#wrestling dontaku night 1

[pwrestlingxpress]

G1 Climax 33 Night 1 and N-1 Victory Preview Predictions

With only a few hours to go before "G1 Climax 33" begins and a few weeks before "N-1 Victory 2023" begins, here are the predictions I have for night one of the G1 and the two N-1 Victory preview matches taking place at "One Night Dream"

G1 Climax 33 B Block Match: El Phantasmo vs. YOSHI-HASHI Prediction: This one is almost an conclusion to me. I see El Phantasmo winning over YOSHI-HASHI who most times has a slow start but a strong finish

G1 Climax 33 A Block Match: Chase Owens vs. Gabriel Kidd Prediction: Originally had predicted Gabriel Kidd to win this one but after what we saw yesterday, though it's too late to change it in the polls, I'm going with Chase Owens for the win. Predicting Chase is going to have a great run in this G1

G1 Climax 33 B Block Match: Tanga Loa vs. KENTA Prediction: Before I make my prediction on this, don't think many have notice but there are clues to which there's a possibility of KENTA joining Pro Wrestling NOAH's AXIZ in the near future. Reasons why I say this he has a leg wrap in the same leg as Go Shiozaki does, at the G1 Press Conference, he wore an earring in the same spot as Go and wore a similar necklace that Katsuhiko Nakajima was wearing in the VTR promoting "One Night Dream" main event. Should also mention the attire, mostly similar to what Nakajima wore at the beginning of July. Anyway, these clues could lead to that but again who knows considering KENTA's mindset is mostly about playing games. So...this match. This will be Tonga Loa's first match since May 2022 and it'll be interesting to see how he'll fare here. My prediction is that Tanga Loa will win over KENTA but at a big price for when KENTA does what he can to win, it may leave a mark.

Prediction: Two men with something to prove, one more than the other. Since returning from excursion, Ren Narita has (in my opinion) somewhat been mistreated. Returns from excursion in the opening match, his first singles main event is off the charts while his second causes a riot (boos were all over the building). Then again, you can say the same for Shota Umino but really you can't. Since his match with Zac Sabre Jr. back at the 2023 New Japan Cup, Umino has been explosive. Highlighting to us his best potential and the fact that he teamed up with Jon Moxley three times after Wrestling Dontaku 2023, shows how much confidence has been build inside of the Shooter. Anyway, the prediction is this. Ren Narita will win over Umino with mostly 1-2 minutes to spare. G1 Climax Block matches are under a 20-minute time-limit making it difficult to get the victory in the alloted time. Again, Ren Narita with the win but it'll be close.

Now....let's switch from the G1 to the N-1 Victory with this preview match to the tournament taking place at Korakuen Hall down below:

Prediction: This match above will be the Pro Wrestling NOAH debut for Lance Anoa'i who has strong family ties with Roman Reigns, the Usos, and Solo Sikola. Also, the team he's on will have too many difference into which they could play a factor. Then again, may not because though the Japan team of Daiki Inaba, Manabu Soya, Yoshiki Inamura, and Masa Kitamiya are united, most times Daiki is seen as the one to be pinned here. My prediction here is that the dysfunctional team of Anoa'i, Adam Brooks, Saxon Huxley, and Jack Morris will get the win with Saxon Huxley scoring the winning pinfall.

Now...let's go to the second half of the G1 Climax 33 Night one predictions starting off with...

Prediction: A very intriguing match that could answer some questions about O-Khan's state of mind. Suffering his first loss in the UK could play a factor, one that Okada will be gladly to enjoy. The prediction here is that Okada is going to win in dominating fashion leaving O-Khan asking himself more questions.

Prediction: The match many believe should be in the main event yet isn't. Out of all the block matches for night one, this is the most talked about match. The reason...Kaito Kiyomiya is the first NOAH representative in the G1 since 2016 and is coming with a huge chip on his shoulder. To prove the world what NOAH wrestling is about in a NJPW ring. Yota Tsuji...fresh out of excursion, bursted himself into the main event in Osaka-Jo Hall and nearly came out a winner. By many, these two are seen as the top stars right now heading into this tournament and are seen as the two heavy favorites followed by Tetsuya Naito whose G1 begins on July 16th. My prediction here was a tough and it's one some fans are not going to like. ABEMA finished a poll where 66% have Kiyomiya over Tsuji who's at nearly 34%. My prediction here is we're going the full 20 minutes. Hard to predict which of these two will win but feel like the time-limit draw will serve as motivation for these two to have a strong G1 run.

Prediction: Taichi's hometown, the arena where in every G1 since entering, he's never lost. The person he's facing is someone who's seen by some as a favorite but one who wants to truly go all the way. The prediction here is that Taichi's streak will continue here. Taichi for the win.

Now, before predicting the main event match, here is the other N-1 Victory 2023 preview match:

Prediction: Two preview of what could be the N-1 Victory 2023 finals. With that said, the prediction for this match here could surprise you. Seeing as Kenoh has not been pinned in tag action this year, it's almost a foregone conclusion that the team of Kenoh and Jake Lee will win this match but considering this is a N-1 Victory 2023 preview match, you can't just believe Kenoh and Jake Lee will win. With that said, the prediction is if the match is under a 30-minute time-limit, then with less than 10 minutes to spare, somehow....Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. and Go Shiozaki will win their match here.

Now...let's predict the main event to night one of "G1 Climax 33" and the main event is...

Prediction: Big test incoming for Hikuleo. Though this is the main event, due to Kaito Kiyomiya's participation in the G1 and due to the huge promoting of Kento Miyahara vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima taking place in Korakuen Hall on the same day, this match is coming completely under the radar. One that I believe will benefit Hikuelo. But, the last time the IWGP World Heavyweight or Heavyweight Champion lost in their first block match was 2016 when Kazuchika Okada fell to Naomichi Marufuji. The prediction here is that the trend will continue. SANADA with a big win over Hikuleo.

That's all my predictions for night one of "G1 Climax 33" that includes here two N-1 Victory preview matches. All of these matches will be taking place on July 15th in Sapporo for the G1 and in Korakuen Hall for the 2 preview tag matches.

Please tune in to all the action for G1 Climax 33 starting at 4:00 AM Eastern today on NJPW World and ABEMA.

N-1 Victory 2023 begins August 6th in Yokohama.

[djvillain]

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2024 Nights 1 and 2 Review

[wrestlingisfake]

Wrestling Dontaku night 1 preview

Nic Nemeth vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Nemeth is defending the IWGP global title. This is his third major league title bout in three weeks--on April 20 he failed to capture the TNA men's world championship in Las Vegas, but on April 27 he won the vacant AAA mega championship in Monterrey. Since New Japan has an exclusive partnership with AAA's rival promotion, CMLL, I don't expect them to even acknowledge Nemeth's new belt, and it certainly won't be involved in this match.

The global title was created earlier this year, when New Japan wanted to replace their US title with something more international, without actually calling it a world title. David Finlay became the first titleholder in January, and Nemeth unseated him in February. Almost immediately thereafter, Nemeth issued a challenge to Tanahashi, but the match had to wait until Tana recovered from an ankle injury.

At this stage in his career, Tanahashi still has the aura of a top guy, but without the protection that usually comes with that aura. They want Nemeth to look like a big deal who can beat big names, but they're not about to put him over Tetsuya Naito, Jon Moxley, or SANADA, so just give him Tanahashi. In light of that, I think Nemeth has to be the clear favorite here; I just don't see a reason for Tana to win unless Nic is finishing up with the company, which I doubt. Champ retains.

David Finlay vs. Yota Tsuji - Finlay was forced to withdraw from the 2024 New Japan Cup tournament due to illness, creating a bye for Hirooki Goto, who went on to the final and lost to Tsuji. So it's natural to wonder what would have happened if Finlay stayed in the tournament, and if he'd reached the final instead of Goto.

I said my piece last month about how I didn't think Tsuji should have been booked to win the Cup unless he was going to win the world title. If he's going to lead New Japan into the future--and they've already insisted that he will--he needs to look indomitable, but in the past year he's choked in two world title bouts. If they want to fix that in a hurry, step one is beating Finlay. I don't think they care about fixing it in a hurry, though, so I'm picking Finlay to win.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb - This is for Sabre's NJPW World television title, so there is a fifteen-minute time limit. In singles matches, Sabre is 3-1-1 against Cobb, but within New Japan it's more like 1-1-1, so you could argue this is a rubber match.

I was surprised Sabre lost the TV title in January, and more surprised when he regained it in April. At this point I'm not sure what the plan is for him or the belt. Listening to Zack himself, you'd think he's on his way to the world title picture, but he's been talking like that for years. My preference here is for Sabre to get off the treadmill of beating midcarders in short matches, and for Cobb to get off the treadmill of being a cool dude who never wins anything important in this company. So yeah, I'm picking Cobb to win the title.

Jon Moxley & Shota Umino & El Desperado vs. Ren Narita & EVIL & Yoshinobu Kanemaru - This is a preview of Moxley vs. Narita for the world title tomorrow night. The winner of that match will defend the belt against Umino on May 11. The House of Torture has been feuding with Shota and Despy for months, and when Moxley tried to set up a match between himself and Shota, Narita attacked the champ. I figure Moxley's team will pick up the win, although I suppose Narita might pin Despy to pick up some momentum heading into tomorrow.

Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi & BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Gabe Kidd & Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney & Gedo - Takagi vs. Kidd is scheduled for tomorrow night. Hiromu and Bushi faced off against Connors and Moloney on April 29. Naito didn't have a specific rival in this LIJ vs. War Dogs feud until Jake Lee did a run-in on April 23. I'm not sure if that makes Lee an official War Dog or not. In any case, I'm surprised he hasn't replaced Gedo in this match. As it is, Gedo is the weak link, so I have to assume he'll be the one to get pinned.

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI & Tiger Mask vs. KENTA & Chase Owens & Taiji Ishimori - This is a preview of Goto and Yoshi vs. Kenta and Owens tomorrow night, for the IWGP heavyweight tag title. Tiger is an old-timer at this point, so I expect he'll lose the match for his team.

Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls & Kosei Fujita vs. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo & Jado - Haste and Nicholls won the STRONG tag title from ELP and Hiku a few weeks ago. I assume they'll do a rematch at some point, but to my knowledge nothing's been scheduled yet. This is a little interesting since I think the designated job guys for each team--GoD's Jado and TMDK's Fujita--cancel each other out, and either side is beatable. I'd give the win to TMDK, personally.

Yuya Uemura & Taichi vs. Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman - Originally this was a trios match, but SANADA is sidelined, so Francesco Akira has been pulled from Khan and Newman's team to make things even. Uemura won the KOPW belt from Khan on April 27, so we're just kinda winding down that little feud. Newman will probably do the job in this match.

SHO & Yujiro Takahashi vs. DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku - Sho retained the IWGP junior title against Douki on April 29, so I suppose Douki has a chance here for some payback. Sho's team should probably win, but it doesn't make much difference.

Togi Makabe & Katsuya Murashima vs. Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato - At first glance this looks like Makabe and three Young Lions. However, Oleg recently won the NEVER trios title (alongside Hiroshi Tanahashi and Toru Yano) so I think that automatically means he's graduated. So does Makabe's side have the edge, because he's a living legend? Or would they give the win to Oleg's team, because he's a champion right now? I can't come up with an answer, so I guess we'll see.

[hazyheel]

Wrestling Dontaku 2019 night 1 Review

In our opener, we had Ren Narita, Shota Umino and Tomoaki Honma up against Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji and Toa Henare. Tsuji and Uemura seem to have been developing a rivalry, as they absolutely destroyed each other whenever they were in the ring. Henare was kept out for most of the match, so naturally he dominated when he eventually tagged in. Narita and Uemura also were very aggressive when against each other, with commentary pointing out that Narita seemed to have Uemura’s number. And funnily enough, Uemura had a big advantage against Narita, but Narita caught him coming off the ropes with a beautiful bridging belly to bell suplex for the win.

Grade: B-. Pretty good stuff. I like the various feuds going on with the young lions, and I am curious to see where both Narita and Umino will be going for their excursions, which could be coming up soon enough. Either way, those two are the big faces of the Young Lions now, and they are very talented.

Next up, the Suzuki-Gun team of Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru against Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi, YOSHI-HASHI and Tiger Mask. Of course, the heels attacked before the bell, led to a brawl around ringside. At one point, Taguchi was on the top rope so Suzuki Gun could be thrown into his butt, but the heels fought the rest of his team off. They all gathered behind him in the ring as he got the crowd to cheer for him. Suzuki really tried to destroy Liger, holding a cross armbreaker for far too long, and continuing to attack him while the ref tried to check on Liger. The violence continued as the two tagged out, and TAKA came in to fight Tiger Mask. The two had a short sequence, but TAKA won after a single leg dropkick and a Michinoku Driver. After the bell, Suzuki continued to assault Liger on the outside.

Grade: B. This was alright, nothing spectacular. Mostly used to build up the Suzuki and Liger rivalry. Important that TAKA got the pin though, as that gives him a lot of momentum going into the Best of the Super Juniors. Other than that, it was a standard 8-man tag in New Japan.

Next tag match pitted Will Ospreay, Toru Yano and Togi Makabe against HIKULEO, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. BULLET CLUB jumped before the bell, making the two heel factions of New Japan kinda blend together. Yano had a funny segment where he was scared of both members of GOD, and also tried to get them disqualified by tossing them the removed ringpost. The heels really showcased their ferocity and teamwork, destroying both Makabe and Yano throughout the match with quick tags. Ospreay was putting in work, but even he had to put on the breaks when Jado nailed him with a kendo stick while coming off the ropes. After Yano and Makabe broke up a pinfall, they brawled on the outside with the Guerrillas, allowing Ospreay to get the win with an os cutter on Hikuleo.

Grade: B. Fine match, I liked the story. Ospreay is in a really strong position right now, where he can pin heavyweights consistently. That makes him a favorite in the best of the super juniors. However, I don’t know who will be challenging for the Tag Team Championships nor the 6-man belts in the future. That remains to be seen.

Then we had LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI, against Kota Ibushi, SHO and YOH. Lots of intense rivalries in this one, and you can really feel it watching the match. Takagi in particular looked really good in this match, being able to go toe to toe with Ibushi. Takagi also nearly ate his first pinfall, after narrowly avoiding a 3k. However, the faces pulled it off, with Ibushi nailing Bushi with a kamagoye.

After the match, Ibushi got on the mic and asked Naito to answer him about the challenge for the Intercontinental Championship, and gave him until night 2 to find out. However, Naito just jumped in the ring and implied that he would have accepted the challenge for tomorrow night, but the card was decided. I guess we will have to see whether or not it happens. I think it won’t come until Dominion, but I would love to see that match on the already stacked night 2.

Grade: B+. Narrowly better than the other matches on the card, but better nontheless. The rivalries that filled this match made it more exciting, along with the quality of those invovled. Even though there wasn’t a lot of high spots, it was a good, fundamental match. Nothing more I can ask for.

Next up was Jay White, Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens against Mikey Nicholls, Hirooki Goto and Juice Robinson. Robinson was dressed like Randy Savage, so that was exciting. Surprisingly enough, the faces were working incredibly well as a team, covering for each other and aiding when necessary. Owens started to steal Robinson’s punches, which made Robinson super pissed on the apron. White and Goto looked very good in this match, both coming across as the MVP’s for their team, although Robinson was very on point tonight. Owen’s looked like he might get yet another win over Robinson, but Robinson fought out of a package piledriver, and nailed pump friction for the win.

After the match, a video package played. It had the tag line of “time’s up,” it played footage of Robinson, and then left the date of the BOSJ finals. So it seems like whoever this is will be the next challenger for the US championship. Makes sense. As for who it may be, my guess would be Kawato. He went out for excursion to CMLL a while back, and given the highly Mexican feel of the video package, it could be him. But I also don’t know much about him, nor many Mexican wrestlers who may be jumping to new japan, so I could be wrong.

Grade: B+. This was the best of the multi-man tag team matches. White and Goto are not nearly finished with each other, Nicholls is still trying to really break out in New Japan, and Robinson is finally having a dominant title reign. I liked these stories going in, I like how Robinson really wrapped up his feud with BULLET CLUB, and I absolutely love the mystery set for the BOSJ finals. I like the storylines, and I liked the match.

Into a special tag match, EVIL and SANADA took on Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii, their opponents for night 2. Okada is still getting a pop for having trunks rather than pants, which is so weird but awesome. The story being told here is how much Ishii and Evil hate each other, and also Sanada’s increasing ability to go the distance with Okada. Ishii hardly cared about Sanada, even when the two were in the ring together. Evil targetted Ishii’s legs in a move that could come back up during their singles match. Sanada looked great in this match, really flying around to take down Ishii, and he continued to wrestle to stalemates against Okada. A lot of this match was simple singles competition, but it really picked up when everyone started acting like a team. LIJ was able to hit Ishii with a magic killer, but refused to pin him. Instead he opted for the scorpion deathlock, in an attempt to embarrass Ishii. Okada tried to run interference, but was caught in skull end by Sanada. The referee eventually had to stop the match after Ishii was stuck in the scorpion deathlock for over a minute.

Grade: A-. I really liked this match. At first it seemed like a simple preview, though entertaining. However, as the match wore on and it became more of a tag match, the excitement really picked up. Big victory for Evil, even if Ishii didn’t actually tap. I think that he could pull out the victory again tomorrow night, and that would be a huge boost of momentum for the coming months. As for Sanada, he is really getting a big push right now, and I think the match will be awesome, but this match didn’t change my opinion on the outcome. Still, this match did make me excited.

Into the title matches, Taichi took on Jeff Cobb for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Taichi stalled like crazy in the beginning of the match. Taichi tried several dirty tricks early on, such as having Miho Abe (the lady that comes out with Taichi) distract Cobb so that he could get a shot in, although it did not affect Cobb at all. He also used Abe as a shield to prevent a suicide dive, enlisted the help of Yoshinobu Kanemaru to fight Cobb while the ref was down, and of course used the mic stand as a weapon. Cobb eventually fought his way back into the match, hitting an awesome delayed superplex. The match became a battle from behind for Taichi, whose strikes could rock Cobb, but couldn’t match his strength. At one point, Cobb hit a huge gutwrench suplex, only to pick him up again and hit a piledriver. Taichi did a great job of slipping out of the tour of the islands, countering one into a roll up. Right after that, Taichi pushed the ref and hit a low kick and a gedo clutch, but Cobb again kicked out. However, Taichi was on a role, hitting his superkick and black mephisto for the win and the NEVER Openweight Championship.

Grade: B+. Very good match, but not quite in A range. I thought the lay out and story of the match was quite good, the way Taichi had to continuously change his strategy to take out the incredibly strong Jeff Cobb. I am sad to see Cobb’s reign end so quick, especially since he is on a role right now, but he probably has too busy of a schedule to work in New Japan consistently. Makes sense. Taichi really does deserve a run, so I am glad to see that. Also, I realized midway through the show that the whole “winning streak” for Cobb that I mentioned in my predictions was false, cuz he lost at Honor Rising night 2. So I feel dumb, but I am fine with this outcome. Congrats Taichi.

And the main event, Taiji Ishimori vs. Dragon Lee for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. The video package for this match focused a surprising amount on Hiromu Takahashi, so hopefully that means the return is soon. Lee came out with the Kamaitaichi mask on his head as well, another nod to Takahashi. Ishimori refused the handshake at the start of the match, which really set the tone for the rest of the contest. The pace that these guys wrestled at was inhuman, I loved it. Lee worked over Ishimori’s leg in order to slow him down, but that hardly worked. Ishimori opted to go for Lee’s mask rather than a body part, although it seemed to cause Lee just as much pain. At one point, Ishimori hit an awesome crucifix bomb for a near fall, and Lee came right back with a one arm powerbomb for a near fall. On the outside, Ishimori countered simply being thrown into the ring by handspringing off of the ropes on the outside, and then arm dragging Lee into the barrier. The two then kicked into a second gear, with Lee hitting a superkick, Ishimori a bicycle kick, Lee a snap german suplex, Ishimori a mexican destroyer, and finally a huge falcon arrow from Lee for a near fall. Ishimori was able to lock in a lebel lock for a long submission sequence. Lee fired up after a double knee gutbuster, hitting a bicycle knee, a reverse rana and a running knee for a near fall, and then the dragon driver for the win.

After the match, Lee put over Hiromu Takahashi, saying that the win was for him and that the match is waiting for Takahashi. Can’t wait.

Grade: A. Definitely match of the night. These guys blended together extremely well and put on an awesome, fast paced match. The strikes were hard, both competitors were desperate to win, and they put on a crazy show for everyone deserving of the main event. Dragon Lee has proved that he deserves the championship, and Ishimori still stays as a favorite for Best of the Super Juniors. The spots were just so brutal, but it was impossible to look away. Love this match, definitely recommend a watch.

Overall Grade: B+

Pros: Suzuki and Liger feud; Ospreay booking; Chaos + Ibushi vs. LIJ; Mystery US Title challenger; special tag match; NEVER Openweight Match; main event

Cons: no more Jeff Cobb

[gdwessel]

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022 - 5/1/2022: A Good Night For The Bullet Club, BOSJ29 Participants & Blocks Announced; NJPW Strong Episode 88 - 4/30/2022; NOAH Majestic 2022 Night 2 - 4/30/2022; DDT, TJPW, STARDOM, Dragon Gate, Marvelous, Osaka Pro, Onita Fire Pro Wrestling Results

As I said would happen in Thursday’s post, the @StrongStylStory Twitter account is not under that name any longer; it is now @gdwessel. If you happened to follow the previous @gdwessel account, its name has changed, and you should follow the proper @gdwessel one now. Thanks!

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Today was Wrestling Dontaku 2022. Usually the show happens on May 3 (and for the past couple of years, it has been a two-night show). It was streamed live on NJPWWorld, and features a lot of title matches.

Wrestling Dontaku 2022 - 5/1/2022, Fukuoka Pay Pay Dome (NJPWWorld)

Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG] d. Shiro Koshinaka, Shingo Takagi [Los Ingobernables] & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] (Taichi > Shingo, Taichi-Style Gedo Clutch, 10:15)

Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables] d. YOH [CHAOS] (Timebomb II, 9:59)

Tanga Loa [GoD] d. Yujiro Takahashi [Bullet Club] (Apeshit, 11:33)

IWGP Juniorheavyweight Tag Team Championship: Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato © d. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG] (Taguchi > Kanemaru, Rollup, 9:10) - Team Six or Nine succeed their 2nd defense

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 3-Way Match: Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens [Bullet Club] d. Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan [United Empire] © and Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS] (Owens > Goto, Rocket Launcher Elbow Drop, 9:42) - Cobb/O-Khan fail their 1st defense - Fale/Owens are the 94th champions

NEVER Openweight Championship: Tama Tonga [GoD] d. EVIL [Bullet Club] © (Gunstun, 13:25) - EVIL fails his 3rd defense - Tonga in the 36th champion

IWGP Juniorheavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori [Bullet Club] d. El Desperado [SZKG] © (Bone Lock, 14:40) - Despy fails his 4th defense - Ishimori is the 92nd champion

IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Decision Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi d. Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS] (High Fly Flow, 23:20) - Tanahashi is the 14th champion

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [CHAOS] © d. Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables] (Rainmaker, 34:12) - Okada succeeds his 4th defense

Okada retains against Naito, and is attacked by the entire “new” Bullet Club, which now includes Juice Robinson as a member, with “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows making their first appearance in Japan since 2016. Jay White challenged Okada, while Juice stole the IWGP US title belt. Wrestling Dontaku is the anniversary show for the Bullet Club, formed at the 2013 edition of this show. I mean, sure, wrestling is all a work and the talk of him leaving the company was now all a part of that work. I guess that we are in 2022, and the solution for “We have no ideas left for this guy” is to put him with the Bullet Club. (Or United Empire, sure. But the Empire is still a relatively new unit, and they need numbers.) They’ve done it now with EVIL and SHO the last two years, and but for mere short-term gain; long-term, nobody wants to see EVIL and SHO now, their matches deflate the room. It’s like their one idea for a heel turn now (well, two with the Empire); WCW did the same thing, had their one idea for a heel turn, which was to put somebody, ANYBODY with the nWo and we all know how that turned out long-term.

Yes, Juice v. Tana for the US title makes sense. Why it has to be with Bullet Club is beyond me. But then, this has been one of the biggest issues creatively with NJPW even during the good times in the 2010s. The unwillingness to break up and create new units and stables has made things really stale in that regard. Bullet Club is now nine years old. CHAOS is thirteen, and is so far removed from its original intentions that they may as well be part of the Hontai now. Even Los Ingobernables de Japon is hitting seven years in existence this year, and absolutely none of the founding members of the original Los Ingobernables are even with CMLL anymore. The United Empire felt like a breath of fresh air, despite having scummy dweebs like Ospreay and TJP, because it took five years for a new unit to be formed since LIJ first coalesced in October 2015. That they haven’t been more successful is more how things have gone because of the pandemic than anything. Well, and Ospreay’s injury/whatever last year too.

Look at the landscape of, say, Dragon Gate, and I guarantee you within two years from this writing, none of Natural Vibes, HIGH-END, Gold Class, Z-Brats or even the tag team D’Courage will be around. Three of those were only formed in the last couple of months. A little thing like splitting up existing stables and forming new ones with different members would go a long way to make the booking, which HAS improved in 2022 it must be said, a lot fresher these days.

Overall, however, it was a good night for the Bullet Club, despite EVIL losing the NEVER title to the founder the BC kicked out, Tama Tonga, winning his first ever NJPW singles title. But they gained not only the IWGP junior title, but also, the heavyweight tag belts, with a new configuration, Fale & Owens. I’m pretty sure O-Cobb are not done with the titles either.

Shiro Koshinaka became the new partner for Shingo & BUSHI, with Tatsumi Fujinami waylaid with COVID-19. Shingo challenged Taichi to a rematch soon, probably Dominion if I had to guess.

The blocks and participants for Best Of The Super Juniors 29 were announced, as the tournament returns to its traditional calendar spot after the last two years of Olympics, pandemic and Olympics delays because of the pandemic. It starts 5/15/2022 from Nagoya, ending 6/3/2022 at Tokyo Nippon Budokan. Several debuts from outside NJPW (and one from within) feature this year, as we return to a 20-man field, divided into two blocks.

In A Block, Clark Connors makes his way over from the LA Dojo, whilst Alex Zayne, who has featured on Strong and in GCW, also makes his debut. The Empire’s newest member Francesco Akira is here, as well as Ace Austin of Impact Wrestling.

Meanwhile, B Block gets Wheeler Yuta’s NJPW Japan debut, representing AEW and his stable, the Blackpool Combat Club. El Lindaman of #STRONGHEARTS, GLEAT’s inaugural G-REX Champion, makes his BOSJ debut here as well. Not a debut, but a return, is CMLL’s Titan, meaning the relationship between NJPW and CMLL is still on in some form or fashion, despite NJPW now working with AEW & Impact, both of whom have partnerships with AAA.

Here are the blocks, with debutants in italics:

A Block: Ryusuke Taguchi, YOH [CHAOS], Clark Connors, Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables], Yoshinobu Kanemaru [SZKG], Ace Austin [Impact], Alex Zayne [GCW], Francesco Akira [United Empire], Taiji Ishimori [Bullet Club], SHO [Bullet Club]

B Block: Master Wato, Robbie Eagles [CHAOS], Titan [CMLL], BUSHI [Los Ingobernables], El Desperado [SZKG], DOUKI [SZKG], El Lindaman [#STRONGHEARTS], Wheeler Yuta [AEW], TJP [United Empire], El Phantasmo [Bullet Club]

Last night’s NJPW Strong continues (or concludes?) the matches from Strong Style Evolved from St. Petersburg, FL.

The DKC d. Kevin Knight (Reverse Double Armbar, 7:45)

Mascara Dorada [FREE] d. TJP [United Empire] (Dorada Screwdriver, 10:50)

Ren Narita d. Jay Lethal [AEW] (Lethal Injection, 12:17)

In other news, Minoru Suzuki will face Brody King at Capital Collision on 5/15/2022. Also, a new NJPW Strong taping, Ignition, has been signed for 6/19/2022 at the Vermont Hollywood in LA once again. Tickets are already on sale.

Last night in Seattle, DEFY Wrestling held its Wild Ones event featuring as its main event, Jon Moxley of NJPW & AEW defeating the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. El Phantasmo was also on this show, falling to Steve Migs. Other talents who work, or have worked, Strong were on this as well. It was shown live on PLUTO Channel 732. I have no idea how PLUTO actually works, and don’t know if there is a VOD option for this show or not. I did not see it live as it started too late for me, especially after AAA Triplemania XXX Monterrey last night went til midnight my time. UGH. One bad thing about the idea we are somehow past the pandemic, is that wrestling cards are getting way too long again.

The next NJPW tour will, of course, be Best Of The Super Juniors 29. No cards or matches announced yet. Stay tuned for that.

Pro Wrestling NOAH

The second night of Majestic was yesterday, at Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan. You can see it now on Wrestle Universe if you’d like.

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

Slex & Kai Fujimura d. Alejandro & Yasutaka Yano (Slex > Yano, Close Of Business, 10:22)

Manabu Soya, Tadasuke & Hajime Ohara [Kongo] d. King Tany, Muhammad Yone & Akitoshi Saito [Funky Express] (Soya > Yone, Ballistic, 12:55) 

HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa, Chris Ridgeway, Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Susumu [STINGER] d. NOSAWA Rongai, Eita, Texano Jr., Kotaro Suzuki & Super Crazy [Perros del Mal de Japon] (HAYATA > Eita, DQ, 9:28)

Kazushi Sakuraba & Kendo Kashin [Sugiura-gun] d. Masaaki Mochizuki [M’s Alliance] & Don Fujii [Dragon Gate] (Kashin > Mochizuki, Schoolboy, 6:47)

Rene Dupree [FREE] & Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. [FREE] d. Masato Tanaka [M’s Alliance] & Daiki Inaba (Wagner > Inaba, Moonsault Press, 10:51)

Michael Elgin [FREE] d. Masa Kitamiya (Elgin Bomb, 12:33)

GHC National Championship: Masakatsu Funaki [Kongo] © d. Simon Gotch [FREE] (Referee Stoppage, 9:47) - Funaki succeeds his 3rd defense

Dragon Bane [IWRG], Alpha Wolf [IWRG], Extreme Tiger [FREE] & Ninja Mack [GCW] d. Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY & Junta Miyawaki (Bane > Miyawaki, Bane Twister, 16:33)

Naomichi Marufuji [M’s Alliance] & Satoshi Kojima d. Yoshiki Inamura & Kinya Okada (Kojima > Okada, lariat, 15:01)

GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Takashi Sugiura & Hideki Suzuki [Sugiura-gun] © d. Kenoh & Katsuhiko Nakajima [Kongo] (Suzuki > Nakajima, Double-Arm Suplex, 23:36) - Sugiura/Suzuki succeed their 1st defense

GHC Heavyweight Championship Decision Match: Go Shiozaki d. Kaito Kiyomiya (Strong Arm Lariat, 30:02) - Shiozaki is the 38th champion

Shiozaki becomes the champion, which, to be fair, I am pretty sure was the plan to begin with. Why they decided to sacrifice Kaito Kiyomiya on that altar instead of someone else, I don’t know. Shiozaki was challenged by NJPW’s Satoshi Kojima, who was also Naomichi Marufuji’s mystery partner. Kojima was wearing a NOAH shirt all night, and seems to be looking to be around NOAH for a bit. That match is now set for the CyberFight Festival on 6/12/2022.

Sugiura-gun retain the tag titles, and are challenged by Rene Dupree & Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., which will happen on the Tokyo Korakuen Hall show on Wednesday 5/4/2022. Super Crazy & Texano Jr. challenged for the junior tag belts held by Yoshinari Ogawa & Chris Ridgeway. Texano Jr. is a junior heavyweight in the same way Shingo Takagi was in his first nine months in New Japan; that is, not at all. Masa Kitamiya asked Michael Elgin for a partnership, which Elgin agreed to. Which means NOAH is planning on using Elgin, at least in the short-term. Puke.

Keiji Muto returns to action on 5/21/2022 from Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium, where he will team with Marufuji & Kojima against Shiozaki, Kiyomiya & Masato Tanaka.

The next two shows are the beginning of Dream On 2022, both from Tokyo Korakuen Hall. The Hi69 you see is Nio, who had to revert back to this name after his loss to Hao on Friday, something I neglected to mention.

Dream On 2022 - 5/4/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (ABEMA)

Simon Gotch [FREE] v. Kinya Okada

NOSAWA Rongai, Texano Jr. & Super Crazy [Perros del Mal de Japon] v. Alejandro, Kai Fujimura & Yasutaka Yano

Kenoh & Masakatsu Funaki [Kongo] v. Kendo Kashin [Sugiura-gun] & Slex

Tadasuke, Hajime Ohara & Hi69 [Kongo] v. Dragon Bane [IWRG], Alpha Wolf [IWRG] & Extreme Tiger [FREE]

Katsuhiko Nakajima & Manabu Soya [Kongo] v. Masa Kitamiya & Michael Elgin

HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa, Chris Ridgeway, Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Susumu [STINGER] v. Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY, Hao & Junta Miyawaki

Kaito Kiyomiya v. Ninja Mack [GCW]

Go Shiozaki, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura v. Satoshi Kojima, Naomichi Marufuji [M’s Alliance] & Masato Tanaka [M’s Alliance]

GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Takashi Sugiura & Hideki Suzuki [Sugiura-gun] © v. Rene Dupree [FREE] & Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. [FREE]

- 5/5/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (Wrestle Universe)

Slex v. Kinya Okada

Atsushi Kotoge & Hao v. Texano Jr. & Super Crazy [Perros del Mal de Japon]

Katsuhiko Nakajima & Hi69 [Kongo] v. King Tany & Muhammad Yone [Funky Express]

HAYATA [STINGER], Seiki Yoshioka [STINGER], Yuya Susumu [STINGER] & Yasutaka Yano v. Dragon Bane [IWRG], Alpha Wolf [IWRG], Extreme Tiger [FREE] & Alejandro

Naomichi Marufuji [M’s Alliance], YO-HEY & Ninja Mack [GCW] v. Kenoh, Tadasuke & Hajime Ohara [Kongo]

Manabu Soya [Kongo] v. Michael Elgin

Simon Gotch [FREE], Yoshinari Ogawa [STINGER] & Chris Ridgeway [STINGER] v. Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & Junta Miyawaki

Satoshi Kojima v. Yoshiki Inamura

Go Shiozaki, Masato Tanaka [M’s Alliance], Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba v. Takashi Sugiura [Sugiura-gun], Hideki Suzuki [Sugiura-gun], Rene Dupree [FREE] & Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. [FREE]

DDT / Tokyo Joshi

DDT held the Mega Max Bump 2022 in Yokohama event today, which you can see now on Wrestle Universe. Four title matches, and a special challenge tag match between the GM Hisaya Imabayashi & team against Danshoku Dino’s Pheromones unit to end that feud. We think.

DDT Mega Max Bump 2022 in Yokohama - 5/1/2022, Kanagawa Yokohama Budokan (Wrestle Universe)

KANON d. Yuya Koroku [Burning] (Just Cobra Twist, 7:22)

Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura d. Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida (Yoshimura > Ishida, Harai Goshi, 9:33)

Shinya Aoki d. Toi Kojima [The 37KAMIINA] (Leglock, 5:04)

KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Championship: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba © d. Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi (JULIE > Hirata, Cattle Mutilation, 8:45) - JULIE/Sasaki/GENTARO/MIKAMI/Toba succeed their 1st defense

Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata [The 37KAMIINA] d. Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani [Eruption] (Katsumata > Okatani, Totono Splash, 10:28)

Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai d. Danshoku Dino, Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari [Pheromones] (Imabayashi > Dino, Jackknife Hold, 16:55)

Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON [DAMNATION TA] d. Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao (Sasaki > Takao, Crossface, 10:43)

Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi [Eruption] d. HARASHIMA [DISASTER BOX] & Hikaru Sato (Higuchi > HARASHIMA, Brain Claw, 14:25)

DDT Universal Championship: MAO [The 37KAMIINA] © d. Asuka (Cannonball 450, 13:56) - MAO succeeds his 2nd defense

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi © d. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada [Burning] (Takanashi > Okada, Cradle, 21:09) - Calamari Drunken Kings succeed their 1st defense

KO-D Openweight Championship: Tetsuya Endo [Burning] © d. Yuki Ueno [The 37KAMIINA] (Burning Star Press, 31:17) - Endo succeeds his 1st defense

MAO & Asuka settled their differences in the ring, and challenged Calamari Drunken Kings for the tag titles. Masahiro Takanashi of CDK challenged MAO to the Universal belt as well. Recent signee KANON is the mystery new member of DAMNATION TA that Daisuke Sasaki teased. Prominence (specifically Suzu Suzuki) attacked Shunma Katsumata. Sasaki is also booked to fight NOAH’s Kenoh at CyberFight Festival 2022 on 6/12/2022. Yuki Iino will defend the DDT Extreme title against AKIRA on 6/1/2022. Gota Ihashi took the place of Gorgeous Matsuno in the KO-D 10-man title match as Matsuno had a family emergency crop up.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Joshi held the second of two nights at Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall yesterday, the final build show to Tuesday’s Korakuen Hall show.

TJPW Spring Tour ‘22 - 4/30/2022, Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall (Wrestle Universe)

Suzume d. Kaya Toribami (Ring A Bell, 9:50)

Yuki Aino d. Arisu Endo (Full Nelson Of Love And Fire, 8:48)

3-Way Match: Raku d. Rika Tatsumi & Haruna Neko (Raku > Neko, Doctor Yellow, 7:43)

Maki Itoh d. Moko Miyamoto (Itoh Punish, 8:46)

Miyu Yamashita & Miu Watanabe d. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu (Watanabe > Kiryu, Kick de Bakoon!, 12:56)

Hyper Misao, Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta d. Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (Misao > Nakajima, Vanitas, 11:20)

Challengers beat the champions in the last prelude match to Tuesday’s title matches, with Hyper Misao getting a direct win over Shoko Nakajima. Indeed, here’s the card for that show:

TJPW Yes! Wonderland 2022 – Spread The Wings Of Your Dreams - 5/3/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (Wrestle Universe)

Exhibition Match: Reika Saiki v. Arisu Endo

Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu v. Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami

Suzume v. Julia Nagano

Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai v. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku

Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh v. Hikaru Shida [AEW] & Moko Miyamoto

Princess Tag Team Championship: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki © v. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta

Princess of Princess Championship: Shoko Nakajima © v. Hyper Misao

Apparently, Yuka Sakazaki will be getting on a plane immediately following this show as AEW has asked for her to be present for a match this week (which show, I don’t know, there are several to choose from). Ironically, they just gave an out for Hikaru Shida to not be there next week, as she just lost a feud-ender against Serena Deeb on Dynamite this past Wednesday. (In other DDT Talent In AEW news, Konosuke Takeshita will be featured on AEW Dark this week versus Rhett Titus.)

The kicker with this, is on Thursday’s show, the winners of the tag title match are supposed to be teaming with both Maki Itoh and the winner of the Princess of Princess match against Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo. So, possibly a giveaway for the tag title match? We’ll see!

STARDOM

STARDOM are running a Golden Week Fight Tour all week, which began today. Thursday’s show will be the big one as it has three title matches and an Elimination match.

Golden Week Fight Tour 2022 - 5/1/2022, Hiroshima Big Rose

Thekla [Donna del Mondo] d. Momo Kohgo [STARS] (Dokugumo Death Drop, 5:56)

Ruaka & Starlight Kid [Oedo Tai] d. AZM & Hina [Queen’s Quest] (Kid > Hina, Moonsault Press, 8:06)

Giulia, Maika, Himeka, Natsipoi & Mai Sakurai [Donna del Mondo] d. Mayu Iwatani, Saya Iida, Janan, Koguma & Hazuki [STARS] (Giulia > Hanan, Backdrop, 10:38)

Saki Kashima, Rina & Momo Watanabe [Oedo Tai] d. Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani & Lady C [Queen’s Quest] (Kashima > C, Kishikaisei, 13:12)

Syuri, MIRAI, Ami Sorei & Konami [God’s Eye] d. Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa, Unigi Sayaka & Waka Tsukiyama [Cosmic Angels] (Konami > Tsukiyama, Triangle Lancer, 19:40)

God’s Eye’s newest member beats the rookie of Cosmic Angels, with Waka still waiting for her first win.

The tour resumes Tuesday.

Dragon Gate

The Gate of Passion 2022 tour continued through the weekend.

The Gate of Passion 2022 Night 16 - 4/30/2022, Fukui Tsuruga Kirameki Minato Building

YAMATO, Dragon Kid & Kagetora [HIGH-END] d. Kzy, U-T & Genki Horiguchi [Natural Vibes] (YAMATO > Horiguchi, Galleria, 12:29)

SB KENTo & Diamante [Z-Brats] d. Takashi Yoshida & Yosuke Santa Maria (KENTo > Yosuke, MCC, 10:13)

Kota Minoura, Kaito Ishida & Minorita [Gold Class] d. Strong Machine J, La Estrella & Takuma Fujiwara (Minoura > Fujiwara, R-301, 11:15)

Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka [D’Courage] d. Ben-K & Keisuke Okuda [HIGH-END] (Yoshioka > Okuda, Frog Splash, 12:09)

Susumu Yokosuka, Big Boss Shimizu, Jacky “Funky” Kamei & Jason Lee [Natural Vibes] d. KAI, BxB Hulk, HYO & Shun Skywalker (Yokosuka > HYO, Aikata, 18:09)

The Gate of Passion 2022 Night 17 - 5/1/2022, Aichi Tsushima Bunka Hall

Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi, Big Boss Shimizu & Jason Lee [Natural Vibes] d. KAI, BxB Hulk, HYO & Diamante [Z-Brats] (Yokosuka > HYO, Yokosuka Cutter, 12:11)

Shachihoko Boy & Strong Machine J d. Yosuke Santa Maria & Ho Ho Lun (J > Yosuke, Machine Suplex, 10:46)

Kota Minoura, Kaito Ishida & Minorita [Gold Class] d. Eita, Ishin Iihashi & Takuma Fujiwara (Minoura > Ishin, R-301, 13:21)

Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka [D’Courage] d. Kagetora & Keisuke Okuda [HIGH-END] (Dia > Okuda, Double Cork, 13:29)

YAMATO, Dragon Kid & Ben-K [HIGH-END] d. Kzy, U-T & Jacky “Funky” Kamei [Natural Vibes] (YAMATO > Kamei, Galleria, 19:24)

K-Ness has announced that following his retirement, he is now leaving Dragon Gate entirely. Best wishes to him in his life post-wrestling.

Founder Ultimo Dragon was in AAA last night, wrestling at the Triplemania XXX in Monterrey show. He went on first, defeating Penta 0M in the opening match, which was also the first in the Ruleta de la Muerte tournament. The tournament actually sees the loser advance to the next round, as the Final will be a mask v. mask match, taking place at the Triplemania XXX show in October.

The tour wraps up with two livestreamed shows on DG Network on Tuesday & Wednesday, then Dead Or Alive 2022 on Thursday.

Other News

Marvelous held its 6th Anniversary show today at Korakuen Hall. The main event saw Rin Kadokura & Itsuki Aoki beat Tomoko Watanabe & Kaoru Ito to fill the vacant AAAW Tag Team Championship for the first time since 2005. Afterwards, Kadokura announced she was now married, and her mother-in-law was none other than Akira Hokuto. Meaning, her father-in-law is Kensuke Sasaki, and her husband would most likely be Kennosuke Sasaki. I guess congratulations are in order.

Osaka Pro crowned its new champion today, as Zeus defeated the previous (Openweight) champion Kazuaki Mihara with a Jackhammer in 24:25, becoming the 34th champion, and the first for this new revival of the promotion.

Atsushi Onita ran two Fire Pro Wrestling (not the videogame) shows from Shimane and Hiroshima this weekend, featuring Rising HAYATO, Koji Doi and Hokuto Omori from All Japan. The main events both nights were Electric Current Blast Explosion Bat deathmatches, that saw Onita team with both Osamu Nishimura and a switching third partner between nights, against Mr. Pogo and various others. Onita won yesterday, whilst Devil Magician got a win on Onita today.

Shows also took place by BJW, HARD HIT, Michinoku Pro, 2AW, Kyushu Pro, Colega, Ice Ribbon, ChocoPro, ZERO1, and other one-off events through this Golden Weekend.

I’ll be back Tuesday.

[puroresu-musings]

MY TOP 5 WRESTLERS & MATCHES OF 2019

Top 5 Wrestlers Of The Year:

1, WILL OSPREAY - High flying sensation had his best year ever in the ring, and when he was on, nobody could touch him, having more incredible matches this year than anyone. Started the year with a bang by defeating Kota Ibushi to win the NEVER Title in the tremendous Wrestle Kingdom opener, that was only marred by the fact it didn’t go a bit longer. Went to an excellent 30 minute time limit draw with PAC in the dream match main event of REV PRO’s High Stakes show on February 15th. Over Wrestlemania weekend, defeated Bandido and dropped the NEVER strap to Jeff Cobb at the historic MSG show, both of which were great outings. Had blow-away matches in the BOSJ with Rocky Romero, YOH, El Phantasmo, Bandido, and Robbie Eagles, before defeating Shingo Takagi in the outstanding Tournament final on June 5th, which was the best wrestling match of the year. Followed that up a few days later by defeated Dragon Lee for the Jr Title in a superb high-flying outing at the Dominion show. Beat Robbie Eagles in another super match in Melbourne, Australia in his first defense on June 29th, then formed a team with him, resulting in numerous fab doubles clashes. Entered his first G1 Climax in July and August and, despite only ending with 8 points, had a fantastic tournament with matches against foes as diverse as Lance Archer, SANADA, Ibushi, Okada, Zack Sabre Jr, EVIL, KENTA and Hiroshi Tanahashi all being pretty much incredible, the latter of which being his biggest win ever as he pinned the legend that is Tanahashi clean. Made it to the semi finals of the revived Super J Cup in the U.S. in August, again looking great and having the best match of once-retired Amazing Red’s career en route. Avenged his BOSJ and J Cup losses to Phantasmo and had the best match I’ve ever seen BUSHI in a singles capacity, in two more stellar Junior Title defences in the Autumn. Junior Title match with the returning Hiromu Takahashi on January 4th should be off the page, provided Hiromu is 100%. I think it time he lose the belt and make the jump to Heavyweight full-time in 2020.

2, KAZUCHIKA OKADA - The Rainmaker maybe didn’t have his most spectacular in-ring year in 2019, but he still was at the top of the heap with regards to match quality. Lost clean to Jay White in an excellent Wrestle Kingdom match on January 4th, but rebounded by winning the best New Japan Cup tournament in history, defeating Michael Elgin, Mikey Nicholls, Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii and finally, SANADA, the latter two of which were amongst the very best matches of the year, to earn an IWGP Title shot against Jay White at Madison Square Garden. Defeated defending champion White at that show in another fantastic outing to win his 5th IWGP Heavy Title. Upended SANADA again in his first successful Title defence on May 4th at the Wrestling Dontaku show, which was another excellent bout. Was challenged by Chris Jericho at Dominion on June 9th. The match, in which Okada won, was a solid contest, but his weakest IWGP Title Match since Feburary of 2016. Turned in a fantastic G1 tournament, having wonderful collisions with the likes of Tanahashi, ZSJ, KENTA, had the best matches I’ve ever seen SANADA and EVIL respectively have, and was in a superstar making bout with Will Ospreay, before losing in the A Block decision match to Kota Ibushi, which again, was amongst the best matches this year. Was pinned by Minoru Suzuki on the final night of the tournament in a great tag match to set up an IWGP Title match in London on August 31st. Rainmakered his way to victory over the slippery shooter in that match, which was predictably superb. Had a fourth, emotion driven bout against SANADA at the King Of Pro-Wrestling show on October 14th, which whilst still great, ended up being the weakest of the four they’ve had this year. Sold his backside off for Jushin Thunder Liger in the legend’s final Korakuen Hall match, before putting him away with a Rainmaker to end the year. Impending IWGP Heavyweight Title defence against Ibushi on January 4th should be out of this world great.

3, KOTA IBUSHI - The Golden Star had a very eventful year indeed. Started with a bang by dropping the NEVER Title to Will Opsreay in a super Wrestle Kingdom match, in which he put The Ariel Assassin over in the strongest possible way, pulling a stretcher job to sell the beating (even though he did suffer a legitimate concussion in the match). Disappeared until February when he resurfaced saying he’d singned a ‘lifetime’ deal with New Japan, which was especialy good news for the company, as there was a fear he too was going to jump to the newly-formed AEW. Had a trilogy of terrifying matches with Tetsuya Naito, the highlight of which was Ibushi winning his first Intercontinental Championship at the MSG show on April 6th. There’s no denying the spectacular nature of these matches, however, all three featuring some incredibly dangerous bumps that it was often hard to really enjoy them. To the point I don’t want to see a match between these guys any time soon (or even ever again). Had an excellent successful I.C. Title defence against Zack Sabre Jr. on April 20th, before dropping the belt back to Naito at Dominion. Won maybe the greatest G1 Climax of all-time, looking phenomenal in doing so, especially seeing as he sufered a serious ankle injury on a dive in his very first tournament match against KENTA in Dallas, Texas. Tempered his style somewhat throughout the rest of the G1, but still had tremendous outings against EVIL, SANADA, ZSJ and Lance Archer, as well as outstanding victories over Ospreay, Tanahashi and Okada, before defeating evil heel Jay White in a perfect tournament final to earn the Wrestle Kingdom main event spot. Has voiced his desire to hold both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Titles simultaneously, which has lead to the Winner-Takes-All match on January 5th. Successfully defended the WK Breifcase against KENTA in an excellent match in his hometown of Kagoshima on September 16th, as well as EVIL in Ryogoku Kokugikan on October 14th. Spent the Autumn and Winter months brawling with Wrestle Kingdom foe Okada. It remains to be seen if New Japan will have him go over at WK14, but if they do, it’ll be a surefire sign that they’re “all-in” on pushing him to the moon.

4a, TOMOHIRO ISHII - The ever dependable Stone Pitbull had yet another stellar year in 2019. Dropped the RPW British Title to Zack Sabre Jr. in an excellent Tokyo Dome clash on January 4th, in which he tried everything in his power to make ZSJ look like a killer. Had a fantastic run in the New Japan Cup in March, having a hard-hitting war with Yuji Nagata in the first round, carrying both Taichi and YOSHI-HASHI to great matches in the next stages, before losing to fellow CHAOS stablemate Okada in an outstanding semi-final, that was amongst the 10 best matches of the year. Spent the Spring feuding with EVIL, which culminated in a super heated battle in Fukuoka on May 4th, which ishii won. Again made Taichi look amazing en route to defeating him for the NEVER Title in an excellent match at Dominion on June 9th. Once again, looked liked a God amongst men in the G1, firstly having super victories over Jeff Cobb and Jay White, before losing to Jon Moxley in the best match of Moxley’s life at the July 19th Korakuen Hall show. Had fab outings with Tetsuya Naito, Juice Robinson, Hirooki Goto and even Toru Yano throughout the tournament, before peaking in an out-and-out war with Shingo Takagi on August 8th. Carried Taichi to a third straight excellent bout on August 11th, putting him over strong, and resulting in the best match I’ve ever seen Taichi in. Was turned on by KENTA the next night, resulting in the best, most heated angle of the year. Match in which he dropped the NEVER strap to KENTA in London on August 31st got off to a really great start, but things fell apart somewhat after KENTA was KO’d on a German Suplex. Super-stiff rematch on November 3rd was much better, but unsuccessful for Ishii, as he was pinned with the Go 2 Sleep. Finished the year in an excellent doubles clash with Will Ospreay, taking on EVIL and the returning Hiromu Takahashi at Korakuen Hall on December 21st. 44 year old finds himself in the prelims of the Wrestle Kingdom shows, but is clearly hurting from all the punishment he’s taken over the years, so some time off probably wouldn’t go amiss.

4b, SHINGO TAKAGI - Former Dragon Gate star made the right choice in jumping to New Japan. Team with BUSHI won the IWGP Jr Tag Titles at WK13 in a fun, but much too brief 3-way tag. Teams Title defences against Kanemaru & Desperado, and Roppongi 3K in February and March were both respectively excellent. Was the star of numerous great six and eight man tag matches throughout the Spring months. He and BUSHI’s title defence against SHO and YOH on April 26th was a tremendous bout, and the best Junior tag team match held in New Japan in years. Entered the BOSJ and went undefeated throughout, having fantastic showings against the likes of SHO, Marty Scurll, Dragon Lee, Jonathan Gresham, and Taiji Ishimori, before losing in the outstanding tournament final against Will Ospreay on June 5th, which was the best match held anywhere in the world in 2019. Officially moved up to Heavyweight with an excellent victory over veteran Satoshi Kojima at Dominion. Entered his first G1 Climax in July and August. Whilst not as successful as his BOSJ run, and despite finishing with only 8 points (much like fellow BOSJ finalist Ospreay) still looked fantastic throughout, having truly great bouts with Juice, Taichi, and Jon Moxley, as well as exceptional contests with Jay White and Jeff Cobb, and three of the best matches all year against fellow LIJ stablemate Tetsuya Naito, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto, the latter two of which he won. Lost to Goto in a fab rematch in Kobe on September 22nd, and has kept a relatively low profile ever since. Here’s hoping The Dragon has a much larger profile in the heavyweight scene in 2020.

5, JAY WHITE - The incredibly divisive Switchblade had a breakout year in 2019. Best heel in the business cleanly pinned Okada in a great Tokyo Dome outing, then followed that up by unseating Hiroshi Tanahashi to win his first IWGP Heavyweight Title in an excellent bout on Feburary 11th. Pinned Will Ospreay in the fantastic main event of the 47th Anniversary Show on March 6th. Dropped the IWGP belt in his first defence to Kazuchika Okada in the tremendous main event of the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden. Beat Hirooki Goto on April 29th, and Hiroshi Tanahashi in his return from injury at BOSJ Final Sumo Hall show on June 5th, in yet more great matches. Nefarious heel had an interesting G1 Climax, in which it was more about telling a compelling story as opposed to having blow-away matches. Started the tourney on a losing streak, looking at the lights for Goto and Ishii in excellent outings, before beating Shingo in another quality outing. Had really good victories over Jon Moxley and Juice Robinson, before pinning Tetsuya Naito with the Blade Runner, to the shock of many, to win the B Block. Lost to Kota Ibushi in one of the greatest G1 Climax finals ever on August 12th, and looked amazing in doing so. Victory over Naito ensured him a shot at the IWGP Intercontinental Championship on September 22nd, which he very surprisingly won in an unsurprisingly excellent bout. Defeated Goto again in his first defence of the title on November 3rd, and he too expressed a desire to be ‘double champion”. Will defend the “white belt” against Naito at WK14 on January 4th. The 26 year old is a super-smooth worker, and his heel persona is first-rate, however, his methodical style and reliance upon intereference and shenanigans leaves him marmite to the “work rate” crowd. Regardless, it seems White, a homegrown talent, is destined to be at the top of the NJPW totem pole for quite some time to come.

Honourable Mentions: Kento Miyahara, Yuji Okabayashi

Top 5 Matches Of The Year:

1, Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi (BOSJ Final, June 5th, *****)

2, Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White (G1 Climax Final, August 12th, *****)

3, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega (WK13, January 4th, *****)

4, Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay (G1 Climax, July 20th, *****)

5, Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi (G1 Climax, August 10th, *****)

NDT

[thrash-rocket]

Wrestle Kingdom 13 Preview

For those of you who don't know Wrestle Kingdom is the biggest event for New Japan Pro Wrestling and takes place every January 4th. It closes off some storylines or at least ends a part of it storylines occasionally span years in this company hell the Golden Lovers reunion took 10 years or so. In this post I'll try to layout the back story and competitors in each match.

Pre-show: #1 contendersship for the NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team championship.

Togi Makabe and Toru Yano and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb and David Finlay vs. Hirooki Goto, Beretta and Chuckie T. vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi and Marty Scurll

There's not a lot story to speak of here the match is replacing the New Japan rumble that is normally on the pre-show due to the current champions G.O.D. and Taiji Ishimori having matches on the main card

The winners of the match will go on to face the current champions at New Years Dash the following day

I'm not sure who's going to win this one every group has at least one person I like

I would like Murder Daddy Minoru Suzuki and K.E.S to win since it feels like K.E.S hasn't done too much

With the storyline of Chuckie T. losing his shit and the mole in Chaos I don't know how'd that play out if they won

Taguchi and Yano will probably get played up for laughs during the match

I don't have high hopes for The Elite winning since I don't know how NJPW and AEW are going to get along moving forward

NEVER Openweight Championship

Kota Ibushi (c) vs Will Osprey

This match was set the night Kota won the title shortly after Osprey won the number one contendership

The two compete in different weight classes making a match for this title really the only way the two would face each other short of Osprey moving up to the heavyweight division

It is certainly a dream match for a lot of people myself included these are two of the most impressive high flyers in the business right now

However this is absolutely a high risk match both of these performers styles are extremely high risk and neither really know how not to go all out

I'm legitimately worried for Osprey he's injured himself a lot since I've been watching him I've heard a lot of people worried he may be the next Dynamite Kid and if you don't know enough about that comparison to worry you just know it should

Kota has a history of neck injuries as well

I hope these guys rear it in a bit but all that said this should be a good opener to the main card

Three-way tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado (c) vs. Sho and Yoh vs. Bushi and Shingo Takagi

I'm really hoping Shingo and Bushi win this one as I'm not a huge fan of either of the other teams Desperado and Kanemaru for being such good heels and RPG3K I'm just bot huge fans of also L.I.J has taken the spot for my favorite faction since the bullet club split.

I'm always happy to see Shingo since he's been introduced to the group to essentially fill in the spot for the injured Hiromu Takahashi.

I have no doubt that the plan was always for Shinjo to join L.I.J but the group feels incomplete with out Hiromu and I hope his injuries are healed sooner than later I think New Years Dash may still be too early but NYD does have a history of some crazy shit going down

British Heavyweight Championship

Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Not much to say on this match not a fan of ZSJ like there's just something about his body and face that's off to me and his matches are just his opponents having to play along with his absurd submissions

The match should be good though Ishii is much more of a brawler compared to ZSJ and had a good rivalry with Suzuki through out the year

No one can ever fill the Shibata shaped hole in my heart but the closest contenders are definitely Ishii and Suzuki

I do hope Ishii wins but if he does lose hope he goes on to win the New Japan cup because him and Goto deserve to have a run with the heavyweight championship at some point in their careers

Three-way tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship

Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa (c) vs. Sanada and Evil vs. Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson

I hope Evil and Sanada win it would be fantastic for them to not only win the world tag league but the tag titles at the dome two years in a row.

I just want all the good things to happen for L.I.J

I wouldn't mind G.O.D winning from a story standpoint though because they're still running a path of destruction through the company returning to the Bullet Club of old

The Young Bucks unfortunate to say don't belong in this match I'm sorry but they've done nothing to deserve being in the match

I think how the relationship between NJPW and AEW may play into the outcome of the match and if the rest of the elite continue to show up in New Japan

IWGP United States Championship

Cody (c) vs Juice Robinson

Another match that AWE may play into

I'm rooting for Juice in this one he's just such a pure white meat babyface and comes across as so genuine in all his promo work

Cody is the perfect foil to Juice as well just comes across as an absolute snake (irl great guy tho)

This is absolutely Juice's story beating his rival Jay white to become champion the first time coming up short in the g1 and fighting with a broken hand through it and losing the title to Cody at the Fighting Sprit Unleashed event.

Juice is the ultimate underdog and I hope at some point he graduates beyond that and I think this may be the first big step to that if he wins

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Kushida (c) v.s. Taiji Ishimori

While Ishimori hasn't won any major tournaments or had any strong fueds against Kushida he's been booked strong enough to earn the spot

Kushida meanwhile has something to prove in that he is still the Ace of the Jr division in the way Tanahashi is the Ace of the heavyweights

To my knowledge these two haven't had a lot of ring time together but they're both great performers which should certainly make for a good match

Okada V.S. JAY WHITE

The only match that doesn't have any title or contendership on the line this is a match simply based on pride and revenge

At New Years Dash last year White faked out Kenny Omega about joining the bullet club instead opting to join Chaos and soon won the US title from Kenny and defeated Okada in the first day of the G1 tournament causing a rift within the group.

White turns on Okada during the Destruction tour and brings Okada's long time mentor Gedo with him as the two of them and Jado fuck off to join the Bullet Club in their current state

Jay White has come a long way from his debut as the switchblade character I think i used to think of him as babyfaced kylo Ren but now he's a much more legitimate heel than before in a way being a better Cody than Cody ever was since he still has some redeeming qualities from time to time

This year has not been good to Okada but I think he can take the loss plus it will help the bullet club look better in the long term and will leave room for the fude to reignite later on.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Chris Jericho (c) v.s. Tetsuya Niato

At least year's NYD Jericho attacked Niato and fucked off for a few months until he came back during Wrestling Dontaku setting up a match for the title at Dominion which Jericho won and continued to beat on Niato

Fellow LIJ members Evil came to stop Jericho planting the seeds for a match between the two but not before Jericho attacked Evil before a match against ZSJ and set forth the opportunity at Power Struggle.

This match has been in the works for most of the year while Jericho has mostly been holding the title hostage Lesnar style and I can't wait to see it

Both Chris and Niato are two of my favorite wrestlers so this should be better than their first match where Jericho pretty much brutalized Niato for most of the match

I say Niato wins they need the IC title to be active in the company again and Jericho may actually be another who will soon fall into the AEW group

Main event IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Kenny Omega v.s. Hiroshi Tanahashi

These two are some of the best performers this company has

Tana has carried the company through their dark times and been the face of the company since the early 2000s

Meanwhile Kenny touts that he will be the face of the companies westward expansion

Both have every different ideas of how the company should carry itself going forward

This is really a story of the old guard facing the new

It will be interesting to see how things will play out no matter who wins here

Kenny doesn't have a win at a main event in the dome but Tana has plenty behind him at this point

I'm split on who I'd like to win on this one but very excited to see how it plays out and what it means moving forward.

[parttimebatman]

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night 1 Results 3/4/2021

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night 1 Results 3/4/2021

Night One of Wrestling Dontaku surely delivered, Spoilers ahead. We got a brutal Ladder match with some excellent spots, Tama Tonga throwing Taichi over the ropes through a ladder looked particularly painful, Okada and Roppongi 3K got a win over Suzuki-Gun and a new NEVER openweight champion was crowned in a match that went nearly 40 mins, there will be a full event recap after both nights so be…

[keepingthespiritalive]

[NJPW NEWS] Following the conclusion of “Sakura Genesis”, New Japan will now be heading into their next set of big shows which takes place throughout this month and the start of May. Which is better known as the “Golden Week” in Japan.

The main event for “Wrestling Dontaku 2017” will feature Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight belt against Bad Luck Fale on May 3 in Fukuoka. Following his defense against Shibata on April 9, Okada was met with a forceful challenge by the big man Fale. With Fale’s performance in this years New Japan Cup there is no denying he is worthy of a title challenge. A special singles match will be held between Tomohiro Ishii and Kenny Omega in the semi-final of the show in what looks to lead to who could be the next challenger for the winner of the main event. The IWGP Tag and NEVER 6 Man Tag belts will also be in contention on the show.

Then on April 29 in Oita, “Wrestling Toyo no Kuni” will be held and will see Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP IC belt against Juice Robinson. Robinson has been climbing the ranks as a contender for the singles belts after showing several strong performances in the ring, specifically since this years Wrestling Kingdom. He comes into this match with a direct win over the champion following a win over Naito in a tag match on April 9. Hiroshi Tanahashi and EVIL will be facing off in the semi-final match of the night as the next contender for the IC belt could come from it. Then the IWGP Junior belt will be in defense as Hiromu Takahashi takes on “King” Ricochet.

A lead-in tour will be taking place heading into the shows which will be held from April 22 through April 30, a special show “NEW JAPAN ROAD” will also be held on May 5. Though the show on April 27 will be a main focal point as two title matches will be taking. The main event being Hirooki Goto defending the NEVER Openweight belt against Minoru Suzuki then Kanemaru and Taichi defending the IWGP Jr. Tag belts against Romero and Barreta.

Below are the announced event cards for the three mentioned shows. (The website will be updated later tonight..)

NJPW “Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2017”, 4/27/2017 [Thu] 18:30 @ Hiroshima Green Arena, Small Arena

(1) Jushin Thunder Liger, Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki  Oka vs. Tiger Mask IV, Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Umino (2) Toru Yano, Will Ospreay & Jado vs. Takashi Iizuka, El Desperado & TAKA Michinoku (3) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & David Finlay vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Chase Owens (4) IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match: [50th Champions] Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi vs. [Challengers] Rocky Romero & Barreta ~ 2nd title defense. (5) Juice Robinson, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Ricochet & Yoshitatsu vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi (6) Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro IShii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Bad Luck Fale, Kenny Omega & Yujiro Takahashi (7) NEVER Openweight Championship Match: [15th Champion] Hirooki Goto vs. [Challenger] Minoru Suzuki ~ 4th title defense.

NJPW “Wrestling Toyo no Kuni 2017”, 4/29/2017 [Sat] 17:00 @ B-con Plaza in Oita

(1) Jushin Thunder Liger, Hirai Kawato & Tomoyuki Oka vs. Tiger Mask IV, Katsuya Kitamura & Shota Umino (2) Rocky Romero, Barreta & Jado vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & El Desperado (3) Ryusuke Taguchi & Yoshitatsu vs. SANADA & BUSHI (4) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & David Finlay vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Yujiro Takahashi (5) Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Will Ospreay vs. Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka & TAKA Michinoku (6) Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale, Kenny Omega & Chase Owens (7) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [76th Champion] Hiromu Takahashi vs. [Challenger] Ricochet ~ 4th title defense. (8) Special Single Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL (9) IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: [15th Champion] Tetsuya Naito vs. [Challenger] Juice Robinson ~ 4th title defense.

NJPW “Wrestling Dontaku 2017”, 5/3/2017 [Wed] 17:00 @ Fukuoka International Center

(0) Yoshitatsu & Hirai Kawato vs. Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitamura

(1) YOSHI-HASHI & Will Ospreay vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens (2) Togi Makabe, Tiger Mask W & Tiger Mask IV vs. Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Thunder Liger (3) Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Jado, Rocky Romero & Barreta vs. Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & El Desperado (4) David Finlay vs. Cody (5) Juice Robinson & KUSHIDA vs. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi (6) IWGP Tag Championship 3WAY Match: [75th Champions] War Machine“ Raymond Rowe & Hanson vs. [Challengers] “TenCozy” Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. [Challengers] “G.O.D.” Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa ~ 1st title defense. (7) NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Championship Match: [12th Champions] Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet vs. [Challengers] SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI ~ 1st title defense. (8) Special Single Match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega (9) IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: [65th Champion] Kazuchika Okada vs. [Challenger] Bad Luck Fale ~ 5th title defense.

[rabidwrestlingfan]

I still get legitimately pumped when I hear Jushin Thunder Liger's music.

[pwrestlingxpress]

Match Cards Announced for The 3 Destruction Shows

At 2 AM Eastern/3 PM local time (in Japan) New Japan Pro Wrestling officially announced the match cards for the 3 Destruction shows taking place in Hiroshima (on September 15th), in Beppu (on September 17th), and in Kobe (on September 23rd). 

Let’s start off with the official match card for Destruction in Hiroshima which will be highlighted by:

Kenny Omega [Bullet Club Elite] making his second title defense for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as he will defend against Tomohiro Ishii [Chaos].  With this announcement, it will mark the first time in five years that the IWGP Heavyweight Championship will be defended at a Destruction event.  Also, the NEVER Open-weight 6 Man Tag Team Championship will be on the line as Bullet Clug OG (Taiji Ishimori, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa) will make their first title defense against the team of IWGP United States Champion Juice Robinson, David Finlay, and Ryusuke Taguchi.  Another standout match will be Toa Henare going 1-on-1 against Bad Luck Fale.  Down below is the full card for Destruction in Hiroshima:  

Six Man Tag Match with a 20-minute Time Limit:  KUSHIDA, Tiger Mask, and Jyushin Thunder Liger vs. Sho Tanaka, Yoh Komatsu, and Rocky Romero [Roppongi 3K/Chaos]

Singles Match with a 20-minute Time Limit:  Toa Henare vs. Bad Luck Fale [Bullet Club OG]

Tag Match with a 20-minute Time Limit:  Ayato Yoshida [K-Dojo] and Michael Elgin vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer [Suzuki-gun/KES]

Six Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Will Ospreay, Chuckie T., and Beretta [Chaos] vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Kota Ibushi [Bullet Club Elite]

Six Man Tag Match with a 60-minute Time Limit for the NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championship:  (Challenger Team) Ryusuke Taguchi, David Finlay, and Juice Robinson vs. (Champion Team) Taiji Ishimori, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga [Bullet Club OG]

Six Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Gedo, Toru Yano, and Hirooki Goto [Chaos] vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Takashi Iizuka, and Taichi [Suzuki-gun]

Eight Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  BUSHI, Seiya Sanada, “King of Darkness” EVIL, and Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables de Japon] vs. El Desperado, Taka Michinoku, Zack Sabre Jr., and Minoru Suzuki [Suzuki-gun]

Six Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe [GBH], and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White, YOSHI-HASHI, and Kazuchika Okada [Chaos]

Singles Match with a 60-minute Time Limit for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship:  (Challenger) Tomohiro Ishii [Chaos] vs. (Champion) Kenny Omega [Bullet Club Elite] 

Note that after Hiroshima, none of the Bullet Club members (both OG and The Elite) will be a part of the rest of the Destruction tour as of this typing.  However, things are subject to change. Plus, though most of the Chaos faction is slated to compete throughout the whole tour, Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii, and Rocky Romero are not.  Tomohiro Ishii is slated to compete through Hiroshima while Rocky is slated through Ehime on September 21st.  Jay White  will begin his Destruction tour in Yamaguchi on September 16th.  Lastly, since he’ll be defending the title in Hiroshima and not in Ryogoku as many predicted, it’ll be interesting to see who’ll emerge as Kenny’s 3rd challenger should he be victorious in Hiroshima. 

Next up will be Destruction in Beppu two days later (September 17th) which will be highlighted by: 

Hirooki Goto [Chaos] making his second title defense for the NEVER Open-weight Championship against Taichi [Suzuki-gun].  However, that match (for unknown reasons) is not in the main event spot.  Down below is the full match card for Destruction in Beppu including the official main event match: 

Six Man Tag Match with a 20-minute Time Limit:  Yota Tsuji and Tenkozy (Satoshi Kojima and Hiroshi Tenzan) vs. Yuya Uemura, Manabu Nakanishi, and Yuji Nagata

Tag Match with a 20-minute Time Limit:  Ren Narita and David Finlay vs. Shota Umino and Toa Henare

Singles Match with a 20-minute Time Limit:  Ayato Yoshida [K-Dojo] vs. Takashi Iizuka [Suzuki-gun]

Eight Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA, Tiger Mask, and Jyushin Thunder Liger vs. Will Ospreay and Roppongi 3K (Sho Tanaka, Yoh Komatsu, and Rocky Romero) [Chaos]

Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Chuckie T. and Beretta [Best Friends/Chaos] vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer [Suzuki-gun/KES]

Six Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  BUSHI, Seiya Sanada, and “King of Darkness” EVIL [Los Ingobernables de Japon] vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Zack Sabre Jr. [Suzuki-gun]

Eight Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Juice Robinson, GBH (Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe), and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, and Kazuchika Okada [Chaos]

Singles Match with a 60-minute Time Limit for the NEVER Open-weight Championship:  (Challenger) Taichi [Suzuki-gun] vs. (Champion) Hirooki Goto [Chaos]

Special Singles Match with a 60-minute Time Limit:  Minoru Suzuki [Suzuki-gun] vs. Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables de Japon]

If you read that folks, then your eyes are not deceiving you.  Instead of the NEVER Open-weight Championship main eventing Destruction in Beppu, it’ll be Tetsyua Naito [Los Ingobernables de Japon] going 1-on-1 against Minoru Suzuki [Suzuki-gun] in a special singles match marking only the second time this year that a major New Japan event will be main evented by a singles match instead of a title match.  The other time that occurred was at Night One of Wrestling Dontaku 2018 when Kenny Omega [Bullet Club Elite] went 1-on-1 against Adam Page [Bullet Club Elite]. 

Lastly, we head to Kobe on September 23rd for Destruction in Kobe which will be highlighted by: 

Hiroshi Tanahashi defending his IWGP Heavyweight title shot slated for Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome against Kazuchika Okada [Chaos].  Also, it’ll be in Kobe where New Japan will start a tournament to crown a new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion as Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables de Japon] was forced to relinquish the title due to a neck injury he sustained in San Francisco.  He is scheduled to miss nine to twelve months of in-ring competition due to the injury even though no surgery will be required.  Down below is a video of New Japan making the announcement as well as the entire match card for Destruction in Kobe:

Singles Match with a 10-minute Time Limit:  Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

Tag Match with a 20-minute Time Limit:  Ren Narita and Shota Umino vs. Sho Tanaka and Yoh Komatsu [Roppongi 3K/Chaos]

Tag Match with a 20-minute Time Limit:  Tiger Mask and Jyushin Thunder Liger vs. El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru [Suzuki-gun]

Eight Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Ayato Yoshida, Ryusuke Taguchi, and GBH (Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe) vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, and Tenkozy (Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan)

Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Chuckie T. and Beretta [Best Friends/Chaos] vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer [Suzuki-gun/KES]

Six Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Toa Henare, David Finlay, and Juice Robinson vs. Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI, and Jay White  [Chaos]

Six Man Tag Match with a 30-minute Time Limit:  Seiya Sanda, “King of Darkness” EVIL, and Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables de Japon] vs. Taka Michinoku, Zack Sabre Jr., and Minoru Suzuki [Suzuki-gun]

Semi-Final Match to determine who’ll go to the finals on October 8th to crown the 82nd IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion:  KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI [Los Ingobernables de Japon]

Singles Match with a 60-minute Time Limit for the Rights to Challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2019:  (Challenger) Kazuchika Okada [Chaos] vs. (Contract Holder/G1 Climax 28 Winner) Hiroshi Tanahashi 

All these events will occur on September 15th in Hiroshima and will end on September 23rd in Kobe.  Catch all the action on NJPW World at the following timelines down below.  Go to timeanddate.com for the start time in your area:

Destruction in Hiroshima:  September 15th at 5 AM Eastern/6 PM local time

Destruction in Beppu:  September 17th at 5 AM Eastern/6 PM local time

Destruction in Kobe:  September 23rd at 3 AM Eastern/4 PM local time 

[wrestlingcultur-blog]

AXS TV Celebrates Kazuchika Okada's Historic Heavyweight Title Reign

AXS TV Will Present Okada’s Record-Breaking Title Match Against Hiroshi Tanahashi on Friday, June 15 at 8pE/5pP.

Credit: TV Asahi/NJPW AXS TV celebrates Kazuchika Okada's historic heavyweight title reign with a late-night block showcasing his 12 consecutive championship matches from May 30-June 14 at 5aE/2aP. Then, the network will present Okada's record-breaking title match against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestling Dontaku on Friday, June 15 at 8pE/5pP. Los Angeles (May 29, 2018) – AXS TV—the exclusive U.S. broadcast home for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) celebrates IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada’s record-breaking fourth reign with a late-night programming block dedicated to “The Rainmaker.” For 12 weeknights starting May 31, the network will air each of Okada’s first 12 title matches, including his epic battles with Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Katsuyori Shibata and more. Fans are encouraged to set their DVRs to capture these legendary battles airing at 5aE/2aP. Then, AXS TV presents Okada’s historic match against longtime rival Hiroshi Tanahashi on Friday, June 15 at 8pE/5pP from Wrestling Dontaku 2018, where he broke Tanahashi’s record for consecutive title defenses and continued his run as the longest-reigning champion in NJPW history. AXS TV’s late-night Okada championship schedule is as follows: 5/30 – Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito – Dominion 6.19 – June 19, 2016 5/31 – Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji – King of Pro-Wrestling 2016 – Oct. 10, 2016 6/1 – Okada vs. Kenny Omega – Wrestle Kingdom 11 – Jan. 4, 2017 6/4 – Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki – The New Beginning in Sapporo 2017 – Feb. 5, 2017 6/5 – Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata – Sakura Genesis 2017 – April 9, 2017 6/6 – Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale – Wrestling Dontaku 2017 – May 3, 2017 6/7 – Okada vs. Omega – Dominion 6.11 – June 11, 2017 6/8 – Okada vs. Cody – G1 SPECIAL IN USA – July 1, 2017 6/11 – Okada vs. EVIL – King of Pro-Wrestling 2017 – Oct. 9, 2017 6/12 – Okada vs. Naito – Wrestle Kingdom 12 – Jan. 4, 2018 6/13 – Okada vs. SANADA – The New Beginning in Osaka 2018 – Feb. 10, 2018 6/14 – Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Sakura Genesis 2018 – April 1, 2018 6/15 at 8pE/5pP – Okada vs. Tanahashi – Wrestling Dontaku 2018 – May 4, 2018 Read the full article

[wrestlingisfake]

Wrestling Dontaku preview

The Wrestling Dontaku tour runs from April 13 to May 4, culminating in two main shows at the end.  (“Dontaku” means “holiday,” although that doesn’t really explain why the tour is called that.)  The tour includes several dates with their own show titles, and I won’t pretend to know why--you kinda just have to roll with it until you find a Reddit thread that explains this stuff.

Like most New Japan tours, there are enough title defenses and special matches to fill out a single big show, but they’re spread across multiple dates.  Normally there’d be two or three dates with most of the key matches, but this time the important stuff is scattered all over the tour.  I’ve picked out the major highlights.

April 20 - Sengoku Lord in Nagoya

Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - Ibushi is defending the IWGP intercontinental championship.  Sabre is the RevPro British champion, although that title is not on the line.  At G1 Supercard, Sabre successfully defended his title against Hiroshi Tanahashi, while Ibushi captured his title to fulfill a quest to emulate Tanahashi.  So Ibushi requested Sabre as his first challenger, in order to face he man who, in Ibushi’s words, “defeated a god.”  It’s also worth noting that Sabre is the one that knocked Ibushi out of the New Japan Cup, so he has the momentum going into this match.

These two always have a good match, so that’s no problem, but there’s little chance of a title change.  Ibushi will likely retain.

Juice Robinson vs. Bad Luck Fale - Juice is defending the IWGP United States championship.  On March 24, Juice defended the title against Chase Owens, but Fale attacked him after the match.  Mikey Nicholls made the save, so this tour features Juice and Nicholls facing Chase and Fale in various combinations.  I suspect the winner of this match is going to end up defending against Nicholls down the line.

Juice is a classic fired-up babyface and Fale is a classic monster heel, so this should be a clinic for hope spots and he’s-just-too-fat moments and size-of-the-fight-in-the-dog comebacks.  I’m not confident it’ll be a three-star wrestling match but it should be good pro wrestling, if that makes sense.  I could dig Fale as champion for a couple of months but I think Juice will retain.

April 22 - Road to Wrestling Dontaku

Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa & HIKULEO - Taguchi’s team is defending the NEVER openweight trios championship.  The champs won the title from the Guerillas of Destiny and Taiji Ishimori, but now GOD is teaming with their brother Hikuleo, who is like two Ishimoris tall.

The confusing thing here is that GOD and Yano/Makabe have spent much of 2019 fighting over both the NEVER six-man tag team championship and the IWGP tag team title.  Taguchi/Yano/Makabe won the NEVER title, but then Yano/Makabe failed to win the IWGP title, and then GOD also won the ROH tag title, but Yano stole the IWGP tag belts.  So we’ve got a tag title match about stolen tag title belts, but the stolen belts aren’t the ones on the line, and the victims of the theft still have tag title belts.  It’s kind of ridiculous, and I wish they’d figure out something else to do with the trios title.

The Taguchi team should probably retain, if only so Yano can continue to taunt GOD about how they still can’t get their stolen belts back.

April 26 - Road to Wrestling Dontaku - Aki no Kuni Sengoku Emaki

SHO & YOH vs. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI - Roppongi 3K won the IWGP junior heavyweight tag team title from Shingo and Bushi back in March, so this is the rematch.  These teams have been fighting over the title for months, and if you include the Bushi/Hiromu Takahashi team, it’s more like a full year.  What’s really frustrating is that, no matter who wins, the next contenders for the title will likely be El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, who have also been embroiled in this never-ending feud.  I’m begging New Japan to create some new junior tag teams.  I no longer care who wins.

April 29 - Wrestling Hi no Kuni

Jay White vs. Hirooki Goto - White lost the IWGP heavyweight title at G1 Supercard, so it looks like this match has been set up as the first step back into the title hunt.  Goto has really not done anything of note since November, which makes him convenient to feed to White.  I suppose a win a for Goto would be a huge statement to push him towards the top, but I think it’s more likely we’ll see White make a small statement to nudge him away from the bottom.

Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Toru Yano & Togi Makabe - The Guerillas of Destiny hold both the IWGP heavyweight tag team title and the ROH tag team title, but Yano and Makabe are only challenging for the IWGP title.  Yano stole the IWGP tag title belts shortly after GOD became double champions on April 6.  One of these teams will have momentum coming out of the trios title match mentioned earlier, but let’s not even get into that here.  After going to all the trouble of making GOD double champions, I don’t think they’ll just drop one title here like it’s nothing.  Hell, they haven’t even had a chance to pose with both sets of belts yet.  So the Tongans gotta retain.

Mikey Nicholls vs. Bad Luck Fale - This is the first singles match for Nicholls since starting with the company in the New Japan Cup.  A victory over Fale would put him into the mix for the midcard championships, especially if Fale wins the US title on April 20.  A loss for Nicholls would establish him as a prelim guy at the level of YOSHI-HASHI, David Finlay, or Chase Owens.  I personally think there’s no sense not pushing Nicholls, and it would make a ton of sense for him to win here and challenge Juice for the US championship at Dominion, so I’m predicting that.

May 3 - Wrestling Dontaku Night 1

Dragon Lee vs. Taiji Ishimori - Lee won the IWGP junior heavyweight title from Ishimori on April 6 in a three-way match, but Ishimori wasn’t involved in the fall, so he’s getting a one-on-one rematch here.  This will be the final junior heavyweight title match before the Best of the Super Jr. tournament; the winner of this match will be the champion going into the tournament, which will determine his next challenger.  The only reason I see to put the belt back on Ishimori this early is if Lee is headed back to CMLL after this tour.  But I’m very certain Lee will be booked for BOSJ and Dominion, so you might as well keep the title on him through those shows.

Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi - Cobb is both the NEVER openweight champion and the ROH television champion, but only the NEVER title is at stake.  Taichi earned this shot by pinning Ospreay in a tag match back when Ospreay was champion, and then Ospreay lost the title to Cobb on April 6.  I don’t have any confidence in Taichi, so this match feels like a waste of time, except to test Cobb’s ability to get a good match out of a stall-tastic choke artist.  Cobb will retain.

May 4 - Wrestling Dontaku Night 2

Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA - This is Okada’s first defense of the IWGP heavyweight championship since regaining it in Madison Square Garden on April 6.  The title has not been successfully defended in a one-on-one match since September, so I think the goal here is to put Okada over someone who doesn’t need to be kept very strong.  Sanada, who lost to Okada in the New Japan Cup finals, fits the bill.  The real intrigue will be about what happens after Okada retains, and who might issue a challenge following the match.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL - This would be a fairly notable match if not for the fact that there’s no championship or tournament involved.  The winner will presumably get a push--although a push for what is anyone’s guess.  Under the circumstances, I can’t even guess who would win.

Dragon Lee & Will Ospreay vs. Taiji Ishimori & X - Ishimori is teaming with a mystery partner.  “X” is presumably a new member of Bullet Club, and probably a new junior heavyweight since the Best of the Super Jr. tournament is coming up.  The obvious candidate is El Phantasmo from RevPro, since he appeared in a Bullet Club hype video that aired throughout the last tour.  Regardless, you don’t book a mystery partner in a match for the team with the mystery partner to lose, so Ishimori’s team should get their hands raised.

[hazyheel]

Wrestling Dontaku 2019 Day 2 Review

First match was a Young Lion tag team match, with Yota Tsuji and Yoya Uemura against Ren Narita and Shota Umino. Narita and Uemura were incredibly vicious towards each other during the match. At one point, Narita was stomping on Uemura’s head in his corner for far to long, so Umino had to tag himself in to pull his partner away. Tsuji and Umino had went back and forth in tests of strength as well as heavy strikes. Match didn’t go too long, with Narita attacking Uemura on the outside while Umino hit the fisherman buster for the win.

Narita and Uemura actually fought a bit after the match, with Narita coming out ahead.

Grade: B. This is a very promising class of young lions. I can really see Narita being a despicable member of Suzuki-Gun later on. I don’t know where Umino would go, but he definitely has a future as well. The four of them put on a good match, with the more experienced members coming out on top.

Next was a huge ten man tag. Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Toa Henare, YOSHI-HASHI, and Jeff Cobb against Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku, and new NEVER Openweight Champion Taichi. Cobb was right up in Taichi’s face before the match, even pushing away his teammates who were attempting to calm the situation. TIger Mask and TAKA started out with heavy kicks right off the bat. In a similar spot to night 1, YOSHI-HASHI was up on the top rope for TAKA to be thrown into his ass, but TAKA reviersed it and threw Taguchi into him, followed by Suzuki locking in a sleeper on the top rope. At one point, Cobb was able to hit Kanemaru and Desperado with a double flapjack. Henare and Taichi squared off at one point, possible foreshadowing given Henare’s wishes to compete for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Cobb was able to hit Taka with a tour of the islands, but the two were not legal at the time. Taichi then absolutely nailed Henare with a superkick for the win, while the rest of Suzuki-Gun distracted the rest of the faces. 

Grade: C+. The match wasn’t super spectacular, and it doesn’t really seem to be leading anywhere. Everyone seemed to be phoning it in during this match, even Cobb’s moves didn’t seem like they were hitting particularly hard. Taichi’s new championship was the main focus of this match, with Taguchi, Cobb and Henare all wanting a match. While Cobb was taken out by Taichi during the match, and Henare ate the pin from Taichi, Taguchi actually has a singles match coming up against Taichi at a Japanese independent event. We will see how that turns out, but I would be into a match between the two for the championship. Possibly see a move to the heavyweights from Taichi.

And now a 6-man tag team man. Jushin Thunder Liger (who was over as hell), Toru Yano and Togi Makabe against Jado and the Guerrillas of Destiny. Jado tried to start with a handshake, but neither Liger nor the ref would take the shake. He eventually convinced Liger, shaking the hand, hugging him and then holding his arm high. However, it was during that holding of Liger’s arm that Tonga Loa attacked from behind. Liger was heavily targetted during the match, to the point that Rocky Romero started to hype up the crowd while still on commentary. Tama Tonga distracted the ref and Jado went to hit Yano with a kendo stick, but Makabe caught it and attacked Jado. Jado was then hit with a clothesline from Makabe, a shotai from Liger and a low blow from Yano for the win.

Grade: C. Another pretty nothing match. Makes sense for Jado to take the pin, but it didn’t do really anything for Yano to pin him. The action wasn’t doing all that much for me, and I don’t think this really affected the tag division. Maybe it will, but we will see.

Then we had an 8-man tag, Jay White, HIKULEO, Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale, against Juice Robinson, Mikey Nicholls, Hirooki Goto and Tomoaki Honma. Goto wanted White to start off, but Owens ran in and attacked to start the match. Goto could hardly keep his hands off of White during the match, desperately lunging at him on the apron. Hikuleo was working well with Honma, seeming as if he could be getting a minor push. Nicholls and Robinson worked together almost like a tag team during this match, hitting a double suplex onto Hikuleo. In the finish, Robison nailed Hikuleo with a left hand to god, and then pump friction for the win. Juice’s new challenger showed another video after the match. 

Grade: B-. Decent match here. There was a good amount of story here between Goto and White, as well as the budding tag team between Robinson and Nicholls. Between the ropes, nothing special. Though there was a Kokeshi, so that made me happy. Still no clue about the guy who is debuting, although I now realize my prediction of Kawato was way off. 

Into the special tag match, Will Ospreay and Dragon Lee, still the champion, against Taiji Ishimori and ........... El Phantasmo! Shocker. Ospreay seemed pretty pissed that Phantasmo joined BULLET CLUB, although I don’t know if there was any history between the two in RevPro. Ospreay insisted on started the match against Phantasmo, but the heels attacked before the match anyway. Phantasmo showed his stuff, such as walking around the top rope into a hurricanrana, similar to Fenix. Ishimori and Lee still had a stiff exchange, really laying into each other after their war from the night before. At one point, Phantasmo hit a cool looking tightrope moonsault to the outside to both of his opponents. The heels then hit a cool tag team move, with Ishimori hitting a codebreaker off of Phantasmo’s shoulders onto Ospreay, then holding him in place for a moonsault from Phantasmo. Phantasmo even countered an Os Cutter with a superkick. Phantasmo then hit an arm trap facebuster for the win.

Grade: B+. Very good debut. All of these guys worked well together, and Phantasmo got to show off his cool offense. Beating Ospreay really was a big win, even if he has beaten him before. In New Japan, that is a big deal. BULLET CLUB even worked really well together as a team, so Robbie Eagles may need to watch his ass. His spot may be on the line. I liked the match, and Phantasmo has a lot of momentum going into the best of the super juniors. 

In a rematch from night one, Kota Ibushi and Roppongi 3k took on Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI and Shingo Takagi. The beginning of this match was basically a series of singles matches as each wrestler took on their rival one on one. Naito played mind games with Ibushi throughout the match. At one point, Naito went for his classic leg sweep in the corner into a swinging dropkick on SHO, but he landed on his feet when he swung in, attacking Ibushi on the apron and then hitting a running dropkick instead. Takagi and Ibushi had a striking contest in the middle of the ring, and it was pretty intense. Ibushi lost the initial exchange of strikes, but put him on the mat after a series of chops and kicks. At one point, Naito nailed the most dangerous version of Gloria that i had ever seen by dropping Ibushi right on the back of the neck for a near fall. Yoh showed off his underrated strength by hitting Naito with a huge Falcon’s arrow. In the finishing stretch, BUSHI nailed a beautiful suicide dive to Ibushi, while Naito hit YOH with a destino for the win.

After the match, Naito said that he wanted the title match to come at Dominion. Ibushi accepted. Predictable, but I’m glad we are getting the match.

Grade: B+. Better than the first night, I thought this match had a lot more energy to it. The strikes were harder and everyone was moving faster and working together better. There was the added tension of the intercontinental championship match looming over, and I think that the challenge was the reason that they kicked this match into another gear. I almost gave this an A-, but I don’t think it was quite there. 

In a surprise appearance, Hiroshi Tanahashi came out to cut a promo. Tanahashi had an elbow injury at G1 Supercard. He talked about how he was at a low point at this time last year, but he went on to win the G1, and then the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. But he slid back down the mountain when he lost his championship and then got injured. But he said that he would return at the BOSJ finals. Everyone was happy, untiil Jay White showed up. He said that he is next in line for a title shot, and then attacked Tanahashi’s elbow. Gedo slid White a pair of chairs, and he was about to re break Tanahashi’s elbow, before the Young lions ran in and pinned White down.

Into the singles matches of the night, EVIL took on Tomohiro Ishii, in the blowoff of a month’s long feud. The two ran right at each other once the bell rang. They beat each other down with elbows and forearms straight to the face. Evil continued to work on the leg of Ishii, the same leg that he worked over during their tag match on night one. Evil was even able to out chop Ishii early in the match. Ishii was able to fight his way back, hitting a superplex despite his injured knee. His advantage did not last long, as Evil was able to hit a twisting neck breaker on the outside, followed by his home run with chairs. It was odd to see Ishii fighting from behind in this match, but he often was due to the huge target on his leg. Ishii was able to lock in a scorpion deathlock, revenge for the several times that Evil has locked Ishii in the hold, but Evil made it to the ropes. Ishii then worked over Evil’s leg, using similar tactics to Evil’s. Evil hit a terrifying german suplex, planting Ishii nearly on the top of his head. The next several sequences were simply to show how even the two men were, ending in stalemates. In the finish, Ishii was able to stand before Evil, nailing a running lariat and then a brainbuster for the win. 

Grade: A. Even though Ishii came away with the win, this match showed that Evil can still hang in the main event. Ishii still limped at the end of the night, so Evil was put over big. The two men beat the hell out of each other, leaving yet another notch in Ishii’s belt for this year. I don’t think he has had a single bad singles match this year. Just another great match for Ishii, and another great match for Evil. This was my match of the night.

And in the main event, Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Big rematch from the New Japan Cup finals. Sanada entered with a new haircut and a trimmed beard, as well as new tights. He essentailly had a new look, which actually threw me off a bit. For whatever reason, the new look made me think that he could actually win the match. The match started with some slow paced grappling, which clued me in to the type of intensity that this would evolve into. The two had a series of rollups and trips that mirrored each other, which was an interesting way to show their similarities. The two would have short spurts of intensity, but didn’t really go at a fast pace for too long at a time. At one point, Okada hit his signature big boot over the barricade, but then followed it up with a huge splash as well, with some crazy air. Okada was very careful about getting locked into submissions from Sanada, particularly skull end and the paradise lock. Sanada nearly got the win with a pinning combination, but not only did Okada kick out, but he transitioned into the camel clutch. Sanada was hit with a spinning rainmaker, but Okada was not able to follow up with the regular rainmaker. Sanada fought out of Okada’s grasp by kicking off of the turnbuckles, locking in skull end for a tense submission sequence. Okada just about passed out in the hold, but Sanada went up for the moonsault. He hit one to the back, but Okada got his knees up on the second. Okada was able to lock in a skull end of his own, but only to turn it into a tombstone, where the two struggled to hit the others with the piledriver. Sanada then o’connor rolled into another skull end. Okada countered into two rainmaker attempts, only for Sanada to hit one of his own for a near fall. When Sanada attempted to kick off the turnbuckle for another skull end, Okada trapped him for a jumping tombstone and then a rainmaker for the win. 

After the match, the two shook hands, but not before Sanada asked for one more match, which Okada agreed to. Okada then cut a promo, pretty basic stuff this time around. Just saying that he wanted to make everyone love professional wrestling. But then, a video package played, with Chris Jericho making yet another challenge. This time, for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Dominion. Okada accepted.

Grade: A-. Not quite as good as the match before it, but the tension was higher because of what was on the line. Great work from both of them, the slow build really gave every move an important feel. Sanada isn’t quite ready, but I think by this time next year, he will be champion. This loss keeps him in contention for a win in the G1, and it has convinced me that Sanada really is the future of this company. Not as good as their finals match, but still very entertaining. In regards to the Championship match at Dominion, should be a great match, and looks like that card is going to blow the world away. 

Overall grade: B

Pros: Young Lions delivered; El Phantasmo debut; LIJ vs. roppongi/ ibushi; evil vs. ishii; IWGP Heavyweight Championship; jericho announcement; good commentary.

Cons: BULLET CLUB vs. Liger, Yano, Makabe

[gdwessel]

NJPW + AEW Forbidden Door PPV in Chicago 6/26/2022; NJPW Golden Fight Series Night 3 - 4/20/2022; Dragon Gate The Gate of Passion 2022 Night 11 - 4/21/2022: Gamma Retiring, Shisa Leaving DG; GLEAT G PROWRESTLING Ver.23 - 4/20/2022: Shingo Appearing on 5/18/2022 Show

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Let’s be honest, the biggest news for NJPW right now came last night on AEW Dynamite. AEW owner Tony Khan and NJPW president Takami Ohbari were on hand for the announcement, which was actually made by both Adam Cole and Jay White, for a joint NJPW X AEW show called Forbidden Door, a PPV event from the United Center in Chicago on Sunday 6/26/2022. Of course, this is exactly my area, so yes I am planning to be there. It will be on PPV on Bleacher Report Live in the USA, NJPWWorld in Japan and FITE TV elsewhere.

Tickets go on sale 5/6/2022. No matches have been announced yet, but there are several possibilities (my dream match being the least likely, sadly).

This will be the biggest NJPW show in America since the pandemic; we still don’t know what, if anything, will ever become of the planned Wrestle Dynasty show that was supposed to take place in Madison Square Garden that the pandemic scuppered.

Also, Adam Cole v. Tomohiro Ishii will happen on this Friday’s edition of AEW Rampage (that I think already happened last night).

More announcements about this as they come.

Meanwhile, the Golden Fight Series tour continued yesterday. It was not shown live, but is now available on NJPWWorld.

- 4/20/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (Tape delay on NJPWWorld)

Kosei Fujita d. Yuto Nakashima (Boston Crab, 9:42)

Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI, Zack Sabre Jr. & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG] d. Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask IV (Sabre > Honma, Triangle Choke, 9:49)

Yujiro Takahashi & SHO [Bullet Club] d. Tanga Loa & Jado [GoD] (SHO > Jado, pinfall, 9:45)

Hirooki Goto [CHAOS], YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS], Togi Makabe & Toru Yano [CHAOS] d. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo [Bullet Club] (YOSHI-HASHI > Gedo, Shoto, 8:46)

Taichi & El Desperado [SZKG] d. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] (Taichi > BUSHI, Black Mephisto, 12:10)

Tama Tonga [GoD] & Hiroshi Tanahashi d. EVIL & Dick Togo [Bullet Club] (Tonga > Togo, Gunstun, 9:56)

Kazuchika Okada & YOH [CHAOS] d. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables] (YOH > Hiromu, Direct Drive, 18:13)

YOH demanded a singles match against Hiromu for Wrestling Dontaku 2022 on 5/1/2022 in Fukuoka, which has now been added to the card. BUSHI will take Hiromu’s place in the 6-man tag with Shingo and Tatsumi Fujinami going against Suzuki-gun. Speaking of Shingo, he and Taichi both proposed their stipulations for the KOPW2022 match on Monday 4/25/2022 – Taichi wants a “30-count match,” where you have to pin your opponent for 30 counts on aggregate to win. Shingo offered a “Takagi-Style Three Fall Match,” where you have to pin your opponent for three falls, but the first fall is a 1-count, second is a 2-count, and then the 3-count for the last one. Taichi’s is currently winning the polling which ends on Saturday 4/23/2022.

Looking ahead on NJPWWorld, two wrestler anniversary shows are taking place on the platform soon, both as Y3000 PPVs. TAKA Michinoku is celebrating 30 years as a wrestler with a TAKA & Taichi Mania 2.5 show on 5/6/2022 from Korakuen Hall. From the poster art, it looks like Jun Kasai will be there as well as the other Suzuki-gun juniors. Also at Korakuen Hall, on 5/12/2022, will be a Tatsumi Fujinami 50th Anniversary event that advertises Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi and Yuji Nagata from NJPW, but also wrestlers as varied as Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Masakatsu Funaki, BJW’s Yuji OKabayashi, and KAZMA SAKAMOTO among others. These are actual PPV events, not sure if or when they will be available for free on NJPWWorld.

The tour continues tomorrow through the weekend, with shows that will not be streamed, but all have Elimination Match main events, so there’s a chance those mains will end up on VOD? It’s been known to happen.

- 4/22/2022, Osaka EDION Arena Subarena

Yuto Nakashima v. Ryohei Oiwa

Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask IV v. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI, Zack Sabre Jr. & TAKA Michinoku

El Desperado & Taichi [SZKG] v. Taiji Ishimori & Gedo [Bullet Club]

Hirooki Goto [CHAOS] & Tomoaki Honma v. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens [Bullet Club]

Tama Tonga [GoD], Tanga Loa [GoD], Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jado [GoD] v. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo [Bullet Club]

Elimination Match: Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH [CHAOS] v. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables]

- 4/23/2022, Ehime Texport Imabari

Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato v. Ryohei Oiwa & Kosei Fujita

Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask IV v. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano [CHAOS]

El Desperado, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG] v. Taiji Ishimori, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Gedo [Bullet Club]

Taichi & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG] v. Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables]

Kazuchika Okada & YOH [CHAOS] v. Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables]

Elimination Match: Tama Tonga [GoD], Tanga Loa [GoD], Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jado [GoD] v. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo [Bullet Club]

- 4/24/2022, Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium

Tiger Mask IV v. Yuto Nakashima

Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma v. Toru Yano [CHAOS] & Kosei Fujita

Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato v. El Desperado & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG]

Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Kazuchika Okada & YOH [CHAOS] v. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo [Bullet Club]

Tama Tonga [GoD], Tanga Loa [GoD], Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jado [GoD] v. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo [Bullet Club]

Elimination Match: Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG] v. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables]

Dragon Gate

The Gate of Passion 2022 tour resumed today, with a show that was streamed live on Dragon Gate Network. Some news and announcements came from this show as well.

The Gate of Passion 2022 Night 11 - 4/21/2022, Hyogo Kobe Royal Sanbo Hall (DG Network)

BxB Hulk & HYO [Z-Brats] d. U-T & Jacky “Funky” Kamei [Natural Vibes] (HYO > Kamei, Black Panther Clutch, 8:48)

Mondai Ryu, Yosuke Santa Maria & La Estrella d. Punch Tominaga, Ho Ho Lun & Ishin Iihashi (Yosuke > Ishin, Neraiuchi, 3:11)

Eita & Strong Machine J d. Kagetora & Keisuke Okuda [HIGH-END] (J > Okuda, Machine Suplex, 9:21)

Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii, Genki Horiguchi [Natural Vibes] & Yasushi Kanda d. Dragon Kid [HIGH-END], Super Shisa, Konomama Ichikawa & Shachihoko Boy (Fujii > Ichikawa, Sleeper Hold, 8:38)

Kota Minoura, Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida [Gold Class] d. Shuji Kondo, Takashi Yoshida & Takuma Fujiwara (Minoura > Fujiwara, R-301, 12:41)

Royal Sanbo Battle Royale: Jason Lee d. YAMATO [HIGH-END], Ben-K [HIGH-END], Kzy [Natural Vibes], Susumu Yokosuka [Natural Vibes], KAI [Z-Brats], SB KENTo [Z-Brats], Shun Skywalker [Z-Brats], Diamante [Z-Brats], Dragon Dia [D’Courage] & Yuki Yoshioka (Lee > Dia, Crucifix Hold, 20:29)

This was Dragon Dia’s first loss of any kind since he lost his mask back in December, and then would win both the Open The Brave and Twin Gate titles within 24 hours in January. Of course there was fuckery by Shun Skywalker to get here, as he continues to torment Jason Lee. YAMATO and Kzy both declared they would win the rights for Jason Lee on Monday at Korakuen Hall.

Shun then goaded Dia into accepting the Open The Twin Gate challenge at Dead Or Alive on 5/5/2022, so now Dia will have to defend the Brave Gate against SB KENTo, AND the Twin Gate with Yuki Yoshioka against Shun & Diamante. Ryo Saito tried to talk him out of it, but Dia insisted. Shun then asked why he’s still called Dragon Dia now that he is unmasked.

Susumu Yokosuka demanded to know the stipulation for the Open The Dream Gate title match at Dead Or Alive, but KAI said he would reveal it on Monday instead. Hip Hop Kikuta reiterated he will not be joining Z-Brats when he returns at Dead Or Alive. Strong Machine J getting a bit of a push here.

It was announced that both Super Shisa and Gamma would be leaving Dragon Gate at the end of this month. Shisa, who’s spent most of his career in Toryumon/Dragon Gate, looks to wrestle elsewhere as he recovers from injuries. Gamma, who started in Osaka Pro and joined DG in 2006, will be retiring. It was thought the opposite might happen, with Gamma rejoining the new Osaka Pro, but instead Gamma will be holding his own retirement show on 8/14/2022 in Izumi City Plaza.

DG take tomorrow off, and hold house shows Saturday and Sunday, before Monday’s Korakuen Hall outing that should maybe settle this whole Jason Lee business.

GLEAT

GLEAT held their second show inside of a week yesterday at Tokyo Shinjuku FACE, that had a guest appearance from Ryo Mizunami, late of AEW. This one is on YouTube.

GLEAT G PROWRESTLING Ver.23 - 4/20/2022, Tokyo Shinjuku FACE (YouTube)

Shigehiro Irie & Masato Kamino d. Minoru Tanaka & Yu Iizuka (Irie > Iizuka, Beast Bomber, 11:47)

KAZMA SAKAMOTO [BULK Orchestra] d. TiiiDA (Knee Kick, 10:43)

Nanae Takahashi & Ryo Mizunami d. Michiko Miyagi & Yukari Hosokawa (Takahashi > Miyagi, Crossface, 14:14)

1 Count Fall, 5 Count Ring-Out, No Escape Special Rule Match: CIMA [#STRONGHEARTS] d. Nobuhiro Shimatani [BULK Orchestra] (Pinfall, 0:38)

1 Count Fall, 5 Count Ring-Out, No Escape Special Rule Match: Nobuhiro Shimatani [BULK Orchestra] d. CIMA [#STRONGHEARTS] (Gyakuuchi, 3:56)

Takanori Ito d. Soma Watanabe (German Suplex Hold, 15:04)

3-Way Trios Match: Ryuichi Kawakami, Hayato Tamura & Quiet Storm [BULK Orchestra] d. El Lindaman, T-Hawk & Issei Onitsuka [#STRONGHEARTS] and Tetsuya Izuchi, Keiichi Sato & Jun Tonsho [60 Seconds] (Tamura > Onitsuka, Jackhammer, 21:54)

Shimatani challenged for the G-REX title, however Shigehiro Irie said he was the rightful next challenger to El Lindaman. So, a #1 contender’s match will be taking please between Shimatani v. Irie, at a date to be determined.

Shingo Takagi will be participating in GLEAT’s G PROWRESTLING Ver.25 show 5/18/2022 from Tokyo Korakuen Hall, teaming with CIMA in a special 25th Anniversary match for CIMA as a wrestler. This is… interesting, as I was under the impression that tensions between CIMA and Shingo were part of the reason Shingo left Dragon Gate in 2018. Maybe time does heal all wounds, or maybe I was misinformed. One of the two.

GLEAT’s next show that I can see booked is 5/3/2022 from Osaka.

Other News

Tomoya Hirata & Toru Sugiura retained the King Of FREEDOM Tag Team titles today against Daisuke Masaoka & Kamui in a fluorescent light tube deathmatch at FREEDOMS’s show from Tokyo Shinkiba 1st-RING earlier today.

Marvelous, BJW, Ice Ribbon and Sportiva have all been active this week.

See you Sunday.

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW WRESTLING DONTAKU 2019 Review (May 3rd and 4th, Fukuoka Kokusai Centre)

May 3rd

Tomoaki Honma, Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. Toa Henare, yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura  ***1/4

Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado & TAKA Michinoku  ***1/4

Kota Ibushi & Roppongi 3K vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI  ***1/2

Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA & EVIL�� ***3/4

NEVER Openweight Title Match: Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Taichi  ***1/4

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title Match: Dragon Lee (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori  ****1/2

May 4th

Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura  ***1/4

Dragon Lee & Will Ospreay vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo  ***1/2

Kota Ibushi & Roppongi 3K vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI  ***3/4

Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL  ****3/4

IWGP Heavyweight Title Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. SANADA  ****1/2

Photos.

These shows were the culmination of a great tour that surpassed all expectations, and suitable to form, they were two very fun shows. Night 1 featured some great action, most notably all of the Young Lions in the opener (of both nights, this really is a standout class they have presently), and the continuation of the heated Liger/Suzuki feud. Things got really good with the Ibushi/RPG3K vs. LIJ six-man, which was a fun, all-action battle, just as you’d excpect, and just as they’ve been all tour long (the 10 man elimination tag from May 1st was a **** match and is well worth checking out, by the way). After 11:31 of hot action, Ibushi put BUSHI away with the Kamigoye to win for his team. In the post-match, the I.C. champion demanded an answer from Naito as to when, and if, his challenge will take place. Naito told him to “tranquillo” and he’d let Ibushi know tomorrow. After another mystery man challenged Juice Robinson via video, it was time for the Okada/Ishii vs. SANADA/EVIL doubles clash, which was great stuff. This was all about building to the two big singles matches the next night, and featured some great sequences. After beating the hell out of each other all match, it boiled down to EVIL and Ishii, after the Stone Pitbull was unable to tag out, and found himself locked in the Scorpion Deathlock (the patented move of one of Ishii’s legendary mentors; Riki Choshu), whilst SANADA held Okada at bay with Skull End. Ishii fought valiantly to the ropes, in dramatic fashion, but after being dragged back to the centre of the squared circle, the referee called a stoppage at 16:52.

The NEVER title bout between Jeff Cobb and Taichi was... interesting. I was fixing to hate this thing during the first 10 minutes, as Taichi did his usual stall and cheap-heat tactics, and TAKA and Kanemaru interference, as I felt myself about to lose conciousness through the abject boredom of it all, but it did pick up into a very decent match by the end. However, Taichi wasn’t even the thing I disliked the most about this; Cobb appeared to sleepwalk through this thing. He sold incessantly, Jeff Cobb, an olympian, a SHOOTER, lifelessly sold for Taichi’s pretend Kawada offence in totally baffling fashion. This guy should do the whole Dr. Death/Vader thing and be a monster who only sells when he needs to (yes, he’s short, but he’s a crazy powerhouse with super impressive and believable offence). This gained life with a hot closing stretch, which was very good indeed, culminating in Taichi hitting Black Mephisto on Cobb, and pin him at the 17:50 mark, clean as a sheet, to win the belt. This was inexplicable as I would have kept the belt on Cobb, believing there to be potential in a run with it, but whatever. Taichi is your new NEVER Champion.

The main event of night 1 was a truly excellent high flying display between two of the best junior heavyweights anywhere in the world right now. This started slow but built into a tremendous match, with the crowd super hot for the finishing sequence, which saw Lee hit his snap German off the ropes, but Ishimori popped up and hit a Canadian Destroy, only for Dragon to ‘fighting spirit’ his way up from the move and hit a Falcon Arrow for the double down. The champion hit the double stomp off the top in the corner for a near fall, then Ishimori counters Desnucadora into a cradle for another great near fall. Bone Soldier Reborn locked in the Yes Lock, which Lee did a great job of selling, leading to a dramatic sequence where it looked like the masked man was going to tap, but he eventually made the ropes, to a big pop. After scoring a near fall with a gutbuster, Ishimori went for Bloody Cross, but Lee counters into a reverse rana, hits another snap German, and scored a very believable near fall with a Busaiku Knee strike, which got the stomping treatment from the Fukuoka faithful. From there, Dragon hit Desnucadora to retain in 25:53 of fantastic action, and to cement himself as the rightful champion, having finally scored a pinfall over Ishimori. Also, this was the first time the juniors have main evented a major show in three years, and to say it was a success, both in-ring, and at the box office, would be putting it lightly, which is a good sign for the impending BOSJ, which I’m really excited for.

Night two had a much less entertaining undercard, but the top half was really great. Aside for the good Young Lion opener, the first thing of note on the show was El Phantasmo’s (to the surprise of few) debut in a very good doubles clash, teaming with Ishimori to take on Dragon Lee and ‘good friend’ Will Ospreay. This was all about getting Phantasmo over, and it worked. He was impressive doing his signature rope-walk highspots, with his exchanges with Ospreay being the undoubted highlight. After superkicking an Oscutter attempt out of the sky, Phantasmo hit his old spinning TKO finish, before hitting his new finish, an arm-capture Styles Clash, for the pin in 9:58. Ibushi, SHO and YOH delivered yet another great bout against Naito, Shingo and BUSHI, this time with Naito pinning YOH with Destino at the 13:47 mark. The post match saw Naito challenge Ibushi to an IC Title Match at Dominion, which of course was accepted. These tag matches, whilst fundamentally the same match every time, always deliver the goods, and have been all tour long. Hiroshi Tanahashi made his return next, and let me tell you, this man was rocking a look. He looked just like Patrick Swayze in Point Break, but with added hot pants-esque cycling shorts, and a blazer. He said he’ll be returning to the ring at the June 5th Sumo Hall show, promised to return to full strength and regain the IWGP Heavyweight Title. This brought out that no-good sunuvabitch Jay White, who told Tana to get to the back of the queue if he wants a title shot, then laid him out. He was about to bash the surgically repaired elbow with chairs, but the Young Lions jumped in for the save.

Speaking of delivering, the purported “first time” outing between Ishii and EVIL was an absolute war. The exchanges between these guys all tour have lead you to believe their singles contest would be a classic, and it certainly was. They slammed into each other with hard shoulder tackles and lariats, and forearmed the bejeezus out of each other in glorious fashion for 23:08. EVIL worked over Ishii’s knee, both hit superplexes and locked the other in Scorpion Deathlocks. After a lariat exchange, EVIL escapes a Brainbuster Muto-Hashimoto style, by kneeing his way free, hit a German suplex, but Ishii popped up and laid him out with a massive lariat. Ishii then countered the STO with a German, and another huge Lariat for the doule down. EVIL’s flip-bump sells of the lariats in this were tremendous. After no-selling a lariat, Ishii hit a headbutt, EVIL hit a big half-and-half suplex, and the Stone Pitbull fires back with a stiff looking gamengiri. Ishii hit another massive lariat for a great nearfall, then hit the Vetical Drop Brainbuster for the win. This was the best match on the tour for my money, the best match of EVIL’s career, and just a truly excellent fight. Backstage, Taichi taunted Ishii with the NEVER title, so there’s your next programme for that particular belt. These guys had an excellent match in the NJC, but really I’d like to see Ishii a bit higher up the card at this stage.

The main between Okada and SANADA had a tough act to follow, but they succeeded in producing an excellent match that was completely different in every way. This match will undoubtedly be very divisive, but I really loved it. The crowd started super hot for these guys, and they tempered down soon after as, for the first 15 minutes or so of this thing, they worked an almost entirely mat-based technical contest, reminiscent of a bout between two babyfaces (the Sekimoto-Okabayashi match the next day in BJW was similarly worked too). This worked well as they were trying to weave a compelling story, being the defence based counterpart to the offence based war which preceeded it, with the idea being that each have scouted the other perfectly. This wasn’t as good as their New Japan Cup final (or probably their IWGP Title match last February either), but it was an engrossing wrestling match nonetheless. At 38 minutes, it was maybe a little long, but it never felt like a chore to sit through. It all built to a great closing stretch built around counters. The crowd got super into this again after Okada kept escaping Skull End, SANADA (rocking a new look, and thankfully having shaved that hideous Dr. Zaius beard) hits a Muto Moonsault to the back, goes up for the proper version, but Okada gets the knees up. They trade strikes, which culminated in Okada hitting the John Woo dropkick and a spinning Rainmaker. They each tried Tombstone attempts, but they were continually countered, ending in SANADA getting Skull End on again. Okada escapes, tries a Rainmaker, but SANADA counters into a Rainmaker of his own for a great near fall which the crowd really bought. SANADA locks in Skull End again, but Okada turns that into a Tombstone, then hits the Rainmaker finally, to retain in an excellent match. In the post match, there was yet ANOTHER video package, this time being a returning Chris Jericho, who challenged Okada at Dominion. This was obviously accepted, so there is your Dominion main event. I have no doubt it will be an excellent battle indeed.

NDT