Tag: New Year’s Golden Series

NJPW announces change to IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A change has been made to NJPW’s next IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match.

Champions Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask will now defend their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles in a four-way match at NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series show this Saturday (February 19). It will be Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru.

The match was originally set to be Eagles & Tiger Mask defending against Ishimori & Phantasmo, but the other two teams were added after challenges that were issued at Sunday’s New Year’s Golden Series show.

Eagles & Tiger Mask have been IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from Desperado & Kanemaru last October.

Saturday’s New Year’s Golden Series event is the second-to-last stop on the tour. The tour will conclude with shows in Sapporo on both Saturday and Sunday. Both shows are airing live on NJPW World.

Here’s the updated lineup for Saturday’s event:

  • IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defends against SANADA
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defend against EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Four-way match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask defend against Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato, and El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
  • Tomoaki Honma vs. The Great-O-Khan
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOH vs. Dick Togo & SHO
  • Toru Yano & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
  • Togi Makabe & Kosei Fujita vs. TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI

NJPW reveals stipulation options for Suzuki vs. Yano KOPW 2022 title match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has revealed the stipulation options for Minoru Suzuki and Toru Yano’s upcoming KOPW 2022 title match.

Suzuki will put his KOPW 2022 trophy on the line against Yano at NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series tour show in Sapporo on Sunday, February 20. Suzuki has proposed a “Handcuff Deathmatch” as the stipulation for the match, while Yano has proposed a “Dog Cage Match.”

A fan vote will begin on Twitter tomorrow to determine the stipulation.

With Minoru Suzuki and Toru Yano set to face off for the KOPW 2022 trophy on February 20 in Sapporo, both competitors have now brought their choice of stipulations to be put to a fan vote beginning February 9.

After Yano handcuffed him to the ropes on several occasions in January, the current trophy holder Minoru Suzuki has proposed a Handcuff Deathmatch. In this bout, there will be no disqualifications, and both men will start with handcuffs on their wrists, allowing the possibility for them to be chained to anything- including one another.

In response, as demonstrated by Yano on TAKA Michinoku on Monday in Korakuen, Suzuki’s challenger has proposed a Dog Cage Match. In this bout, the only way to win will be to lock your opponent in the dog cage at ringside.

Which rules will be chosen? Voting begins at noon on February 9 on Twitter!

Suzuki defeated Yano, Chase Owens, and Cima in a four-way match at Wrestle Kingdom 16 night two last month to win the KOPW 2022 trophy. Yano ended 2021 as the official KOPW Champion for that year.

The February 20 New Year’s Golden Series show will air live on NJPW World. Here’s the full card:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against Tetsuya Naito
  • NEVER Six-Man Tag Team Champions EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO defend against Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH
  • KOPW 2022 Champion Minoru Suzuki defends against Toru Yano
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. SANADA, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. The Great-O-Khan
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Taichi & DOUKI
  • Robbie Eagles, Tiger Mask & Yuto Nakashima vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado
  • Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Satoshi Kojima vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & TAKA Michinoku

Six NJPW wrestlers still sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols

Posted on by Ethan Renner

For the third consecutive day, NJPW has pulled six wrestlers off a show due to COVID-19 protocols. 

Toru Yano, Tomoaki Honma, Satoshi Kojima, Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, and TAKA Michinoku will miss their third consecutive New Year’s Golden Series event on Sunday after one of the six presented with a fever prior to Friday’s show. 

Sunday’s untelevised event in Tochigi will proceed with six matches rather than the planned seven. 

The promotion has not announced which of the six wrestlers had the fever.

NJPW is four days into the 32-day, 20-event New Year’s Golden Series, although the key matches on the tour do not take place until February 19 and February 20. 

The next broadcast show will be on Saturday, January 29, with that event at Korakuen Hall being available on demand the next day. 

The next live broadcast on NJPW World will be on Monday, February 7, again from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

COVID-19 protocols force changes to NJPW New Year’s Golden Series

Posted on by Ethan Renner

For the second consecutive day, COVID-19 protocols have forced changes to NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series tour.

Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, and TAKA Michinoku will miss their second straight show on Saturday, after one of the six presented with a fever prior to Friday’s event at Korakuen Hall. 

NJPW made the announcement on their website.

The match card for Saturday’s show has been reduced from seven matches to six following the announcement, and four matches have had the participants changed. 

Saturday’s event is essentially a house show in Gunma with no broadcast on NJPW World. Thursday’s tour opener aired live, while Friday’s event will be available on demand sometime Saturday. 

New Year’s Golden series is a 19-show tour. The tour is scheduled to conclude with three title bouts on Sunday, February 20, including a Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match. 

The tour’s penultimate night on February 19 will also feature three title matches, headlined by a Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship bout.

NJPW New Year’s Golden Series night two results: LIJ trios match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Night two of NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series took place today at Korakuen Hall.

COVID protocols forced six wrestlers off the card, as one of the six men involved in yesterday’s Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and TAKA Michinoku match presented with a fever before today’s show. The card was switched around as a result.

Today’s event will be available on demand on NJPW World tomorrow.

Here are today’s results:

Great-O-Khan defeated Ryohei Oiwa (5:31)

O-Khan won by submission with an arm triangle.

BUSHI defeated Yuto Nakashima (8:29)

BUSHI won by submission with a Boston crab.

Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata defeated Taiji Ishimori & Gedo (11:28)

Tiger used a double armbar to submit Gedo.

Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (10:55)

Wato defeated DOUKI with La Caletera

Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo & SHO (19:43)

Goto pinned Togo.

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Togi Makabe (18:44)

SANADA used Skull End to submit Makabe.

NJPW pulls six wrestlers from event due to COVID-19 protocols

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW pulled six wrestlers from today’s New Year’s Golden Series event after one of them had a high temperature. 

The promotion did not announce which of the six wrestlers had the fever, but all six participants from Thursday’s Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and TAKA Michinoku tag match were removed from Friday’s event due to contact tracing protocols. 

One match was removed from Friday’s show and three other matches were switched around as a result. 

The New Year’s Golden Series kicked off yesterday with a show at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. The tour is set to run through February 20, culminating with Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito, a KOPW 2022 match, and a NEVER Six-Man Tag title match on the final night. 

The tour will also feature Hiroshi Tanahashi defending the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against SANADA on the penultimate night of the Series.

NJPW New Year’s Golden Series night one results: The tour begins

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series kicked off today at Korakuen Hall.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Yuji Nagata teamed against Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, and Shingo Takagi of Los Ingobernables de Japon in the main event.

Here are today’s results:

Great-O-Khan defeated Yuto Nakashima (5:35)

O-Khan won via submission with a cross armbreaker.

Hiromu Takahashi defeated Ryohei Oiwa (7:24)

Hiromu won by submission with a Boston crab.

Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe defeated Taiji Ishimori & Jado (8:59)

Tiger won by submission with a double armbar.

Toru Yano, Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma defeated Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku (9:12)

Kojima pinned TAKA after hitting a lariat.

Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (10:51)

Wato submitted DOUKI with his new Bendabar hold.

Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo & SHO (11:41)

Ishii pinned Togo after a Vertical Drop Brainbuster.

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuji Nagata (20:16)

Naito pinned Nagata after hitting Destino.