New Japan Pro Wrestling and CMLL are live today (Jan. 19) for their Fantastica Mania event.

The action takes place live inside Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The action begins at 4:30 a.m. ET. SEScoops has you covered with live results from today’s Fantastic Mania card. Big stars are set to appear such as Tetsuya Naito, Rush, Gran Guerrero, and many more.

Peep the live results below:

Singles Match: Fuego vs. Okumura

The two wasted little time getting the action started and Fuego did a dive on Okumura early on. Fuego began dancing in front of Okumura’s manager. She grabbed Fuego to set up a double team, but Okumura slapped her! He quickly gave her a hug afterwards.

Fuego ended up hitting a springboard to the outside on Okumura. They went back into the ring and that’s where Fuego’s fate was sealed, as he was hit with the Okumura Special and couldn’t kick out.

Winner: Okumura

Eight-Man Tag Match: Hirai Kawato, Star Jr., Dragon Lee & Satoshi Kojima vs. Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Rush

LIJ immediately attacked their opponents. Naito went after an NJPW commentator and choked him out with a scarf. He then gently put him back in his seat. The commentator became enraged and shoved Naito, who attacked him from behind and slammed him his head on the announce table.

When some order was restored, Rush and Kojima were in the ring. Naito went for a double team, but Rush inadvertently hit him. Star Jr. hit an impressive springboard on Rush. Eventually, LIJ ganged up on Star Jr. Rush ripped off part of Star Jr’s mask, while Naito went for the rest of it.

Kowato tried saving his partner from the beating, but Naito hit an enzuigiri and a neckbreaker. Finally, Star Jr. was able to tag in Dragon Lee. He took out Bushi and kicked the legal man, Takahashi in the head. The two engaged in their classic chop battle. As is often the case, Lee won that battle.

Amazing athleticism was on display as they found creative ways to counter each other with German suplexes. Takahashi nailed Lee with his signature overhead throw to the corner. Rush mocked Kojima’s corner chops, which was a mistake as Kojima hit the signature move three times for good measure.

Eventually, Kowato and Bushi were in the ring. Kowato was on a roll as he hit Bushi with a hurricanrana and took out Naito with a back elbow. Kowato got an edge in a chop battle, but was hit with a backdrop. Bushi locked in a Boston crab to force the tap.

Winners: Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & Rush

After the match, LIJ took out Dragon Lee. Rush laid out Star Jr. with a chair shot to the head. They brought Kojima in the ring and Rush slammed a chair on his leg.

Eight-Man Tag Match: Drone, Volador Jr., Mistico & Atlantis vs. Disturbio, Puma, Barbaro Cavernario & Ultimo Guerrero

Before the match began, Disturbio got in a little chop to the back of Mistico, who wasn’t amused. Drone and Disturbio got the match started. Quickly, Mistico and Ultimo Guerrero were in the ring. They had a little pose off to see who would get a better reaction.

The two kept countering each other with their mat-based styles. Mistico landed a hurricanrana and faked a dive to the outside. Volador Jr. and Barbaro were now in the ring. Volador Jr. kicked Barbaro, who ended up doing the worm. With Barbaro on the outside, Volador Jr. leaped and landed a hurricanrana. Very smooth.

Disturbio, Puma, Barbaro, and Guerrero called ganged up on their opponents individually. Mistico landed a springboard hurricanrana. The team teased suicide dives, but their opponent got out of the way. Barbaro went for a slingshot reverse splash, but Volador Jr. got his boots up to counter.

Puma and Atlantis were in the ring exchanging chops. Atlantis landed a crossbody. He launched Puma to the outside. Disturbio kicked Atlantis and Drone stepped in to send him to the outside. Volador Jr., Drone, and Mistico dove on their opponents to the outside. Atlantis applied Atlantida to Puma to force the tap.

Winners: Drone, Volador Jr., Mistico & Atlantis

After the match, Barbaro and Volador Jr. exchanged words ahead of their NWA World Historic welterweight title bout on Sunday (Jan. 21).

INTERMISSION

CMLL World Middleweight Title Match: Angel de Oro (C) vs. Cuatrero

Lots of counters in the early going. Cuatrero connected with a shoulder block. A headlock was applied by the champion. He landed a suicide dive. Cuatrero began to gain the upper hand. He applied a half Boston crab and turned it into a chin lock. The champion made it to the ropes.

Cuatrero went for an attack in the corner, but de Oro moved and he was sent to the outside. The champion capitalized with a moonsault. A dropkick was there for de Oro, but the challenger kicked out at two. With de Oro on the outside, Cuatrero pulled off a suicide dive.

Shortly after, Cuatrero was reeling on the outside. This allowed de Oro to hit a handspring over the top rope moonsault. Cuatrero landed a sitdown powerbomb, but de Oro managed to get his shoulder up. The champion went for La Mecedora, but it was countered. Cuatrero then hit a spinning powerbomb for the three count. We have a new champion!

Winner And NEW CMLL World Middleweight Champion: Cuatrero

After the match, de Oro took the title and gave it back to Cuatero acknowledging that the better man on this day won.

Mexican National Welterweight Title Match: Soberano Jr. (C) vs. Sanson

Soberano Jr. went for a handshake and Sanson was having none of it. The champion connected with a reverse springboard hurricanrana. He then went over the top rope with a moonsault. Soberano Jr. hit a crossbody from the top rope. He went for a hurricanrana, but Sanson countered with a knee to the back.

Sanson went for a baseball slide, but got his feet stuck in the ropes. This allowed the champion to hit a moonsault from the top rope. A springboard dropkick missed the mark for Soberano Jr. With Sanson on the top rope, the champion went for a hurricanrana. He was reversed into a powerbomb.

The champion landed a crossbody and nearly got the three count. The challenger landed a knee to the head once the champion got caught in the middle rope. Soberano Jr. went for a springboard move with Sanson on the top rope, but he was caught mid air and planted down. The champion kicked out. He picked his opponent up and hit a move similar to Emerald Flowsion to retain the title.

Winner And STILL Mexican National Welterweight Champion: Soberano Jr.

Main Event

CMLL World Light Heavyweight Title Match: Niebla Roja (C) vs. Gran Guerrero

The two shook hands and the action was underway. Roja charged in, but was sent over the top rope. Guerrero missed a baseball slide. Roja went dove over the top rope, but was caught and planted with a powerbomb.

Guerrero went for a baseball slide again, but this time he hit it. A senton over the top rope was there for Guerrero. The champion sent the challenger to the outside and hit a senton of his own. He went for a springboard moonsault, but Guerrero got his knees up. The challenger hit a standing side slam for a two-count.

The two exchanged running strikes to the corners. Roja hit a spinning forearm for a two-count. With Guerrero on the top rope, Roja pulled off a hurricanrana. The challenger would later lift Roja up from the top rope and slammed him down for a near fall. Roja locked in Campana Invertida, but Guerrero escaped.

The challenger landed a cross-legged fisherman driver from the top rope and nearly got the three count. Roja landed a facebuster from the top rope to score the win.

Winner And STILL CMLL Light Heavyweight Champion: Niebla Roja

Former WCW and WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg has reportedly held talks with New Japan Pro Wrestling which would see him appear for the company at some of the company’s ‘bigger’ events.

The Wrestling Observer confirmed that the talks would likely not evolve into anything at this stage, Goldberg has been revealed as the top billed Hall of Fame inductee this year and that would involve a short term deal with WWE, however with NJPW looking to establish themselves on American soil there is still a chance that he could be brought in, even if it is for a non wrestling role.

GOOLLLLLDDDBERRRGGGG! GOLLLLLDDDDDBERRRGGGG!

The #WWEHOF awaits… #SDLive @Goldberg pic.twitter.com/6ewkTNnnSP

— WWE (@WWE) January 17, 2018

In case you weren’t aware, New Japan Pro Wrestling is going down under next month for the first time ever. The New Japan Fallout Down Under tour invades the following cities next month:

• Friday 16th February – ADELAIDE, Titanium Arena
• Saturday 17th February – MELBOURNE, Festival Hall
• Sunday 18th February – SYDNEY, Quay Centre
• Monday 19th February – PERTH, HBF Stadium

The Wrestling Observer have confirmed that tickets for the tour have been selling extremely well, several stops are already close to sell outs and NJPW are said to be “pleasantly surprised” with the response to New Japan hitting Australia in February.

The company recently announced that Kenny Omega would be part of the 4 shows and this has had a massively positive effect on sales, this all of course bodes extremely well for NJPW as they look to extend their international profile.

– New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) has announced that they are set to tour Australia for the first-time ever in February. The promotion will hold four separate shows in locations such as Adelaide), Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth. The shows will go down on the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th. NJPW has announced that stars such as IWGP United States Champion, Kenny Omega, “Switchblade” Jay White, and Henare will be joining the tour.

– NJPW’s New Beginning show on February 10th has reportedly already sold out. The card will see IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay defend against Hiromu Takahashi, NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL, and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Okada vs. SANADA.

– NJPW posted a video breaking down their biggest upcoming events of 2018. Check it out here:

In case you missed it, former New Japan Pro Wrestling talents Ricochet and War Machine have joined WWE.

Ricochet (who portrayed Prince Puma in Lucha Underground) is regarded as one of the pioneers of the high flying juniors style, particularly in the United States with his performances for PWG seeing him achieve a cult hero status. One of Ricochet’s greatest opponents is IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay who recently tweeted a heartfelt message to the man he regards as a mentor in the industry:

All the feels right now.
Good luck brother, thanks for everything. pic.twitter.com/shnBEuvKLP

— Will Ospreay • ????????? (@WillOspreay) January 16, 2018

Japanese wrestling legend Satoshi Kojima also took to Twitter to offer his congratulations, but instead to the now former ROH/NJPW tag team stars War Machine, you can check out the tweet below.

Thank you very much in Japan.

You and I have gratitude and respect.

It's a wonderful fighter.

Please take care of yourself. pic.twitter.com/LyKPuQNF6s

— ?????SATOSHI KOJIMA? (@cozy_lariat) January 17, 2018

New Japan will heading out for their ‘New Beginning’ tour on January 27th, their last stop on the tour will be February 10th in Osaka’s Edion Arena and the event has now officially sold out 26 days in advance. This is NJPW’s fifth sellout of the Edion Arean in as many years and is the quickest sellout to date.

The card for the event is absolutely stacked and will be headlined by an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between Kazuchika Okada and Los Ingobernables stable member SANADA. The card will also see the absolute dream IWGP Junior Heavyweight title bout between Will Ospreay and Hiromu Takahashi.

The full card for the event is as follows and the show will be available to view on NJPWWorld.com

• Katsuya Kitamura vs. Yuji Nagata
• Roppongi 3K (SHO and YOH) vs. El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• “Switchblade” Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii, and Toru Yano vs. David Finlay, Juice Robinson, and Michael Elgin
• Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, and Takashi Iizuka vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Togi Makabe
• BUSHI vs. Gedo
• Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI
• Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay (c) (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship)
• EVIL vs. Hirooki Goto (c) (NEVER Openweight Championship)
• Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. SANADA (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)

?THE NEW BEGINNING ???????
2?10?(?)????????????????????????
?????????????????????????????https://t.co/68jQs9geNQ#njnbg #njpw pic.twitter.com/dEQgd4Qef3

— ?????????????? (@njpw1972) January 15, 2018

It has been revealed that NJPW star Kota Ibushi worked matches this past weekend with a 102 degrees Fahrenheit fever.

The ‘Golden Star’ took part in Riki Choshu Produce Power Hall 2018 – Set Back The Clock at Korakuen Hall teaming alongside Gota Ihashi & Riki Choshu to defeat Daisuke Sekimoto, TAKA Michinoku & Tatsumi Fujinami in the main event of the show filmed for Samurai TV in Japan.

Japanese wrestling correspondant Chris Charlton confirmed that Ibushi was suffering with the fever and revealed that Ibushi took the win for his team after hitting the Sit Out Last Ride.

Well, Ibushi did it, golden triangle and sit out last ride and all. Pat on the back (and washed hands afterward) https://t.co/HJbuqJpfhW

— chris charlton (@reasonjp) January 14, 2018

Ibushi going ahead with the Choshu show, despite a 38.9 fever. (He's probably got the flu, so if you're in Korakuen today, I dunno, wear a mask or something) https://t.co/HnXM7eaBiT

— chris charlton (@reasonjp) January 14, 2018

The 5-star bout between Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom show was monumental for a number of reasons. Y2J’s unexpected return to Japan and his performance shocked many in the industry and showed that his claims to being the ‘Alpha’ of professional wrestling aren’t wildly off the mark.

It appears that Jericho will now be in NJPW for a stretch, his attack on Tetsuya Naito at the New Year Dash show will eventually lead to a bout between the two…but who else in the New Japan ranks would we like to see the ‘Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla’ face?

Here are three feuds we’d like to see for “The Alpha” Chris Jericho in New Japan:

Hiroshi Tanahashi

An icon of the Japanese wrestling scene, Hiroshi Tanahashi would be an ideal opponent for the reinvigorated Jericho. The two men have grown to define the styles that they represent, Tanahashi has sat atop the NJPW Heavyweight division and was a vital ingredient in the eventual rise of Kazuchika Okada, their feud defined the spirit of New Japan and brought a lot of expectant eyes to the product.

Jericho himself has graced the main event of Wrestlemania cards and is to many the definition of what an American pro wrestler should aspire to, a bout between these two stalwarts would be very different to that of the Alpha/Omega match and would be an excellent opportunity to see how the two could work at this stage in their respective careers.

Kota Ibushi

Kota Ibushi is an enigma. Longtime fans of New Japan would agree that right now he should be in the main event scene and should be arguably one of the biggest stars on the planet…the issue is Kota simply refuses to stay in one place for any length of time, he also seems to like setting himself on fire.

That being said a bout between the ‘Golden Star’ and Y2J has blockbuster written all over it. The dynamically wild style of Ibushi clearly works with a more traditional ‘American heel’ persona, he proved this against Cody at Wrestle Kingdom, but imagine what he could achieve being paired off with one of the greatest (and despicable!) minds in the game?

2018 could end up being the year that Ibushi finally hits the heights that he is capable of and a feud with Jericho just before an opportunity to face longtime rival Kenny Omega at next year’s Wrestle Kingdom could be the ideal way to get him there.

Zack Sabre Jr

Many people would’ve put Kazuchika Okada on their list…but realistically Jericho probably won’t be going near the IWGP Championship during his run. That leads to our next pick in Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre Jr is one of the most underrated stars from the recent explosion of popularity in the UK scene, fellow stars Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Will Ospreay are far more widely recognised even though ZSJ has performed in EVOLVE, New Japan and the WWE Cruiserweight Classic.

From a stylistic standpoint Jericho should mesh extremely well with the unique Sabre, this bout could be worked almost exclusively on the mat and Y2J’s penchant for embarrassing his opponents at their own game would hopefully lead to a submission-fest akin to some of Y2J’s early WWE and WCW work.

Discussion: Who would you like to see Jericho face in New Japan? Let us know in the comments.

– In episode 87 of “Being The Elite” on YouTube The Young Bucks, Cody, Kenny Omega, and Marty Scurll are followed in the lead-up to their respective matches at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo, Japan. Towards the end of the video you see the tension continue to build within The Bullet Club as Kenny Omega gets into an argument with the rest of the club at a restaurant:

– As Ring Of Honor continues to announce their Best Of 2017 awards; the promotion has awarded Deonna Purrazzo Women Of Honor Wrestler Of The Year, and Cody Rhodes ROH Wrestler Of The Year.

– On a related note, ROH has signed Deonna Purrazzo to a non-exclusive contract per a report from Squared Circle Sirens. Purrazzo later confirmed this on Twitter:

Ring Of Honor Signs Deonna Purrazzo – https://t.co/fyZRSAtCiS pic.twitter.com/J4pSpVxuTK

— squared circle sirens (@SCsirens) January 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/DeonnaPurrazzo/status/951627494297358336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

– Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave Wrestle Kingdom 12’s IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification match between Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho five stars. The night’s main event between Okada and Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Title received four stars.

– RAW stars Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose revealed on Snapchat that they’re suffering from the flu. Deville posted a video of herself in bed recovering while watching a marathon of Friends. No news yet on whether or not they’ll be working Monday’s episode of RAW.

‘The Cleaner’ Kenny Omega has reportedly extended his contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The Wrestling Observer have revealed that his one year extension will keep him with the company until at least January 31st 2019, this of course rules him out of any potential Royal Rumble appearance this year or next as well as a potential spot at Wrestlemania in New Orleans.

There had been some rumblings of Chris Jericho’s involvement in New Japan being a plot by WWE to ‘swoop in’ and raid the company, while these were fairly out there rumors they had begun to gain some traction…hopefully this confirmation of Kenny’s contract extension will quell any doubt that he is in Japan for the foreseeable future.

Regardless of the match result, #AlphaVsOmega at #WK12 #njwk12 was a fight with no clear victor. Sometimes, those are the best ones. Thanks to everyone around the world for watching. #ChangeTheWorld pic.twitter.com/E9QMobqxWo

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) January 5, 2018

AXS TV will be broadcasting the majority of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event over the coming weeks. AXS TV head Mark Cuban has been vocal with regards to pushing NJPW this year even further in the United States to coincide with New Japan’s own US expansion plans.

The schedule for the upcoming weeks of AXS television has now been revealed and is as follows:

January 12

• IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship Match – The Young Bucks vs Roppongi 3K (c)
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – Will Ospreay vs Hiromu Takahashi vs KUSHIDA vs Marty Scurll (c)

January 19th 

• NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Championship Match – Michael Elgin and War Machine vs Suzuki-Gun vs Taguchi Japan vs Bullet Club (c) vs CHAOS
• IWGP Tag Team Championship Match – Los Ingobernables (EVIL & SANADA) vs Killer Elite Squad (c)

January 26h

• Cody vs Kota Ibushi
• IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match – ‘Switchblade’ Jay White vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (c)

February 2nd

• IWGP United States Championship Match – Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega (c)

February 9th

• IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada (c)

February 16th

• New Year Dash – Matches to be confirmed

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual Fantasicamania ‘festival’ will be taking place 1/19, 1/21 and 1/22 from the legendary Korakuen Hall in Japan, all three shows will be streaming live on NJPWWorld.com and feature stars from Mexico’s CMLL promotion.

NJPW’s English Language site NJPW1972.com has started the promotional drive for the upcoming CMLL collaboration shows and has revealed the main bouts of the three nights:

Night 1: CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship Match – Niebia Roja vs Gran Guerrero

“The main event on January 19 will see a battle for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship as Gran Guerrero challenges the champion Niebla Roja. Roja is a former rudo partner of Guerrero’s, but when he decided to change his ways in September of 2017, a massive feud started. Roja would have his mask torn off by his former stablemates in Los Guerreros Laguneros, but fans would fall in love with Roja’s newly discovered good looks and tecnico attitude. Now this title match showdown becomes a must see main event to kick off the lucha festival on NJPW World.

Night 1: National Welterweight Championship Match – Soberano Junior vs Sanson

“The Light Heavyweight Championship match will be one of three title bouts on the 19th. In the fifth match of the evening, the National Welterweight Championship will be on the line as champion Soberano Junior faces the ‘infinite power’ of Sanson. Soberano made his big Japanese break at last year’s Fantasticamania and won praise for his dynamic style and thrilling aerial offense. Meanwhile, Sanson’s 187cm stature and surprising popularity for a rudo will make this an intriguing contest. 

Night 1: CMLL Middleweight Championship Match – Angel Del Oro vs Cuatrero

“The CMLL Middleweight Championship will also be on the line January 19. Champion Angel Del Oro will take the challenge of Cuatrero. This will be Cuatrero’s Japanese debut; much like Sanson, Cuatrero is a tall rudo at 185 cm, and combines power with some impressive high flying. You won’t want to miss this one.”

Further information on Nights 2 and 3 can be found on NJPW1972.com

The annual lucha festival is upon us as CMLL’s top luchadores arrive for Fantastica Mania 2018https://t.co/8kb37w9Fje

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 10, 2018

New Japan’s biggest event of the year Wrestle Kingdom has now come and gone…however that is not the only show that you can expect from the company in January.

If you subscribed to NJPWWorld.com for the January 4th spectacular then you can catch the whole of FantasicaMania as well as some of the upcoming ‘New Beginning’ tour.

Some of the biggest matches on offer from January 27th to February 10th include IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay taking on the hugely popular Hiromu Takahashi, Kazuchika Okada and Hirooki Goto challenging SANADA and EVIL for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships and Okada defending his IWGP Heavyweight Title against SANADA on February 10th live on NJPWWorld.com.

Here is the breakdown of the biggest matches on offer over the tour:

The New Beginning in Sapporo 2018 (Day 1)

January 27 (English Commentary Available) @ Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center, Sapporo

• Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 2): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Michael Elgin
• NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match: Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. Togi Makabe, Toa Henare & Ryusuke Taguchi
• Jay White & Roppongi 3K vs. The Elite (Omega & Young Bucks)
• IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki

The New Beginning in Sapporo 2018 (Day 2)

January 28 (English Commentary Available) @ Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center, Sapporo

• Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 3): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Juice Robinson
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi 3K
• IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Match: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Jay White

Road to The New Beginning 2018

February 5 @ Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

• Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 4): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
• David Finlay vs. Jay White
• Ten Man Elimination Tag: CHAOS (Okada/Goto/YOSHI-HASHI/Ospreay/Gedo) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Naito/EVIL/SANADA/BUSHI/Hiromu)

Road to The New Beginning 2018

February 6 @ Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

• Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 5): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Satoshi Kojima
• IWGP Tag Team Championship: SANADA & EVIL (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto

The New Beginning in Osaka 2018

February 10 (English Commentary Available) @ EDION Arena, Osaka

• Katsuya Kitamura 7-Match Proving Series (Match 6): Katsuya Kitamura vs. Yuji Nagata
• Gedo vs. BUSHI
• Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
• NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. EVIL
• IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. SANADA

Credit to r/njpw for the listings

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the cards for several upcoming shows on the upcoming FantasticaMania tour featuring talents from Mexico’s CMLL promotion.

Tour dates and locations include:

• 1/12: Nagoya, Japan
• 1/14: Kyoto, Japan
• 1/15: Kagawa, Japan
• 1/16: Osaka, Japan
• 1/17: Toyama, Japan
• 1/19: Tokyo, Japan
• 1/21: Tokyo, Japan
• 1/22: Tokyo, Japan

Announced cards thus far for the tour:

 1/19 in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall:

• Fuego vs. Okumura
• Satoshi Kojima, Dragon Lee, Star Jr. & Hirai Kawato vs. Rush & LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
• Atlantis, Mistico, Volador Jr. & Drone vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Barbaro Cavernario, Puma & Disturbio
• CMLL World Middleweight champion Angel de Oro vs. Cuatrero
• CMLL National Welterweight champion Soberano Jr.  vs. Sanson
• CMLL World Light Heavyweight champion Niebla Roja vs. Gran Guerrero

1/21 in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall:

• Drone & Star Jr. vs. Disturbio & Puma
• Soberano Jr., Fuego & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Okumura & Roppongi 3K
• Satoshi Kojima, Atlantis, KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato vs. Rush & LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
• CMLL Brothers Tag Team Tournament: Niebla Roja & Angel de Oro vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Gran Guerrero
• CMLL Brothers Tag Team Tournament: Dragon Lee & Mistico vs. Sanson & Cuatrero
• NWA World Historic Welterweight champion Volador Jr. vs. Barbaro Cavernario

1/22 in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall:

• Ryusuke Taguchi & Fuego vs. Disturbio & Puma
• Star Jr. & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV & KUSHIDA vs. Okumura & Rocky Romero & Roppongi 3K
• CMLL Brothers Tag Team Tournament Losing Teams face off.
• Atlantis & Hirai Kawato vs. Barbaro Cavernario & Gedo
• Volador Jr. & Soberano Jr. & Drone vs. LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
• Satoshi Kojima vs. Rush
• CMLL Brothers Tag Team Tournament Final

H/T: PWInsider.com

New Japan Pro Wrestling is going down under next month for the first time ever. The New Japan Fallout Down Under tour invades the following cities next month:

• Friday 16th February – ADELAIDE, Titanium Arena
• Saturday 17th February – MELBOURNE, Festival Hall
• Sunday 18th February – SYDNEY, Quay Centre
• Monday 19th February – PERTH, HBF Stadium

Tickets for the tour go on sale this Friday (1/12) at  DestroyAllLines.com.

Fallout Down Under will include the top stars of NJPW including IWGP Heavyweight Champion “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Sanada & Evil.

Bullet Club members Cody, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa will all be on hand.

Other NJPW stars signed on for the Down Under tour include KUSHIDA, Minoru Suzuki, Juice Robinson, Tomohiro Ishii and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, who will be appearing exclusively at the Sydney and Perth shows only.

New Japan Pro Wrestling has uploaded several more post-show press conference videos from last week’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event at the Tokyo Dome.

• First Batch of Videos: Jericho, Omega, Young Bucks, Ospreay

There are a few more press conference videos available at the official NJPW YouTube Channel, as well as custom WK12 “tron” videos for Okada, Naito and Jay White.

It appears that Tetsuya Naito’s attack on Chris Jericho at the New Year’s Dash event following Wrestle Kingdom 12 last week could’ve beeen to set up a match between the pair.

Oh!My God!! @IAmJericho surprises @s_d_naito and the Korakuen crowd at New Year's Dash! The legend seems to have had enough of Naito's attitude! Watch Now?English Commentary???https://t.co/fEh4jA7fML#njpw #njpwworld #njdash pic.twitter.com/b3KeNBcEL0

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 5, 2018

Per a report from Wrestling Observer Radio, the current plan is to have Jericho vs. Naito go down at the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) USA: Strong Style Evolved show on March 25th from Long Beach, California at the Walter Pyramid.

The Walter Pyramid seats approximately 5,000 fans and hosted the 2-night 2017 G1 Special event that saw Kenny Omega be crowned the first-ever IWGP United States Champion. Ticket information and match card will be announced soon at NJPW1972.com.

• Watch Wrestle Kingdom 12 & New Year’s Dash At NJPWWorld.com

New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s President, Takaaki Kidani, recently sat down with Tokyo Sports to talk about his promotion’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event.

During the interview, Kidani stated he is looking to work with more performers who, like Chris Jericho, have a history with WWE.

Takaaki Kidani to Tokyo Sports

“I will be able to pay more (fight money), and I also want more players involved with WWE to appear. I will do it until I say ‘Let’s get along’ from the other side. It has not become an adversarial relationship yet. It is also important to build a foundation in the United States.” Kidani told Tokyo Sports (via Google Translate).

The original article can be found here. 

As New Japan looks to continue its expansion in the United States, utilizing current and former WWE talent could be a piece of the puzzle to attract American fans. New Japan’s partnership with Ring of Honor makes NJPW/ROH a viable alternative for disgruntled WWE Superstars looking to ply their trade in a different environment.

Discussion: If you’re New Japan, which WWE Superstars are you (realistically) looking to sign?

• 5 Superstars Who Would Benefit From Leaving WWE

– This past Thursday morning Marty Scurll dropped the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship to Will Ospreay in a Fatal Four-Way Match that also featured Hiromu Takahashi and KUSHIDA at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Scurll’s entrance featured mechanical wings, that Cody Rhodes said Scurll worked all day on backstage before the show. Cody took to Twitter to praise Scurll for his dedication:

https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/948863800471687168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/MartyScurll/status/948872042694283264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

…he legit worked very hard(all day) so you fans could have those wings. Thank you Villain. ? pic.twitter.com/cAnS5uaoED

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) January 4, 2018

– New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) has announced their 2018 Big Event Schedule. You can check it out here:

THE NEW BEGINNING IN SAPPORO

January 27 (Sat), January 28 (Sun)

Hokkaido • Hokkaido Kita Yell

THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA

February 10 (Sat)

Osaka • Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

NJPW 46th ANNIVERSARY

March 6 (Tue)

Tokyo • Ota Gymnasium

NEW JAPAN CUP FINAL 2018

March 21 (Wed)

Niigata • Aore Nagaoka

STRONG STYLE EVOLVED

March 25 (Sun)

Los Angeles • Walter Pyramid

SAKURA GENESIS 2018

April 1 (Sun)

Tokyo • Ryogoku Sumo Hall

WRESTLING HI NO KUNI 2018

April 29 (Sun)

Kumamoto • Kumamoto Gran Messe

WRESTLING DONTAKU 2018

May 3 (Thu), May 4 (Fri)

Fukuoka • Fukuoka International Convention Center

BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS 2018

May 18 (Fri)~

DOMINION IN OSAKA JO HALL

June 9 (Sat)

Osaka • Osaka Jo Hall

KIZUNA ROAD TOUR

June 15 (Fri)~

G1 CLIMAX 28

July 14 (Sat), July 15 (Sun)

Tokyo • Ota Gymnasium

July 16 (Mon)

Hokkaido • Hokkaido Kita Yell

August 10 (Fri), August 11 (Sat), August 12 (Sun)

Tokyo • Budokan Hall

New Japan’s first appearance in the Budokan since June 2003

– During the post-Wrestle Kingdom 12 press conference earlier today it was announced that Jay White would be joining CHAOS after turning down Kenny Omega’s invitation to join The Bullet Club. At the New Year’s Dash event following Wrestle Kingdom Omega got on the mic and invited White to join The Bullet Club (H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions):

“I am sick of the in-fighting. I am sick of the Bullet Club talking behind everyone’s back. This group, the Bullet Club, hasn’t been whole for a long time,” said Omega. “We need unity, we need to be a team again. Bullet Club needs to be number one. No more fighting. And so, I have an idea. I know exactly what we need. Switchblade! Jay White.

“Jay, I’ve always seen the potential. I’ve always known what you could be. You could have the world. You remind me of ‘The Cleaner,’ Kenny Omega, in 2015. Look at you. You’re the complete package. And so, Switchblade: I would like to honor you. Bullet Club, Switchblade. Welcome to The Club.”

White put on a Bullet Club shirt and celebrated with Omega before hitting “The Cleaner” with his Blade Runner finisher and fleeing the scene. At the press conference White explained why he decided to join CHAOS instead:

“Since I came back, there’s always a lot of speculation about if I was going to join a group or not,” White said. “See, the way things work over here in New Japan is you can’t always do it alone. Not completely, anyway. So, if I’m going to take on the Bullet Club – I’m not delusional – I know that I can’t do that by myself.”

You need Soldiers for a War. pic.twitter.com/7dBS2MVUja

— Switchblade Jay White (@JayWhiteNZ) January 6, 2018

– Ring Of Honor (ROH) released an article on the top five wrestlers to watch for in 2018. The list named Shane Taylor, Kelly Klein, Matt Taven, Flip Gordon, and Punisher Martinez at the number one spot. You can check out the article here.

– As we’ve noted before, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega defeated Chris Jericho in one of the featured bouts of Wrestle Kingdom 12. The match received a ton of positive reviews after being hyped up for several months. Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega Tweeted out the following about their match:

And that is how it’s done kids…. ?#WrestleKingdom12 #AlphaVsOmega

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) January 4, 2018

Regardless of the match result, #AlphaVsOmega at #WK12 #njwk12 was a fight with no clear victor. Sometimes, those are the best ones. Thanks to everyone around the world for watching. #ChangeTheWorld pic.twitter.com/E9QMobqxWo

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) January 5, 2018

– Per report from F4WOnline, Wrestle Kingdom 12 generated 43,000 total fans (34,995 paying fans) in attendance at the Tokyo Dome. It was the largest audience for a professional wrestling event in Japan in 15 years. The event was considered to be a near-sellout because of the stage and ring setup NJPW used.

– NJPW is set to return stateside on March 25th from Long Beach, California at the Walter Pyramid for USA: Strong Style Evolved. It was announced tickets will go on sale on January 29 at 1pm ET / 10am PT. Prices range from  $50-$200. Ticket sell site has yet to be announced.

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s January 4th show was arguably one of the most commercially successful in company history. More fans than ever where watching on NJPWWorld.com and the Tokyo Dome exceeded last year’s attendance by over 8,000.

NJPW announced several of their upcoming 2018 events during the Wrestle Kingdom stream and now their English Language site NJPW1972.com has unveiled the full details surrounding their 2018 programme:

“The big event for our American fans will be Strong Style Evolved, coming from the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach March 25th. The event was announced back in November, and we’re getting ready to reveal some big news about the show, so stay tuned to njpw1972.com.

It’ll be a busy April, as Sakura Genesis starts the month in Ryogoku on April 1. Then, on April 29, New Japan returns after a two year absence to Kumamoto for Hi no Kuni 2018.

On May 3 and 4, we’ll be in Fukuoka for two nights at the Fukuoka International Center and Wrestling Dontaku. Then, May 18 sees Best of the Super Juniors kick off, before the critical mid way point of the year; June 9 and Dominion in Osaka Jo Hall.

Then, it’s the biggest tournament in wrestling. In a first, G1 Climax 28 will kick off with two days on July 14 and 15 in the historic Ota Gymnasium, before heading to Hokkaido July 16, and then all over Japan.

Yet it’s where that tournament will end that’s most exciting. For the first time in G1 history, and with the first New Japan presence for over 15 years, the G1 will reach its Climax in the iconic Budokan Hall!”

A stacked lineup of shows announced for NJPW in 2018, including a return to the legendary Budokan Hall!https://t.co/xkp0CVJlbF

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 5, 2018

Following the success of New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom event they have announced that tickets for their return to the United States with ‘Strong Style Evolved’ will be on sale January 29th. The show takes place from the Walter Pyramid arena in Long Beach, California on March 25th.

You’ll be able to guarantee your place at the show as of 1/29 10AM (PST) /1PM (EST) on the 29th, so make sure you don’t miss out on this massive event.

Tickets are currently priced as follows:

On Court

Rows 1-4: $200

Rows 5-12 $150

Stadium

Rows 1-7: $100

Rows 8-14: $80

Rows 15-24: $50

*Service charge not included

NJPW’s next event in the USA: STRONG STYLE EVOLVED! Tickets on sale 1/29 10AM (PST) /1PM (EST)!https://t.co/A0CPdnP48V

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 5, 2018

New Japan Pro Wrestling has released several videos coming out of this week’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event. The full show (including English commentary) is now available for streaming over at NJPWWorld.com.

AXS TV will be airing a 2-hour special this Saturday night featuring the show’s 3 top championship matches voiced over by Jim Ross and Josh Barnett. The remainder of the Wrestle Kingdom 12 card will then air in the usual Friday night time slot on AXS TV over the next 5 weeks.

Highlights from ‘Wrestle Kingdom12’ Jan 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0DQehLGio0

Press Conference: Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho

Press Conference: The Young Bucks

Press Conference: Will Ospreay