Tag: summer struggle

NJPW reveals lineups for four Summer Struggle events

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Ethan Renner

NJPW has announced the cards for the final four Summer Struggle events of 2021.

Hiromu Takahashi’s return match after being sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle headlines the final leg of the tour. He will take on DOUKI in the main event of the Friday, August 27 show.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles will take on Master Wato in a tuneup match on the same show. Eagles will defend his title against Hiromu on the second night of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on Sunday, September 5.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, BUSHI, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo and Dick Togo are all absent from the lineups. Shingo and BUSHI tested positive for COVID-19 last week, while the others were pulled from subsequent events due to close contact.

Two new Young Lions will also debut at Summer Struggle. Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita will face each other in singles matches on each of the four nights.

Here are the full lineups:

NJPW Summer Struggle, Tuesday, August 24, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Robbie Eagles vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI
Kazuchika Okada & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Toru Yano & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Chase Owens & Jado
Satoshi Kojima & Master Wato vs. Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask
Ryohei Oiwa vs. Kosei Fujita

NJPW Summer Struggle, Wednesday, August 25, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Elimination match: Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Kazuchika Okada & Tomoaki Honma vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Chase Owens & Jado
Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI vs. Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Ryohei Oiwa vs. Kosei Fujita

NJPW Summer Struggle, Thursday, August 26, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Kazuchika Okada & Satoshi Kojima vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Minoru Suzuki vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Tiger Mask vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato vs. Tomoaki Honma & Robbie Eagles
Ryohei Oiwa vs. Kosei Fujita

NJPW Summer Struggle, Friday, August 27, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Hiromu Takahashi vs. DOUKI
Robbie Eagles vs. Master Wato
Kazuchika Okada & Togi Makabe vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki
Ryohei Oiwa vs. Kosei Fujita

Two new Young Lions to debut at NJPW Summer Struggle

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Ethan Renner

A pair of NJPW Dojo Young Lions will make their debuts at Tuesday’s Summer Struggle event.

Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita will make their Korakuen Hall debuts this week, facing each other in singles matches on each of the four Summer Struggle shows scheduled for this week on August 24, 25, 26 and 27.

Both Oiwa and Fujita were part of December 2020 NJPW tryouts. Both also joined the NJPW Dojo in April 2021.

Oiwa, 22, is 5’10” and weighs in at 198 pounds, according to NJPW. He has an amateur wrestling background, wrestling throughout middle school and through his college career. He placed third in the 2018 JOC nationals in the 86 kg weight class.

Fujita, 19, is also 5’10” and weighs 183 pounds. He also has an amateur background, claiming the JOC Western and Central Japan freestyle tournament in the 80 kg weight class in high school.

Oiwa and Fujita will fill the void left when Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji graduated from the NJPW Dojo and were sent on international excursion earlier this month.

Shingo Takagi and BUSHI pulled from NJPW event due to fevers

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Ethan Renner

NJPW has pulled IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi and BUSHI from today’s Summer Struggle event due to both having a fever.

NJPW announced that the two would be undergoing PCR tests and would be absent from the show. They were scheduled to take part in an eight-man tag main event on the untelevised event in Shizuoka.

Shingo and BUSHI are currently also scheduled to take part in eight-man tags at Monday and Tuesday’s Summer Struggle events in Korakuen Hall. No announcement has been made regarding their status for those shows.

Both appeared on Saturday’s untelevised show in Nagano. They teamed with Tetsuya Naito and SANADA in the main event, defeating EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo and Dick Togo.

Shingo is still currently scheduled to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against EVIL in the main event of night two of Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome in Saitama on Sunday, September 5.

NJPW reveals full lineups for eight Summer Struggle events

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Ethan Renner

NJPW has revealed the full lineups for their next eight Summer Struggle shows.

The most notable items from the reveal are the absences of Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Tanahashi will be in the United States to face Lance Archer for the IWGP United States Championship at Resurgence on Saturday, August 14. Okada is still set to face Jeff Cobb at Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome on Saturday, September 4.

A NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match has been added to the August 10 event, with Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI and Tomohiro Ishii defending against Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI.

Most of the top matches for this next leg of the Summer Struggle tour had already been announced, as the Super Junior Tag League will fill a big portion of the cards. The majority of the matches announced are undercard tag bouts.

The shows will be held between Saturday, August 7 and Tuesday, August 17.

Here are the lineups:

NJPW Summer Struggle, Saturday, August 7, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. SHO & YOH
Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Super Jr. Tag League: Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Gedo & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Toru Yano, Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi & Jado

NJPW Summer Struggle, Sunday, August 8, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Super Jr. Tag League: SHO & YOH vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Gedo & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Toru Yano, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi & Jado

NJPW Summer Struggle, Monday, August 9, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: SHO & YOH vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Gedo & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Togi Makabe vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tomoaki Honma vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi & Jado

NJPW Summer Struggle, Tuesday, August 10, 5 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Togi Makabe, SHO & YOH vs. EVIL, Gedo & Dick Togo
Toru Yano, Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Tomoaki Honma, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

NJPW Summer Struggle, Saturday, August 14, 5 a.m. Eastern time, no broadcast —

Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI
Toru Yano, Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
SHO, YOH & Master Wato vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima

NJPW Summer Struggle, Sunday, August 15, 2 a.m. Eastern time, no broadcast —

Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Robbie Eagles vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI
Toru Yano, SHO & YOH vs. Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask

NJPW Summer Struggle, Monday, August 16, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. SHO & YOH
Super Jr. Tag League: Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Gedo & Dick Togo
Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. EVIL, Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi & Jado
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI

NJPW Summer Struggle, Tuesday, August 17, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Super Jr. Tag League: Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
Super Jr. Tag League: SHO & YOH vs. Gedo & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Toru Yano, Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi & Jado

NEVER Six-Man title match set for August 10 NJPW Summer Struggle

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Ethan Renner

NJPW has added a NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship match to their August 10 Summer Struggle event in the Yokohama Budokan.

NEVER Six-Man Champions Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI and Tomohiro Ishii will defend the titles against the Los Ingobernables de Japon trio of Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI. The match was set up following the main event of Sunday’s Summer Struggle show.

After Goto, YOSHI-HASHI and Ishii retained their titles with a win over Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. and Minoru Suzuki, Naito, SANADA and BUSHI made their way to the ring to declare themselves the next challengers. Goto and YOSHI-HASHI made it clear in post-match comments that they would accept the challenge, and now the match is official.

A non-title match between IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi and Yujiro Takahashi has also been announced for the August 10 event.

Here is the full lineup:

NJPW Summer Struggle, Tuesday, August 10, 5 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Togi Makabe, SHO & YOH vs. EVIL, Gedo & Dick Togo
Toru Yano, Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Tomoaki Honma, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

NJPW reveals matches for nine Summer Struggle events

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Ethan Renner

NJPW has announced matches for their next nine Summer Struggle shows to be held in Korakuen Hall in July and August.

The key bout scheduled will be a NEVER Openweight Six-Man Championship match on August 1, with Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI defending the titles against Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. and Minoru Suzuki.

Also on August 1, Young Lions Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura will also have their final bouts before leaving Japan for their international excursion. Tsuji will face Tetsuya Naito, while Uemura takes on Kazuchika Okada.

The Super Junior Tag League will also return following a 2020 hiatus. Six teams will face off over five events from August 7 to August 17 in the tournament.

More matches will be announced for these nine events at a later date, as only the Tag League matches have been revealed for five of the nine events.

Here are the announced cards:

NJPW Summer Struggle, Tuesday, July 27, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. EVIL & Dick Togo
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, SHO & YOH vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo
Robbie Eagles, Tiger Mask & Yuya Uemura vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado
Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Yota Tsuji vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata

NJPW Summer Struggle, Friday, July 30, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Elimination match: Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Robbie Eagles vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens & Gedo
Kazuchika Okada, SHO & YOH vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Togi Makabe, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask

NJPW Summer Struggle, Saturday, July 31, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Elimination match: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, SHO & YOH vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Dick Togo
Kazuchika Okada, Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Yuya Uemura vs. Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata & Yota Tsuji

NJPW Summer Struggle, Sunday, August 1, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI (c) vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki
Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo
Toru Yano, SHO & YOH vs. Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo
Yota Tsuji farewell match: Tetsuya Naito vs. Yota Tsuji
Yuya Uemura farewell match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Yuya Uemura

NJPW Summer Struggle, Saturday, August 7, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. SHO & YOH
Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Super Jr. Tag League: Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Gedo & Dick Togo

NJPW Summer Struggle, Sunday, August 8, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato
Super Jr. Tag League: SHO & YOH vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Gedo & Dick Togo

NJPW Summer Struggle, Monday, August 9, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Gedo & Dick Togo
Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
Super Jr. Tag League: SHO & YOH vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato

NJPW Summer Struggle, Monday, August 16, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
Super Jr. Tag League: El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. SHO & YOH
Super Jr. Tag League: Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Gedo & Dick Togo

NJPW Summer Struggle, Tuesday, August 17, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Super Jr. Tag League: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Super Jr. Tag League: Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask
Super Jr. Tag League: SHO & YOH vs. Gedo & Dick Togo

Ibushi suffering from aspiration pneumonia, off three NJPW shows

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Bryan Rose

Kota Ibushi has been diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia and will miss the next three NJPW dates.

The website reported that in order to make a full in-ring recovery, he will miss the July 22 and 23 shows in Osaka, and July 24 in Nagoya. They also wrote that a final decision regarding Ibushi’s appearance at Wrestle Grand Slam, where he is slated to face Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight title, will be determined after assessing Ibushi’s recovery.

NJPW further explained that the pneumonia Ibushi is suffering from is not a side effect of a COVID-19 vaccination.

“Ibushi’s illness was originally reported as a result of side effects arising from his COVID-19 vaccination,” they explained. “Aspiration pneumonia has no connection to COVID vaccinations, and Ibushi’s illness is not a result of his inoculation. We apologise for any misunderstanding. Ibushi has also tested negative for COVID-19,” they wrote.

Ibushi was slated to team with Master Wato against Shingo Takagi and BUSHI on all three dates he will now miss. Tomoaki Honma will replace him on all three shows.

The last time Ibushi wrestled was prior to the Summer Struggle tour, where he defeated Yota Tsuji in a singles match on July 2.

NJPW announces full cards for four Summer Struggle events

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Ethan Renner

NJPW has announced the full lineups for the next four Summer Struggle events to be aired on NJPW World.

On the Saturday, July 17 in Tokyo, two singles match previews of the upcoming IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome will take place. In the main event, Rocky Romero will take on El Phantasmo. In the semi-main, Ryusuke Taguchi will face Taiji Ishimori. Ishimori and ELP will defend the Junior Tag titles against Taguchi and Romero at the Tokyo Dome.

The Thursday, July 22 and Friday, July 23 events in Osaka will have singles match previews of the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match to take place at the Tokyo Dome. On July 22, Tetsuya Naito faces Taichi in the main event and SANADA faces Zack Sabre Jr. in the semi-main. On July 23, Naito vs. Sabre main events, while SANADA vs. Taichi is the semi-main. Naito and SANADA defend the Tag titles against Taichi and Sabre at Wrestle Grand Slam.

Saturday, July 24 in Nagoya will be headlined by a pair of singles matches teased heavily during the last leg of the Summer Struggle tour. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi takes on KENTA. Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL will be the semi-main.

Here are the full lineups:

NJPW Summer Struggle at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Saturday, July 17, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Rocky Romero vs. El Phantasmo
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taiji Ishimori
Robbie Eagles, SHO & YOH vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. KENTA, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo

NJPW Summer Struggle in Osaka night one, Thursday, July 22, 4 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi
SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI
Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. KENTA, EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi
Robbie Eagles, SHO & YOH vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI

NJPW Summer Struggle in Osaka night two, Friday, July 23, 1 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
SANADA vs. Taichi
Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI
Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. KENTA, EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi
Hirooki Goto, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado

NJPW Summer Struggle in Nagoya, Saturday, July 24, 4 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL
Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI
Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado
Robbie Eagles, SHO & YOH vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI

Kota Ibushi to miss another NJPW event due to vaccine side effects

Posted on July 11, 2021 by Ethan Renner

Kota Ibushi will miss his second consecutive NJPW event due to COVID-19 vaccine side effects.

NJPW has announced that Ibushi has been pulled from Sunday’s night two of Summer Struggle in Sapporo event. Ibushi was also pulled from night one on Saturday for the same reason.

Ibushi had been scheduled to semi-main event Sunday’s show, teaming with Master Wato against IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi and BUSHI. That bout has been changed to Shingo vs. Master Wato in a singles match.

NJPW said in a statement that Ibushi’s health and status will continue to be monitored and that decisions will be made as to his future bookings. There are seven more Summer Struggle events scheduled between Tuesday and the time Ibushi is currently slated to challenge Shingo for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on Sunday, July 25 at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome.

The Summer Struggle tour continues after the Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome event with sixteen shows to be held between July 27 and August 27.

Ibushi off NJPW Summer Struggle show due to vaccine side effects

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Bryan Rose

Kota Ibushi is out of Saturday morning’s Summer Struggle in Sapporo card.

NJPW announced this evening that Ibushi is currently affected by side effects from a COVID-19 vaccination and as a result, will not be able to participate in tonight’s card. Ibushi was scheduled to team with Master Wato in the opener against Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemra. Instead, Wato will face Uemura in a singles match.

The company said that Ibushi would continue to be monitored and decisions will be made regarding participation in upcoming matches. He is still scheduled for the second night of Summer Struggle in Sapporo on Sunday, where he will team with Master Wato to face Shingo Takagi and BUSHI of Los Ingobernables de Japon. He is also scheduled for Wrestle Grand Slam at the Tokyo Dome on July 25, where he will face Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight title.

Tonight’s show will have a IWGP Junior title match in the main event, with El Desperado defending the title against Taiji Ishimori. The following night will have a IWGP Tag Team title match, with Tetsuya Naito and SANADA challenging Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi.

Two title matches to headline NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Ethan Renner

NJPW has announced the main events for their July 10 and July 11 Summer Struggle in Sapporo events.

On July 10, El Desperado will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Taiji Ishimori. This will mark Desperado’s second Jr. Heavyweight Championship defense. He previously defeated YOH in his first title defense at Dominion on June 7.

The July 11 main event will see the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on the line, as Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. defend those titles against Tetsuya Naito and SANADA. SANADA pinned Sabre at Dominion in a six-man tag to set up this bout. A follow-up angle took place at a Kizuna Road event in Korakuen Hall this week.

No other matches have been announced for the two-night Summer Struggle in Sapporo event.

The Saturday, July 10 event will take place at 5 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World, while the Sunday, July 11 show will begin at 1 a.m. Eastern time.

Gabriel Kidd injured, out of next week’s NJPW Korakuen Hall shows

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Bryan Rose

Gabriel Kidd is out of action with a neck injury.

NJPW announced Kidd’s status in a post on their website this evening. As a result of the injury, he will be unable to compete on the Summer Struggle cards that are set to take place at Korakuen Hall on August 26 and 27.

The following changes have been made to those cards as a result:

On August 26:

Yuji Nagata will replace Kidd in a match teaming with Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura against YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto.

On August 27:

Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji has been changed to a singles match between Tsuji and Uemura
Kojima has replaced Kidd in a match teaming with Tomoaki Honma and Yuji Nagata vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto

Gabriel has been working as a young lion since the start of the year, making his in-ring debut at Road to the New Beginning.

NJPW reveals stipulations for upcoming KOPW qualifying matches

Posted on August 17, 2020 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 put out polls 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.

NJPW’s Sunday house show to take place as scheduled

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Joseph Currier

After Thursday’s show in Uwajima was canceled at the last minute, NJPW has confirmed that Sunday’s Summer Struggle event in Shizuoka will go on as scheduled.

Thursday’s house show was canceled after a wrestler who was scheduled to appear developed a fever. The wrestler immediately underwent COVID-19 testing. NJPW announced that, under their COVID-19 guidelines and acting in the best interests of health and safety for other wrestlers and fans in attendance, the decision was made to cancel the show as they were awaiting test results.

Today, NJPW announced that the wrestler’s antigen and antibody tests came back negative and Sunday’s show will still be happening:

Regarding the athlete who had a fever symptom confirmed on August 13, after performing an antigen test and an antibody test in the hospital, ‘negative’ was confirmed.

Based on this result, we will hold discussions with doctors and trainers and hold the Shizuoka Twin Messe Shizuoka Kitakan Tournament on Sunday, August 16 as scheduled.

We apologize for the concern to our fans.

Regarding the Shizuoka Games on August 16th (Sunday), some match cards may be changed. We will inform you as soon as it is decided.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sunday’s Summer Struggle event is a non-televised house show. The Summer Struggle shows at Korakuen Hall on August 26 and August 27 will be live on NJPW World, leading into Summer Struggle in Jingu airing live on August 29.

NJPW announces KOPW first round matches, Korakuen Hall cards

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Ethan Renner

NJPW has revealed the first round matches for the 2020 King of Pro Wrestling tournament and the full cards for their next Korakuen Hall shows on August 26 and August 27.

The KOPW tournament will begin on the 26th. There will be four tournament matches with special stipulations to be determined by a fan vote. The winners of those matches will then face off in a four-way on August 29 at Summer Struggle in Jingu.

The winner of the four-way will be declared the provisional King of Pro Wrestling Champion and will defend the title for the rest of the year. The title holder at the end of the year will be declared the 2020 King of Pro Wrestling.

A pair of non-tournament matches on the 26th were also announced, as well as the full lineup for the penultimate night of the Summer Struggle tour on August 27.

Both shows will air live on NJPW World at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.

It was also announced that Togi Makabe will be missing time from NJPW as he shoots a movie. No further details on the movie were revealed.

August 26:

KOPW first round match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi
KOPW first round match: Satoshi Kojima vs. El Desperado
KOPW first round match: Toru Yano vs. BUSHI
KOPW first round match: SHO vs. SANADA
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura & Gabriel Kidd

August 27:

Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi vs. EVIL & Taiji Ishimori
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI
Kazuchika Okada, SHO & Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yuji Nagata, Tomoaki Honma & Gabriel Kidd
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura