Bryan Danielson wants to see his in-ring rival Zack Sabre Jr. win the NJPW G1 Climax.
With the G1 in full swing, Sabre is one of the leading candidates to win. Danielson told Sports Illustrated that he’s rooting for Sabre in the G1 and wants to see him become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Danielson said Sabre is the NJPW wrestler he enjoys watching most.
“As a fan of the New Japan product, I would love to see Zack Sabre win the G1 and go on to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion,” Danielson said. “If you were to ask me whose matches I enjoy the most and what personalities I enjoy the most in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, it’s Zack Sabre Jr.
“I don’t know the business metrics and all that kind of stuff. But his interviews are the most compelling to me, and in a very real way. He’s the guy I enjoy watching the most.”
August 18 is when the G1 concludes. The tournament winner receives an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot at Wrestle Kingdom 19 next January. Currently, Tetsuya Naito holds that championship. Sabre has never been IWGP World Champion before.
Danielson and Sabre traded victories in 2023-2024 with Danielson defeating Sabre in AEW last October and Sabre then winning their rematch in Japan this February.
Later this month, Danielson’s in-ring career could come to an end at All In. He’s challenging Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship at the pay-per-view. If Danielson loses the match, he will retire as an in-ring competitor.
Zack Sabre Jr. was a fan of Orange Cassidy before it was cool to be a fan of Orange Cassidy.
ZSJ defeated Cassidy last night at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. He then praised his opponent at the post-event press conference.
“I don’t think there’s a wrestler in the world that respects Orange Cassidy more than me,” ZSJ said. “I think anyone that knows my personality or my taste in music and film probably thinks that I’m a pretentious wanker, but I actually knew that Orange Cassidy was cool way before all of you.”
“10 years ago, roughly, on the Northeast Indies, if I was on before Orange Cassidy, I’d be at the match stand watching the match losing my mind and the rest of the crowd, like, would shout, ‘What is this maniac doing?'”
“We both wanted this match for a long time,” he continued. “Obviously, I’d hoped it was going to happen last year but it didn’t work out.”
“If there is anyone disregarding how talented Orange Cassidy is at pro-wrestling, they’re a f**king idiot,” he continued.
ZSJ’s trip to the United States continues later this month as he’s scheduled for NJPW x CMLL Fantasticamania in San Jose on July 13. He’s set to team with Bad Dude Tito in a tag match against Hechicero and Virus on the show. After that, ZSJ is entered into G1 Climax 34, which kicks off July 20 in Osaka. He’s entered into the B Block and will have his first match on July 21 against Tetsuya Naito.
A year after they did battle in a four-way, Zack Sabre Jr. has declared that he will return for this month’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door and wants to face Orange Cassidy.
On a video package that played during Saturday’s AEW Collision, Sabre Jr. referred to last year’s bout for Cassidy’s then-International title in which he defeated Sabre Jr., Daniel Garcia and Katsuyori Shibata to retain.
The two have yet to face each other one-on-one, but have shared the ring twice: once in the aforementioned four-way which was preceded by a tag match with all four combatants.
Cassidy did not answer Sabre Jr.’s challenge Saturday as he picked up a win over Kyle O’Reilly and was then attacked by Trent Beretta and Kyle Fletcher.
Sabre Jr. lost to Claudio Castagnoli on the inaugural show while Cassidy fell to then-IWGP U.S. Champion Will Ospreay.
Here’s the current confirmed card for the Sunday, June 30th card:
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland defends against Will Ospreay
Two new matches have been added to the card for May’s All Together event, the first show under the United Japan Pro-Wrestling banner.
It was announced in December 2023 that nine promotions had come together to form the United Japan Pro-Wrestling industry group. Their first collaborative show is being held at Budokan Hall on Monday, May 6.
A singles match between Pro Wrestling NOAH star Kenoh and NJPW’s Kosei Fujita has been added to the All Together event. A tag team match with SANADA (NJPW) & KAI (Dragon Gate) facing Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW) & Chris Brookes (DDT) is also now set.
NJPW, AJPW, NOAH, DDT, Ganbare, Big Japan, Dragon Gate, Stardom, and Tokyo Joshi Pro are the nine promotions in the industry group. While still operating separately, they’ve come together to advance pro wrestling in Japan following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mission statement for the group is:
To further the presence of pro-wrestling and its cultural merit in Japanese society at large, allow professional wrestling to contribute further to cultural and sporting sectors, and work toward continued health and prosperity of the industry.
All Together is airing as a pay-per-view on ABEMA. A portion of the proceeds from the event are being donated to the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake that happened at the beginning of this year.
The NJPW World Television Championship will be on the line in Chicago later this month.
In a video posted overnight, Matt Riddle issued a challenge to Zack Sabre Jr. for NJPW Windy City Riot. Riddle will be defending his NJPW World Television title in the match.
Only three wrestlers have ever held the NJPW World Television title. Sabre became the inaugural champion in January 2023. He held the championship for one year before dropping it to Hiroshi Tanahashi, who then lost the title to Riddle this February.
Riddle said he wants to face Sabre to prove who the real NJPW World Television Champion is.
“You were the first Television Champion, and I’m going to prove a point and make an example of why I’m the real World Television Champion in New Japan,” Riddle said. “And I will challenge you in a match – April 12, bro – in Chicago. See you soon, bro.”
Since becoming champion, Riddle has retained the TV title against two of Sabre’s TMDK stablemates. He defeated Bad Dude Tito in February and Kosei Fujita in March. Both of those matches took place for MLW.
Chicago’s Wintrust Arena is hosting Windy City Riot on Friday, April 12. Priced at $19.99, it will air live as a pay-per-view on NJPW World.
NJPW Windy City Riot 2024 —
Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Mustafa Ali
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Nic Nemeth
Jack Perry vs. Shota Umino
Four corners open challenge: NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions Hikuleo & El Phantasmo defend against Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls, Tom Lawlor & Fred Rosser, and Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson
Riot Rules tornado tag: Eddie Kingston and three partners to be announced vs. Gabe Kidd and three partners to be announced
NJPW World Television Champion Matt Riddle defends against Zack Sabre Jr.
The final eight in the 2024 New Japan Cup field will be set following today’s event in Osaka.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita in the main event, plus Yota Tsuji vs. El Phantasmo in the semi-main event are today’s Cup matches, the final second round bouts of the tournament.
The winners of today’s matches will square off in the quarterfinals on March 17.
Today’s undercard will feature four tag team bouts, and the show kicks off with a pair of singles matches.
The featured tag team bout is an eight-man with LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI facing UE’s Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, TJP & Francesco Akira.
Mikey Nicholls of TMDK takes on Callum Newman of United Empire in one singles bout, while Young Lions Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima square off in the opener.
Today’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Time Limit Draw: Shoma Kato vs. Katsuya Murashima
Oh, how I’ve missed the Young Lion exhibitions.
This was a straightforward, efficient, and fun ground war. The match ended with Kato locking in a Boston Crab, but Murashima held on to earn the time-limit draw.
Mikey Nicholls defeated Callum Newman
This was a decent little singles match.
There were a handful of competitive sequences and interesting offenses ahead of the finish. Ultimately, Nicholls won the match with a Master Blaster.
Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura) defeated Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma), El Desperado & Oleg Boltin
This was a totally standard preview tag. It was fun; GBH had a lot of ring time. That said, it’s nothing worth going out of your way for.
The match ended with a back-and-forth between Honma and Uemura. Uemura was overwhelmed momentarily but eventually reversed momentum. He hit Honma with his deadbolt suplex and won the match.
BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori) defeated CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Ryusuke Taguchi
This was almost your typical BULLET CLUB match, but the interactions between Kidd and Ishii elevated it above average. It’s not awful, but it’s not worth seeking out.
The match ended after a full-scale breakdown, which left Owens and Taguchi alone in the ring. Owens hit Taguchi with the package piledriver and won the match.
Guerrillas Of Destiny (Hikuleo, Jado & Tanga Loa), Shota Umino & YOH defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, Jack Perry, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)
If you’ve seen one HoT match, you’ve seen them all. Shota’s goal was to pin Perry, but he couldn’t get the job done. Instead, after minutes of back and forth, YOH pinned Togo with a bridging pin.
United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & TJP) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito)
This match was fine, even if it felt like little more than a card filler.
Both teams exchanged control multiple times in this match. Only after multiple match breakdowns Cobb isolated BUSHI from his team. He landed on Tour of the Islands to win the match.
New Japan Cup: Yota Tsuji defeated El Phantasmo
This match kicked off with some common grappling. It turned into a strike-off, which ELP took full advantage of. ELP landed a rana and attempted a dive, but Tsuji cut him off with a kick.
Back in the ring, Tsuji slammed ELP into the corner. He then took ELP to the mat with a body scissor. Once ELP secured a rope break, Tsuji hit a scoop slam and a splash. ELP remained on the back foot until he caught him with a DDT.
Tsuji fled to the outside, but ELP was right behind him with another DDT. ELP then hit a senton and moonsault combination for a nearfall. ELP tried for Sudden Death, but Tsuji avoided the finish. Tsuji followed up with a tilt-a-whirl for a match reset.
Tsuji caught ELP with a boot, sending ELP back to the floor. Tsuji then positioned ELP on the mat, where the pair struggled for control. ELP tried for CR2, but Tsuji avoided it. Tsuji attempted his curb stomp on the apron, but ELP dodged it. ELP attempted a dive to the floor, but again, he missed. Tsuji was quick to respond with a curb stomp on the floor. ELP barely beat the count, only to eat another curb stomp as soon as he entered the ropes.
Instead of going for the finish, Tusji hoisted ELP to a standing position. He then slapped ELP, landed a corner splash, and lifted him to the top rope. From the top, Tsuji hit a Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Tsuji set up for a Gene Blast, but ELP lept the attack and hit a Sudden Death superkick for a nearfall of his own.
A sequence of quick pins nearly ended the match. Tsuji took advantage of a momentary pause after the back-and-forth to kick ELP to the mat. Tsuji attempted another Gene Blast, but ELP intercepted Tsuji. ELP transitioned into CR2 for a convincing false finish.
Another strike exchange escalated into a sequence of heavy moves. Tsuji landed a knee strike and a curb stomp. With ELP laying in the corner, Tsuji lept to the top rope and delivered another curb stomp, resulting in a win.
Yota Tsuji is set for quarter final action.
New Japan Cup: Ren Narita defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
I would have been pumped if you told me this match was happening one year ago. This was far better than that match would have been. This was great. Both men looked focused and intense. Even the HoT interference wasn’t nearly as infuriating as it should be. Color me impressed.
Narita came to the ring holding his pushup bar, accompanied by Jack Perry, Dick Togo, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Mikey Nicholls made sure they were expelled to the back before the match began.
The match opened with a scramble for control. No one won out, but Narita was outclassed, so he fled to the floor. Once he returned, he tried catching ZSJ with strikes, but ZSJ fought back with some of his own. Narita held on long enough to throw ZSJ to the floor.
On the outside, Narita carried ZSJ into the floor seats. He tried throwing ZSJ into the wall, but ZSJ blocked him before locking in the cobra twist. Once the referee forced ZSJ to break his hold, ZSJ struck Narita, forcefully sending him back toward the ring.
Once the pair was ringside, Narita whipped ZSJ into the barricade, sending him crashing into English coms. Narita followed up with a sick sling blade-esq lariat into the fencing. Narita dropped ZSJ with a chair before punting him on the apron.
Back in the ring, Narita established control of the mat. He utilized holds, whips, and kicks, really putting ZSJ on the back foot. ZSJ eventually fired back, knocking Narita to the mat. ZSJ then employed his own holds, whips, and kicks to reset the match in his favor.
It took a quick slap and a clothesline from Narita to retake control. ZSJ answered by initiating a passionate strike battle, ending with a pair of big boots; during this exchange, Narita’s nose busted, resulting in a lot of blood. Narita won out, hitting a Narita special and a guillotine for nearfall.
ZSJ tried to regain his lead with two quick pin attempts. A stunning suplex followed, resulting in another nearfall. Once both men returned to their feet, ZSJ attempted the Zack Driver, but Narita slipped free, catching ZSJ in the octopus hold. ZSJ escaped; Narita followed up with a guillotine knee for another nearfall.
Narita tried for Double Cross, but ZSJ transitioned into a cross-arm breaker. A quick exchange of holds followed, but ZSJ maintained control. This signaled HoT to hit the ring. Nicholls was as fast to the ring as possible, but he couldn’t hold off HoT alone. The distraction left Narita free to drop ZSJ with the pushup bar and a double cross to win the match.
The new issue of the Observer up on the site is filled with tons of detailed news stories, between more on the Vince McMahon situation, WrestleMania 40 and the press conference, the new streaming services and changes in the sports media ecosystem, Rossy Ogawa and Scott D’Amore being fired as heads of Stardom and TNA, Steve McMichael makes the NFL Hall of Fame, and a study of AEW PPV buys.
How Vince McMahon was let go
The federal investigation of McMahon
What they were looking for and confiscated and how it ties in with other news
Who else has been talked with
Lots more on the Ashley Massaro situation
Why Ari Emanuel needs to answer a lot of questions
WrestleMania 40 blurring the lines
A look at the press conference and reaction to Rock
Update on Elimination Chamber
A look at the new sports streaming service that many networks are partnering in
The firing of Rossy Ogawa with a look into the background of what happened
Comments from both Taro Okada and Ogawa with both sides
Different booking decisions overruled
How AEW & WWE fit into the story
Firing of Scott D’Amore, the background of it, the talent meeting, how successful the last PPV show really was
Full coverage of NXT Stand & Deliver
A study of AEW PPV buyers and what it reveals
Steve McMichael makes NFL Hall of Fame as one of his last wishes and a look back at his run, plus other wrestlers in the NFL Hall of Fame
The most detailed look at the ratings of all the wrestling TV shows, demo breakdowns, comparisons with last year, segment numbers and what can be learned from it
Huge feud appears to be brewing with AEW internationally
Gran Alternativa final draws back at Arena Mexico
AAA Rey de Reyes notes
Stardom anniversary show notes
Lots of injury updates
Toby Keith and his connection with wrestling that you probably do know and may not know
40th anniversary of the death of El Santo and David Von Erich
Bret Hart talks problems with today’s wrestling
One of the best promos of the year by Amira
Lots more on Revolution
Largest crowds ever in Greensboro
Wembley Stadium update
Attendance updates for upcoming WWE, AEW and UFC shows
Lots of injury updates
Gina Carano sues Disney
More WrestleMania updates
International TV ratings and streaming numbers
TV reviews and show notes
Two personalities in Super Bowl commercials Sunday
Bryan and I will be up tonight covering the weekend news, WrestleMania, Smackdown, New Japan and AEW with Wrestling Observer Radio. We have a major week in review with so much major news this past week with Garrett Gonzales on the site that we recorded on Friday. I also listened to Jim Valley’s show and he was very adamant about the Vince McMahon situation that is worth a listen.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the New Beginning in Osaka show from today, thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Regarding the show, I haven’t had a chance to see it, but people are calling Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. the match of the year and far better than their WrestleDream match. The Bullet Club War Dogs vs. United Empire cage match went 64:50, making it one of the longest matches in Japanese wrestling history. Many have said it was amazing and violent and a match of the year candidate but others thought it went too long and missed its peak. The show was the very emotional farewell of Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay. Okada was listed as finishing up on the 24th in Sapporo last I heard but they seemed to do a farewell tonight. It was his final match in Osaka.
Danielson after the match said that Sabre Jr. was the best technical wrestler in the world. Danielson also asked for a 2/3 fall rematch with Sabre outside the U.S. or Japan. That immediately made people speculate that match for All In at Wembley Stadium.
Sean Ross Sapp reported Okada is going to AEW. Everything we’ve been led to believe for weeks is that it would be Okada’s decision. We haven’t gotten that confirmed past as of Wednesday they were talking like he was coming but the belief was that he had not signed yet but was going to do so. One person with knowledge of the situation said that he hadn’t heard an official signing just yet, but that they had heard it was a done deal.
Tony Khan did a lot of media yesterday and today since all the reporters were in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. When a reporter asked about Double or Nothing in Las Vegas this year he certainly indicated that was the case. He also said they would like to establish a tradition where Collision is in the city of the Super Bowl every year going forward. He said 100 percent that CMLL would be part of Forbidden Door this year and heavily put over working with CMLL. He noted MJF was very injured and didn’t put a time frame on his return and also talked about Britt Baker being injured as well as how serious Kenny Omega’s situation with diverticulitis was. As we’ve mentioned a few times, if he had waited any longer to get it checked it very much would have been life threatening. His high threshold for pain was actually almost his undoing.
Regarding Google searches for the week, nothing from WWE or UFC made the list. UFC had a show yesterday that obviously didn’t have super interest and there’s so much related to the Super Bowl. None of the Dwayne Johnson wrestling stuff has made the list since he appeared in Birmingham last Friday. Steve McMichael was No. 11 on Thursday with 50,000 for the announcement of him going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Moana 2 was No. 1 on Wednesday, which is a movie Dwayne Johnson will be in as a voice character. The death of Toby Keith was No. 1 on Tuesday with 10 million searches and Gina Carano was No. 5 with her lawsuit against Disney with 100,000.
Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton are right now slated to be in the Women’s Chamber
To kill a rumor, the Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins & Cody Rhodes match, if that is the match, is not happening at Elimination Chamber. Rock is booked for Mania.
Dwayne Johnson was furious at reporter Nick Sortor who claimed he was booed at the press conference on Thursday because they promised tens of millions to the victims of the Mau fires and many victims haven’t seen a dime. Obviously he was booed because of wrestling fans thinking he was going to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania and they wanted Cody Rhodes, and he was turning heel anyway. Johnson said that their People’s Fund of Maui has delivered more than $50 million to more than 8,000 survivors who were affected by the fires. He said the story was bullshit and that Sortor knew it was false. He also said he was turning heel and it’s what we do in wrestling and “we love every second of it.”
Bayley is currently in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl with Mercedes Mone. Bayley is a big 49ers fan.
Brock Lesnar was pulled out of the WWE show open.
Jon Jones said to Submission Radio in Australia that he has not made a decision on whether his fight with Stipe Miocic will be his last, saying it depends on how the fight goes. He said he could face Tom Aspinall, the interim champion, but didn’t say he would.
Shotzi made a surprise appearance at last night’s NXT house show in Venice, FL, and challenged Lyra Valkyria to a title match on Tuesday’s TV show.
Those appearing in Super Bowl commercials today will include Dana White, Jade Cargill and Steve Austin.
Based on the prelim numbers of 2.46 million and 0.69, Smackdown on Friday will beat the prior week’s show in total viewers and may beat it in 18-49 since Smackdown of late has been beating its prelim numbers.
John Cena appeared for the Savannah Bananas comedy baseball team in a promotion for the movie Ricky Stanicky that Cena stars in. The Bananas team members were at a recent AEW show.
Kylie Rae made a surprise return to pro wrestling last night in Chicago after having given birth. She wrestled her boyfriend Isaias Velazquez at the Freelance Wrestling show as the mystery opponent. Was told she looked excellent, no ring rust. The crowd went nuts for her and she was crying at the start of the match. Danhausen also made a surprise appearance at the show running after the returning Frank the Clown. (thanks to Lance Levine)
Kenny King returned to ROH at last night’s tapings in Henderson, NV, losing to Dalton Castle.
Fantasicamania is tomorrow on New Japan World in an early a.m. start:
Difunto & Douki vs. Gedo & Taiji Ishimori
Tiger Mask vs. Magnus
Brillante Jr. & Despearado & Ryusuke Taguchi & Stigma vs. Tetsuya Naito & Kamaitachi (Hiromu Takahashi) & Titan & Bushi
Dark Panther & Pegasso & Tomoaki Honma vs. Okumura & Strong Machine J & Yoh
Atlantis Jr. & Templario & Volador Jr. vs. Hechicero & Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Mascara Dorada & Mistico vs. Francesco Akira & Stuka Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero
Night one of the New Jersey J Cup in Jersey City. NJ: Nick Wayne b Marcus Mathers, Matt Makowski b Tony Deppen, Joey Janela b Kerry Morton, Masha Slamovich b Man Like DeReiss, Alec Price b Jonathan Gresham, Myron Reed won over Mr. Danger, Billie Starkz, Jack Cartwheel, Charles Mason and Cole Radrick, Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini kept the GCW tag titles over Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura, Jordan Oliver b Griffin McCoy to keep the JCW title, Great Sasuke b Mike Bailey. Night two with the semifinals and finals will be on Triller TV + tonight.
Combat 1 Wrestling from Thursday night in Brighton, MI: Alex Shelley b Damian Fenrir, Miley b Vanna Black, Nate Bock b Mike Walker, Jackson Stone b Bhupinder Gujjar, The Eh Team b Kyle Barrett & Roy Williams, Matt Riddle b Atrocity Krule and Tommy Vendetta to win the 1 World title (thanks to Leonard Brand)
Defy Seventh anniversary show from Friday night in Seattle: Gringo Loco b Lince Dorado, Guillermo Rosas won a multi-man over Cody Chhun, Schaff, Big Damo, Matt Brannigan, Sebastian Wolfe, Eddie Pearl and Ricky Gibson, Curry Man b Christopher Daniels, Vert Vixen b Nicole Mathtews to keep the Defy women’s title, Eddie Kingston b Artemis Spencer, Bollywood Boyz b Travis Williams & Evan Rivers to keep the Defy tag titles, Mustafa Ali b Judas Icarus (thanks to Matt Farmer). Next show is 4/4 in Philadelphia and they were back in Seattle on 5/10.
Bryan Danielson is not finished with Zack Sabre Jr.
Following ZSJ’s victory over Danielson on Sunday’s NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka show, Danielson challenged him to a best two-of-three falls match on neutral ground.
Danielson said:
The best technical wrestler in the world, it’s not me anymore, it’s Zack Sabre Jr. I hope the Japanese fans appreciate every time we get to see him.
Danielson continued:
I didn’t tap out, but he caught me. To be fair, if I’m going to give myself the benefit of the doubt, I think I might want one more. I beat him in AEW, he beat me in New Japan, I say we do two out of three falls somewhere on neutral ground and I’ll leave it at that.
Let’s find a promoter, any promoter in the world who wants to do a two out of three falls match with me and Zack Sabre Jr, we’ll find a way to get it done. Thank you, guys, and god bless New Japan, I love this place.
Bryan Danielson: "My eye is 100% healed. My arm is 100% healed. I went out there and gave him everything I have in my soul. I gave it all out there and Zack Sabre Jr. beat me. The best technical wrestler in the world, it's not me anymore, it's Sabre Jr."https://t.co/VVElU4vvUh
Danielson defeated ZSJ at AEW WrestleDream in Seattle last year. The match was rated five-and-a-half stars by our own Dave Meltzer. It was the first match they’d had since 2009.
Danielson defeated ZSJ in their first match in 2008, which was also a two-out-of-three falls match. The following year, ZSJ defeated Danielson in WXW’s 16 Carat Gold tournament in Germany.
One of wrestling’s greatest rivalries ends today with the final Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka.
In the same building where Okada defeated Tanahashi in 2012 in the legendary Rainmaker Shock to claim his first IWGP Heavyweight title, the two legends will do battle one last time on today’s show at EDION Arena. Okada has aready announced his NJPW departure and finishes up with the promotion in two weeks.
Will Ospreay will say farewell to NJPW in the main event of today’s show in a five-on-five cage match held under War Games rules, with United Empire (Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, HENARE, TJP & Francesco Akira) facing Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Alex Coughlin, Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors. Ospreay has signed with AEW.
AEW’s Bryan Danielson will face Zack Sabre Jr. on today’s show in a return match from WrestleDream last October where Danielson pinned Sabre.
The IWGP Tag Team Championship is also on the line today as El Phantasmo & Hikuleo defend against KENTA & Chase Owens in the show’s only title match.
Oleg opened the match against Yano, taking him down with a tackle, which prompted YOH to hit the ring. Oleg took out both of his opponents and landed a splash for an early near fall. Yano, on the back foot, grabbed the referee to buy time. He then hit Oleg with an atomic drop, removed the padding from the turnbuckle, drove Oleg into the corner, and tagged in YOH.
Once Taguchi tagged in, momentum shifted back and forth. Yano tried aiding YOH, but this led to Oleg hitting the ring. Oleg and Taguchi hoisted up their opponents and rocked them. Taguchi strained himself in this exercise, allowing YOH to transition into a quick pin. Oleg was too busy rocking Yano to notice the pin, allowing YOH to steal the win.
Newman was able to gain the upper hand early, but tandem offense from Bishamon overwhelmed him. Newman eventually landed a kick, allowing him to escape to O-Khan.
O-Khan and YH struggled for control. Once O-Khan found his footing, he tagged back into Newman. A back-and-forth between teams followed until Bishamon was alone with Newman. They planted Newman with Shoto and pinned him to win the match.
House of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated El Desperado, Shota Umino, Tiger Mask & Tomoaki Honma
This match opened with a brawl. Once they found the ring, the babyface squad worked to isolate SHO. A missed KoKeshi from Honma was followed by another brawl and HoT emerging with control.
A tag to Umino led to a short rally. SHO used some of his usual tactics to slow down Umino, forcing him to tag out to TMIV. The rest of the babyfaces backed up TMIV, leading to a match breakdown. TMIV hit SHO with a tiger driver for a near fall.
Dick Togo distracted the referee, allowing SHO to hit TMIV with a low blow. Narita then dropped TMIV with his pushup bar. To close, SHO hit TMIV with a package piledriver and pinned him.
After the match, HoT continued to attack the babyfaces. EVIL spray painted an X on Umino. SHO left with Desperado’s junior belt in hand, declaring himself the champion.
Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji)
Shingo and Taichi opened the match with back-and-forth strikes. TAKA and BUSHI tagged in next, with BUSHI landing a tope to secure the lead. LIJ then worked together to wear down TAKA. TAKA held his own long enough to tag out to Uemura.
Uemura unloaded on Tsuji. Uemura focused on the arm to gain a lead. Tsuji fought back, dropping Uemura for a double tag.
DOUKI and Hiromu entered next, with neither man gaining strong footing. Hiromu landed a German, but DOUKI responded with one of his own. A match reset followed, leading to a double tag to SANADA and Naito.
SANADA placed Naito in the paradise lock. After being kicked out of the hold, Naito spat in the face of SANDA and landed a dropkick of his own. SANADA tried to respond with another dropkick, but Naito ate it and landed another one himself.
From here, the match broke down. J5G dropped BUSHI with five tandem boots. LIJ hit the ring next, leading to a chaotic back and forth until SANADA locked BUSHI into a swinging Skull End, forcing him to tap.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
This match was exactly what it needed to be—an emotional sendoff for one of the greatest rivalries in pro wrestling’s history. Instead of being over-ambitious, this match focused on tying a bow on this story in an efficient, romantic way. Fantastic.
Before the match could begin, deafening “Okada” chants filled EDION Arena.
A collar-and-elbow initiated the action, with a typical feeling out back and forth following. Okada landed a dropkick, sending Tanahashi to the floor, where Okada used the barricade to establish a lead. The crowd responded to Okada’s dirty offense with boos.
Back in the ring, Okada landed Tanahashi’s signature dragon screw, drawing more boos from the Osaka crowd. He then dared Tanahashi to strike him, which Tanahashi gladly did. Tanahashi then took control with a senton and a couple of his own dragon screws. With Okada on the outside, Tanahashi climbed to the top and delivered a high-impact crossbody.
Back in the ring, Tanahashi tried running at Okada, but Okada caught him. Okada followed up with an air raid crash and an elbow drop before hitting his signature Rainmaker pose.
When Okada attempted Rainmaker for the first time, Tanahashi reversed into a sling blade; a strike exchange followed. Okada rocked Tanahashi with uppercuts, but Tanahashi answered with a twist and shout. Tanahashi followed up with a dragon suplex and sling blade.
Tanahashi climbed to the top for High Fly Flow, but Okada blocked by extending his knees. Okada then floored Tanahashi with a dropkick and a clothesline. Okada established wrist control, but Tanahashi broke it with a slap; Okada dropkick and a piledriver to gain wrist control again. Seeing the writing on the wall, Tanahashi tried to escape, but Okada landed the Rainmaker. Okada then pinned Tanahashi to win the match.
After the pin, Okada and Tanahashi embraced. Okada then took a moment to soak up the reaction from the crowd before bowing to the lion mark with tears in his eyes.
IWGP Tag Team Championship: BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & KENTA) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c)
This was a stinker from these teams.
KENTA and ELP opened the match, but it didn’t take long for a breakdown with all four men involved. ELP landed a moonsault to the floor to establish a GoD lead. BULLET CLUB fired back by isolating ELP on the outside.
Owens attempted a package piledriver, but ELP escaped. A hot tag to Hikuleo followed, allowing GoD to establish the lead. After a strong stent from Hikuleo, ELP landed a dive for a nearfall.
KENTA hit the ring to steal the lead from GoD. BULLET CLUB worked together to isolate ELP until a sneaky tag allowed Hikuleo to re-enter the match. KENTA shoved Hikuleo into the referee and began striking the back of his head. Hikuleo held on long enough to respond with a scoop slam.
ELP dove on Owens to take him out. Hikuleo then dropped KENTA with a chokeslam, setting up the Thunderkiss 86. Owens saved the match by pulling the referee to the floor. Taiji Ishimori then hit the ring with a belt in hand, dropping Hikuleo and leaving KENTA free to pin him. Owens threw the referee in the ring just in time for a BULLET CLUB win. Owens and KENTA are tag champions.
I’ve not been a fan of this GoD reign at all, but I have a feeling that this BULLET CLUB pair will make me miss it.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Bryan Danielson
Very few matches come even close to what these two men delivered. This was a hyper-focused war filled with compelling work, bell-to-bell—a must-see.
The match opened with a standing scramble. An extended period of mat work followed, with neither man gaining an upper hand. This played out multiple times, with both men trying to break the other’s defenses; as soon as one would gain control, the other would slip free.
Eventually, Danielson whipped ZSJ into the ropes, causing him to retreat while holding his leg. Seeing an opening, Danielson began focusing solely on the leg, striking, stomping, and stretching it to establish a lead.
After minutes of Danielson brutalizing ZSJ’s leg, ZSJ flipped free and caught Danielson with a magic screw. Danielson tried to attack the leg again, but ZSJ was ready with another magic screw and a dropkick to the neck.
Danielson forced ZSJ into the corner, where he landed a few strikes and a dragonscrew. ZSJ responded with a cobra twist. The pair then worked their way to the mat, where they fought for control of the leg. ZSJ landed a handful of strikes, but Danielson responded with a mouthful of spit and a nasty kick to the ear. ZSJ, not to be outdone, began kicking Danielson himself. The pair then rolled to the edge of the apron while continuing to strike. ZSJ fell off the apron, leaving Danielson free to land a leaping knee.
Back in the ring, Danielson lept from the top rope, but ZSJ caught him. ZSJ then began to stretch Danielson with a variety of holds, forcing Danielson to escape to the bottom rope. When ZSJ tried to follow up, Danielson caught him with a kick to the injured leg.
Now late in the match, both men began trading stiff strikes in the center of the ring. A slap to the chest sent ZSJ crumbling, and a kick to the head re-established Danielson’s lead. Danielson then leaped on ZSJ’s leg before climbing to the top rope. ZSJ met Danielson on the top, leading to a back-and-forth of headbutts. Danielson won out with a back suplex, resulting in a nearfall.
Danielson landed a few of BCC’s signature elbows before attempting cattle mutilation. ZSJ escaped and landed a Zack Driver for a nearfall before Danielson could respond. ZSJ then began to hammer Danielson with kicks before attempting a triangle. Danielson slipped the hold and floored ZSJ with heavy forearms. Once ZSJ fell flat, Danielson transitioned to stomps. Danielson tried tying ZSJ up, forcing ZSJ to find the rope.
Danielson then turned to kicks to the chest. ZSJ powered up to his feet, leading to another slick back-and-forth grappling sequence. Once standing, they began to trade strikes again. After being granted a moment of separation, Danielson landed his knee strike. ZSJ reversed the second, leading to the pair trading quick pin attempts. Ultimately, ZSJ won out in this exchange, trapping Danielson with his shoulders down to eke out a win.
After the match, ZSJ offered a handshake to Danielson. Danielson hesitated momentarily but eventually shook his hand with vigor.
ZSJ gestured a missing belt on his waist before calling out the winner of Sanada and Naito.
BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors, David Finlay, Drilla Moloney & Gabe Kidd) defeated United Empire (Francesco Akira, HENARE, Jeff Cobb, TJP & Will Ospreay)
This had far too much going on for me to enjoy. It lacked the urgency that made the great staggered-entrance cage matches of the 90s and 00s special. That said, if you like modern war games or weapon-filled matches, this might be for you. There was a ton of blood, spots, and furniture. The visuals were incredible, but the meat just wasn’t there, at least for me.
There was an extended break before the match could begin so the giant cage could be set up. The cage wasn’t very tall, but it circled the ring, similar to the 2006 Cage of Death, leaving plenty of room to fight on the floor.
Ospreay and Finlay opened for their teams. Ospreay cut a promo before the opening bell, asking Finlay for an extended opening period. Ospreay wanted ten minutes instead of two. Finlay compromised, giving him five.
Once the match began, Finlay and Ospreay started to brawl outside the ring. Finlay tried using a chair but missed. This allowed Ospreay to slingshot him into the cage and establish the lead.
As the first period expired, Ospreay had the lead. Moloney entered the match, dragging a lifeless Callum Newman to the cage. He handcuffed Newman to the cage wall, distracting Ospreay long enough for Finlay to hit him with a chair. From here, the War Dogs began to beat down Ospreay, whipping him into the cage.
HENARE hit the ring to even the numbers. With HENARE’s help, Ospreay was able to regain footing. Connors entered next, again shifting momentum. Connors used a barbed wire-wrapped fist to draw copious blood from Ospreay’s forehead.
TJP was the next UE entrant. He entered the ring and wrapped his boot in barbed wire. He stomped Connors, drawing more blood. TJP’s presence was enough to swing momentum back in UE’s favor.
Coughlin came to the ring carrying 10+ chairs. He helped flip the match back, throwing TJP into the cage before burying him in a pile of chairs.
Akira was next to enter. He lept from the top of the cage immediately to catch the War Dogs off guard. He ran the gauntlet until Connors landed a spear, driving him through a table.
War Dog momentum continued as Kidd entered the match. He helped take out every member of UE before posing with his factionmates over a blood Ospreay.
Cobb came in next and managed to take out all of the War Dogs. The rest of UE began to rally around Cobb’s entrance. A sidestepped spear sent Connors crashing into a table.
Kidd made the save with a ladder that he spun around his neck. Ospreay kicked the ladder to nullify the threat. Ospreay then began to focus Finlay once more.
Connors and Moloney drove Akira into a chair multiple times. Before they could finish the match, TJP emerged from nowhere as the aswang. He helped Akira rally, taking out the standing War Dogs.
A back-and-forth between teams followed, with everyone getting a lick in. As TJP attempted a pin, Moloney hit the Driller Killer on Ospreay on top of the Aswang.
Both teams gathered in their corners before initiating a brawl in the center of the ring. Ospreay and Finlay were eventually left alone in the center, free to trade strikes. After a double knockdown, a spear drove Ospreay through a table on the outside.
Henare threw a trashcan at Finlay before kicking it into his skull. Kidd hit the ring to brawl with Henare, leading to a back-and-forth with chairs. Henare broke a chair over Kidd’s head, but it took a strike to ground him.
Coughlin stood against TJP and Akira, eating kendo stick blows. Unsurprisingly, Akira and TJP won out in the exchange, sending Coughlin to the floor. On the outside, UE set up two tables. They placed Coughlin on the table, with HENARE landing a senton to drive him through the wood.
Back in the ring, Connors covered the floor with tacks. He tried driving TJP into the tacks, but TJP reversed, sending Connors face-first into the tacks. Once Connors returned to his feet, TJP dropped him with a kick, sending him back in. Cobb then landed Tour of the Islands, forcing Finlay to break up the pin.
Finlay began attacking Cobb with a variety of weapons before pulling him to the outside. Finlay then handcuffed him to the cage, seemingly writing him off.
Ospreay hit the ring next, dropping Finlay with a Spanish fly. Ospreay attempted an OsCutter, but Finlay reversed into a cutter of his own. Ospreay responded with a hidden blade. Finlay wasn’t behind for long, hitting two Oblivions for another near fall at the forty-five-minute mark.
Gedo carried a barbed wire-wrapped table to the ring after UE failed to put down Ospreay. Great O-Khan attacked Gedo, taking his key, which he used to free Cobb and Newman.
Back in the ring, Finlay attempted to drive Ospreay into the barbed wire table. This backfired, allowing Ospreay to drag Kidd against the wire. The rest of UE then helped clear the ring of the War Dogs, leaving Ospreay free to powerbomb Finlay through the corner. Finlay was kicked out.
Moloney interrupted Ospreay’s advance by stabbing him with a fork. Kidd then hit Ospreay with a piledriver through a ladder. Moloney also stabbed Akira with a fork, but Akira fought back. Akira took control of the fork from Moloney, which he used to stab Moloney and Connors. Akira then hung Connors by his neck with a dog collar.
Once Kidd hit the ring, the match broke down once more. The War Dogs cleared the ring and removed the apron. HENARE interrupted the War Dogs here, driving Kidd into the exposed boards. Coughlin then pulled HENARE to the outside and handcuffed him back to the cage.
Akira attempted a superplex onto the exposed wood but was cut off by Kidd. Kidd then piledrove Akira into the boards, forcing Ospreay to make the save.
It was now Ospreay vs all of the War Dogs. Finlay dared Ospreay to hit him, but Ospreay collapsed when he attempted the sling blade. Ospreay was then hit with a spear. Finally, Finlay hit his new finish and pinned Ospreay to win the match.
Once the War Dogs left the ring, UE came together to pick up Ospreay. He then grabbed a microphone and cut his farewell promo. He thanked everyone in the crowd and promised he would return. He asked the crowd not to forget him before signing off one last time. UE was showered in confetti as they embraced.
The Big Audio Nightmare is back to talk about everything happening in the very busy world of Japanese professional wrestling as guest co-host Jeremy Diemer (get well soon, Mike!) joins me.
This week’s topics include:
A full recap of Wrestle Kingdom 18
Did Okada vs Danielson live up to expectations?
Was SANADA the true MVP of the Tokyo Dome?
A rundown of all the big NJPW matches on the New Beginning tour including Danielson vs ZSJ
Thoughts on WWE’s interest in partnering with Japanese promotions
A match between Bryan Danielson and Zack Sabre Jr. is set for next month.
Danielson will return to Japan on February 11 in Osaka when he takes on Zack Sabre Jr. in a rematch from their WrestleDream match back in October. After Danielson won with a running knee, Sabre has since insisted that Danielson can’t submit him.
The Osaka show will be headlined by a ten-man steel cage match pitting members of United Empire (Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Henare, TJP, and Francesco Akira) against Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, and Drilla Moloney). Ospreay confirmed earlier this month that this will be his final match as a full-time NJPW wrestler.
Three title matches were also announced for NJPW’s upcoming cards in Sapporo on February 23 and 24. Night one will see David Finlay defend the IWGP Global Championship against Nic Nemeth, while Hiroshi Tanahashi will defend the New Japan World Television title against Matt Riddle. Both Nemeth and Riddle are making their NJPW debuts.
Night two will see Tetsuya Naito defend the IWGP World Heavyweight title against SANADA, the man he defeated in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4. The second night in Sapporo will also see members of LIJ take on Just Five Guys in singles action.
Here are the lineups so far for The New Beginning in Osaka and The New Beginning cards in Sapporo.
February 11 in Osaka
Ten-man steel cage match: United Empire (Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Henare, TJP, and Francesco Akira) vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, and Drilla Moloney)
Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
IWGP Tag Team titles: Hikuleo and TJP defend against KENTA and Chase Owens
NEVER Six-Man Tag Team titles: Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Tomohiro Ishii defend against Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, and Kosei Fujita
February 23 in Sapporo
IWGP Global Championship: David Finlay defends against Nic Nemeth
New Japan World Television title: Hiroshi Tanahashi defends against Matt Riddle
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI) vs. SANADA, Taichi, Yuya Uemura, DOUKI, and Taka Michinoku)
Toru Yano & Tomoya vs. ???
February 24 in Sapporo
IWGP World Heavyweight title: Tetsuya Naito defends against SANADA
Impact Wrestling presents their final special of 2023 as the clock moves closer to their rebranded future as TNA Wrestling in January.
NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. makes his Impact debut, teaming with former Impact World Champion Josh Alexander against the Motor City Machine Guns, comprised of Impact World Champion Alex Shelley and X-Division Champion Chris Sabin.
Ahead of their clash for the title January’s Hard to Kill, Knockouts Champion Trinity will team with challenger Jordynne Grace against Gisele Shaw & former champion Deonna Purrazzo.
Impact Tag Team Champions ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) will defend against Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards who have both held TNA Tag Team gold before.
Digital Media Champion Tommy Dreamer will look to extend his run as he defends against Deaner.
Other action includes World title no. 1 contender Moose vs. Rhino, Speedball” Mike Bailey battles Trey Miguel, Jason Hotch against Jake Something, and Frankie Kazarian vs. Sheldon Jean on the pre-show at 7:30 PM Eastern.
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PCO defeated Jesse V
The countdown feed started off a few minutes late with a PCO match with Jesse V in progress. PCO landed an apron legdrop before dishing out machine gun chops. Jesse V took him down with an enzuiguri before landing a frog splash. PCO recovered enough to hit a reverse DDT and finished him off with a PCO-Sault.
Backstage, Jake Something said he’s here to take out Jason Hotch for the final live show of the Impact Wrestling era before Jason Hotch jumped him with a chair. Tom Hannifan hyped up the switch to TNA+ and the inclusion of all major tentpole events being included for championship tier-level members. Rehwoldt says that these two are always available for Impact when needed and thus they’re being rewarded here.
Jack Price defeated Aiden Prince
Price started off strong with a big elbow to counter a German suplex attempt by Prince, who hits a hard chop on the apron. Price hit a hard flatliner for 2.5 before working on the face more with a boot scrape using the ropes. Price sent Prince into the buckle with a face-first burning hammer before a deadlift German is avoided by Prince en route to a rolling kick on the mat. Prince landed an impressive brainbuster for 2 before Price drilled him with a leg lariat for 2.
Prince ran wild with a blend of overhand and knife-edge chops that landed hard before hitting a flatliner of his own. Price poked the eye en route to hitting a double-knee gutbuster for the win – and his first win in Impact to boot! This was a fantastic showcase for both men and they came into this as basically unknown and both had chances to shine and did so.
Backstage, Jordynne Grace and Trinity met with Gia Miller and talk about how they can be friends today and rivals at Hard to Kill. Jordynne said she’s been knockouts champion twice as many times as Trinity, who pointed out that she hasn’t lost it yet – unlike Jordynne.
Frankie Kazarian defeated Sheldon Jean
Jean started off strong with a tackle before they go back and forth in the ropes on a tie-up. Jean dominated on the mat with a neck crank before Kaz fired up with elbows before eating a pump kick out of the corner. Kaz landed a springboard legdrop for 2 before earning a tapout with the crossface chickenwing.
The show-opening video hyped up the main event and the new era of TNA beginning in January with the Hard to Kill PPV. Edwards and Myers came out in matching gear to look a bit more like a cohesive unit.
The ABC defeat Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers to retain the tag titles
The champions gained an early advantage with some double-team offense and quick tags alongside an uppercut to the neck of Edwards for 2. Myers grabbed the leg of Bey to allow Edwards to chop Bey and then drop his gut on the ropes in theory, but he landed thighs-first instead.
Myers tagged in and got 2 off a goardbuster before Hannifan hypes up Myers holding Impact tag gold in 2015 before he torments Bey on the mat with a stretch. Edwards tagged in for a big chop and ground away with a reverse bearhug. Myers came in and got 2 off a back suplex into a uranage. Bey is such a great babyface in peril here and given that he’s usually working heel, that doesn’t come out as much here – but it’s working because the fans are absolutely rabid.
Austin tagged in and landed back and forth Black Mass kicks before a springboard tornado kick on Edwards got 2. Austin called for the 1-2-Sweet and Edwards cradled him for 2 before getting 2.5 off a blue thunder bomb. On the floor, Bey is sent down hard with a spear from Myers. Edwards landed a backpack stunner before an HBK flying elbow got 2 for Myers! That was a tremendous nearfall! Bey prevented a double suplex and Austin low-bridged Edwards to the floor. Austin stomped Myers down for 2. The 1-2-Sweet hits and the champs retain! Hannifan says that 2024 is going to be the TNA-BC era! The Rascalz jump ABC and hold the gold high.
Josh Alexander and ZSJ were backstage and Alexander says he’s come to beat the company’s greatest tag team ever and ZSJ said it’s about time – because the Guns are one of the best teams ever and tonight, he’ll take out the supposed greatest pro wrestler in Shelley before saying that everyone here has a title – but Alexander, so they’ll have to work on getting him a title too.
Alisha screeched on the mic and yelled about not being able to understand the fans and she really hated spending so long getting to this place. She said it’s all about them before Santino came out and ordered her to leave and since she won’t, she’ll face Jody Threat in an impromptu match.
Jody Threat defeated Alisha Edwards
Threat dominated early with a corner lariat series before an exploder landed. Myers and Edwards went after Threat, so the ref ejected them – but not before she hit a flip dive on them to a huge pop. Edwards worked over the back before Threat landed a series of punches to the midsection. Edwards got 2 off a corner basement crossbody and choked her out on the rope.
Edwards locked on a fantastic Boston crab before Threat ran wild with lariats and a Michinoku driver got 2. Edwards avoided a death valley driver with elbows to the head and landed a flatliner for 2. Threat caught her off a crossbody and hit the Shove It/F5 for the win. Deaner vs. Dreamer is hyped up with Deaner having won their prior match, but also being absent over the past two months.
Tommy Dreamer defeated Deaner
The match started off with ECW chants before Deaner said this isn’t ECW before stalling like an AWA Larry Zbyszko match. Dreamer wanted a bionic elbow, but only got the punch combo before Deaner rolled out and they fought on the floor and made great use of the venue’s metal bleachers by slamming Dreamer’s arm on them. Dreamer wanted a sunset flip, but a very long Aloha Arn led to an arm breaker by Deaner to wear that body part down even more.
Hannifan hypes up the 35 year career of Dreamer and how he put that on the line to get this title. It’s kind of remarkable that he’s held so few titles – really about one per decade, with the ’90s having the ECW Tag Title, the early ’00s having the ECW World Title briefly, the WWE ECW World Title before he left WWE and now this. He doesn’t hold titles often and thus every reign is at least memorable.
Deaner bit the left arm to avoid a superplex before going up top and eating a boot to the face and wobbling around to either hold in a sneeze or fall – turns out he needed to fall. Dreamer landed the bionic elbow and a running elbow missed for Dreamer, but a cutter didn’t and got 2. Deaner sent the bad left arm to divorce court for 2 before grabbing the belt and telling the ref he’ll do what he wants before she threatened a DQ. Dreamer got 2 off a schoolboy before eating a lariat and Deaner set the belt up over the top turnbuckle. Deaner got slingshotted right into the gold before a big DDT hit for the win. This was better than expected for a straight Tommy Dreamer match in 2023.
Backstage, the Rascalz say that Hard to Kill will be their rebirth alongside the rebirth of TNA. Santino makes an impromptu tag team match with them facing Mike Bailey and a mystery partner. I love Wentz coming out just looking annoyed while Trey is more laid back and down for whatever. Trent Seven comes out as Bailey’s partner to a pretty big pop.
Mike Bailey and Trent Seven defeated The Rascalz
A giant “Speedball/Trent!” chant started off before some Wentz stalling on the floor and then a Speedball Mountain chant. Seven chops away at Miguel while Bailey lands a series of round kicks to the stomach of Wentz. Miguel tripped up Seven to set up a snapmare and snap PK by Wentz to Bailey.
Seven tagged in, but had to eat a flurry of offense on the floor before getting back in and getting worked over by Miguel, who used Seven’s own hand to fake a hand clap to rile the crowd up. Miguel and Seven went back and forth with forearms before the Rascalz ran wild with a codebreaker/neckbreaker/standing shooting star series for 2. Seven wanted a tag, but Bailey was taken out by Miguel before a superkick sends Miguel down and they got the tag!
Bailey ran wild with kicks and got a standing shooting star for 2. Seven tagged in and ran wild with chops on Wentz before getting a big single-arm powerbomb out of the corner. Bailey sent Miguel into orbit with an apron pump kick before Seven ate a German after wanting a burning hammer. Wentz hit a double stomp on Seven before a seamless dive to Bailey. The ABC came down, opening the door to a Bailey dive. Trent’s burning hammer set up the Ultima Weapon and the win for Speedball Mountain!
Scott D’Amore came down to a big TNA chant and he said it’s coming soon – but 24 years ago, he was with Don Kolov and they all mourned Owen Hart here. He talked about getting a message about some guy named Anthony Carelli when he was here and also signed Josh Alexander here alongside Mike Bailey. He loved seeing Trent Seven and while he couldn’t sign him then, he can now because someone was dumb enough to let him go. Trent signs the deal after telling Bailey that he’s too sweaty – and Seven is now officially in TNA.
Backstage, the Motor City Machine Guns talked about how great Josh Alexander and ZSJ are. Alexander having the longest run with the Impact World Title given its long history tells you all you need to know, while ZSJ is the best technical wrestler on the world – in theory. However, Shelley argues that they hold the gold in Impact, and thus they’re the best. Jason Hotch comes out and says he took Something out earlier, but Something came out hurt.
Jake Something defeated Jason Hotch
Hotch worked the back over with kicks and a modified camel clutch before Something responded with a huge body slam. Hotch got 1 off a superkick using the ropes. Hotch kicked away with shots to the knees and body before a hard thrust kick, but another kick opens the door for a spinebuster to give Something an edge. Something landed a series of clotheslines before a corner avalanche and another mid-ring lariat. Something hit a giant poweromb before winning with Into the Void. Moose comes out and got a bird flip with every “MOOSE” chant.
Moose defeated Rhino
Rhino got an early edge with corner-mounted punches before Hannifan talks about Rhino winning the World title against Jarrett in 2005 while Rhino slammed Moose’s head on the apron a ton. Moose hits Rhino low and loses by DQ. Rhino says he didn’t come here to win by DQ – he wants a street fight!
Moose said he doesn’t need to wrestle, but is told by Penzer via Santino that if he doesn’t wrestle, he’ll lose the World Title match at Hard to Kill. Rhino suplexed him hard on the ramp before a series of ringpost chops, but Rhino wanted one too many and slammed his hand into the post. Moose slammed a chair into the hand twice before going for some corner mount punches and eating a powerbomb through a table for 2.
Moose wanted a corner charge, but ate a hiptoss into the corner-mounted ladder for 2. Rhino tossed Moose into the ref and landed the Gore, but a new ref only got a 2 count on it. Rhino went for a corner Gore before Moose put him in the path of a Gore through a table. Moose hit the spear and the first referee came to in time to count the win. This was the best usage of ref bumps in ages – they were done perfectly with a standby ref there quickly and then enough time passing to have the first ref get up.
Backstage, Kazarian says that he bet on himself to not be a part of someone’s vanity project. He says that for 20 years, he’s done a lot – but he hasn’t done it all. He hasn’t won the World Title and he’s going to make 2024 the year he wins it. Hannifan hypes up Gisele Shaw being an Out Sports top wrestler of 2023.
Jordynne Grace and Trinity defeated Gisele Shaw and Deonna Purrazzo
Purrazzo and Trinity started it off with matwork before Hannifan hypes up the history created in the Impact era before tying it all into how the present stars are the best of the era. Grace and Shaw go at it with Grace running Shaw down with tackles and lariats. A Grace stalling goardbuster hits Shaw before landing a rotating powerslam. Trinity held the ropes open for Grace to dive onto the heels on the floor.
They recover with some illegal double-teaming and a corner uppercut by Shaw setting up some offense from Purrazzo alongside some corner chops. Trinity came in and got 2 off a spinning bulldog before Purrazzo broke it up. Trinity wanted the full nelson bomb, but got victory rolled by Shaw en route to a double stomp for 2. Grace came in and clubbed away at Purrazzo with some big forearms.
Purrazzo locks on La Mistica, but Grace escapes both that and a Queen’s Gambit before a pumphandle suplex hits. Grace hits a striking combo before a Judas Effect sets up the full nelson bomb. Trinity started the Gedo clutch before Grace loses her grip on a jacknife pin for the win. Purrazzo and Shaw go to shake after the match, but Shaw attacks with a full nelson Irish curse backbreaker and then a snap flatliner.
Backstage, Gia Miller talked about Moose’s shot at the World Title and gaining momentum here. Moose said that it’s the last night for Impact and tonight begins a new era for himself because the Wrestling Gold, Mr. Impact Wrestling, and the Five-Star Athlete are all done and will be replaced by Moose – the new TNA World Champion. Okada and the Machine Guns face Eddie Edwards, Moose, and Brian Myers at Snake Eyes.
Josh Alexander and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated The Motor City Machine Guns
The match began with some quick work between Sabin and Alexander before Shelley and ZSJ tagged in for a mat clinic. ZSJ won out to start by popping up from a headscissor before getting lock into a seatbelt cradle for 2 that Shelley chained into a hammerlock. The Guns used their double-team offense to get an edge before Alexander came in to work with Sabin.
Sabin ground him with armwork before bringing Shelley in to deal more damage out. Hannifan brought up how Sabin played a part in Alexander going into the World Title mix by telling him to cash in the X Title to get a shot and that wound up paying off for him. Alexander worked the knee over with a kneebreaker before tagging ZSJ in for some arm work on Shelley’s arm. Alexander stomped on the leg for a bit before ZSJ came back on to twist and tear at the ankle in every direction.
Alexander continued the pain cranking on the leg and they trap Shelley in the ropes where he eats a Pele kick on the arm and a kick to the back of the leg. The Guns use some double-team moves to take down ZSJ to set up a Shelley straightjacket and backstabber combo! Sabin locked on a standing neck crank while trapping the leg before a Romero special double-team bulldog got 2 for Shelley.
Alexander tagged in and landed a huge German on Shelley while the crowd clapped like crazy for him. He went for the C4 Spike before Shelley worked on the bad elbow and sent him into the buckle face-first. Sabin and ZSJ came in and Sabin locked him into an STF before ZSJ turned it into an arm crank, which only helped so much because it opened the door to a discus elbow that led to a Sabin 2 count off a tornado DDT.
Shelley and Alexander want to land their finishes, but avoid them at all costs before ZSJ sends Shelley down with a European uppercut. The Guns lock on stereo figure four leglocks and as Josh went to tap, ZSJ slapped his chest to fire him up and it worked! Sabin tagged in for a crossbody that got turned into an armbar and that itself got turned into a schoolboy. Sabin superkicked ZSJ down before setting up Cradle Shock that ZSJ turns into a double a double arm-stretch! Sabin rolls through it, but then got locked into an even worse position.
Shelley locked on a dragon suplex to save Sabin, but got locked into an Alexander ankle lock for his troubles. Good lord, this has been a fantastic match and a very good show bell-to-bell. ZSJ locked on the European clutch for what should have been three, but was only 2.9 before a Clothesline from Hell, MI hit and they double-team Alexander to gain an edge.
The Guns wanted the double-team sliced bread before ZSJ locks on an armbar and Alexander got an ankle lock – this time on Sabin! Alexander hits the C4 spike to win the match – easily one of the best tag team matches in the history of TNA/Impact. This win set up a few things – Alexander possibly winning the X Title en route to the World Title. You could also have Alexander use it as fuel to get a shot at Shelley saying he beat his partner.
An epic video airs on Josh Alexander vs. Will Ospreay with Ospreay saying he was made a fan by Daniels vs. Joe vs. Styles and he’s wanted to come to TNA because he was a TNA kid. At Snake Eyes, it will be Will Ospreay vs. Josh Alexander II!
Before their Wrestle Kingdom 18 match, Zack Sabre Jr. and Hiroshi Tanahashi will be competing against each other in Pro Wrestling NOAH.
NOAH has announced that Sabre & Yoshinari Ogawa will face Tanahashi & HAYATA in tag team action at NOAH The New Year 2024 on Tuesday, January 2. The show is airing live on Wrestle Universe with English commentary.
The tag team bout is being billed as a “Wrestling Symphony.”
NOAH The New Year is taking place just two days before NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18. Sabre will defend his NJPW World Television Championship against Tanahashi at the January 4 Tokyo Dome event.
Tanahashi pinned Sabre during a trios match at NJPW Power Struggle earlier this month, setting himself up as Sabre’s Wrestle Kingdom challenger.
NOAH The New Year 2024 is being held at Ariake Arena and will be headlined by Kenoh vs. Manabu Soya for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. Here’s the updated card for the show:
GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenoh defends against Manabu Soya
Three-way match: GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Dragon Bane & Alpha Wolf defend against Yo-Hey & Tadasuke and Ninja Mack & Alejandro
GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion Daga defends against Eita
Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & HAYATA
Shingo Takagi will put his NEVER Openweight Championship on the line against Tama Tonga at Wrestle Kingdom. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi is also now official for the January 4 Tokyo Dome event. If Sabre is still champion, his NJPW World Television title will be on the line.
Takagi won the NEVER title by defeating Tonga at Fighting Spirit Unleashed this October. Their rematch was set up for Wrestle Kingdom when Tonga confronted Takagi at Lonestar Shootout last Friday.
Sabre is approaching one year as NJPW World Television Champion. He became the inaugural champion at Wrestle Kingdom 17. During his reign, Sabre has made 16 successful title defenses. The most recent of those was against Mike Bailey at Lonestar Shootout.
Tanahashi pinned Sabre during a trios match at Power Struggle earlier this month, setting up that he would be a future challenger for Sabre’s title.
Wrestle Kingdom 18 streams live on NJPW World starting at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time on January 4, 2024. Here’s the updated card for the event:
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA defends against Tetsuya Naito
Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson
Three-way match: IWGP United States/United Kingdom Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay defends against Jon Moxley and David Finlay
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi defends against El Desperado
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney defend against TJP & Francesco Akira
NJPW World Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Hiroshi Tanahashi
NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against Tama Tonga
Zack Sabre Jr. will make his Impact Wrestling debut at the Final Resolution pay-per-view set for Saturday, December 9.
Impact announced Thursday that Sabre will team with Josh Alexander in his Impact debut against legendary tag team the Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin).
Sabre & Alexander vs. Shelley & Sabin will headline Final Resolution, Impact’s final pay-per-view of the year, and the final pay-per-view before the company reverts to its former TNA name.
Final Resolution will air at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Impact Plus and as a pay-per-view on FITE TV.
Motor City Machine Guns vs. Sabre & Alexander is the only match announced for the show to this point.
Sabre currently holds the NJPW World TV Championship and is the first and only title holder in the belt’s history after winning a tournament final to establish the first champion at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 at the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2023.
Shelley is currently the Impact World Champion, while Sabin currently holds Impact’s X-Division Championship.
