Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero & Amazing Red are getting an ROH Six-Man Tag Team title shot at Supercard of Honor XIV.
ROH has announced that Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus will defend their Six-Man titles against Ospreay, Romero & Amazing Red at April’s Supercard of Honor event. It’s taking place at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Florida on Saturday, April 4.
Bandido, Flamita & Horus won the Six-Man titles from Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, Brody King & Flip Gordon) at Saturday Night at Center Stage last month.
Ospreay, Romero & Amazing Red also teamed up for Warrior Wrestling in December, defeating The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel).
This is the third match that’s been confirmed for Supercard of Honor. Scurll vs. Jay White is also set for the show, along with KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs. Jeff Cobb & Dan Maff.
Supercard of Honor is going against NXT TakeOver: Tampa on the Saturday of WrestleMania weekend.
‘Left My Wallet’ returns with a free episode featuring New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar Rocky Romero.
Rocky and I talk about his love of the Los Angeles Clippers, going to games, and their outlook for this year from the native Southern Californian. The talk then turns to UFC as we discuss last week’s McGregor/Cerrone fight, what’s next for McGregor, and what upcoming matchups he is anticipating most. We also discuss his love of early UFC, Tito Ortiz, and watching Pride/UFC cards with Samoa Joe.
We then talk about music and the impetus for him becoming involved in writing and recording, his Sneaky Style album, his musical inspirations, late 80s and early 90s hip-hop, and the one song that had him sold on becoming a lifelong hip-hop fan.
Finally, he talks about the upcoming New Japan US tour, interesting matchups, and the new markets NJPW is visiting. There’s also some Minoru Suzuki talk, the time Romero got to work with the legend, and the time he also almost wrestled Kyoshi Tamura.
If you’ve never checked out my podcast here on the website, it’s a show unlike any other as I talk to workers and personalities within the wrestling business about sports, music, action figures, entertainment, and more. It’s a nice change of pace from the standard wrestling talk and gives the sports and music fan a pleasant departure from the norm.
NJPW returned to Korakuen Hall this morning for the latest in the Super Jr. Tag League tournament. This morning’s main event featured the Birds of Prey, Will Ospreay and Robbie Eagles, taking on the team of Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi.
Prelim matches:
Karl Fredericks defeated Yota Tsuji
– Fredericks submitted Tsuji with a half Boston crab.
Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, BUSHI and SANADA defeated Taichi, DOUKI, Zack Sabre Jr. and Minoru Suzuki
– Naito pinned DOUKI with the Destino.
Jay White, Gedo, Yujiro Takahashi and KENTA defeated Toa Henare, Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto
Uemura fended off Desperado and Kanemaru early on, avoiding a beat down on the outside. Of course, nothing will stop them from doing spots on the outside, so Kanemaru raked him in the eyes and took him into the crowd, beating him with chairs. They spend a long time working on Uemura. Tiger Mask came in for the save, but Desperado took down Tiger Mask and tore his mask up badly, revealing much of his face.
Tiger Mask gets a second mask and is tagged in, going after Kanemaru’s arm. Desperado breaks it up and goes after his mask again, but the referee sends him away. Kanemaru used the referee and shoved him into Tiger Mask. Desperado tagged in and remains on offense. Tiger Mask cut him off and hit the Tiger Bomb as Uemura is tagged in again.
Uemura landed a dropkick on Desperado as Tiger Mask comes back in, hitting a butterfly suplex on Desperado. Uemura sinks in the Boston crab, but Kanemaru comes back with a dropkick. Uemura is able to get it in again, but Desperado escapes and cuts off Uemura with a spinebuster.
Desperado then applied the stretch muffler as the referee is distracted yet again as Kanemaru put a chair in the ring, which somehow distracted the referee long enough for Kanemaru to mist Tiger Mask on the outside. Uemura ended up tapping out in the ring.
This was fine, but man the referees are so dumb in this promotion, it’s getting to the point where it’s just frustrating. Uemura looked good here though, and the crowd was into him trying to get that win.
ELP & Taiji Ishimori defeated TJP & Clark Connors
Connors and TJP immediately went on the offensive, taking both men out to the floor. Heels soon gain control, however, and work on TJP, doing things like backrakes and pulling out armpit hair (seriously). TJP took out ELP with a tornado DDT and tagged in Connors, who is immediately taken out with a big boot. Ishimori puts him in a tree of woe position and puts his foot on Connor’s netherregions.
Connors fired back with a powerslam and tagged in TJP, who made a great comeback taking out both men. He did a cool spot where he tied up ELP’s legs, put Ishimori in an abdominal stretch then hit a northern lights suplex into a pin on Ishimori for a cool two count.
Connors is tagged in again, sinking in a Boston crab on ELP. TJP took down Ishimori with a submission, but Ishimori countered and threw TJP into Connors to break it up. Ishimori stomped Connors as he was in midair, allowing ELP to hit a big splash off the top rope for the win. Good stuff.
SHO & YOH defeated Volador Jr. & Titan
SHO and Volador has a good exchange to start things off. Titan and YOH followed. Titan took out YOH and hit what I would call a rolling Sasuke special to the floor, but missed YOH. YOH whipped him into the corner and tagged in SHO as they started work attacking Titan’s leg. Titan cut them off and tagged in Volador who went after both SHO and YOH, taking them to the outside and hitting stereo tope con hilos.
Volador and SHO strike each other as they tag out to their partners. Titan hit a big clothesline to the corner. He went for a double stomp, but landed on his bad knee. SHO and YOH kept working on him until Volador Jr. wiped out SHO with a big tope suicida.
Titan hit the la mistica and rolled up YOH for a near fall. YOH landed some uppercuts, landed a superkick and hit a big German suplex for another near fall. A dragon suplex sealed things up for SHO & YOH. Really fun match.
Taguchi and Romero initially were in control, but things quickly went in the Birds of Prey’s favor as they took both men out with double crossbodys to the floor. The Korakuen Hall crowd actually sang happy birthday to Romero as Will Ospreay chopped him.
Both Ospreay and Eagles worked over Romero as they went for a double superplex. Romero fought them off as he fell to the floor and tagged in Taguchi, who hit everyone with hip attacks. Eagles tried to cut off Taguchi with a backpack, but then fell to a Taguchi dropkick.
Ospreay and Romero are in as they exchange some lightning quick offense. Eagles was tagged back in, but Romero quickly took him down and hit a dropkick off the top rope, hitting Eagles who was draped on the middle rope. Ospreay saved Eagles as the two ran wild on both Taguchi and Romero.Ospreay hit a shooting star press, but Taguchi broke it up.
Eagles took Taguchi to the floor as Ospreay went for a superkick and the stormbreaker, but Romero countered with a hurricanrana for a near fall. Romero went for a sliced bread, but Ospreay went for the stormfront. Romero escaped as Taguchi came in and a double hip attack.
Taguchi back body dropped Eagles to the floor as Romero picked up steam against Ospreay. He planted Ospreay on the floor and sunk in an armbar. Ospreay lifted and powerbombed Romero in response. Ospreay started to strike, but Romero fired back with some of his own. Ospreay got the better of it, striking Romero with kicks. Romero, however, walked right into the backpack by Eagles and Ospreay hit the Oscutter.
Taguchi broke up the pin, but Eagles subdued him as Ospreay struck the hidden blade on Romero then pinned with the stormbreaker. This was excellent, absolutely the best match on the show. If Eagles & Ospreay teamed more during 2019 they’d be top contenders for tag team of the year, they have off the charts chemistry.
Eagles took the mic and thanked everyone for supporting them. They have two more points on the board and have one final match on Friday. Ospreay asked the crowd in Japanese if they were having fun. He thanked Romero and Taguchi. He promised that the Birds of Prey would be the tag team tournament winners.
In the post-match interview backstage, BUSHI walked up to Will Ospreay and challenged him to an IWGP Jr. title match. Ospreay accepted, but said he would do it after Power Struggle when they win the Super Junior Tag League tournament.
NJPW’s Rocky Romero, NJPW Los Angeles dojo Young Lion Clark Connors, ROH’s Jonathan Gresham, and CMLL’s Soberano Jr. will be taking part in the Super J-Cup. There are three entrants left to be announced for the tournament.
TJP, Dragon Lee, SHO, Caristico, Ryusuke Taguchi, Taiji Ishimori, YOH, BUSHI, and Amazing Red are the other entrants that have been confirmed for the tournament thus far.
Jushin Thunder Liger is the producer of the Super J-Cup and will be wrestling in non-tournament action on all three nights.
The Super J-Cup will begin at the Temple Theater in Tacoma, Washington on Thursday, August 22. The second night is taking place at the San Francisco State University Student Life Event Center in San Francisco, California on Saturday, August 24. The tournament will then conclude at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California on Sunday, August 25.
The IWGP Tag Team titles and Revolution Pro Wrestling British Cruiserweight Championship will be on the line in matches at NJPW Southern Showdown in Melbourne, Australia this Saturday.
NJPW has announced that IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) will defend their titles against Juice Robinson & Mikey Nicholls in Melbourne. El Phantasmo will also defend the RevPro British Cruiserweight Championship against Rocky Romero.
Both matches were announced as non-title when the card for Southern Showdown was first revealed.
Robinson & Nicholls defeated Tonga & Loa in a non-title match at NJPW’s Kizuna Road show this Tuesday. After the match, Robinson & Nicholls said they wanted the Tag Team titles.
Phantasmo retained his British Cruiserweight title against Ryusuke Taguchi at Tuesday’s Kizuna Road show. In his post-match comments, Phantasmo said the British Cruiserweight title would be on the line against Romero.
Phantasmo vs. Romero is a rematch from this year’s Best of the Super Juniors. Romero defeated Phantasmo in their tournament match.
Southern Showdown in Melbourne is airing live exclusively as an iPPV on Fite TV at 5 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday morning. It will then be uploaded to New Japan World 72 hours after the event.
Here’s the card for the show:
Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay defending against Robbie Eagles
IWGP Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa defending against Juice Robinson & Mikey Nicholls
RevPro British Cruiserweight Champion El Phantasmo defending against Rocky Romero
Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Rocky Romero’s first singles main event in Korakuen Hall was a memorable one.
Romero defeated El Phantasmo in a fantastic main event, which nearly went to the 30-minute time limit.
ELP took his first loss of the Best of the Super Juniors, but remains atop the B Block, by virtue of his win over Will Ospreay. Shingo Takagi remains undefeated atop the A Block.
Here are full results and match recaps from Friday’s show:
A BLOCK MATCH: SHO DEFEATED TIGER MASK IV
They started the show with a grappling battle. SHO pulled guard, while Tiger tried to throw some shots from top position. Tiger hit a series of kicks to SHO’s arms. SHO came back with a spear, then used a cross armbreaker. Tiger rolled to the ropes for a break.
SHO went for a powerbomb, but Tiger slipped out and hit a couple of jumping knee strikes. Tiger hit a knee strike, then hit a Tiger Bomb for a near fall. Tiger tried for a Tiger Suplex, but SHO turned it into a Shock Arrow. SHO could not capitalize.
Tiger used a crucifix for a near fall. SHO hit a lariat, then a powerbomb on the knees for a near fall. SHO hit a second Shock Arrow to get the pin. Solid opener.
B BLOCK MATCH: WILL OSPREAY DEFEATED REN NARITA
Narita hit an arm drag and a shoulder tackle. Ospreay came back with a 619 and a knee drop. Ospreay hit a handspring, but bounced right into a German from Narita. Narita used a vertical suplex for a two count.
Ospreay hit a dropkick in the corner, then a standing Shooting Star Press for a near fall. Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio, and Narita rolled to the floor. Ospreay teased a plancha, but Narita stepped out of the way. Ospreay landed on his feet, and Narita hit a belly-to-belly on the floor. They teased a countout, but Ospreay made it back in at 19.
Ospreay hit a Robinson Special. He went for an OsCutter, but Narita caught him coming in. Narita used a modified cloverleaf. Ospreay teased tapping out, but made the bottom rope for a break. Narita tried for another belly-to-belly, but Ospreay landed on his feet.
Ospreay went for a Storm Breaker, but Narita turned it into a backslide for an awesome near fall. Ospreay popped up, hit an OsCutter, and got the pin. This was tremendous.
A BLOCK MATCH: MARTY SCURLL DEFEATED YOSHINOBU KANEMARU
This was a lot of fun. They had an intense comedy brawl.
They started with some ha ha. Scurll swung his umbrella, while Kanemaru threatened to attack with his whiskey bottle. They had a long crowd brawl. They teased a double countout, but both made it back in at 19.
Back inside, the ref took a bump. Kanemaru used a tornado DDT and had a visual pinfall. Kanemaru spit whiskey, but Scurll used his umbrella to block it.
Kanemaru grabbed the umbrella, and Scurll grabbed the whiskey. Scurll spit whiskey in Kanemaru’s face for a near fall. Scurll then hit Black Plague for the pin.
B BLOCK MATCH: ROBBIE EAGLES DEFEATED DOUKI
The Robbie Eagles entrance song is an absolute banger.
Eagles hit a series of knee strikes. DOUKI avoided a charge by doing the splits, and Eagles fell outside. DOUKI posted Eagles, then hit him with a chair. The chair caught Eagles on the top of his head and split him open.
Eagles was bleeding profusely. They continued with the match, but the nasty cut was the only thing I could focus on. DOUKI went for his modified triangle, but Eagles reversed it into a Miller Special. DOUKI rolled to the ropes.
DOUKI hit a springboard DDT for a near fall. DOUKI used a series of cradles for near falls. Eagles hit an enzuigiri. DOUKI hit a lariat. Eagles blocked a Suplex de la Luna and hit a Turbo Backpack for a near fall.
Eagles hit a 450, then used the Miller Special for the submission.
A BLOCK MATCH: SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED TAKA MICHINOKU
TAKA used an eye poke, followed by a headscissors. Shingo rolled outside, and TAKA posted him. Shingo clotheslined the post. TAKA used a figure four around the post. TAKA hit a thrust kick on the apron and followed with a moonsault off the post to the floor. Turn back the clock night for TAKA.
TAKA took the fight into the crowd and used a Just Facelock. Shingo beat the count back inside. TAKA used a roll-up and a magistral cradle for a pair of near falls. TAKA hit a knee strike for a two count, then went back to the Just Facelock. Shingo rolled to the ropes.
TAKA hit another knee, and again used the Just Facelock. Shingo again reached the ropes. Shingo recovered and got his first meaningful offense of the match. He hit a pair of short lariats, then followed with a Pumping Bomber.
TAKA went for a cradle, but Shingo blocked it and hit Last of the Dragon for the win. This was an awesome sprint. TAKA had his best performance in years, and Shingo has been built up perfectly since his NJPW debut.
B BLOCK MATCH: BANDIDO DEFEATED RYUSUKE TAGUCHI
Bandido can do it all, including Taguchi comedy matches. They started off with some rope-running comedy before settling down into a more serious confrontation.
Bandido hit a sunset flip to the floor, then powerbombed Taguchi into the post. Bandido hit a suicide dive into the fourth row. Back inside, Bandido hit a springboard high cross, followed by a dropkick to the back.
Taguchi tried for a pair of hip attacks, but Bandido blocked both with atomic drops. Taguchi connected with a crossbody to the floor, a hip attack, and a tope con hilo. Taguchi hit Three Amigos for a near fall.
Bandido hit an inverted suplex and a hip attack of his own. He went for another, but Taguchi caught him in an ankle lock. They traded a series of victory rolls for near falls. Taguchi went for a hip attack off the second rope, but Bandido caught him. Bandido hit a bridging suplex for a two count.
Bandido teased the 21 Plex, but Taguchi cut him off. Bandido hit a GTS, then hit a 21 Plex for the pin.
A BLOCK MATCH: TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED JONATHAN GRESHAM
They spit on each other. Gresham took a chest-first turnbuckle, and Ishimori hit a sliding German. Gresham hit a flying headscissors, and Ishimori rolled outside. Gresham hit a knee strike off the apron to the floor.
Back inside, Gresham hit a high cross off the top. Ishimori hit a handspring kick. Gresham used a poison rana into a pinning combination for a near fall. Ishimori escaped a bridging clutch and used a Yes Lock, but Gresham reached the ropes.
Gresham used an octopus hold, but Ishimori broke it, then hit a shotgun dropkick. Ishimori hit double knees in the corner for a near fall, then hit a Bloody Cross for the pin. They did a lot of good stuff, but they didn’t get a lot of time.
B BLOCK MATCH: BUSHI DEFEATED YOH
BUSHI hit a dropkick before the opening bell and followed with a suicide dive. BUSHI used his belt to whip YOH on the floor. Back inside, BUSHI used an STF. YOH reached the ropes, but BUSHI raked his eyes on the break.
They exchanged chops. YOH missed a dropkick, but connected on a flying forearm. YOH hit a second dropkick, then a third to the legs. BUSHI hit his own dropkick, then teased a DDT on the apron. YOH hit a dropkick, and BUSHI rolled to the floor. YOH connected with a tope con hilo.
YOH hit a missile dropkick to the right knee, then used a Calf Crusher. After a struggle, BUSHI reached the ropes. YOH hit a superplex into a falcon arrow for a near fall. YOH hit a bridging suplex for another two count.
YOH tried for a dragon suplex, but BUSHI reversed into a swinging neckbreaker. They traded slaps to the face. BUSHI hit a rewind kick, then hit two codebreakers. BUSHI hit a Canadian Destroyer for a near fall, then hit an MX for the pin.
This was a good action match, but BUSHI’s selling was a little underwhelming and hurt the match.
A BLOCK MATCH: DRAGON LEE DEFEATED TITAN
Dragon gave Red Shoes a mask to wear, and he refereed the opening sequence while wearing it. Awesome.
They started with an awesome lucha sequence, ending in a stalemate. Dragon sent Titan to the floor, then hit a tope con hilo. Dragon hit a chop. Titan followed with a running clothesline in the corner and a slingshot dropkick.
Dragon hit a delayed dropkick in the corner, and Titan hit a dropkick to the legs. Titan hit a rana off the apron to the floor, then followed with an Asai moonsault. Back inside, Titan came off the top rope into a jumping knee strike from Dragon.
Titan hit a dragon screw, then used a figure four. They sat on the top rope, trading strikes. Titan teased hitting a double stomp, but Dragon threw him off. Titan hit a backflip kick. He tried for a top rope rana, but Dragon cut him off and hit a double stomp.
Dragon teased Desnucadora, but Titan reversed it into a tornado DDT. Dragon hit a knee strike. Titan hit a Canadian Destroyer, but Dragon no-sold and hit another knee. Dragon went for Desnucadora again, but Titan reversed into a falcon arrow.
Dragon hit a brainbuster for a near fall. He followed with a knee strike, a poison rana, and another knee. Dragon pulled down his knee pad and hit another knee, then followed with Desnucadora for the pin. Awesome match.
B BLOCK MATCH: ROCKY ROMERO DEFEATED EL PHANTASMO
Phantasmo ripped off Rocky’s entrance hat and threw it into the crowd. Rocky hit a dropkick, and Phantasmo rolled outside. Rocky hit a suicide dive. Phantasmo recovered quickly and landed a series of chops. They continued to fight on the floor, then into the crowd.
After a lengthy crowd brawl, Rocky hit a knee strike inside. Phantasmo came back with a quebrada, then hit a series of strikes. Rocky came back with strikes, but Phantasmo hit a dropkick to the knee.
The pace slowed significantly as Phantasmo landed some chops. Rocky tried for forever clotheslines, but Phantasmo tied him to the tree of woe and stomped on his groin. Phantasmo did his rope walk. Rocky pushed him off the ropes to the floor, then hit a pescado.
Rocky posted Phantasmo’s left arm. He tried for a knee strike, but posted himself. Phantasmo crotched Rocky on the post. Phantasmo ripped up some of the ringside padding. He teased a CR2 on the floor, but Rocky hit a backdrop. He followed up by using Phantasmo as a lawn dart, sending him into the post.
Rocky hit a flip dive off the post to the floor. Back in the ring, Rocky hit a series of kicks to the left arm. He hit a double stomp to the back as Phantasmo was draped across the ropes. Phantasmo teased a BME, but Rocky crotched him on the top, then tied him to the tree of woe. Rocky stomped on Phantasmo’s groin.
Rocky hit a tornado DDT, into a falcon arrow, into a cross armbreaker. Phantasmo transitioned to an ankle lock, but Rocky slipped to a triangle. Phantasmo hit a powerbomb, breaking the hold.
Phantasmo hit an enzuigiri. Rocky hit a rewind kick. Rocky went for Sliced Bread, but Phantasmo cut him off. After a fight, Rocky was able to land Sliced Bread for a near fall. Rocky tried for an armbreaker, but Phantasmo rolled to the ropes for a break.
Rocky hit a couple of forever clotheslines in the corner, but Phantasmo cut him off. Rocky tried for a backslide, but Phantasmo hit an airplane spin. He went for a cover, but Rocky rolled to the floor. They teased a countout, but Rocky made it back inside.
Phantasmo missed a frog splash. They exchanged strikes. Rocky hit a pair of lariats at the 25-minute mark for a near fall. Rocky hit a standing Sliced Bread, but Phantasmo kicked out at one and threw Rocky into Red Shoes. Red Shoes took a bump.
Phantasmo tried for a low blow, but Rocky caught it and used a cross armbreaker. He gave up the hold, and Phantasmo hit a low blow. Phantasmo used a cradle for a near fall, then landed on Red Shoes, who took another bump.
Phantasmo grabbed his belt, and he and Rocky did the Eddie Guerrero spot. Red Shoes teased a DQ, but Rocky used a roll-up for a near fall. Phantasmo tried for CR, but Rocky hit a rana for a near fall.
Rocky got the cross armbreaker — and Phantasmo tapped out. Amazing main event. SHO and YOH came in to celebrate with Rocky after the win.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s three-show New Beginning USA tour wrapped up at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday night.
– Katsuyori Shibata did the pre-show welcome with Clark Connors in the ring with him.
– Karl Fredericks defeated Alex Coughlin in 9:48
Fredericks submitted him with a Boston crab right as the 10-minute time limit was coming up.
– Shane Taylor & Lance Archer defeated Colt Cabana & Jonathan Gresham in 11:12
Taylor got the pin on Cabana after hitting a modified piledriver.
– The Great O-Kharn defeated Harlem Bravado in 10:34
The Iron Claw slam got the win for O-Kharn.
– Marty Scurll defeated Clark Connors in 13:51
Scurll submitted him with the crossface chicken wing.
– Jeff Cobb defeated Brody King in 22:27
The Tour of the Islands got the win for Cobb.
– IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Tracy Williams defeated Beretta, Chuckie T & Rocky Romero in an elimination tag match in 31:26
Eliminations could occur via pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope. It came down to Robinson and Romero, with Robinson hitting Pulp Friction to win.
The eliminations were:
Finlay threw Chuckie T over the top rope
Romero sent Williams over the top rope
Finlay pinned Beretta
Romero threw Finlay over the top rope right after he pinned Beretta
Robinson pinned Romero after hitting Pulp Friction
Robinson got on the microphone and thanked the fans to close the show. Both teams showed each other respect.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s New Beginning USA tour began at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday night.
The three-show tour was affected by the United States’ government shutdown, with NJPW unable to get visas for their Japanese wrestlers in time.
– Katsuyori Shibata did the pre-show greeting with Karl Fredericks (from NJPW’s dojo in California) in the ring with him. He apologized for the issue with the visas but said they and the U.S. dojo all have NJPW in their soul.
– Alex Coughlin vs. Clark Connors ended in a 10-minute time-limit draw.
– Jonathan Gresham defeated Tyler Bateman via pinfall in 11:36
– Colt Cabana defeated Shane Taylor via pinfall in 10:22
– Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) defeated Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll & Brody King) in 13:09
KES pinned King after hitting the Killer Bomb.
– Jeff Cobb defeated Karl Fredericks in 6:57
Cobb hit Tour of the Islands to win.
– David Finlay defeated Chuckie T in a no DQ match in 15:31
Finlay superplexed Chuckie T through a stack of chairs and hit Trash Panda for the win.
– IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson & Tracy Williams defeated RPG Vice (Beretta & Rocky Romero) in 32:20
This was promoted as a one-night reunion of Beretta & Romero as RPG Vice. Robinson hit Pulp Friction on Romero and pinned him.
Robinson and Beretta went face-to-face after but shook hands ahead of their title match in Charlotte on Friday. Robinson closed the show by apologizing for the visa issues and thanking the fans.
Two more wrestlers have been added to next month’s Ring of Honor shows.
Zack Sabre Jr. and Rocky Romero are both set for February’s Bound By Honor weekend in Florida. They’ll be appearing at ROH’s television tapings in Lakeland on Saturday, February 9 and their HonorClub show in Miami on Sunday, February 10.
Rush and Mayu Iwatani have also been announced for the Bound By Honor events.
Sabre made his ROH debut at last month’s Final Battle pay-per-view, defeating Jonathan Gresham. Sabre also defeated Tracy Williams in a match at ROH’s post-PPV TV tapings.
Romero has been part of ROH’s three-show Road to G1 Supercard tour in Texas this week. He lost to Matt Taven on night one but defeated Dalton Castle and ROH Television Champion Jeff Cobb in a Proving Ground match on night two. Romero pinned Castle and will get a future shot at Cobb’s TV title.
Romero vs. Bandido is set for tonight’s Road to G1 Supercard show in San Antonio.
Two members of the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster have re-signed with the company on multi-year deals.
On an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that was released overnight, Dave Meltzer reported that Juice Robinson has signed a three-year deal with NJPW. Meltzer noted that WWE was interested in Robinson, but there was no talking between the two sides. Meltzer also said that All Elite Wrestling “obviously wanted’ Robinson.
Robinson won the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship by defeating Cody Rhodes at Wrestle Kingdom 13. This is Robinson’s second reign with the title. He won it from Jay White at last July’s G1 Special in San Francisco, lost it to Cody at Fighting Spirit Unleashed in September, and won it back at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4.
Robinson joined NJPW in 2015 after requesting his release from WWE/NXT.
Rocky Romero also announced via Twitter on Monday that he’s come to terms with NJPW on a multi-year deal: “Happy to say I came to terms with @njpw1972 for a multi-year deal. RoppongiLights,RoppongiVice #RPG3k #CelebrateProWrestling”
Two matches have since been announced for that broadcast, which will be called “All In: Zero Hour” and will start at 6 p.m. Eastern time on September 1. The Briscoes are set to face Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky, and there will be a 15-participant “Over Budget Battle Royale.”
Moose, Rocky Romero, Colt Cabana, Jordynne Grace, and Ethan Page are the first five wrestlers announced for the battle royal.
The All In main card will then begin at 7 p.m. Eastern and will air live on pay-per-view, Fite TV, and HonorClub, though further details on the HonorClub option have yet to be announced. Fite TV lists the price for the show at $39.99.
Here’s the updated card for All In:
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis defending against Cody Rhodes
Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll
The Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi vs. Rey Mysterio, Fenix & Bandido
“Arrow” star Stephen Amell vs. Christopher Daniels
Hangman Page vs. Joey Janela
15-participant Over Budget Battle Royale (All In: Zero Hour)
The Briscoes vs. Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky (All In: Zero Hour)
– Young Bucks defeated Juice Robinson & Toa Henare
Fun match with a lot of comedy. Young Bucks are very charismatic performers live, and both Juice and Henare gave strong showings. Henare comes off as having a potential superstar presence. Young Bucks won with the Meltzer Driver.
– Lance Archer defeated Elliot Sexton
Solid big man match with a fair amount of comedy in it. Sexton is a member of TMDK and former MCW Heavyweight Champion. Archer won with his finish.
– Guerrillas of Destiny defeated Yugi Nagata & Mareko
Mareko is one of wrestlers trained through Fale Dojo and he was making is pro debut here. He’s a thickly built Samoan and showed potential. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa are both very entertaining to watch up close. Tama does a lot of little subtle humour for the crowd that you sometimes miss on TV. GOD won with Tama using the Gun Stun on Mareko.
– Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Gino Gambino & Chase Owens) defeated TMDK (Marcius Pitt, Damien Slater, Jonah Rock & Slex)
Good 8-man tag match. TMDK did not look out of their depth against Bullet Club. Crowd was split, mostly supporting TMDK who were formed in Perth, but cheering for Kenny when he was in.
Wanted to make a special mention of how good Marcius Pitt was in this match, and I very much hope that him and Slater get brought into NJPW on an ongoing basis. Jonah Rock was also impressive and him vs Fale got a big reaction. Omega tried to get a Chase is on the Case chant going for Owens. Omega pinned Slex with the 1 Winged Angel to win the match.
– Minoru Suzuki defeated Davis Storm
Storm is a veteran of Australian wrestling who was one of the founders of EPW in Perth. He also did sometime training at the Inoki LA Dojo in the mid-00s. He was very well received by the crowd as was Suzuki who is fascinating to watch in person. Suzuki won with the Gotch Piledriver in a short but intense match. Storm took a series of chops that were so brutal his chest was red afterwards.
– Jay White & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Mick Morretti & KUSHIDA
Good match. Morretti is a Sydney based wrestler who made a very good impression. White won with the Blade Runner on Morretti. After the match KUSHIDA got in Ishii and White’s face in a way that came off like he was challenging them.
– Cody defeated Will Ospreay and Robbie Eagles in a triple threat match
Ospreay and Eagles have excellent chemistry together. Eagles should be in the BOSJ tournament this year. Cody got the biggest reaction of the night, and came off like a total main event talent.
At the start of the match Ospreay pointed out that one half of the crowd was cheering Cody and the other half were booing him. This became a thing throughout the whole match, with the crowd playing along with one side of the room cheering him and the other booing him the entire time.
Cody won by pinning Eagles after Ospreay had hit the Oscutter and throwing him away. After the match, Cody tried to do the One Winged Angel to Eagles, but Ospreay stopped him and hit Cody with the Oscutter and then Eagles hit a 450. Possibility that the match might lose something on tape rather than live, but definitely a must-see once it is available.
– EVIL & SANADA defeated Rocky Romero & Okada
Good match, everyone involved was over but it also suffered a little following on from the 3-way. EVIL beat Romero with the STO. Surprisingly for me, they didn’t do an angle where Okada chased LIJ away. Instead EVIL and SANADA did the closing promo.
The production crews from Australian promotions were taping all of the shows, so it’s likely that a selection of matches from the tour will go up on NJPW World.
Road to Power Struggle continued today with a stop at Korakuen Hall. Tag team bouts dominated as usual, hyping the various matches going down at Power Struggle.
Meanwhile, we also saw the semifinals of the Jr. Tag Team Tournament, with Ricochet and David Finlay facing ACH and Taiji Ishimori in the main event. The other semifinal bout had Ryusuke Taguchi and CMLL’s Fuego teaming to take on Roppongi Vice.
Teruaki Kanemitsu defeated Hirai Kawato
Both guys have filled out compared to earlier this year. Kanemitsu has size, at least compared to Kawato who is pretty tiny. Solid young boy match with a lot of basic back and forth sports. Kanemitsu got the win, submitting Kawato with the Boston crab.
Yoshitatsu & Juice Robinson defeated Yujiro Takahashi & Bone Soldier by DQ
This was on the same level as their worst match of the year candidate a few weeks ago. Devoid of heat, uninteresting wrestling,and a bad finish to boot. Yoshitatsu cut a promo on Bone Soldier and jumped him as the match started. Yujiro worked on Yoshitatsu for a bit, then Juice got the hot tag, which made this match a bit better than the last tag but not by much.
Other than that, there was absolutely no heat for this match. Then Bone Soldier just low blowed Yoshitatsu for the DQ. He put on a full nelson, then tried to choke him, but Robinson made the save. This feud is quickly outpacing Titus O’Neil and Darren Young for worst feud of the year in record fashion.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask defeated Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Angel de Oro & Titan
Standard eight-man tag match. Angel de Oro and Titan looked good when they were in. Tenzan worked with them as well and looked good. Tiger Mask gained the win for his team with the tiger suplex hold on Titan.
Another standard match, mostly good action throughout with Ishii getting the win with the brainbuster on Chase Owens, who was wearing some sort of pumpkin face paint. GoD taunted Ishii after the match that sent him in a rage, brawling with Tonga into the crowd.
The roster for January’s Fantasticamania shows are as follows: Atlantis, Mistico, Volador Jr., Maximo Sexy, Dragon Lee, Titan, Stuka Jr., Blue Panther Jr., Soberano Jr., Ultimo Guerrero, Euforia, Ephesto, Barbaro Cavernario, Hechicero, Okumura and Raziel.
Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks defeated Will Ospreay, Gedo & Kazuchika Okada
Great match, blew away everything on the show up to this point. Your usual great Young Bucks six-man with plenty of cool spots galore, plus Ospreay is one of the best high flyers in the world and he showcased that here.
Omega and Matt were dressed as Ghostbusters while Nick was playing the ghost. Actually pretty amazing outfits, loved it! This was a fun tag match full of the normal spots you’d see whenever The Elite team up. Ospreay was on point with his great offense as well, putting on Nick’s ghost costume and launching off with a corkscrew. The last few minutes of this were great with Ospreay doing a double hurricanrana on the Young Bucks.
Everyone ran in to do some great spots. Ospreay went for the springboard cutter but Omega grabbed him. Matt came in and accidentally superkicked Omega. Ospreay went for the Sasuke Special but Omega grabbed him and the Young Bucks hit the Indytaker on the outside. A triple superkick followed but Gedo broke it up. Omega hit the One Winged Angel on Ospreay and picks up the in.
Solid match. Crowd was into this since Ingobernables are hot as a unit right now. Tanahashi and SANADA had some cool exchanges in preparation for their singles bout next week. Honma was on a hot streak, laying out Naito with a lariat. But BUSHI misted him and Naito rolled him up for the win. Shibata went after EVIL after the match but was laid out with a belt shot and the STO.
Rocky Romero & Baretta defeated Fuego & Ryusuke Taguchi in a tournament match
Fuego and Taguchi have such terrific chemistry as a comedy face tag team, it’s actually amazing they’ve never done it until now. Taguchi worked the first half of the match, both on offense and defense. Fuego made the hot tag and did a step up crossbody to the floor. Romero got in and was running wild until he got derailed with an assisted dropick by Taguchi.
Baretta ran in and did a giant tope to the floor. Taguchi came back with the Dodon but Baretta kicked out. Fuego came in, and after laying out Taguchi on the floor, Romero helped Baretta pin him with the dudebuster/dropkick combo. RPG Vice did tease dissension throughout the match, but were fine after.
ACH & Taiji Ishimori defeated Ricochet & David Finlay in a tournament match
This was fine. Not bad by any means, but I expected more. Also felt pretty short. Some good back and forth wrestling from ACH and Ricochet, some cool dives, but not really much of anything. Crowd was quiet in spots, which hurt the match. ACH and Ishimori won the match, getting the win with their stereo 450 splashes.
That makes it Roppongi Vice vs. ACH and Taiji Ishimori for Power Struggle.
RPG Vice came in after the match. Romero cut a promo in Japanese, then said this is New Japan territory and he’ll send Ishimori and ACH back to NOAH. Ishimori then cut a promo to close out the show.
A good show overall. Tag matches can get a little too same-y at times, but the last three matches were pretty good, especially the six-man.
Day 3 results of the Best of the Super Junior tournament are in. Here’s what went down this morning in Niigata, all Block A matches:
Kushida vs. Rocky Romero
They did some mat wrestling early. Kushida was out of the ring and Romero opened the ropes. So like a true dope, Kushida enters and Romero jumps him. New Japan faces are really dumb at the cheap heel heat bait sometimes. Kushida made a comeback and hit the sliced bread but Romero kicked out. Romero made a comeback of his own and won with his running knee strike. Last half of the match was very good.
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. David Finlay
Today’s Taguchi costume was him wearing an eggplant hat. I’ll leave it to you, the reader, to figure out what he’s trying to convey here. This was solid. Finlay looks good and will probably benefit a lot from working a lot of the guys on his block. He made a good comeback and traded some good near falls with Taguchi. Cool finish as Taguchi went for a hip attack, he countered looking like he was going for a German suplex but Taguchi floated over and snapped on an ankle lock for the submission.
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Gedo
Pretty solid match. Gedo is so great in his style. He never does anything flashy but everything looks good and executes stuff really well when it matters the most. They traded submissions on one another throughout; Kyle worked on the arm, Gedo had a crossface in at one point. Kyle landed some stiff shots followed by a brainbuster, but Gedo kicked out. Kyle responded by immediately sinking in an armbar which got him the submission victory.
Matt Sydal vs. Bushi
Kind of just there as a match. Nothing wrong, just overly solid, if that makes any sense. They traded some back and forth offense. Some of the near falls toward the end were pretty good. Sydal won with the shooting star press, so Bushi (who is a favorite heading into this year’s tournament) has now lost twice in a row. One of the big themes of these tournaments is the slow rise towards victory, though, so we’ll see.
