Tag: wrestling

Dragon Gate 1/22/23 Results

Dragon Gate continued their current tour today with the second half of a Kobe weekend doubleheader.

Today’s event was held at Kobe Sambo Hall in Kobe and can be watched on demand on DRAGONGATE NETWORK. The results below are courtesy of the Dragon Gate Official Facebook Page.

The announced paid attendance was 374.

Match 1: Yuki Yoshioka, Dragon Dia & Madoka Kikuta beat JACKY “FUNKY” KAMEI, Jason Lee & Ho Ho Lun. Kikuta pinned Lun after a lariat.

Match 2: Kaito Nagano & Yoshiki Kato beat Minorita & Ryu Fuda. Kato pinned Fuda after a modified Blood Fall.

Match 3: H-Y-O beat Ichikawa. This went just 32 seconds.

Match 4: Takashi Yoshida & Shachihoko BOY beat Genki Horiguchi & Punch Tominaga. Yoshida pinned Tominaga after a powerbomb.

Match 5: Dragon Kid, Shuji Kondo & Kagetora beat Susumu Mochizuki, Yasushi Kanda & Mochizuki Jr. Kondo pinned Jr. with Gorilla Clutch.

Match 6: YAMATO & Don Fujii beat BIGBOSS Shimizu & Strong Machine J. YAMATO pinned Shimizu after Frankensteiner of the Almighty.

Main Event: Kota Minoura, Ben-K & BxB Hulk beat Open The Triangle Gate Champions Shun Skywalker, KAI & ISHIN to win the titles. Minoura, Ben-K & Hulk become the 84th Open The Triangle Gate Champions. Hulk pinned KAI after First Flash.

The next event is tomorrow at Loisir Hotel Toyohashi in Aichi. There will be no live broadcast.

Sumo-January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament Day 15 Results (Final Day) (Top 2 Tiers)

Here are the quick results from today’s Final Day of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo (Click below to read, breaking up post for front page display due to length):

Continue reading “Sumo-January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament Day 15 Results (Final Day) (Top 2 Tiers)”

UPCOMING FREE VIDEO: New Japan Rumble On 44th Street 2022 (LIMITED TIME ONLY)

New Japan is making the full 2022 Rumble On 44th Street PPV in New York City available on YouTube FOR FREE for a limited time. You can watch the full event below-it will be available starting at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET and you can watch until 3:59 PM PT/6:59 PM ET on 2/17. After that it will be available on New Japan World to all subscribers. The replay is also available for purchase on FITE (you get unlimited replays with purchase).

Dragon Gate 1/21/23 Results

Dragon Gate began the second half of the Open The New Year Gate 2023 tour today with the first half of a doubleheader in Kobe.

Today’s event was held at Kobe Sambo Hall in Kobe and can be watched on demand on DRAGONGATE NETWORK.

The announced paid attendance was 340.

Match 1: YAMATO, Naruki Doi, Dragon Kid & Dragon Dia beat Shun Skywalker, KAI, Strong Machine J & Strong Machine F. YAMATO pinned F.

Match 2: Punch Tominaga beat Ichikawa in a 2 man battle royal.

Match 3: Takashi Yoshida & Ho Ho Lun beat Genki Horiguchi & Ryu Fuda. Lun pinned Fuda.

Match 4: Susumu Mochizuki, Yasushi Kanda, JACKY “FUNKY” KAMEI & Jason Lee beat H-Y-O, ISHIN, Ben-K & Minorita. KAMEI pinned Ben-K after JACKY Knife.

Match 5: Eita & Shuji Kondo beat Kzy & BIGBOSS Shimizu. Kondo pinned Shimizu after a King Kong lariat.

Main Event: Masaaki Mochizuki, Mochizuki Jr., Kaito Nagano & Yoshiki Kato beat Yuki Yoshida, Madoka Kikuta, Kota Minoura & BxB Hulk. Mochizuki pinned Kikuta.

The next event is tomorrow. Live streaming on DRAGONGATE NETWORK will begin TONIGHT at 10 PM PT/1 AM ET.

New Japan Pro Wrestling THE NEW BEGINNING in NAGOYA Results (1/22/23) (Updated)

New Japan kicks off THE NEW BEGINNING today, the start of their annual post-Tokyo Dome series that marks the official beginning of the new year for the promotion. After their major even earlier today in Yokohama, they head to Nagoya for a standalone event ahead of the main series beginning. The highlight match today is the main event, the first KOPW 2023 Title match of the year as Shingo Takagi, who essentially retained the title from the end of 2022 as the champion at the end of the year, defends the title and it’s new title belt against Great-O-Khan, and because Khan’s stip won the fan vote it will be a Martial Arts match so both will wear gi among other things.

Today’s event will be held at Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya and can be watched LIVE on New Japan World in Japanese and English. If, like me, you’re going to be split-screening to watch this and the Pro Wrestling NOAH event at the same time, this event starts a bit later but they should wrap up at close to the same time. This event will be shorter and I anticipate the total running time being about 2 1/2 hours but no more than 3 hours.

Today’s lineup:
Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Oskar Leube & Yuto Naksahima
Tomoaki Honma, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki vs. Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL
Ryohei Oiwa, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.
Jado, Master Wato & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & KENTA
Francesco Akira, TJP, Aaron Henare & Will Ospreay vs. TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi
Yoh, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino & Kazuchika Okada vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito
KOPW 2023 Champion Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan in a Martial Arts Rules Match for the title

Refresh this page occasionally for the latest results.

Updates below will begin at 2 AM ET/11 PM PT.

10:30 PM PT UPDATE: The live stream has launched. The broadcast will begin at 11 PM PT/2 AM ET.

11 PM PT UPDATE: Live updates begin now…
We are LIVE from Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya, Japan. Your Japanese hosts are Haruo Murata & Milano Collection A.T. No guest on commentary. Your English host is Kevin Kelly.

We begin with the usual preview video with title matches for upcoming events.

When we go to the venue they are making announcements. There may be some last-second changes to the card. It could involve the Jr. Heavyweight 8-man tag based on names mentioned.

The paid attendance will be announced after the event. Vocal cheering is allowed so between that and the setup it will be greatly reduced capacity. I would not be surprised if they don’t get to 2000 (50% and the setup means a maximum of probably between 2500-3000. The venue’s normal capacity is 7500).

The matches begin at 11:08 PM PT.

Match 1: Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima. 20 minute time limit
Result: Toru Yano & Togi Makabe beat Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakahima. Makabe beat Nakashima.

Match 2: Tomoaki Honma, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki vs. Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. 20 minute time limit
Result: Tomoaki Honma, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki beat Dick Togo, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & EVIL. Narita beat Togo with an octopus stretch hold.

Match 3: Ryohei Oiwa, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. 20 minute time limit
Result: Kosei Fujita, SHane Haste, Micky Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr. beat Ryohei Oiwa, YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto. Haste pinned Fujita after Thunder Bomb.

Match 4: Jado, Master Wato & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & KENTA. 30 minute time limit
Result: Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & KENTA beat Jado, Master Wato & Hiroshi Tanahashi. Phantasmo pinned Jado after Sudden Death.

Match 5: Francesco Akira, TJP, & Will Ospreay vs. DOUKI, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi. 30 minute time limit. Apparently Aaron Henare was out for unknown reasons and thus TAKA was out too.
Result: Francesco Akira, Aaron Henare & Will Ospreay beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI & Taichi. Ospreay pinned DOUKI after Hidden Blade.

Match 6: Yoh, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino & Kazuchika Okada vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito. 30 minute time limit
Result: Yoh, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino & Kazuchika Okada beat BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito. Umino pinned BUSHI.

Main Event: KOPW 2023 Champion Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan in a Martial Arts Rules Match for the title. No pinfalls. Win only by submission or KO/TKO (10 count down). 1 Hour time limit
Result: KOPW 2023 Champion Shingo Takagi beat Great-O-Khan by submission to retain the title. Takagi also keeps his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot on 2/11, which was also on the line.

The next event is the Road to THE NEW BEGINNING Tour opener Tuesday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1:30 AM PT/4:30 AM ET.

UPDATE: The Match 5 result has been corrected, apparently it was TJP removed from the match and not Henare.

The announced paid attendance was 1650.

Pro Wrestling NOAH ABEMA Presents GREAT MUTA FINAL “BYE-BYE” Results (1/22/23)

As the Keiji Muto Retirement Road enters the home stretch, the final month of The Living Legend’s nearly 40-year career begins today with the final scheduled appearance of his iconic face painted/masked alter-ego, The Great Muta. First used early in Muto’s career when he competed overseas including in the US for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and more recently revived occasionally for special appearances, the persona has always been a more heel/darker side of Muto famous for his colored mist sprays, each supposedly having a different effect. And some occasional fire breathing as his recent rivalry with Kenoh showed. For Muta’s final match, former WCW partner Sting will return to Japan for the first time in over 25 years, and All Elite Wrestling star Darby Allin will make his Japan debut as part of Muta’s team and will face off against famliar faces from Muta’s past-Hakushi, AKIRA & Naomichi Marufuji. There’s plenty more on the rest of the card including NOAH having a women’s match for the second time as Sumire Natsu & Maya Yukihi return to face Saori Anou & Jungle Kyona and much more, but of course it’s all about not the final Bye-Bye, but the final M****F**** BYE-BYE! It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Today’s event will be held at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama and can be watched LIVE on WRESTLE UNIVERSE in English only. It’s an ABEMA exclusive in Japan so Japanese audio will only be available on demand later. The event will also be available as a LIVE PPV on FITE in English for $19.99, which includes the live broadcast and unlimited on demand replays. While that’s a lot more than a month of WRESTLE UNIVERSE, it’s more convenient than signing up and then cancelling after paying around $7.50 for the rest of the month, and you essentially own a copy of the event to watch anytime (you just can’t download and watch offline). You will also be able to watch the first 3 matches FOR FREE on YouTube. If you’re staying up late in the US to watch plan on an all-nighter and load up on caffeine as I anticipate the event having a total running time of about 4 hours.

Today’s lineup:
Atsushi Kotoge & Seiki Yoshioka vs. Hajime Ohara & Hi69
Saori Anou & Jungle Kyona vs. Sumire Natsu & Maya Yukihi
Timothy Thatcher vs. Masaaki Mochizuki
Yoshinari Ogawa, Eita & NOSAWA Rongai vs. Junta Miyawaki, Alejandro & Yasutaka Yano
Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Greene vs. Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Hideki Suzuki in a GHC Martial Arts Rules match
AMAKUSA, Ultimo Dragon & Ninja Mack vs. YO-HEY, Kzy & Dante Leon
Kaito Kiyomiya, Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Takashi Sugiura & Satoshi Kojima vs. Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masakatsu Funaki & Manabu Soya
The Great Muta Final Match: The Great Muta, Sting & Darby Allin vs. Hakushi, AKIRA & Naomichi Marufuji
A couple hours before the event it was also announced that the full card for the Keiji Muto Retirement Event on 2/21 at the Tokyo Dome would be announced during today’s event.

Refresh the page occasionally for the latest results.

Updates below will begin at 12:15 AM ET/9:15 PM PT. The event is scheduled to begin at 1 AM ET/10 PM PT but the WRESTLE UNIVERSE stream is set to begin 45 minutes before.

9:15 PM PT UPDATE: The live stream has just started. Updates to follow when we go to the venue.

9:30 PM PT UPDATE: Live updates start now…
We are LIVE from Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. For now we only have low-volume but audible Japanese commentary. No English commentary yet, I’m guessing that’ll come on at start time when the FITE broadcast starts. Akitoshi Saito is a guest on Japanese commentary.

The paid attendance will be announced after the event. I’m not sure what the capacity limit is but vocal cheering is allowed and advance ticket sales seemed good. Based on the New Japan event earlier today and their draw, I’m thinking 4000-5000 will be good. It looks like at least 10-15% of the available seating is not available due to the layout so if it were full capacity, that’s probably somewhere in the 15,000 range (the venue’s normal capacity is 18,000).

A promo video plays for the main event. Afterwards commentary shows off some of the limited edition goods available today at the venue. Grab that Great Muta special edition 8-disc Blu-Ray box set for about 40,000 yen if you can! (around $300 US).

At 9:50 PM PT they show highlights of the New Japan/NOAH event earlier today. After this plays the Japanese commentary is fully muted on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.

At 10 PM PT/1 AM ET English announcer G-man welcomes us to the show as FITE joins in. Attendance-wise, the venue really filled up over the last 20 minutes so it should be a very good number.

The matches begin at 10:05 PM PT/1:05 AM ET. And now we have our English commentary. Your hosts are Stewart Fulton & Mark Pickering. Daisuke Harada joins Japanese commentary.

Match 1: Atsushi Kotoge & Seiki Yoshioka vs. Hajime Ohara & Hi69. 20 minute time limit
Result: Hajime Ohara & Hi69 beat Atsushi Kotoge & Seiki Yoshioka. Hi69 pinned Yoshika after Stuka Splash.

Mohammed Yone rotates in to Japanese commentary.

Match 2: Saori Anou & Jungle Kyona vs. Sumire Natsu & Maya Yukihi. 20 minute time limit
Result: Saori Anou & Jungle Kyona beat Sumire Natsu & Maya Yukihi. Kyona pinned Natsu after Jungle Buster.

Match 3: Timothy Thatcher vs. Masaaki Mochizuki. 30 minute time limit
Result: Timothy Thatcher beat Masaaki Mochizuki by submission.

The YouTube broadcast ends here.

Match 4: Yoshinari Ogawa, Eita & NOSAWA Rongai vs. Junta Miyawaki, Alejandro & Yasutaka Yano. 30 minute time limit
Result: Junta Miyawaki, Alejandro & Yasutaka Yano beat Yoshinari Ogawa, Eita & NOSAWA Rongai by DQ. Eita DQ’d. Ripping Alejandro’s mask off. They chased each other into the upper levels of the arena afterwards.

Match 5: Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Greene vs. Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura. 30 minute time limit
Result: Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony Greene beat Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura. Lee pinned Inamura.

The 2/21 card for Keiji Muto’s retirement event is announced:
Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba vs. Toshiki Inamura & Yasutaka Yano
Tokyo Joshi Pro Match: Miyu Yamashita, Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki vs. Mizuki, Miu Watanabe, Maki Itoh & Yuki Arai (YES!)
Takashi Sugiura, Satoshi Kojima & Timothy Thatcher vs. Jake Lee, Jack Morris & Anthony GreeneEita, HAYATA, Daga, Yoshinari Ogawa & Chris Ridgeway vs. Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY, Seiki Yoshioka, Alejandro & Junta Miyawaki
MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima vs. Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada
Shun SKywalker, KAI & Diamante vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. & Ninja Mack
Kento Miyahawa, Suwama & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Manabu Soya
Intermission
NOSAWA Rongai Retirement Match: NOSAWA Rongai & MAZADA vs. Gedo & Taiji Ishimori
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (OH HELL YEAH!)
And finally…IT’S OFFICIAL! Keiji Muto Retirement Match…Keiji Muto vs. Tetsuya Naito! Heads-up…it’s going to be a PPV on ABEMA so may not be available outside Japan.

Match 6: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Hideki Suzuki in a GHC Martial Arts Rules match. No pinfalls. Win only by submission or TKO. 30 minute time limit
Result: Kazushi Sakuraba beat Hideki Suzuki by ref stoppage (technical submission).

Match 7: AMAKUSA, Ultimo Dragon & Ninja Mack vs. YO-HEY, Kzy & Dante Leon. 30 minute time limit. They changed this last-second to Lucha Libre rules (no touch needed for tags).
Result: AMAKUSA, Ultimo Dragon & Ninja Mack beat YO-HEY, Kzy & Dante Leon. Mack pinned YO-HEY after a twisting corkscrew splash.

Match 8: Kaito Kiyomiya, Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Takashi Sugiura & Satoshi Kojima vs. Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masakatsu Funaki & Manabu Soya. 45 minute time limit
Result: Kaito Kiyomiya, Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Takashi Sugiura & Satoshi Kojima beat Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masakatsu Funaki & Manabu Soya. Wagner pinned Soya after a moonsault press.

Main Event: The Great Muta Final Match: The Great Muta, Sting & Darby Allin vs. Hakushi, AKIRA & Naomichi Marufuji. 1 Hour time limit
Result: The Great Mura, Sting & Darby Allin beat Hakushi, AKIRA & Naomichi Marufuji. Muta pinned Hakushi after Shining Wizard. They all then made their way to the back. The WRESTLE UNIVERSE/FITE broadcast ends here just before 1:30 AM PT, so just under 3 1/2 hours total.

The next event is 2/4 at Green Dome Maebashi in Gunma. There will be no live broadcast.

POST-SHOW UPDATE: The announced paid attendance was 8433. Depending on the exact available capacity that’s probably in the 75-80% full range. Excellent number and almost 3000 more than what the New Japan/NOAH event earlier in the day managed at the same venue.

It’s also been confirmed that 2/21 will be a PPV on WRESTLE UNIVERSE in English. If you are not a member/subscriber it will cost 5000 yen (roughly $38-40). If you are a member it will cost 4000 yen (around $30-32). Pre-orders begin Tuesday. It will be a PPV on ABEMA in Japanese.

All-Japan Pro Wrestling New Year’s Giant Series 2023 Results (1/22/23) (Updated x2)

All-Japan wraps up their year-opening tour today with the final event of the month, a major event with 3 title matches scheduled and more. Among the highlights is the return of Shotaro Ashino, who has been out a couple months due to injuries suffered during the World’s Strongest Tag League last year. He will return alongside GOA partner Ryuki Honda. The title matches begin with GAORA TV Champion Toshizo defending against Minoru Tanaka, followed by All-Japan World Jr. Heavyweight Champion Atsuki Aoyagi defending against Kaz Hayashi. Finally, the main event will be All-Japan World Tag Team Champions Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura defending against Yuma Aoyagi & Naoya Nomura. It could be quite a day for the Aoyagi brothers if both can leave with championships.

Today’s event will be held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched LIVE on AJPW.TV. As it’s a Korakuen event and a weekend matinee I expect there will be Japanese commentary. I don’t expect this event to run too long given they probably want to be done before the last portion of the Grand Sumo Tournament final day gets underway among other things-I’m guessing the total running time will be around 2 1/2 hours so if you’re planning to watch the Pro Wrestling NOAH major event or New Japan event afterwards, you’ll have time to get set up for those.

Today’s lineup (in order):
Black Menso-re & Kotaro Suzuki vs. Rising Hayato & Oji Shiiba
Ryo Inoue & Yuma Anzai vs. Naruki Doi & Hokuto Omori
GAORA TV Champion Toshizo vs. Minoru Tanaka for the title
Shotaro Ashino Return Match: Shotaro Ashino, Ryuki Honda & Masao Hanabata vs. Yuji Nagata, Dan Tamura & Hikaru Sato
Suwama, KONO, Jun & Rei Saito vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Takao Omori, Yoshitatsu & Ren Ayabe
All-Japan World Jr. Heavyweight Champion Atsuki Aoyagi vs. Kaz Hayashi for the title
All-Japan World Tag Team Champions Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura vs. Yuma Aoyagi & Naoya Nomura for the titles

Refresh this page occasionally for the latest results.

Updates below will begin at 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT.

9:30 PM ET UPDATE: Live updates start below now…
We are LIVE from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. As usual the audio is muted as we join the live feed.

The paid attendance will be announced after the event but it’s reduced capacity for allowing vocal cheering. Looks like around 550. There is Japanese commentary, they don’t show names.

Before the live broadcast began, Kento Miyahara & Yuma Anzai received their 2022 Tokyo Sports Year-End Awards. Miyahara won MVP and Anzai won Rookie of the Year.

The matches begin at 9:35 PM ET/6:35 PM PT.

Match 1: Black Menso-re & Kotaro Suzuki vs. Rising Hayato & Oji Shiiba. 10 minute time limit
Result: Black Menso-re & Kotaro Suzuki beat Rising Hayato & Oji Shiiba. Suzuki pinned Hayato after Blue Destiny.

Match 2: Ryo Inoue & Yuma Anzai vs. Naruki Doi & Hokuto Omori. 15 minute time limit
Result: Naruki Doi & Hokuto Omori beat Ryo Inoue & Yuma Anzai. Doi pinned Inoue after Bakatare Sliding Kick.

Match 3: GAORA TV Champion Toshizo vs. Minoru Tanaka for the title. 1 Hour time limit
Result: Minoru Tanaka beat GAORA TV Champion Toshizo to win the title. Tanaka becomes the 23rd GAORA TV Champion.

Match 4: Shotaro Ashino Return Match: Shotaro Ashino, Ryuki Honda & Masao Hanabata vs. Yuji Nagata, Dan Tamura & Hikaru Sato. 30 minute time limit
Result: Yuji Nagata, Dan Tamura & Hikaru Sato beat Shotaro Ashino, Ryuki Honda & Masao Hanabata. Nagata beat Honda with Nagata Lock 54 (I think that’s what it is now. Changes every year to match his age, haha).

Quick break to announce matches for upcoming events and major events later this year, including the annual Champions Carnival in April and early May.

Match 5: Suwama, KONO, Jun & Rei Saito vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Takao Omori, Yoshitatsu & Ren Ayabe. 30 minute time limit
Result: Suwama, KONO, Jun & Rei Saito beat Shuji Ishikawa, Takao Omori, Yoshitatsu & Ren Ayabe. Suwama pinned Ishikawa after a backdrop.

Match 6: All-Japan World Jr. Heavyweight Champion Atsuki Aoyagi vs. Kaz Hayashi for the title. 1 Hour time limit
Result: All-Japan World Jr. Heavyweight Champion Atsuki Aoyagi beat Kaz Hayashi to retain the title. V4 for Aoyagi. Next up: Potentially Kotaro Suzuki, who hit the ring to make the next challenge.

Main Event: All-Japan World Tag Team Champions Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura vs. Yuma Aoyagi & Naoya Nomura for the titles. 1 Hour time limit
Result: Yuma Aoyagi & Naoya Nomura beat All-Japan World Tag Team Champions Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura to win the titles. Aoyagi & Naoya Nomura become the 94th All-Japan World Tag Team Champions. Aoyagi pinned Miyahara. The last 10+ minutes of this match were INCREDIBLE. That outcome is also significant for Aoyagi because if he can do it again next time out, he could win the Triple Crown from Miyahara as well.

The next event is 2/4 at Esforta Arena Hachioji in Tokyo. Broadcast plans TBA. We should know when AJPW.TV announces the monthly broadcast schedule for February at the end of the month.

UPDATE: The announced paid attendance was 504.

UPDATE 2: 2/4 will be a live broadcast on AJPW.TV. As for the other February events, the 2/15 & 2/27 events will also be live while 2/26 will be available on demand the following day.

DDT 1/21/23 Results

DDT wrapped up their year-opening tour today with the final event before their first major event of the year next weekend, offering us one last preview of a potential hoss fight between Kazusada Higuchi & Yuji Hino for the KO-D Openweight Championship.

Today’s event was held at Yokohama Radiant Hall in Yokohama and will be available on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE at a later date. There was no live broadcast.

The announced paid attendance was 175, a full house/near sellout.

The opening segment and announcements included Tetsuya Endo apparently stealing Yuki Iino’s if-it-can-be-called-a-thong.

Match 1: MJ Pawl & KANON beat Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi. KANON pinned Sumi after Sleepy Hollow.

Match 2: Danshoku Dieno beat Yusuke Okada. After the match, which Dieno won due to Iino interference, Endo appeared again and, because apparently Iino has two of those it-it-can-be-called-thongs, stole the second one. Hilarious photographical evidence on DDT’s website.

Match 3: Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi & Akito beat Yuki Ueno, Toui Kojima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu. Akito beat Kojima with a stepover toe hold.

A public signing ceremony for Higuchi-Hino was held here.

Match 4: Yuki Iino beat Tetsuya Endo by DQ. Endo stripped Iino naked yet again.

Match 5: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata beat Takao Soma, Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada. HARASHIMA pinned Nakamura after Blue Sword.

Matvh 6: In a Monoboke Death Match, where if the challenger made the champion laugh 3 times after a pinfall kickout or rope break he would win, and the champion would win with 3 successful pinfalls/submissions, DDT Extreme Champion Jun Akiyama beat Antonio Honda to retain the title. V2 for Akiyama. Next up: Akito. That match will happen on 2/18.

Main Event: Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida beat Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi. Higuchi pinned Hino after Brain Claw Slam.

The next event is “Sweet Dreams!” 2023″ on 1/29 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Live streaming on WRESTLE UNIVERSE will begin on 1/28 at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.

Sumo-January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament Day 14 Results (1/21/23) (Top 2 Tiers)

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 14 of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Tsurugisho (M15) beat Kinbozan (J5)
Ichiyamamoto (M14) beat Azumaryu (M14)
Hiradoumi (M10) beat Kotoeko (M13)
Mitoryu (M15) beat Takanosho (M9)
Takarafuji (M16) beat Hokutofuji (M6)
Ryuden (M5) beat Chiyoshoma (M11)
NIshikigi (M5) beat Aoiyama (M10)
Oho (M8) beat Nishikifuji (M4)
Sadanoumi (M4) beat Chiyomaru (M16)
Endo (M9) beat Abi (M3)
Mitakeumi (M2) beat Ura (M7)
Tobizaru (M1) beat Kagayaki (M12)
Kotoshoho (M13) beat Daieisho (M1)
Kiribayama (K) beat Onosho (M8)
Wakamotoharu (K) beat Tamawashi (M2)
Myogiryu (M6) beat Meisei (K)
Kotonowaka (K) beat Midorifuji (M3)
Wakatakakage (S) beat Shodai (S)
Takakeisho (O) beat Hoshoryu (S)
Leader: Takakeisho, Kotoshoho (11-3)
Of note: And The Final Is Set! Will Kotoshoho extend the recent Maegashira Championship streak to 4 or is this perhaps the moment Takakeisho becomes Yokozuna? If Takakeisho emerges victorious it will be his 3rd Emperor’s Cup while Kotoshoho is going for his first. It’s all about Takakeisho and Yokozuna consideration though, because a loss would mean a second straight runner-up finish. Last time it was enough wins to equal a championship because of a playoff, this time a loss means runner-up. So in reality Takakeisho must win.
As far as the rest of Sanyaku, Wakatakakage saved his Sekiwake rank today with win 8 and will stay there for the 7th straight tournament in March. But Ozeki is all but out of reach in March unless he can win the championship, remember he did win his first title in March of last year though. If he wins his final match tomorrow he’ll need 13 wins in March to meet the criteria, otherwise it’s 14 so it’ll be more about trying to set himself up for a better chance in May. With his 4th straight loss today (including an absent), Hoshoryu is now in danger of losing his Sekiwake rank and starting over to reach Ozeki, but maybe it’s better to and recover from the sprained ankle that cost him the last few days. It’ll be tough tomorrow as his final opponent is Onosho. The loss today means Shodai is demoted from Sekiwake and virtually guarantees Kiribayama finally gets promoted there in March, and there could be two Wakas at Sekiwake too-Wakamotoharu got his 8th win as Shin Komusubi today, a 9th win should give him a chance to join his younger brother at the 3rd highest rank. Kotonowaka will stay at Komusubi if he can beat Hokutofuji while Meisei will be demoted. In the lower rank, the post-championship curse seems to be continuing as Abi started hot again but has now slumped to needing to win tomorrow to get promotion-a loss means demotion. He started 5-0 but is 2-7 since.
Key match tomorrow: Takakeisho-Kotoshoho for the Emperor’s Cup. Final Match.
Reminder: NHK World Japan will have 90 minutes of LIVE top tier coverage, including the final matches, championship ceremony and champion’s interview, beginning tonight at 11:30 PM PT/2:30 AM ET. I may try and do live results for the broadcast portion If I can manage watching this, Pro Wrestling NOAH and New Japan Pro Wrestling all live at the same time (between a laptop, smart TV, tablet and mobile phone it’s doable).

Juryo:
Roga (J9) beat Chiyosakae (J11)
Hakuyozan (J14) beat Shimanoumi (J9)
Tsushimanada (J14) beat Kitanowaka (J8)
Asanoyama (J12) beat Chiyonokuni (J7). ASANOYAMA JURYO YUSHO! Because Kinbozan was in the top tier today, his loss clinched the championship for the former Ozeki. It’s Asanoyama’s 4th career championship overall.
Kaisho (J13) beat Churanoumi (J6)
Takakento (J12) beat Kotokuzan (J5)
Daishoho (J6) beat Tohakuryu (J4)
Shonannoumi (J13) beat Enho (J4)
Oshoma (J3) beat Shimazuumi (J11)
Hokuseiho (J2) beat Gonoyama (J10)
Daiamami (J2) beat Tochimusashi (J7)
Terutsuyoshi (J10) beat Akua (J1)
Bushozan (J1) beat Hidenoumi (J9)
CHAMPION: Asanoyama (13-1)
Of note: Now the only question is will 13, or potentially 14 wins if he wins tomorrow be enough to get Asanoyama from J12 to the top tier? If he ends at 14, it’s a coin flip, but either way I am leaning very slightly towards no. I think he’ll be at J1 in March, meaning a winning records gets him back in May. Bushozan & probably Hokuseiho are headed to the top tier and Kinbozan has a chance (even better if he can win his final match). And a big shout-out to Shonannoumi who will finish his Juryo debut with at least 11 wins, a very impressive performance. Terutsuyoshi may have saved his Juryo status and epic salt throws for March with his 5th win today, if he can win his finale I think he’s safe as it would drop him to J12 or J13. If he loses tomorrow it’s a toss-up between J14 and Makushita.
As is tradition on the Final Day there will be 2 Makushita men in Juryo tomorrow-Tsukahara, who is at Ms5 and comes in with a chance at promotion to Juryo with a 5-1 record so far. If he beats Takakento tomorrow Tsukahara should be Shin Juryo in March, but he still has a chance with a loss. Also up tomorrow is November Makushita Champion Tamashoho, he’s 3-3 so a win gets him from Ms1 to Juryo. He’s got Terutsuyoshi. As for Kinbozan, he’s got a tough potential final step to the top tier tomorrow-Shonannoumi. That match will be for the runner-up finish. Asanoyama will go for 14-1 against Hokuseiho. If Asanoyama wins, he will be on an incredible 33-3 run since returning from a one-year suspension. If he loses, it’s still a just-as-incredible 32-4 mark since with 2 championships.

New Japan 1/21/23 Results (SPOILERS!)

New Japan ran the second half of WRESTLE KINGDOM 17 today, reviving a popular and successful format from last year where they held a crossover event with/against Pro Wrestling NOAH. Every match featured some kind of combination of both promotions with the headlining feature being a 5 match singles series between the LIJ and Kongo factions from NJPW and NOAH, respectively.

Because the event is only available as a PPV, although New Japan has posted results already on their website I am trying to hide results below for those who want to try and avoid SPOILERS before the event can be watched without PPV, which will be in one week. Therefore, only click below or continue reading if you want to know right away what happened!

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