Tag: iwgp united states champonship

Kenny Omega to defend IWGP US title against tournament winner

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Kenny Omega will defend the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against the winner of an upcoming number one contender’s tournament. 

NJPW announced Sunday that Omega will face the winner of a four-man tournament, with the number one contender being decided at Dominion on June 4. The tournament participants will be Hiroshi Tanahashi, Will Ospreay, Lance Archer, and Juice Robinson. 

Archer will take on Robinson at Collision in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 16, while Tanahashi vs. Ospreay is set for Resurgence in Long Beach, California on Sunday, May 21. 

The Archer vs. Robinson and Tanahashi vs. Ospreay winners will face off at Dominion in Osaka-Jo Hall on Sunday, June 4 to cement the top contender to Omega’s title.

No date has been announced for Omega’s eventual defense against the winner, but AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in Toronto on Sunday, June 25 seems a logical destination for that match. 

Ospreay, Tanahashi, Archer, and Robinson are all former IWGP US Champions.

Omega defeated Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome to win the IWGP US title, kicking off his second reign with the Championship. 

Omega had his first tile defense of his current reign against Jeff Cobb on the March 29 episode of AEW Dynamite.

Four titles change hands at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Four titles changed hands during this morning’s NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022 event.

Hiroshi Tanahashi won the vacant IWGP United States title, while Taiji Ishimori won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens of the Bullet Club won the IWGP Tag Team titles, and Tama Tonga won the NEVER Openweight title.

Tanahashi won the United States title by defeating Tomohiro Ishii after two high fly flows. This is his second reign with the championship. After the match, Chase Owens came to the ring and distracted Tanahashi long enough for a hooded figure to come in and attack Tanahashi, eventually revealing himself to be Juice Robinson.

Ishimori won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title for a second time, defeating El Desperado after 176 days. The finish of the match had Desperado going for a second pinche loco, but Ishimori countered into his bone lock submission. Desperado submitted soon after.

Fale & Owens defeated Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan and Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI in a three-way match to win the IWGP Tag Team titles. The duo won the titles for the first time with their finisher, a rocket launcher elbow drop. This ends the United Empire’s reign with the titles after only 22 days, winning the titles back at NJPW Hyper Battle on April 9 over former champions Goto & YOSHI-HASHI.

Tonga defeated EVIL to win the NEVER Openweight title for the first time, picking up the win with the gun stun. Immediately after the match, The Good Brothers came out and attacked Tonga. Tanga Loa came to the ring in an attempt to make the save, but was also taken out. This ends EVIL’s reign with the NEVER Openweight title after 116 days, defeating Tomohiro Ishii at Wrestle Kingdom 16 on January 4.

Elsewhere on the card, Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato retained the IWGP Junior Tag Team titles, retaining over Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI. In the main event, Kazuchika Okada retained the IWGP World Heavyweight title over Tetsuya Naito.

Satoshi Kojima challenges KENTA for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Satoshi Kojima challenged KENTA to face him at Wrestle Kingdom 15 for the IWGP United States Championship right to challenge certificate. Kojima issued the challenge at today’s Road to Tokyo Dome event.

KENTA had been set to defend his briefcase against Juice Robinson on night one of Wrestle Kingdom on January 4th. NJPW announced today that Robinson has suffered a fractured orbital bone and will be unable to compete. 

Kojima and KENTA were on opposite sides of a tag match at today’s event. KENTA and Jay White defeated Kojima and Toa Henare after White pinned Henare with a Blade Runner.

Kojima stated that after 30 years in the business, “I’m going for it,” and asked if KENTA would accept a challenge from a 50 year-old man. KENTA attempted to hit Kojima with his briefcase. Instead, Kojima ducked the shot and hit a cutter. Kojima then went for a lariat, but Jay White made the save, pulling KENTA out of the ring. 

Wrestle Kingdom 15 will be held over two nights on January 4th and January 5th, 2021. Both shows will air live on NJPW World at 3 a.m. Eastern time.

Here are the current lineups:

January 4 —

  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship & IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi 
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Great-O-Khan
  • KENTA vs. ? for the IWGP United States Championship right to challenge certificate
  • IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Guerillas of Destiny 
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo
  • New Japan Rambo

January 5 —

  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship & IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Winner of Naito-Ibushi vs. Jay White 
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Hiromu-ELP winner 
  • SANADA vs. EVIL
  • NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Jeff Cobb 
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (c)vs. Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi 
  • 4-way match for the provisional KOPW 2021 title
  • Dark match featuring Stardom talent