Tag: david finlay

New Japan Cup finals live results: Shota Umino vs. David Finlay

Posted on by Corey Michaels

The finals of the 2025 New Japan Cup take place today, with a first-time winner guaranteed.

In the tournament finals, Shota Umino faces David Finlay with a shot a the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance. It’s the first career finals for Umino, while Finlay made the finals in 2023 where he lost to SANADA.

The winner of today’s New Japan Cup finals earns a shot at Hirooki Goto and the IWGP World title at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 5.

An NJPW World TV title match kicks off today’s main card, with El Phantasmo defending against a mystery opponent in an open challenge.

Hiroshi Tanahashi’s road to retirement continues with a special singles match on today’s card, with Tana taking on Satoshi Kojima. It will be the tenth career singles meeting between the two, and the first since 2014. Tana holds a 5-4 career edge in singles competition over Kojima.

**********

Main Card

El Phantasmo defeated TJP for the NJPW World Television Championship

Starting with a headscissor hold, Phantasmo had immediate control. TJP sent him to the mat with a DDT from the second rope. After sneaking a comeback, Phantasmo attempted a moonsault from the ropes but couldn’t put TJP away. Spinning the challenger like a rinse cycle, Phantasmo slammed him to the mat with a UFO drop. TJP spiked the champion to the mat, bringing him in for a Pinoy Stretch. This caused Phantasmo to stretch his shoulder a bit too much, as trying a punch became too much for him to do. The pair traded pins with the last one granting Phantasmo a victory despite his shoulder.

— Post-match: TJP shook hands with Phantasmo. Great-O-Khan, who’d watched the sportsmanship from the outside, greeted TJP before assaulting the champion. He declared himself next to challenge for the title, attacked him again and left. Phantasmo struggled to the back.

Phantasmo had little time to make the shoulder angle effective, but he made the most of it. Fast-paced, this was a satisfactory opener.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Satoshi Kojima

Kojima’s strength lent him the early advantage, but Tanahashi earned it back as he tied his opponent’s leg to the rope and dropkicked it. Kojima chopped The Ace’s chest until sore, following up with a top rope elbow drop. Kojima laid out Tanahashi with a Koji Cutter but fell back down to a Slingblade. A stiff lariat from Kojima laid out Tanahashi. Enduring the force that is Kojima, Tanahashi won the match with a High-Fly Flow.

A fun short sprint, Tanahashi’s strengths have been neatly emphasized during this final run. As someone who’d love to see one of NJPW’s legendary top stars to ride off into the sunset go peacefully, this run has been a treat.

BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & SANADA) defeated Just 4 Guys (Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

BULLET CLUB promptly took out their opponents before the bell with SANADA tossing Uemura to the chairs in the crowd. Meanwhile, Owens and Fale bullied Taichi in the ring. Uemura held the match in his hand, flattening Owens and SANADA, the latter of which suffered a back suplex. Teasing a Skull End, SANADA instead fell to Uemura’s dropkicks. Michinoku unleashed a flurry to Owens, but laid down for the 3-count courtesy of a Package Piledriver by Owens.

— Post-match: BULLET CLUB harassed their defeated foes, with SANADA teasing a guitar shot. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and El Desperado came to Just 4 Guys’ aid. Tanahashi shook hands with Uemura, having long mentioned that the latter being the current image of NJPW. The Ace then shook hands with Taichi and helped Michinoku to his feet.

The least exciting elements of this match were involved in the finisher. The ongoing beef between SANADA and Uemura is interesting, but wasn’t capitalized on. Tanahashi being all super wholesome in the post-match made up for any slogging.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman, Jakob Austin Young & Jeff Cobb)

Cobb confronted Naito to start the match, only to be attacked by the present members of LIJ. Young worked on Naito’s infamously weak knees, Takahashi exploded onto the scene, meeting Newman’s speed with his own before agonizing from a roundhouse kick. Naito and Takahashi delivered karmic justice to Young by targeting his knees, the latter tapping Young out with a Maximum Beholding.

There was nothing in the way of storyline advancements to watch out for, but this was fun on its own and worth a watch.

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori) defeated House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)

Ishimori twisted and cranked the arm of SHO. Kidd pummeled Narita in the corner, sending him to the mat with a forceful lariat. He then sent SHO and Takahashi to the same fate. Moloney unleashed a rage of forearms and chops to SHO, but lost his momentum by House of Torture interruption and a Spear from SHO. With the War Dogs intercepting any further interference, Moloney pinned SHO with a Drilla Killa.

— Post-match: Moloney fake laughed at House of Torture “kicking” the War Dogs out of BULLET CLUB. He then on behalf of Ishimori and Kidd challenged for the NEVER Six Man Tag Team Championship.

For anyone looking for a cathartic comeuppance for House of Torture, this is the fix you’re looking for. Each play made by the War Dogs was satisfying. SHO made the best of his moments, even in defeat.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) defeated House Of Torture (EVIL & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

Tsuji endured Kanemaru and EVIL’s attempts to weaken his knee, with the latter’s Cloverleaf dramatically ended with a rope break. Takagi burst into action, bumping EVIL to the mat and proceeding to manhandle him. Kanemaru and EVIL returned once more to destroy Tsuji’s knees. They, combined with Dick Togo, unleashed a Dick-to-Dick Contact, with the referee distracted by Takagi’s endeavor to make the save. As Kanemaru saved his Whiskey Mist, it poured like a fountain after Tsuji found enough strength to power a Gene Blaster for the win.

— Post-match: House of Torture attacked Tsuji as EVIL held aloft the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship while he stood on the champ’s chest. Takagi again tried to help but Togo choked him out.

There wasn’t much to say about this bout, other than Tsuji’s selling was top notch. In a blink-and-miss-it moment, he maintained his kayfabe knee injury. That’s a level of professionalism I can appreciate.

El Desperado, Hirooki Goto & Oleg Boltin defeated TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Boltin overwhelmed Oiwa, and a chaotic brawl ensued. He and Goto pounded the back of Sabre Jr., before failing to do so on Oiwa. A helpless Desperado fell prey to the combined offense of TMDK, until he traded holds with Sabre Jr. Boltin’s might cancelled out Sabre Jr.’s technical prowess with his Flying Body Sausage maneuver. Jackson nearly had the match won over Goto with a Flying Crossbody and a team-up with Oiwa, to no avail. Jackson withstood the united front his opponents initiated, but ultimately lost to a GTR.

Featuring young acts like Boltin and Oiwa alongside the veterans adds enough fuel to position these future megastars for greatness. Now more than ever, this feels like a strong emphasis to trust tomorrow’s performers It certainly doesn’t hurt that they worked alongside the current and former IWGP World Heavyweight Champions.

New Japan Cup Final

David Finlay defeated Shota Umino

Finlay had the initial advantage in the early goings, but Umino got the better of him, working on his leg. This damage wore on, grounding Finlay’s later offense. A Fisherman’s Suplex gave Umino space to carve out control over the War Dogs leader. He continued to work the leg as Finlay screamed in dear agony. Umino combined this with a STF in the middle of the ring; Finlay desperately reached for a successful rope break. Umino flew through the air courtesy of Finlay’s uranage, sending him through a table on the outside.

Finlay broke the 20-count to seemingly help Umino to his feet. As it turned out, he used this time to slam his opponent into the ring post to earn even more time. Umino broke the count at 19. Finlay sought to damage Umino’s back more with a slam, but Umino countered into a DDT. Umino received a near count after a cacophonous vertical suplex from the top rope. He did so again after a bridging suplex. Finlay, almost running on fumes, survived lariats and a painful knee onto Umino, finally landing Oblivion. Kicking out of a reversal pin, Finlay slammed Umino with two resounding powerbombs. Umino tried an inside cradle, failing to do so. Finlay used this brief respite to crush him with an Overkill for the win. David Finlay is 2025’s New Japan Cup winner.

— Post-match: Finlay yanked the New Japan Cup away form the officials as he and Gedo celebrated. He helped Umino to his feet, harshly telling his old friend he has to work Finlay’s way to get these kinds of victories. He beckoned forth Hirooki Goto from commentary to the ring to claim his future shot. Goto responded that Finlay “can’t stop the Goto Revolution.”

The War Dogs joined their leader in jubilation. Finlay proudly carried his cup while his teammates drank in the ring.

Umino’s always been good in the ring, but his act hasn’t really stuck. However, his effort tonight gives this new baptised-in-white approach plausibility. Tremendous performance alongside Finlay still riding off of his 2024 rejuvenation. Finlay took a while to successfully reinvent himself as the War Dogs leader, and its paying off. This gives me hope for Umino.

As a whole, the show had some high points. Most of them didn’t add much in storyline but were still fun. Kojima/Tanahashi, LIJ/United Empire, and maybe even House of Torture/War Dogs are all worth watching, but the final is what will surely satisfy. Finlay denying Goto the win for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship in Autumn 2024 is sure to add a much-needed threat to the current World Heavyweight Champion’s reign.

Wrestling Observer Live: Performance Center, Je’Von Evans, plus David Finlay interview!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Je’Von Evans’ loss on NXT and why NXT is missing the entire point of booking, the Performance Center news and what appears to be happening, plus we’re joined by David Finlay to talk New Japan Pro Wrestling and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Title matches set for NJPW Destruction 2024

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has booked a slate of title matches for the promotion’s next tour.

Following the G1 Climax, NJPW is set to embark on its Destruction tour next month. It will culminate with Destruction in Kobe being held on Sunday, September 29. The first two matches have now been announced for the show:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito defends against Great-O-Khan
  • IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay defends against YOSHI-HASHI

Great-O-Khan was positioned for this title shot by defeating Naito during the G1 Climax. On the undercard for the G1 Finals, YOSHI-HASHI pinned Finlay in a six-man tag match, setting himself up as Finlay’s next challenger.

This is Naito’s first title defense since regaining the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Jon Moxley at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. The winner of Naito vs. Great-O-Khan will defend the belt against G1 winner Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling this October.

Finlay is a two-time IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion during the title’s brief existence. He made a successful defense against SANADA this June.

In addition to these two matches, NJPW also has several title bouts set to take place on the Road to Destruction tour:

  • Sunday, September 8: NJPW World Television Champion Jeff Cobb defends against Yota Tsuji
  • Monday, September 9: NEVER Openweight Champion HENARE defends against Hiromu Takahashi
  • Wednesday, September 11: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI defends against Taiji Ishimori
  • Saturday, September 14: NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Oleg Boltin defend against EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo

NJPW G1 Climax 34 night two results: Tsuji vs. Finlay

Posted on by Chick Fritts

Nine tournament matches are set for night two of NJPW’s G1 Climax 34.

In the main event, Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Yota Tsuji will face Bullet Club’s David Finlay in a B Block matchup.

Tsuji and Finlay have squared off once before in singles competition in their careers, with Finlay scoring the victory.

18 of 20 competitors will be in action on tonight’s card, with B Block’s Konosuke Takeshita and Jeff Cobb the only tournament wrestlers not taking part in today’s show. As with yesterday, every bout in today’s lineup is a tournament match.

The full card for Sunday’s show:

  • B Block: Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay
  • A Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • A Block: Shota Umino vs. Shingo Takagi
  • B Block: Hirooki Goto vs. Yuya Uemura
  • A Block: Jake Lee vs. EVIL
  • B Block: El Phantasmo vs. Ren Narita
  • A Block: Great-O-Khan vs. Gabe Kidd
  • B Block: Oleg Boltin vs. HENARE
  • A Block: SANADA vs. Callum Newman

**********

Recommended Matches
HENARE vs. Oleg Boltin – This was a rad hoss match. I really can’t get enough of Oleg.

Yuya Uemura vs. Hirooki Goto – This is probably the match with best executed narrative of the tournament so far. It also seems as if Uemura is also finding his footing again, so that’s exciting.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito – This is one of the better Naito matches as of late. It’s exactly the kind of match he needs to be working. It’s filled with slick sequences and felt like it could end any moment.

Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay – If you enjoy main event New Japan, this is for you. It built to a crescendo filled with reversals and potential finishes.

SANADA defeated Callum Newman

SANADA worked a somewhat meaner match here tonight than usual, building on his shocking sub-five-minute loss from last night. The match itself was a fine little thing. I would say it outperformed my expectations.

Newman and SANADA opened the match with a basic feeling-out process until a dropkick sent SANADA to the floor. Newman attempted a dive in follow-up but missed, allowing SANADA to answer with a magic screw. He then dropped Newman on the barricade before bringing the match back to the ring.

In the ring, Newman connected with a stomp to the back that opened SANADA up to a bit of offense. It only lasted a moment, though, as SANADA cut him off with a magic screw, bringing the match back into the hands of the former World’s champion.

SANADA hit a shining wizard but missed the rounding body press, leaving Newman free to answer with a sudden knee strike. Newman followed up with a quick dropkick in the corner, but the double stomp follow-up whiffed. SANADA tried to reply with a shining wizard, but that missed, too. After Newman overshot another kick, SANDA managed to lock in skull end, but Newman reversed into a cutter. Newman attempted to close with the OsCutter, but SANADA cut him off, landed Deadfall, and pinned him.

SANADA secures his first win of the tournament, putting him at 2 points.

HENARE defeats Oleg Boltin

This match was great. It was super simple, to the point, and fantastically executed.

A powerful collar-and-elbow opened this match. Once that proved insufficient, they moved to trading strikes. Once that wasn’t enough, they moved to tackles. Oleg’s tackle was enough to knock HENARE to the floor, securing the first lead of the match.

HENARE answered Oleg’s lead with high leg kicks. Once Oleg fell to his knees, HENARE took off his head with a kick to the jaw. HENARE then placed Oleg in the corner and unloaded with more strikes. Oleg answered with a powerful slam, which forced HENARE into the corner.

Oleg threw HENARE across the ring before attempting his finish, but HENARE slipped free. HENARE then landed a kick from the rope, knocking Oleg to the mat. HENARE followed up with a disgusting knee strike that rattled Oleg’s jaw.

With the finish in sight, HENARE waited in the corner, but somehow, Oleg cut him off with a dropkick. Oleg responded with a kamikaze, scoring a convincing nearfall. To my knowledge, this was the first time someone has kicked out of that move.

Having survived Oleg’s finish, HENARE slipped free of the second attempt, leading to a struggle for control. HENARE tried for a submission but couldn’t get it; instead, a back-and-forth strike battle followed. HENARE won out with a strong kick and a flying headbutt. He then landed Streets of Rage and pinned Oleg to win the match.

HENARE now leads B Block with 4 points.

Gabe Kidd defeated Great-O-Khan

I almost enjoyed this match, but it had too many issues in the end to look past. O-Khan’s performance was above average, and Kidd was decent. The structure of the match really hurt it, though. There was just far too much going on.

Kidd dared O-Khan to wrestle as the match opened but caught him with a few strikes as soon as there was an opening. O-Khan answered Kidd’s cuteness with a throw, a suplex, and a lariat that knocked Kidd to the floor. O-Khan then drove Kidd into the barricade, daring Kidd to a brawl instead of a match classic, to which Kidd accepted.

Kidd and O-Khan brawled from one side of the crowd to the other. By the time they emerged, Kidd had control. He then led O-Khan back to the ring, where he drove O-Khan into the post before calling out Hiromu Takahashi.

As soon as the match returned to the ring, O-Khan dumped Kidd to the floor. O-Khan landed a plancha, securing a lead before throwing Kidd into a barricade and a sea of chairs. O-Khan then tied up Kidd with chairs before dragging him back to the ring.

Back in the ring, a suplex attempt led to both men falling over the top rope and crashing over the top rope back to the floor. As the count began to climb, the men started trading strikes, meandering away from the ring. Once the count hit 19, they sprinted together to beat the referee.

Back inside, they traded strikes and German suplexes before O-Khan hit a GFO to establish a lead. He then tried for the eliminator but failed, leading to a scramble for control. In the end, Kidd won out with a massive lariat that won him the match.

Kidd is on the board with 2 points.

Ren Narita defeated El Phantasmo

ELP has lost all his friends, and he is sad. That is the story of his G1.

A quick boot from Narita opened this match, catching the depressed ELP off guard. He managed to rebound with a dropkick to reset the match in his favor.

After knocking Narita to the mat and landing a plancha, ELP started trying for more and more dives. Eventually, ELP missed, opening the door back up for Narita. Narita whipped ELP into the barricade and hit him with a chair after distracting the referee.

Back in the ring, Narita began to brutalize ELP’s leg. As ELP fought back through the attack, he continued to use acrobatic offense while attempting to sell the damage done to his limb (until he fired up and began jumping on it).

After stomping on Narita in the corner, ELP grabbed Narita’s pushup bar. Narita dared him to use it. After thinking about it, he decided not to. Narita tried to follow up with the Double Cross, but ELP reversed. Narita still maintained control, though with a quick guillotine.

Narita climbed to the top rope, where ELP cut him off with a rana. ELP followed up with a Thunderkiss 86 for a nearfall. Before he could follow up, the referee was shoved to the ground. Narita then hit Double Cross and won the match.

Ren Narita has slipped his first 2 points.

EVIL defeated Jake Lee

Ah, this is what I’ve come to expect from Jake Lee and EVIL. This match was slow, tedious, and filled with cheap cheating. This was horrible.

Before the action could begin, EVIL offered Lee a “Too Sweet” in traditional Bullet Club fashion. It looked like Lee would accept, but instead, he poked EVIL and Dick Togo in the eyes, Three Stooges style. He then threw EVIL to the floor and threatened to stomp Togo below the belt before letting him go.

Once the match officially began, Lee choked EVIL against the rope, leading to him fleeing almost imidatly. When Lee followed him, EVIL whipped him into the barricade and choked him with cables. Back in the ring, EVIL maintained his lead by distracting the referee and utilizing Togo.

After minutes on the back foot, Lee fought back with a Boston crab. This led to a fake bell ring, a ref bump, and Togo hitting the ring. Lee managed to fight through the interference as the referee recovered, leading to a chokeslam for a nearfall. During the scuffle, EVIL managed to rake Lee’s eyes, leading to him missing the Face Break Shot. Once he missed his finish, Togo threw powder in his eyes, EVIL landed Everything is Evil and pinned Lee to win the match.

EVIL is now the A Block leader with 4 points.

Yuya Uemura defeated Hirooki Goto

This was a rock-solid generational gap match. Goto tried his best to learn Uemura, but failed.

Goto wrestled Uemura to the ground as the match began, but Uemura held his own in the opening scramble. Goto then tried to ground Uemura with a shoulder tackle, but Uemura fired back with a dropkick. Uemura then placed Goto in the corner, where he unloaded with strikes that forced the referee to become involved. This unsportsmanlike behavior upset Goto, leading to a fiery response filled with harsh strikes.

Goto continued his act of discipline by locking in a Bostin crab in the middle of the ring. Once Uemura escaped, he landed an arm drag and a dropkick to reset the match. Uemura flew too close to the sun again when he climbed to the top rope; Goto avoided his dive and responded with a quick Ushigoroshi to regain his footing once more.

After a strike exchange, Goto hit a GTW for a nearfall. When Goto tried following up with a knee strike, Uemura caught him and answered with a headbutt. He tried for the deadbolt suplex, but Goto reversed, leading to a quick back and forth with both men slipping in and out of each other’s finish. In the end, it was Uemura who was able to hit the deadbolt suplex, which won him the match.

Uemura keeps the pace with 4 points.

Shota Umino defeated Shingo Takagi

I didn’t love this. The mid-match pacing felt sluggish, and it picked up at the end. This was the second-longest match of the tournament so far, and I felt every second.

This match was all Shingo until the final stretch. The narrative was that Umino refused to quit, but Shingo outclassed him in every way.

Umino rushed Shingo as the match began, hitting him with a dropkick and a flurry of forearms in the corner in an attempt to gain an early advantage. Shingo fired back with forearms of his own to fight out of the corner. From here, the pair fought to the apron, where Shingo dropped Umino on his back before whipping him into the barricade.

Back in the ring, Shingo utilized basic holds to wear down Umino. Umino answered with a sudden DDT to the apron. When Umino attempted to follow up, Shingo suplexed him into the corner, retaking control. He then used slightly more impactful offense to stay ahead until Umino landed an exploder suplex from the top rope.

As soon it looked like Shota had a chance, Shingo landed a lariat to retake the lead. This time, he landed a superplex, a sliding lariat, and a senton, all in quick succession. A quick DDT from Umino allowed him another moment to breathe, but again, Shingo responded by driving him into the corner moments later. The pumping bomber that followed was the icing on the cake.

Knowing that the end was in sight, Shingo landed another pumping bomber. He then hit Made in Japan, but Umino kicked out. When he tried for Last of the Dragon but, Umino wiggled free. Umino then managed to hit another DDT to buy even more time.

Shingo managed to hit another partial pumping bomber, but Umino fired back with a half-dragon suplex. Umino then landed Blaze Blade for a nearfall of his own. When Umino tried for Death Rider, Shingo blocked, leading to a quick back and forth. Shingo then ran at Umino; Umino caught him and landed the Death Rider, leaving him with the win.

Umino has earned his first 2 points.

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito

This was a match that managed to cover Naito’s growing weaknesses exceptionally well. The sequences were slick and smart, and it felt like it could end at any moment. Great stuff.

ZSJ offered Naito a LIJ salute to open the match; Naito responded by spitting in ZSJ’s face. ZSJ then clobbered Naito with some elbows before Naito tried for a quick pin. This led to a sequence of rapid pin attempts from both men, any of which could’ve believably ended the match.

An exchange on the mat that initially favored Naito eventually left ZSJ in control. ZSJ then leveled Naito with uppercuts before returning to some methodical grappling. When Naito tried to challenge ZSJ’s control, ZSJ tied him up in the rope and dragged him to the floor to continue his assault.

A quick hangman’s neckbreaker to the floor put Naito in control for the first time in this match. Naito then turned to the neck, as you would expect. But just as Naito found his groove, he paused, allowing ZSJ to catch him and bring him to the mat.

ZSJ worked over Naito until he was able to land PK. ZSJ tried to follow up with the Zack Driver, but Naito reversed into Destino. This took so much out of both men that it effectively reset the match.

From a standing position, both men began trading strikes. This lasted until Naito dropped ZSJ with elbows to the neck. Two quick pin attempts followed. Once that didn’t work, another short strike exchange happened. Then ZSJ trapped Naito in a pin and won the match.

After the match, ZSJ posed Naito’s belt before he walked to the back.

ZSJ is still undefeated, having defeated the reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and earning his 4th point in A Block.

Yota Tsuji defeated David Finlay

Tonight’s main event opened Tsuji, landing a rana that sent Finlay to the floor and a follow-up rana. Tsuji then whipped Finlay into the barricade to establish a strong lead, which he maintained by locking in a Boston crab.

Finlay spat in Tsuji’s face to buy some separation, which he used to drive Tsuji to the top of the ring post. He then tossed Tsuji across the ring before landing some knee strikes to Tsuji’s midsection. A stomp from Tsuji in the corner seemingly stopped Finlay’s offense, but he quickly responded by shoving Tsuji to the ground. On the outside, Finlay shoved Tsuji into the barricades and threw him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Finlay landed a Dominator for a two-count.

When Finlay tried for Oblivion, Tsuji reversed into a suplex. He then delivered a second stomp. When two stomps proved insufficient, Tsuji tried a third. A brutal knee and a power drive from Tsuji seemingly furthered this lead by setting up the Gene Blast.

When Tsuji attempted tried for his Gene Blast spear, Finlay rolled through and hit Oblivion; Tsuji kicked out. Finlay followed up with three powerbombs, setting up Overkill. When he tried for the Overkill, Tsuji rolled him up, nearly stealing a win. Finlay answered with a lariat.

After five forearms from Finlay, Tsuji threw a headbutt that rocked Finlay. This opened the door for a sudden Gene Blast, but Finlay rolled onto his stomach. Tsuji didn’t waste time, though; he followed his spear with his rope-assisted stomp Malo Crash and pinned Finlay, winning the match.

Tsuji ends the night by getting points on the board. He sits at 2 points.

A Block Standings

EVIL – 4 Points
Zack Sabre Jr. – 4 Points
SANADA – 2 Points
Callum Newman – 2 Points
Gabe Kidd – 2 Points
Jake Lee – 2 Points
Shota Umino – 2 Points
Shingo Takagi – 2 Points
Great-O-Khan – 0 Points
Tetsuya Naito – 0 Points

B Block Standings

HENARE – 4 Points
Yuya Uemura – 4 Points
Oleg Boltin – 2 Points
Ren Narita – 2 Points
Yota Tsuji – 2 Points
Jeff Cobb – 2 Points
Konosuke Takeshita – 2 Points
David Finlay – 0 Points
Hirooki Goto – 0 Points
El Phantasmo – 0 Points

Two title matches booked for New Japan Soul 2024

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has made the first two match announcements for its post-Dominion summer tour.

After Dominion takes place this weekend, New Japan Soul 2024 will kick off the following week. The first event is being held in Sapporo on Sunday, June 16. A pair of title matches have been made official for the show. SANADA will challenge David Finlay for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship, while Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney are defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles against Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles.

An illness forced SANADA out of action in April, but he’s now been medically cleared to return. Finlay is looking to avenge his loss to SANADA from the New Japan Cup 2023 finals.

Tournament losses are also part of the story for Bullet Club War Dogs and TMDK’s Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title match. During this year’s Best of the Super Juniors, Fujita defeated Connors and Eagles defeated Moloney when they faced off in tournament matches. Eagles & Fujita also own a victory over Connors & Moloney from Super Junior Tag League 2023.

Fujita, Eagles & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Connors, Moloney & Gedo in a six-man tag match at an NJPW event this Monday. At Dominion, there will be another six-man tag match with Fujita, Eagles & Sabre facing Connors, Moloney & LJ Cleary.

The New Japan Soul tour runs through Friday, July 5 and features seven events in total. The final night is being held at Budokan Hall.

New Japan Soul 2024 night one (Sunday, June 16, live on NJPW World) —

  • IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay defends against SANADA
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defend against Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles)

David Finlay off NJPW Cup Shizuoka event due to illness

Posted on by Bryan Rose

David Finlay will miss another date due to illness.

NJPW announced that Finlay has not been cleared to compete for Sunday’s NJPW Cup event in Shizuoka due to the illness that kept him off his match against Hirooki Goto on March 16. Finlay withdrew from the tournament due to being sick.

The promotion’s website wrote:

Yesterday, New Japan Cup entrant David Finlay was forced to withdraw from his tournament matchup with Hirooki Goto due to a health complaint before matches took place.

Finlay has additionally not been cleared to compete in today’s event in Shizuoka. We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing Finlay wrestle and appreciate your understanding.

Finlay was scheduled to team with KENTA, Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd, and Taiji Ishimori against Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and Hiroyoshi Tezan. Gedo will take his place.

The event in Shizuoka will determine the semifinals for the New Japan Cup, which will be held on March 18 in Fukushima. The finals of this year’s tournament will take place on March 20 in Niigata.

First New Japan Cup semifinal set, David Finlay withdraws due to illness

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Though they ended up taking different paths to get there, SANADA and Hirooki Goto have both advanced to the semifinals of New Japan Cup 2024.

SANADA booked his spot in the semifinals by defeating Jack Perry in a quarterfinal match at NJPW’s event in Nagoya on Saturday. Goto vs. David Finlay was also supposed to take place at the show, but it was announced that Finlay couldn’t compete due to illness. Goto instead advanced to the semifinals by forfeit.

“David Finlay will not compete [on Saturday] in Nagoya due to illness,” NJPW announced. “He is currently undergoing evaluation at a local hospital. Hirooki Goto will advance to the semifinals via forfeit.”

Both semifinal matches in the New Japan Cup are taking place on Monday (March 18). SANADA vs. Goto is the first semifinal that’s been confirmed.

Shingo Takagi vs. EVIL and Yota Tsuji vs. Ren Narita at Sunday’s New Japan Cup event will determine who advances to the other semifinal.

The New Japan Cup finals are being held on Wednesday (March 20). The winner earns an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot against Tetsuya Naito at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 6.

NJPW Power Struggle notes: Ospreay, Moxley, Finlay, Wrestle Kingdom lineup

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW is on the road to Wrestle Kingdom 18 following Saturday’s Power Struggle event in Osaka. 

Will Ospreay retained the IWGP United Kingdom/United States Championship in the show’s main event with a victory over Shota Umino and was confronted by Jon Moxley after the match in a tease for a Wrestle Kingdom bout. Ospreay and Moxley were then laid out by David Finlay who proceeded to destroy the US and UK title belts. In post-show comments, Ospreay stated that he wants Moxley and Finlay in a triple threat match at Wrestle Kingdom and hinted at the return of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for the bout. Moxley defeated Great-O-Khan earlier in today’s card.

In the show’s semi-main, Hiromu Takahashi retained the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship over Taiji Ishimori. He then laid out a challenge to El Desperado for a title bout at Wrestle Kingdom. Desperado and Hiromu have become something of career rivals with five matches rated four stars or higher by Dave Meltzer since 2018. Hiromu will have held the Junior title for a full year in his current reign if he holds the title until Wrestle Kingdom on January 4.

Elsewhere on the show, Bryan Danielson issued a challenge to Kazuchika Okada for Wrestle Kingdom, which Okada quickly accepted. 

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title match for Wrestle Kingdom 18 is also set following Saturday’s show, with Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) set to defend against the winners of the Super Junior Tag League tournament finals at Power Struggle, United Empire’s Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira). 

NJPW will likely officially announce the Intercontinental/US/UK title match, the Junior Tag title match, Danielson vs. Okada, and the Junior Heavyweight title match in the coming days, but here is the tentative lineup for the card as it stands now: 

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: SANADA defends against Tetsuya Naito
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi defends against El Desperado
  • IWGP UK/US or IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley vs. David Finlay
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) defend against Super Junior Tag League 2023 winners Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira)
  • IWGP Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defend against the winners of World Tag League 2023
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada

Our full report from today’s Power Struggle event can be found here.

Updated card for NJPW Power Struggle

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has confirmed a few new additions to the card for Power Struggle.

After being set up at Royal Quest, NJPW has officially announced Will Ospreay vs. Shota Umino and Jon Moxley vs. Great-O-Khan for Power Struggle. Ospreay is defending the IWGP United Kingdom/United States Championship in the match against Umino.

David Finlay vs. Tanga Loa has also been announced for Power Struggle. At Destruction in Ryogoku last week, Finlay lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Loa’s family member and tag team partner Tama Tonga.

Loa then pinned Finlay in a six-man tag team match at Royal Quest over the weekend.

NJPW wrote:

Meanwhile David Finlay will take on Tanga Loa in singles action. Less than one week after he lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Tama Tonga in Ryogoku, Finlay was again reeling from a loss to Loa in tag competition in London. A frustrated and humiliated Finlay demanded this singles match to gain fast and full revenge, but could the Silverback beat the Rebel again?

Power Struggle is taking place in Osaka on Saturday, November 4. The updated lineup for the show is listed below:

  • IWGP United Kingdom/United States Champion Will Ospreay defends against Shota Umino
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defends against Taiji Ishimori
  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii defend against Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls
  • Jon Moxley vs. Great-O-Khan
  • Super Junior Tag League finals
  • SANADA & Yuya Uemura vs. Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji
  • David Finlay vs. Tanga Loa

Impact Wrestling live results: Tag Team titles on the line

Posted on by Josiah MacDonald

With Bound for Glory less than two weeks away, a Tag Team title match will air on tonight’s edition of Impact Wrestling

The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) are defending their Impact Tag Team titles against Rich Swann & Sami Callihan tonight. The winning team will confirm their place on the Bound for Glory card. Ace Austin & Chris Bey are waiting to challenge for the titles at Bound for Glory.

The long-standing rivalry between Frankie Kazarian and Eddie Edwards will come to an end in a two-out-of-three falls match tonight. The first fall must be won by pinfall, the second fall must be won by submission, and the third fall will be a Last Man Standing match.

Jake Something, Dirty Dango, Jordynne Grace, Champagne Singh, and Eric Young will clash in a five-way match. The winner earns the right to enter last in the Call Your Shot gauntlet at Bound for Glory. The loser must enter first.

Tasha Steelz vs. Courtney Rush is also set for Impact. On BTI, Alan Angels faces off against Laredo Kid.

BTI Preshow

Josh Matthews compared Iceman’s Intel to the scoops Mean Gene would have on his old phone lies, but Matthews then assured the fans that Iceman’s Intel was free though. Iceman reported that Eddie Edwards was upset on a phone call, and we didn’t know who it was.

Alan Angels defeated Laredo Kid

This was a decent match between Angels and Kid, and like most luchadores in Impact, Kid lost here.

Impact Wrestling

The departed Sami Callihan is finishing up his tapings with this world tag team title match, teaming with Rich Swann.

Impact World Tag Team Champions The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachery Wentz) defeated Rich Swann & Sami Callihan to retain

As expected, Callihan ate the pin here as he is on the way out. Good tag team title match, and a good way to protect Swann, who is sticking around.

Despite the ending of this match being predictable given Callihan’s contract status, this was still an excellent tag match, as the Rascalz continue to be the most hateable heels in the company, while Swann and Callihan are very good babyfaces. Swann and Miguel exchanged strikes in the ring, but Wentz cut off Swann.

Wentz held the arms of Swann behind his back and Miguel tried to spray paint into the eyes of Swann, but Swann ducked, and he hit Wentz by accident. Callihan hit a Cactus Driver 97 on Wentz, and I actually bought the nearfall here, but Wentz hit a low blow on a second attempt, and Miguel and Wentz hit the Hot Fire Flame on Callihan for the win.

–Kenny King and Sheldon Jean were backstage and King claimed that Scott D’Amore was ducking him and trying to avoid giving him his contractual rematch with Tommy Dreamer. He also talked about their Heath problem, and he wanted to take Heath out, while threatening to make Heath’s kids pay for their dad’s sins.

–KiLynn King was with Gia Miller and talked about she believed that Jody Threat had no integrity, because Threat was the one who attacked Taylor Wilde with a tire iron. Santino then said it was interesting to him that King knew that Wilde was attacked with a tire iron, as the doctor only told him about it and no one else. King then admitted that she was the one who took out Wilde, because Wilde was dead weight once they lost the tag titles. I guess that plot point has been resolved.

Dirty Dango (w/ Alpha Bravo) defeated Eric Young, Jordynne Grace, Champagne Singh, & Jake Something

This match was weirdly laid out. Young and Something were absent for most of it, and the ending was baffling.

The winner of this match gets the #20 spot in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet at Bound for Glory, while the person pinned has to enter first. Champgagne Singh celebrated clotheslining Jordynne Grace. Dirty Dango and him danced, but soon broke down into trying to pin Grace themselves. Dango and Singh got some endless heat on Grace here, but Singh cut Dango off when he went to the top rope for a guillotine legdrop. Young and Something disappeared for about 5 minutes at this point, but Something came back into start fighting Dango and Singh with Grace.

Eric Young hit a flying elbow on Dango, but Alpha Bravo pulled Young from the ring to make the save. Young punched out Alpha Bravo, and as this happened Vladimir Kozlov, aka Oleg Prudius, walked down to the ring and took out Singh and Young, then headbutt Jake Something, allowing Dango to get the pin. Prudius, Dango, and Bravo celebrated after the match. I’m not sure the signing of the 54 year old Prudius will help Impact, and it is quite weird, but at least it’s only an angle with Dango, so it’s lower card.

–Crazzy Steve talked about finally putting Black Taurus behind him once he faces him next week.

–Mike Bailey announced he was asking for a open challenge next week to anyone on the level of Will Ospreay so he could have a warm up for his match at Bound for Glory.

Tasha Steelz (w/ Deonna Purrazzo) defeated Courtney Rush (w/ Jessicka)

This was a nothing match, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. It was just a match, and there is nothing wrong with this. Steelz should have won, and that is exactly what happened.

Steelz and Rush started the match focusing mostly on the mat, but both went down with a double clothesline after a few minutes. Rush eventually locked a sharpshooter on Steelz, and Purrazzo tried to push the ropes closer to Steelz, but the referee kept a close eye on Purrazzo. Steelz made it to the ropes and then hit a code breaker when Rush tried to pull Steelz from the ropes. Rush missed a spear, and Steelz hit a cutter for the win.

–A video aired of Alex Shelley getting pinned by Hiroshi Tanahashi in NJPW after Josh Alexander accidentally hit Shelley in their six-man tag against Kazuchika Okada, Tanahashi, and Tomohiro Ishii.

–Bully Ray walked up to Steve Maclin and said that Maclin called him soft last week in the locker room, and asked if he really did it again in front of the fans. Maclin confirmed he did. Ray said “Cool” and walked away. I sense violence in Maclin’s future.

Frankie Kazarian defeated Eddie Edwards in a 2/3 Falls Killer Impact Match

Kazarian and Eddie Edwards continue their long history of each producing great matches individually, and do so again together here. This was a great feud ending match, and they made the right call with Kazarian winning in the end. This was the easily the best part of this episode, and I encourage everyone to check it out.

The rules of this match were actually quite simple (queue Scott Hudson) as the first fall was won by pinfall, the second by submission, and the third as a last man standing match. The opening fall of the match was a brawl between both men, with Edwards hitting hard chops, as he does, and Kazarian using his speed to hit legdrops and go for pinfall attempts. Kazarian hit a chop, but Edwards made him pay with several hard chops in the corner that sent Kazarian to the mat.

The fans chanted “You still suck!” after a particularly hard chop. Edwards dodged a springboard legdrop and hit the Boston knee party to win the first fall.

Edwards continued his assault as they went to the ad break, and when they came back both men were exchanging strikes in the middle of the ring, with Edwards hitting hard chops. Edwards slapped Kazarian, which fired him up and he hit several strikes, but Edwards cut him off again with another hard chop. Edwards blocked a chicken wing and hit another hard chop before dumping Kazarian to the floor with a back suplex throw.

Kazarian came up with blood covering his chest from how hard the chops were, but he decided to keep fighting and flipped backwards out of a back suplex. He then hit a sole but and went for a leg submission, but Edwards fought out and got the advantage again. Edwards hit a backpack stunner, but Kazarian sat up and got the crossface chicken wing on Edwards, forcing a tap out.

Kazarian quickly shoved Edwards from the top rope and hit a hurricanrana to the floor. Kazarian began an assault with weapons in the match, busting Edwards open. Edwards got nailed with a garbage can, and the fans popped for it, but not as much as I expected, given the nature of the match. The crowd was not as loud as I would have hoped. Kazarian charged Edwards but Edwards hit a belly-to-belly overhead suplex that sent Kazarian flying into the timekeeper at ringside.

Kazarian and Edwards continued to brawl, but Edwards kept going back to the overhead belly-to-belly on the floor, winding him and causing damage. Edwards threw Kazarian into the ring, but this proved to be a mistake that allowed Kazarian to hit a slingshot cutter. Kazarian set up a table on the floor and had the finish in mind. Edwards managed to hit a hip toss into the steps on Kazarian.

Edwards tried to hit a tiger driver onto the stairs, but Kazarian fought out and hit an unprettier on the steps on Edwards. Kazarian went to put Edwards through a table, but Alisha Edwards nailed Edwards with a kendo stick. Kazarian still fought Edwards off and then hit a Styles Clash on the stage.

Alisha Edwards tried to hit a tornado DDT off the apron on Kazarian, but he caught her and ran around the ring and put her through a table with a spear. In actuality, Kazarian went pretty much back first through the table, protecting Alisha Edwards well, but it got a great reaction from the audience. Kazarian then grabbed Eddie Edwards and hit a fade to black off the apron through a table to the floor. I am worried about how Edwards landed, but he appeared to be fine as Kazarian got up at the count of 9 and Edwards was left in a heap on the floor.

Final Thoughts

This was mostly just a fine episode until the main event. The main event was awesome. The rest of the show was fine, but this was a truly excellent main event. Next week is the go home show for Bound for Glory, so they need to really bring it to sell the PPV.

Impact Wrestling – October 19, 2023

  • Trinity & Mickie James vs. Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans
  • Rhino & PCO vs. Moose & Myers
  • Kenny King vs. Heath
  • Mike Bailey vs. Samuray Del Sol
  • No DQ: Crazzy Steve vs. Black Taurus

Impact Wrestling Bound for Glory – October 21, 2023

  • Impact Knockouts World Championship: Trinity (c) vs. Mickie James
  • Monster’s Ball: Moose vs. PCO vs. Rhino vs. Steve Maclin

NJPW G1 Climax 33 night 12 live results: Shingo vs. Finlay

Posted on by Chick Fritts

C Block and D Block hit the home stretch on night 12 of the NJPW G1 Climax 33 tournament. 

Just one night of Block matches will remain for each group following tonight’s show, headlined by Shingo Takagi (5 points) vs. David Finlay (8 points). 

In the semi-main, Zack Sabre Jr. (8 points) faces Tetsuya Naito (6 points) in another potentially pivotal battle. 

The full lineup: 

  • C Block: David Finlay (4-1, 8 points) vs. Shingo Takagi (2-2-1, 5 points)
  • D Block: Zack Sabre Jr. (4-1, 8 points) vs. Tetsuya Naito (3-2, 6 points)
  • C Block: Tama Tonga (3-1-1, 7 points) vs. Eddie Kingston (3-2, 6 points)
  • D Block: Jeff Cobb (4-1, 8 points) vs. Hirooki Goto (2-3, 4 points)
  • C Block: Tomohiro Ishii (1-4, 2 points) vs. HENARE (1-4, 2 points)
  • D Block: Shane Haste (2-3, 4 points) vs. Toru Yano (1-4, 2 points)
  • C Block: EVIL (4-1, 8 points) vs. Mikey Nichols (1-4, 2 points)
  • D Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi (3-2, 6 points) vs. Alex Coughlin (1-4, 2 points)

Our live coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. 

**********

Recommended Matches

  • Alex Coughlin vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – This was a simple match that worked excellently in the tournament structure.
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito – ZSJ’s red-hot 2023 continues with an excellent performance against Naito. Comfortably the best Naito match in the tournament. 

**********

Alex Coughlin defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi

This match featured classic Tanahashi legwork challenged by Coughlin’s power. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a lot of fun. The match ended somewhat suddenly once Coughlin powered Tanahashi into a jackhammer, resulting in a pinfall win.

While Coughlin is mathematically eliminated, this win puts him at 4 points. Tanahashi’s tournament is also on the rocks following this rock.

Mikey Nichols defeated EVIL 

This was a total House of Torture match. EVIL initially jumped Nichols and used typical HoT tactics for the rest of the bout. Kosei Fujita eventually helped Nichols clear the ring, allowing Nichols to trap EVIL with an awkward pin to score the win.

This win doesn’t do much in terms of standings. EVIL is still atop of his block with 8 points, while Nichols has been eliminated from playoff contention with only 4 points.

Toru Yano defeated Shane Haste 

From blindfolds to an under-the-ring fight, it’s fair to say Yano was Yano in this one. After a prolonged time under the ring, Haste emerged from under the ring with a bucket taped to his head. Once the bucket was removed, Yano bumped Haste, leading to the bucket falling on the referee’s head. Yano dropped Haste with a low blow, and a roll-up closed the match. 

This result keeps both men at the bottom of the block and free from playoff contention with 4 points each. 

HENARE defeated Tomohiro Ishii

This match was nothing but these guys beating the breaks off of each other. After multiple false finishes, HENARE connected with a stiff sequence of strikes, followed by Streets of Rage to secure the win. 

Both of these guys were already eliminated, but this win gets HENARE up to 4 points. 

Hirooki Goto defeated Jeff Cobb

Goto sold the damage from the tournament throughout this match, having to withstand Cobb’s freakish strength. Goto busted out some unusual offense, including a code red, which he followed with the GTR to win the match. 

This win puts Goto at 6 points, which not only keeps him in playoff contention, but opens up the playoffs for a lot of D block.

Tama Tonga vs. Eddie Kingston

Two beloved babyfaces met and had a match that fits. Tama had a lot in this, but in the end, Eddie was able to win out with a back fist and a northern lights bomb.

Eddie’s win leaves him tied with block leaders at 8 points. 

Tetsuya Naito defeated Zack Sabre Jr.

From the opening bell, this match had a decent energy about it. A large portion was spent on mat work before transitioning into a standing finishing stretch. In the closing minutes, both men threw everything at each other, but Naito was able to secure the win with an inside cradle. 

This win keeps Naito, and a lot of D block in playoff contention. 

Shingo Takagi defeated David Finlay

This was a methodical match from the open, slowly building to a table spot. Finlay eventually powerbombed Shingothrough the table, acting as a mid-match climax. After an extended period of fighting back into the match, Shingo dropped Finlay with Last of the Dragon to win the match.

Shingo advances to 7 points, making C block a chaotic pickem heading into the end of block action.

**********

Standings

A Block

  • SANADA (6-0) – 12 points
  • Shota Umino (2-2-2) – 6 points
  • Kaito Kiyomiya (2-2-2) – 6 points
  • Hikuleo (3-3) – 6 points
  • Yota Tsuji (2-3-1) – 5 points
  • Gabe Kidd (2-3-1) 5 points
  • Chase Owens (2-4) – 4 points
  • Ren Narita (1-3-2) – 4 points

B Block

  • Kazuchika Okada (5-1) – 10 points
  • Will Ospreay (4-2) 8 points
  • Taichi (3-3) – 6 points
  • El Phantasmo (3-3) 6 points
  • Tanga Loa (3-3) 6 points
  • YOSHI-HASHI (2-4) – 4 points
  • KENTA (2-4) 4 points
  • Great-O-Khan (2-4) 4 points

C Block

  • David Finlay (4-2) – 8 points
  • EVIL (4-2) – 8 points
  • Eddie Kingston (4-2) – 8 points
  • Tama Tonga (3-2-1) – 7 points
  • Shingo Takagi (3-2-1) – 7 points
  • Mikey Nicholls (2-4) – 4 points
  • HENARE (2-4) – 4 points
  • Tomohiro Ishii (1-5) – 2 points

D Block

  • Jeff Cobb (4-2) – 8 points
  • Zack Sabre Jr. (4-2) – 8 points
  • Tetsuya Naito (4-2) – 8 points
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi (3-3) – 6 points
  • Hirooki Goto (3-3) – 6 points
  • Shane Haste (2-4) – 4 points
  • Alex Coughlin (2-4) – 4 points
  • Toru Yano (2-4) – 4 points

NJPW G1 Climax 33 night six live results: EVIL vs. Finlay

Posted on by Chick Fritts

NJPW’s G1 Climax 33 tournament continues today in Nagano with C Block & D Block matches. 

In the main event, EVIL takes on David Finlay in a C Block battle. Both men are 2-0 in the tournament. 

In the semi-main, the 1-1 Hiroshi Tanahashi faces United Empire’s Jeff Cobb and his 2-0 record. 

Today’s full lineup: 

  • C Block: EVIL (2-0, 4 points) vs. David Finlay (2-0, 4 points)
  • D Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-1, 2 points) vs. Jeff Cobb (2-0, 4 points)
  • C Block: Tomohiro Ishii (0-2, 0 points) vs. Shingo Takagi (0-2, 0 points)
  • D Block: Tetsuya Naito (1-1, 2 points) vs. Toru Yano (0-2, 0 points)
  • C Block: Eddie Kingston (1-1, 2 points) vs. HENARE (1-1, 2 points)
  • D Block: Hirooki Goto (1-1, 2 points) vs. Shane Haste (1-1, 2 points)
  • C Block: Tama Tonga (1-1, 2 points) vs. Mikey Nicholls (1-1, 2 points)
  • D Block: Zack Sabre Jr. (2-0, 4 points) vs. Alex Coughlin (0-2, 0 points)

Our live coverage begins at 5 a.m. Eastern time.

**********

Recommended Matches

  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Alex Coughlin – This pair has had one of the most consistent tournaments independently, and it’s no surprise that they kept that up in this match.

  • Eddie Kingston vs. HENARE – This was a fantastic sell-heavy Eddie match.

  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi – Filled with bombs, this was exactly the match you would expect from this pair, so if that sounds enticing, check this out. 

**********

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Alex Coughlin

This pair has had one of the most consistent tournaments independently, and it’s no surprise that they kept that up in this match.

This match, structurally, was about what you would expect from this pair. Coughlin used his strength in an attempt to wear down ZSJ, while ZSJ caught Coughlin in holds whenever an opportunity presented itself. ZSJ won this battle by utilizing an armbar.

With this win, ZSJ becomes the first man in D block with 6 points.

Tama Tonga defeated Mikey Nicholls

This match was fairly Nicholls-dominant for quite some time. In the end, that didn’t matter, as Tama was able to win with a pair of gun stuns.

Tama has tied C block leaders with 4 points.

Hirooki Goto defeated Shane Haste

This was a strange, brief match. Haste was very aggressive from the opening bell. Goto withstood the rush and turned a rear-naked choke into a pin to win the match in about two minutes. Throughout and after the short runtime, Goto held his midsection as if he was in horrible pain.

Goto advances to 4 points.

Eddie Kingston defeated HENARE

This was a great match built on Kingston’s selling. Even before the opening bell, HENARE put Kingston on the backfoot. Kingston’s rallies were fantastic, including the final one, which saw him rock HENARE with a spinning back fist before collapsing on him for the pinfall victory.

Kingston continues to keep up with the top of the heap, earning his 4th point in C block.

Tetsuya Naito defeated Toru Yano

The highlight of this match was Naito refusing to enter the ring until Yano behaved, resulting in Naito making multiple ring entrances. This game of chicken continued throughout a lot of the runtime. Naito was eventually able to roll up Yano to win the match.

Naito worked his way to 4 points with this win.

Shingo Takagi defeated Tomohiro Ishii

This match was exactly what you would expect from this pair, a lot of heavy striking sequences which turned into powerful move exchanges later in the match. Only after a string of false finishes with the time limit drawing near was Shingo able to close the match with a pumping bomber.

Shingo ended what was beginning to look like a losing streak to earn his first 2 points.

Jeff Cobb defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi

This match was built around Cobb overwhelming Tanahashi while Tanahashi tried to find openings in Cobb’s game. Ultimately, Cobb was able to keep up the pressure long enough to with a Tour of the Islands.

Cobb remains undefeated, making his way to 6 points.

David Finlay defeated EVIL

If you thought the Bullet Club melodrama was over, this match stepped in to ruin your day. Throughout the runtime, the HoT and War Dog Bullet Club sub-factions teased all-out war, which eventually came to pass after a ref bump. The match was filled with cheating and your typical Bullet Club goofiness. In the end, Finlay used the shillelagh before landing Oblivion to win the match.

Finlay remains the last undefeated man in C block, standing firm with 6 points.

**********

Standings

A Block

  • SANADA (3-0) – 6 points)
  • Kaito Kiyomiya (2-0-1) – 5 points
  • Gabe Kidd (2-1) 4 points
  • Chase Owens (2-1) – 4 points
  • Ren Narita (0-1-2) – 2 points
  • Shota Umino (0-1-2) – 2 points
  • Yota Tsuji (0-2-1) – 1 point
  • Hikuleo (0-3) – 0 points

B Block

  • Kazuchika Okada (3-0) – 6 points
  • Taichi (2-1) – 4 points
  • Will Ospreay (2-1) 4 points
  • YOSHI-HASHI (2-1) – 4 points
  • Tanga Loa (1-2) 2 points
  • KENTA (1-2) 2 points
  • Great-O-Khan (1-2) 2 points
  • El Phantasmo (0-3) 0 points

C Block

  • David Finlay (3-0) – 6 points
  • EVIL (2-1) – 4 points
  • Eddie Kingston (2-1) – 4 points
  • Tama Tonga (2-1) – 4 points
  • HENARE (1-2) – 2 points
  • Mikey Nicholls (1-2) – 2 points
  • Shingo Takagi (1-2) – 2 points
  • Tomohiro Ishii (0-3) – 0 points

D Block

  • Zack Sabre Jr. (3-0) – 6 points
  • Jeff Cobb (3-0) – 6 points
  • Hirooki Goto (2-1) – 4 points
  • Tetsuya Naito (2-1) – 2 points
  • Shane Haste (1-2) – 2 points
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-2) – 2 points
  • Alex Coughlin (0-3) – 0 points
  • Toru Yano (0-3) – 0 points

Clark Connors joins Bullet Club at NJPW Capital Collision

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new member of the Bullet Club was revealed at NJPW’s Capital Collision event.

After David Finlay defeated AR Fox on Saturday’s show, he called out Clark Connors. Finlay said that before, Bullet Club only aimed for people to sell t-shirts, but now he wants savages who will win titles. After offering a spot in the Bullet Club, Connors accepted, officially joining the stable.

In the previous match, Connors and partners The DKC, Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, and Lio Rush lost to KUSHIDA, Volador Jr., Mike Bailey, Gabriel Kidd, and Kevin Knight. After the match, Connors attacked DKC, threw him into the ring, then laid him out with a spear.

Since becoming the head of the Bullet Club in February, Finlay has continued to make changes within the long-running group. At Sakura Genesis earlier this month, Finlay, KENTA, and Gedo all turned on ELP after a tag match. Longtime tag partner Taiji Ishimori came to the ring and acted concerned, but then turned on ELP as well, eventually casting him out of the group.

New Japan Cup finals live results: SANADA vs. David Finlay

Posted on by Chick Fritts

SANADA will face David Finlay today in the finals of the 2023 New Japan Cup tournament. 

In the build to the finals, SANADA broke off from the Los Ingobernables de Japon group and joined the Just Five Guys stable, while Finlay joined Bullet Club. 

The New Japan Cup winner will face Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 8.

This is the first New Japan Cup finals appearance for Finlay, while SANADA was the runner-up in 2019. 

In the semi-main event, Hiromu Takahashi is set to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Lio Rush. 

The full card: 

  • New Japan Cup finals: SANADA vs. David Finlay
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi defends against Lio Rush
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open
  • Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare
  • El Desperado, Ren Narita, Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
  • Tama Tonga, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma vs. KENTA, Chase Owens & El Phantasmo
  • Shota Umino & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuto Nakashima vs. Taichi & DOUKI

Our live coverage begins at 4 a.m. Eastern time. 

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Just 5 Guys (DOUKI & Taichi) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuto Nakashima

This was a fine little opener here to shine some light on Nakashima.

DOUKI and Taichi took an early lead over an overly-ambitious Nakashima. Once Nakashima tagged to Tanahashi, the crowd came unglued. After Tanahashi gained control, Nakashima begged for a tag. Once obliged, Taichi hit Nakashima with an axe bomber and a dangerous backdrop to win the match.

Ryohei Oiwa & Shota Umino defeated TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)

The young lions opened the match with a bit of grappling. Despite Fujita’s accelerated learning as a part of TMDK, Oiwa took the lead and passed it off to Umino. After a tag to ZSJ, TMDK started to fight into the match.

After an ample selection of back-and-forths, Fujita tagged back in. He nearly caught Umino with a bridging pin, but Umino kicked out, hit Fujita with a death rider, and won the match.

After the match, Umino challenged ZSJ to a TV title match; ZSJ accepted.

BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, El Phantasmo & KENTA) defeated Tama Tonga, Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii and Owens were a bit of a focal point throughout this match. I still don’t know why this is happening.

Bullet Club used heelish tactics early to take advantage. The match then played out fairly typically, filled with Bullet Club using their numbers to overwhelm their opponents before an eventual babyface rally. In the end, ELP won by hitting Honma with CR2.

House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Strong Style (El Desperado & Ren Narita), Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano

This was far from a good match, but the post-match visuals were powerful. If they were to set up something other than a HOT trios match, I would have loved this.

The match opened with HOT attacking their Strong Style opponents. After a mostly one-sided beatdown, Yujiro hit Taguchi with a wrench.

After the match concluded, HOT unmasked Desperado. The post-match beatdown continued with HOT cutting off Narita’s shirt and spraypainting “HOT” on his torso. This led into an even more brutal beatdown and another Desperado unmasking.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated United Empire (Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan)

This was a tag built entirely around some firey exchanges between Shingo and Henare. For most of the match, Naito failed to get his wheels turning, and O-Khan was just kind of there.

In the end, it was O-Khan and Naito left alone in the ring while Henare and Naito brawled outside of the ring. Naito caught O-Khan with a rollup to win the match.

Henare and Shingo had a staredown over the KOPW belt after the match, further setting up their upcoming bout.

United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI)

CHAOS gained the upper hand early, but UE fought back, using environmental offense to take control. After an extended period with UE in the lead, the match entered a stretch of turbulence, with neither team being clearly ahead.

Ultimately, Aussie Open weathered the storm and came out on top after hitting YH with Coriolis.

After the match, Aussie Open made their challenge for Bishamon’s title clear. Cobb also called out Kenny Omega, who he imitated at points in the match.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Lio Rush

The match opened at a fast pace, with Lio taking the fight to the floor. Hiromu landed a powerbomb onto the apron and a slam into the barricade to take the early lead. Back in the ring, Hiromu maintained control for a while with a variety of wear-down moves.

To get himself back in the match, Lio hit an impressive flipping dive from the apron to the floor. Hiromu answered Lio with a powerbomb, but Lio held on, landing a poison rana and Rush Hour for a quick response.

Lio landed one splash, but Hiromu reversed the second and immediately followed with timebomb for a nearfall. Lio fought back with a Spanish fly and a DMV, both yielding nearfalls. Lio hit YOH’s direct drive and attempted another dive, but Hiromu rolled out of the way.

After surviving everything Lio could throw at him, Hiromu hit a lariat and timebomb 2 to win the match.

After the match, Zack Sabre Jr walked to the ring and announced the next challenger would be the newest member of TMDK, Robbie Eagles.

New Japan Cup 2023 Final Match: SANADA defeated David Finlay

This was a nothing match, but the crowd made it bearable.

This match opened with the loudest reaction from a New Japan crowd in years, in support of Niigata’s own, SANADA.

Finlay opened the match, taking the match to the floor and establishing control. As SANADA tried to fight back into the match, Finlay took the match back outside, slamming him into the barricade and apron. Back in the ring, Finlay clubbed SANADA with offense for quite some time. Most of the match spawned from this period of control.

Finlay began to look for the finish, but SANADA reversed the trash panda attempt into skull end. After escaping skull end, the pair traded shots at their finishers until SANDA landed a shining wizard and his new DDT to win the match.

After the match, SANADA challenged Okada to meet him in the ring. Okada toyed with SANADA, pointing out his previous failings ahead of their title bout. Before leaving, Okada stood tall, IWGP in hand.

After Okada left, SANADA cut the show-ending promo with a sea of lights in the crowd.

Quarterfinals of New Japan Cup set as two wrestlers advance

Posted on by Ian Carey

The final night of second-round action in the 2023 New Japan Cup concluded on Wednesday. 

Shota Umino and Bullet Club’s David Finlay both advanced to the quarterfinals. 

Finlay defeated Great-O-Khan in the night’s semi-main event after countering an Eliminator attempt into Trash Panda for the win. 

Umino then picked up a victory over two-time New Japan Cup winner, Zack Sabre Jr, in the main event, finishing his opponent off with a Death Rider. 

Umino and Finlay will now face each other in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 18, 2023, from Shizuoka. Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga is the other quarterfinal match on the card. 

The 2023 New Japan Cup continues on Friday with a show from Korakuen Hall. Tetsuya Naito vs. SANADA and EVIL vs. Mark Davis (replacing an injured Will Ospreay) are the tournament matches scheduled for the show.  

New Japan Cup 3/15 results from Okayama: 

  • Aaron Henare defeated Yuto Nakashima
  • Mark Davis, Kyle Fletcher & Jeff Cobb defeated Ryohei Oiwa, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto
  • Taichi, DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & TAKA Michinoku defeated Dick Togo, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL
  • KENTA, Chase Owens & El Phantasmo defeated Jado, Ren Narita & Tama Tonga
  • YOH, Lio rush, Tomoaki Honma, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii defeated BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito
  • New Japan Cup Second Round: David Finlay defeated Great-O-Khan
  • New Japan Cup Second Round: Shota Umino defeated Zack Sabre Jr. 

Upcoming New Japan Cup 2023 matches:

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. SANADA (March 17) (Quarterfinals)
  • EVIL vs. Mark Davis (March 17) (Quarterfinals) **
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga (March 18) (Quarterfinals)
  • David Finlay vs. Shota Umino (March 18) (Quarterfinals)

** Davis is replacing Will Ospreay, who was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a shoulder injury.