Posts Tagged ‘Hiromu Takahashi’

Jyushin Liger Wrestles Final Match at Wrestle Kingdom 14

Japanese wrestling legend Jyushin ‘Thunder’ Liger performed in his final bout at Wrestle Kingdom 14. The masked star has had more than 3500 (3551) matches in his illustrious career, and is regarded as one of the pioneers of the Juniors style of professional wrestling.

Liger’s final bout took place on Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom, where he teamed with Naoki Sano to take on Ryu Lee and Hiromu Takahashi. On Night 1 Liger teamed with Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke & Tiger Mask also in a losing effort.

Hiromu Takahashi beat the legend with a TIME BOMB in the centre of the ring. It felt like a fitting end for Liger, who lost his final bout against the present and future of the Juniors division that he helped to pioneer.

Liger wrote the following tweet following his loss on Night 1; “Day 1 of the Tokyo Dome event is over. I went straight to Taguchi and broke down after my match. I’ll change my mindset as I face against Hiromu tomorrow. Thank you for the support. The picture is me with Jurina Matsuri, who cheered me up after my match. I’m happy.”

Will Ospreay Reportedly Injured at Wrestle Kingdom 14

Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Will Ospreay may have sustained an injury during Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night 1 in the Tokyo Dome. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ faced Hiromu Takahashi to defend his Championship. Ospreay took the loss in the bout after Takahashi hit is new ‘TIME BOMB 2’ finishing manoeuvre on the British born star.

The injury sustained was on the UK star’s ankle. This according to PWInsider. PWInsider are also reporting that the injury could also be a broken heel. The injury apparently occurred when Will Ospreay hit Takahashi with a Sasuke Special to the outside of the ring. Ospreay launched himself out of the ring twice early in the match to complete the move. On the first attempt he was caught by Takahashi in a German suplex attempt, as you can see from the tweet below there are three instances where Ospreay’s ankle takes a heavy landing. Once we have an update on the situation we will confirm here.

Takahashi will be taking part in Jyushin Thunder Liger’s retirement bout as part of Day 2. Will Ospreay was not previously booked to appear on the second night of Wrestle Kingdom this year.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1213403734161731586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1213403734161731586&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wrestlinginc.com%2Fnews%2F2020%2F01%2Fwill-ospreay-reportedly-sustains-injury-at-wrestle-kingdom-664386%2F

You can check out the full Takeaways and Results for Night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 14 here. The highlights of the incredible IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship bout between Will Ospreay and Hiromu Takahashi can be seen here.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 2 Coverage and Results

New Japan Pro-Wrestling is kicking off 2020 with their biggest event of the new year, Wrestle Kingdom 14. For the first time ever, Wrestle Kingdom will be a two-day event, with shows in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th and 5th. This event will be available to watch on their live streaming service, NJPW World, as well as Fite TV. Both platforms enable a choice between English or Japanese language commentary.

Day 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 14 took place on January 4th, and it made for a very eventful evening. Full results of the show can be read here and a shorter synopsis with key takeaways can be read here. Three matches from Day 1 pertained to the card of Day 2. An IWGP US Heavyweight Championship match has been scheduled for Day 2 in which Juice Robinson would challenge the winner between the title bout between Jon Moxley and Lance Archer, which ended up with Moxley the victory. Also, the “Double Gold Dash” will come to a head, as Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito left Wrestle Kingdom 14 as the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champions respectively, and will face off in the main event of Day 2. Their respective opponents, Kota Ibushi and Jay White, will also compete in a singles match.

Pre-show start times are the following. The main show starts one hour after the listed time.

  • Pacific USA: January 4th, 9PM
  • Eastern USA: January 5th, 12AM (Midnight)
  • UK: January 5th, 5AM
  • Japan: January 5th, 2PM
  • East Australia: January 5th, 4PM

Stream Links

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 2 Card

(Pre Show) NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match: Los Ingobernables de Japon Win
Teams:
– Champions: Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Ryusuke Taguchi
– CHAOS: Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Robbie Eagles
– Los Ingobernables de Japon: Shingo Takagi, EVIL & BUSHI
– Suzuki-gun: Taichi, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
– Bullet Club: Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi

The match began with the Bullet Club and CHAOS teams. CHAOS eliminated Bullet Club when Tomohiro Ishii hit a vertical drop brainbuster on Chase Owens. The Suzuki-gun trio entered second, but also fell to the CHAOS team as Eagles hit a small package hold on Kanemaru. With two teams dispatched, CHAOS finally fell to Los Ingobernables de Japon, the third trio to enter, after EVIL hit Tomohiro Ishii with the Darkness Falls. With LIJ the last of the challenger teams standing, the champions Makabe, Yano, and Taguchi entered to determine the ultimate winner. There was a close call in which Taguchi hit Shingo Takagi with the Dodon, which he used to finish off Jushin Thunder Liger yesterday, but Takagi kicked out. BUSHI sprayed black mist in Taguchi’s face and Shingo hit him with Made in Japan and got the pinfall victory to win the match. Los Ingobernables de Japon won the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships, putting another piece in place for every member of LIJ leaving Wrestle Kingdom 14 as champions.

Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match II: Hiromu Takahashi & Ryu Lee def. Jushin Thunder Liger & Naoki Sano (with Yoshiaki Fujiwara)
Ryu Lee entered using his new, non-CMLL namesake for the first time, donning the ROH Television Championship and a mask with Liger’s horns. He held the rope open for Hiromu Takahashi, who was wearing half-Liger styled tights, as he made his entrance. The crowd was ablaze as Jushin Thunder Liger walked down the ramp for his final match. Hiromu tagged to Lee, but they double-teamed Liger as the crowed booed. Liger rallied with tilt-a-whirl backbreakers and was able to tag in Naoki Sano, who briefly rallied with surprising agility. The match went back to Liger and Hiromu, and Liger showed great fire against his junior heavyweight successor. Crowds came unglued for his comebacks and were thrilled with his kickouts. They did not want the illustrious career of Jushin Thunder Liger to end. But it did end, when Hiromu Takahashi hit the Time Bomb on Liger to pin the junior heavyweight legend in his final match. Liger briefly spoke on the microphone to the Tokyo Dome audience, his music played, and an era of pro-wrestling ended. Jushin Thunder Liger’s retirement ceremony takes place tomorrow at New Year Dash. (12:16)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) def. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) (c)
Roppongi 3K rushed Bullet Club before the bell rang, presumably as payback for stealing their Super Junior Tag League trophies. Soon, the Bullet Club turned the tables with underhanded offense. In one of the most magnificent displays of ostentation, El Phantasmo hit a springboard backflip into a back rake. Theoretically, this match should have struggled to hook the crowd following Liger’s heartfelt retirement, but the crowds were solidly behind Roppongi 3K. Bullet Club attempted to do Roppongi 3K’s self-titled finish, but SHO countered it and the three-time Super Junior Tag League winners were able to take control. Phantasmo tried to get in a belt attack and a groin attack, but they were both foiled. Roppongi 3K hit a combination Shock Arrow and diving double foot stomp, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. (14:08)

Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Championship Match: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) def. SANADA
As is the theme of matches between Zack Sabre Jr. and SANADA, this was a match that was highly ground-based and full of counters, and counters of counters. Zack and SANADA traded control in holds and on the ground, with Zack becoming increasingly frustrated as he realized that SANADA did not succumb to his skill as easily as most others. He had promised to defeat SANADA by submission in the Tokyo Dome. SANADA took the match to stand-up and Zack couldn’t match him in that regard. Nevertheless, Zack deftly caught SANADA with a Japanese leg roll clutch to retain the British Heavyweight Championship. (12:32)

IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) def. Juice Robinson
Despite his rather comedic facial hair and entrance outfit, Juice rushed Moxley as he made his entrance with the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship that he had won less than 24 hours prior. Moxley was arguably at a disadvantage considering the danger of the Texas Deathmatch with Lance Archer that he went through yesterday, but he soon was dominating Juice with strikes. Juice had won a match against Moxley on one of the final days of the G1 Climax, but he looked worse for wear at first. He urged Juice to hit him harder, and then put him out of his misery. Jon Moxley hit the Death Rider to retain the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. (12:48)

Then, Minoru Suzuki’s music started playing. He entered in his ring gear and gave Jon Moxley a Gotch-style piledriver. He held the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship above a fallen Moxley and left the ring.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Hirooki Goto def. KENTA (c)
After an initial burst from Goto, KENTA kept throwing him out of the ring, eliciting heavy boos from the Dome audience. He pompously rubbed his boots in Goto’s face and kicked him while he was down, until Goto lost his patience and floored him with a single forearm. Goto was tired of KENTA’s constant belittling, calling him cute and not taking him seriously. KENTA briefly countered with kicks but Goto continued his momentum with the Ushigoroshi. A corner dropkick and a penalty kick, followed by a shotgun dropkick held Goto down for a near fall. KENTA went for the Go 2 Sleep but Goto caught his leg and headbutted him to the ground. KENTA had a second wind of furious strikes, but Goto powered through them all and delivered the GTR to win the NEVER Openweight Championship. (16:12)

Singles Match: Jay White def. Kota Ibushi
This match involved the two losers of the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship matches from Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1. Ibushi looked understandably disappointed as he entered, while Jay White seemed unfazed by his loss. White started the match in the lead, working over Ibushi while proclaiming that his people didn’t care about him anymore. Ibushi was not interested in being slowly worn down, and responded in his usual ferocious manner. He struck Jay down as if he were insignificant, and a wobbly White struggled to land a hit on him. White hit a fast Complete Shot and German suplex to give himself a moment of reprieve. He landed a Kiwi Crusher for a near fall as Gedo barked orders at him. White went for the Blade Runner but Ibushi blocked it with a high kick, and Gedo came in with a chair after the referee had been hit. He hit Ibushi on the back with it, but Ibushi turned around, unfazed, and felled Gedo with a slap to the chest. Ibushi hit an elevated sitout powerbomb on White, but the referee was still down. He left the ring to pull the referee back in, and hit a Kamigoye, but Gedo pulled the referee out of the ring. Gedo came in once again, and Ibushi caught him, but White used the moment to hit Ibushi with a chair, then hit the Blade Runner for the victory. (24:58)

Singles Match: Chris Jericho def. Hiroshi Tanahashi
The video package for this match showed Tanahashi making a comedic parody of the video package that played when Chris Jericho challenged him in November, wearing Juggalo face paint and pretending to sing. Chris Jericho entered wearing the AEW World Championship, after claiming that Tanahashi would be granted an opportunity to challenge for it if he defeated him at Wrestle Kingdom, which was also shown in the video package. The most interesting part of the early stages of this match was Jericho attempting to flex his muscles at Tanahashi, which seemed to amuse him. Jericho used all sorts of unconventional tactics in this match, such as DDTing Tanahashi through an announce table and flogging him with his belt. Not the championship, the belt of his pants. Jericho went for a Lionsault but Tanahashi pushed him off the ropes, and then did a High Fly Flow onto him on the outside. Jericho tried to retaliate with the Codebreaker, but Tanahashi caught him and punished him with repeated dragon screws. Tanahashi went for a High Fly Flow in the ring, but Jericho blocked it with his knees, and then hit a Lionsault for a near fall. Tanahashi blocked the Judas Effect, but Jericho got him in the Walls of Jericho. He was in it for what seemed like forever, but broke the hold and hit a Sling Blade. Tanahashi went for the High Fly Flow yet again, but Jericho stood up in time and hit the Codebreaker in mid-air. Tanahashi blocked the Judas Effect again and hit a Codebreaker of his own for a near fall. Jericho rolled through another High Fly Flow attempt and reapplied the Walls as the crowd went into a frenzy. Jericho arched into the Liontamer and Tanahashi had nowhere to go. Chris Jericho defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi by submission. (22:24)

IWGP Heavyweight Championship & IWGP Intercontinental Double Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito def. Kazuchika Okada
Before the two men even touched, the crowd was absolutely ballistic for this match once the bell rang. This was the match to decide the first ever Heavyweight and Intercontinental double champion, and a one-on-one encounter that had not been seen in two years. As the match began, Okada took advantage early, controlling the pacing and working over Naito’s neck. Naito briefly took control with his own neck attacks, but Okada’s big boot put him flat on his back. Okada hit the reverse neckbreaker, diving elbow drop, and then called for the Rainmaker with unexpected urgency. This Okada was not the same Okada who was toying with Kota Ibushi yesterday. Naito dodged the Rainmaker easily, but Okada compensated with attacking Naito’s damaged knees, including dropping him knee-first on a commentator’s table. Naito barely made it back to the ring before the 20-count and Okada leveled him with a missile dropkick as he made it back. Naito desperately turned the tables with his rope-assisted tornado DDT, followed by the Gloria. Okada blocked the Destino attempt, only for Naito to avoid the Rainmaker. Naito hit a running Destino for a near fall as the crowd erupted. He attempted another, but Okada blocked it and hit his signature dropkick. Naito blocked the Rainmaker with a slap to the face, only for Okada to follow up with a discus lariat. Okada hit a Tombstone piledriver and the Rainmaker, but Naito kicked out. Okada rallied the crowd as he picked Naito up for another tombstone, but Naito struggled out. Okada smashed Naito’s knee against the mat and was roundly booed for it. Okada hit a Rainmaker and held onto Naito’s wrist, then hit another. Naito countered a third rainmaker and hit a Destino for a near fall. Naito body slammed Okada in the corner and hit the Stardust Press for yet another near fall as the ring announcer called that 35 minutes had passed. Naito hit the Valentia and Destino to become the first ever simultaneous IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Champion. (35:37)

As Naito was about to complete the roll call of Los Ingobernables de Japon at Wrestle Kingdom, KENTA came out of nowhere and attacked him. He sat on Naito’s chest holding the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships, then left. BUSHI came out to help Naito up, and carried him to the dugout with the roll call left incomplete.

Highlights From Will Ospreay vs Hiromu Takahashi (Wrestle Kingdom 14)

Hiromu Takahashi defeated Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 14 to recapture the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. The match was a hard hitting, brutal affair between two of the best performers in New Japan, nay, the global stage.

Hiromu Takahashi’s Injured Neck

Throughout the match Ospreay would work on Takahashi’s previously injured neck. An injury that many believed could’ve signalled the end of Takahashi’s in-ring career.

Highlights

You can check out some of the highlights from the incredible match below. These include a fantastic Sasuke Special from Ospreay and a huge Destroyer from Hiromu. You can order NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Nights 1, 2 and New Year Dash right now over at FITE.TV.

Hiromu Takahashi will now head into Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom to face Jyushin Thunder Liger in his official retirement match. Liger joined fellow legends Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke and Tiger Mask to open Wrestle Kingdom this year. This was the penultimate retirement match for the Juniors legend, wherein he took the pinfall loss. Jyushin Liger will be heading into his final ever match in a New Japan ring tomorrow night when he teams up with Naoki Sano to take on Ryu Lee and Hiromu Takahashi. With Hiromu being IWGP Junior Champion it adds special precedence to the match, with Liger being the first man to ever defend the belt at the Tokyo Dome.

You can check out the full results from Night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom right here.

*Credit to @MrLARIATO for the highlights below:

https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1213403662002925568

https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1213403091485298689
https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1213405340278112257
https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1213406449851883520
https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1213406850974138368
https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1213407433122557957
https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1213407901995425792

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1 Coverage and Results

New Japan Pro-Wrestling is kicking off 2020 with their biggest event of the new year, Wrestle Kingdom 14. For the first time ever, Wrestle Kingdom will be a two-day event, with shows in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th and 5th. This event will be available to watch on their live streaming service, NJPW World, as well as Fite TV. Both platforms enable a choice between English or Japanese language commentary.

Pre-show start times are the following. The main show starts one hour after the listed time. Note that the dark match will start at the listed time, but it will not be live streamed, so the live stream will begin after the first match ends.

  • Pacific USA: January 3rd, 11PM
  • Eastern USA: January 4th, 2AM
  • UK: January 4th, 7AM
  • Japan: January 4th, 4PM
  • East Australia: January 4th, 6PM

Stream Links

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1 Card

(Dark Match) STARDOM Women’s Wrestling Exhibition Match: Mayu Iwatani & Arisa Hoshiki def. Hana Kimura & Giulia
This match was not aired on NJPW World or televised, due to television airing conflicts. Mayu Iwatani pinned Hana Kimura after a dragon suplex and a moonsault.

Pre-Show Eight Man Tag Team Match: Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. Toa Henare, Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks & Alex Coughlin
This was the first broadcasted match of the WK14 pre-show. The young lions from both teams looked motivated to perform in front of the Wrestle Kingdom crowd, and were working stiffly, especially Yota Tsuji against Toa Henare. The match was fairly brief but worked at a fast clip and the crowd was loud for it. Toa Henare pinned Yota Tsuji with the Toa Bottom. (7:36)

Pre-Show Tag Team Match: TenKoji (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) def. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
It was interesting to see these once-main eventers now working a pre-show match, but probably preferable to having them still main event given their varying states of physical condition. Kojima went for his signature top rope elbow drop but Nakanishi threw him to the mat. Nakanishi put him in a torture rack, but Kojima got out of it and hit a lariat for the pinfall victory. (5:47)

Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match I: Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke & Tiger Mask IV
Kero Tanaka, the NJPW ring announcer from the 1990s, was here to announce the entrants for this match. Norio Honaga, one of Liger’s rivals from that same period, was the special guest referee as well. Most of the men in the match were clearly in the twilight years of their athletic ability, but they tried their best to pull off the spots they were remembered for decades ago, such as Sano’s dive through the ropes, Otani’s facewash, and Fujinami’s dragon screws and dragon sleeper. It was a very heartfelt match, despite the age showing, or perhaps because of the age showing, as it exemplified the effort these men were putting in for Liger’s sake. Ryusuke Taguchi pinned Liger with the Dodon. Afterwards, Liger’s team hoisted him up and celebrated as his music played. Jushin Thunder Liger’s last ever match is tomorrow. (8:52)

Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & El Desperado) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVIL, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
Notably, the Suzuki-gun team entered to Zack Sabre Jr.’s music, even though Minoru Suzuki is usually considered the faction leader. Zack defends his Revolution Pro British Heavyweight Championship against SANADA tomorrow, and the match was centered around those two. The other wrestlers will be participating in the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship gauntlet match tomorrow, with the exception of Minoru Suzuki, who does not have a match tomorrow. Hard-hitting exchanges between Shingo and Taichi were the arguable highlight for this match. Shingo was exceptional at playing to the Dome audience, despite it being only his second time wrestling for an audience of this size. Zack Sabre Jr. locked a Jim Breaks Armbar on BUSHI to get the submission victory.

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) def. Bullet Club (KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)
KENTA is defending the NEVER Openweight Championship against Hirooki Goto, while the rest of the participants are participating in the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship gauntlet match. Highlights of this match were Toru Yano trying to outpower Bad Luck Fale, whose “Ready for War” t-shirt may be unsavory considering current events, and Goto easily overpowering KENTA, but using Bullet Club’s help to even the odds, and Ishii suplexing Fale. Goto hit the Ushigoroshi and GTR to pin Yujiro for the win, but will he win tomorrow?

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) def. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c)
Juice and Finlay bravely stood outside the ring and tried to attack the Guerrillas of Destiny before the match began, but it backfired on them, leaving Juice laying after taking a painful-looking back body drop on the ramp. From there, G.o.D. dominated the early going, befitting of the fifth most dominant IWGP Tag Team Champions of all time, but they may have played with their food a bit too much. They hit the Magic Killer on Finlay but he kicked out of it, only to hit another for Juice to break up the pin, and receive a Magic Killer of his own for his trouble. G.o.D set up the top rope power bomb, but Finlay reversed it. Juice hit a punch to knock out Jado on the ring apron, enabling David Finlay to hit the Acid Drop on Tama Tonga. Juice Robinson and David Finlay are the new IWGP Tag Team Champions! G.o.D.’s reign ended at 312 days and 7 successful defenses.

IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Texas Deathmatch: Jon Moxley def. Lance Archer (c)
Jon Moxley came out wearing jeans, as is customary for a match with a hardcore stipulation, whereas Archer was wearing a leather jumpsuit and brandishing spray-painted trash can lids. Lots of weapons were used in this match, including a gnarly shot to Archer’s head with said trash can lid, and a suplex through chairs. Archer dived over the top rope and chokeslammed a young lion onto Moxley. A reverse crucifix powerbomb onto four chairs put Moxley down for a count of 8, but Moxley managed to trap Archer with an armbar. Archer put the EBD Claw on Moxley with a plastic bag on his hand, but Moxley was not defeated yet. Lance Archer set up two tables outside the ring, but he paid for it, as Moxley hit a Death Rider from the apron, putting them both through the two tables. Moxley was able to recover before the count of ten, but Archer could not. Jon Moxley wins back the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship that he never lost in a match to begin with. After the match, he said that he would settle the score with Juice Robinson. (14:26)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi def. Will Ospreay (c)
Both men in this match put a lot of effort into their entrance outfits, with Ospreay having a white tiger’s head on his shoulder and Hiromu resembling a peacock more than a wrestler. As the match began, it looked like Ospreay was a step ahead of Hiromu at every turn, blocking his moves and stuffing his attempt at the apron sunset flip powerbomb. Ospreay made an effort to focus his offense on Hiromu’s head and neck, with this being his first major match since breaking his neck in July 2018. Arguably the highlight of this match was Ospreay going for the Sasuke Special and missing it, only to have Hiromu throw him through the ropes, after which he finally hit the move in one fluid motion. Ospreay hit the Oscutter for a near fall, and went for the hidden blade once again but missed, then being felled by a pop-up powerbomb. Hiromu hit another Canadian destroyer, but Ospreay blocked the Time Bomb. Ospreay finally hit the hidden blade, but Hiromu blocked the Stormbreaker to hit another Canadian destroyer, followed by the Time Bomb, but Ospreay kicked out of it. Hiromu hit a sliding forearm followed by a move that I can’t describe to finally get the victory. Hiromu Takahashi becomes the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito def. Jay White (c)
As Jay White bailed from the ring to start the match, Naito left as well to grab Gedo by his beard, which the audience enjoyed. Nevertheless, Gedo was there to hold onto Naito for brief moments, enabling White to take advantage. White was incredibly smug in this match, showboating and gloating to the crowd when he wasn’t working over Naito’s knees or his neck. Naito was able to outsmart Jay at times to take control back, and the crowd was almost entirely with him. Naito was able to reverse White’s offense at times, but his damaged knee slowed him down at times, which White capitalized on. White locked in the same leglock that submitted Tanahashi to win him the IWGP Heavyweight Championship last February, but Naito made it to the ropes, garnering a thunderous ovation. Naito managed a rolling kick into a pop-up spinebuster to make a labored but effective comeback. Naito spat in his face and then hit a top rope Frankensteiner, followed by the Gloria for a near fall. Gedo tried to hit Naito with a chair, but Naito stopped him with a kick to the groin, but left an opening for White to hit him with a chair. White followed up with sleeper suplexes, but Naito hit a flash Destino that he was too tired to capitalize on, followed by a reverse rana and another running Destino. White went for the Blade Runner, but Naito blocked it and hit a final Destino for the pinfall victory. Tetsuya Naito wins the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for the fifth time, an accolade only matched by Shinsuke Nakamura. (33:54)

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Kota Ibushi
Kota Ibushi’s entrance music was slightly remixed, but Okada’s entrance was so over-the-top it has to be seen to be understood, but it included a white, glow-in-the-dark robe. Underestimating Ibushi, Okada attempted his first Rainmaker mere minutes into the match, but Ibushi dodged it easily. Ibushi never really seemed to intimidate Okada, who invited him to hit Okada harder. Okada locked in the Red Ink submission but Ibushi got his hand on the bottom rope to break the hold. Okada signaled the Rainmaker coming with his trademark pose, but Ibushi flattened him with a dudebuster and a double footstomp on his chest, followed by a triangle moonsault outside the ring and a missile dropkick off the ropes. Okada landed uppercuts and slaps on Ibushi, but Ibushi stood still and retaliated, even standing up after a front dropkick. Ibushi laid into a fallen Okada with strikes as the crowd began to boo him. Ibushi tried to throw Okada into the ring post from the apron, but Okada countered and hit an apron tombstone piledriver. Ibushi laid outside the ring until nearly getting counted out, only for Okada to pounce on him as he finally entered the ring. Ibushi countered with an incredible lariat and blocked Okada’s Rainmaker with another huge lariat of his own. Ibushi hit the Kamigoye but Okada barely kicked out of it, and gave him a dropkick when Ibushi attempted another. Okada attempted a missle dropkick, but Ibushi countered it into a sitout powerbomb. Ibushi went for a phoenix splash, but missed, leaving Okada the opening to hit the Rainmaker, which Ibushi kicked out of. Okada kept the pressure on and hit another piledriver followed by the Rainmaker for the win. Kazuchika Okada retains the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. (39:16)

After the match, Tetsuya Naito entered the ring to confront Okada. They posed with their respective championships, and Naito left peacefully, as Okada cut a go-home promo to end Day 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 14.

Updated Cards For NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14

Following the events of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Power Struggle 2019 event on November 3, NJPW has announced updated cards for Wrestle Kingdom 14, their two day event at the Tokyo Dome on January 4 and 5, 2020.

NJPW conducted a 24-hour online fan vote on November 4 asking whether the fans would want to see a double championship match, with the winner becoming both IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The final result was 15,952 people voting “Yes” and 9,055 people voting “No.”

With that in mind, the second day of Wrestle Kingdom 14 will feature the first ever IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental double championship match.

NJPW has stated that, when finalized, both cards will feature between 8 and 10 matches. Both days of Wrestle Kingdom 14 will be available to watch live on NJPW World.

Wrestle Kingdom 14 (January 4)

  • Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match #1: Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke & Tiger Mask IV (with El Samurai) vs. Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhiko Takaiwa & Ryusuke Taguchi (with Kuniaki Kobayashi) (Special Referee: Norio Honaga)
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
  • IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

Wrestle Kingdom 14 (January 5)

  • Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match #2: Match TBA
  • Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho
  • Singles Match: Loser of IWGP Heavyweight Championship match vs. Loser of IWGP Intercontinental Championship match from the previous day
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH)
  • IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship: IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Intercontinental Champion

NJPW Power Struggle 2019 Results and Coverage

New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Power Struggle 2019 event took place at the EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan on November 3.

This event can be watched live on NJPW World.

Power Struggle 2019 Results

Titán, Volador Jr., TJP & Clark Connors def. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yuya Uemura (5:43)
With the exception of Liger, this tag team match was composed of wrestlers who failed to advance to the Final in the Super Junior Tag League. Volador Jr. entered wearing a Spiderman mask and rash guard. As always, Jushin Thunder Liger was incredibly over, but work from everyone involved was brisk and fast-paced. TJP pinned Yuya Uemura after a Detonation Kick.

Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) def. CHAOS (Robbie Eagles & Rocky Romero) (8:42)
With his tag team partner involved in a defense of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, Robbie Eagles was left with Rocky Romero as a partner. Ishimori and Phantasmo used their superior experience to keep the CHAOS team apart. At one point, El Phantasmo walked the ropes with Rocky Romero in a fireman’s carry, then came crashing down on Robbie Eagles. El Phantasmo pinned Rocky Romero with the CR II.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, SANADA & EVIL) def. Suzukigun (Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki) (9:07)
The Suzukigun team entered to Lance Archer’s music, who walked to the ring bow-legged, carrying his newly won IWGP US Heavyweight Championship with one half of the strap in his pants. The highlight of this match was a long battle of strikes between Shingo and Minoru Suzuki. SANADA defeated Zack Sabre Jr. with a rolling cradle, as Suzuki and Shingo continued to battle outside the ring and the frustrated Zack Sabre Jr. put the referee in an armbar. Meanwhile, Lance Archer told the English commentators that he wanted to defend his IWGP US Heavyweight Championship against David Finlay.

Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) (10:51)
All wrestlers received separate entrances except for YOSHI-HASHI. Tanahashi looked disinterested as Ibushi made his entrance, not wanting to be the second fiddle to the G1 Winner. He had really been focused on finding his own path to Wrestle Kingdom 14. Down the stretch, the fans really were hoping for YOSHI-HASHI, as was able to get near falls on Tanahashi. Nevertheless, Tanahashi reversed his Karma finisher. Tanahashi pinned YOSHI-HASHI with the High Fly Flow.

After the match ended, the lights went out, and a video of musicians with blonde hair getting beaten up played, then transitioned to Chris Jericho on the screen. He challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 2, on January 5, 2020. He said “It’s going to be a classic match. It’s also going to be your last match!”

Tetsuya Naito def. Taichi (12:56)
In contrast to his lackadaisical attitude, Naito immediately attacked Taichi at full speed. Their fight spilled into the crowd, where Taichi was able to get the upper hand. As Naito went for an avalanche hurricanrana, Taichi reversed it into a falling powerbomb, and taunted the downed Naito. Their other matches this year involved lots of out of the ring trickery, but now, Taichi was able to face Naito head on, eating his strikes and asking for more, and countering Naito’s first attempt at the Destino. Taichi hit the falling elevated powerbomb for a near fall as the crowd gasped. Naito hit a running Destino for a near fall, falling by the Valentia. Naito attempted the Destino once more, but Taichi caught him and tried to hit the Black Mephisto, and Naito wiggled out. Naito hit his own Black Mephisto, and then the Destino for the three count.

Super Junior Tag League 2019 Final Match: Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) def. Suzukigun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (14:13)
As Roppongi 3K entered, Suzukigun snuck up behind them and attacked them, taking an advantage before the bell rang. With that advantage, they dominated the early going, isolating YOH. SHO was able to rally when he tagged them in, but more good teamwork put him on the disadvantage as well. El Desperado went for the Pinche Loco on SHO, but it was reversed, then Roppongi 3K were able to take control when they finally worked together. El Desperado reversed the Shock Arrow and hit a headbutt, but YOH came in and Roppongi 3K were able to hit 3K to pin El Desperado and win the Super Junior Tag League. This is their third time winning the Super Junior Tag League.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo came out and attacked Roppongi 3K as they celebrated. With the tournament winners laid out, Bullet Club took the Super Junior Tag League trophies and posed with them as if they had won the tournament.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: KENTA (c) def. Tomohiro Ishii (20:12)
KENTA had been spending the whole tour taunting Tomohiro Ishii, calling him cute and generally belittling him. His patience exhausted, Ishii had no time for KENTA’s antics, immediately going after him and bringing him back in when he tried to bail from the ring. Ishii took KENTA’s strikes and asked for more, but eventually his resiliency found its limit, as KENTA grinded him down with kicks, only for Ishii to find another gear and take the advantage once more. As Ishii went for a sliding lariat, KENTA sneakily managed to put on the Game Over crossface. Due to Ishii’s lack of neck, he was able to make it to the ropes and break the submission. KENTA hit the Busaiku Knee Kick, but Ishii powered through, only to eat a second one. KENTA hit a Falcon Arrow, a PK, but Ishii reversed the Go 2 Sleep attempt. KENTA hit the Go 2 Sleep, then pulled down his knee pad and hit a second one to defeat Tomohiro Ishii and defend the NEVER Openweight Championship.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) def. BUSHI (16:20)
Ospreay started the match with guns blazing, sending BUSHI reeling with high-speed offense. BUSHI did a good job of using Ospreay’s momentum against him, countering the Sasuke Special by dropping Ospreay on his head with an apron DDT. BUSHI hit a lightning spiral and went for the MX, but Ospreay got out of the way. Ospreay accidentally hit the referee and BUSHI went to spray black mist in Ospreay’s face, but Ospreay stopped it by taking the black mist from his mouth and spitting it in BUSHI’s face. Ospreay hit a shooting star press only for BUSHI to get the knees up and spray mist in Ospreay’s face. BUSHI went for the MX once more, but Ospreay hit a head kick to stop him. BUSHI hit a codebreaker and the MX, but Ospreay kicked out at two. BUSHI went for another MX, but Ospreay gave him an Oscutter out of mid air, followed by a Hidden Blade. Finally, Ospreay hit the Super Oscutter and Stormbreaker to pin BUSHI and defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

After the match, Ospreay made a list of all the junior heavyweights that he defeated, remarking that he had beaten anyone and there was no one left. As he left the ring, the lights went out, and a video of a Time Bomb scheduled to go off in 1,448 hours played. (1,448 hours from the time of this writing is on January 4th, 2020). Hiromu Takahashi entered to an electric response, pulled off the neck bandage he was wearing, threw it into the crowd, and ran around taking bumps. He took the microphone and said, while in a neck bridge to show that his neck was fine, that Ospreay was now the strongest junior heavyweight, but that now “Hiromu is back” and challenged Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Jay White (c) def Hirooki Goto (27:40)
Ever since Hirooki Goto challenged White for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Destruction in Kobe, White had done nothing but belittle him, and say that he didn’t deserve to challenge for the Championship. In the early going, he seemed to be correct, as he controlled the early match, despite Goto nearly getting his hands on Gedo, who had yet to involve himself in the match. At one point, White threw Goto into the guardrail near the Japanese announce table, which drew the ire of guest commentator Katsuyori Shibata, who raised from his seat but did not act. White hit the Kiwi Crusher for a near fall. Goto rallied, hitting the Ushigoroshi, then went for the GTR, but White managed to avoid it, as Gedo distracted the referee to boos. White hit the sleeper suplex, but Goto headbutted him to stop him in his tracks, then hit a reverse GTR. Goto followed up with a Shouten Kai for a near fall. Goto hit the GTW, followed by the GTR, but Goto pulled the referee out of the ring so that he couldn’t count the pin, but Shibata came in and apprehended Gedo. KENTA then came in and hit Goto with a Go 2 Sleep, then a kick on Shibata. KENTA continued attacking Shibata, as Jay White hit the Blade Runner on Goto to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.

Jay White says he wants to be the first IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion and to wrestle against the winner of Ibushi vs. Okada on the second day of Wrestle Kingdom 14. He taunts Ibushi and Okada to come to the ring, but Tetsuya Naito comes to the ring instead. Eventually, Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada come to the ring as well. Naito and Ibushi are also in favor of a double championship match. However, Okada dissents, and says that there should be a fan vote to decide it. Jay White demands to be announced as “IWGP Intercontinental Champion and future double Champion.” He is announced as such, and confetti rains down as Naito glares at him from the entrance ramp.

Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update

It’s been over 13 months since Hiromu Takahashi was injured during last summer’s G1 Special in San Fransisco. Takahashi was wrestling his long-time rival Dragon Lee on the show but was injured during a cradle-suplex. He finished the match, defeated his rival, but collapsed backstage and was taken to hospital.

It was later reported that Takahashi had suffered a broken neck and would be out of action for a year. His injury status was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“I’d been told he would be ready late summer,” said Dave Meltzer. “And I hear that he is doing real well. I don’t know when he’s coming back but he is coming back at some point. The only thing that I was kind of told is they want it to be real big.”

Takahashi has not been announced for the upcoming Super J-Cup or NJPW’s end of summer show in London, Royal Quest.

Hiromu Takahashi Injury and Potential Return

Takahashi couldn’t have been riding higher in NJPW’s junior heavyweight division at the time of his injury. He had just won the Best of the Super Juniors that spring and then defeated Will Ospreay for the Junior Heavyweight title at Dominion the month prior.

Takahashi was ranked #27 in the PWI Top-500 rankings for 2018.

Update On Hiromu Takahashi’s Return From Injury

Hiromu Takahashi hasn’t wrestled since the G1 Special in San Francisco earlier this year. During his performance on that show, Takahashi was dropped on his head and sustained a serious neck injury.

Since sustaining the injury there have been scattered reports regarding his status. Some reports have even questioned whether he’ll be able to return to the ring at all.

According to comments made by journalist Fumi Saito, Takahashi could return to the ring in a few months. Saito was a recent guest on Talk is Jericho with Chris Jericho.

“(Takahashi’s) out little longer than we originally thought,” Saito said. Jericho then asked if Takahashi will be able to return to the ring at all. “I think so,” Saito responded. “Still, out like months and months.”

Based on Saito’s comments, it sounds as though Takahashi will be able to return to the ring but that return is still a long way off.

Hiromu Takahashi Updates His Own Condition

Takahashi has also been addressing his own recovery through social media. Some of his updates, however, seem to lack any medical credibility. For instance, some of his self-reported updates include him being 732% better.

Takahashi vacated the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship following his injury. Kushida and Taiji Ishimori will face each other at Wrestle Kingdom for that belt.

Hiromu Takahashi May Never Wrestle Again

Upsetting news coming out of New Japan Pro Wrestling at the moment. A recent report from the Wrestling Observer is stating popular junior heavyweight, Hiromu Takahashi, may never wrestle again.

“The updated word is that it is not certain when or if Hiromu Takahashi will be able to return to the ring,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Takahashi was injured at the G1 Special in San Francisco during a match with Dragon Lee. Takahashi landed on the top of his head from a cradle-suplex spot. Although he finished the match, Takahashi collapsed backstage and was taken to hospital. Early reports had Takahashi being out anywhere from 9-12 months.

Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update

Earlier this month, it was reported that Hiromu was around 93% recovered and was up to 207lbs. Whether he will ever be recovered to the degree he is able to return to the ring, however, does not appear to yet be known.

Takahashi won the Best of the Super Juniors earlier this year and then went on to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. He successfully defended the title twice during his second reign with the belt. He defeated El Desperado at Kizuna Road. Following that win, his next title defense was against Dragon Lee at the Cow Palace. Many are hoping that match won’t turn out to have been his last.

Hiromu Takahashi Updates Fans On Darryl Takahashi’s Love Life

Hiromu Takahashi was forced to vacate his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship recently. Takahashi has been on the shelf since a botched suplex spot at the G1 Special in San Fransico. During his match with Dragon Lee, Takahashi was dropped on his head and suffered neck damage.

An update from NJPW1972.com would eventually state Takahashi will likely be out of action until May-August 2019.

Today, Takahashi sent out an update of sorts to fans. In the video, Takahashi seems to be communicating that his pet toy cat, Darryl Takahashi, has found a love interest named Carol.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoTgmyqBzuL/

Darryl Takahashi and Hiromu Takahashi

Darryl Takahashi is no stranger to injuries either. He was torn to shreds by Bad Luck Fale on an NJPW tour earlier this year.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Due to Takahashi’s injury, he was forced to vacate the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. A 4-man tournament featuring the last 4 champions (minus Takahashi) was announced. Kushida defeated Bushi in the first semi-final match. The second semi-final match takes place Sunday when Will Ospreay and Marty Scurll clash in Long Beach.

Takahashi’s Los InGobernables de Japon faction is currently feuding with Suzuki-Gun. The two factions will clash in tag-team action at Fighting Spirit Unleashed.

Hiromu Takahashi Vacates IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, Tournament Announced

Hiromu Takahashi has officially vacated the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Takahashi won the title earlier this year after also winning the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

Takahashi was injured at last month’s G1 Special in San Francisco show. He was dropped on his head by Dragon Lee during a cradle-suplex spot. Takahashi finished the match but collapsed backstage and was taken to a hospital.

He suffered a broken neck but is believed to be on track to return to the ring in 9-12 months. Takahashi has now vacated the title due to his injury.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament

NJPW has scheduled a 4-man single-elimination tournament to declare a new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. All 4 wrestlers have held the title on at least 1 occasion previously.

The tournament will begin on September 23rd from Beppu.

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Semi-Final
    Kushida vs Bushi

the next semi-final will be held in Long Beach at Fighting Spirit Unleashed on September 30th.

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Semi-Final
    Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll

The finals of the tournament will be held at King of Pro Wrestling on October 8th, 2018. No other matches have been announced for the show thus far.

The announcement of the tournament comes at the same time the promotion has released the full cards for the Destruction tour. Just two matches have been announced thus far for Fighting Spirit Unleashed.

Hiromu Takahashi Out For 9-12 Months With Broken Neck

The current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi, will be out of action for at least 9 months. Takahashi was injured during the G1 Special in San Francisco after being dropped on his head in his match with Dragon Lee.

Updates from NJPW on his condition have been scarce (as is often the case with NJPW). The promotion announced shortly after the injury that Takahashi was awake and conscious and later that he had been transported back to Japan. It was reported last week he was still in hospital.

“The New Japan doctors believe it will be nine to 12 months before he can return,” Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer. “The belief is that he suffered a broken neck, which sounds terrible and that’s why nobody has said anything public.”

Although Takahashi is believed to have suffered a broken neck there was not said to be any nerve damage.

Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update

While a broken neck sounds bad, several wrestlers have sustained the injury and returned. Sean “X-Pac” Waltman mentioned on Twitter that he broke his neck twice and came back each time.

“I broke my neck twice,” Waltman Tweeted. “2nd time had it surgically repaired. I was able to make a full recovery & return for the most successful run of my career. Takahashi walked out of the ring on his own. He’s not done yet.”

Juice Robinson was a guest on Waltman’s podcast shortly after Takahashi’s injury.
“When you hear broken neck people think (he could be paralyzed) but that’s not with every broken neck but hopefully his broken neck is just you know time off,” Juice said. “Even though that still sucks but that beats the alternative. After seeing it, this is probably the best case scenario cause that looked like it could’ve been the last bump he ever took.”

Hiromu Takahashi Still In Hospital Following G1 Special In San Francisco 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi, is believed to still be in hospital 19 days after his match with Dragon Lee at the Cow Palace.

Takahashi was dropped on his head during a cradle-suplex spot on the July 7th card. After finishing the match, Takahashi is said to have collapsed backstage. He was taken to a local hospital and then was transported back to Japan a few days later.

Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update

“He’s still in the hospital,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio last night. “He’s in good spirits but it’s 18 days and he’s still in hospital. That’s not a good sign to me, at all.”

The day after his injury, NJPW updated fans on his condition by stating he was awake and able to sit and talk.

His toy cat, Darryl Takahashi, then sent out the following update:

Dragon Lee also reacted to Hiromu’s injury. “Hiromu is the most important rival I’ve ever had,” Lee said. “The most beautiful matches of my career have been against him. [Hiromu’s] injury was a wrestling-related accident. Though he is my rival, he is in my prayers.”

Juice Robinson also commented on Takahashi’s injury while on Jim Ross’ podcast.

“When you hear broken neck people think (the person is paralyzed) but that’s not with every broken neck,” Juice said. “Hopefully his broken neck is just you know time off. Even though that still sucks but that beats the alternative. After seeing it, this is probably the best case scenario cause that looked like it could’ve been the last bump he ever took.”

Sean Waltman, who has a history of neck problems, made the following comments:

“I’ve had my neck broken twice in the ring. 2nd time had it surgically repaired. I was able to make a full recovery & return to Wrestling for the most successful run of my career,” Waltman Tweeted. “Takahashi walked out of the ring on his own. He’s not done yet. Mark my words.”

Darryl Takahashi Updates Hiromu Takahashi’s Condition

The inanimate toy cat of Hiromu Takahashi’s has sent out an update on the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion’s condition. Hiromu was dropped on his head during the G1 Special in San Fransico. It was reported he collapsed in the back after finishing the match and was taken to hospital.

Updates from New Japan Pro Wrestling on his condition have only stated he was conscious and sitting up in the hospital and has now flown back to Japan.

A Twitter post from Hiromu’s account appears to show Darryl Takahashi holding up a sign with an update from Hiromu.

Darryl Takahashi Updates Hiromu Takahashi’s Condition

While the sign states that Hiromu is fine, it also shows an illustration with his head severed from his body. So, it’s tough to know exactly what they are trying to communicate here.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter also noted he heard that Hiromu will not require surgery, which is also a positive sign.

IWGP United States Champion, Juice Robinson, also commented on Hiromu’s injury recently. Robinson made his comments during an appearance on Jim Ross’ podcast.

“When you hear broken neck people think (the person is paralyzed) but that’s not with every broken neck,” Juice said. “Hopefully his broken neck is just you know time off. Even though that still sucks but that beats the alternative. After seeing it, this is probably the best case scenario cause that looked like it could’ve been the last bump he ever took.”

Up until his injury, it had been a career year for Hiromu. He won the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors en route to winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the second time.

transcriptions via Mandatoryhttps://twitter.com/TIMEBOMB1105/status/1018007355957506053

Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update, Dragon Lee Comments

New Japan Pro Wrestling has released another update on the condition of Hiromu Takahashi.

“Takahashi was able to return to Japan today and will proceed with treatment,” the statement reads. “We apologize for the delay in publishing this update, which was in order to ensure smooth and efficient transit for Takahashi at the airport. We deeply appreciate our fans’ concerns.”

An update from July 9th, 2018 stated only that Takahashi was conscious and able to sit-up.

“On July 7, during the G1 Special in San Francisco event, Hiromu Takahashi sustained a neck injury and was taken to a San Francisco hospital for evaluation.” – NJPW statement on Hiromu Takahashi injury.

Dragon Lee Comments on Takahashi Injury

Dragon Lee’s comments regarding Takahashi’s injury were translated online, “Hiromu is the most important rival I’ve ever had,” Lee said. “The most beautiful matches of my career have been against him. [Hiromu’s] injury was a wrestling-related accident. Though he is my rival, he is in my prayers.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3tifT5RtOU&frags=pl%2Cwn

Hiromu Takahashi Injury

Takahashi was injured during a triangle to cradle-suplex move from his match with Dragon Lee at the G1 Special in San Francisco. He landed on top of his head but indicated to the referee he was OK and able to continue.

Takahashi finished the match and did not seem to be in much discomfort. He is said to have collapsed backstage, however, and was taken to hospital. The preliminary word on Sunday morning was that he had suffered a broken neck but that has yet to be confirmed.

Kenny Omega Comments On Hiromu Takahashi Injury

Hiromu Takahashi is currently undergoing a thorough medical evaluation after sustaining an injury Saturday at the Cow Palace. Takahashi was dropped on his head during a cradle-suplex in his match with Dragon Lee. After finishing the match, Takahashi collapsed backstage and was taken to hospital.

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega commented on Takahashi’s injury on Monday morning. “As everyone may know, ‘Kenny Omega’ isn’t an LIJ guy whatsoever, but there’s no mistaking that Hiromu was one of, if not, our company’s brightest current/future star. Let’s pray for his recovery.”

Hiromu Takahashi Neck Injury

Earlier today, New Japan Pro Wrestling sent out an update on Takahashi’s condition. “It is reported Takahashi, after the match was immediately taken to a nearby hospital,” the statement reads. “He is currently undergoing a thorough evaluation, Takahashi is conscious, and is able to sit and talk.”

Hiromu Takahashi was having a career year in 2018. He won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament and followed it up five days later by defeating Will Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship at Dominion. It was the second time Takahashi won the title.

Takahashi and his opponent from the G1 Special on Saturday, Dragon Lee, are longtime rivals. Their rivalry sparked during Takahashi’s multi-year excursion to CMLL in Mexico. Dragon Lee unmasked Takahashi when he wrestled as Kamaitaichi as well. It had been speculated the two would meet in a Mask vs Hair match later this year or possibly at the Tokyo Dome show in 2019.

Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update

New Japan Pro Wrestling has sent out an update on the condition of Hiromu Takahashi. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion collapsed backstage at the Cow Palace Saturday. He is believed to have suffered a broken neck during a triangle to a cradle-suplex spot where he landed on his head.

“It is reported Takahashi, after the match was immediately taken to a nearby hospital,” the statement reads. “He is currently undergoing a thorough evaluation, Takahashi is conscious, and is able to sit and talk.”

Takahashi indicated to the referee after the botched move that he was OK to finish the match despite the injury. He even performed his Time Bomb finisher without looking as though he was in much discomfort. Takahashi walked to the back on his own after winning the match as well.

Hiromu Takahashi Injury

“Hiromu Takahashi has been hospitalized after suffering a neck injury while facing Dragon Lee in the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match on Saturday night’s G1 Special in San Francisco.” – NJPW official statement on Takahashi injury.

Several wrestlers have given their thoughts on Takahashi’s injury in the days since it happened. One wrestler, who also has a history of neck injuries, is Sean “X-Pac” Waltman.

“I’ve had my neck broken twice in the ring. 2nd time had it surgically repaired. I was able to make a full recovery & return to Wrestling for the most successful run of my career,” Waltman Tweeted. “Takahashi walked out of the ring on his own. He’s not done yet. Mark my words.”

Author Chris Charlton (EGGSHELLS: History of Pro Wrestling at the Tokyo Dome) relayed an interview Takahashi gave to NJPW following Shibata’s injury in 2015.

We will keep you up-to-date with any news regarding Hiromu Takahashi’s condition.

Hiromu Takahashi Taken To Hospital With Possible Broken Neck Following G1 Special

Hiromu Takahashi is believed to have suffered a broken neck during his match with Dragon Lee last night in the Cow Palace. The injury is believed to have been suffered during a cradle-suplex where Takahashi was dropped on top of his head.

“He finished the match, retained the championship and I guess he collapsed backstage or something. They took him to the hospital and the preliminary word is they thought that he had a broken neck,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio last night. “Hopefully, it’s not as bad as that but that’s the word we got.”

Takahashi would continue the match. Red Shoes checked on him after the spot and then backed off as if everything was ok. They did several spots after the injury, including Takahashi giving Dragon Lee the Time Bomb for the win.

Hiromu Takahashi in 2018

Takahashi won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament last month, defeating Taiji Ishimori in the finals. He then defeated Will Ospreay 5 nights later to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship. He is now a 2-time holder of the belt.

Dragon Lee is responsible for originally having unmasked Hiromu Takahashi when he was wrestling as Kamataichi in CMLL. They had a Mask vs Mask match in 2015 which Dragon Lee won. There had been speculation the two rivals could face each other in a Mask vs Hair match in NJPW.

Hiromu Takahashi Talks Excursion to Mexico and Innovation in Wrestling

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi recently spoke to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s NewWorld magazine on a variety of topics, including his excursion to Mexico’s CMLL promotion, the moves that has ‘in his head’ that haven’t yet been performed in a ring and more.

When discussing his time in Mexico the ‘TIME BOMB’ stated that “It wasn’t Mexico that made the Hiromu Takahashi of today, so much has changed him back. The guy you see now is really me as a child. When I joined New Japan I felt a strong pressure to fit in. I felt like the need to behave like a Young Lion, like one of the group, even up to behaving like someone in their third year in the business. But going to Mexico reset that. It wasn’t about ‘fitting in’ but starting from zero. Not wrestling like a Young Lion buy going back to mentally mentally to wanting to become a wrestler in seventh grade and basing everything off that. Mexico was a chance to retake my childhood.

When asked about his moveset in the Juniors the IWGP Champion confirmed that “he hasn’t used about 60%” of the moves he has in his head, “from finishers to moves he can hit on heavyweights.

*Credit to Chris Charlton for the translation.

NJPW Announces 2 Upcoming Title Matches, Kizuna Road Lineups

New Japan Pro Wrestling presents Kizuna Road this weekend. The promotion will be Saitama on Friday night and then will present two shows from Korakuen Hall on Sunday and Monday night, each with a title match main eventing the show.

NJPW will continue the tour next week, including a special retirement ceremony for Super Strong Machine on Tuesday.

The company will also be in Tokyo tomorrow night for Lion’s Gate Project 13 featuring many of their top prospects.

NJPW Kizuna Road Nights 1-3 Lineups

Kizuna Road Night #1
Friday, June 15th, 2018
Saitama, Japan

  1. Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura
  2. Shota Umino and Tomoyuki Oka vs Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi
  3. Ren Narita, KUSHIDA, and David Finlay vs Roppongi 3K and Rocky Romero
  4. Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs Yoshi-Hashi and Toru Yano
  5. Elimination Tag Match
    Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, Sanada, Evil, and Tetsuya Naito vs Taka Michinoku, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, and Takashi Iizuka
  6. Elimination Tag Match
    Ryusuke Taguchi, Jeff Cobb, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, Hirooki Goto, and Kazuchika Okada

Kizuna Road Night #2
Sunday, June 17th, 2018
Tokyo, Japan

  1. Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura
  2. Manabu Nakanishi and Yugi Nagata vs Shota Umino and Tomoyuki Oka
  3. Ren Narita and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi
  4. Ryusuke Taguchi, Kushida, Toa Henare, Jeff Cobb, and Togi Makabe vs Sho, Yoh, Rocky Romero, Yoshi-Hashi and Toru Yano
  5. Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, Sanada, Evil, and Tetsuya Naito vs Taka Michinoku, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, and Takashi Iizuka
  6. David Finlay, Juice Robinson, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, and Kazuchika Okada
  7. NEVER Openweight Championship
    Michael Elgin (c) vs Hirooki Goto

Kizuna Road Night #3
Monday, June 18th, 2018
Tokyo, Japan

  1. Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura
  2. Ren Narita and Shota Umino vs Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi
  3. Tomoyuki Oka and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata
  4. Ryusuke Taguchi, Toa Henare, David Finlay, and Togi Makabe vs Sho, Yoh, Yoshi-Hashi and Toru Yano
  5. Bushi, Evil, Sanada, and Tetsuya Naito vs Taka Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, and Takashi Iizuka
  6. Kushida, Jeff Cobb, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, Hirooki Goto, and Kazuchika Okada
  7. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
    Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs El Desperado

Best of The Super Juniors Winner Crowned

New Japan Pro Wrestling held the finals of their Best of the Super Juniors (BOSJ) tournament earlier today and the winner has now been officially crowned.

The final of the 2018 iteration saw Taiji Ishimori face Hiromu Takahashi to determine the Number One contender to Will Ospreay’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Dominion on June 9th. Takahashi took the win in an enthralling match to win the trophy and cement his place in New Japan history.

Takahashi spoke to the crowd following his win and stated that his “dream is the same as it was when he was here five years ago. To have the junior belt. To win the heavyweight belt while still junior champion. Nothing’s changed! So keep watching Hiromu have more, more, MORE, MORE!! Fun with everyone!“*

This makes the Dominion card in Osaka-Jo Hall even more intriguing as it was widely believed Will Ospreay would win this tournament and go on to face Rey Mysterio for the IWGP Junior title. With Ospreay now set to defend his belt against the ‘Time Bomb’ Takahashi the opponent for Mysterio is still yet to be revealed, leaving many NJPW fans to question who the company have in mind for the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

*Credit to Chris Charlton for the Translation.

Naito Pulls Yet Another Dine-and-Dash on Tokyo Sports; What Else Should The B-Team Do For A Victory Celebration? (Poll)

Naito Pulls Yet Another Dine-and-Dash on Tokyo Sports

Tetsuya Naito took BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi to a restaurant to celebrate his three year anniversary of joining Los Ingobernables. Tokyo Sports went along with them to conduct an interview. After the meal, Naito went outside the restaurant to hail a cab, but didn’t return. BUSHI and Takahashi went to check on him and they disappeared too, leaving Tokyo Sports with the tab.

What Else Should The B-Team Do For A Victory Celebration?

WWE has put up a poll on their website asking fans what The B Team should do in their victory celebration next.
As of this writing here are the amount of votes that each option got:

  • 22% Hit the ref with their signature move and count the pin on him
  • 26% Take over commentary for the remainder of the show
  • 19% Crash all subsequent backstage interviews
  • 33% Declare themselves the new General Managers of Raw and attempt to take over the show

You can vote on the poll by clicking here.

Main Event Match Revealed for ROH War Of The Worlds: Chicago

Ring of Honor wrestling has announced on their website that the main event in War of the Worlds: Chicago will feature a match between the teams of Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Tetsuya Naito, Seiya SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi going against Bullet Club’s Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll, Adam Page and The Young Bucks.

The announcement issued states:

RING OF HONOR WAR OF THE WORLDS TOUR – CHICAGO
INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION TAPING
SUNDAY, MAY 13THBELL TIME @ 07:00 PM CDT
THE ODEUM EXPO CENTER
1033 NORTH VILLA AVENUE
60181 VILLA PARK

ALREADY SIGNED

MAIN EVENT
LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON (NAITO, HIROMU TAKAHASHI, BUSHI, AND IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS EVIL & SANADA) vs. BULLET CLUB (CODY, MARTY SCURLL, ADAM PAGE, & THE YOUNG BUCKS)

SIGNED TO COMPETE
WOMEN OF HONOR CHAMPION SUMIE SAKAI
JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER
ROPPONGI 3K

Other matches on the card include:

  • Silas Young (c) and Austin Aries for ROH World Television Championship
  • Sumie Sakai (c) vs Jenny Rose for Women of Honor Championship
  • Jay Lethal vs Chuckie T.
  • Kelly Klein vs Deonna Purrazzo

The event is set to take place at the Odeum Expo Center on Sunday, May 13. You can check out the announcement here.

Two Matches Officially Announced For ROH 16th Anniversary PPV

The card for Ring of Honor’s next pay-per-view event is coming together.

The Baltimore based promotion recently announced two more matches for their 16 Anniversary show. Flip Gordon vs. Hiromu Takahashi in a singles match and Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura in a first-round Women of Honor Title tournament match.

ROH will hold their 16 Anniversary show on Friday, March 9, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. Here is the updated card:

-Dalton Castle vs. Jay Lethal for the ROH Championship.

-The Motor City Machine Guns vs. The Briscoes for the ROH Tag Titles.

-Adam Page and The Young Bucks vs. Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky in a Vegas Street Fight for the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles.

-Marty Scurll vs. Punishment Martinez.

-Cody vs. Matt Taven.

-Flip Gordon vs. Hiromu Takahashi

-Women of Honor Title Tournament First-Round Match: Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura