Tag: njpw power struggle live results

NJPW Power Struggle live results: Ospreay vs. Umino, Moxley vs. Great-O-Khan

Posted on by Chick Fritts

Will Ospreay vs. Shota Umino for the IWGP US/UK Heavyweight Championship headlines NJPW Power Struggle today in Osaka. 

Ospreay will be looking for his third successful defense of the US/UK title, while Umino will aim for his first title victory in NJPW. 

Two more title matches, the Super Junior Tag League Finals, plus a special Jon Moxley singles match are also set for the show. 

Hiromu Takahashi will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Taiji Ishimori in the semi-main event, and Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii will defend the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr, Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls. 

In the Super Jr. Tag League finals, TJP & Francesco Akira face SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. 

Jon Moxley takes on United Empire’s Great-O-Khan in singles competition, while Tanga Loa faces David Finlay in another special singles bout., SANADA & Yuya Uemura take on Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji in a tag team bout. 

Tama Tonga, KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight face Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & Titan in trios action. 

It will be El Desperado & Master Wato vs. YOH & MUSASHI vs. Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney vs. Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita in a four-way tag team bout. 

Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman vs. Yuto Nakashima & Oskar Leube kicks off the main card. 

Ryusuke Taguchi, Boltin Oleg & The DKC vs. Strong Machine J, Yoshiki Kato & Mochizuki Jr. in a Frontier Zone match is the 3:30 a.m. Eastern time pre-show bout.

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Ryusuke Taguchi, Boltin Oleg & The DKC (NJPW) defeated Strong Machine J, Yoshiki Kato & Mochizuki Jr. (Dragongate)

Oleg opened the match, gaining an advantage over Machine J and the rest of the Dragongate trio. Eventually, the match broke down, giving the Dragongate trio a chance to bounce back. The breakdown ended with a Taguchi ankle lock, resulting in a New Japan win.

Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman (United Empire) defeated Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima

This was a simple, effective tag match, and a good way to open the show.

Newman and Nakashima opened the match with a decent exchange, allowing the U.E. pair to gain an early lead. The Young Lion team fired back by isolating Cobb, but the strength of Cobb enabled him to buck off both men. Newman landed a tope, setting Cobb up for a match-ending Tour of the Islands on Leube.

El Desperado & Master Wato defeated YOH & MUSASHI, Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles, Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors

This match had its moments, but it was far too busy for me to enjoy.

This match opened with the War Dogs rushing their opponents, gaining a brief upper hand. A match breakdown followed, but again, the War Dogs emerged from the fog with a lead. Wato avoided a hit and run, allowing YOH and MUSASHI to hit the ring, clearing out the War Dogs for the first time.

YOH and MUSASHI were interrupted by TMDK, who gained control of the ring. While Eagles was working on MUSASHI, Desperado rolled up Fujita to score a sudden win.

Tama Tonga, KUSHIDA, Kevin Knight defeated Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, & Titan

The match opened with an athletic exchange between Titan and Knight. The pace was maintained after KUSHIDA tagged in, leading to everyone else in the match getting involved.

Shingo wore down KUSHIDA, opening Tama up for a hot tag. Tama hit the ring, taking a solid lead over Shingo. Shingo fired back with a strike exchange and a suplex before tagging out to BUSHI.

BUSHI took on Knight and KUSHIDA before hitting Tama with a tope. Back in the ring, Tama fired back with an uppercut, prompting Shingo to interrupt. This led to a match breakdown with all six men involved. Once the ring was cleared, Tama dropped BUSHI with a gun stun to win the match.

Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji defeated SANADA & Yuya Uemura

Yuya and Tsuji started slow before SANADA tagged in. Tsuji then worked with Naito to isolate SANADA, establishing a strong lead. After prolonged LIJ control, Yuya received a hot tag, resetting the match.

Yuya and Tsuji worked a steady back-and-forth match for some time, selling the effects from the rest of the match. Yuya landed three suplexes, putting Tsuji on the backfoot. Naito answered Yuya’s advance by hitting the ring, prompting SANADA to follow. Naito was able to fight off SANADA but not Yuya, but his distraction was enough. Tsuji hit Yuya with a Gene Blast and pinned him to win the match.

David Finlay defeated Tanga Loa

Finlay opened the match by attacking Loa on the outside. This led to an extended brawl centered around environmental offense. After having a heaping pile of furniture placed on him, Loa beat the count and returned to the ring.

It didn’t take long for Loa to take the action back outside, where he utilized similar tactics to put Finlay on the backfoot. Finlay survived, leading to a back-and-forth strike exchange. Finlay held on again, this time landing a powerbomb to reset the match.

Finlay attempted to hit Loa with his shillelagh, but Loa avoided the attack. Loa followed up with a bossman slam for a nearfall, but Finlay bumped the referee to stop any further advance. Finlay then hit Loa with his shillelagh and Oblivion to win the match.

Jon Moxley defeated Great-O-Khan

This was a hoot.

As the match began, O-Khan threw Moxley to the floor and launched an attack on the outside. Moxley and O-Khan brawled outside long enough for the referee’s count to reach twenty.

After the double count out, Moxley grabbed a microphone and challenged O-Khan to a falls count anywhere match. O-Khan agreed by hitting Moxley with a barricade.

The fight immediately worked its way down the aisle, where O-Khan suplexed Moxley through a barricade. O-Khan followed up by placing Moxley on a cart and driving him through a sea of fans. O-Khan then wrapped Moxley up with a mat and slammed him with a stack of barricades.

Moxley, now pouring blood, fought back, throwing O-Khan into a section of empty chairs. Then, on the ramp, Moxley attempted a Death Rider, but O-Khan reversed into one of his own. O-Khan then locked in a choke, re-establishing his lead.

O-Khan attempted an eliminator off the ramp, but Moxley reversed, shoving him onto the floor. Moxley then revealed a pair of scissors that he used to cut off O-Khan’s signature braid. O-Khan, now enraged, leaped on Moxley, leading to a back-and-forth submission sequence on the floor.

Once both men returned to their feet, they engaged in a strike exchange that looked more like a Shoot Boxing tribute than a modern piece of puro. After connecting with a barrage of elbows, Moxley hit O-Khan with a lariat, leading to a more traditional pro wrestling back-and-forth. O-Khan won out and drove Moxley into the floor for a nearfall.

Moxley retreated to the top of the bleachers from where he shoved O-Khan, sending him toppling back to the floor. Back at the bottom, Moxley landed a Death Rider and locked in a choke, leading to the end of the match.

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, & Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste, & Mikey Nicholls (TMDK)

No surprise here; this was great.

ZSJ and Ishii started with a slick back-and-forth, with neither man gaining a lead, forcing a double tag. Nicholls and Tanahashi then entered the ring, and with Haste’s help, TMDK took control of the match.

After a long period of isolation, Tanahashi tagged out to Okada, who ran through all of TMDK, taking complete control of the match. Eventually, TMDK rushed Okada in tandem to keep him from running away further. This tactic forced Okada to tag out, leading to another Ishii/ZSJ encounter.

ZSJ hit Ishii with a suplex, but Ishii answered with a lariat. ZSJ tried taking the match to the floor over and over, but Ishii responded with stiff strikes. It didn’t take long for both men to be knocked to the mat.

Tanahashi tagged in, gaining a quick lead on ZSJ. The rest of TMDK hit the ring, leading to a chaotic period of back-and-forths. ZSJ eventually dragged Tanahashi to the floor, where he locked in a hold that forced Ishii to interfere. This caused another match breakdown, even more chaotic than the last.

After a prolonged back-and-forth, ZSJ floored Tanahashi with a penalty kick; Tanahashi kicked out. ZSJ then attempted a Zack Driver, but Tanahashi reversed into a sudden pin, resulting in another successful dream team defense.

After the match, the lights cut off for a Bryan Danielson video package. Danielson challenged Okada to a one-on-one match, January 4th, Tokyo Dome. Okada answered with a “yes”, setting up the rematch at the biggest show of the year.

Super Junior Tag Leauge Final: TJP & Francesco Akira (Catch 2/2) defeated SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (House of Torture)

Before the match could begin, HoT attacked Catch 2/2. Catch 2/2 held on, gaining a short lead as the match officially began. After the opening bell, HoT retook the lead by bringing the fight to the floor, using the barricades and concrete.

Back in the ring, HoT maintained their lead by any means necessary. After isolating TJP for some time, Akira hit the ring, leading a quick sequence to retake the lead, but it didn’t take long for HoT to steal the advantage back.

After hitting a superplex and a powerbreaker, Kanemaru locked Akira in a Boston crab. TJP made the save with a splash. TJP’s rally was shortlived as referee bump allowed the rest of HoT to hit the ring. Jeff Cobb ran to the aid of Catch 2/2, carrying HoT to the back after laying them out.

Back in the ring, Akira dropped SHO and Kanemaru with a pair of superkicks. Without the threat of interference, TJP and Akira were able to land their tandem knee, winning the match and Tag League. 

After the match, the junior champions hit the ring, laid out Catch 2/2, and cut a promo over their bodies. Before the War Dogs could inflict more punishment, United Empire hit the ring, sending the champs running.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Taiji Ishimori

The match opened with both men attempting quick pins before spilling to the outside. On the outside, Hiromu drove Ishimori into the barricade with a dropkick. Ishimori answered by dropping Hiromu on the barricade, resulting in a near countout.

Back in the ring, Ishimori began to pick apart Hiromu. Hiromu sped the match up, using a DVD to put Ishimori on the backfoot. Hiromu followed up with a Timebomb 1.5. Hiromu attempted Victory Royal, but Ishimori reversed into a LeBell lock.

After escaping, Hiromu landed a lariat, but Ishimori responded by putting Hiromu in a bone lock. After a prolonged struggle, Hiromu reached the bottom rope. A brief back-and-forth followed, ending after Hiromu trapped Ishimori in a Hiromu roll to win the match and retain his belt.

After the match, Desperado came out to challenge Hiromu for his belt.

IWGP UK Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) defeated Shota Umino

This match opened with a standard feeling-out process that favored Ospreay. The pair soon worked their way to the floor, where Ospreay set up a table. Umino avoided being driven through the table and returned to the ring.

Back in the ring, Ospreay maintained his lead. Ospreay was more than commanding, spitting on Umino before kicking him in the nose, drawing a stream of blood. The blood woke Umino up, prompting him to attack Ospreay before driving him into the apron. Umino took Ospreay to the floor himself, kicking him into a barricade before throwing him into a sea of chairs.

Umino hit Ospreay with a table before attempting a Death Rider. Ospreay avoided the DDT, saving the match. Back in the ring, Ospreay caught Umino with a powerbomb. Ospreay then attempted an OsCutter, but Umino answered with a dropkick. Umino followed up with a pair of cutters for a nearfall.

Ospreay hit a Spanish fly to reset the match. A follow-up boot and dive yielded Ospreay a nearfall. Umino tried escaping on the apron, but Ospreay pursued him. Ospreay lifted Umino on the apron, landing a Tiger Driver through two tables. Back in the ring, Ospreay hit an OsCutter; Umino kicked out. Ospreay hit a hidden blade; Umino kicked out.

Umino made his way to his feet, leading to a brief strike exchange. Ospreay dodged a punch, sending Umino to the floor. Umino stood up again, prompting Ospreay to kick him repeatedly. Once Umino fell, Ospreay hammered him with strikes on the ground. Instead of kicking out, Umino spit in his face.

With Umino on the edge of defeat, Jon Moxley came to the ring, encouraging him to hold on. Umino kicked Ospreay off and dropped him with a lariat. With Ospreay on the ground, Umino locked in an STF. Once Ospreay escaped, he attempted Storm Breaker, but Umino reversed into a DDT for a nearfall.

Another DDT kept Umino ahead of Ospreay late in the match. A spinning Death Rider scored Umino a nearfall. Umino then hoisted Ospreay to the top rope and landed a massive avalanche Death Rider; Ospreay kicked out.

Umino mounted Ospreay and clubbed him across the face. When Ospreay failed to defend himself, the referee initiated a standing ten count that Ospreay beat at nine. Umino hit him with another Death Rider, but Ospreay bounced back with an immediate hidden blade.

With both men grounded, they began trading headbutts. The pair worked their way to their feet, trading punches all the way up. Ospreay tried for a Storm Breaker, but Umino reversed into a flipping powerbomb. Ospreay hit another hidden blade, but Umino kicked out at one. Ospreay didn’t waste time, landing a death rider of his own, followed by a storm driver; Umino kicked out. To close, Ospreay landed another hidden blade and a Storm Breaker just past the 40 minute mark.

After the match, Ospreay and Moxley squared off, but they were interrupted by David Finlay. After Finlay laid them out, he cut a promo saying their belts were meaningless. He then took a large mallet and destroyed both the IWGP UK and US belts.

NJPW Power Struggle live results: Shingo vs. Sabre IWGP title match

Posted on by Chick Fritts

Shingo Takagi defends the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Zack Sabre Jr. in the main event of NJPW Power Struggle in Osaka. 

Sabre defeated Shingo in a non-title match during the G1 Climax tournament on September 23 to set up the IWGP title bout. The two have split their two career singles matches 1-1.

In the semi-main, G1 Climax 31 winner Kazuchika Okada will defend his Wrestle Kingdom title shot against Tama Tonga. Tama defeated Okada in the G1, Okada’s only blemish in the tournament. 

Four other titles will be on the line on today’s show. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi defends the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against KENTA. KENTA holds a 2-1 lead in their three career singles bouts. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles defends against El Desperado. The two have split their previous singles meetings 1-1.

Provisional KOPW 2021 Toru Yano defends against Great-O-Khan in an amateur rules match. This duo has also split their career singles bouts 1-1.

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI defend the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships against Bullet Club’s House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and SHO). 

A series of tag matches fills out the undercard. Yuji Nagata, Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato will face SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI. Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma will take on Tanga Loa, Gedo and Jado. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and DOUKI will face Young Lions Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita in the opener. 

Our live coverage begins at 4 a.m. Eastern time. 

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Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI) defeated Ryohei Oiwa & Kosei Fujita 

This was well wrestled, precisely what you would expect from a young lion match. 

The Young Lions opened the match with energy but failed to maintain their early lead. The Young Lion duo regained control after DOUKI, who started the match, tagged out, but this too was short-lived as Kanemaru took advantage of their inexperience. A scoop slam and Boston crab led to the Suzuki-Gun favoured submission.

BULLET CLUB (Tanga Loa, Jado & Gedo) defeated Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma

This wasn’t good, per se, but it was fun at times and didn’t overstay its welcome. 

Gedo and Tiger Mask opened the match, but Loa and Gedo hit the ring soon after Tiger Mask gained advantage. Tiger Mask not only tried but succeeded in fighting off all three of his opponents. Makabe and Honma then traded tags, taking complete control for their team. 

The brawling continued for some time, with everyone hitting something. Honma and Loa traded strikes after the ring was cleared. Loa connected with a driver after surviving the onslaught before pinning Honma.

Los Ingobernables De Japon (SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI) defeated Yuji Nagata, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato 

This match featured structural elements that I am not a fan of, but similar to the previous match, it was amusing and brief. 

Taguchi and Hiromu opened the match with a lively exchange. With aid from Taguchi, Wato secured some match presence. This led to SANADA and BUSHI hitting the ring to take control. Wato managed to survive before tagging Nagata into the match. 

Nagata and SANADA began a brawl that demanded intervention from Hiromu. Nagata fought off both before tagging in Taguchi, who ran through all three of his opponents, hitting them all with hip attacks. SANADA ended the sequence with an atomic drop, triggering a 6-way brawl. A hip attack from Taguchi also ended the brawl. Taguchi then embraced his Nakamura, hitting the signature taunt and SANADA with the Bomaye. SANADA kicked out of the pin and escaped the ankle lock that followed before bridging Taguchi for a sudden finish. 

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag team Championships: HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO) defeated CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) to win the titles

This match was long and not very good. In a match that should be filled with impassioned disputes between ex-faction-mates, fluff filled most of the run time. 
The first title match of the night opened with a brawl. As the dust settled, Yujiro and Goto shared the ring. Yujiro secured control inside the ropes with aid from EVIL, who removed the turnbuckle pad just in time for a slam into the hooks. EVIL then tagged in, choked Goto with a towel, and tagged out. 

SHO, now legal, traded blows with Goto. Goto won the exchange and fought off the opposing rally before tagging Ishii into the match. Ishii ran through his former faction mate, but a pause, seemingly caused by emotion, allowed SHO to gain an advantage. SHO then proved he was also susceptible to the same flaw, as a pause allowed Ishii to take control back from him. Ishii’s momentum was vanquished with a kick from EVIL, leading to a SHO spear and tag.

It was YH who gained control of EVIL, only for a cane shot and a whip into the exposed buckles to recement HOT dominance. YH endured all of the underhanded tactics and interference before landing a superkick that forced a breakup. YH’s rally also was met with resistance from EVIL, but it was outside interference that caused another brawl.

The CHOAS team had a visible pin after emerging from the smoke, but the referee was pulled outside the ring. This led to all-out BULLET CLUB chicanery. Alone in the ring with YH, Evil hit Everything is Evil, leading to the pin and new champions. 

As the new champions celebrated (by attacking the former champions), YOH returned, running off House of Torture. SHO fled before YOH could get his hands on him. 

KOPW 2021 Amateur Wrestling Rules: Toru Yano defeated Great-O-Khan to retain the title

Before the match started, Nagata explained the rules in Japanese. I do not speak Japanese, however, so I had no clue what was happening. Thankfully, there was a scoreboard. 

O-Khan entered the ring in a singlet, so you know this is serious business, and in case you didn’t think this was serious, Yano also had a singlet—talk about big match feel. 

Period 1
As the match started, O-Khan and Yano wrestled into the ropes; the referee, equipped with a whistle, stood the pair back up. Soon after, Yano pushed O-Khan into the ropes again, but this time, he scored a point. 1-0 Yano. O-Khan responded with a takedown; for this, he received two points. 2-1 O-Khan. O-Khan maintained his lead by rolling Yano around, scoring two more points. 4-1 O-Khan. 

Period 2 
Period two started with Yano pushing O-Khan into the ropes for a quick point. 4-2 O-Khan. O-Khan then placed Yano in the ropes to regain the 3 point lead. 5-3 O-Khan. Yano stuffed a takedown before landing a colossal suplex shooting him into a lead late in the 2nd. Final score: 6-5 Yano, in a photo finish. 

After Yano won the match and had his hand raised, O-Khan beat down the winner with help from Toa Henare. Thankfully, Nagata restored order. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado defeated Robbie Eagles to win the title

This was quite good. The multi-dimensional leg work weaved through the match was made all the sweeter by the payoff. 

The opening sequence was fairly typical. Eagles slightly outwrestled Desparado, but Desperado took advantage of momentary openings, leading to significant Desperado favoured offence. Said sequence was punctuated with a beautiful dive from Desperado, leaving the challenger with control of the champion early. 

Desperado focused his attention on the champion’s legs, a move reciprocated by Eagles. After Eagles fought to his feet, he connected with multiple kicks before hitting a dive of his own; after landing the move, Eagles limped back in the ring before hitting a springboard dropkick. Eagles then locked in the Ron Miller Special that forced Desperado in the ropes. 

Desperado finally regained some footing after a sudden spine buster. Desperado wasted no time either, as he turned his attention back to the legs of Eagles. Eagles fought through the pain, though, landing a superkick and attempting the 450; Desperado blocked the move with his knees. 

With both men essentially on equal footing, a strike battle began. After the striking broke down, the pair traded increasingly impactful offence. This led to near falls and more leg work. After an Eagles rollup attempt was reversed, Desperado locked in Numero Dos, his over the shoulder single leg Boston Crab that Eagles failed to escape. Desperado is champion. 

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: KENTA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the title

This match was great in its second half. Getting there was almost a chore, but once it picked up, it was incredible. 

KENTA tried setting the mood early on by overwhelming Tanahashi’s crowd reaction with claps of his own; this failed. KENTA then continued the antics by leaving the ring for a while. After he finally re-entered the ropes, Tanahashi connected with a sequence that sent him back outside. This time Tanahashi capitalised with a dive. KENTA then grabbed the IWGP US Belt and began to run away. 

After Tanahashi caught up to KENTA, KENTA hit a quick slam on the ramp. Tanahashi broke the referee’s count at 19. KENTA then removed the turnbuckle pad before slamming Tanahsi into the exposed metal. To follow this up, KENTA connected with multiple closed fist strikes in mount. KENTA was in control. KENTA tried draping Tanahashi over the second rope for a hangman’s DDT, but Tanahashi caught KENTA with a dragonscrew; this led to the match spilling outside, and on the outside, KENTA flourished. KENTA pulled a table from beneath the ring that he set up ringside. KENTA then positioned Tanashi for a GTS from the apron to the floor through a table. Tanahashi evaded his doom only to be hit with the hangman’s DDT. KENTA then hit a double foot stomp before turning his attention back to the table. 

KENTA placed Tanahashi on the furniture before climbing to the top rope, but Tanahashi rolled off before KENTA could connect. Tanahashi then landed a sling blade, gaining control on the outside. Tanahashi now set KENTA on the table and climbed to the top himself. High Fly Flow put KENTA through the table. 

Back in the ring, Tanahashi hit High Fly Flow again, but on his third attempt, he ran into the knees of KENTA. KENTA then secured a crossface to reset momentum in his favour. KENTA hoisted Tanahashi for a GTS, but Tanahashi escaped, hitting a dragonscrew to reset match flow again. KENTA survived by throwing Tanahashi into the exposed corner, opening him up for a running knee. KENTA tried again for a GTS, but again was hit with a sling blade. KENTA again recovered by throwing Tanahashi into the corner. This time, KENTA succeeded in hitting the GTS before pinning Tanahashi to win IWGP gold. 

Tokyo Dome IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Right to Challenge: Kazuchika Okada defeated Tama Tonga

I was generally not a fan of this. The majority of this match felt bloated, but hey, the closing sequence was good. It just wasn’t for me. 

The two began a battle of offence as soon as the match started. Okada gained momentum from the opening exchange; this lasted until the match fell outside the ropes. On the outside, Tama landed a suplex that left Okada motionless; at the count of 19, Okada re-entered the ring. Now on the inside, Tama’s control continued via a chinlock turned choke. 

Okada finally freed himself from the prolonged hold before connecting with a big boot. A flapjack left Tama grounded on the inside, and a dropkick sent him crashing to the outside. This time on the outside, Okada had success. After rolling Tama back in the ring, a top rope dropkick led to an Okada near fall. Okada followed the near fall with the money clip. 

After escaping the money clip, Tama rolled to the outside. Okada tried for a tombstone close to the ramp, but Tanga freed himself and delivered Tongan Twist. Back in the ring, another Tongan Twist led to a Tama near fall. Okada dodged a strike and locked in the money clip in the centre of the ring. Tama made it to the rope moments before unconsciousness. Okada then tried for the rainmaker, but Tama ducked. Tama caught Okada with an Alabama slam that he followed with a top rope dive for a convincing near fall. Okada stuffed three gun stuns to stay in the match. 

Okada tried for a tombstone but was blocked; a dropkick found the mark, however. Okada tried again but was hit with a tombstone instead of delivering one. A dropkick from Okada followed a dropkick from Tama. Okada tried again for a tombstone and failed again; this led directly to the climax. In a move dense closing sequence, Okada closed the match with a rainmaker. 

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to retain the title

I enjoyed this a lot, but it could have been significantly better with a shorter run time. So many of the sequences were excellent, but with so much, it’ll be hard to pick out anything meaningful. 

The opening sequence consisted of ZSJ trying for holds and Shingo evading them. A shoulder tackle opened ZSJ to strikes from the champion in the first play of control. This was short-lived, however, as ZSJ continually caught an open limb. 

Shingo was not afraid to engage on the mat, forcing ZSJ into the ropes in an early exchange. ZSJ’s response was to exit the ring, effectively resetting the match. ZSJ then caught Shingo in the ropes, gaining control for himself; a punt to a prone Shingo only cemented this. 

Shingo eventually fought to a standing position after turning a choke into a slam. Shingo followed up with heavy strikes and a DDT leading to a near fall. After the pin attempt, more strikes reigned in, but again ZSJ capitalised on an opening to take the match back to the mat. 

After the match returned to an upright position, a remarkable sequence of suplexes and strikes created another reset. This time, a dragonscrew from Shingo left him in the driver’s seat. Shingo hit a powerbomb that he turned into a crossface that forced ZSJ back in the ropes. 

ZSJ used the rope break to scrap back into a favourable position. After a lightning-quick strike, the Zack Driver left both men lying. ZSJ tried for a choke, Shingo dropped him, ZSJ grabbed the arm. After escaping, Shingo hit a strike, but again the match returned to the mat. On the mat, Shingo secured a choke. ZSJ fought himself free only to be hit with Made in Japan, resulting in a near fall; a pumping bomber followed.

Shingo hoisted ZSJ to the top rope, where a struggle commenced. ZSJ pulled Shingo down into an armbar. Shingo fell into the ropes to escape. ZSJ then continued the attack on the arm. After another Zack Driver and another kick out, ZSJ grew visibly frustrated. ZSJ locked in a choke while on the back of Shingo. Shingo climbed to the top, where he fell onto ZSJ. ZSJ was unphased as he immediately took Shingo’s arm once again. Shingo powered through and hit Made in Japan again, ZSJ kicked out.

ZSJ and Shingo began trading hard strikes; Shingo won this exchange. ZSJ immediately took control via grappling again, and a quick pin almost left him with gold. Another pumping bomber, another ZSJ kick out. With the end in sight, Shingo hit Last of the Dragon, leading to the pin. 

After the match, Okada walked out to the ring with the old belt on his shoulder. He cut a promo, Shingo responded, close show.

NJPW Power Struggle live results: Jay White vs. Hirooki Goto

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW returns to Osaka today as Power Struggle takes place at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.

The event will be headlined by Jay White and Hirooki Goto facing off for White’s IWGP Intercontinental Championship. In the semi-main, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay defends his title against BUSHI.

KENTA will make his second defense of the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii. 

The 2019 Super Jr. Tag Lague will also conclude, with Roppongi 3K facing Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado in the final. 

Tetsuya Naito and Taichi will face off for the right to challenge the IWGP Intercontinental Champion on January 4 at the Tokyo Dome. 

Here is the rest of the card: YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi, EVIL, SANADA & Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer, Rocky Romero & Robbie Eagles vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo, and Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yuya Uemura vs. Volador Jr., Titan, TJP & Clark Connors. 

Our live coverage begins at 1:00 a.m. Eastern time.

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VOLADOR JR., TITAN, TJP & CLARK CONNORS DEFEATED JUSHIN LIGER, TIGER MASK, RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & YUYA UEMURA (5:43)

If you missed some of this tour, I urge you to go back and watch all of Titan’s matches. He was the star performer. 

As for this match, there wasn’t a lot to it. Everyone got in and did a couple of spots, and that was about it. 

Liger and Connors started with some grappling, then traded strikes to a stalemate. Volador and Tiger had a brief but crazy exchange which saw Volador launched over the top rope, but he managed to land on his feet.

Taguchi and Titan traded spots. Uemura and TJP jumped in and did the same. This quickly broke down. Uemura hit a series of armdrags and hip tosses. Volador and Titan hit tope suicidas. TJP hit Uemura with a Detonation Kick and pinned him. 

EL PHANTASMO & TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED ROBBIE EAGLES & ROCKY ROMERO (8:42)

This was a very good undercard tag match given the limited time they had. 

Eagles and Ishimori locked up and Ishimori did not break cleanly, hitting a strike in the ropes. Eagles hit a hurricanrana, then hit an interfering ELP with a wheel kick. All four jumped in and Romero and Eagles hit some tandem offense, sending ELP to the floor. 

Eagles went for a springboard attack, but ELP pulled him to the floor, then used strikes against the barricade. Back inside, ELP and Ishimori stomped on Eagles’ crotch as he was tied to the tree of woe. 

ELP did his rope-walk spot. Romero climbed to the top rope to cut him off, but ELP grabbed him and walked the top rope with Romero on his shoulders. The crowd loved that spot. ELP hit an attitude adjustment on Romero off the ropes. 

Eagles came back with hurricanranas on ELP and Ishimori. Rocky got a tag and hit flying headscissors on both as well. Romero hit a double lariat. He draped ELP across the top rope and hit a springboard dropkick for a two count. 

Romero used Eagles as a base to hit a swinging DDT on Ishimori, who rolled outside. Eagles hit a flip dive through the second rope to Ishimori, while Romero used a standing sliced bread for a near fall on ELP. 

ELP used his airplane spin neckbreaker for a two count on Romero as Eagles made the save. Ishimori jumped in and hit Eagles with a lungblower, then hit a Bloody Cross on Romero. ELP followed with a CRII on Romero for the pin. 

SANADA, EVIL & SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR., LANCE ARCHER & MINORU SUZUKI (9:07)

The match itself wasn’t much at all, but the finish and the post-match were newsworthy. 

Suzuki-gun tried a jumpstart attack, but it didn’t take. EVIL and Archer ended up the legal men. EVIL tried a suplex on Archer, but Archer blocked. Archer knocked EVIL down with a forearm shot and Suzuki tagged in. Suzuki also hit a forearm. 

Sabre got a tag and used a neck twist. Archer tagged back in to continue working over EVIL. He hit a series of strikes in the corner. Archer taunted the crowd, allowing EVIL to come back with a fisherman buster. 

Suzuki and Shingo tagged in. Shingo hit a vertical suplex for a one count. They traded stiff forearm strikes. Shingo hit another suplex and both tagged out. 

SANADA and Sabre entered. SANADA tried for a TKO but Sabre turned it into a Cobra Twist. Sabre avoided the Paradise Lock and the Skull End. Suzuki and Shingo brawled on the outside, as did Archer and EVIL. 

Sabre and SANADA traded a series of cradles, ending with SANADA getting a flash pin. 

After the match, Sabre slapped a kimura on the referee and Yota Tsuji. Shingo and Suzuki continued brawling into the crowd with chairs and pieces of the barricade. 

Archer challenged David Finlay to face him in San Jose on Saturday. They put over strongly on commentary that SANADA had pinned the RevPro British Heavyweight Champion. Suzuki and Shingo seems to be a direction as well. 

KOTA IBUSHI & HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA & YOSHI-HASHI (10:51)

Tanahashi worked his ass off. This really picked up towards the end, but the most notable thing was the post-match Jericho video. 

Okada and Ibushi locked up. Okada broke cleanly against the ropes. Okada blocked a kick. Ibushi hit a dropkick. Okada rolled outside. Ibushi hit a backflip in the center of the ring just to show off. 

Tana and YH tagged in. Both ducked right hands. YH hit some chops. Tana countered with a slap. Tana hit a back elbow, then a second rope crossbody. YH used a trip takedown and they rolled outside. YH hit some chops on the floor, then returned the action to the ring. 

Okada got a tag and dumped Tana over the top rope to the floor. YH continued hitting chops on the floor. Okada hit a slingshot senton. YH tagged in and hit a dropkick to Tana’s back as he was draped in the ropes. YH hit a slingshot into a DDT by Okada as the two continued working over Tana. 

Tana came back on Okada. He ducked a series of right hands and hit a dragon screw. Ibushi tagged in and kicked Okada. Ibushi hit a series of quick strikes, then a standing moonsault for a two count. 

Okada hit a flapjack and tagged out. YH hit a back elbow on Ibushi. Ibushi countered with a dropkick. Tana got a tag and hit a back elbow and a somersault senton for a two count. Tana hit a series of dragon screws and tried a cloverleaf, but Okada saved for YH. 

Okada hit a double dropkick to Tana and Ibushi. YH hit a lariat on Tana, then hit a kamigoroshi for a near fall. YH went for Kharma, but Tana reversed it into Twist and Shout. This was a great exchange. 

YH hit a thrust kick. Tana hit slingblade, then used a High Fly Flow for the pin. 

As Tana and Ibushi celebrated, the lights went out. A video played showing a series of Tanahashi career highlights, then cut to Jericho beating up a gang. Jericho challenged Tana to a match on January 5. He said it will be a classic match, but also Tana’s last match. Tanahashi accepted the challenge. 

TETSUYA NAITO DEFEATED TAICHI (12:56)

They had a very physical match and the layout was fantastic. Naito still has a chance to be a double champion as he’ll now face the IWGP Intercontinental Champion on January 4. 

They attacked each other before the opening bell trading strikes. Naito shoved the referee down, which was not a DQ. They brawled outside. Naito sent Taichi into the barricade, then choked him with a camera cable. Taichi threw Naito into a row of seats in the audience, wiping out at least one fan. That was dangerous as hell. 

Back at ringside, Taichi posted Naito. In the ring, Taichi hit a kick. Naito came back with a trip takedown and a dropkick to the back. Naito hit an inverted atomic drop, then a dropkick in the corner. 

Naito tried a top rope Frankensteiner, but Taichi turned it into a super powerbomb for a near fall. Taichi teased a Last Ride, but Naito sold like a dead fish and Taichi couldn’t lift him. Taichi dared Naito to hit him. Naito hit some strikes, then spit on Taichi. 

Naito hit a poison rana, then hit Gloria. Naito went for Destino, but Taichi blocked it. Taichi hit a kick, then hit a backdrop suplex. Taichi ducked a flying forearm, then hit a Kawada backdrop for a two count. 

They traded enziguris. Taichi hit an Axe Bomber, then connected on a Last Ride for a near fall. Taichi took his pants off. 

Naito hit a dragon suplex and a wheel kick. Naito hit Destino, but Taichi kicked out. Naito hit a Northern Lights Bomb, spiking Taichi right on his head, but only got a two count. Naito tried a second Destino. Taichi blocked. Taichi tried Black Mephisto, but Naito blocked. 

Naito hit a Black Mephisto, then used a second Destino for the pin. 

SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE FINAL: SHO & YOH DEFEATED EL DESPERADO & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU (14:13)

This was SHO and YOH’s best match of this tournament. YOH is such a fantastic worker. 

Desperado and Kanemaru attacked Roppongi as they made their entrance. SHO took a back suplex on the ramp which left YOH to fight 2-on-1. YOH hit double dragon screws and a pescado. YOH went for a springboard attack but the numbers got to him. Desperado pulled him off the apron and sent him into the barricade. 

Kanemaru hit a leg slice on YOH on the barricade. Desperado whipped SHO into the barricade. They teased a countout, but YOH made it back in at 19. Kanemaru hit a snap suplex for a two count. 

Kanemaru hit a drive-by on YOH on the apron. SHO again got sent into the barricade. Kanemaru and Desperado used quick tags in continuing to work over YOH. YOH came back with his combination DDT/flatliner, then finally tagged SHO. 

SHO hit Kanemaru with a flurry of kicks. SHO tried a deadlift German but his back gave out. Kanemaru took the referee allowing Desperado to hit SHO with a chair from the floor. Desperado hit a spear. Suzuki-gun hit their tandem dropkick/sidewalk slam. 

Desperado locked on Numero Dos. Kanemaru spit whiskey in SHO’s eyes. They did a long submission tease, but YOH was able to make the save. 

Kanemaru and YOH fought to the floor. SHO hit Desperado with a backdrop. Desperado hit a chop, then hit the ropes, but YOH jumped in and Roppongi hit stereo knee strikes. 

SHO hit a deadlift German on Desperado, then a power breaker SHO covered but Kanemaru broke up the pin. 

Kanemaru tried Deep Impact on SHO but SHO avoided it, then Roppongi hit him with a 3K. They tried a 3K on Desperado, but Desperado blocked. He threw YOH outside, then hit a Guitarra de Angel on SHO for a near fall. 

Desperado went for Pinche Loco. SHO blocked, then fired up with forearm strikes. Desperado raked the eyes and hit a right hand. SHO hit a lariat and Desperado took a flip bump. 

SHO called for Shock Arrow. Desperado reversed and hit a headbutt. YOH jumped in and Roppongi hit a 3K. SHO got the pin. 

ELP and Ishimori ran down and attacked Roppongi 3K after the match. ELP hit a low blow on SHO, then a Doomsday Device belt shot. Bullet Club stole the Super Jr. Tag League trophies from Roppongi and left with them. These teams will face off at Wrestle Kingdom. 

NEVER OPENWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: KENTA DEFEATED TOMOHIRO ISHII TO RETAIN THE TITLE (20:12)

They traded slaps to the face. Ishii hit a shoulder block, then hit some punches from mount position. KENTA hit an eye poke and some punches from mount. KENTA hit some hard slaps to the face in the corner. 

Considering one of these men was concussed in their last high-profile match and hospitalized after, these slaps seemed extremely ill-advised. Their other strikes were safe-ish, but KENTA’s slaps in particular were really bad. 

Ishii came back with chops in the corner. Some hit the chest, some to the throat. Ishii hit a combination of jabs and chops, then hit a powerslam out of the corner for a near fall. KENTA came back with a knee lift and a draping DDT for a two count. 

KENTA hit a running boot in the corner, then a Shibata dropkick. KENTA hit a double stomp off the top rope for a two count. KENTA used a DDT for a two count. KENTA mocked the fans chants for Ishii. Ishii responded with more chops in the corner. KENTA was bleeding from the mouth after this sequence. 

Ishii hit a delayed superplex for a near fall. Ishii hit a pair of German suplexes. He tried for a sliding lariat but KENTA caught his arm and applied Game Over. Ishii refused to tap. KENTA transitioned to a triangle choke, then slipped back to Game Over. Ishii forced a rope break. 

KENTA hit a running knee, kicked off a lariat attempt, then hit a German. Ishii caught a PK, but KENTA hit a kick with his other leg. KENTA hit a busaiku knee, but Ishii no-sold it. KENTA hit another knee for a two count. 

KENTA went for a Go To Sleep. Ishii escaped and hit a lariat. KENTA hit a slap to the back of Ishii’s head. KENTA hit a series of strikes, but Ishii walked right through them and hit a very hard forearm shot. 

Ishii hit three clotheslines. He hit a powerbomb and used a jackknife cover for a near fall. Ishii hit a sliding lariat for another two count. 

Ishii went for the Vertical Drop Brainbuster. KENTA slid out the back and got a choke. Ishii escaped the choke. Ishii hit a lariat, but KENTA answered with a falcon arrow into a double down. 

They traded clotheslines. KENTA hit a big PK. Both avoided the other’s finisher. They continued jockeying for position, and KENTA pulled Ishii into a cradle for a two count. KENTA hit another busaiku knee. 

They traded slaps. Ishii looked to be bleeding from the mouth. KENTA hit a GTS. He pulled his knee pad down, then hit a second GTS for the pin. 

Way too many hard slaps to the head and face for my liking, but otherwise a good match. 

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: WILL OSPREAY DEFEATED BUSHI TO RETAIN THE TITLE (16:20)

Ospreay went after BUSHI before the bell. He threw him to the floor, then hit a plancha. Back inside, BUSHI hit a headscissors. Ospreay rolled outside, and BUSHI hit another tejara over the top to the floor. 

Ospreay tried a springboard attack off the barricade, but BUSHI kicked him out of the air. BUSHI then hit a backstabber on the barricade. In the ring, BUSHI choked Ospreay with his t-shirt, then used an STF. 

Ospreay went for a pop-up cutter, but forgot the cutter, so BUSHI just went splat on the mat. Ospreay hit a backflip kick, then used Pip Pip Cheerio for a two count. Ospreay teased Storm Breaker, but BUSHI escaped. Ospreay hit an enziguri. He teased a Space Flying Tiger Drop, but BUSHI cut him off and hit a draping DDT on the apron. 

BUSHI hit a second rope dropkick, then used a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. Ospreay avoided an MX. They climbed to the second rope. BUSHI went for a tejara off the second, but Ospreay landed on his feet. Ospreay hit a suplex, then a Sasuke Special. 

Back inside, Ospreay hit a Robinson Special. He went for an Oscutter, but BUSHI blocked, then threw Ospreay into Red Shoes the referee, who took a bump. 

Ospreay blocked BUSHI’s black mist, kissed him to steal the mist from his mouth, then spit the mist on BUSHI. Red Shoes revived. Ospreay went for an Oscutter, but BUSHI threw Red Shoes in the way and Red Shoes took the Oscutter. 

Ospreay hit a coast-to-coast. He went for a shooting star, but BUSHI got his knees up. BUSHI sprayed black mist and another referee ran down. BUSHI hit a Canadian Destroyer, but only got a two count. 

BUSHI went for an MX, but Ospreay hit a high kick and knocked him out of the air. Ospreay hit a hook kick. BUSHI avoided a Hidden Blade, then hit a hurricanrana for a two count. BUSHI hit a rewind kick. Ospreay countered with a standing Spanish Fly for a near fall. 

Ospreay went for Storm Breaker. BUSHI escaped and used a backslide, then used a BUSHI roll for a near fall. BUSHI hit a pop-up codebreaker. BUSHI hit an MX for a near fall. The place was going nuts at this point. 

BUSHI tried a top rope MX, but jumped right into an Oscutter for a near fall. Ospreay hit Hidden Blade, then used a springboard top rope Oscutter. He maintained neck control on the landing, then hit Storm Breaker for the pin. Tremendous match. 

After the match, Ospreay ran down the list of people he’s beaten. He asked for a challenger. He said until someone steps up, he’ll be the forever champion. 

Ospreay went to leave. The lights went out. A Time Bomb video played. It said the Time Bomb will explode in 62 days, on January 4. Dancing cartoon cats played on the screen with a countdown clock. At 1, Hiromu Takahashi’s name appeared on the screen. 

HIROMU TAKAHASHI RETURNS

Hiromu came out with a neck brace. He threw off the brace and ran to ringside. He gave the announcers stuffed cats. He ran himself into the barricade, then ran back to the stage and threw himself down. 

Hiromu walked back to the ring. He posed on the ropes, then cut a promo. He thanked the crowd for waiting for him for so long. He said he’s back to make the junior heavyweight division more fun. 

He mocked the idea of not being able to go any more or having to work a safer style. He said he’s the only one who can beat Ospreay. He then threw himself all over the ring taking bumps. He bridged and called for the mic. 

Still in the bridge, he spoke to Ospreay in English. He said Ospreay is the strongest junior, but now Hiromu is back and he challenges Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom. They had a staredown, then hugged. Hiromu took his stuffed animals back, then grabbed a mic and said “Ospreay.. Thank you. Meow.”

A fantastic angle and it’s great that Hiromu is back healthy. 

IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: JAY WHITE DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO TO RETAIN THE TITLE (27:40)

White did his typical stalling at the outset. They rolled outside. White suplexed Goto into the barricade right in front of the announce table where Katsuyori Shibata was doing commentary. Shibata stood up and took his headset off, but White begged off. 

After a countout tease. White stomped on Goto’s taped-up back. White used a single-leg crab. Goto forced a break. White took the referee while Gedo exposed the turnbuckle in the blue corner. White sent Goto into the buckle and covered for a two count. 

White hit a vertical suplex for a two count. White used a chinlock. White hit forearm strikes to Goto’s neck. After dozens of forearms, Goto dropped White with one shot. Goto hit a hip toss. White dumped Goto over the top rope with a suplex. 

On the floor, Goto sent White into the barricade, then clotheslined him over it. Goto again sent White into the barricade around two other sides of the ring. Back inside, Goto hit a wheel kick in the corner, then used a Saito suplex for a near fall. 

Goto went for an ushigoroshi, but White blocked and used a thumb to the eye. White hit a DDT. White used a DVD for a two count. They did a cool series of misdirection spots, ending with White hitting a flatliner. They traded suplexes. Goto hit a lariat at the 15 minute mark. 

They traded strikes, with Goto getting the better of it. Goto teased an ushigoroshi, but White answered with a series of strikes to the gut. White hit two lariats but Goto didn’t go down. Goto hit one lariat and White went down. White baited Goto to the ropes, then dumped him to the floor with a suplex over the top. 

Back in the ring, White hit a uranage. Gedo called for the Kiwi Krusher and White hit it for a near fall. Goto used a hair pull to slam White into his knee. White hit a Saito suplex out of the corner at the 20 minute mark. 

They climbed the ropes. White hit a top rope superplex. Goto answered with an ushigoroshi. White flipped out of a GTR attempt. Goto used an ushigoroshi position to transition into a GTR attempt. White blocked. 

Both pulled each other’s hair. Gedo jumped on the apron and took the ref. White hit a low blow, then used a sleeper suplex. Goto responded with a headbutt, another headbutt, then an inverted GTR. 

Goto hit Shouten Kai for a near fall. Gedo jumped on the apron and ate a forearm from Goto. They teased and reversed out of finish attempts. Goto hit a GTW for a near fall. Goto hit a GTR, but Gedo pulled the referee out of the ring. 

Gedo jumped in the ring. Shibata jumped up from commentary and hit Gedo with right hands. KENTA ran down and hit Goto with a big boot. Shibata jumped on the apron and KENTA kicked him off the apron. KENTA revived the referee, then sent Shibata into the barricade. KENTA hit Shibata with kicks. 

In the ring, White hit Goto with the Blade Runner for the pin. The Shibata involvement was super-heated, but this was one of the weaker NJPW main events of the year. 

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White cut a promo. He said he won like he said he would and Goto is the disappointment we all knew he was. He said he’s on his way to being a double champion at Tokyo Dome. 

White called out Okada and Ibushi. Instead, Tetsuya Naito came out. Naito entered the ring and said being a double champion sounds like something he said once. 

Ibushi entered. He said he has the same double championship plans, but he’s not the only one. The crowd chanted for Okada. White begged Okada to come down to the ring. 

Okada entered and played to the crowd for a bit. He suggested asking the people to vote for what they want to see at Tokyo Dome. Okada and Ibushi left. 

White said he’s not fighting Naito at Wrestle Kingdom and he wants his f–king confetti party to end the night. He demanded to be announced as the soon-to-be first ever double champion and demanded confetti with the announcement. He got his wish. Naito retreated to the stage, then left. 

They are teasing the idea of putting it to a fan vote as to whether or not Naito gets to wrestle White for the IC title.