Tag: New Japan

WRESTLING DONTAKU 2023, New Japan’s annual Golden Week blowout event, is now in the books.

Today’s event was held at Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. This event aired as part of WORLD PRO WRESTLING LIVE 2023 on TV Asahi.

The announced paid attendance was 4498, a legit advance sellout. They must have had quite the stage setup taking a ton of space because that’s only 60% capacity (the venue’s max capacity is 7500, but that’s primarily for sumo).

Pre-Show Match: In a Young Lion Consecutive Battles Match where Ryohei Oiwa faced Oskar Leube, Boltin Oleg & Yuto Nakashima in 5 minute time limit matches with the chance to win prizes from TV Asahi and an NJPW WORLD TV Championship match if he won all 3, Oiwa finished with one loss and 2 time limit draws. He wins nothing. Leube beat Oiwa.

Match 1: Yoh, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. YOSHI-HASHI pinned Togo after Shoto.

Match 2: Great-O-Khan & Aussie Open beat Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls. Khan beat Fujita with Subaru Sheep Killer.

Match 3: Kevin Knight, KUSHIDA & Shota Umino beat Francesco Akira, TJP & Aaron Henare. KUSHIDA pinned TJP with Perfect Small Package.

Match 4: DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi beat BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito. Taichi pinned BUSHI after Seitei Jujiro.

Match 5: Hikuleo beat STRONG Openweight Chanpion KENTA to win the title. Hikuleo becomes the 4th STRONG Openweight Champion.

Match 6: NJPW WORLD TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb went to a 15 minute time limit draw. As a result, Sabre retains the title. V6 for Sabre. Next up: Since Oiwa couldn’t earn a shot today, TBA.

Match 7: Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada beat NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki to win the titles. Ishii, Tanahashi & Okada become the 26th NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions. Okada pinned Narita after Rainmaker. Next up: Possibly Umino, who may have chosen Jon Moxley as one of his partners. Moxley will return to Japan for the first time since the pandemic began at DOMINION in June. Other partner seems TBA but it was hinted that Moxley is bringing someone with him, which immediately suggests someone from All Elite Wrestling-namely one of Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli or Wheeler Yuta.

Match 8: David Finlay beat NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga to win the title. Finlay becomes the 39th NEVER Openweight Champion. Next up: TBA, but Finlay’s celebration was short lived thanks to an ambush by El Phantasmo, who is now on the New Japan side after being kicked out of Bullet Club.

Main Event: IWGP World Heavyweight Chanpion SANADA beat Hiromu Takahashi to retain the title. V1 for SANADA. Takahashi’s IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship was not on the line here. Note that as of earlier today New Japan’s English website incorrectly indicated Takahashi wok while indicating SANADA retained. Next up: Possibly a challenger less than nobody expected…Yota Tsuji!?! The Young Lion, who is/has been on his traditional training excursion (he chose to go to Mexico and has been competing in CMLL) made a surprise appearance and laid out SANADA post-match.

Next up is Best Of The Super Junior 30, New Japan’s annual prestigious Jr. Heavyweight showcase, beginning on 5/12 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET. Every BOSJ event will be available live and on demand in Japanese and English. A pre-tournament press conference and talk show event will be held on 5/11 at Tokyo FM Hall in Tokyo, which is open to the public (tickets required to attend).

New Japan wrapped up the Road To WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour today with the last event before the Golden Week blowout event.

Today’s event was held at Beppu B-Con Plaza in Oita and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 1006.

Before the event began, Hiroshi Tanahashi appeared and announced he has been cleared to return from a broken rib suffered on 4/15. He will return Wednesday.

Match 1: Oskar Leube vs. Boltin Oleg went to a 10 minute time limit draw.

Match 2: Yoh, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. Yano pinned Togo.

Match 3: Francesco Akira, TJP & Aaron Henare beat Ryohei Oiwa, Kegin Knight & KUSHIDA. Henare beat Oiwa with Ultima.

Match 4: Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open beat Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. Khan beat Fujita with Subaru Sheep Killer. Afterwards, EVIL & Yujiro stole the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Title belts from Aussie Open. Guess H.O.T. wants next.

Match 5: Jado. Master Wato, Hikuleo & Tama Tonga beat Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, KENTA & David Finlay. Wato beat Gedo with Vendeval.

Match 6: Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii, Togi Makabe & Kazuchika Okada beat Yuto Nakashima, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki. Ishii pinned Nakashima.

Match 7: DOUKI & Taichi beat BUSHI & Shingo Takagi. Taichi pinned BUSHI after Holy Emperor’s Cross Mausoleum.

Main Event: Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SANADA. Naito pinned Kanemaru after Destino.

The next event is WRESTLING DONTAKU 2023, the annual Golden Week blowout event, Wednesday at Fukuoka International Center in Fukuoka. The event is a legit advance sellout. Live streaming on New Japan World outside Japan only will begin at 1;20 AM PT/4:20 AM ET with a special Young Lions Pre-Show Match: Ryohei Oiwa will attempt to beat 3 Young Lions (Nakashima, Leube, Oleg) in a row in matches with a 5 minute time limit. If he wins one or two, he will receive prizes from sponsor TV Asahi. If he wins all 3, he gets a NJPW WORLD TV Title match at a later date.

The main portion of the event will begin at 2 AM PT/5 AM ET on New Japan World outside Japan only. The live broadcast in Japan will be available only on TV Asahi with on demand replays available on New Japan World at a later date.

In other news, Jon Moxley has been announced for Resurgence on 5/21 in Long Beach, CA.

New Japan resumed the Road To WRESTLING DONTAKU 2023 Tour today with the penultimate event of the tour.

Today’s event was held at Grand Messe Kumamoto in Kumamoto and can be watched on demand on New Jpaan World.

The announced paid attendance was 1665, a legit sellout.

Match 1: Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL beat Ryohei Oiwa, Yoh, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Takahashi pinned Oiwa after Pimp Juice.

Match 2: Francesco Akira, TJP & Great-O-Khan beat Yuto Nakashima, Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA. Khan beat Nakashima with Subaru Sheep Killer.

Match 3: Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open beat Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. Henare beat Fujita with Ultima.

Match 4: Taiji Ishimori & KENTA beat Jado & Hikuleo. Ishimori beat Jado with Bone Lock.

Match 5: Master Wato & Tama Tonga beat Gedo & David Finlay. Wato pinned Gedo after RPP.

Match 6: Tomoaki Honma, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii & Kazuchika Okada beat Oskar Leube, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki. Yano pinned Leube with a schoolboy.

Main Event: In an Elimination Match (over the top rope rules in effect), BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito beat DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & SANADA. Takahashi was the only winner left, last eliminating SANADA.

In other news, Hiroshi Tanahashi announced on Twitter he has been cleared to return at WRESTLING DONTAKU and will be the second TBA with Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii to challenge for the NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championship. Reportedly this didn’t sit well with Ishii.

The tour-ender is tomorrow at Beppu B-Con Plaza in Oita. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

Wrestling Satsuma No Kuni, a traditional New Japan event held in late April and named for the original name of the venue it is held at, took place earlier today in its traditional home in Kagoshima. It’s now considered at least a mid-major event that leads into WRESTLING DONTAKU and Golden Week, a week-long national holiday in Japan.

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

The announced paid attendance was 2120.

Match 1: YOSHI-HASHI & HIrooki Goto beat Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano. YOSHI-HASHI pinned Oleg after Shoto.

Match 2: Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL beat Oskar Leube & Shota Umino. Takahashi pinned Leube after Pimp Juice.

Match 3: Francesco Akira, TJP & Aaron Henare beat Kevin Knight, KUSHIDA & Tomoaki Honma. Henare beat Honma with Ultima.

Match 3: Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb beat Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr. Khan beat Fujita with Subaru Sheep Killer.

Match 5: Yuto Nakashima, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki beat Ryohei Oiwa, Tomohiro Ishii, Togi Makabe & Kazuchika Okada. Narita beat Oiwa with a cobra twist.

Match 6: Jado, Master Wato, Hikuleo & Tama Tonga beat Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, KENTA & David Finlay. Tonga pinned Gedo after Gun Stun.

Match 7: DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SANADA beat BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito. SANADA beat BUSHI with Skull End.

Match 8: IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Aussie Open beat Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls to retain the titles. Kyle Fletcher pinned Haste after Corealis. V2 for the champs.

Main Event: In a Takagi Triad Match, where the first to earn 3 wins by a combination of pinfall, submission, ref stoppage, countout and KO/TKO (10 count) without repeating any was the winner, Taichi beat KOPW 2023 Champion Shingo Takagi 3-2 to win the title. This went almost 44 minutes. Taichi finally beats Takagi on what was at least the 3rd try to win the title.

The next event is tomorrow at Grand Messe Kumamoto in Kumamoto resuming the Road to WRESTLING DONTAKU 2023 Tour. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1 AM PT/4 AM ET.

New Japan continued the Road to WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour today with a mid-major event featuring 2 title matches and the announcement of the entire Best Of The Super Junior 30 field.

Today’s event was held at Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall in Hiroshima and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 1614.

Match 1: Aaron Henare & Great-O-Khan beat Boltin Oleg & Oskar Leube. Henare beat Leube with Ultima.

Match 2: Yoh, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. YOSHI-HASHI pinned Togo after Shoto.

Match 3: Taiji Ishimori, KENTA & David Finlay beat Master Wato, Hikuleo & Tama Tonga. Finlay pinned Wato after INTO OBLIVION.

Match 4: Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open. Haste pinned Kyle Fletcher after Tank Buster.

Match 5: Shota Umino, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki beat Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, Tomohiro Ishii & Kazuchika Okada. Umino pinned Honma after Deslider.

Match 6: Taichi & SANADA beat BUSHI & Shingo Takagi. SANADA beat BUSHI with Skull End.

Match 7: Tetsuya Naito beat DOUKI.

Match 8: Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA beat IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Francesco Akira & TJP to win the titles. Knight & KUSHIDA become the 71st IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Knight pinned Akira after Culture Crush.

Main Event: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru to retain the title. V4 for Takahashi. This went over 30 minutes. That also means it’s now officially official-IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA vs. Takahashi for the title on 5/3 at WRESTLING DONTAKU. SANADA added a stip that had Kanemaru won the title, he got the title shot instead.

Before the title matches, the Best Of The Super Junior 30 field was announced. It’s 20 entrants in 2 blocks of 10 this year, standard round-robin format.

The entrants:
Block A: Hiromu Takahashi, TJP, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi, Taiji Ishimori, Sho, Titan, DOUKI, Lio Rush, Mike Bailey
Block B: Francesco Akira, El Desperado, BUSHI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yoh, Robbie Eagles, Master Wato, Kevin Knight, Clark Connors, Dan Moloney
Takahashi is the defending tournament winner and will be going for 4 straight triumphs and 5th in the last 6 years, although being the current Jr. Heavyweight Champion works heavily against him.
The tournament runs 5/13-5/28 with all events broadcast live on New Japan World.

The next event is “Wrestling Satsuna no Kuni” Saturday at Kagoshima Arena in Kagoshima. The event will be headlined by Aussie Open vs. Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls in an Aussie Aussie Aussie! affair for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship and Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi once again for the KOPW 2023 Championship, this time in a Takagi Triad Match where the first to earn 3 of these 5 finishes-pinfall, submission, countout, stoppage, KO-wins. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1 AM PT/4 AM ET.

New Japan continued the Road to WRESTLING DONTAKU 2023 Tour today with what should be the last non-televised event until at least mid-June.

Today’s event was held at Yawatahama Citizen Gym in Ehime. There was no live broadcast and there is no on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 504.

Match 1: Ryohei Oiwa vs. Boltin Oleg went to a 10 minute time limit draw.

Match 2: Yoh, Toru Yano, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. Yoh beat Togo with 5 Star Clutch.

Match 3: Francesco Akira, TJP & Aaron Henare beat Yuto Nakashima, Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA. Henare beat Nakashima with Ultima.

Match 4: Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aussie Open beat Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. Kyle Fletcher pinned Fujita after Grimstone.

Match 5: Master Wato, Shota Umino, Hikuleo & Tama Tonga beat Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, KENTA & David Finlay. Wato beat Gedo with Vendeval.

Match 6: Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, Tomohiro Ishii & Kazuchika Okada beat Oskar Leube, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki. Honma pinned Leube after Kokeshi.

Main Event: DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & SANADA beat BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito. Taichi pinned BUSHI with Mausoleum of the Holy Emperor Cross.

The next event is tomorrow at Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall in Hiroshima. Before the event, a public signing ceremony for tomorrow’s IWGP Jr. Heavyweight and Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship matches will be held. Before those title matches, the full field for this year’s Best Of The Super Junior Tournament will be announced. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

Also, in related news, it was revealed in recent interviews he did that Will Ospreay’s NjPW contract is up in February. So monitor his status and happenings going into and after Tokyo Dome 2024 for hints on what he may do, moreso with hints he dropped on social media about maybe not having a lot of time left in his career due to injuries.