Today’s NJPW Kizuna Road event at Korakuen Hall saw a title change.
Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo defeated SHO and YOH in 26:43 to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in the main event of the show.
The finish of the match came after SHO and Ishimori brawled to the floor. With El Phantasmo and YOH the legal men, Phantasmo stomped on YOH’s foot with a loaded boot. Phantasmo then followed with his Sudden Death superkick with the loaded boot and pinned YOH to win the titles.
This marks the third reign with the IWGP Junior Tag titles for Ishimori and ELP. Their first reign also began at a Kizuna Road event in June with a win over Roppongi 3K, that coming in June 2019.
Ishimori and ELP’s second reign began with a win over El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru at a Road to the New Beginning show in January 2021. They would drop the titles back to Desperado and Kanemaru a month later at a Road to Castle Attack event in February.
Ishimori is also next in line to challenge Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. No date has been announced for that match as of yet.
SHO and YOH’s fifth IWGP Jr. Tag title reign ends after one successful defense.
NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships were on the line in the main event as SHO & YOH defended against Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo.
Following yesterday’s show-closing angle with Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata confronting the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI, a change was made to today’s card.
The scheduled Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Gedo & Jado match was changed to Okada, Goto, Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Yano vs. Tenzan, Kojima, Nagata, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma.
On the undercard, Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji’s singles gauntlets continued. Tsuji faced Great-O-Khan in the opener, while Uemura took on Kota Ibushi in the second match.
This was solid. A little more offense for Tsuji would have made for a more exciting match, but O-Khan was booked to look dominant.
They opened with some chain wrestling. O-Khan got a takedown off an ankle pick. Tsuji got a takedown and began working for an armbar. O-Khan forced a quick rope break. O-Khan took control of the bout after hitting a throw.
O-Khan worked Tsuji over. Tsuji came back with a dropkick, a splash and a powerslam. Tsuji used a crab, but O-Khan forced a break. O-Khan hit a gutwrench throw for a double down.
They traded chops. Tsuji hit a spear for a near fall. Tsuji missed a top rope splash. O-Khan used an elbow for a near fall, then used a Boston crab. Tsuji forced a rope break at the 10 minute call.
O-Khan hit a powerslam and a vertical suplex. Tsuji cradled O-Khan for a near fall. O-Khan came back with a belly-to-belly, then used a Boston crab for the submission.
Kota Ibushi defeated Yuya Uemura (13:13)
This was very good. I think Taichi actually had a better match with Uemura yesterday, but Uemura continues to shine. Ibushi gave him a ton of offense.
Uemura hit a series of strikes to begin. Ibushi took him down and dominated a mat wrestling sequence. Ibushi used a camel clutch, but Uemura forced a break.
Ibushi dared Uemura to strike with him. Ibushi then dominated a striking battle. Uemura went for a dropkick and missed. He got the dropkick on his second attempt and had an offensive flurry. Uemura hit a back suplex and a series of slaps.
Ibushi blocked a crab attempt and hit a double stomp to the chest. Ibushi hit a series of kicks, but Uemura refused to go down. They traded heavy forearms in the center of the ring. Uemura tried for a double overhook suplex, but Ibushi blocked. Uemura fought off a submission attempt from the overhook position and got a high-angle crab applied. Ibushi forced a break.
Uemura hit a beautiful bridging German for a two count. Uemura ran off the ropes into an Ibushi lariat for a near fall. Ibushi then used a single-leg crab at a crazy high angle for the submission.
Ibushi applauded Uemura after the match and urged the crowd to do so as well. A classy move.
Ishii and Nagata began, playing off the angle at the end of yesterday’s show. Kojima and Tenzan jumped in to make it three-on-one. Ishii bailed to the floor.
Okada and Makabe tagged in. Makabe hit some forearms and punches. Okada hit a back elbow in the corner and a DDT to cut Makabe off. CHAOS then went to work on Makabe. Yano exposed a buckle and whipped Makabe into it.
Makabe came back with a powerslam on Goto. Kojima tagged in and hit machine gun chops on Goto, then sent him into the exposed buckle. YH saved for Goto and it was Kojima’s turn to be cut off. Tenzan saved for Kojima and ran wild with Mongolian chops. Tenzan and Kojima hit a double suplex on Goto.
Kojima hit Goto with a rolling elbow. Goto blocked a lariat. Kojima blocked an ushigoroshi attempt. Kojima hit a cutter, then tagged Nagata. Nagata hit a low dropkick to Goto. Goto answered with a lariat.
Ishii got a tag. Ishii and Nagata had an awesome striking battle. Neither guy sold much of anything for the other. Nagata hit an exploder out of the corner. Ishii came back with a powerslam. Nagata hit a second exploder and tagged Honma.
Honma hit Ishii with chops and a running bulldog. Honma missed a kokeshi, but caught an interfering Goto and YH with a lariat combo. Honma hit Ishii with a lariat. Okada saved for Ishii. Makabe jumped in. Okada missed a dropkick. Makabe nailed him with a lariat.
Yano and Okada ate a double lariat from Makabe. Makabe and Honma hit Ishii with a GBH lariat. Honma hit a diving kokeshi and a brainbuster to Ishii. He hit a second diving kokeshi for a near fall.
Honma went up top, but Goto cut him off. Honma took out Goto and YH with lariats. Ishii then hit Honma with a lariat for a near fall. Honma blocked a brainbuster and hit two more kokeshis.
Ishii blocked a Honma brainbuster and hit his Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin.
Tenzan, Kojima and Nagata briefly brawled with Ishii, Goto and YH in the ring after the match.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (12:26)
There was some good wrestling comedy here involving Naito and a cardboard box.
Yesterday was Naito’s 39th birthday, so Taichi brought a box to the ring as a present. Hiromu Takahashi was on commentary and had paper poppers for Naito. Taichi kicked Hiromu off the apron and Hiromu took a bump to the floor.
Taichi gave Naito his present. Naito made a big show of accepting the box, then promptly hit Taichi over the head with it.
SANADA and Sabre started the match with a nice sequence. Shingo briefly tagged in in the plus position on Sabre. Naito tagged in and began working on Sabre’s arms. Taichi hit Naito in the head with the box, then put the box on Naito’s head and kicked it. The box was empty.
Naito ended up cut off in the Suzuki-gun corner. Taichi tagged in and choked Naito. BUSHI tried to save, but Desperado and Kanemaru sent him outside. Sabre tried to double up on Naito. SANADA saved and hit a rana to Taichi. Sabre hit a PK to SANADA. Naito hit a neckbreaker to Sabre. Taichi hit an axe bomber to Naito, who took a flip bump.
Shingo and Kanemaru got tags. Kanemaru went after Shingo’s left leg. Shingo ate a DDT, but hit Kanemaru and Desperado with a double lariat. BUSHI tagged in for a missile dropkick and a tope suicida.
BUSHI hit Desperado with a low dropkick and a DDT. Desperado blocked a swinging neckbreaker and hit a spinebuster. Desperado hit Guitarra de Angel for a near fall. Naito and SANADA tried to save for BUSHI, but Sabre and Taichi cut them off with dueling cobra twists. Kanemaru and Shingo brawled to the floor.
BUSHI and Desperado traded strikes. BUSHI hit a dropkick. Desperado blocked a codebreaker and hit a right hand. Desperado followed with Pinche Loco and pinned BUSHI.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo defeated SHO & YOH to win the titles (26:43)
You knew they were going a long time based on the pacing. The first ten minutes were filler, but they found another gear and turned in a great overall performance.
First SHO, then YOH were cut off. Ishimori hit YOH with a sliding German. ELP tagged in for some comedy offense. YOH managed a tag to SHO. SHO and YOH used dueling submissions on ELP and Ishimori. ELP and Ishimori then returned the favor.
They did a long submission tease with SHO in Ishimori’s Yes Lock, but SHO forced a break. SHO hit a lungblower and tagged out. Ishimori tagged ELP as well.
YOH and ELP traded strikes and slaps, then pinning combinations. YOH hit a thrust kick and a nice German into a bridge for a near fall. ELP used a cradle for a near fall. YOH used a jackknife cradle for a two count.
ELP missed a v-trigger. YOH used an O-Connor roll for a two count. ELP kicked out, sending YOH into an Ishimori kick on the apron. Ishimori tagged in, then hit a plancha to SHO. ELP hit an airplane spin neckbreaker to YOH, then Ishimori covered for a near fall.
Ishimori hit YOH with a lungblower. ELP tagged back in and hit a frog splash for a two count. Ishimori hit a codebreaker to YOH. ELP missed a moonsault and hit Ishimori by mistake. SHO hopped in and Roppongi doubled up on Ishimori.
SHO and YOH hit a 3K to Ishimori. SHO and YOH hit the Strong X for a near fall on ELP with Ishimori saving. SHO hit a deadlift German on Ishimori and a kick on the apron as they fought to the floor.
YOH went for Direct Drive on ELP. ELP blocked and stomped on YOH’s foot with a loaded boot. ELP then hit a Sudden Death superkick with the loaded boot. YOH sold like he was knocked out and ELP covered for the pin to win the titles.
**********
Live action returns to NJPW World on Thursday, July 1 and Friday, July 2. Both shows will be at Korakuen Hall and will air for free on NJPW World. No cards have been announced for those events as of yet.
NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
The NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles were on the line in the main event, with Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI defending against EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and Dick Togo.
The Young Lion singles gauntlets continued on the undercard, with Taichi taking on Yuya Uemura and Zack Sabre Jr. facing Yota Tsuji.
Below are results and a report on today’s show.
**********
Recommended matches —
Taichi vs. Yuya Uemura
Report —
Taichi defeated Yuya Uemura (10:12)
A fantastic opener. Everything Uemura did was fantastic. Taichi sold like a million bucks for Uemura as well.
Uemura charged Taichi at the opening bell and hit a series of strikes, a dropkick and a flying forearm. Taichi rolled outside. Uemura whipped him into the barricade, then hit a diving crossbody off the apron to the floor.
Back inside, Taichi took control after a gamengiri in the corner. Taichi used an abdominal stretch, but Uemura forced a rope break. Uemura fired up with strikes. He hit the ropes, running right into a Taichi big boot. Uemura fired off a dropkick into a double down.
Uemura hit a shotgun dropkick in the corner. Uemura blocked a high kick and a backdrop suplex, then hit his own back suplex for a near fall. Uemura used a crab, but Taichi forced a rope break.
Taichi blocked a double overhook suplex. Uemura blocked an axe bomber, then hit the overhook suplex for a two count.
Uemura missed a springboard crossbody. Taichi hit an axe bomber for a near fall. He went for a Last Ride, but Uemura turned it into a victory roll for a near fall.
Taichi hit a gamengiri and a Last Ride for the pin.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Yota Tsuji (13:58)
I liked the opener a lot more, but this was good as well. These Young Lion gauntlets are more enjoyable then most multi-man matches on these smaller shows.
They began with a lengthy grappling battle. They traded the advantage. The story was that Tsuji was able to hold his own against the technical wrestling wizard.
After grappling, they traded strikes. Tsuji had the power edge. Sabre sold big for Tsuji’s strikes. Tsuji hit a dropkick. He went for a slam, but Sabre blocked and used a neck twist and a necktie. Tsuji forced a break and hit a slam.
Tsuji got a Boston crab applied. He gave up the hold and hit a splash, then stretched Sabre’s arms with a knee to the back. Sabre grabbed a flying heel hook, but Tsuji grabbed the ropes for a break.
They went back to trading strikes. Tsuji went for a backslide, but Sabre reversed into a guillotine. Tsuji turned a Peruvian necktie into a cradle for a near fall. Tsuji used a small package for another two count.
They traded cobra twists. From northern lights bomb position, Sabre caught Tsuji’s neck in a figure four. The referee called for the stoppage with Tsuji trapped in the hold.
CHAOS attacked Bullet Club before the opening bell and they teased a quick finish. Okada got Gedo in the Money Clip right away. It probably would have been best if they had just gone home right there.
Instead, Ishimori broke it up. Yano, Gedo, Jado, ELP and Ishimori did a lot of comedy.
The match broke down and everyone hopped in for a big move. SHO and YOH hit the 3K on Gedo and YOH covered for the pin.
ELP ended up with a bloody mouth in here somehow. They did a brief staredown with SHO, YOH, Ishimori and ELP. Those four for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles is the main event tomorrow.
Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (18:41)
This turned into a pretty good match by the end. I would compare it to a good house show match.
Shingo and Ibushi began with a brief exchange. Ibushi hit a flying mid kick, but they are clearly saving the big teases for Summer Struggle shows in July.
Naito and Tenzan tagged in. Tenzan briefly got the advantage, but LIJ went 4-on-1 on Tenzan and cut him off. They focused on attacking his left leg. SANADA tagged in. Tenzan hit a mountain bomb, then tagged Nagata. Nagata hit SANADA with an exploder for a two count.
Nagata caught an interfering Naito with an overhead belly-to-belly. SANADA went for the paradise lock, but Nagata blocked. SANADA hit a springboard dropkick and tagged out to Shingo. Nagata hit Shingo with an exploder, then tagged Ibushi.
Ibushi lit Shingo up with kicks, a springboard dropkick and a standing moonsault for a two count. Shingo hit a backdrop out of a last ride attempt. They traded strikes in the corner. Ibushi kicked away a lariat attempt. Ibushi hit a series of kicks. Shingo fired off a lariat, then tagged BUSHI.
Ibushi hit a double backflip kick to Shingo and BUSHI, then tagged Kojima. Kojima hit machine gun chops to BUSHI and Naito. SANADA stopped Kojima from hitting a top rope elbow. BUSHI hit Kojima with a missile dropkick.
Kojima hit the Koji Cutter on BUSHI. Ibushi jumped in for a kick. Tenzan came in for Mongolian chops. Tenzan and Kojima went for the TenCozy Cutter, but Naito saved. SANADA and Shingo jumped in. BUSHI hit a backstabber on Kojima for a two count.
While the other six brawled to the floor, BUSHI and Kojima squared off. BUSHI hit an enzuigiri. He ran off the ropes right into a Kojima lariat for the pin.
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo (w/Pieter) (32:03)
Ishii was a workhorse in this match. It was an incredible performance by him. Togo was the best guy on his team by a wide margin as well. The match itself was beyond parody of all the usual Bullet Club shenanigans, ref bumps, weapon shots, low blows and the like.
Pieter made her return, accompanying Yujiro and providing her interpretive dance before the match.
EVIL, Yujiro and Togo hit the champs with their own title belts before the opening bell. A ringside brawl broke out. Ishii got whipped into the barricade. Togo and Ishii then began as the legal men. Bullet Club exposed the buckle in their corner and whipped Ishii into it. The Bullet Club trio used quick tags in working Ishii over.
EVIL sent Ishii outside and into the barricade and the ring announcer’s table. EVIL hit his baseball swing chair shot to Ishii. Ishii was worked over in Bullet Club’s corner, then finally came back with an enzuigiri.
Goto tagged in for a quick sequence, then YH tagged in and was cut off. Another ringside brawl broke out. This time the champs got the better of it.
YH and Goto doubled up on EVIL. Goto hit an ushigoroshi into a superkick by YH. YH then used the butterfly lock on EVIL. Ishii and Togo brawled on the floor while EVIL laid in the butterfly lock. YH then transitioned to a sleeper. EVIL grabbed the ref, who took a bump.
Togo used a chair on YH. He went to use his ligature, but Ishii intercepted him. EVIL hit YH with Darkness Falls. The referee was revived and counted, but YH kicked out. YH and EVIL teased their finishers, but both blocked. YH hit a backstabber into a double down.
Ishii tagged in. EVIL tried to use the ref as a base for a Magic Killer, but Ishii slipped out. Togo tagged in. Yujiro hit Ishii with a legdrop. Togo then hit Ishii with a senton for a near fall. Togo hit a lariat for another two count.
Togo used a crossface. Ishii fought to the bottom rope to force a break. Togo went for a Pedigree, but Ishii hit a backdrop. Goto jumped in and hit a wheel kick on Togo. Ishii hit Togo with a superplex for a near fall.
Togo blocked a Vertical Drop Brainbuster, but Ishii connected on a back suplex. Ishii missed a sliding lariat. Togo turned it into a crucifix for a near fall, then transitioned back to the crossface. YH saved for Ishii.
Yujiro jumped in and bumped the referee. Yujiro kicked YH low. EVIL hit Goto with a chair. Yujiro hit YH with his pimp cane. Yujiro then used the cane on Ishii. EVIL used the chair on Ishii. It took three chair shots for Ishii to go down.
Togo hit a Pedigree on Ishii on the chair. The referee was revived, but Ishii kicked out at the last instant. EVIL and Togo hit Ishii with a Magic Killer, but Ishii kicked out of that as well.
Togo hit another Pedigree, then went to the top rope. Goto cut him off and slammed him off the top. Goto hit a GTR to Yujiro. EVIL hit a lariat to Goto. YH hit a lariat to EVIL. All six men were down at the 28 minute mark.
Togo and Ishii traded strikes. Ishii dropped Togo with a lariat. Ishii hit a stack powerbomb for a two count as Yujiro saved. Goto and YH hit the GYW on Goto. Ishii hit a sliding lariat, but Togo kicked out at the 30 minute call.
Ishii went for the Vertical Drop. Togo tried to bump the ref, but failed. Ishii blocked a low blow. Yujiro and Goto climbed in. YH and EVIL got in and distracted the ref, then bumped him. EVIL and Yujiro hit low blows to Goto and YH.
Togo choked Ishii with his ligature. Ishii fought him off and hit a lariat, then hit the Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin.
**********
They shot an angle after the match. Tenzan, Kojima and Nagata came to the ring. Nagata dropped Ishii with a forearm strike. Kojima gestured towards the titles, so those look to be the next challengers for Goto, Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI.
YH closed the show with a quick promo.
**********
Here is the lineup for tomorrow’s show:
NJPW Kizuna Road, Wednesday, June 23, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: SHO & YOH (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Gedo & Jado
NJPW has announced the full card for this week’s Ignition episode of Strong.
Already announced, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor will defend the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship against Karl Fredericks in the main event.
In the second match, Rocky Romero will face Clark Connors. Romero and Connors have met twice before, with Romero winning both matches.
In Friday’s opener Fred Yehi and Wheeler Yuta will face LA Dojo members Kevin Knight and The DKC in tag team action.
Both of those teams will also be participants in the Tag Team Turbulence tournament to be held on Strong in July. Yehi and Yuta will face Yuji Nagata and Ren Narita on July 16, while Knight and The DKC will take on Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs on the 16th.
Strong airs Fridays at 10 p.m. Eastern time on NJPW World and is available on demand shortly after airing.
Here is Friday’s full lineup:
NJPW Strong: Ignition, Friday, June 25 —
NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Tom Lawlor (c) vs. Karl Fredericks
Rocky Romero vs. Clark Connors
Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta vs. Kevin Knight & The DKC
NJPW has announced an event for August to be held in front of fans in Los Angeles.
NJPW Resurgence will take place on Saturday, August 14 at The Torch at L.A. Coliseum, a new concert venue set to open this summer. IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley is among the talent advertised for the show.
The event will mark the first ticketed NJPW event in the United States since The New Beginning in USA tour event in Georgia on February 1, 2020.
Shota Umino is also set to return to NJPW for the event. He left the promotion for his Young Lion excursion in September 2019.
Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, June 30 and will be priced at $39, $59, $79, $99, $199 and $299. Fans will be asked to wear a mask when not eating or drinking. The venue’s website lists attendance capacity for The Torch at 5,000 with the possibility to expand to 10,000.
FITE TV and NJPW World will broadcast the event live. FITE has been announced as the exclusive English commentary broadcast, while NJPW World will offer Japanese commentary. A full card for the event will be announced at a later date.
Here is the full list of talent advertised for Resurgence:
IMPACT’s Josh Alexander made his NJPW Strong debut tonight in a great opener with Young Lion Alex Coughlin.
Alexander went for a single-leg takedown early. The two grappled in the middle of the ring for the first few minutes. Coughlin had Alexander in a tight headlock but Alexander was able to maneuver his way out of it and whip Coughlin into the ropes. He chopped Coughlin as he was coming off the ropes, but the Young Lion wasn’t phased at all. He continued to run the ropes, then shoulder blocked Alexander out of the ring. Alexander returned fire later, nailing Coughlin with a low running cross-body block that knocked him off the apron and back to the floor.
The five-minute call was made as the two were exchanging brutal chops in the red corner. Coughlin sold his own arm after unloading about a dozen chops on Alexander, but while he had his back turned, Alexander kept Couglin’s leg and took him on the mat with an ankle lock. Coughlin escaped, then used a very high-angle German suplex that put Alexander down head-and-shoulder first.
When both were back to their feet, they exchanged elbows. Coughlin put Alexander down with a flying shoulder tackle off the ropes. He then used a series of impressive gutwrench suplexes, but on the last one, Alexander was able to break his fall and slide back into the ankle lock submission he had on Coughlin moments earlier. Coughlin escaped using a variation of a De La Riva sweep that he turned into a single-leg crab.
Alexander came close to winning with a German suplex of his own, earning a close nearfall with that one. Coughlin answered with a hard double-chop and a bridging fall-away slam for a nearfall of his own.
IMPACT’s “Walking Weapon” was able to sink in the ankle lock again. Ten minutes had elapsed by this point. Coughlin tried to wheelbarrow suplex himself out of danger, but Alexander blocked and put him back into the ankle hold, but it wasn’t quite enough to tap Coughlin. Alexander went for his double-underhook piledriver (aka Jaydriller) finish, but Coughlin powered out and reversed it into a bridging suplex hold for two. Alexander then hoisted Coughlin into the double-underhook piledriver and spiked him for the pin. Very good stuff.
Bateman and Barrett Brown defeated Fred Rosser and Adrian Quest
This was a solid tag team match. Brown recently joined up with Bateman. He had Bateman in his corner in his match against Adrian Quest recently, where he won with a bit of help from Bateman. After the match, Fred Rosser offered Adrian Quest a hand if he ever needed help dealing with either Brown or Bateman, and tonight was the pay-off to that mini-storyline they’d built.
Quest used a springboard dropkick on Bateman before tagging out to “Mr. No-Days-Off” Fred Rosser, who laid in a few headbutts upon entrance. Rosser announced that he had officially signed with NJPW this week.
Rosser punched Bateman while he was on the apron. When Rosser went to suplex Brown on the apron, Bateman grabbed Rosser’s ankle which allowed Brown to escape. He’d tag out to Bateman who continued working over Rosser. I imagine these two will have an interesting singles match down the road, as these are two regulars on Strong who bring a distinctly American style of wrestling to the show.
When Quest finally got his hands on Brown, he got right on top of him and tried beating him down like he was in a schoolyard fight. When Quest went to springboard off the ropes next, Brown caught him with a right hook. When he went to suplex Quest on the apron, Rosser appeared and dropped Brown on the apron with a backdrop suplex of his own. Rosser has become this kind of babyface who can bend or break rules and it never comes off as heelish; it feels like genuine retaliation against something and he’s looking for revenge.
Quest scored a nearfall after a standing shooting star press on Brown but Bateman made the save. A minute or so later, when Quest went to the top rope to put Brown away, Bateman yanked on the ropes, which caused Quest to lose his balance. Bateman then scooped Quest up into a tombstone and spiked him for the win in just under ten minutes.
Afterward, Brown celebrated the win outside the ring where it looked like he was doing snow angels. A fiery Rosser and Bateman got into it in the ring. They traded fists before Rosser tried lifting Bateman into a fireman’s carry for his signature gutbuster, but Bateman slipped away before heading to the back.
Backstage, Brown said that the entire NJPW Strong roster was on notice since he and Bateman are now a team. Bateman didn’t like that Rosser had recently called him a bully, but he did enjoy how angry Rosser looked tonight after the match. He said that pain is a teacher and a motivator and that he and Rosser have a lot to teach each other down the road.
Satoshi Kojima defeated JR Kratos
Satoshi Kojima has been surprisingly busy this year, especially as someone celebrating his 30th year in the business. He recently lost to Joe Doering at IMPACT’s Against All Odds pay-per-view, but picked up a win over Rhino on the company’s recent television.
Tonight was Kojima’s second appearance on Strong where took on JR Kratos. According to Kevin Kelly, Kojima has not won a singles match without using a lariat since 2008. That meant that if he were to hit Kratos with a lariat, there’d be a very good chance Kratos would be down for the count.
Kojima tried his best to take Kratos off his feet early. He went after Kratos with shoulder blocks, hard kicks, and some elbows to the head, but Kratos absorbed everything, then knocked Kojima to the floor with a jumping shoulder tackle, similar to what we saw Alex Coughlin do earlier in the night, just from someone twice his size.
Back in the ring, Kratos dropped a big elbow onto Kojima, and later threw him with a gutwrench suplex. Kojima sold as though he’d been hit by a car. Kratos used a vertical suplex that quite literally launched Kojima from one corner of the ring to the other.
Kojima fired off his patented machine-gun chops in the corner, but these didn’t do anything to him. Kratos flipped Kojima into the corner next, then came down hard on Kojima with a huge-double chop, then a series of knife-edged chops and five minutes, not too unlike Genichiro Tenryu. Kojima answered with his own variation of chops and punches. It was only five minutes into the match at this point, too.
Kratos teased suplexing Kojima off the apron to the floor, but Kojima was able to reverse and drop Kratos with a DDT onto the apron. Back in the ring, he came off the top rope with an elbow drop into Kratos’ mid-section. Kratos put Kojima back down with an impressive sit-out chokeslam-powerbomb, then a hanging vertical suplex, but in both instances, he received only two counts. Kojima used a DDT in response, but Kratos got up from it, smiling at Kojima. Kojima DDT’d him again, and again, Kratos was up and smiling back at COZY. After a third DDT, Kojima seemed like he didn’t know what else to do. Kratos then laid him out with a lariat. Both were out for a few moments.
Kojima landed a Koji Cutter at around the ten-minute mark. He struggled but was eventually able to put Kratos down with a big brainbuster, but for two. When Kojima went for his running lariat, Kratos caught Kojima with a jumping knee. Kojima missed on his second lariat attempt, but he caught Kratos flush with the third one, which laid Kratos out completely. Kojima wins, but only by a hair.
Final thoughts:
Tonight’s episode was great. I can’t think of another episode that felt as evolved or as established as tonight’s show, and I say that because everyone who appeared on the show stuck out in one way or another.
Tonight’s opener between Alex Coughlin and IMPACT’s Josh Alexander was excellent, so hopefully either NJPW or IMPACT runs this back soon.
The tag match did a good job at building on the new Bateman/Barrett Brown connection, and it also made for a nice springboard for Fred Rosser’s apparent upcoming match against Bateman. These two in particular have helped give NJPW Strong a much deeper flavor, as both are bringing non-traditional styles into the mix.
The main event delivered as expected, though I didn’t expect Kratos to come off as much of a monster as he did. This match with Kojima tonight really had him feeling like a monster and a legitimate threat to those on the NJPW roster.
Next week sees Karl Fredericks take on “Filthy” Tom Lawlor for the NJPW STRONG Openweight title.
Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson will return to an NJPW ring for the first time since 2016.
The Good Brothers were announced as participants in NJPW Strong’s Tag Team Turbulence tournament, to be held beginning in July.
Gallows and Anderson last appeared for NJPW in February 2016. They left the promotion to join WWE in something of a talent raid, as AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Gallows and Anderson all left NJPW for WWE in January or February of that year.
Gallows and Anderson will be part of an eight-team field. Clark Connors & TJP, Yuji Nagata & Ren Narita, Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta, Kevin Knight & The DKC, Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs, Brody King & Chris Dickinson, plus JR Kratos & Danny Limelight will comprise the rest of the tournament.
The Tag Team Turbulence tournament will kick off on the July 16 episode of Strong. All four first round matches will air on that show.
The first round matches are:
The Good Brothers vs. Clark Connors & TJP
Yuji Nagata & Ren Narita vs. Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta
Kevin Knight & The DKC vs. Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs
Brody King & Chris Dickinson vs. JR Kratos & Danny Limelight
Gallows and Anderson held the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship three times in NJPW. The Good Brothers also won the 2013 World Tag League tournament.
NJPW has announced the main events for their July 10 and July 11 Summer Struggle in Sapporo events.
On July 10, El Desperado will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Taiji Ishimori. This will mark Desperado’s second Jr. Heavyweight Championship defense. He previously defeated YOH in his first title defense at Dominion on June 7.
The July 11 main event will see the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on the line, as Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. defend those titles against Tetsuya Naito and SANADA. SANADA pinned Sabre at Dominion in a six-man tag to set up this bout. A follow-up angle took place at a Kizuna Road event in Korakuen Hall this week.
No other matches have been announced for the two-night Summer Struggle in Sapporo event.
The Saturday, July 10 event will take place at 5 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World, while the Sunday, July 11 show will begin at 1 a.m. Eastern time.
NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
Members of CHAOS faced members of Bullet Club in the elimination match main event. On the undercard, the singles gauntlets for Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji continued.
The Kizuna Road tour continues with untelevised events on Friday, June 18 and Sunday, June 20. Live action returns to NJPW World with two more Korakuen Hall shows on Tuesday, June 22 and Wednesday, June 23.
The June 22 show will feature a NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match main event, while the June 23 card will be headlined by an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match.
Below are results from today’s show.
**********
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yuya Uemura (13:17)
Tana won by submission with his Texas Clover Hold.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Yota Tsuji (8:53)
Okada teased a Rainmaker, but used it to set up a toque espaldas cradle for the pin.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata defeated Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma (11:56)
Kojima pinned Honma after a lariat.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (11:30)
NJPW has added two more Wrestle Grand Slam shows to its schedule.
Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome will be a two-night event held on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5.
The company also announced today that the Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome event originally scheduled for May 29 will now be held on Sunday, July 25. That show will be headlined by IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi making his first title defense, taking on Kota Ibushi.
Additionally, the company announced that the Wrestle Grand Slam in Yokohama Stadium event has been canceled. That show was originally set to take place on May 15, but was postponed due to a state of emergency being declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company released a statement that said that scheduling conflicts at Yokohama Stadium made setting a new date for that show in the near future impossible, so the decision was made to cancel. Ticket holders for that event will be refunded.
Shingo Takagi will make his first defense of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi in the main event of Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome on Sunday, July 25.
NJPW announced the new Wrestle Grand Slam date today. The show had originally been scheduled for May 29, but was postponed due to a state of emergency being declared in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The May 29 show was to have been headlined by a Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada match for Ospreay’s IWGP World title. Following the postponement, Ospreay vacated the title due to a neck injury. Okada then faced Shingo for the vacant title at Dominion on June 7, a match won by Shingo.
After defeating Okada, Shingo called out Ibushi and challenged him for his first title defense. Ibushi accepted, but a date for the match was not made official until today.
NJPW also announced that the Wrestle Grand Slam event originally scheduled for May 15 in Yokohama has been canceled. The company said in a statement that scheduling conflicts at the Yokohama Stadium venue made rescheduling that show in the near future impossible. Ticket holders for that event will be refunded.
Instead, NJPW will run two more Wrestle Grand Slam shows in September. The MetLife Dome in Saitama will host the events on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5.
NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour continued today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
The main event featured IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi teaming with the other members of Los Ingobernables de Japon against a team led by his next title challenger, Kota Ibushi.
On the undercard, the singles gauntlets for Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji continued.
Below are results from today’s show.
**********
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Yuya Uemura (12:34)
Sabre used a submission hold called Selected Technical Works 2004-2013 for the victory.
Taichi defeated Yota Tsuji (14:14)
Taichi won by pinfall after hitting a Tensho Jujihou superkick.
Impact Wrestling’s Josh Alexander will make his NJPW Strong debut on this Friday’s Ignition episode of the show.
Alexander will take on Alex Coughlin as Coughlin’s open challenge series begins. Alexander currently holds the Impact X Division Championship.
Ignition will be a two-night event on Strong, held on this and next week’s episodes.
Already announced as the main event for Friday’s show is Satoshi Kojima vs. JR Kratos. Also announced for this week is Fred Rosser and Adrian Quest taking on Bateman and Barrett Brown in tag team action.
The June 25 episode will be headlined by an NJPW Strong Openweight Championship match, with Tom Lawlor defending the title against Karl Fredericks.
Strong airs Fridays at 10 p.m. Eastern time on NJPW World and is available on demand shortly after airing.
Here are the announced lineups for Ignition so far:
NJPW Strong: Ignition, Friday, June 18 —
Satoshi Kojima vs. JR Kratos
Fred Rosser & Adrian Quest vs. Bateman & Barrett Brown
Josh Alexander vs. Alex Coughlin
NJPW Strong: Ignition, Friday, June 25 —
NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Tom Lawlor (c) vs. Karl Fredericks
Fred Rosser has announced he has signed an exclusive agreement with NJPW.
Rosser confirmed the news on Twitter this afternoon, writing: “I’m excited to officially announce I’ve signed W/ NJPW! All I can say moving forward is, don’t ever let your dreams just be dreams because as long as you’re patient & believe in your dreams, anything is possible. Patience is a talent.”
Since last year, Rosser has regularly competed on NJPW Strong, a show that features talent from New Japan of America that is taped in the United States. Earlier this year, he competed in the New Japan Cup USA tournament, qualifying after he defeated JR Kratos. However, he lost to Hikuleo in the first round. He later defeated Hikuelo in a no disqualification match.
Prior to NJPW, Rosser had been with WWE, signing in 2009. He was most well known for his time in the Nexus stable, and later teamed with Titus O’Neil as the Prime Time Players. He was released from his WWE contract in 2017. He has also recently made appearances for the NWA.
NJPW’s Kizuna Road tour kicked off today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
The main event featured Los Ingobernables de Japon taking on four members of Suzuki-gun in an eight-man tag.
Highlights from the undercard included the beginning of singles gauntlets for Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura on this tour. Tsuji took on Hiroshi Tanahashi, while Uemura faced Minoru Suzuki in the show’s opener.
Below are results from today’s show.
**********
Minoru Suzuki defeated Yuya Uemura (13:55)
Suzuki used a Boston crab for the submission win.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Yota Tsuji (13:36)
Tanahashi won by submission with the Texas Clover Hold.
