#ghc heavyweight tag team championship

[orangebapecamoprint]

[wrestlingmgc]

PROGRESS World Champion & GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Chris Ridgeway

[puroresu-musings]

NOAH "THE NEW YEAR" 2024 Review (Jan 2nd, 2024, Ariake Arena, Tokyo)

1, GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Title 3-Way Elimination Match - Alpha Wolf & Dragon Bane (c) vs. Alejandro & Ninja Mack vs. YO-HEY & Tadasuke ***3/4

2, Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Greene vs. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Titus Alexander & Vinnie Massaro **1/2

3, Masa Kitamiya vs. Tomohiro Ishii ****1/2+

4, Go Shiozaki vs. Satoshi Kojima ****

5, Great Sakuya & Nagisa Nozaki vs. Haruka Umesaki & Miyuki Takase **1/2

6, Takashi Sugiura vs. Ulka Sasaki ***

7, Hiroshi Tanahashi & HAYATA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinari Ogawa ***1/2

8, GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship - Daga (c) vs. Eita ***

9, NOAH/NJPW vs. House of Torture 12 Man Elimination Match - Kaito Kiyomiya, Shota Umino, Daiki Inaba, Shuji Kondo, Ryohei Oiwa & Junta Miyawaki vs. EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo ***3/4

10, GHC Heavyweight Championship - Kenoh (c) vs. Manabu Soya ****1/2

11, Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kota Ibushi *

This was my first full NOAH show I've watched in forever and it was a great watch. They pulled in a great crowd of over 5K, it had very good matches up and down the card, two fantastic bouts, but unfortunately it ended with one of the worst matches you're likely to see all year...

Things started hot with the Jr. Tag Title 3-Way. You know what to expect here; lots of crazy spots, not much in the way of traditional "psychology", and 100mph action. The crowd loved this and it was a great way to kick things off. There was confusion over the elimination nature of this one, and had it ended after after the first fall, I think I'd have liked it more, but it was a great little opener with the GLG duo of YO-HEY and Tadasuke eliminating both opponents at 8:48 and 12:24 respectively to win the straps. Things cooled down a tad with the next match, which was decent enough but just your standard 6-Man, which saw the GLG were victorious again.

The next match was something of a Dream Match for me, one that's been teased for a good couple of years now as Ishii and Kitomiya, two of my favourite guys from their respective companies, had an absolute war that is a strong MOTYC only two days in! You know what to expect here, it was tsandard Ishii big match fair, which is always tremendous. They pounded each other with chops, Lariats, headbutts, forearms punches and suplexes for 15:04, before Ishii got the win with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster. Amazing. The next match too was excellent as Go Shiozaki went over ageless veteran Satoshi Kojima, in a battle of the Go-wan Lariats! This was great, and kept relatively short at 13:56. Shiozaki won after an exchange of Lariats. Go formed a new faction called Team NOAH in the post-match.

Next up we got a couple of interesting debuts. "The Great Muta's daughter" Great Sakuya (Riko Kawahata) debuted in a doubles clash which ended in a DQ after she blew the dreaded Dokukiri in poor Umesaki's face. This was very silly, and the crowd were dead for it, but whilst it certainly wasn't great, it certainly wasn't bad either. The next match was better as former MMA fighter Ulka Sasaki battled NOAH legend Takashi Sugiura in a nice little exhibition. Sasaki looked good here, and it featured some good sequences, before Sugiura naturally won at the 11 minute mark with the Olympic Yossen Slam.

After intermission we got the ZSJ/Ogawa vs. Tana/HAYATA tag match. This was really good, as you'd expect, though at nearly 18 minutes it was a little long. They teased a lot of stuff with Zack and Tanahashi for their TV Title match at the Dome tomorrow. Sabre Jr. won for his team when he submitted HAYATA with a crazy leg stretch. The GHC Jr. Title bout was decent enough, as Daga retained over Eita in exactly 13 minutes. I expected a bit more here, and it ultimatly came off as a bit of a squash as Daga dominated the whole thing, despite the crowd really wanting Eita to win. The 6 on 6 Elimationation match was actually a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. Like everyone else, I'm at the end of my tether with this HoT stuff (and don't even get me started on Narita's inexplicably asinine inclusion in this nonsense), BUT, this match proves if done right, it can be pretty great. Obviously we got all the token House silliness like the never-ending stream of low blows, interference and incompetent refereeing, but it built really well as it boiled down to Kaito and EVIL, with Kiyomiya looking like a hero as he overcame the odds and sent EVIL to the floor with a Shining Wizard at the 26:14 mark to win for the babyfaces.

The first half of the Double Main Event; Kenoh's GHC Heavyweight Title defence against former tag partner Manabu Soya came next and it was another fantastic, hard-hitting war, and another early MOTYC. We all know Kenoh's great, and I've always been a fan of Soya since his All Japan days, but he's kind of lingered in the NOAH mid-card since arriving and gotten lost in the shuffle somewhat. Well this was a coming out party if ever there were one, both guys looked fantastic here, and I was worried someone was going to get legit KO'd at points, given how hard they were hitting each other. Kenoh missed a Moonsault knee drop by a considerable margin at the end there, but recovered well by devastating the big man with some headkicks and got the submission win at 28:36 with the Kenoh Special. Excellent, excellent match. Shiozaki came out in the post match and challenged Strong Fist to a title match, which will be happening on January 13th. Count me in as these two always have great matches together. And this is where I'd recommend everyone just turn this show off...

The Marufuji/Ibushi main event *sigh*... look I'm sure everyone already knows about this match, something that once upon a time was a dream match, but in the harsh realities of 2024, was an abject nightmare. This match was all kinds of bad, as Ibushi came into this thing banged up to oblivion and physically incapable of doing... anything, really. AND IT WENT 33:26!!! Which honestly felt like a good couple of hours watching live. Ibushi announced he was working through a broken hand and foot in the days prior, and when he made his entrance with tears streaming down his face, I feared the worst. The reality is this match shouldn't have happened, or if it did, have it go like 10 minutes maximum or something. And certainly don't have it be the main event! It was total insanity to book this to go north of 30 minutes. But even then, nobody made Ibushi try to do his signature spots in this thing. The guy couldn't even get himself up to go over the ropes on a backdrop, so what made him think attempting a Moonsault to the floor was a wise move? Well, he seemingly broke his ankle doing so, and the match only descended into more of a train wreck from there. The crowd were dead, almost like they were at a funeral, the "action" was a level lower than snail pace, and watching it was a profoundly sad experience. I never thought I'd see the day when the Keiji Muto of 2023 looked more mobile and having more business being in the ring than Kota Ibushi ever. Ibushi won with Kamigoye to put everyone out of their misery, none more so than the two guys in the match, then there was a totally bizarre post match where Kiyomiya and Jake Lee came out and seemingly banished Ibushi from NOAH. Ibushi could barely stand or walk on his way to the back, and this is a match I'll never watch again in my life. I had thought about giving this a DUD, but I couldn't be that harsh given the circumstances. Also, Marufuji did try his best out there, bless him. But the fact is Ibushi needs some time away from the ring to heal. I mean, this could be the end of his illustrious in-ring career, which is beyond heartbreaking, and he's looked a shadow of his former self since he returned to wrestling last Spring, but he wasn't even the same person out there on this show.

All in all, this was a great supershow from NOAH, marred slightly by a catastrophically bad main event, for obvious reasons. But I recommend everyone check it out up the fab Kenoh/Soya match, and just pretend the Ibushi/Maru match never happened.

NDT

[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.

[a2zsportsnews]

Omos Confirms WWE Return After Relinquishing GHC Tag Team Championship

Omos took the pro wrestling world by storm after winning the GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Titles with Jack Morris at NOAH The New Year. He would have solid matches in NOAH since then but it appears Omos has now confirmed he will be returning to WWE after relinquishing the Tag Team Title. At Pro Wrestling NOAH’s latest event, Omos and Jack Morris kept the GHC Tag Team Championship in a match that…

[scotwresnet]

Jack Morris wins GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Photo credit NOAH Continue reading Untitled

[scottish-wrestling-network]

Jack Morris wins GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Photo credit NOAH Continue reading Untitled

[robertomakoto]

At NOAH The New Year 2022 when HAYATA fought Yoshinari Ogawa for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship I thought “oh shit they’re tag team champs and have all this drama?” and that was it for me, fell head over heels with Pro Wrestling NOAH right there and then.

Storytelling like this is what I live for.

[gdwessel]

Golden Week Begins: NOAH Majestic Night 1 - 4/29/2022; STARDOM Cinderella Tournament 2022 Finals - 4/29/2022; AJPW Champion Carnival 2022 Final Set; Dragon Gate, TJPW, DDT, Osaka Pro, More

Golden Week has begun. The annual week of holidays always has a lot of pro wrestling going on, so let’s just get into this special post.

Pro Wrestling NOAH

NOAH returned to action for the first time in nearly two weeks, with the first night of Majestic 2022 from Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan. This was the “N Innovation” part of the event, with a lot of outside wrestlers coming in from the USA, Mexico and Australia. Possibly the most talent from outside of Japan on a single show since the pandemic started. Jushin Thunder Liger was a guest on commentary for this show.

Majestic 2022 - 4/29/2022, Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan (ABEMA)

Ikuto Hidaka [Perros del Mal de Japon] d. Kai Fujimura (Shawn Capture, 6:37)

Slex d. Yasutaka Yano (Business Bomb, 8:37)

Kotaro Suzuki [Perros del Mal de Japon] TLD Yuya Susumu [STINGER] (20:00)

NOSAWA Rongai, Texano Jr. & Super Crazy [Perros del Mal de Japon] d. Tadasuke [Kongo], Hajime Ohara [Kongo] & Shuji Kondo [Dragon Gate] (Texano > Tadasuke, Road to Texas, 10:46)

Hair v. Hair + Loser Must Change Name: Hao d. Nio [Kongo] (Tatsumaki, 16:03)

Extreme Tiger [FREE] d. Seiki Yoshioka [STINGER] (Tijuana Lock, 11:31)

HYO, SB KENTo & Shun Skywalker [Z-Brats] d. Daisuke Harada, Alejandro & Junta Miyawaki (Skywalker > Miyawaki, SSW, 25:00)

3-Way Elimination Match: Ninja Mack [GCW] d. Dragon Bane [IWRG] & Alpha Wolf [IWRG] Order of Eliminations: - Bane > Wolf, Twister Bane, 15:47 - Mack > Bane, Ninja Bomb, 18:03

GHC Juniorheavyweight Tag Team Championship: Yoshinari Ogawa & Chris Ridgeway [STINGER] d. Atsushi Kotoge & YO-HEY (c) (Ridgeway > Kotoge, Stretch Muffler, 33:41) - Kotoge/YO-HEY fail their 3rd defense - Ogawa/Ridgeway are the 50th champions

GHC Juniorheavyweight Championship: HAYATA [STINGER] d. Eita [Perros del Mal de Japon] © (Headache, 28:08) - Eita fails his 1st defense - HAYATA is the 49th champion

Eita doesn’t even last his first defense, which makes sense, as he is not a NOAH-contracted wrestler, despite the fact there is a lot of Dragon Gate talent nowadays (Z-Brats and Eita today, Masaaki Mochizuki and Don Fujii on tomorrow’s show). Daisuke Harada v. HYO in a singles match will happen on 5/14/2022 in Yokohama.

HAYATA declared he would usher in a new era of NOAH. I hope that’s good, what with attendances not great (1585 reported today), and everyone associated with their English social media accounts being gotten-to weirdos (to wit, getting into it with one of my oldest friends in puroresu internetting, over them misspelling it as “Ryuguku” on a meme edit yesterday).

Is this the first time Texano Jr. has appeared in NOAH? It would appear so. I know he is no longer in AAA since last year, so he is freelance as of now. Ninja Mack said he wants to become the GHC Junior champion. It’s good to have goals. Alpha Wolf is also known as Hijo de Canis Lupus.

Nio of Kongo lost his hair, and also now will lose his name, following defeat to his former Kongo stablemate Hao. Slex is an Australian wrestler; he once wrestled Kazuchika Okada in Sydney.

The GHC Heavyweight title match has now been confirmed, as Kaito Kiyomiya will in fact be Go Shiozaki’s opponent in the decision match main event tomorrow at Ryogoku. That will be on Wrestle Universe. As a reminder, an utter piece of human filth is in a featured match on this show facing Masa Kitamiya, so be warned.

- 4/30/2022, Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan (Wrestle Universe)

Slex & Kai Fujimura v. Alejandro & Yasutaka Yano

King Tany, Muhammad Yone & Akitoshi Saito [Funky Express] v. Manabu Soya, Tadasuke & Hajime Ohara [Kongo]

NOSAWA Rongai, Eita, Texano Jr., Kotaro Suzuki & Super Crazy [Perros del Mal de Japon] v. HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa, Chris Ridgeway, Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Susumu [STINGER]

Kazushi Sakuraba & Kendo Kashin [Sugiura-gun] v. Masaaki Mochizuki [M’s Alliance] & Don Fujii [Dragon Gate]

Masato Tanaka [M’s Alliance] & Daiki Inaba v. Renee Dupree [FREE] & Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. [FREE]

Masa Kitamiya v. Michael Elgin [FREE]

GHC National Championship: Masakatsu Funaki [Kongo] (c) v. Simon Gotch [FREE]

Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY & Junta Miyawaki v. Dreagon Bane [IWRG], Alpha Wolf [IWRG], Extreme Tiger [FREE] & Ninja Mack [GCW]

Naomichi Marufuji [M’s Alliance] & X v. Yoshiki Inamura & Kinya Okada

GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Takashi Sugiura & Hideki Suzuki [Sugiura-gun] © v. Kenoh & Katsuhiko Nakajima [Kongo]

GHC Heavyweight Championship Decision Match: Go Shiozaki v. Kaito Kiyomiya

STARDOM

The winner of the Cinderella Tournament 2022 has been determined, on a show that also featured several title matches, including the World Of Stardom championship.

Cinderella Tournament 2022 Finals - 4/29/2022, Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

3-Way Match: Ami Sorei [God’s Eye] d. Mai Sakurai [Donna del Mondo] and Waka Tsukiyama [Cosmic Angels] (Sorei > Tsukuiyama, Brainbuster, 4:19)

Future of Stardom Championship: Hanan [STARS] © d. Hina [Queen’s Quest] (Backdrop Hold, 6:26) - Hanan succeeds her 5th defense

Cinderella Tournament 2022 Semifinal: Koguma [STARS] d. Hazuki [STARS] (Jackknife Hold, 6:17)

Cinderella Tournament 2022 Semifinal: MIRAI [God’s Eye] d. Natsupoi [Donna del Mondo] (Miramare, 8:17)

Trios Gauntlet Match: Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa & Unagi Sayaka [Cosmic Angels] d. Giulia, Maika & Thekla [Donna del Mondo] and Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani & Lady C [Queen’s Quest] and Ruaka, Starlight Kid & Momo Watanabe [Oedo Tai] and Mayu Iwatani, Saya Iida & Momo Kohgo [STARS] and Saki Kashima, Rina & Fukigen Death [Oedo Tai] Order of Eliminations: - Iwatani > Lady C, 4:06 - Watanabe > Iida, 5:11 - Kid > Sayaka, 5:01 - Maika > Ruaka, 3:35 - Nakano > Giulia, 7:19

High Speed Championship: AZM [Queen’s Quest] © d. Mei Suruga [Gatoh Move] (Azumisushi, 13:06) - AZM succeeds her 2nd defense

Cinderella Tournament 2022 Final: MIRAI [God’s Eye] d. Koguma [STARS] (Miramare, 11:45) - MIRAI wins the Cinderella Tournament 2022

World of Stardom Championship: Syuri [God’s Eye] © d. Himeka [Donna del Mondo] (SyuSekai, 21:24) - Syuri succeeds her 4th defense

MIRAI wins the tournament, and afterwards challenges her stable’s leader Syuri to the Red Belt. Mei Suruga asked to form a team with AZM following her defeat in the High Speed title match.

STARDOM have a whole Golden Week Fight Tour coming up starting Sunday, with a big show on 5/5/2022 from Fukuoka Kokusai Center that will feature three title matches, as well as an elimination match between Donna del Mondo v. God’s Eye. I’d type it all up here but my day has already gotten away from me.

All Japan Pro Wrestling

The Champion Carnival 2022 Final is now set, as we had the end of B Block today.

- 4/29/2022, Aichi Nagoya Congress Center

Shuji Ishikawa & Takao Omori d. Shigehiro Irie & Ryo Inoue (Takao > Inoue, Boston Crab, 7:42)

Black Menso-re d. Konaka = Pale One [666] (5:44)

TAJIRI & Yusuke Kodama [TOTAL ECLIPSE] d. Atsuski Aoyagi & Rising HAYATO [NEXTREAM] (Kodama > HAYATO, Mad Splash, 9:41)

Jake Lee, Ryuki Honda & Hokuto Omori [TOTAL ECLIPSE] d. Shotaro Ashino, Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura [Evolution] (Lee > Tamura, D4C, 11:50)

Champion Carnival B Block: Takuya Nomura [BJW] d. Kuma Arashi [TOTAL ECLIPSE] (Ground Cobra Twist, 11:05)

Champion Carnival B Block: Yoshitatsu d. Suwama [Evolution] (6:54)

Champion Carnival B Block: Kento Miyahara [NEXTREAM] TLD Yuma Aoyagi [NEXTREAM] (30:00)

Yuma Aoyagi advances to the Final after drawing with his stablemate (and Triple Crown Champion) Kento Miyahara, but also will face off against his former stablemate in Jake Lee. That will happen on Wednesday, 5/4/2022 from Korakuen Hall.  No other matches have been announced as yet.

Shuji Ishikawa announced he will challenge for Runaway SUPLEX’s World Tag Team Championship, partnering with Kohei Sato on 5/14/2022 in Sapporo, which will also have an All Asia tag title defense on the card.

Final Champion Carnival 2022 standings:

A Block Lee: 8pts (4W 0D 1L) ***WINNER*** Ishikawa: 6pts (3W 0D 2L) Ashino: 6pts (3W 0D 2L) Irie: 5pts (2W 1D 2L) T-Hawk: 5pts (2W 1D 2L) Honda: 0pts (0W 0D 5L)

B Block Aoyagi: 7pts (3W 1D 1L) ***WINNER*** Miyahara: 6pts (2W 2D 1L) Nomura: 6pts (3W 0D 2L) Suwama: 5pts (2W 1D 2L) Yoshitatsu: 4pts (2W 0D 3L) Arashi: 2pts (1W 0D 4L)

Dragon Gate

The Gate of Passion 2022 tour continued today.

The Gate of Passion 2022 Night 15 - 4/29/2022, Hiroshima Sangyo Hall

KAI, BxB Hulk & Diamante [Z-Brats] d. Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi & Jacky “Funky” Kamei [Natural Vibes] (Diamante > Kamei, Vuelta Finale, 10:11)

Yosuke Santa Maria d. Konomama Ichikawa (Inside Cradle, 7:58)

Kota Minoura, Kaito Ishida & Minorita [Gold Class] d. Takashi Yoshida, Punch Tominaga & Ho Ho Lun (Minoura > Tominaga, R-201, 12:27)

Ben-K [HIGH-END] d. Shachihoko Boy (Spear, 8:08)

Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka [D’Courage] d. Yasushi Kanda & Ishin Iihashi (Dia > Ishin, Double Cork, 11:07)

Kzy, Big Boss Shimizu, U-T & Jason Lee [Natural Vibes] d. YAMATO, Dragon Kid, Kagetora & Keisuke Okuda [HIGH-END] (U-T > Kagetora, Hikari no Wa, 15:04)

Jason Lee, while not getting the pin, wins in his first match as a member of Natural Vibes.

DG run shows tomorrow and Sunday as well, before the first of three livestreamed showed beginning Tuesday, a two-night stand at Kyoto KBS Hall and then Dead Or Alive 2022 on Thursday.

DDT / Tokyo Joshi

Tokyo Joshi ran the first of two nights at Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall earlier today.

TJPW Spring Tour ‘22 - 4/29/2022, Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

Yuki Aino d. Kaya Toribami (Venus DDT, 6:57)

Miu Watanabe d. Haruna Neko (Canadian Backbreaker, 7:33)

Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta d. Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo (Kakuta > Endo, Shidenkai, 11:20)

Miyu Yamashita d. Moka Miyamoto (Attitude Adjustment, 8:25)

Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Raku d. Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu (Sakazaki > Kiryu, Toy Story 4, 13:01)

Shoko Nakajima & Pom Harajuku d. Hyper Misao & Suzume (Nakajima > Suzume, Northern Lights Suplex, 12:45)

Nakajima accidentally unmasked Hyper Misao during a hurricanrana spot. Reika Saiki will be retiring on Tuesday from Korakuen Hall, and will have a three-minute exhibition match with former partner Arisu Endo.

TJPW runs one last show before Tuesday’s Korakuen Hall show. In the meantime, DDT held an outdoor street wrestling match, as a last preview before Sunday’s big show in Yokohama

DDT “Just Before Yokohama Budokan! Rojo Pro Wrestling In I-Canal Street” - 4/29/2022, Yokohama i-Canal Street (YouTube)

Falls Count Anywhere 3-Way Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata [The 37KAMIINA] d. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani [Eruption] and Yuki Naya & Yuki Ishida (Katsumata > Ishida, Diving Body Press From Telephone Pole Through Table, 29:08)

DDT does the kind of match that only DDT can really do.

Other News

Osaka Pro ran today, showing off their new title belt that will be crowned on Sunday. They also announced a new Light Heavyweight title that will be determined via tournament beginning on 6/26/2022, with the champion being crowned on 7/31/2022.

Big Japan, 2AW, Michinoku Pro, Kyushu Pro, Diana, SEAdLINNNG, Colega, Sportiva, and several other produced shows all ran today.

More shows happening all through the weekend, and into all next week. See you Sunday.

[fallynleaf-gifs]

Pro Wrestling NOAH 20th Anniversary

November 22, 2020

Former tag partners Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima headlined NOAH’s 20th anniversary show, competing for the GHC Heavyweight Title. Once upon a time, they were together as AXIZ, but their tag team ended on August 30 when Katsu turned on Go after they lost a tag championship match, proclaiming, "You don't need me, and I don't need you either.” The betrayal happened mere weeks after they’d just released their third photobook, which depicted them in whimsical domestic scenes, a last glimmer of happiness before everything ended.

Go couldn’t sleep for two nights after the betrayal because he couldn’t figure out why Katsu had decided to turn on him. Katsu never actually gave a clear answer. In his post-match comments after the September 20 show, he seemed to be sad about his decision to leave Go. If the title was the only thing he was after, he could have won the N-1 tournament and earned this title match just the same, without ever needing to betray his partner.

When AXIZ were together, they had a move called Endless Love, which involved Katsu and Go standing with their opponent between them, ruthlessly kicking and chopping him. Go described each kick and chop as “love” coming at you from both sides.

In the main event of the anniversary show, Katsu spends most of the match kicking Go, and targeting his arm. When Go chops him in response, each chop hurts his own arm as well as Katsu, but this doesn’t stop him from continuing to use chops throughout the match. They get into a strike exchange that’s a painful echo of Endless Love, except without an opponent between them to absorb the hits.

Near the end of the match, there’s a moment where Go grabs onto Katsu and uses him as support as he slowly climbs to his feet. Back when they used to tag, they would do their famous “lean” in almost every match, where one of them would lean on the other person, physically supporting his weight. It was an embodiment of how much they depended on and trusted each other as partners. But in wrestling, nothing lasts forever.

They both bring out everything they’ve got against each other in this title match. At the end of the day, Go manages to pull off a very hard-fought victory. He pins Katsu by collapsing on top of him. They continue to lie there like that for a long moment after the match actually ends. Before they get a chance to interact further, Go’s next challenger interrupts, coming into the ring and closing the book on this chapter of AXIZ’s story.

After everything Katsu threw away to get this shot, he couldn’t even win the championship. He loses his big title match and is left with absolutely nothing.

[wrestlingmgc]

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Daisuke Harada and Hajime Ohara

[nickiehausen]

Nigel McGuinnes v. KENTA (Ring of Honor 7th Anniversary Show) 3/21/09

A bit of a long one, clocking in at just over 25 minutes. The lengthy runtime may be a turn-off for some people (for some odd reason) but those twenty-five minutes are chock-full of wrestling wizardry. The 2000s were some of the best years for Ring of Honor, featuring some of their biggest stars, best matches, and their working relationship with Pro Wrestling NOAH. That relationship allowed numerous ROH talents through the years like Samoa Joe, Homicide, Davey Richards, El Generico, Roderick Strong, Jay & Mark Briscoe, Jimmy Rave, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, Chris Hero, Erick Stevens, and Kevin Steen to compete with NOAH talent such as KENTA, Kenta Kobashi, Naomichi Marafuji, Go Shiozaki, and Takeshi Morishima. The ROH x NOAH partnership thus allowed for a slew of legendary matches combining technical wizardry and stiff striking in a beautiful and brutal cocktail of violence.

KENTA's resume speaks for itself - trained by the great Kenta Kobashi, the innovator of the GTS (Go to Sleep) was a multi-time GHC Jr. Heavyweight and 1x GHC Heavyweight and tag team champion in NOAH, spending over a decade with the promotion. He would later move to the United States for an uneventful stint with the WWE as Hideo Itami, before returning to Japan, arriving in New Japan Pro Wrestling, aligning with the Bullet Club, and making a few appearances for All Elite Wrestling along the way. He's renowned for his ability and is undoubtedly a legend.

Nigel McGuinness does not have the same kind of career as KENTA. His brightest moments were in Ring of Honor, holding both the World and PURE championships in superb, lengthy reigns. His clashes with Morishima and especially Bryan Danielson became the stuff of legend amongst ROH fans, but unlike Danielson, his talent couldn't outweigh his concussion concerns. A chance at joining the WWE was dashed by his history of head injuries, and the arguably biggest role he would wind up playing was Desmond Wolfe in TNA. Life sadly dealt him a bad hand, but his performances during his time in the ring still impress even years later.

As apart of ROH's 7th Anniversary show in 2009, KENTA and Nigel met in the ring in a match for Nigel's ROH World Championship. The champion entered the match with an arm injury suffered during a previous tag match, but still managed to perform at an exceptional level during the contest. Even though it was Nigel that came in hurt, much of the match revolved around the story of the champion targeting KENTA's arm. With multiple Tower of Londons, including one to the outside of the ring, being hit and Nigel attempting to weaken the challenger to set up the London Bridge, KENTA spends much of the match as the underdog attempting to come up from behind. The contest has numerous close calls and on many occasions it truly feels like KENTA will claim the world title.

It's a very good match, and one of Nigel's best defenses. ROH was something special in the early 21st century, and Nigel and KENTA were big parts of that.

⭐⭐⭐⭐. 5 stars out of five.

[pwrestlingxpress]

My Take on the official reunion of AXIZ and the rumored reunion of the Golden Lovers

Back in 2018 I wrote two-three opinion articles on the Reunion of the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi). Before anyone reads the rest of this new opinion article I'm typing please click here to read the previous opinion article titled " Six Months Later...Golden Lovers Merge While The Shield Reunites".

Now...this new opinion article will talk about the rumored reunion of the Golden Lovers and the official reunion of AXIZ.

Some of you may now be thinking "AXIZ, who are they and what do they have to do with the Golden Lovers?" The answer to this question is not much but here I want to talk about their history and that's what my plan is.

In December 2018, the Golden Lovers abruptly went on hiatus after winning their final match against Hiroshi Tanahashi and Will Ospreay in Korakuen Hall. A few weeks before that in the same arena, Katsuhiko Nakajima was a finalist for the 2018 Global League Tournament (now N1 Victory) facing Kaito Kiyomiya in which Nakajima lost to the then-22 upstart athlete from Saitama. What happened afterwards was so in the dark that not many knew until they saw it though various photos. After the match between Kiyomiya and Nakajima, Go Shiozaki comes out seemingly to congratulate the winner (both were tag partners through most of 2018) but instead went to console the person that was pinned. Right after that, Shiozaki and Nakajima teamed up to win the GHC Tag Team Championships but lost the belts almost a week later in controversial fashion.

We now fast forward ourselves to February 2019 where by then the Golden Lovers have quietly split up with Kenny Omega gone to AEW and Kota Ibushi staying in NJPW where over in Pro Wrestling NOAH, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Go Shiozaki were given a second chance at regaining the GHC Tag Team Championships and on February 24th, that's what they did. Backstage after winning the titles for a second time, they decided to call themselves "AXIZ".

From that date on until August 2020; AXIZ was seen by many as one of the best tag teams in pro wrestling. According to Cagematch, both AXIZ and the Golden Lovers were ranked in the top 10 tag teams of all time (as of May 7, 2023 at 9:30 PM Eastern) with AXIZ ranked at No. 4; Golden Lovers at No. 9. With that ranking, one can say AXIZ surpassed the Golden Lovers but there's always a debate on which team is better no matter what the ranking is.

AXIZ's second reign as champions ended on June 13th but immediately were given a rematch in which they manage to win back the belts a third time and hold on to the belts until January 5, 2020. The day before that, Go Shiozaki became a 4-time GHC Heavyweight Champion by defeating Kaito Kiyomiya and in the process have one of the longest reigns in its title history. Despite Go now being a singles champion, both him and Nakajima were hoping for another tag title shot after losing them but COVID hit and much changed. On the same night Go Shiozaki was to have his first title defense in his fourth reign as GHC Heavyweight Champion, Katsuhiko Nakajima approached GHC National Champion Takashi Sugiura with the intentions to challenge and win the title. On May 9, 2020 in the main event; Nakajima would pin Sugiura to become the second GHC National Champion.

By the time pro wrestling was back doing live events in some capacity, AXIZ was on top not just in tag team but in singles as well with Go as the GHC Heavyweight Champion and Katsuhiko as the GHC National Champion. Everything seemed to be rolling for the two when wrestling live events resumed but the rolling would stop when the month of August 2020 hit.

August 4, 2020; Katushiko Nakajima would lose the GHC National Championship to Kenoh. 26 days later, after losing a chance to become 4-time GHC Tag Team Champions with Go Shizoaki, Nakajima breaks up AXIZ to join Kongoh. Though AXIZ was done in Nakajima's eyes, as I learned it was not the case for Go. Despite the betrayal, Go still believed himself to be a part of AXIZ and awaited the day Nakajima would return to reform the tag team.

While they waited, Nakajima and Shiozaki would wrestle 3 times in singles competition. First time was November 22, 2020 for the GHC Heavyweight Championship with Nakajima as the challenger (which he earned by winning N1 Victory 2020) and the champion being Shiozaki. Most times I compare this match to the one at "Wrestle Kingdom 15" between Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada because of the brutality and the fact the way they fought, it would most times scare me. Despite me saying that, in a match that went nearly 43 minutes, Go retains the title while sustaining an injury in the later minutes of the match itself. The second time they would meet would be on January 1, 2022 where by then it was Katsuhiko Nakajima who was the champion with the now-returning Go Shiozaki being the challenger. On that date, both wrestled what many considered to be a 2022 MOTY contender. Nakajima would emerge victorious from that match with a new finishing move that has not been seen since. The third time they met was on March 23, 2022 in which by then, there was no title, only pride. Go Shiozaki was starting a new streak while Katushiko Nakajima was looking for answers after losing the GHC Heavyweight Championship 35 days after defending it against Shiozaki. The third match went a lot faster than their previous two. Go would emerge victorious in a match that was nearly 20 minutes long. Their previous two matches went over 30 minutes.

Go would go on to win the GHC Heavyweight Championship for a record fifth time but would become the first of three straight V0 Champions when he lost the championship on his first defense to Satoshi Kojima at CyberFight Festival 2022. After losing the title, Go struggled to find himself and ended up eventually being out of action after N1 Victory 2022. Meanwhile, Katsuhiko Nakajima was trying his best to stay on track but in most tag matches, he ended up becoming the guy to eat the pin. At the N1 Victory 2022 block finals, both were in line to win their block but needed help. Neither of them made the finals in which Nakajima's backstage comments could be what I consider the first clue to a AXIZ reunion.

By the time 2023 hits, rumors started to spread on a Golden Lovers reunion that was even seen in various episodes of the YouTube web series "Being The Elite" in which in some scenes (haven't watched the series since 2019 so I'm going based only on photos) Kenny can be seen texting someone. Many believe that to be Kota Ibushi but as of right now, nothing is official yet.

Surprisingly, there were little to no rumors of AXIZ reuniting but seeds were being planted for the possibility. Those seeds in my opinion started on January 4, 2023 when Kongoh went to the Tokyo Dome to confront Los Ingobernables de Japon with the intention to "settle the score".

If you look at the video below, you'll notice that Nakajima does not have the same expression as the rest of Kongoh does which can tell you that it was starting. More than that, while the rest of Kongoh left in an orderly fashion, Nakajima left with the look that said "Sorry about that" as a way of apologizing for the abrupt appearance. He did the same thing at the official "Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama Arena" press conference which involved 5 of the 6 (at the time) LIJ members and 5 of the 8 (at the time) Kongoh members.

Seeds were planted a lot more when (according to all I was able to read) during the Road to NOAH's Tokyo Dome event on February 21st, Kenoh decided to dig into a history that I think Nakajima didn't want to talk about, that of him and AJPW's Kento Miyahara. The match (which was a 6-man tag) went on with apparently no issues. Kongoh managed to come out victorious, but Nakajima's backstage comments would leave many including Kenoh puzzled.

The possibilities increased a lot more when Go Shiozaki made a surprise appearance in Sendai on April 16th to announce his in-ring return.

Later on that same night, Katsuhiko Nakajima walked in as the challenger for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, this time held by newcomer Jake Lee. Something I didn't notice live but eventually did was the gear that Nakajima was wearing. He was wearing the same ring attire he wore on January 1, 2022. On the build back then, a stipulation was suggested that if Nakajima was to lose the title to Go Shiozaki, he would have to leave Kongoh and reform AXIZ. Since Nakajima won that night, the stipulation never came to fruition. But on that April 16th date, Nakajima walked into the title match against Jake Lee apparently with that stipulation in his mind. He ended up losing the title match in over 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, as rumors continue to spread of the Golden Lovers reuniting, Kenny Omega is reunited with a rival by the name Konosuke Takeshita in which he (as of this typing) has joined Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson to be part of "The Elite". Despite joining though, Kenny remained suspicious of Takeshita's intentions. Those intentions may be the key to the Golden Lovers reuniting again but only time will tell what the intentions may be or already are.

May 4, 2023; Ryogoku Kokukigan; Go Shiozaki returns in 6-man tag action by teaming with Kaito Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura to face the Konogh members of Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh, and Manabu Soya. In the match, Nakajima wore the same gear he wore back on January 1, 2022 and April 16, 2023. Meanwhile, Go Shiozaki comes out in the gear he wore when he won his fourth GHC Heavyweight Championship on January 4, 2020. The 6-man tag turned into somewhat of a blowout as though there were times of shine for Shiozaki and his team, it was not enough to defeat Kongoh. Nakajima would end up getting the winning pin by pinning Shiozaki. It was after the match though that the rumors became reality.

AXIZ officially reunited and on May 14th will have their first match together since August 28, 2020.

My take on this is that....Katsuhiko Nakajima was betrayed by Kenoh. To me, Kenoh betrayed him by abruptly deciding to go to the Tokyo Dome not understanding everyone may have different plans. Then by the time he dug into a history he shouldn't have, that was the end. So on May 4, 2023 in Ryogoku, Nakajima came into Ryogoku with the intention to officially reunite AXIZ. How it happened is in the video above. I've been waiting years to see AXIZ live in action and now on May 14, 2023; me and many will be to get the chance to do just that.

Meanwhile, as we await the reunion of the Golden Lovers, down below is a picture of them reuniting back in January 2018, ten months before AXIZ was formed.

Should the Golden Lovers reunite this could increase the chance of a possible dream match: Golden Lovers vs. AXIZ at either a future NOAH event or at "The Forbidden Door" in late June. The reason I'm saying this is there's not just rumors of a Golden Lovers reunion, there's also rumors about Kota Ibushi joining Pro Wrestling NOAH. It would be something if all these rumors come true. Right now, only one has come to light. AXIZ is back as we await the date the Golden Lovers reunite once again.

[nightwing45]

Another work out in the books. One of my t-shirts is fitting better but my weight has stayed in that ten pound difference barrier.

-

Nakajima is such a powerful striker. Watched him and Masa win the GHC tag team titles after a historic run by Seigura and Sakaruba. It was a hard hitting encounter between the two teams. Ending with a powerful headbutt by Masa to Segiura.

Speaking of which, Marafuji should currently hold the record of most reigns with the GHC Heavyweight Championship.

-

Was going to write yesterday, but I decided to take a break since I have been writing non-stop with small breaks between. When I get back home, I'll work on Liberation. After that, I'll probably start work on the finale of Celeste's story.

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I hope Hikaru was having a good day yesterday and she is in good mental health. Yesterday was Hana's birthday. Saw her mom's post and some other posts.

GTG.

[shitloadsofwrestling]

Wrestling legend Yoshihiro Takayama paralyzed [August 6th, 2017]

Unfortunate news from Japan broke yesterday that has left wrestling and MMA fans staggered. During a 6-man tag team bout last may for Japan’s DDT Pro, 50 year old Yoshihiro Takyama attempted a sunset flip on Yasu Urano, but landed very badly on his neck and was rushed to the ambulance rather than finishing the match. Three months later, Takayama is able to speak, but is unfortunately paralyzed from the neck down.

Wrestling fans and MMA fans alike adore Takayama for his resilience, even in defeat. His bout against fellow legend Don Frye at PRIDE 21 showed his toughness, and his history in professional wrestling as one of two men in history to hold NJPW’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship, AJPW’s Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s GHC Heavyweight Championship prove that he’s held in high regard by fans and peers alike.

Following the announcement of Takayama’s condition, WWE’s Samoa Joe had the following to say:

Very saddened to learn of this news. A Warrior and a Gentlemen. My thoughts and best wishes to him during his recovery.

A 25-year veteran of the sport, Takayama likely had several years left in him for active competition. While it’s unlikely that he’ll ever walk again, it’s almost certain that he’ll never wrestle again. A truly tragic tale for someone who gave his all every time he stepped into the ring.

[noromannet-blog]

Naoki Sano announces his retirement as a wrestler at 54

Veteran wrestler Naoki Sano (also known as Takuma Sano during part of his career) has announced his retirement at age 54. Sano confirmed through his personal Facebook account that he officially leaves the quadrilaterals to fully focus on his restaurant, "Takuma Yakiniku", a business that opened in Kyoto in 2018.  In his message on Facebook, Sano thanks Jushin "Thunder" Liger for his 31-year career and for allowing him to be present in his latest struggles. It should be remembered that Sano participated in Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the last two matches in Liger's career, preparing for it for months. On January 4 he fought alongside Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Ryusuke Taguchi against Liger's team, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke and Tiger Mask IV. On the second night, he competed with Liger against the special team of Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee.  Sano began his pro-wrestling career as soon as he finished high school, joining the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) dojo in 1984 to debut a few months later. In 1987 he traveled to Mexico to continue developing while working for the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA).  In 1989 he returned to Japan, competing in the first NJPW event at Tokyo Dome, Super Powers Clash. In the first match of the show, Sano won the Young Tokyo Dome Cup. Throughout the year he starred in a rivalry with Jushin "Thunder" Liger, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.  Sano took part in the flight of talents of several companies towards the Super World of Sports (SWS) in 1990. After the closing of SWS, he decided to join other former costumes in the Union of Wrestling Force International (UWF International), adapting his style. The wrestler came to have outstanding matches during the rivalry between UWF and NJPW. After the closure of UWF, Sano continued working in other pro-wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) companies such as Kingdom, WAR, PRIDE, and Battlarts.  In 2001 he signed with Pro Wrestling NOAH, becoming known as Takuma Sano. The wrestler began to work in the Heavyweight category, having a role with some relevance in the company. Sano spent more than 10 years at NOAH, highlighting his victory for the Global Honored Crown (GHC) Tag Team Championship alongside Yoshihiro Takayama in 2010. His contract ended two years later, but he continued to make sporadic appearances both in NOAH and in the independent Japanese scene. Read the full article