Nic Nemeth has challenged NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi to an IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship bout.
After picking up a victory in a tag team contest at Saturday’s The New Beginning in Sapporo, Nemeth challenged Tanahashi to be his first challenger for the Global title. Tanahashi was at ringside on commentary, and answered “I agree with you” in English to Nemeth.
No date has been set for the bout.
Tanahashi had been scheduled to wrestle on Saturday’s event as part of Kazuchika Okada’s team in Okada’s farewell 10-man tag, but was pulled from the show just prior to bell time with a right ankle injury.
There have been no reports as of yet to the severity of the injury to Tanahashi, but the fact that the Nemeth match was agreed to indicates that he is not expected to miss a lot of time.
Nemeth defeated David Finlay in the main event of Friday’s The New Beginning show to win the Global title in his in-ring debut for NJPW. On the same show, Tanahashi dropped the NJPW World TV title to Matt Riddle.
Also on Saturday’s show, YOH stole SHO’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight title belt in an angle to set up a future championship bout between the former tag partners.
Saturday’s event also featured Okada and Tama Tonga’s farewell matches for the promotion.
Our full coverage of The New Beginning in Sapporo is here.
Video of Nemeth’s challenge to Tanahashi is embedded below.
Kazuchika Okada is leaving NJPW on a winning streak.
The Rainmaker scored a pinfall victory in his final match as a full-time member of NJPW’s roster at Saturday’s The New Beginning in Sapporo event, pinning United Empire’s Callum Newman in a 10-man tag in his swan song.
In the bout pitting Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Toru Yano of CHAOS against United Empire’s Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, and Newman, Okada landed all of his signature offense including his trademark dropkick, a landslide, and finished the bout with his Rainmaker lariat.
Okada won all of his final four matches with NJPW, including a NEVER Openweight Six-Man title defense where he vacated the title immediately after, a singles win over Hiroshi Tanahashi, plus wins in multi-man tags on both nights of The New Beginning in Sapporo this weekend.
Tanahashi had originally been slated to team with Okada in his finale, but an ankle injury forced Tana off Saturday’s card and he was replace by Yano.
A vignette for “Scapegoat” Jack Perry aired during Saturday’s NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo event following Umino’s participation in a tag team match in the main card opener.
Umino responded to the video provocation with an interesting threat to Perry:
In Perry’s surprise appearance at NJPW Battle in the Valley last month, the former Jungle Boy attacked Umino and proceeded to tear up his AEW contract.
The “Scapegoat” moniker is an inside reference to Perry being suspended indefinitely by AEW following a backstage altercation with CM Punk at All In last August, with the tearing of the contract an attempt at a worked shoot angle.
Perry has been announced for NJPW Windy City Riot on Friday, April 12 in Chicago. A matchup against Umino on that show appears the likely direction. Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley, plus Hiromu Takahashi have officially been announced for the Windy City Riot card.
Perry’s vignette is embedded in the NJPW World social media post below.
Hiroshi Tanahashi will not take part in Kazuchika Okada’s NJPW farewell match due to a right ankle injury.
NJPW announced just prior to bell time for night two of The New Beginning in Sapporo that Tanahashi would not be able to take part in Okada’s farewell 10-man tag match due to a right ankle injury.
Toru Yano will replace Tanahashi in the tag match, which now consists of Okada, Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Matt Riddle, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman.
Tanahashi presumably suffered the injury in his match on night one of The New Beginning in Sapporo on Friday in his NJPW World TV Championship defense against Riddle.
NJPW’s statement:
Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was scheduled to wrestle on today’s card in Sapporo, has sustained an injury to his right ankle and will be unable to compete.
We apologise to fans who were looking forward to seeing Tanahashi wrestle, and appreciate your understanding.
The following change has been made to tonight’s card:
Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii vs Callum Newman, Jeff Cobb, Matt Riddle, Great-O-Khan & Francesco Akira–>
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii vs Callum Newman, Jeff Cobb, Matt Riddle, Great-O-Khan & Francesco Akira
Okada will officially enter free agency following tonight’s NJPW event. His NJPW deal originally expired at the end of January, but he agreed to work three final dates for the company this month.
Our live coverage of night two of The New Beginning in Sapporo is here. The show is headlined by Tetsuya Naito vs. SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, plus a Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura hair vs. hair match.
Kazuchika Okada will say goodbye to NJPW on tonight’s The New Beginning tour closer in Sapporo.
Okada will leave the company and officially enter free agency following tonight’s show after a 12-plus year run as the promotion’s biggest star, seven IWGP Heavyweight title reigns, plus four G1 Climax wins.
Okada’s farewell match goes on second on the main card, as he teams with Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and YOSHI-HASHI against United Empire’s Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, and Callum Newman.
Hiroshi Tanahashi was originally scheduled to be part of Okada’s team, but was pulled from the card due to injury.
Tetsuya Naito will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA in the main event.
A hair vs. hair match with Yota Tsuji facing Yuya Uemura is in the semifinal position.
A series of LIJ vs. Just Five Guys bouts are the other featured singles matches on the show, with Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi, Hiromu Takahashi vs. DOUKI, and BUSHI vs. TAKA Michinoku.
New IWGP Global Champion Nic Nemeth tags with Ryusuke Taguchi against David Finlay & Gedo.
Tama Tonga also bids farewell to NJPW after today’s show, teaming with brother Tanga Loa against brother Hikuleo & El Phantasmo.
Shota Umino, El Desperado, Togi Makabe, YOH & Boltin Oleg take on House of Torture’s EVIL, SHO, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the main card opener.
The Frontier Zone pre-show match begins at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.
El Desperado, Oleg Boltin, Shota Umino, Togi Makabe & YOH defeated House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
This match opened with a brawl on the outside. In the ring, the babyfaces established control, with Oleg connecting with huge offense against HoT, forcing EVIL to take him out with a low blow. HoT then worked to isolate Oleg, whipping him into exposed corners and choking him with weapons.
After the tag to Shota, HoT continued using their usual tactics to maintain control. Oleg hit the ring to challenge HoT, leading to a match breakdown. Shota emerged from the chaos alone with Kanemaru. He hit Kanemaru with Death Rider and won the match.
After the match, YOH stole SHO’s belt, perhaps setting up a title challenge in the future.
A video teasing “the scapegoat” Jack Perry played. After the video ended, Shota asked English coms if that was “Jungle Boy”.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb) & Matt Riddle
Riddle opened the match by hammering Okada with strikes. Okada didn’t fall but failed to connect with much before tagging out.
Akira and Goto tagged in next. Akira gained success against the heavyweight early, but O-Khan hit the ring, leading to a full, CHAOS-favored breakdown. Once CHAOS left the ring, Akira was able to regain his footing before escaping to Cobb.
Cobb and Ishii traded a couple of strikes before Cobb dropped Ishii with a big suplex. Cobb hit Ishii with a tour of the islands and another suplex. Ishii powered through, hitting a suplex of his own, initiating a back-and-forth. Once both men were exhausted, YH and O-Khan tagged in.
O-Khan and YH hit each other with chops before YH dropped O-Khan with a suplex. Now that O-Khan was down, Okada was willing to tag in. Okada tried to find the tombstone, but O-Khan escaped. O-Khan dropped Okada with a lariat before tagging out to Newman.
Akira cleared the apron of CHAOS before hitting the ring with the rest of UE. They worked together to take out Okada, but Okada held on, removing all of UE from the ring singlehandedly. Okada hit Newman with a landslide, an elbow drop, and a rainmaker before pinning Newman in the middle of the ring.
Okada beat down all of UE like a bunch of geeks and dipped. Incredible.
After the match, each of Okada’s teammates hugged him with tear-filled eyes. Okada grabbed a mic, thanked the crowd for 17 years, and promised they would see more of him. There will never be another Kazuchika Okada.
El Phantasmo & Hikuleo defeated Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Before the match began, Jado came to the ring dressed in referee attire. To prove his loyalty to both pairs, Jado played the middleman and officiated the match.
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa came to the ring wearing their old face paint.
Tama and Hikuleo started the match. After a short back-and-forth, ELP and Loa tagged in. They traded quick pin attempts, tiring Jado. All four men hit the ring and started arguing over Jado, but his request for a “clean fight” calmed the tensions.
ELP and Hikuleo established a lead. ELP worked over Loa for some time, setting up the hot tag to Tama. Tama gained a substantial lead until Hikuleo hit the ring, leading to a match breakdown.
Tama and Loa emerged from the chaos with the lead. They hit Hikuleo with Magic Killer and a splash for a nearfall. In their attempt to follow up, Hikuleo hit a suplex and a scoopslam. Hikuleo and Tama went back and forth, trying for their finishes, but neither could connect.
Hikuleo hit a clothesline, but Tama kicked out at one. Hikuleo then hit a giant powerbomb, but again, Tama kicked out. Finally, Hikuleo hit Tama with his God Send chokeslam and pinned Tama to win the match.
After the match, a teary-eyed Tama shared a moment with his brothers, ELP, and Jado.
Nic Nemeth & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated BULLET CLUB (David Finlay & Gedo)
Taguchi and Nemeth gained an immediate lead by hitting Bullet Club with their rear ends rapidly. Taguchi eventually missed a B-Trigger, opening the door for a Finlay comeback. Finlay and Gedo worked to isolate Taguchi while attacking his butt.
Once Nemeth tagged in, the match turned around for the babyfaces. Nemeth cleared the ring of Finlay and dropped Gedo with Danger Zone. Nemeth pinned Gedo, winning the match.
After the match, Nemeth grabbed a microphone and requested that Tanahashi challenge for the Gloabal Championship. Tanahashi accepted the challenge, but, due to his injury, who knows when it’ll happen.
BUSHI defeated TAKA Michinoku
The opening moments saw BUSHI trying for a dive immediately. TAKA tried taking the match to the mat, but BUSHI continued to escape into the ropes. BUSHI ended TAKA’s control with a dropkick to the knee and his signature tope.
BUSHI’s control was short-lived, ending once TAKA returned to the mat. Once BUSHI escaped, TAKA tried for the Michinoku driver, but BUSHI reversed, hitting one of his own. BUSHI then tried for MX, but TAKA cut him off with a superkick.
BUSHI continued attacking the knee, landing multiple dropkicks before securing a leglock. TAKA tried everything to escape, but in the end, he was forced to tap out.
LIJ leads the series 1-0.
DOUKI defeated Hiromu Takahashi
This match opened fast, with DOUKI launching an attack before the opening bell sounded. Hiromu matched his energy, taking the fight to the floor. Hiromu drove DOUKI into the barricade, establishing the first lead of the match.
Back in the ring, Hiromu landed a falcon arrow, but DOUKI was quick to answer with a dropkick and a springboard elbow. DOUKI then hit a dive to the floor and a double stomp before locking in the DOUKI-chokey.
DOUKI went to the apron to further his offense, but Hiromu cut him off with a sunset flip powerbomb. Back in the ring, both men were on equal footing, leading to a struggle for control, with neither man landing something substantial. Eventually, Hiromu hit a Dynamite Plunger, but DOUKI kicked out. Both men then traded lariats before Hiromu landed Timebomb; DOUKI kicked out.
Hiromu was now desperate to close. He reached down to grab DOUKI, but DOUKI caught him in a deep DOUKI-chokey. Hiroumu escaped but was immediately planted with a massive DDT. DOUKI then hit Suplex de La Luna and pinned Hiromu for one of the biggest wins in his career.
The score is even. 1-1.
Taichi defeated Shingo Takagi
This match opened with both men trading strikes. This continued to escalate with both men going for bigger and bigger moves. Shingo eventually established a lead with a suplex. With Taichi on the back foot, Shingo took a second to plug his YouTube.
Taichi answered Shingo’s control with an air raid crash. Taichi then paused to remove his pants dramatically. This gave Shingo time to land a DDT, reseting the match.
Both men met in the corner, where they traded headbutts and strikes before Shingo hit Taichi with a drop from the top rope. Taichi powered up, leading to a couple of quick back-and-forth suplexes between the pair.
With both men on their last legs, they began trying for lariats. After minutes of running into each other, both men collapsed to the mat. Eventually, Shingo tried again for pumping bomber, but Taichi ducked and hit his dangerous backdrop to win the match.
J5G leads, 2-1.
Hair vs. Hair: Yota Tsuji defeated Yuya Uemura
This match was horrificly boring. I expected a little life for a match with so much on the line, but this was dreadful.
This match opened slow, with both men trying to find an opening. Yuya found a little early on utilizing basic offense. Tsuji broke this advance but kept the pace slow as he picked apart Yuya.
Tsuji eventually kicked Yuya to the floor, giving Yuya time to recover. Once Yuya returned to the ring, he retook the lead again, utilizing simple maneuvers.
Yuya worked on the mat, targeting Tsuji’s arm. Tsuji escaped but remained on the mat, locking Yuya in a Boston crab. The pair continued going tit-for-tat like this for some time.
Eventually, Yuya landed a double under-hook suplex. He then climbed to the top rope, where Tsuji met him. Tsuji hit a Spanish fly from the top, but Yuya kicked out. Yuya then fired back, hitting the deadbolt, but he failed to follow up. With both men down, the referee began a double count, forcing both men to their feet.
With five minutes left in the time limit, both men began to rally. Yuya hit a backdrop and tried for a crossbody, but Tsuji reversed into a curb stomp. Tsuji tried for a gene blast, but Yuya reversed into an arm drag. Tsuji tried again, but Yuya reversed into a cutter. Yuya hit a German, but Tsuji popped up, hit a gene blast spear, and won the match.
After the match, Tsuji cut Yuya’s hair in the center of the ring. Yuya cut him off and cut some of the hair himself.
The score is even heading into the main event, 2-2.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito (c) defeated SANADA
This was easily the best match on the card. It was a big step down from their WrestleKingdom match, but it was still enjoyable.
This match opened with a standard feeling-out process from this pair. SANADA switched things up by attacking Naito on the floor, but Naito welcomed the attack, taking control and landing a DDT on the floor. From here, Naito continued focusing the neck with high-impact offense.
SANADA bounced back with a plancha. Instead of keeping up the pace, SANADA turned his attention to the crowd. This allowed Naito to retake the lead and keep focus on SANADA’s neck.
A dropkick in the corner sent Naito crashing into the ring post. SANADA then drove Naito’s neck into his knee to establish control. SANADA locked in Skull End, tiring Naito. SANADA then attempted a moonsault, but Naito blocked with his knees.
Naito hammered SANADA’s neck before hoisting him back to the top rope. This time, Naito was able to connect with an avalanche rana. Naito then tried for Destino, but SANADA slipped free. Both men then began attempting their finishes, but neither could connect. After a prolonged struggle, SANADA dropped Naito and hit two moonsualts. Naito held on long enough to respond with a partial Destino.
Naito wanted a full Destino, but SANADA slipped free, hitting a shining wizard. SANADA then tried for Deadfall, but Naito reversed into a choke. Naito then hit a Deadfall of his own, but SANADA responded with a pair of shining wizards. SANADA then tried for Deadfall again, but Naito reversed into a tornado DDT/inside cradle combination, earning him a sudden win.
Naito is still IWGP World Heavyweight champion. LIJ wins the series 3-2.
In his show-ending promo, Naito called attention to Okada, thanking him on his last night in New Japan. He then welcomed Okada to the ring. He offered Okada the LIJ salute. Okada accepted, but Naito spit in his face. The two had a playful scramble before Okada left the ring for the last time.
Three of the five championships on the line changed hands on night one of NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo.
In the show’s main event, Nic Nemeth (the former Dolph Ziggler) defeated David Finlay in his NJPW debut match to win the IWGP Global Championship.
Nemeth used The Danger Zone (the renamed Zig Zag) to score a pinfall victory over Finlay in his first NJPW outing, ending Finlay’s title reign with his first defense.
In the show’s semi-main, Matt Riddle pinned Hiroshi Tanahashi after hitting a Bro Derek to win the NJPW World TV Championship.
The match was Riddle’s first NJPW match on Japanese soil after joining the company earlier this year. He did wrestle a tag at Battle in the Valley in San Jose last month, and also worked two matches on joint RevPro/NJPW shows in London in 2017.
Tanahashi successfully defended the NJPW World TV title once in his 50-day reign at New Year Dash against Ryusuke Taguchi.
A new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was also crowned on Friday, as SHO defeated El Desperado to win the title in a countout finish. Desperado also managed one successful title defense in his 50-day reign.
SHO’s Bullet Club House of Torture stablemate EVIL retained the NEVER Openweight Championship on Friday with a victory over Shota Umino to extend his title reign.
In the night’s other title bout, Mayu Iwatani retained the IWGP Women’s Championship with a win over Mina Shirakawa.
Night two of The New Beginning in Sapporo starts Friday night at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time. The show will feature Kazuchika Okada’s NJPW farewell match, a Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura hair vs. hair battle, as well as Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA in the main event.
Nic Nemeth makes his NJPW in-ring debut challenging David Finlay for the IWGP Global Championship at today’s The New Beginning in Sapporo.
Finlay vs. Nemeth for the Global title headlines today’s show that also features the first night of Kazuchika Okada’s two-night NJPW farewell tour, with The Rainmaker taking part in an eight-man tag.
Four more title bouts are also set for the card.
In the semi-main, Hiroshi Tanahashi defends the NJPW World TV Championship against Matt Riddle in Riddle’s first match in Japan since joining NJPW earlier this year.
EVIL defends the NEVER Openweight Championship against Shota Umino, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado defends against SHO, and Mayu Iwatani defends the IWGP Women’s Championship against Mina Shirakawa in the other title matches.
Okada teams with Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, & YOH against United Empire’s Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira, & Callum Newman. HENARE was pulled from this match due to an injury.
LIJ face Just Five Guys in a 10-man tag, Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Boltin Oleg take on Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a trios match, plus Zack Sabre Jr. faces Yuji Nagata in a singles bout to kick off the main card.
Toru Yano & Tomoya take on Tomoaki Honma & Shoma Kato on the pre-show beginning at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Nagata opened the match with leg kicks that sent ZSJ to the mat. ZSJ responded with a kick to the arm, which he focused from here on. Nagata fired back with more kicks before hitting a suplex.
On the mat, Nagata turned to the Nagata-Lock 1, forcing ZSJ into the ropes. The groundwork continued from Nagata as he transitioned to the Nagata-Lock 2. ZSJ eventually slipped free, transitioning into a cross-arm breaker, which won ZSJ the match.
House Of Torture (Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Oleg Boltin, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tomoaki Honma
House of Torture opened the match with a team attack on their opponents. Oleg responded by taking out all of HoT by himself. Taguchi tagged in after Oleg and unloaded on HoT with a barrage of B-triggers.
Taguchi’s momentum was short-lived. After a missed B-trigger, HoT began picking him apart. Once Makabe tagged in, the babyfaces saw a little more success before falling again to HoT tactics. With a distracted referee, Narita hit Makabe with his pushup bar before landing the Double Cross to win the match.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb)
Okada and O-Khan opened the match to raucous chants for Okada. O-Khan caught Okada with a slap before turning to the claw. In a strong position, O-Khan attempted the eliminator, but Okada reversed. Okada then tagged out to YH.
After a bit of a back-and-forth, Akira and YOH entered the fray. They had a competitive athletic sequence before Ishii joined the match. Ishii took out all of UE before facing off with Cobb. Ishii hit a suplex before tagging back to Okada.
Cobb dropped Okada and tagged out to Newman, who wanted to prove himself against the departing Okada. He unloaded with strikes before hitting an OsCutter, which forced Ishii to make the save. A match breakdown followed, with everyone hitting the ring. CHAOS emerged from the struggle with control, allowing Okada to drop Newman with a rainmaker, winning him the match.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
This match opened with a brawl between teams. Things continued to escalate until Uemura and Tsuji were left alone in the ring. Uemura avoided a Gene Blaster, locking in a Boston crab in response. Tsuji fought back, leading to a competitive back-and-forth ending with a match reset.
Taichi and Shingo entered next. They traded heavy strikes, forcing a tag to TAKA. Shingo overwhelmed TAKA on his own, but the rest of LIJ helped him keep the ring clear. He dropped TAKA with a pumping bomber, winning the match for LIJ.
IWGP Women’s Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Mina Shirakawa to retain the title
This was comfortably the best match of the night. It wasn’t quite fantastic, but it kept moving in exciting ways.
This match opened with both women running at each other, kicking off a fast back and forth. The frantic pace continued as Mina began to focus the legs, establishing control. Mina then hoisted Mayu onto her shoulders, but Mayu reversed into a poison-rana.
A striking battle led to another stent of Mina control. After landing her electric chair variation, Mina turned her attention back to the legs, locking in a figure four. After an excruciating battle on the mat, Mayu escaped to the bottom rope. Mina dropped Mayu with heavy strikes, followed by a DDT.
Mina attempted the glorious driver, but Mayu escaped to hit a tombstone. Mayu followed up with a top rope dropkick, a top rope double stomp, and a moonsault for a convincing nearfall. A dragon suplex scored another near-fall for the champion. After another dragon suplex, Mayu successfully pinned Mina, winning the match and retaining her belt.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: SHO defeated El Desperado (c) to win the title
This match was painful. When it wasn’t slow, it was frustrating. The reign of SHO is going to be dreadful.
This match opened with a brawl on the ramp. Desperado dominated SHO in the opening, gaining a solid lead before the match even started. After the opening bell, Desperado attacked the legs, locking in the stretch muffler, forcing SHO into the ropes. SHO tried to escape to the outside, but Desperado maintained his pursuit.
On the floor, SHO shoved the referee and hit Desperado with the IWGP Junior belt. Back in the ring, SHO hit a lariat and locked in a snake bite. A nasty power breaker set Desperado up for a package piledriver, but SHO’s leg failed him. Desperado then turned his attention back to SHO’s leg, but he struggled to follow up.
SHO attempted another piledriver, but Desperado reversed into a spinebuster. A dragonscrew led to a stretch muffler in the middle of the ring, but the lights turned off before SHO tapped. Once the lights turned back on, Yoshinobu Kanemaru was attacking Desperado. Before SHO could deliver a strike with his wrench, Taguchi ran to the ring, landing two hip attacks before carrying Kanemaru to the back.
With HoT gone, Desperado continued his attack, driving SHO into the ring post before returning to leg whips. Desperado locked in the stretch muffler again, but SHO powered out. SHO shoved Desperado into the referee and hit a low blow to stop his advance.
SHO tried hitting Desperado with the belt again, but Desperado responded with a punch. Desperado attempted to follow up with a tope, but SHO cut him off with a stunning chair shot. SHO landed another chair shot while the referee tried to come to.
SHO attempted a third chair strike but was interrupted by the referee. This distraction allowed Desperado to hit a low blow and a baseball swing chair shot of his own. As the referee’s count climbed, SHO managed to roll into the ring. As Desperado tried to beat the count, Ren Narita emerged from under the ring and held him down. The referee counted to twenty, leaving SHO with a stolen win and the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion.
NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL (c) defeated Shota Umino to retain the title
This was another insufferable House of Torture match.
Shota opened the match by striking down EVIL. Once Shota established a bit of a lead, he tried taking care of Dick Togo on the outside. This gave EVIL the time to catch Shota and gain control.
EVIL slammed Shota into the barricade and taunted him with the NEVER belt. Back in the ring, EVIL attacked the eyes, whipped Shota into an exposed corner, and attempted a couple of pins. When that didn’t work, EVIL threw Shota to the floor, allowing Togo to get in some licks.
Shota eventually landed a dropkick, leading to a short rally. A quick distraction from EVIL and a forearm left EVIL back in the lead. Shota responded with a diversion of his own to retake control. Shota locked in a crossface in the center of the ring, prompting Yujiro Takahashi to ring the bell. This distraction led to a ref bump and all of HoT attacking Shota.
EVIL attempted Everything is Evil, but Shota reversed it into twist and shout. Before Shota could capitalize, EVIL bumped the referee again. Togo choked Shota with his wire. Shota survived somehow, and launched into a rally.
Shota attempted multiple signatures, but EVIL kept slipping free. Finally, Shota hit a gun stun for a nearfall. When Shota attempted Deathrider, EVIL pushed Shota into the exposed corner and drove him into the mat. EVIL then hit Everything is Evil to retain his title.
NJPW World Television Championship: Matt Riddle defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) to win the title
This match was fine.
This match opened with a scramble that turned into standing grappling. Slightly outclassed, Tanahashi fled to the floor. On the outside, Tanahashi gained a short lead, but Riddle regained his footing back inside. A corkscrew BroTon left Riddle comfortably ahead.
Tanahashi blocked a top rope dive with his knees before hitting a twist and shout and sling blade for a nearfall. A dragonscrew into the ropes only furthered Tanahashi’s lead.
Riddle challenged Tanahashi with strikes before hitting BroDerek. Riddle pinned Tanahashi, winning the match and taking the NJPW World Television championship.
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Nic Nemeth defeated David Finlay (c) to win the title
Finlay started the match by attacking Nemeth from behind. When the bell sounded, Nemeth was ready with a superkick. Nemeth then slammed Finlay into various objects around the ring.
Finlay regained his footing by spearing Nemeth through the barricade. Back in the ring, Finlay picked apart Nemeth. As Nemeth began to wiggle his way back into the match, the action returned to the floor.
Nemeth attempted another superkick, but Finlay sacrificed Gedo. Finlay then hit Nemeth with a shillelagh before brutally attacking the leg. Nemeth eventually answered Finlay’s advance with an Olympic slam, resetting the match.
Finlay stayed on top by driving Nemeth into an exposed corner. Finlay, to continue his attack on the leg, threw Nemeth to the floor in a standing position. Back in the ring, Finlay locked in a figure four leglock. Once Nemeth escaped from the leglock, Finlay dropped him with a lariat. This left Finlay free to pick apart Nemeth even further.
After minutes on the back foot, Nemeth began to rally. He slammed Finlay into the exposed corner before hitting a famouser to score a nearfall. Nemeth’s rally was short-lived, though, as Finlay quickly responded with Oblivion.
Finlay attempted Oblivion again, but Nemeth cut him off with a headbutt. After another headbutt, Nemeth hit Danger Zone (formerly the Zig Zag) and pinned Finlay in the middle of the ring. Nic Nemeth is IWGP Global Champion.
Nemeth cut the show ending promo while being showered in confetti. Before leaving Nemeth asked Tanahashi to be his partner tomorrow. Tanahashi is already booked tomorrow, so who know how that will work out.
A NEVER Openweight Championship bout, plus a special singles match in the junior heavyweight division have been added to NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo.
EVIL will defend the NEVER Openweight title against Shota Umino on night one of the event on Friday, February 23. The promotion made the announcement late Wednesday.
EVIL defeated Tama Tonga to win the NEVER title at The New Beginning in Nagoya on January 20. Umino defeated Ren Narita in a singles match in the main event of Wednesday’s Road to The New Beginning show at Korakuen Hall.
Also added to the February 23 lineup, El Desperado will face SHO. Desperado, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, refused to put his title on the line against SHO, but agreed to a match after SHO and Bullet Club’s House of Torture stole Desperado’s mask in an angle on Wednesday’s show.
The New Beginning in Sapporo will feature Kazuchika Okada’s final NJPW appearances in matches yet to be announced on the two-night event.
The updated lineups:
NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo, Friday, February 23 —
Kazuchika Okada match TBA
IWGP Global Champion David Finlay defends against Nic Nemeth
NJPW World TV Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defends against Matt Riddle
NEVER Openweight Champion EVIL defends against Shota Umino
El Desperado vs. SHO
Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku
Toru Yano & Tomoya vs. TBA
NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo, Saturday, February 24 —
Kazuchika Okada’s final NJPW appearance
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito defends against SANADA
Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi
Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura
Hiromu Takahashi vs. DOUKI
BUSHI vs. TAKA Michinoku
Nic Nemeth & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. David Finlay & Gedo
Three titles are on the line on night two of NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo.
In the main event, Hiromu Takahashi defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against YOH.
In the semi-main, Zack Sabre Jr. defends the NJPW World TV title against Tomohiro Ishii.
Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI defend the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles against TMDK’s Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls in the night’s other title match.
A series of tag team matches round out the undercard:
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Shota Umino & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI
Tama Tonga, Hikuleo & Jado vs. Jay White, El Phantasmo & Gedo
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Master Wato vs. KENTA & Taiji Ishimori
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Ren Narita & Yuto Nakashima vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, TJP & Francesco Akira vs. Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku
Our live coverage begins at midnight Eastern time.
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Great-O-Khan, Will Ospreay, TJP, & Francesco Akira (United Empire) defeated DOUKI, TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Just 4 Guys)
DOUKI, Kanemaru, TJP, and Akira picked up from where they left off last night in the opening sequence. J4G gained an early lead and started targeting TJP’s knee as they did yesterday.
Once Ospreay entered the fold, he began to turn things around for his team. Ospreay and Taichi soon came to blows, retelling a bit of last night’s story.
After a hand full of back-and-forth sequences between both teams, Ospreay hit Michinoku with a Michinoku driver and a hidden blade to win the match for UE.
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Ren Narita, & Yuto Nakashima defeated Dick Togo, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, & SHO (House of Torture)
HoT attacked their opponents before the opening bell. HoT then used distractions and sleight of hand to maintain their early lead.
EVIL choked Suzuki with a shirt, leading to Narita making the save. After the save, Narita tagged in and took control of the match until HoT rushed the ring. SHO tried hitting Narita with the wrench, but Narita avoided the attack. Narita’s partners hit the ring, leaving Narita free to land the suplex into the abdominal stretch, forcing Yujiro to submit.
After the match, Narita and Suzuki shook hands and embraced. Suzuki grabbed a microphone and challenged the HoT trio to a NEVER 6-man title match. EVIL denied the challenge, saying the 6-man titles were retired. Suzuki declared they would be challenging for the belts in Osaka next week.
The Bullet Club team gained the initial lead by isolating Wato. Once Wato finally reached Tanahashi, the babyfaces were able to gain some footing.
After taking out Bullet Club with multiple dragonscrews, Tanahashi tagged back out into Wato. Wato and Ishimori both tried for multiple big moves, but, in the end, Ishimori was able to slam Wato into an exposed corner. After running Wato into the turnbuckle, Ishimori stole the win with a pin with his feet on the ropes.
After the match, Bullet Club attempted a beatdown, but Tanahashi fought off his attackers.
Jado, Hikuleo, & Tama Tonga defeated Gedo, Jay White, & El Phantasmo (Bullet Club)
The opening portion of this match featured both teams fighting for the crowd’s favor.
Once White entered the match, the Bullet Club trio worked to isolate Jado. The babyfaces made the save, leading to an extended match breakdown. Once order was restored, White and Hikuleo shared the ring. Hikuleo tried for a chokeslam, but White reversed into a DDT.
A pair of double tags led to ELP vs. Tama and Gedo vs. Jado exchanges before another breakdown. Hikuleo and White provided a distraction on the outside, leaving Gedo free to attempt a brass knuckle shot. Jado avoided the shot. Tama quickly responded with a gun stun, leaving Jado with the easy finish.
After the match, ELP dropped Tama with Tama’s NEVER Openweight Championship belt.
Naito and Umino opened the match, picking up from where they left off last night. They had a relatively short-lived encounter before other wrestlers tagged into the match.
Shingo and Okada went back and forth for a while, with Shingo gaining the upper hand on the champion. Okada challenged Shingo’s lead with a strike battle but could not achieve more than a match reset.
SANADA tagged into the match and had a decent showing against Okada until Okada’s partners rushed the ring. Once the chaos ended, Okada locked SANADA in the money clip; SANADA escaped and locked in skull end. Umino broke up the hold, leading to another all-out scrap between the teams. Once the fog cleared, Okada hit SANDA with a piledriver, spinning rainmaker, and a traditional rainmaker to close the match.
IWGP Tag Team Championship: YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto (Bishamon) (c) defeated Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste (TMDK)
Bishamon opened the match strong, clearing the ring of TMDK and taking the fight to the floor. On the outside, TMDK fought into a controlling position, slamming the champions into the barricade. Back in the ring, the challengers maintained this lead, at least for some time.
After a hard-fought battle, Goto landed a lariat and secured a hot tag to YH. YH turned things around for his team, leading an extended offensive sequence.
TMDK interrupted YH’s rally with a bomb from the top rope. YH survived and reset the match with a neckbreaker, setting up the tag to Goto. Goto landed a double bulldog to cement control for Bishamon heading into the later leg of the match.
Bishamon tried for a finish, but TMDK reversed and landed a tandem slam. Nicholls hit a blue thunder bomb to further their newfound lead, but YH was quick to make the save. With the time YH bought the champions, they were able to hit Nicholls with a GTR and Shoto to win the match and retain their belts.
NJPW World TV Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii
The NJPW World TV Championship is such a welcome addition to New Japan. A division that demands sprints in a promotion that leans so heavily on marathons is a total breath of fresh air.
This match was fantastic. Ishii and ZSJ left it all in the ring. No fluff. All action.
The match opened with a prolonged grappling exchange. Ishii held his own for a while, but ZSJ’s prowess eventually won him some advantage. To challenge ZSJ’s wrestling, Ishii used well-timed strikes and general strength.
As the match intensified, both men proved to be on equal footing. The short TV title time limit added to the urgency. Ishii landed a powerbomb, but ZSJ transitioned into an armbar. Ishii found the ropes and hit a flipping powerbomb, but ZSJ survived.
With less than three minutes remaining, the pair traded suplexes. Ishii landed a couple of lariats but couldn’t close. Instead, ZSJ landed a tiger suplex for a near fall of his own. ZSJ hit a penalty kick, and Ishii an enziguri. A flying headbutt and sliding lariat from Ishii seemed to indicate the end for ZSJ, but he held on, catching Ishii on the follow-up with a Zack Driver to close the match.
A typical collar-and-elbow initiated the match, but YOH didn’t take long to challenge Hiromu on the floor. On the outside, Hiromu slammed YOH into the barricade to take an early lead. Back in the ring, Hiromu slowed the pace, stretching YOH with multiple holds.
YOH eventually fought back into the match with some chops and a dive to the floor. A top rope drop kick scored YOH a nearfall and control in the ring. With his newfound lead, YOH began to work Hiromu’s legs. After a prolonged struggle, YOH secured a figure four leglock, forcing Hiromu into the ropes.
Hiromu eventually bounced back with a German suplex and a lariat. YOH stopped Hiromu’s rally with a massive clothesline of his own that sent both men to the floor.
YOH tried for direct drive, but Hiromu blocked the finish. Hiromu tried for two quick pins before landing victory royal to take complete control.
YOH avoided all of Hiromu’s finish attempts, landed a poison rana and a superkick, but Hiromu kicked out. YOH hit a dragon suplex, but again, Hiromu kicked out. YOH tried for direct drive, but Hiromu reversed into a timebomb; YOH kicked out.
YOH dropped Hiromu across his knee but still couldn’t hit direct drive. Hiromu answered with a stunner and a piledriver, but YOH kicked out again. YOH tied up Hiromu in his five-star pin, but Hiromu beat the count. Finally, Hiromu landed a pair of bomber lariats and another timebomb to win the match and retain the title.
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Ren Narita & Ryohei Oiwa vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
Great-O-Khan vs. Oskar Leube
Our live coverage begins at 3 a.m. Eastern time.
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Great-O-Khan defeated Oskar Leube
I’m enthusiastic about Leube’s future generally, and this match only adds to my excitement.
The match opened with a grappling sequence. Leube forced O-Khan into the ropes and gained the upper hand with some strikes.
O-Khan frustration with losing momentum to his underling triggered a quick comeback. O-Khan established control and maintained it for some time.
After withstanding O-Khan’s extended control, Leube bounced back with two massive slams. Leube locked in a deep Boston crab that nearly forced a submission. O-Khan survived the Leube submission attempt and locked in his finishing abdominal stretch/iron claw hold combination, forcing Leube to tap.
Ryohei Oiwa, Ren Narita, El Desperado, & Minoru Suzuki defeated Dick Togo SHO Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL (House of Torture)
For an HoT match, this was a ton of fun.
This match opened with Suzuki taking out HoT before passing the momentum to Oiwa. Oiwa failed to maintain this advantage, leading to an extended period of HoT control. The hot tag eventually came to Desperado, who nearly evened the score, even after a prolonged HoT beatdown.
Once Narita tagged in, he took control, forcing HoT to rush the ring. Togo tried choking Narita with a wire, but Suzuki made the save. Narita landed a beautiful suplex and locked in the abdominal stretch, forcing Togo to submit.
After the match, Suzuki told Narita he could take him to the top if he stuck by him.
The Young Lions were real standouts in this match.
An opening brawl left CHAOS with a short-lived lead, but TMDK fired back with an extended isolation segment on Goto. After a tag to Ishii, the CHAOS team began to turn things back around.
Goto and YH cleared the ring and tried for Shoto but failed to connect, leading to a double tag to each team’s Young Lion.
The Young Lions went back and forth before Nakashima locked in a deep Boston crab, forcing a save from ZSJ. Nakashima dropped Fujita with a nasty kick, but Fujita answered with a dropkick of his own. Fujita locked in a kimura and forced Nakashima to submit.
Master Wato, Hikuleo, Tama Tonga, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, KENTA, & Jay White (Bullet Club)
Bullet Club opened the match with a game of chicken, with no one wanting to engage with their opponents. After teasing the newly vocal crowd for some time, BC rushed the ring, stealing momentum before the babyfaces even had a chance.
After extended BC control, a hot tag to Hikuleo left the babyfaces with a chance. Hikuleo beat down White before a sequence of tags allowed the other participants in this match to have a moment in the ring. Once the back-and-forth tags wound down, the match broke down into a scramble for control. Then, in the chaos, Wato caught Ishimori in a bridging pin to win the bout.
Hiromu and YOH opened the match with a strike exchange before tagging out to Yano and SANADA. Yano removed the corner cover, and SANADA tied Yano in the paradise lock. This silliness continued for some time before a double tag left Shingo and Okada as the legal men for the first time.
Okada gained the upper hand initially, but Shingo was quick to step up to the champion. The pair traded blows, but Taguchi stopped the title match tease. CHAOS rushed the ring, isolating Shingo and forcing LIJ to hit the ring as well.
Shingo scored a nearfall with a pumping bomber, but YOH made the save. After surviving a pair of quick Taguchi pin attempts, Shingo dropped Taguchi with Last of the Dragon and secured the pinfall win for his team.
After the match, YOH attacked IWGP Junior champion, Hiromu Takahashi, in an uncharacteristic show of aggression.
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship: Francesco Akira & TJP (Catch 22) (c) defeated DOUKI & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Just 4 Guys)
This was one of, maybe, the best DOUKI outings I’ve ever seen. The consistent leg work added to this match immensely. Good stuff.
The challengers quickly took the lead, rushing the champions and landing a tope. J4G began to relentlessly target TJP’s leg, establishing a game plan for the rest of the match.
The tag to Akira allowed for a Catch 22 comeback of sorts. The leg work from earlier in the match allowed J4G to stay one step ahead, though, taking advantage anytime TJP stepped in the ring.
Kanemaru locked TJP in the figure four, nearly forcing the submission. A double-team facebuster kept Catch 22 in the running, but TJP’s leg failed during the leaning tour attempt. With TJP down, DOUKI locked Akira in a triangle arm bar. Once Akira escaped, Kanemaru hit a moonsault, setting up for Doton-no-Jutsu. TJP made the save, but DOUKI followed up with a Daybreak; Akira kicked out.
Now reaching desperation mode, DOUKI tried for Suplex de La Luna. Akira landed on his feet just in time for backup from TJP. Akira landed a double stomp, but Kanemaru made the save. TJP and Kanemaru fought to the floor, leaving Akira and DOUKI alone in the ring. Akira landed fireball and pinned DOUKI to retain the title.
Will Ospreay defeated Taichi
The match opened with a heavy strike exchange that left Taichi with an early lead, Ospreay answered with a dive to the floor, taking control for the first time. Ospreay took his time, establishing a robust offensive foundation as the early match developed.
Taichi had a short comeback, complete with his pants rip spot, but Ospreay answered with a quick rebound and a springboard forearm.
Taichi blocked an OsCutter attempt, turning it into a sudden suplex for a mid-match reset. The pair traded kicks and chops, and again, Taichi won the strike battle. Taichi tried for a powerbomb, but Ospreay escaped; a high-stakes back-and-forth followed.
Ospreay landed a tiger driver to re-establish his lead. The follow-up OsCutter yielded an Ospreay nearfall. Ospreay attempted a top rope cutter to close, but Taichi caught him and landed a Triple Crown Bomb and a running elbow to the back of the head for a nearfall of his own. A backdrop scored Taichi another nearfall.
Another quick pin attempt almost left Taichi with the win, but Ospreay landed in the perfect position for a hidden blade. After a struggle, Ospreay hit a second, this time leaping, hidden blade, but Taichi kicked out.
Taichi and Ospreay traded strikes again. Ospreay dropped Taichi with a big elbow, leading to the referee counting Taichi down. Taichi barely beat the count, only to be hit with a hidden blade and storm breaker. Ospreay then pinned Taichi to win the match.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Shota Umino
The match opened with an extended feeling out sequence, establishing both men as near equals. Umino eventually forced Naito to the floor before taunting his elder in the first control segment of the match. Naito responded by grabbing a handful of hair, sending Umino to the floor, and slamming him into the barricade.
On the floor, Naito established a strong lead. Back in the ring, he took the match to the mat, working the neck and furthering his control.
A quick rana and dropkick combination started a Umino comeback, Umino connected with multiple big moves but failed to land the death rider.
After a strike battle, Umino landed a giant dive to the floor, a dropkick from the top rope, and secured the STF, forcing Naito into the ropes. Once Naito escaped, Umino kept up the attack, but a sudden DDT left Naito back in control.
Naito landed Gloria, scoring a near fall. Naito then hit a spine buster and tried for Destino, but Umnio reversed, landing a pair of drivers. Umino followed up with another death rider attempt, but Naito answered with Valentía, resetting the match.
Naito tried working the neck after the pause in action, but Umino followed up with a pair of DDTs. After Naito kicked out, he landed Destino and scored a near fall of his own. Naito landed Destino a second time, this time leading to his victory.
After the match, Naito cut a show-ending promo. He addressed the cheering crowd before signing off with the LIJ call. For the first time in a long time, chants of “Naito” and “Takagi” were heard in Sapporo.
