Tag: Zack Sabre Jr.

NJPW Summer Struggle night two live results: IWGP Tag title match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships are on the line today on night two of NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo. 

Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. (Dangerous Tekkers) will defend the titles against Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Tetsuya Naito and SANADA in the main event. 

In the semi-main, Shingo Takagi will face Master Wato in a singles match. This was changed from Shingo and BUSHI vs. Wato and Kota Ibushi after Ibushi was pulled from his second consecutive event folowing side effects from a COVID-19 vaccine. Ibushi will challenge Shingo for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome on July 25. 

Kazuchika Okada and YOH will face United Empire’s Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan. Cobb and O-Khan beat Okada and SHO on night one of Summer Struggle in Sapporo. 

Three more tag matches fill out the undercard. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yota Tsuji will take on KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero will face the Bullet Club trio of EVIL, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo, plus SHO & Yuya Uemura will take on El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the opener. 

Our live coverage begins at 1 a.m. Eastern time. 

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Hiromu Takahashi began the show with a promo. He previewed the card. 

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El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated SHO & Yuya Uemura (12:03)

Kanemaru and Uemura worked the bulk of this fine opener. Desperado was in a long main event yesterday, so I’m sure welcomed the rest. 

Kanemaru is technically very good, Uemura is one of the best technical wrestlers in the company, but there was no storyline reason for this match. 

Kanemaru and Uemura began. Uemura got some shine, but was quickly cut off. Kanemaru and Desperado worked him over. 

SHO got a tag. SHO used a cross armbreaker. Kanemaru and Desperado tried a double team, but SHO answered with a double spear. 

Uemura got a hot tag. He used a flying forearm and a full crab on Kanemaru. Desperado saved for Kanemaru. Uemura tried a double overhook suplex, but Kanemaru blocked. 

Kanemaru hit a dropkick. Desperado and Kanemaru hit their tandem one-legged dropkick to Uemura. Kanemaru got cradled for two. Kanemaru hit an inverted DDT for a near fall, then hit Deep Impact for the pin. 

Tomohiro Ishii, Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero defeated EVIL, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo (12:44)

This served two purposes — to establish challengers for ELP and Ishimori and to further tease Ishii vs. EVIL. 

It had a good closing stretch, but I’m not a fan of the formulaic Bullet Club undercard garbage brawls. 

The teams began brawling before the bell. Romero started off as the legal man for his team. He was isolated on the outside and whipped into the barricade. 

Taguchi got a hot tag, then he was also isolated and worked over with Ishimori and ELP’s comedy offense. 

EVIL and Ishii got their tags. Ishii escaped a ref-assisted Magic Killer, then hit a vertical suplex into a double down. 

Romero and ELP got tags. Romero avoided a Sudden Death and a jackknife cover. Taguchi hopped in to double up on ELP. Romero hit an assisted swing DDT. 

Romero ran into a Sudden Death with his arm and sold his wrist. Romero reversed a CR2 attempt into a victory roll and got the pin over one half of the IWGP Junior Tag champs.

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Romero cut a promo after the match and declared himself and Taguchi the next challengers for ELP and Ishimori. Romero asked if they accepted the challenge. ELP and Ishimori said no. Romero said next time they meet, Romero and Taguchi will beat them. 

Not sure the purpose of having the heels decline the challenge when they’re just going to go ahead and make the match anyway in about 18 hours. 

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KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yota Tsuji (12:40)

I think this was the best thing on the show to this point. Tana and KENTA are beginning a feud with great intensity to it. In particular, their striking exchanges are fantastic. 

Tana and KENTA began the match by trading strikes on the mat, each trading top position. Tsuji got a tag and was quickly cut off. KENTA and Yujiro took turns on Tsuji. Tsuji managed a dropkick and hot tag to Tana. 

Tana hit strikes, a slam and a somersault senton. He teased a slingblade, but KENTA countered into a G2S attempt. Tana slid out and they traded strikes. They hit simultaneous slaps and both went down. 

Yujiro tagged in and hit a series of kicks. Tana blocked a fisherman buster and hit twist and shout. Tana then tagged out to Tsuji. 

Tsuji got a tag and hit a hurricanrana to Yujiro. He followed with a slam, a senton and a splash for a two count. Tsuji fed Yujiro to Tana for a slingblade. Tsuji then used a crab on Yujiro as Tana used his clover hold on KENTA. Yujiro forced a break. 

Tsuji used a series of cradles for near falls on Yujiro. Yujiro blocked a backslide, then rolled through into Pimp Juice position. Yujiro hit Pimp Juice and got the pin. 

***** Intermission *****

Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan defeated Kazuchika Okada & YOH (12:45)

This was a very good tag match. Cobb’s power moves tonight were unreal. 

Cobb and Okada were in briefly at the start. Cobb used a shove to send Okada rolling outside to collect himself. O-Khan and YOH tagged in. YOH hit a forearm, then was quickly isolated as Empire took over the match. 

Cobb tagged in for some impressive power spots on YOH. YOH managed a leg lariat to O-Khan, then Okada got a hot tag. Okada ran wild on O-Khan with back elbows. O-Khan blocked a DDT and used a claw to set up a tag to Cobb. 

Cobb powered Okada around the ring. Cobb hit a running powerslam out of the corner for two. Okada blocked a Tour of the Islands and a spin cycle. Okada hit a flapjack into a double down. 

YOH tagged in for a neckbreaker and a one count on Cobb. YOH hit a shotgun dropkick off the top rope for a two count. YOH tried a falcon arrow, but Cobb blocked. O-Khan saved as YOH tried another falcon arrow. 

O-Khan hit a pump kick on YOH into a Cobb suplex for a two count as Okada saved. Okada went for a dropkick to O-Khan, but Cobb plucked Okada out of the air and hit him with a spin cycle. That was awesome. 

Cobb then hit a Tour of the Islands on YOH for the pin. 

Shingo Takagi defeated Master Wato (14:49)

This was the best Master Wato outing in quite some time. This was short of the level of a really good main event NJPW match, but a good semi-main. 

They locked up, then traded tackle attempts. Neither went down. Wato hit a dropkick, sending Shingo stumbling to the floor. Wato then hit a tornillo to the outside. Back in, Wato covered for a quick one count. 

Wato used a series of kicks for another one count. Shingo blocked a suplex attempt, then hit a slam and a senton. Shingo sent Wato to the floor with a clothesline over the top. Wato threw some flailing strikes on the outside, but Shingo shrugged them off and rammed Wato into the ring frame. 

Back in the ring, Shingo hit some stomps and posed. Shingo hit chops and a vertical suplex for a two count. Shingo used a chinlock on the mat, but Wato forced a rope break. Shingo remained firmly in control. 

Wato hit a series of strikes for a hope spot. Shingo dropped Wato with a double sledge to the chest. Wato stopped a lariat attempt by hitting a springboard uppercut forearm. Wato fired off some kicks and an enzuigiri for a one and a half count. 

Shingo hit his jab and lariat combination. He then used a back suplex for a two count. Wato avoided a sliding lariat and hit a buzzsaw kick into a double down. 

Wato was first up. He teased a piledriver, but Shingo hit a backdrop out of it. Shingo dared Wato to throw strikes at him. Shingo ate all the strikes, then hit a series of forearms. Wato ducked a strike and hit recientemente. He followed with a TTD. 

Wato went for the RPP off the top, but crashed and burned on landing. Shingo hit a lariat. Wato blocked a Pumping Bomber. Shingo hit a pop-up powerbomb with a stack cover for a near fall. Shingo used an STF to set up a cradle for a near fall. 

Shingo hit a sliding lariat. Wato reversed a Last of the Dragon into a crucifix bomb for a near fall. Wato caught another quick near fall, then Shingo cut him off with a sliding forearm strike. Shingo hit the Pumping Bomber, but Wato kicked out. 

Shingo then looked into the camera and called out Ibushi. He then hit Last of the Dragon and got the pin. 

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Tetsuya Naito & SANADA defeated Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (w/Miho Abe) to win the titles (36:57)

This was paced slowly, but turned into quite the main event. The match never dragged despite going nearly 37 minutes. 

Naito and Sabre postured as though they were going to start off with one another. Both ended up tagging out. Sabre and SANADA started with some mat work. They grappled to a stalemate for the first five minutes. 

Taichi and Naito tagged in. Naito twice knocked Sabre down off the apron. Naito sent Taichi rolling outside. Naito teased a dive, but hit his Tranquilo pose in the center of the ring instead. 

Sabre tagged in, finally wanting to face off with Naito. Naito immediately tagged out, but interfered from the floor to allow SANADA to take control of Sabre. SANADA isolated Sabre in the LIJ corner. Naito tagged in and used a crucifix hold on the mat. 

SANADA tagged in and continued to soften up Sabre’s neck. Naito tagged in and worked over the neck as well. Sabre kicked at Naito’s left arm to set up a tag to Taichi. Taichi sent Naito outside and into the barricade. 

Taichi and Sabre continued to methodically work on Naito’s left arm as the match returned to the ring. Naito came back with a neckbreaker to Sabre. Naito managed to tag SANADA. SANADA hit an interfering Taichi with a leapfrog dropkick. 

Sabre avoided a SANADA plancha. SANADA hit a dragon screw in the ropes and a high crossbody off the top for a near fall. SANADA avoided an octopus hold. The two traded a series of clutch holds for near falls. 

Sabre caught SANADA in a triangle choke. SANADA escaped and tried a TKO. Sabre avoided the TKO and went after SANADA’s left arm at the 20 minute call. 

Taichi tagged in. Taichi fired off kicks as SANADA fired back with forearm strikes. They traded big boots. Taichi hit a gamengiri for a double down. Sabre caught Naito in a kimura on the floor to prevent a tag. 

SANADA ducked a buzzsaw kick. SANADA used a TKO attempt to set up Skull End. Taichi escaped and teased Black Mephisto. Taichi connected on a high kick. SANADA answered with a TKO into another double down. 

Naito sent Sabre into the barricade, then tagged in. He was still doing a masterful job of selling his left arm as he hit a combinacion to Taichi. Naito tried for a top rope frankensteiner. Taichi blocked at first and tried a Black Mephisto off the top. Naito blocked that and hit the frankensteiner for a near fall. 

Taichi blocked Gloria. Sabre and SANADA jumped in. SANADA hit a dropkick to Sabre’s left knee. Sabre hit a neck twist to Naito. SANADA hit Sabre with a dragon screw. Taichi avoided Skull End from SANADA and hit a high kick in the corner to Naito. All four were down in the ring just past the 25 minute call. 

Naito hit a swing DDT to Taichi. Taichi popped right up and hit a backdrop suplex for yet another double down. Sabre got a tag and used a neck crank on Naito. SANADA ran in for the illegal double team and tandem offense. 

Naito used a jackknife cradle for a two count to Sabre as Taichi saved. SANADA took out Taichi with a plancha. Naito hit esperanza for a near fall. Sabre reversed a Destino attempt into a cobra twist. Taichi caught SANADA in a dragon sleeper to stop the save 30 minutes in. Sabre switched the cobra twist to an octopus hold, but Naito forced a rope break after a long struggle. 

Sabre taunted Naito with short kicks. Naito caught a PK and hit a back elbow, again going after Sabre’s neck. Naito hit a series of hard elbows to the neck and a flying forearm. Sabre blocked Valentia and hit a dragon suplex for a near fall as SANADA saved. 

Taichi took out SANADA with a chokeslam, then hit an axe bomber to Naito. Naito fought off Zack Mephisto at the 35 minute call. Taichi hit a last ride to Naito. Sabre hit a PK, then covered for a two count. 

Naito avoided the Zack Driver and hit Destino for a near fall on Sabre as SANADA used Skull End on Taichi. SANADA hit a moonsault to Sabre. 

Naito hit Sabre with a second Destino for the pin to win the titles. 

**********

BUSHI and Shingo Takagi came to the ring to celebrate after the match. Hiromu Takahashi also joined his stablemates after sitting at the commentary table for the show. 

Naito closed the show with the LIJ roll call promo. 

New champions crowned at NJPW Road to Dominion

Posted on by Ethan Renner

New IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions were crowned at today’s NJPW Road to Dominion event in Korakuen Hall. 

Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa to regain the titles. 

Tonga and Loa had defeated Taichi and Sabre at Wrestle Kingdom 15 on January 4 to win the titles, then successfully defended the belts in a rematch at The New Beginning in Hiroshima on February 10. 

The teams have continued to feud over the last several months. Taichi and Tonga faced each other in a ladder match for control of the iron fingers on night one of Wrestling Dontaku on May 3. 

Sabre and Loa faced off that night as well, with the stipulation that if Sabre lost, he and Taichi could never challenge for the titles again, but if he won, he and Taichi would get another rematch. 

The win marked Taichi and Sabre’s first win over G.O.D. in a two-on-two tag match, with Tonga and Loa having won their previous five meetings. 

NJPW Road to Dominion results: IWGP Tag Team title match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW’s Road to Dominion tour began today with a show in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. 

The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships were on the line in the main event as Guerrillas of Destiny defended against Dangerous Tekkers. 

Kazuchika Okada returned to action in the semi-main event after missing the Road to Wrestle Grand Slam events. 

Below are results and a report on today’s show. 

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Recommended matches —

  • Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI 

Report —

Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated YOH, SHO & Yuya Uemura (11:36)

This was a good opener. Suzuki did some cool spots and Uemura and YOH were given the opportunity to shine. SHO’s role was to sell. 

YOH, SHO and Uemura fought off a sneak attack by Suzuki-gun at the opening bell. Suzuki-gun tried a second time and succeeded. SHO was cut off and worked over. 

Suzuki got SHO in a heel hook. Uemura tried to make the save, but Suzuki put him in a heel hook as well, while still keeping the hold on SHO. 

SHO came back with a double spear to Desperado and Kanemaru. YOH got a hot tag and had an extended exchange with Desperado. YOH hit a Pele kick into a double down. YOH tagged Uemura. Uemura and SHO doubled up on Desperado. 

Desperado blocked an overhook suplex and hit Uemura with a spinebuster. YOH saved as Desperado tried Pinche Loco on Uemura. Uemura cradled Desperado for a two count. 

Desperado used the threat of a ref bump to hit a right hand to Uemura. He followed with Pinche Loco and got the pin. 

EVIL, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo (w/Dick Togo) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi (12:38)

This was kind of a mess. Not enough comedy to be a good comedy match, not enough good wrestling to be a good wrestling match. 

Hontai briefly got the advantage on Owens. Honma tagged in and was quickly cut off and worked over. Taguchi got a tag and ran wild with hip attacks. 

Tanahashi and EVIL tagged in for the first real wrestling of the match. Togo tripped Tana from the floor. Tana hit two twist and shouts. He went for a third, but EVIL turned it into a fisherman buster. 

Tiger and Ishimori got tags. Tiger hit a Tiger superplex for a near fall. ELP jumped in for an airplane spin neckbreaker, then Ishimori followed with a Bloody Cross to pin Tiger. 

Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan defeated Kota Ibushi & Yota Tsuji (12:31)

Cobb went after Ibushi before the opening bell and the match started off hot. They did a couple of teases of signature spots, then Cobb rolled outside to slow the pace. O-Khan and Tsuji got tags. 

O-Khan quickly cut Tsuji off with a back elbow and a slam. O-Khan hit Mongolian chops and a double palm strike to the chest. Cobb tagged in for an impressive throw. O-Khan tagged back in and sat on Tsuji’s neck in the corner. Ibushi tried to save Tsuji, but he was sent outside. 

Cobb came back in for a delayed vertical suplex and a near fall. Tsuji hit a dropkick to Cobb for a hope spot. A second dropkick allowed him to tag Ibushi. 

Ibushi hit a springboard dropkick and a plancha to Cobb. He nailed O-Khan with a back elbow on the outside, then peppered Cobb with kicks inside. Ibushi hit a standing moonsault for a two count. 

Ibushi called for Kamigoye. O-Khan saved Cobb, then Cobb hit a pop-up powerslam for a near fall. Cobb called for the Cobbgoye. Ibushi blocked, but Cobb hit a lariat. O-Khan tagged in. He used a standing choke. Ibushi came back with a flying mid kick. 

Tsuji tagged in to meet his doom. He hit a series of strikes to O-Khan. O-Khan fired back with a chop. Tsuji hit a tackle and a splash for a near fall. Tsuji went for a crab, but O-Khan blocked and used a triangle. Tsuji slid out and hit a spear. 

Cobb saved O-Khan. Cobb and O-Khan doubled up on Tsuji. O-Khan hit a facebuster for a two count as Ibushi saved. Tsuji used two quick cradles for near falls. He went for a third, but O-Khan caught him in the claw and hit the Eliminator for the pin. 

Ibushi and Cobb stared each other down after the match, but there was no big angle here. 

***** Intermission *****

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI (14:31)

This looked like it would be the best match on the show on paper. Had they been in the main event spot and given ten more minutes, they really could have done something special. Still, this was very good.

Shingo and Okada began. Shingo hit a chop. Okada took Shingo down with a snapmare, then sent him rolling outside after a sliding dropkick. They clearly didn’t want to give away too much this early. 

YH and BUSHI tagged in. BUSHI hit a rana and a dropkick and YH was cut off quickly. LIJ traded tags as they worked on YH. Okada, Ishii and Goto saved for YH and helped him cut Naito off. YH and Naito traded chops. Ishii tagged in and backed Naito into the corner. Naito hit a series of forearms. Ishii no-sold, then hit a brutal series of chops and forearms. 

Naito and Ishii traded forearms in the center of the ring. SANADA and Goto jumped in. Naito used the distraction to hit Ishii with a neckbreaker and a dropkick for a double down. 

Okada and Shingo got tags. Shingo hit a vertical suplex for a two count. Okada sold that big. Okada ducked a lariat and hit a running back elbow. He hit a back elbow in the corner and a DDT for a near fall. 

Shingo blocked the air raid crash neckbreaker. They traded strikes. Okada missed a dropkick. Shingo missed a sliding lariat. Shingo ran off the ropes into an Okada dropkick. This was more what would you expect from a tag preview of a big singles match. Good stuff. 

BUSHI and Goto tagged in. Ishii and YH cleared the LIJ apron and they went 3-on-1 against BUSHI. BUSHI blocked an ushigoroshi attempt and hit a backstabber to Goto. SANADA got a tag. Shingo, Naito and SANADA went 3-on-1 against Goto. SANADA hit a TKO for a near fall as Okada made the save. 

SANADA rolled through off a missed moonsault. Everyone jumped in for a big move. Naito took a flip bump for a YH lariat. 

YH hit a headhunter to SANADA, then Goto cradled SANADA for the flash pin. 

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (w/Miho Abe & DOUKI) defeated Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (w/Jado) to win the titles (26:08)

This was absolute madness. It was probably the best match these two teams have had this year. Technically it was far from a masterpiece, but it was a wild brawl between two teams who hate each other. 

Jado and DOUKI made a big show of going to the back before the match began, virtually assuring their involvement later. 

Tonga and Loa tried a double team on Taichi at the outset, but he fought them off. With that plan failing, then went after Miho Abe on the floor. Taichi went to fight for his wife’s honor. Tama grabbed her and forced her to watch as Loa attacked Taichi. Sabre tried to save, but got sent into the barricade. 

Taichi made it back in after a countout tease. He came back with an axe bomber to Tama. Loa and Sabre tagged in. Sabre used an octopus hold. Loa reached the ropes to force a break. Sabre hit a wild tornado DDT and tagged Taichi. 

Taichi hammered away at Loa with kicks. He dared Loa to strike with him, so Loa dropped him with a heavy forearm. They continued to trade. Both hit gamengiri kicks. Sabre used a neck crank on an interfering Tonga. Loa tackled Sabre. Taichi hit a backdrop suplex to Loa for a double down. Loa used an OJK. Taichi fought for a rope break. Taichi hit a rolling elbow. 

Tama and Sabre got tags. Sabre used Barry from Eastenders. Jado ran in and took the ref. Gedo ran in with brass knuckles. DOUKI ran in and slipped while trying a springboard attack to Gedo. DOUKI dragged Jado to the back. Loa saved for Tama. 

G.O.D. hit a Tongan Twist to Sabre for a near fall. Tama hit an assisted gun Stun for a near fall with Taichi saving Sabre. G.O.D. hit Taichi with a Magic Killer. Loa hit a diving headbutt to Sabre. Tonga hit a frog splash for a near fall. 

G.O.D. tried a super powerbomb on Sabre, but he hit a rana out of it. Taichi hit a double axe bomber to G.O.D., then revived Sabre. Sabre hit a PK to Tonga for a two count. Taichi and Sabre went for Zack Mephisto, but Loa saved. Loa got hit with Zack Mephisto. 

Tonga hit a low blow to Taichi and rolled Sabre up for a two count. Sabre blocked a Gun Stun and applied a choke to Tonga. Taichi jumped in for a gamengiri. 

Sabre and Taichi hit a Tensho Zack Driver to Tonga, then Sabre covered for the pin. 

Sabre and Taichi cut short promos after the match, then Miho Abe celebrated with the titles to close the show.

**********

Here is the lineup for tomorrow’s show:

NJPW Road to Dominion, Wednesday, June 2, 5:30 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
  • Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan
  • Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
  • YOH, SHO & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. EVIL, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo

NJPW reveals stipulation for Sabre vs. Loa at Wrestling Dontaku

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has added a stipulation to the Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tanga Loa singles match scheduled for night one of Wrestling Dontaku on May 3. 

If Sabre beats Loa, Sabre and Taichi will earn an IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match against Guerrillas of Destiny (Loa and Tama Tonga). If Sabre loses, Sabre and Taichi (Dangerous Tekkers) are never allowed to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Titles again. 

Loa proposed the stipulation on Tuesday’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku event at Korakuen Hall after pinning Sabre in a trios match. 

G.O.D. beat Dangerous Tekkers for the IWGP Tag titles at Wrestle Kingdom 15 on January 4, then beat them again in a rematch at The New Beginning in Hiroshima on February 10.

Tonga and Taichi are already set for a ladder match on night one of Dontaku, with Takashi Iizuka’s iron fingers of death hanging in the balance. 

Here are the full lineups for Wrestling Dontaku:

Wrestling Dontaku 2021 night one (Monday, May 3) —

  • NEVER Openweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Jay White
  • Iron Fingers from Hell ladder match: Taichi vs. Tama Tonga
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tanga Loa
  • Will Ospreay, The Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
  • Kazuchika Okada, SHO & YOH vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tiger Mask IV & Master Wato vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo

Wrestling Dontaku 2021 night two (Tuesday, May 4) —

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championsip: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Shingo Takagi
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs. YOH
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Jay White, EVIL, KENTA, Yujiro Takahashi & Taiji Ishimori
  • Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. The Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare & Jeff Cobb
  • Kazuchika Okada & SHO vs. Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado

New Japan Cup night nine results: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Posted on by Parker Klyn

The second round of the 2021 New Japan Cup continued today in Amagasaki. Here are the results for the preliminary matches and full reports for the Cup matches.

Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, & Toru Yano defeated David Finlay, Yota Tsuji, & Yuya Uemura (10:57)

Ishii pinned Uemura after a lariat. Finlay and YOSHI-HASHI face off in the second round of the Cup tomorrow.

KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, & Chase Owens defeated Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, & DOUKI (7:24)

Owens pinned DOUKI with the package piledriver. 

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, & SHO defeated Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI (10:02)

SHO pinned BUSHI with the Shock Arrow. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, & Toa Henare defeated Jay White, EVIL, & Yujiro Takahashi (13:41)

Tanahashi pinned Yujiro with the High Fly Flow. He and White face off tomorrow in a second-round Cup matchup.

New Japan Cup second round: SANADA defeated Yuji Nagata (18:18)

I enjoyed this, although it went a bit long. This would have been a more exciting match had we not seen it a month ago.

They performed lots of chain wrestling early on. Neither man could establish an advantage on a test of strength, so SANADA shot forward and landed a Northern Lights suplex before sending Nagata to the floor. On the floor, SANADA hit a piledriver on Nagata. Back in the ring, SANADA continued to target Nagata’s head with suplexes and holds.

Nagata fired up with forearms before dropping SANADA with a knee lift. He and SANADA had another counter exchange, with Nagata hitting a butterfly suplex for two. SANADA surprised Nagata with a jumping hurricanrana and followed it up with the plancha before pumping up the crowd. 

Back in the ring, SANADA hit some signature offense with a dropkick after rolling over the ropes. He followed it up with the TKO for two. SANADA kept up the offense with a rope-assisted Magic Killer, but Nagata rolled out of the way on the moonsault attempt. They fought on the top rope, with Nagata withstanding a lot of punishment to stay up, before Nagata landed an exploder superplex.

Nagata landed a mid kick for two, but SANADA turned the follow-up into the Japanese Clutch for a near fall. Immediately upon kicking out, Nagata applied the Nagata Lock II and SANADA had to fight for a long time to reach the ropes. He followed it up with his own rope-assisted Magic Killer, but SANADA turned another suplex attempt into a lateral press, buying him some time.

SANADA locked on the Skull End and had the hooks in. Nagata powered out by twisting SANADA’s ankle. They exchanged forearms in the center of the ring, with Nagata winning the battle after hitting an enzuigiri. SANADA went for his backflip into the Skull End, but flipped too far and had to re-adjust.

He eventually locked it on with the hooks in the center of the ring, which weakened Nagata enough for SANADA to land the moonsault and and win. 

New Japan Cup second round: Will Ospreay defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (21:23)

This was fantastic. They eschewed the patterned NJPW main event formula for something far more energetic and heated.

Ospreay exploded right out of the gate with a shotgun dropkick and a plancha. He hit Pip Pip Cheerio upon re-entry, but Sabre countered the Oscutter and locked on the European Clutch for a fun near fall. Sabre targeted Ospreay’s arm when he was on offense, wringing it with holds and striking it. Sabre foiled one quick comeback attempt with a Cobra Twist, but Ospreay got the advantage with a dropkick and brought his attack to the floor.

On the floor, Ospreay sent Sabre into the barricade before draping him across the apron for a knee drop. Back in the ring, Ospreay continued the beatdown and taunted the smaller Sabre. An uppercut and an arm drag finally bought Sabre some time to return to targeting Ospreay’s arm. Ospreay went for his handspring kick, and Sabre countered it once, but the second attempt connected.

Ospreay laid in chops, but they weren’t as effective due to his injured arm. Sabre caught a chop attempt, but Ospreay transitioned into a reverse Bloody Sunday for two. Ospreay kept up the attack and was met with a slap, so he laid in Kawada kicks. Sabre got the better of another sequence with a soccer kick and was able to follow it up with a sleeper. Ospreay powered out and hit the Cheeky Nando’s kick and an Oscutter for two.

Sabre countered Stormbreaker into a European Clutch attempt, but Ospreay won the exchange after a hard forearm. They had another counter exchange where Sabre hit La Mistica before following it up with the Zack Driver for a close near fall. Sabre locked on a triangle hold, but Ospreay powered out and brought them both to the top rope. Ospreay’s nose was busted open at this point. 

On the top rope, Ospreay tried for a top rope Stormbreaker, but Sabre landed a flipping armbar into the Jim Breaks Special, which is an omoplata arm wringer. It looked like Ospreay might submit, but his foot barely made it to the ropes. They had a crazy counter sequence where Ospreay eventually just dropped Sabre to the mat. Sabre countered the Stormbreaker into a jackknife backslide for two, but Ospreay popped up and hit a thrust kick.

Ospreay went for the super Oscutter, Sabre caught it, but Ospreay crushed Sabre with a forearm to the back of the head. Ospreay then hit the Stormbreaker to win and advance.

Ospreay will face SANADA in the next round. That match will likely take place in the main event of the March 18 Shizuoka show. 

Title change at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 night one

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Guerillas of Destiny are once again the IWGP Tag Team champions.

GoD regained the titles for a seventh time tonight, defeating Dangerous Tekkers, Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi. The finish of the match had Tama Tonga strike Taichi with his own fingers of doom glove. Tanga Loa then pinned Taichi with his sitout piledriver, giving their team the win.

Taichi and Sabre held the titles for 176 days, defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi at Dominion on July 12. With their seventh title win, GoD have now surpassed Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) for the most IWGP Tag Team title reigns as a team in history. 

GoD received a title match after winning the 2020 World Tag League, defeating Juice Robinson and David Finlay in the finals. It was the first time they had won the World Tag League after appearing in the finals for the last four years.

NJPW announces six matches for Wrestle Kingdom 15

Posted on by Bryan Rose

More matches have been announced for both nights of Wrestle Kingdom 15.

Following the events of the Best of the Super Junior/World Tag League finals, Hiroshi Tanahashi will now face Great-O-Khan in a special singles match on January 4. Khan destroyed both Henare and Tanahashi following a tag team match, with O-Khan focusing on Tanahashi’s knee.

World Tag League winners Tama Tonga and Tanga Loga, the Guerillas of Destiny, will face Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. for the IWGP Tag Team titles.

After he had won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, Hiromu Takahashi challenged the winner of the following day’s Super J-Cup to a match. El Phantasmo defeated ACH to win the Super J-Cup back-to-back and accepted Takahashi’s challenge for January 4. Taiji Ishimori will be defending the IWGP Jr. title on January 5 against the winner.

SANADA and EVIL, meanwhile, will face each other on January 5. SANADA wildly attacked EVIL after Dick Togo choked out SANADA at ringside. The two ended up fighting all the way backstage. 

Shingo Takagi and Jeff Cobb will meet for the NEVER title on January 5. Cobb pinned Shingo during the World Tag League, eliminating Shingo and SANADA from the tournament. Cobb attacked Shingo during the Budokan Hall finals show and held the NEVER title up high, indicating he was next for a title match.

Here is what is currently announced for both Wrestle Kingdom cards, which will take place on January 4 and 5 at the Tokyo Dome:

January 4:

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Great-O-Khan
  • Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Guerillas of Destiny for the IWGP Tag Team titles
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo

January 5:

  • Winner of Naito-Ibushi vs. Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles
  • SANADA vs. EVIL
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Jeff Cobb for the NEVER Openweight title
  • Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu-ELP winner for the IWGP Jr. title

NJPW WTL results: Taichi & Sabre vs. FinJuice

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW continued their World Tag League tour today in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Here are the results: 

Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma defeated Yuji Nagata & Yota Tsuji (7:32)

Kojima pinned Tsuji after hitting a lariat. 

World Tag League: Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb defeated EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi (13:02)

Cobb pinned Yujiro with a Tour of the Islands. 

World Tag League: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (8:03)

Goto pinned Owens after a GYW. 

World Tag League: Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare (14:43)

Ishii pinned Henare with a vertical drop brainbuster. 

World Tag League: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa defeated Shingo Takagi & SANADA (15:28)

Tonga pinned SANADA after hitting a Gun Stun. 

World Tag League: Juice Robinson & David Finlay defeated Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (21:32)

Finlay pinned Taichi after an Acid Drop. 

World Tag League standings —

  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano 10 points (5-2)
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay 8 points (4-3)
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa 8 points (4-3)
  • Shingo Takagi & SANADA 8 points (4-3)
  • Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. 8 points (4-3)
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI 8 points (4-3)
  • Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb 8 points (4-3)
  • EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi 6 points (3-4)
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens 4 points (2-5) *eliminated*
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare 2 points (1-6) *eliminated*

NJPW WTL results: Taichi and Sabre vs. Guerrillas of Destiny

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW continued their World Tag League tour today in Nagano. Here are the results: 

Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma defeated Yuji Nagata & Yota Tsuji (8:53)

Kojima pinned Tsuji after hitting a lariat. 

World Tag League: SANADA & Shingo Takagi defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (9:45)

SANADA pinned Owens with an O’Connor roll.

World Tag League: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare (12:39)

Goto picked up the pin on Henare after a GYW. 

World Tag League: EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (11:16)

EVIL hit Everything is EVIL and pinned Yano. 

World Tag League: Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb defeated Juice Robinson & David Finlay (15:15)

Cobb pinned Finlay after hitting a Tour of the Islands. 

World Tag League: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa defeated Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (18:51)

Tonga pinned Sabre after hitting him with Taichi’s iron glove. 

World Tag League standings —

  • Shingo Takagi & SANADA 6 points (3-1)
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa 6 points (3-1)
  • EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi 6 points (3-1)
  • Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb 6 points (3-1)
  • Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. 4 points (2-2)
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay 4 points (2-2)
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano 4 points (2-2)
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI 4 points (2-2)
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens 0 points (0-4)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare 0 points (0-4)

NJPW WTL results: Shingo Takagi & SANADA vs. Taichi & Sabre

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW continued their World Tag League tour today in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. Here are the results: 

Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma defeated Yuji Nagata & Yota Tsuji (10:16)

Kojima pinned Tsuji after hitting a lariat. 

World Tag League: Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb defeated Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (6:47)

Cobb pinned Owens after a Tour of the Islands. 

World Tag League: David Finlay & Juice Robinson defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare (11:18)

Finlay pinned Henare after FinJuice hit a Doomsday Device. 

World Tag League: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa defeated EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi (8:36)

Loa submitted Yujiro with the OJK. 

World Tag League: Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeated Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (15:08)

Ishii pinned YOSHI-HASHI after a vertical drop brainbuster. 

World Tag League: Shingo Takagi & SANADA defeated Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (20:36)

Shingo pinned Taichi after hitting Last of the Dragon. 

World Tag League standings —

  • Shingo Takagi & SANADA 4 points (2-1)
  • Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. 4 points (2-1)
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa 4 points (2-1)
  • EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi 4 points (2-1)
  • Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb 4 points (2-1)
  • Juice Robinson & David Finlay 4 points (2-1)
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano 4 points (2-1)
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI 2 points (1-2)
  • Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens 0 points (0-3)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare 0 points (0-3)

Stipulation added to Sabre-Yano match at NJPW Power Struggle

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new stipulation has been added to the Zack Sabre Jr./Toru Yano match at King of Pro Wrestling.

Yano and Sabre will battle in a No Corner Pad match. Yano frequently uses the turnbuckles to his advantage during his matches, undoing them to expose the metal within the corners. This will be for the provisional King of Pro Wrestling title, a championship that is decided via stipulation matches.

An angle ran on the Road to Power Struggle event that aired on November 2. Yano, who was on commentary for the IWGP Tag Team title match that took place, entered the ring after Sabre and Taichi successfully defended the titles against YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto. Yano removed all of the turnbuckles and cut a promo saying that Sabre pisses him off because he always puts the turnbuckles back on after he takes them off. He then announced the stipulation for the match.

The show ended with Sabre sending Yano into an exposed turnbuckle, causing Yano to go backstage and complain loudly. 

The provisional KOPW title match will open Power Struggle, which takes place on November 7. Here is the full card:

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. EVIL for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental right to challenge contract
  • KENTA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP US title right to challenge contract
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Great-O-Khan
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Shingo Takagi for the NEVER Openweight title
  • Toru Yano vs. Zack Sabre Jr. for the provisional KOPW title in a no corner pads match

NJPW Road to Power Struggle results: IWGP Tag Team title match

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI

Report —

Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall was again the venue for today’s show. 

Gabriel Kidd defeated Yota Tsuji (7:44)

This was a nice little sprint to kick things off. 

They opened up with some mat work. They traded side headlocks. Kidd tried some shoulder tackles but Tsuji would not go down. Tsuji hit an uppercut forearm and dropped Kidd with his own shoulder block. 

Tsuji hit a slam and used a camel clutch. Kidd came back with a backdrop and another side headlock. Kidd landed some strikes and dropped a knee on Tsuji’s chest for a near fall. After a striking battle, Kidd hit a senton for a two count. 

Tsuji hit a vertical suplex, a slam, a senton and a splash for a near fall. He locked on a crab but Kidd made the ropes to force a break. 

Kidd fought off a powerslam and used two quick cradles for near falls. Tsuji hit a sunset flip for a two count. Kidd reversed the sunset flip and escaped with the pinfall victory. 

Great-O-Khan & Will Ospreay (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Kazuchika Okada & Yuya Uemura (11:10)

I’m not sold on Great-O-Khan. I like his look but his offense doesn’t look very good by NJPW standards. 

Okada and O-Khan began. Ospreay jumped in for the immediate illegal double team. Okada fought it off and hit O-Khan with a neckbreaker before tagging out. 

Ospreay tied Uemura up in the ropes, allowing O-Khan to go to work on the Young Lion. Ospreay sent Okada into the barricade on the outside while O-Khan established the advantage over Uemura. 

Ospreay and O-Khan cut the ring in half and used a series of quick tags in working Uemura over. Ospreay took the referee and Priestley joined in on the attack from the floor. 

Uemura finally avoided a charge into the corner from O-Khan and tagged out. Okada hit a running back elbow on O-Khan and hit an interfering Ospreay with a flapjack. 

Okada used a DDT for a near fall. O-Khan blocked an air raid crash and the two traded strikes. O-Khan hit some Mongolian chops. Okada then hit an air raid crash. 

Uemura tagged in and hit some tandem offense with Okada. Uemura went for a butterfly suplex but O-Khan blocked. Uemura used a crab while Okada and Ospreay fought to the floor. O-Khan powered out. 

O-Khan hit a uranage for two as Okada broke up the pin. Ospreay and Okada did some cool teases and misdirections before brawling to the floor again. 

O-Khan then hit the Dominator on Uemura and pinned him. 

**********

Okada and O-Khan got into it after the bell. Okada locked on the Money Clip. Ospreay broke it up and O-Khan hit Okada with the Dominator. O-Khan posed over Okada ahead of their match on Saturday. 

**********

Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI defeated Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (12:15)

As you might expect, this was a chaotic brawl. 

They began fighting before the bell. Shingo and Suzuki went at it on the floor, as did BUSHI and Kanemaru. 

Hiromu and Desperado began in the ring and LIJ got the early edge. Shingo got a tag and again went after Suzuki on the apron. BUSHI ended up the legal man for LIJ while Shingo and Suzuki brawled outside. Suzuki sent Shingo into the barricade. 

Suzuki-gun worked over BUSHI. Suzuki no-sold a series of BUSHI’s strikes and used a crab. Shingo broke the hold with a lariat to the back of Suzuki’s head and they again fought to the floor. 

BUSHI hit a sloppy enzuigiri on Desperado and was finally able to tag out. Shingo and Suzuki brawled again, this time as the legal participants in the match. They proceeded to have an excellent exchange. 

Kanemaru tagged and and fell victim to tandem offense from Hiromu and BUSHI. Shingo then deadlifted him for a Last of the Dragon and the pin. 

**********

After the bell, Suzuki hit Shingo with a chair and a Gotch-style piledriver. He then used a Boston crab. Suzuki fought off the ringside attendants who tried to break the hold, then wrenched back on Shingo with a high-angle single-leg crab before posing over him with the NEVER title. 

**********

The Best of the Super Jr. 27 field and the return of the Super J-Cup were announced before intermission. 

BOSJ will be ten participants competing in a single block. 

The J-Cup will be a one-night tournament with eight participants held in the United States and broadcast on NJPW World on Saturday, December 12. 

The lineups:

Best of the Super Jr. 27 —

  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori
  • Hiromu Takahashi
  • El Desperado
  • Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Ryusuke Taguchi
  • Master Wato
  • SHO
  • BUSHI
  • Robbie Eagles
  • DOUKI

Super J-Cup 2020 —

  • 2019 Super J-Cup winner El Phantasmo
  • Clark Connors
  • TJP
  • ACH
  • Lio Rush
  • ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion Rey Horus
  • Blake Christian
  • Chris Bey

**********

Jay White, KENTA & Chase Owens (w/Gedo) defeated Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomoaki Honma (12:25)

There was a stretch earlier this year where Honma was working more regularly and had started to look better in the ring. That has not been the case the last two nights. 

White and KENTA pulled Tsuji into the ring before the match and menaced him into clapping for them during their introductions. 

Owens and Honma started out as the legal men while White and KENTA went after Ibushi and Tanahashi on the outside. Bullet Club then cut Honma off and worked him over for several minutes. 

Honma finally came back on KENTA with a DDT before tagging out to Tana. Tanahashi hit a series of strikes, a flying forearm and a dragon screw on KENTA. Tanahashi tried for a cloverleaf but Owens broke it up. Owens got hit with a dragon screw for his trouble. 

KENTA hit Tanahashi with a powerslam, a swing DDT and a top rope clothesline. Tanahashi hit a slingblade after a striking battle. 

Ibushi and White tagged in. They exchanged blows. White hit a DDT and a DVD for a near fall. Ibushi came back with a snap rana before tagging out. 

White got hit with a triple team from Tanahashi, Ibushi and Honma. Honma hit a bulldog and kokeshi. White blocked a lariat and hit Blade Runner for the pin. 

**********

White and KENTA laid out Ibushi and Tanahashi with briefcase shots after the match. Ibushi had to be restrained from going after White by Kidd and Tsuji after he recovered. 

**********

Tetsuya Naito & SANADA defeated EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi (w/Dick Togo) (11:23)

Naito and SANADA tried a jumpstart at the bell. Naito pulled EVIL to the floor and sent him into the barricade. Back in, Naito choked EVIL with his sweatshirt. Naito tagged out. SANADA hit a rana on EVIL but missed a plancha. Bullet Club took over from there. 

EVIL sent Naito into the barricade and hit him with a chair. Togo took the referee while Yujiro posted SANADA. SANADA got whipped into an exposed buckle. EVIL twice sent SANADA into the barricade and knocked over the ring announcer Abe on the other side. 

SANADA made a comeback. He avoided another whip into the buckle and sent EVIL into it instead. Naito tagged in and hit some signature offense on EVIL. Togo tripped Naito, which allowed Yujiro and EVIL to hit tandem offense on the champion. 

SANADA jumped in and hit EVIL with a dropkick. EVIL and SANADA brawled outside, leaving Yujiro and Naito legal. Yujiro tried to hit Naito with his pimp cane but Naito ducked the shot. Yujiro hit an Olympic slam for a two count. 

Naito ended up with a bloody mouth after taking a hotshot over the top strand from EVIL. 

Naito and Yujiro were in for a very clunky closing sequence. Naito avoided Miami Shine. SANADA entered to double up on Yujiro. Naito hit Gloria and a Destino and got the pin. 

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Hirooki Goto &  YOSHI-HASHI to retain the titles (34:50)

This went about ten minutes too long but everyone worked hard. It felt like they reached the pinnacle of the match, then kept going and couldn’t get it back to the peak. 

Taichi and YH started off by locking up. Taichi backed into the ropes to force an immediate break. He repeated the spot before tagging Sabre. Sabre took YH down right away and began manipulating his arms. YH came back with a hurricanrana and a tackle. 

Goto tagged in for some tandem offense on Sabre. Taichi entered for an illegal double team but Goto fought it off. Sabre went after Goto’s neck, twisting it with his legs. Taichi pulled Goto to the floor and choked him with a camera cable. 

Goto got worked over for several minutes. He eventually avoided a Taichi backdrop suplex and hit a lariat. YH and Sabre tagged in and went back and forth. Sabre continued attacking YH’s arms. He then went after YH’s legs with a sweep and a series of ankle locks, heel hooks and kneebars. 

Goto got a tag. Sabre avoided a misdirection lariat and used an octopus. Goto fought out and went for an ushigoroshi but Sabre slipped to a guillotine. Goto hit a vertical suplex to end the sequence. 

Suzuki-gun doubled up on Goto after fighting off interference from YH. Sabre hit a PK on Goto for two. Goto fought out of Zack Mephisto. Sabre hit a DDT and used a triangle. They did a long submission tease before Goto reached the ropes. 

Taichi tagged in and went for a last ride. Goto fought out of it. Sabre and Taichi tried a tandem dragon screw but YH intercepted it. Goto and YH hit the GYR on Taichi for a two count. 

Goto hit a mid kick, no-sold a backdrop suplex and hit a lariat to Taichi. YH tagged in and hit a lariat for two. YH fought off a Black Mephisto, no-sold a lariat and hit a powerbomb for a near fall as Sabre broke it up. 

YH hit a senton bomb for a two count. YH used a butterfly lock. Sabre tried to break it up but Goto intercepted him. YH transitioned to a sleeper. Taichi grabbed the ref and hit a low blow. Taichi used a clutch hold for a near fall. 

Sabre got in and Goto hit him with an ushigoroshi. All four guys were down and exhausted by this point. 

Taichi and YH traded strikes. YH hit a superkick, a dragon suplex and a lariat for a near fall. He hit a brainbuster for another two count. Goto and Sabre got back in. Goto got hit with Zack Mephisto. YH hit a meteora on Sabre. 

In the closing sequence, YH hit a lariat and used a stack cover for two. Taichi blocked Kharma. Sabre got in. Taichi and Sabre hit YH with Zack Mephisto and Taichi covered for the pin. 

**********

They shot an angle after the match. There was a stark contrast in the tone of the long battle for the titles that we just saw and the total comedy that followed. 

Toru Yano jumped up from the commentary table and climbed into the ring. He took off all four corner pads. He cut a promo and said that Sabre pisses him off because he always tries to put the pads back on when Yano takes them off, so their KOPW match on Saturday will now be a no corner pads match. 

Sabre then sent Yano into an exposed buckle. Yano went backstage. Yano could still be heard shouting from backstage as Sabre and Taichi tried to cut their end of show promo. Sabre went backstage with a chair and returned a few seconds later. 

Taichi then closed the show with a promo. 

Six-Man tag title match set for NJPW Road to Power Struggle night one

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles will be on the line at Road to Power Struggle night one.

NJPW has revealed the full card for Road to Power Struggle night one, with it being headlined by NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defending their titles against Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI. The match was set up by Taichi, Sabre Jr., DOUKI & El Desperado defeating Ishii, Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano in an eight-man tag match at the G1 finals.

DOUKI pinned YOSHI-HASHI to get the win in that eight-man tag match. After the match, Taichi, Sabre & DOUKI attacked Ishii, Goto & YOSHI-HASHI and posed with the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag team titles.

Ishii, Goto & YOSHI-HASHI have been NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions since winning the titles in a tournament this August. EVIL, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI were the champions prior to that, but the titles were declared vacant after EVIL joined Bullet Club.

NJPW has yet to reveal the cards for the rest of the Road to Power Struggle tour. The tour is leading into Power Struggle being held at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan on Saturday, November 7. Power Struggle will feature six singles matches.

Road to Power Struggle night one is taking place at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo this Friday (October 23) and will air live on NJPW World starting at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. Here’s the full card for the show:

  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defend against Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI
  • Tetsuya Naito & SANADA vs. EVIL & Dick Togo
  • Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomoaki Honma vs. Jay White, KENTA & Gedo
  • Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kazuchika Okada & Gabriel Kidd vs. Will Ospreay & The Great O-Khan
  • Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura

NJPW G1 Climax 30 night 18 live results: B Block finals

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Recommended matches —

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • SANADA vs. EVIL

Report —

Gabriel Kidd defeated Yuya Uemura (8:16)

They went the technical wrestling route for most of the contest. Uemura was incredible here. 

Uemura used a knuckle lock, then a short arm scissors which he used to roll Kidd around the ring. Kidd used a chancery to soften Uemura up for his buttefly suplex. 

Uemura tried to strike with Kidd. That was his downfall. Kidd hit a forearm, a dropkick, then used the butterfly suplex for the pin. 

G1 Climax B Block: YOSHI-HASHI defeated Toru Yano (6:11)

This was absolutely horrendous. I’m a fan of Yano comedy but this didn’t work. 

YH tried taping Yano to the barricade and his bo staff. Yano tried to spray hand sanitizer in YH’s face. There were two ref bumps. Yano exposed a buckle. 

For the finish, YH blocked a low blow and used Yano’s arm to cradle him for the pin. 

G1 Climax B Block: Juice Robinson defeated Hirooki Goto (12:09)

Goto got a couple of hope spots but the bulk of this was Juice going after the bad shoulder.

They came out firing off strikes. Juice sent Goto outside and hit a plancha. Goto sold his taped shoulder after the impact of the plancha and that became the story of the match. 

Juice blocked an ushigoroshi and hit a superplex. He maintained neck control on the landing and went for a jackhammer. Goto blocked and hit a neckbreaker. 

Goto finally connected with an ushigoroshi. A series of counters and teases ended with Goto blocking Pulp Friction and locking on a sleeper. Goto used the sleeper to set up a pair of cradles for near falls. 

Juice connected with a Left Hand of God. He followed with an awkward-looking Pulp Friction and pinned Goto. 

Goto really sold this as a big deal in the post-match with his facial expressions. A pro’s pro job by Goto. 

***** Intermission *****

G1 Climax B Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (12:02)

This was a fun match. These two have great chemistry, but they have had more crisp matches. 

Sabre scored early with a couple of quick cradles. Tanahashi took a second to regroup, then used a side headlock takeover. He maintained the hold for a long time. Sabre eventually transitioned to a headscissors. They traded these two holds for quite a while. 

Sabre went after Tanahashi’s neck with neck cranks and a triangle. Sabre used an octopus. Tanahashi reversed into his own octopus. Sabre went for a Euro clutch. Tanahashi reversed into his own clutch hold for a near fall. 

Tanahashi focused on Sabre’s right knee with a low dropkick and inverted dragon screw. Sabre used an inside cradle and a guillotine. Tanahashi reversed the guillotine into twist and shout. 

Tanahashi went for a slingblade, the first time either guy hit the ropes in the match. Sabre blocked. Tanahashi got it on his second attempt. 

Tanahashi hit a standing High Fly Flow. Sabre rolled through on the landing. Tanahashi trapped Sabre in a cradle and got the flash pin. 

Tanahashi held the cradle for a few extra seconds and Sabre threw a tantrum as a result. 

G1 Climax B Block: KENTA defeated Tetsuya Naito (21:06)

I was not a fan of this match. I thought they had a good eight minutes laid out and stretched that into 21:06. The finish was very clever. 

Both stalled at the outset. KENTA stole a near fall off a cradle. Naito went for a walk around the ring and stalled some more. 

They tied up. Naito went after KENTA’s bad shoulder with a hammerlock. KENTA rolled to the floor and grabbed his briefcase. KENTA shoved the ref down and Naito ate a briefcase shot. KENTA went to work from there. 

KENTA used a chinlock, a headscissors and a headlock at the 10 minute call. Naito hit his combinacion cabron in the corner and a crucifix. KENTA responded with a top rope clothesline for a two count. 

The match finally picked up as Naito made his comeback. Naito hit a poison rana and a series of back elbows, looking to soften up KENTA’s neck for Destino. Naito hit Gloria for a two count. 

KENTA blocked Destino and went for a GTS at the 20 minute call. Naito reversed into a Destino but could not follow up with a cover. 

Naito rang up the arm and went for Destino. KENTA hit two spinning back fists. Naito answered with Valentia. 

Naito went for Destino. KENTA caught Naito’s legs and cradled him for the flash pin. 

This loss eliminated Naito. 

G1 Climax B Block: SANADA defeated EVIL (27:00)

Lots of Bullet Club-style interference in this one but a good main event with a good story. 

Hiromu Takahashi was at the commentary table and played an important role. 

Nothing of consequence came from the opening volley. EVIL teased an Everything is EVIL. SANADA teased a Skull End. 

EVIL rolled to the floor. SANADA teased a plancha but flipped to his feet on the apron, then pulled himself back into the ring to pose. 

After a trip from Togo, EVIL used a snap suplex on a stack of chairs on the floor to take control of the match. 

Back inside, EVIL used a scoop slam and a cocky, one-foot cover. Red Shoes refused to count the pin due to the underhanded tactics used on the floor. 

EVIL took the ref. Togo pulled SANADA to the floor and sent him into the barricade, then tossed SANADA back in. EVIL used a single-leg crab. SANADA responded with a dropkick to the knee and a back suplex. 

SANADA hit his trademark plancha. He put both EVIL and Togo in paradise locks, then broke the holds with a single dropkick. 

EVIL gouged the eyes and hit a ref-assisted mid kick, avoiding a TKO in the process. A clever sequence ended with SANADA avoiding a misdirection lariat and hitting a springboard dropkick. 

SANADA used the threat of a TKO to set up a Skull End but EVIL powered out. SANADA hit a magic screw and a tiger suplex for a two count. The crowd really got into the match at this point. 

SANADA used a spinning Skull End as a precursor to a moonsault attempt. EVIL rolled out of the way and SANADA crashed to the mat. Togo exposed a buckle. SANADA missed a charge into the corner and got sent into the exposed steel twice. 

EVIL hit a superplex to set up a scorpion deathlock. SANADA fought to the bottom rope to force a break. EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a two count at the 20 minute call. 

SANADA blocked Everything is EVIL and hit a TKO. They did a lengthy double down, prompting Red Shoes to check if both men wanted to continue. They did. 

SANADA avoided the exposed buckle and used a moonsault to transition to Skull End. EVIL slid out but SANADA immediately got the hold applied agai and locked in the body scissors. EVIL pried his head free, but SANADA popped up and hit two moonsaults. 

Red Shoes went to count the pin. Togo pulled the ref out of the ring. Togo used a chair on SANADA and peppered him with right hands. 

EVIL and Togo hit a Magic Killer. Hiromu Takahashi jumped up from the commentary table to come to SANADA’s aid. Hiromu hit a superkick to Togo. EVIL hit a low blow on Hiromu. EVIL and Togo hit a Magic Killer on Hiromu at the 25 minute call. 

Togo revived the ref. SANADA stole a near fall off a cradle. EVIL planted SANADA with a lariat. EVIL hit a second big lariat and called for his finisher. 

SANADA reversed Everything is EVIL into Skull End. EVIL grabbed the ref. Togo choked SANADA from the apron. Hiromu superkicked Togo and SANADA recovered. 

SANADA then used a Japanese clutch and got the pin. 

SANADA wins B Block.

SANADA closed the show with a quick promo and said he’ll see us tomorrow. 

G1 Standings —

B Block

  • SANADA — 12 points (6-3) *B Block winner* 
  • EVIL — 12 points (6-3)
  • Tetsuya Naito — 12 points (6-3)
  • KENTA — 10 points (5-4) 
  • Zack Sabre Jr. — 10 points (5-4)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Juice Robinson — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Hirooki Goto — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Toru Yano — 6 points (3-6) 
  • YOSHI-HASHI — 4 points (2-7) 

A Block

  • Kota Ibushi — 14 points (7-2) *A Block winner*
  • Jay White — 12 points (6-3)
  • Will Ospreay — 12 points (6-3)
  • Kazuchika Okada — 12 points (6-3)
  • Tomohiro Ishii — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Taichi — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Jeff Cobb — 8 points (4-5)  
  • Shingo Takagi — 8 points (4-5) 
  • Minoru Suzuki — 6 points (3-6) 
  • Yujiro Takahashi — 2 points (1-8) 

Participants announced for NJPW G1 Climax 30 tournament

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The participants and blocks for this year’s G1 Climax tournament has been announced.

The biggest news coming from the announcement is that several wrestlers who have been unable to travel to Japan due to COVID-19 restrictions have made it in for the tournament. The tour will be the first in months for the likes of Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Jay White, KENTA, and Juice Robinson. 

KENTA, Cobb, and White have been working shows for New Japan of America, namely the New Japan Strong shows that have aired over the summer.

It also cements several rematches from recent high profile feuds. EVIL and Tetsuya Naito, who just headlined Summer Struggle in Jingu, share the same block. Kazuchika Okada and Yujiro Takahashi are also in the same block and have been feuding for the last several months.

Here are the blocks and participants in this year’s tournament:

A Block:

  • Kota Ibushi
  • Tomohiro Ishii
  • Kazuchika Okada
  • Shingo Takagi
  • Yujiro Takahashi
  • Taichi
  • Minoru Suzuki
  • Jeff Cobb
  • Will Ospreay
  • Jay White

B Block:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Hirooki Goto
  • Toru Yano
  • YOSHI-HASHI
  • SANADA
  • Tetsuya Naito
  • EVIL
  • Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Juice Robinson
  • KENTA

The G1 Climax tournament this year will start on September 19, with the finals taking place at Sumo Hall on October 18.