New Japan 4/25/24 Results

New Japan continued the Road To WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour today in Fukui.

Today’s event was held at Fukui Industrial Hall Building 1 Exhibition Hall in Fukui. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 632.

Match 1: Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano & Tomihiro Ishii beat Katsuya Murashima, Shoma Kato & Tomoaki Honma. Oleg pinned Murashima after Kamikaze.

Match 2: Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA beat Tiger Mask, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Owens pinned TM 4 after a package driver.

Match 3: El Desperado, Shota Umino & Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Dick Togo, Ren Narita & EVIL. Umino pinned Togo after Death Rider.

Match 4: Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Sho & Yujiro Takahashi beat TAKA Michimoku, DOUKI & SANADA. Kanemaru pinned TAKA with Samson Clutch.

Match 5: Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Jado, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo. Fujita beat Jado with a chicken wing.

Match 6; Yuya Uemura & Taichi beat Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan. Taichi pinned Newman after Tensho Cross Fang.

Main Event; BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito beat Gedo, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Gabirel Kidd & David Finlay. BUSHI pinned Gedo after Fable.

The next event is tomorrow at Osaka Prefectural Gym 2 in Osaka. There will be no live or on demand broadcast.

New Japan 4/23/24 Results

New Japan continued the Road To WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour today with the second half of a Tokyo doubleheader.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 887.

Match 1: Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA beat Shoma Kato, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Ishimori beat Kato with Bone Lock.

Match 2: Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Katsuya Murashima, El Desperado, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo. Fujita pinned Murashima.

Match 3: NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL to retain the titles. Tanahashi pinned Takahashi after High Fly Flow. V1 for the champs.

LIJ vs. Bullet Club 5 Match Series:
Match 4: Yota Tsuji beat Gedo in 5 seconds.
Match 5: Gabriel Kidd beat BUSHI.
Match 6: Shingo Takagi beat Clark Connors.
Match 7: Drilla Moloney beat Tetsuya Naito. Jake Lee (Pro Wrestling NOAH) interference helped.
Main Event: David Finlay beat Hiromu Takahashi.
Bullet Club wins 3-2.

The next event is Thursday at Fukui Industrial Center Exhibition Hall 1 in Fukui. There will be no live or on demand broadcast.

DEVELOPING: New Japan Acquiring Stardom

New Japan has announced that, effective June 28, it will be acquiring Stardom from parent company Bushiroad Corporation. The promotion will acquire all stakes in Bushiroad Fight Co. Ltd, due to be renamed Stardom Co. Ltd., for 100 million Japanese yen (around $675,000 US). Beyond statements form Stardom President/CEO Taro Okada & NJPW President/CEO Hiroshi Tanahashi, no further details were released.

More as it becomes available.

New Japan 4/22/24 Results

New Japan continued the Road To WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour today with the first half of a Tokyo doubleheader.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 811.

Match 1; Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA beat Katsuya Murashima, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Ishimori beat Murashima with Bone Lock.

Match 2: Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Shoma Kato, Jado, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo. Fujita pinned Kato.

Match 3: Dick Togo, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita & EVIL beat Boltin Oleg, Shota Umino, Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii. Kanemaru pinned Oleg with Samson Clutch.

Match 4; BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito beat Gedo, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Gabriel Kidd & David Finlay. Takahashi pinned Gedo.

Main Event: In an elimination Gauntlet match, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb, Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & TJP beat Yuya Uemura, SANADA, TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI & Taichi. Order of elimination: Khan vs. Uemura went to a 10 minute time limit draw (both out), Cobb vs. SANADA went to a 10 minute time limit draw (both out), TAKA by Newman, Newman by DOUKI, Akira by DOUKI, DOUKI by TJP, Taichi by TJP. United Empire wins with TJP the only man left.

The next event is tomorrow. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

New Japan 4/21/24 Results

New Japan continued the Road To WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour today with a house show in Nagano.

Today’s event was held at Chino Civic Center Multi Hall in Nagano. There is/was no live or on demand broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 738.

Match 1: Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA beat Shoma kato, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Ishimori beat Kato with Bone Lock.

Match 2: Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb beat Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii. Cobb pinned Honma after Tour of the Islands.

Match 3; Sho & Yujiro Takahashi beat TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI. Takahashi pinned TAKA after Big Juice.

Match 4: Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Jado, El Desperado, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo. Fujita beat Jado with a chicken wing.

Match 5: Boltin Oleg, Shota Umino, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Dick Togo, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Ren Narita & EVIL. Umino beat Togo with STF.

Match 6: Yuya Uemura, Taichi & SANADA beat Francesco Akira, TJP & Great-O-Khan. Taichi pinned TJP after Tensho Cross Fang.

Main Event: BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito beat Gedo, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Gabriel Kidd & David Finlay. BUSHI pinned Gedo after Fable.

The next event is tomorrow at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

New Japan 4/20/24 Results

New Japan began the Road To WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour today, which will take them to the annual May blowout event in Fukuoka.

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

The announced paid attendance was 1267.

There were late changes to this card and all events cards this series due to Ryusuke Taguchi now being off. Injuries sustained in a bicycle accident.

Before the matches began, a memorial ceremony for the late pro wrestler and sumo Yokozuna (Grand Champion) Akebono was held.

Match 1: Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA beat Katsuya Murashima, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto. Ishimori beat Murashima with Bone Lock.

Match 2: Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Jeff Cobb beat El Desperado, Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii. Cobb pinned Honma after Tour of the Islands.

Match 3: Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Shoma Kato, Jado, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo. Fujita pinned Kato.

Match 4: DOUKI & SANADA beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Sho. SANADA beat Kanemaru with Skull End.

Match 5: Boltin Oleg, Shota Umino, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita & EVIL. Umino pinned Togo after Death Rider.

Match 6: Yuya Uemura & Taichi beat TJP & Great-O-Khan. Taichi pinned TJP after Tencho Cross Fang.

Main Event: BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito beat Gedo, Dtilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Gabriel Kidd & David Finlay. Naito pinned Gedo.

The next event is tomorrow at Nagano CIvic Center Multi Hall in Nagano. There will be no live or on demand broadcast.

Injury Report: Oh My And…Oh My

Another injury has hit New Japan following the word that Yoh is out a while, and now unfortunate circumstances have taken Ryusuke Taguchi to the disabled list. Neck, hands, arms, knees AND concussion. Out indefinitely but at least until after WRESTLING DONTAKU, meaning 2+ weeks. Status for Best Of The Super Junior uncertain at this time. In a statement, Taguchi said the incident happened when he swerved on his bicycle to avoid hitting a dog and fell off. Oh My.

More as it becomes available.

Injury Report: Yoh No…(Updated)

At New Japan’s SAKURA GENESIS event earlier this month, a match between Sho & Yoh for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship ended just over a minute in due to a Yoh injury. Unfortunately it was both legit and bad as we found out today. Dislocated left shoulder and damaged labrum. Out indefinitely but long enough that he is now out of Best Of The Super Junior in May & June, which would mean at least 2 months. No replacement named yet.

More as it becomes available.

UPDATE: KUSHIDA is the replacement.

New Japan News: Upcoming April/May Cards & Title Matches (Updated)

Lots of New Japan news for the end of April & May:

First up, most of the matches for WRESTLING DONTAKU 2024 on 5/3 & 5/4 in Fukuoka have been announced including NEW IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley’s first defense. He said Shota Umino was going to be first…nope. This isn’t AEW so he can’t always call his shots and get them. Ren Narita gets next. First, here’s what’s set for 5/3:
Jon Moxley, Shota Umino & El Desperado vs. Ren Narita, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & EVIL
Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay
NJPW WORLD TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb for the title
IWGP Global Champion Nic Nemeth vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the title

5/4 so far:
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Nic Nemeth vs. Taichi & SANADA
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. KENTA & Chase Owens for the titles
NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi vs. Gabriel Kidd for the title
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. Ren Narita for the title

On 4/27 as part of the Road to WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour in Hisoshima, there will be what looks to be a rematch of NEW STRONG Tag Team Champions Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls vs. Hikuleo & El Phantasmo for the titles. The champs lost the titles in a 4-way at Windy City Riot but weren’t the ones involved in the fall. Also set is KOPW 2024 Champion Great-O-Khan vs. Yuya Uemura for the title. The main event will be an LIJ vs. Bullet Club 10-man elimination tag match, and other graphics suggest DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku vs. Sho & Yoshinobu Kanemaru is set as well.

On 4/29 in Kagoshima, the annual Wrestling Satsuma No Kuni event IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Clark Connors & Dilla Moloney vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI for the titles, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Sho vs. DOUKI for the title and probably Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji vs. Gedo, David Finlay & Gabriel Kidd.

UPDATE: Whoever is IWGP World Heavyweight Champion on 5/11 will defend the title against Umino at Resurgence.

New Japan 4/14/24 Results

New Japan returned to Taiwan today for the first time in over 7 1/2 years for a special standalone event, featuring a tournament to crown new NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions.

Today’s event was held at Zepp New Taipei in Taipei, Taiwan and can be watched on demand on New Japan World OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY. This was a live TV Asahi broadcast in Japan.

The announced paid attendance was 800, a full house/near sellout. New Japan’s English website says a legit sellout.

Pre-show Match: Puzzle Provided Match: Touyuu beat Axe Wang.

Match 1: NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Title Tournament: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg beat Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira & Callum Newman. Yano pinned Newman.

Match 2: NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Title Tournament: Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL beat Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuhji & BUSHI. Sho pinned BUSHI after Shock Arrow.

Match 3: Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask beat El Desperado & Shoma Kato. TM 4 pinned Kato after a tiger driver.

Match 4: Starlight Kid (Stardom) beat HANAKO (Stardom).

Match 5: DOUKI beat Kosei Fujita. As a result, DOUKI will face Sho for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at a later date.

Match 6: IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI beat Yuya Uemura & SANADA to retain the titles. Goto pinned Uemora after Goh. V1 for the champs.

Main Event: NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Title Tournament: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg beat Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL to win the tournament and the titles. Tanahashi, Yano & Oleg become the 27th NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions. Tanahashi pinned Sho after High Fly Flow. Really cool to see a Young Lion (Oleg) win a title, although I personally am less than thrilled that it includes Yano. Sorry all but I am not a Yano fan.

The next event is the Road To WRESTLING DONTAKU Tour opener Saturday at Machida Gym in Tokyo. There will be no live or on demand broadcast. Most of the tour will be non-televised with just 3 broadcasts scheduled among 9 events, plus Wrestling Satsuma No Kuni on 4/29 which will be on New Japan World.