As she enters her final month with Stardom, a date has been set for Giulia’s next NJPW Strong Women’s Championship defense.
Giulia will defend the title against Stephanie Vaquer at Stardom’s show at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Sunday, March 10. Giulia has been Strong Women’s Champion since winning the title from Willow Nightingale in July 2023.
Tokyo Sports confirmed earlier this week that Giulia has informed Bushiroad (Stardom and NJPW’s parent company) that she will leave Stardom when her contract expires at the end of March. Giulia is expected to help Rossy Ogawa start a new promotion and then end up in WWE.
Vaquer is a double champion in CMLL, holding their Women’s Championship and Women’s Tag Team titles.
In 2023, Vaquer was part of NJPW’s one-night tournament to crown the inaugural Strong Women’s Champion. She lost to Mercedes Mone in the opening round.
Vaquer will be in action for NJPW at the promotion’s Windy City Riot event in Chicago on Friday, April 12.
Hiroshi Tanahashi won’t be able to make his scheduled Global title challenge against Nic Nemeth.
NJPW had announced that Nemeth would defend the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Tanahashi at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 6. But Tanahashi has now been pulled from the Sakura Genesis card after further examination of an ankle injury that he suffered.
Tanahashi suffered a right ankle injury during his match against Matt Riddle at the New Beginning in Sapporo night one on February 23. Tanahashi then had to miss night two due to the injury.
Tanahashi has also been pulled from NJPW’s 52nd anniversary show and the New Japan Cup tour.
NJPW wrote that the Nemeth vs. Tanahashi match will happen at a later date to be determined:
Following further examination on an ankle injury sustained at New Beginning in Sapporo, Hiroshi Tanahashi will be absent from the New Japan Cup series, as well as Sakura Genesis on April 6 to allow for a full recovery.
His previously announced IWGP Global Championship match will be delayed until a later date to be determined.
We apologize to fans looking forward to seeing Tanahashi wrestle and appreciate your understanding.
Tanahashi lost the NJPW World Television Championship to Riddle at the New Beginning in Sapporo night one. That same night, Nemeth won the Global title from David Finlay. The match was Nemeth’s NJPW in-ring debut.
The Sakura Genesis match against Tanahashi was set to be Nemeth’s first title defense. Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, was released by WWE in September 2023.
Stardom talent will be part of the lineup for NJPW Windy City Riot in April.
NJPW announced Tuesday that Stardom’s AZM & Mina Shirakawa have been added to the card set for Friday, April 12 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The company also announced Tuesday that CMLL’s Stephanie Vaquer will return to the promotion at Windy City Riot.
Shirakawa wrestled on last Friday’s NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo event in challenging Mayu Iwatani for the IWGP Women’s Championship.
AZM last competed on an NJPW show at Sakura Genesis last April in a three-way against Mercedes Mone & Hazuki for the IWGP Women’s title.
Vaquer last appeared for NJPW at January’s Battle in the Valley event in San Jose, defeating Viva Van on the pre-show.
Three matches have been announced for Windy City Riot, including Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley in what will be an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match if Naito still holds the title. Mustafa Ali will also make his NJPW debut on the show against Hiromu Takahashi. A team captained by Eddie Kingston will also take on a team captained by Gabe Kidd in a Riot Rules match.
Jack Perry, Tomohiro Ishii, Ren Narita, El Phantasmo, and Hikuleo have also been advertised for Windy City Riot.
The current lineup for the Windy City Riot pay-per-view set for Friday, April 12 at 8 p.m. Eastern time:
Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley
Mustafa Ali vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Riot Rules match: Eddie Kingston & three partners TBA vs. Gabe Kidd & three partners TBA
Jack Perry, Tomohiro Ishii, Ren Narita, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo, AZM, Mina Shirakawa, Stephanie Vaquer in action
NJPW has officially announced its return to Taiwan.
The promotion will present Wrestling World 2024 on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at the Zepp New Taipei in New Taipei City.
The event will kickstart the Asia Pacific Federation of Wrestling (APFW). The federation was announced in January “with the aim of broadening professional wrestling across Asia and worldwide.”
As first promised at the press conference announcing the Asia Pacific Federation of Wrestling this January, the first major event promoted under the APFW banner will see NJPW returning to Taiwan for the first time since 2016. April 14 will see Zepp New Taipei host Wrestling World 2024, presented by Weicker.
SUNDAY April 14!
NJPW returns to Taiwan, as Weicker presents Wrestling World 2024 at Zepp New Taipei!
APFW includes six promotions from Japan (NJPW, Stardom), China (DFW), Taiwan (Puzzle), Thailand (SetUp), and Singapore (GrappleMax).
The federation first revealed in January that it planned to run an event in Taiwan this April. It will be the first NJPW show there since Wrestling World 2016.
At January’s press conference announcing the APFW, Yuji Nagata spoke about the importance of increasing their reach in Taiwan.
Nagata said:
In 2012 I went to Taiwan as part of a joint All Japan and New Japan event. NJPW was on TV there, on Z Channel, and that meant the fans knew us and were really thrilled to see us out there, greeting us in the airport and everything. There was this singer Wu Bai, really famous over there. I met him at the building and he was really excited. It went to show for me that they know us overt in Taiwan and there’s a lot of potential for NJPW over there.
The first match for NJPW Sakura Genesis has been made.
The new IWGP Global Champion Nic Nemeth will defend his title against company president Hiroshi Tanahashi on the show.
Nemeth issued a challenge to Tanahashi after picking up a victory on Saturday at The New Beginning in Sapporo in a tag match. Tanahashi, who was seated at the commentary table, quickly accepted his challenge.
NJPW revealed on Monday that the match will take place at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 6. The event will be held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. The only other match announced for the show is Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Championship against the winner of the 2024 New Japan Cup.
Nemeth defeated David Finlay to win the Global Championship on Friday at night 1 of The New Beginning in Sapporo. On Saturday’s TNA TV taping in Louisiana, Nemeth appeared via video and announced he will defend the belt on March 8 at TNA Sacrifice.
Nic Nemeth has challenged NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi to an IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship bout.
After picking up a victory in a tag team contest at Saturday’s The New Beginning in Sapporo, Nemeth challenged Tanahashi to be his first challenger for the Global title. Tanahashi was at ringside on commentary, and answered “I agree with you” in English to Nemeth.
No date has been set for the bout.
Tanahashi had been scheduled to wrestle on Saturday’s event as part of Kazuchika Okada’s team in Okada’s farewell 10-man tag, but was pulled from the show just prior to bell time with a right ankle injury.
There have been no reports as of yet to the severity of the injury to Tanahashi, but the fact that the Nemeth match was agreed to indicates that he is not expected to miss a lot of time.
Nemeth defeated David Finlay in the main event of Friday’s The New Beginning show to win the Global title in his in-ring debut for NJPW. On the same show, Tanahashi dropped the NJPW World TV title to Matt Riddle.
Also on Saturday’s show, YOH stole SHO’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight title belt in an angle to set up a future championship bout between the former tag partners.
Saturday’s event also featured Okada and Tama Tonga’s farewell matches for the promotion.
Our full coverage of The New Beginning in Sapporo is here.
Video of Nemeth’s challenge to Tanahashi is embedded below.
Kazuchika Okada is leaving NJPW on a winning streak.
The Rainmaker scored a pinfall victory in his final match as a full-time member of NJPW’s roster at Saturday’s The New Beginning in Sapporo event, pinning United Empire’s Callum Newman in a 10-man tag in his swan song.
In the bout pitting Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Toru Yano of CHAOS against United Empire’s Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, and Newman, Okada landed all of his signature offense including his trademark dropkick, a landslide, and finished the bout with his Rainmaker lariat.
Okada won all of his final four matches with NJPW, including a NEVER Openweight Six-Man title defense where he vacated the title immediately after, a singles win over Hiroshi Tanahashi, plus wins in multi-man tags on both nights of The New Beginning in Sapporo this weekend.
Tanahashi had originally been slated to team with Okada in his finale, but an ankle injury forced Tana off Saturday’s card and he was replace by Yano.
A vignette for “Scapegoat” Jack Perry aired during Saturday’s NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo event following Umino’s participation in a tag team match in the main card opener.
Umino responded to the video provocation with an interesting threat to Perry:
In Perry’s surprise appearance at NJPW Battle in the Valley last month, the former Jungle Boy attacked Umino and proceeded to tear up his AEW contract.
The “Scapegoat” moniker is an inside reference to Perry being suspended indefinitely by AEW following a backstage altercation with CM Punk at All In last August, with the tearing of the contract an attempt at a worked shoot angle.
Perry has been announced for NJPW Windy City Riot on Friday, April 12 in Chicago. A matchup against Umino on that show appears the likely direction. Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley, plus Hiromu Takahashi have officially been announced for the Windy City Riot card.
Perry’s vignette is embedded in the NJPW World social media post below.
Hiroshi Tanahashi will not take part in Kazuchika Okada’s NJPW farewell match due to a right ankle injury.
NJPW announced just prior to bell time for night two of The New Beginning in Sapporo that Tanahashi would not be able to take part in Okada’s farewell 10-man tag match due to a right ankle injury.
Toru Yano will replace Tanahashi in the tag match, which now consists of Okada, Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Matt Riddle, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman.
Tanahashi presumably suffered the injury in his match on night one of The New Beginning in Sapporo on Friday in his NJPW World TV Championship defense against Riddle.
NJPW’s statement:
Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was scheduled to wrestle on today’s card in Sapporo, has sustained an injury to his right ankle and will be unable to compete.
We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing Tanahashi wrestle, and appreciate your understanding.
The following change has been made to tonight’s card:
Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii vs Callum Newman, Jeff Cobb, Matt Riddle, Great-O-Khan & Francesco Akira–>
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii vs Callum Newman, Jeff Cobb, Matt Riddle, Great-O-Khan & Francesco Akira
Okada will officially enter free agency following tonight’s NJPW event. His NJPW deal originally expired at the end of January, but he agreed to work three final dates for the company this month.
Our live coverage of night two of The New Beginning in Sapporo is here. The show is headlined by Tetsuya Naito vs. SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, plus a Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura hair vs. hair match.
Kazuchika Okada will say goodbye to NJPW on tonight’s The New Beginning tour closer in Sapporo.
Okada will leave the company and officially enter free agency following tonight’s show after a 12-plus year run as the promotion’s biggest star, seven IWGP Heavyweight title reigns, plus four G1 Climax wins.
Okada’s farewell match goes on second on the main card, as he teams with Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and YOSHI-HASHI against United Empire’s Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, and Callum Newman.
Hiroshi Tanahashi was originally scheduled to be part of Okada’s team, but was pulled from the card due to injury.
Tetsuya Naito will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA in the main event.
A hair vs. hair match with Yota Tsuji facing Yuya Uemura is in the semifinal position.
A series of LIJ vs. Just Five Guys bouts are the other featured singles matches on the show, with Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi, Hiromu Takahashi vs. DOUKI, and BUSHI vs. TAKA Michinoku.
New IWGP Global Champion Nic Nemeth tags with Ryusuke Taguchi against David Finlay & Gedo.
Tama Tonga also bids farewell to NJPW after today’s show, teaming with brother Tanga Loa against brother Hikuleo & El Phantasmo.
Shota Umino, El Desperado, Togi Makabe, YOH & Boltin Oleg take on House of Torture’s EVIL, SHO, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the main card opener.
The Frontier Zone pre-show match begins at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.
El Desperado, Oleg Boltin, Shota Umino, Togi Makabe & YOH defeated House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
This match opened with a brawl on the outside. In the ring, the babyfaces established control, with Oleg connecting with huge offense against HoT, forcing EVIL to take him out with a low blow. HoT then worked to isolate Oleg, whipping him into exposed corners and choking him with weapons.
After the tag to Shota, HoT continued using their usual tactics to maintain control. Oleg hit the ring to challenge HoT, leading to a match breakdown. Shota emerged from the chaos alone with Kanemaru. He hit Kanemaru with Death Rider and won the match.
After the match, YOH stole SHO’s belt, perhaps setting up a title challenge in the future.
A video teasing “the scapegoat” Jack Perry played. After the video ended, Shota asked English coms if that was “Jungle Boy”.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb) & Matt Riddle
Riddle opened the match by hammering Okada with strikes. Okada didn’t fall but failed to connect with much before tagging out.
Akira and Goto tagged in next. Akira gained success against the heavyweight early, but O-Khan hit the ring, leading to a full, CHAOS-favored breakdown. Once CHAOS left the ring, Akira was able to regain his footing before escaping to Cobb.
Cobb and Ishii traded a couple of strikes before Cobb dropped Ishii with a big suplex. Cobb hit Ishii with a tour of the islands and another suplex. Ishii powered through, hitting a suplex of his own, initiating a back-and-forth. Once both men were exhausted, YH and O-Khan tagged in.
O-Khan and YH hit each other with chops before YH dropped O-Khan with a suplex. Now that O-Khan was down, Okada was willing to tag in. Okada tried to find the tombstone, but O-Khan escaped. O-Khan dropped Okada with a lariat before tagging out to Newman.
Akira cleared the apron of CHAOS before hitting the ring with the rest of UE. They worked together to take out Okada, but Okada held on, removing all of UE from the ring singlehandedly. Okada hit Newman with a landslide, an elbow drop, and a rainmaker before pinning Newman in the middle of the ring.
Okada beat down all of UE like a bunch of geeks and dipped. Incredible.
After the match, each of Okada’s teammates hugged him with tear-filled eyes. Okada grabbed a mic, thanked the crowd for 17 years, and promised they would see more of him. There will never be another Kazuchika Okada.
El Phantasmo & Hikuleo defeated Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Before the match began, Jado came to the ring dressed in referee attire. To prove his loyalty to both pairs, Jado played the middleman and officiated the match.
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa came to the ring wearing their old face paint.
Tama and Hikuleo started the match. After a short back-and-forth, ELP and Loa tagged in. They traded quick pin attempts, tiring Jado. All four men hit the ring and started arguing over Jado, but his request for a “clean fight” calmed the tensions.
ELP and Hikuleo established a lead. ELP worked over Loa for some time, setting up the hot tag to Tama. Tama gained a substantial lead until Hikuleo hit the ring, leading to a match breakdown.
Tama and Loa emerged from the chaos with the lead. They hit Hikuleo with Magic Killer and a splash for a nearfall. In their attempt to follow up, Hikuleo hit a suplex and a scoopslam. Hikuleo and Tama went back and forth, trying for their finishes, but neither could connect.
Hikuleo hit a clothesline, but Tama kicked out at one. Hikuleo then hit a giant powerbomb, but again, Tama kicked out. Finally, Hikuleo hit Tama with his God Send chokeslam and pinned Tama to win the match.
After the match, a teary-eyed Tama shared a moment with his brothers, ELP, and Jado.
Nic Nemeth & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated BULLET CLUB (David Finlay & Gedo)
Taguchi and Nemeth gained an immediate lead by hitting Bullet Club with their rear ends rapidly. Taguchi eventually missed a B-Trigger, opening the door for a Finlay comeback. Finlay and Gedo worked to isolate Taguchi while attacking his butt.
Once Nemeth tagged in, the match turned around for the babyfaces. Nemeth cleared the ring of Finlay and dropped Gedo with Danger Zone. Nemeth pinned Gedo, winning the match.
After the match, Nemeth grabbed a microphone and requested that Tanahashi challenge for the Gloabal Championship. Tanahashi accepted the challenge, but, due to his injury, who knows when it’ll happen.
BUSHI defeated TAKA Michinoku
The opening moments saw BUSHI trying for a dive immediately. TAKA tried taking the match to the mat, but BUSHI continued to escape into the ropes. BUSHI ended TAKA’s control with a dropkick to the knee and his signature tope.
BUSHI’s control was short-lived, ending once TAKA returned to the mat. Once BUSHI escaped, TAKA tried for the Michinoku driver, but BUSHI reversed, hitting one of his own. BUSHI then tried for MX, but TAKA cut him off with a superkick.
BUSHI continued attacking the knee, landing multiple dropkicks before securing a leglock. TAKA tried everything to escape, but in the end, he was forced to tap out.
LIJ leads the series 1-0.
DOUKI defeated Hiromu Takahashi
This match opened fast, with DOUKI launching an attack before the opening bell sounded. Hiromu matched his energy, taking the fight to the floor. Hiromu drove DOUKI into the barricade, establishing the first lead of the match.
Back in the ring, Hiromu landed a falcon arrow, but DOUKI was quick to answer with a dropkick and a springboard elbow. DOUKI then hit a dive to the floor and a double stomp before locking in the DOUKI-chokey.
DOUKI went to the apron to further his offense, but Hiromu cut him off with a sunset flip powerbomb. Back in the ring, both men were on equal footing, leading to a struggle for control, with neither man landing something substantial. Eventually, Hiromu hit a Dynamite Plunger, but DOUKI kicked out. Both men then traded lariats before Hiromu landed Timebomb; DOUKI kicked out.
Hiromu was now desperate to close. He reached down to grab DOUKI, but DOUKI caught him in a deep DOUKI-chokey. Hiroumu escaped but was immediately planted with a massive DDT. DOUKI then hit Suplex de La Luna and pinned Hiromu for one of the biggest wins in his career.
The score is even. 1-1.
Taichi defeated Shingo Takagi
This match opened with both men trading strikes. This continued to escalate with both men going for bigger and bigger moves. Shingo eventually established a lead with a suplex. With Taichi on the back foot, Shingo took a second to plug his YouTube.
Taichi answered Shingo’s control with an air raid crash. Taichi then paused to remove his pants dramatically. This gave Shingo time to land a DDT, reseting the match.
Both men met in the corner, where they traded headbutts and strikes before Shingo hit Taichi with a drop from the top rope. Taichi powered up, leading to a couple of quick back-and-forth suplexes between the pair.
With both men on their last legs, they began trying for lariats. After minutes of running into each other, both men collapsed to the mat. Eventually, Shingo tried again for pumping bomber, but Taichi ducked and hit his dangerous backdrop to win the match.
J5G leads, 2-1.
Hair vs. Hair: Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura
This match was horrificly boring. I expected a little life for a match with so much on the line, but this was dreadful.
This match opened slow, with both men trying to find an opening. Yuya found a little early on utilizing basic offense. Tsuji broke this advance but kept the pace slow as he picked apart Yuya.
Tsuji eventually kicked Yuya to the floor, giving Yuya time to recover. Once Yuya returned to the ring, he retook the lead again, utilizing simple maneuvers.
Yuya worked on the mat, targeting Tsuji’s arm. Tsuji escaped but remained on the mat, locking Yuya in a Boston crab. The pair continued going tit-for-tat like this for some time.
Eventually, Yuya landed a double under-hook suplex. He then climbed to the top rope, where Tsuji met him. Tsuji hit a Spanish fly from the top, but Yuya kicked out. Yuya then fired back, hitting the deadbolt, but he failed to follow up. With both men down, the referee began a double count, forcing both men to their feet.
With five minutes left in the time limit, both men began to rally. Yuya hit a backdrop and tried for a crossbody, but Tsuji reversed into a curb stomp. Tsuji tried for a gene blast, but Yuya reversed into an arm drag. Tsuji tried again, but Yuya reversed into a cutter. Yuya hit a German, but Tsuji popped up, hit a gene blast spear, and won the match.
After the match, Tsuji cut Yuya’s hair in the center of the ring. Yuya cut him off and cut some of the hair himself.
The score is even heading into the main event, 2-2.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated SANADA
This was easily the best match on the card. It was a big step down from their WrestleKingdom match, but it was still enjoyable.
This match opened with a standard feeling-out process from this pair. SANADA switched things up by attacking Naito on the floor, but Naito welcomed the attack, taking control and landing a DDT on the floor. From here, Naito continued focusing the neck with high-impact offense.
SANADA bounced back with a plancha. Instead of keeping up the pace, SANADA turned his attention to the crowd. This allowed Naito to retake the lead and keep focus on SANADA’s neck.
A dropkick in the corner sent Naito crashing into the ring post. SANADA then drove Naito’s neck into his knee to establish control. SANADA locked in Skull End, tiring Naito. SANADA then attempted a moonsault, but Naito blocked with his knees.
Naito hammered SANADA’s neck before hoisting him back to the top rope. This time, Naito was able to connect with an avalanche rana. Naito then tried for Destino, but SANADA slipped free. Both men then began attempting their finishes, but neither could connect. After a prolonged struggle, SANADA dropped Naito and hit two moonsualts. Naito held on long enough to respond with a partial Destino.
Naito wanted a full Destino, but SANADA slipped free, hitting a shining wizard. SANADA then tried for Deadfall, but Naito reversed into a choke. Naito then hit a Deadfall of his own, but SANADA responded with a pair of shining wizards. SANADA then tried for Deadfall again, but Naito reversed into a tornado DDT/inside cradle combination, earning him a sudden win.
Naito is still IWGP World Heavyweight champion. LIJ wins the series 3-2.
In his show-ending promo, Naito called attention to Okada, thanking him on his last night in New Japan. He then welcomed Okada to the ring. He offered Okada the LIJ salute. Okada accepted, but Naito spit in his face. The two had a playful scramble before Okada left the ring for the last time.
Three of the five championships on the line changed hands on night one of NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo.
In the show’s main event, Nic Nemeth (the former Dolph Ziggler) defeated David Finlay in his NJPW debut match to win the IWGP Global Championship.
Nemeth used The Danger Zone (the renamed Zig Zag) to score a pinfall victory over Finlay in his first NJPW outing, ending Finlay’s title reign with his first defense.
In the show’s semi-main, Matt Riddle pinned Hiroshi Tanahashi after hitting a Bro Derek to win the NJPW World TV Championship.
The match was Riddle’s first NJPW match on Japanese soil after joining the company earlier this year. He did wrestle a tag at Battle in the Valley in San Jose last month, and also worked two matches on joint RevPro/NJPW shows in London in 2017.
Tanahashi successfully defended the NJPW World TV title once in his 50-day reign at New Year Dash against Ryusuke Taguchi.
A new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was also crowned on Friday, as SHO defeated El Desperado to win the title in a countout finish. Desperado also managed one successful title defense in his 50-day reign.
SHO’s Bullet Club House of Torture stablemate EVIL retained the NEVER Openweight Championship on Friday with a victory over Shota Umino to extend his title reign.
In the night’s other title bout, Mayu Iwatani retained the IWGP Women’s Championship with a win over Mina Shirakawa.
Night two of The New Beginning in Sapporo starts Friday night at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time. The show will feature Kazuchika Okada’s NJPW farewell match, a Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura hair vs. hair battle, as well as Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA in the main event.
Nic Nemeth makes his NJPW in-ring debut challenging David Finlay for the IWGP Global Championship at today’s The New Beginning in Sapporo.
Finlay vs. Nemeth for the Global title headlines today’s show that also features the first night of Kazuchika Okada’s two-night NJPW farewell tour, with The Rainmaker taking part in an eight-man tag.
Four more title bouts are also set for the card.
In the semi-main, Hiroshi Tanahashi defends the NJPW World TV Championship against Matt Riddle in Riddle’s first match in Japan since joining NJPW earlier this year.
EVIL defends the NEVER Openweight Championship against Shota Umino, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado defends against SHO, and Mayu Iwatani defends the IWGP Women’s Championship against Mina Shirakawa in the other title matches.
Okada teams with Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, & YOH against United Empire’s Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, & Callum Newman. HENARE was pulled from this match due to an injury.
LIJ face Just Five Guys in a 10-man tag, Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Boltin Oleg take on Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a trios match, plus Zack Sabre Jr. faces Yuji Nagata in a singles bout to kick off the main card.
Toru Yano & Tomoya take on Tomoaki Honma & Shoma Kato on the pre-show beginning at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Nagata opened the match with leg kicks that sent ZSJ to the mat. ZSJ responded with a kick to the arm, which he focused from here on. Nagata fired back with more kicks before hitting a suplex.
On the mat, Nagata turned to the Nagata-Lock 1, forcing ZSJ into the ropes. The groundwork continued from Nagata as he transitioned to the Nagata-Lock 2. ZSJ eventually slipped free, transitioning into a cross-arm breaker, which won ZSJ the match.
House Of Torture (Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Oleg Boltin, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tomoaki Honma
House of Torture opened the match with a team attack on their opponents. Oleg responded by taking out all of HoT by himself. Taguchi tagged in after Oleg and unloaded on HoT with a barrage of B-triggers.
Taguchi’s momentum was short-lived. After a missed B-trigger, HoT began picking him apart. Once Makabe tagged in, the babyfaces saw a little more success before falling again to HoT tactics. With a distracted referee, Narita hit Makabe with his pushup bar before landing the Double Cross to win the match.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb)
Okada and O-Khan opened the match to raucous chants for Okada. O-Khan caught Okada with a slap before turning to the claw. In a strong position, O-Khan attempted the eliminator, but Okada reversed. Okada then tagged out to YH.
After a bit of a back-and-forth, Akira and YOH entered the fray. They had a competitive athletic sequence before Ishii joined the match. Ishii took out all of UE before facing off with Cobb. Ishii hit a suplex before tagging back to Okada.
Cobb dropped Okada and tagged out to Newman, who wanted to prove himself against the departing Okada. He unloaded with strikes before hitting an OsCutter, which forced Ishii to make the save. A match breakdown followed, with everyone hitting the ring. CHAOS emerged from the struggle with control, allowing Okada to drop Newman with a rainmaker, winning him the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
This match opened with a brawl between teams. Things continued to escalate until Uemura and Tsuji were left alone in the ring. Uemura avoided a Gene Blaster, locking in a Boston crab in response. Tsuji fought back, leading to a competitive back-and-forth ending with a match reset.
Taichi and Shingo entered next. They traded heavy strikes, forcing a tag to TAKA. Shingo overwhelmed TAKA on his own, but the rest of LIJ helped him keep the ring clear. He dropped TAKA with a pumping bomber, winning the match for LIJ.
IWGP Women’s Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Mina Shirakawa to retain the title
This was comfortably the best match of the night. It wasn’t quite fantastic, but it kept moving in exciting ways.
This match opened with both women running at each other, kicking off a fast back and forth. The frantic pace continued as Mina began to focus the legs, establishing control. Mina then hoisted Mayu onto her shoulders, but Mayu reversed into a poison-rana.
A striking battle led to another stent of Mina control. After landing her electric chair variation, Mina turned her attention back to the legs, locking in a figure four. After an excruciating battle on the mat, Mayu escaped to the bottom rope. Mina dropped Mayu with heavy strikes, followed by a DDT.
Mina attempted the glorious driver, but Mayu escaped to hit a tombstone. Mayu followed up with a top rope dropkick, a top rope double stomp, and a moonsault for a convincing nearfall. A dragon suplex scored another near-fall for the champion. After another dragon suplex, Mayu successfully pinned Mina, winning the match and retaining her belt.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: SHO defeated El Desperado (c) to win the title
This match was painful. When it wasn’t slow, it was frustrating. The reign of SHO is going to be dreadful.
This match opened with a brawl on the ramp. Desperado dominated SHO in the opening, gaining a solid lead before the match even started. After the opening bell, Desperado attacked the legs, locking in the stretch muffler, forcing SHO into the ropes. SHO tried to escape to the outside, but Desperado maintained his pursuit.
On the floor, SHO shoved the referee and hit Desperado with the IWGP Junior belt. Back in the ring, SHO hit a lariat and locked in a snake bite. A nasty power breaker set Desperado up for a package piledriver, but SHO’s leg failed him. Desperado then turned his attention back to SHO’s leg, but he struggled to follow up.
SHO attempted another piledriver, but Desperado reversed into a spinebuster. A dragonscrew led to a stretch muffler in the middle of the ring, but the lights turned off before SHO tapped. Once the lights turned back on, Yoshinobu Kanemaru was attacking Desperado. Before SHO could deliver a strike with his wrench, Taguchi ran to the ring, landing two hip attacks before carrying Kanemaru to the back.
With HoT gone, Desperado continued his attack, driving SHO into the ring post before returning to leg whips. Desperado locked in the stretch muffler again, but SHO powered out. SHO shoved Desperado into the referee and hit a low blow to stop his advance.
SHO tried hitting Desperado with the belt again, but Desperado responded with a punch. Desperado attempted to follow up with a tope, but SHO cut him off with a stunning chair shot. SHO landed another chair shot while the referee tried to come to.
SHO attempted a third chair strike but was interrupted by the referee. This distraction allowed Desperado to hit a low blow and a baseball swing chair shot of his own. As the referee’s count climbed, SHO managed to roll into the ring. As Desperado tried to beat the count, Ren Narita emerged from under the ring and held him down. The referee counted to twenty, leaving SHO with a stolen win and the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion.
NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL (c) defeated Shota Umino to retain the title
This was another insufferable House of Torture match.
Shota opened the match by striking down EVIL. Once Shota established a bit of a lead, he tried taking care of Dick Togo on the outside. This gave EVIL the time to catch Shota and gain control.
EVIL slammed Shota into the barricade and taunted him with the NEVER belt. Back in the ring, EVIL attacked the eyes, whipped Shota into an exposed corner, and attempted a couple of pins. When that didn’t work, EVIL threw Shota to the floor, allowing Togo to get in some licks.
Shota eventually landed a dropkick, leading to a short rally. A quick distraction from EVIL and a forearm left EVIL back in the lead. Shota responded with a diversion of his own to retake control. Shota locked in a crossface in the center of the ring, prompting Yujiro Takahashi to ring the bell. This distraction led to a ref bump and all of HoT attacking Shota.
EVIL attempted Everything is Evil, but Shota reversed it into twist and shout. Before Shota could capitalize, EVIL bumped the referee again. Togo choked Shota with his wire. Shota survived somehow, and launched into a rally.
Shota attempted multiple signatures, but EVIL kept slipping free. Finally, Shota hit a gun stun for a nearfall. When Shota attempted Deathrider, EVIL pushed Shota into the exposed corner and drove him into the mat. EVIL then hit Everything is Evil to retain his title.
NJPW World Television Championship: Matt Riddle defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) to win the title
This match was fine.
This match opened with a scramble that turned into standing grappling. Slightly outclassed, Tanahashi fled to the floor. On the outside, Tanahashi gained a short lead, but Riddle regained his footing back inside. A corkscrew BroTon left Riddle comfortably ahead.
Tanahashi blocked a top rope dive with his knees before hitting a twist and shout and sling blade for a nearfall. A dragonscrew into the ropes only furthered Tanahashi’s lead.
Riddle challenged Tanahashi with strikes before hitting BroDerek. Riddle pinned Tanahashi, winning the match and taking the NJPW World Television championship.
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Nic Nemeth defeated David Finlay (c) to win the title
Finlay started the match by attacking Nemeth from behind. When the bell sounded, Nemeth was ready with a superkick. Nemeth then slammed Finlay into various objects around the ring.
Finlay regained his footing by spearing Nemeth through the barricade. Back in the ring, Finlay picked apart Nemeth. As Nemeth began to wiggle his way back into the match, the action returned to the floor.
Nemeth attempted another superkick, but Finlay sacrificed Gedo. Finlay then hit Nemeth with a shillelagh before brutally attacking the leg. Nemeth eventually answered Finlay’s advance with an Olympic slam, resetting the match.
Finlay stayed on top by driving Nemeth into an exposed corner. Finlay, to continue his attack on the leg, threw Nemeth to the floor in a standing position. Back in the ring, Finlay locked in a figure four leglock. Once Nemeth escaped from the leglock, Finlay dropped him with a lariat. This left Finlay free to pick apart Nemeth even further.
After minutes on the back foot, Nemeth began to rally. He slammed Finlay into the exposed corner before hitting a famouser to score a nearfall. Nemeth’s rally was short-lived, though, as Finlay quickly responded with Oblivion.
Finlay attempted Oblivion again, but Nemeth cut him off with a headbutt. After another headbutt, Nemeth hit Danger Zone (formerly the Zig Zag) and pinned Finlay in the middle of the ring. Nic Nemeth is IWGP Global Champion.
Nemeth cut the show ending promo while being showered in confetti. Before leaving Nemeth asked Tanahashi to be his partner tomorrow. Tanahashi is already booked tomorrow, so who know how that will work out.
Nearly two months after making his surprise NJPW debut, Nic Nemeth will finally make his in-ring debut for the promotion later this month.
The road to get there began with the former Dolph Ziggler’s release from WWE last September — ending a 19-year run with the company and a bevy of title runs behind him.
Many fans were surprised at the release given his longevity in WWE. However, it wasn’t long after that he would go on to surprise people with his next moves.
The first surprise came on January 4th when Nemeth made his NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom 18, appearing with his brother, Ryan. During the post-event press conference, Nemeth attacked then-new IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay. Now, Nemeth is set to challenge Finlay as part of night one of The New Beginning event in Sapporo on February 23rd.
In our talk that you can watch above on YouTube, I asked Nemeth what his confidence level was heading into the match, knowing people are going to critique whether or not he belongs in an NJPW ring.
“Yeah, that goes through my head every day and I’m not even kidding,” he said.
“…That confidence, even for those three-minute matches the last year in WWE, I could have been smoking a cigarette and like texting somebody and go, ‘And still crushing it.’ But in this case, I’m very nervous.”
Nemeth said that he considers this a glorious and huge opportunity and one he views as a “sink or swim” moment.
“It is a big deal, no matter who you are or what you’re doing. That is huge. This opportunity, If I go out there and give it like a C+ or an A- minus effort, I don’t belong there and that might get exposed right away. I’m nervous about it. Like I said, I’m confident, but every day I go, ‘This is the big one here.’
He went on to say that this opportunity will either tell the entire world he’s full of crap and a big phony or that he still has it for several more years.
“At 43, (after) 19 years of wrestling, you’re not supposed to be totally standing up straight, feeling better than you ever have. But I do and I can’t wait to continue to keep doing things.”
The end of his WWE run
Nemeth said that for nearly 11 of the 19 years that he was in WWE, he was constantly waiting for that call ahead of WrestleMania when he wasn’t booked in hopes that it may be his moment.
“You pitched your ideas, you left your heart out there. But, sometimes it’s show business. It doesn’t work out.”
He said that in the last five years he became the guy where if you needed someone for an emergency main event, he would be there. However, that role came with some pros and cons. On one hand, he realized he was good at his job and lucky to have that position and the respect of the locker room.
But on the other hand, he wanted more.
“There’s some respect in that from the locker room, but I hate it because everybody wants to be the world champ. Everyone in their mind, I hope, thinks that they are the best, thinks they should be main eventing WrestleMania, thinks they should have the company on their back. Not everybody should, but everybody should feel that way because if you don’t, then what the hell are you doing here?”
He shared that he actually pitched leaving WWE for a few months or more and that they would agree but then call him right back immediately.
“It would be different if I was hobbling around or if I didn’t get reactions or wasn’t good at my job. I would be happy to take a backseat and help people out. But I’m sitting around six days a week not working basically in the prime of my career. So let’s get going. And so I said, ‘How about this? How about I leave for six months? How about I leave for a year?’ How about I get the hell out of here?’ But even a couple of years ago when they said yes, the next Sunday I’d get a phone call, saying, ;Hey, we need you.’ It’s great.”
He said for the last few years, most of the time he was only needed for a four or five minute match and even then, most of the match would get cut and that it was more of a position for an enhancement talent, not someone who was being paid millions of dollars to be there.
“If we have 90 seconds or three minutes, I really feel like we should have an enhancement talent here — not a guy you’re paying millions of dollars to.”
Nemeth said his sentiments about that fell on deaf ears for about two years until he decided to write an email to everybody in charge. Only Vince McMahon responded.
“…Finally I wrote a really, really, really heartfelt, really long, mostly positive but some negative, six-page email to everybody in charge. Vince was the only one to write me back and he said, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this. Let’s talk.’
He said he offered to fly to Stamford, Connecticut, the next day if needed but McMahon said he needed a few weeks to figure it out.
“I said, ‘Ok, but I gotta leave. Let’s talk about how.'”
Two weeks after the initial email and the email conversation with McMahon, Nemeth was released.
Ospreay then posted a series of statements regarding his stablemates in the United Empire.
Ospreay wrote:
Thank you to all the lads of UE. When the fans didn’t have a voice we were the shot in the arse that NJPW needed. You all are like my brothers and if you ever needed me, my door will always be open to you all. Thank you for getting in that cage with me & making history
Big shout out to (Henare). I was the first guy that saw him when he was hit. No word of a lie his head was split so bad it’s like someone left a tap on in his brain. He lost so much blood and taped a towel to his head and finished the match. Define a warrior. That’s Henare.
My co founder (Great-O-Khan). You have shown so many of us the human you are when you saved a little girl from being attacked by a dude. I’ve known exactly who you are the first month we teamed up. You’re one of a kind, proud I got to have the time I did with you.
Everyone needs someone to turn to for advice. That’s (TJP). Endless knowledge from years of experience. Can’t tell you enough how much I hold you to the highest regards I’m thankful I can call you up whenever & talk about life. Thank you for everything you’ve done
Big Jefferson Cobb. First guy me & O’khan brought into the group. For his size, strength & endurance. But the (Jeff Cobb) I know enjoys doing Bane impressions and like to avoid pain as much as possible You’re the coolest guy I’ve ever had in the locker room. Thank you
Italy ruined the euros for us & I’ll truly never forgive (Francesco Akira) for Italy. But I met Akira in Japan while he was in AJPW. We just naturally bonded and in these last few months you have shown a lot more maturity. I truly love this little dickhead so much.
Last is my little brother (that’s now bigger than me) (Callum Newman). The world can be yours. Don’t get distracted, don’t become arrogant, don’t lose sight of what you dreamed of. Japan will mould you to become the best you. I know you can do it kid I love you so much dude
Last is my little brother (that’s now bigger than me) @PrinceofpaceCN
The world can be yours. Don’t get distracted, don’t become arrogant, don’t lose sight of what you dreamed of.
It was announced at Full Gear 2023 that Ospreay has signed with AEW. Ospreay told the live crowd that night that he would start with the company in time for “Revolution season.”
Our own Dave Meltzer wrote in the January 22, 2024, Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Ospreay is expected to become a regular on AEW programming in the lead-up to the March 3 pay-per-view.
“Ospreay is scheduled for Revolution in Greensboro and will be starting as a regular on TV in February,” Meltzer wrote.
A new riot rules match has been announced for NJPW’s Windy City Riot event.
April 12 in Chicago will see Eddie Kingston and three mystery partners take on Gabe Kidd and three mystery partners in an eight-man tag team match. The match will have no disqualifications or count outs, and will be contested under tornado tag team rules. Kingston and Kidd’s tag team partners won’t be known until they make their way to the ring.
Kingston and Kidd previously faced off at Battle in the Valley on January 13 for Kingston’s Continental Crown title. That match ended in a double count out. Members of Bullet Club War Dogs attacked Kingston after the match.
Already announced for the show is a special singles match between Jon Moxley and Tetsuya Naito and Mustafa Ali making his NJPW debut by taking on Hiromu Takahashi.
Here is the updated lineup for Windy City Riot:
Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Mustafa Ali
Riot rules: Eddie Kingston & three mystery partners vs. Gabe Kidd & three mystery partners
