Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including AEW firing BJ Whitmer, WWE TV negotiations expanding, Stardom, G-1 changes this year, ratings, Dave’s thoughts on All Together Again, RAW, NXT and AEW previews, Magnum TA Q&A and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Bryan and Dave are going to London
3:50: BJ Whitmer fired from AEW following domestic assault arrest
5:26: WWE TV deal exclusitivity window expires
19:56: Matt Morgan undergoes back surgery, updates on Adam Cole/MJF, Stardom, Sean Waltman, G1 blocks
NJPW, AJPW, and NOAH join forces today for All Together Again in Ryogoku Sumo Hall.
The undercard primarily consists of tag matches pitting companies against one another, while the top two bouts will feature teams with a representative from each promotion on either side.
The match opened with a brawl that left CHAOS with an early lead. The NOAH squad began to fight back into the match as the trio worked to isolate YH.
A tag to Ishii turned the match into a hoss fight. Ishii worked to fight off Inamura and Masa, eventually forcing a double tag. Inaba and Goto traded moves, leading to a YH save. Bishamon hit Inaba with Naraku leading into the pin, and the CHOAS win.
NJPW is up in the first match of the night.
Chris Ridgeway & Sean Legacy (NOAH) defeated Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr. (TMDK/NJPW)
This was a fantastic match.
Ridgeway and ZSJ opened the match with a slick sequence teasing what was to come. Legacy and Fujita tried their best to match the energy after tagging in.
Unsurprisingly, the NOAH pair worked to isolate Fujita, gaining the upper hand early on. Even after receiving the tag, Legacy was able to maintain control for his team.
ZSJ and Ridgeway picked up with another grappling sequence as soon as the pair was in the ring together again. ZSJ set Fujita up for success before tagging him back in, leading to a period of extended TMDK control.
Ultimately, ZSJ had to save Fujita from an ankle lock, prompting a slap fight. Legacy cleared the ring of ZSJ, leaving Ridgeway free to land a kick and turn his focus back to Fujita’s ankle. Fujita tried hanging on, but in the end, he tapped to Ridgeway’s anklelock.
Shota Umino (NJPW) defeated Yoshitatsu (AJPW)
Yoshitatsu opened the match by rushing Shota, gaining a lead early. Shota’s first rally was met with solid resistance from Yoshitatsu, who taunted the youngling with demeaning offense.
Out of nowhere, Shota bounced back with a neckbreaker which he followed with a Deathrider. Shota then pinned Yoshitatsu and left the ring as fast as possible.
Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima (AXIZ/NOAH) defeated Hokuto Omori (AJPW) & Satoshi Kojima (NJPW)
This was another great match. Omori stood out in a match full of stars, which was an accomplishment, no doubt.
Omori decided to start the match by throwing his own partner to the floor and going toe-to-toe with Go. Axiz, unsurprisingly, took quick control, beating their defiant junior in and out of the ring.
Once Kojima tagged in he managed to gain some footing, but the Axiz pairing was able to keep him on the back foot. Go tried for a lariat, but Kojima reversed, landing a cutter and setting Omori up for the tag.
Omori stood tall against Nakajima, landing a pair of suplexes for a believable nearfall. When Kojima interrupted Omori’s flow in an attempt to double-team, Nakajima retook the lead, landing multiple kicks and a brainbuster for the pinfall victory.
Suzuki and Marufuji opened the match with a strike battle. Ren then challenged Suguria and held his own reasonably well. Once the tags started coming, the NOAH trio was able to isolate Ren and establish control of the match.
Suzuki and Sugiura traded strikes in the middle of the ring, creating a reset. Miyawaki hit the ring with speed but found himself on the receiving end of strong Suzuki strikes. Desperado and Miyawaki then traded momentum before all of Strong Style hit the ring to cement control.
The NOAH trio hit the ring to save Miyawaki from sure doom. This led to a brawl on the outside, leaving Desperado and Miyawaki alone in the ring. Desperado hit Pinche Loco and pinned Miyawaki for another New Japan win.
Aaron Henare, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & TJP (United Empire/NJPW) defeated Jun Saito, Rei Saito, Dan Tamura, Hikaru Sato & Ryuki Honda (AJPW)
This was pretty bad, which is a shame because it was loaded with guys I really like. An Evolution vs. O-Khan and Cobb tag could have been amazing, but instead, we had this silly little thing.
This match degenerated as soon as it started, with VDM taking the fight to the floor. The Saito brothers singled out Akira in the middle of the ring, prompting the rest of UE to make the save.
The UE control segment was also pretty silly, with O-Khan using a thumb in the butt to top things off. The Saito brothers then attacked their own partner so they could beat down Akira, which they did.
A tag to TJP led into a UE rally. After a multi-finisher spot, the AJPW squad hit the ring to make the save. The match then broke down completely, with every guy hitting the ring. Through all of the chaos, Akira was able to hit his finish to win the match.
Even once the match was over, the brawling continued. Sato pulled O-Khan’s trunks off at one point, but thankfully, he recovered them. Once things calmed down, UE celebrated their win in the ring.
The match opened with Anzai a strike and a dropkick to Naito to set the pace early. LIJ was quick to help Naito fight back, working to isolate Anzai from this point on.
Nagata and Shingo tagged in and traded momentum for some time. Suwama and Shingo then came to blows, with both men landing significant offense.
Shingo was forced to tag out, but BUSHI was able to hold his own against Suwama. This led to a match breakdown, with all men in the ring. The fight left Suwama and BUSHI alone in the ring again, but this time, Suwama landed a powerbomb to win the match.
The match opened with the juniors trading advantage for some time before a double tag left both heavyweight champions alone in the ring. SANADA was the first to strike, landing a dropkick and a dive to establish control. Lee fought back, dropping SANADA and attempting a disrespectful pin.
SANADA landed another dropkick, leading into an extended back-and-forth before the NJPW juniors tagged back in. Lee fought off both juniors before hitting TAKA with a big boot in the corner to win the match. The GHC champion has (indirectly) defeated the IWGP champion.
This match opened slowly with a feeling-out process between Wato and Aoyagi. Hiromu and HAYATO picked up the pace a little, but it didn’t take long for the HAYTO team to establish themselves as heels, working to isolate Hiromu from his corner.
A tag to AMAKUSA led to an acrobatic comeback sequence where he got his team back in the match. Wato and Aoyagi then re-entered the match, this time with more intensity. HAYATO then hit the ring, scoring a nearfall with a driver before Hiromu hit the ring to make the save. AMAKUSA then hit an incredible dive to leave HAYATO and Aoyagi alone in the ring.
HAYATO and Aoyagi climbed to the top rope, where Aoyagi hit a Spanish fly. After HAYATO kicked out, Aoyagi climbed to the top and hit a 450 to win the match for his team.
After the match, all three junior champs stood in the ring, holding their belts high.
I’ve been covering matches for F4W for over three years. This was easily my favorite. This was one of the best matches I’ve ever seen, an absolute masterclass and nothing short of an instant classic.
The entrances alone made this match feel huge.
Before the match could begin, Kenoh and Tanahashi had an intense staredown while Kaito starred a hole in Okada.
Tanahashi and Kenoh opened the match after a brief but fierce shove fight. Tanahashi was able to get a leg up on Kenoh early before both men tagged out.
Kento and Okada were next to square off. In a bit of a surprise, Kento was showered in cheers during before the pair began to grapple. Okada played into this, landing a cheap shot in an attempt to gain the lead. Kento answered with a headbutt, so Okada swung with a rainmaker that Kento avoided. Both men were on equal footing.
During the pause, Okada knocked Kaito off of the apron but fled to the floor. This left Yuma free to swing at Kaito, but Kaito ignored him, instead targeting Okada with a dropkick and a brutal attack on the floor.
After Yuma gained the advantage in the ring, Okada responded with a floor-based attack of his own.
In the ring the other guys tried to have a normal match, but tensions continued to rise. Kenoh brutalized Tanahashi with a kick to the back. Tanahashi fired back with dragonscrew before tagging Kaito back in the match.
Kaito unloaded on Kenoh, prompting Okada to hit the ring. Kaito dropped Okada and Kenoh with dropkicks. After Kenoh held on, he dropped Kaito with a dragon suplex and tagged in Yuma. Yuma landed a crossbody, but Kaito fired back with a flying arm. This allowed Kaito to tag in Kento, who had no problem beating down Yuma.
Yuma escaped by tagging in Okada. Okada, beyond frustrated, kicked Kento in the head over and over before dropping him with an air raid crash. Okada then landed a top rope elbow drop and hit the rainmaker pose. Kento reversed the rainmaker attempt with a beautiful knee, which he followed with a second for a nearfall.
Kento failed to hit his suplex finish, allowing Okada to secure the money clip. A double lariat led to a Tanahashi tag who cleared the ring. Tanahashi, Kaito, and Kento hit Okada with a triple dropkick followed by a sling blade for a nearfall.
Tanahashi tried for High Fly Flow, but Okada extended his knee into Tanahashi’s injured ribs. This led to a forearm exchange in the middle of the ring that ended with an Okada landslide. Tanahashi avoided the rainmaker, leading to every man rushing to the ring.
Okada, Yuma, and Kenoh were able to focus on Tanahashi. Kenoh hit a penalty kick and Yuma an elbow drop, but Tanahashi’s team made the save. Okada then focused on Tanahashi and landed a dropkick, an emerald flowsion, and a rainmaker before pinning Tanahashi.
After the final bell, all three rosters walked to the ring. Okada cut the show-ending promo where he thanked the fans for sticking with them through the pandemic. Okada then welcomed Inoki’s family to the ring for an “Ich Ni Son DA!” sendoff.
The full card has been finalized for the Friday, June 9 NJPW/AJPW/NOAH All Together Again pay-per-view.
Newly added to the lineup, NJPW’s SANADA, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & TAKA Michinoku will team against NOAH’s Jake Lee, YO-HEY & Tadasuke in a trios bout.
A pre-show kickoff match has also been added to the card, with NJPW’s Ryusuke Taguchi & YOH teaming with AJPW’s Black Menso-re & Ryo Inoue against NOAH’s Atushi Kotoge, Seki Yoshioka, Alejandro & Super Crazy.
The pre-show will begin at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time, with the main card kicking off at 5 a.m. Eastern time. The show will air on NJPW World pay-per-view.
More matches have been added to next weekend’s All Together Again card.
A battle of the junior heavyweight wrestlers will take place on June 9 at Sumo Hall. NOAH’s Amasuka, AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Champion Atsuki Aoyagi, and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi will face Master Wato of NJPW, Rising Hayato of AJPW, and Hayata, the GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion. Amasuka and Takahashi battled at Keiji Muto’s retirement show in February, with Takahashi scoring the win.
NJPW’s United Empire (Francesco Akira, TJP, Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, and Jeff Cobb) will battle against members of the AJPW roster which include Jun Saito, Rei Saito, Hikaru Sato, and Dan Tamura. NJPW’s preview of the new matches noted that Akira, who was in AJPW before jumping to NJPW, had a history with Sato and Tamura in AJPW.
A singles match was also added, with NJPW’s Shota Umino taking off against Yoshitatsu, who graduated from the NJPW Dojo in 2002. After being released by WWE, Yoshitatsu rejoined NJPW in 2014 before eventually debuting for AJPW in November of 2017, where he’s remained since.
Some of NOAH’s most well-known wrestlers will also be in action. Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima will team to take on Hokuto Omori and Shuji Ishikawa, while Naomichi Marufuji will team with Takashi Sugiura and Junta Miyawaki to take on NJPW’s Ren Narita, Minoru Suzuki, and El Desperado.
Here is the updated card for All Together Again, which will air on NJPW World’s PPV service:
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kento Miyahara, and Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Kazuchika Okada, Yuma Aoyagi, and Kenoh
Tetsuya Natio, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI vs. Yuji Nagata, Suwama, and Yuma Anzai
Tomohiro Isihi, Hirooki Goto, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba, and Yoshiki Inamura
Amasuka (NOAH), Atsuki Aoyagi (AJPW), and Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW) vs. Master Wato (NJPW), Rising Hayato (AJPW), and Hayata (NOAH)
NJPW’s Kosei Fujita and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. NOAH’s Chris Ridgeway and Sean Legacy
United Empire (NJPW’s Francesco Akira, TJP, Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, and Jeff Cobb) vs. AJPW’s Jun Saito, Rei Saito, Ryuki Honda, Hikaru Sato, and Dan Tamura
Shota Umino (NJPW) vs. Yoshitatsu (AJPW)
AJPW’s Hokuto Omori and Shuji Ishikawa vs. NOAH’s Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima
Ren Narita, El Desperado, and Minoru Suzuki vs. NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji, Takashi Sugiura, and Junta Miyawaki
The first three matches for the joint NJPW/AJPW/NOAH All Together Again event have been announced.
The matches announced on Tuesday morning are all interpromotional tag team matches, similar to the All Together cards that took place in the 2010s. The first match set to take place on June 9 will have NOAH’s Kaito Kiyomiya, AJPW’s Kento Miyahara, and NJPW’s Hiroshi Tanahashi teaming together to take on NJPW’s Kazuchika Okada, AJPW’s Yuma Aoyagi, and NOAH’s Kenoh. Earlier this year, Okada defeated Kiyomiya in a singles match at Keiji Muto’s retirement show at the Tokyo Dome.
A second bout will have members of Los Ingobernables de Japon take on All Japan stars. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI will take on Yuji Nagata, Suwama, and Yuma Anzai. Although Nagata is still under contract to NJPW, he is currently wrestling in AJPW and is the current Triple Crown Champion.
The third match will pit members of NJPW’s CHAOS stable against Pro Wrestling NOAH. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Tomohiro Ishii will take on NOAH’s Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba, and Yoshiki Inamura.
Here is the current lineup for All Together Again, which will air on pay-per-view via NJPW World:
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kento Miyahara, Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Kazuchika Okada, Yuma Aoyagi, and Kenoh
Tetsuya Natio, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI vs. Yuji Nagata, Suwama, and Yuma Anzai
Tomohiro Isihi, Hirooki Goto, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba, and Yoshiki Inamura
The return of All Together, a joint event between All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and New Japan Pro Wrestling, has been announced for June.
The three promotions on Wednesday morning announced All Together Again, which will take place June 9 at Ryogoku Sumo Hall. English and Japanese commentary will be available, and will air live on New Japan World as a pay-per-view event for 3,980 yen. A portion of the proceeds will go to charity, with details to follow. Tickets will go on sale April 23.
At the press conference, NJPW’s Hiroshi Tanahashi, AJPW’s Kento Miyahara, and NOAH’s Kaito Kiyomiya all made comments regarding the crossover event.
All Together was the name of a series of shows that took place in 2011 and 2012 that featured all three promotions. The proceeds from the 2011 show, which totaled over 58 million yen, went to those affected by the 9.1 earthquake that struck Japan earlier that year.
The 2011 show featured Go Shiozaki, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Suwama defeat Kenso, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Takashi Suigura in the main event. The following year Hiroshi Tanahashi, Suwama, and Takeshi Morishima defeated Go Shiozaki, Seiya Sanada (SANADA), and Tetsuya Naito in the main event.
