Four matches have been announced this week’s NJPW Strong. The episode will be the finale of the New Japan Showdown series of episodes.
In the main event, Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston will face Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer in a street fight.
In the semi-main, Brody King, Chris Dickinson and Daniel Garcia will take on Barrett Brown, Bateman and Misterioso in a trios bout.
Also set for this week’s episode, Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Royce Isaacs, Jorel Nelson and Danny Limelight will face Fred Rosser, Karl Fredericks, Rocky Romero, Ren Narita and The DKC in a ten-man tag.
In the opener, Jonathan Gresham will take on Alex Coughlin.
The New Japan Showdown episodes of Strong were taped on October 16 and October 17 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the 2300 Arena.
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 New Japan Showdown night four, Saturday, November 27, 8 p.m. Eastern time on NJPW World–
Philadelphia street fight: Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
Brody King, Chris Dickinson & Daniel Garcia vs. Barrett Brown, Bateman & Misterioso
Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Royce Isaacs, Jorel Nelson & Danny Limelight vs. Fred Rosser, Karl Fredericks, Rocky Romero, Ren Narita & The DKC
Tonight was the fourth installment of NJPW Strong’s Autumn Attack US tour series.
Fred Rosser and Rocky Romero defeated Team Filthy (JR Kratos & Danny Limelight)
Nice opener. Limelight was a regular on Strong for a good chunk of last year and was a big part of their lineup when the show launched; it was good to see him back. He and Romero had a good mentor-mentee singles program in 2020, and the beginning of this saw a slight return, with Limelight and Romero kicking things off. Rosser and Kratos were in next, and these two had a hell of a singles match on Strong this past March.
Kratos launched Rosser with a vertical suplex. Limelight choked Rosser with the ropes while Kratos distracted the ref. Kratos continued working Rosser over, but as the match went on the crowd got really behind Rosser and started chanting for him. When Kratos tried deadlifting Rosser into another vertical suplex, Rosser slipped away, then landed a low single-leg dropkick before he tagged out to Romero. Kratos tagged out to Limelight, who ended up being on the other end of Romero’s fiery offensive attack. Romero caught Limelight with a springboard basement dropkick.
The match broke down into bedlam shortly after, with all four brawling in and out of the ring. Rosser laid Limelight out with a falling backdrop suplex on the apron. Inside the ring, he and Kratos duked it out. They collided with simultaneous big boots.
Limelight made his way back into the match and took Rosser off the top ropes with a flying hurricanrana. Kratos laid Rosser out with a Falcon Arrow, but Romero made the save for his partner.
The finish saw Limelight attempt his signature double-jump swinging DDT, but Rosser caught him mid-air and drove him into the mat with an Emerald Frosion to score the win for his team.
Lio Rush defeated Taiji Ishimori
In some ways, these two are almost mirror versions of each other. Ishimori is bigger, in general, but they’re approximately the same height, have pretty much the same hair length and are both shredded high flyers.
Ishimori played bully and flexed his biceps at Rush a few times. The match kicked into high gear early, and only after a minute or so they were exchanging holds at a frenetic pace. Rush caught Ishimori in the gut while he hung in the air when he went for a leapfrog. Even the announcers said it might be too fast of a match for them to call.
Ishimori caught Rush running towards him off the ropes, so he pulled the middle rope down and Rush went crashing onto the floor. From here, Ishimori slowed the pace and began working over Rush’s arm outside the ring, wrapping it against the ring post and guardrail and smashing it over and over again. Back in the ring, Ishimori did more of the same, hammerlocking Rush’s arm and ramming it into the ringpost. When Rush went for a handspring off the ropes, Ishimori clipped him in the injured arm with a low dropkick.
Rush made a comeback using his right arm, as his left was kayfabe-injured, and took Ishimori out with a series of lariats followed by the handspring elbow he’d attempted earlier. The stronger, more experienced Ishimori responded later with a hammerlock shoulder-breaker that drove Rush’s shoulder into Ishimori’s knee for two. Rush actually bridged out using only his neck and uninjured arm. The crowd started chanting for him loudly. Ishimori locked in La Mistica and held him in the hold for a good while until Rush power-bombed his way out of it.
Rush unloaded a series of kicks that Ishimori ate, but that didn’t keep the Bone Soldier on the mat. Ishimori smacked his own head showing that those kicks did nothing to him. Rush served up a spinning enzuigiri next, though, and that laid Ishimori out. Rush then landed a big frog splash for the win. For Rush, that’s a huge W, as Ishimori in 2021 is a decorated wrestler, with experience and title runs in IMPACT, Pro Wrestling NOAH and others in addition to being former IWGP Junior heavyweight champion. I think most fans would agree that these two need to have a rematch soon.
Suzuki and Archer ambushed Team Filthy, who stood on the apron waiting for Suzuki’s entrance to wrap. Suzuki caught Isaacs with a boot, while Archer decked Lawlor. The fight spilled out onto the floor immediately, with Suzuki and Isaacs and one side of the ring and Archer and Lawlor fighting around the corner.
After another minute or so, all four found themselves inside the ring, and this is when the match officially started and the bell rang. Archer and Suzuki double-teamed Isaacs. “Filthy” Tom later used a cheap shot to take Suzuki out, throwing a knee into Suzuki’s back as he was bouncing off the ropes. Isaacs then caught a distracted Archer and started putting the boots to him as Lawlor and Suzuki fought on the floor. Can we please get a singles match between these two eventually?
Team Filthy continued the double-team onslaught on Suzuki, who played de facto face here (and pretty much every place he went to on his recent US tour). Lawlor and Isaacs flexed and posed while Archer flipped out in his corner while referee Jeremy Marcus kept him from entering the ring.
The crowd began chanting for Suzuki as Lawlor continued working him over. Suzuki seemingly used this fan energy to blast Lawlor in the solar plexus with a kitchen sink knee against the ropes. He then tagged out to Archer, who was your proverbial house of fire. Lawlor threw chops at Archer, but they didn’t phase him. Archer started running roughshod on Team Filthy, charging at whomever was in his way. Lawlor finally jumped Archer into his full guard and locked on a guillotine choke, which slowed Archer temporarily, until Archer suplexed Lawlor off his back.
Later, Archer took Isaacs out with a modified Boss Man Slam and tagged Suzuki back into the match. He locked Isaacs in a front facelock while Archer finally laid Lawlor out with the Blackout, the reverse Iconoclast with Lawlor coming off the top rope.
In the meantime, Isaacs escaped from Suzuki’s hold and dumped him backwards with a sweet backdrop Saito Suplex. He low-bridged Archer over the top rope to the floor, then kneed Suzuki in the face. Isaacs then landed his patented full nelson-to-deadlift-German suplex which earned him a close two-count. Ten minutes had passed by this point.
Suzuki made one final comeback, plastering Isaacs with palm strikes and elbows before putting him away with the Gotch-style piledriver and picking up the win for him and Archer. The crowd loved the finish.
After the match, Archer grabbed the mic and asked if the crowd had enjoyed the show, and it sounded like they did. Archer was cut off, though, when Chris Dickinson’s music hit. The “Dirty Daddy” made his way out to the ring. He took the mic, looked Suzuki in the eye and told him that Suzuki’s “vacation is over,” and that at the New Japan Philadelphia Showdown show, he’d already be dead. Dickinson said this in both Japanese and English; “Omae wa mou shindeiru.” For any classic comic & animation fans reading, this is a famous line from Fist of the North Star.
Minoru Suzuki’s response: “I speak a little English. . . F*CK YOU!”
The crowd lost it after he said that. Dickinson was fired up outside of the ring. These two just recently squared off in the main event of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 7, but I’m not sure if or when NJPW will acknowledge that on the air.
Suzuki then asked the crowd if they wanted to see him again, and they responded with a loud roar of approval. “I’ll be back.”
Final thoughts:
NJPW Strong has always had consistently good match quality, but tonight’s show really felt prime-time outside of the somewhat low-rent production of these Autumn Attack shows. Lio Rush vs. Taiji Ishimori and Suzuki-gun vs. Team Filthy are worth going out of your way to watch this week.
Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer will face Team Filthy’s Tom Lawlor and Royce Isaacs in the main event of this week’s NJPW Strong Autumn Attack.
Also announced, Lio Rush will face Bullet Club’s Taiji Ishimori in a junior heavyweight clash.
In the opener, Fred Rosser and Rocky Romero will team against Team Filthy’s JR Kratos and Danny Limelight. Rosser is next in line to challenge Lawlor for the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship.
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 three, Saturday, October 30, 8 p.m. Eastern time on NJPW World–
Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer vs. Tom Lawlor & Royce Isaacs
Lio Rush vs. Taiji Ishimori
Fred Rosser & Rocky Romero vs. JR Kratos & Danny Limelight
Lance Archer has provided an update after landing on his head on AEW Dynamite.
Archer appeared hurt after landing on his head during a moonsault attempt in a match against Eddie Kingston. On Twitter, he wrote that he under-rotated, and the end result could have been much worse.
“Listen,” he wrote. “We choose to do this and take our health [and] lives in our hands every night. I’ve done that move hundreds of times over my career. Just under rotated. Coulda been MUCH worse. Thank you to ALL at @AEW for taking AMAZING care of me and protecting me. I’ll BE BACK!”
After Archer landed on his head, AEW officials checked on him outside of the ring. He eventually went back in, where Kingston immediately cradled him to end the match. He was able to walk to the back under his own power.
On this morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio, it was noted that it was Doc Sampson who told Archer to go straight to the finish, despite Archer wanting to keep going, and Archer was upset backstage after the match. Archer did not have a concussion and was able to pass all tests backstage.
NJPW has unveiled the full lineups for this weekend’s Showdown events at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
Four new matches have been added to Saturday’s show.
NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Tom Lawlor will team with Danny Limelight against Rocky Romero and Strong regular Fred Rosser.
Three other members of Lawlor’s Team Filthy will be in action, as JR Kratos, Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs face David Finlay, Yuya Uemura and Alex Coughlin. Brody King, Karl Fredericks and The DKC will face Bateman, Barrett Brown and Misterioso in another trios match. Hikuleo will face LA Dojo’s Kevin Knight in the other added match.
For Sunday’s show, three new matches have been announced.
Juice Robinson and David Finlay will face Yuya Uemura and Kevin Knight. Brody King, Chris Dickinson and Daniel Garcia will take on Bateman, Barrett Brown and Misterioso in a trios match. New United Empire member TJP will face Clark Connors in singles competition.
Sunday’s show will be headlined by Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer in a tag team Philadelphia street fight match, while Minoru Suzuki vs. Chris Dickinson is listed as Saturday’s main event.
Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer in a street fight has been added to NJPW Strong Showdown tapings in Philadelphia.
Moxley and Kingston will face Suzuki and Archer on Sunday, October 17 at the 2300 Arena in a rematch from their Lights Out match on this week’s AEW Rampage Grand Slam show.
The match will be taped for a later episode of NJPW Strong, which airs Saturday’s at 8 p.m. Eastern time on NJPW World.
For the first time in its short history, AEW Rampage expands to two hours for a special Grand Slam edition of the show that was taped Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.
CM Punk will have his first non-PPV match in over seven years as he takes on Powerhouse Hobbs. This started coming together after All Out when Taz told Punk to not think about calling out any of Team Taz when looking for his next opponent.
The Super Kliq of The Young Bucks and Adam Cole will team up to face Jurassic Express and Christian Cage. All six men got into it on Wednesday following the Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega match.
In a Lights Out match, Jon Moxley and hometown favorite Eddie Kingston will take on the reunited Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer.
The rest of the show will see Chris Jericho and Jake Hager against the Dan Lambert-led Men of the Year; Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers and Santana & Ortiz against The Butcher & The Blade and Private Party; and Anna Jay against Penelope Ford.
**********
Excalibur, Ricky Starks and Taz were the commentary team for the night (Jericho would be here but he is wrestling later).
CM Punk defeated Powerhouse Hobbs (w/ Hook) (13:33)
It’s clobberin’ time for the first time on free TV in seven years, as CM Punk made his return to wrestling on television. Punk started off fast with kicks to Hobbs’s legs and forearms, but Hobbs came back with punches of his own and a rake to the face. Punk responded with a drop toehold and more kicks to the leg. Punk hit a Russian leg sweep and then gave Hook the finger. Punk went for the GTS early, but Hook distracted Punk, Hobbs escaped and crushed Punk with a crossbody for a near fall.
Hobbs slowed the pace down with a chinlock and forearms. Hobbs literally whipped Punk from pillar to post. Punk slid out of a suplex attempt and got a near fall with an O’Conner roll, and Hobbs responded with a pounce-style bodyblock for another near fall. Hobbs then stole the Mark Henry spot where, while his opponent was prone on the ropes, Hobbs jumped on their back and basically through the opponent to the floor. This led to a quick in-picture ad break.
Back from the break, Hobbs punished Punk with a bearhug. Punk broke the hold with right hands, and caught Hobbs with a leg lariat and a swinging neckbreaker to regain the momentum. Punk hit the charging knee in the corner and short-arm clothesline. Punk then dropped a top rope elbow for a near fall. The crowed chanted “You still got it!” for Punk.
Punk went for the GTS, but Hobbs counted it and maneuvered Punk into a spinebuster for a near fall. Hobbs picked up Punk for the Town Business, but Punk slid through and locked in a sleeper. Hobbs started to fade, but he turned into Punk and dropped him with a back suplex. Hobbs hit a stampede powerslam, but it only got two. Hobbs went to the middle rope, and made the mistake of doing the GTS taunt, which gave Punk the time to recover and hit some forearms. Punk went for a hurricanrana off the top, and although Hobbs tried to block it, Punk powered Hobbs over and hit the move. This got another near fall.
Punk went for the cross arm breaker, and then switched over into a triangle choke, but Hobbs powered up and powerbombed Punk for two. Hobbs and Punk began exchanging forearms in the ring. Punk got the advantage and landed a roundhouse kick to knock down Hobbs. Hook got up on the apron a second time, and Punk went to confront him. Hobbs charged at Punk, Punk ducked, and Hobbs collided with Hook, sending him to the mat. Punk then hit the GTS on Hobbs and got the pinfall. Great match!
– Quick recap of Thunder Rosa, Nyla Rose and Jade Cargill feud and fallout from the All Out Casino Battle Royal. Sounded like it’s leading to a three way match.
Adam Cole & The Young Bucks (w/ Brandon Cutler & Luke Gallows) defeated Christian Cage & Jurassic Express (w/ Marko Stunt) (10:56 aired)
Don Callis came out with the Bucks, then joined the crowded commentary desk for this match. The Bucks and Cole are officially known again as “The Superkliq ” and made their AEW Trios debut tonight. Man does this company need trios titles.
Cole teased starting out with Cage, then immediately tagged out to Matt Jackson. Christian dominated Matt early and got a near fall with a back elbow off the middle rope. Jungle Boy got the tag and he and Christian double-teamed the Bucks. Matt hit Jungle Boy with a double chop to the throat. The Bucks tried to double team Jungle Boy, but Jungle Boy was able to get the advantage and send both Bucks out to the floor.
Jungle Boy began to stare down Cole, and he chased Cole to the floor and around the ring. Jungle Boy turned the corner and ran right into a double superkick from the Bucks. Back in the ring, Cole held Jungle Boy in a chinlock while the Bucks ran the ropes. They both stopped to give Cole a kiss on the cheek, then superkicked Jungle Boy as the show went to a break.
Back from the break, Jungle Boy escaped the Bucks and got the tag to Luchasaurus. Luchasarus went for a double chokeslam on both Bucks, but Cole broke that up. Luchasarus then chokeslammed Cole on top of one of the Bucks. Luchasarus then grabbed Nick Jackson on the top rope and chokeslammed him for a near fall. Luchasuarus had him by the throat for the cover, but terrible referee Rick Knox didn’t notice.
The match broke down. Cole and one of the Bucks hit a double superkick on Luchasarus. The Bucks went for More Bnag for Your Buck on Jungle Boy, but he took Nick down with a top rope hurricanrana, German suplexed Matt and Christian flew in with a flying headbutt and Jungle Boy got a near fall. JB went for the snare trap on Matt, but Luke Gallows distracted him to break that up.
Tags were made on both side to Luchasaurus and Cole, but soon all six men were in the ring and it was pure chaos. Cole and Luchasaurus knocked each other out with pump kicks. The Bucks, Christian and Jungle Boy all fought on the ramp. Matt Jackson low blowed Christian and threw him off the ramp to the floor. Then The Bucks dumped Christian to the floor as well.
Back in the ring, Cole hit a shining wizard on Luchasaurus for a near fall. Cole then hit the Panama Sunrise on Luchasaurus, The Bucks hit the BTE trigger, and Cole lowered the boom to get the three count.
After the match, Adam Cole and Jungle Boy stared each other down.
The Men of the Year (w/ Dan Lambert) defeated Chris Jericho & Jake Hager (10:48 aired)
Even Taz shuts up on commentary so we can hear the 20,000 fans in the stadium. Ricky Starks points out that the song the fans are singing is about Chris Jericho turning on the fans!
Jericho and Scorpio Sky (who is the first man to pin Jericho in an AEW ring) start out, and Jericho battered him with chops and a back suplex. Jericho flipped off Page on the apron, then battered Sky in the corner with a series of clotheslines. Hager got the tag, fell victim to a jawbreaker, and Page was able to get the tag. Page was immediately hip-tossed by Hager. Hager followed up with a belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Jericho got the tag and Page kicked Jericho’s head off. The show goes to a picture in picture break while the Men of the Year are dominating Jericho.
During the picture-in-picture, Hager got the tag and ran wild on Page and Sky until Page tripped up Hager on the apron, then flew off the apron to the floor with a shoulder tackle. Back in the ring, Sky wore down Hager with a chinlock. Sky hit a chop block on Hager’s knee. Hager came back with a clothesline on Page. Jericho and Sky got the hot tags, and Jericho hit a springboard dropkick to knock Page off the apron, then dropped Sky with a fist off the top rope. Jericho hit the Lionsault for a near fall. Hager tagged in a hit a huge beel and a Hager bomb for a near fall. Hager got the ankle lock on Sky, and Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho, and that’s the end of the first hour!
Hour 2 saw Lamberg get on the apron to distract the babyfaces and break up the submission holds. Hager ran the ropes and Lambert tripped him up, and this allowed Sky to roll up Hager with a small package to get the pin!
After match, Hager took out the Men of the Year, Jericho and Hager got their hands on Lambert. Then, emerging from the crowd were the members of America’s top team. Junior Dos Santos, Paige Van Zant, and Austin Vanderford, Andre Arlovski and Dalton Rosta and Jorge Masvidal surrounded the ring. They all attacked Jericho and Hager. Paige Van Zant worked over Jericho with brass knuckle punches to the gut, and then Jorge Masvidal hit a running knee to Jericho’s head, which took him out and busted him open. Great angle.
Lucha Bros & Santana & Ortiz (w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated Private Party & The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Matt Hardy & Jack Evans) (5:55 aired)
Crazy brawl to start, that ended with all of the HFO on the floor and all of the babyfaces hitting crazy over the top dives to the floor on their opponents. Penta and Ortiz then combine for a double team splash on Blade for a near fall. Lots of insane double teams in and out of the ring. Private Party hit Ortiz with a crazy flippling DDT on the floor. Hardy then threatened to cut the hair of Ortiz. This brought out Orange Cassidy. Jack Evans tried to cut him off at the aisle, but ate the orange punch. The show went to another quick break.
Back from break, Santana and Ortiz double teamed Blade. Private Party got the tag in and Kassidy hit a crazy neckbreaker/Stunner on Santana. Penta got the tag in and took out Kassidy. Butcher came in and took out Penta. Fenix hit the hook kick on Butcher, then got a pump kick from Blade. Blade followed up with a flying clothesline and both guys were down.
Quen went for the shooting star press on Santana, but Santana avoided it and the Lucha Bros hit the Fear Factor on Quen. Satnana and Ortiz followed up with the street sweeper and Santana got the pin on Quen. This was insanity.
– Post match, Tony Schivone interviewed Matt Hardy, who challenged Orange Cassidy to a hair v. hair match… on behalf of Jack Evans. “You better win, Jack.” Jack looked less than enthused about this.
– Sammy Guevara and Fuego Del Sol came out on the stage to do Sammy’s gimmick with the signs/cue cards, but Miro attacked. Guevara got destoryed and Del Sol was beeled off the stage and through some tables on the floor. Miro then locked in the game over on Guevara. “The Next TNT Champ.” That card was torn up by Miro.
– Video package with Andrade El Idolo. He challenges Pac again, this time without Chavo so Pac won’t have an excuse for losing.
Penelope Ford defeated Anna Jay (3:07 aired)
Jay attacked Ford on the entrance ramp before the bell. Ford briefly got the advantage in the ring, but Jay dumped Ford to the floor and whipped her into the post and barricade around ringside. Back in the ring, Jay continued to dominate and went for the sleeper. The Bunny came down the ramp and distracted Jay, causing her to break the hold. This distraction gave Ford the advantage. Ford choked Jay on the ropes and the show went to a break.
Back from break, Ford and Jay were exchanging slaps. Jay went for the sleeper again, but Ford broke it by backing Jay into the corner. Bunny jumped up on the apron to distract the ref, and at the same time throw brass knucks to Ford. Ford hit Jay with knux and got the pin.
Post match, Ford and Bunny beat down Jay, and Tay Conti ran in and tried to make the save. She got a brief advantage on Ford, but Bunny stomped her back and Ford knocked out Jay with the knuckles.
The Hardy Family Office came out to keep anyone from making the save, and they stood with their backs to the ring. Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander came out, and were backed up by the Dark Order. All of the Dark Order. This 12 on 5 advantage for the babyfaces sent the HFO packing.
In the ring, Alex Reynolds and Preston Vance tried to apologize to Evil Uno and Stu Grayson, but Stu and Uno left, along with Colt Cabana. Although Cabana looked more confused than committed to leaving with the other two. Nonetheless, the divide within the Dark Order continues.
Update for Wednesday’s Dynamite: Jungle Boy v. Adam Cole, and Penelope Ford & The Bunny v. Anna Jay & Tay Conti. For next Friday’s Rampage: Orange Cassidy v. Jack Evans in the hair versus hair match.
– Face to face, Mark Henry interviewed Suzuki Gun and Moxley and Kingston. This broke down quickly. Archer thought things were unfair in Cincinnati, but New York is Kingston’s town!
Lil Uzi Vert was enjoying himself in the crowd. If that means anything to you, you are probably much younger than me.
The lights went out to signify the end of the official card and it’s time for the Lights Out Match.
Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston defeated Lance Archer and Minoru Suzuki in a Lights Out Match (11:44 aired)
They started Kaze Ni Nare in the middle of song to make sure the crowd got to sing along. We have about 16 minutes of TV time remaining.
Archer brought out some plunder to the ring. The brawl started on the floor. Moxley paired off with Suzuki and Kingston with Archer. Suzuki and Moxley dueled with chairs on the entrance ramp. Suzuki and Kingston then paired off in the ring and there was a massive chant for Eddie. Kingston hit a chop and Suzuki laughed it off before responding with chops of his own. Kingston tooked Suzuki down and brought a table in the ring. Suzuki booted Kingston through the table, taking him out for a bit. Moxley and Archer in the ring, and Archer took Moxley down with a boot.
Archer dropped to the floor and found four AEW young boys to beat up. Like, where did they even come from? Archer then chokeslammed Moxley from the ring apron to the pile of AEW young boys (the commentators called them “ring attendants”) on the floor.
Archer found a strap under the ring. Back in the ring, Moxley and Suzuki exchanged forearms, then Archer hung Moxley with the strap. The show went to its last commercial break.
Back from break, Archer and Suzuki have taped Moxley’s arms behind his back with duct tape, and they whipped Moxley with the leather strap. Did Kingston go to get concessions or something? He’s been gone forever, and I heard lines were bad. Anyway, Suzuki worked over Moxley with a single crab, and then Archer beat him about with a trash can lid. Kingston finally came around but Archer cut him off on the floor.
Suzuki and Archer kept working over Moxley in the ring. Moxley made the mistake of spitting in Suzuki’s face, so he punched him and tried to bite his head off. Literally. Moxley couldn’t defend himself because his hands were still taped up. And just as I typed that, Moxley tried to go on offense with headbutts. Kingston finally made it back in the ring and took down Suzuki with an enziguri, then stunned Archer with an eyepoke and the machine gun chops. Kingston hit an exploder on Archer, but Suzuki got him in the sleeper, and Archer followed up with a helicopter black hole slam.
Suzuki set up chairs in the ring, and Archer set up Kingston for a black hole slam. Before Archer could hit the move, unfamiliar music played and the name Homicide was displayed on the ramp. “The baddest wrestler to ever come out of New York,” (according to Excalibur) Homicide ran in from the crowd and attacked the heels, then cut Moxley free. This allowed Moxley and Kingston to come back. Moxley hit a DDT on Archer. Kingston put a trash can on Archer’s head, then beat the can with a kendo stick for a full 30-40 seconds. Kingston then got the pin.
Homicide is apparently in All Elite Wrestling, and Kingston, Moxley, and Homicide celebrated to end the show.
Final Thoughts:
Great night of wrestling. This show + Dynamite would be a strong contender for pay-per-view of the year. Go watch all this.
Following a loss to Jon Moxley in the main event of Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, AEW announced Thursday that Minoru Suzuki will appear on next week’s Dynamite alongside former Suzuki-gun stablemate Lance Archer to issue “a new challenge” to Moxley.
The tweet stated that Suzuki and Archer were both “furious about preferential hometown treatment” that Moxley received Wednesday as the former AEW World Champion headlined in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Archer and Suzuki have history together from the time they spent together in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Archer was a founding member of the popular Suzuki-gun faction when they debuted in 2011. Archer won the G1 Tag League with Suzuki in 2011 and was a member of the group until February 2020 when he departed the company.
NJPW recently announced that Archer and Suzuki would reunite at night two of the New Japan Strong Autumn Attack TV tapings in Dallas, Texas — the first time they have done so since November 2019.
NJPW has added three big names to their Showdown events in Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena on Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, October 17.
Will Ospreay, Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer have been announced for the show.
Ospreay made his return to NJPW at Resurgence in Los Angeles on August 14 after being sidelined for three months with a neck injury. In his return promo, Ospreay declared himself the rightful IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, promising to defend his version of the title on NJPW Strong.
For Suzuki, Showdown will mark his first appearances at the former ECW Arena.
Archer is a two-time former IWGP United States Champion and headlined Resurgence against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Tickets are on sale now for NJPW Showdown.
Here is the full list of talent advertised for Philadelphia:
Three more names have been added to NJPW’s Autumn Attack shows in Texas on September 25 and September 26.
After making his return to NJPW at last week’s Resurgence event in Los Angeles, Will Ospreay will take part in the Autumn Attack shows in the greater Dallas area. Ospreay appeared at Resurgence and declared himself the true IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, asserting that he was never pinned or submitted for the title. Ospreay declared Shingo Takagi the interim IWGP Champion and promised to defend his version of the title in NJPW Strong.
Lance Archer has also been added to the Autumn Attack events. Archer is fresh off main eventing Resurgence, losing the IWGP United States Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Minoru Suzuki has also been announced for the Texas shows. Suzuki’s last appearance in the US was at a Warrior Wrestling show in December 2019, where he defeated Tom Lawlor.
Tickets for the Autumn Attack events in Garland, Texas are on sale now, with prices ranging from $29 to $149.
Here is the list of talent advertised for Autumn Attack so far:
Hiroshi Tanahashi has now won every major heavyweight title in NJPW history.
Tanahashi defeated Lance Archer to win the IWGP United States Championship in the main event of NJPW Resurgence Saturday night to claim the title for the first time.
Tanahashi used two High Fly Flows to put Archer away in 19:26 and claim the US title. Following the match, Archer asked Tanahashi to give him a rematch in AEW. Tanahashi appeared to accept the proposition, but no date was announced for the potential AEW debut of Tanahashi.
Jon Moxley sat ringside for the Archer vs. Tanahashi main event. Moxley is a former two-time IWGP US Champion. His most recent reign with the title ended on the July 21 edition of AEW Dynamite, where he lost to Archer in a Texas death match.
The victory adds the US title to a list of championship wins that includes eight IWGP Heavyweight Championships, two IWGP Intercontinental Championships, a NEVER Openweight Championship, three IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, three G1 Climax tournament victories, two New Japan Cups, plus three NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title reigns.
For the first time since February 2020, New Japan Pro Wrestling returns stateside with fans in attendance for Resurgence, live from The Torch in Los Angeles, California.
Lance Archer will look for the second defense of his IWGP U.S. title when he faces Hiroshi Tanahashi who will be looking for his first U.S. title reign.
Former U.S. Champion Jon Moxley will be in tag action with a mystery partner against The Good Brothers as their rivalry spills over from the rings of AEW.
NEVER Openweight Champion Jay White will defend the title against one half of FinJuice, David Finlay. The feud intensified on Impact Wrestling where both men have spent time the last month.
The show will also feature Tomohiro Ishii vs. Moose; a ten-man tag that will see Team Filthy (Strong Champion Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Danny Limelight, Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaac) against VLNCE UNLTD’s Brody King and Chris Dickinson, Lio Rush, Fred Yehi and Yuya Uemura; and more.
Our live coverage kicks off at 11 p.m. Eastern time.
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Show Report —
Karl Fredericks defeated Alex Coughlin (10:47)
This was billed as part of Coughlin’s “Challenge Match Series.”
Coughlin starched Fredericks with a stiff chop, leading to a forearm exchange before Coughlin took Fredericks down with a shoulder block. Fredericks hit one of his own for a quick one-count. He dominated with a targeted attack on Coughlin’s midsection until Coughlin came back with an overhead throw. Coughlin hit a gutbuster and a gutwrench suplex for two.
An enziguiri from Fredericks led to a double down. Fredericks laid in forearms in the corner followed by a running dropkick and a back suplex. His signature elbow drop got two. Fredericks hit a spinebuster and then locked on an STF, and after a long fight, Coughlin reached the ropes.
Coughlin fought out of Manifest Destiny and hit a big chop. Fredericks came back with an over-the-back backbreaker, but Coughlin hit a uranage for two followed by a bridging fallaway slam for another two. A hard lariat from Coughlin got yet another two-count.
Fredericks fought out of a German suplex and slapped Coughlin across the face. They battled for suplex position until Fredericks hit the Manifest Destiny for the win.
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Ren Narita, TJP, & Clark Connors defeated Fred Rosser, Rocky Romero, & Wheeler YUTA (11:42)
The interactions between Narita and Rosser were the highlight here.
YUTA and TJP started the action off with some nice technical exchanges. TJP got control with a dropkick and tagged in Connors, where they hit a double team suplex for a quick two-count. YUTA tried to fire up but Connors cut him off with a suplex. An opening allowed YUTA to tag in Romero, who attacked Connors’ left arm.
Romero went for the Forever! clotheslines, but Connors stopped him in his tracks with a shoulder tackle. Romero used evasive maneuvers to force Connors between the ropes, allowing him to hit a diving dropkick for two. Rosser tagged in and hit a seated splash for two more.
The Rosser team maintained control for a period with frequent tags and double teams. Eventually, a pounce from Connors gave him the chance to tag in Narita. Narita went right after Rosser, who wasn’t the legal man, then hit a bridging vertical suplex on YUTA for two. A YUTA enziguiri allowed him to tag in Rosser.
The rivals, Rosser and Narita, fought on the apron, where Rosser hit a nasty back suplex for two. Narita’s team cut Rosser off and triple-teamed him until an overhead suplex from Narita nearly got the win. Rosser’s team ran interference and he and Narita were left alone in the ring, where a battle of big boots led to trading big moves. Simultanous forearms led to a double down after that nice exchange.
Romero and Connors tagged in and Romero hit a running hurricanrana. He went for the Forever! clotheslines again but was again cut off by Narita. We got a parade of big moves, concluded by a Connors spear on Rosser. Romero set up both TJP and Connors in the corners and got started on Forever! clotheslines followed by a double hurricanrana. Sliced Bread #2 was next for a near fall.
Connors countered another Sliced Bread into a backdrop and TJP hit a diving crossbody for the mildly anticlimactic victory.
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A video package recapped NJPW’s history of running shows in the United States and concluded by thanking the American fans.
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Chris DIckinson, Fred Yehi, Lio Rush, Yuya Uemura, & Adrian Quest defeated Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos, Danny Limelight, Royce Isaacs, & Jorel Nelson) (13:01)
Brody King was originally supposed to be in this match but could not make the show due to “unforseen circumstances.” This was a really enjoyable tag match nonetheless featuring a big win for Uemura.
Team Filthy attacked at the bell, but Dickinson quickly got the better of Lawlor and hit a butterfly suplex for two. Kratos and Yehi replaced Lawlor and Dickinson and had a nice exchange. The next pair was Isaacs and Quest. Quest hit a tornillo and sent Isaacs to the floor. Limelight and Rush came in and Rush used some really impressive quickness until Lawlor cut him off.
Lawlor and Quest traded strikes until Lawlor countered a springboard dive with a rising knee. Quest hit a headscissors takedown and went for a dive, but Isaacs turned it into a powerslam for two. Team Filthy isolated Quest with frequent tags and double teams. Kratos and Limelight hit a nice assisted double stomp and Lawlor locked on a rear naked choke, but Yehi broke it up.
A lungblower from Quest allowed him to reach Uemura for the tag. Uemura ran wild on everyone with forearms and hit a running dropkick on Limelight in the corner. A back suplex from Uemura got two. Dickinson and Lawlor exchanged strikes in the ring until a modified tombstone from Lawlor send Dickinson packing.
Quest hit a top-rope Asai moonsault to the floor. Kratos and Rush faced off in the ring, and Kratos turned a hurricanrana into a press slam onto the pile out on the floor. Kratos climbed the ropes, but Uemura turned it into a powerbomb. Limelight hit a diving stomp on Uemura and a destroyer on Quest. Rush hit his awesome spinning heel kick on Limelight followed by the Rush Hour, then Uemura hit his overhead suplex bridge for the win.
– After the match, Uemura grabbed a mic and said “Nice to meet you, USA. I’m Yuya Uemura.” He said he’d get stronger at the LA Dojo and brought out Katsuyori Shibata. Shibata said “come with me,” and handed Uemura an LA Dojo T-shirt. They hugged.
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Juice Robinson defeated Hikuleo (8:58)
Juice put on a hell of a side headlock for about a minute at the start. Hikuleo shrugged off some shoulder tackles and landed a ridiculous back suplex before laying in grounded strikes. Juice baited Hikuleo to the floor and landed a plancha, but Hikuleo came back and dropped Juice over the guardrail.
Back in the ring, Hikuleo landed a corner splash and a delayed vertical suplex for two. After a long bear hug, Hikuleo hit a powerslam for two more. Juice fought out of a corner attack but couldn’t find his footing on the top rope, allowing Hikuleo to take him down. They fought on the top turnbuckle until Juice slid out and hit a powerbomb.
Juice started his comeback with a cannonball in the corner. He hit repeated right hands and the Left Hand of God followed by a lariat, but Hikuleo popped up and hit one of his own. Juice fought out of the Samoan driver to roll Hikuleo up for the win out of nowhere.
– After the match, Hikuleo attacked Juice and flattened him with a chokeslam.
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A NJPW Strong tour with stops in Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Riverside was announced. Jay White, David Finlay, Taiji Ishimori, and Ryusuke Taguchi were announced for the tour.
Additionally, NJPW will return to the Bay Area this fall. Jon Moxley, Jay White, David Finlay, Tomohiro Ishii, & Lio Rush were announced for the show, called Battle in the Valley.
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Tomohiro Ishii defeated Moose (16:17)
This match was fantastic. It had to have been the best performance of Moose’s career.
The size discrepancy here was remarkable as Moose is legitimately a foot taller than Ishii. They had a strong style shoulder block and forearm exchange at the start, with Moose overpowering the smaller Ishii. Ishii staggered Moose with a shoulder tackle, but Moose fired up and took him out with one of his own.
Moose was just smashing Ishii in the corner with chops. He hit two running dropkicks and sent Ishii to the floor. Ishii moved out of the way of a running attack, sending Moose crashing into the barricade. Back in the ring, they traded chops in the corner. Ishii wanted the brainbuster, but Moose fought out and hit a big forearm smash.
Ishii leaned into some more forearms and starched Moose with one of his own followed by a delayed vertical suplex. Moose regained control with another shoulder tackle. Ishii fought out of a powerbomb and fired up enough to hit a backdrop suplex. Moose popped up and they clotheslined each other, leading to a double down.
They traded chops. Moose hit an incredible step-up moonsault crossbody followed by a powerbomb for a great near fall. Moose propped Ishii up on the ropes and hit a remarkable standing dropkick, followed by a one-armed spinebuster for another good near fall.
Moose went for a ripcord forearm, but Ishii fought out. Moose downed him with a tackle, but Ishii kicked out at one. Ishii landed a lariat, but Moose kicked out at zero. Moose then hit yet another Okada-level dropkick. Ishii avoided a spear and hit a German. Moose shrugged off a lariat and headbutted Ishii, but Ishii hit another running lariat for two.
Ishii set up for the vertical drop brainbuster, but Moose powered out and hit a uranage. Ishii countered the ripcord forearm and hit an enziguiri followed by the sliding lariat for two. He tried to power Moose up for the vertical drop brainbuster, and after a couple tries, finally hit it for the win.
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Will Ospreay Promo
Will Ospreay’s music played and he walked to the ring as a surprise. He grabbed a mic and said he wasn’t happy to be here. He just needed to make the announcement that he’s medically cleared. He teased joining this year’s G1 Climax before saying he wouldn’t even go back to Japan at all.
He worked his ass off and broke his neck for NJPW, and they stripped him of his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. He gets it, but Jon Moxley had the US belt for a year and didn’t defend it once –– and NJPW didn’t strip it from him.
Ospreay then addressed Shingo Takagi and called him a “p*ssy.” He said Shingo’s an “interim” champion and Ospreay’s the real world champion. He pulled out the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and said he would defend it against anyone, anytime, any place before cutting off an “AEW” chant.
In the meantime, Ospreay will focus on NJPW Strong, because they need a big star right now beyond those LA Dojo jobbers. Karl Fredericks and Clark Connors walked out and tried to start a fight. TJP came out to cool them off. Ospreay teased putting TJP over but ultimately called him a “b*tch.” TJP got in Ospreay’s face, but just as he, Fredericks and Connors were about to walk out, Ospreay taunted them once again and fled.
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The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) defeated Jon Moxley & Yuji Nagata (10:33)
Nagata was Moxley’s mystery partner. Moxley got control of Andeson early on before being cut off by Gallows, but Moxley was able to reach Nagata for the tag. Nagata teased a test of strength but was sent to the floor by Gallows. A fireworks show broke out and was really distracting for a long time –– unfortunate for the talent.
The Good Brothers isolated Nagata until he reached Moxley for a tag. Moxley hit a tope suicida on both Good Brothers. He grabbed a chair from under the ring and tossed it at Anderson before doing the same to Gallows. Back in the ring, Moxley hit a dragon suplex and bit at Gallows’ eyes, allowing him to hit a German.
Moxley hit a release suplex on Anderson for two before going for the Bulldog Choke. Anderson got the ropes, but Moxley hit a straight piledriver for two. Gallows stopped Moxley from hitting the Paradigm Shift on Anderson, leading to both men hitting clotheslines.
Nagata tagged in and laid in kicks on Anderson followed by a big boot and an enziguiri. He hit an exploder on Gallows and applied Nagata Lock II on Anderson, forcing Anderson to fight to reach the ropes. Gallows grabbed Nagata’s leg, allowing Anderson to take him down with a forearm.
Moxley took out Gallows and set up more chairs on the floor. He was cut off by the Good Brothers, who hit the Magic Killer on a chair. They isolated Nagata in the ring, who fought out of the Magic Killer and took down both opponents. Eventually, the numbers advantage was too much, and Anderson hit the Gun Stun followed by the Magic Killer to win.
– After the match, Gallows grabbed a mic and said no matter what country or continent, the result is the same: Magic Killer, 1-2-3, and “Too Sweet.” Anderson said he knows everyone came to see the Good Brothers. Anderson’s mic stopped working.
The Guerrillas of Destiny walked out. The two teams faced off in the center of the ring before the Good Brothers walked off. G.O.D. hit the Too Sweet to end the segment.
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NEVER Openweight Championship: Jay White (c) defeated David Finlay (22:59)
White did his typical stalling techniques at the start, going right for rope breaks. Eventually, Finlay got a double-leg takedown and laid in strikes. He hopped to the second rope but White pushed him off, sending Finlay crashing to the floor. White then suplexed Finlay onto the apron.
Back in the ring, White hit a backbreaker for two. He dominated Finlay for an extended period, repeatedly sending him to the floor. Finlay started a comeback with a running uppercut followed by a plancha. A side slam from Finlay got two. White cut him off and hit a DDT to regain control.
White dropped Finlay over the ropes and hit the Bladebuster for two. Finlay fought back by forcing White into the corner and hitting repeated uppercuts. The crowd was way more in to White than Finlay at this point. White dropped Finlay over the ropes yet again.
They fought on the apron, where White tried to suplex Finlay to the floor. Finlay escaped and hit a back suplex on the apron. Back in the ring, White suplexed Finlay over the ropes to the floor. White then hit a uranage for two. He brought Finlay to the top rope, where Finlay fought out of the attack and hit a superplex.
They traded forearms in the ring, where Finlay hit one that sent White all the way to the floor. White turned a lariat attempt into a flatliner and hit a German suplex. Finlay escaped the Blade Runner, White fought out of a stunner, and Finlay hit two Blue Thunder Bombs for a near fall.
Finlay locked on an STF before transitioning to an over-the-shoulder crossface, forcing White to fight to get to the ropes. White countered a suplex and pushed Finlay into the official, allowing him to hit a low blow. White pushed down the official again, but Finlay hit a low blow instead followed by the Trash Panda for a good near fall.
White hit a sleeper suplex. Finlay countered the Blade Runner into a Prima Nocta, then rolled White up for two. Finlay hit two half-and-half suplexes. White countered the Acid Drop and hit the Blade Runner for the win.
– After the match, Tomohiro Ishii walked out. White dismissed him. Once Ishii left, White called him an “undersized little b*itch” and talked about all the championships Ishii hasn’t won, including the IWGP US Championship. He said it doesn’t matter what ring he’s in, NJPW, Impact, or AEW, he could challenge everyone. “It is still my era.”
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IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Lance Archer (c) (19:26)
This was an excellent main event and the match of the night. Archer came across like a big star and Tanahashi was, well, Tanahashi.
Archer immediately sent Tanahashi to the floor. Tanahashi dropped Archer over the ropes and went for a body slam, but Archer easily fought out. Tanahashi escaped a body slam and chop-blocked Archer before kicking out his leg. Tanahashi went after Archer’s leg more, but Archer locked on a claw submission until Tanahashi waas forced into the ropes. Jon Moxley was shown at ringside as Tanahashi was clotheslined for the floor.
On the outside, Archer hit a cannonball senton. He attacked the referee to stop him from making his full 20-count before repeatedly chopping Tanahashi against the barricade. Back in the ring, Tanahashi briefly gave himself some space, but Archer took him out with a pounce for a two-count.
Archer continued to dominate with repeated back elbows in the corner. He demanded that Tanahashi hit him before downing him with a forearm smash. Archer continued to taunt Tanahashi until the latter fought out of a chokeslam attempt and hit a dragon screw legwhip.
Tanahashi hit a flurry of offense but only got a one count. A flipping senton followed for two. Archer cut Tanahashi off with a big boot and chokeslammed him on the apron. He landed his rope-walk moonsault for two and then hit Blackout, but Tanahashi barely got his foot on the rope.
Archer went for another Blackout, but Tanahashi turned it into a modified Sling Blade. They traded forearms until Tanahashi hit another Sling Blade. Archer popped up and Tanahashi hit Twist and Shout followed by a third Sling Blade for two. Tanahashi set up for the High Fly Flow but was cut off by a forearm from Archer.
While the official checked on Tanahashi, Archer removed the corner turnbuckle pad and hit Tanahashi with it. He brought a chair into the ring and propped it up in the corner, but Tanahashi fired up and sent him into it. Archer popped up and hit a lariat followed by a black hole slam for two.
They fought on the top rope. Archer went for a superplex, but Tanahashi hit repeated slaps followed by a standing High Fly Flow. Tanahashi then hit High Fly Flow to Archer’s back. Finally, Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow to Archer’s front to win the match and the championship.
– After the match, Archer addressed Tanahashi and said “You truly are the Ace of New Japan.” It always hurts, but he respects Tanahashi, and he always has, even since all the way back in 2011 from his first G1 Climax. Archer said it’s about time Tanahashi came to AEW, and whenever that happens, Archer wants his title rematch.
Tanahashi promised Archer that that would happen. He turned his attention to the crowd and thanked them for coming. He’s the new IWGP US champion, so promised to come back soon. Tananashi serenaded the crowd with some air guitar to close the show.
A new match for the IWGP United States title has been announced for NJPW Resurgence.
Hiroshi Tanahashi appeared via video on tonight’s Dynamite, issuing the challenge. In the video, Tanahashi said the US title has a charm to it, and mentioned his other championship accomplishments in the past. But he’s never held the US title, and wants to add that to his championship legacy. After Dynamite ended, the full video was posted to NJPW’s social media, with Tanahashi saying the match would take place at Resurgence at the Torch at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
NJPW’s social media later made the match official for August 14. Tanahashi has not appeared in the US since February of 2020, participating in the New Beginning in USA 2020 tour.
Other matches already announced for Resurgence include:
Jay White vs. David Finlay for the NEVER Openweight title
Alex Coughlin vs. Karl Fredericks
Rocky Romero, Fred Rosser, and Wheeler Yuta vs. TJP, Clark Connors, and Ren Narita
NJPW’s Hikuelo made an appearance on AEW Dynamite, where it was announced he would challenge for the IWGP United States title on next week’s show.
Hikuelo was shown in the crowd during tonight’s show. It was announced he would face the winner between Jon Moxley and Lance Archer for the United States title at Fight for the Fallen, which takes place on next week’s Dynamite. After Archer won the title in the main event, Hikuleo and Archer had a staredown as the show ended.
The son of Haku, Hikuleo started out in Japan as the Bullet Club’s young lion. When NJPW started to air Strong last year, he left his young lion status. His most recent high profile match was losing to Fred Rosser in a no disqualification match, but in recent episodes of Strong he has picked up wins over Alex Coughlin and Jordan Clearwater.
Archer won the IWGP United States title for the second time tonight in a Texas Death match, with Moxley unable to answer the ten count after being chokeslammed into a table with barbed wire set on top.
