Tag: HENARE

New champions crowned at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two titles changed hands at Wrestling Dontaku.

The IWGP Junior Tag Team titles were the first to change when Mistico and El Desperado defeated the Ichiban Sweet Boys (Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles) to win the titles for the first time as a team. The duo scored a double submission win, with Mistco applying the la mistica while Desperado applied a stretch muffler.

Originally, the match was set to be non-title. But Eagles ended up accepting a title match after Mistico made the challenge following their multi-man tag match a day prior.

In the co-main event, the NEVER Six-Man Tag Team Championship changed hands when Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, and HENARE defeated Bishimon and Oleg Boltin to win the titles for the first time as a trio. Ospreay scored the win for his team, connecting with an assisted hidden blade on YOSHI-HASHI for the victory.

Callum Newman retains IWGP Heavyweight title

The main event saw Callum Newman retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship over Shingo Takagi, defeating him with the make way. After the match, all of United Empire circled around Takagi and Yota Tsuji, who tried to help his Unbound Co. stablemate. Newman laid out Tsuji and went to strike Takagi but Ospreay attempted to stop him. Newman instead goaded Ospreay into doing the deed, with the AEW star reluctantly obliging.

Konosuke Takeshita retained his NJPW World Television title, defeating Chase Owens. After the match, however, a returning SANADA laid him out, establishing himself as the next challenger.

Three United Empire members make AEW debuts on Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

Three members of United Empire made their AEW in-ring debuts as part of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.

After last weekend’s Sakura Genesis, Will Ospreay asked newly-crowned IWGP Heavyweight Champion Callum Newman for some help in AEW against the Death Riders from the group he founded.

Newman came through as he, Francesco Akira and Henare joined Ospreay in an anything goes eight-man tag team match against Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, PAC and Daniel Garcia on Dynamite as a teaser for Sunday’s Ospreay vs. Moxley match at Dynasty. The eight men also had a show-opening brawl, leading to the match that wasn’t announced before the show.

The end came when Moxley went for a fourth Paradigm Shift on Ospreay, but Newman ran in and hit Moxley with a clothesline, setting him up for a Ospreay Hidden Blade through a table as both Ospreay and Newman pinned Moxley. The double pin and Newman bailing out Ospreay could be important seeds for an eventual turn on Ospreay down the road.

It’s unknown if the three men will also be in attendance at Sunday’s pay-per-view.

Templario replacing HENARE at NJPW Strong Style Evolved

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s United Empire faction has a new member to replace the injured HENARE.

In a vignette posted to NJPW’s social media channels Monday, CMLL star Templario was revealed as the newest member of United Empire, with the added announcement that he will replace the injured HENARE on Sunday’s Strong Style Evolved event in Long Beach.

Nine matches are set for the Sunday, December 15 Strong Style Evolved event. The show will stream live on NJPW World at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time for subscribers, with Triller also offering the show as a PPV for non-subscribers. The updated lineup:

  • NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Hazuki
  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Ryohei Oiwa
  • NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) defend against West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
  • Jack Perry & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji
  • Hiromu Takahashi & Titan vs. Templario & Jakob Austin Young
  • TJP vs. Kevin Knight vs. Kosei Fujita vs. Clark Connors
  • Lio Rush vs. Hechicero
  • Mina Shirakawa vs. Johnnie Robbie
  • Matt Vandagriff vs. Zane Jay

IWGP Tag Team title update following HENARE injury

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It’s looking like the IWGP Tag Team titles will have to be vacated due to injury.

The current champions are Great-O-Khan & HENARE, but NJPW announced last night that HENARE is out of action due to a knee injury. It forced Great-O-Khan & HENARE to withdraw from World Tag League, where they were leading in the B Block.

O-Khan competed in a non-tournament match on Friday after being removed from Tag League contention. In his post-match comments, he said the IWGP Tag Team titles will likely have to be vacated. That means O-Khan & HENARE are also likely out of their scheduled title defense against The Young Bucks at Wrestle Dynasty on January 5.

“We were the tag champions and were the closest to winning the World Tag League as the sole [B Block] leaders,” O-Khan said. “However, [HENARE] was injured the day before the final match and [we] lost everything. I will probably have to give up the belts. The January 5 Tokyo Dome match will also be a no-go.”

United Empire members HENARE and Callum Newman both missed today’s NJPW show due to knee injuries. A timetable for when they are expected to be back has not been established yet.

The World Tag League finals are taking place this Sunday (December 8) with Gabe Kidd & SANADA facing Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi. The winning team will put themselves in IWGP Tag Team title contention.

NJPW has yet to confirm if the titles are being vacated and has not indicated how new champions would be crowned if they are.

Shingo Takagi wins NEVER Openweight title at NJPW Destruction in Kobe

Posted on by Ian Carey

A new NEVER Openweight Champion was crowned on Sunday at NJPW Destruction in Kobe.

Shingo Takagi defeated HENARE on the show to win the title, picking up the win with a Last of the Dragon after landing multiple Pumping Bombers.

In our live coverage of today’s event, Corey Michaels wrote of the match:

“What a hoss fight. I almost got a headache just watching them trade headbutts. Their craniums are going to hurt in the morning. I wish Henare had more title defenses, but I’m always down to see Takagi with gold.“

Takagi was also involved in an interesting segment after his LIJ stablemate Tetsuya Naito defeated Great-O-Khan in the main event. Zack Sabre Jr, who will challenge Naito at King of Pro Wrestling, came out to confront the champion. However, so did Takagi, who made it clear he wants a shot at Naito’s belt too. New TMDK member Ryohei Oiwa came out as well and issued a challenge to Takagi for the NEVER Openweight title, which was later made official for King of Pro Wrestling. Naito would say he’ll decide on possible challenges from Takagi as well as another of his teammates, Hiromu Takahashi after he defeats ZSJ.

This is the fifth time Takagi has won the NEVER Openweight title, tying Hirooki Goto for second all-time behind Tomohiro Ishii, who has won the title six times. Takagi holds the record for most combined title defenses with 8, while Ishii holds the record for most combined days as champion with 514.

Other notes from NJPW Destruction in Kobe:

  • With Naito successfully defending the IWGP World title against Great-O-Khan in the main event, it confirms that Zack Sabre Jr. will challenge him for the belt at King of Pro Wrestling on October 14. Naito, ZSJ, Takagi, and Oiwa were involved in a post-show segment that set up the two matches for King of Pro Wrestling.
  • Hirooki Goto, fresh off a win over Gabe Kidd, came out to challenge Global Champion David Finlay after Finlay successfully defended his belt against YOSHI-HASHI in the semi-main event.
  • After the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match, Sho attacked DOUKI and demanded a future title shot.
  • El Phantasmo returned and helped Tanahashi, Yano, & Oleg retain the 6-Man titles by fending off House of Torture
  • Ryohei Oiwa was revealed as the newest member of TMDK

NJPW Destruction in Kobe results —

  • Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated Great-O-Khan for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
  • David Finlay (c) (with Gedo) defeated Yoshi-Hashi for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
  • Shingo Takagi defeated Henare (c) for the NEVER Openweight Championship
  • DOUKI (c) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (with Yujiro Takahashi and Dick Togo) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, and Boltin Oleg (c) defeated House of Torture (EVIL, SHO, and Yujiro Takahashi) (with Dick Togo) for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
  • TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Kosei Fujita and Ryohei Oiwa) defeated Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi and Taka Michinoku)
  • Hirooki Goto defeated Gabe Kidd
  • Los Ingobernables de Japón (Yota Tsuji, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi) defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Callum Newman, and Francesco Akira)
  • Shota Umino, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Dragon Dia defeated Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma, and Tiger Mask

Updated lineup for NJPW King of Pro Wrestling on October 15:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito defends against Zack Sabre Jr.
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against Ryohei Oiwa