Tag: njpw

New Japan held their traditional post-major event press conference today for Tokyo Dome, a lot of news coming out of it:

NEW IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito appeared and was asked if his views on the title have changed now that he won it. So far, to put it simply, not really. He hasn’t work it yet and it hasn’t settled in. His first defense is set too: SANADA rematch. That will happen on 2/24 at Hikkaido Prefectural Sports Center Hokkai Kitayell in Hokkaido as part of THE NEW BEGINNING IN SAPPORO.

On 2/23 at the first half in Hokkaido, inaugural IWGP Global Champion David Finlay will make his first defense against Nic Nemeth, the former Dolph Ziggler in WWE. Nic & his younger brother Ryan (currently in All Elite Wrestling) watched the title match at Tokyo Dome from commentary and had a confrontation with Finlay after the match. That same day, NJPW WORLD TV Champion Biroshi Tanahashi will defend against fellow ex-WWE wrestler Matt Riddle.

On 2/11 at THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA, AEW’s Bryan Danielson will face Zack Sabre Jr. and the main event will be Will Ospreay’s final New Japan match: United Empire vs. Bullet Club in a 10-man Steel Cage match. 2 title matches are also set for Osaka: Hikuleo & El Phantasmo vs. Chase Owens & KENTA for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (but apparently not the STRONG Tag Team Championship), and NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls for the titles.

In addition to faction warfare, Korakuen Hall events later this month also have title matches: 1/23 will see NEW IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion El Desperado vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the title.

Finally, on 1/20 at THE NEW BEGINNING IN NAGOYA it will be NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga vs. EVIL for the title and KOPW 2024 Champion Taiji Ishimori vs. Great-O-Khan for the title.

All events will stream live in Japanese and English on New Japan World.

UPDATE: On the socials after the presser concluded, STRONG Tag Team Champions El Phantasmo & Hikuleo vs. Clark Connors & Alex Coughlin for the titles was announced for Saturday’s Battle In The Valley event. Like the above match, it’s not for both titles they hold.

Also, it appears Young Lions Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima may have chosen England for their training excursion. A social media post from Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) has announced their debut in the promotion at their 2/4 event in London. They are being billed as “Young Blood” in a promo graphic for the match. RevPro has their own subscription streaming service so the match should be available there on demand soon after the event.

With Tokyo Dome now in the books, New Japan officially began their new year-and the road to Tokyo Dome 2025 (365 days to go! It’s a Leap Year so one extra day) with today’s annual year-opening New Year’s Dash!

Today’s event was held at Sumida City Gym in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World FOR FREE!

Click below to watch (mobile/tablet users-you will be redirected to the New Japan World app to watch, it is free to download and no account/payment is needed for free content. The link below only works as intended on PC):

https://watch.njpwworld.com/details/39502?playlist_id=203&shw_ep=1

The announced paid attendance was 2910, a legit advance sellout. Except for the KOPW 2024 4-way, no matches were announced ahead of time. It was all a surprise until it happened.

Match 1: NJPW WORLD TV Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Ryusuke Taguchi to retain the title. V1 for Tanahashi. This was to have been a NON-TITLE match but Taguchi requested the change last-second. Next up: Possibly former WWE wrestler Matt Riddle, who appeared via recorded video. Just as long as he knows he can’t use the weed stuff in Japan.

Match 2: YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto beat Ryohei Oiwa & Kaito Kiyomiya (Pro Wrestling NOAH). Goto pinned Oiwa after Shoto.

Match 3: Young Lions Farewell Match: El Phantasmo & Hikuleo beat Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima. Phantasmo pinned Nakashima after Super Thunder Kiss 86. Leube & Nakashima will now be heading outside Japan for the traditional international training excursions. Afterwards, Chase Owens attacked Phantasmo & Hikuleo and made an IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Title challenge for himself and KENTA.

Match 4: Master Wato, El Desperado, Tonoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, Shota Umino & Tama Tonga beat Dick Togo, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita & EVIL. Umino pinned Togo after Death Rider. Afterwards, EVIL beat down Tonga and cut his hair.

Match 5: Francesco Akira, TJP, HENARE, Jeff Cobb & Will Ospreay vs. Drilla Moloney, Gabriel Kidd, Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin & David Finlay went to a no contest. Connors ref assault then out of control. Lasted about 5 minutes before that all happened. Afterwards, Ospreay challenged Bullet Club to a rematch on 2/11 while Finlay demanded it be a cage match. (This may be Ospreay’s last match before his full-time All Elite Wrestling contract begins if it happens) (Addendum: It will be)

Match 6: TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Yuya Uemura, Taichi & SANADA beat BUSHI, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito. TAKA pinned BUSHI after Michinoku Driver 2. Well there’s TAKA’s win for the year I guess.

Match 7: Taiji Ishimori beat Yoh, Toru Yano & Great-O-Khan in a 4-way elimination match to win the KOPW 2024 Championship and become the initial titleholder. Order of elimination: Yano by Yoh, Yoh by Khan, Khan by Ishimori.

Main Event: Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Tomohiro Ishii, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley & Kazuchika Okada. Haste pinned Ishii after Tank Buster. Afterwards, Sabre challeged Danielson to a match while Fujita made a NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championship challenge for the rest.

The next event is Battle In The Valley 2024 on 1/13 in San Jose, CA. The main event for that card was announced today, it will be Ospreay vs. Okada. At this time it is scheduled to be available only on TrillerTV (fka FITE) as a PPV in English only. It is available for pre-order for $19.99 and will begin at 7 PM PT/10 PM ET. No New Japan World broadcast at this time but that is subject to change.

Also announced today was the next US event after that-Windy City Riot on 4/12 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL. Tickets range from $29-299.

The next Japan event is THE NEW BEGINNING IN NAGOYA on 1/20 at Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at midnight PT/3 AM ET.

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.