Katsuyori Shibata insists that his head has fully healed and he’s got the wrestling world buzzing with speculation.
The last time Shibata had a full-fledged wrestling match was back in April 2017. He had a classic with Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In the match, Shibata connected with a gnarly headbutt that nearly turned fatal.
Shibata collapsed backstage and was rushed to the hospital. He underwent emergency surgery for a subdural hematoma. It had been believed that Shibata’s wrestling career would be over.
Shibata’s UWF Rules Match
On the final day of the G1 Climax 31 tournament, Katsuyori Shibata made a surprise appearance. He took on Zack Sabre Jr. in a five-minute UWF rules grappling match. The match went the distance and no winner was determined.
During an interview posted on the official NJPW website, Shibata said that he is now 100 percent healthy.
“I think it was an easy thing to overlook, but in the match you can see me doing a headstand as well. That was all part of the confidence I’d built; it’s been this long since I had surgery, and my skull is completely healed up and hardened now.”
When it comes to a potential full-fledged comeback, Shibata said that he knows what he’s capable of and how his body is feeling.
“I do [have a plan], in as much as I think if I don’t have something to work toward, I would be spinning my wheels. Obviously I understand the people that feel I shouldn’t push myself, but at the same time, nobody knows where my body is at better than me. I don’t want to cause the company, or any of the other wrestlers any trouble, or put anybody in a bad position. I know what I’m capable of, and I know best where I can take things.”
NJPW has announced that Shibata will be attending the final day of the Best of the Super Juniors and World Tag League on Dec. 15. There, he will be making a major announcement.
BREAKING
Katsuyori Shibata will be in attendance December 15 at the Best of the Super Jr./World Tag League finals.
New Japan Pro Wrestling President Takami Obari has addressed Will Ospreay’s status for Wrestle Kingdom 16, which takes place from January 4-6, 2022.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced yesterday that the country is banning foreigners from enterting the country indefinitely. Japan also joins other countries that are trying to combat the new variant of COVID-19, Omicron.
Japan’s new travel restriction casts doubt on wrestlers like Will Ospreay participating in Wrestle Kingdom 16.
In an interview with Tokyo Sports, Obari addressed the situation. He shared that Ospreay should be able to visit Japan because he has a work visa. However, the situation in Japan can change.
“Under the current rules, foreign wrestlers who are regularly participating in the war are not expected to enter the country. I’ve heard that (regular foreign wrestlers) have visas to work in Japan, so they will be treated as re-entry. This has been confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Obari.
Ospreay tweeted the following, reassuring fans that he’ll be there on January 5th.
Ospreay will return to Japan for NJPW since his match with Shingo Takagi at Wrestling Dontaku on May 4. It was also the last match that he defended the NJPW Heavyweight Championship before vacating the title due to a neck injury. After Ospreay relinquished the title, Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the vacant NJPW Heavyweight Champion at Dominion on June 7. To get back into the title picture, Okada won the G1 Climax.
It’s unclear if NJPW planned to have all three wrestlers involved, but the Ospreay injury helped build an eight-month storyline.
Wrestle Kingdom Three Night Event
Wrestle Kingdom 16 will be a three-night event. It is also the first three-night Wrestle Kingdom in NJPW history. The main event of Night One on January 4 will be Takagi vs. Okada for the NJPW Heavyweight Championship. The winner of Night One will also defend the championship against Ospreay in the main event of Night Two on January 5. It is unclear if the winner will defend the NJPW Heavyweight Champion on Night Three on January 6.
For now, it seems Ospreay will get his opportunity to reclaim the NJPW Heavyweight Championship on January 5. It is unclear if he is in Japan currently. However, with the new variant of COVID-19, NJPW may also need to have a backup plan just in case.
Japanese pro wrestling legend Naomichi Marufuji will be making his boxing debut in December 2021.
PWInsider Elite has reported that the Pro Wrestling NOAH great will be taking to the ring in an exhibition bout just before the holidays.
“Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji is set to make his boxing debut at Kameda Promotion’s 3150 Fight Vol. 1 event on December 16 in Osaka” PWInsider reported.
“Marufuji will face comedian Takayuki Kinoshita in an exhibition bout with two two-minute rounds.”
It is not confirmed at this time if Marufuji will be competing in further boxing events, although at this point it does appear to be a one-off.
It is also not confirmed if fans outside of Japan will be able to see the boxing exhibition. We expect that FITE will be getting the PPV rights, should they be available for the Thursday December 16 event from Osaka.
Check out the announcement tweet from Pro Wrestling NOAH below:
New Japan Pro Wrestling talent Rocky Romero shared his thoughts on WWE contacting NJPW about a partnership earlier this year.
Romero appeared on the Battleground Podcast, where he discussed WWE interaction with NJPW. He revealed that WWE did try to work with NJPW with Bryan Danielson’s involvement. However, All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan got involved by signing Danielson and has a working relationship with NJPW. Romero also shared that WWE does talk to NJPW once in a while.
“…I can say that definitely, they(WWE) reached out. Definitely, WWE reached out, as they do every x amount of years, said Romero. He continued, “Obviously, like Danielson being in the middle of that was no secret, and it was no secret to Tony either or AEW.” Romero also added that he doesn’t believe a deal would’ve happened.
“The deal talked about would have been more likely be NXT focused and would have things beneficial for both sides, and it’s not like WWE is going to buy New Japan or bring in Kazuchika Okada to job for Randy Orton or all the crazy speculation from the past week,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Romero believes that AEW is a good partnership for NJPW. Several NJPW talent like himself has appeared on NJPW this year. Romero thinks AEW has a better understanding of NJPW than WWE and that wrestlers leaving NJPW helped build AEW.
“…New Japan wrestlers kind of leaving New Japan helped to start AEW, said Romero. He continued, So there has always been that cross-over connection, so it just seems to make sense in the grand scheme of things to now both companies working together.”
AEW fans are anticipating more big-name NJPW talent to appear at an AEW event. However, Romero thinks you won’t see the likes of Kazuchika Okada appearing in AEW soon, as he thinks both companies are making long-term bookings with cross-promotion plans. Khan also had teased that more talent from NJPW may appear on AEW in the future.
While other people have spoken out about WWE negotiations with NJPW, WWE hasn’t released a statement. It’s unclear if WWE is still trying to reach out to NJPW.
The “Forbidden Door” has been busted wide open and Japan is no exception.
In fact, NJPW and Pro Wrestling NOAH had been in cahoots long before talk of the “Forbidden Door” began. At one point, the entire Suzuki-gun faction was sent to cause chaos in NOAH, while Naomichi Marufuji had two stellar matches with Kazuchika Okada.
Reports surfaced that things turned sour between the two promotions and the partnership was off. Luckily, NJPW and NOAH have patched things up and are back doing business together.
NJPW & NOAH Reunite
(via NJPW)
Both NJPW and NOAH recently held an “emergency” press conference. During the presser, it was announced that night three of Wrestle Kingdom 16 on Jan. 8 will see cross-promotion matches between the two companies.
The PPV will be airing live on ABEMA. It’ll be available on NJPW World seven days later.
Some fans initially expressed concern and disappointment over a third night for Wrestle Kingdom due to the omission of New Year Dash!!. With this cross-promotion announcement, many are now singing a different tune.
As of this writing, no matches have been announced for the special NJPW-NOAH event. Once more details are available, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Chris Dickinson has given an update following an injury.
Dickinson was in action this past Saturday night (Nov. 13) at NJPW Battle In The Valley. He teamed with Brody King to take on Stray Dog Army. The match didn’t end as planned.
Dickinson landed wrong on a frog splash and needed medical attention right away. He was then stretchered out of the venue.
Chris Dickinson Out About 5-6 Months
Chris Dickinson issued a lengthy statement on his Twitter account. In the post, he revealed that he has dislocated his leg out the rear of his hip socket. He’ll be out around five to six months.
Here’s what’s going on. I want to be as transparent as possible with you. Thank you for all the love, messages, tweets, everything.
“So I’m going to give everyone an update on my situation. First off I want to apologize to the fans of NJPW and the company for not being able to compete at the Riverside event and future scheduled STRONG events today.
“That being said I dislocated my leg out of the rear of my hip socket and in the process experienced an acetabulum posterior wall fracture. I will say the process of dealing with the pain of this type of dislocation is unlike anything I have ever experienced in my lifetime.
“It’s a clean break of one piece about the size of your thumb that needs to be reattached otherwise the femur can easily slip out of place. Hip injuries are generally way worse and I’m in good hands with highly experienced trauma surgeons that deal with way more extensive injuries brought on by car accidents, motorcycle accidents, etc.
“I may be getting surgery today depending on a few other way worse automobile-related accidents that came in but absolutely tomorrow if not.
“My timeline I’ve been given for recovery is within the range of six months. My surgeon just said because of my background and athletic nature if I do everything right I can probably do it in five months. I give my word I will do my absolute best to return to the ring as fast as humanly possible.
“Thank you NJPW. I am blessed to have the best company behind me as well as the best brothers that stuck by my side all night on Saturday. I am alone here 3000 miles from home but to get have that in such a situation is the definition of respect and love.
“I love you guys so much.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to cover Dickinson’s medical expenses. As of this writing, $9,611 of the $20,000 goal has been met.
Buddy Matthews has quite the task going into his NJPW debut.
Matthews will be sharing the ring with Kazuchika Okada, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers today. The match will be taking place at NJPW Battle In The Valley this Saturday (Nov. 13).
Buddy Matthews Wants Classic With Okada
During an interview with Forbes, Buddy Matthews said that he’s more than happy with being thrown to the wolves in his first NJPW match.
“I feel like I’m a better performer when there’s less buildup to it, less pressure and whatnot.
“I’m just going to go out there, do what I do best and tear it up. I don’t think there’s any bigger match that you could have in a debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling. I wanted to swim with the whales and they gave me the biggest whale they could find.”
Matthews competed as Buddy Murphy under the WWE banner. He was released from the company back in June.
Matthews has been praised for his in-ring style. Many fans clamored for him to sign with NJPW since he has the style to match. Those fans will get their wish for at least one night.
NJPW Battle In The Valley will feature a NEVER Openweight Title match between champion Jay White and Tomohiro Ishii. Plus, Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion Moose will collide with Juice Robinson.
The self-proclaimed “real” IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay will also be in action. He’ll take on Ren Narita.
Juice Robinson has addressed the report that his New Japan Pro Wrestling contract is expiring soon.
Fightful was the first to bring word that Juice’s contract will be up in early 2022. There are certainly options for Juice, who has been seen on Impact Wrestling as part of a business relationship with NJPW. It definitely seems that Juice is at least willing to test the market.
Juice Robinson Talks Future
During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Juice Robinson confirmed the report and spoke on what the future might hold.
“I’ll be a free agent [in] February. It’s a great time in wrestling to show up anywhere, and maybe it’s the right time for me to spread my wings and fly.”
Few can deny that Juice has reached his greatest career success under the NJPW banner. He requested his release from WWE, where he performed as CJ Parker on the NXT brand back in 2015. Juice quickly shot up the ranks in NJPW and became a two-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion.
Juice has also had tag team success. He’s a former IWGP Tag Team Champion and a former Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champion along with David Finlay.
On Nov. 13, Juice will be taking on Impact World Heavyweight Champion Moose. The match will be featured on the NJPW Battle In The Valley card.
SEScoops will keep you posted on the latest information regarding Juice Robinson’s future with NJPW. Keep it locked on our homepage in the coming months as things unfold.
Jay White claims the rumor of him being in contact with AEW isn’t true.
White has emerged as a major star for NJPW. In a short period of time, White went from Young Lion to IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion. Jay eventually captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and became an IWGP Intercontinental Champion.
Jay White Slams AEW Rumor
Earlier this year, there were rumors about AEW being interested in signing White. Tony Schiavone poured cold water on the rumor, noting that Jay still had contractual obligations with NJPW. During an interview with Fightful Select, Jay White took a final dagger to the rumor.
“I was never or have never been approached in regards to AEW. Especially when they were starting up. I don’t know where that rumor came from. It’s just like everything else to do with wrestling in regards to wrestling, people just like to push sh*t out there as if it’s true and everyone just eats it up. No, I was never approached in regards to AEW. I don’t know where that came from.
“It just hurts my brain. The only part of that where there was any truth is the very first part of it, talking about the start of this year and about a certain company. Anything after that, none of that is true. It’s completely false. People, I’m sure, they’re probably going to respond and say, ‘Oh, he’s just saying that because he’s not into telling the truth.’ But I’m doing you a favor and telling you the truth here—them approaching me and some contract I was on, both things 100% false.”
White is the current NEVER Openweight Champion. He has taken advantage of cross-promotion as he’s appeared on Impact Wrestling. He’s scheduled to put his title on the line against Tomohiro Ishii at NJPW Battle in the Valley on Nov. 13.
It’s possible that Jay can eventually show up in AEW even if he’s still under contract with NJPW. Since those rumors first surfaced, AEW and NJPW have become chummy when it comes to doing business with one another.
Juice Robinson may find himself with a slew of options soon.
Robinson has garnered the most success of his wrestling career under the NJPW banner. He had been on WWE’s NXT brand as CJ Parker. Robinson ended up having his release request granted by WWE and he made the move to NJPW.
Juice Robinson’s NJPW Contract Status
Fightful Select is reporting that the current NJPW deal for Juice Robinson will expire at the end of Jan. 2022. At this time, it’s unclear if NJPW has begun the renegotiation process. It’s been said that many promotions would be interested in Juice if he ends up being available.
As of late, Juice has been seen with his tag team partner Finlay on Impact Wrestling. This is part of a partnership between NJPW and Impact. Under the NJPW banner, Robinson has been a two-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion and is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion with Finlay.
Juice has even won gold during his time with Impact. He and Finlay are the former Impact Wrestling Tag Team Champions. The two held onto the championship gold for 65 days.
Kota Ibushi believes he knows why he suffered a dislocated shoulder against Kazuchika Okada.
Ibushi and Okada did battle in the finals of the G1 Climax 31 tournament. Things went south when Kota Ibushi missed a Phoenix Splash and landed hard on his arm. The match was stopped immediately and Ibushi was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder. He’s expected to be out of action for about two months.
During an interview with Tokyo Sports, Ibushi shared his take on why he ended up suffering the injury (rough translation via Google).
“There is a cause for it, weight control. This time, I’ve lost or gained weight by then. I was able to practice Phoenix, but there were too many waves. If that is 100 grams different, it’s completely different (feeling). Because it’s such an advanced technique. That was 3 kilometers different on the day of the KENTA match (18th). I was intentionally increasing it for the championship-deciding match, but I think I was tired … I wonder if my weight was definitely (influenced).”
Ibushi was out of action from July until September. He was able to return just in time for the G1 Climax. In the tournament, Ibushi had a highly praised match with current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi. Ibushi went over 25 minutes with Okada before the injury occurred.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced a new weekly show on its English-language YouTube channel beginning Monday, November 1st. The show will feature an exclusive match each week not available anywhere else. Additionally, the show will feature news and highlights from NJPW action from both Japan and NJPW of America shows.
“Bringing together all the big news from NJPW rings around the world, Xtra will deliver highlights from action in Japan and on NJPW STRONG. Plus, fans can expect to see an exclusive match every week not available anywhere else!” A New Japan press release reads.
The exclusive match for the debut episode will be Jordan Clearwater, Kevin Knight, and The DKC vs Bateman, Misterioso, and Barrett Brown. The match was taped at the New Japan Resurgence show in August.
The November 8th exclusive match will feature Will Ospreay taking on Alex Zayne. That match was filmed at the promotion’s recent New Japan Strong tapings in Philadelphia.
A new weekly show comes to NJPW's official English YouTube next week!#NJPWXTRA brings news and highlights from NJPW in America and Japan and an EXCLUSIVE unseen match every week!
Katsuyori Shibata is seemingly testing the waters of a comeback.
Shibata broke the hearts of Japanese wrestling fans after he suffered a subdural hematoma in his classic IWGP Heavyweight Championship match with Kazuchika Okada back in April 2017. A series of headbutts, specifically a gnarly one near the end of the match, was to blame.
While Shibata hasn’t had a full-on wrestling match since the showdown with Okada, he has gotten physical. During the G1 Climax 29 finals event back in 2019, Katsuyori Shibata attacked KENTA after KENTA turned heel and joined Bullet Club. At the G1 Climax 31 event, Shibata and Zack Sabre Jr. had a surprise five-minute grappling match that ended in a draw.
Shibata told Tokyo Sports that more and more, he’s itching to make a comeback (h/t Reddit user Weezy-NJPW_Fan).
“It was a great space. It’s a special place. This is the only way for me. My desire to make a full-fledged comeback seems to have grown stronger. I’m living my life one step at a time, and year by year, the ring is getting closer and closer. Anyway, if I don’t have a goal, I really don’t know who I am, so I always keep it there. As Okada said when I was injured, pro wrestlers are superhuman.
“Three steps forward, two steps back. Sometimes I take three steps forward and four or five steps back. But I don’t want to give up. This is all I can do. I’m not going to give up. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be doing this job.”
Shibata has played a key role in NJPW’s LA Dojo system. He has been tasked with ensuring that foreign talent is able to grasp Strong Style before breaking free from being a Young Lion.
Suzuki didn’t participate in this year’s G1 Climax tournament. This allowed the “King of Pancrase” to travel to the United States. Suzuki made his mark for various promotions including AEW, Impact Wrestling, and GCW.
Playtime is over in the “Land of the Free,” however as Minoru Suzuki is returning to “The Land of the Rising Sun.” Suzuki expressed gratitude on his Instagram account (rough translation via Google).
“The entire two-month long tour ‘Minoru Suzuki’s Alone National Circuit Tour’ (long laughter) has been completed, and I’m leaving the hotel for the airport. Two months spent with American professional wrestling fans. I carved a lot of experience and wounds on my body. No … I’m getting stronger again. .. .. You can live anywhere in the world with professional wrestling!
“See you next time… I’m the KING.”
Suzuki certainly made the most of his time in America. He mixed it up with the likes of Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Jonathan Gresham, Nick Gage, and Josh Alexander. Time will tell what’s next for Suzuki in NJPW but judging by his social media post, we may have not seen the last of him in the United States.
Last week, the G1 Climax Final match between Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada was stopped early after Ibushi suffered an injury. After missing a Phoenix Splash attempt, Ibushi was attended to by ringside physicians and the match was stopped and Okada was declared the winner.
NJPW1972.com released an update on Ibushi’s condition today.
“The evaluation revealed a right anterior dislocation of the shoulder, and joint lip damage. Recovery is expected to take two months,” reads NJPW’s update.
If all goes well in his recovery, Ibushi will be able to return in time for 3-night Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, January 5, and January 8, 2022.
Kota Ibushi has undergone evaluation on an injury sustained during last Thursday's G1 final.
His diagnosis is a right anterior shoulder dislocation and joint lip damage. He is expected to make a recovery in around two months.
Kazuchika Okada has kept his word and brought back the retired IWGP Heavyweight Championship as a symbol of his promise to Kota Ibushi.
NJPW Road to Power Struggle tour kicked off last night. The G1 Climax winner entered the arena with the belt instead of the usual contract as he had suggested earlier:
The finals of the G1 climax saw Okada going up against Kota Ibushi. However, Ibushi couldn’t complete the match because of a dislocated shoulder, and Okada was declared the winner.
Before the rainmaker picked up his trophy, he checked on his opponent. He promised Ibushi that they will have a rematch when he is ready to step back into the ring again.
On the G1 climax press conference, Kazuchika Okada asked chairman Naoki Sugabayashi if he can bring back the retired belt. He said that he wanted to hold it instead of the contract that’s usually awarded to the G1 winner.
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
The fourth championship belt was unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship back in March. Kota Ibushi was the final wrestler to hold both the belts.
The G1 climax winner gets to face the IWGP world heavyweight champion at the following Wrestle Kingdom event. Though Okada will be defending his title shot against Tama Tonga at Power Struggle on November 6.
G1 Climax 31 winner Kazuchika Okada is making his way back to the United States.
Okada is on his way to the Wrestle Kingdom 16 main event if he can maintain his hold on the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot. He’s set to meet Tama Tonga at Power Struggle on Nov. 6. Tonga is the only participant to have beaten Okada in this year’s G1 Climax.
One week after Power Struggle, Kazuchika Okada will be making his way to San Jose, California. NJPW has announced that the former five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion will be competing on the Battle in the Valley card on Nov. 13.
This will be Okada’s first match in the U.S. since Nov. 2019. He teamed with Will Ospreay to take on Kota Ibushi and Amazing Red. Okada and Ospreay emerged victorious.
Battle in the Valley will feature the likes of Will Ospreay, Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii, Juice Robinson, David Finlay, and more. As of this writing, no matches have been announced for the show. With the show approaching soon, you can expect the full card to be released soon.
Stick with SEScoops for the latest details on the NJPW Battle in the Valley card. We’ll also be bringing you results once the event has wrapped up.
Former WWE NXT Star Bronson Reed is still on the free agent market, but he is gaining some interest from two promotions – New Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact Wrestling.
NJPW has reportedly made a big play for Reed (via Fightful), who is going by his previous moniker of Jonah Rock. Impact is also interested in signing him, but those in the promotion were said to not be confident that he would be making his debut this weekend.
Impact holds its Bound for Glory pay-per-view event on Saturday night and then TV tapings on Sunday and Monday.
Reed was let go by WWE earlier this year after his reign ended as North American Champion. He had a 30-day non-compete clause due to him being under an NXT contract so he’s been free and clear to sign with anyone since early last month.
Before Reed had been released due to budget cuts, the company had him work several dark matches at a time where they were trying out various NXT stars such as Karrion Kross, Shotzi Blackheart, and Teagan Nox before calling them up to the main roster.
Last week it was revealed that former WWE star Buddy Murphy would be joining the promotion to work on their United States brand.
Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi first addressed the media. He revealed that they will be lifting some of the restrictions imposed due to Covid. NJPW shows will feature more matches moving forward.
Providing an update on Ibushi after his unfortunate injury, he confirmed it was a dislocated shoulder that caused the abrupt end to the match.
“Kota Ibushi incurred a dislocated right shoulder during the match, and was treated by the ring doctor and training personnel,” said Sugabayashi.
“Further updates to Ibushi’s condition and a timetable for return will be announced after Ibushi has received more thorough appraisal.”
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada then spoke to the media. He was asked to elaborate on his comments regarding the fourth championship belt.
Okada said that he wants something ‘concrete’ to represent his promise of a rematch to Ibushi Instead of the usual contract awarded to the G1 Climax winner, Okada says he wants to carry the retired IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
He clarified that he doesn’t want people to call him a heavyweight champion, but wants to hold the belt Ibushi retired until he is healthy to return.
Okada hopes to fire up NJPW as the G1 champion until he gets to face Ibushi again. Sugabayashi said that he will need some time for consideration.
Kazuchika Okada has been declared the winner of the 31st G1 Climax tournament after his opponent Kota Ibushi suffered an injury during the finals and was unable to complete the match.
Ibushi suffered the injury due to a botched phoenix splash. He landed hard on the mat and was seen clutching his arm. The referee decided to stop the bout and the NJPW star was immediately attended by the medical team.
Kota Ibushi wanted to continue the match but the medical staff didn’t allow it. Okada was then declared the winner. Ibushi made his way back as Kazuchika Okada was being presented the trophy.
Before Ibushi was taken to the back, Okada told him that they would do this again. He addressed the crowd after receiving the trophy. The former IWGP champion said that this wasn’t the ending he wanted and he is willing to face his opponent again.
In the backstage presentation after this match, Tama Tonga challenged Kazuchika Okada for the briefcase. He mentioned how he was the only one to defeat Okada during the tournament.
No official details are available on Ibushi’s condition but the announcer Kevin Kelly believed that he has suffered a dislocated shoulder. Officials appeared to have popped his shoulder back into place.
This is the third G1 Climax victory for Okada and the first since 2014. He will now challenge the IWGP world heavyweight champion at Wrestle Kingdom 16, that is if he can keep hold of the briefcase until the event.
Bryan Danielson has confirmed that WWE had talks with New Japan Pro Wrestling earlier this year.
Back in May, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter broke the news that WWE and NJPW were negotiating for a working relationship. It later came out that Bryan Danielson’s desire to wrestle for NJPW while under WWE contract was the genesis for the unexpected outreach.
During a recent appearance on the Kliq podcast, Danielson explained what he knows about how it all unfolded.
“I don’t know how far along the talks went and I don’t know even if I was the start of them, for sure, but one of the things when I was talking to them when WWE was trying to re-sign me was, I said, ‘I want to be able to work in Japan.'”
Bryan continued, “They were trying to come up with an agreement to where I would be able to go and do that. It was definitely something that was talked about. I don’t know where it went or anything, all I know is now it seems like AEW has a really great relationship with New Japan. So, I feel like it couldn’t have gone that well.”
WWE x NJPW
The initial report in May stated that Nick Khan was in talks with New Japan. WWE was looking for an exclusive talent-sharing deal.
“In what could end up being among the biggest wrestling stories of the year, or a non-story, depending on the end result, Nick Khan has been in talks with New Japan Pro Wrestling about WWE being the exclusive American partner with the promotion,” Dave Meltzer wrote.
More information about that report is available in the link below:
The NJPW Strong Showdown tapings were held from the 2300 arena in Philadelphia over the weekend. The tapings featured stars such as Will Ospreay, Jon Moxley, Minoru Suzuki and more.
SEScoops correspondent Samira was on hand for both nights and sent in these detailed results.
Showdown saw several big announcements, including the confirmation of the NJPW debut of former WWE star Buddy Matthews for an upcoming show in November.
The main event match of the first night of tapings saw Suzuki going up against Chris Dickinson. He defeated Dickinson using his signature gotch-style piledriver.
The second night featured a Philly street fight between the teams of Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer and Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston for the main event.
This extreme match was won by the team of Suzuki and Archer with the opponents shaking hands at the end. Here are the quick results from both nights of NJPW Strong Showdown tapings
NJPW Strong Showdown Night 1 Results:
Hikuleo defeated Kevin Knight
Bateman, Misterioso, and Barrett Brown, defeated Brody King, Karl Fredericks, and The DKC: Bateman pinned DKC to win the match for his team.
JR Kratos, Royce Isaacs, and Jorel Nelson defeated David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, and Yuya Uemura: Isaacs won the match for his team when he pinned Uemura with some help from Nelson. Kratos and Coughlin got into a fight after this match. Crowd chanted “F**k you Kratos” and in response, Kratos flipped everyone off.
Juice Robinson defeated El Phantasmo: After the match, Juice called out Impact Wrestling star Moose.
Alex Zayne defeated Ariya Daivari: The two showed respect to each other by shaking hands at the end.
Fred Rosser & Rocky Romero defeated Tom Lawlor & Danny Limelight: Rosser pinned Lawlor for the win. In response, Lawlor attacked him after the match. Danny then gave scissors to Lawler. Lawlor ended up cutting Rossers’ hair while the crowd chanted “you sick f**k”
Ren Narita & Clark Connors defeated Will Ospreay & TJP: Ospreay tried to attack Narita after the bout but Narita countered. He then got on the mic and expressed the desire to face Will Ospreay.
Jay White defeated Fred Yehi: post-match, Jay White issued an open invitation for anyone from any company to come and fight him for the Never Openweight title.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Chris Dickinson: After the match, Suzuki says tomorrow night: “Jon Moxley. Eddie Kingston. F**k you.”
NJPW Strong Showdown Night 2 Results:
Yuya Uemura & Kevin Knight defeated Juice Robinson & David Finlay
El Phantasmo & Chris Bey defeated Lio Rush & Ariya Daivari: Bey pinned Daviari for the win
Jonathan Gresham defeated Alex Coughlin: The two shaked hands after the match
Fred Rosser, Karl Fredericks, Rocky Romero, Ren Narita & The DKC vs. Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Royce Isaacs, Jorel Nelson & Danny Limelight: The match ended in DQ after everyone started attacking each other. Rosser showed up with a shaved head after last night. At one point, Tom got onto the mic and said that he was tired of Romero and Rosser who he called with his WWE name Darren. He said that Darren will be the next loser to the title.
Brody King, Daniel Garcia and Chris Dickinson defeated Bateman, Misterioso Jr and Barrett Brown: King picked up the victory for his team.
TJP defeated Clark Connors: Connors was holding the rope but the referee didn’t see it
Jay White & Hikuleo defeated Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta: White won the match by pinning Yuta. He grabbed the mic after the match but dropped it and then left without saying anything.
Will Ospreay defeated Alex Zayne
Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer defeated Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston: The brawl went all over the place including the parking lot. The opponents shook hands after the bout.
Will Ospreay will battle Alex Zayne at Night 2 of NJPW’s New Japan Showdown event, which takes place Sunday night from Philadelphia, PA.
SEScoops correspondent Samira spoke with Ospreay earlier this month about what this match means to him and how he’s been preparing for their showdown.
“Big Match Billy” says that he’s been watching the man formerly known as Ari Sterling for a long time. “I used to watch Alex Zayne when I was a backyard wrestler,” he began. “When it was frowned upon to be called a backyard wrestler, because we were the dirt underneath everyone’s feet in the wrestling industry. But it does make me laugh now seeing how the world is with professional wrestling and all the backyarders I used to wrestle with are now on top of the world.”
Ospreay said Zayne is “just getting back from his excursion over in Orlando.” He’s curious if Zayne learned anything in NXT, or if he’s the same guy he grew up watching that he just outgrew.
This is a big challenge for the self-proclaimed Real IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, so we were curious what he’s doing to prepare for such a unique opponent.
“I’m trying to drop a little bit of weight, because I do know Alex. He’s very unorthodox. He reminds me of myself when i was a Junior Heavyweight, so i’m trying to drop down some weight, so that way I can move a bit quicker. I think we’re roughly about the same height and the same build, but if I outpace him and I know I can strike harder than him. His strikes aren’t nearly as polished and clean as mine.”
Opsreay questions if Zayne will be able to fight ‘dirty enough’ to hang with him, because he remembers Zayne as being a clean cut wrestler who just wanted to be liked by the fans. “I mean, I was in that position a long time, I’m just not that guy anymore,” he said. “If I get a shot to give you an elbow to the back of the head, I’m going to do it.”
Ospreay really wants to pick up a victory here and knows that he’ll have to be ready for Alex Zayne’s high-flying move-set.
“He can do the same tricks that I used to be able to do when I was 15kg’s lighter and I think we’re roughly the same body weight, so his acrobatics are going to have more impact behind them. So, I’m definitely going to keep me eye on when he does ascend to the top rope, because that’s when i’m going to be at my most vulnerable.”
Buddy Matthews formerly known as Buddy Murphy in WWE has been announced for making his NJPW debut during next month’s Battle In the Valley event.
The show will be taking place from San Jose, California on November 13. The news was confirmed during Saturday’s NJPW strong taping from Philadelphia where the promotion aired a video package promoting his arrival:
'They say as one door closes, another opens… Maybe it was staring at me the entire time.'
After wrestling for various indie promotions for over half a decade, Buddy Matthews was signed to a development contract by WWE back in March 2013.
In NXT, he became known for his team with Wesley Blake. This duo known as Blake and Murphy had Alexa Bliss as their manager. They won the tag team titles once.
After the break-up of his team with Blake, Buddy Matthews made his made roster debut in 2018, competing on 205 Live. He won the cruiserweight championship there before being moved to the SmackDown brand.
The former SmackDown star was released from his WWE contract on June 2. He has already become a free agent after completing the 90 days non-compete period.
It’s unknown whether Matthews has signed a contract with the Japanese promotion or if his deal is on appearance basis. Though a contract with NJPW will still keep the door open for his AEW debut because of the partnership of the two companies.
CM Punk continues to show his interest in stepping inside an NJPW ring.
Punk has been enjoying his return to the pro wrestling industry. The self-proclaimed “Best in the World” made his AEW debut back in August. He’s had three matches in his time with AEW. Those were against Darby Allin, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Daniel Garcia. Punk was victorious in all three matches.
When Punk first made his return to the wrestling business, he said that dipping his toes in the NJPW waters could prove to be fun.
During an interview with Rich Eisen, he doubled down on his desire to work against NJPW’s top names. “I’m both feet in on AEW, but I know a bunch of New Japan guys wind up coming over and wrestling on AEW Dynamite and Rampage,” said Punk. “I’m not averse to the idea, but I know they’re in the throws of their G1 and stuff like that, so I don’t know if they can spare the guys. And I think because of the pandemic, you don’t see a whole lot of travel from America to Japan.”
He continued, “I definitely think you’d have to do a hard quarantine once you got to Japan, and I just don’t think that’s a viable option at this point. I gotta do that when I kick acting gigs, and that’s hard enough. To be in Japan for two weeks sitting in a hotel, I’d probably lose my mind. But I’m for sure interested.”
As CM Punk mentioned, there’s still the travel issue when it comes to making appearances for NJPW. Japan has begun softening its travel restrictions, but a 10-day quarantine is still required for those entering the country.
