“Switchblade” Jay White is heading back to Impact Wrestling.
The company announced today that the NJPW star will take part in their Friday, January 21 and Saturday, January 22 TV tapings in Pembroke Pines, Florida. No opponents have been announced as of yet.
White last appeared for Impact in July 2021, wrestling two tag matches. White teamed with Chris Bey in both bouts, losing to Juice Robinson and David Finlay, as well as Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Those matches aired on the July 29 and August 12 episodes of Impact on AXS TV.
White last wrestled on the December 9, 2021 NJPW Strong Nemesis tapings, defeating AEW’s Christopher Daniels in a singles contest.
White is based in the United States and has primarily been wrestling on NJPW Strong during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he has not wrestled in Japan since May 2021.
An NJPW Grand Slam champion, White has held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, and most recently held the NEVER Openweight Championship, dropping that title to Tomohiro Ishii at NJPW Battle in the Valley in November 2021.
NJPW has made the first match announcements for The New Beginning USA taping for NJPW Strong in Seattle on January 15.
A US of Jay open challenge will take place, with Jay White in action against an unnamed opponent. At the last set of Strong tapings, White teased a bout with Adam Cole and asked AEW to send him someone truly elite to face after he beat Christopher Daniels.
Three additional matches with Strong regulars have also been announced for Seattle. “Drama King” Matt Rewholdt will face El Phantasmo, Brody King will take on Yuya Uemura, plus Clark Connors will face TJP.
Only standing room tickets remain for the show at Washington Hall on Saturday, January 15. Here is the announced lineup so far:
NJPW Strong The New Beginning USA 2022, Saturday, January 15 —
NJPW taped Strong Nemesis Thursday night in Los Angeles, California at the Vermont Hollywood. In the main event, Jay White faced AEW’s Christopher Daniels.
NJPW announced a return date to the same venue on Thursday, February 17, 2022. January’s Strong tapings will be held in Seattle at Washington Hall on Saturday, January 15.
Chris Bey & Hikuleo defeated Jordan Clearwater & Keita Murray
Bey pinned Murray.
Royce Isaacs defeated Lucas Riley
Isaacs won by pinfall after a German suplex.
Karl Fredericks & Kevin Knight defeated Bateman & Misterioso
Fredericks won by pinfall.
Brody King defeated Dave Dutra
King won by pinfall with a piledriver.
JONAH defeated David Finlay
JONAH won by pinfall after a top rope splash.
Juice Robinson defeated Bad Dude Tito
After Robinson defeated Tito, he called out JONAH. JONAH and Tito attacked Juice, then Finlay made the save to set up a likely tag team bout for the future.
Alex Zayne defeated Ariya Daivari
Zayne won by pinfall with the Taco Driver.
Alex Coughlin defeated JR Kratos
Coughlin has officially graduated from Young Lion status with the pinfall victory here. After his defeat, Kratos asked for a future rematch.
Fred Rosser, Tyler Rust & Rocky Romero defeated Tom Lawlor, Jorel Nelson & Black Tiger
Rust pinned Nelson.
Eddie Kingston defeated Gabriel Kidd
Kingston won by pinfall after a backfist.
Jay White defeated Christopher Daniels
White won by pinfall with the Blade Runner.
After the match, White teased a match with Adam Cole. He said this was his era “bay bay,” and he wanted AEW to “send someone truly elite” to fight him.
As was teased at NJPW Strong Detonation, “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels will take on “Switchblade” Jay White. White issued the challenge to Daniels on Monday in Riverside, Daniels was announced for Nemesis on Tuesday, then the match was made official today.
Also announced, Jonah will face David Finlay. This match was set up at NJPW Battle in the Valley when Jonah made his promotional debut by attacking Finlay and his tag partner Juice Robinson. Jonah made his in-ring debut at Detonation in Riverside.
A rematch from the Showdown episodes of Strong is also set for Los Angeles, as Alex Zayne will take on Ariya Daivari.
NJPW Strong Nemesis will take place on December 9 at the Vermont Hollywood. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
Tomohiro Ishii is the new NEVER Openweight Champion.
Ishii defeated champion Jay White in a back and forth match. The finish came when both attempted to go for their finishers. Ishii connected with a dragon suplex, which allowed him to hit a lariat then pinned White with the vertical drop brainbuster for the win.
After the match, Ishii grabbed the title and left, opting not to cut the typical post-main event NJPW promo. The show ended with White being helped to the back, with White shoving down those helping him, leaving him to recover on his own on the ramp.
This marks Ishii’s sixth reign with the NEVER Openweight title. The stipulations for the match had been that if Ishii were unable to beat White tonight for the title, he would never be able to challenge for the title again. White had held the NEVER title for over 195 days, defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestling Dontaku on May 3, 2021 in Fukuoka, Japan.
“Switchblade” Jay White defends the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii in the main event of NJPW Battle in the Valley in San Jose, California.
White has held the title since Wrestling Dontaku on May 3. Should Ishii lose, he is banned from challenging for the NEVER title ever again.
Buddy Matthews will make his NJPW debut in the semi-main event, facing Kazuchika Okada.
In a first-time matchup, Juice Robinson will face Impact Wrestling World Champion Moose in a non-title affair.
United Empire’s Will Ospreay will take on LA Dojo’s Ren Narita in singles action. Ospreay’s stablemates Jeff Cobb and TJP will tag against Karl Fredericks and Clark Connors.
NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Tom Lawlor and top contender to his title Fred Rosser will be on opposite sides of a 10-man tag. Lawlor, JR Kratos, Danny Limelight, Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson will face Rosser, David Finlay, Rocky Romero, Alex Coughlin and Alex Zayne.
Brody King and Chris Dickinson will take on Bateman and Misterioso while in the opener, Impact’s Josh Alexander will face Yuya Uemura.
Our live coverage begins at 11 PM Eastern time.
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Show Report —
Kevin Kelly and Alex Kozlov were on commentary.
Josh Alexander defeated Yuya Uemura (11:52)
Very solid opener. Uemura still has yet to expand his moveset much beyond his Young Lion days, but he went toe to toe with a recent Impact World Champion.
Alexander went for a quick ankle lock, forcing Uemura to scramble to the ropes. The early goings were all Alexander as he picked Uemura apart. A spear into the ropes followed by a Northern Lights suplex got two. About five minutes in, Uemura fired up with chops as they traded strikes in the corner. He caught Alexander with a corner dropkick.
Uemura hit a scoop slam and an elbow drop followed by a back suplex for two. He immediately transitioned into a cross armbreaker out of the pin attempt. Alexander fought out and hit repeated Germans for a near fall, then went for the ankle lock before transitioning into a scorpion deathlock.
After the rope break, Alexander stomped Uemura’s ankle across the ropes. Uemura fought and fought, eventually getting back to his feet and reversing it into the armbar. Alexander stacked Uemura up, forcing a break. He starched Uemura with a right hand, but Uemura came back with dropkicks. Alexander countered the overhead underhook suplex, then locked the ankle lock on tight and forced the submission.
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BATEMAN & Misterioso defeated Brody King & Chris Dickinson (10:48)
Dickinson was legitimately injured in this match, leading to the odd finish and upset victory.
King and BATEMAN are former tag partners. BATEMAN attacked before the bell, and we lost commentary almost immediately. They brawled outside for a while, with BATEMAN and Misterioso maintaining control. Commentary returned.
Dickinson got a tag and entered the match with a double missile dropkick. A lariat and a head-and-arm suplex got two on Misterioso. He tried to follow it up with an armbar, but BATEMAN broke it up. Misterioso regained control as double knees in the corner got a two-count.
King eventually got the hot tag and crushed BATEMAN in the corner with a cannonball senton before sending Misterioso into him with a throw for two. Dickinson landed a top-rope splash as both he and BATEMAN sold knee injuries. Misterioso broke up the cover, but King immediately dispatched him to the floor.
Misterioso hit a springboard moonsault on King on the outside, and then BATEMAN covered Dickinson for the win out of nowhere. Cameras completely missed it — I think Dickinson may be legitimately injured.
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Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Danny Limelight, Royce Isaacs, & Jorel Nelson) defeated Fred Rosser, David Finlay, Rocky Romero, Alex Coughlin, & Alex Zayne (15:20)
This had some nice intensity and cool spots, but it did get a little long in the tooth towards the end.
Lawlor and Rosser/Coughlin are the big rivals in this one. The two team leaders faced off to start things off, but it immediately broke down into a ten-way brawl. Things eventually settled in the ring, where Rosser hit a backbreaker on the apron, leading to the whole thing breaking down again. When the dust settled, Lawlor was in control, and we lost commentary again.
Isaacs and Finlay tagged in, with the latter hitting a blue thunder bomb. Romero entered the match and landed a rope-hang dropkick. The Forever clotheslines followed, but Romero was cut off with a lariat from Nelson. Kratos hit a big delayed vertical suplex and Team Filthy posed. Rosser tried to interrupt but was overwhelmed by the numbers advantage.
Romero rolled over to tag in Zayne, who dispatched the illegal members of Team Filthy and landed a sweet flipping top-rope hurricanrana on Limelight. Nelson tripped him up, but Zayne was able to reach Coughlin for the tag. Coughlin made a valiant effort to gutwrench Kratos, but ultimately fell victim to a leaping shoulder tackle.
Kratos came back with gutwrench suplexes of his own. He thought about a dive, but Zayne cut him off and landed a springboard moonsault on everyone. Romero followed with a dive of his own. Kratos then hit a ridiculous tope con giro in a great spot.
Coughlin fired up with a stiff slap and unloaded on Kratos, who came back with a discus forearm. Coughlin chop-blocked Kratos and hit a lariat to the back of Kratos’s head. The deadlift gutwrench suplex followed, an impressive show of strength. West Coast Wrecking Crew double-teamed Rosser for a near fall.
Lawlor and Isaacs looked to set up to submit Rosser, but Rosser dispatched Lawlor and hit the Gut Feeling for the win.
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Karl Fredericks & Clark Connors defeated United Empire (Jeff Cobb & TJP) (10:01)
This was solid but rather unspectacular. A cool-down match after the all-out ten-man tag.
They brawled to kick things off. Fredericks sent Cobb to the floor and landed a tope con giro. He and Connors maintained control early on, beating down TJP with frequent tags and double teams. Cobb tagged in and a kick from TJP on the apron allowed United Empire to gain the advantage. Connors took an extended beatdown at the hands of Cobb and TJP.
Fredericks eventually got the hot tag and he and Cobb traded forearms in the center of the ring. He hit his signature spinebuster for two, but Cobb came back with the spin cycle suplex for the double down. They both reached their partners for the tag.
TJP cut off Connors with a low dropkick. Connors countered with a powerslam for two. TJP came back with a tornado DDT and Cobb landed a nice standing moonsault for a near fall. Connors pounced TJP into Cobb, then speared the latter for good measure. He and Fredericks worked together on a double team concluded by a diving back elbow from Connors for a near fall.
Fredericks wanted Manifest Destiny, but Cobb broke it up. Cobb distracted the official and TJP had Fredericks cradled, but Connors adjusted the cradle and Fredericks pinned TJP.
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Will Ospreay defeated Ren Narita (15:54)
This was excellent, far and away the best match on the show so far. A worthy sequel to their brief but thrilling 2019 Best of the Super Juniors battle.
Ospreay insisted that the official raise his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, but Narita cut him off with a plancha. Ospreay crotched Narita over the top rope and booted him to the floor, where he dropped Narita spine-first over the barricade. Narita made it back inside before the 20 count.
Back in the ring, Ospreay dominated with strikes. He mocked Shibata by sitting cross-legged and folding his arms. Narita came back with suplexes for two. Ospreay countered the overhead belly-to-belly and hit the handspring enziguiri. Narita avoided a dive and hit the belly-to-belly out on the floor. Ospreay made it back in at 19 but was met with a heel hook from Narita. Ospreay countered into a German suplex.
They traded strikes from a kneeling position before rising to their feet. Ospreay hit his backflip enziguiri and went for the Stormbreaker, but Narita turned it into a rear naked choke. He transitioned into a cobra twist. Ospreay fought out, but Narita caught the hook kick and hit a German suplex for two. Ospreay countered a suplex into a cutter.
Ospreay called for the Oscutter, but Narita stopped it in its tracks. Ospreay instead hit a stack powerbomb for a near fall. Narita avoided a 450 splash and went for the Narita special. After a hard fight including palm strikes, Narita eventually got Ospreay turned over with the cloverleaf, but Ospreay eventually reached the ropes to force the break.
They had a stiff slap exchange until Ospreay caught Narita with the hook kick. They traded finisher attempts until Narita countered the Liger bomb attempt into a flying guillotine. Ospreay powered out and hit the Oscutter for a near fall. The Hidden Blade followed for the win.
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Moose defeated Juice Robinson (15:00)
Moose has just looked better overall as a wrestler in NJPW than in Impact.
Moose is the current Impact World Champion. They wrestled around to start until Moose took Juice out with a shoulder tackle. Juice fired back by sending Moose to the floor, where he hesitated on a plancha before settling on a running cannonball senton. Moose tried to chop Juice, but Juice moved out of the way and Moose chopped the ring post. Moose then sent Juice hard into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Moose maintained control with a one-arm spinebuster. He landed a crazy impactful chop on Juice, who fired back and wouldn’t go down. Juice landed his signature jabs and the Left Hand of God. He followed it up with a top-rope Frankensteiner and then a corner cannonball senton. A frog splash followed for two.
Juice looked for Pulp Friction, but Moose countered out of it and hit a dropkick followed by a powerbomb for a near fall. They traded hard strikes in the center of the ring. Juice countered a step-up with the Left Hand of God. Pulp Friction followed for a good near fall. Juice hit a big-time lariat for another near fall.
Moose popped up and hit the top-rope powerslam for a near fall. He kipped up, but Juice avoided the spear and rolled Moose up for two. Juice hit yet another Left Hand of God, but Moose came back with the spear for the win.
– After the match, Jonah Rock (formerly Bronson Reed in WWE) arrived and walked down to the ring. He stared down Moose, but then turned around and landed a senton on Juice Robinson. David Finlay ran out to make the save, but Rock easily dispatched him and crushed him with another senton. He then grabbed a mic and said “Jonah is here.” I guess he’s just “JONAH” (all caps) now.
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Kazuchika Okada defeated Buddy Matthews (16:31)
This was the second-shortest non-Young Lion Okada match all year, and I think the match was better for it, as long, drawn-out contests were a common criticism of the previous big NJPW USA show.
They performed a choreographed sequence early on where both men went for their finishers. Okada perched Matthews on the top rope and dropkicked him to the floor, where Matthews dropped Okada on the apron with a back suplex. In the ring, Matthews landed repeated soccer kicks, targeting Okada’s injured back.
Okada came back with a forearm and a flapjack. Back elbows and a DDT followed for two. Okada went for the Money Clip, but Matthews pushed his way out and sent Okada to the floor, landing a tope con giro.
Back in the ring, Okada avoided a missile dropkick and hit the air raid crash neckbreaker for two. He landed a top-rope elbow drop and performed the Rainmaker pose. Matthews ducked a Rainmaker and landed a knee and a buckle bomb. He clubbed Okada with repeated elbows until the official forced him to break, and then hit a curb stomp for a near fall.
Matthews mocked Okada with the Rainmaker pose. He went for a Rainmaker, but Okada countered it with a spinning version. Matthews fought out of a tombstone piledriver and hit a running knee but ran into a signature dropkick from Okada, who followed it up with the spinning tombstone. Matthews stopped a Rainmaker, but Okada’s grip wouldn’t break until he was caught with a knee.
Okada fought out of Murphy’s Law and hit Landslide followed by the Rainmaker for the win.
– After the match, Will Ospreay’s music played and he came out. “Long time no see, big brother” were his first words. He said the only reason Okada won the G1 was because Ospreay wasn’t in Japan. Since Okada won, however, Ospreay gave him permission to challenge the “real” world champion. Okada said he wouldn’t challenge Ospreay: Ospreay would have to challenge him.
Ospreay argued about who was the real world champion. He planned on waiting for NJPW to recognize him. Whoever wins between Okada and Shingo Takagi on January 4th will face Ospreay on January 5th at Wrestle Kingdom. Okada said he would make it rain in the Tokyo Dome.
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NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii defeated Jay White (c) to win the title (28:39)
This was long, classic NJPW main event epic style — for better and for worse. The crowd loved the finish. The title change was expected and could have interesting implications for Switchblade’s future if his contract rumors end up true.
They went back-and-forth at the bell until Ishii took White down with a shoulder block. White kept trying to slither away and escape Ishii’s attack until he surprised Ishii with a fireman’s carry throw across the ropes. White then repeatedly sent Ishii into the barricade. Back in the ring, White laid in multiple hard knife-edged chops.
White continued to dominate with dragon screws and more chops. Eventually, a shoulder tackle bought Ishii some breathing room, allowing him to come back with a powerslam. Ishii peppered White in the corner with chops and forearms. White returned fire with a spiking DDT.
Ishii fought out of a uranage attempt with a chop to the windpipe. White cheated by gouging at Ishii’s eyes and suplexed him into the corner. The Blade Buster followed for two. White couldn’t follow up with the Blade Runner, so he just chopped Ishii across the chest and flipped off the crowd. He mocked Ishii’s corner combinations until he was forced to break.
Switchblade kept up the attack until Ishii got that stony look on his face. He started leaning into White’s strikes until he just decked White with one forearm, sending him to the mat. They fought on the top rope, where Ishii desperately wanted a superplex, and he eventually hit it for a near fall.
Ishii tried to keep up the attack, but White countered the sliding lariat into his signature uranage. He then went for the Kiwi crusher, but Ishii fought out and they traded forearms in the center of the ring. White hit a strike combination and a back suplex, but Ishii popped up and came back with one of his own.
A Kiwi crusher from White got two as we lost commentary yet again. White wanted a sleeper suplex, but Ishii fought out and hit a German. White eventually did hit the sleeper suplex, but Ishii popped up and landed a hard lariat. White countered the sliding lariat with a clothesline of his own. He hit a brainbuster, but Ishii kicked out at one.
White was visibly frustrated at the 25-minute mark. Ishii countered a suplex with a headbutt and an enziguiri. White turned a lariat into a flatliner before hitting another sleeper suplex. Ishii countered the Blade Runner into a short-arm clothesline before landing the sliding lariat for a near fall. He called for the vertical drop brainbuster, but White fought out and they traded finisher attempts until Ishii hit a dragon suplex.
Ishii turned White inside out with a lariat for a near fall. The vertical drop brainbuster followed to earn Ishii the victory and the championship.
A new NEVER Openweight title match has been added to Battle in the Valley.
Jay White vs, Tomohiro Ishii has been added to NJPW’s event in San Jose, which takes place on November 13. Ishii has agreed to the stipulation that if he loses, he can never challenge for the NEVER Openweight Championship again. He agreed to the new stipulation after Jay White cut a promo accepting the challenge Ishii had issued back in September. White said he would only accept it, however, if the stipulation was added.
White vs. Ishii is the first match announced for Battle in the Valley, NJPW’s next major event in America. G1 Climax 31 winner Kazuchika Okada, Strong Openweight Champion Tom Lawlor, David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Lio Rush, Fred Rosser, Hikuleo, Ren Narita, and Will Ospreay have also been announced for the show.
Battle in the Valley will take place at the San Jose Civic Center.
Tonight’s episode was called Autumn Attack and was filmed in front of a crowd in Dallas. Matt Rehwoldt (fka WWE’s Aiden English) filled in for Kevin Kelly tonight on commentary. Kelly is in Japan right now for the G1 tournament.
The show opened with a pre-taped promo from Fred Rosser where he explained why he needs the STRONG Openweight title, and in order to do that, he’d have to beat Suzuki.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Fred Rosser
Rosser jumped Suzuki before the bell. Suzuki smiled and answered back with hard elbow shots. Rosser shouted that NJPW Strong was “his house” a few times. When Suzuki was seated, Rosser got into his face to let him know this again. Suzuki slapped him.
Suzuki would next go to work on Rosser’s left arm. He did an armbar while draped over the rope, then started smashing Rosser’s arm against the barricade on the floor and around the ringpost. Suzuki rolled back into the ring and did the Los Ingobernables tranquilo pose—sort of.
This fired Rosser up. He tried bringing a chair into the ring but the referee grabbed it from his hands. Suzuki continued working over Rosser’s arm. Rosser was able to catch Suzuki off the ropes with a scoop Emerald Flowsion for two.
Rosser ripped his wrist tape off and wrapped it around Suzuki’s next before applying a chicken-wing facelock. I don’t think I’ve seen Rosser use this since he was Darren Young in WWE when he was feuding with the Miz with Bob Backlund, master of the chicken-wing, in his corner. Suzuki looked amused while he was in the hold.
Rosser had to break the hold when Suzuki made it to the ropes. Rosser dragged Suzuki to the apron and landed a back suplex.
Suzuki was able to put Rosser in a sleeper, then readied him for his patented Gotch-style piledriver. He got the crowd pumped for it, but he waited too long, and Rosser back bodydropped himself out of harm’s way. The crowd booed this. Rosser reacted perfectly and flexed at the crowd while they continued booing.
Rosser threw a few closed fists and headbutts, but it wasn’t enough to put Suzuki away, as Suzuki hit Rosser with the Gotch piledriver for the win.
STRONG Openweight championship: Tom Lawlor (c) defeated Ren Narita to retain the title via submission
We saw a segment centered on Ren Narita promo next. He has beaten Chris Dickinson, Karl Fredericks and Fred Rosser this year. Lawlor had already beaten Narita previously in the New Japan Cup USA tournament.
They felt each other out for a minute or so as things got started. Lawlor shot on Narita a few times but wasn’t able to take Narita down. Narita grabbed a waistlock, dragged Lawlor to the mat and went for an armlock, but Lawlor slipped out. This was a great example of modern chain wrestling, two guys going hold for hold while also demonstrating actual wrestling and submission grappling techniques.
Lawlor got frustrated after a few minutes and slapped the ring post. He threw Narita into a side headlock and clearly pulled Narita’s hair. Narita slipped out the back door and locked Narita into an achilles lock. Lawlor tried chopping his way out but Narita wouldn’t let go. Lawlor had to use a few dirty closed fists so that he could stand up and create space. Narita shut it down and went back to the achilles lock. Lawlor literally had to drag Narita out of the ring by the arms, then smashed him into the guardrail. “Filthy” celebrated with a short strut on the floor.
Lawlor blasted a seated Narita with two low kicks. Narita ate both and asked for more. He sat cross-legged like Shibata. Narita’s new facial hair and tan makes him look an awful lot like his trainer these days. Lawlor threw another and Narita again ate it, then stood up and delivered a low kick of his own to Lawlor.
Narita went suplex-crazy towards the end, putting Lawlor down with three different variations by around the ten-minute mark. The crowd really enjoyed Narita throughout the match.
Lawlor responded with two giant drop uranages. Narita somehow slid into a ankle slicer/achilles hold that looked to have Lawlor close to tapping until he grabbed the ropes for a break. Later, Lawlor earned a two-count after a big exploder suplex.
The two traded sleeperholds towards the end of the match. They traded maybe four sleepers until Narita got the better of the exchange. He’d transition to an octopus hold, but Lawlor escaped, then jumped guard and locked Narita in a guiltillione choke. Narita powered out of it with a wrist-grip suplex with a bridge for two. Lawlor saw an opening and quickly locked Narita in a triangle choke, then moved into an armbar submission, but Narita escaped and eventually locked in a figure-four. Lawlor sold this like he knee was ripping in half. Narita would later move into an STF; Lawlor barely escaped.
Lawlor would eventually score the submission win with a wild 10th Planet-style double-arm, double-leglock. I’ve never seen this one before. Narita, effectively limbless, had no choice but to tap: Lawlor retained via submission.
Lawlor shouted “STRONGEST FOR THE LONGEST” after the match. This was one of the top matches of the show this year.
Jay White defeated Robbie Eagles
This was a non-title bout between Eagles, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion, and the NEVER Openweight champion in White.
White went to “too sweet” the ex-Bullet Clubber, but when Eagles refused, White slapped him in the face. When the bell rang, Eagles ran at White, ducked a lariat, then unloaded a barrage of punches. White shut Eagles down with shoulder blocks and chops, but he couldn’t control Eagles’ rhythm.
Eagles wears a handkerchief around his neck when he wrestles, so White choked him with it minutes into the match. When he flexed to the crowd, they actually cheered him. White got similar reactions at NJPW’s Resurgence show in Los Angeles; while he’s technically a heel, in the US, he’s popular, regardless of character.
At five minutes in, Eagles landed a jumping double knee strike on White in the corner. White spiked him on top of his head with a DDT. Eagles landed a somersault dive through the middle ropes, onto White and over the barricade, landing on his feet.
From here, a frustrated White made Eagles pay for a good section of the match. Nothing flashy, just a slow, methodical beatdown. At one point, he did a stalling Saito suplex where he carried Eagles around the ring with one arm, like a doll, before spiking him.
When White set Eagles up for the Bladerunner, Eagles smacked White in the face before he could do the move. Eagles then went after White’s knee and leg, then finally locked on his reverse figure-four variation, his submission finish. White teased tapping but eventually broke the hold.
Eagles landed a 450 splash from the top on White’s knee, and again applied his inverted figure-four. White escaped and planted Eagles with a snap sleeper suplex. After a brainbuster and finally the Bladerunner, that was it, and White walked away with the win in just over 15 minutes. This was really good.
“When I’m away, everybody else seems like they get over-confident and get carried away with the decision making in Bullet Club.”
White specifically referred to EVIL, who the Dallas crowd booed.
‘It’s almost like they’ve forgotten who makes the decisions. It’s almost like they’ve forgotten who is in charge!”
He said he was the leader of Bullet Club, he confirmed that he still makes the decisions, and that this was still his “new era” before exiting to the back. Those who were in attendance ate it up.
Final thoughts:
This felt more like a special edition episode of Strong than what we’re used to. It was almost 30 minutes longer than the show usually is, and each match had relatively high stakes either because of the wrestlers involved (guests like Suzuki, White and Eagles) or because of titles on the line (Lawlor vs. Narita).
While everything on this episode was very good, I preferred the STRONG Openweight title the most. White and Eagles had an excellent match as well, though I imagine they’ll top themselves whenever they meet again in their next bout.
Rosser vs. Suzuki was good, but I can’t say it was better than Rosser’s match with Ren Narita a few weeks ago. Ultimately, I think what this match did was build Rosser as a more believable contender on the show as it unfolds over the rest of the year.
NEVER Openweight Champion Jay White will face IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles in a non-title match in the main event of this week’s NJPW Strong Autumn Attack.
White joined the CHAOS faction in 2018 shortly after returning to NJPW after his international excursion, then defected to Bullet Club later in the year. Eagles joined Bullet Club the same year after making his NJPW debut, then turned on White and joined CHAOS in 2019, so there is plenty of backstory to the match.
In the second match, former Team Filthy’s Tom Lawlor will defend the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship against Ren Narita.
In the opener, Minoru Suzuki will take on Strong regular Fred Rosser.
The Autumn Attack episodes of Strong were taped on September 25 and September 26 in Garland, Texas.
Strong airs at 8 p.m. Eastern time this Saturday on NJPW World. The show will also be available on demand immediately following airing.
Here is Saturday’s full lineup:
NJPW Strong Autumn Attack night one, Saturday, October 9, 8 p.m. Eastern time on NJPW World–
Jay White vs. Robbie Eagles
NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Tom Lawlor (c) vs. Ren Narita
NJPW has revealed the full lineup for Saturday’s Fighting Spirit Unleashed episode of Strong.
Jay White will face Wheeler Yuta on the show. White’s NEVER Openweight Championship will not be on the line in the non-title affair.
In the show’s main event, Fred Rosser will face Ren Narita. Narita is coming off a victory over Karl Fredericks on Strong’s LA Dojo Showcase 2 episode. This contest was set up on that show when Rosser came to ringside to congratulate Narita, but Narita refused to shake Rosser’s hand.
In the opener, Yuji Nagata and Yuya Uemura will team against Kevin Knight and The DKC. Uemura scored the pinfall over Danny Limelight in a ten-man tag at NJPW Resurgence in his last match.
The Fighting Spirit Unleashed episodes of Strong were taped at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California on August 23.
Here is Saturday’s lineup:
NJPW Strong Fighting Spirit Unleashed, Saturday, September 25, 8 p.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
Fred Rosser vs. Ren Narita
Jay White vs. Wheeler Yuta
Yuji Nagata & Yuya Uemura vs. Kevin Knight & The DKC
New Japan NEVER Openweight Champion Jay White will make his in-ring debut for Impact Wrestling tonight alongside Chris Bey against Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers in a non-title match.
White didn’t accept The Elite’s offer to join them and instead said they couldn’t rejoin the Bullet Club. Kenny Omega, Don Callis and the Good Brothers came out to confront him and eventually, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows jumped White. Bey, who White had earlier offered to join the Club, ran out to make the save.
The show is main evented by Moose vs. Chris Sabin in a Slammiversary rematch that Moose requested.
The rest of the lineup includes Violent by Design (Deaner and Rhino) vs. Willie Mack and Rich Swann; FinJuice, No Way (fka No Way Jose) and Fallah Bahh vs. Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Rohit Rajua and Shera; and the returning Taylor Wilde vs. Kaleb with a K.
The BTI pre-show will see Steve Maclin look to remain undefeated as he faces Trey Miguel.
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Steve Maclin vs Trey Miguel ended on a double countout on BTI
Maclin jumped Miguel after the match, took him out with a chair until Petey Williams came out for the save and pull-apart.
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Opening video recapped how the new alliance between Jay White and Chris Bey came about, including the altercation with the Good Brothers.
Show started with Gia Miller interviewing Scott D’Amore about a big surprise he had planned for tonight. D’Amore didn’t get to the reveal because Dreamer interrupted him and brought up that it’s been two weeks since Slammiversary, and there is no contender for Kenny Omega set yet. D’Amore passed on the responsibility to Dreamer before leaving.
Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) defeated Jay White & Chris Bey in a non-title match
Last week, when Jay White was explaining why he had come to Impact, chasing after David Finlay, he was interrupted by the Good Brothers who want to make sure they are still the leaders and that White should thank and respect them. After an altercation, Bey came out for the save after White had offered a position in the Bullet Club.
Match started with White and Bey in control over Anderson, but once Gallows tagged in, he cut off Bey with ease. The Good Brothers worked over Bey for a long time, not many tags, but a good combination of choking and tossing Bey around, working the back throughout.
Bey eventually managed to dodge Gallow’s attacks and escape to get White the tag, who came in strong, taking down both Brothers, looking like a total babyface.
Bey tagged back in and almost got taken out with the magic killer, but White made the save. Anderson and Gallows still took out White, hit a chokeslam and magic killer on Bey for the win.
Interesting that they would have White lose his first match, but it’s clear that tag team gold is not the plan for him right now.
– Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz cut a promo about losing their titles and rematch, but that they will get those titles back. Fallah Bahh interrupted them, and invited Steelz to go together at Homecoming as a team. This actually triggered Steelz to give Hogan some harsh comments about it being Hogan’s fault that they lost the title. Steelz agreed to tag with Bahh, but it seemed to be out of spite.
– D’lo Brown & Matt Striker ran down tonight’s card and an update on the Homecoming card for this saturday.
Taylor Wilde defeated Kaleb with a K (with Tenille Dashwood)
Taylor Wilde returned last week after being off for some time after being attacked backstage. Last week, it was made apparent that it had been Dashwood and Kaleb who took her out, and so she requested a match against Kaleb for tonight.
Match was a good babyface showcase for Wilde, who fought a bully that had size and strength over her. Kaleb had the upper hand early on, but after Wilde tricked him to run into the ropes, Wilde made a comeback.
Kaleb got a near fall with a superkick, after failing, he tried to attack Wilde with his fanny pack, but Wilde managed to dodge, send him outside, and hit a tornado DDT. She hit an ugly poisonrana and a bridging German for the win.
This should likely advance to a Wilde vs Dashwood match now.
– Chris Bey said backstage that he didn’t expect his first match in the Bullet Club to be a loss. White stopped him and told him that he wasn’t in the Bullet Club yet, and he wasn’t impressed by what happened in the ring, but he believed in redemption, and offered Bey a second shot.
– Josh Alexander cut a promo saying he will become the champion the company deserves and needs. He was asking for competition before D’Amore walked up and told him he had wanted to give time for Alexander to rest, but since he was ready, he would take on Black Taurus at Homecoming for the title.
– Miller interviewed Deonna Purrazzo if she thought her plate was too full right now between Impact, AAA, and NWA matches. Purrazzo said that she was perfectly capable of taking on everything and she had actually started training with Invicta FC’s Atomweight champion Alesha Zappitella. Purrazzo announced that she will also enter the mix tagged tournament at Homecoming. Zappitella was there to support Purrazzo.
FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay), Fallah Bahh, & No Way defeated Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Rohit Raju, & Mahabali Shera
This match comes from Slammiversary, where FinJuice returned to Impact and beat Fulton and Shera easily. Bahh and No Way joined them in order to level the playing field against the alliance of Austin and Raju.
The babyface started strong, getting the better of Fulton and getting a lot of offense with quick tags and team moves, but when Bahh got in the ring, Raju managed to blind tag himself in and blindside Bahh to cut him off.
The heels worked on Bahh for a bit until it came down to Austin and Bahh, who was too heavy for Austin to keep him at bay, and thus Bahh made a comeback and tagged in Finlay. He ran wild until Shera cut him off, but Robinson came in with the assist to take out Shera.
At the end, with all men coming in to hit their signature moves, Bahh took on both Austin and Fulton, managing to get rid of the latter, but it was the opening for Austin to hit a dive on Bahh and the rest outside the ring.
Back in the ring, Finlay hit trash panda on Raju for the win.
– Miller tried to speak with Kenny Omega, and as usual, Don Callis answered. He said that today, he was going to allow her to talk to Omega because he was in a good mood and everything was working out for them. Omega came out, but didn’t say much since Callis was just putting him over.
Tommy Dreamer approached them and told them that in a couple of weeks, there will be a battle royale for the number one contender’s spot against Omega, to defend at Emergence. Omega and Callis were irate after the announcement.
– We got a new vignette for the Drama King. No debut date set yet.
– Backstage, FinJuice were cutting a promo on the tag team titles when Jay White and Chris Bey jumped them. White rammed Finlay with one of the gear boxes and left him laying. White told him that Finlay will never again beat him.
– Kenny Omega, Don Callis, and the Good Brothers came out to the ring. Omega corrected Callis that it’s 2021 and both real men and real women don’t quit, they get fired. Callis talked about how Omega beat Callihan and how the Good Brothers just defeated Jay White, and in return, they get no respect. Callis kept running his mouth when Sami Callihan returned to interrupt them.
Callihan said that he wasn’t done with Omega and that in two weeks, he’ll win the battle royale and get another shot at Kenny Omega. Callihan said that two weeks was too long a wait, and so Callihan got himself a 6-person match against Omega and the Good Brothers for next week.
Suddenly, Frankie Kazarian, the Elite Hunter, jumped the guardrail and along with Callihan, chased off the Elite. Backstage, Dreamer welcomed Kazarian back. Dreamer will be getting a third person for them next week. Callihan teased that such person will never agree to do it.
– We got a vignette from Su Yung, and the newly transformed into the dark realm, undead Kimber Lee.
– Brian Myers cut a promo that he found a tag team partner, he wanted Beulah McGuillicutty, but Sam Beale had failed to get her phone number. Myers instead called Franscine, she plugged her socials, but rejected him because she wasn’t anyone’s second choice. She caught him because she was smart enough to watch the show. She indeed looked fantastic.
Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated Violent By Design (Deaner & Rhino) (with Eric Young & Joe Doering)
Both teams are wrestling to get back into title contention after losing the tag team title match at Slammiversary to the Good Brothers.
Deaner and Rhino jumped Swann and Mack to begin the match, but the brawl quickly went to Mack and Swann after VBD was tossed out the ring, followed by a corkscrew from Swann to the floor.
Swann and Mack maintained the upper hand over Deaner for some minutes, but Swann was eventually cut off by the group efforts of VBD. The heat run on Swann wasn’t long, but we had a great spot with Deaner tackling Swann mid air to stop him from tagging in Mack.
Mack got the hot tag and quickly dominated Deaner until EY tripped him behind the referee’s sight. Rhino and Deaner got a couple of near falls on Mack, but in the commotion, Swann got a blind tag and a lethal injection for a near fall himself.
Finish saw Mack hit the stunner on Rhino, setting him up for Swann to hit the 450 for the win. Good short match. Hard to say at the moment, but it would seem like Swann and Mack will be getting themselves a shot at the Good Brothers eventually.
– Over at Swinger’s Palace, Swinger wanted to know the odds for the main event tonight. Cardona and Green walked to the casino, since they were scouting the odds for the Homecoming tournament. Since there was still an open spot for the tournament, Swinger wanted Hernandez and Alisha to enter the tournament and win it for the casino. Petey Williams and Jordynne Grace also joined them for the shenanigans.
W. Morrissey walked up and told Alisha he had a message for Eddie Edwards, that after Homecoming, he’s not coming back home. Swinger’s Palace skits are usually bad, but this was at least productive.
Back from the commercial, Edwards addressed Morrissey’s threats, saying that he has a family, unlike Morrissey who has no one that cares for him. On Saturday, he will defeat him.
Tommy Dreamer walked up to Edwards and asked him to tag team with Callihan and Kazarian to take on the Elite. Edwards was reluctant about teaming with Callihan, but Dreamer told Edwards that he promises that he has his word that Callihan will stay in line, which was enough for Edwards to agree. It will be Omega, Anderson, and Gallows vs Callihan, Edwards, and Kazarian.
Moose defeated Chris Sabin
This is the rematch to their Slammiversary match, where Sabin defeated Moose via roll up. They challenged each other to a rematch last week.
The match worked both as a follow up, but also an abridged version of the Slammiversary match, with Sabin going after Moose’s leg, and Moose using his power advantage to cut him off.
Match saw Sabin start with some offense, but after the match spilled to the floor, Moose took down Sabin and slammed him against the steel steps to really hurt him.
Back in the ring, Moose got cocky and allowed Sabin to cover a bit, enough to attempt a comeback that got cut off again. Moose hit Sabin with some huge chops on Sabin.
Sabin eventually made a comeback when one of those huge chops went directly into the ring post, and so Sabin managed to bring down Moose, but he couldn’t keep him down, and Moose kept pushing for Sabin to bring it. Moose went for the revolution fly spot again, but Sabin blocked, hit a jumping tornado DDT for a big near fall.
Sabin went for cradle shock, but Moose blocked it and hit lights out for the win. Really good match, I would love to see them get more time.
After the match, Moose tried to toss Sabin out of the ring, but Sabin countered, hit a plancha on Moose, chased with a dive to the outside, and they brawled into security came out for the pull-apart.
Thursday’s post-Slammiversary edition of Impact Wrestling will attempt to answer some of the questions from last Saturday’s newsworthy event.
New Japan NEVER Openweight Champion Jay White will make an appearance to explain his surprise appearance at the end of the pay-per-view where he stared down Impact World Champion Kenny Omega and Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers.
Following their first-ever Knockouts Tag Team title win, Rosemary and Havok will defend the titles for the first time against former champions Fire N’ Flava. With a win, Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz will be three-time champions.
Mickie James will also make an appearance to address Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo. At Slammiversary, James invited the champion to appear at the upcoming all-woman NWA Empowerrr PPV, but Purrazzo wasn’t happy with James’ interrupting her celebration after defeating surprise opponent Thunder Rosa. James then superkicked her and left her laying.
Former Tag Team Champions FinJuice will make their in-ring return when they take on Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. David Finlay and Juice Robinson made a surprise return Saturday, picking up a quick win over Fulton and Shera after the two were complaining about being barred from the Ultimate-X match. Scott D’Amore then said they could have a match which led to FinJuice’s return.
Chelsea Green will officially return to Impact TV when she teams with Matt Cardona and Jake Something against Tenille Dashwood, Brian Myers and Sam Beale in six-person tag team action coming out of Slammiversary.
In a battle of former X-Division champions, Chris Bey will take on Rohit Raju.
Here’s the full card for Thursday:
Jay White, Mickie James appearances
Knockouts Tag Team Champions Rosemary & Havok vs. Fire N’ Flava title match
FinJuice vs. Ace Austin and Madman Fulton
Matt Cardona, Jake Something and Chelsea Green vs. Brian Myers, Sam Beale and Tenille Dashwood
Jay White appeared at the end of Impact’s Slammiversary pay-per-view tonight and stood face-to-face with the former leader of the Bullet Club, Kenny Omega.
The end of Slammiversary had Omega retain the Impact World title over Sami Callihan after pinning him following the One Winged Angel into nearby thumbtacks. Omega, The Good Brothers, and Don Callis all celebrated until the lights went out. Jay White came out, carrying the NEVER Openweight title. Omega and the Good Brothers responded by holding up the too sweet sign, motioning for White to join them. Before White could do anything, someone came running down to the ring. The show immediately went off the air with no resolution.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful later reported that David Finlay and Juice Robinson came down to the ring to attack White, but White hit the bladerunner on Juice and escaped before anything else happened.
White is scheduled to be part of the NJPW Resurgence event that will take place in Los Angeles on August 14, defending the NEVER title against David Finlay.
