Tag: iwgp junior heavyweight championship

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 Junior title match stopped due to injury

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 came to an early end after an injury to one of the competitors.

*The following contains spoilers from NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19*

IWGP Junior Champion DOUKI suffered a left arm injury that forced a stop to his title defense against El Desperado, with the title changing hands due to the injury.

After a brawl on the outside, DOUKI climbed to the top rope to attempt his bombs away senton to the floor. He connected on the move, but his left arm smacked the padded floor. DOUKI immediately grabbed at the arm, and the match was stopped after a short consultation with referee Marty Asami.

Desperado’s music played and he was declared the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. The new title holder cut a short promo celebrating his win, noting that he will not apologize for how he won the title.

The reign is the fifth Junior Heavyweight title reign for Desperado. A reign longer than one day will push him past Will Ospreay into tenth place for most total days as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.

Our full report from Wrestle Kingdom 19 is here.

A video of DOUKI’s injury is embedded below for as long as it’s up before a copyright takedown.

IWGP Junior title match set for NJPW Soul tour finale

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A match for the Junior Heavyweight title is set for the finale of NJPW’s Soul tour.

After El Desperado defeated SHO in a steel cage match to win the title on Saturday, DOUKI came out to issue the first title challenge. Desperado accepted, with NJPW making the title match official for July 5 at Tokyo Budokan.

Also announced is a six-man tag team match only featuring members of Los Ingobernables de Japon. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI will face Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and Titan. In NJPW’s preview, it was mentioned that BUSHI and Naito are from the Adachi area of Tokyo where the card is being held.

Ryusuke Taguchi will return to action after suffering injuries from a road accident that took him out of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. The G1 Climax A and B block qualifier finals will also take place.

Here is the updated card for the NJPW Soul tour finale:

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight title: El Desperado defends against DOUKI
  • Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI vs. Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and Titan
  • G1 Climax A block qualifier finals
  • G1 Climax B block qualifier finals
  • Ryusuke Taguchi return match

New champions crowned at NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo night one

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Three of the five championships on the line changed hands on night one of NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo. 

In the show’s main event, Nic Nemeth (the former Dolph Ziggler) defeated David Finlay in his NJPW debut match to win the IWGP Global Championship. 

Nemeth used The Danger Zone (the renamed Zig Zag) to score a pinfall victory over Finlay in his first NJPW outing, ending Finlay’s title reign with his first defense. 

In the show’s semi-main, Matt Riddle pinned Hiroshi Tanahashi after hitting a Bro Derek to win the NJPW World TV Championship. 

The match was Riddle’s first NJPW match on Japanese soil after joining the company earlier this year. He did wrestle a tag at Battle in the Valley in San Jose last month, and also worked two matches on joint RevPro/NJPW shows in London in 2017. 

Tanahashi successfully defended the NJPW World TV title once in his 50-day reign at New Year Dash against Ryusuke Taguchi. 

A new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was also crowned on Friday, as SHO defeated El Desperado to win the title in a countout finish. Desperado also managed one successful title defense in his 50-day reign. 

SHO’s Bullet Club House of Torture stablemate EVIL retained the NEVER Openweight Championship on Friday with a victory over Shota Umino to extend his title reign. 

In the night’s other title bout, Mayu Iwatani retained the IWGP Women’s Championship with a win over Mina Shirakawa.

Night two of The New Beginning in Sapporo starts Friday night at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time. The show will feature Kazuchika Okada’s NJPW farewell match, a Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura hair vs. hair battle, as well as Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA in the main event. 

Our full report from night one is here.

NJPW Road to The New Beginning live results: IWGP Junior title match

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is on the line in the main event of today’s NJPW show at a sold out Korakuen Hall. 

El Desperado will make the first defense of his IWGP Jr. title against former tag team partner Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the headline match. Desperado defeated Hiromu Takahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 18 to win the title for the third time.

Master Wato faces SHO in a special singles match in today’s semi-main event. 

Los Ingobernables de Japon face Just Five Guys in a 10-man tag team match second from the top. 

Tama Tonga, Shota Umino, and Togi Makabe take on House of Torture’s EVIL, Ren Narita, and Yujiro Takahashi in a six-man tag. 

Kazuchika Okada will be in action for the next-to-last time as an NJPW wrestler at Korakuen Hall on the undercard, teaming with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Tomoaki Honma against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste, and Kosei Fujita in a preview of tomorrow’s NEVER Six-Man title match. 

GoD’s Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, and Jado take on Bullet Club’s KENTA, Chase Owens, and Taiji Ishimori. 

Members of United Empire will face Bullet Club War Dogs in a 10-man tag in the second match tonight. 

In the opener, new Young Lions will be on opposite sides of a tag team encounter as Katsuya Murashima teams with Ryusuke Taguchi against Shoma Kato & YOH. 

Master Wato Addresses Korakuen Hall

The show opened with Master Wato walking to the ring on crutches. He injured his left knee and will be out of action. He needs surgery before he can return. After calling off his match with SHO, SHO hit the ring and attacked Wato’s injured leg with his wrench.

SHO taunted a grounded Wato with a promo. He bragged about hurting Wato and made fun of the crowd. Before SHO could continue the attack, El Desperado cut him off.

Ryusuke Taguchi & Katsuya Murashima defeated YOH & Shoma Kato

This was a rock-solid match. Both Lions looked good. I can’t wait to see what they have in store.

Taguchi and Kato opened the match with some fine grappling. Taguchi tagged out, giving the new Young Lions a chance to square off with each other. YOH and Murashima worked together shortly before passing the action back to the Kato.

The lions traded submissions in a grappling sequence of their own. The selling was excellent—the highlight of this match. YOH and Kato then worked together to gain a strong lead.

Eventually, Taguchi re-entered the match. He hit Kato with a running hip attack, but Kato kicked out. He then locked in an ankle lock, forcing Kato to tap out.

Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, TJP, HENARE, & Great-O-Khan (United Empire) defeated Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Gabe Kidd, Alex Coughlin, & David Finlay (BULLET CLUB War Dogs)

This was a hoot. While less exciting than their Jan 5 war, this was a big step up from their preview tag from a couple of days ago.

A full-on brawl opened this match. Kidd and Henare traded strikes on the inside while the others went to war on the outside. The match calmed down as HENARE established a lead, but another breakdown was just around the corner.

After the second brawl, the War Dogs emerged with the lead. The Dogs worked together to wear down Newman. The eventual tag to TJP led to a United Empire rally. O-Khan’s sequence was ended by Kidd, prompting HENARE to finish what TJP started. Finlay hit the ring to save Kidd before turning his attention to Newman; another breakdown followed. Akira secured a schoolboy pin on Moloney in the chaos to win the match.

Taiji Ishimori, KENTA, & Chase Owens (BULLET CLUB) defeated Jado, El Phantasmo, & Hikuleo (Gorillas of Destiny)

This match opened with neither team wanting to engage. Eventually, Owens and ELP locked up. BULLET CLUB established a lead and maintained it until the hot tag to Hikuleo. Hikuleo gained firm footing until BC began to focus his leg.

Jado tried to continue the advance Hikuleo started. He was fine for a while, but KENTA eventually caught him in a trap pin to win the match.

Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, & Zack Sabre Jr. (TMDK) defeated Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada

Fujita taunted Okada before the opening bell. Haste and Tanahashi actually opened the match. Haste focused Tanahashi’s arm, forcing Ishii to tag in. On his own, Ishii was proving to be a challenge for TMDK, so they worked together to wear him down while keeping him away from his corner.

The hot tag to Okada led to him taking out all of TMDK. Fujita tried answering Okada, but Okada locked him in the money clip. The rest of TMDK made the save, leaving the door open for an offensive sequence from Fujita. Fujita dropped Okada with a dropkick and tagged out to ZSJ.

Okada cut off ZSJ’s advance with a dropkick of his own. Honma tagged in next and began to work over ZSJ himself. A short match breakdown interrupted the exchange, but once the fog cleared, ZSJ and Honma were left alone in the ring. ZSJ avoided a Kokeshi from the top, locked in an armbar, and forced Honma to tap out.

EVIL., Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita (BULLET CLUB House of Torture) defeated Togi Makabe, Shota Umino, & Tama Tonga

The match opened with a brawl on the floor. This continued for quite a while. In the ring, HoT slowly picked apart Tama. The eventual tag to Umino gave some life to the babyface squad, but Narita attacked Umino’s eyes to keep HoT on top.

A match breakdown allowed HoT to focus Makabe. Dick Togo hit his signature low blow. Makabe survived this onslaught, only for another to follow moments later. Narita hit Makabe with his reinforced pushup bar to win the match for HoT. 

TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Yuya Uemura, & Taichi (Just 5 Guys) defeated BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi (Los Ingobernables de Japon)

A brawl opened the match. Once things calmed down, Taichi and Shingo had a short exchange. SANADA and Naito were next, but again, only a little happened. The juniors, Hiromu and DOUKI, had a brief back-and-forth next before tagging out to Yuya and Tsuji. Tsuji and Yuya had a fine exchange before TAKA tagged in. BUSHI followed TAKA, and a match breakdown followed.

Once the ring was cleared, Taichi focused BUSHI. Shingo interrupted Taichi’s plum, leading to another breakdown. After the ring was emptied, Taichi and BUSHI were alone again. Taichi hit BUSHI with a superkick and pinned him to win the match.

After the match, Taichi cut a promo. He challenged LIJ to a gauntlet match on Feb 5. The winner stays in until only one team remains. The format seems to be identical to the legendary Team Inoki vs. Ishin Gundan gauntlet from 1984.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru

This match was not good before the HoT interference. It only went further downhill after the run-ins. The last 90 seconds were fine, I guess.

The opening exchange saw Kanemaru gaining the upper hand with basic wrestling. Kanemaru then took the match to the floor, using the ring and barricades to cement his lead. Back in the ring, Kanemaru continued wearing down Kanemaru with basic holds and strikes.

Desperado eventually landed a dropkick to Kanemaru’s leg, opening the door for a comeback. He continued to focus on the leg, utilizing leg whips and a stretch muffler to establish a lead. Kanemaru played chicken, baiting Desperado to approach.

Kaneamru’s follow-up was cut off by a spine buster, letting Desperado return to the stretch muffler. With Kanemaru in trouble, SHO walked from the back to distract the referee. The rest of HoT then hit the ring and attacked Desperado. Shota Umino and Hiromu Tanahashi hit the ring to run HoT off.

Once the ring was cleared, Kanemaru drove Desperado into an exposed corner. Kanemaru hit a rounding body press for a near fall and locked in a Boston crab after the kick out. Desperado found the bottom rope to break the hold. Kanemaru tried to follow up with a suplex, but Desperado stuffed it and delivered a suplex of his own.

Desperado dropped Kanemaru with a spinebuster. Desperado tried to lock in the stretch muffler three times, with the first two being reversed into pin attempts from Desperado. On the third attempt, Desperado locked in the hold, but HoT hit the ring again and beat down Desperado. This time, Tama Tonga hit the ring, helping Desperado hit EVIL with a low blow.

Desperado knocked the whiskey out of Kanemaru’s mouth. He tried for pinche loco, but Kanemaru reversed again. A quick back-and-forth followed. Desperado caught Kanemaru in the stretch muffler again, forcing Kanemaru to submit.

After the match, Desperado cut the show’s ending promo. He sent his regards to Wato. He then thanked Hontai for helping him out tonight.

In the post-match interview behind the curtain, SHO attacked Desperado.

Lio Rush pulled from NJPW Destruction, YOH added to IWGP Junior title match

Posted on by Ian Carey

Lio Rush has been pulled from Monday’s NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku event due to illness. 

Rush had been scheduled to challenge for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Mike Bailey and champion Hiromu Takahashi in a three-way match on the show. 

NJPW announced on October 3 that Rush was dealing with a fever and would miss the upcoming Road to Destruction shows. It was later confirmed at a press conference on Sunday that Rush has been pulled from Monday’s show as well and will be replaced by YOH in the title match. 

YOH was the sole survivor of an elimination match that headlined Saturday’s show in Miyagi. He pinned Takahashi for the final elimination and then cut a promo saying he wants to face the winner of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match in Ryogoku. However, with Rush having since been pulled from Monday’s show, YOH revealed at today’s press conference that he has been added to the three-way with Takahashi and Bailey. 

Gabe Kidd, Hikuleo, Alex Coughlin, Kevin Knight, and Jeff Cobb also missed shows this week due to illness. Hikuleo returned on Saturday but there has been no announcement regarding the status of Kidd, Coughlin, Knight, or Cobb, although their matches are still advertised for Monday’s show. 

The updated card for NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku on Monday, October 9 is below: 

  • DOUKI, Taichi, & TBA vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Tango Loa vs. Chase Owens
  • BUSHI, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito vs. Callum Newman, HENARE, Great-O-Khan, & Jeff Cobb
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors defend against KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight
  • Master Wato, Shota Umino, & Yuji Nagata vs. El Desperado, Ren Narita, & Minoru Suzuki in match 5 of the Best of 7 series
  • Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin defend against El Phantasmo & Hikuleo
  • NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada defeated against Josh Alexander, Chris Sabin, & Alex Shelley
  • NEVER Openweight Champion David Finlay defends against Tama Tonga
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defends against Mike Bailey and YOH in a three-way match
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA defends against EVIL in a Lumberjack Deathmatch

Lio Rush issues challenge to Hiromu Takahashi for IWGP Junior title

Posted on by Ian Carey

Lio Rush has his eyes set on Hiromu Takahashi’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. 

Rush teamed with Trey Miguel and defeated Takahashi and Mike Bailey at Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2 on Sunday in Philadelphia. The finish of the match saw Rush hit a low blow on Takahashi and roll him up for a three count. 

After the match, Rush, already the X-Division Champion, cut a promo about wanting more gold and challenged Takahashi to a IWGP Junior title match. Takahashi appeared to accept but this didn’t seem to sit well with Bailey, who had issued a similar challenge to Takahashi the night before at All Star Junior Festival USA. 

NJPW has yet to announce who Takahashi will defend his IWGP Junior title against next. 

Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2 results:

  • Joe Hendry, Yuya Uemura, & Heath defeated Rocky Romero, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato (Pre-Show)
  • Impact Digital Media Champion Kenny King defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Just 5 Guys) to retain (Pre-Show)
  • Chris Sabin defeated MAO, Kevin Knight, Rich Swann, YOH (CHAOS), BUSHI (LIJ), Frankie Kazarian and El Desperado (Strong Style) in a scramble match
  • Moose & Eddie Edwards Zack Sabre Jr. & Shane Haste (TMDK)
  • NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia (Donna del Mondo) defeated Momo Kohgo (Stars), Deonna Purrazzo & Gisele Shaw to retain
  • Sami Callihan defeated Douki (Just 5 Guys) in a South Philly Street Fight
  • Catch 22 (TJP & Francesco Akira) (United Empire) defeated Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita (TMDK)
  • Bullet Club (Ace Austin, Chris Bey, KENTA, Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin & David Finlay) defeated The World (The DKC, PCO, Josh Alexander, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & El Phantasmo)
  • Trey Miguel & Lio Rush defeated Mike Bailey & Hiromu Takahashi
  • Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain

Hiromu Takahashi wants to defend IWGP Junior title in AEW

Posted on by Ian Carey

Hiromu Takahashi wants to defend his IWPG Junior Heavyweight Championship in AEW. 

The 33-year-old spoke to Sports Illustrated ahead of this weekend’s All Star Junior Festival and Multiverse United 2. He mentioned wanting to wrestle in AEW, potentially teaming with Sting or wrestling against Darby Allin. 

“A dream of mine is to have a match on live prime time TV,” said Takahashi through a translator. “I’d be stoked to wrestle in AEW any time and defend the IWGP junior heavyweight title there. Last year, I was supposed to team up with Darby Allin and Sting. So I want to team up with Sting rather than wrestle him. Wrestling someone? That would be Darby.”

Takahashi had been scheduled to team with Sting, Allin, and Shingo Takagi against The Young Bucks, Hikuleo, and El Phantasmo at Forbidden Door 2022. However, he was pulled from the show that day after coming down with a fever. 

Up next for Takahashi will be Saturday’s All Star Junior Festival show from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena. The show is set to feature junior heavyweight wrestlers from promotions worldwide. AEW, CMLL, DDT, Dragon Gate, GCW, Impact, NJPW, and ROH are sending wrestlers to the show. 

“All Star Junior Festival is the show to let fans know how great all of junior heavyweight wrestling is,” said Takahashi. 

Takahashi will team with Rocky Romero in what is being billed as a triple threat tag team ladder match for the Pat’s King of Steaks Philly Cheesesteak Cup. Their opponents will be the teams of Blake Christian & Master Wato and DOUKI & Low Rider. 

“So what I can do as the junior heavyweight champion is to enjoy the show more than anyone else. I’ll be fighting over Philly cheesesteak in a ladder match–nothing could be more iconic in Philly,” Takahashi continued. “I couldn’t be more hyped.”

Takahashi will team with Mike Bailey the following night at Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2, which will also take place in the 2300 Arena. Bailey and Takahashi will face Lio Rush & Trey Miguel on the show. 

All Star Junior Festival August 19, 2023 lineup:

  • Goldy vs. Vinny Pacifico
  • Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne vs. El Desperado & Mao
  • Rocky Romero & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Blake Christian & Master Wato vs. Low Rider in a triple threat ladder match for the Pat’s King of Steaks Philly Cheesesteak Cup
  • Kevin Knight vs. Clark Connors in a first round match in the All Star Junior Festival 2023 USA tournament
  • Mike Bailey vs. Francesco Akira in a first round match in the All Star Junior Festival 2023 USA tournament
  • Matt Sydal & YOH vs. Shun Skywalker & Bushi
  • Rich Swann, Ryusuke Taguchi, & The DKC vs. Real1, Jack Cartwheel, & Starboy Charlie
  • Finals of the All Star Junior Festival USA tournament
  • Dragon Kid vs Fugaz vs. KC Navarro vs. Lio Rush vs. Soberano Jr. 

Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2 August 20, 2023 lineup:

  • Impact World Champion Alex Shelley defends against Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Lio Rush & Trey Miguel vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Mike Bailey
  • DOUKI vs. Sami Callihan
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Shane Haste vs. Moose & Eddie Edwards
  • Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Rich Swann vs. Kevin Knight vs. BUSHI vs. Mao vs. El Desperado in a seven-way scramble
  • Bullet Club (David Finlay, Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin, KENTA, Chris Bey & Ace Austin) vs. The World (Josh Alexander, PCO, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, El Phantasmo & The DKC)
  • Pre-show: Impact Digital Media Champion Kenny King defends against Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Pre-show: Joe Hendry, Yuya Uemura & Heath vs. Rocky Romero, Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi
  • SANADA appearance

Hiromu vs. Lio Rush title match set for NJPW New Japan Cup finals event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Hiromu Takahashi will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Lio Rush at the NJPW New Japan Cup finals event on March 21.

NJPW announced the title bout on Monday after Rush issued a challenge to Hiromu via video promo during Saturday’s The New Beginning in Osaka show. 

Prior to their title match on the 21st, Hiromu and Rush will be on opposite sides of a tag team bout at NJPW’s 51st anniversary show on March 6, where it will be Hiromu and BUSHI teaming against Rush and YOH. A pair of first round New Japan Cup matches are also set for that show, with Tomohiro Ishii taking on David Finlay, as well as Shota Umino facing Yujiro Takahashi. 

NJPW has revealed the bracket for the New Japan Cup 2023, with first round bouts set for March 5, March 6, and March 10. The second round will be held on March 11, March 12, March 13, and March 15. 

The New Japan Cup quarterfinals are set for March 17 and March 18, with the semifinals taking place on March 19. 

The New Japan Cup winner will receive a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on April 8.

Lio Rush challenges NJPW’s Hiromu Takahashi to IWGP Junior title match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Lio Rush is next in line to challenge for NJPW’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Rush issued a challenge to IWGP Jr. title holder Hiromu Takahashi in a video message played during today’s The New Beginning in Osaka show. The date for the title bout has yet to be announced. 

After Hiromu and his Los Ingobernables de Japon teammates won their eight-man tag match in Osaka, the lights in the arena dimmed. Rush’s video message then played on the video wall. Rush promised to do what his tag partner YOH could not do last week, as YOH unsuccessfully challenged Hiromu on February 5 at The New Beginning in Sapporo. 

Hiromu began his fifth reign with the IWGP Junior title at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, winning a four-way bout to claim the Championship. 

Rush last appeared in NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom, teaming with YOH in an unsuccessful IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title challenge against TJP and Francesco Akira.

NJPW New Year’s Golden Series live results: IWGP Junior title match

Posted on by Chick Fritts

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is on the line tonight in Sendai. 

El Desperado will defend the title against Master Wato in Wato’s highest-profile match to date. A two-time Jr. Champion, Desperado will be looking to make a second successful defense of the title in his current reign. 

In the semi-main event, SHO faces YOH in another in their series of singles matches. Their feud began following SHO turning on YOH last summer. They have since squared off in singles matches at Wrestle Grand Slam, in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and at Wrestle Kingdom.

Tiger Mask will face Gedo in a singles match tonight. Tiger and Robbie Eagles are scheduled to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles against Bullet Club’s Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo on February 19. 

A six-man tag will preview the upcoming IWGP World Heavyweight and IWGP United States Heavyweight title matches on the tour, as World title holder Kazuchika Okada, US Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Yuji Nagata face Okada’s challenger Naito, Tanahashi’s challenger SANADA, and Shingo Takagi. 

Great-O-Khan vs. Satoshi Kojima will face off in a singles match. Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, and Ryusuke Taguchi will tag against Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, and TAKA Michinoku. Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan will face EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, and Dick Togo. Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI will be the main card opener. 

Tomoaki Honma will take on Ryohei Oiwa in a pre-show match. 

Our live coverage begins with the pre-show at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time. 

**********

Tomoaki Honma defeated Ryohei Oiwa

Admittedly, I’m a sucker for young lion matches; this wasn’t an exception. While not a great match by any means, I enjoyed the pacing and simplicity. 

Oiwa held his own in the opening exchange, even getting the better of Honma early on; This was short-lived, however, as Honma used his striking to subdue the young lion, a decision that left him in control for quite some time.

A dropkick from Oiwa opened the door for a comeback. After a brief offensive sequence, Honma ended Oiwa’s lead with a tackle and falling headbutt. Oiwa fought through, landing another dropkick before locking in the Boston crab. Once Honma broke the hold, he took back advantage with a lariat immediately followed by a Boston crab of his own. Oiwa tapped out, leaving Honma with his first win in some time.

After the match, Oiwa slapped away a Honma handshake. 

DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-gun) defeated BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables de Japon)

This was an uneventful, formulaic tag.

Hiromu and Douki opened the match, but Kanemaru involved himself early. The LIJ pair gained a slight advantage, but Suzuki-gun’s antics allowed them to steal control after some outside offence. What followed was a typical isolation sequence, with Kanemaru and Douki focusing Hiromu.

Hiromu eventually turned things around with a falcon arrow. A hot tag followed, letting Bushi get in some moves. Bushi failed in getting much accomplished, as a dropkick to the leg opened him up for a figure four that Hirmou was forced to break up.

There was a four-way struggle in which LIJ landed significant two-man moves. Bushi, in follow-up, tried for a lungblower, but Kanemaru rolled through the blow, turning it into a pin from which Bushi did not kick out. 

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Dick Togo, EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi (House of Torture)

A busy match with unfulfilling teases—this stuff just is not good.

In typical HoT fashion, this match opened with a brawl. Tenzan received most of the HoT ire early on, leading to a hot tag into Goto. Goto lost control after Yujiro bit his hand. It took Ishii interference to turn things back around.

Ishii landed heavy blows, but Evil was able to survive via underhanded tactics. Yujiro and Togo hit the ring to steal control for HoT once more. Goto joined the action, making the save. Goto hit the now legal Togo with a Ushigoroshi, which Ishii followed with a sliding lariat. Togo was pinned to end the match. 

Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe & Toru Yano defeated Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku (Suzuki-gun)

This was a silly little teaser for the upcoming KOPW match between Yano and Suzuki. Nothing worth writing home about, but it was cute.

Before the match could start, Suzuki jumped Yano. Once inside the ring, Suzuki tried handcuffing Yano to the ropes but didn’t succeed. Instead, Suzuki-gun isolated Yano, slowly picking him apart. After a prolonged struggle, Yano tagged Makabe into the match.

Makabe and Tachi shared the ring for a while as did Michinoku and Taguchi; meanwhile, Suzuki was doing something to Yano just out of view. Taguchi secured in an ankle lock leading to Michinoku tapping out.

After the match, Suzuki handcuffed Yano and locked Taguchi in a dog cage. The closing visual consisted of a restrained Yano rolling a caged Taguchi to the back.

Great-O-Khan defeated Satoshi Kojima

This match was so strange. The opening act was built around a random forearm, and somehow, it was quite captivating. The rest of the match was almost dull, but the opening kept me interested, and in the end, it didn’t even matter. What an oddity this one was.

O-Khan rushed Kojima as the match began. Kojima fought back, sending O-Khan to the outside. Kojima landed a dive before slamming O-Khan into barricades.

Back in the ring, O-Khan landed a seemingly mundane single forearm that sent Kojima to the mat. Kojima could not stand; I was honestly expecting a referee stoppage. O-Khan landed a gut wrench suplex but stopped his own pin to continue punishing Kojima.

Kojima was able to fight back after this brief pause, but O-Khan caught him on the top rope. O-Khan then hoisted Kojima into a fireman’s carry on the apron, but Kojima slipped free before landing a DDT. Kojima then landed a jumping elbow for a near fall.

O-Khan caught Kojima in the cobra twist but failed in his transition into a German suplex. Kojima landed another DDT and a cutter to reset the match. O-Khan snagged Kojima again with a sheep killer, transitioned successfully into an elbow drop and a near fall. Kojima then landed a brainbuster for a near fall of his own.

Another reset followed a double lariat. Even though O-Khan fell and Kojima maintained his footing, O-Khan succeeded in follow up, landing the eliminator and scoring the pin. 

SANADA, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada & Yuji Nagata 

This was about what you would expect from a preview tag, but it felt like it was an hour long. Okada vs. Naito doesn’t need to be sold in my eyes, but they tried. 

From the before the opening bell, Naito teased engaging with Okada. Sanada and Tanahashi opened the match with basic wrestling. Okada and Naito had another non-interaction before Shingo and Nagata tagged in. Shingo and Nagata traded strikes, before Tanahashi and Okada aided Nagata in isolating Shingo.

Once Shingo finally tagged out, Naito and Okada were left alone for the first time. Naito succeeded in gaining control over the world champion, but an Okada boot ended this sequence. Naito stopped the money clip, but Okada landed the air raid crash.

Soon, Sanada and Tanahashi were legal again. Sanada tied Tanahashi into the paradise lock before attempting a sleeper; this prompted Tanahashi and Sanada to go back and forth, trading dragon sleepers. After neither man succeeded with a sleeper, Nagata tagged in.

All six men hit the ring, and all of the LIJ squad was locked into submission holds. Once this segment ended, LIJ isolated Nagata. Nagata fought through for some time but eventually fell to a TKO from Sanada. Sanada locked in skull end, forcing Nagata to verbally submit.

After the match, Naito attacked Okada. Naito then taunted Okada with a few words on the microphone as the ring crew held Okada back. 

Tiger Mask defeated Gedo

This was bad.

Gedo started the match by exiting the ring. In-ring action was then teased, but Gedo again tried to flee. On the outside, Gedo caught TM with the bell hammer, bludgeoning him in clear view of the referee. Gedo then began to whip TM with a belt before whipping him into an exposed turnbuckle.

TM managed to reverse an Irish whip into the exposed corner, opening Gedo up to a dropkick followed by a tope into the barricade. TM then took his turn whipping Gedo with the belt. TM landed a cross body for a near fall.

Gedo landed a shin breaker into a thrust kick for a near fall of his own. Gedo then equipped brass knuckles, but the referee stopped him; this allowed TM to catch Gedo, who landed a tiger driver for another near fall.

Gedo bumped the referee before an awkward strike that commentary called a low blow; TM kicked out. TM tried for a crucifix pin that he transitioned into an armbar, resulting in a submission. 

SHO defeated YOH

This match, nay this pair does absolutely nothing for me anymore. The well is dry. This feud is dead. These matches are rancid.

YOH rushed SHO before the match, but SHO gained the advantage on the outside. SHO missed a strike with a wrench, allowing YOH to slam SHO into the barricade. SHO slipped back in the lead by throwing a young lion into YOH before bashing him back into the fence. In the ring, SHO maintained this control. SHO smothered YOH with a buckle covering before choking him with his boot.

YOH was given a chance to fight back after some strikes from SHO. YOH landed a flying elbow for a match reset and a dropkick to take control. A tope con hilo left YOH far ahead. YOH scored a near fall with a falcon arrow.

The pair traded reversals before SHO pulled the referee in YOH’s way. SHO then landed a spear to take over once more. SHO locked in a kimura that forced YOH into the ropes.

A dragonscrew from YOH acted as a reset, prompting a strike exchange. SHO landed a German and lariat in quick succession, but YOH responded with a lariat of his own. Que another referee bump. SHO grabbed his wrench again, but YOH caught him with a kick before he could use it. YOH grabbed the wrench himself but didn’t use it.

SHO bumped the referee again, hit YOH with a low blow, just in time for House of Torture to hit the ring. HoT beat down show, prompting CHAOS to hit the ring. CHAOS ran off HoT, but SHO landed a strike with the wrench. The referee spotted the wrench before SHO could pin YOH but EVIL hit YOH with the never belt as the referee was distracted with SHO. SHO landed the shock arrow and pinned YOH to end this awful match. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) defeated Master Wato

I hate to sound like a carper, but this was boring.

The match opened with back and forth chain wrestling; this lasted for quite a while, with minor escalation throughout. The match eventually wandered to the outside, where Desperado slammed Wato into the barricade. Back in the ring, Desperado began laying boots to Wato with particular attention paid to the leg.

Wato eventually landed a dropkick to end an extended period of Desperado control. Wato countered pinche loco and landed a tope to broaden his lead over the champion. A missile dropkick yielded a two-count for Wato.

Desperado dodged a kick and locked in numero dos. Wato countered into a submission of his own. Desperado escaped before landing a dragon screw to take control once more. Desperado locked in numero dos again; this time Wato escaped via rope break.

A code red from Wato led to another submission attempt. Recientemente resulted in another Wato favoured near fall.

Desperado fought back with a drop, forcing a match reset. The pair then traded strikes; the exchange ended with a Wato thrust kick. Wato missed the RPP, allowing Desperado to land Guitarra de Angel; Wato kicked out. Wato stuffed the next pinche loco attempt, but Desperado kicked out of the quick pin attempt that followed.

Wato blocked another pinche loco, prompting a quick sequence of pin attempts. Desperado emerged from the sequence with control of the leg, locking in numero dos once more. This time, Wato did not escape; Desperado retained via submission.

After the match, Desperado and Wato shared kind words.

This was a skippable show, start to finish. 

New champions crowned at NJPW Power Struggle

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Multiple titles changed hands at today’s NJPW Power Struggle event in Osaka. 

KENTA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi after sending him into an exposed turnbuckle and hitting a Go To Sleep to win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. KENTA takes home the US title for the first time, plus captures his first title in NJPW since losing the NEVER Openweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom in January 2020. Tanahashi’s first reign with the US title ends after 84 days and a single successful defense. 

A new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was crowned, as El Desperado defeated Robbie Eagles by submission to win the title. Desperado is now a two-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. Eagles sees his first reign with the Junior title ended after 104 days and one successful defense. 

The NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship also switched, as EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and SHO defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI, ending the longest NEVER Six-Man reign in history. Goto, Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI’s run with the titles ends at 454 days and nine successful defenses. 

Two champions did retain their titles at Power Struggle. 

Shingo Takagi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. in the main event to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. After his win, Kazuchika Okada came to the ring and engaged in a back-and-forth with Shingo on the microphone. Okada retained his right to challenge Shingo at Wrestle Kingdom after defeating Tama Tonga earlier in the show. 

Toru Yano also retained the provisional KOPW 2021 title, defeating Great-O-Khan in an amateur rules match.

Three title matches set for NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Three title matches have been announced for NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on Sunday, September 5.

In the main event, Shingo Takagi will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against EVIL. This match was set up at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome when EVIL attacked Shingo after his main event title defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi. 

The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship will be on the line in a three-way at MetLife Dome. Champions Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. will defend against Tetsuya Naito & SANADA, as well as Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI. Taichi and Sabre defeated Naito and SANADA for the titles at the Tokyo Dome. Following their win, Goto and YOSHI-HASHI appeared and declared their intentions to be the next challengers. 

Also announced, new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles will defend his title against the returning Hiromu Takahashi. Hiromu has been out of action with a torn pectoral, but announced last week that he has been medically cleared. 

Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome will be a two-night event on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5. No matches have been announced for the September 4 show. 

Here is the lineup for night two:

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome, Sunday, September 5, 2 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. EVIL
  • IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Robbie Eagles (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi

New champions crowned at NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Three championships changed hands at today’s NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome event. 

In the show’s semi-main event, Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito and SANADA to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in 37:58. This was the longest IWGP Tag title match in Tokyo Dome history, according to Chris Samsa.

This marks the third reign with the IWGP Tag titles for Dangerous Tekkers. Naito and SANADA’s run with the belts ended at two weeks with zero successful defenses. 

Earlier in the evening, Robbie Eagles defeated El Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time in 19:56. Eagles becomes the first Australian to capture IWGP gold. 

Desperado’s first IWGP Jr. title reign came to an end following 147 days and two successful defenses. 

On the Wrestle Grand Slam pre-show, Chase Owens won the provisional KOPW 2021 title in a 22-man New Japan Ranbo that went 35:36. Owens last eliminated former provisional KOPW 2021 Toru Yano by pinfall with a package piledriver to win the title. 

Owens becomes the first person besides Yano to hold the KOPW title since its inception in August 2020. Yano held the KOPW 2020 title the entire time it was active. He won the first KOPW 2021 match at Wrestle Kingdom 15 in January and had held it ever since.

NJPW’s Robbie Eagles to challenge for IWGP Junior Heavyweight title

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Robbie Eagles will be the next challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. 

Eagles appeared via video message and issued his challenge at today’s NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo event following the IWGP Jr. title match main event. 

After champion El Desperado successfully defended his title against Taiji Ishimori, Desperado took the microphone to cut the customary post-match promo. Before he spoke, the arena lights briefly went out. A message from Eagles then played on the video wall. 

Eagles said that the junior heavyweight division has become more like a committee of vultures than anything else. Eagles said he needs to push past the vultures and make a declaration. Eagles said he was declaring himself the next challenger for Desperado. 

In backstage comments after the event, Desperado said that Eagles did well to assert himself. He said that NJPW should listen to its champions, and Desperado stated that he wanted to defend the title against Eagles at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome on July 25. 

No official announcement from NJPW has been made regarding Desperado vs. Eagles. 

Here is the announced card for July 25 so far: 

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome, Sunday, July 25 —

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
  • Pre-show New Japan Ranbo for the provisional KOPW 2021

NJPW Summer Struggle night one live results: Junior title match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is on the line on night one of NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo. 

Champion El Desperado will defend the title against Taiji Ishimori. Desperado has made one successful title defense since winning the vacant title at Castle Attack in February. The title was vacated after Hiromu Takahashi suffered a pectoral injury. 

A change to the card was made after Kota Ibushi was pulled from the show due to suffering side effects from a COVID-19 vaccination. Ibushi was set to team with Master Wato against Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji. Wato will now face Uemura in a singles match in the show opener. 

A series of tag matches make up the rest of the undercard:

  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
  • Kazuchika Okada & SHO vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero vs. KENTA, Yujiro Takahashi & El Phantasmo
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOH vs. EVIL & Dick Togo

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

*********

Master Wato defeated Yuya Uemura (9:09)

A solid opener that told a simple story. Uemura had the technical edge, but Wato displayed superior striking. 

They opened with some tentative kicks. Uemura got the best of a mat wrestling sequence. Frustrated, Wato took to striking and established the advantage. He threw in a kimura on the mat, but Uemura forced a rope break. 

Uemura came back with a flying forearm for a near fall. Uemura used a half crab. Wato blocked a double overhook suplex, but Uemura hit a deep arm drag. Uemura hit a beautiful bridging German for a two count. 

Wato again blocked the overhook suplex. He hit recientemente, then used the RPP for the pin. 

EVIL & Dick Togo defeated Tomohiro Ishii & YOH (11:37)

This was a formulaic Bullet Club brawl and not a particularly inspired one. 

Ishii attacked EVIL before the opening bell and they brawled around ringside. Togo and YOH began as the legal men. EVIL exposed a buckle, then Togo whipped YOH into the buckle for the heat. 

EVIL and Togo traded tags in working YOH over. They again sent him into the exposed buckle. YOH found an opening against Togo and tagged Ishii. EVIL tagged in and sent Ishii into the exposed buckle. Ishii hit a backdrop suplex into a double down. 

Ishii tagged YOH. YOH ran wild and hit a nice half hatch suplex for a two count. Togo tried to choke YOH with a ligature, but Ishii saved. YOH hit a falcon arrow on EVIL for a near fall. 

YOH tried for Direct Drive, but EVIL blocked and hit a lariat for a two count. While Togo held Ishii at bay with a crossface, EVIL used a scorpion deathlock to submit YOH. 

Togo and EVIL stomped Ishii down after the match as they continue to tease an EVIL vs. Ishii singles match. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero defeated KENTA, Yujiro Takahashi & El Phantasmo (15:00)

There was some good comedy here in the first few minutes, then some good wrestling once Tanahashi got in for the closing stretch. 

Tana wanted to start with KENTA. KENTA teased starting off, but immediately tagged out to ELP. Tana tagged out to Taguchi. 

Taguchi and ELP did some comedy with their t-shirts. ELP choked out Taguchi with a shirt. Taguchi was cut off and worked over in comedic fashion for quite a while. 

Romero got a hot tag and had a nice sequence with ELP. KENTA and Tana tagged in. Tana hit a dragon screw. They had a lengthy striking sequence. KENTA blocked a slingblade attempt with a kitchen sink and tagged out to Yujiro. 

Yujiro and ELP doubled up on Tana. Yujiro hit a fisherman buster. Taguchi saved for Tana. Yujiro hit a lariat and an Angle slam for another near fall. 

Tana blocked Pimp Juice, blocked a thrust kick, then blocked Miami Shine. Tana hit a twist and shout and a slingblade. Romero and Taguchi hit stereo planchas to KENTA and ELP. 

Tana then used High Fly Flow to pin Yujiro. 

KENTA ran back in after the match and attacked Tanahashi as he posed for the fans, so expect KENTA vs. Tana to be a singles match soon.

***** Intermission *****

Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan defeated Kazuchika Okada & SHO (11:41)

This was fun. There were lots of cool spots with SHO and Cobb trying to hit their trademark power moves on one another. 

O-Khan and SHO began. They teased a striking battle, but neither threw anything of significance. SHO tried to take O-Khan’s arm after locking up, but O-Khan blocked. O-Khan gouged SHO’s face and ears. SHO made a brief comeback off a misdirection spot. Okada hopped in for a double team spot on Cobb. 

O-Khan cut SHO off with a series of throws. Cobb was in briefly, but O-Khan did the bulk of the heavy lifting in working SHO over. SHO came back with a spear and tagged Okada. 

Okada hit a series of signature spots on O-Khan. He hit a back elbow and a DDT. O-Khan blocked an air raid crash neckbreaker and hit a judo throw. Cobb tagged in for a series of uppercuts. He then hit Okada with a spin cycle for a near fall. 

Okada slapped on a Money Clip, but Cobb broke the hold. Okada answered with an air raid crash neckbreaker to Cobb. Okada tagged out to SHO. 

SHO hit a series of kicks to Cobb and got a near fall. He went for a suplex, but Cobb blocked. Cobb hit a back suplex, then O-Khan jumped in for a double team. Okada saved for SHO. O-Khan and Okada brawled to the floor. 

SHO reversed a Tour of the Islands into a cradle for a near fall. Okada hopped back in and hit Cobb with a dropkick. SHO tried a deadlift German but Cobb blocked. 

SHO hit the ropes, but ran right into a Tour of the Islands for the pin. 

Cobb and Okada stared each other down after the match, so I expect Okada vs. Cobb to be announced any day now. 

Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (13:39)

This was very good. All action. I fully expect Naito, SANADA, Taichi and Sabre to have a great match in the main event tomorrow. They have excellent chemistry. 

LIJ attacked before the opening bell and cut Taichi off. SANADA and Naito doubled up on Taichi. SANADA and Taichi ended up the legal men. SANADA went for the paradise lock, but Sabre saved and turned the tide in Suzuki-gun’s favor. 

Suzuki-gun went to work on SANADA’s left arm. Kanemaru hit a slam. DOUKI used a snapmare and a cradle. Sabre continued to work on the arm. SANADA came back with a dropkick to Kanemaru and a rana on DOUKI. 

Naito tagged in and hit a neckbreaker to Taichi. Kanemaru was still legal. Naito tagged BUSHI and they hit tandem offense to Kanemaru. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick to Kanemaru. Kanemaru hit his own dropkick and tagged out. 

DOUKI hit a double stomp to BUSHI for a near fall. Suzuki-gun cleared the LIJ apron and went 3-on-1 against BUSHI. DOUKI hit a patriot missile, then used a triangle. BUSHI forced a rope break. BUSHI blocked Suplex de la Luna and hit a dropkick for a double down. 

Shingo tagged in for his first action of the match. DOUKI hit an enzuigiri. Shingo answered with a pop-up DVD. Taichi jumped in and hit a lariat to Shingo. SANADA took out Taichi. Sabre used a head scissors on SANADA. Naito tried to save, but Sabre caught him in a submission while maintaining the hold on SANADA. Shingo slammed Kanemaru onto Sabre to break both holds. 

DOUKI cradled Shingo for a near fall. Shingo then hit the Pumping Bomber and pinned DOUKI. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado defeated Taiji Ishimori to retain the title (28:54)

This was a great main event. Really good psychology. Both picked a body part and worked it over and worked it over for the entire length of the match. 

Desperado broke cleanly after locking up. A chain wrestling sequence ended with Desperado escaping a Yes Lock before Ishimori could apply it. Ishimori then went after Desperado’s left arm, looking to soften him up for the Yes Lock. 

Ishimori worked Desperado’s arm over the barricade. Ishimor posted the left arm and hit it with a chair. Ishimori exposed a buckle as Desperado sold his arm on the floor. Back in, Ishimori used a neck crank for a near fall. 

Ishimori sent Desperado’s arm and shoulder into the exposed buckle. Ishimori posted the left shoulder, then hit a shoulder breaker. Desperado reversed a whip, then blocked a handspring kick. Desperado hit a knee breaker and a dragon screw to Ishimori’s left leg. 

Desperado sent Ishimori into the barricade, then posted Ishimori’s left leg. Red Shoes tried to intercept a chair from Desperado. Desperado threw the referee down on the floor, then used the chair on Ishimori’s left leg. Back in, Desperado continued to hammer away at Ishimori’s left leg. 

Ishimori caught Desperado in a cradle for a near fall, then used a sliding German. On the outside, Ishimori hit a Bloody Cross over the barricade. Back in, Ishimori hit a springboard 450. Desperado fought off a Bone Lock and made the ropes. 

Ishimori went back after the left arm. Desperado ducked a lariat and hit an Angle slam. Ishimori blocked Guitarra de Angel and sent the referee into the exposed buckle for a ref bump. 

With the referee down, both hit low blows at the 20 minute call. They traded strikes as Red Shoes was revived. Desperado hit a spinebuster for a near fall, then used the pinning position to set up Numero Dos. Ishimori reversed into a cradle for a near fall. 

Ishimori tried La Mistica, but Desperado reversed into Guitarra de Angel for a near fall. Ishimori blocked Pinche Loco and sent Desperado into the exposed buckle. Ishimori used La Mistica to set up the Yes Lock. Desperado reversed into Numero Dos. ELP ran in and pulled the ref out of the ring for another ref bump. 

ELP hit Sudden Death to Desperado. Kanemaru ran in and hit a dropkick to ELP, then dragged him to the back. Desperado hit a back suplex. Ishimori reversed Pinche Loco into a hurricanrana for a near fall. Ishimori hit Cipher Utaki for a two count. 

Desperado reversed a loody Cross attempt into El Es Culero for a near fall. Ishimori reversed Pinche Loco into the Bone Lock. Ishimori rolled through into a Bloody Cross attempt, but Desperado blocked. Ishimori hit a series of strikes. 

Desperado reversed a whip into the exposed buckle. Desperado hit a right hand and two Pinche Locos for the pin. 

**********

Before Desperado coould cut his post-match promo, a Robbie Eagles promo played on the video wall. Eagles said that the junior heavyweight division has become more like a committee of vultures than anything else. Eagles said he needs to push past the vultures and make a declaration. Eagles said he was declaring himself the next challenger for Desperado. 

Desperado cut a short promo after the match. He pointed out Hiromu Takahashi on commentary and told him to get back soon. 

Desperado said he won the match, but can only talk like he lost. He said he might have dislocated his shoulder, but he just beat Ishimori.