Most of NJPW’s show in Osaka was built towards Wrestle Kingdom 19. After taking a leave of absence earlier in the year, El Desperado returned to NJPW and issued a challenge to DOUKI for January 4 at the Tokyo Dome for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. Desperado told DOUKI that he wanted this version of DOUKI that has been champion since the summer. DOUKI accepted Desperado’s challenge.
Desperado had won this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament and defeated SHO to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. However, he only held the title for 19 days, losing to DOUKI during the New Japan Soul tour in July.
SANADA, meanwhile, turned his back on Just Five Guys and revealed he was the newest member of Bullet Club War Dogs. Taichi had the match won against David Finlay for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship when SANADA emerged, wearing a Just Five Guys tracksuit. However, he took off his jacket to reveal he was wearing a Bullet Club t-shirt. That allowed Finlay to lay out Taichi to retain the title.
After the match, SANADA took out Taka Michinoku and Taichi and fended off DOUKI who attempted to enter the ring. After boasting about Yuya Uemura being out of action, Finlay issued a challenge to Yota Tsuji for Wrestle Kingdom. Tsuji entered the ring and accepted the challenge.
One title change took place at Power Struggle, with Henare & Great-O-Khan defeating TMDK (Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls) to win the IWGP Tag Team titles together for the first time. TMDK had held the titles for 119 days, defeating Chase Owens and KENTA at Dominion back in June. The upcoming World Tag League tournament starting later this month will likely determine the next challengers.
A special appearance by Kenny Omega is on tap for today’s NJPW Power Struggle event.
Omega, out of action since late last year due to diverticulitis, has been advertised for a special appearance on today’s show in Osaka, potentially setting something up for January’s Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestle Dynasty events.
Four title matches will also take place today.
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Shingo Takagi in the main event in a bout where Shingo’s NEVER Openweight title is not on the line.
IWGP Global Champion David Finlay defends his title against Taichi on the show.
DOUKI puts the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title on the line against Master Wato today.
TMDK’s Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls defend the IWGP Tag Team titles against United Empire’s Great-O-Khan & HENARE.
The Super Junior Tag League finals are also set for the show featuring the winners of A Block vs. the winners of B Block.
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Bullet Club War Dogs (Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney, Robbie X, and Taiji Ishimori) defeated Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight and Kushida), Katsuya Murashima, Paris De Silva, and Jude London
Silva and London dominated in the early sprint, delivering high-octane offense to the War Dogs. However, X gained the upper hand with a Standing Shooting Star Press. Kidd returned the favor to the War Dogs with a stiff lariat to Murashima. The Bullet Club’s representation closed the match by mockingly delivering their finishers to Murashima with each signature finish: X-Express, a Bloody Cross, Drilla Killa, and a No Chaser, punctuated by Kidd unleashing a Piledriver for the win.
A quick sprint. Silva and London have impressed in the Super Junior Tag League, so seeing them get a spot in a fun opener was nice.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi) defeated Dragon Dia, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomoaki Honma, and Toru Yano
Tsuji immediately overwhelmed Yano, who tagged in Taguchi who was overwhelmed by LIJ as a unit. Dia turned the tide through his vigor and agility, capitalizing with a 619 to Naito. Honma suffered by BUSHI, Takahashi, and Tsuji but countered Takahashi’s offense with a Kokeshi. As Naito held Yano in a Figure Four Leglock, Takahashi submitted Honma via a Boston Crab for the win.
Speedy, yet efficient. Everyone performed excellently – even Naito had me on the edge of my seat.
House of Torture (EVIL and Ren Narita) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and Boltin Oleg
SHO and Yujiro Takahashi intercepted Tanahashi and Oleg on the way to the ring, leaving Narita and EVIL to pick up the scraps. Hoping for an easy night’s paycheck, Narita worked on Tanahashi’s weakened leg for another quick advantage. Tanahashi began his team’s comeback with a Flying Crossbody as he gave a hot tag to a spirited Oleg. The Kasachstan native mowed down the heavy numbers of the House, lending Tanahashi to drop Narita with a Slingblade.
Seeming as though the Ace and Oleg had the match under wraps with a wishful High Fly Flow, EVIL clutched Tanahashi’s leg on the top rope while Narita rolled up Oleg in the middle of the ring for the win.
– Post-match – House of Torture bullied their downed opponents further. An interfering Jado attempted to make the save, but he met the same fate. Though Oleg fought back, Narita laid him out. Ryohei Oiwa then challenged Narita for the NJPW World TV Championship, as did Jeff Cobb. Oiwa, Cobb, and Narita then brawled.
This lacked the usual House of Torture volume of interference, leading to a sincerely enjoyable tag match. I’m moreso anticipating an impending clash between Cobb and Oiwa, however.
Shota Umino defeated SANADA
Both men started strong, but SANADA gained an advantage after slamming Umino with a Magic Screw on the outside. Sending the Roughneck into the chairs beyond the barricade, SANADA callously punished him, only leading to a 17-count.
Umino’s spirit saw a comeback through a Tornado-DDT, which he followed up with a standard DDT onto the ring apron. Another Magic Screw saw SANADA regain his momentum, only for Umino’s Death Rider to even the odds. Succeeding many offensive transitions, Umino sealed the victory through a Death Rider with a pinfall.
A bit longer than it needed to be, but only a little. Despite that, each man’s comeback heightened the drama of the match. SANADA’s character shift is brimming with frustration and I’m ready to see where it leads him.
United Empire (Great-O-Khan and HENARE) defeated TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) (c) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship
HENARE and Khan mocked Nicholls soon into the match so he’d inadvertently distract the referee as they dominated Haste in the ring. Nicholls made the rescue for his partner, as he and HENARE exchanged stiff shots until the champion foolishly headbutted HENARE, leaving blood to trickle like a stream down his forehead.
Opting for a DDT, Nicholls’s efforts were thwarted by Berserker, which a Sliding Lariat countered. Khan and Haste took over from there, with the former’s resilience reminding the latter that victory won’t be easy. TMDK’s Takebuster fell Khan, but HENARE broke up any chance for a victory with a falling headbutt, and a Power Bottom did the same to HENARE to no avail. The challengers then collaborated with an Imperial Drop to Nicholls for the pinfall.
As a TMDK fan, this win was so well-deserved by United Kingdom after an incredible match. Nicholls and Haste fighting from underneath gave so much hope, only for this monster team to steal it away.
– Kenny Omega appeared, confirming an in-ring return for January 5, 2025, at Wrestle Dynasty, representing AEW against a young NJPW wrestler
TMDK (Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita) defeated Catch 2/2 (TJP and Francesco Akira) in the Super Junior Tag League Finals
TMDK got an early advantage, leading to Fujita soaring from the top rope to TJP and Akira on the outside. Once tagged in, TJP’s agility gave Catch 2/2 a moment to breathe. Eagles incapacitated Akira on the outside after a Tope Con Hilo, while his partner narrowly avoided TJP’s Falcon Arrow.
Eagles dived back into the ring to stop a top rope assault on Fujita, leading to a slow but steady comeback. The situation worsened after the Eagles accidentally kicked Fujita off the ropes, but he survived their Leaning Tower. Eagles kept countering TJP’s roll-ups in a desperate stretch, eventually landing one of his own for the pinfall.
This match stole the show. United Empire wasn’t an easy obstacle to overcome, but TMDK did it, with Fujita and Eagles’s futures proving to be bright within NJPW.
–Post-match – Chris Charlton on commentary mentioned Kenny Omega and Gabriel Kidd had gotten into a backstage altercation. Intergalactic Jet Setters emerged, accepting TMDK’s challenge at Wrestle Kingdom. Catch 2/2 was called back to the ring for another title opportunity. Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors attacked everyone and announced their interest in the belt.
DOUKI (c) defeated Master Wato for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Trading elbows, the competitors locked horns. DOUKI’s prowess kept him ahead of Wato, leading to a near-count. Ensnaring the challenger in holds, DOUKI held him in a hold before releasing him. Wato’s speed saw him, but nothing was enough.
Wato sought out a Spring Uppercut from the top rope, flattening DOUKI, but lost control due to a baseball slide to the ring apron courtesy of DOUKI. Just when Wato seemed on his feet again, DOUKI’s DOUKI-bomb laid the challenger out beyond the ring. Wrapping Wato within his signature DOUKI Chokie, title retention was nearly in DOUKI’s hands. After landing a TTD, DOUKI hoped for a pinfall, but it didn’t come. Once again keeping Wato in a DOUIKI-Chokie, the champion rendered the challenger motionless and unconscious.
– Post-match – El Desperado made a surprise appearance, setting up a future match with DOUKI for the Junior Heavyweight Championship.
DOUKI does it again. He pulls out memorable title defenses that carve out a space that fills matches with desperation and intensity through his selling and his motivation to succeed.
David Finlay (c) defeated Taichi for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
Stalking around his challenger, Finlay’s goal was clear, and it was to make Taichi uneasy. The Just 5 Guys member isn’t so easily swayed and he kicked the champion with such disgust and disdain. Finlay managed to eke out some painful agony of his own onto Taichi, slamming him into barricades, commentary booths, and the ring apron. Taka Michinoku and SANADA stayed, accompanying Taichi.
Suplexing Finlay over the top rope, Taichi recovered while Finlay squirmed in pain over landing hard on the steel barricades. Rallying the fans behind him, Taichi’s aspirations were cut short as Finlay attacked Taichi’s spine. Finlay contributed a Canadian Hammer onto the carcass of Taichi but failed to make a successful pin cover. The same can be said for the Oblivion and Jackknife moves which met the same result. Taichi nearly had the match won with a Black Mephisto, but shockingly, SANADA pulled the referee away, costing him the match. SANADA then removed his jacket to reveal a Bullet Club War Dogs shirt underneath. With a shillelagh, Finlay struck the backside of Taichi and gained the pinfall victory.
Going into Power Struggle, I expected Finlay to beat Taichi, but I didn’t see the SANADA betrayal coming. Considering his attitude at Royal Quest and during the Shota Umino bout, it makes all the sense. I came out of this sincerely enjoying a David Finlay match, but the aftermath was a surprise that’ll be in my mind for far longer.
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) defeated Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Saber’s confident and speedy holds held no benefit in the early goings, for Takagi’s power was too much. The overwhelming force of him drew forth a pained grunt from the Brit when Takagi so much as struck his gut with his knee. Despite this torment, Sabre found it in himself to send Takagi into the barricades and the floor in the arena. Scouting Takagi’s signature pose, Sabre damaged Takagi’s fingers and strung him along across the mat with painful holds to keep him from recovery time.
Covering Takagi in an Octopus Hold, the LIJ member had to unleash a Death Valley Driver to survive. In a flurry of offense, both champion and challenger brought out the same flurry of offense, leading to a gnarly lariat by Takagi. Deploying a Stay Dream further cut the distance between Takagi and victory, but Sabre did not yield. Sabre, upon spinning through a Tornado-DDT, remained unable to pin Takagi, but the signs of weakness were visible on his stature. Trying finisher after finisher, Sabre returned once more to the well with a Sabre Driver to gain a pinfall over Takagi.
– Post-match – Shota Umino approached Sabre after the title defense, challenging for the title, shaking his hand after his acceptance. Former WWE talent and current AEW wrestler Ricochet made a shocking return to the cerulean blue, also staking his claim to a title match at Wrestle Dynasty before Umino chased him off.
I love clashes of styles. Takagi, a brickhouse of beef and muscle, against Sabre’s chess-playing tactics creates an unreal presentation to see which style wins out. Sabre’s run so far has been presented well and compliments his long journey to the title.
Power Strugglewas an exciting show, filled with surprises and welcome developments. From Kenny Omega’s announcement to United Empire’s title win to SANADA’s Bullet Club defection to Sabre Jr. defending his title, this show had a lot for fans to sink their teeth into.For fans of AEW, the appearance of Ricochet is sure to set some excitement for the upcoming Tokyo Dome show at Wrestle Dynasty. The build has begun, and I am ready.
Bryan and I did our weekend show talking Crown Jewel and Collision from last night and Garrett Gonazles and I did our week-in-review news show on Friday.
Some notes for Raw tomorrow. I believe Gunther vs. Damian Priest will be one of the main matches on Saturday Night’s Main Event. I was told that it was likely two weeks ago and everything is going in that direction. As for Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky, it could be on that show as well but that’s not confirmed.
Regarding the Bill Goldberg vs. Gunther match, we don’t have a date for it but were told it was not planned for the Royal Rumble show as things stand right now.
WWE announced its European tour in March, before WrestleMania, that it will include Smackdown being taped in Bologna, Italy on 3/21, Raw being taped in Glasgow, Scotland on 3/23, Smackdown being taped on 3/28 in London and Raw being taped on 3/31 in London.
We’re looking for your thoughts on yesterday’s WWE Crown Jewel show and tonight’s NJPW Power Struggle show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
We’re also looking for reports on today’s WWE show in Dublin, Ireland, and tomorrow’s show in London, with results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]
Power Struggle will start at 12:30 a.m. tonight Eastern and 9:30 p.m. Pacific time:
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Oleg Boltin vs. Evil & Ren Narita
Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste vs. Great O’Khan & Henare for IWGP tag titles
Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita vs. TJP & Francesco Akira in the Super Juniors tag team tournament final
Douki vs. Master Wato for the IWGP Jr. title
David Finlay vs Taichi for the Global title
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi for the IWGP world title
The story reported about Jushin Liger turning down Chris Jericho to do a farewell match in January on the Jericho cruise was said to be a made-up story by Sonny Onno and Jericho said he didn’t ask Liger to do so.
They taped ROH before and after Collision last night in Philadelphia. Before Collision, it was:
The Infantry b Tom Mitchell & Trace Parker
Septentico & Angelico b LSG & ?
After Collision:
Sammy Guevara b Preston Vance
EJ Nduka & Lee Johnson b Philly Marino Experience
Vincent & Dutch were attacked by Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara
Leyla Hirsch b Tina San Antonio
Nick Wayne b Fancy Ryan Clancy – The crowd was very into Clancy and chanting for him
Diamante b Rachael Ellering
Tomohiro Ishii b Aaron Solo
AR Fox b Josh Woods. The crowd was very into this even though it was very late. Nick Wayne laid out Fox after the match to set up a match this coming Saturday on Collision. Orange Cassidy, Beef, JD Drake, Angelico, and Serpentioc all made the save. (thanks to Michael Yeon)
Derek “Dthomp” Thompson and Matt Kelly, who worked backstage at UFC, passed away over the last week. Thompson was I believe only 40 and Kelly was 54. Kelly had been in hospice care battling Stage 4 colon cancer. Thompson’s cause of death was not announced. Both deaths were announced on last night’s show from Edmonton.
“It’s hard to find the words to describe the loss of these two,” sportscaster Megan Olivi wrote on Twitter. “Derek was our gentle giant. We flew to and worked so many events together. We quoted old school lyrics, I tried to convince him to come to Pilates, and we shared some great meals in whatever city we were in. Matt was such a bright light. If you didn’t know he was sick you would have never guessed by the way he carried himself. He was so funny and even though his battle was so tough, the smile never left his face. He made it a joy to work together and I was always so grateful to see him.”
Last night’s Fight Night did a $2.6 million gate making it the highest gate for a Fight Night show ever in North America.
In the Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro fight the judges went via split decision for Ribeiro, media scores were 56% for Machado, so basically it was a fight that could have gone either way. In Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas, where the judges all went 48-47 for Blanchfield, media scores were 63 percent for Blanchfield. All three judges had Blanchfield winning rounds three through five and winning 48-47.
While there was talk on Friday of Alex Pereira stepping in on the 12/7 UFC PPV to defend his light heavyweight title when welterweight champion Belal Muhammad had to pull out due to a toe infection, Pereira said his hands are still hurting from the Khalil Rountree fight and he won’t be able to fight that soon.
GCW ran last night in Honolulu: Jamie Senegal b Gino Rivera, Cole Radrick b Broski Jimmy, Gringo Loco b Arez, Danhausen b Colt Cabana, Joey Janela NC Rain, Joey Janela & Rain b Giant Leather & Kory Oliver, Effy b Mike Bailey, Allie Katch b Dark Sheik, Megan Bayne b Sam Stackhouse, Mance Warner b Kaimana to keep the GCW title, 2 Tuff Tony & Aerial Van Go & Matt Cross & Kaleb Conley b Bobby Flaco & Jake Lander & Geoffrey John & Kid ATapa,Aleki Afa b Matt Cardona (thanks to Leonard Brand)
Slam Pro Wrestling ran last night in Canberra, Australia for a Rage in the Cage show and reported 2,432 fans, with Dan Archer beating Luke Watts in a cage match to win the Slam Pro Wrestling league title. Former NRL player and local legend Terry Campese made his pro wrestling debut in a Battle Royal. We were told this was the largest crowd for an indie show in Australia in recent memory.
Juggalo Championship Wrestling from Thursday night in Detroit: Breyer Wellington & Jeeves b Facade & Dani Mo, Luigi Primo b Joey Janela, Caleb Konley b Simon Gotch, Alex Taylor, and Tarzan Duran to keep the American title, Mickie Knuckles b Mosh Pit Mike as Mikey Knuckles, Kerry Morton won over Kongo Kong and Co-Kane, Babathunder & JP Grayson & Tommy Grayson b Painful Paul & August Matthews & Davey Bang, James Storm NC Silas Mason, Matt Cross & Willie Mack b Jesus Rodriguez & Mecha Wolf (thanks to Leonard Brand)
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi and SANADA vs. Shota Umino are both set for NJPW Power Struggle — but only one of those matches will be for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
NJPW officially confirmed overnight that both bouts have been added to the Power Struggle card. The result of Sabre and SANADA’s title match at Royal Quest IV in London this Sunday (October 20) will determine which is for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
At King of Pro Wrestling earlier this week, Sabre defeated Tetsuya Naito to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career. SANADA, Takagi, and Umino then all confronted Sabre after the match. Sabre informed Takagi and Umino that SANADA was already first in line for a title shot — but we’d see who was next after that.
NJPW then ran an angle at a press conference where Sabre and SANADA drew names out of an envelope to determine their Power Struggle opponents. Sabre drew Takagi’s name, and SANADA drew Umino’s.
Power Struggle is being held in Osaka on Monday, November 4. Here’s what’s been announced for the event so far:
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi (will be an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match if Sabre retains against SANADA at Royal Quest)
SANADA vs. Shota Umino (will be an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match if SANADA wins the title from Sabre at Royal Quest)
Super Junior Tag League 2024 finals
IWGP Global Champion David Finlay defends against Taichi
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI defends against Master Wato
IWGP Tag Team Champions TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) defend against HENARE & Great-O-Khan
Hiroshi Tanahashi & El Phantasmo vs. EVIL & Ren Narita
Five matches are set for NJPW Power Struggle and an IWGP World Title bout will take place on the show as well although it’s not yet clear who champion and challenger will be.
The event takes place on Monday, November 4, 2024, at The EDION Arena in Osaka. On Tuesday, NJPW announced five matches that are now scheduled for the show, including the finals of the Super Junior Tag League, which kicks off on October 24.
New IWGP World Champion Zack Sabre Jr. spoke at a press conference earlier today about his first title defense coming up at Royal Quest on October 20 against SANADA. Shingo Takagi and Shota Umino both interrupted to make their claims for future title shots since each of them beat ZSJ in the G1. It was then decided that ZSJ and SANADA would draw names and defend the title against the name they drew should they be the champion come Power Struggle.
“Sabre and SANADA both pulled names from an envelope to determine potential title challengers for Power Struggle on November 4,” NJPW1972.com reads.
ZSJ pulled out Takagi’s name, so should ZSJ retain against SANADA at Royal Quest, it will be ZSJ vs. Takagi at Power Struggle. Should SANADA defeat ZSJ at Royal Quest, he will defend the belt against Umino at Power Struggle.
David Finlay will defend the Global Championship against Taichi in a match that was set up this weekend at King of Pro Wrestling. After successfully defending his title against Hirooki Goto, Finlay mockingly challenged Yuya Uemura for his next defense (Uemura defeated him in the G1), knowing that Uemura was not medically cleared. Finlay’s challenge brought out Taichi to defend his stablemate, and NJPW has made a match between the two official.
Master Wato returned from an ACL injury at King of Pro Wrestling. He came out to defend DOUKI from an attack by House of Torture but he then challenged the IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion to a title match, which is now official for Power Struggle.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and El Phantasmo will team up to take on House of Torture’s EVIL and Ren Narita. This follows EVIL attacking Tanahashi at King of Pro Wrestling as Tanahashi was announcing that he will retire on January 4, 2026.
The IWGP Tag Team Champions Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste will also defend their titles against United Empire’s HENARE and Great-O-Khan.
NJPW Power Struggle lineup for November 4, 2024 —
Either: IWGP World Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Shinto Takagi or SANADA defends against Shota Umino
Super Junior Tag League Finals
IWGP Global Champion David Finlay defends against Taichi
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI defends against Master Wato
IWGP Tag Team Champions TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) defend against HENARE & Great-O-Khan
Hiroshi Tanahashi & El Phantasmo vs. EVIL & Ren Narita
Bryan Danielson was reportedly unable to fly to Japan for NJPW Power Struggle.
During Saturday’s show from Osaka, Danielson appeared via video and challenged Kazuchika Okada to a match at Wrestle Kingdom. Sports Illustrated is reporting that the original plan was for Danielson to appear live at the event but he was unable to fly due to the broken orbital bone he suffered during his October 21 match against Andrade El Idolo.
The original plan for Power Struggle, multiple sources confirmed to Sports Illustrated, is that Danielson was scheduled to issue the challenge in-person to Okada. Yet the injury prevented him from flying to Japan. Given these set of circumstances, an audible was called and the decision was made for Danielson to challenge Okada through a video.
Tony Schiavone confirmed on the November 1 AEW Control Center that Danielson had undergone surgery for the injury and was expected to be out until “later in the year.”
Danielson’s status for Wrestle Kingdom on January 4 was addressed last week on Wrestling Observer Radio by our own Dave Meltzer.
“It may be touch and go if he had surgery for January 4,” Meltzer said. “Hopefully, he can do it. Hopefully, he can finish the next however many months it is. He didn’t put a timeline on exactly when next year he’s going to be done. In theory, his contract would be over in September. Obviously, Tony could extend it but he’s not going to be a dirty guy in this situation if Bryan wants to be finished.”
NJPW is on the road to Wrestle Kingdom 18 following Saturday’s Power Struggle event in Osaka.
Will Ospreay retained the IWGP United Kingdom/United States Championship in the show’s main event with a victory over Shota Umino and was confronted by Jon Moxley after the match in a tease for a Wrestle Kingdom bout. Ospreay and Moxley were then laid out by David Finlay who proceeded to destroy the US and UK title belts. In post-show comments, Ospreay stated that he wants Moxley and Finlay in a triple threat match at Wrestle Kingdom and hinted at the return of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for the bout. Moxley defeated Great-O-Khan earlier in today’s card.
In the show’s semi-main, Hiromu Takahashi retained the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship over Taiji Ishimori. He then laid out a challenge to El Desperado for a title bout at Wrestle Kingdom. Desperado and Hiromu have become something of career rivals with five matches rated four stars or higher by Dave Meltzer since 2018. Hiromu will have held the Junior title for a full year in his current reign if he holds the title until Wrestle Kingdom on January 4.
Elsewhere on the show, Bryan Danielson issued a challenge to Kazuchika Okada for Wrestle Kingdom, which Okada quickly accepted.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team title match for Wrestle Kingdom 18 is also set following Saturday’s show, with Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) set to defend against the winners of the Super Junior Tag League tournament finals at Power Struggle, United Empire’s Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira).
NJPW will likely officially announce the Intercontinental/US/UK title match, the Junior Tag title match, Danielson vs. Okada, and the Junior Heavyweight title match in the coming days, but here is the tentative lineup for the card as it stands now:
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: SANADA defends against Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi defends against El Desperado
IWGP UK/US or IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley vs. David Finlay
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) defend against Super Junior Tag League 2023 winners Catch 2/2 (TJP & Francesco Akira)
IWGP Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defend against the winners of World Tag League 2023
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.
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.
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.
The new issue of the Observer is up on the site right now covering these stories:
Match and performer of the week
Preview of Crown Jewel, favorites and directions
Preview of Full Gear, directions, business and more
Update on perhaps the most important business story this year and its ramifications as the Cung Le lawsuit against UFC is headed for trial next year. We talk about the trial, what it means to UFC, WWE and the MLW lawsuit against WWE. We also have notes from discovery on the actual pay that Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, CM Punk, Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones got for their biggest career fights.
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, the story behind coming one round short of one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. We look at what happened, how this fight was a prelude of the change of the business of major events and why, how the PPV did and why it doesn’t really matter, the celebrities and what happens next.
We preview the 2023 Hall of Fame with research on the wrestlers with the best matches throughout their careers, best tag matches, annual MVP, Most Outstanding, Best Draws and best tag team votes involving candidates on the ballot or in the Hall of Fame and who comes across well in this.
A look at the Vladimir the Superfan documentary
The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the past week, numbers, competition, gains and losses over the last year, placings and segment-by-segment.
Women’s Grand Prix show draws big crowd
Injuries plaguing Stardom
Stardom PPV and tag tourney coverage
Big match this weekend in All Japan
A tag match this past week that you should see
Nakajima’s NOAH farewell
New Japan U.S. house show notes
Update on a women’s dream match that was planned but now is uncertain and why
New Japan Super Juniors tag team tournament news
Ronda Rousey working indies against AEW stars
Talks of two pro wrestlers and fights with Jake Paul
CM Punk talks unionization of wrestlers
New documentary coming out in two weeks
Jon Moxley returns from concussion
Jon Moxley talks concussion protocols
Impact signs two U.K. wrestlers
Impact U.K tour
Bryan Danielson injury details
Notes on Ric Flair’s two new deals with AEW
Talks on Omega vs. MJF
More on the CMLL/AEW deal
Ticket advances for WWE & AEW shows
International TV ratings and top streaming numbers
Merch sales
Derrick Lewis arrest
UFC pay
This weekend’s UFC show
Why FOX didn’t bid to keep Smackdown
Raw’s live show growth
Fastlane actual gate numbers
What record did WWE claim that doesn’t look to be accurate
Lots of injury updates
Reviews of al the major WWE house shows
WWE signs a three-time national college wrestling women’s champion
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Friday Update
We just finished our annual Hall of Fame show with Garrett Gonzales, with guests John Pollock, John Muse and John Lister and it’s up on the site now. Bryan and I will be doing our weekend show tomorrow covering both Crown Jewel and Power Struggle.
We do have it confirmed that Grayson Waller is right now in Saudi Arabia. Waller had been booked on the shows in Rochester, NY and Springfield, MA, but was pulled and made a late addition to Crown Jewel, likely doing a talk segment.
Rampage tonight at 10 p.m. on TNT has:
El Hijo del Vikingo vs Penta vs. Komander
Marina Shafir vs. Skye Blue
Daniel Garcia vs. Trent Baretta
The Gunn Brothers vs. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal
The three-way from the live reports we got was tremendous.
New Japan Power Struggle starts at about 3:30 a.m. Eastern from Osaka:
Mochizuki Jr. & Yoshiki Kato & Strong Machine J of Dragon Gate face three New Japan wrestlers
David Finlay vs. Tanga Loa
Sanada & Yuya Uemura vs. Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji
Jon Moxley vs. Great O’Khan
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii defend the Never trios titles against Zack Sabre Jr. & Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP jr. title
Sho & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. TJP & Franceco Akira in the finals of the Super Juniors tournament
Will Ospreay vs. Shota Umino for the U.S. and U.K. titles
Ospreay did a great promo at today’s press conference for the match, basically saying that he’s leaving New Japan next year and that Umino needs to be able to step up and carry things and he tried to light a fire under him. This is the new biggest match of Umino’s career.
We’re looking for reports on these weekend shows:
AEW Collision tomorrow night in Wichita, KS (only the stuff not on live television)
WWE house show tomorrow night in Rochester, NY
WWE house show Sunday night in Springfield, MA
We’re looking for results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]
We are also doing two weekend polls, for WWE Crown Jewel tomorrow in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and New Japan Power Struggle tomorrow in Osaka. You can leave as thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for both shows to [email protected]
The 1/29 Raw at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, the day after the Royal Rumble, already has 10,818 tickets out, so this will sell out well in advance. Likely a ton of people are traveling in as the Royal Rumble has sold more than 25,000 tickets already.
Impact last night had 86,000 viewers and did a 0.01 18-49 rating.
A big Triple Crown title match with Yuma Aoyagi vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima headlines for All Japan on Sunday in Sapporo. Kento Miyahara & T-Hawk vs. Yuma Anzai & Ryuli Honda is the semi coming off the tremendous Miyahara & Aoyagi vs. Anzai & Honda match a few days ago.
Arena Mexico tonight has its Halloween night show with Stuka Jr. vs. Barbaaro Cavernario on top in a Rey del Inframundo title match. This title is only defended on Halloween week every year. Mistico & Mascara Dorada faces Soberano Jr & Volador Jr., in what promises to be a great match.
UFC is on ESPN+ from 6 p.m. Eastern to midnight tomorrow night from Sao Paulo, Brazil:
Kaue Fernandes (155) vs. Marc Diakiese (155)
Eduarda Moura (119.5) vs. Montserrat Ruiz (114.5) – Moura missed weight by 3.5 pounds and was fined 30 percent of her purse
Angela Hill (115.5) vs Denise Gomes (115.5)
Vitor Petrino (206) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (205.5)
Rinat Fakhretdinov (170.5) vs. Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos (171)
Elves Brebner (164) vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky (165)
Rodolfo Vieira (185.5) vs. Armen Petrosyan (186)
Caio Borrralho (186) vs. Abus Magomedov (185)
Rodrigo Nascimento (264) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (264)
Grabrel Bonfim (170.5) vs. Nicolas Dalby (170.5)
Derrick Lewis (265) vs. Jailton Almeida (236)
Two fights were canceled today. Ismael Bonfim was to face Vinc Pichel, but Bonfim weighed 3.5 pounds over. Victor Hugo was to face Daniel Mrcos, but Hugo weighed in 2.5 pounds over.
Pro Wrestling Eve Wrestle Queendom is 11/10 in Walthamstow UK. The show features Tokyo Joshi Pro International champion Max the Impaler defending against Kasey, Konami vs. Masha Slamovich, Anita Vaughn vs. Skye Smitson and more. Only a few tickets are left for the show. They also run 11/19 in Tufnell Park in London at The Dome with Miyu Yamashita defending the Eve title against Safire Reed plus International champion Yuu vs. Rhio and Su Yung vs. Smitson.
WWE put tickets on sale today for pretty much most of the January and February dates:
A pre-show match has been added to the lineup for NJPW Power Struggle 2023.
Dragon Gate’s Mochizuki Jr., Yoshiki Kato & Strong Machine J will team up in a Frontier Zone match on the pre-show for Power Struggle. Their opponents for the bout have not been announced.
In Frontier Zone matches, wrestlers from outside of NJPW get the chance to face off against NJPW competition. The Frontier Zone match debuted at Destruction in Ryogoku earlier this month.
Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Toru Yano, Oskar Leube & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Takahiro Katori, Jun Masaoka, Kazuma Sumi, Takeshi Masada & Kengo in the first-ever Frontier Zone match. The latter team included wrestlers from DDT, Eagle Pro, and the indies.
NJPW wrote:
After the Frontier Zone concept was introduced at Destruction in Ryogoku, demand has been high for a return of the unique kickoff, where young prospects, as well as wrestlers from other companies get a chance to perform against NJPW competition and in front of NJPW crowds. On November 4, the match type will return in EDION Arena with a pre-Power Struggle Frontier Zone highlighting DRAGONGATE.
Mochizuki Jr., Yoshiki Kato and Strong Machine J will be representing the promotion at Power Struggle. 21 year old Mochizuki is the son of DRAGON GATE legend Masaaki Mochizuki, and will look to use his karate background to unleash strong kicks to his opposition. Kato, 26 will be looking to make the most out of this major opportunity as well, barely one year into his in ring career, while Strong Machine J will be bringing the Machine lineage back to NJPW rings for the first time since the original Super Strong Machine retired back in 2018.
The NJPW opponents for this DG trio will be announced at a later date. What will come out of this unique matchup?
Power Struggle is taking place from Osaka on Saturday, November 4. The updated card for the show is listed below:
IWGP United Kingdom/United States Champion Will Ospreay defends against Shota Umino
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defends against Taiji Ishimori
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii defend against Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls
Jon Moxley vs. Great-O-Khan
Super Junior Tag League finals
SANADA & Yuya Uemura vs. Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji
David Finlay vs. Tanga Loa
Frontier Zone match: Mochizuki Jr., Yoshiki Kato & Strong Machine J vs. three NJPW wrestlers (pre-show)
NJPW has confirmed a few new additions to the card for Power Struggle.
After being set up at Royal Quest, NJPW has officially announced Will Ospreay vs. Shota Umino and Jon Moxley vs. Great-O-Khan for Power Struggle. Ospreay is defending the IWGP United Kingdom/United States Championship in the match against Umino.
David Finlay vs. Tanga Loa has also been announced for Power Struggle. At Destruction in Ryogoku last week, Finlay lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Loa’s family member and tag team partner Tama Tonga.
Loa then pinned Finlay in a six-man tag team match at Royal Quest over the weekend.
NJPW wrote:
Meanwhile David Finlay will take on Tanga Loa in singles action. Less than one week after he lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Tama Tonga in Ryogoku, Finlay was again reeling from a loss to Loa in tag competition in London. A frustrated and humiliated Finlay demanded this singles match to gain fast and full revenge, but could the Silverback beat the Rebel again?
Power Struggle is taking place in Osaka on Saturday, November 4. The updated lineup for the show is listed below:
IWGP United Kingdom/United States Champion Will Ospreay defends against Shota Umino
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defends against Taiji Ishimori
NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii defend against Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls
Jon Moxley vs. Great-O-Khan
Super Junior Tag League finals
SANADA & Yuya Uemura vs. Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji
NJPW has announced three matches for Power Struggle.
Hiromu Takahashi will defend his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Taiji Ishimori on the show. Takahashi was attacked by Ishimori at Destruction in Ryogoku on Monday following his successful title defense against YOH and Mike Bailey. Ishimori has been out of action since suffering an injury in his Best of the Super Juniors match against Takahashi on May 12.
Tetsuya Naito will challenge SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom, and the two will be on opposing sides of a tag match at Power Struggle. Naito will team with LIJ’s newest member, Yota Tsuji and SANADA will team with Just Five Guys’ newest member, Yuya Uemaru, who joined the faction in Ryogoku on Monday.
The NJPW Six Man Tag Team Championships will also be on the line at Power Struggle. Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi will defend their titles against TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr, Mikey Nicholls, and Shane Haste. ZSJ will also defend his NJPW TV title on the Road to Power Struggle. He’ll defend the belt against Boltin Oleg on October 24 on a show from Korakuen Hall. Oleg was originally supposed to receive a title shot against ZSJ this summer but the match was postponed due to Oleg dealing with a wrist infection.
The Super Junior Tag League finals will also take place at Power Struggle. The round-robin tournament kicks off on Saturday October 21 in Saitama.
First matches made for Power Struggle November 4!
IWGP Junior Heavyweight and NEVER 6 Man Championships are on the line!
NJPW Power Struggle takes place on Saturday, November 4 from Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan.
NJPW Power Struggle November 4, 2023 lineup:
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defends against Taiji Ishimori
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada defends against TMDK’s Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, & Zack Sabre Jr.
Yuya Uemura & SANADA vs. Yota Tsuji & Tetsuya Naito
Multiple titles changed hands at today’s NJPW Power Struggle event in Osaka.
KENTA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi after sending him into an exposed turnbuckle and hitting a Go To Sleep to win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. KENTA takes home the US title for the first time, plus captures his first title in NJPW since losing the NEVER Openweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom in January 2020. Tanahashi’s first reign with the US title ends after 84 days and a single successful defense.
A new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was crowned, as El Desperado defeated Robbie Eagles by submission to win the title. Desperado is now a two-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. Eagles sees his first reign with the Junior title ended after 104 days and one successful defense.
The NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship also switched, as EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and SHO defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI, ending the longest NEVER Six-Man reign in history. Goto, Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI’s run with the titles ends at 454 days and nine successful defenses.
Two champions did retain their titles at Power Struggle.
Shingo Takagi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. in the main event to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. After his win, Kazuchika Okada came to the ring and engaged in a back-and-forth with Shingo on the microphone. Okada retained his right to challenge Shingo at Wrestle Kingdom after defeating Tama Tonga earlier in the show.
Toru Yano also retained the provisional KOPW 2021 title, defeating Great-O-Khan in an amateur rules match.
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.
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.
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.
