Though many of the key matches were known coming out of the New Japan Cup finals, NJPW revealed the full card for Sakura Genesis on Tuesday morning.
The show will be headlined by Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Katsuyori Shibata. That match was decided after Shibata won the 2017 New Japan Cup by defeating Bad Luck Fale in the finals and then challenged Okada.
In the other title matches, Hiromu Takahashi will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against KUSHIDA, Zack Sabre Jr. will challenge Hirooki Goto for the NEVER title, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima will put their tag titles on the line against War Machine, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi will defend theirs against Gedo & Jado.
Sakura Genesis will take place on April 9th and is replacing Invasion Attack on the NJPW calendar this year. English commentary for the show will be available on NJPW World. The full card is:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against Katsuyori Shibata
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defending against KUSHIDA
NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto defending against Zack Sabre Jr.
IWGP Tag Team Champions Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima defending against War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe)
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI
Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Kenny Omega & Bad Luck Fale
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi defending against Gedo & Jado
YOSHI-HASHI, Rocky Romero & Beretta vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Taka Michinoku
Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask W & Tiger Mask IV vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Roa, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Thunder Liger & David Finlay vs. Hirai Kawato, Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitamura (pre-show)
The likely main event of Sakura Genesis will soon be decided as the New Japan Cup finals take place tonight in Niigata.
Katsuyori Shibata and Bad Luck Fale have both made it to the finals, defeating three men to earn their place. It makes the most sense for Shibata to win and headline against Kazuchika Okada at Sakura Genesis, as that seems like the key money match. However, Fale has done well in tournaments like this before, in fact reaching the finals in 2014. Given that he’s usually pushed as a threat, tonight may just be the night they go all the way with him.
The rest of the card will feature a number of multi-man tag matches that will build momentum towards Sakura Genesis. Two programs in particular that have been built are Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru against Gedo & Jado over the IWGP Junior Tag Team titles and Hiromu Takahashi against KUSHIDA over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title.
Our live coverage starts at 2 a.m. ET/11 p.m. PT.
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Tomoyuki Oka vs. Hirai Kawato went to a time limit draw
Oka dominated but Kawato held his own and fought back. Kawato did a good job selling his hurt shoulder. Both Oka and Kawato escaped Boston crab attempts. Kawato was going for a series of near falls when the bell rang, going to a time limit draw. Really good while it lasted, as both played their roles well in a heavyweight vs. junior heavyweight battle.
Kawato went at it with Oka after the match, showing the young lion fighting spirit.
David Finlay, Tiger Mask and Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Takashi Iizuka, El Desperado and Taka Michinoku
They brawled around the ring where Iizuka smashed Finlay with a chair. Heels worked on Liger for a while, with the referee being easily distracted while Iizuka choked Liger with the ring rope. Finlay made the comeback but got whacked again with another steel chair shot by Iizuka. Finlay rallied back quickly then pinned him with a stunner in a pretty decent match.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuji Nagata and Katsuya Kitamura
A lot of this match was both members of Tencozy, sometimes together, working over Kitamura. Nagata finally was tagged in and cleared house, dropping Kojima and sinking in the armbar until Tenzan broke it up. Kitamura was tagged in as they both worked over Kojima. Kitamura had it close with a Boston crab, but Kojima broke free and hit the lariat for the pinfall. Good enough match that made Kitamura look like someone with potential.
Suzuki, Kanemaru and Taichi all worked and Jado and Gedo a lot during the match. Suzuki was going for the Gotch piledriver on Jado but was broken up by Goto. Taichi came in with his microphone stand and evened the odds. Jado kicked out of a pin attempt and rallied back, sinking in the crossface. Taichi tried to escape but Jado rolled him back in the ring and had no choice but to tap. Nothing special, but did continue the build for the IWGP Jr. tag team titles.
EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA and Michael Elgin
They teased a confrontation early between Tanahashi & Naito, but Naito didn’t engage and instead EVIL started things off. Turned into a pretty good back and forth contest with everyone getting their time to do their thing. Naito and Juice had a really nice exchange that people got into. Juice was going for Pulp Friction but Naito escaped, low blowed Robinson then pinned him with the Destino.
LIJ put the boots to Robinson after the match, with Naito putting in the final touches.
Toru Yano, Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI and Tomohiro Ishii Kenny Omega, Yujiro Takahashi, Tama Tonga and Tonga Roa
This was okay, nothing special compared to the other tags tonight but still pretty solid. There was some comedy involving Yano and Tama Tonga, as Yano doesn’t like Tama Tonga’s crawl as it creeps him out. Yujiro controlled a lot of the match and looked like…Yujiro. Okada and Roa were going at it and let’s just say the talent discrepancies were obvious. Okada eventually hit the elbow and pinned Roa with the rainmaker.
Katsuyori Shibata defeated Bad Luck Fale to win the New Japan Cup
Fale controlled early, throwing Shibata into the barricade and laying waste to him. Fale worked on Shibata’s bum arm, wrapping it against the ring post. Shibata was goaded into landing some shots, but Fale continued to grind him down.
Fale lifted him up on his shoulders, but Shibata escapes by putting his foot on the top rope. Fale immediately came back, taking Shibata out of the ring. Fale tries to whip Shibata into the barricades, but Shibata counters and starts choking him with Fale’s own shirt.
Shibata takes down Fale and begins working on his arm. Fale escapes and counters with a lariat and a big splash. He goes for the grenade but Shibata kicks out. Fale goes for the Bad Luck Fall but in midair Shibata transitions into a sleeper. He transitions for a rear naked choke but Fale counters with a sidewalk slam.
Shibata immediately gets up and starts no selling, responding with some vicious strikes and puts him in the sleeper once again. He lands the PK and scores the victory, winning the 2017 New Japan Cup. I liked the story this match, but there were way better matches in this tournament — this wasn’t even close to reaching the upper echelon.
Shibata took a microphone after the match. He wasn’t sure who to choose, but eventually yelled out one person’s name — Kazuchika Okada, the IWGP Heavyweight champion. The camera cuts to the entranceway…but Okada never shows up. Shibata reiterates his promise to challenge Okada anyway as streamers fly and the show closes.
Bad Luck Fale and Katsuyori Shibata advanced to the New Japan Cup finals, taking place on March 20th.
Prelim Results —
Juice Robinson, Tomoyuki Oka & David Finlay defeated Hirai Kawato, Yuji Nagata & Katsuya Kitamura when Robinson pinned Kitamura with the Pulp Friction.
Gedo & Jado defeated Desperado & Taka Michinoku when Jado pinned Michinoku with a DDT.
Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Tiger Mask, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima when Suzuki pinned Tiger Mask with the Gotch piledriver.
Ryusuke Taguchi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin & KUSHIDA defeated BUSHI, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito when Taguchi pinned BUSHI with the la magistral cradle.
Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & Hirooki Goto defeated Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi & Kenny Omega when Okada pinned Takahashi after the Rainmaker.
New Japan Cup Semifinals Results —
Bad Luck Fale defeated EVIL
There was an interesting spot early as EVIL tried to do his usual chair into the post spot, but Fale countered it and attacked him on the outside and into the crowd, the highlight being Fale throwing a barricade on a prone EVIL.
Fale hit a big splash in the corner, then another big splash on the floor, but EVIL kicked out. He then motioned for the Grenade, but when lifting him EVIL escaped and ran to the referee. He fired back with some shots and hit three lariats but the referee was pulled out of the ring by Tama Tonga. BUSHI laid Tonga out with the MX as they brawled to the back.
Fale went for the Bad Luck Fall but EVIL escaped and gave him a headbutt. He tried for the STO, and even was misted, but Fale escaped. EVIL walked into a big time lariat, ate the Grenade, and was thrown to the ground with the Bad Luck Fall for the win.
This was a better match than you would think. It helped that the crowd was hot for it.
Katsuyori Shibata defeated Tomohiro Ishii
They felt each other out for a while before they went into some good back and forth, with Shibata controlling. They traded hard elbows for a long time before Ishii got the better of it. Ishii laid it in with lariats but Shibata stood tall.
Ishii continued to pelt him with forearm shots but Shibata gave him one of his own. Ishii laid out Shibata but he immediately got up and smacked him with a big boot. Ishii started to mount a comeback, but Shibata retaliated with an STO and applied an armlock.
Shibata tried to go for a sleeper after this, but Ishii threw him over his shoulder. Shibata retaliated with another boot to the face.
There was more back and forth. Ishii laid out Shibata with the lariat but he immediately popped back up. Ishii responded with another, then followed that with a sliding D. Ishii continued headbutting him. Shibata went to the floor and begged Ishii to do something. They slapped each other silly until Shibata went for the sleeper. Ishii hit a side suplex but Shibata immediately popped up and laid him out.
Shibata went for the penalty kick but Ishii grabbed his arm and put on an armlock, only for Shibata to escape. Ishii destroyed Shibata’s shoulder until Shibata roared back with an enzuigiri.
Shibata finally had the sleeper locked in. Ishii tried to grab the rope, but Shibata hit a half dragon suplex.
They traded one counts until Shibata got the sleeper in once again. This time, Ishii started to pass out as he fell to the floor. Shibata hit the penalty kick, but then transitioned into another sleeper to make sure he’s out to win the match.
This was an incredible match. It was on par with Ishii vs. Omega from March 12th. The intensity was great and the last few minutes were really awesome.
Ishii sold the sleeper, struggling to get up after the match and still wanting to lay it into Shibata. The young lions took him out of the ring Shibata cut a short promo to end the show.
Final Thoughts —
This was a one match show, with that one match being really awesome. The prelims are what they are — if you’ve seen one New Japan multi-man tag, you know what to expect; good action, good build towards future matches, but absolutely nothing you need to see.
The two tournament matches delivered. EVIL vs. Fale was a good brawl, with EVIL looking like a top act in hanging in there with Fale until the very end. The main event was incredible, with Ishii continuing to be one of the most consistently top-notch workers in the industry today, and Shibata more than held his own in the match as well.
The final match in this tournament sounds like a tough sell, but Fale does well in big main event matches and Shibata should be an interesting opponent for him. Aside from the 235 multi-man tags, it should be an interesting night tomorrow.
New Japan Pro Wrestling will hold its 45th anniversary show early this morning at 5 a.m. ET at Ota City General Gymnasium, the venue where the very first show was held on March 6th, 1972. It will air live on New Japan World, including both Japanese and English commentary.
In the main event, Kazuchika Okada will square off against Tiger Mask W (Kota Ibushi). Tiger Mask W has been decent in the midcard, if not somewhat unspectacular. It will be interesting to see how Ibushi works as Tiger Mask W under a main event scenario, and also with a new mask that’s better fitting. The IWGP title will not be on the line.
However, there will be several title matches on the show. They include Hiromu Takahashi defending the IWGP Jr. title against Ryusuke Taguchi in the co-main event, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defending the IWGP Heavyweight tag titles against Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan (replacing Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma), Katsuyori Shibata taking on the debuting Zack Sabre Jr. for the RPW British Heavyweight title, and Roppongi Vice defending the IWGP Jr. tag titles against Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
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Manabu Nakanishi defeated Tomoyuki Oka
Well, I can tell you this: Nakanishi didn’t look entirely awful. And hey, Oka shows promise, though he’s not going to show it in a match against Nakanishi. Regardless, this was fine. Nakanishi submitted him with the torture rack.
Hirooki Goto (NEVER Openweight champion), YOSHI-HASHI, Jado, Gedo and defeated Minoru Suzuki, Taka Michinoku, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Desperado
This was your standard, eight man New Japan tag team match you’ll find at the start of each show. A lot of action and constant motion. YOSHI-HASHI took out Suzuki and targeted Taka Michinoku, taking him down with Karma and submitting him in a good bout.
Kevin Kelly on commentary gave an update on the condition of Tomoaki Honma. He referred to Chris Charlton’s Twitter, where Charlton mentioned that Honma is regaining feeling in his extremities and notes he would like to return to pro wrestling. Hopefully he takes his time to recover fully.
Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Tonga Roa defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, Yuji Nagata, David Finlay and Tiger Mask
Again, a typical New Japan tag match. I thought the previous match was better, but this was still pretty decent. Tiger Mask worked a lot of the match, selling for the heels. David Finlay tried to go toe to toe with Fale but the rest of the BC laid him to. Omega tried to bodyslam Fale on Finlay but it didn’t work as all the faces entered the ring and made their comeback. It boiled down to Fale and Finlay again at the end, with Fale getting the better of things this time and pinning Finlay with the grenade.
Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Roppongi Vice to win the IWGP Junior tag team titles
Taichi came out with Miho Abe, his manager of sorts for the night. As RPG Vice came out, Kanemaru and Desperado jumped them and worked them over a long time, including Abe slapping Romero and Taichi using the ring well. RPG Vice came back with stereo suicide dives to the outside.
They land Strong Zero, but a distraction by Desperado allows Taichi and Desperado to lay out the two with belt shots. Kanemaru hits a tilt a whirl DDT, but Romero kicks out. Kanemaru follows with a DDT off the top rope to win the titles for his team. This was fine, but nothing special, though there were one or two good near falls toward the end.
Taichi and Kanemaru continued to lay waste to Roppongi Vice until Jado and Gedo made the save. So whether you like it or not, that’s your next title program.
Sabre came out for the next match with both the PWG and Evolve world titles. That’s an interesting political situation.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Katsuyori Shibata to win the RPW British Heavyweight title
They started off with some really great technical mat wrestling. Shibata wraps Sabre’s wrists around his neck, but Sabre reverses it. Shibata manages to counter before they break. Sabre works on the injured shoulder of Shibata.comes back with a penalty kick attempt but Sabre does a fake out and takes down Shibata with a gogoplata.
From there, he then transitions into a double arm scissors. This had some really great technical wrestling and different than other New Japan matches, really cool to see. Shibata puts Sabre in a sleeper then drills him with a half dragon suplex.
Minoru Suzuki comes in out of nowhere and begins to distract Shibata as he was going for the penalty kick. Shibata instead attacks Suzuki, but it was all a ploy as Davey Boy Smith Jr. runs in and lays him out. Suzuki puts him in the sleeper and allows Sabre to hit the penalty kick to pin Shibata, winning the title.
Sabre Jr. and the rest of Suzuki-gun put the boots to Shibata after the match. Suzuki cut a promo officially welcoming Zack Sabre Jr. as the newest member of Suzuki-gun as the stable posed for photos.
Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano to win the IWGP Heavyweight tag team titles
Ishii and Kojima worked together and it was awesome, they had a back and forth slap battle that felt like it lasted a full minute. Kojima did the kokeshi on Yano as a tribute to Makabe. Kojima ran into Yano’s exposed turnbuckle but kicked out of a roll up attempt. Kojima missed a lariat, ate a headbutt by Ishii and Yano followed with a roll up but Kojima still kicked out.
Tenzan tagged in, was about to be slingshotted into an Ishii lariat but he countered with a headbutt. Kojima took out Yano with another kokeshi as Tenzan took down Ishii with the anaconda vise, then Kojima hit one more lariat to win the IWGP tag team titles for his team in a good little match.
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi came out to celebrate with the new champions after the match.
BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL (NEVER Six Man Tag Team champions) and Tetsuya Naito (IWGP Intercontinental champion) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Micheal Elgin and KUSHIDA
This was another eight man match full of action, probably the best out of the three tonight. Elgin and Sanada worked a lot together and was pretty good. KUSHIDA and BUSHI also worked together for a time. Naito and Juice were the two left in the ring towards the end of the match, with Naito scoring the win for his team with the Destino.
EVIL took out Tanahashi, who are scheduled to face one another in the New Japan Cup preliminary round, with a new submission as LIJ stood tall.
Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ryusuke Taguchi to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title
They started off having a nice back and forth affair. Then it got real interesting as Takahashi started laying in the slaps. Taguchi followed, and the comedy was over as he took down Takahashi with some big slaps. He took down Takahashi with the dodon then follows that with the ankle lock. Takahashi gets the knees up on a frosh splash attempt.
He gains momentum, hitting the running death valley driver into the corner but as Takahashi goes for the timb bomb but Taguchi counters with the ankle lock. Taguchi looked like he was going for a torture rack but Takahashi counters with a small package. Takahashi hits another running death valley driver then hits the time bomb to retain the title. This was a really good, but not spectacular match, though there were some really great moments during the match.
Takahashi takes the mic after and declares he’s looking for a challenger. KUSHIDA responds, wanting his rematch from the Tokyo Dome. The two stare down one another, the next junior title program clear.
Kazuchika Okada (IWGP Heavyweight champion) defeated Tiger Mask W in a non-title match
Takahashi takes the mic after and declares he’s looking for a challenger. KUSHIDA responds, wanting his rematch from the Tokyo Dome. The two stare down one another, the next junior title program clear.
This match started out as a nice, clean back and forth match. Tiger Mask W did the Golden Triangle moonsault but Okada countered the tiger bomb. Okada busts out red ink as Tiger Mask fights to make it to the ropes. Okada tries for the rainmaker but Tiger Mask counters and hits a snap German suplex (after faking out with a dragon suplex, which is pretty cool).
Okada starts stomping on Tiger Mask which gets him angry and starts mounting a comeback. Tiger Mask shoves the referee but Okada comes flaring back with shots of his own. He hits the dropkick and goes for the rainmaker but Ibushi counters with a kick to the head. Still holding Okada’s hand, Tiger Mask connects with another and hits the press powerbomb but Okada kicks out.
Tiger Mask tries for the tiger bomb but Okada fights out of it. They go to the top rope where Okada tries to go for a tombstone but Tiger Mask lands on his feet and nails a reverse dropsault. Tiger Mask then comes off with an amazing tiger bomb off the top rope but Okada still kicks out. Tiger Mask goes for one more tiger bomb but Okada counters and follows with two rainmakers. Okada goes for a third, but Tiger Mask counters with a kick to the temple. Okada catches Tiger Mask off the top rope, hits a scary deadlift German suplex then hits the third rainmaker for the win. Excellent main event with some crazy moves near the end.
Okada wanted to shake Tiger Mask’s hand but he refuses, exiting the ring. He cut a promo promising he’ll deliver the rainmaker for many anniversary shows to come as the show ends.
New Japan Pro Wrestling was back in Singapore this morning for their annual Wrestling World event, held at the Marina Bay Sands. Here are the results:
Juice Robinson defeated David Finlay
Solid opener. Lots of support for Robinson, who was pretty over with the crowd. Good, basic match leading to a Robinson win after hitting the unprettier.
They did the fake babyface spot where Romero wanted to shake hands, but Liger stalled. When he finally did, Romero did the turn but Liger blocked him. They worked on Liger until Taguchi did a hot tag. Liger was tagged back in and was isolated as he was pinned by Romero after RPG Vice did their double team finish.
Guerillas of Destiny defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo
Gedo was enjoying himself here, channeling Ric Flair (or is it Jado?) in doing the strut. Ishii looked good in warding off the two, but of course Gedo was the weak link. He fell to the Guerilla Warfare, giving the win to the heavyweight tag team champions.
Hirooki Goto defeated Tomoaki Honma
Good match, but there have been better between these two. Lots of stiff slaps and punches throughout. Honma was being worked on until he made a comeback with the Kokeshi and worked on Goto’s arm, but Goto turned the tide with an ushigiroshi and pinned Honma with the GTR.
They brawled around the ring to start things off. Ingobernables were over and this, by far, had the most heat of any match up to this point. Cool six-man man match, about what you would expect. The finish was pretty cool as it looked like KUSHIDA was going to finish off BUSHI with a moonsault, but instead did a leap to the floor wiping out SANADA. Tanahashi finished the match instead with a High Fly Flow.
Standard tag match, which means it was good, but nothing beyond what you would normally see on a New Japan house show. Omega always comes across like someone with headliner potential; his work at this point is stellar. Okada got the win for his team with the Rainmaker.
Katsuyori Shibata defeated NEVER Openweight Champion EVIL to regain the title
This was good, but the crowd was just kind of there – I think they may have peaked earlier for the six-man. As far as a championship match though, this was really well worked.
Shibata worked on EVIL’s arm to start. They went to the outside where Shibata tried to use a chair, but failed, instead letting Evil put the chair on his head and slammed it against the post. He also trapped it on Shibata’s arm and smashed it against the steps. EVIL targeted the arm but Shibata hulked up and fired back.
Shibata locked in the sleeper but EVIL grabbed the arm and wrung it on the top rope, sending Shibata to the floor. After a back and forth battle, Shibata put on the sleeper but bumped into the ref by accident. EVIL grabbed more chairs, wrapped Shibata around one and swung the other onto him.
EVIL hit a tree slam but Shibata still kicked out. He tried the STO but Shibata countered with one of his own. He got the sleeper back on, hit a sleeper suplex, then hit the penalty kick to regain the title.
Overall, this was pretty much your typical New Japan house show event with a pretty good main event. Everyone worked hard, leading it to be a very solid show.
Image: Revolution Pro Wrestling. Results submitted by reader Jan Buxton from Walthamstow, London, England.
– Charlie Garrett & Joel Redman defeated EVIL & BUSHI by DQ
Decent match with Garrett as a standout. Obviously not wanting either team to do the job so LIJ were DQed when BUSHI used the mist.
– Drew Galloway came out to cut a promo. He put over the UK scene and he was clearly upset to be missing this show, he had hoped this would be his first match back. He explained that Japan had always been a goal as yet unrealized and he had asked to be on this show. He had a confrontation with Josh Bodom as he left, presumably setting something up down the line.
– Josh Bodom defeated Tomoaki Honma
This was a good match. One thing Bodom brings is some genuine heel heat to his matches. Bodom was physically sick just after getting the win.
– Yuji Nagata defeated Trent Seven
This was really good. Nagata had better chemistry with Seven than with Dunne last night. Seven is a big crowd favorite. Dave Mastiff came out after the match and attacked Seven.
– Will Ospreay defeated Jushin Liger
Ospreay dressed as “Dark Liger” in a black Liger costume. This was really fun, it had some good comedy and Ospreay dressing up gave the proceedings a new twist.
– Tomohiro Ishii defeated Pete Dunne
A lot of people liked this match but it was underwhelming for me for quite a while. It did however pick up towards the end. Dunne hit a low blow but was foiled by Will Ospreay coming out to distract both him and the referee allowing Ishii to hit a low blow of his own and get the win.
– Tetsuya Naito & SANADA defeated Zack Sabre Jr. & Marty Scurll
Like the first LIJ tag match, this had too much referee Chris Roberts being really bad at his job narrative but that gripe aside it was very good. Both Naito and Scurll come across as such stars. Naito pinned ZSJ after hitting a Destino.
Scurll cut a promo saying that he was leaving the territory and had signed for ROH and Sabre Jr. was moving to the states. He said we should say our goodbyes and that the LDRS were forever. He got a standing ovation but…swerve! Scurll gave ZSJ a low blow from behind and it looks like we will get that match at some point. Interesting dynamic as heel Scurll is pretty beloved at this point, and some of the crowd had turned on Sabre.
– British Heavyweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata defeated Chris Hero to retain his title
This was perhaps a bit shorter than ideal at 13 minutes but was still a great match. Both guys were over with the crowd and there were some incredible strikes. Shibata kicked out of a piledriver and the elbow/Gotch piledriver combination. Shibata won with the PK. I really hope Hero gets a run in NJPW in 2017.
Image: Revolution Pro Wrestling. Results submitted by reader Jan Buxton from York Hall in London, England.
– Marty Scurll defeated Jushin Liger
This was really enjoyable, both guys are so at ease in the ring and worked in their trademark stuff.
– Tomoaki Honma defeated Sha Samuels
This was solid enough without hitting any heights. Interference from James Castle on Samuels’ behalf backfired and Honma got the win.
– Yuji Nagata defeated Pete Dunne
Another solid rather than spectacular affair.
– Chris Hero defeated Tomohiro Ishii
This was great. It always surprises me every time I see Ishii live how small he is and Hero was noticeably bigger and took the dominant role. But Ishii kept firing back. Eventually a piledriver, elbow, and Gotch piledriver in succession got the win for Hero. He put over Ishii on the mic after the match.
– Will Ospreay defeated BUSHI
This was a good match; Ospreay never seems to have a bad one.
– Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & SANADA) defeated David Starr, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate
Fun six-man. Naito didn’t do much but he is so cool. There was some comedy which was a nice change of pace before things got more serious. EVIL got the win for his team by pinning Starr.
– Katsuyori Shibata defeated British Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. to win the title
This was very good. It started with some mat wrestling before really kicking into gear when they started kicking the hell out of each other. ZSJ removed the tape from Shibata’s injured shoulder and targeted that. There were lots of kicks and strikes back and forth. Shibata hit the penalty kick and got the pin to win the title.
Shibata offered a handshake after the match but Scurll dragged Sabre away. Chris Hero came out to stare down Shibata. Hero vs. Shibata is on night two, presumably now for the title.
Ring of Honor television from this past week featured the second installment of Field of Honor from MCU Park in Brooklyn. The theme of ROH vs. NJPW continued on this episode from the venue that is home to Brooklyn Cyclones baseball.
An advantage to the ballpark shows, the setting has more character than many other interchangeable venues. However, a disadvantage is the crowd is scattered along the bleachers in the stadium, showing gaps of empty seats. The atmosphere was still unique nonetheless.
Joining announcers Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino, Bobby Fish provided guest commentary for a match involving his reDRagon teammate. He explained the intricacies of the matwork in the opening bout on this episode.
Kyle O’Reilly defeated Katsuyori Shibata via ref stoppage
Taped in late August, the result of this set up Shibata defending the NEVER championship against O’Reilly last week at Sumo Hall in Tokyo as part of the King of Pro Wrestling card. Their match in Brooklyn was a precursor to the incredible match they would have in Sumo Hall.
The finish to an otherwise great match in the ballpark ended somewhat flat due to an unorthodox referee stoppage. Still, the story was O’Reilly being better on that night by having Shibata literally at a breaking point, setting up their later title match. Likewise, the outcome in Brooklyn allowed for a wrestler from ROH to get a win over a champion from NJPW.
In the ballpark, Shibata and O’Reilly put on a clinic of realism at the outset of their match. They grappled on the mat, doing intricate exchanges and reversals. For the heat, Shibata began working over O’Reilly, focusing on his arm. O’Reilly fired up. He began stinging Shibata with kicks. Shibata begged for more. That same struggle continued down the stretch.
They traded suplexes and both went down in a heap. They rose to trade strikes, then O’Reilly got a few near falls. He first executed a brainbuster, but Shibata kicked out. So he used one of Shibata’s own finishers, delivering a penalty kick followed by a second brainbuster. O’Reilly transitioned into an omoplata. Shibata refused to tap despite O’Reilly wrenching on the arm. Referee Tiger Hattori called for the bell and stopped the match just as O’Reilly had Shibata’s arm seemingly at the breaking point.
ROH World Champion Adam Cole defeated Jay Lethal, Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the title
Unlike a fatal four-way, a four corner survival match has two opponents legally in the ring at once and the other two in opposite corners able to tag in throughout. Cole and Naito had an early exchange that turned into a stalemate. At the time fresh off dropping the world title, Lethal was fiery and defiant as he squared off with Tanahashi. Lethal then again let his emotions factor in, allowing Cole to bait him into a brawl.
Cole himself bumped around for everyone, then got a near fall on Naito after hitting the Last Shot. Naito displayed tranquilo as he subtly, then more overtly played to the crowd. Cole began working over Lethal. That led to a hot tag where Tanahashi ran wild, which an uncharacteristic spot for a singles match. Naito crotched Tanahashi when he tried climbing the turnbuckles, and Naito went on to pick the bones of a downed Cole.
Lethal re-entered the melee and got a near fall on Cole off a springboard cutter. Everyone traded big moves, leading to everybody down. When the dust settled, Lethal jumped off the top with Hail to the King and Tanahashi went to the top for High Fly Flow. Lethal dispatched Tanahashi with a Lethal Injection. Lethal had Cole set up for another Injection when Naito hit him with the title belt. Cole superkicked Naito and hoisted Lethal to deliver the Last Shot. Cole pinned Lethal to retain his world title, winning the four corner survival match.
On the next episode of ROH TV airing this weekend in syndication, Keith Lee & Shane Taylor vs. War Machine, Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young and an appearance from Bullet Club.
Ring of Honor television from this past week featured what was supposed to be Bullet Club vs. Los Ingobernables. However, it didn’t quite work out that way. Plus, Bobby Fish defended the TV title against NEVER champion Katsuyori Shibata.
Jay Lethal, Michael Elgin & Kyle O’Reilly defeated Adam Cole, Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi
(Photo: six-man dream match in ROH… or maybe not)
A six-man tag match announced last week began as Bullet Club vs. Jay Lethal, Tetsuya Naito & EVIL. As the match progressed, Adam Cole squared off with Lethal. Suddenly, Naito and EVIL both bailed on the match, leaving Lethal outnumbered as they left the scene.
Lethal was being pummeled when Michael Elgin came down to be a substitute tag partner for Lethal. Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness gave his blessing. In storyline, Elgin is the next challenger for Cole’s world title at the next pay-per-view.
After a hot tag, Elgin cleaned house on Bullet Club. As the Club cut off Elgin, Kyle O’Reilly stormed to the ring to volunteer as another substitute tag partner. O’Reilly ran wild after tagging in. He eventually squared off with his rival, Cole, as O’Reilly wants both revenge and a future title shot.
Despite being beaten down while being outnumbered earlier in the match, Lethal scored the deciding pinfall after hitting Takahashi with the Lethal Injection and covering him.
(Photo: the winners with their sights set on Adam Cole)
After the match, all three babyfaces glared at Cole. Each of the three has their own issues with him. Lethal is the former champion looking to regain his title, Elgin is the next challenger in line, and O’Reilly continues his blood feud with Cole.
Later in the show, Lethal demanded a match against Naito for his treachery in bailing on him. McGuinness granted him a match at the next PPV. He also reminded Lethal of the last time Lethal “begged for a match,” referring to Lethal losing the title to Cole after their feud became personal.
ROH World Television Champion Bobby Fish defeated Katsuyori Shibata to retain his title
They exchanged kicks and strikes early on. As the match unfolded, Fish began to work a leg. Prince Nana came down to ringside during the match. Nana provided guest commentary as he supposedly was scouting for Donovan Dijak, who faces the winner at the next PPV.
Fish was working over Shibata when he fired up. Shibata began to pummel Fish. Shibata went for the penalty kick but Fish dodged the attempt and applied an ankle hook submission.
(Photo: stereo submission holds)
As Fish was applying a leglock, Shibata countered with one of his own. Both had each other locked in submission holds.
The pace quickened in the closing moments as they exchanged strikes and suplexes. Shibata went for an armbar but Fish fought to counter. Then, Shibata went for a triangle choke and Fish countered by bridging into a cover and pinned him.
Dijak walked out on the stage to stare at Fish. Shibata also indicated that he wanted a rematch.
In other news, McGuinness announced the suspension of Steve Corino is over and he will return to commentary on the next episode.
Here is a belated report on this morning’s (July 30th) G1 Climax 26 show held in Aichi.
Ryusuke Taguchi defeated David Finlay with the Dodon.
Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi, & Captain New Japan when Yujiro defeated Captain New Japan with his new DDT, which is officially called Pimp Juice. You heard (or read) that right.
SANADA & BUSHI defeated KUSHIDA & Juice Robinson when Robinson was submitted with the Skull End by SANADA.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, Jushin Thunder Liger, & Tiger Mask defeated Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, Gedo, & Naomichi Marufuji when Tiger Mask submitted Gedo with the reverse double arm bar.
Toru Yano defeated Tomoaki Honma
Yano was up to his usual tricks, trying to distract Honma but none of them worked. Honma seemed kind of off, missing a Kokeshi at one point and there was a ref bump that again looked a bit off.
There was another ref spot where a distracted Honma was low blowed by Yano and he rolled up Honma for the win. Not much to it and pretty short.
YOSHI-HASHI defeated EVIL
This match built well as it went along. At first, it was just some decent back and forth but evolved into a pretty good match after YOSHI-HASHI sunk in his double armlock submission.
EVIL took him out, but YOSHI-HASHI came back with a lariat and a senton for a really close near fall. He followed that with the half nelson driver that he calls Karma for the win. Really good match.
Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Yuji Nagata
Nagata was taken out early, but came back and really took it to Nakajima, who had great facials as he was selling. Nakajima came back with this cool kick from the corner and did his own backdrop suplex for a near fall.
Nagata got him in the white eyes arm bar and laid him out with the backdrop suplex for another near fall. Nagata tried for another, but Nakajima laid him out with a kick, then another. He then hit a Penalty Kick, followed by the brainbuster for the win. Pretty good match, though it didn’t have the heat of the previous match.
Michael Elgin defeated Kenny Omega
Omega tried to do the double footstomp off the ring to the mats on the floor, a new move in his repertoire, but Elgin got out and drilled him with a big boot. They spent a lot of time early just brawling around the ringside area and outside of it, too.
Omega took off Big Mike’s shoulder tape (because many participants have shoulder tape on at this stage of the tournament), but Elgin came back with a big German suplex, with Omega’s head bouncing against the turnbuckle. Ouch.
Omega came back with a snap dragon suplex and reverse rana for a good near fall. Elgin shot back by hitting White Noise from the top rope. Omega came back, hit a buckle bomb and a powerbomb (Elgin’s finish) for a near fall. Elgin did just the same and hit him with the One Winged Angel.
Elgin hit two lariats and the spin-out powerbomb for the win. Really good match!
Katsuyori Shibata defeated Tetsuya Naito
Shibata took out Naito early, but Naito came back and worked on Shibata’s injured shoulder. I think Shibata was among the first to tape up his shoulder. Fans were going for Shibata even though Naito’s gotten a lot of chants lately.
Shibata fought back and locked in the sleeper. Naito fought, but fell and Shibata hit the Penalty Kick. But instead of pinning him, Shibata went for the choke again. Naito fought again, but eventually passed out and Shibata was awarded the win. Nice finish to a pretty good match.
Another really good, but not great show. Check out Omega vs. Elgin and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Evil, as they were the top matches in my book.
