Tag: evil

NJPW G1 Climax 35 finals results: Takeshita vs. EVIL

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Ariake Arena in Tokyo hosts today’s G1 Climax 35 finals with a shot at NJPW immortality at stake in the tournament’s conclusion.

Konosuke Takeshita, the third place finisher in B Block, will face EVIL, the first place finisher in A Block, in today’s finals. The winner will earn a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship currently held by Zack Sabre Jr.

Tradition would say that today’s winner will challenge for NJPW’s top prize at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, 2026, but that tradition was bucked just last year by Sabre, who won the G1 and then cashed in his title shot at King of Pro Wrestling last October, where he went on to defeat Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Takeshita defeated David Finlay in the quarterfinals, then Sabre in yesterday’s semifinals. EVIL earned a bye into the semifinals where he defeated Yota Tsuji yesterday.

EVIL is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, holding the now-retired title for 48 days in 2020. Takeshita has not held IWGP gold, but held NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Championship for 162 days earlier this year.

Neither Takeshita nor EVIL have won the G1 before, meaning that first-time winners will be crowned in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2007 to 2013 stretch where there were seven consecutive first-time winners.

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Zane Jay & Masatora Yasuda vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto & Shoma Kato

We kick things off with some Young Lions action. Basic, non-flashy start by Jay and Masatora working over Matsumoto. Matsumoto finally hits a big dropkick on Jay to get the hot tag. Kato starts a house of fire and even gets a pin attempt off a scoop slam of all things. Jay escapes a vertical suplex attempt and shoots Kato into the corner with a dropkick of his own. Yasuda tags back in and locks a Boston Crab on Matsumoto, eventually forcing him to tap out. This marks Zane Jay’s first win in NJPW in the U.S.

Match Result: Zane Jay & Masatora Yasuda defeated Tatsuya Matsumoto & Shoma Kato

Satoshi Kojima & Taichi vs. Katsuya Mirashima & Togi Makabe

TAKA Michinoku is out with Kojima and Taichi. Taichi and Mirashima start out and exchange blows immediately. Kojima tags in he and Mirashima and they trade rapid-fire chops in the corner. Kojima follows up with an elbow drop off the turnbuckles for a two-count and Makabe tags in. A 10 punch series in the corner is followed by a lariat for a two count by Makabe.

Kojima tags in Taichi and they try for a double clothesline, but Makabe floors them both with a double clothesline of his own. Young Lion Mirashima gets to try his luck against Taichi and hits a power slam against one falf of the IWGP Heavyweight tag team champion for a two-count. Makabe is back in and Taichi hits a head kick, followed by a stunner from Kojima.

Mirashima almost gets the win against Taichi with a small package, but eats and Axe Bomber lariat for his troubles. Another lariat by Kojima and a back drop driver by Taichi seals the fate of the Young Lion for tonight, but I see great things in the future of young Mirashima in New Japan.

Post-match: Taichi shakes Kojima’s hand after the bout when the music of the Bullet Club War Dogs hits and Dave Finlay walks out and pauses on the stage, calling out some backup. It is the return of Young Blood: Yuto Nakashima and OSKAR Leube. We see those two back in NJPW for the first time since New Year Dash in 2024, after their European excursion in RevPro and wXw and a brief interlude in New Zealand over the summer. Nakashima now has white hair and is dressed in all-white while OSKAR is dressed in black. They promptly destroy Kojima, Taichi and Michinoku, ending things with a kick assisted jumping tombstone piledriver on Taichi. They pose with Taichi’s tag team title, making their intentions very clear, as they War Dogs pack seemingly just grew by two very aggressive and violent puppies.

Match Result: Satoshi Kojima & Taichi defeated Katsuya Mirashima & Togi Makabe

Master Wato, Toru Yano & Yoh vs. El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi & YOSHI-HASHI

Desperado and Yoh start off with Phantasmo getting the better of the exchange. Yano and YOSHI-HASHI are next and Yano immediately removes a pad from the corner and slams YOSHI-HASHI back first into it. Master Wato tags in and works over YOSHI-HASHI, who finally manages to tag in Taguchi.

Taguchi runs wild with hip attacks, almost taking Wato’s head off with a running hip attack in the ropes. Yoh tags back in, but both him and Wato get taken out by another springboard flying hip attack. All six men are in and it boils down to Desperado vs. Yoh before Wato flies in to take out Desperado, then immediately dives onto everyone else on the floor. Yoh hits the double underhook DDT and pins Desperado, potentially earning himself a future shot at the the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight championship.

Match Result: Master Wato, Toru Yano & Yoh defeated El Desperado, Ryusuke Taguchi & YOSHI-HASHI

El Phantasmo, Oleg Boltin & Tiger Mask vs. House of Torture (Don Fale, SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

We get our first taste of House of Torture for the night, as SANADA comes out with the broken guitar, that recently was smashed over the head of Drilla Moloney.

Phantasmo and SANADA start, as Phantasmo looks for guidance to Milano Collection AT at commentary on how to correctly apply the Paradise Lock. Fun times don’t last long as SANADA drags Phatasmo into the crowd and hits him in the head with a water bottle. Kanemaru is in next and applies some nasty head scissors on Phantasmo, who finally makes the ropes but it takes the referee’s intervention to finally break the hold. Phantasmo sends him to ringside, then hits a hurricanrana on SANADA but his partners get dragged off the apron as he is about to make the tag.

He finally manages to tag in Boltin, who clears house on SANADA and Kanemaru but runs into Fale. The big men clash and Boltin gets beaten down, necessitating a tag to Tiger Mask. Fale comes in for the other team and briefly gets tripple-teamed.

Kanemaru hits a blatant kick to the nether regions with the referee distracted, followed by a Shining Wizard by SANADA and an elbow drop by Fale for the win. Post-match, Fale and Boltin clash, with Boltin getting the better of the exchange and hitting a big splash on Fale to send House of Torture packing for the time being.

Match Result: House of Torture defeated El Phantasmo, Oleg Boltin & Tiger Mask

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura vs. United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)

Tanahashi and The Great-O-Khan start out with some mat wrestling before getting the crowd going with opposing chants. The President hits a cross body, then attacks the throat and poses over Khan in the corner, before getting kicked by Newman and Young.

It is now Great-O-Khan’s turn to pose over his opponent in the corner, as he strums the air violin, instead of the air guitar. Young is in next, holding his own against Tanahashi. New man is in next, but falls victim to a Dragon Screw by Tanahashi. Shota Umino is in next and sends Newman spinning with a shoulder block, before Great-O-Khan eats a dropkick and is sent to the outside. A fisherman’s suplex against Newman scores a two-count.

After Newman escapes a tornado DDT, Umino hits it on the second attempt, before both men are down and make tags respectively to Young and Uemura. Young with a rana, a sling blade and twisting suplex for a two-count. Jacob Austin Young briefly holds hiw own against all three opponents, before getting wiped out by a triple dropkick.

Chaos briefly ensues as everyone comes in at rapid succession trading moves, before Uemura pins Young with a dead bolt suplex. Tanahashi and Great-O-Khan have words as United Empire exits, as the announcers plug Tanahashi’s final match in the UK next week in the Lights Out cage match at AEW Forbidden Door.

Match Result: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura defeated United Empire

Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Gedo & Taiji Ishimori) vs. Daiki Nagai, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji

Nagai is pumped and gets into the faces of the War Dogs, who laughed him off. Gedo starts out with him, using cheap tactics to keep the Young Lion in check. Hiromu and Ishimori are in next, with Hiromu using Nagai to gain the advantage. Ishimori hits a handspring somersault kick to take Hiromu out, as Finlay takes over. Moloney is in next, as Hiromu is in trouble.

Ishimori is in next as things look dire for Hiromu, who finally makes the tag to Tsuji. Finlay is on the other side, who hits the Irish Curse on Tsuji. They go back and forth, until Finlay hits a spear. Moloney and Nagai are in next and trade blows, with the Young Lion not backing down. Shingo comes in for some backup, allowing Nagai to hit a spinebuster and a sliding D by Shingo.

Moloney hits a gore on Shingo, before a powerbomb, a buckle bomb by Finlay, another gore and the Drilla Killer seal the fate of Nagai and gives the War Dogs the victory.

Post-match, Moloney and Shingo further get into it, before Shingo sends Moloney and Gedo packing. Shingo asks for the mic and challenges Gabe Kidd for the NEVER Openweight title, telling him he should vacate the title if he can not defend it and vows to take care of all the War Dogs.

Match Result: Bullet Club War Dogs defeated Daiki Nagai, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji

House of Torture (Douki, Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.)

SHO cuts a promo before the match, insulting the crowd. Fujita grabs it but instead of a cutting a promos of his own, attacks SHO. After some brief action with Fujita, Oiwa and Douki in the ring the action spills to ringside as everybody brawls outside.

Douki and Oiwa return to the ring, with Oiwa receiving more punishment at the hands of SHO and Narita. With the ref distracted, House of Torture hits Oiwa on the outside with chairs, bats and whatnot. Takahashi is in with Oiwa, who finally hits a suplex and manages to tag in Zack.

The IWGP Heavyweight loses no time going on offense, before trading abdominal stretches with Narita. They keeb things mat-based, trading holds and hooks, as Narita locks in a nasty guillotine. Zack finally comes back with a PK and tags in Hartley Jackson, who steamrolls Narita with a running cross body. He misses a senton and finds himself trapped in a desperation knee bar before making the ropes.

The senton hits on the second attempt and Sho needs to make the save. Narita and Takahashi double team Jackson as the ref is distracted, but Oiwa comes in to clean house. Narita hits Jackson in the knee with a wrench, the push up bar is brought into play and Jackson gets hit with yet another foreign object, allowing Narita to hit Hell’s Guillotine for the pinfall victory.

Immediately post-match, ZSJ flies in to lock in a rear naked choke on Narita, but gets triple teamed right away. HoT is looking to hit ZSJ with a pipe before Fujita makes the save and then makes it very clear, he wants a shot at the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight tag team titles held by Douki and SHO. Zack then grabs a chair and goes on the hunt for Narita.

Match Result: House of Torture defeated TMDK

G1 Climax 2025 Finals: Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Rocky Romero) vs. EVIL (w/ Dick Togo and House of Torture)

Before the match, five-time G1 Climax winner Masahiro Chono comes out to hype the crowd and asks them, if they are ready for the finals. A video package then shows how we got here. EVIL in the finals feels very underwhelming, but I’ll try to keep an open mind. All the seconds get sent away from ringside, let’s see if they stay there.

EVIL with a side head lock to start things off, Takeshita escapes and hit a shoulder block to send EVIL to the mat. Roman knuckle lock and a test of strength follows, with some back and forth, like it’s Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior in 1990. EVIL locks in an abdominal stretch but Takeshita throws him off right away.

Three minutes in and here is the first interference of House of Torture with an attack by Dick Togo. EVIL distracts the referee and everyone beats down Takeshita on the outside, while EVIL already poses with the G1 trophy in the ring. EVIL works over Takeshita’s left knee as we reach the five minute mark. Takeshita misses an enzuigiri and EVIL locks in the STF, as Masa Chono looks on stoically from the commentary position, before Takeshita makes the ropes.

Takeshita is visibly hurt as his knee buckles under pressure and he again has to fend off House of Torture, which he does, even hitting a vertical suplex on Fale and hitting a dive on some of the rest. Rocky meanwhile drags some other members of HoT to the back with he help of some Young Lions.

Back in the ring, Takeshita flies at EVIL with a spinning punch, then hits a Yakuza kick in the corner before locking in the cross face chicken wing. Narita pulls Red Shoes out of the ring, who for some reason does not disqualify EVIL. He is about to hit Takeshita with the push -up bar but Zack Sabre Jr. comes in and drags Narita away by the ankle. Takeshita and EVIL trade punches, with Takeshita getting the better of the exchange, before EVIL kicks him in the knee again.

A lariat by EVIL scores him a two count. EVIL has Takeshita on his shoulders for Darkness Falls, but Takeshita hits a Gotch-style tombstone piledriver, then dead lifts EVIL for a wheel barrow suplex. Both men hit lariats at the same time, and for the first time, this match feels like a G1 finals, about 13 minutes in. Both are back up, hit synchronized lariats again, this time not leaving their feet, Takeshita misses a fling knee in the corner and tumbles over the ropes, hurting his knee some more. EVIL hits a superplex for another two-count, then locks in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Takeshita gets tot he bottom rope.

EVIL hits Darkness Falls for another close two-count. Takeshita evades Everything is Evil and eventually counters with an exploder. Takeshita counters Everything is Evil with an “Everything is Alpha” (as the announcers called it) of his own and gets a two-count. He hits a huge Blue Thunder Bomb for another close near-fall, then hobbles to the corner and wills himself to the top rope for a big senton off the top, but still only gets a two count.

EVIL hits his spinning face buster for a two, then follows up with another Scorpion Deathlock. Takeshita manages to crawl to the ropes after a long time. EVIL goes for another Everything is Evil, but Takeshita’s knee gives out and he collapses before EVIL can hit the move. Takeshita blocks the move a second time and receives a hard right to the jaw for his troubles. Takeshita still comes back with a huge suplex, even bridging with just one leg, but it only gets him a narrow two-count.

Takeshita hits a flying knee for another two, then takes his knee brace off to hit another one, but collapses again during the sprint. Red Shoes checks on Takeshita, allowing EVIL to hit a low blow from behind and a lariat for the sure victory. But Takeshita KICKS OUT ONCE MORE!!!

Takeshita counters Everything is Evil into a back slide, then hits a huge Last Ride. He does for another knee, but EVIL catches it. Takeshita hits a knock-out punch and follows up with Raging Fire for the victory. The second half of the match delivered and I am glad we got no more HoT shenanigans after its mid-point.

Konosuke Takeshita has won the G1 Climax 35 in 26:26 and will go on to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, presumably at Wrestle Kingdom 2026.

It is time for the ceremony and Takeshita is in tears as he receive the trophy and the G1 flag. He is still crying as he starts his promo, talking about achieving his dream and making dreams come true. He tells everyone who wants to become a professional wrestler, that he is the best professional wrestler there is. He says that the wrestling world has seen nothing yet and declares himself the Alpha once more.

Match Result: Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Rocky Romero) defeated EVIL (w/ Dick Togo and House of Torture) to win the 2025 G1 Climax

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL official for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The first match is official for NJPW’s biggest show of the year in the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2025.

After all-time great and company president Hiroshi Tanahashi was challenged to a Wrestle Kingdom bout by EVIL earlier this week, NJPW has officially announced the bout in a website post and news release.

At King of Pro-Wrestling earlier this month, Tanahashi made the surprise announcement that he will be stepping away from the ring effective January 4, 2026 with his retirement match planned for Wrestle Kingdom 20. EVIL then stated his intention to retire “The Ace” ahead of time and threw down the gauntlet for the Tokyo Dome.

The Wrestle Kingdom 19 lineup remains in flux after the 2024 G1 Climax winner Zack Sabre Jr. cashed in his IWGP World Heavyweight title shot at KOPW instead of waiting for the Tokyo Dome and Wrestle Kingdom as has been tradition.

The Wrestle Dynasty event on January 5 also set for the Tokyo Dome further clouds the forecast for the Wrestle Kingdom card, as all of NJPW’s partner promotions being included in that event opens the possibility of a lot of interpromotional dream matches.

The card so far for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 set for Saturday, January 4, 2025:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL

EVIL challenges Hiroshi Tanahashi for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19

Posted on by Bryan Rose

EVIL and Hiroshi Tanahashi will do battle at Wrestle Kingdom 19.

At the end of Tanahashi’s press conference on Tuesday regarding his upcoming retirement, EVIL made a surprise appearance and confronted Tanahashi. The House of Torture leader told Tanahashi that NJPW is his company, and he will tell Tanahashi when he retires, and it will be on January 4, 2025. Tanahashi responded by saying that beating EVIL at the Tokyo Dome would not only be the best start to 2025 but also the best start to his retirement road.

Tanahashi announced his retirement at Power Struggle last weekend, saying his last match will take place at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026. After his announcement, EVIL and the rest of House of Torture ambushed Tanahashi, with EVIL declaring that he would be the one to say when Tanahashi’s career ends.

During the press conference, Tanahashi cited his physical condition as to why he’s retiring, noting issues with his knees and abs, as well as his new position of NJPW’s president, saying he would transition into a full-time office role following his retirement.

He also expressed wrestling singles matches with everyone on NJPW’s roster, from established stars to the young lions. He also has an interest in wrestling Katsuyori Shibata and Shinsuke Nakamura.

“They’re rivals I came up with,” he said. “There are a lot of hurdles to overcome with those people, but we’ll see.”

Tanahashi also hoped for a happy retirement when the time comes in 2026.

“I’ve seen a lot of retirements, been there for a lot of them,” he said. “I always cry at retirements, but I really want to leave the ring behind with a smile on my face.”

Jon Moxley vs. EVIL lumberjack death match official for NJPW Dominion

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Jon Moxley’s IWGP World Heavyweight title defense against EVIL at NJPW Dominion has a new stipulation.

NJPW has officially announced that Moxley will defend the IWGP World title against EVIL in a lumberjack death match at Dominion on Sunday, June 9.

EVIL requested the stipulation in an interview posted to NJPW’s website on Thursday, and the promotion confirmed the added wrinkle late Friday.

Osaka-jo Hall will host Dominion on Sunday, June 9. The show will stream on NJPW World beginning at 3 a.m. Eastern time. The current card for the event:

  • Best of the Super Juniors 31 finals: A Block winner vs. B Block winner
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defends against EVIL in a lumberjack death match
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against HENARE
  • NJPW World TV Champion Jeff Cobb defends against Tomohiro Ishii
  • Provisional KOPW 2024 Champion Yuya Uemura defends against Great-O-Khan
  • IWGP Tag Team & NJPW Strong Tag Team title elimination match: KENTA & Chase Owens vs. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste

EVIL challenges Jon Moxley to lumberjack match for NJPW Dominion

Posted on by Ethan Renner

EVIL has proposed a new stipulation for his IWGP World Heavyweight title challenge against Jon Moxley at NJPW Dominion on June 9.

In a kayfabe interview posted to NJPW’s website Thursday, EVIL proposed a lumberjack stipulation for his match against Moxley set for Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall on Sunday, June 9.

EVIL’s challenge from the interview:

Since this low life mud show ‘wrestler’ wants to run away from any kind of a fair fight under IWGP rules then I have something for him. June 9 in Osaka Jo Hall, a Lumberjack Match for the title. That way he has no escape.

He can talk about gang warfare all he wants, but all he has in his gang of reprobates is that waste of space Umino, right. When he’s trapped in the ring with no way out around him, he’ll see his future is as bleak as that fake title he carries round. If he wants to bring his snot nosed brat with him he can, and we’ll make sure both understand what justice looks like. June 9 in Osaka Jo Hall, I’ll crush you in a Lumberjack Match. Don’t you forget it!

The current lineup for Dominion:

  • Best of the Super Juniors 31 finals: A Block winner vs. B Block winner
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defends against EVIL
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against HENARE
  • NJPW World TV Champion Jeff Cobb defends against Tomohiro Ishii
  • Provisional KOPW 2024 Champion Yuya Uemura defends against Great-O-Khan
  • IWGP Tag Team & NJPW Strong Tag Team title elimination match: KENTA & Chase Owens vs. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste

Six title matches announced for NJPW Dominion

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Six title matches will take place at Osaka-jo Hall.

NJPW has confirmed that Jon Moxley will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight title in Japan on June 9 against EVIL. The end of NJPW’s Resurgence event saw EVIL attack Moxley, defacing the IWGP title in the process. In a post-match promo, Moxley promised to rid NJPW of The House of Torture, who are sure to play a part in the match.

Shingo Takagi meanwhile, will defend the NEVER Openweight title against Henare, who returned in a video that aired at Resurgence and challenged the winner between Takagi and Yuya Uemura. Takagi retained the title, setting up the match for Dominion. Uemura, meanwhile, will defend the KOPW 2024 title against Great-O-Khan. The rules for the match have yet to be announced.

Other title matches will see Jeff Cobb defend the New Japan World Television title against Tomohiro Ishii and a four-way tornado elimination match for both the IWGP and New Japan Strong Tag Team titles pitting ELP & Hikuelo and KENTA & Chase Owens putting up their titles against TMDK and Bishamon.

Here is the updated lineup for Dominion:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight title: Jon Moxley defends against EVIL
  • NEVER Openweight title: Shingo Takagi defends against Henare
  • KOPW 2024: Yuya Uemura defends against Great-O-Khan
  • NJPW World Television title: Jeff Cobb defends against Tomohiro Ishii
  • Four-way tornado elimination match for IWGP & NJPW Strong Tag Team titles: ELP & Hikuelo (NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions) vs. KENTA & Chase Owens (IWGP Tag Team Champions) vs. TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) vs. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)
  • Best of the Super Juniors 31 finals

Semifinals set for New Japan Cup 2024

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The semifinals of the New Japan Cup are now set.

On Sunday, Yota Tsuji and EVIL both advanced from the quarterfinals. They will now face each other in the semifinals, which take place Monday morning. The winner of that match will then move on to the finals on March 20, where they will face the winner between Hirooki Goto and SANADA.

During Tsuji vs. Ren Narita, House of Torture members began to interfere towards the end of the match. Los Ingobernables de Japon ran out to even the score, allowing Tsuji to advance by rolling up Narita. HoT then jumped Tsuji, but Shingo Takagi got involved, kicking off the main event between Takagi and EVIL. Much like the previous match, HoT regularly interfered until EVIL hit Takagi with the Everything is Evil for the win.

The winner of the New Japan Cup usually challenges for the IWGP World Heavyweight title. SANADA won last year’s New Japan Cup and went on to defeat Kazuchika Okada the following month at Sakura Genesis to win the title.

New Japan Cup 2024 night 10 live results: Shingo vs. EVIL

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The semifinals for the New Japan Cup 2024 will be set following today’s last quarterfinals bouts in Shizuoka. 

Both tournament matches tonight feature a member of Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. a member of Bullet Club’s House of Torture.

Former LIJ’s Shingo Takagi & HoT’s EVIL will meet in the main event quarterfinals matchup with a spot in Monday’s semifinals on the line. 

In tonight’s other quarterfinals match in the semi-main, LIJ’s Yota Tsuji faces HoT’s Ren Narita. 

The winners of today’s tournament matches will meet on Monday’s show in the semifinals. Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA is already set for the other semifinals bout on Monday’s show. 

Six tag team matches round out today’s undercard, including an LIJ vs. Just Five Guys trios match featuring Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura. 

Today’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 2 a.m. Eastern time.

Katsuya Murashima & Oleg Boltin defeated Ryusuke Taguchi & Shoma Kato

This match featured heavy back and forth from the Young Lions. Taguchi wore his own Young Lion attire, matching the energy from the others. Oleg won the match for his team with a big drop to Kato.

Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Tanga Loa) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP)

This was an absolutely nothing match. After minutes of struggle, Loa won the match for GoD.

TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb)

This was a solid showcase between these teams. The isolation work and breakdown sequences were a blast. The match ended with a ZSJ arm bar on Newman that forced the submission.

El Desperado, Shota Umino & YOH defeated House Of Torture (Jack Perry, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

This was a total HoT match. There was a chicanery involving the Junior belt. Umino was able to overcome the hijinks to win the match.

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd, Gedo, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori)

This was a standard Bullet Club match built around isolation and the hot tag. Ishii and Kidd continue to be the best part of these showcase tags. Once Ishii and Kidd stopped brawling, YH won the match for his team.

Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito)

This match featured heavy interaction between SANADA and Naito early. An extended match breakdown followed with a back-and-forth between teams. The scramble ended with Uemura securing a quick pin on BUSHI.

New Japan Cup: Yota Tsuji defeated Ren Narita

Narita opened the match by rushing Tsuji. He tried taking advantage on the floor, but Tsuji reversed, whipping Narita into the barricade. This forced Narita to the ring to recover.

After a pause, Narita went back outside and reversed momentum by driving Tsuji into the fencing. Narita then slammed Tsuji into the Shizuoka wall before throwing him into a sea of chairs. Narita followed up by attacking Tsuji with the floor seats. Back in the ring, Narita continued this advance. Tsuji eventually knocked Narita to the floor, but Narita cut off his dive with a chair shot.

Tsuji eventually launched into a rally. After scoring a couple of two counts from big moves, Tsuji set up for Gene Blast. Narita reversed and attempted Double Cross. Tsuji blocked Double Cross with a handstand and went for Gene Blast again. This time, Narita pulled the referee into Tsuji’s path.

After the ref bump, HoT hit the ring in full. Thankfully, LIJ was right behind and cleared the ring. Narita tried to take advantage of the distraction by hitting Tsuji with his pushup bar but he missed. Narita didn’t waste any time, though; he hit a low blow to follow up. Before Narita could capitalize, however, Tsuji transitioned into the pin and won the match.

Tsjui has defeated Narita for the first time in his career to advance to the semi-finals.

After the match, HoT beat down Tsuji. EVIL joined the beatdown, prompting Shingo Takagi to join the conflict ahead of the main event.

New Japan Cup: EVIL defeated Shingo Takagi

The brawl that marked the end of the last match kicked off this one. Shingo started hot, but EVIL was able to reverse momentum by utilizing his environment. Inside the ring, EVIL choked Shingo with a shirt, taking advantage of a distracted referee.

Shingo eventually launched a rally, but a kick from EVIL sent him to the mat. This led to HoT filling the floor with chairs. EVIL tried suplexing Shingo into the hardware, but Shingo reversed, giving EVIL a taste of his own medicine. Shingo then hit a suplex in the ring to further his newfound lead.

A sliding lariat from Shingo scored him a nearfall. EVIL needed separation, so he pretended to be injured. This distracted the referee, leading to a ref bump and HoT rushing the ring. HoT beat down Shingo, leaving EVIL in strong position.

Shingo dug deep to challenge EVIL’s lead, hitting a lariat to reset the match. After knocking EVIL to the floor, Shingo hit Made in Japan. During the count, HoT rang the bell before the referee could finish his count, triggering another distraction.

EVIL shoved Shingo into the referee again, leading to a full breakdown between LIJ and HoT. EVIL ate a face full of black mist, whiskey, and mystery powder before the referee woke back up. EVIL landed Everything is Evil and pinned Shingo to win the match.

EVIL advances to face Tsuji in the semi-finals.

NJPW reveals full card for New Beginning in Nagoya

Posted on by Bryan Rose

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)
  • Kickoff match: Shoma Kato vs. Katsuya Murashima

NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku live results: SANADA vs. EVIL lumberjack match

Posted on by Chick Fritts

SANADA defends the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against EVIL in a lumberjack match as NJPW’s Destruction tour ends today in Ryogoku. 

Formerly tag team partners and members of Los Ingobernables de Japon, SANADA is now with Just Five Guys, while EVIL is with the Bullet Club House of Torture group. SANADA has promised a surprise fifth member will join Just Five Guys today following Yoshinobu Kanemaru’s defection from the group. 

Five other title matches will be part of the 10-match lineup.

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight title is on the line in the semi-main, with Hiromu Takahashi defending against YOH and “Speedball” Mike Bailey in a triple threat match. 

David Finlay is set to defend the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tama Tonga on the show. 

Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii will defend the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles against Impact’s Alex Shelly, Chris Sabin & Josh Alexander in another title match. 

The NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team titles will also be on the line as Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd defend against El Phantasmo & Hikuleo.

Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles against KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight.

**********

Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Toru Yano, Oskar Leube, & YOSHI-Hashi defeated Takahiro Katori (Freedoms), Jun Masaoka (DDT), Kazuma Sumi (DDT), Takeshi Masada (DDT), & Kengo (Freedoms/Tenryu Project)

This match opened with a Yano rollup attempt, prompting the interpromotional team to beat him down. This led to a control period over the NJPW veterans before Leube turned the match around for his team.

The Frontier team rushed the ring to break up a Taguchi pin attempt, leading to a match breakdown. After clearing the ring of the other team, Taguchi submitted Katori with an ankle lock.

Leube, a last-minute substitute for YOH, was a highlight of this match. His size was the contrast this match needed to be anything more than silly. It was still silly, but not that silly.

DOUKI, TAICHI, & Yuya Uemura (Just 5 Guys) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, & Yujiro Takahashi (House of Torture)

Before the match could begin, a video revealed that Yuya Uemura is not only back in New Japan but also Kanemaru’s replacement in Just 5 Guys.

The match was a typical HoT outing from the open. Yuya acted as a focal point in the comeback spots, helping his team stay competitive throughout the match. After a couple of breakdowns, Yuya hit Yujiro with a deadbolt suplex to secure a pinfall victory.

Tanga Loa defeated Chase Owens

I honestly have no idea why this match happened. It did nothing for either guy, furthered nothing, and was hard to watch.

Owens tried to rush Loa before the match but ate a spinebuster instead. Owens utilized an illegal choke to get back in the match before bumping the referee and dropping Loa with a knee rake. Owens continued to work the leg to maintain momentum.

Eventually, they worked their way outside the ring, where Owens hit a jewel heist, nearly ending the match with a countout. Back in the ring, they awkwardly traded momentum before Owens hit a C-Trigger. Owens attempted a package piledriver, but Loa reversed into an OJK, forcing Owens to submit.

BUSHI, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, HENARE, & Callum Newman (United Empire)

This match was not good, not good at all. So far as I can tell, it was just here to keep these guys, mostly Naito, on the card.

After a prolonged stint of UE control, Shingo tagged out to Naito, who also struggled to gain anything substantial. The Naito tag allowed Newman to get in a bit of offense against Naito, prompting the rest of LIJ to hit the ring. After the run-in, Naito dropped Newman with Destino to win the match.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors (Bullet Club War Dogs) (c) defeated KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight (Jet Setters)

Moments after the opening bell, Knight hit the War Dogs with a nasty dive on the floor. Back in the ring, the Jet Setters worked in tandem to control the champions.

The match slowed down a bit during Kushida’s control segment. As the War Dogs fought back, their offense was as mean as always, but the pace still suffered. Once Knight tagged in, the match picked back up.

Knight’s rally ended with a tandem spear/chop block from the champions. Kushida hit the ring, resetting the match. After some more back and forth, Moloney dropped Kushida with a brutal driver. Connors then hit both of his opponents with spears to retain the belts.

Master Wato, Shota Umino, & Yuji Nagata defeated El Desperado, Ren Narita, & Minoru Suzuki (Strong Style)

While this wasn’t the best of the Strong Style multi-mans, it was still a ton of fun. It was fairly chaotic, with Narita and Umnio maintaining their spot as this feud’s soul.

Match number 7 of this best-of-7 series opened with a tense staredown.

Wato and Desperado started the match with a standard sequence before tagging out to the veterans. Suzuki and Nagata traded strikes inside the ring and out. Umino and Narita then entered the fray, picking up where they always leave off.

After spending a heap of time in the ring together, Narita and Umino traded finisher attempts, leaving both men grounded. Nagata and Suzuki hit the ring but maintained their focus on each other. Wato and Desperado then hit the ring, giving Narita and Umino more time to recover. Once Umino and Narita returned to their feet, they traded mean strikes. Umino won out, hitting Narita with deathrider before pinning him.

This result, 3-3-1, leaves the best-of-7 as a draw. After the match, each rival pair shook hands.

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship: El Phantasmo & Hikuleo defeated Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd (c) (Bullet Club War Dogs)

This War Dog pair is really something special. Their limb work tonight was focused, their offense was intense, and their presence was palpable. This match was significantly better than it should have been—the first great match on this card.

The War Dogs opened the match with a sneak attack on the main unit pair. The champions then set their focus on the leg of Hikuleo, forcing him to seek a tag. The eventual hot tag to ELP was short-lived, as the War Dogs gained the lead and isolated him with ease.

Once recovered, Hikuleo tagged into the match, launching a rally against both Dogs. Coughlin cut the rally with a pair of suplexes and a single-leg Boston crab. ELP tagged back in, only to be choked from the top rope and dropped with a doomsday device and double muscle buster.

After ELP kicked out, Hikuleo provided a distraction, buying him enough time to duck a clothesline, dropping Coughlin. Kidd didn’t slow down though, unloading on Hikuleo with strikes and a bit of spit; Hikuleo answered with a palm strike. Hikuleo and ELP hit a synchronized superkick and chokeslam before an assisted Thunderkiss ’86 left ELP with an unchallenged pin on Coughlin, winning them the STRONG titles.

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship: Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Josh Alexander, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelly

To the surprise of absolutely no one, this match was fantastic.

Shelly and Tanahashi opened with a slick sequence before tagging into Ishii and Alexander, who maintained the pace. Okada and Sabin then entered the match, leading to a substantive back and forth.

A match breakdown allowed the Impact trio to gain control over Okada, isolating him from his team. Okdada withstood the onslaught before tagging back to Ishii, who took the fight to Alexander once more. Alexander dropped Ishii with multiple suplexes before nailing him with a disgusting backbreaker.

Ishii reversed the C4 attempt and hit Alexander with a headbutt that sent his headgear flying. Sabin hit the ring with a dropkick to keep the Impact trio ahead, but Ishii answered with a suplex and a tag to Tanahashi.

Tanahashi’s withstood an MCMG attempt at coming back, allowing the rest of his team to isolate Shelly. The Impact trio fired back, but a miscommunication allowed the champions to maintain their control. Tanahashi then hit Shelly with High Fly Flow to win the match, retaining the 6-man championships while pinning the Impact Heavyweight Champion.

NEVER Openweight Championship: Tama Tonga defeated David Finlay (c)

This match had its moments, especially in its earlier stages, but by the end, I was happy it was over.

Finlay opened the match with a surprise attack on Tama, followed by a quick spear. The action then worked to the outside, where Finlay beat him with a chair and drove him through the barricade. A fired-up Tama fought back with a Tangan twist on an exposed portion of the floor before continuing his assault inside the ropes.

Finlay eventually baited Tama back to the floor, throwing him headfirst into the ring post. Back in the ring, Finlay hit the Dominator for a nearfall. Tama reversed an attempted follow-up, but his rally was cut short.

Finlay pushed Tama from the top rope to the floor. The pair struggled for control on the side of the apron for a moment before Finaly drove Tama through a table with a powerbomb. Back in the ring, Finlay hit another powerbomb, but Tama reversed Oblivion into a gun stun.

A late back-and-forth with various blocked finish attempts played out. After missing multiple gun stuns, Tama finally connected with one, but Finlay kicked out. Another struggle played out, ending when Tama hit a Styles Clash and a DSD. Tama then pinned Finlay to win the NEVER Championship.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Mike Bailey, & YOH

If you’ve enjoyed the rest of Hiromu’s reign, you’ll love this, but I wouldn’t call myself a fan. While it never slowed down, it lacked the raw energy needed for a match this structureless.

Bailey opened the match by rushing both of his opponents, which, surprisingly, worked in his favor. From here on, the match functioned as a singles match, with runins switching the pair wrestling.

Bailey landed a double-knee senton on Hiromu. This prompted YOH to hit the ring, but Hiromu quickly answered by throwing YOH into Bailey. Once Bailey recovered, he established the lead by running corner-to-corner with kicks. When Bailey climbed to the top, he was interrupted by both men, leading to a YOH superplex on each of his opponents.

A lariat from YOH sent Hiromu to the floor. Bailey took this opportunity to challenge YOH, but YOH won out with a suplex resulting in a nearfall. YOH then hit Hiromu with a splash, forcing Bailey to make the save. YOH then landed Drive on Bailey, forcing Hiromu to make the save.

Late in the match, Hiromu reversed Direct Drive before landing a Timebomb, but YOH kicked out. Hiromu then hoisted YOH back up before landing a lariat and Timebomb 2 to win the match and retain his belt.

After the match, Taiji Ishimori appeared in the ring and dropped Hiromu with a pump kick. He cut a promo with Hiromu’s belt in hand, challenging him to a match for the title.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Lumberjack Deathmatch: SANADA (c) defeated EVIL

This was an unfortunate main event. At this point, it’s just disappointing, really.

SANADA started the match strong, gaining advantage in the ring. EVIL eventually sent SANDA to the floor where the House of Torture lumberjacks took beatdown SANADA, leaving EVIL in uncontested control.

SANADA eventually retook the lead after utilizing a double paradise lock and landing multiple dives on the HoT lumberjacks. Instead of contesting this control, EVIL tried to leave the building with the IWGP belt in hand; thankfully, the rest of the 5 Guys chased EVIL down and carried him back to the ring.

Back in the ring, SANADA accidentally dropped the referee with an elbow, allowing the HoT lumberjacks to assault SANADA. After two more referees hit the ring, SANADA began to show signs of life.

EVIL escaped the skull end before locking in a scorpion deathlock. SANADA escaped by reaching the bottom rope, only to eat a Darkness Falls. SANADA held on, hitting a quick magic screw to keep himself in the match.

SANADA locked in a skull end after missing a moonsault. Before EVIL could submit, Dick Togo rang the ring bell. This led to a fight between the lumberjacks, distracting SANADA. EVIL then shoved SANADA into the 3rd referee, leading to both teams going at it in the ring. J5G won the exchange with SANADA ending it via shinning wizzard.

SANADA hit EVIL with a pair of moonsaults, but Togo pulled the referee to the floor. Yuya Uemura tried taking care of Togo but ate an EVIL low blow for trying. EVIL then killed SANADA with a chair shot and a Togo-assisted Magic Killer. The referee refused to count EVIL’s fall, flipping him and Togo off instead.

SANADA shoved EVIL into Togo but ate a lariat immediately after. SANADA reversed the Everything is Evil attempt with one of his own, followed by a pair of shining wizards and a Dead Fall to win the match.

The main event of WrestleKingdom is set—Naito vs. SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

After the match, SANADA was awarded with a one-year supply of vinegar before Keji Mutoh presented him with the IWGP World Heavyweight championship.

SANADA cut a promo acknowledging his shared past with Naito. He then welcomed Yuya to J5G and ended the show with a shower of confetti.

Lumberjack stipulation proposed for IWGP World Heavyweight title match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A stipulation has been proposed for SANADA and EVIL’s upcoming IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match.

SANADA is defending the title against EVIL at NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku on Monday, October 9. At a press conference on Tuesday, SANADA suggested that the bout be a lumberjack match.

Though SANADA is champion, EVIL is currently in possession of the IWGP World Heavyweight title belt after stealing it from SANADA last month. EVIL even released a T-shirt commemorating his fake title reign.

The explanation for the lumberjack stipulation was that SANADA proposed it so their title match would be fair. SANADA said he knows House of Torture would interfere in the match anyway, so the lumberjack stipulation would allow both House of Torture and Just Five Guys to be at ringside from the start.

This might not be fitting of an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match, but I would like to propose lumberjacks for our title match. He stole the title from me and there’s been nothing but interference in all our matches. He was once my best tag team partner, and I always felt it a goal of mine that we should go one on one for the world title. I want this to be a fair fight, so let’s make it a Lumberjack Match.

EVIL said he would think about the stipulation.

SANADA and EVIL were formerly tag team partners in Los Ingobernables de Japon. SANADA is currently part of Just Five Guys with Taichi, DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and TAKA Michinoku. EVIL is the leader of House of Torture, which also includes SHO, Dick Togo, and Yujiro Takahashi.

Here’s the current lineup for Destruction in Ryogoku:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA defends against EVIL
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defends against Mike Bailey and Lio Rush in a three-way match
  • NEVER Openweight Champion David Finlay defends against Tama Tonga
  • Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin defend against El Phantasmo & Hikuleo
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defend against KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight
  • Tanga Loa vs. Chase Owens
  • Best-of-seven series finale: Shota Umino, Master Wato & Yuji Nagata vs. Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki
  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii defend against Josh Alexander, Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin

Several title matches announced for NJPW Destruction tour

Posted on by Ian Carey

NJPW has announced several title matches for its upcoming Destruction tour. 

The two big events upcoming will be Destruction in Kobe on Sunday, September 24 from Kobe World Hall in Hyogo and Destruction in Ryogoku on Monday, October 9 from the Ryogoku Kokugikan. 

In Kobe, Will Ospreay will defend the IWGP United States Championship against Yota Tsuji in what will be the first singles match between the two. Also on that show, Bishamon will defend the tag titles against TMDK’s Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls, and Taichi defends the KOPW trophy against SHO.

G1 Climax 33 winner Tetsuya Naito will wrestle Jeff Cobb in Ryogoku as well. Cobb defeated Naito in the G1 Climax 33 group stage. Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan has also been scheduled for the show. 

Destruction in Kobe on Sunday, September 24 announced lineup:

  • IWGP United States Champion Will Ospreay defends against Yota Tsuji
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto defend against Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls
  • KOPW2023 Holder Taichi defends against SHO
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan

As expected, SANADA will defend his IWGP World title against EVIL, who eliminated him in the quarterfinals of G1 Climax 33. That match will headline the show on October 9. Also on that show, David Finlay will defend the NEVER Openweight title against Tama Tonga. Tonga defeated Finlay in the G1 round-robin stage. 

Bullet Club’s Gabe Kidd and Alex Coughlin will defend the Strong tag titles in  Ryogoku as well, defending against former Bullet Club members El Phantasmo and Hikuleo. 

Destruction in Ryogoku on Monday, October 9 lineup:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA defends against EVIL
  • NEVER Openweight Champion David Finlay defends against Tama Tonga
  • Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin defend against El Phantasmo & Hikuleo

The Road to Destruction tour kicks off with two shows from Korakuen Hall on Friday, September 8, and Saturday, September 9. Full lineups for both shows have been announced. 

Zack Sabre Jr. will defend the NJPW World TV Championship against Boltin Oleg on the Friday show. The NEVER Openweight six man titles will be on the line the following night as Tomohiro Ishii, Kazuchika Okada, and Hiroshi Tanahashi defend against Tiger Mask, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Togi Makabe. 

Road to Destruction on Friday, September 8 lineup:

  • Taichi & SANADA vs. SHO & EVIL
  • NJPW World TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Boltin Oleg
  • Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito vs. Callum Newman, HENARE, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb
  • Yuto Nakashima, Tomohiro Ishii, HIroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada vs. Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
  • Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto vs. Bad Dude Tito, shane Haste, & Mikey Nicholls
  • Oskar Leube, Master Wato, Shota Umino, & Yuji Nagata vs. Tomoaki Honma, El Desperado, Ren Narita & Minoru Suzuki
  • YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Road to Destruction on Saturday, September 9 lineup:

  • BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito vs. Callum Newman, HENARE, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, & Will Ospreay in an Elimination Tag match
  • NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Kazuchika Okada, and Hiroshi Tanahashi defend against Tiger Mask, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Togi Makabe
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, & SANADA vs. SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL
  • Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto vs. Bad Dude Tito, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, & Zack Sabre Jr. 
  • Tomoaki Honma, Master Wato, Shota Umino, & Yuji Nagata vs. Yuto Nakashima, El Desperado, Ren Narita & Minoru Suzuki
  • YOH & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI
  • Satoshi Kojima vs. Oskar Leube

Big Audio Nightmare: NJPW G1 Climax 33’s home stretch

Posted on by Adam Summers

This week’s two-hour Big Audio Nightmare is back to talk about everything happening in the world of Japanese professional wrestling — dominated this week by the NJPW G1 Climax tournament.

Topics include:

  • The final verdict on NJPW G1 Climax 33’s league play and polarizing format
  • An In-depth review of everything that led to the quarterfinals
  • EVIL reaching the semifinals and what it means for the road to Wrestle Kingdom
  • The baffling booking Kaito Kiyomiya in this year’s G1
  • G1 Final predictions
  • Thoughts on Stardom’s 5 Star GP, NOAH’s N1 Victory, KAIRI, AJPW, Dragon Gate, and more!

Click Here To Listen (sub needed)

Semifinals set for NJPW G1 Climax 33

Posted on by Ian Carey

The G1 Climax 33 quarterfinals took place on Thursday in Chiba. 

Tetsuya Naito, Will Ospreay, EVIL, and Kazuchika Okada have all advanced to Saturday’s semifinals after wins on today’s show. 

Naito defeated Hikuleo in the first quarterfinal match on Thursday. He’ll now face Ospreay in the semifinals for a second year in a row. Ospreay defeated David Finlay in the second quarterfinal match, fending off repeated interference from Bullet Club to do so. Naito and Ospreay have met twice in singles action previously with Ospreay having won both, including in the G1 semifinals last year. 

After going undefeated in the round-robin portion of the tournament, SANADA lost his quarterfinal match to EVIL on Thursday. EVIL picked up the win after countering the Skull End into Everything is Evil. However, there had been repeated interference by House of Torture earlier in the match. 

Kazuchika Okada defeated Zack Sabre Jr. in the main event of Thursday’s show, keeping his hopes of a third straight G1 tournament win alive. He picked up the win after fighting his way out of a submission hold and hitting a Rainmaker.

Okada moves on to face EVIL in the semifinals. The two have met eight times previously with Okada holding a 6-2 lead in the head-to-head series. EVIL’s only wins over Okada took place in 2017’s G1 Climax tournament and in the finals of the 2020 New Japan Cup.  

The G1 Climax 33 semifinals will be held Saturday, August 12, and the finals take place on Sunday, August 13. Both shows will take place in Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan. 

NJPW G1 Climax 33 semifinals 8/12: 

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay
  • EVIL vs. Kazuchika Okada

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