Tag: kopw 2020 title

NJPW crowns official KOPW 2020 Champion

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Toru Yano defeated Bad Luck Fale in a bodyslam or last corner pad match at today’s Road to Tokyo Dome event to win the NJPW KOPW 2020 Championship. 

Yano won with a bodyslam. Fale had slammed Yano earlier in the match, but the referee missed it after a sequence that featured interference from Chase Owens and multiple low blows by Yano.

Yano also sprayed hand sanitizer in Fale’s face and attempted to conceal a backpack that he was wearing. The backpack contained a bag of sand in an attempt to make himself too heavy for Fale to slam. 

Yano won the provisional title at Summer Struggle in Jingu on August 29th, beating Kazuchika Okada, SANADA and El Desperado in a four-way. He defended it once before today, on November 7th at Power Struggle. Yano defeated Zack Sabre Jr. by countout in a no corner pads match on that show. 

The provisional KOPW 2021 will be decided at night two of Wrestle Kingdom on January 5th in a four-way. The final four competitors in the New Japan Rambo on January 4th will advance to that match. 

NJPW announces stipulation for Yano vs. Fale KOPW 2020 match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Toru Yano will defend the provisional King of Pro-Wrestling Championship against Bad Luck Fale on Wednesday, December 23rd in a bodyslam or last corner pad match at Road to Tokyo Dome in Korakuen Hall. NJPW made the match official earlier today. 

The match stipulation was decided in a fan vote. Fans were asked to choose between Yano’s stipulation, the ultimate winner, and Fale’s choice of just a bodyslam match.

The winning selection’s margin was announced as 18,826 votes to 5,813, or 76.4 percent to 23.6 percent. 

Wednesday’s match will be the final KOPW 2020 bout, meaning that the winner will be declared NJPW’s KOPW 2020.

Yano won the provisional title at Summer Struggle in Jingu on August 29th, beating Kazuchika Okada, SANADA and El Desperado. He has since defended it once, on November 7th at Power Struggle. Yano defeated Zack Sabre Jr. by countout in a no corner pads match on that show. 

NJPW reveals KOPW 2020 first round stipulation fan vote results

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has announced the results of fan voting to determine first round stipulations for King of Pro Wrestling 2020 tournament matches. 

Fans chose Kazuchika Okada’s suggestion over Yujiro Takahashi’s  by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin, so Okada will face Takahashi, Gedo and Jado in a 3-on-1 handicap match. Takahashi’s suggested stipulation was a lumberjack match where the lumberjacks would have been armed with leather belts. 

Toru Yano and BUSHI will square off in a two count pinfalls match, Yano’s stipulation. BUSHI had proposed a five count countout match. Yano’s suggestion won 57.2 percent to 42.8 percent.

After a 68.5 percent to 31.5 percent landslide, El Desperado and Satoshi Kojima’s first round match will be a no finishers allowed match. Desperado’s Pinche Loco will be banned, while Kojima cannot use the lariat. Desperado’s stipulation was the winner. 

SANADA and SHO both proposed a submission match for their first round battle, so there was no vote taken.

All four matches will be held on Wednesday, August 26 at Korakuen Hall. The show will air live on NJPW World at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. 

Here is the full lineup:

  • Yuji Nagata, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
  • KOPW 2020 First Round, no finishers allowed match: Satoshi Kojima vs. El Desperado
  • KOPW 2020 First Round, two count pinfalls match: Toru Yano vs. BUSHI
  • KOPW 2020 First Round, submission match: SANADA vs. SHO
  • KOPW 2020 First Round, 1-on-3 handicap match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado

NJPW announces KOPW first round matches, Korakuen Hall cards

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has revealed the first round matches for the 2020 King of Pro Wrestling tournament and the full cards for their next Korakuen Hall shows on August 26 and August 27.

The KOPW tournament will begin on the 26th. There will be four tournament matches with special stipulations to be determined by a fan vote. The winners of those matches will then face off in a four-way on August 29 at Summer Struggle in Jingu. 

The winner of the four-way will be declared the provisional King of Pro Wrestling Champion and will defend the title for the rest of the year. The title holder at the end of the year will be declared the 2020 King of Pro Wrestling. 

A pair of non-tournament matches on the 26th were also announced, as well as the full lineup for the penultimate night of the Summer Struggle tour on August 27. 

Both shows will air live on NJPW World at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. 

It was also announced that Togi Makabe will be missing time from NJPW as he shoots a movie. No further details on the movie were revealed. 

August 26:   

  • KOPW first round match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi
  • KOPW first round match: Satoshi Kojima vs. El Desperado
  • KOPW first round match: Toru Yano vs. BUSHI
  • KOPW first round match: SHO vs. SANADA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
  • Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura & Gabriel Kidd

August 27: 

  • Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi vs. EVIL & Taiji Ishimori
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI
  • Kazuchika Okada, SHO & Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado
  • Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma & Gabriel Kidd
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura

NJPW introduces KOPW 2020 title focusing on stipulation matches

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new title of sorts was introduced today in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

During this morning’s press conference, Kazuchika Okada explained what this new title, the KOPW 2020 title, would be. He explained that wrestlers competing for the title would pick the stipulations for the title match. The stipulations would then go to a fan vote.

Beginning on August 26, eight wrestlers will square off in a first round set of four matches. The winners of those four matches will move on to a fatal four way match at Jingu Stadium on August 29. The match will not have a unique stipulation, as it was explained that a fatal four way match is already unique in of itself. 

The winner of the Jingu Stadium match will be declared the provisional champion. The provisional title will be contested until the end of the year, where one final title match will take place. The winner of that match will then officially become the KOPW 2020 champion, receiving a trophy. The process would then start again in 2021.

Summer Struggle in Jingu will take place on August 29 at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo.