Tag: New Japan

In an announcement on their Japanese website, New Japan announced several leadership changes effective tomorrow (12/23, which is now that day Japan time): Former President Takami Ohbari has retired effective today and the replacement is current New Japan wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi. Taro Okada, President of owner Bushiroad Fight Co. Ltd., becomes a part-Time Director.

A press conference with more details is scheduled for Tuesday (Monday night US time) and Tanahashi will be introduced to fans in bis new role at the Tokyo Dome on 1/4.

More as it becomes available.

New Japan wrapped up Road To Tokyo Dome today with their final event of 2023z

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World FOR REE! No account or payment required! This was a live ABEMA broadcast in Japan. You may need to download the NJPW WORLD app to watch on mobile devices (free).

Click below to go to the event page:
https://watch.njpwworld.com/details/39322?playlist_id=203

The announced paid attendance was 1513, a legit sellout.

There were some last-minute changes to the card after yesterday’s happenings: What was a pair of singles matches between TJP/Francesco Akira and Gabriel Kidd/Alex Coughlin became a tag team Coffin Match and another tag team match was added as a bonus match.

Match 1: Shoma Kato & Togi Makabe beat Katsuya Murashima & Satoshi Kojima. Makabe pinned Murashima. First career win for Kato!

Match 2: Yoh & Toru Yano beat Masked Boltin & Masked Horse. Yoh pinned Horse with Kid Clutch.

Match 3: Tomohiro Ishii beat Callum Newman.

Match 4: YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima. YOSHI-HASHI pinned Nakashima after Shoto.

Match 5: Master Wato & El Desperado beat BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi. Wato pinned BUSHI.

Match 6: In a Coffin Match (No DQs, only way to win is to put one opponent on a coffin and close it on them), Drilla Moloney & Alex Coughlin beat Francesco Akira & TJP. Moloney beat TJP.

Match 7: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada beat Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr. Okada pinned Fujita with Dos Caras Clutch.

Main Event: Yuya Uemura, Taichi & SANADA beat Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito. Uenura pinned Tsuji. Afterwards, Uemura challenged Tsuji to a match at Tokyo Dome before SANADA closed out 2023 with a final promo before he defends the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Naito on 1/4. DESTINO.

And that brings New Japan’s 2023 to a close. You know what that means-it’s almost that time again!!!

The next event (and first of 2024) is WRESTLE KINGDOM 18 IN TOKYO DOME, the biggest annual event in Japanese pro wrestling and the biggest wrestling event in the world outside of WrestleMania, on 1/4 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo. Live streaming on New Japan World is scheduled to begin on 1/3 at 11;30 PM PT/2:30 AM ET, but is subject to change. A public pre-event press conference (tickets required, already sold out) will be held on 1/3 at Tokyo Airship Theater.

New Japan began the year-ending Road To Tokyo Dome Tour today with the first half of the 2-event doubleheader.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. This was a Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.

The announced paid attendance was 1457, a legit sellout.

Before the matches began, a 10 Bell Salute was held for former wrestler Osamu Kido, who died earlier this month.

Match 1: Masked Boltin (presumably Boltin Oleg) & Masked Horse beat Tiger Mask & Toru Yano. Horse pinned TM 4 with Kid Clutch.

Match 2: Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima by ref stoppage (technical submission). Sabre beat Nakashima with a transformed dragon sleeper.

Match 3: Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & TJP beat Gedo, Drilla Moloney & Clark Conmors. TJP pinned Gedo after 2/2.

Match 4: Sho, Ren Narita & EVIL beat Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino. EVIL pinned Honma after EVIL. After the match, Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa showed up to return the favor after H.O.T. ambushed Kiyomiya at Monday’s Pro Wrestling NOAH event.

Match 5: Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi beat Satoshi Kojima & El Desperado. Takagi pinned Kojima after Pumping Bomber.

Match 6: DOUKI, Yuya Uemura & SANADA beat BUSHI, Yota Tsuji & Tetsuya Naito. Uemura pinned BUSHI with a Kannuki suplex hold.

Match 7: In a Whiskey Bottle Ladder Match, with no countouts and where the first to retrieve a bottle of whiskey above the ring could use it as a weapon, KOPW 2023 Champion Taichi beat Yosjinobu Kanemaru to retain the title. Taichi will receive a trophy as the final champion of the year and it will reset for 2024.

Main Event: NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada beat HENARE, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb to retain the titles. Ishii pinned HENARE after a vertical drop brainbuster. V7 for the champs.

The tour-ender and the final event of the year is tomorrow. Live streaming on New Japan World outside Japan only will begin at 1:30 AM PT/4:30 AM ET, and you can watch live and on demand FOR FREE! This will be an ABEMA live broadcast in Japan.

UPDATE: Per a post in English by Pro Wrestling NOAH on YouTube, following today’s happenings a 12-man NOAH/NJPW vs. House Of Torture match has been added to the 1/2/24 NOAH event at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. It will be Kaito Kiyomiya, Ryohei Oiwa, Shuji Kondo, Daiki Inaba, Junta Miyawaki & Shota Umino vs. Dick Togo, Sho, Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL.

New Japan is saddened to report the passing of former wrestler Osamu Kido, who died Monday. He was 72.

Kido made his debut in the Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) in early 1969 before competing on New Japan’s first event in March 1972 before an excursion to the US. He moved to the original UWF in 1984 before returning to NJPW in 1985, and became IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with Akira Maeda on August 5, 1986.

That title match is one of 3 Kido matches New Japan World is making available for viewing for free, along with a 10-man elimination tag match from 3/26/1986 and his 30th Anniversary Match from 2/5/1999.

I join New Japan in expressing my condolences to the family, friends and fans of Osamu Kido.