#IWGP League

[droptoeholdyourhorses]

The Best Friends Deserve Bester

Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta have been teaming together as The Best Friends since August 2013. In January 2014, they won PWG's Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament, becoming number one contenders to the PWG World Tag Team Championship. They lost their subsequent challenge against The Young Bucks at Mystery Vortex II. The only other time Chuck and Trent have competed for those titles was at 2019's Hand of Doom where they lost to The Rascalz. What that means is that out of seven teams who won the PWG DDT4 between 2007 and 2015, The Best Friends are the only ones to have never held the PWG World Tag Team Championship.

Alright, well maybe they had better luck in NJPW. Trent's a four-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with Rocky Romero. If Roppongi Vice can succeed, then I'm sure The Best Friends can... come fourth in the B Block in the 2017 World Tag League and finish eighth overall in the 2018 League.

No, that make sense. Best Friends as a team have always been predominantly American based. What about their ROH run in 2017? I know they had a few title matches there.

Loss vs. The Young Bucks in ROH World Tag Team Championship tornado three way match at Best in the World 2017 (also featured War Machine)

Loss vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks in ROH Six Man Tag Team Championship match at Global Wars 2017 Day 3 (teamed with Flip Gordon)

Loss vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks in ROH Six Man Tag Team Championship match on ROH Wrestling Episode #326 (teamed with Rocky Romero)

Loss vs. Motor City Machine Guns in ROH World Tag Team Championship match at Final Battle 2017

Ok, enough messing around. Let's get into the AEW run. Orange Cassidy has done a great job as International Champion. Kris Statlander is enjoying a good reign as TBS Champion. How have Chuck and Trent done?

Win vs. SCU and Private Party at Fyter Fest 2019 to advance to All Out for an opportunity at a first round bye in the AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament (good start)

Loss vs. Dark Order at All Out 2019 (who needs a first round bye anyway?)

Loss vs. SCU in first round of AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament (ah, that bye would have been handy)

Loss vs. Kenny Omega & Adam Page in a Number One Contender's Fatal Four Way (also featured The Young Bucks and Proud & Powerful) (got four-and-a-half stars from Dave Meltzer)

Loss to The Young Bucks in a Number One Contender's Battle Royal (not gonna list all the other teams)

Win vs. Private Party in a Number One Contender's match at Double Or Nothing 2020 (that's more like it)

Win vs. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara to remain number one contenders (yes, go on lads!)

Loss vs. Kenny Omega & Adam Page in AEW World Tag Team Championship match on Dynamite: Fyter Fest 2020 Day 1 (ah, damn it)

Loss to FTR in Number One Contender's Gauntlet match (again, not gonna list all the other teams)

Win vs. Proud & Powerful in a Parking Lot Fight (FIVE STARS BAYBEE!)

Loss to reDRagon in a Number One Contender's Battle Royal (AEW love them some battle royals)

Loss to The Young Bucks in a Number One Contender's Casino Tag Team Royale (this was literally the week after the previous battle royal)

Win w/Orange Cassidy vs. The Trustbusters in first round of AEW Trios Championship tournament (ooo, promising)

Loss w/Orange Cassidy vs. Adam Page & Dark Order in semi-final of AEW Trios Championship tournament (never mind, I guess)

Loss w/Orange Cassidy vs. Death Triangle for vacant AEW Trios Championship (can't tell me they shouldn't have won this one given PAC was already All-Atlantic Champion at the time)

Loss w/Orange Cassidy vs. Death Triangle in AEW Trios Championship match (one day lads, one day)

Loss w/Orange Cassidy to AR Fox & Top Flight in $300,000 Three Kings Christmas Casino Trios Battle Royal (we're really taking the piss now with these battle royals)

Loss to Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett in Revolution Tag Team Battle Royal (they were literally the runners up in this one, come on)

Loss w/Orange Cassidy vs. House of Black in AEW Trios Championship match (stop teasing me)

Loss vs. Aussie Open in IWGP Tag Team Championship match (they could have had a Japan run after all)

Loss w/Bandido vs. House of Black in AEW Trios Championship match (Bandido's cool but surely it's gotta be Orange for the eventual trios run)

Loss vs. Aussie Open in ROH World Tag Team Championship Fatal Four Way at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2023 (also featured Lucha Bros and The Kingdom) (another big win coming any day now)

Loss vs. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli in Parking Lot Brawl (four-and-a-half stars for the Parking Lot sequel)

Win w/Orange Cassidy, Eddie Kingston & Penta vs. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and Proud & Powerful in Stadium Stampede at All In 2023 (the biggest of big wins, another four-and-a-half stars)

Loss to Dark Order in ROH Number One Contender's Battle Royal (great way to follow up that momentum after All In)

Loss to The Righteous in ROH Number One Contender's Fatal Four Way (also featured The Hardys and The Kingdom) (again, great follow up)

Obviously there's been more matches in between the ones I highlighted. The Best Friends have had some good moments here and there but overall, it feels like there's been missed opportunities. No follow up after the initial Parking Lot Brawl. No Trios Championship run. Lost in the shuffle again following All In.

The Best Friends deserve bester.

[thistledropkick]

I have some stuff to say about this year's BOSJ and how it's different from previous years, and some related controversy going on right now about which match should be the main event for Dominion. I'm gonna ramble so I'll put it behind a cut.

For a very long time, the BOSJ got its own show for the tournament finals, with the BOSJ finals match as the main event. (The only recent exception was in 2020, when disruptions to the schedule meant that Tag League got folded into the BOSJ tour, but even then the BOSJ finals were the biggest focus and the main event.)

For fans of the juniors division, this is pretty important. The junior heavyweights don't often get to main event a big show. And the heavyweights get two singles tournaments a year, but the junior heavyweights only get this one.

This year, for whatever reason, NJPW has decided to hold the BOSJ tournament finals not at its own dedicated event, but at the Dominion show. The Dominion show already has an IWGP World title defense announced for the card. IWGP World title defenses are almost always the main event of every show by default. That title defense is Evil vs Moxley.

I think people would've been pretty upset about the heavyweights stealing the junior heavyweight's one chance per year to be guaranteed a main event spot at a big show regardless, but both Evil and Moxley have a significant number of people who are unhappy with them for various reasons, so that isn't helping the situation.

A rather small twitter account held poll with a rather small sample size

"6/9 Osakajo Hall Show Which is suitable for the main event?"

The BOSJ tournament finals match has 80.2%, the IWGP World Heavyweight match (Moxley vs Evil) has 14.9%, and the remaining 4.9% is "show me the results"

It's a pretty overwhelming result, especially since the BOSJ finals aren't even remotely decided yet, but it's still a pretty small sample size. So I wouldn't mention it, except that the president of New Japan's parent company Bushiroad QRTed it, adding essentially that they must take these results very seriously.

Then a while later he tweeted this formal and customer-service-type tweet saying that they've recently gotten a lot of feedback from the fans about New Japan Pro Wrestling, apologizing, and essentially asking people for patience.

It's vague enough that I have no idea what it's even specifically about, and I absolutely don't want to try to speak for any group of fans. But I think it does reflect on a general unhappiness about how things have been recently, for many reasons.

Anyway I hope at least this means that the BOSJ finals will be the main event for this show, because the division gets pushed aside enough as it is.

[wrestlingisfake]

Power Struggle preview

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi - Sabre is defending the IWGP world heavyweight title. Shingo is the NEVER champion, but his title is not at stake. This is presumably the final world title bout of the year, so whoever leaves with the belt tonight will likely go on to defend it in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4.

Right after Sabre won the title on October 14, Takagi, SANADA, and Shota Umino all challenged him for the gold. Sanada got the first title shot on October 20. New Japan also booked this match and Sanada vs. Umino for this show, with the idea that we wouldn't know which would be a title bout and which would be a consolation match until after the 20th.

In singles matches, the champion is 3-2 against the challenger. Takagi's most recent win over Sabre was in their block match in this year's G1 Climax, but Zack got his win back in the block final. Shingo's argument is that we need a rubber match, and I'm not complaining. But I find it interesting that Sabre's only unavenged loss in the G1 was against Shota Umino, and they've gone out of their way to avoid running it back.

I like Shingo and I think he didn't get enough out of his world title run. But let's face it, this match is a formality. Sabre is clearly headed to the Tokyo Dome, and it's just a question of who will be waiting for him when he gets there. I'm hoping that question is answered tonight. If it's a big surprise from out of left field, that'll be super cool and fun. If Umino steps up to challenge Zack, well...uh...

David Finlay vs. Taichi - Finlay's IWGP global title is at stake.

Coming out of the G1, Finlay was challenged by YOSHI-HASHI (age 42), and I figured that was okay as a placeholder until a more substantial contender emerged. Then they immediately went to Finlay vs. Hirooki Goto (45) and made the whole story about how he's an aging never-was. As soon as the match ended I was like "okay, let's get someone under 40 out here, please." So naturally Finlay calls out Yuya Uemura (29, sidelined with a torn triceps) to troll us, and then here comes Taichi (44) to remind me that New Japan has an endless supply of middle-aged men who don't stand a chance against Finlay. I mean, who's next, Tomoaki Honma?

I don't mean to be hard on Taichi. OK, I was pretty hard on Taichi for a long time, but I warmed up to him over the past few years. In 2022 I might have said he's a step up from fighting Yoshi and Goto. In 2024, though, he's hardly been around, except to fail to qualify for the G1. He's ice cold, and the idea that he's making a big challenge to prove he can hang with the top guys would work better if they hadn't just done the exact same thing with Yoshi and Goto. That might work if he could win the title, but that's just not gonna happen. Finlay retains, and I suppose he'll pick a fight with Tiger Mask.

DOUKI vs. Master Wato - Wato returned from a knee injury on October 14 and challenged Douki for the IWGP junior heavyweight title. When Wato returned from excursion in 2020, Douki was positioned as a major rival for him, mainly because at the time Douki was a total jobber and Wato struggled to get a win over anyone else. Now Douki is on top of the division, and Wato has a 3-1 singles record over the champion.

In the US a guy returning from injury almost always wins his first big singles match, but in New Japan they often do a loss, to make ring rust feel like a serious factor. I don't expect a title change, but I'll be happy if Wato doesn't look like an undercard geek.

Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita vs. TJP & Francesco Akira - This is the final match of the Super Jr. Tag League tournament. The team that wins the tournament typically issues a challenge to the IWGP junior tag team champions for Wrestle Kingdom.

Eagles and Fujita, the Ichiban Sweet Boys, won A Block with four wins and one loss. Catch 2/2 (TJP & Akira) finished 3-3 in B Block, breaking a three-way tie for first place with wins over Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X and the junior tag champions, Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA.

I could see either team going to the Tokyo Dome, so this is tough to pick. But I guess I'll give the nod to Eagles and Fujita, since they haven't spent near as much time in the junior tag title picture, and I'd like to see a fresh team chase the gold.

Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls vs. Great-O-Khan & HENARE - Haste & Nicholls are defending the IWGP heavyweight tag team title. The STRONG tag title is not at stake, since Haste and Nicholls are defending that on November 8. Henare is coming off of losing the NEVER singles title. The big story with O-Khan is that he'll be defending the KOPW belt in an intergender match against Suzu Suzuki on November 17.

Whoever wins this match will probably hold the IWGP tag belts going into the World Tag League tournament (Nov. 19-Dec. 8), which will decide the next challengers. My preference would be for Haste and Nicholls to hold the gold all the way to January 4, at least. But Khan and Henare aren't really going anywhere as singles, so giving them a run as a strong tag team wouldn't be a bad thing. Of course, I don't expect it to happen, so I pick the champs to retain.

SANADA vs. Shota Umino - If Sanada had won the world title on October 20, this match would have been his first defense. As it is, though, it's a consolation match between the two guys on the short end of last month's four-way situation. Of those four, Umino has singles wins over both Zack Sabre and Shingo Takagi, but he's 0-2 against Sanada, so you can argue he needs this win before he can challenge the winner of tonight's main event.

The big story of this match will be Umino's relationship with the crowd. He's always been booked as a white-meat babyface, and I hadn't noticed any problems with that until 10/14, when he asked for a title shot and Ryogoku mercilessly booed him. Things weren't much better on 10/20, although beating Callum Newman in London was naturally going to draw a heel reaction. But now Shota is heading into Osaka, a notorious heel town, and there's already momentum for rejecting a big push for him. This could be a tough night for the kid.

Honestly, if the domestic audience turns on Umino, a heel turn wouldn't be the worst thing for his character development, and New Japan should probably embrace the opportunity. The problem is that New Japan likes to plan things out far in advance, so if they've committed to "Shota Umino headlines the Tokyo Dome and is the top babyface throughout 2025," then it won't be easy for the crowd to change their minds. One way or another, I expect Shota to pick up the win here, and to call out the champion at the end of the show.

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Oleg Boltin vs. EVIL & Ren Narita - Tana was originally supposed to team with El Phantasmo, but he's been pulled out due to cancer treatment. That sounds pretty scary, but ELP seems pretty upbeat about it, so I'm hoping he knows some good news that I don't. Tana vs. Evil has already been signed for January 4, so this is a preview of that. I assumed this match would also set up Phantasmo to challenge Narita for the television title, but I guess that's off the table. Maybe Boltin can get a title shot instead? Maybe someone else will? Who knows. I'm kinda thinking Evil and Narita will win to get heel heat.

Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji & Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Dia - This is just a filler match, mostly to get Naito's team on the card. Hiromu, Bushi, Taguchi, and Dia were all participants in Super Jr. Tag League. Yano and Honma are little more than enhancement talent these days. Naito was world champion up until three weeks ago, and Tsuji will probably be in that spot before too long. So this is kind of the "atom bomb vs. coughing baby" of New Japan filler tag matches. Honma will probably lose the fall.

Gabe Kidd & Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X vs. KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight & Paris de Silva & Jude London & Katsuya Murashima - More aftermath from Super Jr. Tag League, where Connors-Moloney, Ishimori-X, Kushida-Knigh, and de Silva-London saw action. The odd men out are Kidd, who is a heavyweight and the STRONG men's champion, and Mursahima, who is a Young Lion. So yeah, Murashima is definitely doing the job in this match.

YOH & Ninja Mack & The DKC vs. Tiger Mask & Capitan Suicida & Shoma Kato - This is a pre-show match and I never seem to find out of it will actually air on the live stream until it's already over. Tiger & Suicida were a team in Super Jr. Tag League, as was Mack & DKC. Yoh teamed with Rocky Romero, who I suppose is headed back to AEW. Kato is a Young Lion which means he's here to lose the match.

[bad-aew-discourse]

AEW promoting the IWGP Champion being on Dynamite when they should be focused on their own wrestlers. What a bush-league company.

[pwrestlingxpress]

AEW Has a Problem

Everything that I type here is all in my opinion and it's something I didn't want to discuss at first but feel like it's time to say it. AEW has a problem and that problem is CM Punk.

How did this problem start, you ask? Go back to the post-media event of "All Out 2022" where just minutes after regaining the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, CM Punk lashed out at the media instead of talking about his reaction to the return of MJF (aka Maxwell Jacob Friedman) from earlier that day.

His words caused a backstage brawl that resulted into suspensions of himself and all around him including Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Kenny Omega, Brandon Cutler, Michael Nakazawa, etc. Also, due to that brawl, both the AEW World Heavyweight Championship and the AEW Trios Championship were vacated.

The Trios title ended up being help by PAC, Rey Fenix, and Pentagon until January 2023 while the AEW World Heavyweight Championship would be returned to Jon Moxley who regained the title and held onto it until November where he lost in what many can considered controversial fashion to Max Friedman.

Many people including myself were under the impression that a deal was reached where CM Punk would be let go by the company for his actions. Not the case as we learned that this Saturday (June 17, 2023) a new AEW show will premiere called "AEW Collision" and the show will heavily involve CM Punk.

Now...how did people react to his imminent return. Not very good. From everything I heard and read, the reaction was very negative with boos almost all over arenas and on social media. AEW tried to cover it up by finding those who'll cheer his return. It didn't work. Worse than that...the announcement of his return caused slow ticket sales so what happens next...let's announce his return match.

CM Punk, Dax Harwood, and Cash Wheeler vs. Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Samoa Joe. If you're a Jay White fan, you'd be like "yay, Jay's on AEW Collision" in an exciting way but when you read he has to face Punk in 6-man tag action you like "yay, Jay's on AEW Collision" but your excitement meter goes down.

To make matter worse for AEW, they aired a VTR of Punk last night on AEW Dynamite that got the crowd booing even more. And from the people I follow on social media, all were furious that AEW keeps on showing Punk. Some even ask "why has he not been punished yet for his actions" "why is he getting awarded when everyone got punished"

These questions I cannot answer but I can say that AEW has a problem (CM Punk). They've tried almost everything to cover up the problem and instead have made it worse. And now...I read something in which this problem AEW has with Punk is so bad, I don't know how they're going to solve it at this point. That something...an interview that apparently and/or reportedly went out of control. Read some details on it and...it's not good.

The last time I watched AEW was the week before "All Out 2022" in which I was starting to question Punk's booking at the time but was somewhat proud to see Kenny Omega back in the ring. Haven't watched AEW since then and until they release CM Punk, have no intention to watch AEW again though there'll be times I'll watch certain highlights but not a full show.

One more thing I've been reading since they've been announcing his return was a proposed match against KENTA at "Forbidden Door 2023" taking place June 25th in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From what I read, many are thrilled about the proposed match because this could solve the one issue many have, who really owns the "GTS'. Instead, I read that Punk was "not interested". Reading that really boils me up because how in the world can you not be interested in facing a former GHC Heavyweight Champion, a 3-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, a 3-time GHC Junior Tag Team Champion, a former GHC Tag Team Champion, a former Global League winner, a former IWGP United States Champion, a former NEVER Openweight Champion, and a 2-time (and reigning) Strong Openweight Champion. Why in the world do you say "not interested" to someone is regarded by many to be the best the world has to offer. Read KENTA's response to the proposed match and...it's a interesting one because he'll only do it if it requires the money provided but if Punk is saying "not interested" then why bother.

Again, AEW has a problem that they've yet to solve and based on all I've read, based on all I've heard, and based on almost everything I've said here...are not even going to attempt to solve the problem and it's a shame that this is happening. None of this would have happened if they had just fired Punk. Instead, look where we're at right now. This (AEW Collision with Punk) is going to blow up in their face.

With that...done talking about Punk here. Again, everything I just typed right here on my Pro Wrestling Express is all in my opinion. Feel free to comment on your opinion in this ongoing problem that AEW has no attempt to solve at this time.

[ss-trashboat]

hey boat fren :) for the asks, what has been your favourite/most rewarding artwork so far?

hiya slej!! oh oof, i have so many i could answer this to for various reasons so i'll do a couple

forever shoutout to the titty sweater, as being on ethan's vlog with this was a huge peak moment for me, and his reaction is still one of the best i've ever gotten with any artwork. yes i do still plan on making "love is stored in the titties" stickers at some point lol

the tattoo design for @embracethechange is still like. the biggest honor i will probably ever have. tattooing is something i really wanted to do but can't (rip shaky hands) so designing tattoos helps me live that passion, and this is the first one i ever designed that someone actually got inked on them. and to know how much it means to night, to have kip see it in person AND still talk about it is just. fucking incredible

and the finished redraw of kyle's birthday art. just cause this one, and the process of how it came to be, really sums up what he means to me, and him putting up with my nonsense. cause for the og one, it was from his q&a after going home after tag league, and i jokingly asked him for a ref for my next drawing of him. and he answered with the photo for this piece. which i ended up doing for his birthday, which didn't end up getting finished for it, so i just yeeted it on insta stories with "lol i tried happ borf" and he loved it. sat on the sides for a bit, then capital collision got announced and they had a match scheduled so i was like "SHIT I GOTTA FINISH". which then led to me fucking up the og one with trying to be creative, which led to me making this one, and look at this fucker it's gorgeous fuck that cape. and i ended up posting it to socials after sakura genesis when they one the iwgp tag belts with the "i'm sorry i fucked up the og i hope you like this one". AND I'M PRETTY SURE HE REMEMBERED THE OG ONE CAUSE HE RESPONDED WITH LITTLE HEARTS AND JUST. AH. it's all on twitter i'll get screenshots for an addition or something lol, but i'm determined to get this one to him if it's the last thing i do ~

[kopw]

It makes me think about Kenny’s IWGP US title reign after he beat Ospreay…

i considered dedicating an entire section in that post to how aew handled the ospreay-omega feud (and the fan reactions that followed) so as you can probably guess i'm incredibly happy to be prompted to talk about it separately. as it is something i'm very passionate about

(it's also what i alluded to when talking about a "story-heavy match" at forbidden door, so... you know)

i think a few things go into why kenny only had one defense with the belt, but the most important thing that stands out to me is that he wasn't supposed to have a second "reign" with the belt, per se. all he needed to do was take the belt from ospreay, and then drop the belt back to ospreay, because these were necessary story beats in their feud. what happened in between was... largely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things—and, upon passing the belt over to aew, they continued to treat it as such

as this was all happening, i remember thinking that maybe there was an underlying reason that had to do with... something shoot-related, i guess. maybe something like kenny wanting to be in the best possible shape for forbidden door, having less matches until then. but then the cage match with mox happened and that whole idea flew out the window

so, what remains is... the idea that aew didn't care about the us title belt. even if this wasn't the case, it definitely felt like it. but, then again, i also sometimes think about the possibility of kenny having a slew of dead-end squash matches (akin to the proving ground matches they keep putting athena in over on roh) and how... that would've been leagues worse than one memorable match with jeff cobb. but, at the end of the day, they definitely sidelined the belt itself while it was in kenny's hands

it's a bit ridiculous, actually, because over on the new japan side of things, the absence of the belt had a bigger impact than the presence of it did in aew. the mini tournament, ospreay's chase for the top contender spot... that's where all the action was. this, of course, was only ever brought up in passing, and in the video package they featured on the actual ppv

speaking of forbidden door, i think going into that match you were pretty much required to have known what was going on in new japan, otherwise the result left you either confused or even outright dissatisfied (ignoring the portion of the outrage that was simply just people disliking ospreay himself). without wrestle kingdom, without resurgence, without dominion, without ospreay's promos... the whole thing falls flat on its face. and it's because it's a new japan storyline that just happened to have its conclusion at a crossover event. it's an ospreay-centric story that kenny inserted himself into at historic x-over, and if you look at it from any other angle, it doesn't make a lick of sense

[andymull]

NJPW G1 Climax 33 Preview

Its that special time of the year....no not the return of The Hot Tag, but this years NJPW G1 Climax 33 is nearly upon us. This years tournament is the biggest ever with 4 groups in action showcasing 32 competitors from not only NJPW but also other companies talent too thankfully.

Lets dive into the groups separately and give a quick over view of what to expect and lay some predictions out there

A BLOCK

SANADA

Chase Owens

Hikuleo

Ren Narita

Shota Umino

Yota Tsuji

Gabe Kidd

Kaito Kiyomiya

What's being look at as the young boy group with Sanada and Owens, with Sanada being the obvious favourite as reigning IWGP World Heavyweight champion. Its rare the world champion goes undefeated throughout the tournament and usually drops a match or two to setup future title matches before the January 4th Dome show. Id expect the key names looking to get that role will be the likes of Kiyomiya, Tsuji and maybe even Narita.

Kiyomiya should be one of the breakouts of this years G1, the current Pro Wrestling NOAH star has had some exposure in NJPW after feuding with Okada and will hope to follow in the footsteps of fellow NOAH star Katsuhiko Nakajima in the 2016 G1 Climax, who had some superb matches that year.

Also in this group is the newly announced group of the Reiwa Three Musketeers, in Umino, Tsuji and Narita. The Three Musketeers stable name has been used previously in the company with the last trio being that of Shinsuke Nakamura, Katsuyori Shibata and Hiroshi Tanahashi, its a very valuable name for the promotion to hand out and is a sign of how talented they see the current trio both the current scene as well as the future of NJPW. Will be VERY interesting in seeing their bouts against each other which I imagine will start out harmless and competitive, but will quickly descend into something heated when they realise the pecking order could be set here for how each guy is seen by the NJPW audiences for a long time. Alot of depth story wise here as well as potential for great matches, will be a big talking point for the Japanese media during and after the tournament as well.

Have to go for a Sanada win, with im guessing Tsuji coming in second place only slight infront of Kiyomiya.

B BLOCK

Kazuchika Okada

YOSHI-HASHI

Taichi

KENTA

Great-O-Khan

Will Ospreay

Tanga Loa

El Phantasmo

I really hope this group turns into a sprint between Okada and Ospreay, pretty sure they have 2 matches each following their one on one match on July 27th. Imagine they go the time limit versus each other and the raised importance of those final matches will be immense. Tanga Loa and El Phantasmo for Ospreay and KENTA then Tanga Loa for Okada, not the hardest bouts but the atmosphere for near falls will be superb.

I like O-Khan but he isnt in the league of the main two guys and their booking is vital for NJPW's future shows. Okada over Ospreay in the standings.

C BLOCK

David Finlay

Tomohiro Ishii

EVIL

Tama Tonga

Shingo Takagi

Aaron Henare

Eddie Kingston

Mikey Nicholls

Even though this group features one of my all-time favourites in Shingo, I really cant get into the feel of it overall. It feels nasty to say its alot of nearly but not quite guys if that makes sense, hopefully they can change that in the future but so far its been alot of promise and the start of something then it all slowed down (Tonga, EVIL) .

Its really nice to see Eddie getting his chance in his dream environment, he must be so happy every morning he opens his eyes in Japan then at the same time falls asleep wondering 'what if' the likes of Tenzan/Kojima/Honma/Nagata were still in the running so he could bang with them nightly.

Has to be between Finlay and Shingo for the leadership, with the need for the Bullet Club leader to look strong winning out, Ishii, EVIL and Tama all running close.

D BLOCK

Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tetsuya Naito

Hirooki Goto

Zack Sabre Jr.

Toru Yano

Jeff Cobb

Shane Haste

Alex Coughlin

Another strange feeling group and ive no idea why, well I do alittle but more on that latter.

The Ace continues on and wont be stopped by age or his knees looking like they explode most nights lol Every year I feel its a year too far for him he goes deep in the running to prove me wrong, and I love him for it even more than normal. I see him getting the wins this year but dropping the key matches to who I think will be the key three in this group.

Those three being Naito, ZSJ and Cobb, Jeff may surprise people with the pick but I see them building him up for the United Empire so that Ospreay can be in the position to go back for the world title and Cobb can be the next era for the US belt. Naito and ZSJ are the constants over the past few years, be it in the G1 or the New Japan cup, consistency and the big scalps and I dont see that altering anytime soon.

In terms of a winner Id lean on ZSJ for the upset over Naito, who also really needs the win after the Sanada turn. Some big booking needed by NJPW in making guys as well as not cooling the others down too far, it really is the toughest booking gig of the year.

Quarter Finals - August 10th

Sanada vs Shingo

Okada vs Naito

Finlay vs Ospreay

ZSJ vs Tsuji

Semi Finals - August 12th

Sanada vs Okada

Ospreay vs Tsuji

Finals - August 13th

Okada vs Ospreay

Winner of the G1 Climax 33 - Will Ospreay

What better way to build the tournament than by having the two guys sprinting through their group, who go to a draw on the way, have to finally settle that score in the final with the guy who finished second taking the crown overall.

The knockouts should be awesome setting up multiple future bouts such as Okada getting a title match after beating Sanada in the semis, can he win the title before the actual winner gets his shot against Sanada his-self setting up another match between Okada/Ospreay at the Dome on January 4th?

To conclude I think as normal this tournament will be great and will have tons of superb matches and moments, the bigger issue for me is that bigger numbers dont always mean better tournaments. Some of the groups feel like they have too much filler with ALOT of younger guys getting the nod and entrance. Its great for them to gain the experience this provides but for me im a sucker for the 2 group concept 20 guys maximum. This needs to be treated as the most superior tournament wrestling has to offer, the younger wrestlers need to prove theirselves more before gaining access.

Why not develop a young lions tournament for guys under a certain age with the winner taking a spot in the tournament wit the others missing out, letting them stew and develop to be better for next year where they could win the thing or even become so much better they are offered a spot on merit instead?

That aside im pumped as normal for this and will always be ready to see who Yano can tie up in duct tape up the aisle and beat :) Always a gut punch knowing we arent getting Yano/Omega again

Enjoy folks

Bye for now

Andy

(Credit to NJPW for the graphics)

[naritaren]

Lance is on the Philly card for the NJPW show! Full release:

We are just over one month away from our return to Washington DC for Capital Collision, and Collision in Philadelphia the very next night. Appropriately for the seat of US government in DC, Los Ingobernables De Japon will be making their presence felt at Capital Collision, and in Philadelphia too!

Current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito and SANADA will be a part of both DC and Philadelphia events. For Naito and SANADA, this makes their first trips to the United States since 2019, and all three LIJ members are sure to make a mark.

Also at both events will be El Desperado. Having been a force in 2022 at STRONG’s High Alert, Music City Mayhem and Forbidden Door, El Desperado is now back in the US and representing Strong Style. What does one third of the current NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag team Champions have up his sleeve?

In Philadelphia is El Desperado’s former Suzuki-Gun brother in Lance Archer. Making his first appearance in an NJPW ring since World Tag League, the Murderhawk Monster will be showing that even in the home of immortal hardcore legends in Philly, ‘everybody dies’.

With plenty more huge stars set for both events, you have to be a part of the action this April!

Capital Collision/ Collision in Philadelphia confirmed lineup to date:

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada (April 15 Capital Collision only)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi

STRONG Openweight Champion KENTA

Tetsuya Naito

SANADA

Will Ospreay

Tomohiro Ishii

Hiroshi Tanahashi

El Desperado

Lance Archer (April 16 Collision in Philadelphia only)

Fred Rosser

[hoennislands]

I have so many thoughts about everything going on in NJPW and The Boyz My Bestiez but I am so behind with the shows and I just don’t feel like watching wrestling 🥲 and I don’t really want to give my opinions until I see the Ospreay match and the WTL matches because I think it’ll change them but my thought from watching results and reactions are:

For what I’ve seen at least, it seems that Ren was playing sidekick for Shota for a while now and out of the 3 of them it was Ren who didn’t really have much going on with him like Shota and Yota. Ren’s also the only one who didn’t get an IWGP US match w Ospreay. I was always thinking I felt kind of bad for him because he’s just there and he’s always catching strays from fans (can’t speak for Japanese ones though).

The turn makes Ren very interesting to me, I can’t wait to see what happens next for him. I think he’s very well suited to be a heel and I think he’ll do a great job with it. House of Torture is controversial and I usually skip their matches (I guess I can’t anymore rip….) but Ren doesn’t feel like someone who will play the heel the way HoT are. He can be the more serious/“straight” man out of them idk. I’m looking forward to it all

As for Shota… lol, my boy has been TAKING A LOT OF L’s lately. I did say in a previous post that Ren and Shota hate each other and they will continue to and the beef will be generational (in the end I was right!) I was surprised when the Best of 7 Series ended in a tie and everyone shook hands. And I was anticipating that these would be their respective teams at their tag leagues (right again!) and they would go on to win or at least be in the finals (lol). Then Shota challenged Ospreay which… confused me? As he’s already lost to him 2? 3? Times? I never expected him to win or to challenge Mox at WK because I don’t believe he’s ready for that. I don’t think it’s his time. There will be a time he wins that title and/or go Over Mox but it’s not now.

To my opinion, Shota has quite a ways to go. And I knew that Ren and him were going to be at WTL which he couldn’t have done if he won. As I said before I haven’t watched the match but after many saw it, it convinced them that Shota is the future (which is amazing for him! I’m happy about that). I think he has great potential! Some deep conditioner and getting rid of that ugly ring gear and less corniness on Twitter and he can be unstoppable However, he’s still carrying Mox’s jacket, he’s still playing the role of the goody two shoes, while showing a bit of edge in the ring. He needs to improve and figure himself out and they need to settle on who he wants to be rather than Mox’s protege, next Tanahashi, etc etc. He is being hyped up and heavily promoted which I can understand but, he needs more for himself. I did predict that Ren would take the win over him in Best of 7 which would give Ren some confidence and send Shota (who is a bit entitled ngl) into a spiral but alas….

From Royal Quest to WTL, Ren has been playing secondary to Shota. It’s been Shota Umino… and his partner. It’s a disservice to Ren! I can understand Ren being frustrated about that! And then seems that Shota was pinned and it “cost” them the chance to advance. Shota was upset and felt he failed Ren who reassured him. And then Shota thanks ELP/Hikuleo for taking him out to eat? No Ren was right to be upset!

I’m just scratching my head at the outcome of all of this. They tie at the best of 7 and shake hands so this means they’ll be tag league partners. Shota challenges Ospreay again with an excellent performance but loses? So now he will move onto the Tag League with Ren. They get a fireside chat video with a splash of queerbait and fanservice. That means they gotta make it right? Apprently not…. They lose. Shota is upset but surprise! Ren betrays him. One of my guesses would be that one would betray the other. Not by joining HoT though…. So what’s next? How do we move from here?

And personally lol, I’m a bit sad if this means Ren will be the Heel of the 3. Yota being a dark ace? I have no idea what will happen with Yuya. But that leaves Shota as the babyface? I really want Shota to lean more into a meaner side of things. I want him to show more edge and attitude and entitlement he does it well. But with the Ren turn… I don’t know if this is still a possibility 🥲

I’m still holding hope that Yuya will upstage him and he’ll be mad about it but we shall see. We’ve got like…. 30 years of them <3 (cue internal panic as I’m the same age as Ren and Shota)

And also in regards to movesets, I know that Shota has been diversifying and adding new things since the Ospreay match which is great! Love that for him! But god I saw the word “Blaze Blade” and I rolled my eyes. *shaking Shota by the shoulders* Please do something other than ripping off other wrestlers PLEASE IM DESPERATE. Or else I’m deflecting!!!!!! I wonder what this means for WK. Ren v Shota singles? I think it’s unlikely we’ll see.

And also Ren being evil will be hot. We love a bad boy. Look at Sho. I’m aware of how people view HoT. I don’t really have much interest in them tbh. But I like Ren and I’m going to support his wrongs! This will benefit them both. I hope this makes Shota strive for more and gives Ren a good change <3

[thistledropkick]

For some reason, Wato decided to quote Hiromu's backstage comments to Douki and Fujita, which don't mention or address Wato at all anywhere, with this:

Wato:

Hiromu-san, I'm always prepared and ready! I am the next in line. I will absolutely take your IWGP Jr. Heavyweight belt!

Desperado saw this and had to comment.

Despe:

That is not it.

That's not it at all, but

even if I give you the most possible leeway here,

the next person in line is me.

But somehow I can just imagine him with a smug grin on his face like "I nailed that one" after posting this

I'll probably never team up with him again anyway so whatever

So of course the next day they announced the upcoming tour schedule and Desperado is teaming with Wato. (The mysterious "Masked Horse" is also teaming with a much less mysterious "Masked Boltin")

Despe:

Masked Horse hides his identity but Masked Boltin is just Boltin in a mask right?!

And why am I with Wato again!

Despe:

The final two matches of the year, in Korakuen Hall

Personally, it didn't feel like I was absent for that long (since it was during the heavyweight tag league) but I'm back.

But,

I'll be teaming up for two days in a row with a certain person who I have poor communication with, so I may get angry with my ally due to stress.

[wrestlingisfake]

World Tag League final preview

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo - This is the final match to determine the winners of the World Tag League tournament. It's one fall to a finish, and there is no time limit; there must be a winner. Bishamon (Goto & Yoshi) are the IWGP heavyweight tag team champions, and Phantasmo and Hikuleo are the STRONG openweight tag team champions; neither title is on the line here.

Both of these teams competed in B Block; Phantasmo and Hikuleo finished on top with a 5-2 record, while Bishamon came in second place at 4-2-1. In the semifinals, Bishamon toppled the A Block winners (Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd) while ELP/Hiku defeated the A Block runners-up (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls). So we're left with a tournament final that is a rematch from B Block: Phantasmo and Hikuleo defeated Goto and Yoshi on November 21.

The winners of World Tag League are supposed to go on to challenge for the IWGP heavyweight tag title at January's Wrestle Kingdom show in the Tokyo Dome. Since Bishamon already holds the title, if they win here they earn the right to select their own challengers for January 4. They tell us that in every New Japan tournament where a title shot is at stake, but I've never seen it happen. I've been watching New Japan for nine years now, and I can't even remember a champion reaching the finals of a tournament for a shot at his belt. On top of that, Bishamon is seeking their third consecutive World Tag League win, so they're in rarefied air right now.

It feels inevitable that this match will be run back at Wrestle Kingdom. If ELP and Hiku win, they're entitled to a rematch for the IWGP gold. If Bishamon win, they'll want a shot at the STRONG title, and they'll be in a position to demand it. One way or another I think we'll see a double title match on January 4; the only question is whether some third team tries to weasel into the match and make it a three-way.

With all that in mind, I'm going with Bishamon to win here. That would make the two teams 1-1, and set up the perfect context for a rubber match for all the marbles.

SANADA & Taichi & Yuya Uemura & DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku vs. Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji & Zandokan Jr. & BUSHI - Sanada vs. Naito is set to headline Wrestle Kingdom next month; Naito is making his in-ring return after undergoing eye surgery. Taichi/Uemura represented Just 5 Guys in World Tag League. Tsuji represented Los Ingobernables de Japon, albeit with a non-LIJ partner in the form of CMLL's Zandokan. It won't make much difference who wins this match, and I could see several guys on both sides eating the pinfall. I'll pick Naito's team to win, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun - Okada and Tana are two-thirds of the NEVER trios champions; the Gates of Agony are two-thirds of the Ring of Honor trios champions. I wouldn't count on this match leading to a title-for-title situation, since Okada and Tana each have big singles matches awaiting them in the Tokyo Dome, while Liona and Kaun need to hurry back for ROH's Final Battle show on December 15. Just getting this matchup is a big step for the Gates of Agony, but that's about all they can hope to get here, I think. Barring a shock upset, the Dream Team should win here.

Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa & Tomoaki Honma vs. EVIL & Yujiro Takahahi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru - Kiyomiya/Oiwa and Evil/Yujiro competed in World Tag League. Kiyomiya is a top guy in Pro Wrestling NOAH, while Oiwa is a New Japan trainee on excursion there. If it was me I'd present Kiyomiya as being more than capable of dealing with the House of Torture, but his teammates really aren't up to the task, and it'll probably cost him the win. Honma will probably get pinned, but I suppose there's a chance Kanemaru could lose instead.

Shota Umino & Tiger Mask vs. Ren Narita & SHO - Umino and Narita were teammates during World Tag League, but on December 6 Ren turned on Shota and joined the House of Torture. It's a safe bet these two will have meet one-on-one at Wrestle Kingdom, and very little will be settled before then. Tiger Mask has to be here to lose the fall.

Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan & HENARE & Callum Newman vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano & Yuto Nakashima & Oskar Leube - Khan/Henare and Ishii/Yano saw action in World Tag League. Nobody in this match seems to have any big plans on the horizon--they'll probably all be in the pre-show battle royale on January 4. It probably doesn't matter who wins this match, but I guess I'll go with Cobb's side.

Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata & Lance Archer & Alex Zayne vs. Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd & Bad Luck Fale & Jack Bonza - Suzuki/Nagata, Archer/Zayne, Coughlin/Kidd, and Fale/Bonza appeared in World Tag League. From what I've heard Suzuki and Nagata haven't been on the same page, and that could spell disaster for them here. On the other hand, Bonza is kind of a weak link and easy pickings for the babyface side. I could see this going either way.

Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls & Kosei Fujita vs. Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr. & Master Wato - Haste/Nichols and the CMLL team of Atlantis/Soberano competed in World Tag League. I'd favor Haste and Nicholls against the Mexicans if it was two-on-two, but Wato is a stronger partner than Fujita, and that'll probably make the difference. I'm thinking the CMLL guys finish the tour with a win.

Ryusuke Taguchi & Boltin Oleg vs. Asosan & Kodai Nozaki - This is billed as a "Frontier Zone" match, so it's a team of New Japan regulars against guys from the indies--in this case, Asosan and Nozaki represent Kyushu Pro. I don't know anything about these guys, but I read Asosan's gimmick is based on Japan's largest active volcano, and I'm a sucker for volcano-themed pro wrestlers. Regardless, the outsider guys never win these matches, so this should be an easy payday for Taguchi and Oleg.

[rnewspost]

FC Tokyo Enlists Pro Wrestling Champ to Help With Kit Unveiling – SportsLogos.Net News

FC Tokyo Enlists Pro Wrestling Champ to Help With Kit Unveiling – SportsLogos.Net News

Japanese J1 League club FC Tokyo got some high-profile help with unveiling their new kits for the 2023 season over the weekend. The club unveiled their new home kits, made by New Balance, on Saturday, January 7, with the help of New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar and current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada. Okada — who is a big FC Tokyo supporter and has attended several matches…

[pwrestlingxpress]

Why N-1 Victory 2023 is Go's to Win

I have to be quick on this due to timing issues. So here goes.

Despite being in this business for nearly 20 years, Go Shiozaki has never won a round-robin pro wrestling tournament.

G1 Climax...only entered once. Didn't make it pass the block stage. Champion Carnival...think he entered twice and 1 of the 2 time or both, only made it to the semi-finals.

Global League (now N-1 Victory)....manages to win his block in 2017 only to lose to Kenoh who had arrived in NOAH around the same time Go Shiozaki returned back in late 2015/2016.

Every year after losing out in the final that year, would barely pass the block stage. In 2020, had the chance to win his block but lost to Kaito Kiyomiya. Same chance in 2022 but lost in the end.

So...why do I believe this one will be different? Mostly because of the one thing none of us can beat...time. Go Shiozaki is 41 years old. He's been GHC Champion, Triple Crown Champion. He's won singles titles almost all over but for some reason, can never win a round robin tournament. Despite being NOAH's Ace for so long, he's never won a round-robin tournament. NJPW's Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi won his first G1 in 2007 at the age of 31. Don't know much about the AJPW history of the Champion but know that Kento Miyahara and Suwama both have won that tournament before. So, this time will be different because if Go doesn't win, I don't think there will be another chance for him to win it all.

Another reason is because of Katsuhiko Nakajima. Not many know this but 1 of the reasons why Go Shiozaki's fourth reign as GHC Heavyweight Champion lasted so long was because of Katsuhiko Nakajima. Nakajima was not only that voice but was that one person that encourage Go to pull through despite the pain. Even after betraying him in August of 2020, Nakajima would still encourage Go to pull through. Katsuhiko Nakajima is that key to where Go can gain full confidence in his ability to win. Without Nakajima there though, things get cut short like his fifth GHC Title reign. No defenses and loses it 1 hour after Jay White defeated Kazuchika Okada to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion on the same day.

So...reasons why I think this N-1 is Go's to win. One...time. It waits for none of us. And two, Nakajima. He was the key to making Go Shiozaki's fourth reign one of the best in his career.

N-1 Victory 2023 Grand FINAL in Osaka airs at 3 AM Eastern/2 AM Central on ABEMA with Japanese commentary and Wrestle Universe with English commentary.

[marketingstrategy1]

"I know who I want to face"

“I know who I want to face”

Bullet Club member Taiji Ishimori has expressed his interest in a rematch with Lio Rush. Since arriving in Japan under NJPW, Rush has found a massive amount of success. In 2022, he won the Super Junior Tag League alongside YOH and will challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 17. Speaking with NJPW in a recent interview, Ishimori claimed that he would…