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BREAKING: HOF Honor For Muto/Muta

WWE has just announced that The Great Muta, the iconic face-painted/masked (in recent years) alter-ego of the legendary Keiji Muto, will be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year. The ceremony will be held on 3/31 after that night’s episode of WWE SmackDown in Los Angeles, CA. A current or former wrestler normally inducts the honoree, with rumors of wrestling icon Ric Flair inducting Muta but this is not yet official. It’s also not known if Muto will attend in person or make pre-recorded comments in Japan to be shown.

More as it becomes available.

GLEAT 3/15/23 Results (With Full Video)

GLEAT held their latest G PROWRESTLING event today, returning to Tokyo after a series of events in Osaka.

Today’s event was held at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo and can be watched on demand FOR FREE on YouTube. Click below to watch the entire event (desktop browsers may see a link to YouTube while mobile browsers should see the video). Results ate below the video/link.

https://www.youtube.com/live/tEYuedCOCes?feature=share

The announced paid attendance was 303.

Match 1: Yu Iizuka & Issei Onitsuka beat Keiichi Sato & Ohi Shiiba. Onitsuka pinned Sato after Georgia Throw.

Match 2: Mika Iwata & Manami beat Michiko Miyagi & Yukari Hosokawa. Manami pinned Hosokawa after a diving body press.

Match 3: T-Hawk & Soma Watanabe beat Tetsuya Izuchi & Jun Tonsho. Watanabe pinned Tonsho after a dropkick.

Match 4: El Lindaman beat Check Shimatani.

Match 5: Hayato Tamura & Quiet Storm beat Kaz Hayashi & Minoru Tanaka. Storm pinned Tanaka after 53cm Arm Lariat.

Match 6: KAZMA SAKAMOTO beat Kotaro Suzuki & CIMA in a 3-way by pinning Suzuki. Before the match, SAKAMOTO officially joined GLEAT.

Main Event: Kaito Ishida, Yutani & Hartley Jackson beat Takanori Ito, Masato Kamino & Yusuke Kodama. Ishida pinned Ito after countering a Getman suplex. Afterwards, Ryuichi Kawakami appeared and announced he will return on 4/12.

The next event is Tuesday at Gorilla Hall Osaka in Osaka. Both G REX Championship and G Infinity Championship matches are scheduled. As it’s in Osaka, there probably will be no live broadcast but it should be available on demand on YouTube 2-3 days after the event.

New Japan 3/15/23 Results

New Japan wrapped up Round 2 of the New Japan Cup today, finishing setting up the Quarterfinals but there were changes to today’s card and the next round because Will Ospreay is now out of the tournament. He suffered a shoulder injury in his Round 2 win and is out indefinitely. It seems the man he beat to advance, Mark Davis, will take his place and be tasked with stopping EVIL from reaching the semifinals.

Today’s event was held at ZIP Arena Okayama in Okayama and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 1298.

Match 1: Aaron Henare beat Yuto Nakashima by submission. This was to have been Nakashima & Oskar Leube vs. Henare & Jeff Cobb but Leube was removed from the event and Cobb was a replacement for Ospreay in Match 2.

Match 2: Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open beat Ryohei Oiwa, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Mark Davis pinned Oiwa after Waterslide.

Matxh 3: TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi beat Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. Taichi pinned Togo after Seitei Jujiro.

Match 4: El Phantasmo, Chase Owens & KENTA beat Jado, Ren Narita & Tama Tonga. KENTA beat Jado with GAME OVER.

Match 5: Lio Rush, Yoh, Tomoaki Honma, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii beat BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA. Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito. Yoh pinned BUSHI after Direct Drive.

Match 6: New Japan Cup Round 2: David Finlay beat Great-O-Khan. As a result, Finlay advances to the Quarterfinals.

Main Event: New Japan Cup Round 2: Shota Umino beat Zack Sabre Jr. As a result, Umino advances to the Quarterfinals. No repeat tournament victory for Sabre.

As a result of today, the final Quarterfinal will be Finlay vs. Umino.

The next event is Friday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with the start of the Quarterfinals. The full card including 2 Quarterfinals matches is TBA. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

DEVELOPING: New Japan Cup Change

New Japan has announced an unexpected change to the New Japan Cup Tournament: Will Ospreay, who advanced to the Quarterfinals with a Round 2 win Monday, is now OUT. Shoulder injury suffered in the win. Out indefinitely. Mark Davis, who Ospreay beat in Round 2, announced he will be the replacement but this has not been made official. If official as we are lef to believe, Davis will face EVIL in the Quarterfinals. There were also changes made to today’s event.

More as it becomes available.

Sumo-March 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament Day 3 Results (3/14/23) (Top 2 Tiers)

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 3 of the March 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo, Ms-Makushita

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Tsurugisho (M16) beat Mitoryu (M17)
Chiyoshoma (M16) beat Tochinoshin (J32)
Bushozan (M14) beat Oho (M15)
Hokuseiho (M15) beat Kinbozan (M14)
Kotoeko (M13) beat Takarafuji (M12)
Daishoho (M13) beat Kagayaki (M13)
Nishikifuji (M10) beat Takanosho (M11)
Myogiryu (M10) beat Azumaryu (M11)
Ura (M8) beat Hiradoumi (M9)
Aoiyama (M9) beat Ichiyamamoto (M8)
Takayasu (M7) beat Sadanoumi (M6)
Endo (M6) beat Hokutofuji (M7)
Midorifuji (M5) beat Meisei (M4)
Onosho (M4) beat Kotoshoho (M5)
Mitakeumi (M3) beat Wakamotoharu (K)
Tobizaru (K) beat Nishikigi (M3)
Daieisho (K) beat Ryuden (M2)
Hoshoryu (S) beat Kotonowaka (K)
Abi (M2) beat Wakatakakage (S)
Kiribayama (S) beat Tamawashi (M1)
Takakeisho (O) beat Shodai (M1)
Leader: 9 at 3-0
Of note: A faster start than his opponent gave Takakeisho another big win today over a resurgent Shodai, that’s 2 straight wins after an opening day loss. He’ll need another such fast start tomorrow as his opponent is fellow relentless pusher-thruster Abi. Hoshoryu picked up an important first win but the Ozeki quest is already over for Wakatakakage, who is 0-3 and his only chance at promotion now is win the tournament (now highly unlikely). Also a surprising 0-3 is January runner-up Kotoshoho. Tochinoshin came back up as the Juryo man of the day in the top tier and did not look good at all. Given his performance so far and his knee injury history, I believe this tournament will be the end for the former Ozeki. Not retiring would shock me. 9 remain a perfect 3-0 so far and all can remain unbeaten tomorrow.

Juryo:
Fujiseiun (Ms2) beat Tomokaze (J13)
Tamashoho (J13) beat Tokushoryu (J14)
Ochiai (J14) beat Takakento (J12)
Kitanowaka (J11) beat Tochimusashi (J12)
Kotokuzan (J10) beat Shimanoumi (J11)
Hakuyozan (J9) beat Churanoumi (J10)
Hidenoumi (J8) beat Tsushimanada (J9)
Shimazuumi (J7) beat Atamifuji (J8)
Gonoyama (J6) beat Akua (J7)
Enho (J5) beat Daiamami (J6)
Roga (J5) beat Chiyomaru (J4)
Shonannoumi (J3) beat Oshoma (J4)
Ichinojo (J3) beat Chiyonokuni (J2)
Asanoyama (J1) beat Tohakuryu (J1)
Leader: 5 at 3-0
Of note: While Juryo has twice as many matches as the lower tiers, Asanoyama continues to be almost unbeatable since his return from a 1-year suspension. He seems well on the way to another 5-0/9-0 start with 3 wins already, and since his comeback is now a combined 37-3. It almost seems a lock he’ll be back at the top tier in May (he needs at least 5 more wins), but first there’s the matter of winning another tournament…and also co-leader and July top tier champion Ichinojo tomorrow. The winner could very well wind up being Juryo champion although it’s early. Tamashoho is also having a good Juryo debut so far, he’s up there in the 3-0 crowd. On the flip side, another 0-3 start has former Juryo champion Tochimusashi sliding potentially back to Makushita in May, he hasn’t had a winning record since his championship. Maybe he should’ve stayed Kanno instead of changing his name?

All-Japan 3/14/23 Results

All-Japan continued the Dream Power Series Tour today with a mid-major event also featuring a rare mixed/intergender tag match.

Today’s event was held at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on AJPW.TV. You can also watch the first 4 matches FOR FREE on YouTube.

The announced paid attendance was 519. That sounds like a legit sellout with some overflow, the venue’s normal full capacity is 500.

Match 1: Dan Tamura vs. Hikaru Sato went to a 10 minute time limit draw.

Match 2: Jun & Rei Saito beat Shotaro Ashino & Ryuki Honda. Rei Saito pinned Honda after Drill-a-hole Piledriver.

Match 3: ATM, Takao Omori & Black Menso-re beat All-Japan 6-Man Tag Team Champions Black Tiger, Yusuke Kodama & Masao Hanabata to win the titles. ATM, Omori & Menso-re become the 5th All-Japan 6-Man Tag Team Champions. Menso-re pinned Tiger with a jackknife.

Match 4: Yuma Aoyagi, Naoya Nomura & Atsuki Aoyagi beat Ryo Inoue, Yuma Anzai & Oji Shiiba. Nomura pinned Inoue after Maximum.

Match 5: Shuji Ishikawa beat Hokuto Omori.

Match 6: Suwama, Mayumi Ozaki (OZ Academy) & Maya Yukihi (Independent/Freelancer) beat Yoshitatsu, Sayaka Unagi & SAKI (Independent/Freelancers). Suwama punned Yoshitatsu after a backdrop.

Match 7: Kento Miyahara beat Yoshiki Inamura (Pro Wrestling NOAH).

Main Event: All-Japan World Jr. Heavyweight Champion Naruki Doi beat Rising Hayato to retain the title. V1 for Doi.

The next event is Friday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and will be an All-Japan vs. GLEAT crossover event. Live streaming on AJPW.TV will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

Pro Wrestling NOAH 3/14/23 Results

Pro Wrestling NOAH continued the never-ending SUNNY VOYAGE 2023 Tour today with the final house show before next weekend’s blowout event.

Today’s event was held at Yokohama Radiant Hall in Yokohama and can be watched on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.

The announced paid attendance was 254.

Match 1: Shuhei Taniguchi & Yaustaku Yano beat Kinya Okada & Taishi Ozawa. Yano pinned Ozawa.

Match 2: Kenoh beat Daiki Inaba by ref stoppage (KO).

Match 3: Manabu Soya beat Masa Kitamiya.

Match 4: Extreme Tiger, Super Crazy & Lancelot beat Tadasuke, Hajime Ohara & Hi69. Lancelot pinned Hi69 after Spanish Fly.

Match 5: HAYATA beat Yoshinari Ogawa.

Match 6: Chris Ridgeway beat Eita.

Main Event: Kaito Kiyomiya & YO-HEY beat Jake Lee & Anthony Greene. Kiyomiya pinned Greene with a Japanese leg roll clutch hold.

The next event is GREAT VOYAGE 2023 in YOKOHAMA Sunday at Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama. Live streaming on WRESTLE UNIVERSE in English only will begin at midnight PT/3 AM ET. This is an ABEMA-exclusive broadcast so Japanese will only be available on demand. (The venue likely will be at only 50% capacity so the attendance will likely sound worse than it actually is)

Dragon Gate 3/13/23 Results

Dragon Gate continued the Glorious Gate Tour today with a JACKY “FUNKY” KAMEI hometown event.

Today’s event was held at Tottori Industrial Gym in Tottori. There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 282.

Match 1: Yuki Yoshioka, Dragon Dia & Madoka Kikuta beat Shun Skywalker, KAI & H-Y-O. Kikuta pinned H-Y-O after a rolling lariat.

Match 2: Eita beat Ichikawa in 5 seconds. Which led to…
Match 2 (Again): Eita beat Ichikawa.

Match 3: Genki Horiguchi & Yoshiki Kato beat Punch Tominaga & Shachihoko BOY. Kato pinned Tominaga after Crescent Backbreaker.

Match 4: Masaaki Mochizuki beat Daiki Yanagiuchi.

Match 5: Don Fujii & Kaito Nagano beat Ryu Fuda & Mochizuki Jr. Fujii beat Fuda with Gedo Clutch.

Main Event: Kzy, Strong Machine J, BIGBOSS Shimizu & JACKY “FUNKY” KAMEI beat Kota MInoura, Ben-K, Minorita & BxB Hulk. KAMEI pinned Minorta after Torbegino Cross.

The next event is MEMORIAL GATE 2023 Saturday at Wakayama Prefectural Gym in Wakayama. Live streaming on DRAGONGATE NETWORK will begin at 2 AM ET/Friday at 11 PM PT.

Sumo-March 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament Day 2 Results (3/13/23) (Top 2 Tiers)

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 2 of the March 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo, Ms-Makushita

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Chiyoshoma (M16) beat Mitoryu (M17)
Tsurugisho (M16) beat Tohakuryu (J1)
Kinbozan (M14) beat Oho (M15)
Hokuesiho (M15) beat Bushozan (M14)
Kotoeko (M13) beat Kagayaki (M12)
Daishoho (M13) beat Takarafuji (M12)
Takanosho (M11) beat Myogiryu (M10)
Nishikifuji (M10) beat Azumaryu (M11)
Hiradoumi (M9) beat Ichiyamamoto (M8)
Ura (M8) beat Aoiyama (M9)
Takayasu (M7) beat Endo (M6)
Sadanoumi (M6) beat Hokutofuji (M7)
Midorifuji (M5) beat Onosho (M4)
Meisei (M4) beat Kotoshoho (M5)
Wakamotoharu (K) beat Nishikigi (M3)
Tobizaru (K) beat Mitakeumi (M3)
Kotonowaka (K) beat Ryuden (M2)
Daieisho (K) beat Wakatakakage (S)
Shodai (M1) beat Kiribayama (S)
Abi (M2) beat Hoshoryu (S)
Takakeisho (O) beat Tamawashi (M1)
Of note: Takakeisho came back strong after a surprise opening day loss and easily beat back the ironman Tamawashi, but he has to be careful tomorrow as next is Shodai, who looks like the old Ozeki Shodai at an impressive 2-0. It’s not looking good early for Ozeki chances at Sekiwake as both Wakatakakage & Hoshoryu are 0-2. To have any chance at promotion Wakatakakage now must win out and probably win the tournament while Hoshoryu needs to go 11-2.
Former Ozeki Tochinoshin, who decided to give it a go at Juryo following demotion to the second tier this time after withdrawing during January because of injury, gets the top-tier return match tomorrow and will face Chiyoshoma. The Georgian is struggling early at 0-2 and his days as an active rikishi may be numbered, as no doubt his long career and persistent left injury issues are weighing him down.

Juryo:
Tokushoryu (J14) beat Terutsuyoshi (Ms1)
Tamashoho (J13) beat Ochihi (J14)
Takakento (J12) beat Tomokaze (J13)
Kitanowaka (J11) beat Shimanoumi (J11)
Churanoumi (J10) beat Tochimusashi (J12)
Tsushimanada (J9) beat Kotokuzan (J10)
Atamifuji (J8) beat Hakuyozan (J9)
Hidenoumi (J8) beat Akua (J7)
Shimazuumi (J7) beat Daiamami (J6)
Roga (J5) beat Gonoyama (J6)
Oshoma (J4) beat Enho (J5)
Ichinojo (J3) beat Chiyomaru (J4)
Shonannoumi (J3) beat Tochinoshin (J2)
Asanoyama (J1) beat Chiyonokuni (J2)
Of note: 1/4 of the way there…just another day at the office for Asanoyama as the former Ozeki easily won again to go to 2-0, now just 6 wins away from a top tier return in May. Terutsuyoshi was back up in Juryo today but no epic salt throw, in fact a more standard one that was very subdued by his standards. But he’s already 0-2 now in Makushita and thus halfway to demotion. Ichinojo is a quick 2-0 as well in his return to action following suspension in January, leaving Tochinoshin alone at 0-2 among the former top-tier guys at the top of Juryo and potentially as the only one who may not be back in Makuuchi in May. Tomorrow Asanoyama has Tohakuryu while Fujiseiun will be the Makushita man up for the day, he’s 1-0 at Makushita 2 and will face Tomokaze.

News: Japanese Wrestler Leaves WWE, Return Home Set

Word from various US news sites is that Japanese women’s wrestler Sareee, who was known as Sarray in WWE, has officially been released by the promotion today. Her last match in WWE was in August 2022 in NXT, where she spent her entire time with the promotion. Her WWE career never really got going due largely to the timing of the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions in Japan so she never really had a chance due to circumstances beyond her control.

Sareee may have a no-compete clause following her release (that’s standard WWE practice), which sounds like 60 days at most because her return to action in Japan has been announced for 5/16 at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, which could be an independent event she is producing, suggesting she will be a freelancer for now.