Posts Tagged ‘Hiroyoshi Tenzan’

Results: NJPW Sengoku Lord 2020

Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Sengoku Lord 2020 event will take place from the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan.

Watch on NJPW World with Japanese commentary.

Start Times: 2AM Pacific, 5AM Eastern, 10AM UK, 6PM Japan, 7PM East Australia

An English commentary version will be uploaded later in the week. Note: This event was held with a reduced attendance capacity so that the crowd could maintain social distancing.

NJPW Sengoku Lord 2020 in Nagoya Results

Taiji Ishimori def. Yuya Uemura (8:02)
It continues to be obvious that Yuya Uemura has a lot of potential. If I were in charge, I would have both him and Yota Tsuji skip excursion and simply turn up as non-Young Lions one day. After all, it’s not going to be practical or fruitful to send them overseas to wrestle any time soon. Uemura looked a bit awkward when he did a springboard crossbody, he lost his balanced on the top rope but was able to save it. Taiji Ishimori submitted Yuya Uemura with the Yes Lock after hitting the Cipher Uteki.

Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Gabriel Kidd (10:25)
Tomoaki Honma and Yota Tsuji were also supposed to be on oppiste teams in this match, but NJPW reported that they had recently been on a TV show, where they were in close proximity with a cast member who has since tested positive for COVID-19, so they were removed from the show out of an abundance of caution. This match was at its best towards the end when it involved young lion Gabriel Kidd against Togi Makabe. Makabe was using his power to run over Gabriel with lariats, but Kidd was able to get Makabe down for multiple near falls using clever pinning combinations. Togi Makabe pinned Gabriel Kidd with a bridging German suplex.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & SANADA) def. CHAOS (SHO, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (10:31)
The most interesting thing about this match is what’s going to happen with two sets of splintered tag team championships that have members present here. SHO has the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, but YOH is likely going to be out for the rest of the year with the ACL tear he sustained. The NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships, which are held by EVIL, SANADA, and BUSHI, are also in an obvious state of flux. EVIL said in an interview that he didn’t need the championship other than the fact that he was able to call himself a triple champion, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Notably, while SHO brought his championship, SANADA and BUSHI did not bring theirs, and EVIL likely will not bring his during his match tonight. SANADA submitted SHO with the Skull End. After the match, all of LIJ attacked the referee, which they used to do frequently, but haven’t done at all recently.

At this point, an intermission to disinfect the ring was held, but NJPW had a major announcement to make. They will be running their second outdoor event in history on August 29th to conclude the Summer Struggle Tour. It will take place at Meiji Jingu Stadium, a baseball stadium in Tokyo that can seat over 30,000 people. Read all about it.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato def. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI) (12:55)
It was notable that Tenzan entered to Master Wato’s music while all the other members of that team entered to Tanahashi’s. It’s really being presented that Tenzan and Wato are in something of a master-and-student relationship. Kota Ibushi pinned DOUKI after the Kamigoye. He and Tanahashi gestured at IWGP Tag Team Champions Taichiand Zack Sabre Jr. as if they wanted their championships back. The match in which Dangerous Tekkers won the championships involved heavily unfair two-on-one offence, so it might be the best course of action to give them a rematch.

Kazuchika Okada def. Yujiro Takahashi (13:43)
Yujiro was hesitant to start this match from the beginning. In interviews leading up to this match, Yujiro had acknowledged that Okada was stronger than him, but said that he would try to brign Okada down to his own level. Okada got Yujiro in the cobra clutch, which he has been using to win matches lately, but Yujiro was able to get his foot on the bottom rope to braek the hold. Following that, Gedo came in and hit Okada with a spanner, but Okada still kicked out when Yujiro went to pin him. Finally, Okada knocked Gedo off the apron when he tried to interfere again, then hit Yujiro with a spinning tombstone piledriver and then submitted him with the Cobra Clutch.

NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) def. El Desperado (17:03)
El Desperado entered wearing the NEVER Openweight Championship that he had stolen from Shingo Takagi at Dominion. Furious, Shingo Takagi entered quickly to start the match, and laid waste to Despy with his explosive power. However, El Desperado knew he wouldn’t be able to outmatch Shingo blow for blow, and instead relentlessly went after Shingo’s legs. Shingo was still capable of brief bursts of quickness, but his damaged leg stopped him from following up at speed. El Desperado lured Shingo out of the ring only to hit him with his own NEVER Openweight Championship. As Shingo barely made it back in before the count, Despy floored him with a spear and the Guitara de Angel for a two count. With a brief display of energy, Shingo was able to get Despy up for Made in Japan, but it only garnered a near fall. El Desperado tried to push Shingo into the referee and give him a low blow, but Shingo blocked it. With his last energy, he hit the Pumping Bomber and Last of the Dragon to put El Desperado away. He them limped back up the ramp, damaged but victorious.

IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships: EVIL (c) def. Hiromu Takahashi (33:57)
EVIL’s look has improved substantially from his victory several weeks ago, as he’s substituted the awkward skirt for some tights that are more appropriate for the rest of his look. Dick Togo entered with him, wearing an all white suit that made him look like a drug lord. Hiromu Takahashi blitzed him at the start of the match, incensed by the betrayal of his former stablemate and friend. He took advantage early, but well-timed and subtle interference from Dick Togo let EVIL firmly take control. The crowd was all for Hiromu here, wanting to see good conquer EVIL, so to speak. He tried to hit Hiromu with the Darkness Falls on the apron, but Hiromu stuffed it and made EVIL’s plan backfire with an apron death valley bomb, then a diving senton bomb from the top rope to the outside. EVIL was able to fire back with a superplex and he went for the EVIL, but Hiromu blocked it, only for EVIL to throw him with multiple high-angle German suplexes. He went for the EVIL again, but Hiromu just slapped him in the face, and followed up with a lariat for a 2.9 count. EVIL threw Hiromu into the referee and this gave Dick Togo the opportunity to interfere again. He and EVIL hit a Magic Killer on Hiromu, and Dick Togo went to the top turnbuckle, but Hiromu kicked EVIL into the ropes, causing Togo to fall. Hiromu capitalized by hitting EVIL with his own self-named finish, then a death valley bomb into an exposed turnbuckle. He then hit the Time Bomb, but it onlymanaged a two count! He then hit the Time Bomb II, and it looked like he would win, but Dick Togo pulled the referee out right before the three. Hiromu was about to take out Togo, but EVIL hit him with a low blow from behind to slow his roll. Togo was out, but EVIL hit the Darkness falls and the EVIL for the pinfall victory. He retains the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships.

Following the match, Taiji Ishimori attacked the fallen Hiromu, and tried to hit him with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but Tetsuya Naito finally ran in to scare him off. Naito stared EVIL down and expressed his desire for revenge, before leaving with Hiromu slumped over his shoulder.

Results: NJPW Dominion 2020

Following the events of yesterday’s New Japan Cup Final, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has been shaken up by the betrayal of EVIL, turning his back on Los Ingobernables de Japon and joining Bullet Club after his victory over Kazuchika Okada to win the New Japan Cup. Today, he challenges Tetsuya Naito in the main event for Naito’s IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships.

Watch exclusively on NJPW World with Japanese commentary.
English commentary will be recorded and uploaded to NJPW World this week.
Note: This event will have a reduced attendance capacity to comply with social distancing regulations. Also, the live audience was instructed not to cheer loudly to reduce exhalation of potentially contagious aerosols.

NJPW Dominion 2020 Results

Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Gabriel Kidd (9:25)
The audience only reacting by applause is still somewhat jarring, but the crowd is making the most of it. There was an extended bit of Kojima and Honma trading Machine Gun chops in which the crowd clapped in time with every single chop. Their hands are going to be sore by the end of the night. These matches do get repetitive, but when a young lion’s in there it’s always satisfying to see the process of their development.
Finish: Yuji Nagata over Gabriel Kidd by submission (Nagata Lock II)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI & SANADA) def. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Yota Tsuji (10:15)
The story of this match was more how Los Ingobernables de Japon were processing EVIL’s betrayal yesterday. None of them looked particularly happy to be there. and SANADA and BUSHI weren’t carrying the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships that they were holding with EVIL. Hiromu Takahashi’s hair was frayed like he’d been up all night and his wrist tape had “Why?” written on it over and over again.
Finish: Hiromu Takahashi over Yota Tsuji by submission (Boston crab)

Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI) def. Master Wato, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Yuya Uemura
Master Wato’s strikes are a little loose, but he wrestles with a good energy about him and he’s very young so I don’t view it as particularly problematic. He got over as a young lion for being an underdog who you could really feel for, so his lack of dominance can be forgiven, but Hiroyoshi Tenzan being the one to draw sympathy by being beaten up by all three members of Suzuki-gun seemed misplaced.
Finish: El Desperado over Yuya Uemura by pinfall (Pinche Loco)

Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto)
Okada threw his big coat at Yujiro as he entered, incensed by Yujiro’s intereference in the New Japan Cup yesterday, and he kept trying to go after Yujiro. This isn’t the first time Yujiro interfered to Okada’s detriment in a big match, so Okada’s bone to pick was evident. After a while, Gedo came out and hit Okada in the back with a spanner while Goto was the legal man, and this gave Ishimori and Yujiro the opportunity to team up on Goto for the victory.
Finish: Yujiro Takahashi over Hirooki Goto by pinfall (Pimp Juice)

After the match, Okada was able to shake Gedo off to attack Yujiro some more, but Yujiro planted him with a Pimp Juice of his own. As he said in an interview yesterday, he wasn’t on Okada’s level, but he could pull Okada down to his own level.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi (c) def. SHO
We’ve seen a lot of this match over the last month, with SHO defeating Shingo for the first time in the first round of the New Japan Cup, and them coming to blows ever since. SHO has continued to carry himself more and more like Shingo’s equal despite Shingo’s advantage in experience and size. It goes without saying that these two hit each other hard and threw each other hard, but they brought it into a new gear in this match, just potatoing each other in a way that pleased my hindbrain very much. SHO looked to have Shingo on the ropes and lifted him for the Shock Arrow, but Shingo sprawled and lifted SHO for a Made in Japan that gave him a near fall. He hit a Pumping Bomber, but SHO kicked out immediately, even before the one count. SHO attacked with a cross-arm piledriver for a near fall. From that point, he kept going for a cross armbreaker, but Shingo used his strength to keep getting out of it. SHO finally hit a straight punch, followed by a GTW and the Last of the Dragon for the win. Shingo Takagi defends the NEVER Openweight Championship.

As Shingo celebrated on the ramp, El Desperado came from behind the curtain and punched him in the face, then hit Shingo with his own belt. He yelled that Shingo would be accepting this challenge no matter what.

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) def. Golden Ace (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi) (c)
Even Zack Sabre Jr., who is considered a relatively noble wrestler by Suzuki-gun’s standards, couldn’t help but stoop down to Taichi’s level. The two of them took turns beating down Tanahashi while keeping him separate from Ibushi. Zack bit off more than he could chew and Tanahashi got out of his abdominal stretch and whipped him with a reverse Dragon screw. He reached Ibushi for the hot tag, who unleashed hot fire on his enemies. Ibushi was on the verge of winning, but Zack came in and put him in a guillotine, which he was nearly disqualified for. Ibushi landed a LOUD high kick that dropped Taichi to the mat, then tagged in Tanahashi as Taichi tagged in Zack. Tanahashi hit a sling blade for a near fall when Taichi came in to break up the pin. Tanahashi hit another sling blade and a high fly flow, but Zack got his knees up. With Taichi holding Tanahashi in place, Zack hit repeated dragonscrews on both of Tanahashi’s legs. Taichi hit a high kick on Tanahashi as Zack planted him with the Zack driver for the victory. Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) are the new IWGP Tag Team Champions.

IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: EVIL def. Tetsuya Naito (c)
EVIL entered with new music and a new look about him, like a cross between a Roman gladiator and a dominatrix. Every member of Bullet Club in the country accompanied him to the ring, but the referee refused to start the match with them present. EVIL rolled in and out of the ring as the match began, but the angered Naito ran straight after him. EVIL took the early edge, and with Naito laying, EVIL took Milano Collection AT’s EVIL toy scythe and broke it in half, then threw it at him. Incensed, Milano jumped the barricade and tried to fight EVIL, but EVIL whipped him into the guardrail, knocking him out of commission. EVIL continued to batter Naito, destroying his knee to nullify his speed advantage. He had pulled out a table earlier in the match and he lifted Naito and gave him a sickening knee drop straight through the table on the outside, which also gave Naito a big cut on his back. He grinned (evilly, as you might imagine) at Naito, then floored him with a running lariat and Darkness Falls for a two-count. Naito took back the momentum with a turning rope-assisted DDT and the Gloria for a near fall of his own. He lifted EVIL to the top rope to hit a super hurricanrana, then a running DDT for yet another count of two. Naito went for the Destino again, but EVIL blocked it and pushed him into the referee, giving Bullet Club the opportunity to interfere. Hiromu Takahashi ran out and took on Jado and Taiji Ishimori by himself. Although they were apprehended, EVIL had grabbed a steel chair amidst the chaos and slammed it right over Naito’s head, popping the seat off. He looked to capitalize, but Naito blocked the EVIL finish and went for the Destino only for EVIL to hit a mule kick while pushing the referee down. BUSHI came out and lifted Naito to his feet, only to attack him. EVIL stomped Naito in the groin and hit the EVIL for the three count. EVIL is the new IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Champion.

BUSHI, who had helped EVIL win the match, took his mask off to reveal he wasn’t BUSHI, but Dick Togo, a freelance wrestler who has been in NJPW before. Hiromu Takahashi came out and, to avenge Naito’s loss, wanted to challenge EVIL for his newly won championships. If not both, either one would be fine, he noted. EVIL brushed him off and left Hiromu going ballistic in the ring.

Results: NJPW New Japan Cup 2020 Final

Today, NJPW will hold the ninth and final day of the 2020 New Japan Cup. It is a 32-man single elimination tournament. The winner will challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at NJPW Dominion on July 12. Today’s card will hold the final match to determine tomorrow’s main event challenger at Dominion!

Watch exclusively on NJPW World with Japanese commentary.
English commentary will be recorded and uploaded to NJPW World this week.
Note: This event will have a reduced attendance capacity to comply with social distancing regulations.

New Japan Cup 2020 Day 9 Results

Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) def. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura (9:15)
Everyone in this match wrestled with a level of enthusiasm befitting the first NJPW match with a paying crowd in over four months. Also, there was a mystifying new element to this match: the fact that the crowds were told by NJPW not to cheer loudly. Instead, it was just a sea of applause for every cool move and every time the young lions made a comeback. The happiness was palpable. Togi Makabe finished off Yota Tsuji with a bridging German suplex.

TenKoji (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) def. Hirooki Goto & Gabriel Kidd (9:57)
The euphoria of the return of the audience was still affecting me during this match, and it must have been affecting Gabriel Kidd too because he was a house of fire in this match. Even after the crowd successfully stifled the instinct to chant Kojima’s “Icchauzo bakayaro” catchphrase, Kidd lifting Kojima up for a vertical sequence got the biggest vocal reaction so far, prompting gasps from the crowd. Katsuyori Shibata must be a great trainer. Satoshi Kojima put Gabriel Kidd down for the three count with a lariat.

Master Wato def. DOUKI (7:46)
I’m not sure that Master Wato came out like a house of fire, leveling DOUKI with high kicks and a spinning uppercut. When DOUKI took control of the match, it was mostly with repeated eye-rakes and hitting Wato with his pipe. I’m still not sure about Wato. His strikes are very good and fit his persona well, and he certainly looks better than he did in the video package hyping him up over the last month, but it still feels out of place. Master Wato pinned DOUKI with a top rope corkscrew somersault senton.

Following the end of the match, as Wato celebrated, Yoshinobu Kanemaru came out and attacked him. Hiroyoshi Tenzan came out to pull Kanemaru off Wato and the two of them shook hands.

Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & BUSHI) (9:20)
It seemed like Los Ingobernables de Japon especially relished the return of live audiences. The crowd roared (with applause) when SANADA applied the Paradise Lock on Taiji Ishimori, and BUSHI was over as well. There was a single person booing when Ishimori tried to rip off BUSHI’s mask, which may have been unintentional comedy. Yujiro Takahashi pinned BUSHI with the Pimp Juice DDT.

Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata & Ryusuke Taguchi (12:43)
Hiroshi Tanahashi experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in this match. He soaked in the crowd’s applause like no one else, then ten minutes later he was having his knees twisted, pummeled, pulverized, and punished by everyone in Suzuki-gun. This damage may make the difference in the outcome of Tanahashi and Ibushi’s first defense of the IWGP Tag Team Championships against Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi tomorrow. Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr. exchanged incredibly quick blows and transitions, Nagata threw some lovely suplexes, and Taguchi’s shtick is much more enjoyable with a crowd, even if all they do is clap. El Desperado pushed Taguchi into the referee, then hit him with a straight punch and the Pinche Loco for the pinfall victory.

Golden Ace and Dangerous Tekkers came to blows after the match, but for once in this whole rivalry it was Tanahashi and Ibushi who held the IWGP Tag Team Championships high in the end.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi) def. CHAOS (SHO, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) (15:00)
This was a wild trios match featuring five great athletes, and one generational athlete in Toru Yano. But seriously, between SHO and Shingo coming to violent blows as they usually do, Hiromu Takahashi and Tomohiro Ishii in a battle of speed versus hardness, and Toru Yano being surprisingly formidable and only going down after being triple-teamed by all three members of LIJ, and getting several dramatic near-falls on the dual IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion, this match was action-packed. Tetsuya Naito pinned Toru Yano with a jackknife pin for the victory.

After the match, the three members of Los Ingobernables de Japon posed in the ring, with five Championship belts between the three of them.

New Japan Cup 2020 Final: EVIL def. Kazuchika Okada (31:50)
EVIL has really been living up to his name this tournament. Every match he’s won to make it to this point has occurred in a dastardly fashion, with groin stomps and chair shots as far as the eye can see. He went to finish the match early, going for his namesake finisher within two minutes of the opening bell, but to no avail. Even though the crowd was instructed not to cheer vocally, you could hear people calling out EVIL and Okada’s name from time to time. EVIL’s game plan, at first, was to work Okada’s arm to weaken both the Rainmaker, which Okada has yet to actually win a match with in the tournament, and the cobra clutch, which he has been finishing all his matches with. Okada hit a flapjack and a short-range dropkick to slow EVIL’s roll and applied the cobra clutch, but EVIL made it to the ropes to break the hold. Okada tried to capitalize, but EVIL pushed him into the referee and delivered a low blow to Okada. With both Okada and the referee down, EVIL threw no fewer than four chairs into the ring, and Okada with Darkness Falls into the pile of chairs. Okada had enough energy to hit a reverse neckbreaker, but fell to the mat. EVIL hit a nasty rolling elbow and went to run the ropes, but Okada hit a standing dropkick and reapplied the cobra clutch, but EVIL raked his eyes to stop it. Okada applied the cobra clutch once more, but stopped it to hit a short-range Rainmaker. As Okada went to follow up, Gedo came out and distracted the referee, then Yujiro Takahashi attacked Okada while the referee wasn’t looking. Okada caught EVIL in the cobra clutch yet again, but EVIL broke it with a mule kick and then stomped the laying Okada right in the groin. Finally, EVIL hit the EVIL on Okada for the three count.

EVIL wins the New Japan Cup 2020. He will challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships tomorrow at Dominion!

After the match, Tetsuya Naito showed up to congratulate EVIL on his victory. He said that he enjoyed the new EVIL he’s been seeing lately, and that he was looking forward to their match tomorrow. He offered a fist bump to EVIL, but EVIL met it with a Too Sweet, and he hit the EVIL on Naito. Every Bullet Club member in Japan showed up to applaud him, and he left with then. EVIL is Bullet Club.

Results: NJPW New Japan Cup 2020 Day 4

Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling will hold the fourth day of the 2020 New Japan Cup. The New Japan Cup is NJPW’s annual 32-man single elimination tournament, usually scheduled for the Spring. The winner will challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at NJPW Dominion on July 12. Today’s card will hold four of the sixteen matches in the first round.

Watch exclusively on NJPW World with Japanese commentary.
English commentary will be recorded and uploaded to NJPW World this week.
Note: This event was held in an empty arena.

New Japan Cup 2020 Day 4 Results

New Japan Cup First Round Match: BUSHI def. YOH (15:42)
YOH entered to new music that I’ve never heard before. In singles matches in the past, he always entered to the Roppongi 3K music. YOH and BUSHI have a lot of experience against each other, but in the past it has been almost exclusively tag team affairs for the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. BUSHI took control at the start softening up YOH’s neck for the M-X, but YOH fought back soon enough with flying forearms and a figure four leglock that BUSHI got out of with a rope break. BUSHI tried to scramble to the ropes for the M-X, but YOH got out of the way and laid in consecutive German suplexes. YOH kept going for a dragon suplex, but BUSHI stuffed his attempts. BUSHI rocked YOH with a codebreaker and then hit the M-X for the victory. Both sets of Tag Team Champions had one member lose and one advance in the first round.

New Japan Cup First Round Match: YOSHI-HASHI def. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (17:35)
YOSHI-HASHI brought an uncharacteristic aggression as he took the fight to Tenzan, reddening the Raging’s Bull’s chest with a flurry of chops. He delivered a headbutt only to recoil in pain while Tenzan seemed unharmed. YOSHI-HASHI seemed determined to put the 49-year-old out of his misery, but Tenzan showed the spirit was still within him, running up to the top rope to attempt a super Mountain bomb. YOSHI-HASHI blocked it and sunset flipped over Tenzan to land a sitout powerbomb. Tenzan wrenched YOSHI-HASHI into an STF and broke the hold to go for the top rope moonsault, and he did pull it off but YOSHI-HASHI moved out of the way. YOSHI-HASHI capitalized and put on the Butterfly Lock but Tenzan made it to the ropes. Tenzan applied his patented Anaconda Vice, but YOSHI-HASHI rolled over him and got his shoulders down for a near fall, then tapped out Tenzan with the Butterfly Lock. He will advance to to face BUSHI in the second round.

CHAOS (SHO, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & SANADA) ended in a Double Countout
Hiromu Takahashi made his entrance first and looked positively traumatized by the sight of Toru Yano. As a young lion, Hiromu’s head was involuntarily shaved by Yano and they just so happen to be facing each other in the second round. Hiromu demanded that the referee check Yano for foreign objects, and Yano was indeed smuggling a spray bottle of water and a hair trimmer in his tights. As SHO engaged Shingo in battles of heavy strikes and power moves, and tried to overwhelm SANADA’s finesse with brute force, Yano continued to stalk Hiromu with his clippers. When Yano and Hiromu were both legal, Yano chased Hiromu into the lobby and duct-taped his legs together. Okada followed Yano to remind him to get back in the ring on time, but it was too late, and both legal men were counted out.

New Japan Cup First Round Match: Hirooki Goto def. Yujiro Takahashi (16:40)
With Pieter unavailable, Yujiro’s only valet was Jado. Yujiro knew that he would be outmatched in a straightforward fight so he stalled outside the ring until Goto lost his patience and was lured into a trap on the outside, in which Yujiro evaded Goto’s attack while Jado irish whipped Goto into the barricade. Yujiro continued to control the match, not being rocked by Goto’s lariats and getting him to the top rope for a super fisherman’s suplex. Goto used a moment of opportunity to land the Ushigoroshi, and when Yujiro tried to fight back, Goto leveled him with a cracking forearm to the face. Goto then landed a gnarly rope-hung reverse GTR, but couldn’t follow up when Jado hit him with a kendo stick as he ran the ropes. Opportunistically, Yujiro used this moment to land the Miami Shine, but Goto blocked his attempt at the Pimp Juice DDT. Jado distracted the referee leading to Yujiro attempting to hit Goto with his pimp cane. However, Goto saw it coming and avoided the attack, and then irish-whipped Yujiro into Jado to take Jado out. Finally, Goto hit the GTW only for Yujiro to kick out at two, and then hit the GTR to advance to the second round.

New Japan Cup First Round Match: EVIL def. Satoshi Kojima (20:08)
EVIL had a game plan from the moment the bell rang: take out Kojima’s right arm, the arm that his delivered so many match-ending lariats. Between arm-wringers and bashing Kojima’s arm with a steel chair, EVIL dominated the early going of the match. A DDT from Kojima brought the match on even footing, and Kojima’s continued use of chops and elbows showed that EVIL hadn’t done enough to take out his dominant arm. Kojima hit the Koji Cutter, then lifted EVIL to the top rope for a super Koji Cutter, but EVIL was not down yet. EVIL buffeted Kojima with repeated lariats, bringing Kojima to his knee, and EVIL finally took him down with yet another running lariat. EVIL hit the Darkness Falls for a near fall. EVIL went to follow up, but Kojima responded with a left arm lariat to get EVIL down for a count of two, exposing the flaw of EVIL’s strategy. As EVIL hit the ropes, Kojima hit the lariat with his right arm, but was in too much pain to go for the pin immediately, and EVIL kicked out at two. Kojima kept going to the well with the lariat, but EVIL kept blocking them and caught Kojima with the EVIL STO for the pinfall victory. EVIL will face Hirooki Goto in the second round.

All eight second round matches have been determined. They are as follows:

  • Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii (June 24)
  • Toru Yano vs. Hiromu Takahashi (June 24)
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Taiji Ishimori (June 24)
  • Yuji Nagata vs. Kazuchika Okada (June 24)
  • SHO vs. SANADA (July 1)
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi (July 1)
  • YOSHI-HASHI vs. BUSHI (July 1)
  • Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL (July 1)

Results: NJPW Together Project Special

Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling will hold their first wrestling event in 110 days. Since late February, the promotion has cancelled all events as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. However, with testing of workers and staff, and approval of the Japanese government, that hiatus ends today.

Watch:
NJPW World (English Commentary)
NJPW World (Japanese Commentary)
Note: This show was held in an empty arena.

NJPW Together Project Special Results

Yota Tsuji def. Gabriel Kidd (8:43)
Even without a crowd, the fire of young lions often leaps off the screen. The noise of the commentary, the ring, the grunts and growls of the wrestlers, and their hard strikes more than compensated for the lack of an audience to react. Yota Tsuji hit a spear and then submitted Gabriel Kidd with a Boston crab.

Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) def. Tomohiro Ishii & Yuya Uemura (12:57)
Yuya Uemura has clearly gained muscle mass over the last several months. Ishii and Uemura attacked the Suzuki-gun junior heavyweights before the bell rang. The main focuses of this match were Suzuki-gun beating down Uemura together, followed by Ishii fending off both of them by himself. Suzuki-gun worked together to attack Ishii’s knee. After taking him out of commission, they systematically dismantled Yuya Uemura in similar fashion. El Desperado submitted Yuya Uemura with a Numero Dos, a stretch muffler.

Ishii did some squats outside of the ring to show El Desperado that his knee wasn’t affected that much. Tomorrow, June 16th, Tomohiro Ishii faces El Desperado in the first round of the New Japan Cup, as does Yuya Uemura against Yoshinobu Kanemaru on June 17th.

Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado) def. Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomoaki Honma (13:20)
Toru Yano entered with a disinfectant spray bottle instead of his usual spitting water, as compliant with NJPW safety regulations. YOSHI-HASHI entered with new black and red gear that says “Get Back Up” on one leg, which I’m convinced is a rib. Yano immediately went to remove the turnbuckle, while Jado brandished a kendo stick. They dared each other to drop their weapon first. Honma missing the second-rope Kokeshi was surprisingly impactful considering the lack of reaction, but this gave Yujiro the opening he needed to secure the victory. Yujiro Takahashi pinned Tomoaki Honma with the Pimp Juice DDT.

The New Japan Cup fixtures for this match are as follows: Toru Yano versus Jado (6/16), Taiji Ishimori versus Gabriel Kidd (6/17), and Hirooki Goto versus Yujiro Takahashi (6/23).

During the intermission to disinfect the ring and the ringside area, a vignette played for a new wrestler coming to NJPW. It only referred to them as “The Grandmaster.”

Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI) (13:33)
Tenzan and Kojima looked much more well-rested than they did prior to this hiatus. Kojima and EVIL took each other on in a battle of brawn. Failed attempt at the Paradise Lock aside, Taguchi looked surprisingly capable of standing in the ring with SANADA. Notably, SANADA is the only member of Los Ingobernables de Japon who does not possess any championship, and some have postulated that he should be the favorite to win the New Japan Cup. This was a chaotic match involving a lot of teamwork, but TenCozy and Taguchi showed unexpected synergy. Ryusuke Taguchi submitted BUSHI with his ankle lock known as Oh My and Garankle to win.

The New Japan Cup first round matches involving people in this match are Ryusuke Taguchi versus SANADA (6/22), Hiroyoshi Tenzan versus YOSHI-HASHI (6/23), and EVIL versus Satoshi Kojima (6/23).

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata def. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & DOUKI) (13:04)
Hiroshi Tanahashi might have appreciated three months of rest more than anyone. Neither arm of his donned a compression sleeve for what seems like the first time in ages. Suzuki and Nagata defied their combined age of 104 years old with some of the hardest strikes on this whole show while Zack Sabre Jr., the only non-young lion foreign wrestler on this show, squared off against Ibushi at a high rate of speed. Ibushi hit a double Pele Kick on both DOUKI and Zack to stop Suzuki-gun all ganging up on him. Togi Makabe hit the King Kong Knee Drop on DOUKI to win the match for his team. Makabe’s music, a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song, played in the building. This is unusual, usually a generic dubbed rock song plays when he wins since paying for licensed music is expensive.

Minoru Suzuki goes one-on-one with Yuji Nagata on day one of the New Japan Cup tomorrow while Tanahashi and Ibushi compete against Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. respectively on June 22.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, SHO & YOH) (14:17)
It was amusing watching Okada gesticulate excessively to absent members of the crowd. In what might be a first for Okada, he was the only person in this six man tag team match to not be a Champion. Naito and Okada briefly opened the match with grappling, but it kicked into the next gear when SHO and Shingo Takagi tagged in to batter each other. SHO and Shingo have both stated that their rivalry that began in last year’s Best of the Super Juniors is not over, and they took the fight especially hard to each other. Tetsuya Naito pinned YOH with the Destino to close out the show. Naito and Hiromu fist-bumped each other after the match, but Shingo did not take part.

In the New Japan Cup first round, Kazuchika Okada will face Gedo, Hiromu Tanahashi will face Tomoaki Honma, it’s Shingo Takagi versus SHO, and YOH versus BUSHI. Tetsuya Naito sits out of the New Japan Cup as the reigning IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Champion, set to defend both championships against the winner of the tournament at Dominion next month.

NJPW Annnounces First Events Post-COVID19 State of Emergency

On May 25th, the Japanese government lifted the nationwide state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced their plans to return to conducting live wrestling events over the next month. To ensure minimal risk of virus propagation, NJPW has been conducting antibody testing on wrestlers, crew, trainers, and other live event staff, and preparation of venues has begun.

The last NJPW event took place on February 26th in Okinawa, Japan. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s first live event following the end of Japan’s COVID-19 state of emergency will be an empty arena event on June 15th, called the NJPW Together Special. In all, eleven events have been scheduled, including a rescheduled New Japan Cup and Dominion.

The New Japan Cup participants have changed to accommodate international travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. The majority of participants who live overseas have been replaced. As such, the 32-man New Japan Cup, usually a heavyweights-only tournament, now includes a number of NJPW’s junior heavyweight wrestlers. Also, it has been announced that, as previously, Tetsuya Naito will defend both his IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental championships against the winner of the New Japan Cup.

All events will be streamed live on NJPW World. NJPW has also announced that their Summer Struggle 2020 tour, originally scheduled to take place from July 11 to July 19, has been cancelled.

NJPW Event Schedule

  • June 15: NJPW Together Project Special
    • Matches unknown
  • June 16: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
    • Togi Makabe vs. Yota Tsuji
    • Tomohiro Ishii vs. El Desperado
    • Toru Yano vs. Jado
    • Tomoaki Honma vs. Hiromu Takahashi
    • Unknown “special match”
  • June 17: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
    • Kazuchika Okada vs. Gedo
    • Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
    • Yuya Uemura vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
    • Gabriel Kidd vs. Taiji Ishimori
    • Unknown “special match”
  • June 22: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
    • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi
    • Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
    • Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SANADA
    • SHO vs. Shingo Takagi
    • Unknown “special match”
  • June 23: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
    • Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. YOSHI-HASHI
    • YOH vs. BUSHI
    • Satoshi Kojima vs. EVIL
    • Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi
    • Unknown “special match”
  • June 24: New Japan Cup 2020 Second Round (empty arena)
    • Four New Japan Cup second round matches
    • Unknown “special match”
  • July 1: New Japan Cup 2020 Second Round (empty arena)
    • Four New Japan Cup second round matches
    • Unknown “special match”
  • July 2: New Japan Cup 2020 Quarterfinals (empty arena)
    • Four New Japan Cup quarterfinal matches
    • Unknown “special match”
  • July 3: New Japan Cup 2020 Semifinals (empty arena)
    • Two New Japan Cup semifinal matches
    • Two unknown “special matches”
  • July 11: New Japan Cup 2020 Final (Osaka-jo Hall, Osaka, one third capacity attendees)
    • New Japan Cup 2020 Final match
  • July 12: Dominion (Osaka-jo Hall, Osaka, one third capacity attendees)
    • IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: Tetsuya Naito © vs. New Japan Cup 2020 Winner

Watch NJPW’s announcement video with English subtitles.

NJPW Announces New Japan Cup 2020 First Round Matches

New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced the lineup for the first round of their annual springtime single-elimination tournament, the New Japan Cup.

NJPW has confirmed that the winner of the New Japan Cup 2020 will challenge Tetsuya Naito for his IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at Sakura Genesis on March 31st. All days of the New Japan Cup 2020 will be broadcasted live on NJPW World with an English commentary option.

Similar to last year, the field will consist of 32 NJPW wrestlers. The first round will take place over four events on March 4, 7, 8, and 9. The second round will take place over four events as well, on March 10, 12, 13, and 14. The quarter-finals will be held over three events on March 16, 17, and 18. Finally, the semi-finals will take place on March 20th, with the final match to decide the New Japan Cup winner on March 21st.

In the 2019 New Japan Cup, Kazuchika Okada took victory against SANADA in the final, and used the victory to challenge Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He would go on to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the G1 Supercard event at Madison Square Garden during WrestleMania weekend.

Day 1: Round 1 (March 4)

  • Togi Makabe vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens
  • Colt Cabana vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toa Henare

Day 2: Round 1 (March 7)

  • David Finlay vs. Tanga Loa
  • Juice Robinson vs. Alex Coughlin
  • Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White

Day 3: Round 1 (March 8)

  • Mikey Nicholls vs. SANADA
  • Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi

Day 4: Round 1 (March 9)

  • Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi
  • Karl Fredericks vs. KENTA
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. YOSHI-HASHI
  • Satoshi Kojima vs. EVIL

Manabu Nakanishi, 53, Retires from Pro-Wrestling

Manabu Nakanishi, age 53, has officially retired from active competition. Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling held his retirement event at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Nakanishi announced on January 7th of this year that he would soon be ending his 27-year career. He cited the lingering effects of a spinal cord injury in 2011 as the cause, stating in an interview that he hadn’t been able to wrestle to the level that he wanted since then.

Manabu Nakanishi’s final match was an eight man tag team match, and the main event of the show. His partners were Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, fellow members of a four-man group known as the Third Generation. All four men debuted and peaked at roughly the same time, and have been colleagues throughout their careers. Their opponents were Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Kota Ibushi, and Hirooki Goto. The match was 18 minutes and 3 seconds long, and ended when Tanahashi pinned Nakanishi with the High Fly Flow.

Manabu Nakanishi’s retirement event can be watched on NJPW World with English commentary.

Following the match, the retirement ceremony took place. Nakanishi’s former mentors and partners, Seiji Sakaguchi, Hiroshi Hase, Riki Choshu, and Tatsumi Fujinami were in attendance, and made short speeches about their relationships with Nakanishi. Finally, there was a ten-bell salute, as well as Nakanishi giving his last speech to the crowd.

Manabu Nakanishi made his professional wrestling debut in 1992 in NJPW, following an amateur wrestling career that included participation in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. Following a stint as a young lion, he spent several years in World Championship Wrestling under the alias Kurasawa. He has been an active wrestler in NJPW since 1996, and has held accolades including three IWGP Tag Team Championship reigns, a single G1 Climax victory in 1999, and an IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign in 2009.

NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo 2020 Day 1 Coverage and Results

Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling will hold the first day of their two-day event, The New Beginning in Sapporo. The event will be held at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Sapporo City, Japan. This event will be available to watch on their live streaming service, NJPW World. English and Japanese commentary are available.

Start times are as follows:

  • Pacific USA: February 1st, 1AM
  • Eastern USA: February 1st, 4AM
  • UK: February 1st, 9AM
  • Japan: February 1st, 6PM
  • East Australia: February 1st, 8PM

Video Links:
NJPW World (English Commentary)
NJPW World (Japanese Commentary)

The New Beginning in Sapporo 2020 Day 1 Card

Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) def. Tiger Mask IV & Yuya Uemura
The match began with both members of Bullet Club taking turns beating up Yuya Uemura. This built up to the hot tag to Tiger Mask. The crowd went wild as Uemura managed to put Phantasmo in a Boston Crab and hit him with his overhead suplex. Uemura got several near falls with a school boy and a small package hold. Taiji Ishimori submitted Yuya Uemura with the Yes Lock. (8:13)

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare def. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi & Yota Tsuji
Exactly three weeks from today, Manabu Nakanishi will retire from professional wrestling. The youngest and most sprightly wrestlers in this match, Tsuji and Toa Henare, made for the high point of this match as they fought. Toa Henare pinned Yota Tsuji with the Toa Bottom uranage. (9:41)

SHO, YOH, Will Ospreay & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI)
This was a fast-paced match, no surprise considering the majority were junior heavyweights. The main focus was on the two upcoming title matches involving the participants: Zack Sabre Jr. defending the Rev Pro British Heavyweight Championship against Will Ospreay tomorrow, and Roppongi 3K defending against Desperado and Kanemaru next week. Ryusuke Taguchi pinned DOUKI with the Dodon. Also, DOUKI brought a new metal rod, that was a little more professional than the one he was using before. (11:45)

Ryu Lee & Robbie Eagles def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI)
Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee were not waiting until their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match at The New Beginning in Osaka to go to war. Their rivalry that has gone on since Hiromu’s excursion to CMLL is revered for good reason: the two men never hold back around each other. Robbie Eagles also performed well. He may have felt slighted for not getting his own title match after pinning Hiromu in his return match last December. Robbie submitted BUSHIH with the Ron Miller Special, an inverted figure four leg lock. (11:47)

Bullet Club (KENTA & Jay White) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & SANADA)
This tag team match was a preview for two singles matches at The New Beginning in Osaka: SANADA versus Jay White and Tetsuya Naito defending his IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships against KENTA. It could be said that this match was a tale of two matches. The first half could have been described more as physical banter than proper wrestling. Naito and KENTA taunted each other, entered the ring only to leave immediately, and generally tried not to take each other seriously. As the match progressed, all wrestlers involved became more urgent in their actions, and this gradual escalation made for a high-quality match. Jay White pinned SANADA with a victory roll. (18:42)

Suzuki-gun (Taichi & Minoru Suzuki) def. Kazuchika Okada & Jon Moxley
Kazuchika Okada in a tag team match with Jon Moxley as his partner was something that no one could have predicted a year earlier. Okada against Taichi is the main event of tomorrow’s show, but the stars of this match were Moxley and Suzuki. It was not lost on them as to how much people are anticipating their IWGP US Heavyweight Championship match next Sunday, and gave the crowd today a delightful appetizer. They beat each other every which way, hit each other with guardrails and fans’ seats, spent a clearly illegal amount of time outside the ring, and traded their hardest hits. Suzuki pinned Moxley with the Gotch-style piledriver. (17:48)

After the match ended, Okada tried to hit a Rainmaker on Taichi, but Taichi avoided hit and knocked Okada down with the Iron Finger from Hell. Will Ospreay came out to apprehend Taichi, but Zack Sabre Jr. showed up to stop him. Taichi hit a Black Mephisto on Okada on the ramp.

Tomohiro Ishii def. EVIL
It was known all along that this match would be, as another wrestler put it “two meaty men slapping meat” and it lived up to that expectation. These two fridge-shaped men traded chops and lariats as close to the larynx as possible, and EVIL even seemed at times to have a hoarse voice from them. EVIL accidentally didn’t get enough lift on a corner suplex and Ishii fell on his head, but the match seemed to pick up from there, so maybe it energized him. EVIL used Ishii’s trademark superplex, but it only netted him a near fall, as did a following Darkness Falls. After a white-hot closing stretch, Tomohiro Ishii pinned EVIL with the vertical drop brainbuster. (21:14)

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi def. Hirooki Goto
Shingo and Goto were clearly not content to be outdone by the previous battle of rectangular, heavy men. So many lariats were traded, so many angry Japanese words that are probably inappropriate were said, and so much sweat flew. After landing a monstrous lariat, Goto was too tired to stand up, so Shingo lifted him to the top rope and hit him with an avalanche brainbuster known as the Stay Dream. To add insult to injury, Takagi landed a rope-hung GTR on Goto, which he had been referring in the lead-up to this match as the Great Takagi Revolution. Goto got a second wind and hit the Shouten Kai for a near fall. Goto hit the reverse GTR and was winding up for the regular version, but Shingo countered it into Made in Japan. He followed up with Last of the Dragon to win the NEVER Openweight Championship. (20:10)

Hirooki Goto’s reign lasted 25 days with 0 successful defenses.

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.

NJPW World Tag League 2019 Teams, Schedule Released

New Japan Pro-Wrestling has just announced details for 2019 edition of their annual heavyweight tag team tournament, the World Tag League.

The last major tour of the NJPW calendar, this tournament determines IWGP Tag Team Championship challengers for the following year’s Wrestle Kingdom.

This year’s World Tag League will have a single block with sixteen teams. Over the seventeen day tournament, each team will compete against each other, earning 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.

All matches will have a 30-minute time limit. Los Ingobernables de Japon’s EVIL and SANADA have won the World Tag League for the past two years.

World Tag League 2019 Teams

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana
  • CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI)
  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)
  • Los Ingobernables (Shingo Takagi & El Terrible)
  • TenKoji (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan)
  • Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma)
  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
  • Suzukigun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi)
  • Suzukigun (Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer)
  • Bullet Club (Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale)
  • Bullet Club (KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi)

World Tag League 2019 Schedule

November 16 Live on NJPW World

  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi

November 17 Live on NJPW World

  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • EVIL & SANADA vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible

November 18 Live on NJPW World

  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi

November 19 VOD Only

  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Shingo Takagi & El Terrible vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Toru Yano & Colt Cabana
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls vs. EVIL & SANADA

November 21 VOD Only

  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • EVIL & SANADA vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Shingo Takagi & El Terrible vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi

November 23 VOD Only

  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. EVIL & SANADA
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Toru Yano & Colt Cabana
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa

November 24 VOD Only

  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Toru Yano & Colt Cabana
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Shingo Takagi & El Terrible vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • EVIL & SANADA vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa

November 25 VOD Only

  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Toru Yano & Colt Cabana
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Shingo Takagi & El Terrible vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI
  • EVIL & SANADA vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi

November 27 VOD Only

  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana vs. EVIL & SANADA

November 28 Live on NJPW World

  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Toru Yano & Colt Cabana
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • EVIL & SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi

November 29 Live on NJPW World

  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano & Colt Cabana
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL & SANADA

December 1 December NJPW World Schedule TBA

  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. EVIL & SANADA
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa

December 2 December NJPW World Schedule TBA

  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls vs. Chase owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • EVIL & SANADA vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI

December 3 December NJPW World Schedule TBA

  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Toru Yano & Colt Cabana
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. EVIL & SANADA
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa

December 5 December NJPW World Schedule TBA

  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. EVIL & SANADA
  • Shingo Takagi & El Terrible vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer

December 6 December NJPW World Schedule TBA

  • Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. EVIL & SANADA
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer

December 8 December NJPW World Schedule TBA

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks
  • Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. EVIL & SANADA
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • Toru Yano & Colt Cabana vs. Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale
  • Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls vs. Shingo Takagi & El Terrible
  • Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi

The match order for the final day on December 8 will be decided based on team standings as of the final day. There is no specific Final match to determine the winners. A de facto final match will be determined based on the highest ranking teams going into the final day.

NJPW Announces Matches for 45th Anniversary Show

New Japan Pro Wrestling have announced that several title matches will take place on March 6th 2017. The event is to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the promotion and will air live on New Japan World (5am est.)

NJPW 45th Anniversary Show Lineup

  • Jushin Liger and Hirai Kawato vs. Tiger Mask and Tomoyuki Oka
  • Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi, Gedo and Jado (CHAOS) vs. El Desparado, Taka Michinoku, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi and David Finlay vs. Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale and Kenny Omega (Bullet Club)
  • Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, Bushi and Sanada (Los Ingobernables) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, Kushida and Juice Robinson
  • RPW British Heavyweight Championship
    Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. *
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
    Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
    Roppongi Vice (c) vs. Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-Gun)
  • IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
    Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano (c)(CHAOS) vs. Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe (GBH)**
  • Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS) vs. Tiger Mask W***

*     Zack Sabre Jr. is making his NJPW debut
**   This match was made after GBH beat CHAOS at Togi Makabe’s anniversary show this weekend.
*** non-title match. Tiger Mask W is played by Kota Ibushi and is from the current Tiger Mask anime series. 

NJPW ‘The New Beginning’ in Osaka Results

Here are the results from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘The New Beginning’ event that took place in Osaka, Japan to a gate of around 5,500 people:

TAKA Michinoku b. Henare – TAKA took the win in just under 5 minutes after hitting the Heavy Killer Number 1

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima b. Yoshitatsu & KUSHIDA – Kojima took the pinfall victory for his team after hitting a Lariat on Yoshi Tatsu

Yuji Nagata, Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV b. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Jado & Gedo – Juice continues to impress in his NJPW by taking the pinfall victory over Jado, expect him to have a strong showing in the New Japan Cup as he is expected to enter.

Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi b. Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero & Barreta  – Kanemaru took the win over Rocky Romero, yet another win for him over the IWGP Junior Tag Team Champion

NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Championship Match – SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi – SANADA hit the Skull End on Nakanishi to dethrone the champions in their first defence. Los Ingobernables are crowned the 11th champions

Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Championship Match – Katsuyori Shibata b. Will Ospreay – Shibata retains his title in an EXCELLENT bout, cementing Will Ospreay as a true global star. Shibata’s next opponent for the belt will most likely be Zack Sabre Jr in the UK

IWGP Tag Championship 3WAY Match – Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano b. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Takashi Iizuka – Yano rolled up Davey Boy Smith Jr in a schoolboy to retain his and Ishii’s titles, this was their second successful defence

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – Hiromu Takahashi b. Dragon Lee – Takahashi hit the TIME BOMB in around 18 minutes to retain his title in his first official defence. Taguchi appeared after the match and will likely be the next challenger for the belt

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match – Tetsuya Naito b. Michael Elgin – Naito hit the Destino to retain his title in his 3rd defence, The Los Ingobernables stable celebrated after the match as all members now hold a championship in NJPW

NJPW ‘The New Beginning’ in Sapporo Results

Here are the results from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘The New Beginning’ show that took place in Sapporo, Japan:

Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado b KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato – Desperado hit the Guitara de Angel on Kawato to take the win for his team. He now looks set to join the Junior ranks in NJPW following a staredown with KUSHIDA after the match.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata b. Yoshitatsu, Henare & Tomoyuki Oka – Nagata took the submission win with the Nagata Lock 2 on Oka.

Will Ospreay, Jado & Gedo b. Katsuyori Shibata, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV – Ospreay hit the OsCutter on Tiger Mask to take the pinfall victory. He stated after the match that he would defeat Shibata for the Revolution Pro British Heavyweight Championship on February 11th

YOSHI-HASHI b. Takashi Iizuka – YOSHI-HASHI took the win in around 7 minutes with the Karma

Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Lee b. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi – Dragon Lee won the bout following the Death Nukadora in around 13 minutes, he and Takahashi had a staredown after the bout ahead of their clash over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight belt on February 11th.

IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: Rocky Romero & Barreta b. Taichi & TAKA Michinoku – Barretta hit the Strong Zero on TAKA Michinoku to retain the belts for Roppongi Vice in their 1st defence as champions.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Hirooki Goto b. Juice Robinson – Goto successfully defended his NEVER title after hitting the GTR for the pinfall victory. This was his first defence since winning the title from Shibata at Wrestle Kingdom.

IWGP Tag Championship Match: Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano b. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. – Yano rolled up Makabe in a schoolboy for the pinfall victory, this was also Ishii/Yano’s first title defence.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada b. Minoru Suzuki – Okada hit the Rainmaker on Suzuki for his third successful title defence. No one appeared after the match to challenge Okada for the belt however Okada hinted that Tiger Mask W may be his next feud.

NJPW New Beginning Match Cards Confirmed

New Japan have officially announced the cards for their two ‘New Beginning’ shows that take place on February 5th/11th in Sapporo and Osaka, Japan respectively. Following the events of the New Years Dash show Suzuki-Gun are set to make a huge impact on the landscape of New Japan with the group’s leader Minoru Suzuki set to face IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada for the belt in Sapporo on February 5th.

Also notable is the inclusion of a Revolution Pro Wrestling title bout between Shibata and Will Ospreay on the Osaka show. Shibata won the RPW British Heavyweight title from Zack Sabre Jr at the company’s last York Hall show.

The cards line up as follows:

New Beginning in Sapporo (02/05/17)
KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado (Suzuki-Gun)

Yuji Nagata & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yoshitatsu & David Finlay & Henare

Katsuyori Shibata & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. CHAOS’ Will Ospreay & Gedo & Jado

YOSHI-HASHI vs. Takashi Iizuka

Michael Elgin & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Lee vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA & EVIL & BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Roppongi Vice (c) vs. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (Suzuki-Gun)

NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Juice Robinson

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (c) vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. The Killer Elite Squad

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki

New Beginning in Osaka (02/11/17)
Yoshitatsu & Hirai Kawato vs. David Finlay & Henare
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Suzuki-gun’s Takashi Iizuka & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado

Juice Robinson & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo & Jado

Kazuchika Okada & Rocky Romero & Beretta (CHAOS) vs. Minoru Suzuki & TAKA Michinoku & Taichi (Suzuki-Gun)

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Match – Hiroshi Tanahashi & Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. SANADA & EVIL & BUSHI

Revolution Pro British Heavyweight Championship Match – Katsuyori Shibata vs. Will Ospreay

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (c) vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Killer Elite Squad

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Dragon Lee

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match –  Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Michael Elgin

NJPW New Year Dash Results

Here are the results from New Japan’s annual New Year Dash show. This is traditionally seen as New Japan’s version of the ‘Raw After Mania’ and the main storylines/feuds heading into February’s New Beginning shows start to take shape.

Kyle O’Reilly, Ricochet & David Finlay b. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV & Henare – Finlay took the win for his team

Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page b. Yoshitatsu & Billy Gunn – Hangman Page took the win after hitting the Right of Passage on Yoshitatsu

YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero & Barreta b. Adam Cole and The Young Bucks – Yoshi-Hashi took the pinfall victory for his team after rolling up ROH Champion Adam Cole  

Scott Norton, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Hiro Saito & Cheeseburger b. Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & BONE SOLDIER – Kojima hit the Lariat on BONE SOLDIER to take the win for his team

Michael Elgin & KUSHIDA b. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi – Elgin took the win after hitting a Burning Hammer on Naito, he now looks set to be the next challenger for Naito’s Intercontinental Championship. CMLL Star Dragon Lee also appeared to attack longtime rival Takahashi and stated that he wants a shot at Takahashi’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title.
Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata & Juice Robinson b. Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii & Will Ospreay – Robinson took the shock win over NEVER Champion Hirooki Goto to set himself as the next challenger for the title

NJPW/NOAH legend Minoru Suzuki appeared after the bout with his stable (The Suzuki Army) and attacked the members of CHAOS, Suzuki then proclaimed that all of New Japan’s titles will soon be theirs.

NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Championship Match – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi b. SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI – Nakanishi hit the Hercules Cutter on BUSHI to win the titles and make Los Ingobernables’ title reign end after one day.

NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 12/17 Results

Here are the results from New Japan’s final event of the year at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan:

Ryusuke Taguchi & Yoshitatsu b. Jushin Thunder Liger & Henare – Taguchi took the win for his team after hitting the Dodon on Henare

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano b. Yujiro Takahashi & BONE SOLDIER – Ishii hit the Brainbuster on BONE SOLDIER to take the pinfall victory

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Juice Robinson b. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Chase Owens – Makabe hit the King Kong Knee Drop on Owens for the win

Yuji Nagata b, Manabu Nakanishi – Nagata hit the Exploder of Justice to take the win

Katsuyori Shibata & Tiger Mask IV b. Hirooki Goto & Jado – Shibata hit the Penalty Kick on Jado to take the pinfall victory

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, KUSHIDA & David Finlay b. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI – Kojima hit BUSHI with a Lariat to take the win for his team

Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale b. Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI – Omega hit the One Winged Angel on YOSHI-HASHI to gain the momentum leading up to his IWGP Heavyweight Title match against Okada at Wrestle Kingdom.

 

NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 12/16 Results

Here are the results from the Road to Tokyo Dome show that took place 12/16 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Yuji Nagata, Yoshitatsu & Ryusuke Taguchi b. Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask IV & Henare – Taguchi took the pinfall victory over Henare

Tomohiro Ishii b. Chase Owens – Ishii took the pinfall victory in just over 8 minutes with the Brainbuster

SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & David Finlay – EVIL hit his namesake finisher on Finlay to take the pinfall victory for his team

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Juice Robinson b. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & BONE SOLDIER – Robinson hit the Pulp Fiction on Tonga to take the win leading into his match against Cody at the Tokyo Dome

Hirooki Goto & Jado b. Katsuyori Shibata & Jushin Thunder Liger – Goto took the win after hitting the GTR on Liger

Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi b. Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado – Yujiro took the win after hitting the Pimp Juice on Jado 

Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi b. Hiroshi Tanahashi & KUSHIDA – Takahashi took the win after hitting the TIME BOMB on KUSHIDA

NJPW World Tag League 2016 Final Results

Here are the results from New Japan’s World Tag League final that took place in the Sekisui Haim Super Arena in Miyagi:

Ryusuke Taguchi & David Finlay b. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV – Finlay took the pinfall victory over Tiger Mask

Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi b. Manabu Nakanishi & Henare – Yujiro hit the Pimp Juice on Henare to secure the victory for his team

Yoshitatsu & Billy Gunn b. Chase Owens & BONE SOLDIER – Billy Gunn hit the Fameasser on BONE SOLIDER to take the win in just over 5 minutes

War Machine b. Brian Breaker & Leland Race – Rowe hit the Fallout on Leland Race to secure the win

SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata – EVIL took the pinfall victory over Kojima after hitting his namesake finisher

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI b. Katsuyori Shibata & Juice Robinson – Goto hit the GTR on Shibata to take the pinfall victory for his team

Tetsuya Naito & Rush b. Hiroshi Tanahashi & KUSHIDA – Rush hit the Rush Driver on KUSHIDA to take the win, after the match Hiromu Takahashi came out to the ring and laid out KUSHIDA before accepting Naito’s offer to join Los Ingobernables

Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii b. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page – Okada hit the Rainmaker on Page to take the win

World Tag League FinalTogi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma b. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa – Makabe hit the King Kong Knee Drop on Tanga Loa to secure the win and make Honma/Makabe the first team in New Japan history to win the tournament in consecutive years

NJPW: King of Pro Wrestling Full Results

Here are the results from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s King of Pro Wresting event:

Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Will Ospreay b. Adam Cole, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi – Ishii hit the Brainbuster on Yujiro to secure the win for his team

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Ryusuke Taguchi & Bobby Fish b. Toru Yano, Jado, Rocky Romero & Barreta – Honma hit the Kokeshi headbutt on Romero to take the win

NJPW vs NOAH Special 8 Man Tag Match: Go Shiozaki, Maybach Taniguchi, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi – Shiozaki hit the Go-Arm Lariat on Nakanishi to take the win

IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: The Young Bucks b. Ricochet & David Finlay – The Bucks hit the More Bang For For Your Buck on Finlay to retain their titles
IWGP Tag Championship Match: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa b. The Briscoes – Tonga hit the Guerrilla Warfare on Mark Briscoe to secure the win and make he and his brother the new IWGP Tag Team Champions

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, KUSHIDA & Jay Lethal b. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI – Elgin hit the Elgin-Bomb on Naito to take the win for his team

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Katsuyori Shibata b. Kyle O’Reilly – Shibata took the win via referee stoppage at the 18 minute mark.

https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/785418708504018944

Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Title Contender Match: Kenny Omega b. Hirooki Goto – Omega hit the One Winged Angel to hold on to the briefcase that earns him an IWGP Title match at the Tokyo Dome in January 2017
?Winner: Omega (21:52) with the Katayoku no Tenshi.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada b. Naomichi Marufuji – Okada retained his title following a Rainmaker

 

Full Card For New Japan’s King of Pro Wrestling Event

New Japan have officially announced the full card for their October 10th event ‘King of Pro Wrestling,’ here is how the card stacks up:

IWGP Heavyweight Title Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Naomichi Marufuji

Tokyo Dome IWGP Challenge Rights Match: Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto

NEVER Openweight Title Match: Katsuyoshi Shibata (c) vs Kyle O’Reilly

Naito, SANADA, EVIL, and BUSHI vs Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, KUSHIDA and Jay Lethal

IWGP Tag Title Match: The Briscoe Brothers (c) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa)

IWGP Junior Tag Title Match: Young Bucks (c) vs Ricochet and David Finlay

New Japan vs NOAH Tag Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs Go Shiozaki, Maybach Taniguchi, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya

NJPW: Destruction in Tokyo Results

Here are the results from New Japan’s Destruction in Tokyo event:

Rocky Romero & Barreta b. David Finlay & Henare – Barreta hit the Dudebuster on Henare to secure the win for his team

Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi b. Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan – Nagata hit the Exploder of Justice on Captain New Japan for the win

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask IV b. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger – Honma took the pinfall win after hitting the Kokeshi

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo b. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Chase Owens – Ishii hit the Brainbuster on Tanga Loa to take the pinfall victory

Kyle O’Reilly b. Juice Robinson – O’Reilly took the win after hitting the Armageddon, he is now the next challenger for the NEVER Openweight title

Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI & Will Ospreay b. Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi – YOSHI-HASHI hit the Karma on Yujiro to secure the pinfall victory for his team

 Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & EVIL b. Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi – SANADA hit the Skull End on Taguchi to take the win

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Katsuyori Shibata b. Bobby Fish – Shibata hit the Penalty Kick to take the pinfall win
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: BUSHI b. KUSHIDA – BUSHI took the pinfall win over KUSHIDA to become the 74th champion in IWGP JH history

NJPW: Road to Destruction Results (9/12/16)

Here are the results for New Japan’s Road to Destruction event in Korakuen Hall, Tokyo:

David Finlay b. Henare – Finlay hits the Prima Nocta to take the win

Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens b. Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan – Yujiro hits the Pimp Juice on Captain New Japan to secure the win for his team

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Jushin Thunder Liger & Ryusuke Taguchi b. Will Ospreay, Gedo, Rocky Romero & Barreta – Taguchi pinned Romero to secure the win for his team

Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma b. Yuji Nagata & Manadu Nakanishi – Makabe hits the King Kong Knee Drop on Nakanishi to secure the win

EVIL b. Juice Robinson – EVIL took the pinfall victory in this match

Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish b. Katsuyori Shibata & Tiger Mask IV – O’Reilly got the pinfall after he and Fish hit the Chasing The Dragon on Tiger Mask

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI b. Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa – Ishii hit the Brainbuster on Tanga Loa to secure the victory for his team

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI b. Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi & KUSHIDA – BUSHI hit the MX on KUSHIDA to take the pinfall win

NJPW: Road to Destruction Results (9/11/16)

Here are the results for New Japan’s Road to Destruction event in Shizuoka:

Henare b Hirai Kawato – Henare takes the submission win with a single leg crab

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima b. David Finlay & Teruaki Kanemitsu – Tenzan locks in the Anaconda Vice  on Kanemitsu to secure the submission victory for his team

Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Tiger Mask IV b. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan – Nagata hits the Exploder of Justice on Captain New Japan to secure the win

Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Chase Owens b. Hirooki Goto, Rocky Romero & Barreta – Tonga hits the Gunstun on Romero for the win

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi  – Naito hits the Destino on Juice Robinson to take the pinfall victory for his team

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI b. Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi – YOSHI-HASHI hits the Karma on Yujiro to take the pinfall victory in the main event

NJPW: Road to Destruction Results (9/8/16)

Here are the results for New Japan’s Road to Destruction event in Niigata:

Henare b Hirai Kawato – Henare took the submission win with a Boston Crab

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima b. Juice Robinson & Teruaki Kanemitsu – Kojima took the win for his team after hitting a Lariat on Kanemitsu

Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Tiger Mask IV b. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan – Nagata hit the Exploder of Justice on Captain New Japan to take the pinfall victory for his team

Kenny Omega, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa b. YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero & Barreta – Tama Tonga hit the Guerrilla Warfare on Romero to take the win

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & David Finlay – Naito took the win after hitting the Destino on Young Lion Finlay

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii b. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens – Goto hit the GTR on Chase Owens for the victory