A new set of challengers for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles were established at today’s NJPW Road to Wrestle Grand Slam event.
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI challenged NEVER Six-Man Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI to a title match at a later date.
Naito and SANADA defeated Goto and YOSHI-HASHI in the main event of today’s event. Naito pinned YOSHI-HASHI with a jackknife cradle. After the match, Naito cut a promo and said that while his stablemate Shingo Takagi has his sights set on the IWGP World title, Naito wants some gold as well. Naito then issued the challenge.
YOSHI-HASHI returned to the ring after the main event to accept the challenge, but was laid out by Naito, SANADA and BUSHI. Goto ran in to make the save for his partner. Ishii was not booked on today’s show, but his interactions with Naito had been heavily focused on on Monday and Tuesday’s Road to Wrestle Grand Slam events.
The NEVER Six-Man title match, as well as the rest of the cards for next week’s Road to Dominion events should be announced imminently. To this point, zero matches have been announced for the June 1, June 2, June 4 Road to Dominion shows, nor for the Dominion event itself. Dominion will take place on Sunday, June 6 in Osaka-Jo Hall.
NJPW has revealed full cards for their upcoming Road to Wrestle Grand Slam events.
The first night’s main event, on May 22, will have Hiroshi Tanahashi teaming with Ryusuke Taguchi to take on Shingo Takagi and BUSHI. An eight man tag headlines the May 24 card. May 25 has Tanahashi teaming with Kota Ibushi to take on Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan. May 26 has Tetsuya Naito and SANADA teaming up to take on Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI.
Young Lion Yota Tsuji will also be in singles action on all four shows.
The company is returning to touring after nine wrestlers tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. The Wrestle Grand Slam events, which were also scheduled for this month, were delayed due to the COVID-19 state of emergency being extended to the end of May.
The full cards for this coming week’s shows can be seen below:
Saturday, May 22 – Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Shingo Takagi and BUSHI
Kota Ibushi and Tomoaki Honma vs. Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan
Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito and SANADA
Master Wato and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Chase Owens and Gedo
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yota Tsuji
Monday, May 24 – Korakuen Hall
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, SANADA, and BUSHI
Kota Ibushi and Master Wato vs. Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan
Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Tomoaki Honma vs. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa
Zack Sabre Jr. and DOUKI vs. Chase Owens and Gedo
Yujiro Takahashi vs. Yota Tsuji
Tuesday, May 25 – Korakuen Hall
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi vs. Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tetsuya Natio, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI
Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Master Wato vs. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa
Zack Sabre Jr. and DOUKI vs. Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi
Chase Owens vs. Yota Tsuji
Wednesday, May 26 – Korakuen Hall
Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Natio and SANADA
Kota Ibushi and Tomoaki Honma vs. Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan
Zack Sabre Jr. and DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Master Wato vs. Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens, and Yujiro Takahashi
Tetsuya Naito did not wrestle on this morning’s NJPW Road to Castle Attack due to injury.
Naito came out at the start of tonight’s show and said that he would be unable to compete due to a knee injury that he suffered during his match last night. He apologized to the fans, but then turned his attention to Kota Ibushi, who he faces for the IWGP Intercontinental title on Febuary 28 at Castle Attack. He called him out on wanting to unify both the Intercontinental and Heavyweight titles, intending to still wrestle on the 28th..
Instead of the scheduled Kota Ibushi & Yuji Nagata vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA main event, SANADA faced Yuji Nagata in a singles match in the co-main event, with SANADA scoring the win following a moonsault. Kazuchika Okada and SHO faced EVIL and Dick Togo in the main event instead, with SHO submitting Togo.
Naito last wrestled on February 16, teaming with Shingo Takagi to defeat Yuji Nagata and Kota Ibushi.
Tetsuya Naito has said he will face Kota Ibushi on January 4 and Jay White on January 5, defending both of his titles on both nights of Wrestle Kingdom 15.
In a translated interview that took place during a Wrestle Kingdom 15 press conference Sunday morning, Naito said that he would wrestle Jay White on January 5. However, he will also wrestle an opponent of his choosing on 1/4, Ibushi. Naito explained that since Ibushi had won the G1 Climax tournament, he deserved a championship match. He mentioned that Ibushi had won the G1 Climax back to back, something he did not do, and Naito wanted revenge.
He told NJPW to consider his idea, even suggesting the idea that he may boycott both nights of Wrestle Kingdom if he didn’t get the matches.
Ibushi lost the briefcase to Jay White during Saturday morning’s Power Struggle event. White later came out after Naito had successfully defended the title against EVIL and said he would face Naito on 1/5. Kota Ibushi came out, which then caused White to back away.
NJPW has announced the top matches for their next tour, which starts in a matter of days.
New Japan Road will start on September 3 and run through September 11. The card on September 11 will feature two title matches.
The finals of a round robin tournament will take place on that card. The participants in the tournament include El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI, and Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato.
The September 11 show will be headlined by a NEVER Six-Man Tag Team title match. New champions Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI will defend their titles against fellow CHAOS stablemates Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, and SHO.
New IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental champion Tetsuya Naito will be in action on this tour. On both September 5 and 6, he will team with Shingo Takagi and SANADA to take on EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, and Jado.
Full cards for the tour, the final tour prior to this year’s G1 Climax tournament, can be found on NJPW’s schedule page.
A big eight man tag team match will headline this morning’s Road to Tokyo Dome card at Korakuen Hall.
Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Robbie Eagles and YOSHI-HASHI of CHAOS will battle Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI of Los Ingobernables de Japon in tonight’s main event. The match will likely continue the storyline from last night where Hiromu was pinned by Robbie Eagles in Hiromu’s return match after being gone for well over a year due to a neck injury.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi will team in the co-main event, taking on the team of Jay White and Chase Owens. This could be a preview for January 5 if both Ibushi and White win their matches on January 4.
Hirooki Goto and KENTA will each captain an eight man tag team match in the undercard, while SANADA will team with Shingo Takagi to take on Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr.. Jushin Thunder Liger’s second to last match at Korakuen Hall will also take place, as he will be teaming with SHO and YOH to take on Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi and Rocky Romero.
Join us for live coverage starting at 4:30 a.m EST. You can watch for free tonight at this link.
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TOA HENARE DEFEATED YOTA TSUJI
They opened with a striking battle. After trading, Tsuji hit a dropkick. Henare cut him off with some chops and used a vertical suplex for a two count.
Henare continued to use chops. Tsuji fired up and hit a scoop slam out of the corner, then used another dropkick for a two count. Henare hit a Samoan drop for a two count. They traded strikes again. Tsuji hit a spear, then applied a full crab. Henare forced a rope break.
After another striking exchange, Henare hit a lariat for a two count. Tsuji used an inside cradle for a two count. Henare hit a tackle for a two count, then used Toa Bottom for the pin. A fundamentally sound opener.
EL PHANTASMO, TAIJI ISHIMORI & BAD LUCK FALE DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE, TOMOAKI HONMA & YUYA UEMURA
This was a nice showcase for Uemura, even in defeat.
Uemura and ELP started out with a nice mat wrestling sequence. Uemura hit a big tackle and tagged Honma. Honma missed a kokeshi and got cut off. Bullet Club used their comedy series of back rakes.
Honma managed a tag to Makabe. Makabe dropped Fale with a lariat. Fale hit a shoulder tackle and both tagged out. Uemura and Ishimori entered. Ishimori hit a backflip kick. Bullet Club tripled up on Uemura.
Uemura sent Fale over the top, then made his own comeback against Ishimori and ELP. Uemura blocked a Bloody Cross and used a cradle for a two count. Uemura hit a double underhook suplex and covered for another near fall. The crowd was super into this.
Ishimori recovered, hit the Bloody Cross and got the pin.
Tiger and Liger opened up with a great series. Tiger hit some kicks and a tope suicida. Liger hit a shotei on the floor. Tiger hit a Tiger bomb but could not make a cover. SHO and Romero tagged in.
Romero and Taguchi both missed with hip attacks on their first try. The NJPW coaches finally hit a stereo hip attack on SHO and cut him off. SHO is absolutely ripped to shreds. Taguchi hit two of three amigos on SHO. SHO hit a deadlift German and tagged Liger.
Liger ran wild on all three opponents with shoteis. He connected on a top rope rana on Taguchi for a two count. Liger blocked one hip attack but Taguchi hit one on his next attempt.
YOH got a tag and got cut off with a hip attack. The match broke down and everyone jumped in for a move. SHO and YOH hit stereo knees on Tiger, then a backstabber into a one-legged dropkick.
The finish saw YOH pin Tiger with a dragon suplex. Both teams celebrated together after the match. Liger and Tiger embraced and Tiger was in tears. This was a great moment.
ELP and Ishimori ran out after the match and posted both members of 3K ahead of their Wrestle Kingdom bout. ELP hit both YOH with a belt shot, then hit a low blow on SHO. Romero entered and Ishimori and ELP hit him with a 3K.
SANADA & SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. & TAICHI
You can see SANADA and Sabre working out their Wrestle Kingdom match in these preview tags.
SANADA and Sabre started off. They did some grappling. Sabre used an armbar, then transitioned to a triangle. SANADA used the threat of a powerbomb to force a break. They rolled outside and Suzuki-gun turned this into a crowd brawl.
Back inside, Sabre and Taichi worked on SANADA”s left arm. SANADA managed a tag to Shingo. Shingo and Taichi exchanged some strikes. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber but could not follow up, then it was back to the real focus of the match with Sabre and SANADA.
SANADA and Sabre traded some strikes, then used a series of cradles almost exactly like te oe they used last night. This time, though, SANADA used a European clutch to pin Sabre.
Sabre sold this big, like he couldn’t believe he was beaten with one of his own holds. Good match.
HIROOKI GOTO, TOMOHIRO ISHII, DAVID FINLAY & JUICE ROBINSON DEFEATED KENTA, YUJIRO TAKAHASHI, TAMA TONGA & TANGA LOA
Bullet Club isolated Finlay and worked him over in their corner for a long time. Juice got a hot tag and hit Tonga with a cannonball. He set up the Left Hand of God, but Loa jumped in to save Tonga.
Finlay entered to even the odds and Juice and Finlay hit stereo clotheslines before tagging out. Goto and KENTA tagged in. KENTA hit some hard strikes and used a draping DDT for a near fall. They traded corner clotheslines. Goto hit a bulldog for a near fall.
Goto tried for an ushigoroshi but KENTA blocked. Jado used a kendo stick shot from the floor. Everyone brawled on the floor. Yujiro and G.O.D. tripled up on Goto in the ring. Yujiro hit a basement dropkick and made a cover, but Ishii saved.
Yujiro teased Pimp Juice. Finlay saved. The match broke down and everyone jumped in. Goto hit Yuiro with an ushigoroshi. Ishii followed up with a sliding lariat on Yujiro. Goto then used the GTR to earn the pin.
KOTA IBUSHI & HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED JAY WHITE & CHASE OWENS
White and Owens gave Ibushi a half-hearted offer to join Bullet Club before the match. Ibushi declined and got jumped before the bell.
Ibushi did fine for himself in the early going. He hit a series of kicks and a dropkick. Tana tagged in and hit a second rope crossbody on Owens. Owens and Tana both used hair pulls. White joined in from the apron, pulling Tanahashi’s hair. This allowed Bullet Club to take over.
On the outside, Ibushi got whipped up and over the barricade. Tana got sent into the barricade. Back in the ring, White used a dragon screw on Tana. White and Owens continued to work on the left leg. Tana came back with a dragon screw on Owens, then tagged out.
Ibushi was the proverbial house of fire. He hit a springboard dropkick to Owens, then a pescado to White. Gedo held Ibsuhi’s ankles from the floor which allowed White to hit a DDT, then a DVD. White teased a sleeper suplex but Ibushi blocked. Ibushi hit a snap rana. White answered with an immediate snap suplex.
White tagged Owens. Ibushi came back with a backflip kick and made a hot tag to Tanahashi. Tana hit a flying forearm, a slam, a second rope somersault senton, and picked up a two count.
Owens blocked a slingblade attempt. White jumped in for a Blade Buster. Owens hit a shining wizard for a two count, then used the Jewel Heist for another.
Owens hit a jumping knee strike. Tana blocked a package piledriver and hit Twist and Shout. Tana hit slingblade. White jumped in and teased a Blade Runner but Ibushi saved.
Ibushi sent White outside, then hit a Bomaye on Owens. Tana followed with a High Fly Flow to Owens for the pin.
Okada broke cleanly after the opening lockup. Okada went for an early Rainmaker but Naito ducked it, then used a headlock takeover. BUSHI got a tag and Okada hit an elbow drop before tagging Ospreay. Hiromu then tagged in.
Ospreay and Hiromu had a crazy exchange of counters and reversals, similar to last night. Hiromu hit a flying headscissors. Ospreay hit a flip kick. Ospreay and Eagles doubled up on Hiromu. Ospreay hit some kicks near the neck to play on Hiromu’s injury.
YOSHI-HASHI entered to continue the CHAOS beatdown on Hiromu. I barely recognized YH without his shoulder tape. Okada tagged in and baited Hiromu into throwing some chops. Okada hit a neckbreaker.
Ospreay tried an Oscutter but Hiromu pulled him out of the air with a German suplex. hiromu finally managed a tag to EVIL, who used a fisherman buster on YH for a near fall. EVIL tried Everything is EVIL, but YH blocked.
EVIL and YH had a chop battle. EVIL tried a misdirection spot out of the corner, but YH hit a lariat. Okada tagged in and peppered EVIL with punches. Okada hit a running back elbow strike in the center, then another in the corner. EVIL hit a ref-assisted thrust kick and tagged out.
Naito hit a low dropkick and a neckbreaker on Okada, then stomped on his neck. They traded strikes. Okada hit a shotgun dropkick. He teased a tombstone, but Naito blocked and hit a flying forearm. Naito tried Destino, Okada blocked. Naito ducked a Rainmaker. Okada hit a flapjack.
BUSHI and Eagles got tags after a double down. BUSHI hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Eagles used a 619 to BUSHI’s legs. Ospreay blind-tagged in and Ospreya and Eagles hit tandem kicks on BUSHI.
BUSHI avoided Pip Pip Cheerio. EVIL hit Ospreay with a lariat. Naito hit a basement dropkick. BUSHI covered, but YH saved. BUSHI teased an MX. Everyone jumped in for their big move at the end, with Okada’s dropkick on Naito the highlight.
Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio on BUSHI. He tried a Storm Breaker, but BUSHI reversed into a cradle for a two count. BUSHI hit a rewind kick. Ospreay hit a tiger wall flip kick, then a hook kick. Hiromu tried to save for BUSHI, but Eagles saved.
Ospreay hit Hidden Blade on BUSHI, then used Storm Breaker. While Eagles held Hiromu at bay, Ospreay pinned BUSHI.
This was a fun main event. Ospreay and Hiromu had a staredown after the closing bell, as did Naito and Okada.
Ospreay closed the show with a promo. He spoke some Japanese. As he did last night, he used some heel verbiage and mannerisms. He called himself unbeatable and said Hiromu did better tonight but will need to try harder to beat him at Wrestle Kingdom.
