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Category: NJPW

  • NJPW ‘The New Beginning’ in Osaka Results

    NJPW ‘The New Beginning’ in Osaka Results

    Here are the results from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘The New Beginning’ event that took place in Osaka, Japan to a gate of around 5,500 people:

    TAKA Michinoku b. Henare – TAKA took the win in just under 5 minutes after hitting the Heavy Killer Number 1

    Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima b. Yoshitatsu & KUSHIDA – Kojima took the pinfall victory for his team after hitting a Lariat on Yoshi Tatsu

    Yuji Nagata, Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV b. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Jado & Gedo – Juice continues to impress in his NJPW by taking the pinfall victory over Jado, expect him to have a strong showing in the New Japan Cup as he is expected to enter.

    Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi b. Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero & Barreta  – Kanemaru took the win over Rocky Romero, yet another win for him over the IWGP Junior Tag Team Champion

    NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Championship Match – SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi – SANADA hit the Skull End on Nakanishi to dethrone the champions in their first defence. Los Ingobernables are crowned the 11th champions

    Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Championship Match – Katsuyori Shibata b. Will Ospreay – Shibata retains his title in an EXCELLENT bout, cementing Will Ospreay as a true global star. Shibata’s next opponent for the belt will most likely be Zack Sabre Jr in the UK

    IWGP Tag Championship 3WAY Match – Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano b. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Takashi Iizuka – Yano rolled up Davey Boy Smith Jr in a schoolboy to retain his and Ishii’s titles, this was their second successful defence

    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – Hiromu Takahashi b. Dragon Lee – Takahashi hit the TIME BOMB in around 18 minutes to retain his title in his first official defence. Taguchi appeared after the match and will likely be the next challenger for the belt

    IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match – Tetsuya Naito b. Michael Elgin – Naito hit the Destino to retain his title in his 3rd defence, The Los Ingobernables stable celebrated after the match as all members now hold a championship in NJPW

  • Bullet Club’s Opponents Announced For 4/15 OTT Show

    Bullet Club’s Opponents Announced For 4/15 OTT Show

    We reported earlier in the week that Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks would be making their way to Ireland’s biggest Independent promotion this April. OTT have now announced their opponents for the Scrappermania event that takes place April 15th at the National Stadium in Dublin.

    Omega and Bucks will taking on the team of Will Ospreay, Ryan Smile and Ricochet (being billed as the Uptown Funkers). The match announcement has been a huge hit among the OTT faithful and further shows the International reach that New Japan Pro Wrestling is garnering.

  • NJPW Running Survivor Series Style Event Tuesday

    New Japan Pro Wrestling will have english commentary available for their show this Tuesday. Don Callis and Kevin Kelly will once again call the action. The show has a very “Survivor Series” style theme to it, with 3 elimination tag-team bouts booked for the event.

    It should be noted that eliminations in these style matches in Japan can occur via pin, count out, DQ or from being thrown over the top rope.

    Here is the lineup for Tuesdays show:

    Main Event
    10-Man Elimination Tag Team Match
    Dragon Lee, Taguchi, Nakanishi, Tanahashi and Michael Elgin
    vs.
    Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, EVIL, Sanada, and Tetsuya Naito (Los InGobernables)

    Co-Main Event
    10-Man Elimination Tag Team Match
    Beretta, Rocky Romero, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS) vs. Taka Michinoku, Taichi, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer, and Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)

    4th Match
    10-Man Elimination Tag Team Match
    Kushida, Juice Robinson, Shibata, Honma, Togi Makabe vs. Jado, Gedo, Will Ospreay, Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto (CHAOS)

    3rd Match
    6-Man Tag Team (non-elimination)
    Tiger Mask, Justin Liger, Tenzan vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Takashi Iizuka (Suzuki-Gun)

    2nd Match
    Tag Team Match
    Yuji Nagata  and Satoshi Kojima vs. Hirai Kawato and Yoshi Tatsu

    1st Match
    Henare vs. Tomoyuki Oka

    Another english language broadcast will be broadcast on Saturday morning, main event’ed by Michael Elgin vs. Tetsuya Naito for the Intercontinental Championship.

  • NJPW ‘The New Beginning’ in Sapporo Results

    NJPW ‘The New Beginning’ in Sapporo Results

    Here are the results from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘The New Beginning’ show that took place in Sapporo, Japan:

    Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado b KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato – Desperado hit the Guitara de Angel on Kawato to take the win for his team. He now looks set to join the Junior ranks in NJPW following a staredown with KUSHIDA after the match.

    Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata b. Yoshitatsu, Henare & Tomoyuki Oka – Nagata took the submission win with the Nagata Lock 2 on Oka.

    Will Ospreay, Jado & Gedo b. Katsuyori Shibata, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV – Ospreay hit the OsCutter on Tiger Mask to take the pinfall victory. He stated after the match that he would defeat Shibata for the Revolution Pro British Heavyweight Championship on February 11th

    YOSHI-HASHI b. Takashi Iizuka – YOSHI-HASHI took the win in around 7 minutes with the Karma

    Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Lee b. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi – Dragon Lee won the bout following the Death Nukadora in around 13 minutes, he and Takahashi had a staredown after the bout ahead of their clash over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight belt on February 11th.

    IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: Rocky Romero & Barreta b. Taichi & TAKA Michinoku – Barretta hit the Strong Zero on TAKA Michinoku to retain the belts for Roppongi Vice in their 1st defence as champions.

    NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Hirooki Goto b. Juice Robinson – Goto successfully defended his NEVER title after hitting the GTR for the pinfall victory. This was his first defence since winning the title from Shibata at Wrestle Kingdom.

    IWGP Tag Championship Match: Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano b. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. – Yano rolled up Makabe in a schoolboy for the pinfall victory, this was also Ishii/Yano’s first title defence.

    IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada b. Minoru Suzuki – Okada hit the Rainmaker on Suzuki for his third successful title defence. No one appeared after the match to challenge Okada for the belt however Okada hinted that Tiger Mask W may be his next feud.

  • Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada Streaming Free on NJPW World

    Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada Streaming Free on NJPW World

    It has been described by some as the greatest match in Professional Wrestling history and now New Japan have made Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Omega available to view for free on NJPWWorld.com for a limited time.

    If you have not seen the bout or any NJPW content then this would be an excellent place to start, go to the 11th minute mark of the video if you want to skip the intros and get right into the action.

  • New Japan Pro Wrestling Launches English Site

    New Japan Pro Wrestling is taking further steps to combat WWE’s international growth strategy. The company launched their full-english site earlier this week at NJPW1972.com. The site has interviews, match results, and news available in english. The company’s online streaming service, NJPWWorld.com, has both English and Japanese versions available as well, though you may have to use google translate to access the english version.

    New Japan Pro Wrestling Expansion to English Markets

    The popular Japanese-based promotion has been slowly taking steps to expose their product to english speaking markets in recent years. Since launching their streaming service NJPWWorld.com, the company has been bringing in english announce teams to cover their bigger events. Recent events had been covered by Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino. With Corino now employed by WWE, Don “Cyrus” Callis will be replacing him for future events

    https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/821359389168668673

    The New Beginning in Sapporo

    The first event NJPW will be running after the launch of their new site, and with their new english announce team, will be this Sunday in Sapporo. The show will feature the return of many NOAH wrestlers who have recently been brought back to NJPW.

    The lineup for the card is as follows

    IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
    Kazuchika Okada (Champion) vs. Minoru Suzuki

    IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 3-Way Match
    Ishii and Yano (Champions) vs. Honma and Makabe vs Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer

    NEVER Openweight Championship Match
    Hirooki Goto (Champion) vs. Juice Robinson

    IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match
    Roppongi Vice (Champions) vs. Taka Michinoku and Taichi

    – Dragon Lee, Taguchi, Nakanishi, Tanahashi and Michael Elgin vs. Takahashi, Bushi, EVIL, Sanada, and Naito

    – Yoshi-Hashi vs. Takashi Izuka

    – Tiger Mask, Justin Liger, and Shibata vs. Will Ospreay, Gedo and Jado

    – Nagata, Kojima and Tenzan vs. Oka, Henare, and Yoshi Tatsu

    – Kawato and Kushida vs. El Desperado and Kanemaru

  • CMLL/NJPW Fantasticamania Day 3 Results

    CMLL/NJPW Fantasticamania Day 3 Results

    Here are the results from the third and final day of the CMLL/NJPW Fantasticamania shows, the event is available to view on the NJPW World service now:

    Cavernario, Jado & Gedo b. Blue Panther Jr., Soberano Jr. & Henare – Cavernario took the win for his team following the Cavernaria on Blue Panther Jr

    Stuka Jr., Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV b. Hechicero, OKUMURA & Raziel – Tiger Mask took the win for his team after hitting a Tiger Suplex on Raziel

    Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI b. Dragon Lee & Titan – BUSHI took the win after catching Titan in the BUSHI ROLL. After the match Takahashi took Dragon Lee’s mask

    Ephisto, Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay b. Maximo Sexy, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi – Okada hit the Rainmaker on Taguchi to take the win via pinfall

    Rush, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & EVIL b. Atlantis, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & David Finlay – Naito took the pinfall win over Finlay

    Mistico b. Euforia – Mistico took the win after hitting the La Mistica in just over 11 minutes

    Volador Jr. b. Ultimo Guerrero – Volador Jr took the win after hitting an incredible Avalanche Spanish Fly 

  • NJPW Chairman Discusses US Expansion Plans

    Takaaki Kidani is the owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s parent company Bushiroad and the chairman of NJPW itself. He recently spoke to Weekly Pro Wrestling and discussed the plans for New Japan going forward as a Global brand, specifically how NJPW is looking to raise exposure in the United States:

    (Credit to Chris Charlton of the JAW Podcast for the translation)

    “We had a lot of attention not just in Japanese, but international media, with the event hashtag being the top trend not just in Japan, but America, the UK and Germany. New Japan World subscribers suddenly increased, with over half being from abroad. With the high quality of the event, news reverberated internationally more than we had anticipated. Additionally including promotion and program sales, we have been able to advance in nine different countries, with our talents’ foreign excursions being part of that too.”

    “I think you can already call us a global product. If you look at the breakdown of our performers at the Dome, it’s about 75/25 Japanese to foreign in a live setting. Compare us to say, the music industry. You wouldn’t go to a single concert that had that proportion of Japanese and foreign artists. You might see collaborations with foreign artists or a guest spot on a music video but that’s it. If you look at live performances in the entertainment or sports industries, ours is the most diverse.”

    “The plan would be to have California as a base and run tours in the area in a similar way to how we run things here, with a few shows further afield. For the Japanese talent, there are all sorts of options. Some guys may want to tour there, some may want to spend half the year there. Still others may want to take two years or so and move out there. There are lots of ways around that and I’m open to opinion from the wrestlers. When you ask what it is we can do with new Japan, it is to create an American based subsidiary and run shows there. In addition, it is to produce television in line with our Japanese content that can be sold cheaply to American cable networks. While we currently sell television content to AXS TV, the most popular and visible networks have a high demand for volume of content available cheaply. We have strong foundations in Japan, and over there, the Japanese style of wrestling is in vogue. If we establish a territory in California, we’ll be able to produce more content cheaply. It has to be localised.”

    “If you look at WWE, with their show business base, they really only have a strong business in the UK, Canada and America. They sell their programming elsewhere, sure, but they need to actually be doing business in those areas. I said this on Twitter, but why do you think they’re pushing people to the network? It’s because they know cable isnt’ going to be around forever and they have to make up that loss. That’s why they established a UK Champion and set up that tournament. For WWE, it’s vital they localize. Partner with a promotion, buy one outright, start a subsidiary, anything. But you get that going and you tie up the talent in that country. Then that way you don’t have to send a bunch of guys out from America every time. Production as well. It starts getting cheaper to do business. And the people in these countries now have a star of their own to support, and they might buy into their Network. WWE have been poor at creating new stars, but that’s a real way to do it, to think local.”

    “Things start with the G1 Special, which we announced will take place on July 1st and 2nd. That won’t include any actual tournament matches, but we may hold qualifiers. At that point, office staff will also be heading to the US. We will set up a dojo, likely with a monthly fee system. And as far as talent is concerned, from October of last year we began signing wrestlers to long term contracts, and this includes foreign wrestlers. Of course there is a plan for progression. It starts with gradually increasing the number of towns we run in. At first we’d be looking at 1,000 seat buildings. The important thing to growth is exposure of the talent and exposure to television. It’s a very different way of doing things than in Tokyo. I have talked with the talent about this, but at that point it was less concrete than it is now. The plan is for things to really get going in 2018.”

  • CMLL/NJPW Fantasticamania Day 2 Results

    CMLL/NJPW Fantasticamania Day 2 Results

    Here are the results from CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s co-branded Fantasticamania show that took place at the world famous Korakuen Hall (01/21- Day 2). If you are unfamiliar with Lucha style wrestling then this show (available on NJPW World) is certainly worth a watch.

    Ephesto, Raziel, Jado & Gedo b. Blue Panther Jr., Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Henare – Ephesto pinned Blue Panther to take the win for his team

    Stuka Jr. b. OKUMURA – Stuka took the win in just under 8 minutes with a Torpedo Splash

    Barbaro Cavernario, Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay b. Soberano Jr., KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi – Cavernario took the win for his team after hitting a Cavernaria on Soberano

    Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI b. Dragon Lee, Titan, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson & David Finlay – SANADA took the win for Los Ingobernables after hitting the Skull End on David Finlay

    Ultimo Guerrero & Euforia b. Mistico & Volador Jr. – Ultimo took the win for his team with the Guerrero special on Volador Jr

    Rush b. Atlantis – Rush hit the Rush Driver to secure the pinfall win in just under 11 minutes

    CMLL World Heavyweight Championship Match: Maximo Sexy b. Hechicero – Maximo retained his CMLL World Heavyweight title after hitting an Avalanche style Frankensteiner on Hechicero

  • Don Callis Joins NJPW World’s English Commentary Team

    Don Callis Joins NJPW World’s English Commentary Team

    Former WWE and ECW personality Don “Cyrus” Callis has joined the New Japan World English commentary team. He’ll handle the color commentary duties alongside Ring of Honor commentator Kevin Kelly, who does play-by-play.

    The official announcement came on Callis and Lance Storm’s “Killing the Town” podcast, which you can check out at PodcastOne.com.

    https://twitter.com/lancestorm/status/821359389168668673

    This is Callis’s first regular commentary gig since the end of ECW, when he worked with Joey Styles. He is replacing Steve Corino, who is now working as a coach at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

    NJPW announced that all of their iPPV shows moving forward will have English commentary, starting with the upcoming New Beginning iPPV show on February 5.

  • NJPW World Service To Feature English Commentary for 14 Events in 2017

    NJPW World Service To Feature English Commentary for 14 Events in 2017

    New Japan have announced that 14 events will feature an English commentary stream alongside their main Japanese broadcast in 2017. This is a big step in securing a more global reach for the NJPW World service.

    The team for these events has not yet been revealed however it is expected that Ring Of Honor play by play commentator Kevin Kelly will again be in the booth for these shows.

    The lineup is as follows:

    • New Beginning in Sapporo – February 5th
    • New Beginning in Osaka – February 11th
    • ’45th Anniversary Event’ – March 6th
    • New Japan Cup Finals – March 20th
    • Sakura Genesis (Invasion Attack) – 9th April
    • Wrestling Dontaku – 3rd May
    • Best of the Super Juniors Finals – 3rd June
    • Dominion – 11th June
    • G1 Climax US Specials – 1st/2nd July
    • G1 Climax Opener – 17th July
    • G1 Climax Finals – 11th/13th August

    DISCUSSION: Are you more likely to watch these events with the English language stream? Let us know in the comments section below.

  • Jim Ross Predicts That Kenny Omega Will Stay In NJPW

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMvKJnqe2_M

    On Jim Ross’ latest Ross Report podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer talked about the possibility of NJPW star Kenny Omega jumping ship to WWE. Omega is under contract to NJPW until 1/31, and Ross is confident that he’s on WWE’s radar.

    Ross believes that WWE will try to recruit Omega from NJPW like they did with AJ Styles, but they may not be successful this time. The former WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations predicts that Omega will still be on the NJPW roster when they tour California in July.

    “I think Kenny Omega will stick with [NJPW] right now,” Ross said. “But I also don’t know what type of full-court press WWE will do to make him not re-sign with New Japan at the end of January and give them the opportunity to get in the hunt.”

    Ross also discussed the upcoming 30-man Royal Rumble match, and feels that the dynamic between Brock Lesnar, Bill Goldberg, and The Undertaker is going to make things interesting. The 2017 Royal Rumble takes place on 1/29 in San Antonio, TX. You can listen to his entire podcast at PodcastOne.com.

  • NJPW New Beginning Match Cards Confirmed

    NJPW New Beginning Match Cards Confirmed

    New Japan have officially announced the cards for their two ‘New Beginning’ shows that take place on February 5th/11th in Sapporo and Osaka, Japan respectively. Following the events of the New Years Dash show Suzuki-Gun are set to make a huge impact on the landscape of New Japan with the group’s leader Minoru Suzuki set to face IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada for the belt in Sapporo on February 5th.

    Also notable is the inclusion of a Revolution Pro Wrestling title bout between Shibata and Will Ospreay on the Osaka show. Shibata won the RPW British Heavyweight title from Zack Sabre Jr at the company’s last York Hall show.

    The cards line up as follows:

    New Beginning in Sapporo (02/05/17)
    KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado (Suzuki-Gun)

    Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yoshitatsu & David Finlay & Henare

    Katsuyori Shibata & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. CHAOS’ Will Ospreay & Gedo & Jado

    YOSHI-HASHI vs. Takashi Iizuka

    Michael Elgin & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Lee vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA & EVIL & BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi

    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Roppongi Vice (c) vs. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (Suzuki-Gun)

    NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Juice Robinson

    IWGP Tag Team Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (c) vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. The Killer Elite Squad

    IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki

    New Beginning in Osaka (02/11/17)
    Yoshitatsu & Hirai Kawato vs. David Finlay & Henare
    Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Suzuki-gun’s Takashi Iizuka & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado

    Juice Robinson & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo & Jado

    Kazuchika Okada & Rocky Romero & Beretta (CHAOS) vs. Minoru Suzuki & TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (Suzuki-Gun)

    NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Match – Hiroshi Tanahashi & Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. SANADA & EVIL & BUSHI

    Revolution Pro British Heavyweight Championship Match – Katsuyori Shibata vs. Will Ospreay

    IWGP Tag Team Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (c) vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Killer Elite Squad

    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Dragon Lee

    IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match –  Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Michael Elgin

  • Schedule for Wrestle Kingdom 11 Matches on AXS TV

    Schedule for Wrestle Kingdom 11 Matches on AXS TV

    As reported previously AXS TV will be airing select matches from New Japan’s recent Wrestle Kingdom 11 show from this Friday to February 3rd as one hour specials. The schedule has now been released and the matches that will be aired are as follows:

    January 13th
    IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega

    January 20th
    IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match – Tetsuya Naito vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
    IWGP Tag Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny vs. Chaos vs. G.B.H.

    January 27th
    NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match – David Finlay, Ricochet & Satoshi Kojima vs. Los Ingobernable de Japon vs. Bullet Club vs. Chaos
    NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto

    February 3rd
    Cody vs. Juice Robinson
    IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship Match – The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice
    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi

  • Kenny Omega Stepping Away From Japan To ‘Reassess His Future’

    Kenny Omega Stepping Away From Japan To ‘Reassess His Future’

    After competing in the main event of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom XI main event earlier this week, Kenny Omega has announced that he’s “stepping away from Japan” to reassess his future. Omega lost in the main event to Kazuchika Okada in what many wrestling pundits have called the best match they’ve ever seen.

    When asked by several fans what’s next for him, Omega said, “There is no plan. My schedule is cleared and I’m weighing all options. I’ve a lot to consider.” He also thanked everyone for their continued patience and support.

    New Japan has uploaded a video of Omega’s “Terminator” video that aired before his entrance at WK11.

  • NJPW New Year Dash Results

    NJPW New Year Dash Results

    Here are the results from New Japan’s annual New Year Dash show. This is traditionally seen as New Japan’s version of the ‘Raw After Mania’ and the main storylines/feuds heading into February’s New Beginning shows start to take shape.

    Kyle O’Reilly, Ricochet & David Finlay b. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Henare – Finlay took the win for his team

    Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page b. Yoshitatsu & Billy Gunn – Hangman Page took the win after hitting the Right of Passage on Yoshitatsu

    YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero & Barreta b. Adam Cole and The Young Bucks – Yoshi-Hashi took the pinfall victory for his team after rolling up ROH Champion Adam Cole  

    Scott Norton, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Hiro Saito & Cheeseburger b. Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & BONE SOLDIER – Kojima hit the Lariat on BONE SOLDIER to take the win for his team

    Michael Elgin & KUSHIDA b. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi – Elgin took the win after hitting a Burning Hammer on Naito, he now looks set to be the next challenger for Naito’s Intercontinental Championship. CMLL Star Dragon Lee also appeared to attack longtime rival Takahashi and stated that he wants a shot at Takahashi’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title.
    Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata & Juice Robinson b. Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii & Will Ospreay – Robinson took the shock win over NEVER Champion Hirooki Goto to set himself as the next challenger for the title

    NJPW/NOAH legend Minoru Suzuki appeared after the bout with his stable (The Suzuki Army) and attacked the members of CHAOS, Suzuki then proclaimed that all of New Japan’s titles will soon be theirs.

    NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Championship Match – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi b. SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI – Nakanishi hit the Hercules Cutter on BUSHI to win the titles and make Los Ingobernables’ title reign end after one day.

  • NJPW World Service Sees Boost For Wrestle Kingdom XI

    NJPW World Service Sees Boost For Wrestle Kingdom XI

    Wrestle Kingdom 11 was arguably one of the greatest events in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s history and was viewed by more fans than ever before on the NJPW World service.

    During the English language broadcast of the New Year Dash show it was announced by commentator Steve Corino that there were around 10,000 new subscribers for the Wrestle Kingdom show with around 5,500 of these being from outside Japan and this takes the total subscriber count to around 60,000.

    In terms of a global streaming network and comparable to WWE’s Network these are small numbers however it is important to remember that the website/sign up process for NJPW World is still only available in Japanese (although a basic google translate option is available) and that the majority of shows are broadcast at ‘unsociable’ hours in Europe and the United States.

    Discussion: Did you sign up for NJPW World to watch Wrestle Kingdom? Will you be keeping your subscription going?

     

  • NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 Results Including All 8 Title Matches

    NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 Results Including All 8 Title Matches

    Quick results for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11, the 25 anniversary of NJPW’s January 4th Tokyo Dome shows, which took place earlier today:

    1. Michael Elgin won the New Japan Rumble, last eliminating Cheeseburger by pinfall with the Revolution Elgin Bomb. Also in the match were Billy Gunn, Bone Soldier, Jushin Liger, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Tiger Mask IV, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi, YOSHITATSU, Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Hiro Saito, and Scott Norton.
    2. Tiger Mask W defeated Tiger the Dark by pinfall with the Golden Star Tiger Driver.
    3.Roppongi Vice (Beretta & Rocky Romero) defeated The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (c) when Romero countered More Bang For Your Buck with a crucifix pin to win IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Chmapionship.
    4. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVILl, & BUSHI) defeated Satoshi Kojima, Ricochet, & David Finlay (c) to win the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship in the last leg of a gauntlet match that also included The Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale, & Hangman Page) and Chaos (Jado, Will Ospreay, & YOSHI-HASHI)
    5. Cody the American Nightmare (Cody Rhodes) defeated Juice Robinson with the Cross Rhodes.
    6. Adam Cole defeated Kyle O’Reilly (c) to win the ROH World Heavyweight Championship for a record third time.
    7. Chaos (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) defeated Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) and Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa) (c) to win the IWGP (Heavyweight) Tag Team Championship.
    8. Hiromu Takahashi defeated KUSHIDA (c) with a spinning Emerald Frosion to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
    9. Hirooki Goto defeated Katsuyori Shibata (c) with the GTR to win the NEVER Openweight Championship.
    10. Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
    11. Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Kenny Omega to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

    Replays of the show with Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino on commentary are available on demand at NJPW World, while a post-produced version called by Jim Ross and Josh Barnett will begin airing on AXS TV a week from Friday (January 13th).

  • Final Card For NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11

    Final Card For NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11

    Here’s the full card for tonight’s NJPW Kingdom 11, which takes place from the Tokyo Dome:

    • Pre-show Rumble
    • Tiger Mask W vs. Tiger The Dark
    • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag-Team Champions The Young Bucks vs Roppongi Vice
    • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag-Team Champion: Satoshi Kojima, Ricochet, & David Finlay vs. LIdJ (SANADA/EVIL/BUSHI) vs. CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii/Will Ospreay/YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Bullet Club (Hangman Page/Yujiro Takahashi/Bad Luck Fale)
    • Cody Rhodes vs. Juice Robinson
    • ROH World Champion Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole
    • IWGP Tag-Team Champions Guerillas of Destiny vs. Great Bash Heel
    • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi
    • NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto
    • IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
    • IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

  • NJPW Owner: “We Are Entering a Phase Where You Are Either With WWE or Against Them”

    The owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling Takaaki Kidani issued a statement during this weekends’ Road to Tokyo Dome events regarding WWE’s recent talent acquisition strategy and how NJPW will be ‘fighting back,’ you can read the full transcript below:

    “WWE strategy 1: raise roughly 2 billion Yen from the network to create a network of global territories and tie up talent. It’s very possible WWE purchase a promotion in Japan. WWE are shoring up their network because of cable cutters and prevalence of streaming, meaning declining TV ratings. The cable TV structure as is will collapse in the US within 3-5 years. There are many reasons for WWE to create local territories. It cuts cost just to send talent on international tours and not the whole infrastructure. WWE are only functionally profitable in the U.S., Canada and U.K. They have TV elsewhere but that’s all. By creating territories, they’re able to actually create products with awareness of cultural differences and characteristics of markets. WWE have had difficulty in creating new stars. By going to local territories and broadcasting them, they can create network stars. WWE are taking big gambles, in IT for one. This isn’t the platform to discuss NJPW strategy fully but we will announce something soon. We are entering a phase where you are either with WWE or against them. WWE have a lot of weaknesses and time is not on their side.”

    (Credit to Co-host of the Japanese Audio Wrestling podcast Chris Charlton for the translation)

  • NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 12/17 Results

    NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 12/17 Results

    Here are the results from New Japan’s final event of the year at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan:

    Ryusuke Taguchi & Yoshitatsu b. Jushin Thunder Liger & Henare – Taguchi took the win for his team after hitting the Dodon on Henare

    Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano b. Yujiro Takahashi & BONE SOLDIER – Ishii hit the Brainbuster on BONE SOLDIER to take the pinfall victory

    Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Juice Robinson b. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Chase Owens – Makabe hit the King Kong Knee Drop on Owens for the win

    Yuji Nagata b, Manabu Nakanishi – Nagata hit the Exploder of Justice to take the win

    Katsuyori Shibata & Tiger Mask IV b. Hirooki Goto & Jado – Shibata hit the Penalty Kick on Jado to take the pinfall victory

    Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, KUSHIDA & David Finlay b. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI – Kojima hit BUSHI with a Lariat to take the win for his team

    Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale b. Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI – Omega hit the One Winged Angel on YOSHI-HASHI to gain the momentum leading up to his IWGP Heavyweight Title match against Okada at Wrestle Kingdom.

     

  • NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 12/16 Results

    NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 12/16 Results

    Here are the results from the Road to Tokyo Dome show that took place 12/16 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

    Yuji Nagata, Yoshitatsu & Ryusuke Taguchi b. Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask IV & Henare – Taguchi took the pinfall victory over Henare

    Tomohiro Ishii b. Chase Owens – Ishii took the pinfall victory in just over 8 minutes with the Brainbuster

    SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & David Finlay – EVIL hit his namesake finisher on Finlay to take the pinfall victory for his team

    Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Juice Robinson b. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & BONE SOLDIER – Robinson hit the Pulp Fiction on Tonga to take the win leading into his match against Cody at the Tokyo Dome

    Hirooki Goto & Jado b. Katsuyori Shibata & Jushin Thunder Liger – Goto took the win after hitting the GTR on Liger

    Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi b. Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado – Yujiro took the win after hitting the Pimp Juice on Jado 

    Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi b. Hiroshi Tanahashi & KUSHIDA – Takahashi took the win after hitting the TIME BOMB on KUSHIDA

  • Wrestle Kingdom 11 Airing On AXS TV Starting January 13th

    Wrestle Kingdom 11 Airing On AXS TV Starting January 13th

    New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 11 is coming to American cable television just a week after it airs on pay-per-view. The show takes place on January 4th from the Tokyo Dome.

    Jim Ross appeared on Wrestling Observer Live on Tuesday and announced that matches from WK11 will air on ASX TV over the course of 4 weeks starting January 13th. IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega will air the first week and IC Champion Naito vs. Tanahashi airs the following week, with additional programming information coming soon.

    Ross also announced that the weekly NJPW show on AXS TV has been renewed for 50+ episodes in 2017. The show, which is hosted by JR and Josh Barnett, is moving to 8pm (EST) on Friday nights.

  • New Japan/Tekken 7 Collaboration Announced (Video)

    Fans of the Tekken series and New Japan are in for a treat. It has been announced that Tekken 7 will feature crossover content from NJPW and the first announcement is an Okada inspired costume for series regular King. It has also been confirmed that he will be able to use the Rainmaker finisher as part of his move set. This is a shrewd business move from NJPW as they look to further solidify themselves in Japanese mainstream culture and this collaboration with Namco could prove to be hugely beneficial.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAB9-vNrq-k

  • Matt Sydal Arrives Home in the United States, Says He’s Done with NJPW

    Matt Sydal Arrives Home in the United States, Says He’s Done with NJPW

    After almost three months in custody after being caught trying to bring liquid marijuana and drug paraphernalia into Japan, Matt Sydal (formerly Evan Bourne in WWE) has tweeted that he is back at home  in the United States:

    Sydal spoke to our friend Ryan Satin at Pro Wrestling Sheet, telling him that “It’s all finished. I received probation, which applies only if I’m in Japan. So no actual punishment. I was just held until they had the trial. I wasn’t ever in jail either, only police detention centers and the Osaka immigration detention center.” He added that “I’m no longer with NJPW. I still love the Japanese people, but I won’t be working there in the near future.”

    Before news of what actually happened broke, someone with access to Sydal’s Twitter account tweeted that he had “passport trouble” and ended up getting stuck in Hawaii. The tweets have since been deleted. While sneaking drugs in through customs is risky anywhere, Japan is known to have an especially rough stance on marijuana.