Tag: Sanada

Wrestling Observer Live: SANADA finished the story

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s a Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live.

At last night’s NJPW Sakura Genesis, SANADA did what Cody Rhodes didn’t at WWE WrestleMania 39: finish the story. Wy? Because there’s a difference in storytelling in New Japan vs. WWE which I discuss this week.

Paul Heyman said Rhodes is a bigger star for losing. Is he? Is Drew McIntyre? Is Brock Lesnar? Is Matt Riddle? Is Edge? WWE is just loser after loser after loser.

On SmackDown in Portland, OR, Dominik Mysterio got a louder, more organic reaction than Roman Reigns. Considering the WWE corporate machine has been behind him for over a decade, why isn’t Reigns the most over wrestler of all-time? 

Plus, let’s talk Mercedes Mone, Aussie Open, AEW to Wembley Stadium, and more.

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NJPW Sakura Genesis live results: Okada vs. SANADA IWGP title match

Posted on by Chick Fritts

Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA headlines today’s NJPW Sakura Genesis event at Sumo Hall in Tokyo. 

Okada is set to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA, the 2023 New Japan Cup winner. Okada is 8-1 in nine career singles bouts against SANADA. 

A total of five title bouts are set for the show.

In the semi-main, Hiromu Takahashi defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Robbie Eagles, the newest member of TMDK. 

Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles against Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher of Aussie Open. 

Zack Sabre Jr. will defend the NJPW World Television title against Shota Umino. 

Mercedes Mone puts the IWGP Women’s title on the line in a triple threat match versus AZM and Hazuki. 

The undercard: 

  • Tama Tonga, Hikuleo & Master Wato vs. David Finlay, KENTA & El Phantasmo
  • Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
  • Jeff Cobb, Aaron Henare & Francesco Akira vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO
  • Mystery six-man tag team match

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

**********

Shinnichi Champion Grand Prix Celebration Six-Man Tag Match: Toru Yano, Great O-Khan, & Minoru Suzuki defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, YOH, & El Desperado

This was an enjoyable opening bout that explored faction relations atypically.

This match’s oddball lineup was a part of the stip. Factionmates stood apart from one another while partnering with longtime rivals.

Suzuki and Desperado started the match and had a sportsmanly back-and-forth. This was the end of normalcy, however, as the struggle for tags began around this point.

With neither team wanting to engage in tags, O-Khan and YOH were left to fight each other for some time. Tanahashi eventually forced himself into the fray, taking momentum for his team. O-Khan grew desperate for a tag, but his partners refused to engage.

After much debate, Yano tagged into the match, and partners O-Khan and Suzuki were left to fight each other. Poor Yano was left in a three-on-one situation, but he took advantage of the dysfunction. YOH slapped his partner Desperado, and in the chaos that followed, Yano hit Tanahashi with a low blow and rolled him up to win the match.

United Empire (Aaron Henare, Francesco Akira & Jeff Cobb) defeated House Of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi)

This match opened with a brawl. SHO and Akira were left in the ring to fight for control, where SHO gained full advantage for HOT. It took a tag to Cobb for UE to fight into the match, but HOT was willing to use their numbers to retake the lead.

SHO distracted the referee with his wrench, giving Dick Togo an opportunity to hit the ring with his cord. While being choked by Togo, Cobb stood up, grabbed SHO, and dropped him with tour of the islands. With Togo on his back, Cobb pinned SHO and secured the UE win.

After the match, Akira accepted KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight’s challenge for the junior tag titles.

Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)

Naito started the match quickly by rushing DOUKI. LIJ fought with what felt like personal animosity towards J5G, leading to an extended sequence of control.

After a double tag, Taichi and Shingo traded heavy blows. BUSHI continued to keep up the fight after tagging in to handle Kanemaru. Kanemaru was able to turn things around, securing a figure four leglock in the center of the ring. As the rest of LIJ tried to make the save, J5G caught them in other holds, protecting BUSHI long enough for him to secure the win.

After the bell, DOUKI held Naito in the DOUKI Chokey for an extended period, forcing the ringside crew to break the hold. DOUKI later would challenge Naito to a singles match.

BULLET CLUB (David Finlay, El Phantasmo & KENTA) defeated Hikuleo, Tama Tonga, & Master Wato

Bullet Club drama will never end. Ten years after this faction’s creation, we’re still dealing with schisms, splinter groups, and betrayals.

Before the match could begin, ELP and Finlay had a bit of squabble. Once the bout actually started, the babyface squad was quick to take control.

The BC trio eventually took the lead but didn’t do much to capitalize as ELP and Finlay continued to argue. Finlay and ELP traded ‘tags’ that were closer to chops, leading to a rally from the faces.

Even though the disfunction, ELP was able to drop Wato with sudden death and a CR2.

Once the match concluded, Finlay dropped Tama with the NEVER championship. As Finlay beat down Tama, ELP tried to pull him off. Finlay dropped ELP with a forearm, leading into a strike exchange. After being pulled apart, ELP removed his Bullet Club gear. KENTA, who was playing a peacemaker role up to this point, dropped ELP with a GTS.

After KENTA’s action, KENTA and Gedo presented ELP to Finlay, who was now wielding his shillelagh. Taiji Ishimori hit the ring to make an apparent save, but instead, he dropped ELP with a low blow. Ishimori then helped Finlay deliver the shillelagh strike, dissolving The World’s Cutest Tag Team and ELP’s involvement in Bullet Club propper.

Since his arrival in the faction, ELP has been questioning Finlay’s authority. ELP seems to be brushing up to Bullet Club Gold and Black, which appears to be Jay White’s AEW schism group.

G1 Climax 2023 Schedule

July 15-16: Hokkai Kitayell | July 18: Yamagata | July 19: Xebio Arena Sendai | July 21: Ao-re Nagaoka | July 23: Nagano | July 25-26: Korakuen | July 27: Otaku | July 30: Aichi | August 1: Takamatsu | August 2: Hiroshima | August 5-6: Osaka | August 8: Yokohama Budokan | August 9: Act City Hamamatsu | August 10: Chiba | August 12-13: RYOGOKU

IWGP Women’s Championship: Mercedes Mone (c) defeated Hazuki and AZM

The match opened with a fast triangle sequence, leaving all women on equal footing. AZM and Mone made an on-the-fly agreement to write off Hazuki, but instead, Hazuki took control of both of her opponents.

After a brief sequence of Hazuki control, the match turned into a series of dives. From here, the trio traded tandem submissions and quick pin attempts, never leaving out any competitor for long.

Mone eventually landed a pair of code breakers and a Meteora for a near fall over AZM. AZM scored a nearfall of her own with a quick trapping pin before Hazuki fought back into the match with an explosive set of strikes.

Hazuki tried to close with a brainbuster, but AZM hit the ring to interrupt. Instead of securing a pin, as she had hoped, AZM was caught by Mone. Mone dropped AZM onto Hazuki with Money Maker, winning the match and retaining her belt.

After the match, Mayu Iwatani walked to the ring to challenge Mone for the Women’s title. Mone answered with a slap to the face.

NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) defeated Shota Umino

The match opened with a series of quick pin attempts. After the opening pin sequence, things calmed down a little, with both men trading uppercuts instead. Some intensity from Umino allowed him to gain a lead, which he used to work the leg.

ZSJ caught Shota with an armbar that forced him into the ropes. Continued work on the arm allowed ZSJ to retake the lead after Shota began to rally.

After escaping a brutal armbar, Shota attempted another rally with various quick pins. A swinging DDT and a death rider scored Shota a convincing nearfall late in the match. Shota tried for another death rider, but ZSJ reversed into a pin, winning the match.

IWGP Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (c)

Aussie Open started the match by isolating YH. Once Goto tagged in, Aussie Open upped the stakes to maintain their control, landing huge dives to the outside, leaving Bishamon on the backfoot.

YH eventually launched a rally, but Fletcher and Davis kept on the same page. At some point, Fletcher was busted open, but he continued to fight, even with a tapped-up head.

Once Goto tagged into the match, he began to turn things around. After sending Davis to the floor, Goto dropped Fletcher with a lariat and a backdrop. YH hit the ring to help Goto close, but Fletcher escaped Shoto. Goto persisted, dropping Fletcher with GYW, but Davis was able to make the save.

Another save from Davis allowed Fletcher to score a near fall. To clear the ring of YH, Aussie Open hit a double lariat. A follow-up sandwiching-lariat to Goto and Coriolis was able to close out the match for Aussie Open, winning them the match and IWGP gold. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Robbie Eagles

The opening sequence saw Hiromu bait Eagles to the floor. Hiromu tried his sunset flip bomb, but a bad knee gave out, opening him up to a targeted attack from Eagles. Eagles’ attack on the leg was focused and relentless, using strikes, holds, and his environment to put Hiromu through the wringer.

Hiromu’s eventual rally started with a victory royal after minutes of agony. Back-and-forth suplexes led to a slam into the corner and a Timebomb for a Hiromu nearfall.

An encounter that forced the pair into the corner ended with a poison rana and a 450 to Hiromu’s knee. After landing the splash, Eagles locked in the Rob Miller Special; Hiromu barely escaped.

After a brief pause, Hiromu was able to land Dynamite Plunger and Timebomb 2 to win the match.

SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the IWGP World Heavyweight title

The match began with a typical collar-and-elbow tie-up. As the match continued, it soon worked its way to the floor. On the outside, SANADA dropped Okada on the concrete with a barricade-assisted DDT. Back in the ring, SANADA maintained this control for some time.

A flapjack to SANADA allowed Okada to fight into a leading position. A dropkick from Okada sent SANADA crashing to the floor, where he returned the concrete-DDT favor.

SANADA was quick to fight back after returning to the ring. A quick dropkick to Okada left SANADA a step ahead. The match wandered back outside again, leading to a SANADA dive.

Okada blocked SANADA’s moonsault attempt by extending his knees. A follow-up suplex led to a pair of lariats and the money clip. Okada landed a dropkick and landslide, but SANADA reversed the rainmaker attempt into a lariat of his own.

After escaping Okada’s finish, SANADA challenged Okada to a strike exchange. Okada ended the strike exchange with a dropkick, but SANADA revered the rainmaker into a cutter and a pair of moonsaults for a nearfall.

Okada tried for landslide, but SANADA turned it into a choke. After dropping Okada, SANADA landed a shining wizard but failed to follow up. Once he escaped another finish attempt, Okada tried again for rainmaker. This time, SANADA reversed rainmaker into Deadfall. After landing his swinging DDT variation, SANADA pinned Okada to win the belt for the first time in his career. 

During SANADA’s victory speech, Hiromu walked to the ring. He congratulated SANADA for his win before challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Kanemaru asked Hiromu for a junior title shot before Hiromu got a chance to challenge for the heavyweight title. 

SANADA closed the show with a promo and shower of confetti. Just 5 Guys have arrived.

Four title matches announced for NJPW Sakura Genesis

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Four title matches have been announced for Sakura Genesis.

NJPW’s next major card will take place at Sumo Hall on April 8. Kazuchika Okada will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight title against SANADA, who won this year’s New Japan Cup on Tuesday morning. The two exchanged words following SANADA’s win.

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will also be on the line, when Hiromu Takahashi defends against Robbie Eagles. After Takahashi successfully defended the title against Lio Rush on Tuesday morning, a video revealed that Eagles had left CHAOS and joined TMDK.

Two other title matches will have Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) defend the IWGP Tag Team titles against Aussie Open (Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher). Zack Sabre Jr. will also defend the New Japan World Television Championship against Shota Umino, who scored a win over Sabre during the course of the New Japan Cup tournament.

Here is the current lineup for Sakura Genesis:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. SANADA
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Robbie Eagles
  • IWGP Tag Team Championship: Bishamon (c) vs. Aussie Open
  • New Japan World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shota Umino
  • David Finlay, KENTA, and El Phantasmo vs. Tama Tonga, Hikuleo and Master Wato

Wrestling Observer Live: Roman vs. Cody Raw segment, SANADA’s future

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the Roman vs. Cody segment on RAW last night, a full recap of the show and the good and bad leading to WrestleMania, seeds in place for another year, New Japan Cup results and what to do with SANADA, ratings and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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New Japan Cup finals live results: SANADA vs. David Finlay

Posted on by Chick Fritts

SANADA will face David Finlay today in the finals of the 2023 New Japan Cup tournament. 

In the build to the finals, SANADA broke off from the Los Ingobernables de Japon group and joined the Just Five Guys stable, while Finlay joined Bullet Club. 

The New Japan Cup winner will face Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on Saturday, April 8.

This is the first New Japan Cup finals appearance for Finlay, while SANADA was the runner-up in 2019. 

In the semi-main event, Hiromu Takahashi is set to defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Lio Rush. 

The full card: 

  • New Japan Cup finals: SANADA vs. David Finlay
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi defends against Lio Rush
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open
  • Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare
  • El Desperado, Ren Narita, Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
  • Tama Tonga, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma vs. KENTA, Chase Owens & El Phantasmo
  • Shota Umino & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuto Nakashima vs. Taichi & DOUKI

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

**********

Just 5 Guys (DOUKI & Taichi) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuto Nakashima

This was a fine little opener here to shine some light on Nakashima.

DOUKI and Taichi took an early lead over an overly-ambitious Nakashima. Once Nakashima tagged to Tanahashi, the crowd came unglued. After Tanahashi gained control, Nakashima begged for a tag. Once obliged, Taichi hit Nakashima with an axe bomber and a dangerous backdrop to win the match.

Ryohei Oiwa & Shota Umino defeated TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)

The young lions opened the match with a bit of grappling. Despite Fujita’s accelerated learning as a part of TMDK, Oiwa took the lead and passed it off to Umino. After a tag to ZSJ, TMDK started to fight into the match.

After an ample selection of back-and-forths, Fujita tagged back in. He nearly caught Umino with a bridging pin, but Umino kicked out, hit Fujita with a death rider, and won the match.

After the match, Umino challenged ZSJ to a TV title match; ZSJ accepted.

BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, El Phantasmo & KENTA) defeated Tama Tonga, Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii and Owens were a bit of a focal point throughout this match. I still don’t know why this is happening.

Bullet Club used heelish tactics early to take advantage. The match then played out fairly typically, filled with Bullet Club using their numbers to overwhelm their opponents before an eventual babyface rally. In the end, ELP won by hitting Honma with CR2.

House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Strong Style (El Desperado & Ren Narita), Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano

This was far from a good match, but the post-match visuals were powerful. If they were to set up something other than a HOT trios match, I would have loved this.

The match opened with HOT attacking their Strong Style opponents. After a mostly one-sided beatdown, Yujiro hit Taguchi with a wrench.

After the match concluded, HOT unmasked Desperado. The post-match beatdown continued with HOT cutting off Narita’s shirt and spraypainting “HOT” on his torso. This led into an even more brutal beatdown and another Desperado unmasking.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated United Empire (Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan)

This was a tag built entirely around some firey exchanges between Shingo and Henare. For most of the match, Naito failed to get his wheels turning, and O-Khan was just kind of there.

In the end, it was O-Khan and Naito left alone in the ring while Henare and Naito brawled outside of the ring. Naito caught O-Khan with a rollup to win the match.

Henare and Shingo had a staredown over the KOPW belt after the match, further setting up their upcoming bout.

United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI)

CHAOS gained the upper hand early, but UE fought back, using environmental offense to take control. After an extended period with UE in the lead, the match entered a stretch of turbulence, with neither team being clearly ahead.

Ultimately, Aussie Open weathered the storm and came out on top after hitting YH with Coriolis.

After the match, Aussie Open made their challenge for Bishamon’s title clear. Cobb also called out Kenny Omega, who he imitated at points in the match.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Lio Rush

The match opened at a fast pace, with Lio taking the fight to the floor. Hiromu landed a powerbomb onto the apron and a slam into the barricade to take the early lead. Back in the ring, Hiromu maintained control for a while with a variety of wear-down moves.

To get himself back in the match, Lio hit an impressive flipping dive from the apron to the floor. Hiromu answered Lio with a powerbomb, but Lio held on, landing a poison rana and Rush Hour for a quick response.

Lio landed one splash, but Hiromu reversed the second and immediately followed with timebomb for a nearfall. Lio fought back with a Spanish fly and a DMV, both yielding nearfalls. Lio hit YOH’s direct drive and attempted another dive, but Hiromu rolled out of the way.

After surviving everything Lio could throw at him, Hiromu hit a lariat and timebomb 2 to win the match.

After the match, Zack Sabre Jr walked to the ring and announced the next challenger would be the newest member of TMDK, Robbie Eagles.

New Japan Cup 2023 Final Match: SANADA defeated David Finlay

This was a nothing match, but the crowd made it bearable.

This match opened with the loudest reaction from a New Japan crowd in years, in support of Niigata’s own, SANADA.

Finlay opened the match, taking the match to the floor and establishing control. As SANADA tried to fight back into the match, Finlay took the match back outside, slamming him into the barricade and apron. Back in the ring, Finlay clubbed SANADA with offense for quite some time. Most of the match spawned from this period of control.

Finlay began to look for the finish, but SANADA reversed the trash panda attempt into skull end. After escaping skull end, the pair traded shots at their finishers until SANDA landed a shining wizard and his new DDT to win the match.

After the match, SANADA challenged Okada to meet him in the ring. Okada toyed with SANADA, pointing out his previous failings ahead of their title bout. Before leaving, Okada stood tall, IWGP in hand.

After Okada left, SANADA cut the show-ending promo with a sea of lights in the crowd.

Wrestling Observer Live: House show booking philosophy, New Japan Cup and Five Guys, Smackdown, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including AEW’s house show tomorrow and why big matches are more important than individual stars, Smackdown tonight, Dynamite ratings, New Japan Cup update, Eddie Kingston off OTT and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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New Japan Cup update, SANADA joins new faction

Posted on by Ian Carey

Two wrestlers have advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 New Japan Cup. 

SANADA defeated his stablemate, Tetsuya Naito, in the main event. He countered a Destino attempt into the DDT maneuver he first debuted in the tournament’s opening round for the win.  

Following the match, the members of Just Four Guys came to the ring. SANADA and Taichi shook hands and the rest of the faction embraced SANADA as well. This brought out Los Ingobernables’ Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi. 

SANADA then cut a promo stating he was no longer in LIJ and motioned for them to get out of the ring. After LIJ left, TAKA Michinoku said that with SANADA now in the faction, they will be known as “Just Five Guys.” 

DOUKI, Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Taichi formed the Just Four Guys stable the night after WrestleKingdom in January. 

Aussie Open’s Mark Davis also advanced in the tournament. He pinned former IWGP Heavyweight Champion EVIL in the night’s semi-main event. The finish saw a referee bump and interference from members of both House of Torture and United Empire. When everyone was finally cleared from the ring, Davis hit Water Slide from Dunkzilla and got the pin. 

Will Ospreay was ringside during the match with his arm in a sling. Davis was announced as Ospreay’s replacement in the tournament after Ospreay was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury. 

On Friday’s undercard, Minoru Suzuki pinned Strong Openweight Champion, KENTA, with a Gotch-style piledriver, perhaps setting up a future title match between the two. 

New Japan Cup 2023 on March 17, 2023, from Korakuen Hall results:

  • SHO & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita
  • Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Kyle Fletcher defeated Oskar Leube, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe 
  • Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto defeated Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tama Tonga
  • Lio Rush, YOH, Tomohiro Ishii defeated BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi
  • Shota Umino, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki defeated El Phantasmo, Chase Owens, KENTA & David Finlay
  • New Japan Cup 2023 quarterfinal: Mark Davis defeated EVIL
  • New Japan Cup 2023 quarterfinal: SANADA defeated Tetsuya Naito

Upcoming New Japan Cup 2023 matches:

  • Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga (March 18) (Quarterfinals)
  • David Finlay vs. Shota Umino (March 18) (Quarterfinals)
  • Mark Davis vs. SANADA (March 19) (Semifinals)
  • Tonga/Goto winner vs. Finlay/Umino winner (March 19) (Semifinals)
  • Semifinal #1 Winner vs. Semifinal #2 Winner (March 21) (Finals)

Semifinals set for NJPW World TV title tournament

Posted on by Ian Carey

The semifinals of the NJPW World TV title tournament are set.

The tournament continued Sunday from the Makuhari Messe International Conference Hall 1 in Chiba, Japan. Ren Narita defeated Toru Yano and SANADA defeated KENTA in the final two quarterfinal matches.

SANADA and Narita will face each other in the semifinals on November 5 from Osaka. The winner of that match will move on to face the winner of Zack Sabre. Jr. vs. EVIL in the finals. 

NJPW TV Championship tournament results:

  • David Finlay defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (October 14)
  • Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Alex Zayne (October 14)
  • Yoshi-HASHI defeated Jeff Cobb (October 15)
  • EVIL defeated Aaron Henare (October 15)
  • SANADA defeated Taichi (October 16)
  • KENTA defeated Hirooki Goto (October 16)
  • Toru Yano defeated Great-O-Khan (October 26)
  • Ren Narita defeated Tomohiro Ishii (October 26)
  • Zack Sabre Jr defeated David Finlay (October 27) (quarterfinal)
  • EVIL defeated Yoshi-HASHI (October 27) (quarterfinal)
  • SANADA defeated KENTA (October 30) (quarterfinal)
  • Ren Narita defeated Toru Yano (October 30) (quarterfinal)
  • Zack Sabre. Jr. vs. EVIL (November 5) (semifinal)
  • Ren Narita vs. SANADA (November 5) (semifinal)
  • Finals (January 4)

Several matches are now confirmed for the show from Osaka on Saturday, November 5. 

  • IWGP United States Champion Will Ospreay defends against Tetsuya Naito
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Karl Anderson defends against Hikuleo **
  • Ren Narita vs. SANADA in the NJPW World TV title tournament semifinals
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL in the NJPW World TV title tournament semifinals
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions TJP & Francesco Akira defend against BUSHI & Titan
  • Master Wato & Taiji Ishimori vs. El Desperado & Hiromu Takahashi
  • Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. TBA

** Karl Anderson has said he will not be on the show. He continues to be listed for it, however. 

Two wrestlers advance in NJPW World TV title tournament

Posted on by Ian Carey

Two more wrestlers have advanced to the second round of the NJPW World TV title tournament.

SANADA and KENTA will both move on to the tournament quarter-finals after victories on Sunday’s show from Niigata. KENTA defeated Hirooki Goto in the night’s semi-main event and SANADA beat Taichi to close the show. 

SANADA and KENTA will face each other in the next round on Sunday, October 30 from Chiba. 

All matches in the tournament have a 15-minute time limit. If the match goes to a time-limit draw, a coin flip will be used to determine who advances. 

Here’s the updated schedule:

  • Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Alex Zayne (October 14)
  • David Finlay defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru (October 14)
  • YOSHI-HASHI defeated Jeff Cobb (October 15)
  • EVIL defeated Aaron Henare (October 15)
  • SANADA vs. Taichi (October 16)
  • Hirooki Goto vs. KENTA (October 16)
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Ren Narita (October 26)
  • Toru Yano vs. The Great-O-Khan (October 26) 
  • EVIL vs. YOSHI-HASHI (October 27) (quarter-finals)
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. David Finlay (October 27) (quarter-finals)
  • SANADA vs. KENTA (October 30) (quarter-finals) 
  • Ishii/Narita vs. Yano/Great-O-Khan (October 30) (quarter-finals)
  • Semi-Final #1 (November 4)
  • Semi-Final #2 (November 4)
  • Finals (Wrestle Kingdom, January 4)

SANADA returns to NJPW at BOSJ finals, issues challenge for Dominion

Posted on by Ethan Renner

SANADA returned to NJPW at today’s Best of the Super Juniors finals event and issued a challenge for the Dominion show on June 12. 

SANADA issued a challenge for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship at Dominion, a title that he never lost in the ring. 

After suffering a fractured orbital bone in a New Japan Cup match against Will Ospreay, SANADA was stripped of the US title and has been out of action since. 

It is unclear at this point whether or not SANADA will face United States Champion Juice Robinson for the title, or whether he will take on another contender, as Robinson missed today’s show due to appendicitis. No announcement has been made as to whether or not Robinson will be cleared for action by next Sunday. 

SANADA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi for the US title at a New Year’s Golden Series event on February 19, his first singles title win in NJPW.

SANADA vacates IWGP United States title at NJPW Hyper Battle

Posted on by Bryan Rose

SANADA vacated the IWGP United States Championship during tonight’s NJPW Hyper Battle event, setting up the next two challengers in the process.

SANADA came to the ring following intermission and said he wouldn’t know when he would be able to return, and thus had to vacate the championship. He suggested that the former champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi, reclaim the title. Will Ospreay came out and said that since he was the one that “caved in” SANADA’s face, he should get the championship. Tanahashi came out and suggested to Ospreay that they fight for the title in Fukuoka, or Wrestling Dontaku 2022 on May 1. Ospreay left, angry as Tanahashi told SANADA that he would be waiting for him once he recovers.

It was announced on March 18 that SANADA would be out of action after suffering a fractured left orbital bone in his New Japan Cup match against Will Ospreay. Ospreay ended up defeating SANADA by referee stoppage to advance.

NJPW’s SANADA out of action with fractured orbital bone

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW star SANADA is out of action after suffering an injury during the New Japan Cup.

NJPW has announced that SANADA suffered a fractured left orbital bone in his New Japan Cup third-round match against Will Ospreay. The match took place this Thursday, with Ospreay defeating SANADA by referee stoppage to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

SANADA will miss — at minimum — the rest of the New Japan Cup tour. There isn’t currently a timetable for when he will be able to return to the ring.

“In last night’s main event in Shizuoka against Will Ospreay, SANADA sustained an injury that led to the match being stopped. On medical evaluation at a nearby hospital, it was determined that SANADA has sustained a fractured left orbital bone,” NJPW wrote.

“We apologize to fans who were looking forward to seeing SANADA wrestle, and appreciate your understanding. There is currently no timetable for SANADA’s return to action. New Japan Pro-Wrestling joins fans in wishing SANADA the best in his recovery.”

SANADA was scheduled to team with Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI against Ospreay, Jeff Cobb & The Great-O-Khan at Friday’s New Japan Cup show. That was changed to a tag match where Ospreay & Cobb defeated Naito & BUSHI.

NJPW New Year’s Golden Series live results: Tanahashi vs. SANADA

Posted on by Chick Fritts

Three titles are on the line tonight on the penultimate night of NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series tour.

In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi will defend the IWGP United States Heavyweight title against SANADA. Tanahashi is in the midst of his second reign with the US belt, defeating KENTA at Wrestle Kingdom in January to kick off his second run.

In the semi-main, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI will try for their first defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles, facing EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi.

A four-way for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles will take place today, with Robbie Eagles and Tiger Mask defending against Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo.

The rest of the card:

  • Kazuchika Okada, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi
  • Great-O-Khan vs. Tomoaki Honma
  • Tomohiro Ishii & YOH vs. Dick Togo & SHO
  • Toru Yano & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
  • Togi Makabe & Kosei Fujita vs. TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI

Our live coverage begins at 3 a.m. Eastern time.

**********

DOUKI and TAKA Michinoku (Suzuki-gun) defeated Kosei Fujita and Togi Makabe

This was a fine opener.

Fujita opened the match passionately, taking the fight to both his opponents; his eagerness was punished as the Suzuki-gun pair found their footing. DOUKI and TAKA had their way with the young lion, eventually forcing the tag.

Makabe connected with heavy offence after tagging in, successfully fending off both opponents for some time. When Fujita tagged back in, he maintained this momentum, locking DOUKI into a Boston crab, forcing a rope break. An inside cradle nearly left Fujita with the quick win, prompting TAKA to hit the ring. TAKA and DOUKI landed a double kick, and DOUKI secured the DOUKI Chokie to submit Fujita. 

Minoru Suzuki and Taichi (Suzuki-gun) defeated Ryohei Oiwa and Toru Yano

This match was quite busy, but somehow they pulled it off. It was silly fun, start to finish, with a decent Taichi/Oiwa match snuck in.

Yano came to the ring pushing his dog cage.

Before the match, Suzuki made the referee do a full frisk of Yano, revealing Yano came to the ring with handcuff keys.

After the referee found Yano’s key, Suzuki rushed him only to find a few more keys hidden in his wrist tape. Then Yano and Suzuki wandered to the outside, where Yano tried rolling Suzuki over with the dog cage (it’s on wheels). Yano missed his target but slammed Suzuki into the cage regardless.

Back inside, Yano smacked Suzuki with a turnbuckle pad only to be slammed into the buckle himself. Yano then patted Suzuki’s head; Suzuki responded by securing a leg lock. Yano managed to reverse the piledriver and tag out, leaving Taichi and Oiwa legal.

Oiwa, try as he might, had little success over Taichi; he even had a significant string of offence, but generally, Taichi was unphased. Taichi tried to lock in a single leg Boston crab, but Yano interrupted. This prompted Suzuki and Yano to continue brawling on the outside. Taichi secured the cobra twist, forcing Oiwa to submit.

While the finishing sequence played out in the ring, Suzuki handcuffed Yano and the referee to the dog cage. Suzuki’s music played him out as Yano and the official awkwardly walked to the back attached to end this spectacle.

YOH and Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) defeated SHO and Dick Togo (House of Torture)

This match wasn’t filled with the HoT junk, but it wasn’t particularly good.

YOH started the match by attacking SHO on the outside, prompting a brawl on the floor. Inside the ring, YOH continued his attack. SHO responded by throwing YOH back to the outside. Then the dynamic change as SHO focused Ishii and Togo focused YOH.

Once Togo established control over YOH, SHO tagged back in to choke his former partner with a buckle cover. YOH eventually tagged out, allowing Ishii to run through Togo and SHO. SHO turned things around with a quick knee to the midsection. After Togo tagged in, Ishii landed a suplex, opening the match up for YOH to take control once more.

YOH fell to a double team combination punctuated with a SHO spear. Ishii made the save, however, leading to a CHOAS rally. Ishii landed a sliding lariat, letting YOH tie up Togo in his new leg submission; Togo tapped out immediately after YOH locked in the hold.

Great-O-Khan defeated Tomoaki Honma

I might be crazy, but I quite liked this match. Even though Honma was never beating O-Khan, this match gave me just enough hope to believe it was possible.

O-Khan and Honma went back and forth in the opening moments in a basic wrestling exchange. As things progressed, O-Khan gained mat control, locking in a head-and-arm choke that forced Honma into the ropes. O-Khan then sat on the back of Honma, pressing him into the top turnbuckle to cement his control.

After escaping a stomach claw, Honma landed a DDT. Honma’s follow up consisted of a shoulder tackle, a bulldog, and a KoKeShi attempt; O-Khan avoided the headbutt, resulting in a match reset.

The pair traded strikes, with O-Khan winning out. O-Khan landed a throw and a powerslam for a near fall. O-Khan then landed a few Mongolian chops but was cut off by a rocket, KoKeShi, followed by a falling KoKeShi. Honma climbed to ropes and delivered a rocket KoKeShi from the top for a near fall. Honma landed a lariat; O-Khan kicked out at one. Honma tried for another rocket KoKeShi but was caught by O-Khan. O-Khan transitioned into the eliminator; after landing the move, O-Khan pinned Honma to close the match. 

Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated Kazuchika Okada, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata

Okada and Naito opened the match with a tie-up. Naito used a headlock to take the match to the mat, and Okada responded with a takedown of his own. After the pair established they were on equal footing, they tagged out.

Shingo and Nagata traded blows, as did Hiromu and Nagata. Kojima struck down Hiromu, forcing Hiromu to tag back into Naito. Naito unloaded on Kojima, forcing a reversal followed by a tag back into Okada. Okada and Naito traded forearms before Okada gained control with an air raid crash neckbreaker. Okada landed heavy rain for a near fall. Naito turned things around with a dropkick to Okada’s knee, followed by a neckbreaker of his own. Naito tried for Gloria, but Okada avoided the move, transitioning into the money clip. Naito fought free, resulting in a match reset.

Nagata and Shingo traded strikes again. Nagata landed an exploder and locked in a chinlock, forcing the save. Nagata landed the justice knee and driver for a near fall. Hiromu made the save, prompting Okada to hit the ring. Naito answered, dropping Okada with Destino. Shingo then landed a pair of lariats for another near fall. Shingo closed the match after hitting Nagata with last of the dragon.

Once the match ended, Naito continued to attack Okada ahead of their match tomorrow. Naito then symbolically pinned Okada, Hiromu counted to three and lifted Naito’s hand. 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Robbie Eagles and Tiger Mask (Flying Tiger) (c), El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori (BULLET CLUB’s Cutest Tag Team), El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-gun)

This match was always in full gear—absolutely packed full of flying sequences and general insanity.

This match opened chaotically. Suzuki-gun managed to isolate TM, but Bullet Club fought off the Suzuki-gun squad to focus TM themselves. Eagles kind of made the save, occupying the attention of ELP. Wato and Taguchi tried to score a quick pin over TM, prompting Wato and Eagles to trade moves.

Eagles tried for a dive, but Ishimori interrupted him to land a dive of his own. Desperado interrupted Ishimori’s dive to try a dive of his own, but he was interrupted by ELP. ELP and Desperado traded strikes before swapping positions with TM and Taguchi. TM considered a dive but was stopped by Suzuki-gun. Perhaps wisely, Suzuki-gun let TM get in his dive by throwing him through the ropes. Ishimori and Wato also landed their dives soon after. ELP tried for own of his own, but Eagles stopped him with a super rana to the floor.

Flying Tiger isolated Taguchi. TM landed a butterfly suplex from the top, and Eagles landed a 450 for a near fall. TM locked in an armbar that Bullet Club interrupted. Bullet Club landed plenty of double team offence before Kanemaru made the save. Wato dropped Kanemaru with a dropkick. Taguchi dropped everyone in the match with a hip attack before two quick pin attempts from Flying Tiger. Taguchi tried for a pin attempt of his own that everyone broke up. Somehow Taguchi, Wato, and TM were left alone in the ring. Taguchi hoisted up TM, setting Wato up for an assisted facebuster. Taguchi then pinned TM to win the match and become the 69th IWGP Junior Tag Team Champions.

From the beginning of their hunt, Taguchi and Wato wanted these belts just to be the 69th champions; tonight, they accomplished their goal. 

IWGP Tag Team Championships: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (Bishamon) (c) defeated EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi (House Of Torture)

Someone, anyone, please, make this stop. 

This match began with HoT jumping Bishamon. Once in the ring, Goto and YH were able to gain some ground, but on the outside, SHO and Togo (who accompanied EVIL and Yujiro to the ring) made things difficult for the champions.

Yujiro and EVIL isolated YH after Togo and SHO beat him with chairs. YH eventually tagged out, letting Goto turn things around for a little while. An exposed buckle and another outside beatdown allowed HoT to retake control. EVIL choked Goto with a shirt for three near falls.

Goto landed a lariat to slow down HoT’s snowballing offence. YH had some successes against Yujiro until Yujiro bit his hand; Yujiro landed a slam for a near fall of his own. YH connected with a pump kick for a quick turnaround, but Togo distracted the referee. Yujiro landed a low blow before bumping the official, letting all four HoT members attack YH. Goto interrupted the beatdown with a stick, buying enough time for the rest of CHAOS to make a save.

Once the referee was standing, YH landed a lariat for a near fall over Yujiro; a GYR yielded another. EVIL stopped all of Bishamon’s offence with a chair shot to YH. Yujiro landed pimp juice for a near fall of his own. Goto then hit the ring, fighting off EVIL and Yujiro. Bishamon landed Shoto and pinned Yujiro to end the match.

After the match, the CHAOS squad posed with the NEVER belts ahead of their match for the titles tomorrow. 

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: SANADA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (c)

I’m generally not a fan of big match SANADA, but there was a lot to like here. Overall, this was a good match with an excellent showing, as always, from Tanashai.

This match opened with an extended feeling-out process. The alternating control in the prolonged kickoff sequence continued on the outside. SANADA gained the first lead following a paradise lock/dropkick combination. As a result, SANADA took the match to the mat, slowly wearing down the defending champion.

Tanahashi began to turn things around following a leaping forearm. A senton from the second rope left Tanahashi with a two count and a strong lead over the challenger. Tanahashi then turned his attention to the leg of SANADA. After a dropkick to the leg and a dragonscrew, Tanahashi tied SANADA into the paradise lock. Tanahashi sent SANADA to the outside before jumping to the floor, delivering a picture-perfect crossbody. As SANADA tried to make his way back in the ring, Tanahashi continued to focus the leg. SANADA escaped the Texas cloverleaf once, only to be locked in the move again moments later.

After escaping Texas cloverleaf a second time, SANADA responded with skull end. Tanahashi slipped free, lading a sling blade followed by high fly flow; SANADA blocked the move with the knee Tanahashi focused earlier in the match, sending both men into deep pain. Through the pain, SANADA locked skull end in once more. Once Tanahashi was lifeless, SANADA tried for a moonsault; Tanahashi blocked it with his knees.

The pair went back and forth, trying for a skull end/dragon sleeper, respectively. Once the submission seemed unlikely, Tanahashi transitioned into a triad of twist and shouts followed by a sling blade. Tanahashi went for high fly flow, but SANADA rolled through. SANADA landed TKO and a moonsault but missed the second moonsault attempt. Tanahashi capitalised with a dragonscrew.

Once the pair was back standing, they traded passionate strikes. SANADA dropped Tanahashi and tried following with a TKO; Tanahashi escaped, landing a suplex and a sling blade before trying another high fly flow. SANADA rolled out of the way and bridged into a leg clutch pin. Tanahashi failed to kick out, leaving SANADA with the win. SANADA is the US Champion.

After his title win, SANADA cut a promo, offering Tanahashi a rematch and saying thanks to the fans. Lance Archer and Jon Moxley were mentioned by commentary as potential challengers. 

NJPW New Year’s Golden Series live results: Okada & Tanahashi vs. LIJ

Posted on by Chick Fritts

NJPW’s New Year’s Golden Series hits Osaka today at the EDION Arena, headlined by a tag preview of next weekend’s top two title matches.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi team against their next challengers, Tetsuya Naito and SANADA of Los Ingobernables de Japon. Tanahashi defends against SANADA on Saturday, February 19, while Okada vs. Naito for the World title closes the tour on February 20. 

In the semi-main, EVIL will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii in a lumberjack match. 

A pair of singles matches will preview the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag title match set for later this week, as Robbie Eagles faces Taiji Ishimori, while Tiger Mask takes on El Phantasmo.

In a trios match, Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Ryusuke Taguchi will face Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and TAKA Michinoku. LIJ’s Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI take on Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and DOUKI in another six-man. 

Great-O-Khan faces Togi Makabe in a singles match. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and YOH take on Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, and SHO in the main card opener. 

In a pre-show match, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, and Ryohei Oiwa face Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma, and Kosei Fujita. 

Our live coverage begins with the pre-show at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time.

**********

Ryohei Oiwa, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Kosei Fujita, Tomoaki Honma, & Yuji Nagata

This was an appealing little tag match.

Nagata and Kojima opened the match with some basic back and forth. Things turned in Kojima’s favour after Fujita tagged into, prompting Oiwa to enter on behalf of his team. The young lions traded strikes with each other, but Oiwa paid special attention to his senior opponents, throwing forearms multiple times as they stood on the apron. Once Honma and Nagata tagged in, Oiwa was punished for his petulance.

Eventually, Kojima and Nagata shared the ring again, and again the pair went back and forth; this continued with the Kojima and Honma pairing. Tenzan tagged in for the first time, coming toe to toe with Honma. Honma gained a slight lead before tagging in Fujita, who scored a near fall after a falcon arrow. After the kick-out, Fujita turned Tenzan into the Boston crab but couldn’t finish the match. Tenzan turned the bout back around with a quick lariat and a Boston crab of his own that forced Fujita to submit. 

YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto (CHAOS) defeated SHO, Dick Togo, and Yujiro Takahashi (House of Torture)

This felt less awful than an average HoT match, so that’s something.

This match started when YOH rushed SHO, inciting a brawl. SHO and YOH were left alone in the ring early on, but SHO escaped by tagging Togo into the match. The CHAOS squad pummeled away at Togo and Yujiro before turning their attention to SHO. Once Togo and YH were left alone, the HoT used distraction to take back the lead.

YH reversed a fisherman buster before a tag to Goto that let CHAOS back into the match. HoT interfered just enough to distract Goto, allowing Yujiro to reset the match with a double lariat. Togo and YOH tagged in, but all of HoT beat down on YOH. SHO tried an attack with his wrench, Yujiro with his cane, and Togo with his wire; YOH stopped them all. A miscommunication from HoT and a well-timed CHAOS rally allowed YOH to win the match with a bridging pin on Togo.

Great-O-Khan defeated Togi Makabe

This match was fine for what it was, nothing blow away, but a strong showing for O-Khan.

Makabe and O-Khan opened the match with a typical sequence that soon spilt to the outside. After slamming Makabe into the barricade, O-Khan was in a strong position. Makabe challenged O-Khan with a lariat that led to an offensive stint of his own. O-Khan interrupted Makabe on the top rope, but slamming him to the mat had little effect. O-Khan locked in a sheep killer and dropped an elbow, but again, Makabe was unphased. Finally, O-Khan secured a face claw that turned into the eliminator; this was enough to finish Makabe. 

BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, and Shingo Takagi (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated DOUKI, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-gun)

This was a by the book tag. With nothing really on the line, not much was explored with any interesting singles implications. Regardless, Shingo and Taichi seem to have something to settle.

Shingo and Taichi began by trading strikes. After Shingo won out, BUSHI tagged in, but he couldn’t maintain LIJ’s early lead. Suzuki-gun worked to cement Taichi’s control by attacking LIJ as Taichi held down BUSHI. Kanemaru and DOUKI traded tags to keep Suzuki-gun’s momentum going.

A hot tag to Hiromu led to a brisk sequence where he temporarily took out all of his opponents, but eventually, the numbers got the better of him. After escaping the DOUKI chokie, Hiromu connected with a powerbomb. A tag to Shingo prompted Suzuki-gun to hit the ring, but Shingo withstood the onslaught. A pumping bomber to DOUKI finished the match, leaving Shingo and the rest of his team with a win.

After the match, Shingo and Taichi stared each other down.

Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado, and Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-gun)

Yano started the match by rushing Suzuki on the outside. After failing in his attempt to lock Suzuki in a dog cage, Yano returned to the ring. Yano tried to gain advantage by throwing Suzuki into an exposed buckle, but again he failed. Suzuki pulled Yano back to the outside but also failed in throwing Yano in the dog cage. Once things were back in the ring, Suzuki-gun beat down Yano. The beatdown finally ended when Yano reversed a piledriver and landed an atomic drop, allowing Wato to tag in.

Wato gained a quick lead over Desperado. Desperado responded with a spinebuster to turn things back in his favour. After a double tag, Suzuki-gun gained advantage over Taguchi. Michinoku let this lead fade. A double team facebuster allowed Taguchi to pin Michinoku to close the match.

Sometime during the last sequence, Suzuki got Yano in the cage. The ringside young lions had to save Yano. Suzuki then handcuffed Oiwa and Fujita for daring to interfere.

Tiger Mask defeated El Phantasmo

I quite liked this match. It was focused and to the point, while not forgetting its purpose of selling the upcoming junior tag title match.

TM opened the match with leg kicks that sent ELP to the outside. Back inside, a toss took ELP to the mat, allowing TM to keep working on the legs. ELP rolled to the outside again, prompting TM to attempt a tope; ELP stuffed the dive with a kick to the head. ELP landed a tree of woe for a dropkick before attempting to walk the ropes. TM sent ELP crashing into the ropes before meeting him at the top. An arm drag from the top rope left TM in control once again.

ELP landed a crossbody to send TM to the outside. ELP capitalised with a dive that slammed TM into the barricade. A pair of springboard moonsaults left ELP with a near fall. TM managed to rally with a quick kick followed by a tiger driver, but ELP stayed in the match. A tombstone piledriver led into a flying headbutt attempt from TM, which ELP avoided. ELP responded with thunder kiss ‘86, resulting in a near fall of his own.

TM ducked a lariat and transitioned into a crucifix pin. After ELP kicked out, TM turned the pin into a submission. With ELP staring down defeat, Taiji Ishimori hit the ring to beat down TM. The referee called for the disqualification. Robbie Eagles made the save just as Ishimori unmasked TM.

Robbie Eagles defeated Taiji Ishimori

This was a perfect follow-up to the previous match and a fun watch all around. 

This match started fluidly as the last ended. Ishimori used underhanded tactics to gain a quick lead and maintain it in the early going. Ishimori paid special attention to Eagles arm, slamming it into an exposed corner multiple times.

It took a while, but Eagles eventually began to rally, focusing Ishimori’s leg. Eagles tried for the turbo backpack, but couldn’t connect due to his arm. Ishimori took advantage, locking in a submission before slamming Eagles into the ring post and landing a shoulder breaker. Ishimori locked in another submission that forced Eagles into the ropes.

Ishimori paused after a forearm, prompting a strike exchange. The pair then went back and forth, trading reversals before Eagles eventually landed the turbo backpack. Eagles then landed a 450 to legs and locked in the Ron Miller special. ELP tried to break up the hold, but TM made the save; with nowhere to go, Ishimori tapped out.

After the match, Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi walked to the ring and began cutting a promo. Then Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Desperado walked to the ring and cut a promo of their own. Eagles then picked up the match, announcing a four-way tag team match for the junior belts. 

Lumberjack Match, NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL (c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii

This match, unsurprisingly, was far too busy, at least for my liking. Regardless, this was significantly better than their Wrestle Kingdom match, especially in the last act.

The lumberjacks were equal parts CHAOS, equal parts House of Torture. The match opened with EVIL rolling to the HoT side, but CHAOS worked to get him back in the ring. EVIL gained advantage with help from HoT, who removed the turnbuckle pad and beat on Ishii mere moments into the match. This chicanery continued as the match developed.

Ishii eventually fought off all of HoT by himself as CHAOS distracted the referee for some reason. The CHAOS lumberjacks then helped Ishii by pounding on the back of EVIL, before sending him back into the ring. Ishii landed a big shoulder tackle before trying for a superplex, but HoT fought to stop this from happening. Yujiro power bombed Ishii from the top rope before Togo and EVIL hit the magic killer for a near fall. EVIL landed a superplex for another two count.

Ishii landed a superplex of his own for a near fall. Then EVIL threw the referee into Ishii and a spear from SHO sent the referee crashing. After a brawl with all the lumberjacks, EVIL lined up a shot with the NEVER title; Ishii saw it coming, connecting with a lariat that sent the belt flying. Ishii hit a dragon suplex and a sliding lariat for another near fall. EVIL responded with a pair of suplexes of his own.

EVIL and Ishii traded clotheslines before an Ishii enziguri dropped EVIL and an Ishii lariat yielded another near fall. As Ishii looked for a finish, EVIL reversed his brainbuster attempt and transitioned into everything is evil. EVIL then pinned Ishii to retain the belt. 

SANADA & Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada 

Tanahashi and SANADA opened the match with some chain wrestling. After the pair proved to be on equal footing, Okada and Naito tagged in. Okada and Naito also started their exchange with grappling. Okada gained advantage by focusing the knee, and in retaliation, Naito attacked the knee of Okada. As Naito and SANADA traded tags, they continued the assault on Okada’s knee.

Tanahashi eventually got the hot tag and took control for his team. This lasted until SANADA avoided a sling blade and connected with a rana for a match reset. A neckbreaker to Naito bought Tanahashi enough time to tag back into Okada.

Naito immediately caught Okada, turning his attention back to the knee. In response, Okada landed a dropkick to create some separation, and a DDT to the floor left Okada ahead. Naito answered with a neckbreaker for another match reset. The pair then traded strikes before a rope-assisted DDT left Naito in control once more. Naito tried for Destino, but couldn’t connect; instead, Okada landed a dropkick and both men tagged out.

SANADA and Tanahashi traded dragonscrew leg whips prompting Naito to hit the ring. Naito ate a leg whip of his own before retreating to the outside. On the outside, Okada positioned Naito and SANADA, allowing Tanahashi to leap from the top rope for a high fly flow to the floor. Tanahashi then landed more dragonscrews on SANADA before locking the cloverleaf; Naito tried to make the save, but Okada caught him in the money clip. After a long struggle, SANADA found the bottom rope.

After a quick exchange, SANADA slipped Tanahashi into skull end; Okada made the save. Tanahashi avoided a follow-up moonsault and connected with twist and shout. Naito tagged in and took over the match once more. Okada made the save with a dropkick, but SANADA landed a TKO. Tanahashi landed a pair of sling blades, one on each opponent, for a near fall.

When Tanahashi tried for high fly flow to end the match Naito rolled out of harm’s way. Naito tried for Destino, but couldn’t connect. Okada hit the ring and tried for a rainmaker, but Naito avoided it. Instead, Naito hit Okada with Destino. In quick succession, Naito also hit Tanahashi with Destino to close the match.

Tetsuya Naito returning from injury for NJPW World Tag League

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tetsuya Naito is returning to action on November 14.

Naito appeared at a press conference held this morning and confirmed that he would be returning for the World Tag League that will start on the 14th. He announced that he would be teaming with SANADA. 

During the press conference, Naito said that he injured his knee during his first match in the G1 against Zack Sabre Jr. back in September. This caused him to miss the rest of the tournament, officially scoring a 0-9 record. Naito said that while he was mentally preparing for torn ligaments in his knees that would have required surgery, instead there was in fact no ligament damage and would be able to return to the ring quickly. He also assured people that he was not rushing back to the ring.

It was also confirmed during this morning’s press conference that Kazuchika Okada would challenge Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight title at Wrestle Kingdom 16 on January 4.