NJPW Power Struggle 2019 Results and Coverage
New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Power Struggle 2019 event took place at the EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan on November 3.
This event can be watched live on NJPW World.
Power Struggle 2019 Results
Titán, Volador Jr., TJP & Clark Connors def. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yuya Uemura (5:43)
With the exception of Liger, this tag team match was composed of wrestlers who failed to advance to the Final in the Super Junior Tag League. Volador Jr. entered wearing a Spiderman mask and rash guard. As always, Jushin Thunder Liger was incredibly over, but work from everyone involved was brisk and fast-paced. TJP pinned Yuya Uemura after a Detonation Kick.
Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) def. CHAOS (Robbie Eagles & Rocky Romero) (8:42)
With his tag team partner involved in a defense of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, Robbie Eagles was left with Rocky Romero as a partner. Ishimori and Phantasmo used their superior experience to keep the CHAOS team apart. At one point, El Phantasmo walked the ropes with Rocky Romero in a fireman’s carry, then came crashing down on Robbie Eagles. El Phantasmo pinned Rocky Romero with the CR II.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, SANADA & EVIL) def. Suzukigun (Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki) (9:07)
The Suzukigun team entered to Lance Archer’s music, who walked to the ring bow-legged, carrying his newly won IWGP US Heavyweight Championship with one half of the strap in his pants. The highlight of this match was a long battle of strikes between Shingo and Minoru Suzuki. SANADA defeated Zack Sabre Jr. with a rolling cradle, as Suzuki and Shingo continued to battle outside the ring and the frustrated Zack Sabre Jr. put the referee in an armbar. Meanwhile, Lance Archer told the English commentators that he wanted to defend his IWGP US Heavyweight Championship against David Finlay.
Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) (10:51)
All wrestlers received separate entrances except for YOSHI-HASHI. Tanahashi looked disinterested as Ibushi made his entrance, not wanting to be the second fiddle to the G1 Winner. He had really been focused on finding his own path to Wrestle Kingdom 14. Down the stretch, the fans really were hoping for YOSHI-HASHI, as was able to get near falls on Tanahashi. Nevertheless, Tanahashi reversed his Karma finisher. Tanahashi pinned YOSHI-HASHI with the High Fly Flow.
After the match ended, the lights went out, and a video of musicians with blonde hair getting beaten up played, then transitioned to Chris Jericho on the screen. He challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 2, on January 5, 2020. He said “It’s going to be a classic match. It’s also going to be your last match!”
Tetsuya Naito def. Taichi (12:56)
In contrast to his lackadaisical attitude, Naito immediately attacked Taichi at full speed. Their fight spilled into the crowd, where Taichi was able to get the upper hand. As Naito went for an avalanche hurricanrana, Taichi reversed it into a falling powerbomb, and taunted the downed Naito. Their other matches this year involved lots of out of the ring trickery, but now, Taichi was able to face Naito head on, eating his strikes and asking for more, and countering Naito’s first attempt at the Destino. Taichi hit the falling elevated powerbomb for a near fall as the crowd gasped. Naito hit a running Destino for a near fall, falling by the Valentia. Naito attempted the Destino once more, but Taichi caught him and tried to hit the Black Mephisto, and Naito wiggled out. Naito hit his own Black Mephisto, and then the Destino for the three count.
Super Junior Tag League 2019 Final Match: Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) def. Suzukigun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (14:13)
As Roppongi 3K entered, Suzukigun snuck up behind them and attacked them, taking an advantage before the bell rang. With that advantage, they dominated the early going, isolating YOH. SHO was able to rally when he tagged them in, but more good teamwork put him on the disadvantage as well. El Desperado went for the Pinche Loco on SHO, but it was reversed, then Roppongi 3K were able to take control when they finally worked together. El Desperado reversed the Shock Arrow and hit a headbutt, but YOH came in and Roppongi 3K were able to hit 3K to pin El Desperado and win the Super Junior Tag League. This is their third time winning the Super Junior Tag League.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo came out and attacked Roppongi 3K as they celebrated. With the tournament winners laid out, Bullet Club took the Super Junior Tag League trophies and posed with them as if they had won the tournament.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match: KENTA (c) def. Tomohiro Ishii (20:12)
KENTA had been spending the whole tour taunting Tomohiro Ishii, calling him cute and generally belittling him. His patience exhausted, Ishii had no time for KENTA’s antics, immediately going after him and bringing him back in when he tried to bail from the ring. Ishii took KENTA’s strikes and asked for more, but eventually his resiliency found its limit, as KENTA grinded him down with kicks, only for Ishii to find another gear and take the advantage once more. As Ishii went for a sliding lariat, KENTA sneakily managed to put on the Game Over crossface. Due to Ishii’s lack of neck, he was able to make it to the ropes and break the submission. KENTA hit the Busaiku Knee Kick, but Ishii powered through, only to eat a second one. KENTA hit a Falcon Arrow, a PK, but Ishii reversed the Go 2 Sleep attempt. KENTA hit the Go 2 Sleep, then pulled down his knee pad and hit a second one to defeat Tomohiro Ishii and defend the NEVER Openweight Championship.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) def. BUSHI (16:20)
Ospreay started the match with guns blazing, sending BUSHI reeling with high-speed offense. BUSHI did a good job of using Ospreay’s momentum against him, countering the Sasuke Special by dropping Ospreay on his head with an apron DDT. BUSHI hit a lightning spiral and went for the MX, but Ospreay got out of the way. Ospreay accidentally hit the referee and BUSHI went to spray black mist in Ospreay’s face, but Ospreay stopped it by taking the black mist from his mouth and spitting it in BUSHI’s face. Ospreay hit a shooting star press only for BUSHI to get the knees up and spray mist in Ospreay’s face. BUSHI went for the MX once more, but Ospreay hit a head kick to stop him. BUSHI hit a codebreaker and the MX, but Ospreay kicked out at two. BUSHI went for another MX, but Ospreay gave him an Oscutter out of mid air, followed by a Hidden Blade. Finally, Ospreay hit the Super Oscutter and Stormbreaker to pin BUSHI and defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
After the match, Ospreay made a list of all the junior heavyweights that he defeated, remarking that he had beaten anyone and there was no one left. As he left the ring, the lights went out, and a video of a Time Bomb scheduled to go off in 1,448 hours played. (1,448 hours from the time of this writing is on January 4th, 2020). Hiromu Takahashi entered to an electric response, pulled off the neck bandage he was wearing, threw it into the crowd, and ran around taking bumps. He took the microphone and said, while in a neck bridge to show that his neck was fine, that Ospreay was now the strongest junior heavyweight, but that now “Hiromu is back” and challenged Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Jay White (c) def Hirooki Goto (27:40)
Ever since Hirooki Goto challenged White for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Destruction in Kobe, White had done nothing but belittle him, and say that he didn’t deserve to challenge for the Championship. In the early going, he seemed to be correct, as he controlled the early match, despite Goto nearly getting his hands on Gedo, who had yet to involve himself in the match. At one point, White threw Goto into the guardrail near the Japanese announce table, which drew the ire of guest commentator Katsuyori Shibata, who raised from his seat but did not act. White hit the Kiwi Crusher for a near fall. Goto rallied, hitting the Ushigoroshi, then went for the GTR, but White managed to avoid it, as Gedo distracted the referee to boos. White hit the sleeper suplex, but Goto headbutted him to stop him in his tracks, then hit a reverse GTR. Goto followed up with a Shouten Kai for a near fall. Goto hit the GTW, followed by the GTR, but Goto pulled the referee out of the ring so that he couldn’t count the pin, but Shibata came in and apprehended Gedo. KENTA then came in and hit Goto with a Go 2 Sleep, then a kick on Shibata. KENTA continued attacking Shibata, as Jay White hit the Blade Runner on Goto to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
Jay White says he wants to be the first IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion and to wrestle against the winner of Ibushi vs. Okada on the second day of Wrestle Kingdom 14. He taunts Ibushi and Okada to come to the ring, but Tetsuya Naito comes to the ring instead. Eventually, Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada come to the ring as well. Naito and Ibushi are also in favor of a double championship match. However, Okada dissents, and says that there should be a fan vote to decide it. Jay White demands to be announced as “IWGP Intercontinental Champion and future double Champion.” He is announced as such, and confetti rains down as Naito glares at him from the entrance ramp.