Tag: sho

NJPW Road to The New Beginning results: Six-man tag main event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) vs. Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji 
  • Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, SHO & Master Wato

Report —

This was the quickest show of this loop at roughly 110 minutes. 

**********

Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji (8:36)

There was some good action in this one as Ospreay worked the bulk of the match for his team. 

Kojima and Tsuji attacked before the opening bell. Tsuji was quickly cut off when O-Khan grabbed an anaconda vice. O-Khan worked Tsuji over with his wacky offense. Ospreay tagged in and continued the attack. 

Kojima got a tag and hit machine gun chops to Ospreay. O-Khan blocked a top rope elbow attempt from Kojima. Ospreay hit Kojima with pip pip cheerio. Kojima blocked a Storm Breaker attempt and took Ospreay down with a cutter. 

Tsuji tagged in and hit a back bodydrop and a vertical suplex on Ospreay for a near fall. He followed with a splash for another two count as O-Khan made the save for Ospreay. O-Khan and Kojima exchanged Mongolian chops and rolled outside. 

Ospreay hit a bloody sunday on Tsuji. Kojima broke up the ensuing pin attempt. Tsuji connected with a spear to Ospreay. Ospreay blocked a slam attempt and hit a hook kick and an Oscutter for the pin. 

O-Khan did his United Empire roll call promo after the match. 

Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (10:42)

This was the third garbage brawl between these teams in as many nights and the worst match of the bunch.  ELP’s loaded boot was again the story of the bout. 

Kanemaru fell victim to the loaded boot after Bullet Club attacked before the bell rang. Bullet Club isolated Kanemaru and worked over his abdomen. Suzuki tried to save but got sent outside by Gedo and Jado. 

ELP and Ishimori did a lot of their comedy offense. Kanemaru managed a low dropkick to Gedo and tagged Suzuki. Suzuki hit a penalty kick on Gedo for a near fall. 

Jado saved for Gedo. Suzuki put Jado in a Fujiwara armbar. ELP saved for Jado. Suzuki blocked a shot from ELP’s boot and put him in a kneebar. ELP rolled outside. Desperado tagged in and got hit with a kendo stick from the floor. 

Ishimori tagged in and hit a seated senton on Desperado. Kanemaru jumped in for a double team. ELP got a tag and stomped on Desperado with the loaded boot. DOUKI tagged in to set up the closing sequence. 

DOUKI hit Daybreak for a near fall, but Ishimori made the save for ELP. Gedo jumped in with brass knuckles. Jado entered with a kendo stick. DOUKI brought his pipe into the ring. 

ELP hit a superkick with the loaded boot for the pin. 

Suzuki put Jado in an armbar on the floor after the match, just for giggles. ELP and Ishimori briefly posed with the IWGP Jr. Tag belts after the win. 

EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (11:51)

This was a fine little brawl. Goto looked especially good here. 

Bullet Club used a jumpstart attack and sent Okada and YH outside while they worked on Goto. Goto made a heck of a comeback and beat on all three Bullet Club guys. Togo tripped him from the outside to shift the momentum back in Bullet Club’s favor. 

They brawled around ringside. EVIL used a chair to choke Okada. Goto was worked over for several minutes. Goto and Yujiro hit simultaneous lariats into a double down. Okada got a tag and hit some signature offense on Yujiro. EVIL tagged in and got hit by an Okada air raid crash. 

YH tagged in. YH and Goto hit EVIL with some tandem offense, including a thrust kick into an ushigoroshi. The match broke down and everyone jumped in for a big move. YH used a lariat and a butterfly lock on EVIL. Togo jumped on the apron with a chair for the distraction save. 

EVIL hit a low blow and Everything is EVIL on YH for the pin. 

SANADA & Tetsuya Naito defeated Kota Ibushi & Tomoaki Honma (13:07)

Ibushi and SANADA began by locking up. Ibushi broke cleanly against the ropes. Ibushi gained the advantage with a mid kick, then tagged Honma. Ibushi jumped back in for a double team. Honma and Ibushi missed a double kokeshi, allowing LIJ to take control of the bout. 

Naito tagged in and toyed with Honma. He hit a series of back elbows to the neck, softening up Honma for a later Destino. Naito and SANADA exchanged tags and kept the pressure on Honma. Naito used a kravate on the mat and hit a basement dropkick for a near fall. Honma came back with a diving kokeshi. 

SANADA and Ibushi got tags. Ibushi hit a back elbow and a standing moonsault for a near fall. SANADA hit a dropkick to Ibushi’s left knee. Ibushi tried a sunset flip, but found himself stuck in the paradise lock. SANADA used a dropkick for a near fall. 

Ibushi avoided a moonsault attempt and a TKO attempt, but SANADA hit a magic screw to reset the match. Naito and Honma got tags to set up the finish. 

Honma hit a vertical suplex for a two count. SANADA interfered. Honma hit a combination complete shot/DDT on both and used a kokeshi for a near fall. Ibushi entered to double up on Naito. Honma hit a lariat for another near fall. 

Honma teased a top rope kokeshi, but SANADA cut him off at the pass. Naito teased a reverse frankensteiner, but Honma blocked, thank goodness. SANADA and Naito hit double dropkicks on Honma. Ibushi tried to save but SANADA threw him out of the ring. 

Naito hit a step-up enzuigiri. Honma hit a headbutt. Naito blocked a lariat and hit Destino for the pin. 

Naito threw Honma into the barricade after the match. He legitimately seemed angry that he had to work with Honma on a third straight show. 

SANADA and Ibushi did some crowd work after the match. 

Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, SHO & Master Wato (14:45)

This was another fun main event. The finish was awesome and very creative as well. 

SHO and Hiromu started out. Hiromu hit an immediate shotgun dropkick. They traded tackles. SHO used two misdirection spots to hit another shoulder tackle. Tanahashi tagged in and used a cobra twist on Hiromu. 

SHO tagged in for a strike exchange. BUSHI entered for the illegal double team and LIJ took control of the match. They cut SHO off and all three worked him over. Hiromu tagged back in for another nice exchange with SHO. SHO managed a spear and a tag to Wato. 

Wato peppered BUSHI with kicks. They traded strikes. BUSHI hit a rewind kick and a swinging neckbreaker into a double down. 

Shingo and Tanahashi tagged in. Tanahashi avoided a combination of strikes and hit a second rope crossbody. Shingo fought off three dragon screw attempts. Tana ducked a sliding lariat. Shingo came back with his own dragon screw. Tana fought off a cloverleaf attempt, but Shingo answered with a sliding lariat. 

They traded strikes. Shingo blocked a slingblade and hit a suplex. Tanahashi popped up and hit slingblade into a double down. These guys are incredible. 

Wato got a tag and cleared the LIJ apron. Wato hit a dreamcast on Shingo. SHO jumped in for a double team. Shingo hit a double lariat. Wato ducked a short lariat. Shingo got the short lariat on his second attempt. 

SHO entered. Hiromu tried a hurricanrana on him, but SHO blocked and hit a lariat. BUSHI hit a step-up enzuigiri on SHO. Tanahashi hit a slingblade on BUSHI. Shingo hit a lariat out of the corner on Tanahashi. 

With the deck cleared, Shingo and Wato were set for the finish. Wato hit a crucifix bomb for a two count. Wato used another crucifix for a near fall. 

For the finish, Wato tried a dreamcast. Shingo caught the kick and plucked Wato out of the air, then hit Last of the Dragon for the pin. 

Shingo closed the show with a promo. 

NJPW Road to The New Beginning results: The tour begins

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) vs. Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji 
  • Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo 
  • SHO & Master Wato vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI 

Report —

Due to a COVID-related state of emergency being declared in Tokyo until February 7, the show began a half hour earlier than usual at 4 a.m. Eastern. 

This  was also a five-match card rather than the traditional six as there is a recommended 8 p.m. curfew in Tokyo (6 a.m. Eastern).

**********

Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Satoshi Kojima & Yota Tsuji (8:38)

This was an entertaining opener. 

Kojima and Ospreay began, as Kojima wanted revenge for Ospreay kayfabe injuring Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Kojima got the better of a quick striking battle and hit a tackle. 

Tsuji and O-Khan tagged in. I like the O-Khan character but his wrestling leaves a lot to be desired. He’s very unorthodox and not in a good way. O-Khan cut Tsuji off and repeatedly picked him and dropped him on the mat. There was a fair amount of squeezing. 

Ospreay got a tag and took a back bodydrop. Kojima tagged in and hit some machine gun chops and a top rope elbow for a near fall. Ospreay’s bumping and feeding is the weakest part of his game besides his dollar store Ric Flair gimmick. 

Ospreay cut Kojima off with a kick to the bread club and a vertical suplex. O-Khan tagged in and hit some Mongolian chops. Kojima came back with a cutter and tagged out. 

Tsuji and O-Khan squared off. Tsuji is significantly better than O-Khan. Kojima jumped in for a double team. Tsuji used a splash for a near fall. Ospreay jumped in and traded strikes with Kojima. Ospreay blocked a lariat with a high kick, then hit a hook kick. 

Tsuji used a unique pinning combination for a near fall on O-Khan. O-Khan cut him off with a big boot, then hit the Dominator for the pin. 

O-Khan did his United Empire roll call promo after the match. 

Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo, Gedo & Jado defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI (9:23)

The key to this one was continuing to get ELP’s loaded boot over. 

It’s typically fun to watch NJPW’s heel stables wrestle each other, just because there’s no depth that they won’t sink to in trying to win. 

This match was the exception to that rule. Ishimori and ELP are fantastic wrestlers who are handicapped by being placed in the Bullet Club job squad. Gedo is a fine in small doses. Jado has significant balance issues and should not be in the ring. 

Suzuki-gun started brawling before the opening bell. Bullet Club got the upper hand when ELP hit Kanemaru in the leg with the loaded boot. Bullet Club worked Kanemaru over with comedy back rakes and such. 

There was a cool finish. DOUKI went for Daybreak, but came off with a springboard into an ELP superkick with the loaded boot for the pin. 

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto defeated EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo (10:13)

With Jay White on hiatus, EVIL has borrowed his stalling routine. 

Yujiro and Goto began as the legal men. Yujiro bit Goto’s hand. Ishii tagged in and demanded that Togo do so as well. Ishii and Togo doing spots together gave me life. This ruled. 

EVIL jumped in to try to double up on Ishii. Instead, Okada and Goto saved. EVIL tripped Ishii from the floor, finally allowing Bullet Club to turn this into a brawl more suited to their style. EVIL used a chair on Okada on the floor. 

Ishii ended up cut off in the Bullet Club corner. Ishii was whipped into an exposed turnbuckle. Ishii avoided a second whip into the buckle. EVIL ran sternum-first into the exposed steel, allowing Ishii to tag Okada. 

Okada had a great hot tag here. He ran wild with elbow strikes and back elbows on EVIL. Okada teased an air raid crash neckbreaker, but EVIL used a hair pull and a trip from Yujiro on the floor to regain command and tagged Togo. 

Okada hit a flapjack on Togo. Goto got a tag. Goto tried a misdirection lariat, but soon fell victim to a 3-on-1 from Bullet Club. Togo got a near fall off an EVIL fisherman buster to Goto. 

Things broke down as the finish approached. Togo grabbed his ligature. Okada saved. EVIL took out Okada. Goto rebounded and hit an ushigoroshi and a GTR on Togo, then pinned him. 

SANADA, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito defeated Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomoaki Honma (13:06)

These guys were up first after intermission. SANADA entered last for the LIJ squad. It will be interesting to see if Naito being phased down is just for the short term. 

This was not a good night for Naito and Honma in the ring. Someone could have been seriously injured. 

Shingo and Tanahashi began. Shingo teased a clean break against the ropes, then tried a wild chop. Tana ducked, then hit a second rope crossbody. Naito interfered from the apron and LIJ took over. 

SANADA got a tag and got the paradise lock on Tana. Naito tagged in and used a kravate. Tanahashi knocked Shingo down on the apron with a wild swing. Shingo then tagged back in and the two traded strikes. 

Ibushi and SANADA got tags. Ibushi scored a knockdown with a forearm, then used a high kick and a standing moonsault for a two count. SANADA hit a dropkick to the left knee and a follow-up plancha as Ibushi rolled outside. 

Ibushi avoided a springboard attack and hit a flying mid kick. Ibushi teased a last ride. SANADA escaped and tried to lock in a dragon sleeper. Ibushi hit a high kick into a double down. Honma tagged in and hit a series of strikes and a bulldog. 

Honma missed a kokeshi, allowing SANADA to tag Naito. Naito hit some trademark offense on Honma, then used a crucifix. Tanahashi broke the hold. Shingo entered and took Tanahashi out. Naito tried a Destino. Honma was supposed to reverse, but stumbled. Naito and Honma stumbled around and fell into a turnbuckle. 

Tanahashi hit a slingblade on Naito. SANADA took out Tana. Honma missed a top rope kokeshi. Naito and Honma were supposed to do something else, but again they stumbled and fell down. Naito looked like he was really mad with how the match was going here. 

SANADA and Naito hit a double dropkick on Honma. Naito then used Destino and pinned Honma. 

SANADA and Ibushi stared each other down after the match. 

SHO & Master Wato defeated Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI (17:52)

Wato and BUSHI began. Wato immediately knocked Hiromu off the apron with a running boot. Hiromu answered by hitting a sunset bomb. BUSHI tagged out and Hiromu began working on Wato in the LIJ corner. Hiromu knocked SHO off the apron for good measure. 

BUSHI got a tag and used an STF, but Wato forced a rope break. Hiromu and BUSHI continued to use quick tags in working Wato over. 

SHO got a hot tag and ran wild on Hiromu. Hiromu sold big for him. SHO hit a spear and began working on Hiromu’s left arm, looking to set up the Shock Arrow or the cross armbreaker. SHO hit a vertical suplex for a two count. 

Hiromu tried to take SHO’s back. SHO threw him off and got the cross armbreaker. Hiromu reversed the hold into a cradle for a two count. They did a series of counters and reversals. Hiromu hit a superkick into a double down. 

Hiromu tried a Dynamite Plunger. SHO blocked and hit a big forearm strike. They traded stiff forearm shots. Hiromu blinked first, as SHO knocked him into the ropes with a strike. Hiromu popped up and they kept trading. Hiromu knocked SHO into the ropes with a strike. 

After another striking sequence, SHO hit a lariat into a double down. Both tagged out. Wato lit BUSHI up with kicks and a springboard uppercut forearm for a two count. BUSHI blocked a recientemente attempt and hit a DDT. 

BUSHI hit a missile dropkick. Wato blocked a codebreaker and hit a slingblade. Wato climbed to the top rope, but Hiromu shoved him off to the mat. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick with Wato draped over the ropes. BUSHI hit a DDT on the apron. 

Hiromu entered for a double team. SHO hit Hiromu with a German suplex. BUSHI hit a codebreaker on SHO. Wato hit a dreamcast on BUSHI. All four were down in the ring at this point. 

BUSHI and Wato climbed to their feet and traded strikes. Wato hit a jumping knee strike. BUSHI hit a rewind kick and a destroyer, but SHO saved. BUSHI and Hiromu took out SHO with a double sunset flip. 

BUSHI suplexed Wato into a powerbomb from Hiromu, then covered for a near fall. BUSHI tried to set something up, but Wato reversed into a jackknife cradle and stole the pin. 

Hiromu and SHO had a staredown over the IWGP Jr. title after the bell. 

Wato and SHO both cut short promos in the ring after their win. 

Including the opening video package and the intermission, the show was done in an hour and 53 minutes. 

NJPW BOSJ results: Hiromu Takahashi vs. SHO

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Best of the Super Jrs. 27 tour continued today in Osaka. Here are the results: 

Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma defeated Yuji Nagata & Gabriel Kidd (8:55)

Kojima pinned Kidd after hitting a lariat. 

BOSJ: DOUKI defeated Yuya Uemura (12:54)

DOUKI got his first win of the tournament with Suplex de la Luna. 

BOSJ: Robbie Eagles defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (13:03)

Eagles won by submission with the Ron Miller Special. 

BOSJ: BUSHI defeated Master Wato (13:15)

BUSHI won by pinfall after hitting an MX. 

BOSJ: El Desperado defeated Taiji Ishimori (17:18)

Desperado pinned the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion after a Pinche Loco. 

BOSJ: SHO defeated Hiromu Takahashi (24:53)

SHO won via pinfall after hitting a Shock Arrow. 

BOSJ 27 standings —

  • El Desperado 10 points (5-2)
  • SHO 10 points (5-2)
  • Taiji Ishimori 10 points (5-2)
  • Hiromu Takahashi 10 points (5-2)
  • BUSHI 8 points (4-3)
  • Master Wato 8 points (4-3)
  • Robbie Eagles 6 points (3-4)
  • Ryusuke Taguchi 6 points (3-4)
  • DOUKI 2 points (1-6) *eliminated*
  • Yuya Uemura 0 points (0-7) *eliminated*

NJPW BOSJ results: El Desperado vs. SHO

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Best of the Super Jrs. 27 tour continued today in Niigata. Here are the results: 

Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma defeated Yuji Nagata & Gabriel Kidd (7:24)

Kojima pinned Kidd after hitting a lariat. 

BOSJ: Hiromu Takahashi defeated Yuya Uemura (10:43)

Hiromu won by submission with a Boston crab. 

BOSJ: Master Wato defeated DOUKI (12:29)

Wato remains tied atop the block after pinning DOUKI after an RPP.

BOSJ: BUSHI defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (10:51)

BUSHI won via pinfall after hitting an MX.

BOSJ: Taiji Ishimori defeated Robbie Eagles (17:22)

Ishimori pinned his former tag partner after hitting a Bloody Cross. 

BOSJ: El Desperado defeated SHO (18:40)

Desperado pinned SHO after a Pinche Loco. 

BOSJ 27 standings —

  • Hiromu Takahashi 8 points (4-1)
  • Taiji Ishimori 8 points (4-1)
  • Master Wato 8 points (4-1)
  • El Desperado 6 points (3-2)
  • SHO 6 points (3-2)
  • BUSHI 6 points (3-2)
  • Ryusuke Taguchi 4 points (2-3)
  • Robbie Eagles 4 points (2-3)
  • DOUKI 0 points (0-5)
  • Yuya Uemura 0 points (0-5)

NJPW reveals participants for Best of the Super Juniors 27

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The participants for this year’s Best of the Super Juniors 27 tournament have been announced

This year’s format is a dramatic change from last year’s tournament. Instead of two blocks and twenty entrants, this year there is only one block with ten wrestlers. The top two wrestlers who score the most points will meet each other in the finals.

Most of this year’s participants are NJPW regulars. Robbie Eagles, who has not appeared on a New Japan Pro Wrestling card since the COVID-19 pandemic, will make his return on this tour. Master Wato, who returned from excursion earlier this year, will make his Best of the Super Juniors debut.

The ten participants for this year’s tournament include:

  • Ryusuke Taguchi
  • Master Wato
  • SHO
  • Robbie Eagles
  • Hiromu Takahashi
  • BUSHI
  • El Desperado
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • DOUKI
  • Taiji Ishimori

The finals will take place on December 11 at Nippon Budokan.

The tournament, which usually runs in May, will instead run in conjunction with this year’s World Tag League. The original tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NJPW announces tournament for IWGP Junior Tag Team titles

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The IWGP Jr. Tag Team titles have been vacated.

One half of the champions, SHO, appeared at today’s press conference and officially vacated the titles, saying that YOH is unlikely to come back before the end of the year due to a knee injury. SHO had said they would be vacating the titles in a post-match interview at Summer Struggle in Jingu.

As a result, a four team round robin tournament will start on September 3. The two teams who score the most points will face off in the finals of the tournament on September 11. 

The following teams will compete:

  • Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
  • Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
  • El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Taiji Ishimori & Gedo

SHO and YOH had held the titles for 239 days, defeating El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5, their second reign as champions. The duo had successfully defended the title twice before vacating.

Roppongi 3K to vacate IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Roppongi 3K are vacating the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team titles.

SHO made the announcement in a post-show promo following Thursday’s Summer Struggle event in Korakuen Hall. NJPW later confirmed the news on Twitter but made no formal announcement regarding the future of the titles.

SHO made clear that he is not dissolving the Roppongi 3K team, but that YOH will be out of action and he is unsure of a return date. 

The duo are four-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag champs. Their most recent reign began at Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5 when they knocked off El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori to win the titles. 

YOH has been out with an unspecified left knee injury. NJPW announced on July 4 that he would miss the next two events but provided no further update. His last appearance came on June 23 when he lost to BUSHI in the first round of the 2020 New Japan Cup tournament. 

SHO’s promo can be seen below, complete with English subtitles:

NJPW reveals stipulations for upcoming KOPW qualifying matches

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW has detailed the stipulations and voting methods for the upcoming KOPW qualifying matches that will take place on August 26.

The company held a press conference this morning that was streamed on NJPW World. Kazuchika Okada was at the press conference to announce the stipulations the participants have chosen for their upcoming matches:

  • Satoshi Kojima has chosen a finisher’s only match, where Kojima’s lariat or El Desperado’s Pinche Loco will lead to a win. Desperado has chosen the opposite, a no finisher’s match where the lariat or Pinche Loco will lead to a disqualification.
  • Toru Yano has chosen a two count pinfall match, where a two count pinfall will lead to a win. BUSHI has chosen a five count ring out match, where wrestlers can only win by count out after the referee’s five count.
  • SHO has chosen a submission match, while SANADA has chosen a no pinfalls, give up only match. Therefore, this match has already been determined to be a submission match.
  • For Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Okada has chosen a 1 vs. 3 handicap match. Yujiro has chosen a lumberjack match where belts can be used as weapons. 

NJPW Global has putoutpolls for the three matches with stipulations still to be determined. The results will be announced next Monday, August 24.

The winners will face each other in a fatal four way match at Summer Struggle in Jingu on August 29, where the winner will become the first provisional champion. Whoever is champion at the end of the year will be named the 2020 KOPW champion.

Finals confirmed for NJPW NEVER Six-Man Tag Team title tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title tournament is down to its final two teams.

It will be an all-Chaos final as Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & SHO face off with their stablemates Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI to determine the new NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions. The match is taking place at NJPW’s Summer Struggle show at Korakuen Hall on Sunday (August 9).

Okada, Yano & SHO advanced to the finals by defeating SANADA, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI at today’s Summer Struggle event. They won by countout after Yano tied the laces of BUSHI’s mask to the barricade.

Ishii, Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato in today’s main event to advance to the finals.

In the first round of the tournament, Okada, Yano & SHO defeated Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado and Ishii, Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi.

The NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles were declared vacant after EVIL left Los Ingobernables de Japon and joined Bullet Club. He had held the titles with Shingo & BUSHI.

Sunday’s Summer Struggle show will begin at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.

Two title matches added to NJPW Dominion

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Two new title matches are set for this year’s NJPW Dominion event.

IWGP Tag Team Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi will defend their titles against Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. at Dominion. Ibushi eliminated Sabre from the New Japan Cup tournament last month, while Taichi eliminated both Tanahashi and Ibushi.

Shingo Takagi will also defend his NEVER Openweight Championship against SHO at Dominion. Takagi won the NEVER title from Hirooki Goto on night one of the New Beginning in Sapporo in February. SHO eliminated Takagi from this year’s New Japan Cup in the first round.

Dominion is taking place on Sunday, July 12 at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. The show will air live on New Japan World at 2 a.m. Eastern time. In the main event, Tetsuya Naito will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against the winner of the New Japan Cup tournament final between Kazuchika Okada and EVIL.

The New Japan Cup finals are being held at Osaka-jo Hall on Saturday, July 11.

NJPW Together Project Special results: Chaos vs. LIJ

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW returned today with its first show in 110 days, the Together Project Special.

The show began with a video recap of some of the Together Project content posted on NJPW World over the last few months. The recap continued with video messages sent in from NJPW fans celebrating the return. 

After the video package, we got our first look at the empty arena. The set resembled an empty theater. 

The ring announcer called out the Taguchi Japan members of the NJPW roster. Hiroshi Tanahashi cut a promo in Japanese. 

The ring announcer then presented the card for the evening. 

**********

Recommended matches: Kazuchika Okada, SHO & YOH vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi

**********

Report —

Yota Tsuji defeated Gabriel Kidd

This was your standard, technically sound NJPW opener. 

Kidd got a waistlock takedown. Tsuji powered Kidd back into the ropes and broke cleanly. Each tried to work the other’s left arm. Kidd briefly had an armbar before Tsuji grabbed a heel hook. Kidd escaped and applied a cross armbreaker but Tsuji forced an immediate rope break. 

Tsuji hit a shoulder tackle. Tsuji hit a series of strikes in the corner. Tsuji hit a hip toss for a near fall. Tsuji applied a camel clutch. Tsuji hit a splash for another near fall. 

Kidd blocked a slam and hit one of his own. Kidd tried a pair of tackles but could not get Tsuji down. Kidd hit some forearm strikes and then finally got Tsuji off his feet with a tackle. Kidd hit a dropkick for a two count. 

Kidd fought for a full crab. Tsuji kicked him off so Kidd settled for a single-leg crab. Tsuji forced a rope break. 

Tsuji hit a backdrop and used a vertical suplex for a two count. Kidd used a cradle for a surprise near fall. They traded strikes and some hard slaps. 

For the finish, Tsuji used a spear for a two count then got a full Boston crab applied. Kidd tapped. 

El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Yuya Uemura

This was a very good undercard tag match. 

Desperado and Kanemaru attacked before the opening bell. They hit Ishii with a 3D and he rolled outside. Uemura came back with a dropkick on both Desperado and Kanemaru. Kanemaru cut him off with an eye rake. 

Desperado taunted Ishii and Ishii jumped in illegally. Ishii and Desperado traded strikes while Kanemaru ran Uemura into the barricade. 

Kanemaru tagged in and continued working Uemura over. Kanemaru used a camel clutch while Ishii and Desperado fought on the floor. Desperado raked Ishii’s eyes. 

Uemura missed one dropkick but hit a second and tagged Ishii. Ishii dropped Kanemaru with a tackle. Ishii no-sold an eye rake. Desperado nailed Ishii from the apron. Ishii brought Desperado inside with a brainbuster. 

Desperado and Kanemaru tried to double team Ishii. Ishii side-stepped a big boot and Kanemaru nailed Desperado. Ishii hit Kanemaru with a powerslam. 

Kanemaru hit a low dropkick to Ishii’s left leg. Desperado tagged in and worked on the same leg. Desperado tried Numero Dos but Ishii forced a rope break. Ishii hit a backdrop suplex and tagged out. 

Uemura entered and first went after Kanemaru on the floor, whipping him into the barricade. He then attacked Desperado with a vertical suplex and a full crab. Kanemaru attacked and forced Uemura to give up the hold. 

Desperado hit Uemura with a spinebuster. Kanemaru connected with a one-legged dropkick and Desperado covered for a two count. Ishii jumped in. Uemura cradled Desperado for a two count. 

Desperado hit a spear for a near fall then used the stretch muffler for the submission win. 

Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, Gedo & Jado defeated Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Tomoaki Honma & YOSHI-HASHI

This was a comedy brawl. Sometimes the comedy was unintentional. This would have been a stretch to make work in front of a crowd and it had no chance in this setting. 

All of these guys were very vocal. Jado can barely move and shouldn’t be in the ring. 

Yujiro and Goto began. Goto went for an ushigoroshi early but Yujiro blocked. 

Yano and Jado tagged in. Yano grabbed a corner pad and Jado brought his kendo stick into the ring. Yano ducked a kendo stick shot. Jado took the ref and Yujiro attacked Yano. 

YH tagged in. Gedo hit him from behind and attempted a double team but YH fought it off. Jado cut YH off and the heels took turns working him over. YH hit a headhunter on Ishimori to set up a tag to Goto. 

Goto used a misdirection lariat, a wheel kick and a Saito suplex to earn a near fall. Ishimori blocked an ushigoroshi and hit a handspring kick. 

Gedo tagged in and hit a jaw breaker. Goto blocked a thrust kick and tagged Honma. Honma sent Gedo into the exposed buckle and hit a bulldog. Honma missed a kokeshi. 

Yujiro tagged in and all four faces teamed up against him. Honma hit a kokeshi for a near fall. Honma hit a slam. Honma tried a kokeshi off the second rope but missed. 

Jado used a kendo stick on Honma. Yujiro followed with a fisherman buster but Goto broke up the pin. 

Yujiro then hit Pimp Juice for the pin. 

**********

A hype video played for The Grand Master. He is coming soon. 

**********

Some staff members were shown cleaning the ring and ringside area. The announcers filled time. The announcers were several feet apart with partitions between them. 

We then got an official cleaning and disinfection intermission. 

**********

Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI 

These guys had a really good match and the finish was surprising. The time off looked to have done Tenzan some good as he was moving well. 

Taguchi and SANADA locked up. They had a nice chain wrestling exchange that ended in a stalemate. Taguchi offered a fist bump but then kicked SANADA instead. 

They did a great comedy spot where Taguchi thought he had successfully applied the paradise lock. He hadn’t. Taguchi did his Nakamura mannerisms and hit a hip attack to SANADA’s head. 

Tenzan and SANADA traded palm strikes to the chest. Tenzan hit some Mongolian chops. Kojima cleared the LIJ corner and joined Tenzan for some tandem offense on SANADA. 

LIJ took control of the match after BUSHI tripped Tenzan from the floor. BUSHI tagged in and choked Tenzan with his shirt. LIJ took turns working over Tenzan. Tenzan managed to tag out after hitting a wheel kick to EVIL. 

Kojima hit machine gun chops on EVIL and connected with the follow-up top rope elbow for a near fall. Taguchi tagged in for a series of hip attacks on SANADA and BUSHI. 

Taguchi hit a springboard hip attack and used an ankle lock on SANADA. Taguchi blocked a TKO, blocked a Skull End and used a cradle for a two count. SANADA hit a low dropkick. 

The match broke down. BUSHI hit Taguchi with a backstabber for a two count. BUSHI hit a rewind kick. Taguchi countered with a hip attack and an ankle lock. SANADA broke up the hold. Tenzan and Kojima hit a TenCozy Cutter on EVIL. 

BUSHI blocked Dodon. Taguchi hit a Bomaye for a two count, then got the ankle lock applied again. BUSHI tapped out. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata defeated Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & DOUKI

This was about setting up New Japan Cup matches and teasing some spots for those matches. 

Suzuki-gun attacked before the opening bell in this match as well. Suzuki and Nagata started off as the legal men and traded strikes. 

Sabre and Ibushi tagged in. They traded strikes until Sabre grabbed a hold. Ibushi tried to shoot Sabre off into the ropes but Sabre hit a flapjack and Suzuki-gun turned this into a brawl around ringside. 

Suzuki-gun isolated Ibushi in their corner. It was something else seeing DOUKI get offense on Ibushi. Ibushi came back with a backflip kick and tagged out. 

Tanahashi hit a slam and a somersault senton on Taichi for a two count. Taichi blocked a slingblade. Tana blocked a backdrop suplex. They traded strikes. Taichi hit a high kick. He went for a buzzsaw kick but Tana blocked and hit a dragon screw. 

Makabe tagged in and hit Taichi with punches in the corner. Sabre and Suzuki tried to interfere but they were intercepted by Tana and Ibushi. 

DOUKI and Makabe ended up as the legal men. Makabe got caught in a triangle but forced a rope break. Everyone jumped in for a big move. Nagata and Suzuki brawled to the floor. 

DOUKI hit Makabe with a pipe and rolled him up. Makabe kicked out at two. Makabe then hit a slam and hit the King Kong Knee Drop for the pin. 

Taichi and Tanahashi had a long staredown after the match. 

Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi defeated Kazuchika Okada, SHO & YOH

This was a super fun main event. 

Okada and Naito began the match. They locked up. Okada broke cleanly against the ropes. Naito kicked Okada off the break. They traded holds. Naito used a side headlock takeover. Okada used a headscissors escape. 

Shingo and SHO tagged in for an electric exchange. Hiromu jumped in. YOH intercepted him and SHO and YOH nailed Hiromu with dropkicks. 

SHO got the upper hand on Shingo with some hard kicks. Shingo sold them big time for SHO. SHO tried a series of lariats but Shingo did not go down. 

LIJ used an illegal triple team to assert control of the match. They isolated SHO in their corner and worked him over. Shingo used a brainbuster for a near fall. Naito tagged in and worked on SHO’s left leg. Hiromu tagged in and worked on the left leg and left arm. 

Hiromu hit a dropkick and made a cover but YOH broke up the pin after just a one count. SHO came back with a spear to Shingo and a vertical suplex on Hiromu. 

Okada tagged in for a running back elbow, a running back elbow in the corner and a DDT for a two count. Hiromu avoided a top rope elbow attempt and Okada landed on his feet. Hiromu avoided a tombstone and dropped Okada with a back suplex. 

Naito and Okada had another exchange. Naito avoided an air raid crash on the first attempt. Okada landed the move on the second try. 

YOH tagged in and nailed Naito with a flying forearm and a missile dropkick for a near fall. LIJ saved for Naito. The match broke down. SHO and Shingo jumped in and hit lariats. 

Naito went for Destino. YOH blocked and rolled up Naito for a two count. Naito blocked a falcon arrow and hit a flipping inverted Destino. I’m not sure that’s what the move is, but I don’t know what else to call it. The move looks awesome. 

Naito then hit YOH with the traditional Destino and pinned him. 

**********

Naito cut a promo to close the show. He mentioned the New Japan Cup and ended with the LIJ roll call. 

NJPW Road to Power Struggle results: Junior Tag League day 11

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The eleventh day of the Super Junior Tag League took place this morning in Shizuoka. There was only one tournament match, as one more will take place tomorrow and the rest will take place on Friday. Here are this morning’s results:

TJP & Karl Fredericks defeated Tomoaki Honma & Yota Tsuji

– TJP defeated Tsuji following the detonation kick.

Volador Jr. & Titan defeated El Desperado & DOUKI

– Titan pinned DOUKI after a springboard double foot stomp. This was pretty good, Volador Jr. and Titan mesh well as a team and stand out.

El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori defeated Jushin Thunder Liger & Clark Connors

– ELP pinned Connors following the CR2.

Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, SANADA and Shingo Takagi defeated Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr. and Yoshinobu Kanemaru

– Kanemaru took the pinfall here, being pinned after a Destino by Tetsuya Naito. Taichi waited until Natio was walking to the back to attack him, throwing him head first into the ringpost. He then nailed him with a chair.

Jay White, KENTA and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto and Toa Henare

– White pinned Henare with the bladerunner.

Super Junior Tag League: SHO & YOH defeated Tiger Mask & Yuya Uemura

YOH and Tiger Mask start things off, then Uemura is tagged in, who demands to wrestle SHO. The two wrestle for a bit before SHO gains control, tagging in YOH.

Uemura finally came to life, cutting off SHO with a dropkick and tagged in Tiger Mask, who went for the tiger driver but SHO blocked it. Tiger Mask instead took his leg and went for a scissors. He went for it again, but SHO escaped, only for Tiger Mask to strike him with a knee.

Tiger Mask connected with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on YOH, and after some goading from Uemura tagged him in, who went after YOH. Tiger Mask came back in and hit the Tiger Driver on SHO as Uemura hit a suplex on YOH and went for a Boston crab. YOH tried to crawl to the ropes, but he was unable to. 

SHO eventually freed himself, but Uemura hit a giant German suplex on YOH. Uemura hit a bunch of hot near falls, but walked right into a YOH kick. YOH went for a dragon suplex, but Uemura blocked it. Instead, YOH went for a German, but Uemura kicked out. 

YOH threw a tantrum, but then went for the dragon suplex and this time it connected, picking up the win. Terrific match, this was all about getting Uemura over and they did a wonderful job in doing so. It’s that easy, folks.

As far as standings go heading into Friday’s matches, SHO & YOH, Desperado & Kanemaru, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero, ELP & Taiji Ishimori and Ospreay & Eagles are still alive.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Robbie Eagles and YOSHI-HASHI  

– Tanahashi pinned Eagles with the high fly flow. He and the rest of his team celebrated with an air guitar performance to close out the show.

NJPW Road to Power Struggle results: Night two of Jr. Tag League

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW returned to Korakuen Hall this morning for the second day of the Super Junior Tag League tournament. Here are the full results, complete with prelim matches.

KARL FREDERICKS & TOMOAKI HONMA DEFEATED YOTA TSUJI & JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER

Fredericks submitted Tsuji with a half crab. 

TETSUYA NAITO, SANADA, EVIL & SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, ZACK SABRE JR., TAICHI & DOUKI

Naito pinned DOUKI after a Pumping Bomber. Sabre teased defending the RPW British Heavyweight Championship on both nights at the Tokyo Dome. 

JAY WHITE, KENTA & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO, TOMOHIRO ISHII & TOA HENARE

Yujiro pinned Henare after hitting Pimp Juice. 

SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE MATCH: RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & ROCKY ROMERO DEFEATED TIGER MASK & YUYA UEMURA

Romero and Uemura began with some chain wrestling. Romero tried to hit forever clotheslines in the corner, but Uemura blocked them, then hit a tackle. Both tagged out. 

Tiger and Taguchi did some rope-running comedy spots. Tiger hit a deep arm drag, and Tiger and Uemura worked on Taguchi in their corner. Uemura missed a dropkick, allowing Romero and Taguchi to take over. 

Taguchi and Romero used a series of quick tags in working over Uemura. Romero hit a low dropkick. Taguchi hit some hip attacks. Uemura missed another dropkick. Tiger finally got a tag. Taguchi missed a hip attack. 

Romero and Taguchi had some dissension, as both kicked the other. This was played for comedy more than teasing a break up. Tiger got a kneebar on Romero, but Taguchi broke it up. Tiger hit a Tiger superplex, allowing Uemura to use a full crab on Taguchi, but Taguchi reached the ropes. 

Uemura got the hold re-applied. Tiger grabbed Rocky in a Fujiwara armbar to prevent the save, but Taguchi again reached the ropes. 

Uemura hit a German into a bridge for a near fall on Taguchi, but Romero made the save. Romero and Taguchi hit stereo hip attacks on Uemura. Romero hit a hip attack to Tiger, then nailed him with a suicide dive. 

Taguchi got an ankle lock on Uemura, but Uemura rolled through to a cradle for a two count. Taguchi hit a Bomaye, but Uemura kicked out at two. Taguchi then hit Dodon and pinned Uemura. 

This turned into a heck of a little match by the end. 

SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE MATCH: VOLADOR JR. & TITAN DEFEATED TJP & CLARK CONNORS

This was another good match. 

Connors caused a ruckus by refusing Titan and Volador’s handshakes before the match. Volador and TJP began with some mat work. TJP used a bow and arrow. They had a nice sequence trading headscissors and dropkick attempts. 

Titan and Connors tagged in. Connors used a headscissors on the mat. Titan escaped with a handstand. Connors fired back with a dropkick. Titan fought off a double team effort, and Connors accidentally clotheslined TJP. 

Volador and Titan hit some tandem offense. Titan hit a fantastic springboard splash on TJP, and Volador covered for a two count. Titan and Volador focused on TJP’s left arm. Titan used a variation of a magistral cradle for a two count. 

TJP managed a tag, then Connors took over on Titan with a shoulder tackle and stomps. TJP tagged back in and hit a slingshot senton for a two count. TJP used a sharpshooter, then a deathlock, but Titan forced a break. 

Titan made a comeback with a springboard crossbody, then tagged Volador, who hit a backstabber for a near fall on TJP. Titan got an immediate tag back in, then hit a springboard leg drop off the middle rope. Connors broke up the pinfall.

TJP hit a superplex on Titan, then hit a kick for a near fall, as Volador made the save. TJP and Connors hit a tandem move, and Connors hit a spear on Titan for a two count. Connors used a full crab on Titan, but Volador saved. 

Volador hit TJP with a tope con giro. Connors used an inside cradle for a two count on Titan. Titan hit a dropkick in the corner and flew through the ropes to the outside. He then hit a swinging dropkick in the corner, then used a springboard double stomp for the pin. 

SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE MATCH: EL DESPERADO & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU DEFEATED EL PHANTASMO & TAIJI ISHIMORI 

This was two heel teams having a cartoon heel brawl. Lots of eye rakes, back rakes, and plenty of other underhanded tactics. If you’re into that, this was fine. After a long day of watching wrestling, this didn’t do much for me. 

Suzuki-gun used an attack before the bell. ELP and Ishimori managed to withstand the attack, then worked over Kanemaru with some comedy spots. ELP used a back rake. Desperado tagged in and returned the back rake favor to ELP. 

ELP and Ishimori worked over Desperado’s crotch with stomps in the corner. Kanemaru tripped Ishimori from the floor, and Suzuki-gun turned this into a crowd brawl. Desperado used a chair and an umbrella to attack ELP. 

Back inside, Desperado and Kanemaru worked over Ishimori with a series of suplexes and quick tags. Ishimori hit a backflip kick, then managed to tag ELP. ELP hit a springboard crossbody to Desperado, a quebrada, then hit a suicide dive to Kanemaru for good measure. 

ELP teased his airplane spin neckbreaker, but Desperado slipped out, then hit a spinebuster for a two count. Desperado got Numero Dos applied, but Ishimori made the save. 

The match broke down — and all four jumped in. ELP missed a plancha to Kanemaru. Ishimori hit Desperado with a handspring kick for a two count. Ishimori hit a lung blower for a two count, as Kanemaru pulled the referee out of the ring. 

With the ref down, ELP, Kanemaru, and Ishimori got hit with low blows. Ishimori went for a low blow on Desperado, but Desperado blocked the shot with a title belt. Kanemaru then spit whiskey in Ishimori’s eyes, and Desperado hit Pinche Loco on Ishimori. The ref was revived, and Desperado pinned Ishimori. 

SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE MATCH: SHO & YOH DEFEATED ROBBIE EAGLES & WILL OSPREAY  

SHO and Eagles began by locking up. They traded left arm wringers. SHO used a hammerlock, then a side headlock takeover. Eagles escaped, then worked his own side headlock. They exchanged shoulder tackles, then tagged out. 

Ospreay and YOH tied up. Ospreay and YOH both broke cleanly against the ropes. YOH hit a series of arm drags. Eagles jumped in and also got an arm drag. YOH then hit Ospreay with a dropkick. 

YOH used a series of strikes on Ospreay. Eagles got a tag, and Ospreay and Eagles used tandem strikes to take over on YOH. Eagles and YOH stayed inside, while Ospreay and SHO fought into the audience. 

Eagles hit a running kick for a near fall. Ospreay left SHO laying in the crowd, then returned to the ring to double up on YOH. Ospreay hit quick kicks, then a dropkick for a near fall. Eagles tagged in and used a knee drop for a two count. 

YOH came back with a dragon screw on Eagles. Ospreay tagged himself in, and YOH hit both with a double hurricanrana. 

SHO got a tag. He nailed Eagles with a delayed dropkick, sending him to the floor. SHO then hit a series of kicks on Ospreay for a two count. SHO tried for a wheelbarrow suplex on Ospreay. Ospreay blocked it, then hit a handspring kick, into a double down. 

Ospreay and SHO exchanged strikes. Ospreay hit Kawada kicks. SHO fired up, no-sold a series of slaps, then dropped Ospreay with a forearm strike. SHO hit a series of forearms. Ospreay came back with uppercut strikes, but SHO cut him off with a lariat. Both tagged out.

YOH hit a back elbow and a dropkick to the left leg. SHO used a figure four, which Eagles sold as if he was covered in sulfuric acid. Eagles forced a rope break. 

Eagles blocked a springboard attack from YOH, then fought off a counter attack by SHO. Both Roppongi 3K members rolled outside, and Eagles nailed them with a suicide flip dive. 

Back inside, Eagles hit a couple of dropkicks to YOH, then locked on the Miller Special. SHO jumped in, and promptly ate stereo kicks from Eagles and Ospreay. Ospreay and Eagles hit a top rope ace crusher for a two count. 

Ospreay and Eagles tried for their tandem finisher, the Red Wing. SHO broke it up. SHO and YOH hit Eagles with a tandem falcon arrow, but Ospreay saved. SHO and YOH hit Ospreay with stereo knees. 

YOH hit a one-legged dropkick on Eagles. Roppongi called for a 3K, but Eagles hit YOH with a DDT, then a dropkick to SHO. Eagles hit Turbo Backpack on YOH for a two count. YOH didn’t get all the way over for the move and almost got spiked on his head. 

Eagles went for a 450, but YOH got the knees up. Eagles avoided the knees and went for the Miller Special, but YOH used a cradle for a near fall. Eagles tried for Turbo Backpack again. YOH blocked. 

YOH and Eagles traded a series of cradles for near falls. YOH then used a Japanese Clutch to pin Eagles. 

This was a very good match, but Ospreay didn’t do many of his trademark spots. Apparently he was suffering from food poisoning and not feeling well. As a result, there was not nearly as much flying as you would expect. 

SHO and YOH closed the show with a promo. 

CURRENT SUPER JR. TAG LEAGUE STANDINGS —

  • Volador Jr. & Titan: 4
  • Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero: 4
  • El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru: 4
  • El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori: 2
  • SHO & YOH: 2
  • Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles: 0
  • TJP & Clark Connors: 0
  • Tiger Mask & Yuya Uemura: 0

TJP, SHO & Dragon Lee confirmed for NJPW Super J-Cup

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The first three entrants have been confirmed for next month’s Super J-Cup tournament.

NJPW announced on Thursday that TJP, SHO, and Dragon Lee will be taking part in the tournament. There will be 16 entrants in total.

TJP trained at NJPW’s Los Angeles dojo and wrestled for the promotion earlier in his career. He also participated in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in 2011.

TJP was released by WWE this February. He returned to Impact Wrestling in June, though he isn’t under contract with them.

SHO, Lee, Will Ospreay, Caristico, El Phantasmo, and YOH have been included on advertising for the Super J-Cup. NJPW is hyping the tournament as an “international junior heavyweight wrestling festival.”

Jushin Thunder Liger is the producer of the Super J-Cup and will be wrestling at all three shows, but he won’t be one of the entrants in the tournament.

The Super J-Cup will begin at the Temple Theater in Tacoma, Washington on Thursday, August 22. The San Francisco State University Student Life Event Center in San Francisco, California will host the second round of the tournament on Saturday, August 24, then the semifinals and finals will be held at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California on Sunday, August 25.

NJPW Kizuna Road results: Junior Heavyweight tag titles on the line

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The NJPW Kizuna Road tour rolled into Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall today. 

The show saw a title change in the main event, but that was secondary to the real draw of the event — the announcement of the G1 Climax 29 field. 

Here are full results and match recaps:

**********

YOTA TSUJI DEFEATED YUYA UEMURA

These two continue to trade wins and go to time limit draws. Their series now stands at four wins for Tsuji, three for Uemura, and 21 draws. 

After an early mat wrestling sequence, Tsuji used a shoulder tackle to take over. He demonstrated his power edge until Uemura came back with a dropkick. Uemura hit a second dropkick in the corner. 

They traded strikes in the center of the ring until Tsuji landed his own dropkick. Tsuji hit a powerslam, but Uemura kicked out of the ensuing cover. Tsuji went for a full crab, but Uemura turned it into a cradle for a two count. 

Tsuji got the crab applied on his second attempt. Uemura battled to reach the ropes, but ultimately could not, and Tsuji got the submission. A solid opener. 

TAICHI, YOSHINOBU KANEMARU & DOUKI DEFEATED TOMOHIRO ISHII, TOMOAKI HONMA & REN NARITA

DOUKI is still in our lives. 

Suzuki-gun used an attack before the bell to establish the early advantage. Narita made a quick comeback, landing a pescado. Kanemaru jumped Narita on the floor and hit him with a guillotine leg slice over the barricade. 

While Kanemaru and DOUKI worked over Narita inside the ring, Taichi choked Ishii with a camera cable on the floor. DOUKI landed a double stomp. Narita made another comeback, hitting a knee lift and a dropkick. 

Honma tagged in. He was cut off on his first kokeshi attempt, but hit one on Taichi. Honma hit a diving kokeshi on Kanemaru, and Ishii and Taichi received tags. 

Taichi hit Ishii with a series of short kicks. Ishii fired up and hit a series of chops. Taichi raked the eyes, but Ishii countered with a shoulder tackle. Ishii ducked a buzzsaw, and Taichi kicked away an attempted lariat. Ishii hit a back suplex, into a double down. 

Narita tagged in. Taichi blocked a belly-to-belly. DOUKI jumped in, and Narita hit him with a belly-to-belly. Narita tried for a leg lace on Taichi, but Kanemaru made the save. Taichi removed his pants. Narita used a cradle and a backslide for a pair of near falls. 

Taichi hit an axe bomber for a two count, then pinned Narita with a superkick. They worked at a brisk pace, and the match was good. 

RYUSUKE TAGUCHI, JUICE ROBINSON & MIKEY NICHOLLS DEFEATED TAMA TONGA, TANGA LOA & JADO

They are establishing Juice and Nicholls as future opponents for Tonga and Loa, so the booking here made sense. 

Bullet Club attacked before the bell. Tonga and Loa hit Juice with some tandem offense. Tonga missed a splash into the corner, and Nicholls jumped in to aid Juice in hitting their own tandem offense. 

Taguchi got a tag, but quickly found his ass being worked over. Tonga and Loa took the referee, enabling Jado to jump in and nail Taguchi with a kendo stick. Taguchi continued to sell his ass as G.O.D. worked it over with kicks and headbutts. 

Jado pulled Taguchi’s tights down and threatened to use the kendo stick again, but Juice jumped in to make the save. Juice ran wild with jabs, and Nicholls hit a pescado. Taguchi continued to work the rest of the match with his tights down in the back. 

Taguchi and Jado traded cradles. Taguchi used an ankle lock, and Jado tapped out. A total comedy match. The live crowd loved it. 

TETSUYA NAITO, SHINGO TAKAGI, EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI DEFEATED KOTA IBUSHI, YUJI NAGATA, JUSHIN LIGER, TIGER MASK & SHOTA UMINO

BUSHI and Tiger started off. Tiger landed a series of kicks, then tagged Liger. A brawl broke out around ringside, while BUSHI used a kick to the face to gain the advantage on Liger. On the outside, Naito went after Ibushi’s eye, which was injured in their match last weekend. 

EVIL and SANADA continued to work over Liger. SANADA applied the Paradise Lock over the ropes. Liger hit a backbreaker and a lariat to BUSHI, then tagged Nagata. Nagata looked great here. Naito got a tag, and Nagata absolutely went crazy on him. He hit an exploder, then used a Nagata Lock. 

Ibushi got a tag and continued the work on Naito that Nagata started. Ibushi hit a missile dropkick, and a plancha. Naito came up from the floor with a bloody mouth. This interaction was mild and safe by their standards. 

Umino and Shingo tagged in. Umino hit a missile dropkick and used a cross armbreaker, but Shingo rolled to the ropes for a break. Shingo sold a lot for Umino. LIJ went five-on-one against Umino. Umino’s team jumped in for the save. 

The match broke down, leaving Shingo and Umino in the ring. Shingo hit a noshigami for a nearfall, then hit a Pumping Bomber to pick up the pin. 

LIJ posed together in the ring after the match. Naito’s mouth was a complete mess. EVIL refused to join in the group celebration. This wasn’t so much a breakup angle as it was a reminder that G1 is coming, and it’s every man for himself. 

G1 CLIMAX 29 FIELD ANNOUNCEMENT

A BLOCK

  • Kazuchika Okada
  • Zack Sabre Jr. 
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Kota Ibushi
  • EVIL 
  • SANADA
  • Bad Luck Fale
  • Lance Archer
  • Will Ospreay
  • KENTA

B BLOCK

  • Tetsuya Naito
  • Tomohiro Ishii
  • Juice Robinson
  • Toru Yano
  • Hirooki Goto
  • Jay White
  • Jeff Cobb
  • Shingo Takagi
  • Taichi
  • Jon Moxley

JAY WHITE, YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI, TOGI MAKABE & TORU YANO

Yujiro returned here after a long absence due to an eye injury. 

Makabe worked over Yujiro and Owens. Yano got a tag and immediately untied a corner pad. He was, of course, whipped into the exposed buckle. 

After a lengthy beatdown on Yano, White and Tana got tags. White hit a flatliner and a deadlift German, but Tanahashi came back with a Twist and Shout, into a double down. Makabe and Yujiro got tags. Yujiro hit a fisherman buster, then tagged Owens. 

Owens hit a Final Cut for a near fall. He teased a package piledriver, but Makabe escaped and hit a lariat. Makabe went up top for a knee drop, but Yujiro cut him off. 

The match broke down. Yano sent Yujiro into the exposed buckle. White sent Yano and Tana into the exposed buckle. White hit a Saito suplex on Tana. 

The finish saw Owens use a schoolboy on Makabe. He held the tights and got the upset. 

MINORU SUZUKI, LANCE ARCHER & ZACK SABRE JR. DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA, YOSHI-HASHI & TOA HENARE

They had to establish a lot in a short period of time with the booking of this match. 

YOSHI-HASHI is challenging for Sabre’s RPW British Heavyweight title on June 29, so the focus was put on them at the outset. They also started a storyline that Suzuki has become unhinged after being left out of the G1. For good measure, they also tried to get over the iron claw as a submission hold for Archer. 

YH held his own early on. He landed a big chop. Sabre had enough at that point, got a takedown, and went to work on YH’s legs. He dropped him leg-first over the barricade. Suzuki, meanwhile, went after Okada with a chair. They put over on commentary that Suzuki was upset at being left out of the G1 and was taking it out on the champ. 

Okada got the hot tag, and Suzuki tagged in as well. Okada hit a back elbow and used a DDT for a nearfall. Okada hit a slam and started to climb to the top for an elbow. Suzuki no-sold the slam, then attacked Okada from behind. 

Suzuki shoved the referee down, then hit Okada with a PK. They exchanged forearm strikes. Suzuki stayed up, while Okada collapsed to the mat. Suzuki applied a kimura, but Okada rolled to the ropes. Suzuki threw Red Shoes out of the ring and maintained the kimura. 

Suzuki held Okada in the kimura in the ropes forever, but the ref didn’t call for a DQ. Archer didn’t want to get disqualified, so he tagged himself in. Okada hit him with a dropkick, then dropkicked Suzuki off the apron, before tagging Henare. 

The match broke down. Suzuki held Okada in a rear naked choke, while Sabre tied YH up. Archer hit the Blackout on Henare. He made a cover, but pulled Henare up after a two count. Archer then used the iron claw to submit Henare. 

Suzuki cut a promo after the match. He demanded to be put in the G1 field. He said the people want to see him in the G1, and he demanded that New Japan give him a match to win his way into the field. 

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: EL PHANTASMO & TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED SHO & YOH TO WIN THE TITLES

YOH and Ishimori started off with a nice sequence. ELP tried to jump in, but he got sent outside. YOH hit a dive and came up bleeding from the neck. SHO tried to out-wrestle Ishimori, but Ishimori got the upper hand. He hit a series of chops, and he and ELP went to work on SHO. 

ELP used a series of back rakes. Ishimori hit double knees in the corner. ELP tied SHO to the tree of woe. SHO managed to escape. He landed a suplex to Ishimori, then tagged YOH. YOH hit a dragon screw. He teased a second, but Ishimori jumped in illegally, cutting him off. 

ELP and Ishimori worked YOH over in their half of the ring. Ishimori hit a sliding German. YOH tried to tag SHO, but Ishimori pulled him from the apron, and the extended beatdown on YOH continued. 

YOH hit a double dropkick, then suplexed Ishimori. SHO got a hot tag. He hit a series of lariats, then a double spear. Ishimori rolled through on a suplex attempt. He tried to hit a foot stomp, but the timing was off. Ishimori hit a handspring kick. Ishimori blocked a right-armed lariat, but SHO connected with his left arm. 

SHO hit another lariat, and Ishimori took a flip bump. SHO went for Shock Arrow, but Ishimori blocked. Ishimori teased the Bloody Cross, but SHO blocked. Ishimori hit a double stomp — and both tagged out. 

They traded quick cradles. YOH hit a Final Cut for a near fall. YOH teased hitting a dragon suplex off the top, but ELP slid out and hit a powerbomb. ELP hit a splash off the top for a two count. ELP missed a moonsault, and YOH rolled into a Calf Crusher. Simultaneously, SHO used a cross armbreaker on Ishimori. ELP reached the ropes. 

YOH used SHO as a launch pad to hit a back elbow in the corner. They tried for the 3K, but ELP hit a DDT. Ishimori took the referee and slid ELP his title belt. ELP hit YOH with the belt, then used an airplane spin for a nearfall. 

ELP tried for the CR2, but SHO made the save. SHO and YOH hit a tandem facebuster, then followed with the 3K. YOH covered, but Ishimori jumped in at the last second to make the save. 

SHO hit a jumping knee on Ishimori, then hit a flip dive through the second rope to the floor. YOH hit a bridging German on ELP for a near fall. 

SHO hit a backstabber. Ishimori jumped in and threw SHO into the referee. ELP hit a low blow on SHO. Ishimori hit a lungblower on YOH. ELP then used the CR2 on YOH. He got the pin — and the titles. 

ELP and Ishimori continued to attack after the bell. Taguchi ran in for the save. ELP promised to win the NEVER Six-Man titles from Taguchi tomorrow, then to beat him again later in the tour to retain the British Cruiserweight belt. 

Taguchi grabbed the mic and called SHO and YOH back to the ring to close the show with a promo. 

Everyone gave a great effort, but the crowd was quiet for a Korakuen main event.