Takagi will defend the provisional KOPW 2023 title against Taichi in a Takagi Style Triad match at Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni this Saturday (April 29). There are five possible ways to score falls in the match. The first wrestler to win by three of those ways will be the victor:
In the Takagi Style Triad Match, champion and challenger have their choice of five ways to win- pinfall, submission, stoppage, knockout and countout. The winner of the match must claim three of the five to claim KOPW gold.
While the rules for KOPW title matches are traditionally decided by fan vote, Taichi didn’t propose a rule set for this match. Taichi said that, because he’s lost to Takagi three times, he didn’t deserve to choose the rules. He instead allowed Takagi to pick the stipulation for the match.
Takagi won the KOPW 2022 Championship from Taichi last April and held the title until the end of the year. Takagi won the 2023 version of the championship at New Year Dash this January.
Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni is taking place in Kagoshima and will air live on NJPW World. Here’s the full card for the show:
Provisional KOPW 2023 Champion Shingo Takagi defends against Taichi in a Takagi Style Triad match
IWGP Tag Team Champions Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) defend against TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls)
NJPW has revealed the lineups for Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni on April 29, as well as the Hirooki Goto 20th Anniversary event on April 22.
Two title matches headline Satsuma no Kuni, while Goto’s Anniversary show will feature seven tag bouts.
At Satsuma no Kuni, Shingo Takagi will defend the provisional KOPW 2023 title against Taichi in the main event. In the semi-main, new IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Aussie Open will look to make their first title defense against TMDK’s Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls.
The announced lineups:
Hirooki Goto 20th Anniversary event, Saturday, April 22 —
NJPW’s Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni continues with night two of the event today in Kagoshima. This will serve as the go-home show for both nights of Wrestling Dontaku on May 3 and May 4.
Kota Ibushi returns to action on this show, teaming with Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event. They will face United Empire’s Jeff Cobb and Aaron Henare. Ibushi has not wrestled since losing the IWGP World Heavyweight title to Will Ospreay on April 4.
Ospreay and Great-O-Khan will take Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito in the semi-main. Naito beat O-Khan in a singles match earlier this week, while Shingo challenges Ospreay for the IWGP World title next week at Wrestling Dontaku.
Here is the remainder of the undercard:
Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
Tiger Mask, SHO & YOH vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
SANADA & BUSHI vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura
Our live coverage begins at 2 a.m. Eastern time.
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SANADA & BUSHI defeated Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura (8:28)
This was a solid technical opener.
SANADA and Uemura began with some chain wrestling, then some basc tackle and drop down spots. Uemura got the upper hand with arm drags. Tsuji tagged in and lost the advantage. SANADA and BUSHI began working over Tsuji’s left leg. Tsuji’s selling was excellent.
Tsuji managed a tag. SANADA tagged BUSHI. Uemura got a cool near submission on BUSHI, with Tsuj spearing an interfering SANADA to add to the drama.
This was another match with some really good technical wrestling.
Suzuki-gun used a jumpstart before the bell.
SHO and Kanemaru started off as the legal men. SHO got some shine with kicks. Suzuki used an armbar over the ropes to interfere, so we were back to brawling on the outside. When the dust settled, Suzuki-gun was in the driver’s seat on SHO, working him over in the ring.
Suzuki and SHO had a great little sequence. Suzuki blocked a spear with a front facelock. SHO countered out with a vertical suplex that Suzuki sold big.
YOH and Desperado got tags. YOH hit a missile dropkick for a near fall. YOH went after Desperado’s right leg, so look for that in their title match next week. YOH used a falcon arrow for two. Desperado hit a spinebuster. YOH managed a tag before Desperado did.
Tiger tagged in for a high cross and a near fall on Desperado after preventing a tag to Suzuki. Tiger hit a Tiger Driver for a near fall. Desperado went for Pinche Loco, but YOH saved with a superkick. Tiger used an armbar, but Desperado made the ropes.
Desperado hit a knee crusher to Tiger. Kanemaru hopped in for a dropkick to the leg. Desperado used Numero Dos, trapping Tiger’s arms as well. The ref called for the stoppage.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI went to a no contest with Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
The match never officially began.
Taichi’s entrance music played, but both teams spilled out to the stage and began brawling with weapons. DOUKI had a pipe, Jado a kendo stick, Taichi and Tama had ladders.
Sabre and Loa made their way to the ring and did a few spots, but threw the ref outside. After he was revived, Tama and Taichi bumped the ref with their ladders.
Can we get these guys some safer ladders? These things look painful and not structurally sound.
The ref revived a second time and officially called for the no contest.
Gedo and Kanemaru came out to try to hold their respective factions back. Sabre and Loa fought to the back in a comical ankle lock spot.
This started off decent enough. Tenzan and Yujiro were the legal men. Tenzan used Mongolian chops. Wato tagged in and continued working on Taguchi. Yujiro turned the tide after a basement dropkick. Bullet Club went to work on Wato.
The match started to drag, as they worked Wato over for quite a while. Wato finally hit EVIL with a Dreamcast and tagged Taguchi. Taguchi hit his usual hip attack cavalcade. He missed one on EVIL, then hit Three Amigos and a bumaye for a near fall.
Taguchi went for Dodon on EVIL. EVIL grabbed the ref. The match pretty much fell apart from there. Togo hit Taguchi with a corner pad. Yano tagged in. EVIL put a hood on Yano. Togo and Yano started doing spots. EVIL took the ref. Togo choked Yano with a ligature. Yano hit low blows on EVIL and Togo, then used a schoolboy to pin Togo.
LIJ controlled the first five minutes of the bout. Ospreay and Shingo began with a slower sequence than we’re used to seeng from them, but it was good. Both tagged out. Naito took over on O-Khan after grabbing his hair.
Shingo tagged back in and was cut off after a high kick from Ospreay on the apron. Naito and O-Khan tagged back in for a lengthy sequence. Naito was cut off. O-Khan worked him over with his wacky offense and chops. Naito came back with a top rope frankensteiner and a one-legged dropkick.
Shingo and Ospreay tagged in. Most of their exchanges on this tour have been built on their speed, but they were throwing bombs tonight, hitting each other really hard. Ospreay hit a Shibata dropkick and a bloody sunday DDT.
Shingo avoided a powerbomb. Ospreay avoided a sliding lariat. Ospreay landed on his feet off a German suplex attempt. Ospreay hit a rolling elbow and tagged O-Khan. O-Khan hit a judo throw and used a head and arm choke on Shingo, but Naito saved.
O-Khan and Ospreay hit double pump kicks to Shingo. Ospreay and Naito brawled to the floor. O-Khan went back to the choke on Shingo. Naito saved. Ospreay hit pip pip cheerio to Naito. Shingo finally hit on a sliding lariat to Ospreay after not connecting with one all tour.
O-Khan went for the Eliminator on Shingo. Naito saved with a dropkick. Ospreay teased a springboard attack, but Shingo sent him to the floor with a lariat.
Naito and Shingo doubled up on O-Khan. Shingo hit a pumping bomber and a Last of the Dragon to pin O-Khan.
After the match, Ospreay hit a rolling elbow to Shingo. He went for a Stormbreaker, but Shingo reversed and hit him with Last of the Dragon. Shingo briefly posed with Ospreay’s title belt.
Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare (17:04)
This was great pro wrestling.
Cobb laid out Ibushi with a Tour of the Islands the last time they were in the ring together, so it made sense that they started off together here. They hit a ton of simultaneous forearm strikes to get the crowd into it right away. Ibushi connected on a flying mid kick to briefly establish the edge.
Tanahashi tagged in for a diving elbow drop and some air guitar. Cobb came back with some powerful forearm shots. Henare took Tanahashi to the floor and beat him down with strikes. Cobb worked on Ibushi in the ring. Henare tagged in and was promptly hit with a flying mid kick.
Tana tagged in and hit a flying forearm to Henare. He hit Cobb with a dragon screw in the ropes for good measure. Tana hit a somersault senton on Henare for a two count. Henare came back with a snake eyes in the corner, then hit a vertical suplex for a two count. Cobb beat down Ibushi on the outside.
Henare mounted Tana and hit a series of strikes, then used a heel hook. Tana fought to the ropes to force a break. Henare continued to attack Tana’s left leg wth stomps, then went back to the heel hook. Tana forced another rope break. Henare hit a dragon screw.
Cobb tagged in and hit a series of headbutts. Tana hit a dropkick to the left leg and looked for a tag, but Henare knocked Ibushi off the apron. Tana reversed a suplex attempt into twist and shout, then tagged out.
Ibushi hit a double overhead kick to Cobb and Henare. He followed with a standing moonsault on Cobb for a near fall. He teased Kamigoye, but missed. Cobb hit a release belly-to-belly, European uppercut and a running back suplex for a near fall.
Cobb tried a spin cycle, but Ibushi blocked and hit a high kick into a double down. Tana tagged in and went for a slingblade, but Cobb blocked and hit a spin cycle. Henare tagged in for a step-up knee in the corner, then hit two stiff PKs for a near fall.
Henare hit a rugby tackle for another two count. He went for Streets of Rage, but Tana reversed into a slingblade at the 15 minute call.
Ibushi tagged in and hit a striking combination to Henare. He went for a Kamigoye, but Cobb saved Henare with a lariat. Cobb lifted both Ibushi and Tana on his shoulders. Ibushi sent Cobb to the apron, then kicked him off.
Henare took on both Tana and Ibushi with strikes. Ibushi hit a v-trigger to Henare. Tana followed with a slingblade. Tana hit a standing High Fly Flow. Ibushi followed with a Kamigoye and pinned Henare.
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Ibushi and Cobb had an intense staredown after the match. Cobb pulled up a chair and sat ringside as Ibushi cut a promo. Ibushi put Cobb over, then challenged him. Cobb said “F*** yeah.” Expect that match to be made official shortly.
Tanahashi then addressed the crowd. Ibushi closed the show on the mic.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles are on the line tonight on night one of NJPW’s Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni.
SHO and YOH will attempt their first defense on this title reign against former champs El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
In the semi-main, Toru Yano will defend the provisional KOPW 2021 title against EVIL in a creation of darkness blindfold match.
The battles between Los Ingobernables de Japon and The United Empire will continue on the undercard, as Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI take on Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb and Aaron Henare. BUSHI and Shingo fell to Ospreay and Cobb in a tag match on Monday’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku show, while SANADA beat Henare and Naito defeated O-Khan in singles matches.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo will be the third match of the evening.
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado will take place for the twelfth time on the current tour.
Tiger Mask & Gabriel Kidd will face Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura in the opener.
Our live coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.
It was all Tiger and Kidd at the outset. Kidd quickly took over with some slams. Tiger tagged in and continued the assault with kicks. Tiger used a single-leg crab and a camel clutch. Uemura broke the clutch with a kick.
Tsuji came back with a slam on Tiger and tagged out. Uemura hit arm drags and dropkicks on both Tiger and an interfering Kidd. Uemura used a suplex and a cross armbreaker.
Kidd and Tsuji got tags. Kidd again dominated their exchanges. He hit a slam, a senton and a vertical suplex for a near fall. Kidd went for a Regal suplex, but Tsuji avoided it with a backdrop. After a striking battle, Tsuji hit a spear.
Tsuji used a Boston crab. Tiger tried to break the hold with kicks, but Uemura took him out with a dropkick. Tsuji used a giant swing, then went back to the crab and got the tapout.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado defeated Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI by DQ (7:53)
This was just a fight.
Bullet Club attacked Suzuki-gun as they made their entrance. They brawled around the ring. Jado used a kendo stick on DOUKI.
A match briefly broke out. Bullet Club remained in control. Tama worked over Taichi. Taichi managed a tag to Sabre. Loa tagged in as well. Sabre tagged DOUKI. Taichi introduced a ladder to the proceedings and was disqualified.
Suzuki-gun left Bullet Club laying. Sabre cut a promo after the match and said that G.O.D. has taken everything from them, but next week, Taichi gets his iron fingers back in a ladder match with Tama, then they’ll get their rightful Tag title shot.
They opened with a lot of comedy, which was enjoyable. Tanahashi, Taguchi and Wato worked over Gedo by pulling on his beard. Bullet Club attacked Taguchi by biting his funky weapon.
Wato got a tag and ran wild with kicks and a springboard forearm. Ishimori cut him off with a Yes Lock and a handspring kick. Gedo tagged in and promptly got hit with a dreamcast.
Tana tagged in and hit Gedo with a flying forearm and a senton. Tana played some air guitar. He teased a Blade Runner on Gedo, but Yujiro saved. Taguchi saved for Tana. Tana and Taguchi hit stereo hip attacks to Gedo.
Taguchi and Wato hit stereo planchas to Yujiro and Ishimori. Tana then used a slingblade. He locked on the Texas cloverleaf and Gedo tapped out.
***** Intermission *****
Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (12:14)
I liked the Shingo & BUSHI vs. Ospreay and Cobb match on Monday more, but this was quite good as well.
United Empire pounced as LIJ attempted their pre-match fist bump and the brawl was on. O-Khan and Naito ended up the legal men, with O-Khan in control following the jumpstart. O-Khan hit Mongolian chops. Naito was cut off in Empire’s corner and they took turns working hm over.
Cobb hit a standing moonsault. Ospreay hit a double stomp to a draping Naito as Cobb held him. Naito came back with an elbow and a basement dropkick on O-Khan. Naito hit a flying forearm into a double down.
Shingo and Ospreay tagged in and picked up the pace. Cobb tried to interfere, but Shingo hit him with a vertical suplex. Shingo missed a sliding lariat to Ospreay. Ospreay hit a stunner. They had a rare misstep as Shingo slipped while trying to block a rana.
SANADA and Henare got tags. SANADA used the paradise lock. He broke the hold with a dropkick, then hit a plancha. Back inside, SANADA missed a springboard attack. Henare hit a vertical suplex. SANADA avoided Streets of Rage and hit a back suplex.
Cobb interfered. SANADA hit him with a rana, then tagged BUSHI. BUSHI hit a DDT and a missile dropkick. Cobb blocked a swinging neckbreaker and Empire wenr 4-on-1 against BUSHI. Cobb hit a spin cycle. LIJ jumped in to make the save.
Everyone jumped in for a big move. Ospreay and Shingo had another crazy sequence. The speed with which those guys execute is absurd.
BUSHI used a schoolboy for a two count, then hit a victory roll for another. Cobb caught BUSHI coming off the ropes and hit Tour of the Islands for the pin.
Creation of darkness blindfold match for the provisional KOPW 2021: Toru Yano defeated EVIL (w/Dick Togo) to retain (14:58)
This was an easy worst match of the year contender. It was endless. The comedy wasn’t funny. The work was clunky. The stipulation was beyond stupid. Everyone involved in the booking and execution of this should retire.
The rules were that you had to put a hood on the loser. If the hood was off, pinfalls, countouts and submissions were null and void.
They dueled with hoods right away. Yano used a schoolboy for a near fall. EVIL missed wth Everything is EVIL. Togo hit Yano with a corner pad. EVIL hit a baseball swing chair shot.
EVIL taped Yano’s wrists to the barricade for a countout tease. Yano shook the hood off at 18, so the count was stopped.
EVIL put a hood over the ring announcer, then bumped him. EVIL put a hood on Yano and tossed him back in for a two count. Togo assisted EVIL as he used a cobra twist. EVIL got a two count as Yano shook the hood off.
Togo and EVIL stomped Yano on the outside. EVIL rolled Yano under the ring. Yano beat the count back in. EVIL tried a lariat, but Yano had cut holes in the hood and ducked it.
Yano sent EVIL into the exposed buckle. Yano hit a belly-to-belly. Yano tried a low blow, but the ref stopped him. Yano put a hood on the ref, who then took a bump. Togo interfered. Yano put a hood on Togo. Yano hit a low blow on EVIL. Everyone was down. Togo walked to the back.
Yano hit a slingshot into the exposed buckle. He put a hood on EVIL. The lights went out. When they came back on, EVIL was choking out Yano with Togo’s ligature. EVIL hit a lariat. Yano kicked out.
EVIL used a scorpion deathlock. Yano removed his hood and this match must continue.
Yano avoided Everything is EVIL and bumped the ref. Togo ran back in. Yano avoided a Magic Killer and hit a double low blow. EVIL had a hood on and hit Togo with Everything is EVIL by mistake.
Yano hit another low blow and rolled EVIL up for the pin.
Yano spray painted his KOPW trophy gold again after the match.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: SHO & YOH defeated El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru to retain the titles (27:09)
This was very good. The time just flew by. These four could probably havea good match with each other in their sleep.
Kanemaru and YOH started with an exchange of holds. Kanemaru quickly went after YOH’s bad knee and cut him off. Desperado and Kanemaru went to work. They took the fight to the floor and sent YOH into the barricade. They teased a countout, but SHO urged YOH along and he got back in.
YOH managed a tag to SHO. SHO was quickly cut off by Desperado and Kanemaru. The first five minutes were spent working over YOH, the next five working over SHO. SHO finally came back with a kitchen sink and a double spear.
YOH got a tag and hit a missile dropkick to Kanemaru. Desperado got a tag and went for Pinche Loco, but YOH hit a backdrop to escape it. YOH hit a falcon arrow and a pumphandle driver for a two count.
YOH went for Direct Drive, but Desperado blocked. Kanemaru interfered with a well-timed dropkick to the bad knee. Desperado used Numero Dos. SHO broke free from Kanemaru on the outside to break up the submission attempt on YOH.
Desperado hit Guitarra de Angel for a near fall. After a double down, both tagged out. SHO tried for a power breaker, but Kanemaru grabbed the referee. SHO hit a spear for a near fall, then used a kimura for a near submission.
Kanemaru came back with a sattelite DDT. Kanemaru hit a slam and a moonsault for a near fall. Kanemaru teased Deep Impact. YOH jumped in to cut him off. Desperado got in and took out YOH.
SHO hit a series of German suplexes on Kanemaru. He used a cross armbreaker. Kanemaru forced a rope break. SHO and YOH hit Kanemaru with tandem offense. They set up for the 3K, but Kanemaru fought out of it.
SHO and YOH hit stereo knees, then hit the 3K. Desperado broke up the pin. YOH ducked a right hand from Desperado and hit a superkick and a tope con giro. It looked like a nasty landing on the floor.
Kanemaru caught SHO in two quick cradles for near falls. SHO hit a lariat. He used a Shock Arrow, but Kanemaru kicked out.
SHO and YOH hit the Strong X. SHO covered Kanemaru for the pin.
YOH is Desperado’s next challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, so they had a brief staredown after the match.
SHO and YOH addressed the crowd after the match.
**********
Here is the lineup for tomorrow’s show:
NJPW Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni night two, Thursday, April 29, 2 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare
Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan
Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
Tiger Mask, SHO & YOH vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
A Twitter poll will decide the stipulation for the KOPW 2021 match at NJPW’s Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni event.
NJPW announced that a poll on the NJPW Global Twitter page will kick off on Monday. Fans will be asked to choose between provisional KOPW 2021 Toru Yano’s stipulation choice, and challenger EVIL’s proposal.
Yano has proposed a Creation of Darkness Blindfold match. The rules of that stipulation would see a hood placed on each of the four ring posts. Pinfalls, submissions and countouts would not be in effect until one competitor placed a hood on the other.
EVIL’s proposal is a Darkness match. Under that stip, the lights would be turned on and off for thirty second intervals in the first three minutes of the match. After that point, there would be a thirty second period with the lights out for every three minutes of match time.
Yano and EVIL’s feud has incorporated both proposed elements. EVIL defeated Yano in the New Japan Cup after his second, Dick Togo, turned out the lights to distract Yano. Yano answered by placing a hood on Togo, then hitting him with a low blow and pinning him at Sakura Genesis on April 4.
Night one of Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni will be held on Wednesday, April 28 at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Here is the lineup for the show:
Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni night one, Wednesday, April 28 —
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: SHO & YOH (c) vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
KOPW 2021 provisional Championship: Toru Yano (c) vs. EVIL
Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare
