Kota Ibushi, one of the top performers in the world over the past decade, will be out of action indefinitely due to a herniated disc.
Both New Japan and DDT, the two companies he’s under contract two, made the announcement today. Ibushi missed his weekend DDT shows and the rumor was that he had a serious health issue. At the press conference, it was announced that even though he won’t be wrestling for a while and his New Japan contract expires in January, that he will be renewed by the company even though he won’t be wrestling soon.
New Japan made the announcement that he would be out of Saturday’s Power Struggle show. DDT announced he would be out of action “a long time.”
Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi were scheduled to face Kazuchika Okada & Kazushi Sakuraba on Saturday’s show at the Edion Arena in Osaka. The match was to set up Sakuraba vs. Ibushi, although there were issues with that match taking place given Sakuraba’s MMA fight with Shinya Aoki on 12/27 for Rizin.
A replacement is expected to be announced shortly. Katsuyori Shibata is not booked on the card so he would make sense.
New Japan announced the complete card for Saturday’s show:
Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi & Mascara Dorada vs. Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka & David Finlay & Jay White Togi Makabe & Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson vs. Doc Gallows & Cody Hall & Tama Tonga Hirooki Goto vs. King of Darkness EVIL (Takaaki Watanabe) Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly & Alex Shelley & Kushida vs. Young Bucks & Chase Owens & Kenny Omega Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Rocky Romero & Baretta in the Super Junior tag tournament finals Toru Yano & Yoshi-Hashi vs. A.J. Styles & Bad Luck Fale Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma for Never Open Weight title Hiroshi Tanahashi &? vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Kazuchika Okada Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson for IWGP IC title
This morning’s New Japan Pro Wrestling event is another Road to Power Struggle event held in Korakuen Hall. As with any New Japan card, there’s plenty of multi man tags that probably aren’t interesting at all, but at least will build to future matches. We’ll also be seeing the continuation of the Super Juniors Tag Tournament as The Young Bucks take on the new team of Matt Sydal and Ricochet, and in the main event Roppongi Vice take on champions reDragon.
Jushin Thunder Liger, Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu defeated Tiger Mask, Jay White and David Finlay
Pretty short, but was fine. Komatsu looked great in doing transitions, he’s really fluid in the ring. He made Finlay tap out to a Boston Crab.
Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata and Mascara Dorada defeated Juice Robinson, Captain New Japan and Togi Makabe
Another solid tag match. Dorada did a cool tope on the outside, taking care of CNJ while Shibata and Makabe went at it on the outside. Robinson escaped the shouten kai but Goto took him down and tapped him out with a seated armbar. Shibata and Makabe had a pull apart brawl after the match, so they seem to be teasing something between them.
Timesplitters defeated Chase Owens and Kenny Omega. Good match. Nothing out of this world, but perfectly fine. Timesplitters are just so fine tuned in synchronicity, it’s great. Omega was about to strike one of the Timesplitters when they moved and Owens was struck. Kushida put him in the hoverboard lock as Shelly gave Owens the Automatic Midnight for the win. Omega ground and pounded Shelley after the match and had to be pulled apart by referees.
Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale defeated Toru Yano, Kazushi Sakuraba, Yoshi-Hashi and Shinsuke Nakamura
Another good match. Some comedy early, but got into a groove once all of that was finished. Nakamura and Anderson worked a lot of the match together. Yoshi-Hashi made a great comeback. Nakamura tried to interfere but Anderson laid him out with a gun stun from the top rope. Yoshi Hashi made a comeback again but Anderson cut him off and pinned him with a gun stun.
Kazuchika Okada, Gedo and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Tomoaki Honma, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Ryusuke Taguchi
Also a good match. Everyone got time to work with one another, and as usual it was all good stuff, though it’s also stuff you’ve seen before. Okada was about to lay out Taguchi with the rainmaker but Taguchi countered with a hip attack. Okada eventually countered with the dropkick, elbow, then pinned Taguchi with the rainmaker.
Super Jr. Tag Tournament Semifinals: Matt Sydal and Ricochet defeated The Young Bucks
Great match, probably one of the best matches in this tournament so far. Sydal and Ricochet is the fresh shot in the arm that this division needs. Both guys are just great, and so are the Young Bucks in terms of knowing how to get a crowd going. Ricochet had the win at one point with a springboard 450 splash but the ref was pulled out of the ring. Hall laid Ricochet out with a lariat allowing the Bucks to get the advantage. Ricochet did an amazing senton, leaping over the top turnbuckle that took out Cody Hall. Bucks tried to mount a comeback, but Ricochet and Sydal came back and they hit the double shooting star press for the win.
Super Junior Tag Tournament Semifinals: Roppongi Vice defeated reDragon
Excellent match, this surpassed the previous match as it was just great stuff throughout. Just excellent work from both teams. reDragon looked super crisp in everything they did during this match. RPG Vice were just as good and held their own. Crowd was super into it due to the work from both guys and helped the match a lot as well. Berettas leg was worked on early in the match and was used by both members for reDragon for submissions. Fish got him in one but he escaped, then hit the Dudebuster for a nearfall. O’Reilly and Romero got into it in a great exchange, with Romero getting the better of it and took him out with a suicide dive. Beretta then hit the Dudebuster again and Romero assisted with the dropkick for the win.
Romero cut a promo promising they’ll be the next IWGP Jr. tag team champions. He then addressed their opponents at Power Struggle, Matt Sydal and Ricochet, saying they’ll go down 1, 2, 3. That closed out the show. Definitely watch the last two matches as they were both great.
Part IV of our look at WrestleKingdom 9 takes place tonight as we have an eight man tag team match featuring competitors from the NOAH promotion, as well as Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Intercontinental championship.
First up we have Suzuki-gun members Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Takashi Iizuka and Shelton X Benjamin take on Toru Yano, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls and Naomichi Marufuji. This was the culmination of a months long feud between Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano. And when I mean months, I mean at least six. What is most interesting about this match isn’t so match the match itself, which was fine, just short and kind of an afterthought on this card. Rather, it’s more about the culmination of one feud and the start of another as not too long after this, the Suzuki-gun stable invaded NOAH and is now a dominant part of their storylines. It’s a mixed bag because while I am fine never having to see Takashi Iizuka in a New Japan ring anytime soon, New Japan does seem to be missing something without the likes of Minoru Suzuki and even the Killer Elite Squad. Marufuji got the win for his team with a knee to the face of Iizuka.
KES were not happy during the post match interview with Archer destroying everything in sight and calling TMDK SOBs. Davey Boy Smith Jr says that next time they met they’ll send them a free trip to the hospital. TMDK say that they’re happy they made them mad, and they’d like to face other New Japan tag teams in the future. More NOAH representation in New Japan didn’t happen at all after this, but like I mentioned this was all the backdrop to the NOAH invasion a short time later.
Time for the pre-main event interview. Nakamura says he had grudges and gripes of his own when it came to Kota Ibushi, so he let it out in that match. He said he wanted a joker in that match, and then Ibushi came out and have him a snap German suplex. He felt a divine connection during their first match in the G1 tournament (another great match). He was confident that something new would begin, and for the rematch the expectations for himself and Ibushi were bigger.
The match aired. It was fantastic, just as good as I remember it being eleven months ago. It was built up very much like any New Japan match – they started off slow, with everything looking good but nothing tremendous or out of the ordinary. Kota Ibushi finally missed a phoenix splash and Nakamura countered with the boma ye and that’s where the match got awesome.
There’s something about Kota Ibushi that makes him a top tier worker, but I don’t know what it is exactly. The way he presents himself is the best way I can describe it. He was acting so cocky towards the end of this match, just that smug look he had on his face when mocking Nakamura was tremendous. The transition from junior heavyweight to heavyweight was the best thing that’s ever happened to him as he’s gone from a great high flyer to one of the best overall workers in Japan right now. He also delivered a hell of a boma ye that looked just as good as Nakamuras, maybe even better. The deadlift half german suplex from the top rope has to be one of the top moves of the year, just incredible. Nakamura won after hitting the land slide and the boma ye. Not only was the work here top notch, but the crowd was super into this match plus the great commentary made it one hell of a match. If you haven’t watched this match yet, do so as it’s still being talked about as one of the best matches of 2015.
Kota Ibushi in the post match conference says he’s very disappointed, as he was sure he was going to win. By losing today, however, he knows he has potential as a heavyweight and is willing to fight Nakamura again and wants to fight many heavyweight wrestlers. Nakamura says he was overwhelmed after the match. He can praise Ibushi in so many ways but can call him out on stuff as well. This feeling of him being able to match with him, that’s an exhilarating thought, and the only person in wrestling that he’s ever said that about. We’re rivals with many kinds of different aspects – he feels familiar. He can’t explain it well but that’s how he sees it.
In the final reflective interview, Nakamura said it was hard for him to look back at this particular match. He thought that was a perfect match, and this is what his idea of a perfect match should be. They’re not related, but he felt a divine connection towards him. He has other things to look forward to now that he’s defeated Ibushi.
A fantastic show this week. It’ll be interesting to see the main event of WrestleKingdom 9, which we’ll see next week, because they’re both such incredible matches it’s hard to pick which one is better.
Witnessing a subtle moment transpire before your eyes in professional wrestling can give fans an incredibly powerful and satisfying feeling. Whether it be a spot in a match that’s a call back to a previous encounter, a sly nod or wink to the camera by a wrestler who knows we’re thinking what they’re thinking, or a line in a promo that indirectly references a moment from the past.
These small, easily missable minutiae are what keep longtime fans invested in the product. It’s like a reward for years of dedication and paying attention to detail. In comics it’s like discovering an easter egg: an in-joke/visual gag hidden in the book by the creator for the reader to find. They can easily go unnoticed, which makes finding one all that more rewarding.
NJPW and its cast of grapplers are good at incorporating these moments into matches and storylines, but at King of Pro Wrestling 2015, they decided to go a more straightforward route.
EVIL
Dragon Gate’s Punch Tominaga and Kzy had a love child, and it turned out to be EVIL. Well, no shock there really. What is a shock is that EVIL was revealed as Tetsuya Naito’s “pareja” during his match with Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2015. Formerly Takaaki Watanabe, the Young Lion on excursion in the US, most notably performing in ROH where he was just recently gaining some steam and an inkling of a following, EVIL was the last person expected to be revealed as Naito’s Ingobernable partner in crime.
As the moment of revelation drew nearer, puro detectives online were quick to eliminate potential names, such as fellow Ingobernable members Rush, La Sombra, and La Máscara. Kamaitachi was another name being thrown around but he too succumbed to the process of elimination. Ultimately, the man under the silver Guy Fawkes’esque mask turned out to be Takaaki Watanabe. If he was your pick, someone call Batman and tell him there’s a new detective in town. Also ask him what the deal is with the new “bunny ears” Batman suit while you’re at it.
Watanabe’s name did cross my mind as I was contemplating who the mystery man could be, but I quickly dismissed him, expecting rather a bigger name like one of the aforementioned Ingobernable members. Watanabe’s slow reveal was handled excellently, and added an extra layer of intrigue to the already high stakes match. As Naito made his entrance, he was followed by an identically garbed and masked man, then known only as his “pareja.” The “pareja” didn’t just copy Naito’s look, but also his walk and mannerisms. Even the hair protruding from the back of the mask looked the same.
As the match commenced, the “pareja” stood almost completely still, eyes locked intently on the ring. He didn’t even move when Tanahashi performed his High Fly Flow crossbody to Naito on the floor, forcing Tanahashi to leap over him onto Naito. When the ref took a bump, the “pareja” finally made his move, entering the ring and taking Tanahashi down with a lariat. He removed his mask to reveal his face to the crowd, who sat in silence, not recognising the former Young Lion whom they hadn’t seen for quite some time.
Those who follow ROH recognised Watanabe instantly, only recently seeing him on ROH TV. After the moment of shock wore off, the announcers realised the man in the ring with the darkened eyes and long, blonde and black streaked hair was the man they used to know as Watanabe. Naito and Watanabe beat down Tanahashi until Captain New Japan, who was cornering Tanahashi, and Meiyu Tag came out to make the save (well mostly just Meiyu Tag. The Captain was as always not so effective). The match continued and with the odds evened, Tanahashi came out on top. After the match, Meiyu Tag continued to brawl with Naito and Watanabe. Goto went after Watanabe, but was foiled by a very impressive STO.
In a post match interview, Naito revealed Watanabe’s new name, and here’s where we say goodbye to subtlety in New Japan. Watanabe’s new name is “King of Darkness (Style?)” EVIL. Yes, EVIL in all capital letters, because of course. It was also announced that Hirooki Goto would be facing EVIL at the upcoming Power Struggle event. That’s right, it’s Goto vs. EVIL.
That just feels so weird to say, and instantly makes me think of the hilarious film Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. Maybe in a promotion like DDT or BJW, or even Dragon Gate, where over the top characters and creative, if not absurd, matches and gimmicks are the norm, EVIL wouldn’t feel so out of place. But in New Japan, where for the most part pro wrestling is still treated as a legitimate sport, a wrestler with heavy eye makeup and a strong “forces of darkness’ vibe is glaringly outrageous. That probably explains why I love it so much. There’s a clear sense that New Japan has grown stale with its non-evolving top stars (barring Naito whose gradual transformation from Stardust Genius to Ingobernable has been one of the high points of the year.
A stark contrast to Watanabe’s sudden transformation) and lack of developing new top talent. EVIL brings something new to the table, something different to what we’re used to seeing in New Japan. At this point, different is very welcome.
But is it too different, too on the nose? I can’t think of a wrestler being given a name that has lacked this much subtlety. “Evil” Takaaki Watanabe? Sure! Nicknames are one thing, but to be flat out called EVIL is next level stuff. Then there’s the character itself. As I mentioned, if a character like EVIL debuted in Dragon Gate, say as a member of the former Mad Blankey, current VERSERK group, I probably wouldn’t bat an eye. I mean I’d probably think it was great because I have awful taste, but I wouldn’t be surprised by such an overtly cartoonish character. In New Japan, cartoonish characters are not the norm, though there is Kenny “The Cleaner” whom I’ll talk about shortly. I’m interested to see how traditional New Japan fans will respond to EVIL.
Kenny “The Scenery Chewer” Omega
EVIL isn’t the only one giving subtlety the big boot in New Japan. Kenny “The Cleaner” Omega seems to take his character to new a new level of scenery chewing excessiveness each match he has. At King of Pro Wrestling, Omega defended his IWGP Jr. title against Matt Sydal. I loved the match, with Sydal putting on, in my eyes, one of his most solid performances to date: Spectacular moves, great selling, and a good connection with the audience. Omega’s performance was also memorable, but for a different reason.
Omega’s villainous character is something straight out of a manga, mixed with a bit of 80’s action movie bad guy, and dash of Looney Tunes chaos, which can at times stretch the limit of the viewers suspension of disbelief. Personally, I think it’s the greatest. Ridiculousness is my thing if you haven’t noticed, hence my affection for DDT Pro. But is an IWGP title match the right place for such a performance? Traditionalists would likely say no. Others have mentioned that it’s not so much the over the top character they don’t like, it’s Omega’s delivery and believability. I doubt the Golden Globes are going to come calling anytime soon, but I’ve seen worse acting in pro wrestling. And Omega is capable of delivering a more understated performance. Omega was a key part in one of the most compelling moments of the year during the Kota Ibushi vs. A.J. Styles match at Invasion Attack 2015, and it was without saying a single word.
As Ibushi was setting up for the Phoenix Splash, Omega got on the apron and the two simply exchanged a look. A simple distraction that ended up costing Ibushi the match. Afterwards, as his Bullet Club colleagues celebrated, Omega’s expressions told us everything we needed to know (Sadly, all of this led to absolutely nothing, but there’s still hope). No actions, no words. That was a nuanced performance. Not sure when we’ll see one of those again.
HERO HEEL REVENGE
Rounding out the night’s theme is the video package that played before Naito and Tanahashi’s King of Pro Wrestling match. It was a very good video package, as they usually are in New Japan. If you were coming into the match unfamiliar with the two’s rivalry and G-1 history, the video painted a very clear picture. Perhaps a little too clear though, as they literally spelled out the theme of the match with giant, John Cena inspired fruity pebble coloured key words in all caps plastered on the screen: REVENGE, HERO, HEEL. Making the story of the match crystal clear to viewers is in no way a bad thing, and the big blocked words did make for a pretty neat visual
Having said that, I couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the imagery. Also, the use of the word “heel” was a little jarring. I don’t know if I’ve heard that kind of insider term used so blatantly in New Japan before.
I hope subtlety in professional wrestling is not a dying art, and that nuances and niceties are not being moved aside for large, brightly coloured key words and self-explanatory character names. Was King of Pro Wrestling simply a night of plainspoken character portrayals and storytelling, or a taste of what New Japan has in store for the future?
This morning’s New Japan show in Korakuen Hall is all about the Super Jr. Tag Tournament, the single elimination tournament held around this time each year. Well, that and of course the usual eight and six man tags, because we can never escape from that on any New Japan card anymore. Tonight we’ll see the opening round with eight teams vying for a spot in the semifinals. As for the show itself, it’s a multi camera show, but no commentary.
It was announced that David Finlay suffered a left ankle injury and would not be competing tonight. The eight man to kick off the show would be made into a six man, with Finlay and Captain New Japan removed.
Togi Makabe, Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata defeated Yohei Komatsu, Jay White and Sho Tanaka
Pretty good opener. White showed some great fire against Shibata, who destroyed the young lions for a good part of the match. Shibata won after White submitted to a Boston crab.
Shinsuke Nakamura, Tama Tonga, Toru Yano and Kazushi Sakuraba defeated Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga, Doc Gallows and Bad Luck Fale
Pretty good at times. Some brawling throughout, including Anderson and Nakamura going at it in the stands. Anderson also mocked Nakamura at one point by putting on his ring jacket and doing his pose on the ropes. Fale and Yano interacted a bit as well, seems like they’re teasing a feud between these two. Nakamura gets the win with the boma ye, pinning Tama Tonga.
Kazuchika Okada, Gedo and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma and Juice Robinson
Good match, but felt pretty long. They went fifteen minutes, far more than other matches on the show so far and just about everyone got to work with one another. Robinson, who got a lot of time in the ring and looked good, was pinned after a Rainmaker by Okada.
They announced dates for the 2016 Fantasticamania tour with CMLL right before intermission. 1/17 in Kouchi, 1/19 in Kyoto, 1/20 in Osaka and 1/22, 1/23 and 1/24 in Tokyo.
reDragon defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask
Fish pinned Tiger Mask with the Chasing the Dragon. Solid match, but not a lot to it.
Roppongi Vice defeated Chase Owens and Kenny Omega
Good match towards the end. Crowd didn’t seem all that into it for large parts of the match. The start was really goofy. Omega’s antics work in short doses but he was hamming it up big time at the start of this match. Beretta and Romero double teamed Owens and pinned him with their finish, the Omori Driver/dropkick combo. So RPG Vice will face reDragon in the semifinals.
The Young Bucks defeated Mascara Dorada and Ryusuke Taguchi
Another good match. Dorada did some crazy moves throughout the match, including a hurricanrana off the apron and to the floor. There was a spot where Nick jammed his thumb in Taguchi’s butt, I guess to thwart him, but Taguchi came back and made him stick it in his mouth. Ew. Matt pinned Dorada after the Bucks hit the Meltzer Driver.
Ricochet and Matt Sydal defeated The TimeSplitters
Very good match. It started off slow, but got pretty got towards the end. Kushida had Sydal’s arm in the kimura a couple of times throughout the match and was selling it by the end. The TimeSplitters hit every big time maneuver they could think of but could not pin Sydal as he either kicked out or Ricochet interfered on his behalf. It looked like Shelley was going to the top rope to do something when Ricochet cut him off and Sydal hit a reverse rana on Kushida. They then both hit a shooting star press from the top rope, Sydal pinning Shelley to win the match. So they will face the Young Bucks in the other semifinal.
Good show overall. Nothing completely outstanding, but the last two matches were pretty fun to watch.
We’re continuing our look at WrestleKingdom 9, held January 4, 2015 at the Tokyo Dome. Three more matches tonight, finishing up the undercard portion of the event.
First up is a six man tag pitting Jeff Jarrett, Bad Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi against Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Tomoaki Honma. I completely forgot this match was on the card. And that reminds me, whatever happened to Jeff Jarrett being a part of the Bullet Club? That was a storyline that never really went anywhere beyond this match. This was really quick. Decent, but one of the shorter matches on the card. Honma won with the kokeshi headbutt from the top rope onto Yujiro Takahashi. The announcers compared it to Charlie Brown finally kicking the football (an old Peanuts comic strip gag from years ago). That sort of fits here, I guess, but him winning the G1 match later on in the year is the far better analogy.
Next up was the match between Minoru Suzuki and Kazushi Sakuraba, UWF-I rules. That means no pinfalls or submissions, either a KO, TKO, or ref stoppage will end the match. The presentation of the match was so cool, especially Minoru Suzuki who looked to be in the best shape of his career, wearing all white like he did when he won the King of Pancrase. This was really fun. Suzuki is one of the more unique wrestlers around as he always works HIS style of match, and it’s usually different than whatever else you’d see on a card we wrestles in. Lots of striking and submission attempts by both men. Suzuki kept goading Sakuraba to strike him, then Suzuki fired back, sinking in a sleeper, hip tossed him to the floor and Sakuraba passed out, so the ref stopped the match. This was a cool finish to a good match. Not the best on the card, but highly memorable.
Suzuki said he had been waiting for Sakuraba to come to New Japan for a long time. He didn’t feel much when shaking his hand, then said he wouldn’t elaborate since he didn’t like the way the interviewer answered the questions. He doesn’t look down at him. When asked why they hugged in the ring after the match, he refused to answer that as well and called the interviewer a loser. I miss Minoru Suzuki in New Japan. I so, so do.
Shibata is interviewed next. He talks about how he didn’t like the reactions he got in the Tokyo Dome before, but he liked it when he and Goto faced each other back at WrestleKingdom 8 as the reactions were more direct. In regards to his opponents, he says they have power and skill, and also work better as a tag team than singles wrestlers. When they won the tag league, they didn’t get a championship, so it’s here where they want to win the tag team championships.
The tag team title match aired. This was pretty good. The crowd were into Shibata and Goto as the challengers, and as a team they’re good. Anderson and Gallows are good as a team, and are fine as champions, but they aren’t great and aren’t going to really do anything to bring the tag team division out of the funk it is in this promotion. But this was a good back and forth match. A bit short, but was good while it lasted and never dragged.
Shibata and Goto mentioned that it was 20 years ago that they met each other, so they were glad they were able to become tag team champions tonight. Shibata also put over the fans, as to him they were the ones who helped them win the gold. Shibata said in his reflective interview pretty much what he said in the post match interview, he was happy to win the title. He finishes by saying he liked the shape of the belt.
We now have most of the undercard down, with the two big title matches still to go over the next couple of weeks. Pretty good show, though if there’s one match you need to see, it’s the Suzuki/Sakuraba bout, as it was a pretty cool match.
On Tuesday, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the lineup for its next major show, Power Struggle, which takes place on 11/7 at the Edion Arena in Osaka, formerly the Bodymaker Colosseum.
The show will be headlined by Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson for the Intercontinental title, which had already been announced in commentary during Monday’s King of Pro Wrestling show.
Power Struggle will also feature the finals of a junior heavyweight tag team tournament that runs throughout the next tour and begins on 10/23 with a show in Tokorozawa. The tournament will be a single elimination eight-team tournament with Tiger Mask & Jushin Liger, Mascara Dorada & Ryusuke Taguchi, Rocky Romero & Baretta, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish, The Young Bucks, Alex Shelley & Kushida, Kenny Omega & Chase Owens and Matt Sydal & Ricochet.
The junior heavyweight tag team tournament first round will be on 10/24 at Korakuen Hall with Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Fish & O’Reilly, Romero & Baretta vs. Omega & Owens, Dorada & Taguchi vs. Young Bucks and Shelley & Kushida vs. Sydal & Ricochet.
The winners advance to an 11/1 show at Korakuen Hall, where the semifinals take place.
The lineup for the PPV thus far:
Hirooki Goto vs. Evil (Takaaki Watanabe)
A.J. Styles & Bad Luck Fale vs. Toru Yano & Yoshi-Hashi
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma for the Never Open weight title
Junior heavyweight tag team tournament finals
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Kazuchika Okada
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of NJPW King of Pro Wrestling. The main event features Kazuchika Okada vs. A.J. Styles for IWGP heavyweight title and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito for the Tokyo Dome title shot. Also on the show are Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask and Yuji Nagata.
We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
New Japan King of Pro Wrestling at 3 a.m. Eastern and Midnight Pacific late Sunday night on New Japan World – Kevin Kelly & Matt Striker will be doing the announcing in English for the first time on the service.
JUSHIN LIGER & TIGER MASK & KUSHIDA & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & MASCARA DORADA VS. JUICE ROBINSON & SHO TANAKA & JAY WHITE & DAVID FINLAY & YOHEI KOMATSU
My stream was down for this match. On the replay, Dorada pinned Finlay afer a Dorada screwdriver after Taguchi used the running hip attack.
TOMOAKI HONMA VS. YOSHI-HASHI
Honma won with a head-butt to the lower back, a shoulderblock and the diving head-butt off the toip rope. Honma’s lower back is jacked up so this wasn’t as good as most of his matches are. Matt Striker thought Yoshi-Hashi was a first and last name and kept calling him Hashi.
HIROOKI GOTO & KOTA IBUSHI & KATSUYORI SHIBATA & CAPTAIN NEW JAPAN VS. HIROYOSHI TENZAN & SATOSHI KOJIMA & YUJI NAGATA & MANABU NAKANISHI
Kojima pinned Captain after a 3-D and a lariat. The match was solid, about what you’d think. Ibushi didn’t do much in this match. They seemed to focus some on Nagata vs. Shibata, or at least that was the best action but no real clear storylines.
BOBBY FISH & KYLE O’REILLY VS. ROCKY ROMERO & BARETTA FOR IWGP JR. TAG TITLES
Decent match but what a weird finish. O’Reilly pinned Baretta and it looked like Romero saved but Tiger Hattori said he counted three and called for the bell. It was an obvious botch. Romero really looked unhappy and complained to the American announce team. I was listening to the Japanese team at the time. The finish really hurt the match which was fine but hadn’t peaked at all. Nobody really looked happy when it was over.
No matter what is announced, there are visible empty seats downsairs
KENNY OMEGA VS. MATT SYDAL FOR IWGP JR. TITLE
Omega retained with the One Winged Angel, which is an electric chair dropped into a Michinoku driver. Omega has all the talent in the world but he overacts badly. It made it hard to take the match seriously until late. Sydal is really great, one of these gus whose role it seems to be is have great matches while never getting a big push. His best spots were a reverse Frankensteiner and a Fosbury flop like dive onto Omega and Cody Hall.
Intermission time.
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA & TORU YANO & KAZUSHI SAKURABA VS. KARL ANDERSON & DOC GALLOWS & BAD LUCK FALE
A nothing match. Mostly worked on Nakamura Sakuraba has a brief time in. Yano hot tagged in. Fale went for the Bad Luck Fall on Yano, but Sakuraba saved. Tama Tonga interfered. Yano used a low blow on Fale and Tonga at the same time and surprisingly pinned Fale with the outside cradle.
Very clear this show is all about these final three matches.
TOGI MAKABE VS. TOMOHIRO ISHII FOR THE NEVER OPEN WEIGHT TITLE
Ishii won the title after a dragon suplex and brainbuster after Makabe had missed the King Kong kneedrop off the top rope. This was the weakest match these two have had. So much miscommuniation and botched stuff early, although the crowd was more into it late than anything so far on the show. The last few minutes were very good But it’s a big difference between Ishii now and in February. Honma came out to challenge Ishii after the match but it was quick and almost like a TNA challenge in that he came out and seconds later they were starting the video for Tanahashi vs. Naito.
HIROSHI TANAHASHI VS. TETSUYA NAITO FOR THE IWGP TITLE SHOT AT THE TOKYO DOME
Not a great match. Match was slow, some stuff with Naito using Tanahashi’s moves. Naito threw Tanahashi into ref Red Shoes. There was a guy under a Naito mask the entire match who ran in and it was Takaaki Watanabe. He was wearing a suit and had eye liner like Kevin Sullivan. They were beating on Tanahashi until Goto and Shibata came in. Naito used a low blow but Tanahashi kicked out of the pin. Tanahashi came back with a sling blade, crossbody off the top and high fly flow for the pin. After the match, Watanabe laid out Goto with a uranage, so that’s his direction. Good match but felt very much like a TNA main event with the ref bump and interference.
KAZCHIKA OKADA VS. A.J. STYLES FOR IWGP TITLEan
Okada won a long excellent match after three rainmakers. Okada had the match won with a rainmaker earlier but Karl Anderson pulled the ref out of the ring. Okada then did a flip dive onto everyone. There was a great near submission when Styles used the calf killer and Okada was teasing tapping until he made the ropes. These two proved again they are right at the top of any lis for the best in the world right now.
Okada cut his post-match promo and Tanahashi came out. Tanahashi would say champion and point to Okada and called himself ace over and over. Tanahashi left and Gedo did a promo. Confetti fell from the sky.
Tonight’s show is from January 4, 2015, held in the Tokyo Dome. This is the first in a five part series looking at WrestleKingdom 9.
The first match that aired (in full!) was the opening Junior tag team championship match, with reDragon defending their titles against the Forever Hooligans, Timesplitters, and the Young Bucks. This was a crazy match full of high spots and clever counters. There was one point in the match where everyone was doing big dives to the floor, with Kushida capping it off by doing a senton from the top rope to the floor, wiping out everyone on the outside. It’s one of those matches where there are a billion moves going on at once, but it doesn’t feel excessive. Very good match with reDragon getting the win, pining Kozlov (who’s on his way out shortly after this match) with the Chasing the Dragon, a brainbuster/kick combo.
O’Reilley and Fish are interviewed backstage. They don’t say much other than they intend to take over New Japan, they’re ichiban, etc.
Kenny Omega is interviewed. When asked why the joined the Bullet Club, he said it was because he wanted to be in New Japan. He’d ask them for years to be in, but they would only let him be in the Super Junior tournament. So the Bullet Club came to him and said they’d get him on whatever show he wants and would even get him a title shot, so he joined up with them, calling them family. When asked about champion Ryusuke Taguchi, he mocks the hip attacks a bit, but also says that they hurt so he knows what they’re doing. At one time they were a tag team unit, but that’s over as now they both want to become a legend in the Junior heavyweight division.
The match aired. I liked this match. It was good, but not super great or anything. It was a very much back and forth match with the two working slow at first, then eventually trading finishers and submissions and the like. It reminded me very much like a WWE big time feel match. Taguchi hit the dodon and the ankle lock but Omega remained resilient. He cut off Taguchi and hit the One Winged Angel for the win. It started slow, but turned into a very good match towards the end with some good near falls.
Kenny Omega was interviewed backstage. He says that now he’s proven himself to be the best in the world. He’d better than Taguchi, better than Kushida, and even better than his former tag team partner, Kota Ibushi. He mentions that at one time Prince Devitt was considered one of the best junior heavyweights of all time and was also the former leader of the Bullet Club. But now he’s a legend, and he’s at the top.
Taguchi is also interviewed, saying that he wants another shot. He says it’s not like an eye for an eye, but if he befools him , he’ll befool back. When asked if he will take this match seriously or fool around, he says he’ll seriously fool around, but he is frustrated right now.
Omega reflects, saying he know Taguchi will come back stronger, but he will clean him up just like he’s done two other times in the past. He does respect him trying so hard, though, and encourages him to keep trying. He says when he won the title, for a moment he felt like he had accomplished his dream, but now he has work to do as he has so many crappy wrestlers to sweep away. Good show. Both matches were good, with the Junior tag having some really creative spots. Check them both out.
Rivermead Leisure Complex, Reading, England 3/10/15
Tetsuya Naito beat Kushida and Martin Kirby Lord Gideon Grey beat Gedo Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima beat Joel Redman and Mark Haskins Shinsuke Nakamura beat Marty Scurll Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows beat Sha Samuels and James Castle by DQ Kazuchika Okada beat Will Ospreay Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Big Damo AJ Styles beat Jushin Thunder Liger to retain the RPW British Heavyweight Title
Not as good of a show as last night with the different venue and a quieter crowd but still a solid show. Okada vs Ospreay was match of the night, very good indeed. Nakamura-Scurll and the 3 way opener were good as well, Naito’s heel gimmick is just great. Gedo and Kojima had fun playing to the crowd in their respective matches, and Styles-Liger was a satisfyingly good first time ever dream match up.
