The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will be on the line in a three-way match at ROH & NJPW’s G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden.
ROH announced today that Taiji Ishimori will defend his Junior Heavyweight title against Dragon Lee and Bandido at G1 Supercard. NJPW (Ishimori), CMLL (Lee), and ROH (Bandido) will all be represented in the match.
Ishimori retained the Junior Heavyweight title by defeating Jushin Thunder Liger at NJPW’s 47th Anniversary show. Ishimori then cut a promo where he said he wants to defend his title at Madison Square Garden. He challenged anyone from ROH, but Dragon Lee came out instead.
ROH posted a video today where Bandido wanted to be added to the Junior Heavyweight title match.
G1 Supercard is taking place on Saturday, April 6. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Jay White will defend his title against the winner of the New Japan Cup. There will also be a Tag Team title vs. Tag Team title match. IWGP Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa will face ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes with both sets of titles on the line.
Before G1 Supercard, The Briscoes will defend their titles against PCO & Brody King at ROH’s 17th Anniversary pay-per-view this month.
NJPW is planning out its next few months as a Jr. title match has been set for the MSG show while releasing their schedule for this summer’s G1 Climax 29 tournament.
After retaining the IWGP Jr. title at last night’s anniversary show, Taiji Ishimori called out anyone from ROH for a match at the G1 Supercard. Dragon Lee, who appeared earlier in the show as part of a undercard tag match, came out and accepted the challenge, saying that while he is not part of New Japan or Ring of Honor, he will represent CMLL at Madison Square Garden. The match hasn’t been made official by New Japan, but that will likely change in the next few days.
The anniversary show also had a segment showing dates for this summer’s G1 Climax. The tour will start on July 6 in Dallas, Texas with the last three nights taking place at Budokan Hall. Here is the complete list:
July 6: American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
July 13, 14: Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo
July 15: Hokkai Kitayell in Hokkaido
July 18, 19, 20: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
July 24: Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall in Hiroshima
July 27, 28: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Aichi
July 30: Takamatsu City General Gymnasium in Kagawa
After they were set up at the New Beginning in Osaka on Monday morning, New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced two title matches for this year’s anniversary show.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori will defend his title against Jushin Thunder Liger at the anniversary event, and SHO & YOH will challenge for Shingo Takagi & BUSHI’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight titles.
Ishimori called out Liger (who was on commentary) after retaining his title against Ryusuke Taguchi at the New Beginning in Osaka. Liger said he’d accept Ishimori’s challenge at any place or time.
SHO & YOH attacked Takagi & BUSHI and grabbed their title belts after Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Takagi & BUSHI) defeated Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) in a six-man tag match. Takagi & BUSHI took the belts back after both teams got on the microphone and set up their title match.
This year marks NJPW’s 47th anniversary. The anniversary show is taking place at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo on Wednesday, March 6 and will air live on New Japan World.
Throughout the week leading into December 31st, we’ll take you back to some of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with the five star matches and ending up with a seven star classic.
15 matches got the five star treatment while six matches garnered ratings above that level.
What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup from the match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, available in full for subscribers. Also, we want to give a big shoutout to Cagematch.net who makes research for this list ridiculously easy.
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals | June 4, 2018
*****1/2
“Takahashi and Ishimori had what could be argued was the year’s best match, and definitely the greatest finale in the long history of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, on 6/4 at Korakuen Hall.
It was not only the best match of the tournament, but one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. Emotionally, physically and mentally, it would be in the handful of matches, five so far, that I’d give ****** to. The only negative is not wanting to reward too much dangerous activity as Takahashi has such a lack of looking at his future, which makes him incredible today, but pro wrestling is a marathon, not a sprint. Ironically, his opponent, the current IWGP jr. champion, is becoming the ultimate historical sprinter, compared to both the brilliance and self-destructive long-term performances of the Dynamite Kid.
Considering the performance Takahashi put on in the Ishimori match, and consider that was only the No. 2 match of his current run, and now he’s facing Ospreay at Dominion, who tore it up every night himself, and they’re facing each other on what is New Japan’s second biggest event of the year, the goal would be to have the greatest match of the year, or die trying. But they do not have the pressure on that Okada and Omega have. They can have the 10th or 15th best match of the year and people will rave about it.
So in the first big spot, Takahashi went for his sunset flip power bomb and Ishimori did a backflip out of it. They hit hard elbows on the foot back and forth. They ended up in the bleachers and Takahashi ran from one side of the arena to the other in the walkway and hit Ishimori with a dropkick on the floor. He then went to power bomb Ishimori down the stars, but Ishimori turned that into a huracanrana sending Takahashi rolling down an entire staircase. Ishimori threw him into the post and gave him an amazing sliding German suplex. Takahashi finally came back hitting the sunset flip power bomb to the floor.
After working his safest big match of his life with Kushida, Takahashi decided to make up for it here. Takahashi followed with a wheelbarrow pancake on the floor and then a dropkick off the apron. Ishimori came back with a dynamite plunger and a crossface and then the bloody cross. He had him in he submission and the ref was about to stop it and just then Takahashi made the ropes. The timing of reading the crowd and the ref and getting to the ropes at the peak point was perfect here. Takahashi’s selling her was fantastic. Takahashi did a belly to belly into the corner and hit the dynamite plunger for a near fall. Takahashi did a front rolling cradle bomb off the middle rope for a near fall. Ishimori did a reverse huracanrana and Takahashi got up and did a reverse huracanrana and both collapsed. Ishimori landed badly on the second one. They teased a double knockout but both got up before ten.
They did a big elbow exchange and Takahashi went down. Ishimori did a jumping knee and killer clothesline but Takahashi kicked out at one. Ishimori did a Woo dropkick and running double knees, followed by a tombstone into double knees for another near fall. Ishimori used a bloody cross and Takahashi reversed into an armbar and Ishimori power bombed him, and then Takahashi got the triangle on for the first time. Ishimori tried a power bomb but Takahashi blocked him. But Ishimori was able to power bomb him into the turnbuckles. Ishimori used a uranage and then went for the 450, but Takahashi got his knees up. Takahashi was then selling his knee. Ishimori went for a huracanrana but Takahashi reversed back into a triangle. Ishimori got out with a power bomb. Takahashi used a double arm piledriver and followed putting on the triangle again. Ishimori made the ropes. Ishimori came back with the bloody cross but Takahashi powered out and gave him a Death Valley bomb into the turnbuckles and followed with the time bomb for the pin.
Takahashi then did an interview and said he doesn’t want to be called the Best of the Super Juniors winner, and the goal is the title and challenged Ospreay. Ospreay came out and said, “Well done. We’re all so proud of you.” Then Ospreay showed his belt and said that this proves he’s the junior heavyweight champion of the world and noted he’s beaten Takahashi twice. He said he’d see him in Osaka for Dominion. Takahashi then said that this is our Super Junior tournament and the whole building was on its feet clapping for him including Liger and Milano Collection A.T. at ringside. He said that five years ago he was right here at Korakuen Hall and his dream was to win the IWGP jr. title and bring it back here to Korakuen Hall. Naito, Evil, Sanada and Bushi came out to congratulate him.
Confirming plans for some of the names who had been announced for the show, Impact Wrestling added a four-way match to the Slammiversary XVI card last night.
It will be John Hennigan (the former John Morrison, who goes by “Johnny Impact” for the company) vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. Rich Swann vs. Fenix at the July 22 pay-per-view. Hennigan is returning to Impact for the first time since filming the next season of CBS’ “Survivor” reality series earlier this year, while this is Ishimori’s first appearance for the promotion since joining New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Swann made his debut on the episode of Impact that aired last night, defeating Trevor Lee. His match against Fenix from the most recent set of tapings in Windsor, Ontario, Canada will air next week. Swann & Fenix also teamed with Pentagon Jr. against Sami Callihan & oVe at the tapings.
Pentagon is facing Callihan in a mask vs. hair match at Slammiversary, which is taking place at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto. Impact World Champion Austin Aries defending against Moose is set to headline the PPV.
Despite making NJPW his full-time home, Taiji Ishimori will be working Impact Wrestling’s next pay-per-view.
Impact announced Ishimori for Slammiversary XVI at a press conference for the event today. The PPV will be taking place at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto on July 22nd.
After departing Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ishimori last wrestled for Impact at Redemption and their subsequent TV tapings in April. He was revealed as the new “Bone Soldier” and joined the Bullet Club at NJPW’s Wrestling Dontaku night two in May. He then participated in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, making it to this morning’s finals against Hiromu Takahashi.
Impact also officially announced today that Austin Aries has merged their World and Grand Championships. Aries will defend the World title against Moose in the main event of Slammiversary, and Madison Rayne will challenge for Su Yung’s Knockouts Championship.
Impact will hold post-Slammiversary TV tapings at the Rebel Entertainment Complex on July 23rd and 24th before returning to the venue on August 12th and 13th for more tapings.
The finals for this year’s Best of the Super Juniors are set.
For the first time ever, Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori have advanced to the finals and will face one another tomorrow morning at Korakuen Hall to decide the 25th Best of the Super Junior winner. With Will Ospreay out of the equation, it is very likely that the winner of the tournament will challenge him to a title match at Dominion on 6/9.
Ishimori advanced by beating YOH. He needed a win in order to tie with Will Opsreay, and since he beat Ospreay he would win the tiebreaker and advance to the finals. He was at ringside, cheering fellow CHAOS member YOH on as he was rooting for an upset. Despite some close near falls and great support from the crowd, Ishimori trapped YOH in a crossface and earned the submission win. Ospreay, stunned, helped YOH to the back.
Meanwhile, Takahashi had his hands full with one of the most biggest stars in the division, KUSHIDA. In a match with tremendous heat, Takahashi managed to score the upset win after hitting an inverted piledriver and submitting KUSHIDA with a triangle.
The finals of the Best of the Super Juniors starts tonight at 5:30 a.m. EDT. There will be English commentary.
It’s time once again for New Japan’s junior heavyweight division to shine.
Since 1994, each summer in New Japan starts with the Best of the Super Junior tournament, and this year is no different. Here are results from tonight’s opening day from Korakuen Hall, featuring talent from the A block.
B block action will kick off on tomorrow’s show, also from Korakuen Hall, with Marty Scurll taking on Hiromu Takahashi in the main event.
Prelim results:
Chris Sabin and Ren Narita defeated KUSHIDA and Shota Umino when Sabin defeated Umino with the cradle shock.
SHO and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Dragon Lee and Tomoyuki Oka when YOSHI-HASHI submitted Oka with the butterfly lock.
Minoru Suzuki and Desperado defeated Ryusuke Taguchi and Toa Henare when Suzuki pinned Henare with the Gotch piledriver.
EVIL and Hiromu Takahashi defeated Marty Scurll and Chase Owens when EVIL submitted Owens with the Banshee muzzle.
A Block matches:
Tiger Mask defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru
This was fine. Nothing exceptional but had some solid action, and the finish was cool. Tiger Mask took control early, grinding Kanemaru down and sending him to the outside. Kanemaru came back inside the ring and dropkicked Tiger Mask in the knee, gaining control.
Tiger Mask rebounded and hit the tiger bomb. He looked for the butterfly suplex off the top rope and connected. TM immediately followed with an armbar, but Kanemaru managed to escape.
Kanemaru escaped a tiger suplex and cradled TM for a nearfall. Kanemaru took him out of the ring and bodyslammed a young lion on top of him, then took another one on the opposite side and threw it at Tiger Mask, looking for a count out. He makes it in at 19 as Kanemaru takes him to the top rope and goes for a superplex. Tiger Mask shifts his weight, however, and rolls up Kanemaru for the surprise win.
ACH defeated Flip Gordon
Pretty good bout The highlight was some of Gordon’s incredible offense, but this was a pretty good match that played off on both guys’ skills, though I don’t think ACH was flashy as Gordon was here.
ACH controls early, stomping and chopping Gordon around the ring and outside. ACH goes to chop him again but hits the ring post instead. This gives Gordon a window to hit some offense, including a springboard slingblade. Gordon managed to hop from one side of the turnbuckle to the other and hit a giant tope con hilo to the outside. It has to be seen to be believed.
ACH mounted a comeback, taking Gordon to the outside and brawling around the ring. Gordon fights back and finds and entryway, jumping off with a giant crossbody that wipes out ACH. They get back to the ring where Gordon was going for something off the top rope, but ACH connected with a step up dropsault, sending him crashing to the floor.
Gordon attempted a comeback with a corkscrew splash, but ACH dodged and connected with a deadlift German suplex. He then followed with a cradle DDT to score the win.
YOH defeated BUSHI
Really good match, particularly the final few minutes. YOH was great in what he did and BUSHI BUSHI jumped YOH at the bell, but YOH fought back, connecting with a great springboard forearm and landed a tope con hilo, wiping out BUSHI on the outside.
BUSHI gathered himself enough to slow down YOH in the ring and grinded him with a headscissors on the floor. He started to mount a comeback when BUSHI stopped him and took him down with a big suicide dive to the floor. YOH came alive again back in the ring, but BUSHI gained control again, this time hitting a hurricanrana on YOH has he was tangled on the ropes.
YOH countered an MX attempt by BUSHI by planting him with a superkick as he came down to the floor. BUSHI took him down with a Canadian destroyer but when he went for the MX again, YOH instead countered with a cradle to score the shock win.
BUSHI jumped him after the match, I guess still thinking the match was still going on. The referee told him otherwise and BUSHI left.
Taiji Ishimori defeated Will Ospreay
This was great, but I felt like it should have gone a little longer. I think if this lasted a few more minutes it would have been really fantastic. Still, this was a cool match with a lot of hot moves on Ospreay’s part. Ishimori more than held up his own.
Ospreay hits a big machine gun dropkick in the corner to start things off, probably not too happy about what happened earlier this month. On the outside, Ospreay leaped up to a platform inside the audience then wiped out Ishimori in a really cool spot.
The two continued to fight in the ring. Ishimori cranked Ospreay’s neck and started to focus on that. Ospreay got caught in the second turnbuckle and Ishimori countered by giving Ospreay a German suplex that landed right on his neck. He sort of needs to stop doing that if he wants to do things like walk and move in the future.
Ospreay started to rally and make his comeback, including hitting the 619. Ishimori fought back and countered Ospreay’s every move until flipping Ospreay around and connected with a lung blower. Ospreay countered a submission move by Ishimori, deadlifted him and hit what looked to be an alley oop/reverse powerbomb.
Ospreay draped Ishimori on the top rope and hit a shooting star press off the top rope for a nearfall. Ishimori fired back with a reverse rana but Ospreay immediately countered with the spanish fly. Ospreay went for the Ozcutter, but Ishimori grabbed him and hit his new finish, a suplex into a lungblower he calls the bloody cross, for the win. People reacted huge to Ishimori’victory.
Bone Soldier did in fact return this morning, but it was none other than former NOAH star Taiji Ishimori.
Ishimori made his debut this morning at Wrestling Dontaku, jumping Will Ospreay from behind after successfully retaining the IWGP Jr. heavyweight championship. Tama Tonga, who distracted Ospreay before the attack, then took off the Bone Soldier mask revealing Ishimori as the new Bone Soldier and the latest member of the Bullet Club. It seems likely he’ll be a part of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament that takes place later this month.
Originally trained in the Toryumon dojo, Ishimori had been a staple of Pro Wrestling NOAH since 2006, starting as a freelance wrestler and eventually becoming a staple of their junior heavyweight division. He won the Junior title on three occasions and the Junior tag team titles on six occasions. He left NOAH back on March 12, citing people like Shinsuke Nakamura and Hideo Itami inspired him to travel around the world.
Since his departure, Ishimori has competed for PWG as well as Impact Wrestling.
The card for Impact Wrestling’s Redemption pay-per-view now has six confirmed matches.
A six-way match was added to the lineup for the PPV today, with it featuring Brian Cage, Taiji Ishimori, DJ Z, El Hijo Del Fantasma, Trevor Lee, and Dezmond Xavier. Ishimori is working the show despite departing Pro Wrestling NOAH last month, and DJ Z is making another appearance for Impact after returning for the first time in over a year at their WrestleMania week event with Lucha Underground.
Redemption is the company’s first PPV since last November and will take place at the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida on April 22nd. The main event was originally supposed to be Austin Aries defending his World Championship against Alberto El Patron, but that was changed to Aries vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix after El Patron was released.
The next match for Redemption will be announced on Monday. Here’s the updated card:
Impact World Champion Austin Aries defending against Pentagon Jr. and Fenix in a triple threat match
Knockouts Champion Allie defending against Su Yung
Eddie Edwards, Moose & Tommy Dreamer vs. Sami Callihan & OVE (Dave & Jake Crist) in a House of Hardcore match
X Division Champion Matt Sydal defending against Petey Williams
Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defending against Eli Drake & Scott Steiner
Brian Cage vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. DJ Z vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Trevor Lee vs. Dezmond Xavier
In a surprise move, longtime junior heavyweight Taiji Ishimori announced today that he is leaving Pro Wrestling NOAH effective immediately.
Ishimori, 35, announced that starting today he would become a freelance wrestler after being a part of Pro Wrestling NOAH for over 12 years, starting with the promotion back in 2006. Ishimori said in a press conference at NOAH’s Tokyo office Monday that people like Hideo Itami and Shinsuke Nakamura inspired him to make the move.
“While I personally do like to fight on the front line of things, I have experienced [a] overseas expedition and [am] more interested in the outside world now,” he is quoted as saying in a translation from a Yahoo Sports article. “I have been at NOAH for twelve years and a wrestler for sixteen. If I do not make this decision, I will regret it unless I take the first step.”
“WWE is the goal and I want to keep trying to end up there” he mentioned.
Ishimori had been a big staple of the junior heavyweight division in the promotion, winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight championship three times. He most recently appeared for Impact Wrestling where he held the X Division title until this past January when Matt Sydal defeated him for the title.
Pro Wrestling NOAH will be represented at Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary pay-per-view on Sunday night.
Impact announced today that NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji & Taiji Ishimori will be involved in the four-way match for the Impact/GFW Tag Team Championship at Slammiversary. That match features champions LAX (Ortiz & Santana) defending against Marufuji & Ishimori, AAA’s Drago & El Hijo del Fantasma, and Laredo Kid & Garza Jr.
Along with AAA and The Crash, NOAH is one of the international promotions that Impact has a working relationship with. The story is that it is a four-way match with teams from four different companies, to emphasize Impact’s various business partnerships around the world. Laredo Kid & Garza Jr. are Impact regulars from The Crash.
Speculation about Marufuji being involved with Slammiversary began when he was booked in a match for Michael Elgin’s Glory Pro in Belleville, Illinois on July 9th, meaning that he would be in the United States around the time of the PPV.
Marufuji has long been one of the top stars in NOAH. He’s made appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling in the past as well, with his most recent run including an appearance in last summer’s G1 Climax and an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against Kazuchika Okada at King of Pro Wrestling 2016.
He’s the only man to have held the IWGP, All Japan, and GHC Junior Heavyweight titles and is considered a master of timing as to when to do moves.
Ishimori has been a longtime standout in NOAH’s junior heavyweight division. He also teamed with ACH in NJPW’s junior tag team tournament last year while the companies were involved with one another.
Ishimori is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the profession. He’s a great worker who unfortunately hasn’t gotten his due because of NOAH’s lower profile in recent years.
As was noted previously, the teams in the match are interesting politically given that Konnan is the booker for The Crash in Mexico and is the leader of LAX. The Crash and AAA are rival promotions and Konnan had stated previously that he wouldn’t work with people from AAA.
Slammiversary takes place in Orlando with Bobby Lashley vs. Alberto El Patron to unify the Impact and GFW titles as the main event, with King Mo in Lashley’s corner and Dos Caras, the father of Alberto and a Hall of Fame wrestler, in Alberto’s corner.
