There are chop fests and there are chop fests in wresting…and then there was Kazusada Higuchi & Yuji Hino taking it to new heights in November 2022.Ahead of their upcoming KO-D Openweight Championship match, DDT is making the full 11/5/22 event with their first meeting available FOR FREE on YouTube. You can watch below, but be advised it will not be available until Wednesday (1/25/23) at 3 AM PT/6 AM ET, of course you can watch anytime on WRESTLE UNIVERSE if you are a subscriber.
BREAKING: Jay Briscoe Tribute Match on 1/25/23 AEW Dynamite
The Twitter post from Tony Khan below says it all…on what would’ve been Jay Briscoe’s 39th Birthday, his brother Mark will face Jay Lethal tomorrow on AEW Dynamite. Don’t miss it.
New Japan 1/24/23 Results
New Japan began the Road to THE NEW BEGINNING Tour today, the traditional opening of the promotion’s new year as the first series after the annual 1/4 Tokyo Dome blowout event. This begins the unofficial road to next year’s signature event.
Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on New Japan World in Japanese and English.
The paid attendance was not announced.
Before the event, a special donation of 3 million yen (nearly $24,000 US) was made on behalf of the promotion and its “STRONG SPIRITS” mobile game to charities that are supporting legendary wrestler Shinjiro Otani as he continues to deal with serious medical issues.
Match 1: Great-O-Khan beat Ryohei Oiwa by submission.
Match 2: Gedo & Taiji Ishimori pinned Jado & Master Wato. Gedo pinned Jado.
Match 3: Francesco Akira & Aaron Henare beat TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI. Henare beat TAKA with Ultima.
Match 4: Oskar Leube, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto beat Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. Ishii pinned Fujita.
Match 5: El Phantasmo & KENTA beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Hiroshi Tanahashi. Phantasmo pinned Tenzan after Sudden Death.
Matxh 6: BUSHI & Hiromu Takagashi beat Yoh & Ryusuke Taguchi. BUSHI pinned Taguchi after MX.
Match 7: TJP & Will Ospreay beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi. Ospreay pinned Kanemaru after Hidden Blade. So apparently whatever forced TJP off Sunday’s event last-minute wasn’t serious.
Main Event: Shota Umino, Toru Yano & Kazuchika Okada beat SANADA, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito. Umino pinned SANADA after Death Slider. Now although I haven’t seen this yet I do (half-jokingly) wonder if Umino benefitted from biased officiating because New Japan lead/main event referee Red Shoes Unno is Umino’s real-life father.
The next event is tomorrow. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1:30 AM PT/4:30 AM ET.
Dragon Gate 1/23/23 Results
Dragon Gate continued their current tour yesterday with a hometown event for roster member H-Y-O.
Yesterday’s event was held at Loisir Hotel Toyohashi in Aichi and may be available on demand on DRAGONGATE NETWORK. There was no live broadcast.
The announced paid attendance was 245.
Match 1: Yuki Yoshioka, Dragon Dia & Madoka Kikuta beat Susumu Mochizuki, Mochizuki Jr. & Yasushi Kanda. Yoshioka pinned Jr. with Battle Hook.
Match 2: YAMATO beat Ryu Fuda.
Match 3: Kota Minoura beat ISHIN by DQ. Outside interference.
Match 4: Kzy, BIGBOSS Shimizu & JACKY “FUNKY” KAMEI beat Ultimo Dragon, Kagetora & Kaito Nagano. Kzy pinned Nagano after a running elbow smash.
Match 5: Jason Lee & Strong Machine J beat Dragon Kid & Yoshiki Kato. J pinned Kato with a German suplex hold.
Main Event: Shun Skywalker, KAI & H-Y-O vs. Ben-K, BxB Hulk & Minorita went to a no contest. Out of control due to outside interference. Which led to…
Kota Minoura, BxB Hulk, Ben-K & Minorita beat Shun Skywalker, KAI, H-Y-O & ISHIN. Ben-K pinned H-Y-O after a spear. Some homecoming…
The next event was earlier today at Robashi Sports Center in Nagoya. Results will be posted once they are available. There was no live broadcast. The next actual event is Saturday at Fukuyama Big Rose in Hiroshima. There will be no live broadcast.
(Correction: The original post incorrectly stated Saturday’s event is in Aichi. It is in Hiroshima)
DEVELOPING: Major Jr. Heavyweight Event On 3/1 (Updated)
A major development this morning: New Japan has announced that Hiromu Takahashi is putting together a special Jr. Heavyweight event on 3/1 featuring wrestlers from throughout Japan and around the world. LEC is on board as a sponsor for All Star Jr. Festival on 3/1 at Korakuen Hall and it will be available as a PPV on New Japan World.
More as it becomes available.
UPDATE: The following promotions are confirmed for participation: New Japan, All-Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Dragon Gate, GLEAT, CMLL (Mexico), 666. Osaka Pro, DDT, Ganbare Pro, Pancrase MISSION, ZERO1, Basara, Freedoms, Michinoku Pro, Ryukyu Dragon Pro, Dradition, Just Tap Out, 2AW, Kyushu Pro
Tickets go on sale Sunday. PPV details TBA.
Dragon Gate 1/22/23 Results
Dragon Gate continued their current tour today with the second half of a Kobe weekend doubleheader.
Today’s event was held at Kobe Sambo Hall in Kobe and can be watched on demand on DRAGONGATE NETWORK. The results below are courtesy of the Dragon Gate Official Facebook Page.
The announced paid attendance was 374.
Match 1: Yuki Yoshioka, Dragon Dia & Madoka Kikuta beat JACKY “FUNKY” KAMEI, Jason Lee & Ho Ho Lun. Kikuta pinned Lun after a lariat.
Match 2: Kaito Nagano & Yoshiki Kato beat Minorita & Ryu Fuda. Kato pinned Fuda after a modified Blood Fall.
Match 3: H-Y-O beat Ichikawa. This went just 32 seconds.
Match 4: Takashi Yoshida & Shachihoko BOY beat Genki Horiguchi & Punch Tominaga. Yoshida pinned Tominaga after a powerbomb.
Match 5: Dragon Kid, Shuji Kondo & Kagetora beat Susumu Mochizuki, Yasushi Kanda & Mochizuki Jr. Kondo pinned Jr. with Gorilla Clutch.
Match 6: YAMATO & Don Fujii beat BIGBOSS Shimizu & Strong Machine J. YAMATO pinned Shimizu after Frankensteiner of the Almighty.
Main Event: Kota Minoura, Ben-K & BxB Hulk beat Open The Triangle Gate Champions Shun Skywalker, KAI & ISHIN to win the titles. Minoura, Ben-K & Hulk become the 84th Open The Triangle Gate Champions. Hulk pinned KAI after First Flash.
The next event is tomorrow at Loisir Hotel Toyohashi in Aichi. There will be no live broadcast.
Sumo-January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament Day 15 Results (Final Day) (Top 2 Tiers)
Here are the quick results from today’s Final Day of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo (Click below to read, breaking up post for front page display due to length):
Continue reading “Sumo-January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament Day 15 Results (Final Day) (Top 2 Tiers)”UPCOMING FREE VIDEO: New Japan Rumble On 44th Street 2022 (LIMITED TIME ONLY)
New Japan is making the full 2022 Rumble On 44th Street PPV in New York City available on YouTube FOR FREE for a limited time. You can watch the full event below-it will be available starting at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET and you can watch until 3:59 PM PT/6:59 PM ET on 2/17. After that it will be available on New Japan World to all subscribers. The replay is also available for purchase on FITE (you get unlimited replays with purchase).
Dragon Gate 1/21/23 Results
Dragon Gate began the second half of the Open The New Year Gate 2023 tour today with the first half of a doubleheader in Kobe.
Today’s event was held at Kobe Sambo Hall in Kobe and can be watched on demand on DRAGONGATE NETWORK.
The announced paid attendance was 340.
Match 1: YAMATO, Naruki Doi, Dragon Kid & Dragon Dia beat Shun Skywalker, KAI, Strong Machine J & Strong Machine F. YAMATO pinned F.
Match 2: Punch Tominaga beat Ichikawa in a 2 man battle royal.
Match 3: Takashi Yoshida & Ho Ho Lun beat Genki Horiguchi & Ryu Fuda. Lun pinned Fuda.
Match 4: Susumu Mochizuki, Yasushi Kanda, JACKY “FUNKY” KAMEI & Jason Lee beat H-Y-O, ISHIN, Ben-K & Minorita. KAMEI pinned Ben-K after JACKY Knife.
Match 5: Eita & Shuji Kondo beat Kzy & BIGBOSS Shimizu. Kondo pinned Shimizu after a King Kong lariat.
Main Event: Masaaki Mochizuki, Mochizuki Jr., Kaito Nagano & Yoshiki Kato beat Yuki Yoshida, Madoka Kikuta, Kota Minoura & BxB Hulk. Mochizuki pinned Kikuta.
The next event is tomorrow. Live streaming on DRAGONGATE NETWORK will begin TONIGHT at 10 PM PT/1 AM ET.
New Japan Pro Wrestling THE NEW BEGINNING in NAGOYA Results (1/22/23) (Updated)
New Japan kicks off THE NEW BEGINNING today, the start of their annual post-Tokyo Dome series that marks the official beginning of the new year for the promotion. After their major even earlier today in Yokohama, they head to Nagoya for a standalone event ahead of the main series beginning. The highlight match today is the main event, the first KOPW 2023 Title match of the year as Shingo Takagi, who essentially retained the title from the end of 2022 as the champion at the end of the year, defends the title and it’s new title belt against Great-O-Khan, and because Khan’s stip won the fan vote it will be a Martial Arts match so both will wear gi among other things.
Today’s event will be held at Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya and can be watched LIVE on New Japan World in Japanese and English. If, like me, you’re going to be split-screening to watch this and the Pro Wrestling NOAH event at the same time, this event starts a bit later but they should wrap up at close to the same time. This event will be shorter and I anticipate the total running time being about 2 1/2 hours but no more than 3 hours.
Today’s lineup:
Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Oskar Leube & Yuto Naksahima
Tomoaki Honma, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki vs. Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL
Ryohei Oiwa, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.
Jado, Master Wato & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & KENTA
Francesco Akira, TJP, Aaron Henare & Will Ospreay vs. TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi
Yoh, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino & Kazuchika Okada vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito
KOPW 2023 Champion Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan in a Martial Arts Rules Match for the title
Refresh this page occasionally for the latest results.
Updates below will begin at 2 AM ET/11 PM PT.
10:30 PM PT UPDATE: The live stream has launched. The broadcast will begin at 11 PM PT/2 AM ET.
11 PM PT UPDATE: Live updates begin now…
We are LIVE from Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya, Japan. Your Japanese hosts are Haruo Murata & Milano Collection A.T. No guest on commentary. Your English host is Kevin Kelly.
We begin with the usual preview video with title matches for upcoming events.
When we go to the venue they are making announcements. There may be some last-second changes to the card. It could involve the Jr. Heavyweight 8-man tag based on names mentioned.
The paid attendance will be announced after the event. Vocal cheering is allowed so between that and the setup it will be greatly reduced capacity. I would not be surprised if they don’t get to 2000 (50% and the setup means a maximum of probably between 2500-3000. The venue’s normal capacity is 7500).
The matches begin at 11:08 PM PT.
Match 1: Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima. 20 minute time limit
Result: Toru Yano & Togi Makabe beat Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakahima. Makabe beat Nakashima.
Match 2: Tomoaki Honma, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki vs. Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. 20 minute time limit
Result: Tomoaki Honma, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki beat Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. Narita beat Togo with an octopus stretch hold.
Match 3: Ryohei Oiwa, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. 20 minute time limit
Result: Kosei Fujita, SHane Haste, Micky Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Ryohei Oiwa, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto. Haste pinned Fujita after Thunder Bomb.
Match 4: Jado, Master Wato & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & KENTA. 30 minute time limit
Result: Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & KENTA beat Jado, Master Wato & Hiroshi Tanahashi. Phantasmo pinned Jado after Sudden Death.
Match 5: Francesco Akira, TJP, & Will Ospreay vs. DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi. 30 minute time limit. Apparently Aaron Henare was out for unknown reasons and thus TAKA was out too.
Result: Francesco Akira, Aaron Henare & Will Ospreay beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI & Taichi. Ospreay pinned DOUKI after Hidden Blade.
Match 6: Yoh, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino & Kazuchika Okada vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito. 30 minute time limit
Result: Yoh, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino & Kazuchika Okada beat BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito. Umino pinned BUSHI.
Main Event: KOPW 2023 Champion Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan in a Martial Arts Rules Match for the title. No pinfalls. Win only by submission or KO/TKO (10 count down). 1 Hour time limit
Result: KOPW 2023 Champion Shingo Takagi beat Great-O-Khan by submission to retain the title. Takagi also keeps his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot on 2/11, which was also on the line.
The next event is the Road to THE NEW BEGINNING Tour opener Tuesday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1:30 AM PT/4:30 AM ET.
UPDATE: The Match 5 result has been corrected, apparently it was TJP removed from the match and not Henare.
The announced paid attendance was 1650.