SEScoops

Category: NJPW

  • Daniel Bryan Says If He Could Wrestle Anyone Right Now, It Would Be Shinsuke Nakamura

    WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan was in Singapore again yesterday for his ongoing promotional tour of Asia. It was the Singapore publication The New Paper where Bryan revealed the fact that if WWE doctors don’t clear him to return, despite the fact that other doctors have, his WWE career could very well be over.

    On Thursday, Bryan spoke more about his status with PopSpoken.com and answered some fun questions such as who he would bring in for a match if he could pick anyone, who has given him his best WWE match in recent memory, his infamous 18-second WrestleMania match and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    – Bryan said he’s “passed every test” in order to return to action, but WWE doctors haven’t cleared him yet.

    – He still suffers from partial blindness in his right eye due to a detached retina he suffered back in 2007. He also has a ruptured ear drum dating back to 2007 that would take a lot of time off to heal, if he were to get that fixed.

    – Regarding today’s young wrestlers working a rough style to get noticed, Bryan said that’s just part of the business. If you’re not the type of guy that management sees as a star (he cited The Rock), then you have to work really really hard.

    – Bryan named Sheamus as the opponent that gave him the best match in recent memory.

    – When asked which wrestler from the independent circuit he’d like to face in a WWE ring, Bryan did not hesitate to name NJPW’s Shinsuke Nakamura.

    “I wouldn’t call the Japanese promotions ‘indie,’ but I’d love to bring Shinsuke Nakamura over,” Bryan said. “I love Shinsuke and I’ve known him for ages. What I love about his style is that he incorporates facets of reality into his matches.”

  • Note On WWE’s Interest In Bringing Back Rey Mysterio & Maria Kanellis

    The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that the fact that the official WWE website recently ran articles on Rey Mysterio and Maria Kanellis is a notable sign of their interest in both talents.

    In the case of Mysterio, it’s well known that WWE would like to get him back under contract both because they’re looking for top Hispanic stars and to prevent him from going to Lucha Underground.

    As far as Kanellis is concerned, her Ring Of Honor contract, along with the ROH contracts of Michael Bennett and Matt Taven have expired. The Observer notes that it’s an interesting situation with these three, based on the fact that you have to factor in interest from New Japan Pro Wrestling, ROH and WWE, and which of the three talents those promotions would be interested in.

  • Update On The Severity Of AJ Styles’ Injury, Styles Misses Another Booking

    Former IWGP Champion AJ Styles missed yet another New Japan World Tag League tournament match today in Fukuoka, Japan. His team with Yujiro Takahashi forfeited their second match, this time to the team of Michael Bennett and Matt Taven.

    Styles has been on the sidelines since last working on November 24th due to a bulging disc in his lower back. According to those in Japan, his injury appears to be very serious, with the description being that he seems to be in great pain with any movement.

    AJ Styles went into the current tour injured after missing ROH bookings to rest up for the tour. The 38-year-old star has yet to return home, as he has major matches scheduled over the next several weeks. After the current NJPW tournament wraps up on December 9th, he has an ROH Title match against Jay Lethal booked for ROH Final Battle in Philadelphia, as well as an Intercontinental Title match against Shinsuke Nakamura at the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom event at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th.

    According to F4WOnline.com, Styles is resting and rehabbing as best as he can right now, and New Japan is being patient and not pressuring him to come back early.

  • AJ Styles’ Injury Revealed, Styles Says He’s Suffering From “Overworking Himself”

    It appears that the injury that has sidelined former IWGP and TNA Champion AJ Styles from the recent New Japan Pro Wrestling shows is the same one that kept him off of the recent set of Ring Of Honor television tapings.

    Styles is reportedly dealing with a lower back issue, one that limited him to a non-wrestling appearance at last month’s ROH TV tapings. He took some time off to heal up for the NJPW Tag League, but has been held out of several days worth of shows. Styles continues to travel to the shows, however, as he has been spotted arriving at the venues by fans.

    Styles told New Japan’s bi-monthly magazine that the injury he is dealing with was caused by overworking himself on the independent scene in 2015.

  • AJ Styles Injured, Pulled From NJPW Show

    Former IWGP Champion AJ Styles was pulled from his scheduled booking at the New Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag League event on Saturday due to an undisclosed injury. The severity of the injury is also unknown at this time.

    For what it’s worth, Styles also missed some time last month, including a set of Ring Of Honor television tapings, due to a back injury.

    Styles did, however, inform fans that he would be ready to go for the ROH Final Battle pay-per-view in December, where he is scheduled to go one-on-one with Jay Lethal.

  • ROH Announces First Of Many NJPW Stars Scheduled For Their 14th Anniversary Weekend

    Ring Of Honor is advertising “the next chapter in the partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling” for their television tapings in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 26th and 27th.

    ROH announced the first of many NJPW stars who will be working the TV tapings immediately after their 14th anniversary show, which will air live on pay-per-view on February 26th.

    “The King of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura was officially announced for the taping, with ROH promising to reveal additional NJPW talent scheduled for the shows in the near future.

    ROH issued the following on Monday:

    The Stars Of NJPW Are Coming To Las Vegas

    On February 26th and 27th 2016, the best wrestling on the planet returns to at Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Las Vegas! Ring of Honor is celebrating our 14th Anniversary LIVE on pay-per-view on February 26th. But the very next night, all of your favorite ROH stars will be back again for a massive television taping! This is a can’t miss event in one of the most exciting cities in the world – and only ROH can deliver this kind of action.

    In the coming weeks, matches for both the 14th Anniversary pay-per-view event as well as the television taping the following night will be announced but we can confirm that the next chapter in the partnership between Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) will be written in Las Vegas on February 26th and 27th.

    The stars of ROH and NJPW will share the stage in the Entertainment Capital of the World for the 14th Anniversary weekend and we are proud to announce the first star from New Japan Pro Wrestling who will be competing in Las Vegas at the 14th Anniversary event and the TV Taping the following night.

    “The King of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura

    The King of Strong Style returns to Ring of Honor to dazzle Las Vegas with an enigmatic presence like no other. The “Boma Ye” is just one weapon in Nakamura’s arsenal and the five-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion looks to add more victims to his list on both February 26th and 27th.

    Returning to Ring of Honor for the 14th Anniversary weekend in Las Vegas on February 26th and 27th is Shinsuke Nakamura and coming soon, you’ll learn the names of more stars from NJPW and Ring of Honor as well as matches to take place in “Sin City”!

    Ticket demand for both the 14th Anniversary event and the TV Taping have been extremely high and both events are anticipated to sell out quickly. Get your tickets now if you want to experience the stars of Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling together on February 26th and 27th in Las Vegas for ROH’s 14th Anniversary weekend.

    We will see you there live as Ring of Honor celebrates 14 years of the best wrestling on the planet!

  • Lance Archer On His TNA & WWE Runs, His FCW Peers Being Top Guys Now & More

    https://youtu.be/UrtMPFmF4nk

    Lance Archer recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast to talk his run in WWE, his peers from his days in FCW being on top now and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On being a part of TNA for some of the early milestones the company experienced:

    “It’s one of those situations where I was a part of a company that was growing and I was getting to be a part of all the firsts really for the company and the company was very young when I joined in 2004. They were still only doing weekly pay per views out of Nashville at the old “Asylum” but I was there for when we first got “The Impact Zone” and I was on the very first Impact that was on the Fox Sports Network. I was there when we were in between Fox and Spike TV and for our first three hour monthly pay per view. I was there for the first Lockdown, the first Bound For Glory I was a part of all these firsts which was a lot of fun because it was a company that was growing and there were good times and bad times but the company was looking for young talent and the “Hoytamania” days were really fun and I hoped that would have gone further but it did not. For me it was a great learning experience getting to work with some of the best in the business.”

    Ont the mania behind of Hoytamania:

    “It was awesome and it was a lot of fun for me. Just the simple fact that when I came out there the reception was amazing. According to some people I was taking people out to eat and that’s why I had these fans and listen, I worked for TNA and they were a young company they are not paying me well enough to take 40 or 50 people out to eat. I wasn’t making t-shirts. There were a group of people that made their own t-shirts. The internet wasn’t as well received of me as the “Impact Zone” itself was but at the same time as somebody who was an UN-named talent that had only been working for TNA and to see the fans reception that was going on there was beyond amazing. I always wished that it would have gone further but unfortunately it did not and that seemed to be a lot of my TNA career. A lot of good starts with a lot of good things that just unfortunately in my opinion weren’t given the full opportunity that they should have had.”

    On his overall feelings of joining WWE and how “Vance Archer” became his name:

    “Nothing but excited. Especially at that time and even now today it is the biggest company in the world and anybody that is in this wrestling business wants to be a top success in the biggest company in this world and that is what WWE is. Now there are a lot of “new” avenues that are amazing like New Japan, Ring of Honor, TNA is still there and I hope people give it a bit more of a chance and it could still be something special in the business. To be a part of WWE was a dream come true. For me, it was very exciting. The whole Vance Archer thing kind came around because they want to own the rights to that name and Vance is a play on my own name and Archer was my Dad’s name and that’s how I got the “Archer” thing even though the internet tried to explain that I was going to be doing a Robin Hood gimmick which I thought was extremely comical. It was a new challenge and a new opportunity.”

    On the developmental class that was in FCW now being on top of the company:

    “Fun fact. I was Seth Rollins’s first WWE match in any capacity. So I guess it’s ok now that he’s heavyweight champion. Bray (Wyatt), talk about an amazing kid. I watched him and he was doing the different names and carried his father’s name. I watched him when they put him on the NXT product with the next name and he always did amazing things. He always worked extremely hard and always busted his butt. Both him and his brother Bo cut some amazing promos down there in FCW. We had our weekly promo day and everybody got up there and cut promos and everybody is trying to come up and say something intriguing and after an hour and a half or two hours people just didn’t care anymore and those two kids whether they were working on a promo together or doing it individually when they came up for a promo everyone in class stopped what they were doing because they just wanted to hear what they were going to say. To see the success he is having now, I am very proud of him. I was there when Sheamus just started to get out there and was just doing live events. You can name nearly everybody on the roster. I worked with Reigns when he was just starting out and just started hitting the ring and to see those guys progression and to know them and all of those guys were cool and I didn’t have a problem with anybody so I am proud of them and because of the good people they were when I knew them.”

    On signing with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2011 and getting the opportunity to reinvent himself:

    “Getting to work with New Japan I didn’t know the scale of what it was or what it could become. I worked in Japan back in 2007,08,09. I worked a tour with All Japan before I signed with WWE. It was good and it was big but it wasn’t anywhere what New Japan is and is becoming. When I first got set to come back to Japan I was going to go back to All Japan but there was a discrepancy on what they were going to pay and what they wanted to pay so that all fell through and I got in contact with New Japan and some people from the WWE office helped get me in contact with some people in putting a good word in for me and helping me. For me it was kind of surreal because I didn’t know what to expect. I was excited and ready to go and bust my butt and try to recreate myself. They wanted a Stan Hansen-esque type character and wanted me to wear a cowboy hat. But I am not a cowboy, never have been and growing up my whole life in Texas I thought I could maybe be the cowboy I wanted to be, like a rock star cowboy.”

  • More Title Matches Confirmed For NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 (1/4/16)

    New Japan Pro Wrestling held a press conference on Monday to officially announce the top matches for Wrestle Kingdom 10:

    • IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. G1 Climax Winner Hiroshi Tanahashi
    • IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles
    • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. KUSHIDA
    • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Champions ReDragon vs. Richochet & Matt Sydal vs. The Young Bucks vs. RPG Vice

    Wrestle Kingdom 10 takes place on Monday, January 4th, 2016 from the Tokyo Dome.

  • Styles vs. Nakamura, Okada vs. Tanahashi Announced For NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10

    The top two matches are set for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 event on January 4th, 2016 from the Tokyo Dome:

    • IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles
    • IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

    The matches were announced at Saturday’s Power Struggle event. Fans are flipping out on Twitter about the Nakamura vs. Styles match and rightfully so. These two have somehow never faced each other in singles action and NJPW just proved once again why WrestleKingdom is one of the premiere shows of the year.

  • Details On The Young Bucks’ Unique Deal With Ring Of Honor

    The Young Bucks’ new deal with Ring of Honor has a few unique clauses that are sure to catch the attention of other contracted ROH talent.

    The 1-year agreement involves exclusivity in North America, with the only exception being Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. The duo will still be able to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling. In fact, NJPW actually encouraged the two to sign the ROH deal because they don’t want them getting hurt by working so many independent dates because of how hard they go in the ring. NJPW’s relationship with ROH will also allow them the ability to coordinate dates for the team.

    They also retain their own merchandising rights and will be allowed to keep their official t-shirt store at Pro Wrestling Tees, something that no other ROH-contracted talent is allowed to do.  Additionally, they are the only ROH talent allowed to work for PWG or any other promotion in the US.

    The feeling on the independent scene that the Young Bucks’ deal with ROH shows that Sinclair Broadcasting is willing to spend more money for talent than in the past.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Bullet Club Gets A New Member At Today’s NJPW Show

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2D6ZZ20J6g

    Earlier today, NJPW ran a house show as part of theRoad to Power Struggle tour in Saitama, which aired live on NJPW World. The big news coming out of the show is that the Bullet Club announced a new member: Former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Chase Owens. Owens, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Mascara Dorada, and the Time Splitters when Omega pinned Dorada after hitting the One-Winged Angel.

    The NWA issued a press release today that included this note about Owens joining the Bullet Club:

    The wrestling world was rocked when we recently received word from Japan that former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion “THE CROWN JEWEL” CHASE OWENS has joined the Bullet Club!

    Does this signal the start of an NWA – Bullet Club Alliance? NWA President Bruce Tharpe has indicated that this is only the first of many controversial surprises to come involving the NWA.

    Tharpe has served as the manager of Owens and the other NWA-aligned Americans like Rob Conway. He was a big part of Owens’ feud with Jushin Thunder Liger, cutting promos, interfering in matches, and so on.

  • NJPW Turns Down Offer To Put Shows On WWE Network

    WWE Network is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To those who expected an array of older footage with WWE Classics on Demand folding, it’s been a giant disappointment. Fans who wanted new original content are most likely happy with the current iteration of the network, but had to suffer through months without new content during budget cuts. Those who want them to think outside the box want them to consider outside indie and international .content a la UFC Fight Pass.

    That last one felt like the biggest longshot, but maybe it’s not…at least from WWE’s perspective. Takaaki Kidani, the president of Bushiroad, NJPW’s parent company, has posted a new blog (in Japanese) where he says WWE tried to make a deal to get NJPW footage on WWE Network. @e_key_olde on Twitter provided the most accurate translation:

     

    One proposed idea would be for the WWE to show NJPW footage [on the Network], but this type of proposal just shows that they don’t see us as competition.

    Play NJPW footage on the Network, see if any of our wrestlers gain popularity, then buy that wrestler out; that’s probably the extent of their thoughts on it.

    It’s a very obvious strategy.

    NJPW, of course, has their own streaming service, NJPW World. The website isn’t in English and the same goes for most of the videos, though they provide a button to turn on Google’s automated English translation. They’re also experimenting with English commentary, having brought in Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker to call King of Pro Wrestling earlier this month. Separately, Mauro Ranallo and Josh Barnett do voiceovers of several month old matches for the show that airs Friday nights in the U.S. on AXS TV.

  • Former NXT Star Signs With New Japan Pro Wrestling

    Former NXT wrestler CJ Parker, now known as Juice Robinson, has signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling. NJPW has since confirmed he’s signed a full-time contract with the organization.

    Robinson was part of WWE’s developmental system from 2011 until earlier this year, when he asked for his release.

    He posted the following on Instagram announcing the signing:

    https://instagram.com/p/8sFhN6zUOA/

  • AXS TV Announces NJPW Wrestle Kingdom Schedule

    NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 was a surprising success on pay-per-view in January, getting about 15,000 homes to buy a show that aired in the middle of the night and then on tape delay the next day. That was thanks in part to strong publicity built around Jim Ross, who called the show. If you missed it, the show will air on AXS TV with new commentary from Mauro Ranallo and Josh Barnett over the course of five episodes starting next week. Today, AXS TV issued the following press release to announce the schedule:

    As the home to NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING, AXS TV has acquired the promotion’s action-filled 2015 pay-per-view event “Wrestle Kingdom 9.” This special edition will feature all 10 matches from the celebrated annual event, including an entire episode dedicated to the headlining rematch between IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and rival Kazuchika Okada. The 10 matches will be broadcast over five consecutive weeks starting Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with commentary from Mauro Ranallo and Josh Barnett.

    NJPW’s biggest annual event, “Wrestle Kingdom” takes place every Jan. 4 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Last year’s “Wrestle Kingdom 9” counted over 36,000 fans in attendance and featured a number of high-stakes clashes, including battles for IWGP Heavyweight, Intercontinental, Junior and NEVER Openweight Championships.

    AXS TV’s presentation of “Wrestle Kingdom 9” kicks off with two junior heavyweight matches Oct. 9 starting with a four-way match for the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship followed by Ryusuke Taguchi defending his IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Kenny Omega. Then, on Oct. 16, Tetsuya Naito and A.J. Styles face off in a singles match before Tomohiro Ishii defends the NEVER Openweight title against Togi Makabe.

    NJPW’s “Wrestle Kingdom 9” continues on AXS TV Oct. 23 with three full matches: first the Bullet Club squares off against Tomaoki Honma and veteran tag team Tencozy in a six-man tag team match; then MMA legends Kazushi Sakuraba and Minoru Suzuki face off in a special single match; and Bullet Club members Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows put their IWGP Tag Team Championship belt on the line against Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata.

    NJPW airs an hour early Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT featuring an epic eight-man tag team match before Kota Ibushi challenges Shinsuke Nakamura for his IWGP Intercontinental Championship title. AXS TV wraps up “Wrestle Kingdom 9” with the anticipated main event between IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and his rival Kazuchika Okada Nov. 6.

    AXS TV’s NJPW episodes are produced by and acquired from TV ASAHI CORPORATION.

    The episode listings are as follows:

    Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
    IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship four-Way Match – Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish; KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley; Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov; and Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson
    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship – Ryusuke Taguchi versus Kenny Omega

    Oct. 16 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
    Tetsuya Naito versus A.J. Styles
    NEVER Openweight Championship – Tomohiro Ishii versus Togi Makabe

    Oct. 23 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
    Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tomaoki Honma versus the Bullet Club (Jeff Jarrett, Back Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi)
    Special Single Match – Kazushi Sakuraba versus Minoru Suzuki
    IWGP Tag Championship – Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows versus Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata

    Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
    Toru Yano, Naomichi Marufuji, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste versus Takashi Iizuka, Shelton X Benjamin, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr.
    IWGP Intercontinental Championship – Shinsuke Nakamura versus Kota Ibushi

    Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
    IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Hiroshi Tanahashi versus Kazuchika Okada

  • Jim Ross Q&A: Sting/Undertaker Rumors, WWE & NJPW Working Together?, Kane

    WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official Q&A section, answering questions from fans a wide variety of topics. Below are some of the highlights.

    On WWE possibly cross-promoting a big event with New Japan Pro Wrestling: “I’d never count WWE out of any negotiations as it relates to building their brand or associating with other groups as a source for securing new talents. In the big picture, would NJPW rather have a great deal with WWE or a great deal with ROH?”

    On how WWE kept the identity of the Kane character under wraps during the Attitude Era: “I actually have never thought of that nor do I know if WWE was truly successful in keeping Kane’s identity a secret. You know the old saying…..telephone, telegraph, tell a wrestler.”

    On how much WWE management would talk about the internet wrestling community: “Not much unless it was news that was meant to be kept off the grid. All in all, a non issue for the most part. Don’t know how it is today. ”

    On Greg Valentine saying women have no place in wrestling: “Greg was a great in ring performer just like his Dad Johnny Valentine. Solid as a rock. I did not read his opinions on women in wrestling and he has a right to his take whether it’s a popular take or not.”

    On Sting vs. Undertaker rumors: “I think that we can forget about Sting vs. Taker. All storylines in the biz can be simpler and more logical and it would make me happier. Plus, paying more attention to continuity would be smart on their part as well.”

    On how to get over as an outstanding wrestling announcer: “Product knowledge, sense of timing and humor, ability to communicate in sound bytes are all good starting points with the bottom line being that the goal is to get talents over and not yourself.”

    Check out more of JR’s Q&A updates at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

  • ROH & NJPW To Make Special Announcement Regarding Their Working Relationship

    Ring Of Honor issued a press release this week regarding an upcoming announcement to be made about the working relationship between ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    ROH sent out the following press release on Friday:

    At the Ring of Honor television taping in Philadelphia on Friday, September 21st , Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling management will be making a special announcement impacting their working relationship at 7:10 p.m. ET on ROHWrestling.com/ROHUSTREAM.

    Ring of Honor is hosting New Japan wrestlers at two monumental events this weekend, beginning on August 21st in Philadelphia’s famed 2300 Arena for a spectacular television taping. One night later on August 22nd, ROH and NJPW will compete at Brooklyn’s own MCU Park, which will be available as a DVD and on VOD. Ring of Honor is incredibly honored to continue to host such fantastic matches with the stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    Additional information about this announcement will be made available on ROHWrestling.com shortly after the live press conference.

  • Ring Of Honor To Tour Japan In 2016

    Ring Of Honor booker Delirious announced at the beginning of the final G-1 Climax show that ROH will be heading to Japan in 2016 for a multi-show tour.

    While specific dates or other information is available yet, we can confirm that New Japan Pro Wrestling and ROH have been working on putting this deal together for months, and that they may be running a 2-3 show tour in the first quarter of the new year.

    There will likely be additional information regarding ROH’s 2016 tour of Japan coming in the near future. Stick with us here at SEScoops.com for all of the updates.

  • NJPW On AXS-TV Gets Multi-Year Renewal, 200k Viewers Per Week

    New Japan Pro Wrestling’s highlights show on AXS-TV has been renewed with a multi-year after surprisingly strong viewership.

    Season 3 will run from August 4th – December 11th on Friday nights (taking a week off for Thanksgiving). AXS-TV is looking for NJPW’s show to air weekly in 2016, regularly featuring matches taped only 3-4 months prior.

    New Japan’s weekly show has been a surprise hit, averaging around 200,000 viewers – making it the #4 most watched national wrestling show in the United States. The fact that many of the top cable providers in the United States don’t carry AXS-TV makes the number even more impressive. RAW, Smackdown and Impact do better numbers – but [great] NJPW matches from last year are drawing more viewers than Ring of Honor on Destination America and Lucha Underground. Throw NXT into the mix and there really is a lot of good wrestling out from a diverse group of promotions.

    Mauro Ranallo and Josh Barnett will be back for Season 3. For 5 weeks starting in October, they’ll call the action on matches from Wrestle Kingdom 9 only previously broadcast with Jim Ross and Matt Stryker on commentary.

    Hit up Page 2 below for the official press release from AXS-TV regarding NJPW’s new multi-year deal. 

  • New Japan’s Jushin Thunder Liger Confirmed For NXT Brooklyn Special

    In what is considered a major political move, New Japan Pro Wrestling is sending Japanese legend Jushin Thunder Liger to appear for WWE on the NXT Brooklyn event on August 22.

    On the same night, New Japan has Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada and Kushida for the Ring Of Honor event, which is also taking place in Brooklyn, New York.

    Liger will be going one-on-one with Tyler Breeze at the NXT event, which is scheduled to air live on the WWE Network.

  • Multiple Title Changes At NJPW Dominion, Announcement Made For G1 Climax

    – New Japan Pro Wrestling held their PPV Dominion 7.5 at the Osaka Castle Hall on the 5th of July and multiple title changes took place at the event.

    Not only that but NJPW confirmed the matches that will feature on the G1 Climax Tournament which will be held from July 20th through August 16th. They can be seen at this link.

    Results for NJPW Dominion 7.5 are as follows:

    Ten Man Tag Team Match
    Manabu Nakanishi, Máscara Dorada, Ryusuke Taguchi, Sho Tanaka and Yuji Nagata defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger, Satoshi Kojima, Tiger Mask and Yohei Komatsu

    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Three Way Match
    The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (C) defeated reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) and Roppongi Vice (Baretta and Rocky Romero)

    Tag Team Match
    Tetsuya Naito and Tomoaki Honma defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi)

    Singles Match
    Katsuyori Shibata defeated Kazushi Sakuraba

    IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match
    Kushida defeated Kenny Omega (C) to become the new champion.

    NEVER Openweight Title Match
    Togi Makabe (C) defeated Tomohiro Ishii

    IWGP Tag Team Title Match
    Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) (w Amber Gallows) defeated The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Michael Bennett) (C) (w Maria Kanellis) to become the new champions.

    Singles Match
    Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Toru Yano

    IWGP Intercontinental Title Match
    Hirooki Goto (C) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura

    IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
    Kazuchika Okada defeated A.J. Styles (C) to become the new champion.

  • New Japan Pro Wrestling Set To Broadcast 11 Shows Through July

    PWInsider.com reports that beginning with tomorrow’s “Road to Dominion” show, New Japan Pro Wrestling will have a total of 11 live events broadcasting through the month of July.

    The “Road to Dominion” shows will be broadcast live on June 28th and July 3rd at 6:30pm Japan time while “Dominion”, which takes place on July 5th will be live at 4:00pm.

    On July 12th “New Japan Alive” from Fukushima will be live at 3:00pm while the G1 Climax 25 Shows (7 in total) will also be live on New Japan World.

    Those shows will take place on the following dates (all times are Japan Standard Time):

    -July 20th at 3:00 PM

    -July 23rd at 6:30 PM

    -July 24th at 6:30 PM

    -July 25th at 6:00 PM

    -July 26th at 6:00 PM

    -July 28th at 6:30 PM

    -July 29th at 6:30 PM

    If you want to check out these events then New Japan World is available for 999 Yen per month which works out at around $8.

  • Jim Ross Posts Long Rant On The State Of The Wrestling Industry

    WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official blog on Saturday with a long rant about his take on the state of the wrestling industry.

    Below is an excerpt from the blog, which features JR’s rant.

    “I’ve said here many times that I hope that all wrestling promotions are successful and make it through their respective rough waters that many are currently encountering. Nonetheless, some within these organizations can’t handle constructive criticism and seem to take some things that I say personally which is both childish and unprofessional. It is my prerogative to criticize bad acting, over scripted promos, no selling major moves, illogical creative and other eye rolling creative content in an attempt to re-invent what isn’t broken. I think that I’ve paid my dues, earned a decent track record within the biz and, above all, I am still a fan of over 50 years.

    The vast majority of wrestlers these days are not good promo talents. Reason being is that creative staffs seemingly have to justify their existence by role playing with these individuals and scripting virtually every word that the talents say. That system is both outdated and unproductive as fans today can recognize a wrestler reciting a promo from memory instead as from their heart within a few sentences.

    Wrestling is best when it comes from a logically, realistic place and is executed inside the ring as an athletic contest built on common sense and not an acrobatic show that exposes the business as a sham with no selling and the complete lack of some talent’s ability to properly apply an actual wrestling hold.

    The faster some talent perform the louder that they tell us that their skill set is lacking and that they are trying to get by on sensationalism instead of realism.

    I get taken to task because of my 21 years in WWE as if I’m picking on the TNA’s, ROH’s, Lucha Underground’s, etc of the world when nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve dedicated 40+ years of my life to the wrestling business, proudly I might add, and would do it all over again if the opportunity presented itself. But that isn’t going to happen. I want the business to be healthy and to prosper long after I’m gone for future generations to enjoy. At the rate of some of the things that I’m watching each week on TV are happening, I’m not sure sure that’s going to occur.

    Some feel that we are allegedly in a pending “boom” period because there is so much TV wrestling product available o n a weekly. Does average, at times at best average, TV product indicate “Boom” to any one who actually thinks about it? I think not.

    The product is by and large over thought and those in creative charge seemingly feel compelled to take a tried and true product and put their personal finger prints on it as if they are going to be the one who is forever known as “changing the wrestling business forever.” The wrestling business changed forever when the territories died due largely because local promoters got lazy and complacent and did not want to move into the modern era of marketing and producing TV programs plus they stopped developing new, young stars. Blame who you want but the territory system stopped doing what brought them to the dance and that was featuring new stars in compelling rivalries that were based in easy to understand, common sense story lines produced in weekly, episodic television. Plus, the talents back in the day were, by and large, better story tellers than we are fed today with some exceptions.

    An essentially, easy to watch, non complex hour of TV that virtually anyone could understand and enjoy was what worked best for many of us lifers.

    Where have those days gone?

    Yes, I’ve been involved with many lame, ineffective and impotent TV storylines in my career but I was always a team player and had no problem cashing the checks to do what my employer instructed me to do in the fictional, show business word of pro wrestling. It was like an actor being cast in a role in a film. Some days were better than others…some shows were better than others, too.

    Perhaps some day someone in a promotion will understand that simpler is better and the majority of fans don’t want bad acting or predictable promos but instead want to get lost in personal issues featuring the stars settling the conflict in the ring utilizing superior athletic representation.”

    Check outt the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

  • WWE Interested In Signing Top TNA Stars, Update On WWE’s Interest In AJ Styles

    As we reported earlier this week, WWE officials have changed their interest level regarding bringing AJ Styles into the company. Originally, the company wasn’t that interested in bringing him in, however following the success of many of his peers in NXT, and eventually on the main roster, WWE is apparently more interested in Styles than they were in the past. It is worth noting, however, that nothing is expected to happen at any point in the near future, as Styles is locked into a contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling until the end of 2015.

    Speaking of WWE’s interest in acquiring established talent, the company is reportedly in the process of trying to find out when the contracts of a few of TNA’s top talents expire. According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is interested in signing a few of TNA’s bigger stars, but only for the NXT brand for now.

  • Doc Gallows On GFW Possibly Joining Destination America, Partnering With NJPW

    Global Force Wrestling performer Doc Gallows recently appeared as a guest on the v2 Wrestling podcast to talk about a number of topics related to the upstart wrestling promotion.

    Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On his thoughts on Global Force Wrestling: “I think everybody is excited. I think this is going to be a unique experience not only for the wrestlers but for the wrestling fans because you’re going to see guys from so many different styles and genres. It’s exciting. Las Vegas is the fight capital of the world and I think us broadcasting from the Orleans casino ? it gives it a unique big fight feel. I think this is a brand new concept with a lot of fresh faces and guys who have gone and done some really cool stuff. Now you’re going to see them all under one banner, under Global Force Wrestling. I think that’s why global was such a good name for this thing because when you look at all these companies from all these places all over the world, I think that Jeff Jarrett has a great plan set up for not only the wrestlers but for the wrestling fans.”

    On the partnership between Global Force and New Japan: “I’ve worked with Jeff previously in Ring Ka King and then in TNA. Jeff has his finger on the pulse in the wrestling business. He knew how hot New Japan had gotten and he knew how hot the Bullet Club had gotten, so he was coming to Japan trying to cut the deal for Global Force and New Japan to partner up. And in doing so, we saw the opportunity and we actually put Jeff in the Bullet Club with us. This Global Force thing, not a lot has been released to the public because I think Jeff has tried to keep up the mystique up about it. It was meticulous planning, months and months before Jeff ever landed on the ground in Japan. He basically came over to seal the deal, especially with Global Force bringing the Wrestle Kingdom pay-per-view to America for the first time. Letting the American audience see what we’re doing in Japan, I think, was a big deal. The pay-per-view turned out great and that was a great starting point.”

    On whether or not GFW have a TV deal: “I just know this. Jeff is working diligently on the best way to broadcast this thing. As far as the channel or what the outlet is, I don’t know but I know he’s talking to all the heavyweights in the broadcasting business. I think we’re going to have a good landing. That’s reflective of what’s going on with the business right now. In America, for example, there is more wrestling on TV now than there has been in 30 years. You’ve got Lucha Underground, TNA, WWE, Ring of Honor getting a new deal, and New Japan has got a deal now in America too. It’s a good time for wrestling fans and I think Jeff is right on the pulse with that with Global Force.”

    On the chances of GFW signing with Destination America: “That’s kind of a joke among the boys because we’re like, everybody is just jumping on Destination America. I think Destination America sees wrestling as a positive by carrying two shows. I don’t know what’s going on between TNA and Ring of Honor, because I do work some dates with Ring of Honor as well and I was in TNA, but I think it’s pretty substantial that you’ve got two different wrestling companies on the same channel right now. That’s probably historic in some fashion.”

    On if wrestling is more popular now than it was 10 years ago: “Yeah, absolutely. You don’t want to say revolution because that term has gotten worn out in wrestling, but it’s almost like a renaissance where I still do some independent dates in America and you see these buildings are full. It’s just a great time for everybody who likes wrestling ? the guys performing in the ring and the fans who like to watch it. I think that our generation has got the buzz going again. It’s a cool thing because I remember 10 years ago, a lot of the powers-that-be and a lot of these companies thought that our generation was going to be the downfall of the entire business. So we kind of turned around and proved them wrong.”

    On his time in the Aces and Eights as the Director of Chaos: “What was so fun about TNA ? I only spent a year in TNA ? was working with all of my buddies. Mike Knox is one of my very best friends in the world. Garett is a good buddy of mine, and Wes. I didn’t know Bubba and Devon so well, but I got real close to Devon and D’Lo. It was a good group of guys and we were all having fun and we all spanned different generations in the wrestling business. It was cool thing for the little short period of time that it had. It was smart on their part too, like the Sons of Anarchy getting so popular on American TV and everything, to basically do a spin-off gimmick of that. It worked well; you had these big rugged biker-looking dudes, so it was cool.”

    On how exactly does he direct chaos: “Oh man, you just gotta be able to channel your chaos in all different directions. It’s funny because Eric Bischoff wanted me to be DOC. D’Lo is my buddy and he goes, well, DOC is cool because he’s the Director of Chaos. But then there was like two weeks where the commentators and I were confused because someone told them to call me the Director of Chaos and then someone said no, don’t do that, only call him DOC. I don’t know, I guess there ended up being a little argument over it or whatever. The Director of Chaos is probably one of my least remembered names because nobody thinks of the DOC as me, so I appreciate the love on that.”

    On the success of the Bullet Club in New Japan: “I think the one thing we have on our side is being that we’re a Japanese based company, we’re allowed to drive the car a little more than some of the American based companies where everything is written and spelled out for you. Some people get what we’re doing. They get the wink when we steal everything, they get what it is. If we were doing the Bullet Club in, say, WWE we wouldn”t be allowed to do all that stuff, so I think people can tell we’re having fun and we literally do whatever the hell we want to. I think people enjoy watching us because they can see what we’re doing and maybe some of their favorite wrestlers in the other companies aren”t allowed to express themselves the way that the Bullet Club is. So as long as we don’t overrun it with 25 guys that don’t have the credential or skillset to be in there, I think we’ll be okay for a good long while.”

    On who he wants to wrestle in GFW: “I’ve been in the ring with Chris Masters and Shelton Benjamin in WWE and I would welcome the opportunity to do it again. What I’m excited about is that there are a lot of guys I don’t know. Because I’ve been in this company or that company, and they’re from somewhere that I’ve never been to before. I think that’s what’s so unique about this, you’re going to see matches that are truly first time out of the gate and it’s such a big mix of styles. It’s going to be really cool for the fans and for the guys too. Anytime that you’re dancing for the first time, it’s always exciting to try to captivate the audience and I think Jeff is onto a good idea with that.”

    Check out the complete interview at v2Wrestling.com.

  • Backstage Update On AJ Styles Turning Down Offer To Return To TNA

    As reported recently, TNA offered a deal for AJ Styles to return to the promotion, a deal that Styles turned down.

    TNA offered the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion and current IWGP Heavyweight Champion what is being described as a “significant” deal to enter the TNA Hall Of Fame and wrestle a match at the TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view later this month.

    According to one source, the reason Styles turned down the offer was because his priorities right now are with both Ring Of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    It’s also worth mentioning that in addition to the TNA Hall Of Fame induction and Slammiversary bookings, TNA was also looking at having Styles work a match at this year’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)