New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that multiple wrestlers have been pulled from upcoming shows due to COVID-19 protocols. IWGP World Champion Shingo Takagi and BUSHI were both pulled after presenting with fevers. They are awaiting the results of PCR testing for COVID-19.
It was originally reported that the 6 wrestlers who were in the same match as Bushi and Takagi on Saturday would miss upcoming shows as well. Those 6 wrestlers are Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo and Dick Togo. Naito, SANADA, EVIL and Takahashi all ended up working the Sunday show despite this, however.
Will Ospreay returned to NJPW at Resurgence in Los Angeles on Saturday. He commented on Takagi missing a show while he is now cleared to return.
“REAL champ returns. Interim champ has to miss a show. Coincidence. Just say the word NJPW,” Ospreay Tweeted. ““Interim” I’ll be on the first flight over.”
REAL champ returns. Interim champ has to miss a show.
At NJPW Resurgence, Ospreay criticized NJPW for stripping him of the title when he only needed 4 months off. He unveiled his IWGP World Championship belt and claimed to still be the champion. He referred to Shingo Takagi as an “interim” title holder. Ospreay also announced he will not be participating in the G1 Climax tournament this year.
Earlier tonight (Aug. 14), NJPW Resurgence emanated from The Torch at LA Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The main event saw IWGP United States Champion Lance Archer put his gold up for grabs against Hiroshi Tanahashi. In the co-headliner, Jay White defended the NEVER Openweight gold against David Finlay.
Resurgence also saw a surprise appearance from former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay. He revealed that he has been medically cleared to compete but he will not be participating in the G1 Climax due to issues with NJPW brass.
We also got an appearance from Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa. The two confronted Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson after their match against Jon Moxley and Yuji Nagata. After a back-and-forth verbal exchange, the Good Brothers left the ring.
Here are quick results for NJPW Resurgence.
Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Lance Archer – For IWGP United States Championship
Jay White (c) def. David Finlay
Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson def. Jon Moxley & Yuji Nagata
Tomohiro Ishii def. Moose
Juice Robinson def. Hikuleo
Lio Rush, Adrian Quest, Chris Dickinson, Fred Yehi & Yuya Uemura def. Tom Lawlor, JR
Kratos, Jorel Nelson, Royce Issacs & Danny Limelight
Ren Narita, Clark Connors & TJP def. Rocky Romero, Fred Rosser & Wheeler Yuta
Will Ospreay crashed NJPW Resurgence and he dropped a bombshell.
Ospreay appeared following the strong style clash between Tomohiro Ishii and Moose. Ospreay, who is never one to hold his tongue, had a lot to say on the mic.
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion revealed that he is medically cleared to return. Despite this, he said he will not be participating in the G1 Climax. In fact, he claimed he isn’t going back to Japan until NJPW negotiates with him.
Ospreay’s issue with NJPW is that they forced him to vacate the gold. He’s upset that Jon Moxley was never stripped of the IWGP United States Championship despite not being able to head to Japan.
Ospreay then pulled out another IWGP World Title and said that he’s the real champion, not Shingo Takagi. He claimed he’s willing to defend his version of the title against anyone. Ospreay also proclaimed that NJPW Strong is his home going forward.
Eventually, Ospreay took aim at Shibata and his Dojo wrestlers. He ended up being chased out of the ring by TJP, Karl Fredericks, and Clark Connors.
Ospreay had been inactive due to a neck injury. Now that he’s cleared to return to action but won’t be in Japan anytime soon, it’ll be interesting to see what’s in store for him in the coming weeks.
King was expected to be featured in the third match of the night. He was going team with Yuya Uemura, Chris Dickinson, Fred Yehi, and Lio Rush to take on Tom Lawlor, Danny Limelight, JR Kratos, Jorel Nelson, and Royce Isaacs.
The official Twitter account of NJPW Global has announced that King is off the card.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Brody King will be unable to compete at Resurgence.
We apologize to fans looking forward to seeing Brody wrestle, and appreciate your understanding.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Brody King will be unable to compete at Resurgence. We apologize to fans who were looking forward to seeing King wrestle and appreciate your understanding.”
King is being replaced by Adrian Quest. At this time, it is unknown why King has been pulled from NJPW Resurgence. Quest was going to be featured in a tag team dark match. Jordan Clearwater will take his place.
Here’s an updated look at the final NJPW Resurgence card.
IWGP UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Lance Archer (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Jay White (c) vs. David Finlay
The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. Jon Moxley & TBA
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Moose
Juice Robinson vs. Hikuleo
Adrian Quest, Chris Dickinson, Lio Rush, Fred Yehi & Yuya Uemura vs. Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, Danny LimeLight, JR Kratos, Royce Issacs & Jorel Nelson)
Fred Rosser, Wheeler Yuta & Rocky Romero vs. Ren Narita, Clark Connors & TJP
New Japan Pro Wrestling star Will Ospreay recently spoke to Booker T on “The Indies” podcast. The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion discussed several topics during the show, including his relationship with WWE Superstar AJ Styles.
“I remember sitting down with AJ” Ospreay noted on the show. “I had a match with him and when I found out I was wrestling AJ Styles, a tear rolled down my eye. It was the greatest night of my life.”
“He’s the sole reason I got into wrestling” Will Ospreay revealed. “AJ was it for me. I started crying, I was so thankful. How genuine he was and he took the time to explain why we were doing things.”
“I told him I was going to Japan. He was leaving for WWE. I told him I was going to Japan in April and he was like, ‘I’m proud of you, you’re going to do so well there'” Ospreay revealed.
Will Ospreay on AJ Styles
“I won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and he dropped me a message like, ‘Bro, I’m so proud of you.’ It gets me every single time because that’s my hero and is such a big deal to me,” the Aerial Assassin concluded.
Will Ospreay is currently back in the United Kingdom following an injury that caused him to relinquish his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Ospreay is still the current Rev Pro British Champion, and he will reportedly be appearing at a Rev Pro show at some point to talk the status of the title and he has not been stripped.
Former WWE Superstar Lio Rush will be challenging Tom Lawler for the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship. This was confirmed by NJPW for the upcoming NJPW STRONG tapings.
August 16 will see New Japan film Fighting Spirit Unleashed, the first show to have live fans in attendance for the US based STRONG brand. That show will see Lio Rush take on the MMA fighter for the Openweight belt.
NJPW sent out the following press release confirming the match:
Filthy Tom Lawlor’s fourth defence of the STRONG Openweight Championship will take place in Thunder Studios, at Fighting Spirit Unleashed and NJPW STRONG’s first matches in front of a live crowd.
Lio Rush vs Tom Lawler
After Tom Lawlor recently logged his third successful defence of the STRONG Openweight Championship against Satoshi Kojima; he was confronted backstage by Lio Rush. The Man of the Hour declared that he was not going to wait for any more championship opportunities to come his way; and that he would be calling his shot. Lawlor laughed off Rush, but this week on STRONG, Rush and Karl Fredericks scored a convincing victory against Lawlor and his Team Filthy partner Danny Limelight.
Can Rush be the Man of the Hour and claim his first NJPW Championship? Fighting Spirit Unleashed tapings are SOLD OUT August 16; but get set to watch the championship action in the coming weeks on NJPW STRONG!
You can watch NJPW STRONG every Friday on the NJPWWorld.com streaming service.
Former WWE star Daniel Bryan is said to be interested in competing for NJPW. The current IWGP US champion Lance Archer is not backing away from a fight if he does show up at the company.
The NJPW and AEW star recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about things such as the success of AEW through the pandemic era and more.
One of the reasons why Bryan has chosen AEW over WWE is said to be the freedom to compete in NJPW as well. When asked about these rumors and potentially facing the former world champion, Archer said that he hears the same rumors as everyone else:
“I hear the same rumors you hear. I’m only talent, so I just kind of step in the ring, and if he wants to show up, I’ll gladly kick his butt too, that’s kind of how I view any of the rumors. That just makes it fun for any pro wrestling fan because you hear those rumors, and you just never know who’s gonna show up where, when and how.”
Lance Archer went on to praise Bryan as one of the best in the world before also commenting on the rumors of CM Punk showing up in AEW as well:
“I think he’s one of the best in the world, He’s always proven himself time and time again wherever he’s gone. He’s an amazing talent. Wherever he goes, it’s gonna be a good show, but if he shows up and tries to fight me, sorry, bad luck, brother, if he (CM Punk) shows up, he shows up, and I’ll kick his ass too.”
Apart from this, the IWGP champion also discussed the upcoming Rampage episode from Chicago on August 20 selling out very quickly and more.
New Japan Pro Wrestling is building it’s NJPW of America (NJoA) brand by taking episodes of New Japan Strong on the road. The promotion announced shows in Texas and Pennsylvania recently.
New Japan will run tapings of Strong over two nights in September from the Curtis Cullwell Center in Garland, Texas. The tapings will be held on September 25th and 26th. Those shows are being billed as “Autumn Attack.”
Then in October, New Japan will present two days of tapings from the famed 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Those tapings will take place on October 15th and 16th. Those shows are being branded as “New Japan Showdown.”
Texas!
Philadelphia!
Get ready for some #njpwSTRONG action coming your way this fall!
NJPW is building to the Resurgence PPV on August 14th from Los Angeles. 6 matches have been confirmed for the show thus far.
Alex Coughlin vs. Karl Fredericks
Fred Rosser, Rocky Romero and Wheeler Yuta vs. TJP, Clark Connors and Ren Narita
Jon Moxley and TBA vs. The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows)
Jay White (c) (with Gedo) vs. David Finlay (with Juice Robinson)
Lance Archer (c) (with Jake Roberts) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Tomohiro Ishii vs Moose
NJPW will also be taping episodes of Strong from Thunder Studios in Long Beach on August 16th. Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi are both confirmed for that event.
Ever since the announcement of NJPW Resurgence, people have been talking about which big stars will be coming to fight on US soil. With the nature of wrestling right now, it also makes people wonder if those same travelling stars could make an appearance on any other shows, namely, IMPACT and AEW. Yesterday, a press release was circulated announcing a special, bonus match on the card. Making his first appearance on US soil since 2019, Tomohiro Ishii will face off against Moose.
The IMPACT star has faced Tomohiro Ishii once before, back in 2016. On that occasion, the Stone Pitbull emerged with the victory.
Tomohiro Ishii to Face IMPACT’s Moose at Resurgence!
An immense bonus match has been added to Resurgence August 14! The Stone Pitbull himself, Tomohiro Ishii has been added to the lineup at the Torch at L.A. Coliseum, in his first US appearance since November 2019.
Ishii presents a big fight for any opponent, and a victory over the Pitbull represents a huge accomplishment to carry with you to any promotion in the world. So for a big fight, IMPACT Wrestling has brought big opposition in the form of Moose!
Will Tomohiro Ishii Appear on Any Other Shows?
With news that Tomohiro Ishii is coming to the US, the mind starts to play out all sorts of matches that could be had, should he make an appearance on any other shows.
With the close working relationship shared between NJPW, IMPACT and AEW, the chance is high. Nothing has been confirmed so far, but seeing Ishii in an AEW ring would be something special to see.
The Stone Pitbull is one of the toughest men around. He has the ability to put on a high-calibre match against any opponent. Anybody who saw him take on Jon Moxley during the 2019 G1 Climax event will rightly be excited by Ishii coming stateside.
A stacked lineup for Resurgence as seen six amazing matches announced already!
From Tanahashi to Ishii to Moxley, you NEED to be at the Torch in L.A. August 14!
Rush took to Twitter to announce that he’s been cleared after three months of rehab. He’s been sidelined since suffering an AC injury in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing. This marked his AEW debut as he was the surprise entrant in the match.
He wrote,“Every single day for the past 3 months I’ve been in rehab working harder than I ever have before. Happy to announce that today….I’ve been cleared.”
Back in June, Rush announced his plans to retire because he felt fulfilled with his professional wrestling career and was happy to be moving on to be a better father and husband.
Rush was released from WWE last year along with several other wrestlers due to budget cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. He continued his career by working for MLW and NJPW.
Although he wants out of the wrestling business, he plans to continue his contractual agreements with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Rush is advertised for upcoming NJPW events including Resurgence on August 14 and Fighting Spirit Unleashed on August 16.
AEW is reportedly looking at a major AEW vs NJPW match for their upcoming All Out PPV event on September 5th. Hiroshi Tanahashi made an appearance in a pre-taped segment on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, and according to Dave Meltzer, Moxley will be facing the Japanese legend at the PPV in Chicago.
“What I do know is that fairly recently, at 4am, Jon Moxley had a discussion” Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio. “I don’t know the night, I think it was the night of the taping – with Tony Khan.”
“He had an idea for a match which I believe is for the September 5 pay-per-view. And Tony Khan liked the idea. I knew it was a top New Japan wrestler, I didn’t know the name of who it was, but I know about the discussion” Meltzer concluded.
Jon Moxley vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
With Jon Moxley calling out Tanahashi on this week’s episode of Dynamite, it appears as though this is the aforementioned match that Meltzer was alluding to.
All of the recent excitement surrounding CM Punk and Bryan Danielson signing with AEW means that this news has been lost somewhat in the shuffle, but it is arguably the biggest match in the ‘Forbidden Door’ angle thus far.
What do you think of Jon Moxley vs Hiroshi Tanahashi on an AEW PPV? Let us know in the comments
“Machine Gun” Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga are 2 of the original 4 members of Bullet Club. Anderson left NJPW in 2016 for WWE, however, setting the stage for the Guerrillas of Destiny to take over as the faction’s top heavyweight tag team.
Now, however, Anderson is in the Elite with former Bullet Club members Kenny Omega, Doc Gallows, and the Young Bucks. On Impact Wrestling recently, Jay White aid he was not allowing Anderson and Gallows back in the group. Don Callis then noted that it should be White asking for permission to join the Elite. So, tension has been brewing between the two stables.
The rivalry brewing between the Elite and Bullet Club spilled over onto Twitter recently. Anderson Tweeted out a photo “The Elite Squad” from Fight for the Fallen leading to the exchange with Tama.
This led to Tama Tonga responding with the following:
“I would argue with you, but we’re past that. Your good brother philosophy is shallow deep. The day is coming,” Tonga Tweeted.
Anderson then responded, asking Tonga to not make him “Kill what I created.”
“Don’t do this Tama.. I’ve been holdin off on Killin the Bullet Club for good. Please don’t make me kill what I created. I’m beggin u”
Don’t do this Tama.. I’ve been holdin off on Killin the #BulletClub for good. Please don’t make me kill what I created. I’m beggin u ? https://t.co/c8r9JO8noh
New Japan Pro Wrestling posted to Twitter that they received a message from Jon Moxley regarding NJPW Resurgence. The former IWGP United States Champion has challenged Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows to a tag match on the show. Moxley says he has a mystery partner for the event.
“I just want to send a little message real quick after that match to New Japan Pro Wrestling,” Moxley begins in the video message. “Wherever my travels in this sport take me you can be sure of one damn thing, I will settle scores that need settling whether it takes months, weeks, days, hours, years, I will eventually get you. I will settle the score. I’ve got a little business with these Bullet Club type guys you know and I was just thinking on the 14th I’ve got a buddy of mine I’m meeting in LA for some beers, so why don’t we make it a 2 for 1?”
“Good Brothers, Gallows, Anderson, you meet me at Resurgence in LA and I’ll have a surprise for you,” Moxley continued.
Matches confirmed for the show on August 14thin include Jay White vs David Finlay, and Lance Archer vs Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Moxley’s comments can be heard in the Tweet below:
Amidst the various rumors about the future of Daniel Bryan, a current NJPW champion Robbie Eagles has expressed interest in facing the former world champion.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion recently made a tweet. In the tweet as seen below, he expressed interest in facing the former WWE star, claiming that facing Bryan is a dream match for him:
For those who don’t know, Bryan’s contract with WWE expired in May. It was initially believed that he will re-sign with the company, but things have changed since then.
Latest reports suggest that the former champion has agreed to a contract with AEW. It’s said that he wants to compete for NJPW. AEW’s partnership with the Japanese promotion was the deciding factor in his decision.
Robbie Eagles has been with NJPW since 2018. The company has slowly been building him as a star in recent times. He has been feuding with people such as the former IWGP heavyweight champion Will Ospreay and more.
He won his first title in the company during the Wrestle Grand Slam event last week. Eagles defeated El Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship.
There is no word yet on if this tweet is part of any plans for Bryan. It will be interesting to see if it comes into play somewhere down the line and if we see a match between these two in future.
The Super Jr. Tag League tournament will be returning next month.
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced yesterday that the Super Jr. Tag League would run from August 7th to August 17th. The tournament will also be a part of the Summer Struggle events that NJPW is doing at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Rules of the Super Jr. Tag League
People may be unfamiliar with the tournament, so NJPW also explained the rules in a statement.
“Six teams will be part of the round-robin league, with matches running from August 7 to 17. The top point scorers at the end of the league will be the victors, with tiebreakers also at play; if teams are still tied, there will be a playoff match to determine the winners,” said NJPW.
The winners also get a chance to compete for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
Teams Competing in the Super Jr. Tag League
As well as announcing this year’s Super Jr. Tag League, NJPW revealed the teams competing. Included among the competitors are the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori.
The other teams involved are Roppongi 3k, Suzuki-Gun, Team One or Eight, and Far East Connection. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles will team with Tiger Mask to compete in the tournament.
Favorites to win the Tournament
While anything can happen, Roppongi 3k could be considered the favorite. The five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champions have won the tournament in 2018 and 2019. The team will look to win for the third time and become six-time champions. However, every team, including the champions, will look to pull off the upset.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has booked 3 matches for Wrestle Grand Slam on September 5th. The promotion will present shows from the MetLife Dome on both September 4th and 5th. On the second night, Evil will challenge Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Also booked for the 2nd night inside the MetLife Dome will be Robbie Eagles defending his newly won IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against the returning Hiromu Takahashi.
The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships will also be on the line on September 5th. The champion Dangerous Tekkers team of Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi will defend against both the LIJ team of Tetsuya Naito & SANADA as well as the CHAOS team of Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI.
Takagi successfully defended his title from the Tokyo Dome this weekend. He defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi who was replacing Kota Ibushi. After the match, Takagi spoke to NJPW1972.com.
‘Well, it’s definitely the day after the night before. I’m sore all over- my neck, my back, my legs. But y’know, waking up with those aches and pains reminds me of what I do for a living, and I’ve gotta admit I don’t hate that feeling. That said, Tanahashi was amazing.”
“Yesterday was the biggest stage, against the best opponent, and we had the best match. That kind of opportunity doesn’t come your way all the time, and it felt damn great, right down until that dirty S.O.B. EVIL ruined everything. Yesterday, I was hot when I got backstage, and said what I did about wanting the match as soon as possible. Now I’ve slept on it, though…”
Three big matches are made for Wrestle Grand Slam in the MetLife Dome!
Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi says he’s been cleared to return to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Takahashi posted on Twitter today that doctors have cleared him to wrestle again after rehabbing a torn left pectoral muscle. NJPW Global Twitter account also quoted Takahashi’s post and said, “Somebody is clear.”
Fightful’s Jeremy Lambert reported that the injury occurred in a tag team match with current IWGP World Heavyweight champion Shingo Takagi vs. Kota Ibushi and Tomoaki Honma on February 19th at Road to Castle Attack at the Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium in Iwate, Japan.
As a result, The timetable after he sustained his injury was that he’d be out for six months. The timing of Takahashi’s tweet suggests that the rehab went according to plan.
The tweet from Takahashi said, “Good news. The doctor gave me permission to return! Let’s go crazy again. Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”
— ????? / Hiromu Takahashi (@TIMEBOMB1105) July 22, 2021
Hiromu Takahashi Injury History
When Takahashi announced his injury shortly after, he had to relinquish his IWGP Junior heavyweight championship. It marked the second time Takahashi had to vacate the championship because of an injury.
The first time Takahashi vacated the championship was when he broke his neck. The injury occurred in a match against Dragon Lee during the G1 Special on July 9, 2018, at the Cow Palace in San Fransisco, California.
Takahashi would be inactive for over a year until he made his return in December 2019. He reclaimed the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating Will Ospreay on January 4, 2020, at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Picture
El Desperado won the vacant championship at Castle Attack at the Osaka-j? Hall in Osaka, Japan, on February 28 in a three-way match against Bushi and El-Phantasmo.
Desperado will defend against Robbie Eagles at Wrestle Grand Slam on July 25th in the Tokyo Dome. However, now cleared, Takahashi could be on track to reclaim the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship once again.
Matt Morris (Matthew Rehwoldt, Drama King Matt, Aiden English) has been announced as joining the broadcast team for the NJPW Resurgence show next month in Los Angeles. The show will be available on the FITE app.
“Morris joins Kevin Kelly and Alex Koslov on the call for Resurgence. Could his background also lead to in-ring involvement? Time will tell!” An NJPW report reads.
As Aiden English, Morris joined the commentary team for 205 Live in early 2019. He was part of massive roster cuts WWE made shortly after WrestleMania in 2020.
It has been an eventful week for “Drama King Matt” as well. A vignette announcing his arrival to Impact Wrestling played during the Slammiversary PPV on Saturday. He then took part in the promotion’s television tapings in Nashville on Sunday and Monday.
Resurgence gets a new addition to the English broadcast team!
3 matches have been announced thus far for the NJPW Resurgence show. “Switchblade” Jay White will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship against David Finlay. Both White and Finlay took part in the recent Impact television tapings as well. Karl Fredericks will face Alex Coughlin in singles action and Fred Rosser, Rocky Romero & Wheeler Yuta will take on TJP, Clark Connors & Ren Narita. The show will emanate from the Torch at L.A. Coliseum on August 14.
ICYMI: More matches have been added to Resurgence @ the Torch at L.A. Coliseum 8/14!
NJPW has released a statement on the status of Kota Ibushi. The former dual IWGP Champion and Intercontinental champion was recently pulled from the companies Summer Struggle series. The reasons for this were given as a bad reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination. However, new updates have confirmed Ibushi has a case of Aspiration Pneumonia.
Kota Ibushi has been diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia.
His illness is not connected to his COVID inoculation as was previously reported.
In a statement issued by New Japan Pro Wrestling, they stressed that the illness was not related to the vaccination and that Kota Ibushi had tested negative for Covid.
Kota Ibushi was scheduled to participate in a few shows at the end of this month, namely events in Osaka on July 22nd and 23rd and Nagoya on July 24th. There is no current timeline for his return to the ring. However, he will be assessed ahead of the Wrestle Grand Slam event on July 25th.
Kota Ibushi Will Be Eager to Regain His IWGP Crown
Kota Ibushi has had quite the year in NJPW. He defeated Naito to claim both the IWGP Championship and Intercontinental belts. He then became in inaugural IWGP Heavyweight champion before losing the title to Will Ospreay.
Now, with the belt around Shingo Takagi’s waist, Kota Ibushi will be eager to get back into the run and restart his journey to the top. This could happen at the Wrestle Grand Slam event, assuming medical staff clear Ibushi for a return to the ring. Failing that, however, all eyes will turn to the G1.
With less than two months before the start of the G1 Climax event, Kota Ibushi will be eager to get back to full match fitness. He won the event in 2019 and 2020, becoming only the third wrestler to win back-to-back G1’s. He will be looking to set history this year and claim victory for a third successive year.
Doing so would give him the opportunity to headline Wrestle Kingdom in the new year and try to reclaim the gold from whoever is the IWGP Heavyweight champion at the time. Kota Ibushi is a star draw for NJPW. Hopefully, this bout of pneumonia will not hinder his performance once he returns.
AEW champion Kenny Omega had a confrontation with the NJPW’s Never Openweight Champion Jay White during tonight’s Slammiversary PPV event.
The Cleaner defended his title against Sami Callihan in a NO DQ main event during tonight’s PPV. Omega managed to pick up the victory in the bout after delivering a one winged angel to Callihan over thumbtacks.
The world champion was celebrating with his partners in Impact tag champs The Good Brothers and Don Callis when the lights went out. The Bullet Club leader Jay White then made his entrance.
As White got in the ring, the other wrestlers offered up the ‘Too Sweet’ hand gesture. The NJPW champion was still considering his next move when the cameras stopped rolling and the show came to a close.
People in attendance noted that after the cameras went out, the team of David Finlay and Juice Robinson collectively known as FinJuice came out and tried to attack Jay White.
However, the Bullet Club member managed to hit his finisher on Robinson before heading back. FinJuice had made their surprise return to Impact Wrestling earlier in the night.
There is no word yet on whether White will feud with Omega or join forces with him. We will have to wait and see what the officials have planned for the two.
New Japan Pro Wrestling presents Wrestle Grand Slam from the Tokyo Dome on July 25th. Shingo Takagi will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against former champion Kota Ibushi. NJPW has now released the full card for the show:
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
IWGP Tag Team Championships Tetsuya Naito & SANADA (c) vs. Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship El Desperado vs. Robbie Eagles
IWGP Junior Tag Team Championships Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo (c) vs. Rocky Romero & Ryusuke Taguchi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
KOPW Trophy New Japan Ranbo battle royal
The show will be available via PPV on FITE for $19.99 USD.
NJPW also announce the lineups for four upcoming shows on the Summer Struggle tour. No title matches were announce for the shows but there were some significant bouts booked.
The full card is set for Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome!
New Japan Pro Wrestling will run its annual G1 Climax tournament in September this year. The round-robin competition normally runs in August but scheduling changes have pushed it back the last couple of years due to the pandemic and Tokyo Olympic schedule.
According to the promotion’s Japanese-language website, the event will begin on September 18th and conclude on October 21st. This is similar to last year’s G1 Climax which ran from September 19th to October 18th. Kota Ibushi defeated SANADA in the finals of last year’s tournament.
Upcoming NJPW Schedule
NJPW has two “Summer Struggle” events this weekend. Night 1 of Summer Struggle takes place Saturday from Hokkaido. The main event of that show will feature El Desperado vs Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Night 2 of Summer Struggle will be headlined by the Dangerous Tekkers defending their IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against SANADA and Tetsuya Naito.
A Wrestle Grand Slam event from the Tokyo Dome has been scheduled for later this month on July 25th. That show is scheduled to be headlined by Shingo Takagi defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi. Japan has declared a state of emergency recently which could impact the promotion’s schedule, however.
LIVE English for Summer Struggle in Sapporo!
LIVE English for Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome!
The current IMPACT Wrestling X Division Champion Josh Alexander is coming back to NJPW Strong. Alexander will make his second appearance for the US wing of the NJPW brand this week, taking on NJPW legend Rocky Romero.
During his first outing for the promotion, Josh Alexander defeated the LA dojo graduate Alex Coughlin.
This match is a big one not just for the show, but for both wrestlers involved. For Josh Alexander, he will not want to take a loss as champion, even if this is not for the belt. While Rocky Romero is looking to get back on track with his quest to work back into the NJPW Junior heavyweight championship picture.
Both men are veterans of the game, and masters of submission. The bout promises to be a technical showcase between two men at the top of their game.
Rocky Romero Leading the NJPW Strong Charge
NJPW Strong is a new subdivision of NJPW and based solely in the US. The promotion is only just a year old, but with stars like Rocky Romero leading the way, they have made great strides through the pandemic era.
The promotion has attracted some great stars to their ranks, and thanks to their working arrangements with other promotions, such as ROH and IMPACT they have been able to offer fans a range of attractive matches.
Rocky Romero versus Josh Alexander is just one example of this. With NJPW returning to the US for a few shows later this year, the future is looking bright for Rocky Romero and the rest of the NJPW Strong brand.
NJPW has announced that for the first time ever, episodes of New Japan Strong will be filmed in front of live fans on August 16th. The show will take place from Thunder Studio in Long Beach.
NJPW has revealed that “extremely limited tickets” will start on June 30th. They are also advertising that 9 matches will take place on the show. General admission seats are $60 with ringside seats going for as much as $120.
NJPW listed the following names as being on the show:
NEVER Openweight Champion: ‘Switchblade’ Jay White
STRONG Openweight Champion ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor
‘Flamboyant’ Juice Robinson
‘The Man of the Hour’ Lio Rush
Shota Umino
Ren Narita
‘Mr. No Days Off’ Fred Rosser
‘The Alpha Wolf’ Karl Fredericks
‘Wild Rhino’ Clark Connors
‘Young Gun’ Hikuleo
It doesn't end with a Resurgence.
We're going to continue STRONG!
Amid huge popular demand, Fighting Spirit Unleashed 2021 will see fans at #njpwSTRONG matches in Long Beach's Thunder Studios August 16!
“Premiering in August 2020 on NJPW World and FITE, NJPW STRONG began without a live crowd, but has quickly become critically acclaimed and a favorite of fans around the world,” an NJPW press release reads.
The show will be part of NJPW’s “Fighting Spirit Unleashed 2021” series of episodes of Strong. The New Japan Strong tapings will take place 2 days after the Resurgence event from The Torch at the LA Coliseum.
The Young Lion academy is a tough place to come through. Whether in Japan or the LA Dojo. If you want to be part of NJPW, being a Young Lion is the way to go. Karl Fredericks joined the LA Dojo in 2018. Despite having several years’ experience behind him, he went back to basics at the Young Lions academy.
Following in the footsteps of many NJPW greats, including Shinsuke Nakamura, Tatsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada, Karl Fredericks graduated from the dojo in June 2020. Since then he has been able to develop his character and build his own story in wrestling. Paying homage to his Native American heritage in both his attire and move names, Fredericks has become a solid name on the NJPW roster. Appearing at both US and Japan-based events.
This coming Friday on NJPW Strong, Karl Fredericks will get his first chance at a title in NJPW when he takes on Tom Lawler. Lawler is the inaugural Strong Openweight champion, having won the belt earlier this year, beating Brody King in the tournament finals.
Karl Fredericks Helping NJPW Strong Grow as a Brand
NJPW Strong is a new brand under the NJPW banner. It is based solely in the US and after coming through the pandemic era of professional wrestling, is growing week by week. Yes, there are some established names on its roster, but it is young lions and graduates such as Karl Fredericks and Clark Connors who are the future of the brand.
The Young Lions system is an interesting one and has been very successful for NJPW through the decades. There are questions as to whether a system such as that would be useful for companies like AEW. It could be argued that the original thoughts behind NXT were Young Lion-esque however, a fully-fledged dojo system could help promotions build talent for the future, as well as support smaller associated promotions through excursion agreements.
The future is bright for Karl Fredericks, and while the chances of Lawler dropping the Strong belt so soon in his run are slim, there is definitely gold in Fredericks’s future.