSHIDA finally regained his Junior Heavyweight title by applying the Hoverboard Lock just before the twenty minute mark. This was Hiromu’s 5th defence of the title. BUSHI appeared after the match and sprayed mist in KUSHIDA’s face, seemingly asserting himself as the next challenger for the belt
NEVER Openweight Championship – ‘Lumberjack Death Match’ Minoru Suzuki b. Hirooki Goto – Suzuki took the win after hitting the Gotch Style Piledriver, YOSHI-HASHI appeared after the match and declared himself the next challenger to the NEVER title
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match – Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Tetsuya Naito – Tanahashi won the gold using the Texas Clover Leaf. Naito had threatened to destroy the Intercontinental Title and remove it from New Japan if he won this match
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega – HOW DO THEY DO IT!? This match ended in a time limit draw at the 60 minute mark and somehow it topped the bout they had at Wrestle Kingdom this year. Go out of your way to watch this incredible match
Kenny Omega faces Kazuchika Okada this weekend in Osaka, Japan for the IWGP heavyweight championship. It is a rematch from their highly-praised Tokyo Dome match at WrestleKingdom.
Omega wrote an article for Sports Illustrated recently, and spoke about the importance of not falling into patterns.
Kenny Omega’s Letter to Fans
On his health heading into Dominion: “Okada and I had the most recent Best of the Super Juniors tour off (partially), and it’s done wonders for my health both physically and mentally. Even though it has only been a few weeks, I’ve made improvements to my physique, healed various nagging injuries, and found new sources of inspiration for future matches.”
On his rematch with Okada being “different”: “As for the next match with Okada, I’ve mentioned previously that I hope to create something very different in feeling from the Tokyo Dome match. It would actually be easy to copy the old formula for an easy 4.5+ match rating, but I’ve never been one to follow patterns for the sake of a standalone rating and/or reaction.”
On his relationship with the Young Bucks: “Speaking of the Young Bucks, they’ll be here this weekend and we plan to tear the house down at the Road to Dominion show in the main event on June 9 against Okada, Rocky Romero, and Beretta. Of course, they’ll corner me on June 11 as well (not to mention film a few Being the Elite’s, as well). Those guys mean the world to me, and no matter how much negativity surrounds me, their support and positivity help me be the best Kenny Omega that I can possibly be.”
David Finlay, Shota Umino and Tomoyuki Oka vs. Hirai Kawato, Katsuya Kitamura and Tetsuhiro Yagi
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger, Manabu Nakanishi and Satoshi Kojima vs. Tiger Mask, Tiger Mask W, Togi Makabe and Yuji Nagata
NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championships Gauntlet Match Los Ingobernables (Bushi, Evil and Sanada) (c) vs. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Chaos (Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and Yoshi-Hashi) vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. Taguchi Japan (Juice Robinson, Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi)
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero) (CHAOS) (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (Bullet Club)
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) (c) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Roa) (Bullet Club)
Cody (Bullet Club) Vs. Michael Elgin
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Hiromu Takahashi (c) (Los Ingobernables) vs. Kushida
NEVER Openweight Championship Lumberjack Deathmatch Minoru Suzuki (c) (Suzuki-Gun) vs. Hirooki Goto (CHAOS)
Kenny Omega was a guest on Live Audio Wrestling recently, and spoke on many things relating to his career.
Omega will be wrestling Kazuchika Okada next weekend at NJPW Dominion. It will be a rematch of their epic Tokyo Dome match from WrestleKingdom on January 4th.
Afterwards, Omega will play a big role at the G1 USA specials from Los Angeles on July 1st and 2nd.
Here are some of the highlights from his interview with the LAW:
On using big moves in his matches:
“I think a lot of people, unfortunately in this day and age, rely too much on the flash of the move itself. So many moves now look prettier than they ever did when they were first performed. The Shooting Star [Presses] of today look so much prettier than the Shooting Stars of the 90’s, but the Shooting Stars from the 90’s arguably meant more because it was always a finish. Now, I can name 25 guys that are doing Shooting Star Presses and a lot of times it doesn’t mean anything. I think that’s sort of the plight of today’s pro wrestling: Our every day athlete has actually gotten better; however, because it’s so easy to rely on your physical ability, the intellect has been sort of ignored […] As a professional wrestler in the position I am in, I would rather have people remember my matches for an emotion or for a certain thought it evoked when they saw it. I don’t want people to look back at my matches and say, ‘When you did that move it was good and I liked it because it was cool,’ I want people to sort of remember a rush of images and the emotion that they felt when they saw it. That’s when I think you have a real masterpiece in your hands.”
On Shibata’s Injury, and “Strong Style” Wrestling:
“Everything we do in general, there’s gonna be a percentage of risk. Me, making my entrance to the ring, there’s actually a percentage of risk I’m going to trip and fall and hurt myself. Me, getting up on the apron, there’s a percentage of risk. It’s [asking ourselves], ‘How do we keep that percentage as low as possible at all times?’ […] Shibata had been battling injury and toughing out tours, probably for a long time. […] When you’re just generally tired and you’re already battling a myriad of injuries, that percentage is naturally going to creep up. […] It’s not something I would ever do. I do feel that Shibata probably felt comfortable in doing it and that he probably felt that, ‘It’s a big match, so I need to express myself in this manner.’ I get that. But, we sometimes as performers don’t even know our limits.”
On What is Strong Style Wrestling Exactly:
“There’s actually a very safe way to do ‘Strong Style’ and it doesn’t necessarily have to be how I see people mimicking it. I see a lot of folks on the indies that don’t quite know the secret to what ‘Strong Style’ really is, and they’re killing each other with elbows, they’re killing each other with head butts, they’re killing each other with kicks as hard as they can, and that actually isn’t the true art form of what ‘Strong Style’ is. What true ‘Strong Style’ really is, is the battle of the heart of man. It’s not about how strong and how forceful you’re throwing your blows. It’s showing the never-say-die attitude of the human spirit. As long as it looks like you’re fighting and giving your all, people will believe.”
On his rematch with Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Dominion:
“Much like I do with all of my matches, I’m not really one to ‘rinse, wash and repeat’ things. I think that rather than trying to force fans into drawing a direct comparison to [ask themselves] which match is better, I would rather give them two completely different stories that they can appreciate on their own. So whether they like the first one better or not, I want the stories to be so different from each other that you can watch them apart and have something that you like [about both of them]. That’s my goal.”
On his future goals in wrestling:
“Right now, I’m 100% content with where I am because I would love to be the driving force behind New Japan in the global market. However, generally, I’m just guided by how I feel, where my heart’s at and where I’m needed, if that makes sense. I’m not gonna lie, there are things that I haven’t been able to do that I would love to do at some point in time. One of those things is, I really feel I need to have a high stakes main event with AJ [Styles]. I really feel I have to. I’m not sure where it will be, I’m just saying that it’s always in the back of my mind.”
New Japan’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament has come to an end. Here are the results for the final day:
Yuji Nagata, Shota Umino & Tomoyuki Oka b. Manabu Nakanishi, Tetsuhiro Yagi & Katsuya Kitamura – Oka took the win for his team using a Boston Crab on Yagi
Yano, Tomohiro Ishii & Jado b. Hirai Kawato, Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan – Ishii secured the win for his team after hitting a Lariat on Kawato
Volador Jr., Tiger Mask IV & Jushin Thunder Liger b. TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Volador beat TAKA with a Spanish Fly in a short match
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi b. ACH, David Finlay, Hanson & Raymond Rowe – Takahashi took the win for Bullet Club after hitting the Pimp Juice on Finlay
YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto b. Taichi & Minoru Suzuki – YOSHI took the win for his team after hitting the Karma on Taichi
Hiromu Takahashi, EVIL, BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito b. Ryusuke Taguchi, Dragon Lee, Juice Robinson, Ricochet & Satoshi Kojima – Naito took the win for Los Ingobernables after finishing Kojima with the Destino. Tanahashi appeared after the match to proclaim that he will win the IC Title at Dominion and stop Naito from destroying it completely.
Kenny Omega & Marty Scurll b. Gedo & Kazuchika Okada – Scurll made Gedo tap with the Crossface Chickenwing on Gedo in just over 13 minutes. This has been an extremely successful debut tour for Scurll and he has adjusted well to the New Japan style
Best Of The Super Juniors Final: KUSHIDA b. Will Ospreay – KUSHIDA hit the Back to the Future in just under 28 minutes to win the BOSJ Tournament. This was an INCREDIBLE match that you must go out of your way to see
The full event is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com, New Japan’s next big live event is the Dominion show on June 11th featuring Okada vs Omega II.
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now heading towards its conclusion….
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Day 13 of the tournament which is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
BOSJ B Block Results
Yoshinobu Kanemaru b. El Desperado – Kanemaru took the win via count out and ends his tally on 4-3 (8 Points). Desperado finishes his run on 3-4 (6 Points)
Ryusuke Taguchi b. ACH – Taguchi wins with the Boston Crab to move his tally up to 4-3 (8 Points), ACH ends the tournament on 3-4 (6 Points)
BUSHI b. Tiger Mask IV – BUSHI continues his late surge with a win here over Tiger Mask, he finishes the tournament on 4-3 (8 Points), Tiger Mask ends his run on 3-4 (6 Points)
KUSHIDA b. Volador Jr. – KUSHIDA wins with the Back to the Future in just over 15 minutes, due to his record in the tournament against Kanemaru, Taguchi and BUSHI he wins B Block and will face Will Ospreay in the final (8 Points), Volador Jr ends the tournament on 3-4 (6 Points)
Block A & B winners have been decided! On June 3rd, Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA will determine …https://t.co/cwe37ALtn2
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now heading towards its conclusion….
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Day 12 of the tournament which is available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
BOSJ A Block Final Day Results
Jushin Thunder Liger b. Taichi – Liger FINALLY gets a win in the tournament to prevent Taichi from winning the block. Liger finishes his tally on 1-6 (2 Points). Taichi finishes on 4-3 (8 Points)
TAKA Michinoku b. Dragon Lee – TAKA takes the upset win with the Michinoku Driver II. TAKA ends his tournament run on 2-5 (4 Points), Dragon Lee is now out of the running on 4-3 (8 Points)
Marty Scurll b. Ricochet – Already eliminated Marty Scrull stops Ricochet from winning the block. Marty ends his tally on 4-3 (8 Points), Ricochet also ends on 4-3 (8 Points)
Will Ospreay b. Hiromu Takahashi – Ospreay hits the OsCutter to win A Block and advance to the final for the second year running in just over 15 minutes. His official tally is 5-2 (10 Points). Takahashi ends his tournament run on 4-3 (8 Points).
To confirm – Will Ospreay wins A Block and will be heading to the final on Saturday June 3rd, his opponent will be determined today at the final day of B Block matches. Any participant from B Block can advance to the finals, however our picks are KUSHIDA or Taguchi
Current IWGP Intercontinental champion, Tetsuya Naito, is slowly tearing apart his championship belt. Naito is saying that the Dominion PPV on June 11th will be his last as champion. If he defends the title successfully against Hiroshi Tanahashi, he will destroy the belt completely.
Check out video of Naito damaging the belt below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yjOrPaM3XM
Why Is Naito Doing This?
This is all part of Naito’s “Un-governable” gimmick he picked up when he joined CMLL’s Los Ingobernables, and then brought the faction to Japan. Some are speculating that NJPW could drop the title after Dominion, seeing as they plan to crown an inaugural “United States” champion on July 2nd in Los Angeles.
Last year, when Naito won the IWGP heavyweight title briefly from Okada, he was also disrespectful to the belt, and even legitimately damaged it.
New Japan will be heading to Long Beach, California on July 1st/2nd for the sold out G1 Climax Specials.
The two day event will be the first of its kind for New Japan and will be feature a tournament to crown the first ever IWGP United States Champion. Jay Lethal of ROH and Hangman Page of the Bullet Club have already been announced for the tournament and the remaining participants are set to be named in the coming weeks.
NJPW has however announced the full roster of talent that will be making their way to the United States for the tapings. ROH, CMLL, Bullet Club and New Japan roster members will all be on hand to perform on arguably the most important event in New Japan history as it kicks off their attempt at building a US territory.
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now heading towards its conclusion….
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Days 10 and 11 of the tournament which are now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
Day 10
Ricochet b. TAKA Michinoku – Ricochet wins the match after hitting the Benadryller, he is now 4-2 (8 Points). TAKA is 1-5 (2 Points)
Dragon Lee b. Jushin Thunder Liger – Dragon hit the Diving Foot Stomp to confirm his 4th win of the tournament, he is now 4-2 (8 Points). Liger is still unable to pick up a win in his last ever BOSJ, he is officially 0-6 (0 Points)
Taichi b. Will Ospreay – Taichi hit the Last Ride and scores the upset victory over the 2016 winner Ospreay, both men are now on 4-2 (8 Points)
Hiromu Takahashi b. Marty Scurll – Takahashi took the win with his TIME BOMB finisher, he is now 4-2 (8 Points), Marty is now on 3-3 (6 Points) and officially eliminated from the running
To confirm – Will Ospreay, Dragon Lee, Ricochet, Taichi, and Hiromu Takahashi are all still technically able to win A Block, Marty Scurll, Taka Michinoku and Jushin Thunder Liger are now mathematically eliminated from winning the block
Tiger Mask IV b. El Desperado – Tiger takes the win after hitting his Tiger Suplex finisher, he is now 3-3 (6 Points) in the tournament, Desperado is also now on 3-3 (6 Points)
BUSHI b. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – BUSHI took the win following the MX, he is now 3-3 (6 Points), Kanemaru is also 3-3 (6 Points)
Volador Jr. b. ACH – Volador hit an Avalanche Style Frankensteiner to take his tally up to 3-3 (6 Points), ACH is now also on 3-3 (6 Points)
KUSHIDA b. Ryusuke Taguchi – KUSHIDA hit his new Back to the Future finishing move to secure the win. He is now 3-3 (6 Points) in the tournament, Taguchi is also 3-3 (6 Points)
To confirm – every performer in B Block is on 6 points heading in to the final night. This will go right to the wire on the final night of B Block action on June 1st
New Japan Pro Wrestling has released the classic bout between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura from 2016’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 show for free on YouTube/NJPW World.
This was the first ever singles encounter between AJ and Shinsuke, and it would end up being their only match together for New Japan. Both men reportedly handed in their notice to New Japan prior to this event, AJ appeared for WWE at the Royal Rumble later that month and Shinsuke debuted in NXT against Sami Zayn over Wrestlemania weekend. Their recent tag team match on Smackdown is the first time that both men have been seen together on a broadcast since January 4th 2016.
The IWGP Intercontinental Championship was on the line in this match and it was generally regarded as the best match on the card. Many heralded this contest as the Match of the Year in 2016 so if you have not yet had the chance to view it or you have never seen Shinsuke Nakamura outside of his WWE run then now is your chance:
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now well underway.
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Days 8 and 9 of the tournament which is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
Day 8
BOSJ A BLOCK Matches
Taichi b. Marty Scurll – Taichi won the bout with his variation of the Gedo Clutch, he advances to 3-2 (6 Points), Marty Scurll is also 3-2 (6 Points)
Ricochet b. Jushin Thunder Liger – Ricochet took the win with the King’s Landing, he is now 3-2 (6 Points) in the tournament. Liger has still not won a match and is 0-5 (0 Points)
Hiromu Takahashi b. TAKA Michinoku – Hiromu took the win after hitting his patented TIME BOMB. He moves to 3-2 in the tournament (6 Points). TAKA is now at 1-4 (2 Points) and officially has no chance of winning
Will Ospreay b. Dragon Lee – Ospreay gained his 4th win to move to 4-1 (8 Points) and top A Block. This was Dragon’s second loss, he is now at 3-2 (6 Points)
ACH b. El Desperado – ACH hit the Midnight Driver to advance to 3-2 (6 Points). Desperado is also now 3-2 (6 Points)
BUSHI b. Volador Jr. – BUSHI hit the MX to secure the win. He is now at 2-3 (4 Points), Volador is also 2-3 (4 Points)
Ryusuke Taguchi b. Tiger Mask IV – Taguchi took the win in just under 10 minutes to take his tally up to 3-2 (6 Points). Tiger Mask is now 2-3 (4 Points) after his early upset victories against ACH and KUSHIDA
KUSHIDA b. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – KUSHIDA hit his new Back to the Future move to take the win, he is now 2-3 (4 Points). Kanemaru is on 3-2 (6 Points)
New Japan Pro Wrestling star and current IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito recently spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard on a number of topics including John Cena, Brock Lesnar and the Bullet Club.
When asked if he ever compares himself to the stars of WWE, specifically John Cena and Brock Lesnar:
“Of course, I know of them, but, unfortunately, I have no interest,” To me, New Japan is the foremost pro wrestling in the world. Entering the ring here means you are the world’s best, so to be a New Japan wrestler speaks for itself.”
When asked about Los Ingobernables’ First US Appearance with New Japan:
“New Japan Pro Wrestling, but more specifically, Los Ingobernables de Japon, will show American wrestling fans a truly electric experience in the ring,” The matches are going to captivate and excite like no other, good luck trying to blink.”
“Even though the matches coming up will be in America, what we’ll show everyone is the exact same thing we show here,” So I want everyone in America to make sure their eyes are open and on us when we are in the ring. I want you all to enjoy what Los Ingobernables de Japon are all about.”
When asked about his match against Hiroshi Tanahashi at the upcoming Dominion show:
“I really don’t have much motivation going into this match with him,” Tanahashi is the one who has to make sure he’s in shape and puts in the effort. I didn’t even want to accept his challenge this time. I don’t know what gives him the right to challenge again. But you know New Japan, this crazy ass company, they’ll bend over backwards for Tanahashi.”
You can watch the Los Ingobernables leader defend his IC title against Tanahashi live and in full on NJPWWorld.com.
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now well underway.
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Day 7 of the tournament which is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
Non Tournament Matches
Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka b. Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Umino b. Kawato took the win for his team after hitting a diving Missile kick on Umino.
Taichi & TAKA Michinoku b. Will Ospreay & Jado – Taichi took the win after hitting the Tenshojujiho on Jado.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll b. Raymond Rowe, Hanson, David Finlay & Ricochet – Tanga Loa took the pinfall win over Finlay
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger & Dragon Lee – Naito took the win for Los Ingobernables after hitting Destino on Kojima
Yoshinobu Kanemaru b. Tiger Mask IV – Kanemaru hits the Deep Impact to take his tournament tally up to 3-1 (6 Points). This was Tiger Mask’s second loss, he is now 2-2 (4 Points)
Volador Jr. b. El Desperado – Volador Jr takes the win to advance to 2-2 (4 Points) in the tournament. This was Desperado’s first loss, he is now at 3-1 (6 Points)
BUSHI b. Ryusuke Taguchi – BUSHI finally gets his first win after hitting the MX, he is now at 1-3 (2 Points). This was Taguchi’s second loss, he is at 2-2 (4 Points)
ACH b. KUSHIDA – In yet another upset KUSHIDA loses to ACH following the Midnight Driver, ACH is now 2-2 (4 Points) and KUSHIDA is at a shocking 1-3 (2 Points)
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now well underway.
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Day 6 of the tournament which is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
Non Tournament Matches
Volador Jr., Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino b. ACH, Katsuya Kitamura & Tetsuhiro Yagi – Oka won the match for his team after locking in a Boston Crab on Yagi
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado b. Tiger Mask IV & Hirai Kawato – Desperado took the win for his team using the Pinche Loco on Kawato
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA – Naito took the win for Los Ingobernables after hitting the Destino on Kojima
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Yujiro Takahashi b. Raymond Rowe, Hanson & David Finlay – Tanga Loa took the win for his team in just over 6 minutes after pinning Finlay
Marty Scurll b. TAKA Michinoku – Scurll locked in the Crossface Chicken Wing to record his third win of the tournament, he is now 3-1 (6 Points). TAKA’s tally is now at 1-3 (2 Points)
Will Ospreay b. Jushin Thunder Liger – Ospreay took the win with his patented OsCutter to move to 3-1 (6 Points) in the tournament. This was Liger’s fourth straight loss and the Japanese legend has now been officially eliminated from his last ever Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
Hiromu Takahashi b. Daichi – Hiromu moves his tally to 2-2 (4 Points) after beating Taichi with the TIME BOMB. Taichi is also 2-2 in the tournament.
Dragon Lee b. Ricochet – Dragon Lee recorded his third win in the tournament after hitting his Hanging Double Footstomp, he is now 3-1 (6 Points). This was Ricochet’s second loss, he is now 2-2 (4 Points)
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now well underway.
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Day 5 of the tournament which is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
Non Tournament Matches
Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka b. Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Umino – Kawato took the win for his team with a Boston Crab in around 7 minutes
Taichi & TAKA Michinoku b. Will Ospreay & Jado – Taichi took the win for his team after hitting the Tenshojujiho on Jado
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll b. Raymond Rowe, Hanson, David Finlay & Ricochet – Tonga took the win for Bullet Club after hitting the Gun Stun on Rowe
Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger & Dragon Lee b. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI – Juice Robinson took the win for his team after hitting the Pulp Fiction on EVIL
Yoshinobu Kanemaru b. Volador Jr. – Kanemaru hit the Deep Impact to take his tournament tally to 2-1 (4 Points). Volador is now on 1-2 (2 Points)
Tiger Mask IV b. ACH – Tiger Mask wins in another upset with his Crucifix Hold. He is now 2-1 in the tournament (4 Points). ACH is now at 1-2 (2 Points)
El Desperado b. Ryusuke Taguchi – Desperado wins again with his Pinche Loco, he is now 3-0 (6 Points). This was Taguchi’s first loss, he is now at 2-1 (4 points)
KUSHIDA b. BUSHI – KUSHIDA finally gets his first win to take his tally up to 1-2 (2 Points). This was BUSHI’s third consecutive loss 0-3 (0 Points)
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now well underway.
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Day 4 of the tournament which is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
Non Tournament Matches
Volador Jr, Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino b. ACH, Katsuya Kitamura & Tetsuhiro Yagi – Oka took the win for his team in just under 7 minutes with a Boston Crab on Yagi.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado b. Tiger Mask IV & Hirai Kawato – Desperado secured the win with a Pinche Loco on Kawato
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA – EVIL hit his namesake manoeuvre on KUSHIDA to take the win in around 13 minutes. Naito destroyed the IWGP Intercontinental Championship after the match
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Yujiro Takahashi b. Raymond Rowe, Hanson & David Finlay – Yujiro took the win for Bullet Club after hitting the Pimp Juice on Finlay
Will Ospreay b. TAKA Michinoku – Ospreay hit the OsCutter to take his tournament tally to 2-1 (4 points), TAKA is now on 1-2 (2 Points)
Marty Scurll b. Jushin Thunder Liger – Scurll locked in the Crossface Chicken Wing to take his tally up to 2-1 (4 Points), Liger suffered his third loss, he is now at 0-3 (0 Points)
Taichi b. Dragon Lee – Taichi hit the Last Ride to take his tournament tally up to 2-1 (4 Points), this was Dragon Lee’s first loss so he is also now on 2-1 (4 Points)
Ricochet b. Hiromu Takahashi – Ricochet hit the Kings’ Landing in around 12 minutes to take his tournament total up to 2-1 (4 Points). This was Hiromu’s second loss, he now on 1-2 (2 Points)
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament is now well underway.
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Day 3 of tournament which is now available to view on NJPWWorld.com.
Non Tournament Match – Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka b. Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Amino – Oka scored the win for his team with a Single Leg Crab on Umino.
Non Tournament Match –Taichi & TAKA Michinoku b. Will Ospreay & Jado – TAKA and Taichi of Suzuki-Gun took the win after Taichi hit a Super Kick on Jado
Best of the Super Juniors B BLOCK Match – Yoshinobu Kanemaru b. ACH – Kanemaru won in just over 10 minutes with the Deep Impact, he is now 1-1 in the tournament, ACH is also 1-1.
Best of the Super Juniors B BLOCK Match – Tiger Mask IV b. KUSHIDA – Tiger Mask won the match with his Tiger Suplex in what can only be described as an upset. Tiger is now 1-1 and KUSHIDA is 0-2.
Non Tournament Match – Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll b. Raymond Rowe, Hanson, Jushin Thunder Liger & David Finlay – Bullet Club took the win after Yujiro hit the Pimp Juice on Finlay
Best of the Super Juniors B BLOCK Match – El Desperado b. BUSHI – Desperado took the win via pinfall to move to 2-0 in the tournament, BUSHI is now at 0-2
Best of the Super Juniors B BLOCK Match – Ryusuke Taguchi b. Volador Jr. – Taguchi hit the Dodon to advance to 2-0 in the tournament, Volador is now at 1-1
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Ricochet & Dragon Lee – Naito secured the win for his team after hitting the Destino on Kojima
AXS TV will air the July 1st show live as it happens. Night 2 will just be on njpwworld.com.
The July 1st & 2nd G1 shows in LA each sold out in under 2 hours.
The IWGP USA championship will be given to a tournament winner on July 1st & 2nd.
Hangman Page and Jay Lethal are the only two tournament entries confirmed so far.
They read through some of the roster that will be at the July 1st and 2nd show. No real surprises there, except they have Yoshi Tatsu and Billy Gunn back. They wrestled in the tag league tournament in December.
Bullet Club got special attention during the roster unveil portion.
They introduced Cody, the Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega to come up and take questions.
They are each asked about their matches at the Dominion event in June. The Bucks are challenging for the junior heavyweight tag titles, Cody wrestles Michael Elgin, and Kenny Omega challenges Okada for the IWGP heavyweight championship. Dominion is on June 11th, so Omega could be champion heading into the G1 shows in LA.
Kenny Omega was on fire. He reminded Okada that at the last show the fans were chanting for him, because they recognize that Omega is giving his heart and soul for this business.
Cody has taken bookings during the G1 tournament, leading many to believe he won’t be in the G1. This is just me speculating, but it makes sense for Cody to be in the US tournament on July 1st and 2nd. He could win.
Each member talks about how they were the reason the events sold out so quickly. Matt Jackson believes this fact will lead to his wife wanting to make love to him, then asks for the remark to be edited out.
The Bucks talked about how much NJPW has grown over the last 4 years, how big the live crowds are etc.
Bullet Club then posed for pictures and that was that.
NJPW previously released this commercial for their USA shows:
New Japan legend Hiroshi Tanahashi has been ruled out of the rest of the BOSJ tour due to a Bicep injury. Tanahashi was scheduled to appear in non-tournament bouts but has now been sidelined until at least June 9th.
According to New Japan’s official English language site NJPW1972.com:
Hiroshi Tanahashi suffered an injury during the recent North American tour.
Upon returning from the tour, doctors confirmed he has ruptured his right distal bicep tendon. In order to recover, Tanahashi will not compete in upcoming scheduled matches during the Best of the Super Jr. 24 tournament (May 18 through May 28th).
Satoshi Kojima will compete in his place during this time. Tanahashi’s estimated return to the ring will be June 9th at Korakuen Hall.
He is currently scheduled to compete in Dominion on June 11th at Osaka-Jo Hall.
We deeply apologize to fans who were looking forward to see Tanahashi wrestle during this time.
New Japan’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament started yesterday with a bang. You can check out the complete results from Day 1 here.
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner. Here are the results from Day 2:
Non Tournament Matches
Tiger Mask IV, Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka b. Katsuya Kitamura, Shota Umino & Tetsuhiro Yagi – Kawato made Yagi submit with a single leg crab
Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado b.Volador Jr. & ACH – Desperado took the win for his team after hitting a jumping crucifix hold on ACH
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Yujiro Takahashi b. Raymond Rowe, Hanson & David Finlay – Tama Tonga secured the win for Bullet Club when he hit the Gun Stun on Finlay
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA – Bushi used the Bushiroll on KUSHIDA to take the win in just over 9 minutes
Taichi b. TAKA Michinoku – Taichi took the win with his patented Gedo Clutch in a very entertaining DDT style ‘match’
Dragon Lee b. Marty Scurll – Dragon takes his second win in the tournament after hitting a Patellas en el Pecho on Scurll for the pinfall win
Hiromu Takahashi b. Jushin Thunder Liger – Hiromu defeated the legend Liger with his TIME BOMB finishing move. This was his first win and Liger’s second loss
Will Ospreay b. Ricochet – Ospreay took the win in a mesmerising match after hitting the OsCutter
New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament has now officially begun.
The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.
Here are the results from Day 1 of the tournament:
A BLOCK Matches
TAKA Michinoku b. Jushin Thunder Liger – TAKA took his first win in the tournament after hitting the Heavy Killer #1
Ricochet b. Daichi – Ricochet took his first win of the tournament following the Shooting Star Press in just under 9 minutes
Marty Scurll b. Will Ospreay – ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll took the win in his debut NJPW match after making Ospreay submit with the Crossface Chicken Wing
Dragon Lee b. Hiromu Takahashi – Lee takes the win over longtime rival Takahashi using the Phoenix Plex.
Early today, NJPW posted health updates for both Katsuyori Shibata, and Tomaki Honma.
Honma was injured in a match on March 3rd, after taking a DDT. He experienced temporary paralysis in both arms and legs. It is believed he injured his cervical vertebrae.
Shibata collapsed backstage after his April 9th IWGP heavyweight championship match with Kazuchika Okada. He was taken to hospital, where it is said his condition was initially life-threatening.
Shibata and Honma Health Updates
Honma is said to be recovering well, and has regained movement in both arms and legs. He is working on muscular rehabilitation and is exercising. He is able to go for light runs, which also sounds encouraging. It is currently not known when he will be discharged from hospital.
As for Shibata, the forthcoming information doesn’t offer much. He has no trouble walking or talking and has been transferred to the general ward of the hospital. NJPW stated that it is impossible to comment on the potential impacts of his injury. The full release can be read here.
Shibata is said to have suffered a subdural hematoma which required emergency surgery. The cause is suspected to be a combination of a hard head butt he took during the match and dehydration.
