News, results & more from Japanese Pro Wrestling & Sumo
Had to come up with a bad Go pun that I hadn’t used before…All-Japan has just announced that Go Shiozaki has to Go to the bench for now due to injury. Hip. Out at least the next 2 events on Saturday & Sunday. Status uncertain beyond that. If he can’t return by next Thursday it could jeopardize his Royal Road participation as that would be his Quarterfinals match against either Xyon or Odyssey.
More as it becomes available.
Nikkan Sports reports one of the burning injury questions for this weekend’s September Tournament has just been answered…Yokozuna Hoshoryu is now OUT. Knee surgery. Has resumed practice but not enough to compete. Will not participate in the tournament and will try to come back in November.
More as it becomes available.
UPDATE: Other pre-tournament outs are, as expected, Wakatakakage (right thigh, will not compete and is expected out until January) and, not entirely expected, Wakanosho. Right thigh (bone contusion). Status uncertain for the latter but now out at least the first 2 days.
New Japan continued the Road To DESTRUCTION Tour with a second event today in Tokyo.
Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. This was also a live Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.
The announced paid attendance was 1218.
Pre-show match: Taisei Nakahara beat Yushin Hanasawa. The first career singles win for Nakahara!
Match 1: Jacob Austin Young, Jake Lee, Great-O-Khan & HENARE beat Masatora Yasuda, Master Wato, Boltin Oleg & Yuya Uemura. Lee pinned Yasuda.
Match 2: Zane Jay & Callum Newman beat Gedo & Jeff Cobb. Jay pinned Gedo after a dicing elbow drop.
Match 3: Jado, Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Daiki Nagai, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) went to a double countout. Afterwards, Yano cut off some of OSKAR’s hair.
Match 4: Robbie X & Taiji Ishimori beat Tatsuya Matsumoto & Yoh. X pinned Matsunoto after a handspring diamond cutter.
Match 5: Shun Skywalker, Sho & DOUKI beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino & El Desperado Skywalker pinned Taguchi after Skyfall.
Match 6: Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji beat YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Takagi pinned YOSHI-HASHI after MADE IN JAPAN.
Main Event: Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa beat Taichi & Aaron Wolf. Fujita pinned Wolf with a German suplex hold. UPSET ALERT!!! NEVER Openweight Championship implications too.
The next event is Sunday at Sendai Sun Plaza in Sendai. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin Saturday at 11 PM PT/2 AM ET.
UPDATE: Indeed implications. As a result of the main event, Wolf vs. Fujita for the NEVER Openweight Championship is now official for KING OF PRO WRESTLING on 10/12.
All-Japan kicked off the 13th Royal Road Tournament today in Tokyo, the annual fall single-elimination tournament.
Tofay’s event was held at Shinagawa Stellar Ball in Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on AJPW.TV. This was also or will be a (taped) GAORA SPORTS broadcast in Japan.
The announced paid attendance was 775, a legit sellout.
Before the results, fan prediction poll time! The promotion held a vote for fans to see who they thought would win (but likely won’t). Their pick is…Yuma Aoyagi! Will they get it right after wrongly picking Hokuto Omori in the Zennichi Jr. Festival? Stay tuned!
Match 1: Dan Tamura, Seigo Tachibana & Hokuto Omori beat MUSASHI, Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuya Aoki. Tachibana pinned MUSASHI after Yankee Hammer.
Match 2: Xyon, Odyssey & Shotaro Ashino beat Ryuki Honda, Kumaarashi & Yasutaka Yano. Odyssey pinned Yano after Journey’s End.
Match 3: Yuma Aoyagi, Yuma Anzai & Shota Kofuji beat Jun & Rei Saito & Rising Hayato. Aoyagi pinned Hayato.
Royal Road Round 1:
Match 4: Timothy Thatcher beat Hideki Suzuki by submission.
Match 5: Kento Miyahara beat Hyo Ogawa.
Main Event: Go Shiozaki beat Ren Ayabe.
As a result, Thatcher will face the Rei Saito-Yuma Anzai winner in the Quarterfinals, Miyahara will face the Ryuki Honda-Kumaarashi winner in the Quarterfinals and Shiozaki will face the Xyon-Odyssey winner in the Quarterfinals.
The next event is Saturday at Kurobe City General Sports Center in Toyama. There will be no live broadcast. On demand later that day or Sunday.
Ganbare Pro has announced an injury coming out of their last event, and it could be major as Mizuki Watase has been temporarily sidelined. Concussion. Out indefinitely but will miss Saturday. No other abnormalities detected. The concern here is that he is scheduled to defend the Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Championship in just under 2 weeks. We’ll have to wait and see. It’s not yet known how long Watase may be out.
More as it becomes available.
New Japan resumed the Road To DESTRUCTION Tour today in Tokyo.
Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.
The announced paid attendance was 1102.
Pre-show match: Yushin Hatasawa Debut Match: Tatsuya Matsunoto beat Yushin Hatsusawa.
Match 1: Jacob Austin Young, Great-O-Khan & HENARE beat Taisei Nakahara, YOSHI-HASHI & Shota Umino. Young pinned Nakahara after a spiral brainbuster.
Match 2: Shun Skywalker, Sho & DOUKI beat Masatora Yasuda, Ryusuke Taguchi & El Desperado. Skywalker pinned Yasuda after Skyfall.
Match 3: Daiki Nagai & Jeff Cobb beat Zane Jay & Callum Newman. Cobb pinned Jay after Tour of the Islands.
Match 4: Gedo, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Jado, Toru Yano & Togi Makabe. OSKAR beat Jado with a nightmare hold.
Match 5: Taichi, Yuya Uemura & Aaron Wolf beat Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa. Uemura pinned Jackson after Lions Shiner.
Match 6: Robbie X & Shingo Takagi beat Master Wato & Boltin Oleg. Takagi pinned Wato after Burning Dragon.
Main Event: Yoh & Hirooki Goto beat Taiji Ishimori & Yota Tsuji. Yoh pinned Ishimori with Gedo Clutch.
The next event is tomorrow. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET. This will also be a live Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.
Stardom has announced the full card for their next blowout event this Saturday, which of course is a PPV (until 9/30). A couple title matches not announced before were added, which could mean the end of the current AEW Artist Of Stardom Championship reign. Here is the full card:
Pre-show:
Saya Iida & Matoi Hamabe vs. Lady C & Kiyoka Kokatsu
PPV:
Rina Yamashita, Itsuki Aoki & Saori Anou vs. HANAKO, Waka Tssukiyama & Utami Hayashishita and Konami, Ruaka & Fukigen in a 3-way
Maki Itoh, Kikyo Furusawa & Rian vs. Hazuki, Koguma & Fuwa-chan
Anne Kanaya vs. Bea Priestley
Syuri & Hina vs. Rina & Azusa Inaba
Future Of Stardom Champion Ranna Yagami vs. Akira Kurogame for the title
Artist Of Stardom Champions Thekla, Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs. Natsupoi, Aya Sakura & Yuna Mizumori for the titles
Goddesses Of Stardom Champions AZM & Miyu Amasaki vs. Momo Waanabe & Saya Kamitani for the titles
Wonder Of Stardom Champion Hanan vs. Ami Sohrei for the title
World Of Stardom Champion Suzu Suzuki vs. Natsuko Tora for the title
PPV pre-orders begin Wednesday for the usual price of 4620 Japanese yen (about $30 US) which includes live & on demand until 9/30 Japan time. At some point after that it will be available on demand on Stardom World without additional purchase. The event begins at midnight PT/3 AM ET, maybe a little earlier for the pre-show. YouTube broadcast plans will be announced a couple hours before the event and will include the pre-show and maybe .1-4 PPV matches.
TAKAYAMANIA EMPRE 5, the annual fundraiser event for the legendary wrestler Yoshihiro Takayama, was held today in Tokyo, largely spearheaded once again by fellow wrestler Minoru Suzuki. Partial results are below with what I have been able to find so far, mostly from Nikkan Sports. (Now updated below with full results)
Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and hopefully will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date. This was a live ABEMA broadcast in Japan.
The paid attendance has not yet been announced but assumingly was a legit sellout..
Match 1: Tatsuya Matsumoto (New Japan) beat Ryoma Sekimo.
Match 2: Chihiro Hashimoto & Ryo Mizunami (Sendai Girls) vs. Miyu Yamashita (Tokyo Joshi Pro) & Hiroyo Matsumoto (Independent/Freelancer) went to a 15 minute time limit draw.
Match 3: Hideki Suzuki (All-Japan) vs. Danshoku Dieno (DDT) went to a no contest. Out of control.
Match 4: In a DDT Exhibition Match, MAO, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante beat Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato. MAO pinned Koroku after a cannonball 450.
Match 5: KENTA (Pro Wrestling NOAH) & Katsuyori Shibata (All Elite Wrestling) beat Caol Uno & Katsumi Inahata (Pro Wrestling NOAH). KENTA pinned Inahata after GO 2 SLEEP.
Main Event: Minoru Suzuki (Independent/Freelancer) & El Desperado (New Japan) beat Naomichi Marufuji (Pro Wrestling NOAH) & HARASHIMA (DDT). Suzuki pinned HARASHIMA after a Gotch-style piledriver. Afterwards, Takayama was brought to the ring in a wheelchair to celebrate both his birthday next week and his enduring legacy, along with hopes that, like fellow wheelchair-bound wrestler Shinjiro Otani, his rehab will proceed to the point that someday (soon) he will be able to walk again. And perhaps in time for one more match with Suzuki when he turns 60 in a couple years. (Takayama is 57)
Missing results will be posted when they become available.
Today Japan time as of this post (9/7), marks the one year anniversary of the death of Taishin Nagao, a highly touted rookie in All-Japan who died months after being hit by one of the company’s buses in a tragic accident before an event. The promotion announced two events to honor his memory today: First, at the 9/22 Korakuen Hall event a 10 bell salute will be held and a flower stand will be installed for fans attending the event to leave flowers in his memory. Second, the planned 10/28 event at Windmill Kushiro Super Arena in Hokkaido will now be a memorial event for Nagao as that event will be in his hometown.
The promotion once again extended its condolences to Nagao’s family and sent prayers for the repose of his soul.
DDT began their September schedule today with a house show in Miyagi.
Today’s event was held at Yume Messe Miyagi in Miyagi and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE Tuesday. There was no live broadcast.
The paid attendance was not announced.
Match 1: Makoto Oishi (Independent/Freelancer) beat Masami Inahata.
Match 2: Shunma Katsumata, Danshoku Dieno & Yuni beat Kazuki Hirata, Akito & Hinata Kasai. Yuni pinned Kasai with Jorge Clutch.
Match 3: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya beat Junta Miyawaki & Yuki Ishida. Iino pinned Ishida after a spear. This was the first match in DDT for Iino following the announcement this week that he will jump to Pro Wrestling NOAH full-time in November.
Match 4: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda beat Jun Akiyama, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Kazuma Sumi. Honda pinned Masunaga.
Match 5: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Illusion beat Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato. Illusion pinned Masada.
Main Event: MAO, KANON & Viento Levante beat Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi. Levante pinned To-y.
The next event is Wednesday at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo. Live streaming on WRESTLE UNIVERSE will begin at 3 AM PT/6 AM ET but possibly earlier due to a potential pre-show match listed.