“If the fans are happy, then I’m happy. I think this is the result and a recognition of all that Bryan has accomplished in his career, and all I’ve done in my career. I like that this will be on display worldwide. The whole world will see true ‘Made in Japan’ spirit. It’s a real dream match, a real dream situation for the fans worldwide. This is something that will send shockwaves through the wrestling world.”
It is not currently known if Danielson is planned to go all the way in the tournament, as a rumored match with Nigel McGuinness has apparently been on the cards for some time and it was expected to have taken place at All In last year before Danielson was injured.
Danielson is winding down his in-ring career this year, so the prospect of getting another match between he and his hated ROH rival one more time at the biggest venue possible in London, England could be too good to pass up for Tony Khan and co.
New Japan Pro Wrestling held its event The New Beginning in Osaka, on Feb. 11 at the Edion Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan.
The event had the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defend his title against Shingo Takagi. Okada’s match also marks the first title defense of his current reign. Another match on the card will have Jay White against Hikuleo in a Loser Leaves Japan match. Both wrestlers are rumored to be leaving NJPW, with the possibility of entering free agency.
The New Beginning in Osaka aired live on NJPW World. Fans can watch the event on video on demand by subscribing to NJPW World for $9.99.
If you would like more results for this week’s events in wrestling, please check back on our results section.
New Japan Pro Wrestling President Takami Obari has addressed Will Ospreay’s status for Wrestle Kingdom 16, which takes place from January 4-6, 2022.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced yesterday that the country is banning foreigners from enterting the country indefinitely. Japan also joins other countries that are trying to combat the new variant of COVID-19, Omicron.
Japan’s new travel restriction casts doubt on wrestlers like Will Ospreay participating in Wrestle Kingdom 16.
In an interview with Tokyo Sports, Obari addressed the situation. He shared that Ospreay should be able to visit Japan because he has a work visa. However, the situation in Japan can change.
“Under the current rules, foreign wrestlers who are regularly participating in the war are not expected to enter the country. I’ve heard that (regular foreign wrestlers) have visas to work in Japan, so they will be treated as re-entry. This has been confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Obari.
Ospreay tweeted the following, reassuring fans that he’ll be there on January 5th.
Ospreay will return to Japan for NJPW since his match with Shingo Takagi at Wrestling Dontaku on May 4. It was also the last match that he defended the NJPW Heavyweight Championship before vacating the title due to a neck injury. After Ospreay relinquished the title, Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the vacant NJPW Heavyweight Champion at Dominion on June 7. To get back into the title picture, Okada won the G1 Climax.
It’s unclear if NJPW planned to have all three wrestlers involved, but the Ospreay injury helped build an eight-month storyline.
Wrestle Kingdom Three Night Event
Wrestle Kingdom 16 will be a three-night event. It is also the first three-night Wrestle Kingdom in NJPW history. The main event of Night One on January 4 will be Takagi vs. Okada for the NJPW Heavyweight Championship. The winner of Night One will also defend the championship against Ospreay in the main event of Night Two on January 5. It is unclear if the winner will defend the NJPW Heavyweight Champion on Night Three on January 6.
For now, it seems Ospreay will get his opportunity to reclaim the NJPW Heavyweight Championship on January 5. It is unclear if he is in Japan currently. However, with the new variant of COVID-19, NJPW may also need to have a backup plan just in case.
The first night of the G1 Climax tournament has come to an end.
Night one was held inside Edion Arena in Osaka on Sept. 18. The card was headlined by an A block match between IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi and Tomohiro Ishii. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito served as the co-main event.
In total, there were five A block matches and one non-G1 Climax match. The non-tournament match was SHO going up against Young Lion Ryohei Owia. The other A block matches were KENTA vs. Toru Yano, Great-O-Khan vs. Tanga Loa, and Kota Ibushi vs. Yujiro Takahashi.
Here are the full results from night one of the G1 Climax 31.
IWGP World Champion Shingo Takagi and Los InGobernables member BUSHI have been cleared to return. Both wrestlers had tested positive for COVID-19 2 weeks ago and were removed from the recent NJPW tour.
On August 15th, both Takagi and BUSHI were found to have elevated temperatures and were given PCR tests. On August 18th, NJPW announced that they had both tested positive for COVID-19.
Both wrestlers will return at the Wrestle Grand Slam events scheduled for September 4th and 5th in Tokorozawa’s MetLife Dome.
NJPW has also released the lineups for those two shows.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that multiple wrestlers have been pulled from upcoming shows due to COVID-19 protocols. IWGP World Champion Shingo Takagi and BUSHI were both pulled after presenting with fevers. They are awaiting the results of PCR testing for COVID-19.
It was originally reported that the 6 wrestlers who were in the same match as Bushi and Takagi on Saturday would miss upcoming shows as well. Those 6 wrestlers are Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo and Dick Togo. Naito, SANADA, EVIL and Takahashi all ended up working the Sunday show despite this, however.
Will Ospreay returned to NJPW at Resurgence in Los Angeles on Saturday. He commented on Takagi missing a show while he is now cleared to return.
“REAL champ returns. Interim champ has to miss a show. Coincidence. Just say the word NJPW,” Ospreay Tweeted. ““Interim” I’ll be on the first flight over.”
REAL champ returns. Interim champ has to miss a show.
At NJPW Resurgence, Ospreay criticized NJPW for stripping him of the title when he only needed 4 months off. He unveiled his IWGP World Championship belt and claimed to still be the champion. He referred to Shingo Takagi as an “interim” title holder. Ospreay also announced he will not be participating in the G1 Climax tournament this year.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has booked 3 matches for Wrestle Grand Slam on September 5th. The promotion will present shows from the MetLife Dome on both September 4th and 5th. On the second night, Evil will challenge Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Also booked for the 2nd night inside the MetLife Dome will be Robbie Eagles defending his newly won IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against the returning Hiromu Takahashi.
The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships will also be on the line on September 5th. The champion Dangerous Tekkers team of Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi will defend against both the LIJ team of Tetsuya Naito & SANADA as well as the CHAOS team of Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI.
Takagi successfully defended his title from the Tokyo Dome this weekend. He defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi who was replacing Kota Ibushi. After the match, Takagi spoke to NJPW1972.com.
‘Well, it’s definitely the day after the night before. I’m sore all over- my neck, my back, my legs. But y’know, waking up with those aches and pains reminds me of what I do for a living, and I’ve gotta admit I don’t hate that feeling. That said, Tanahashi was amazing.”
“Yesterday was the biggest stage, against the best opponent, and we had the best match. That kind of opportunity doesn’t come your way all the time, and it felt damn great, right down until that dirty S.O.B. EVIL ruined everything. Yesterday, I was hot when I got backstage, and said what I did about wanting the match as soon as possible. Now I’ve slept on it, though…”
Three big matches are made for Wrestle Grand Slam in the MetLife Dome!
NJPW has announced that Wrestle Grand Slam will now take place on July 25th from the Tokyo Dome. The event had originally been scheduled for May 29th. It was postponed following a COVID outbreak amongst members of the roster, however.
The main event for the show will feature Shingo Takagi defending his newly won IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against the former champion Kota Ibushi. The original main event of Wrestle Grand Slam on May 29th had been Will Ospreay defending the title against Kazuchika Okada. Ospreay then vacated the title due to injury and Takagi faced Okada for the title at Dominion earlier this month.
NJPW also announced that they were unable to reschedule the planned Wrestle Grand Slam event in Yokohama. That event had originally been scheduled for May 15th.
“Alternate dates for Wrestle Grand Slam in Yokohama Stadium on May 15 were carefully considered, but due to scheduling conflicts an alternate date could not be found for the immediate future. As a result, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has arrived at the decision to cancel the Yokohama Stadium card. All ticket holders will be refunded. We apologise to fans looking forward to the event and appreciate your understanding,” NJPW’s press release reads.
Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada at Dominion yesterday to win the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The new champion spoke to the media following his victory. NJPW1972.com has translated Takagi’s first comments as world champion.
“I am the third IWGP World heavyweight Champion, Shingo Takagi, and I am pretty damn tired,” Takagi said. “I went through the wringer last night, finally shut my eyes around 4AM, and then woke up at 7, got on the Shinkansen (bullet train), and wasn’t able to nod off there either. But y’know, waking up this morning and having the belt there in my room let me know that it wasn’t all a dream and what happened was real.”
Takagi was defeated by the former champion, Will Ospreay, before he vacated the title. Ospreay was supposed to face Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Grand Slam but the event was cancelled. Then Ospreay was forced to vacate the title due to neck injury.
“I mean, in Fukuoka with Ospreay, losing that match could have put me to the back of the line,” Takagi continued. “I figured I wouldn’t get back to this point for quite a while. But then, I don’t know whether you’d call it luck or what, but Ospreay gets hurt and goes back to the UK, and then I’m in this title match.”
Following his victory, Takagi called out former champion Kota Ibushi. Takagi also spent some time talking about Ibushi following his title victory.
“I have my reasons for coming to New Japan in the first place, but getting to throw down with Ibushi, that was definitely one aspect. Having a proper place for us to square off. We didn’t start out as New Japan guys, but a few years ago it hit me that the guy I want to fight the most is in NJPW, and if I want that to happen then I have to be in NJPW too. Then October 2018 I arrived, and two years, what, eight months later… I wouldn’t call that a rapid ascent. I’m 39 this year, I can’t afford to take things slow.”
Takagi would continue to say that Ibushi has not yet given him a response to his challenge. It seems rather certain Ibushi will become Takagi’s first title challenger, however.
“Anyway, I am now the third IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but apart from that, nothing’s changed about me. Just like normal, I’m gonna fight like Shingo Takagi fights, bring the fire and tear it up! That’s all I’ve got to say.”
'Waking up this morning and having the belt there in my room let me know that it wasn’t all a dream and what happened was real.'
Shingo Takagi speaks on winning the IWGP World Heavyweight title in press conference
Shingo Takagi is the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Kazuchika Okada today in a shocking upset at NJPW Dominion to win the vacant title.
Following the victory, the new champion called out former champion Kota Ibushi as his first challenger. Ibushi had defeated Jeff Cobb in the night’s co-main event.
The title had recently been vacated by former champion Will Ospreay due to a neck injury. In the wake of Ospreay’s injury, the match between Takagi and Okada was booked for today’s Dominion show.
Technically, NJPW has separated the lineage of the current belt with the former IWGP Heavyweight title. This became official in March when Ibushi defended both titles successfully on NJPW’s 49th Anniversary show in March.
The 38-year-old Takagi is also a former 2x NEVER Openweight Champion, 1x Jr. Heavyweight Tag Champion (w/Bushi), and 1x 6-Man tag champion (w/Bushi & EVIL). He won the “Rookie of the Year” award in 2005 as voted on by readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Takagi vs Will Ospreay in the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors finals was voted Match of the Year by the same publication.
Finish of Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi
The finish of the match came not long after the 30-minute mark had been passed. Okada was in control at this point but Takagi countered a Rainmaker attempt into one of his own. After the two exchanged strikes for a period, Takagi hit a Death Valley Driver but then Okada hit a series of short-arm Rainmakers before missing a bigger version. Takagi then hit a Pumping Bomber Lariat for a near fall. He then hit a dragon suplex followed by a sliding elbow before landing Last of the Dragon for the win.
Reactions to Shingo’s Win
Here are some reactions to Shingo Takagi capturing the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Dominion:
Congratulations Shingo,
Google the word “interim”
That’s all you are.
— Will Ospreay • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) June 7, 2021
This Shingo news is wild to wake up to. I gave him 0% chance in the match. What a pleasant surprise. Shingo isn't just one of the best in the world, he's one of the best ever. -J
— Voices of Wrestling (@voiceswrestling) June 7, 2021
Okada/Shingo RULED. Everything you want from a big IWGP title main event, and an absolute shock finish that's certain to be the talk of pro wrestling this week. I can't remember the last time I audibly gasped at a NJPW finish. I did here.
Today is the second day of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s largest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom.
This event will be streamed live on NJPW’s streaming service, NJPW World, and on Fite TV. English and Japanese commentary are available on both platforms. This event will have a reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Start Times: January 5, 12AM Pacific, 3AM Eastern, 8AM UK, 5PM Japan, 7PM East Australia
Results
Four Way Match for the Provisional KOPW 2021 Championship: Toru Yano def. Chase Owens, BUSHI, Bad Luck Fale (7:34) Both BUSHI and Toru Yano were refusing to enter the ring, at first, but were forced to break up the pin when Chase Owens laid down for Bad Luck Fale to let him win. Owens and Fale worked together to abuse Yano, while BUSHI mostly tried to avoid getting involved. Yano tried to body slam Fale, who fell on top of him and nearly pinned him then and there. Fale and Chase double teamed BUSHI and put him down with the Grenade Launcher, but kept breaking up each other’s pin attempt. They argued with each other and the referee until Yano slid in, low blowed them both, and pinned the still down BUSHI. Toru Yano is the provisional KOPW 2021 Champion, but will only be crowned as such if he retains the trophy until the end of the year.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) def. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato The tornillo that Master Wato pulled off on El Desperado might have been the most impressive he has looked since his return. He and Taguchi took advantage early until Suzuki-gun focused their team efforts on Taguchi, working his legs and cutting off the ring, and attacking Master Wato whenever Taguchi got even close to tagging him in. A hip attack from Taguchi gave him the room needed to rally, but Desperado and Kanemaru’s generous amount of tag team offense had him playing defense soon again. Taguchi tried for the Dodon, but El Desperado rolled through it for a near pinfall. El Desperado decisively finished off Taguchi with the Loco Mono straight punch, followed by Pinche Loco. Suzuki-gun retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi (c) def. Jeff Cobb (21:11) Shingo Takagi found himself in the rare position of being the smaller, weaker man in a singles match, as Jeff Cobb ate his strikes and returned heavier ones, and tossed the former junior heavyweight like a ragdoll. Takagi was forced to get creative, pushing Cobb into the ropes and using the bounce to finally take him off his feet with a backdrop driver. Cobb tried to retaliate with a crucifix powerbomb from the apron to the floor, but Shingo avoided it, knocked Cobb off the apron, and came hurtling through the air. You don’t often see a tope con hilo from Shingo Takagi. Shingo tried to follow up with the Noshigami, but Cobb was too heavy, and he picked Shingo up from behind to land a black tiger bomb. Feeling desperate, Shingo immediately fought back with a Death Valley driver, followed by a superplex. He gave a Pumping Bomber with such speed that, despite impacting Jeff, he couldn’t stop and fell out of the ring. He came back in and immediately looked to the leg, taking Cobb off his feet again with a dragonscrew leg whip, and then hoisting him in the air for Made in Japan, which earned a near fall. Shingo came running for another Pumping Bomber, but Cobb pushed him into the ropes, then caught him on the rebound to deliver Tour of the Islands. He was too hurt to go for the pin right away, and when he did, Takagi’s foot found the bottom rope, breaking the pin. He tried to take Shingo for another Tour of the Islands, but was blasted with one more Pumping Bomber! With the Last of the Dragon, Shingo Takagi retains the NEVER Openweight Championship.
SANADA def. EVIL (23:40) SANADA attacked EVIL with an uncharacteristic ferocity at Power Struggle, but on this day, in the Tokyo Dome, EVIL was ready with weapons. He tossed SANADA into the barricade, causing the timekeeper’s table (and the timekeeper) to be knocked over. He set up a table outside the ring and attempted to STO SANADA through it, but it didn’t take. Nevertheless, EVIL maintained control, partly thanks to aid from Dick Togo on the outside. He lifted SANADA to the top, then brought him crashing down with a superplex. EVIL applied a scorpion deathlock, but SANADA achieved a rope break. Despite this, he was too hurt to make a comeback, and EVIL landed Darkness Falls, but SANADA weakly kicked out. As soon as SANADA rose to his feet, EVIL barreled towards him, looking for a lariat, but SANADA pushed EVIL into the exposed turnbuckle that he himself was the cause of. Seeing his advantage slip away, EVIL pushed SANADA into the referee, allowing Dick Togo to make his presence known. The two performed the Magic Killer, and Dick Togo rose to the top turnbuckle for a senton, but SANADA kicked EVIL into the ropes, causing Togo to lose his balance and fall. From there, SANADA mounted his first major comeback, trapping EVIL in the Skull End. He went for a top rope moonsault, and then another, but EVIL lifted his knees on the latter. As EVIL distracted the referee, Dick Togo tried to come in and choke SANADA out, but SANADA freed himself and pushed EVIL into Togo, causing Togo to comically crash through the table that EVIL placed. With Togo out, SANADA hit EVIL with EVIL’s own finish hold, and then landed a top rope moonsault for the pinfall victory. No bloodshed, but victory nonetheless.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi def. Taiji Ishimori (c) (25:31) At this point, Hiromu and Ishimori know what it’s like to fight each other very well, and often had a hard time making their moves work without being countered. Ishimori’s early strategy was to work over Hiromu’s arms, smart considering many of Hiromu’s best moves start with a fireman’s carry hold. His early attempt at the Yes Lock, with which he tapped Hiromu out at Summer Struggle, was thwarted by a rope break. Before Ishimori’s arm work could pay off, Hiromu was on the offensive, delivering multiple death valley bombs into the corner. Having already wrestled against El Phantasmo last night, Hiromu wasn’t as fresh as Ishimori, and he tried to finish the match early with the Time Bomb. Ishimori would slip out of it and land a Canadian Destroyer to stop Hiromu in his tracks. He kept Hiromu on his knees with the hardest elbow strikes that his compact but overdeveloped body could produce. With a La Mistica into the Yes Lock, Ishimori had Hiromu working for every centimeter as he wriggled to the ropes for one more rope break. Hiromu’s Victory Royale granted him a moment of respite, and he then bowled Ishimori over with a lariat, then drove him into the corner that still had no turnbuckle pad from the previous match. The Time Bomb connected, but Ishimori was not out yet! He tried once more for the Yes Lock, but Hiromu lifted him onto his shoulders and finally pinned Ishimori with the Time Bomb II. “Mr. Belt” is back in the possession of Hiromu Takahashi.
IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Kota Ibushi (c) def. Jay White (48:05) It feels like Jay White has been a thorn in Kota Ibushi’s side for years. True, Ibushi defeated him to win his first ever G1 Climax, but he also lost to Jay, and became the first person to ever lose the G1 briefcase. The first ten minutes were almost all Jay, as he grinded Ibushi into the mat with strikes and holds. White cleverly cut off all of Ibushi’s comebacks, sweeping Ibushi’s legs out from under him when he tried for any sort of aerial offense. Gedo called for the Kiwi Crusher, and Jay tried to oblige, but Ibushi fought him off and rallied with a half nelson suplex, followed by the hitodenashi driver. His bicycle knee missed, and Jay was finally able to connect with the Kiwi Crusher for a near fall. He tried for his first Blade Runner, but Ibushi wasn’t having it. Jay tried to roll Ibushi into a pin with his legs elevated on the ropes, but the referee noticed it and refused to count the three. Angered, Ibushi ate Jay White’s elbow strikes and blasted him with kicks, forcing him into the fetal position. He growled for Jay to hit him harder, and would return every strike twice as hard. Ibushi shoved the referee away when they told him to let Ibushi up, but Jay White pounced with a low blow. He took control with repeated German suplexes, and brought Ibushi to the apron. Ibushi rocked him with a high kick and delivered his patented rope-assisted inside to outside German suplex. His first Kamigoye missed, and this gave Jay an opening for him to dump Ibushi on his head with suplexes. He tried again for the Blade Runner, but again Ibushi avoided it, and landed a Kamigoye flush, but Jay kicked out! With no hesitation, Ibushi ascended to the top turnbuckle and delivered a beautiful phoenix splash, but Gedo pulled the referee out of the ring. He tried to hit Ibushi with brass knuckles, but Ibushi caught him and obliterated him with a Kamigoye. Ibushi brought the referee back in, but Jay sprung with a Blade Runner, keeping Ibushi down until just shy of 3. Jay locked in the TTO leglock, but Ibushi crawled with all his might and made it to the ropes. Jay hit a cross-arm Bloody Sunday and tried again for the Blade Runner, and got blasted with a bicycle knee. Jay desperately tried again for the Blade Runner, but Ibushi leveled him with a lariat! He delivered a Kamigoye to the back of Jay’s head, then spun him around for another, and it was all over. Kota Ibushi is still your IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Champion.
Following the ending of the G1 Climax 30 tournament yesterday, NJPW is moving forward with the Power Struggle tour. The live-streamed events for this tour on NJPW World will October 23, November 1, November 2, and the major event to end the tour on November 7th.
It was also announced that the Wrestle Kingdom 15 contract will allow its holder to challenge for both the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at Wrestle Kingdom.
NJPW Power Struggle 2020 Card
New Japan has announced the full card for the upcoming Power Struggle event on November 7th. Six singles matches are signed:
King of Pro-Wrestling 2020 Championship: Toru Yano (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki (c) vs. Shingo Takagi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Great O-Khan
IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match: KENTA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Wrestle Kingdom 15 Contract Match: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Jay White
New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Yota Tsuji def. Gabriel Kidd (6:43) Two of the last three opening singles matches between young lions have ended in time limit draws, including the last one between Tsuji and Kidd. Evidently, the two of them had taken that to heart and didn’t want it to happen again. They spared the audience the formality of grappling at all and went straight to brawling and trying for their finishing holds. After much striking and grunting, Tsuji hit a spear on Kidd and locked in the Boston crab. He leaned back to put even more tension on Kidd’s spine and Kidd had nowhere to go.
A Block: Tomohiro Ishii def. Yujiro Takahashi (15:25) Yujiro attacked Ishii before the bell and spent the opening minutes controlling the match against the Stone Pitbull. After slowing Yujiro’s role with a vertical suplex, he took his shirt off and threw it at the laying Yujiro, which drew applause from the crowd. Ishii threw Yujiro with a German suplex into the turnbuckle pad, then lifted him to the top rope for a superplex and a near fall. Yujiro was hurt, but he managed to reverse Ishii’s powerbomb and hit an Olympic slam for a two-count and the Miami Shine for yet another. Yujiro tried for the Pimp Juice DDT, but Ishii blocked it. Yujiro blocked his multiple attempts at the vertical brainbuster, and managed to hit a brainbuster of his own. Desperate, Yujiro tried to roll Ishii up, but that didn’t work. With a headbutt, a sliding lariat, and the vertical drop brainbuster put Yujiro away. Credit to him for lasting as long as he did, though. Ishii 6 points, Yujiro 0 points
A Block: Kazuchika Okada def. Jeff Cobb (11:03) Okada realized that he would be fighting an uphill battle against the powerhouse Cobb once the opening bell rang. As Cobb was coming off the ropes, Okada tried to jump over him, but Cobb caught him in midair and laid him out with a vertical suplex. Cobb missed a corner splash and Okada used this opportunity to use multiple swinging neckbreakers to ready Cobb for the Money Clip. This was not enough to slow Cobb, though. Okada, a deceptively large man in his own right, experienced being tossed multiple times like an infant. Cobb’s Athletic-Plex and standing moonsault both received close near-falls from the Rainmaker. However, Okada would block Cobb’s try at the Tour of the Islands and hit a standing dropkick and Tombstone piledriver to even the odds. Okada applied the Money Clip, but Cobb was able to get to his feet and hit a standing dropkick of his own! Okada dropeped multiple more attempts at the Tour of the Islands and applied a rana pin for the victory. Okada 8 points, Cobb 4 points
A Block: Will Ospreay def. Minoru Suzuki (14:26) From jump, the wily Suzuki was frequently ready for Ospreay’s moves. On the outside of the ring, Ospreay tried to do a flying forearm off the barricade, but Suzuki caught him in an armbar. Suzuki kept attacking Ospreay’s right arm, and when Ospreay tried to pop up and hit an elbow strike, he recoiled in pain. Not the smartest tool in the shed. Suzuki laid in his chops and had Ospreay bleeding from the chest. A handspring kick and standing shooting star press helped Ospreay gain some breathing room, but another top rope attack led to him being trapped in an armbar yet again. He was able to put his foot on the bottom rope to break the hold, but Suzuki was still in control. He laughed at Ospreay’s feeble strikes, and when Ospreay tried to go to the top rope again, Suzuki caught him, only for an Ospreay headbutt to send him to the mat. Suzuki blocked Ospreay’s attempt at the Stormbreaker, but Ospreay hit a suplex to grant himself some slight reprieve. Suzuki dodged the Hidden Blade and applied a sleeper hold. He tried for the Gotch-style piledriver, but Ospreay got out of it and hit an enzuigiri, followed by the Stormbreaker for the win. Ospreay 8 points, Suzuki 6 points
A Block: Jay White def. Taichi (15:16) Every time Jay tried to leave the ring to troll Taichi, Taichi left the ring too, like a never-ending battle of who could hold out for longer. Eventually, Jay got tired of this, and threw Taichi into the barricade. He brought Taichi back in and focused on attacking Taichi’s back until Taichi retaliated with his powerful kicks. When he missed a kick in the corner, Jay capitalized with a chop block, followed by the Bladebuster. After landing a uranage, Jay attempted the Blade Runner, but Taichi blocked it and hit a backdrop driver at the 10-minute mark. Jay couldn’t land the snap sleeper suplex and Taichi applied the Gedo Clutch, but Gedo himself came in to distract the referee so he couldn’t count the pin. Jay pushed Taichi into the referee, and Gedo tried to interfere, but Taichi kicked him in the crotch. Then he kicked Jay White there too, but he kicked out of the Gedo Clutch at 2. Taichi hit an elevated powerbomb for another near fall, then set up for a thrust kick. As he went for it, Jay caught his leg, then swiftly hit the Blade Runner. Jay 8 points, Taichi 6 points
A Block: Shingo Takagi def. Kota Ibushi (21:56) Ibushi and Shingo have never wrestled in a singles match before, and this match was highly anticipated. These two men are both incredible athletes who can do most anything, but Ibushi has the advantage in speed, Shingo in strength. The winner of this match would be he who could press that advantage greater, and at first it was Shingo. He battered Ibushi with strikes that Ibushi couldn’t match, and Ibushi was confident enough to play Shingo’s game. Finally, Ibushi wised up, and took the advantage using his trademark aerial offense. Shingo would continually cut Ibushi off, though, as his left arm lariat made Ibushi land on the mat head-first, and then he landed the Noshigami for a near fall on last year’s G1 Climax winner. Shingo tried for a German suplex, but Ibushi backflipped out of it and kicked the sitting Shingo right in the back of the head. After Ibushi’s sitout powerbomb achieved a near fall, Shingo would grant himself some space with a death valley driver, then lift Ibushi for the Last of the Dragon. It did not work, but he avoided a kick from Ibushi to land the Made in Japan for a near fall once more. Shingo followed up with two Pumping Bombers, but Ibushi kicked out just in time! Shingo lifted Ibushi to his feet and went for the Last of the Dragon again, but Ibushi shifted his weight to avoid it. A big lariat from Ibushi put Shingo on his back, and a Boma Ye put Shingo down for a two-count. Ibushi tried to finish the match with the Kamigoye, but Shingo grabbed Ibushi’s knee, and lifted him by it into the Last of the Dragon! Shingo 6 points, Ibushi 8 points
G1 Climax 30 Standings
A Block: 8 points – Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Jay White 6 points – Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi 4 points – Jeff Cobb 0 points – Yujiro Takahashi
New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Yuya Uemura def. Gabriel Kidd (7:35) The neck strength fostered at the NJPW Dojo, and likely most of the dojos in Japan, is truly otherworldly. It’s not even the first time they did this in this series of tournament matches, but watching Uemura bridge while an adult man is kneeling on his torso never fails to impress. What also never fails to please is when someone takes the most obvious move possible, to break the hold they’re trapped in, seen in this match when Kidd ended Uemura’s arm wringer with a loud elbow to the face. I enjoy the struggle that young lion matches embody and oftentimes non-young lions focus more on showcasing their repertoire than embodying that struggle. Yuya Uemura won by submission with a high-angle Boston crab.
A Block: Shingo Takagi def. Yujiro Takahashi (13:38) Yujiro was sensible enough to understand that fighting dirty was the only hope he had against a powerhouse like Shingo. He bent the rules in every way possible, between hair pulling, biting, and slamming Shingo’s head into the corner post, and a reverse DDT on the apron for good measure. Eventually, Shingo got frustrated enough to bite Yujiro on the hand the way he did to Shingo earlier. It must hurt being bitten by a dragon. Yujiro pushed Shingo harder than I expected, hitting the Miami Shine and trying to set up for Pimp Juice, but Shingo stopped him. Eventually, Yujiro pushed the referee and tried to hit Shingo with his pimp cane, but Shingo lariated it away. A following Pumping Bomber and Last of the Dragon put Yujiro away in decisive fashion. Shingo 4 points, Yujiro 0 points
A Block: Jeff Cobb def. Jay White (12:24) Taking a lesson from Bullet Club stablemate Yujiro in the previous match, Jay White used underhanded tactics to try and cut Mr. Athletic down to size. At one point, Gedo tried to interfere but Jeff Cobb caught both him and Jay, and delivered a double noggin knocker, something I’m surprised not to see more of in wrestling. Impressively, White was able to lift the rotund Cobb for the Bladebuster, but found himself thoroughly outmatched in a battle of strikes. Jay then transitioned into taking out the big man’s legs with a chop block and a dragonscrew. Cobb fired up and still had enough of a base that he could still try for the Tour of the Islands. Jay blocked it at first, but Gedo came in to distract Cobb and give Jay a moment of reprieve. However, this backfired spectacularly, when Cobb lifted Gedo up, press-slammed him into Jay White, and then hit the Tour of the Islands to pin Jay White. Cobb 4 points, White 6 points
A Block: Kazuchika Okada def. Minoru Suzuki (14:10) Okada tried to grapple with Suzuki only to get summarily stretched, and then rocked when he tried to throw elbows with Suzuki. Okada has come back from behind to defeat Suzuki in the past, but it never seemed quite so one-sided. Okada tried to run off the ropes, but Suzuki caught him in a sleeper hold and went for an early Gotch-style piledriver. Okada blocked it and hit the Reverse Neckbreaker, which was the most relevant moment of offense he had achieved thus far. Still, Suzuki had the mettle to hold his hands behind his back and challenge Okada to hit him hard enough to hurt. Instead, Okada hit a standing dropkick followed by a Tombstone piledriver, then applied his cobra clutch, the Money Clip. Suzuki got to his feet and made it out of the hold. He put on a sleeper hold with bodyscissors, and when Okada managed to stand up out of it, he applied it again, but Okada grabbed Suzuki’s legs and pushed him down into a prawn hold for the pinfall victory. Likely the least earned win Okada has had in this tournament, and has ever had over Suzuki. Okada 6 points, Suzuki 6 points
A Block: Tomohiro Ishii def. Taichi (18:48) Taichi truly has come along way over the last several years. In the early going of this match, Taichi was trading his kicks for Ishii’s forearm strikes and coming out the better man for it. Of course, Ishii did eventually find the werewithal to push through the pain and start laying the boots to Taichi. Perhaps his hubris got the better of him, as he went for an early attempt at the brainbuster, but Taichi blocked it and a cracking head kick put Ishii’s head flat on the mat. Ishii made it back to his feet but Taichi continued to punish him with heavy strikes. Ishii popped up yet again and hit a buckle bomb and a lariat, then endured a buzzsaw kick to the head and continued laying on his strikes. He went for the brainbuster yet again, but Taichi dropped out of it. In a moment of desperation, he pushed the referee at Ishii and kicked Ishii in the groin, but even this could not put Ishii away for a three-count. Ishii stood up and hit a lariat but Taichi kicked out at one, then stood up and dropped Ishii on his head with a backdrop driver! Down but not out, Ishii blocked Taichi’s attempt at Black Mephisto and hit a jumping high kick, followed by a sliding lariat. The vertical drop brainbuster finished Taichi off in emphatic fashion. Ishii 4 points, Taichi 6 points
A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Will Ospreay (15:56) The way Ospreay behaved towards Ibushi as this match began was almost comically condescending. He ruffled Ibushi’s hair with his hand when they were locked up against the ropes, then again with his boot later when Ibushi was on the mat. Ibushi did not take this lightly. When Ospreay did his fakeout Sasuke Special and posed in the ring, Ibushi bolted in and grabbed his arms for a Kamigoye attempt. It did not land, but it’s the thought that counts. Similar to their encounter late last year, Ibushi tried for a top rope Frankensteiner, only for Ospreay to land on his feet out of it, albeit with a bit less balance than last time. He was also getting the better of Ibushi when it came to striking too. Ospreay tried for a Stombreaker early on but couldn’t make it stick, and hit a gnarly sitout powerbomb to put Ibushi down for a two-count. Ospreay set up in the corner for the Hidden Blade, but Ibushi stood up just in time to block it, and hit a powerbomb of his own for a near fall. Feeling the need to end the match quickly, Ospreay went for the Oscutter, but Ibushi hit a jumping knee to hit Ospreay in midair, and then the Kamigoye for an abrupt but utlimately satisfying victory. Ibushi 8 points, Ospreay 6 points
New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Yota Tsuji def. Yuya Uemura Tsuji and Uemura have become very proficient at expressing the power versus technique dynamic. Watching Tsuji definitively overpower Uemura in a test of strength, forcing him into a bridge, but Uemura laying down to slip out of it and make it back onto his feet impressed me. It’s a level of making something simplistic yet satisfying and interesting that young lions usually become very good at before they graduate, thanks to their intentionally limited moveset. After Uemura nearly made it to the ropes to break the Boston crab, Tsuji busted out a giant swing, and reapplied the Boston crab for the victory. Also, it looks like he’s growing his beard back out too, which is nice.
A Block: Minoru Suzuki def. Yujiro Takahashi (7:53) Yujiro showed an uncharacteristic energy, as if he had something to prove to the self-proclaimed King of Pro-Wrestling. The fact that Yujiro was putting up more of a fight than expected enraged Suzuki, and he mercilessly beat Yujiro with a chair, then demanded the audience to applaud for him. Suzuki cranked on Yujiro’s neck with a guillotine choke, but Yujiro was able to lift Suzuki into a Fisherman Buster. Yujiro fired up and yelled like a young lion trying to escape certain defeat as Suzuki pelted him with slaps and elbow strikes. Nevertheless, Suzuki hit the Gotch-style piledriver and it was all over. Suzuki 6 points, Yujiro 0 points
A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Jeff Cobb (10:43) Jeff Cobb’s size and strength was sufficient to intimidate even Ibushi, who was hesitant to engage Cobb in close quarters at first. He tried to stay out of Cobb’s range, hitting sharp leg kicks. This was not enough to deter Cobb, whose surreal agility was on display as he landed a dropkick that Okada would be proud of. As Cobb delivered his arsenal of slams and suplexes, Ibushi needed a reprieve, and hung onto the ropes to catch his breath, but Cobb overpowered his grip and lifted him into the Athletic-Plex. Cobb tried for the Tour of the Islands, but Ibushi slipped out of it and hit a loud jumping knee strike, followed by the Kamigoye for the victory. Ibushi 6 points, Cobb 2 points
A Block: Kazuchika Okada def. Taichi (17:03) El Desperado was a guest commentator for this match, and pulled out a chair when the match began. The referee left the ring to take the chair away from him, but this was merely a distraction, for Taichi had also gotten a chair and was pummeling Okada’s wrapped back with it. Taichi then rained down fast kicks on Okada, but Okada finally retaliated with elbows and uppercuts. He rose to the top rope, looking for a missile dropkick, but Taichi moved out of the way and Okada landed loudly on the mat. Like a shark smelling blood, Taichi hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and applied a half Boston crab while driving his knee into Okada’s back. As Taichi went for a thrust kick, Okada countered it with a dropkick, but Taichi quickly hit a backdrop driver that gave Okada a dazed facial expression. Desperate, Okada used a turning Tombstone piledriver, followed by a short-range lariat. Okada attempted a discus lariat, but Taichi dodged it and his wrist-clutch Axe Bomber achieved another near fall. Okada applied the Money Clip again and Taichi was visibly losing consciousness, so the referee called for the bell. Okada 4 points, Taichi 6 points
A Block: Will Ospreay def. Jay White (18:46) Early on, Jay White was laying into Ospreay with backhand chops, but a single chop from Ospreay put White flat on his back, which was likely a wake-up call for Jay. He did his best to keep Ospreay on the mat, using holds like a half Boston crab to wear him down and stop him from taking advantage of his otherworldly speed. Unfortunately, Ospreay was able to get to his feet, but White intelligently bailed out of the ring and to the corner, avoiding Ospreay’s imminent Sasuke Special. Ospreay was visibly slowed by White’s earlier leg attacks. He could see Ospreay’s springboard forearm coming, and smootly reversed it into the Complete Shot. Ospreay was able to finally catch Jay off guard with a springboard shooting star press, but Jay hung onto his leg when he tried for the Oscutter. Ospreay tried for it again, but it was avoided, and he found himself on the receiving end of a Kiwi Crusher. Jay tried for the Blade Runner, but Ospreay reversed it into a sitout powerbomb, and finally managed to hit the Oscutter. Gedo tried to come in and help Jay, pulling the referee away and trying to hit Ospreay with a pair of brass knuckles, but Ospreay stopped him and dispatched Gedo with a rolling elbow. Jay went for a sleeper suplex while his opponent was occupied, but Ospreay backflipped out of it. He followed up with a rolling elbow, the Hidden Blade, and the Stormbreaker for the victory. Ospreay 6 points, Jay 6 points
A Block: Tomohiro Ishii def. Shingo Takagi (26:01) When two wrestlers like Ishii and Shingo meet in the ring, you know what’s coming. You could probably count the number of moves that were not strikes in this match on two hands. Nevertheless, it always stays compelling, because of the way that they differ. Shingo wrestles Ishii the way he would wrestle an older, more weathered version of himself, peppering his strikes with a certain level of disdain and pity. How could he become weaker than he used to be? But when Ishii, with his flabby midsection and graying stubble starts fighting back, or kicking out, it’s all the more satisfying for it. Ishii kicked out of Shingo’s Made in Japan and Pumping Bomber, and put Shingo on his back with a running lariat of his own. He tried for the vertical drop brainbuster, but Shingo stuffed it and landed a pop-up death valley driver. He kicked out of Ishii’s lariat at a count of one before rising to his feet and collapsing on top of his opponent. Ishii landed a sliding lariat for a near fall and tried again for the brainbuster, but Shingo got out of it and delivered a sliding elbow that made Ishii crumple to the mat, followed by Pumping Bomber that Ishii kicked out of just a split second before 3. Shingo readied the Last of the Dragon, but Ishii dropped down out of it into a DDT! Finally, he hit an enzuigiri followed by the vertical drop brainbuster for the victory! Ishii 2 points, Shingo 2 points
G1 Climax Updated Standings
A Block: 6 points – Taichi, Jay White, Minoru Suzuki, Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay 4 points – Kazuchika Okada 2 points – Jeff Cobb, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii 0 points – Yujiro Takahashi
New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Gabriel Kidd def. Yota Tsuji (7:40) The match began with Gabriel Kidd taking the advantage over Yota Tsuji while mat wrestling, as the commentators speculated that Kidd’s training in Lancashire wrestling would grant him the edge when working on the ground. Yota Tsuji, whose new blown out hair style is reminiscent of Andre the Giant, gained control with his superior power landing a body slam into a running splash. He applied a single-leg Boston crab, but Kidd achieved a rope break. Kidd landed a dropkick and won the match with a double underhook suplex.
A Block: Taichi def. Yujiro Takahashi (11:03) Unfortunately, Yujiro and Taichi’s valets, Pieter and Miho Abe, were absent for this match. As one would expect from a match between two of the dirtiest fighters in NJPW, this match was full of rule-bending. The first move of the match was Yujiro hitting Taichi with his cane, but Taichi would respond with choking Yujiro with a microphone cable and slamming his head into the ring post. Taichi seemed to have the advantage in physical prowess, and he wore Yujiro down with kicks. He yelled at Yujiro, mentioning Tetsuya Naito, likely alluding to how far above Yujiro Naito is now, when years ago they were a tag team. He then hit the Axe Bomber for a near fall. He stood in the corner waiting for Yujiro to rise to his feet, but as he went for the thrust kick, Yujiro caught him and hit the Miami Shine, for another two count. He went to follow up with the Pimp Juice DDT, but Taichi pushed him away, then hit a sneaky low blow and pinned him with the Taichi-style Gedo clutch. Taichi 6 points, Yujiro 0 points.
A Block: Minoru Suzuki def. Jeff Cobb (9:24) Suzuki started by laying on his back and challenging Cobb to grapple with him, a tall order considering Cobb’s Olympic-level ability at freestyle wrestling. And yet, despite Cobb’s physical advantages, Suzuki seemed to be getting the better of him on the mat. Cobb moved to his feet, and from there he used his great strength to throw Suzuki with suplexes. Suzuki made it behind Cobb and applied the sleeper hold, but Cobb threw him off easily when he attempted the Gotch-style piledriver. Cobb continued his series of suplexes and slams, but when he went for the Tour of the Islands, Suzuki caught him in a guillotine choke and forced himself free. He then applied the sleeper hold again and lifted the bulky Cobb up for the Gotch-style piledriver. Suzuki 4 points, Cobb 2 points
A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Tomohiro Ishii (15:41) Ibushi and Ishii went at each other with a great intensity from the getgo, throwing strikes and with Ishii blocking Ibushi’s loud kicks. Ishii backed Ibushi into the corner and egged him on, tanking Ibushi’s elbow strikes. He knocked Ibushi to the ground and landed kicks of his own, but Ibushi rose up and engaged Ishii in a strike battle: his kicks versus Ishii’s backhand chops. Ishii finally started showing pain, taking a knee, but he Isfired up and they traded German suplexes, but a dropkick from Ibushi put them both on their backs. They sat up and exchanged slaps but Ibushi dropped Ishii with a final slap to the chest. Ishii fired back up, but Ibushi just stared blankly at him and then kicked him in the head, then hit an elevated powerbomb for a near fall. Ibushi tried for a Frankensteiner, but Ishii countered it, then Ishii went for the vertical drop brainbuster, but Ibushi countered that too. In a desperation move, Ibushi went for the Kamigoye, but with a headbutt, Ishii had averted it. However, Ibushi hit the Boma Ye for a near fall, followed by another Boma Ye and the Kamigoye for the victory, in a match that was exhausting to watch and keep up with. Ibushi 4 points, Ishii 0 points
A Block: Shingo Takagi def. Will Ospreay (22:03) These two men have only fought in one singles match before, and it was in the final of last year’s Best of the Super Juniors. Ospreay won that match and since then he has grown in mass, but so has his ego. He spoke recently about wanting to beat Shingo in Kobe City, where this event is taking place, because it’s where Dragon Gate, Shingo’s home promotion, is based. These two fought with great intensity, and Ospreay continues to demonstrate that his increased bulk has not come at the cost of his agility, getting the better of Shingo in the early going. Shingo tried to neutralize Ospreay’s speed by applying a Figure Four Leglock, but Ospreay stopped it before it was cinched in, and when Shingo tried for the Noshigami, Ospreay reversed it into a stunner. Ospreay lifted Shingo for the stormbreaker, but instead hung Shingo upside down over the turnbuckle and hit a corner-to-corner dropkick. Ospreay went for the Oscutter, but Shingo countered it into the Noshigami, then hit the Sol del Japon for a near fall. Shingo went to follow up with the Pumping Bomber, but Ospreay moved out of the way and hit a Liger Bomb for a near fall of his own, and then the Oscutter only for Shingo to kick out again! Ospreay went for the Stormbreaker, but Shingo blocked it and lifted Ospreay into the Made in Japan. Ospreay blocked the Last of the Dragon, when Shingo went for another Pumping Bomber Ospreay reversed it into a spanish fly. Ospreay landed a heavy rolling elbow and went for the top rope Oscutter, but Shingo got to him and hit the Stay Dream from the middle rope for the near fall. He hit one last Pumping Bomber and the Last of the Dragon for the victory! Shingo 2 points, Ospreay 4 points
A Block: Jay White def. Kazuchika Okada (18:48) Like the villain he is, Jay White got on the microphone before the match began and chanted for Okada, encouraging the audience to do so as well, except they aren’t allowed to cheer out loud. Gedo was a continual thorn in Okada’s side throughout this match, making minor offences like pulling Okada’s leg from the outside, but running like a coward whenever Okada was perturbed enought to confront him. Jay White was dominating Okada, wearing him down with punches to the lower back, but when Okada went after Gedo again, Jay chased after him. It ended up with Okada planting both Gedo and Jay with a double DDT on the entrance ramp. Okada then put Gedo’s bucket hat on, which made the audience laugh. In the ring, Okada tried for the reverse neckbreaker, but his back was in too much pain, and he crumpled to his knees when he tried to lift Jay onto his back. Okada irish whipped Jay into the ropes and followed up with the dropkick, but Jay hung onto the ropes and Okada just landed on his back. Gedo yelled for Jay to do the Rainmaker, but Okada countered Jay’s Rainmaker into the tombstone Piledriver, then applied Money Clip. Jay was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold, however. Okada hit a rolling lariat and applied the Money Clip again, but Gedo distracted the referee and Jay broke the hold with a low blow. Jay went for the Blade Runner, but Okada blocked it applied the Money Clip again from a standing position. Still in the hold, Jay hit the SSS suplex and the Blade Runner for the victory, which made the crowd react in shock. Jay 6 points, Okada 2 points
Jay White got on the microphone and thanked Okada for wrestling him when two years ago, almost on the same day of the year, Gedo turned on Okada and teamed up with Jay. He said that he is the present and the future, and that Okada is history.
Standings
A Block: 6 points – Taichi, Jay White 4 points – Will Ospreay, Minoru Suzuki, Kota Ibushi 2 points – Kazuchika Okada, Jeff Cobb, Shingo Takagi 0 points – Tomohiro Ishii, Yujiro Takahashi
A Block: Taichi def. Minoru Suzuki (12:11, Pinfall, Black Mephisto)
A Block: Will Ospreay def. Tomohiro Ishii (18:20, Pinfall, Stormbreaker)
A Block: Jay White def. Kota Ibushi (20:28, Pinfall, Blade Runner)
Standings
A Block 4 points – Will Ospreay, Taichi, Jay White 2 points – Jeff Cobb, Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, Kota Ibushi 0 points – Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, Yujiro Takahashi
New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Start Times (September 19, 2020): 1AM Pacific, 4AM Eastern, 9AM UK, 5PM Japan, 6PM East Australia
G1 Climax 30 Day 1 Results
Yuya Uemura def. Yota Tsuji (6:57) Yota Tsuji has shaved his goatee off since his last match, and I’m personally not a fan of the clean-shaven look. These two are going to be wrestling a lot over the course of the tournament. Every date, except perhaps the last, will start with a singles match involving a combination of Uemura, Tsuji, and Gabriel Kidd, so it will be enlightening to see if anyone gets an edge against each other. These two in the ring has demonstrated the dynamic between them after their years as young lions: Tsuji being the harder hitter while Uemura has more finesse and is more easy to root for. Uemura hit a beautiful dropkick and submitted Tsuji with a high-angle Boston crab for the victory.
A Block: Will Ospreay def. Yujiro Takahashi (7:34) Will Ospreay is back in Japan, and he got a great reception from the crowd. He has gained significant muscle mass over the last half year, and his billed weight has increased to 105 kilograms. Nevertheless, he seems not to have been slowed down too much by the weight gain, still flying through the air with ease. Yujiro tried to slow him down whenever possible, but Ospreay had too much energy and power for him. Ospreay hit the Stormbreaker for the not that hard-fought pinfall victory. Afterwards, he got on the microphone and talked about how he has nothing to fear because he is Will Ospreay. Not just his body, his head has clearly gotten bigger as well. Ospreay 2 points, Yujiro 0 points
A Block: Taichi def. Jeff Cobb (12:47) Jeff Cobb seems to have acquired the goatee that Yota Tsuji removed, and it looks good on him. Rumor has it that he is now a contracted NJPW full-time wrestler, so he has a lot to prove. Unfortunately, Miho Abe will be absent for all of Taichi’s matches in the G1. Taichi did not want to fight Cobb head-on, and Cobb had to chase him around the ring until Taichi hit him with the bell hammer, which he had stealthily stolen. Now in control, Taichi tried to immobilize Cobb through attacking his legs, but Cobb would rise to his feet and dominate Taichi with his powerful throws. Taichi retaliated with beautiful leg kicks and slowed Cobb’s pace to a crawl, flooring him with a jumping high kick. Cobb tried to pick Taichi up for the Tour of the Islands, but Taichi slipped out of it and delivered a backdrop driver as the crowd swelled with applause. He finally was able to lift Jeff Cobb for the Black Mephisto and make it on the G1 board. Taichi 2 points, Cobb 0 points
A Block: Minoru Suzuki def. Tomohiro Ishii (13:00) Neither Ishii nor Suzuki brought the belts they possess to the ring, which is irrationally upsetting to me. Nevertheless, these two men started as we knew they would, at each other’s throats and just slapping, punching, and mouthing off to each other without a care in the world. They both made early attempts at their match-ending moves, but these were in vain. The really loud elbow strikes they threw resounded especially in the building where the crowds can only clap, not cheer loudly. Suzuki took the edge in the battle of strikes, and Ishii crumpled to the ground, but not for long. He rose up and continued taking the fight to Suzuki. They traded headbutts before Ishii lifted Suzuki and hit a reverse piledriver! In a last-ditch effort, Suzuki hit a fast Gotch-style piledriver for the win! Suzuki 2 points, Ishii 0 points
A Block: Jay White def. Shingo Takagi (19:28) Since we’re talking about facial hair so far on this show, Jay White still has the disgusting-looking goatee, and it suits him. As the match began, Jay White continued to stall for time, but when he finally did get in the ring to fight, Gedo helped him intermittently, such as by holding Shingo’s leg to give Jay an opening. Shingo tried for the Noshigami, but Jay blocked it and dropped Shingo on his back with repeated suplexes. Shingo tried to run to the ropes for a lariat, but Jay hit the Complete Shot to slow his roll once again, which was the theme of this whole match: Jay continuing to cut Shingo off whenever he mounted a comeback. Jay attempted the Blade Runner, but Shingo reversed it and hit the Made in Japan for a near fall. Shingo lifted Jay for the Last of the Dragon, but Jay grabbed the referee so Shingo would lose his balance. Fed up, Shingo hit the Pumping Bomber and the Last of the Dragon again, but while Jay was on Shingo’s shoulders, he kicked the referee so there was no one to count the pinfall. With the referee down, Jay hit a low blow followed by the Blade Runner when the refeee made it back in the ring. Jay 2 points, Shingo 0 points
A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Kazuchika Okada (21:35) Ibushi and Okada were tentative to confront each other, despite the fact that if they were to last as long against each other as they did in their Wrestle Kingdom match this year, this bout would end in a time limit draw. Okada’s victory eight months ago seemed to make him not take Ibushi too seriously, as even when he gained an advantage, he would clap and stomp to rile up the crowd instead of putting the pressure on Ibushi. Okada applied the Money Clip, which is the name for the cobra clutch that he’s been using ever NJPW resumed, but Ibushi got his foot on the bottom rope to break the hold. Okada pulled Ibushi outside the ring and tried to hit the tombstone piledriver on the floor, but Ibushi got out of it, and then hit an asai moonsault to Okada on the outside. Okada and Ibushi fought over another piledriver in the ring, but Okada was finally able to hit the tombstone. Okada let Ibushi get to his knees and challenged him to hit him, but Ibushi got to his feet and kicked the kneeling Okada in the head. Ibushi tried to follow up, but Okada caught him and hit a spinning tombstone piledriver, than applied the Money Clip again, but Ibushi was able to get Okada off him. Okada grabbed Ibushi’s hands like he was going for the Kamigoye himself, but Ibushi lifted him into a sitout powerbomb, and then hit the Kamigoye for the three count! Ibushi 2 points, Okada 0 points
New Japan Pro-Wrestling returns to Meiji Jingu Stadium for their first outdoor wrestling event in 21 years, as the Summer Struggle 2020 tour comes to a head.
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Live English and Japanese commentary available. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Start Times (August 29, 2020): 1AM Pacific, 4AM Eastern, 9AM UK, 5PM Japan, 6PM East Australia
NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu Results
Yoshinobu Kanemaru def. Master Wato (7:31) The atmosphere of an outdoor show in daylight, albeit the sun beginning to set, was enjoyable and novel for me. Kanemaru dominated the match early, using strikes and holds to wear down his more energetic opponent, for whom this is only his second match since returning in early July. Wato took control with a dropkick to the outside and a plancha. His ability was never in question, just this persona and look of his was the subject of criticism and some humor. Kanemaru pushed Wato into the referee and tried to spit whiskey in his face, but Wato kicked the bottle out of his hand before he could. Wato was on the verge of winning, about to set up his corkscrew senton, but Kanemaru grabbed his legs and rolled him into a flash pin for the three count.
KOPW 2020 Final Four Way Match: Toru Yano def. Kazuchika Okada, SANADA, El Desperado (7:01) Toru Yano was visibly distraught by the smoke machines as he made his entrance. I’ve never seen a four way match involving heavyweights in my time watching NJPW, but this brought something novel and interesting. Wrestlers from different factions working together to break up other wrestlers’ pinfalls, and wrestlers from the same faction working together, and then turning on each other when one went for the pinfall. Okada and Yano engaged in the latter, and it was sufficiently amusing. SANADA caught Okada in the skull end, but El Desperado broke it up with a top rope splash. Okada caught Desperado with the cobra clutch, but Toru Yano snuck up on Okada from behind, hit him with a blow blow, then rolled him up for the victory! Toru Yano is the provisional KOPW 2020 Champion.
The KOPW 2020 trophy is amusingly small.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki def. Shingo Takagi (c) (14:56) People have been looking forward to seeing Shingo and Suzuki in a straight up fight, but it was not before long that Suzuki’s cunning was on display, as he bullied Shingo around the outside of the ring, slamming him into barricades. As the match returned to between the ropes, Shingo fired back up with his powerful strikes and throws. Perhaps Suzuki had the advantage in pain tolerance too, as he ate Suzuki’s strikes and came up laughing. From there, Suzuki fought back with headbutts, and put Shingo in the sleeper hold. He looked for the Gotch piledriver again, but Shingo slipped out of it, and came off the ropes looking for the Pumping Bomber, but Minoru Suzuki slowed his roll with a dropkick. The two of them continued to exchange strikes and headbutts, which resounded loudly even in the open air stadium. After a particularly blunt sounding elbow strike, Suzuki applied the sleeper hold again and hit the Gotch-style piledriver for the 3 count! Minoru Suzuki is now a two-time NEVER Openweight Champion!
SUMMER STRUGGLE in JINGU NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH@suzuki_D_minoru 'Headbutt'
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori def. Hiromu Takahashi (c) (13:30) This match had a thunderous start, as Hiromu and Ishimori came at each other with all the energy they had, moving fast enough that neither of them could catch each other. But something had to give, and Ishimori was able to throw himself into a La Mistica, putting pressure down on Hiromu’s left shoulder, which is in poor shape as a result of Ishimori’s attacks on it in recent weeks. Hiromu tried to fight back by hitting the sunset flip powerbomb with his opponent on the apron, but Ishimori backflipped out of it and continued to press the advantage. Frustrated, Hiromu ripped all the supportive tape all his shoulder. He tried to throw a running Ishimori into the turnbuckle pad, but Ishimori was able to catch himself, only to fail to do so after Hiromu tried it again. The two madmen traded German suplexes, and Hiromu floored him with a lariat and the Dynamite Plunger. Hiromu kept the pressure on, but Ishimori granted himself a few moments of rest when he hit the Cipher Uteki. He hit the La Mistica again into the Yes Lock, but Hiromu was able to get a free hand on the ropes to break the hold. Ishimori set up the Bloody Cross, but Hiromu got out of it, only for Ishimori to put him down again with a lariat. He tried the Bloody Cross again, but Hiromu stopped the lift, then brought Ishimori to his shoulders and hit a death valley bomb into the turnbuckle pad. He hit the Time Bomb, but Ishimori kicked out at two! He tried for the Time Bomb II, but Ishimori blocked it and hit a move I’ve never seen before, the reverse Bloody Cross. He applied the Yes Lock again and Hiromu submitted! Taiji Ishimori is now a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
SUMMER STRUGGLE in JINGU IWGP Jr. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH@taiji_ishimori 'Corbata Armbreaker'
IWGP Tag Team Championship: Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) (c) def. Golden Ace (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi) (16:01) As the sky turned dark, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi entered to new mashup entrance music.These two teams, some of the most high-profile to fight for the IWGP Tag Team Championships in recent memory, have been at each other’s throats ever since NJPW began having shows again in June. As such, they know what to expect of each other more than ever. Furthermore, the dynamic between Golden Ace has been brought into question; Ibushi questioned his faith in Tanahashi as a partner after he took the losing fall at Dominion, but they have since reassured the public that they are fine. As Ibushi and Taichi were about to begin, Tanahashi called out that Zack was sneaking up behind Ibushi. Dangerous Tekkers focused their double team offense on Tanahashi, meaning perhaps they thought he was the weak link of the team as well. Ibushi ran wild after getting tagged in, hitting a running shooting star press on a prone Taichi. Ibushi and Taichi engaged each other in a battle of kicks under the lights. After Ibushi hit a brutal high kick, he tagged in Tanahashi, who delivered repeated dragonscrew leg whips to Zack Sabre Jr, and then to Taichi, with the aid of Ibushi. Zack slowed Tanahashi’s roll with the Jim Breaks Armbar, but was interrputed by Taichi, who had pulled out the Iron Finger from Hell. Ibushi kicked him in the face nonchalantly and continued on. Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow on Zack Sabre Jr., and climbed to the top rope for another, but Zack moved out of the way. From that point, Taichi ran in, and they together hit the Zack Mephisto on Tanahashi for the pinfall victory. Dangerous Tekkers retain the IWGP Tag Team Championships. Kota Ibushi looked absolutely distraught, and perhaps disappointed yet again.
IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championship: EVIL (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito (26:20) EVIL had a very cool entrance, emerging from the dugout in pitch-blackness, with the stadium lights turned off, as if entering from “The Darkness World” if you will. EVIL controlled the match early on, as well-timed help from Dick Togo enabled him to take advantage of the leader of the unit he used to be a part of. Naito came back multiple times, but Dick Togo was continually a thorn in his side. It’s unknown whether Naito, like Hiromu, has insisted to the rest of LIJ that he fight his own battle regardless of the circumstances, but he could really use their help in these circumstances. Naito’s comebacks continued to garner thunderous applause, and he looked to be making the most progress yet before EVIL pushed the referee into an exposed turnbuckle, and Dick Togo came in again to attack Naito. He and EVIL hit the Magic Killer on Naito, prompting heavy boos. BUSHI ran in and fought off the two of them, but Gedo was also there to take out BUSHI. EVIL brandished a chair as Naito rose to his feet, but Naito kicked it away before Dick Togo came in and choked him with a wire. SANADA ran in and he and BUSHI fought off everyone, hitting simultaneous planchas on Togo and Gedo. EVIL and Naito rose to their feet, and Naito hit the running Destino for a near fall. Naito hit the Destino again, but EVIL blocked it and hitting a mule kick. EVIL went for his self-named finish, but Naito managed to block it. EVIL tried to hit Naito in the groin again, but Naito blocked his hand and slapped him in the face before hitting the Valentia. Finally, he hit the Destino for the three count. Tetsuya Naito is IWGP Heavyweight Champion and IWGP Intercontinental Champion again!
As he always does after winning in a main event, Tetsuya Naito performed the roll call of Los Ingobernables de Japon, emphasizing not mentioning EVIL. A firework display began, and Naito posed under the dazzling night sky.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced that, following EVIL’s defection to Bullet Club from Los Ingobernables de Japon, the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship has been vacated. It was previously held by EVIL, BUSHI, and Shingo Takagi. Their reign lasted 206 days with 2 successful defenses.
To determine new champions, NJPW will hold a single-elimination tournament with eight teams during next week’s events as part of the Summer Struggle tour. The tournament is scheduled as follows:
New NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions will be determined next week!
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.
For the first time in 21 years, open air action in the legendary Jingu Stadium!
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.
Following the events of yesterday’s Dominion 2020 event, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced cards for their upcoming events, New Japan Road on July 20th and Sengoku Lord in Nagoya on July 25th.
New Japan Road (July 20, 2020)
TenKoji (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura
Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Ryusuke Taguchi & Gabriel Kidd vs. CHAOS (SHO, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) vs. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & DOUKI)
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto) vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo)
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata & Master Wato vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI) vs. Bullet Club (EVIL, Dick Togo & Taiji Ishimori)
Sengoku Lord 2020 in Nagoya (July 25, 2020)
Yuya Uemura vs. Taiji Ishimori
Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Yota Tsuji & Gabriel Kidd
CHAOS (SHO, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI)
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.
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.
Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling will hold the eighth 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 the two semifinal matches.
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 8 Results
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Taichi) def.Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata & Gabriel Kidd As expected, the main theme of the match was continuing the heated rivalries forged during the New Japan Cup, namely Minoru Suzuki with Yuji Nagata and the Golden Aces against Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi. I wouldn’t be surprised if both of said rivalries culminate at Dominion. In addition, Gabriel Kidd’s gumption was on display, as he stepped right up to Minoru Suzuki, only for Suzuki to eat his elbow strikes and drop him with one slap. In the end, El Desperado finished Kidd off with a punch to the face and the Pinche Loco. The fighting continued after the match, and the Dangerous Tekkers threw the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Tanahashi and Ibushi as Zack exclaimed “We’ll make those belts worth something!” Ibushi chased them backstage in a fit of rage.
CHAOS (SHO, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) If there had to be one wrestler who was the focus of this match, it was undoubtedly SHO. He came out like a house of fire against every member of LIJ to prove what he had to offer. When Shingo Takagi and SHO fought last year, it seemed like SHO was always on the back foot, that Shingo was never in danger of losing. After beating Shingo in the first round of the tournament and his performance in this match, he now feels like Takagi’s equal and I can think of no greater praise than that. SHO pinned BUSHI with the Shock Arrow. Afterwards, Shingo brandished his two championships at SHO, asking which one he wanted. SHO pulled the NEVER Openweight Championship, making his intentions clear. Shingo attempted to hit SHO with said Championship, but SHO dodged it and hit an impactful spear to state his case. Expect that match to take place at Dominion as well.
Prior to the cleaning and disinfection intermission, a new vignette played involving the new wrestler coming to NJPW who has been referred to as “The Grandmaster.” It revealed that this was Hirai Kawato, who was returning from his learning excursion in Mexico. His gimmick appears to be something of a martial artist, and his new name is “Master Wato.” Personally, I think it looks too goofy and it’s hard to take seriously. It turned out that he was in the building and made his entrance to speak a few words in the ring. As he posed, DOUKI came out of nowhere and attacked him, and Wato needed to be helped to the back after the assault. Perhaps DOUKI will be Master Wato’s first obstacle to overcome.
Semifinal Match: EVIL def. SANADA (20:13) The match began at a tempered pace, as the teammates gingerly approached each other. Their level of trust has been a recurring theme in their matches together, and EVIL has won his matches so far in the tournament in less than sportsmanlike ways. The question was whether or not EVIL would fight fairly and honorably in this match. As you would guess from his name, of course not. SANADA offered a handshake and EVIL accepted it only to go for his EVIL finish right away, but SANADA had it scouted. As the match progressed, EVIL seemed to have the advantage most of the way through. Shortly after the ten minute mark, he hit the Darkness Falls for a near fall. Not out yet, SANADA wrenched on the Skull End, but EVIL flipped backwards over him to get out of the hold and then floored him with an evil lariat. SANADA fired back up with a cutter from the top rope, but appeared to land on his own head and it looked bad. As EVIL looked to capitalize on the mistake, SANADA rolled him into the Skull End again, but stood up to go for a top rope moonsault but EVIL blocked it with his knees. EVIL pushed SANADA into the referee and hit a low blow, then hit him in the face with a steel chair. With the referee still down, EVIL stomped on SANADA’s groin. He then pushed the referee into the ring, hit the EVIL and won. EVIL advances to the New Japan Cup Final.
Semifinal Match: Kazuchika Okada def. Hiromu Takahashi (27:00) Hiromu looked excited to wrestle against Okada, while Okada didn’t have any particular expression about him. Hiromu took control of the early going, hitting Okada with rapid and high-powered offense and using his speed advantage on the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Okada had 20 kilograms on Hiromu but that extra weight was costing him. Okada hitting a flapjack and a shotgun dropkick to even out the momentum of the match. Okada continued with a top rope dropkick, sending Hiromu flying across the ring, and now seemed firmly in control. Okada went to the top rope, but Hiromu dropkicked off of it, and then sunset flip powerbombed Okada to the floor. He followed up with the Dynamite Plunger, but Okada managed a standing dropkick to end his momentum. Okada hit the Tombstone piledriver and the Cobra clutch, but Hiromu struggled to his feet, picked Okada up, and gave him a death valley bomb in the corner turnbuckle pad. Hiromu hit Okada with a rainmaker of his own and the Time Bomb, but Okada kicked out just before the three count. Hiromu went for the Time Bomb II, but Okada wiggled out of it and hit a spinning Tombstone piledriver and a discus Rainmaker. Finally, he hit a wrist-clutch Rainmaker and applied the Cobra clutch again. Hiromu was unresponsive, and the referee called the match for Okada. Kazuchika Okada advances to face EVIL in the New Japan Cup Final.
