Former WWE star Mustafa Ali is set to make his NJPW debut after issuing a challenge to Hiromu Takahashi.
Ali threw down the gauntlet to Takahashi in a video airing during Saturday’s Battle in the Valley pay-per-view, challenging the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion to a match at NJPW Windy City Riot in Chicago on Friday, April 12. NJPW confirmed that the match is official in a social media post.
The video featured Ali delivering a promo from behind a podium in his politician character as he announced that he was bringing his “campaign” to NJPW and calling out Takahashi specifically for Chicago. Ali is an Illinois native and a former police officer in a Chicago suburb.
Ali announced his departure from WWE in September 2023 after a tumultuous seven-year run with the company that included him publicly requesting his release in 2022.
In December 2023, Ali announced his “world tour campaign” in a video where he established his crusading politician character.
Ali had his first post-WWE match in France last Saturday, then made his GCW debut on Friday’s No Compadre event with a win over Gringo Loco.
The video featuring Ali’s challenge to Takahashi is embedded below.
Jack Perry made his first appearance since All In at Saturday’s NJPW Battle in the Valley, tearing up his AEW contract in his company debut.
Perry jumped the rail following the main card opener at Battle in the Valley, attacking NJPW’s Shota Umino. Perry then tore up an AEW contract in the ring, and put an armband reading “scapegoat” on.
After a backstage altercation with CM Punk at AEW All In in London in August, Perry was suspended indefinitely by AEW. His current AEW status is unknown.
There was speculation that AEW’s The Devil could eventually be unmasked as Perry as a way to reintroduce him into company storylines, but Adam Cole was revealed as The Devil at Worlds End last month.
In December, Perry filed for several trademarks including for his “Jungle Boy” moniker, “Jurassic Express” — the team name he used with Luchasaurus, as well as “A Boy and His Dinosaur,” another name for his team with Luchasaurus.
While Saturday marked Perry’s NJPW debut, he did wrestle once on a joint AEW-NJPW event, as he challenged SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at last June’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view.
Video of Perry tearing up the AEW contract is embedded below.
.@boy_myth_legend just assaulted Shota Umino at Battle in the Valley- and 'the Scapegoat' has torn up his @aew contract!
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay headlines NJPW Battle in the Valley 2024.
Okada and Ospreay will square off for the tenth time in their careers on tonight’s show, but for the first time on American soil.
In the semi-main, AEW’s Jon Moxley takes on former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi in a no DQ bout.
AEW Continental Crown holder Eddie Kingston will defend his title against Gabe Kidd.
Matt Riddle will make his NJPW debut with a mystery partner teaming against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito.
NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia will defend her title against Trish Adora.
NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Hikuleo & El Phantasmo put their titles on the line against Cark Connors & Alex Coughlin of Bullet Club War Dogs.
IWGP Global Champion David Finlay faces TJP in a non-title match.
Volador Jr. & Mascara Dorada face Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr. in tag team action.
Shota Umino, Fred Rosser, & Jacob Fatu face Team Filthy’s Tom Lawlor, Jorel Nelson, & Royce Isaacs in the main card opener.
The pay-per-view begins at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
KickoffResults
Matt Vandagriff defeated Goldy
Stephanie Vaquer defeated Viva Van
Fred Rosser, Jacob Fatu & Shota Umino defeated Team Filthy (Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor)
This was a solid opening match. Fatu went all out and made himself the star of this one.
Rosser and Lawlor opened the match with a back-and-forth that left both men on equal footing. When the match looked even, the rest of Team Filthy hit the ring, taking control by isolating Rosser.
Rosser escaped the isolation after a moment of inter-team conflict within Team Filthy. Fatu hit the ring and lit the match on fire, landing drops and dives before tagging out to Umino. Umino maintained this momentum until Team Filthy rushed the ring again.
Team Filthy dropped Umino with a triple powerbomb, forcing the babyfaces to make a save. They cleared the ring, leaving Isaacs and Umino alone in the ring. Both went back and forth, with Umino winning out. Umino landed a Deathrider and pinned Isaacs to win the match.
After the match, Team Filthy argued for a moment. Lawlor ignored the conflict, pushing his team to the side to shake Rosser’s hand.
As Umino was leaving the ring, a man jumped the barricade and attacked him. The mask was removed to reveal the former Jungle Boy, Jack Perry. Perry beat down Umino before pulling out an AEW contract, which he ripped in half. He then put on an armband reading “SCAPEGOAT”. This is his first appearance since his suspension following All In.
Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. defeated Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr.
Rocky and Soberano opened the match slowly, trying to get their opponents to overextend early. Dorada took the bait, which they turned into a period of control.
The faces eventually bounced back, sending Rocky and Soberano to the floor for a double dive. In the ring, Rocky recovered for a moment, but a backbreaker from Volador left him back in the driver’s seat.
A back-to-belly piledriver from Rocky led to a double tag. Dorada and Soberano went back and forth in an athletic sequence. Soberano won out before tagging out to Rocky. With Soberano, Rocky gained control of the ring, but Dorada sneakily tagged out. Dorada took out Soberano with a dive to the floor, leaving Volador free to drop Rocky with a destroyer and win a match.
David Finlay defeated TJP
TJP started the match fast, taking out Finlay with a dive to the floor and a flurry on the outside. Finlay fired back with a suplex onto the entrance ramp. This barely slowed TJP down, who slammed Finlay into the ring post to keep himself in the match.
As the match returned to the ring, Finlay interrupted a dive from TJP, which turned into a period of Finlay control. After being thrown in and out of the ring, TJP responded with a quick kick. TJP’s follow-up included attacking the same arm he drove into the post earlier in the match. TJP continued his assault, landing dives and strikes to stay ahead of Finlay.
Finlay caught TJP with a backbreaker to retake control. Another Irish Curse and a Dominator scored Finlay a nearfall. Now desperate, Finlay grabbed his shillelagh. The referee took his weapon, distracting Finlay long enough for TJP to spray him with his new mist. The follow-up knee scored TJP a near fall.
TJP continued his attack, firing off on Finlay until being caught with a sudden piledriver; TJP kicked out. Finlay then hit his new fireman’s carry knee strike to win the match.
NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Title Championship: Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c) defeated BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors)
As expected, the War Dogs started the match by rushing the champion. GoD withstood the initial attack, but a brief pause in action allowed the Dogs to fire back with a vicious attack on Hikuleo’s legs. This left the Dogs free to control the ring, keeping Hikuleo grounded while preventing tags.
A double crossbody from ELP opened the door for a GoD comeback. ELP took out both of his opponents with a wide array of moves, giving Hikuleo time to recover.
Coughlin avoided a double-team attack from GoD. He then took out Hikuleo with a suplex and ELP with a driver. Connors then speared Hikuleo, setting up the hit and run for a nearfall. Hikuleo tried fighting back, but the damage to his legs proved to be too much. The top rope spear/suplex combination from the Dogs forced ELP to make the save.
ELP’s save brought Hikuleo enough time to land a power slam. A chokeslam to Coughlin left him laid out in the middle of the ring. GoD were then able to close with their tandem Thunder Kiss ’86.
NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Giulia (c) vs. Trish Adora
The match opened with a handshake that Giulia tried turning into a suplex. From here, a standoff turned into a typical feeling-out grappling sequence. Grappling turned to striking, favoring Adora.
Adora landed a pair of backbreakers and a suplex for a two-count early into her control. Adora returned to strikes after the kickout, which Giulia cut short with a takedown followed by an STF. The pair struggled for control, landing back-to-back suplexes, resetting the match.
A sit-down bomb allowed Adora to transition into cattle mutilation, forcing Giulia into the ropes. Now on the outside, Adora landed a powerslam on the floor, cementing her lead.
Adora then positioned Giulia on the top rope, but Giulia caught her, delivering a double underhook driver; Adora kicked out at one. The follow-up knee strike scored a near fall for Giulia but still failed to close the match. Ultimately, it was a Northern Lights bomb from Giulia that put Adora down for the count. Giulia is still New Japan Strong Women’s Champion.
Mustafa Ali Video Package
A video package played with Mustafa Ali giving a speech in the style of a presidential candidate. He called out Hiromu Takahashi for Windy City Riot on April 12th.
Jeff Cobb & Matt Riddle defeated TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Zack Sabre Jr.)
Jeff Cobb, an old partner of Riddle, was revealed to be “X” before the match began. The Chosen Bros are reunited, at least for the night.
Riddle and ZSJ opened the match with a quick scurry on the mat before tagging out to Cobb and Tito. Tito and Cobb immediately traded strikes after entering the ring. Cobb won out and tagged back to Riddle, who worked to maintain this lead.
Tito forced Riddle into the corner, tagging out to ZSJ. ZSJ took Riddle to the mat and began working over Riddle’s legs, toes included. ZSJ and Tito worked together to control the ring, forcing a desperation tag into Cobb.
Cobb overwhelmed ZSJ as soon as he entered the match, forcing Tito to make the save. Cobb fought off Tito, but the distraction bought ZSJ enough time to dodge his follow-up. ZSJ tried for a lariat, but Cobb stuffed it. Cobb tried for Tour of the Islands, but ZSJ reversed into a stretch. A tornado DDT from ZSJ forced the double tag.
Riddle unloaded on Tito, but Tito held on, dropping Riddle with a suplex. This led to a strike exchange in the ring while ZSJ and Cobb fought on the outside. A blue thunder bomb from Tito scored him a nearfall, but a reckless toprope dive from Riddle kept him in the match.
A strike exchange between ZSJ and Riddle led to a match breakdown. Once the fog cleared, Riddle and Tito were alone in the ring. Riddle was able to close with a driver.
AEW Continental, NJPW STRONG Openweight, and ROH World Championships: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Gabe Kidd – Double Count Out
Kingston ate a boot from Kidd as he tried to enter the ring. On the outside, Kingston held his own, dropping Kidd on the floor before choking him with a shirt. Kingston propped Kidd against the barricade to continue his attack.
Kidd wasn’t totally outmatched on the outside. He eventually landed a suplex, which he followed by slamming Kingston into the ring post. He then threw Kingston into the ring, officially starting the match.
Once the bell rang, Eddie and Kidd traded chops. This extended strike-off ended with a suplex from Kingston. Kingston then worked Kidd into the corner, where he delivered a bunch of machine gun chops. Kidd bounced out the corner with strikes of his own before dropping Kingston with a suplex.
Kidd tried lifting Kingston up, but Kingston reversed into a half-and-half suplex followed by a spinning back fist; Kidd kicked out. Kidd stuffed Kingston’s attempt to follow up, landing a quick suplex in response. Kidd then planted Kingston with a piledriver for a nearfall.
Both men traded slaps on the mat before leveling up to headbutts. Once standing, Kidd spat in the face of Kingston, enraging the champion. Kingston unloaded on Kidd with slaps. Kidd tried to keep the pace but couldn’t. Kingston hit another spinning back fist, sending Kidd crashing to the floor.
The striking continued on the outside. As the count climbed, Kidd rushed Kingston, but Kingston reversed into a suplex. Kingston then tried to beat the count, but Kidd grabbed a microphone and asked, “Is that all you’ve got, you fat b*tch?”. Kingston responded by continuing his beatdown, leading to a double countout.
From here, both men brawled, with a ton of ring crew being used to keep the men apart. Kingston tried leaving the ring area, but Kidd grabbed his belts, baiting Kingston back into the fight. The War Dogs then hit the ring, taking out Kingston. Kidd then hit Kingston with a piledriver on the AEW Contential championship. Kidd then posed with the AEW belt before leaving with his faction mates.
No Disqualification: Jon Moxley defeated Shingo Takagi
Moxley and Shingo opened with a strike exchange that spilled onto the floor. On the outside, the pair dueled with kendo sticks. Moxley won out with the sticks, leaving him free to use a garbage can lid and a chain to continue his attack.
Back inside the ring, Shingo dropped Moxley with a suplex. After connecting with an array of regular moves, Shingo was again put on the backfoot by a trashcan lid shot from Moxley. Moxley then took the fight back to the floor, continuing the attack on a now-bleeding Shingo.
Moxley beat, slammed, and stabbed Shingo for quite a while before attempting a pin. Shingo fought back with some strikes and a lariat that sent Moxley to the floor. Shingo’s rally was interrupted by a bite, but Shingo destroyed Moxley’s follow-up dive attempt with a trashcan lid to the head, drawing blood from Moxley. Shingo then dropped Moxley with a superplex and some Daneilson-style elbows.
Moxley popped to his feet, prompting a headbutt-off. Both men then attempted lariats, but neither fell. Both men landed suplexes, but neither fell. Moxley hit Death Rider, but Shingo responded with a sliding lariat.
Now desperate, both men went to the outside and began to fill the ring with objects from the outside. They fought with chairs before Shingo delivered a lariat with a chain-wrapped arm. Shingo then hit Moxley with a stick before setting up a table, satisfying the cries from the fans.
Shingo tried grabbing Moxley, but Moxley slipped free and began choking him with a chain. Once the life had left Shingo, he placed him on the table and climbed to the top rope. Moxley then delivered an elbow drop from the top rope, through the table, and to the floor. Back in the ring, Shingo kicked out of Moxley’s pin attempt.
Moxley grabbed another table, which he set up in the ring. Moxley then hoisted Shingo to the top rope, looking for a Death Rider from the top. Shingo stopped Moxley by spraying him with green mist and driving him through the table himself. Moxley returned to his feet, forcing Shingo to beat him with a shard of wood, a pumping bomber, and a powerbomb; Moxlet kicked out. Shingo hit Made in Japan; Moxley kicked out.
Moxley returned to his feet, leading to another strike exchange. After eating a headbutt, Moxley dropped Shingo with a cutter. Moxley then landed a curb stomp and a Death Rider; Shingo kicked out. Moxley leveled Shingo with elbows of his own before hitting a running knee, but Shingo kicked out at one. Moxley then hit another Death Rider, this time through a chair, finally winning the match.
After the match, Moxley cut a promo. He called out IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Tetsuya Naito, saying “the time has come”.
Once Moxley left the ring, a pair of graphics revealed Hiromu vs. Ali and Moxley vs. Naito were both indeed happening on April 12th at Windy City Riot.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay
The match opened with an extended staredown. Once they locked up, a period of mind games followed. Ospreay began chopping down Ospreay with some simple strikes, avoiding Okada’s offense long enough to send him to the floor. Ospreay tried for a plancha, but Okada sidestepped him and landed a DDT on the outside.
Back in the ring, Okada continued his advance, leveling Ospreay with strikes. Ospreay answered with a quick suplex to gain the upper hand. A handspring kick sent Okada back to the floor, leaving him free to attempt another plancha; this time, it landed.
Inside the ropes, Okada caught Ospreay with a flapjack to retake control. The air raid crash scored a nearfall, but Ospreay landed an enziguri moments later. Both men then tried for a while to land something but failed. This extended struggle ended with an OsCutter that scored Ospreay a two-count.
Ospreay rolled onto the apron to recover. Okada pulled him off, delivering a tombstone on the floor. Back inside, Okada hit a stunning elbow drop from the top rope before attempting the rainmaker for the first time. Ospreay fought it off and tried for an OsCutter. Okada reversed, trying for another rainmaker, but Ospreay reversed into the Spanish fly. Ospreay then hit a Styles Clash for a nearfall.
Ospreay tried for a hidden blade but was cut off by a dropkick, leading to an electric back and forth that ended with an Okada Storm Breaker. Once Ospreay kicked out, Okada hit him with a rainmaker, but again, Ospreay kicked out.
Okada tried for another dropkick, but Ospreay reversed into an insane powerbomb. After both men returned to their feet, a strike exchange followed. After rocking Ospreay, Okada took a step back only to eat a forearm, a dropkick, and a rainmaker. Okada kicked out.
Ospreay tried for Strombreaker, but Okada avoided it. A short exchange followed before Ospreay tried for Stormbreaker again, successfully this time; Okada kicked out. Ospreay then removed his elbow pad for a hidden blade, but Okada cut him off with a dropkick.
Okada established wrist control, but Ospreay escaped. With the end in sight, Okada dropped Ospreay from the fireman’s carry and pulled him back to his feet. Okada then hit Ospreay with another rainmaker, this time to win the match.
After the match, Okada and Ospreay embraced just in time for the War Dogs to attack. They cleared the ring of Okada and beat down Ospreay. United Empire hit the ring to help, as did Eddie Kingston. Together, they ran off the War Dogs.
Ospreay cut a show-ending promo. He thanked New Japan and Okada. He said he was grateful for the United Empire and was looking forward to getting to know the American audience. Before leaving, he plugged his final match in Osaka.
Two title matches will take place at Korakuen Hall in the next month.
NJPW will visit Korakuen Hall multiple times during their Road to The New Beginning tour that kicks off later this month. On January 23, El Desperado will defend his newly-won IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Yoshinobu Kanemaru. On February 4, new Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions TJP and Francesco Akira will defend their titles in a Wrestle Kingdom rematch against Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney of Bullet Club War Dogs.
January 24 will see a singles match between Shota Umino and Ren Narita. Umino has been looking for a measure of revenge ever since Narita turned on him in December, aligning himself with the House of Torture.
February 4 at Korakuen Hall will see members of United Empire take on Bullet Club War Dogs in singles action. Henare will face Gabe Kidd, Jeff Cobb will face Alex Coughlin, and David Finlay will face Callum Newman. The following day will see Los Ingobernables de Japon face Just Five Guys in a gauntlet match.
Here are the key matches for the Road to The New Beginning tour:
January 23 at Korakuen Hall
IWGP Junior Heavyweight title: El Desperado defends against Yoshinobu Kanemaru
SHO vs. Master Wato
January 24 at Korakuen Hall
Shota Umino vs. Ren Narita
Tetsuya Natio and Hiromu Takahashi vs. SANADA and DOUKI
February 4 at Korakuen Hall
IWGP Junior Tag Team titles: TJP and Francesco Akira defends against Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney
David Finlay vs. Callum Newman
Henare vs. Gabe Kidd
Jeff Cobb vs. Alex Coughlin
February 5 at Korakuen Hall
Gauntlet match: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI) vs. Just Five Guys (SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI, and Taka Michinoku)
A NEVER Openweight title match headlines NJPW’s New Beginning in Nagoya.
The show on January 20 will see Tama Tonga defend the NEVER title against EVIL. At Wrestle Kingdom 18, Tonga defeated Shingo Takagi to win the title. However, the following day at New Year Dash saw EVIL attack Tonga, cutting off a piece of his hair. Tonga said in a post-match interview following Wrestle Kingdom that he will be leaving NJPW at the end of the month.
The KOPW 2024 title will also be on the line, with Taiji Ishimori facing Great-O-Khan. After Ishimori won the title at New Year Dash, the two had a shouting match backstage. Other matches will see Hikuelo & TJP face off against KENTA and Chase Owens before their February 11 IWGP Tag Team title match in Osaka and a ten man tag team match with Los Ingobernables de Japon squaring off against Just Five Guys.
Here is the full card for NJPW New Beginning in Nagoya:
NEVER Openweight title: Tama Tonga defends against EVIL
KOPW 2024: Taiji Ishimori defends against Great-O-Khan
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI) vs. Just Five Guys (SANADA, Taichi, Taka Michinoku, DOUKI, and Yuya Uemura)
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Togi Makabe vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste, and Kosei Fujita
Guerillas of Destiny (Hikuleo and El Phantasmo) vs. Chase Owens & KENTA
El Desperado & Master Wato vs. SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, TJP, Henare, & Jeff Cobb) vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Gabe Kidd, and Alex Coughlin)
Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino vs. House of Torture (Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi)
Nic Nemeth opened up about his WWE departure in a new interview.
The former Dolph Ziggler appeared on Monday’s edition of Busted Open Radio and said he had been preparing to leave the company for months before his release. Nemeth even said he sent emails to “the boss” saying it was time for him to move on.
Nemeth said:
I’ve been preparing for this so long and getting things ready to go that I wasn’t like ‘What? What do I do now?’ It was I was planning this along for half of this entire last contract with WWE.
He continued:
It wasn’t out of the blue. I had sent a few emails to the boss for the last six months definitely saying ‘I have to move on somewhere else, can you let me do this?’ And eventually, without exact back and forth, that’s how it worked out.
Nemeth appeared with his brother Ryan Nemeth at Wrestle Kingdom 18 last week. He attacked David Finlay backstage and appears to be positioned to challenge for the new IWGP Global title.
Nemeth continued to talk about what he would like to do in his post-WWE career.
I’m really looking forward to… the things I do behind the scenes or in the ring that I have the last 20 years in WWE, bringing that to several different places. And maybe even as a hired gun bouncing around and just saying, ‘Here’s what I pitched to WWE 20 years ago, for me to be the modern day Ric Flair who shows up in a territory and makes something happen and steals the show with their champ without even knowing who the hell he is and then moves on to the next town. So, hopefully something like that, which I’ve been really looking forward to for a long time.
The appearance on Busted Open Radio is available in the player below.
With Wrestle Kingdom week now over, NJPW is looking ahead to its next big events.
NJPW has announced its big event schedule from now until September. All of the dates can be seen below:
January 13 at the San Jose Civic in San Jose, California: Battle in the Valley
January 20 at Dolphin’s Arena in Aichi: New Beginning in Nagoya
February 11 at Edion Arena in Osaka: New Beginning in Osaka
February 23 & 24 at Hokkai Kita Yell in Hokkaido: New Beginning in Sapporo
March 6 at Ota-ku Gymnasium in Tokyo: NJPW’s 52nd anniversary show
March 20 at Ao-re Nagaoka in Niigata: New Japan Cup final
April 6 at Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo (event name TBA)
April 12 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago: Windy City Riot
April 14 at Zepp New Taipei in Taipei (event name TBA)
May 3 & 4 at Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka (event name TBA)
June 9 at Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka (event name TBA)
June 15 & 16 at Hokkai Kita-Yell in Hokkaido (event name TBA)
August 17 & 18 at Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo: G1 Climax 34
September Hokkaido tour (details TBA)
The full card for Battle in the Valley has been announced. The show will be headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay. In the semi-main event, Jon Moxley faces off against Shingo Takagi in a no DQ match.
NJPW has a new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion entering these upcoming events. Tetsuya Naito won the title by defeating SANADA at Wrestle Kingdom 18.
Matt Riddle is headed to Japan next month to compete on an NJPW tour.
Dave Meltzer reports that Riddle will be wrestling on NJPW’s February tour in Japan, which consists of New Beginning events. This will be the first time that Riddle has ever wrestled in Japan.
At NJPW New Year Dash earlier this week, a video aired where Riddle issued a challenge to Hiroshi Tanahashi. Riddle said he’ll be seeing Tanahashi soon. Tanahashi is the current NJPW World Television Champion.
Matt Riddle(@SuperKingofBros) has issued a huge challenge to Hiroshi Tanahashi at New Year Dash!
Riddle is set to make his NJPW debut at Battle in the Valley on Saturday, January 13, teaming with a mystery partner against Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito. That show is taking place in San Jose, California.
Riddle was released from his WWE contract last September shortly after being involved in an incident at JFK Airport in New York City. His release came during a round of roster cuts after WWE was officially acquired by Endeavor.
At MLW Kings of Colosseum tonight (January 6), Riddle will have his first post-WWE match. He’s wrestling Jacob Fatu at the show.
NJPW has revealed the full card for next Saturday’s Battle in the Valley pay-per-view in San Jose, California.
As announced earlier on Friday, Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay will headline, with Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi in a no DQ match set for the semifinal position.
The debuting Matt Riddle and a mystery partner will take on Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito of TMDK. Sabre and Bryan Danielson teased another match at Friday’s New Year Dash event.
Three title matches are also set for the event. NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia will defend her title against Trish Adora, NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Hikuleo & El Phantasmo will defend their titles against Clark Connors & Alex Coughlin of Bullet Club War Dogs, and AEW Continental Crown holder Eddie Kingston will defend his title against Gabe Kidd on the show.
The full lineup for the event is listed below:
NJPW Battle in the Valley, Saturday, January 13, 10 p.m. Eastern time on FITE TV pay-per-view —
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
No DQ match: Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi
AEW Continental Crown: Eddie Kingston defends against Gabe Kidd
Matt Riddle & a mystery partner vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito
NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia defends against Trish Adora
NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Hikuleo & El Phantasmo defend against Clark Connors & Alex Coughlin
David Finlay vs. TJP
Volador Jr. & Mascara Dorada vs. Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr.
Shota Umino, Fred Rosser & Jacob Fatu vs. Tom Lawor, Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs
Will Ospreay’s final match as an NJPW-contracted wrestler will be contested inside of a steel cage.
At New Year Dash overnight, it was revealed that Ospreay’s last match as an NJPW wrestler will take place at the New Beginning in Osaka on Sunday, February 11. The United Empire (Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Henare, TJP & Francesco Akira) will face Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) in a steel cage match.
This will be NJPW’s first cage match since 2004. Finlay added the stipulation after Ospreay challenged Bullet Club War Dogs to the match. The two factions faced off at New Year Dash, but the 10-man tag turned into a chaotic brawl and ended in a no contest.
At Wrestle Kingdom 18, Finlay defeated Ospreay and Jon Moxley in a three-way match to become the inaugural IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion.
Ospreay is also set to compete at NJPW Battle in the Valley on Saturday, January 13. He’ll be facing Kazuchika Okada at that show.
In November, Ospreay announced that he has signed a multi-year contract with AEW. His NJPW contract doesn’t expire until February. With AEW and NJPW having a working relationship, Ospreay will still be able to have matches for NJPW despite being full-time with AEW.
Ospreay is facing Josh Alexander at TNA Wrestling’s television tapings in Las Vegas on Sunday, January 14.
Ospreay’s final indie match will be against Michael Oku for Revolution Pro Wrestling on Sunday, February 18.
NJPW shot angles for all of its key players at Friday’s New Year Dash show.
Notes from the event:
Jon Moxley —
Shingo Takagi challenged Moxley to a match at next Saturday’s Battle in the Valley pay-per-view in San Jose. Moxley accepted the challenge and proposed a no-DQ match.
Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii teamed with AEW’s Moxley & Bryan Danielson in the show’s main event against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste & Kosei Fujita. TMDK came away with the victory.
Bryan Danielson —
Sabre talked trash to Danielson in his post-match comments, with Danielson responding that Sabre can’t tap him out. Sabre vs. Danielson could be set for as early as Battle in the Valley next Saturday, a show that will be headlined by Okada vs. Will Ospreay as the company announced Friday.
Will Ospreay —
In addition to Ospreay vs. Okada being made official, Ospreay announced that February 11th’s The New Beginning in Osaka will be his “last NJPW match,” agreeing to team with United Empire ‘s TJP, Francesco Akira, HENARE & Jeff Cobb against Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) in a ten-man tag. Finlay accepted the challenge and announced that the match will be held inside a steel cage.
Matt Riddle —
Matt Riddle appeared on the show in a video promo challenging NJPW World TV Champion and company president Hiroshi Tanahashi to a future match. Tana made his first successful defense of the TV title in the opener against Ryusuke Taguchi.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship —
SANADA issued a challenge to new champ Tetsuya Naito following a ten-man tag with SANADA’s Just Five Guys defeating Naito’s LIJ. The conclusion to Wrestle Kingdom left you to believe that either SANADA or EVIL would face Naito next.
NEVER Openweight Championship —
EVIL attacked new NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga on the show and cut Tonga’s hair, which would appear to set a program between the two over the NEVER title in motion and keep EVIL out of the World title picture for the moment.
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title challenge —
The main event also led to Fujita, Nicholls & Haste challenging Okada, Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles at a later date.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship —
Yoshinobu Kanemaru was involved in House of Torture’s attack on Tonga and Junior champ El Desperado, with Kanemaru posing with Desperado’s title belt to establish himself as the next challenger.
IWGP Tag Team Championship —
New title holders El Phantasmo & Hikuleo were attacked after their match as Chase Owens laid out ELP with a piledriver and challenging the new champs to a title match with KENTA as his partner.
KOPW —
The first KOPW 2024 Champion was crowned after Taiji Ishimori scored the final pinfall in a four-way with a ten-minute time limit.
Young Blood sendoff —
Phantasmo & Hikuleo defeated Young Blood (Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima) in Young Blood’s final outing before they will be sent away on their international excursion.
The first match is official for NJPW Battle in the Valley on Saturday, January 13, with two other high-profile bouts teased or agreed to.
NJPW officially announced the main event for next Saturday’s pay-per-view will be Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay. It will be the tenth career singles meeting between the two, and the first since the G1 Climax 33 in July 2023.
Two other matches appear likely for the event following the post-New Year Dash backstage comments.
Shingo Takagi confronted Jon Moxley in the backstage comments following Dash and challenged Moxley for Battle in the Valley. Moxley accepted the challenge and added a no-DQ stipulation. While agreed to, the match has yet to be officially announced by NJPW.
Similarly, it looks as though Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. will meet once again at Battle in the Valley. Sabre addressed Danielson backstage, while Danielson said that there is no way that Sabre can make him tap out. Danielson & Sabre met at AEW WrestleDream on October 1, 2023 in a match won by Danielson. AEW billed the bout as a dream match, and it was the third career meeting between the two, but the first since 2009.
NJPW will return to Chicago in April for the first time since 2022 with their second Windy City Riot event.
The company announced Friday that they will run the Wintrust Arena with Windy City Riot on Friday, April 12 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Talent for the event has yet to be announced.
Tickets for Windy City Riot go on sale Friday, January 12 for the general public, with a venue-exclusive presale set for Thursday, January 11. Tickets prices are listed as ranging from $29 to $39 for Stand A & Stand B, and $199 to $299 for ringside seats.
NJPW’s first Windy City Riot pay-per-view was held in April 2022 in Villa Park, a Chicago suburb. That show was headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay.
Windy City Riot looks to be the second American event for NJPW in 2024, the first coming on Saturday, January 13 in San Jose, California. That show, Battle in the Valley, will be headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay as announced during Friday’s New Year Dash event.
Bro vs. Ace looks to be in the cards for NJPW in 2024.
Former WWE star and UFC fighter Matt Riddle issued a challenge to NJPW President and NJPW World TV Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi in a video promo played during Friday’s New Year Dash event in Tokyo.
In the video, Riddle said that he has his eyes set on Tanahashi, and promised to see Tanahashi soon. Tanahashi responded with a promo translated by NJPW commentator Chris Charlton as something to the effect of “I will have to do some research as I have no idea who that is.”
Charlton followed up by saying that this was a mind game being played by Tanahashi, and that Tana must be aware of Riddle.
No date was announced for the likely Riddle vs. Tanahashi match.
After being released by WWE in September 2023, Riddle is set to make his MLW debut this weekend against Jacob Fatu at Kings of Colleseum on Saturday in Philadelphia.
In WWE, Riddle is a former two-time Raw Tag Team Champion, a former United States Champion, and former NXT Tag Team Champion and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winner with Pete Dunne.
Tanahashi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to win the NJPW World TV title at Wrestle Kingdom 18 in Tokyo Dome on Thursday.
Riddle’s promo is embedded below.
Matt Riddle has issued a huge challenge to Hiroshi Tanahashi at New Year Dash!
NJPW New Year Dash takes place today from the sold out Sumida City Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Only one match is official for the show, with the rest of the lineup a mystery, a format introduced with last year’s event.
The provisional KOPW 2024 title will be on the line in a four-way match featuring the final four from the New Japan Ranbo at yesterday’s Wrestle Kingdom 18 event, with Toru Yano, Taiji Ishimori, Great-O-Khan, and YOH set to square off.
Every title match at Wrestle Kingdom 18 featured a new champion crowned, as Tetsuya Naito won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, David Finlay won the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, El Desperado won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions El Phantasmo & Hikuleo won the IWGP Tag Team titles, Tama Tonga won the NEVER Openweight title, Hiroshi Tanahashi captured the NJPW World TV title, and Catch 2/2’s TJP & Francesco Akira won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles.
NJPW World Television Championship:Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi
This was a goofy opener. It was nothing comparable to the TV title sprints you would expect from ZSJ, but it was a Taguchi match. I have no doubt Tanahashi will deliver as TV champion in his coming defenses.
This match opened with a silly exchange. First, Taguchi refused to lock hands with Tanahashi. Then, Taguchi ran the ropes, repeatedly missing the champion. Tanahashi punished Taguchi with spanks on the bottom and some hip attacks.
Taguchi answered Tanahashi with a hip attack of his own and a plancha. Back in the ring, both men fought for control in position for a suplex, which Taguchi won out. Another hip attack scored Taguchi a near fall, which he transitioned into an ankle lock.
Tanahashi and Taguchi traded quick pin attempts. In the final seconds, Taguchi pulled down Tanahashi’s tights, revealing his tiny black briefs and quite a bit of his backside. Tanahashi reversed Taguchi’s last pin attempt into one of his own, which won him the match.
After the match, a video played. Matt Riddle appeared on screen and challenged Tanahashi. Tanahashi accepted his challenge but said he had no clue who Riddle was, and would have to do some research.
Kaito and Oiwa worked together early to gain an advantage, but as soon as Bishamon did the same, the match turned around. Bishamon isolated Oiwa for some time, leading to a hot tag into Kaito. Kaito took out both former champions on his own with firey offense until a Goto lariat reset the match.
A double dropkick from Oiwa and Kaito forced YH to hit the ring. Together, Bishamon was able to rid the ring of Kaito, freeing them to focus on Oiwa. They hit him with a violent flash and Shoto to win the match.
El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (Guerrillas of Destiny) defeated Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima (Young Blood)
Before the match began, there was an announcement that Leube & Nakashima were being sent off following this match. I love both of these guys, and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.
Before the opening bell, Young Blood blindsided the champions. They then worked together to isolate ELP, securing a deep crab in the ring. Hikuleo eventually made the save. Leube stepped up to the challenge, trading strikes with Hikuleo. Hikuleo won out, leading to a period of GoD control. Leube escaped after landing a dropkick, leading to a similar sequence between Nakashima and ELP. Nakashima held his own until he contested a referee’s call, which opened the door for a UFO from ELP.
Leube hit the ring, but Hikuleo quickly responded with a chokeslam. Another chokeslam to Nakashima and a super Thunderkiss 86 to both men secured the GoD win.
After the match, GoD showed their support for the leaving lions. Young Blood shared a hug and a bow. Once Young Blood left the ring, Chase Owens ran in and hit ELP with a piledriver. He challenged GoD to a title match with KENTA as his partner. Hikuleo accepted.
Dick Togo, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita (House of Torture) defeated Shota Umino, El Desperado, Master Wato, Tama Tonga, Tomoaki Honma, & Togi Makabe
This was a big House of Torture stinker.
This match opened with a brawl. Once things calmed down, Honma and Kanemaru traded blows in the ring. After Honma missed a headbutt, another brawl broke out. This time, HoT established control by isolating Honma, which they took advantage of for some time. The eventual tag to Makabe only led to more HoT shenanigans.
Once Umino tagged in, he unloaded on Narita, but another HoT run in ended his rally. Another inter-team back and forth followed, with nearly everyone getting someone in. The babyfaces won out, leaving Togo alone in the ring with Umino. Umino hit Togo with Death Rider and won the match.
After the match, Narita hit Umino with the pushup bar, leading to a full-fledged HoT beatdown. After destroying everyone, EVIL handcuffed Tama and cut his hair. EVIL posed with the openweight belt while Kanemaru showed off the junior title.
No Contest: Fransico Akira, TJP, HENARE, Jeff Cobb, & Will Ospreay (United Empire) vs. Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, & David Finlay (Bullet Club War Dogs)
This was an incredible blood-filled war. This was as good or better than nearly all of the ittenyon card. Amazing.
The match broke down before it started, with both teams fighting into the isle. Akira dove from a balcony onto everyone in sight to slow the bout down.
In the ring, Ospreay focused Finlay, gaining a bit of an upper hand. Kidd hit the ring to save Finlay, leading to an extensive back and forth between teams. A referee bump led to Caughlin attempting to use a chair, but HENARE punched through it. HENARE tried to use the chair, but a new referee stopped him. Connors took advantage of this distraction, raking the eyes of HENARE. The referee pushed Connors after he refused, leading to Connors hitting the official with a spear.
Another rapid back-and-forth followed the second ref bump. In the chaos, Kidd was thrown into the turnbuckle, drawing a ton of blood. The crimson mask infuriated the War Dogs, who filled the ring with chairs from the crowd. This forced a no-contest. An intense, bloody, weapon-filled beatdown followed.
United Empire survived the beatdown, eventually gaining the upper hand on the War Dogs. As Ospreay looked ready to finish Finlay, Gedo hit the ring and landed a low blow. Another scuffle followed, and again, the United Empire won out. Ospreay then grabbed Gedo and delivered a brutal powerbomb into a table in the corner.
Once United Empire, Ospreay took the microphone and called out Bullet Club. He announced that February 11th was his last NJPW match and promised to fight alongside United Empire. Five-on-five, United Empire vs. Bullet Club in Osaka, with Finlay picking the rules. Finlay took the mic and accepted the challenge; he decided the match would be contested in a steel cage.
Uemura and Tsuji opened the match with a quick exchange before passing the ball to Hiromu and DOUKI. After a short back-and-forth, Hiromu tagged out to Naito, who forced the tag to SANADA. Naito tagged out, allowing SANADA to take on the rest of LIJ successfully.
Taichi tagged in next, leading to a strike exchange between him and Shingo. A TAKA/BUSHI sequence followed, with both teams getting involved. Once the fog was cleared, TAKA hit BUSHI with a Michinoku driver and won the match.
After the match, both teams shared a tension-filled ring. Before coming to blows, SANADA challenged Naito for one more match. There was a staredown, but Naito said nothing. LIJ left the ring, leaving TAKA free to cut a J5G hype promo.
The rules of this match are simple. There is a 10-minute time limit. The last man to score a pin leaves with the KOPW title.
The match opened with a less-than-serious exchange. Everyone tried for quick pins while going for their normal shenanigans. YOH was the first to score a pin after dropping Yano. Minutes passed without a pinfall, with YOH making a few saves to maintain his lead.
With two minutes left, O-Khan hit YOH with the eliminator and pinned him twice. With one minute left, Ishimori dropped O-Khan with a low blow and stole a pin. Ishimori then interrupted O-Khan’s pin attempts, baiting him into a chase around the ring. The clock expired, leaving Ishimori as the winner.
This was a fantastic main event. Everyone looked terrific, and the stories in the match left me excited for things to come.
Danielson and ZSJ opened the match with a slick grappling sequence, with neither man getting the upper hand. Both men slowly introduced strikes before pulling apart and tagging out.
Okada and Nicholls entered the match next. Okada established control with help from his team, but Nicholls and Haste attacked Okada’s arm to put him on the back foot. The rest of TMDK helped isolate Okada, with continued attention paid to his injured arm.
A hot tag to Moxley led to a passionate attack. After ridding the ring inside and out of TMDK, Moxley dropped Nicholls with a superplex and a kick. When Haste tried providing backup, both men ate a DDT.
Ishii continued what Moxley started, but ZSJ hit the ring to break it up. ZSJ locked in a choke, but Danielson was right behind him, leading to a back-and-forth choke exchange. Danielson threw ZSJ out of the ring and hit a jumping knee to write off ZSJ momentarily.
Fujita prevented Danielson from re-entering the ropes, allowing TMDK to isolate Ishii. Moxley saved Ishii with a suplex, leading to a full match breakdown in the middle of the ring. Multiple dives and nearfalls followed. TMDK established control in the chaos, with ZSJ tying Danielson up in the corner. Haste and Nicholls hit Ishii with a Tank Buster and pinned him.
After the match, ZSJ challenged Danielson to a rematch. Danielson accepted and both men threatened to tap each other out. Kosei Fujita grabbed the mic next and challenged Okada to a match for the NEVER Six-Man belts alongside Haste and Nicholls. Okada said Fujita wasn’t ready and left. After Okada left, Fujita asked Tanahashi to make the match happen.
