Tag: New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan continued the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour today in Iwate.

Today’s event was held at Iwate Preefectural Gym in Iwate. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 1040.

Match 1; Master Wato & Yoh beat Dhoma Kato & Tiger Mask. Wato pinned Kato after a diving elbow smash.

Match 2: Great-O-Khan & HENARE beat Katsuya Murashima & Masatora Yasuda by ref stoppage. Khan beat Yasuda.

Match 3: Kosei Fujita, Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Tatsuya Matsunoto, Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Fujita pinned Matsunoto.

Match 4: Ryusuke Tagucbi, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita. Wolf pinned Togo after a powerslam.

Match 5: Tomoaki Honma, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino beat Gedo, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Umino pinned Gedo after a lariat.

Main Event: Daiki Nagai, Robbie X, Hiromu Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Yota Tsuji beat Zane Jay, Jacob Austin Young, Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Jake Lee. Tsuji pinned Jay after Gene Blaster. And although the IWGP Intercontinental Championship is retired, Tsuji showed up with the belt along with the recently-reactivated IWGP Heavyweight Championship (the iconic V4 design).

The next event is Sunday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo for a two-day doubleheader. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1:30 AM PT/4:30 AM ET.

New Japan resumed the Road To THE BEW BEGINNING Tour today in Aomori with the start of a handful of non-televised events. It was also the first event since it was announced that EVIL is leaving the promotion (expiring contract) and some wrestlers-namely Taichi-are having a lot of fun with commenting on it.

Today’s event was held at Tsugaru City General Gym in Aomori. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 987.

A Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura talk show event was held before the matches began The event’s start time was also pushed back due to some wrestlers arriving late due to road/weather conditions (a lot of snow in the area). After this was posted, President Hiroshi Tanahashi apologized for the delays on social media.

Match 1: Kosei Fujita beat Masatora Yasuda.

Match 2: Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita beat Gedo, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby). Narita beat Gedo with a kneebar.

Match 3: Yuya Henura & Shota Umino beat Zane Jay & Callum Newman. Uemura pinned Jay with a Kannuki suplex hold. (For what it’s worth, Jay has reportedly joined United Empire)

Match 4: In an alienation match, Daiki Nagai, Robbie X, Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji beat Jacob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, HENARE, Great-O-Khan & Jake Lee. Tsuji was the only winner left, last eliminating Lee.

Match 5: Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Tatsuya Matsunoto, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Oiwa pinned Matsunoto after The Grip.

Main Event: Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Katsuya Murashima, Shoma Kato, Master Wato, Yoh & Boltin Oleg. Wolf beat Murashima with a modified bull docking headlock.

The next event is tomorrow at Iwate Prefectural Gym in Iwate. There will be no live or on demand broadcast.

In other news, it has been revealed on the socials that the 2/27 US event will be a PPV on New Japan World in Japanese and English. It will cost 2990 Japanese yen in Japan and $19.99 in the US and includes on demand replays until April 27. Scheduled start time is 5 PM PT/8 PM ET and 2/28 at 10 AM Japan time. It can be pre-ordered now, a New Japan World subscription is not required.

Updating a prior rumor about EVIL possibly leaving New Japan, the promotion just broke the news…it’s now official. Contract expiring at the end of the month but it’s his decision. No word on if indeed he will go to WWE or elsewhere but if it’s the E, I hope they have former wrestler Sho Funaki on speed dial still…INDEEEEEEEEEED!.

More as it becomes available.

New Japan ran the second half of their Boat Race Miyajima mini-event doubleheader today in Hiroshima.

Today’s event was held at Boat Race Miyajima Event Hall in Hiroshima. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 900.

Match 1: Masatora Yasuda & Shoma Kato beat Tatsuya Matsumoto & Katsuya Murashima. Kato pinned Matsumoto.

Match 2: Ryusuke Taguchi, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino beat Daiki Nagai, Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji. Uemura pinned Nagai with a Kanniuki suplex hold.

Main Event: OSKAR (The Grouch_ Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) & Yota Tsuji beat Jacob Austin Young, Callum Newman & Jake Lee. Ice pinned Young after KOB.

The next event is Wednesday at Tsugaru City General Gym in Aomori. There will be no live or on demand broadcast.

New Japan ran the first half of an annual boat race doubleheader today in Hiroshima, a mini-event held in collaboration with the races.

Today’s event was held at Boat Race Miyajima Event Hall in Hiroshima. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 800.

Match 1: Takuya Matsumoto & Katsuya Murashima beat Masatora Yasuda & Shoma Kato. Murashima pinned Yasuda.

Match 2: Taiji Ishimori, OSKAR (The Grouch) & Yuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Ryusuke Taguchi, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino by ref stoppage. OSKAR beat Taguchi.

Main Event: Jacob Austin Young, Callum Newman & Jake Lee beat Daiki Nagai, Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji. Young pinned Nagai after Jacobs Ladder.

The next event is tomorrow. There will be no live or on demand broadcast.

This is just a RUMOR right now so apply the proverbial salt and don’t take it as official yet…but there is word going around the US wrestling net/dirt sheets that New Japan wrestler EVIL could be done with the promotion soon. While also not official, the House Of Torture leader supposedly has given notice to the promotion and could be headed to WWE. While big by Japan standards as a Heavyweight, he’d be a small one in WWE at 5″10, 235 pounds. He’s also 38 so this may be his last best chance for an international run like this. Given New Japan has typically renewed/redone contracts in January after Tokyo Dome and the year-opening events-or not-we may know more by the end of the month, or perhaps after THE NEW BEGINNING-the first blowout event of the year-on 2/11, but dropping the NEVER Openweight Championship to Aaron Wolf on 1/4 may or may not be a clue.

More as it becomes available.

UPDATE: A wrestling podcast I’ve never heard of suggests Hiromu Takahashi may be leaving too. Same for perhaps David Finlay & Gabriel Kidd..

Maybe Natsupoi can help here, or not…she may not like news that her new hubby, Shingo Takagi, has been announced as sidelined by New Japan for now. Left side abdominal injury. Out about 3 weeks. Currently scheduled to return on 2/11.

New Japan continued the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour today with the second half of the opening Tokyo doubleheader.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. This was changed last-minute to also be a live Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan. You can also watch the first 2 matches FOR FREE on YouTube.

The announced paid attendance was 1231.

Match 1: Young Lions Cup Semifinals: Shoma Kato beat Masatora Yasuda.

Match 2: Young Lions Cup Semifinals: Katsuya Murashima beat Daiki Nagai. As a resultX the Final will be Kato vs. Murashima.

Match 3: OSKAR (The Grouch) & Uuto Ice (Ice Baby) beat Tatsuya Matsumoto & Shota Unino. Ice pinned Matsunoto after KOB.

Match 4: Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL & Ren Narita. Wolf beat Takahashi with an armbar.

Match 5: Jacob Austin Young, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira & Jake Lee beat Gedo, Taiji Ishinori, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji. Lee pinned Takagi after FBS.

Match 6: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Sho to retain the titles. Fujita pinned Kanemaru after Thrill Ride. V1 for the champs.

Main Event: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI beat El Desperado to retain the title. V1 for DOUKI.

The next event is BOAT RACE Miyajima Presents STRONG SPLASH, a weekend doubleheader starting Saturday at Boat Race Miyajima Event Hall in Hiroshima. There will be no live or on demand broadcast. Unless plans change today was the last live/on demand broadcast for the month.

UPDATE: At some point after the event, another title match was announced-the next defense of the STRONG Openweight Championship by Tomohiro Ishii will be against Boltin Oleg. That match will happen on 2/27 at the next US event.

New Japan kicked off the Road To THE NEW BEGINNING Tour today, marking the official start to their year, the start of the road to Tokyo Dome 2027, and a true new beginning after 25+ years of Hiroshi Tanahashi as the face of the promotion…although he’s still around as President. The Young Lions Cup also returned today after several years giving the rookies & trainees a prize to compete for.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. You can also watch the first 2 matches FOR FREE on YouTube.

The announced paid attendance was 1006.

Match 1: Young Lions Cup: Masatora Yasuda beat Takuya Matsumoto. As a result, Yasuda advances to the Semifinals and will face Shoma Kato.

Match 2: Young Lions Cup: Daiki Nagai beat Zane Jay. As a result, Nagai advances to the Semifinals and will face Katsuya Murashima. (Both Kato & Murashima got free passes to the Semifinals)

Match 3: Master Wato, Yoh, Toru Yano, El Desperado & Aaron Wolf beat Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL, DOUKI & Ren Narita. Wato beat Togo with Vendeval.

Match 4: Jacob Austin Young, Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Jake Lee beat Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji. Akira pinned Gedo after Unmanned Emerald Flowsion.

Match 5: Sho beat Kosei Fujita by DQ.

Match 6: Yoshinobu Kanemaru beat Robbie Eagles.

Match 7: Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. to win the titles. Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Goto become the 33rd NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions. Goto pinned Oiwa after GTR.

Main Event: Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino beat Tomohiro Ishii & Taichi. Umino pinned Taichi after Second Chapter. As a result, Uemura & Umino get the next IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship shot. That match will happen at THE NEW BEGINNING on 2/11 at Osaka Prefectural Gym in Osaka.

The next event is tomorrow. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1:30 AM PT/4:30 AM ET.